Patent ID: RE39053

Claim:
A collision avoidance system for use in a vehicle comprising a dielectric antenna shaped at least as part of a sphere formed by a plurality of sectors, an L-band microwave transmitter, a plurality of transmit/receive switches with one of said switches associated with a respective one of said sectors, means connecting said transmitter to said switches so that when said switches are in a transmit mode a plurality of L-band microwave signals are transmitted simultaneously from said sectors omnidirectionally around said antenna, a plurality of L-band microwave detectors with one of said detectors associated with a respective one of said sectors to detect, when said switches are in a receive mode, a return microwave signal reflected from an obstacle in the area surrounding the vehicle, circuit means for processing return microwave signals to provide an output signal containing information regarding said obstacle, and display means connected to said circuit means for displaying that information to the operator of the vehicle enabling the operator to take appropriate action to avoid a collision with the obstacle.