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BrakeLight

 Bargraph to show decceleration
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They have a series of LEDs on the back of most car spoilers nowadays. These should be a linear graph of how hard the car is deccelerating. That way, if you saw a fully lit bar, you'd know they are slowing down fast, and you should too.

It can't be that hard to implement, I'd expect you could build the whole thing into the spoiler itself.

—jshare, Mar 02 2000

Similar idea? http://www.halfbake...ed_20Brake_20Lights
[eagle, Mar 02 2000]

Quite a popular idea for people to have... http://www.sigmaaut...ke/intellibrake.php
and less than $100 (barely) [squigbobble, Mar 16 2006]


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Annotation:







       I believe BMW have implemented this system on one of their current models, but with lights that increase in brightness, rather than a series of LEDs.   

       In addition, I've always thought it would be nice if cars had some kind of acceleration indicator on the back, or even an LED number to tell everyone what gear they're in. This would serve no useful purpose, but it would be interesting.   

       One further thought - we have a lot of roundabouts in our town - how about a straight-ahead indicator?
—Slag, May 04 2000
   

       I'd like one of those anyway, and I've only ever seen one roundabout...Been nearly killed multiple times just at the exit to my office's parking lot, where there's a right turn lane, and a combination left turn / straight ahead lane, and people assume that EVERYBODY is turning left...
—StarChaser, May 05 2000
   

       I know I've heard of these in other places, but what about a turn signal. Something to indicate that you're turning or switching lanes before you actually turn.   

       -- pretending to be a grumpy old man it's:
—etrigan, May 23 2000
   

       Recapping the original thought: Turn signals are wonderful when you're TURNING, but when you're going straight and the other people are too stupid to connect 'no blinkenlights' with 'not turning', it would be nice to have a hammer to hit them with.
—StarChaser, May 24 2000
   

       how about a proximity meter attached to an electric eye in the back of your car. if someone tailgates you it broadcasts a very weak signal that activates a device placed in every car which causes them to automatically brake,very hard.the strength of the signal would vary with your speed, maybe using the 2 second rule as a guide
—dwp37, Jun 26 2000
   

       What you need is a "Dick Dasterdly" grabber from those "Wacky Racers". It shoots out from the front of your car, grabs the vehicle in front, and plonks it behined you.   

       If you've played "Micro Machines" on the playstation, you'll know what I mean...
—Belly, Jun 26 2000
   

       You know I've been thinkong about external signals quite a bit this morning and have reached an radical brain turn. No signals, none at all, no brakes, rear lights etc. Maybe we'd all stop relying on other peoples signals and have to drive defensivly. We'd be safer and more aware of other road users through the powerfull stimulous of fear.
—Mung, Feb 21 2001
   

       Like that would make a difference. Turn signals on a lot of cars will be in like-new condition from never having been used, and I've seen more blown brakelights...
—StarChaser, Feb 23 2001
   

       Baked. I remember reading a book called "Future Facts", and they supposedly tested this on NYC cabbies in the 80's. Instead of a LED graph, it uses flashing to indicate deceleration. Easy stop produces slow flashes, while panic stop produces fast flashes.   

       I personally prefer a series of LEDs pointing both UP and down in the middle of the tail, maybe in the "third-brakelight" position". Something like this   

       ^ ^ ^ O v v v   

       Well, you get the idea. If you're accelerating, the upward arrow goes up 1, 2, or 3 notches. If you braking, the downward arrow goes 1, 2, or 3 notches, depending on degree.
—kschang, Jan 29 2002
   

       I had this same idea years ago, but with the addition of lights on the extremes of the bar graph (that turn on any time the breaks are on at all), so you know how extreme the breaking is regardless of the size of the lights.   

       Like so:   

       o......ooo||ooo.......o
—Macguy_ver, Jul 06 2002
   

       forget graphs. LEDs can blink brightly and fast. This would catch your attention more than just a bright light or a graph. All you need to do is build the circuit into the bulb.
—dermot, May 04 2003
   

       First brakelight idea I've read that doesn't rely on pedal pressure, but deceleration speed. I like!
—rapid transit, May 18 2003
   

       WOW. 13 years ago, I thought about this, and I thought I was the only one, until I saw it on the back of a bus. I didnt' have a place to discuss it, glad I found this site. Another alternative to the extremity marker on an outward moving indicator, would be a inward moving indicator; the center would be the extremity.   

       I am currently an electronics student, and am working on this for my final project, and I am implementing this form of indication, combined with a variable intensity -like BMW- and a final mix of flashing at 80% braking capacity.
—alnsas, Dec 10 2003
   

       I live in Germany and have seen this on at least one van. Unfortunately I can't remember what make of vehicle it was on. The high center brakelight was vertically placed in the rear window in one of the back doors. Applying brakes increased the number of the lit LED's apparently according to the braking pressure... the normal brakelights worked in the usual binary fashion.
—KLRico, Dec 11 2003
   

       Another option to variable intensity brake lights is to just put the speed of a car in its rear window or next to the brake lights. I was thinking about that, and then I thought about how many times I've been speeding, but a cop doesn't have their radar on and I get really lucky. So, maybe it's not such a great idea. I wouldn't be suprised if London tried displaying a cars speed on it's rear window, they already have camera's everywhere.
—thinkingirl42, Jan 21 2004
   

       Funny, I found this site doing research for my senior physics thesis. I am in the process of building a device very similar to the one described above using super bright LEDs and a 5g accelerometer. So far so good. But I was hoping ALNSAS had some information left over from his project that would be helpful. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
—eambrette, Feb 24 2004
   

       I halfbaked this today, on the way to work. I'm glad someone beat me to it. Perhaps this can be fully baked some day. :)   

       I imagine an arc of LEDs that connect up and around the top of the rear windshield from each L/R brake light. This would be to help assist in measuring the remaining (unlit) area of lights in darkness.   

       Some vans and SUVs have the third brake light at the top there, so that would be a great connection point. Other vehicles, like my Civic ("Nestor") have the third brake light at the base of the rear windshield. Either way, creating an arc that meets on full deceleration would easily display the full range.
—XSarenkaX, Jul 05 2006
   


 

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