GB2269493A - Emergency braking warning system - Google Patents

Abstract

A device fitted to the braking system of a motor vehicle is sensitive to pressure and time so as to monitor the degree of force/severity of braking and the speed of brake application, and in emergency braking conditions the device causes one or more warning lights to flash on and off. The device may flash the hazard warning lights or the normal brake lights, or a rear window mounted high-visibility third brake light, or all of these may be flashed conjointly.

Description

This invention relates to the automatic, as opposed to the manual, operation of a motor vehicle's hazard warning lights.

The present method by which motor vehicles indicate a hazard condition to following motor vehicles which requires braking is by means of:i) Rear brake lights which when lit indicate only that the vehicle's brakes have beenapplied, but not the nature of the hazard requiring braking nor the degree of pressurelforce applied, nor the speed of brake application; and/or ii) The use of the vehicle's hazard warning lights, if the motorist has the time andpresence of mind to manually operate them, which, in conjunction with the rear brakelight evidence of braking, indicates to following motorists that an emergency conditionexists which requires rapid and emergency braking on their part.

In an emergency a motorist may not have time, whilst braking to avoid an accident, to manually operate the hazard warning lights.

The present invention, a system incorporating a device connected to the motor vehicle's braking system sensitive to pressure and time, would, in certain circumstances, act as a switching device to automatically operate the vehicle's hazard warning light system simultaneously with the vehicles brake lights to warn following motorists that an emergency condition exists which requires rapid and emergency braking on their part.

The circumstances necessary to activate this system would be such emergencies that require excessive and rapid braking force to be applied to stop a motor vehicle very quickly e.g.

emergency braking.

The automatic system, by eliminating the requirement to manually operate the vehicle's hazard warning lights saves vital seconds and could contribute to fewer road accidents by giving following motorists more time to react to emergency conditions.

As soon as the excessive braking pressure was released the hazard warning lights would switch off and revert to their normal manual operating mode.

The normal manual operating mode of the hazard warning light system would be unaffected by the automatic system.

The normal operation of the brake light warning system would not be affected in any way by this invention and in normal braking situations only the rear brake lights would operate.

Claims (4)

1. BRAKE SAFE 1. A pressure and time sensitive device fitted to the braking system of any motor vehiclewhich would monitor the degree of force/severity of braking and in emergency brakingconditions would automatically switch on the vehicle's hazard warning light system,which, in conjunction with the normal operation of the vehicle's rear brake lights,would indicate to following motorists that emergency braking was required on theirpart to avoid an accident. As soon as the vehicle had come to rest and pressure onthe brake pedal was removed the hazard warning lights would switch off and revertto their normal manual operating mode.
2. 2. A pressure sensitive device as claimed in claim 1 capable of operating, if required, therear brake lights only, independently of the hazard warning light system but in themanner of hazard warning lights i.e. the rear brake lights (including the third highvisibility rear brake light fitted to the rear windows of cars) would flash on and offto indicate emergency braking was required on the part of following motorists to avoidan accident.
3. 3. A pressure sensitive device as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 capable of operating,if required, only the third high visibility rear brake light (fitted to rear windows ofcars) independently of the hazard warning light system and rear brake lights but in themanner of hazard warning lights i.e. the third high visibility rear brake light wouldflash on and off to indicate emergency braking was required on the part of followingmotorists to avoid an accident.
4. 4. A pressure sensitive device as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 and claim 3 capable ofoperating, if required, the hazard warning light system, the rear brake lights including,where fitted, the third high visibility rear brake light conjointly and at the same timewhereby all afore-mentioned lights would flash on and off to indicate emergencybraking was required on the part of following motorists to avoid an accident.