System to warn of an approaching emergency vehicle

• US 20030201906A1
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salvatore Buscemi
• Original Assignee: Salvatore Buscemi
• Inventors: Buscemi, Salvatore
• Granted Patent: US 6,859,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

A system to warn an automobile driver of an approaching emergency vehicle includes at least one sensor (18) located in the motor vehicle (12), the sensor being responsive to sense the alert-status signal from the emergency vehicle and to provide an output signal indicative thereof, a control block (20) responsive to the signal from the sensor and operative to provide an output signal indicative thereof, visual indicia (16) associated with the face of the rearview mirror (14) and receiving the output signal from the control block, and an audio alert (22) also responsive to the output signal from the control block. The visual indicia include four indicia markers located at approximately 90 degrees from one another on horizontal and vertical axes visible on the face of the mirror to provide the driver with visual directional notification of the presence and location of the emergency vehicle. The four indicia markers are normally either invisible or visually muted with respect to the face of the mirror, and are individually illuminatable responsive to the output signal from the control block. The four indicia markers establish top, bottom, left and right indicia responsive to output signals associated with the presence of an emergency vehicle located ahead, behind, to the left and to the right of the motor vehicle, respectively.

Claims

1. A system to provide the driver of a motor vehicle having an inside rearview mirror with a warning of the presence and location of an emergency vehicle of the type generating an alert-status signal, the system comprising

a) a sensor located in the motor vehicle, the sensor being responsive to sense the presence, location and strength of the alert-status signal from the emergency vehicle and to provide an output signal indicative thereof,

b) a control block receiving the signal from the sensor and responsive thereto to supply an output signal indicative of the presence, location and strength of the alert-status signal, and

c) visual indicia associated with the face of the rearview mirror and receiving the output signal from the control block, the visual indicia being responsive to said output signal to provide the driver with visual directional notification of the presence and location of the emergency vehicle,—

the visual indicia including four indicia markers located at approximately 90 degrees from one another on horizontal and vertical axes visible on the face of the mirror,—

the four indicia markers being normally one of invisible and visually muted with respect to the face of the mirror and being individually illuminatable responsive to the output signal from the control block,—

the four indicia markers establishing top, bottom, left and right indicia responsive to output signals associated with the presence of an emergency vehicle located ahead, behind, to the left and to the right of the motor vehicle, respectively.

2. The warning system as defined in claim 1 further comprising an audio alert responsive to the output signal from the control block.

3. The warning system as defined in claim 1 in which the four indicia markers are located proximate the top, bottom, left and right sides, respectively, of the mirror.

4. The warning system as defined in claim 1 in which the visual indicia includes illuminatable indicia encircling 360 degrees around the face of the mirror, said encircling indicia including said four indicia markers, said encircling indicia being further responsive to the output signal from the control block to indicate location of the emergency vehicle around 360 degrees with respect to the motor vehicle.

5. The warning system as defined in claim 1 in which the visual indicia is further responsive to the output signal from the control block to provide notification as to the emergency vehicle one of approaching the motor vehicle and traveling away from the motor vehicle.

6. The warning system as defined in claim 5 in which the visual indicia are responsive as continuously illuminated for an approaching emergency vehicle and as blinking for an emergency vehicle traveling away from the motor vehicle.

7. The warning system as defined in claim 6 in which the strength of the illuminated visual indicia is a function of the distance between the emergency vehicle and the motor vehicle.

8. The warning system as defined in claim 1 in which the four indicia markers include labels associated with one of (i) AHEAD, BEHIND, LEFT and RIGHT and (ii) Front, Rear, Driver and Passenger, directional relations between the emergency vehicle and the motor vehicle.