METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR EARLY WARNING DETECTION OF EMERGENCY VEHICLES

• US 20120313792A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BEHM, Gary W., HUBER, William B., NOLL, Alfred J., PELAEZ, Raul A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,842,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A system and method for warning of emergency vehicles includes a computing device that receives location data from a transmitter associated with a first vehicle based on a warning system of the first vehicle being activated. The computing device transmits vehicle notification data to a second vehicle based on the location data.

Claims

1. A system for warning of emergency vehicles, comprising:

a computing device that receives location data from a transmitter associated with a first vehicle based on a warning system of the first vehicle being activated, wherein the computing device transmits vehicle notification data to a second vehicle based on the location data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first vehicle comprises an emergency vehicle;

the warning system comprises at least one of a siren and emergency light of the emergency vehicle; and

the vehicle notification data comprises emergency vehicle notification data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing device receives data indicating a type of the emergency vehicle with the location data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the emergency vehicle notification data comprises the location of the emergency vehicle and the type of the emergency vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computing device transmits the emergency vehicle notification data to a navigation system of the second vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the navigation system is configured to display the location and type of the emergency vehicle relative to a location of the second vehicle on a map.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing device receives a location of the second vehicle from the second vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the computing device determines a distance between the emergency vehicle and the second vehicle by comparing the location of the emergency vehicle to the location of the second vehicle;

the computing device compares the determined distance to a predefined range to determine one of;

the emergency vehicle is within the predefined range of the second vehicle, and the emergency vehicle is outside the predefined range of the second vehicle; and

the computing device transmits the emergency vehicle notification data to the second vehicle based on the determining that the emergency vehicle is within the predefined range of the second vehicle.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the computing device comprises a location based service (LBS) component;

the computing device receives a request from the second vehicle; and

the computing device transmits the emergency vehicle notification data to the second vehicle based on the request as part of a pull service.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the computing device comprises a location based service (LBS) component; and

the computing device automatically transmits the emergency vehicle notification data to the second vehicle as part of a push service without having received a specific request from the second vehicle.

11. A transmitter for warning of emergency vehicles, comprising:

a wireless communication device associated with an emergency vehicle, wherein the wireless communication device transmits location data and type data to a location based services (LBS) component while at least one of a siren and emergency light of the emergency vehicle is activated.

12. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein:

the location data comprises a longitude and latitude location of the emergency vehicle; and

the type data comprises data identifying a type of the emergency vehicle.

13. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein the transmitter is structured and arranged such that one of:

the wireless communication device is activated and deactivated automatically with the at least one of the siren and emergency light being activated and deactivated, respectively; and

the wireless communication device detects the at least one of the siren and emergency light being activated.

14. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein:

the transmitter further comprises a local wirelesses communication transmitter that detects the at least one of the siren and emergency light being activated and transmits a message to the wireless communication device; and

the wireless communication device transmits the location data and type data to the LBS component using cellular communication based on receiving the message from the local wirelesses communication transmitter.

15. A method of warning of emergency vehicles, comprising:

receiving location data and type data from an emergency vehicle based on at least one of a siren and emergency light of the emergency vehicle being activated; and

transmitting emergency vehicle notification data to a vehicle based on the receiving the location data and type data,

wherein the receiving and the transmitting are performed using a computing device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the location data comprises a longitude and latitude location of the emergency vehicle; and

the type data comprises data identifying a type of the emergency vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitting the emergency vehicle notification data to the vehicle comprises transmitting the emergency vehicle notification data to a vehicle navigation system that is configured to display the type of the emergency vehicle and the location of the emergency vehicle relative to a location of the vehicle on a map.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a location of the vehicle from the vehicle;

determining a distance between the emergency vehicle and the vehicle by comparing the location of the emergency vehicle to the location of the vehicle; and

comparing the determined distance to a predefined range to determine one of;

the emergency vehicle is within the predefined range of the vehicle, and the emergency vehicle is outside the predefined range of the vehicle,

wherein the transmitting the emergency vehicle notification data to the vehicle is based on the determining that the emergency vehicle is within the predefined range of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the computing device comprises a location based service (LBS) component;

the computing device receives a request from the vehicle; and

the computing device transmits the emergency vehicle notification data to the vehicle based on the request as part of a pull service.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the computing device comprises a location based service (LBS) component; and

the computing device automatically transmits the emergency vehicle notification data to the vehicle as part of a push service without having received a specific request from the vehicle.