Collision avoidance system and method for operating the same

摘要

A device for determining the distance between the rear of a trailer and a loading dock is disclosed which assists a driver backing the trailer up to the loading dock by visually and continuously letting the driver know how close the rear of the trailer is to the loading dock, thereby providing information to prevent the rear of the trailer from colliding with the loading dock. The distance between the back of the trailer and the loading dock is determined by an ultrasonic transducer which is mounted onto the side of the loading dock toward which the rear of the trailer will be backed. A display module mounted on the loading dock provides a numeric indication of the distance between the rear of the trailer and the loading dock. In the preferred embodiment, both a conventional numeric display (which may be read by the driver by looking out the window of the cab of the tractor and back toward the loading dock) and a reversed or mirror image (which may be read by the driver by looking in the side view mirror of the tractor back toward the loading dock or other fixed object) are provided on the display module.