Sound-based vehicle safety system
First Claim
1. A safety system for a host vehicle whose driver can be protected from audible noise, said safety system comprising:
- (a) one or more directionally discriminating microphones on said host vehicle that discriminate against audible noise made by said host vehicle, (b) signal processing means, and (c) one or more loudspeakers positioned so that said driver can clearly hear sounds produced by said loudspeakers, said signal processing means receiving signals from said microphones, said loudspeakers receiving signals from said signal processing means, and said safety system is configured so that said driver can hear sounds resembling the sounds made by nearby vehicles that are close enough to said host vehicle that said driver should be aware of said nearby vehicles for purposes of safe driving, said driver can approximately locate by ear the position of said nearby vehicles that he or she apparently hears, and said driver is generally unaware of sounds from said safety system that originate from said host vehicle, whereby said driver is made aware of the presence of said nearby vehicles behind or beside said host vehicle, and said driver is not annoyed by additional noise from said host vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A motor vehicle safety device allows the driver to hear nearby vehicles, so the driver can tell by ear when vehicles are in his blind spots, without significantly increasing the sound level inside the vehicle when there are no vehicles close to the host vehicle'"'"'s blind spot. One benefit of this invention is the blind spot alert, or blind spot warning. Another benefit is that, because this invention communicates aural information from the host vehicle'"'"'s environment to the driver, the driving experience is sensually richer and more interesting. The driver remains more alert and focused on the driving task. Elements of this invention, all of which are inexpensive, include directionally selective microphones (20) mounted on the vehicle, electronic signal processing (22), and loudspeakers (24) that are mounted close to the ears of the driver.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A safety system for a host vehicle whose driver can be protected from audible noise, said safety system comprising:
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(a) one or more directionally discriminating microphones on said host vehicle that discriminate against audible noise made by said host vehicle, (b) signal processing means, and (c) one or more loudspeakers positioned so that said driver can clearly hear sounds produced by said loudspeakers, said signal processing means receiving signals from said microphones, said loudspeakers receiving signals from said signal processing means, and said safety system is configured so that said driver can hear sounds resembling the sounds made by nearby vehicles that are close enough to said host vehicle that said driver should be aware of said nearby vehicles for purposes of safe driving, said driver can approximately locate by ear the position of said nearby vehicles that he or she apparently hears, and said driver is generally unaware of sounds from said safety system that originate from said host vehicle, whereby said driver is made aware of the presence of said nearby vehicles behind or beside said host vehicle, and said driver is not annoyed by additional noise from said host vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A safety system for a machine whose driver or operator or pilot can be protected from audible noise, said safety system comprising:
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(a) sensing means on said machine, (b) signal processing means, and (c) sound producing means positioned so that said driver, pilot, or operator can clearly hear sounds produced by said sound producing means, the elements of said safety system configured so that said driver or operator or pilot can hear sounds representing things or conditions of interest in or near said machine that are sensed by said sensing means, and said driver or operator or pilot can tell by ear when items of interest are in or near his machine, and said driver or operator or pilot can tell by ear the approximate location and importance of said items of interest, whereby said driver, operator, or pilot uses his innate ability to interpret sounds coming from his environment to focus his or her attention on important conditions or objects.
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20. A method for making a driver of a host vehicle aware of nearby vehicles that are located behind or beside said host vehicle and close enough to said host vehicle that said driver should be aware of said nearby vehicles for purposes of safe driving, comprising:
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(a) sensing sounds from said nearby vehicles while discriminating against sounds that come from said host vehicle, (b) converting said sensed sounds into signals that represent said sounds, (c) processing said signals into new, processed signals, and (d) producing new sounds for said driver from said processed signals, said new sounds representing to said driver sounds made by said nearby vehicles, and said new sounds having low enough volume, when there are no said nearby vehicles, that said driver is unaware of any of said new sounds that originate from said host vehicle, whereby said driver will stay alert to said nearby vehicles in his driving environment, and said driver will not be annoyed by additional sounds from said host vehicle.
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Specification