GPS-based vehicle warning and location system & method

• US 20050192746A1
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Byron King, Drew A. Yancey
• Original Assignee: Byron King, Drew A. Yancey
• Inventors: King, Byron, Yancey, Drew A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

An emergency vehicle alert system for providing information as to a location of an emergency vehicle to a motor vehicle, includes a first GPS receiving unit that is provided on the emergency vehicle and that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites and that determines emergency vehicle location information of the emergency vehicle. The system also includes a radio-wave transmitter unit that is provided on the emergency vehicle and that transmits the emergency vehicle location information by way of an emergency vehicle location signal. The system further includes a second GPS receiving unit that is provided on the motor vehicle and that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites and that determines vehicle location information of the motor vehicle. The system also includes a radio-wave receiver unit that is provided on the motor vehicle and that receives the emergency location signal output by the radio-wave transmitter unit of the emergency vehicle. The system further includes a map display that displays, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations, a current location of the motor vehicle a current location of the emergency vehicle. The emergency vehicle is shown as an icon on the map, whereby the icon has a different visual characteristic depending on the position of the emergency vehicle with respect to the motor vehicle.

Claims

1. An emergency vehicle alert system for providing information as to a location of an emergency vehicle to a motor vehicle, the system comprising:

a first GPS receiving unit that is provided on said emergency vehicle and that is configured to receive at least three different GPS signals from at least different GPS satellites and to determine emergency vehicle location information of said emergency vehicle;

a radio-wave transmitter unit that is provided on said emergency vehicle and that is configured to transmit said emergency vehicle location information by way of an emergency vehicle location signal that includes said emergency vehicle location information;

a second GPS receiving unit that is provided on said motor vehicle and that is configured to receive at least three different GPS signals from at least three different GPS satellites and to determine vehicle location information of said motor vehicle as a result thereof;

a radio-wave receiver unit that is provided on said motor vehicle and that is configured to receive the emergency location signal output by said radio-wave transmitter unit of said emergency vehicle; and

a map display that is provided on said motor vehicle and that is configured to display, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations provided thereon, a current location of said motor vehicle as provided by the vehicle location information, and the map display configured to display, on the map, a current location of said emergency vehicle as provided by the emergency vehicle location information obtained from the emergency vehicle location signal received by said radio-wave receiver unit when said radio-wave receiver unit is in radio-wave communication range with respect to said radio-wave transmitter unit,

wherein the map display displays the emergency vehicle as an icon on the map display with a different visual characteristic when the emergency vehicle is determined to be within a particular location with respect to the motor vehicle.

2. The emergency vehicle alert system according to claim 1, wherein the emergency vehicle is one of a police vehicle, a fire station vehicle, and a school bus.

3. The emergency vehicle alert system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an audible warning unit that is configured to output an audible alarm within a passenger compartment of said motor vehicle when said emergency vehicle location signal is received by said radio-wave receiver unit.

4. The emergency vehicle alert system according to claim 3, wherein said audible warning unit is configured to output computer-generated speech that provides information with respect to a particular street location and moving direction of said emergency vehicle with respect to said motor vehicle.

5. An emergency vehicle that provides a warning indication to other vehicles, the emergency vehicle comprising:

a GPS receiving unit that is configured to receive at least three different GPS signals from at least different GPS satellites and to determine emergency vehicle location information of said emergency vehicle as a result thereof;

a radio-wave transmitter unit that is configured to transmit said emergency vehicle location information by way of an emergency vehicle location signal that includes said emergency vehicle location information;

a radio-wave receiving unit that is configured to receive radio-wave signals from at least one other emergency vehicle that include information as to a current location of the at least one other emergency vehicle;

a controller that is configured to determine a latitude and longitude position of said emergency vehicle based on the at least three different GPS signals, and to determine a latitude and longitude position of said at least one other emergency vehicle based on the received radio-wave signals; and

a map display that is configured to display, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations provided thereon, a current location of said emergency vehicle and said at least one other emergency vehicle,

wherein the map display displays the emergency vehicle as an icon on the map display with a different visual characteristic when the emergency vehicle is determined to be within a particular location with respect to the motor vehicle.

6. The emergency vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the emergency vehicle is one of a police vehicle, a fire station vehicle, and a school bus.

7. The emergency vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising:

an audible warning unit that is configured to output an audible alarm within a passenger compartment of said emergency vehicle when said radio signals output by said at least one other emergency vehicle are received by said emergency vehicle.

8. The emergency vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said audible warning unit is configured to output computer-generated speech that provides information with respect to a particular street location and moving direction of said at least one other emergency vehicle with respect to said emergency vehicle.

9. An emergency vehicle alert system that is provided on a motor vehicle, the system comprising:

a GPS receiving unit that is configured to receive at least three different GPS signals from at least different GPS satellites and to determine vehicle location information of said motor vehicle as a result thereof;

a radio-wave receiver unit that is configured to receive an emergency vehicle location signal output by an emergency vehicle; and

a map display that is configured to display, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations provided thereon, a current location of said motor vehicle as provided by the vehicle location information as determined by said GPS receiving unit, and the map display configured to display, on the map, a current location of said emergency vehicle as obtained from the emergency vehicle location signal received by said radio-wave receiver unit when said radio-wave receiver unit is in radio-wave communication range with respect to said emergency vehicle,

wherein the map display displays the emergency vehicle as an icon on the map display with a different visual characteristic when the emergency vehicle is determined to be within a predetermined distance from the motor vehicle as compared to when the emergency vehicle is determined to be greater than the predetermined distance from the motor vehicle.

10. The emergency vehicle alert system according to claim 9, wherein the emergency vehicle is one of a police vehicle, a fire station vehicle, and a school bus.

11. The emergency vehicle alert system according to claim 9, further comprising:

an audible warning unit that is configured to output an audible alarm within a passenger compartment of said motor vehicle when said emergency vehicle location signal is received by said radio-wave receiver unit.

12. The emergency vehicle alert system according to claim 9, wherein said audible warning unit is configured to output computer-generated speech that provides information with respect to a particular street location and moving direction of said emergency vehicle with respect to said motor vehicle.

13. An emergency vehicle alert method that provides information as to a location of an emergency vehicle to a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by said emergency vehicle, at least three different GPS signals from at least different GPS satellites, and determining emergency vehicle location information of said emergency vehicle as a result thereof;

transmitting, by said emergency vehicle, said emergency vehicle location information by way of an emergency vehicle location signal;

receiving, by said motor vehicle, at least three different GPS signals from at least three different GPS satellites, and determining vehicle location information of said motor vehicle as a result thereof;

receiving, when the motor vehicle is within a predetermined distance of said emergency vehicle, the emergency location signal output by said emergency vehicle;

displaying, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations provided thereon, a) a current location of said motor vehicle as a first icon on the map as determined by the vehicle location information, and b) a current location of said emergency vehicle as a second icon on the map as determined from information in said emergency vehicle location signal,

wherein the second icon has a different visual characteristic as compared to the first icon.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the emergency vehicle is one of a police vehicle, a fire station vehicle, and a school bus.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

outputting an audible alarm within a passenger compartment of said motor vehicle when said emergency vehicle location signal is received by said motor vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said audible alarm provides information with respect to a particular street location and moving direction of said emergency vehicle with respect to said motor vehicle.