Emergency Vehicle Warning System and Method

• US 20140070962A1
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kim Tamar Holland
• Original Assignee: Kim Tamar Holland
• Inventors: Holland, Kim Tamar
• Granted Patent: US 9,111,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/094 Hardware aspects; Signal processing or signal properties, e.g. frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

An aspect of some embodiments of the present invention relates to a warning system for use in an emergency vehicle. The system comprises a tone generator, configured for generating an output alert signal, and a radio wave generator. The radio wave generator is configured for receiving the output alert signal and encoding the output alert signal into an electrical signal, and for converting the electrical signal into an electromagnetic wave configured for being received by a radio and/or a cellular communication device within a desired distance from the emergency vehicle, thus enabling the receiving radio and/or cellular communication device to convert the electromagnetic wave to an audio signal that can be emitted by the radio and/or cellular communication device to warn a user of a proximity of the emergency vehicle.

Claims

1. A warning system for use in an emergency vehicle, the system comprising:

a tone generator, configured for generating an output alert signal; and

a radio wave generator, configured for;

receiving the output alert signal and encoding the output alert signal into an electrical signal; and

converting the electrical signal into an electromagnetic wave configured for being received by a radio and/or a cellular communication device within a desired distance from the emergency vehicle, thus enabling the receiving radio and/or cellular communication device to convert the electromagnetic wave to an audio signal that can be emitted by the radio and/or cellular communication device to warn a user of a proximity of the emergency vehicle.

2. The warning system of claim 1, wherein the radio wave generator comprises:

a radio signal generator, configured for generating an oscillating radio frequency electric current having a frequency chosen to match a broadcasting frequency of a radio station, and for encoding the alert single in the oscillating radio frequency electric current, thus generating a radio signal; and

an antenna device, configured for receiving the radio signal and converting the radio signal into the respective electromagnetic wave, the electromagnetic wave being a radio wave configured for being converted to the audio signal by a radio tuned to the radio station.

3. The warning system of claim 2, wherein:

the radio signal generator is configured for generating a plurality of oscillating radio frequency electric currents of different frequencies, each of the different frequencies matching a corresponding frequency of one of a plurality of radio stations, and for encoding the alert single in each of the oscillating radio frequency electric currents, thus generating one or more radio signals; and

the antenna device is configured for receiving the radio signals and converting the radio signals into the respective electromagnetic waves, the electromagnetic waves being radio waves configured for being converted to the audio signals by a radio tuned to one of the plurality of radio stations.

4. The warning system of claim 2, wherein the radio signal generator comprises:

a frequency scanner, configured scanning a certain range of frequencies of radio waves, and recognizing one or more operating frequencies corresponding to one or more of the broadcast frequencies of one or more of the radio stations;

a frequency synthesizer, configured for receiving from the frequency scanner data indicative of the one or more operating frequencies, and for generating one or more electric signals having the one or more operating frequencies;

a transmitter, configured for receiving the one or more electric signals from the frequency synthesizer and for generating respective one or more transmission signals having a desired power;

a mixer for receiving the alert signals and the one or more transmission signals and for encoding the alert signals into the one or more transmission signals, thus generating one or more modulated broadcast carrier signals, the one or more modulated broadcast carrier signals being used for producing one or more of the radio signals.

5. The warning system of claim 4, wherein the radio signal generator further comprises a power amplifier, configured for amplifying the one or more carries signals to generate and output the one or more radio signals.

6. The warning system of claim 4, wherein the radio signal generator comprises a plurality of frequency scanners configured for simultaneously scanning respective sections of the desired range of frequencies.

7. The warning system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of frequency scanners is configured for scanning the respective sections of a single frequency band or of a plurality of frequency bands.

8. The warning system of claim 6, wherein the radio signal generator comprises a plurality of transmitters and mixers, wherein:

the frequency synthesizer is configured for receiving the data indicative of the operating frequencies from the frequency scanners and alternately transmitting the electric signals to the plurality of transmitters;

each of the plurality of transmitters is configured for creating the respective transmission signal; and

each of the mixers is configured for receiving the transmission signal from a respective one of the transmitters, and generating the respective modulated broadcast carrier signal.

