Systems and methods for emergency vehicle proximity warnings using digital radio broadcast

• US 10,582,363 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iBiquity Digital Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iBiquity Digital Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: El-Dinary, Ashruf
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hannan, B M M
• Application Number:
  US15/969,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20180279107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 4554042
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for communicating an emergency alert message from a digital radio broadcast transmission system of a mobile vehicle to a digital radio broadcast receiver system. A digital radio broadcast signal including first and second data is broadcasted using the digital radio broadcast transmission system to end-user digital radio broadcast receivers. The first data includes an emergency code, and the second data includes an emergency alert message. The digital radio broadcast signal is transmitted at a predetermined frequency that is recognized by the receivers as an emergency notification frequency. The digital radio broadcast signal can be decoded only be receivers located within a localized area in a proximity of the transmission system. The receivers are configured to automatically tune to the emergency notification frequency to receive the digital radio broadcast signal and render the second data based on a detection of the emergency code within the signal.

Claims

1. A method for communicating an emergency alert message from a digital radio broadcast transmission system of a mobile vehicle to a digital radio broadcast receiver system, the method comprising:

reading data stored in a memory of the digital radio broadcast transmission system, the data including first data comprising an emergency alert notification code and second data comprising an emergency alert message configured to be rendered by end-user digital radio broadcast receivers, wherein the first data and the second data are stored as a digitized IBOC waveform including in-phase (I) components and quadrature-phase (Q) components of the digitized IBOC waveform; and

broadcasting a digital radio broadcast signal including the first and the second data using the digital radio broadcast transmission system from the mobile vehicle to the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers at a predetermined frequency within an FM commercial broadcast band or an AM commercial broadcast band that is recognized by the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers as an emergency notification frequency, the digital radio broadcast signal having characteristics that enable the digital radio broadcast signal to be decoded only by the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers located within a localized area in a proximity of the digital radio broadcast transmission system, wherein the digital radio broadcast signal includes a broadcast channel and first and second data channels that are subchannels of the broadcast channel, and the first data is broadcast using the first data channel and the second data is broadcast using the second data channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data comprises one or more of video, text, still images, multimedia, and audio.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data comprises:

first audio including words spoken in a first language;

first text in the first language;

second audio including words spoken in a second language; and

second text in the second language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency alert message comprises a notification of an approach of an emergency vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a digitized digital radio broadcasting waveform.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

upconverting the digitized waveform from a lower frequency to a higher carrier frequency;

using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to convert the upconverted waveform to an analog waveform; and

mixing the analog waveform to the predetermined frequency within the FM commercial broadcast band.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the FM commercial broadcast band comprises a frequency range of 87.9 MHz to 107.9 MHz.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the FM commercial broadcast band comprises a frequency range of 87.5 MHZ to 108.0 MHz.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined frequency is an unused frequency within the FM commercial broadcast band.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the broadcasting of the digital radio broadcast signal at the unused frequency within the FM commercial broadcast band does not interfere with other broadcasts within the FM commercial broadcast band.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the localized area comprises an area having a predetermined radius surrounding the digital radio broadcast transmission system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined radius is 1000 feet.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital radio broadcast transmission system broadcasts the digital radio broadcast signal at a power level that is less than 1 watt.

14. A digital radio broadcast transmission system of a mobile vehicle, comprising:

a digital radio broadcast transmitter system including configured for operation in the mobile vehicle, the digital radio broadcast transmitter system including a processing system; and

a memory coupled to the processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to;

read data stored in the memory, the data including first data comprising an emergency alert notification code and second data comprising an emergency alert message configured to be rendered by end-user digital radio broadcast receivers, wherein the first data and the second data are stored as a digitized IBOC waveform including in-phase (I) components and quadrature-phase (Q) components of the digitized IBOC waveform; and

process a digital radio broadcast signal including the first and the second data for broadcasting to the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers at a predetermined frequency within an FM commercial broadcast band or an AM commercial broadcast band that is recognized by the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers as an emergency notification frequency, the digital radio broadcast signal having characteristics that enable the digital radio broadcast signal to be decoded only by the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers located within a localized area in a proximity of the digital radio broadcast transmitter system, wherein the digital radio broadcast signal includes a broadcast channel and first and second data channels that are subchannels of the broadcast channel, and the first data is broadcast using the first data channel and the second data is broadcast using the second data channel.

15. The digital radio broadcast transmission system of claim 14, wherein the digital radio broadcast signal broadcast by the mobile vehicle includes direction and power characteristics that enable the digital radio broadcast signal to be received only by the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers located within the localized area.

16. The digital radio broadcast transmission system of claim 14, wherein one or both of the first data and the second data are stored in the memory as a digitized radio waveform including in-phase component information and quadrature information.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer program instructions for communicating an emergency alert message from a digital radio broadcast transmission system of a mobile vehicle to end-user digital radio broadcast receivers, said instructions when executed are adapted to cause a processing system of the digital radio broadcast transmitter system to:

read data stored in a memory, the data including first data comprising an emergency alert notification code and second data comprising an emergency alert message configured to be rendered by end-user digital radio broadcast receivers, wherein the first data and the second data are stored as a digitized IBOC waveform including in-phase (I) components and quadrature-phase (Q) components of the digitized IBOC waveform; and

process a digital radio broadcast signal including the first and the second data for broadcasting by the mobile vehicle at a predetermined frequency within an FM commercial broadcast band or an AM commercial broadcast band that is recognized by the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers as an emergency notification frequency, the digital radio broadcast signal having characteristics that enable the digital radio broadcast signal to be received only by the end-user digital radio broadcast receivers located within a predetermined localized area in a proximity of the digital radio broadcast transmitter system, wherein the digital radio broadcast signal includes a broadcast channel and first and second data channels that are subchannels of the broadcast channel, and the first data is broadcast using the first data channel and the second data is broadcast using the second data channel.