9. The warning system of claim 8, wherein the radio signal generator comprises a plurality of frequency synthesizers, configured for receiving the data indicative of the operating frequencies from the corresponding frequency scanners, the frequency scanners simultaneously transmitting the electric signals to the respective plurality of transmitters.

10. The warning system of claim 8, wherein the radio signal generator comprises a plurality of isolation units, each isolation unit being configured for receiving a respective one of the carrier signals from the respective mixer, and for isolating the respective carrier signal from one or more carrier signal generated by other mixers.

11. The warning system of claim 2, comprising a plurality of radio signal generators, each configured for producing one or more radio signals, wherein:

the antenna device comprises a plurality of antennas, each antenna configured for receiving the radio signal from a respective one of the radio signal generators and for converting the radio signal into the respective electromagnetic wave.

12. The warning system of claim 2, comprising a plurality of radio signal generators, each configured for producing one or more radio signals, and a plurality of antenna matches configured for matching an output impedance of the respective radio signal generator to an input impedance of an antenna diplexer wherein:

the antenna device comprises the antenna diplexer and an antenna, the antenna diplexer being configured for receiving the signals from the antenna matches and combining the received signals for simultaneous or near-simultaneous broadcast over the antenna.

13. The warning system of claim 1, wherein the radio wave generator comprises a cellular communication module comprising a position tracker and a cellular transmitter, wherein:

the position tracker is configured for generating position data indicative of the instantaneous location of the emergency vehicle;

the cellular transmitter is configured for;

generating an electric signal having a specific frequency matching the receiving frequency of a cellular network;

encoding the alert signal and position signal into electric signal to produce an encoded cellular signal; and

converting the encoded cellular signal into the respective electromagnetic wave;

the electromagnetic wave is configured for being received by the cellular network, enabling the cellular network to extract the position data, and in response to the position data retransmit the electromagnetic wave via one or more cellular antennas located in an immediate geographical location of the emergency vehicle, such that one or more cellular communication devices located within a certain distance from the emergency vehicle are able to receive the retransmitted electromagnetic wave and convert the retransmitted electromagnetic to the audio signal.

14. The warning system of claim 1, wherein the tone generator comprises:

a waveform generator, configured for creating a first alert signal having a first time profile; and

a filter, configured for receiving the first alert signal and changing the first time profile, in order to output a desired second alert signal having a desired second time profile, the second alert signal being used for producing the output alert signal.

15. The warning system of claim 14, wherein the tone generator further comprises a decay generator, configured for introducing a decay in the second alerts signal to generate the output alert signal.

16. The warning system of claim 1, further comprising a power supply configured for receiving an input power signal from a power system of the emergency vehicle, and manipulating the input power signal to provide suitable operating power to one or more elements of the warning system.

17. The warning system of claim 16, wherein the power supply comprises:

a transient suppression unit, configured for attenuating one or more voltage spikes of the input power signal, to output a first power signal; and

a DC-DC converter, configured for receiving the first power signal, and for generates therefrom a plurality of output power signals of operating voltages suitable for powering the different elements of the warning system.

18. The warning system of claim 17, wherein:

the power supply further comprises a high-frequency suppression unit connecting the transient suppression unit and the DC-DC power converter, the high-frequency suppression unit being configured for filtering the first power signal, by suppressing one or more high frequency noise signals and transmitting the filtered first power signal to the DC-DC converter; and

the DC-DC converter is configured for generating the plurality of output power signals from the filtered first power signal.

19. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the power supply further comprises one or more filters, each applied to a respective output power signal of the DC-DC converter, each filter being configured to attenuate generated and induced noise signals in the respective output power signal.

20. A method for generating a warning indicative of a proximity of an emergency vehicle, the method comprising:

generating an output alert signal;

encoding the output alert signal into an electrical signal; and

converting the electrical signal into an electromagnetic wave configured for being received by a radio and/or a cellular communication device within a desired distance from the emergency vehicle, thus enabling the receiving radio and/or cellular communication device to convert the electromagnetic wave to an audio signal that can be emitted by the radio and/or cellular communication device to warn a user of the proximity of the emergency vehicle.