METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DETECT AND WARN PROXIMATE ENTITIES OF INTEREST

• US 20150138002A1
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
• Inventors: Beggs, Ryan P., Boerger, James C., Hoffmann, David J., Markham, Ken, McNeill, Matthew, Muhl, Timothy, Nelson, Kyle, Oates, James, Senfleben, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/610,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20150138002A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/944
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/26 the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2673 on parts worn by the driver, e.g. clothes, gloves or bags, specially adapted to provide auxiliary vehicle signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2800/20 Utility vehicles, e.g. for agriculture, construction work
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 17/003 for fork-lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Systems and methods to detect and warn proximate entities of interest are described herein. An example device for conveying audible warning signals to a person includes a memory to store a plurality of audible warnings and a user interface to present for selection an audible warning from the plurality of audible warnings.

Claims

1. A device for conveying audible warning signals to a person, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of audible warnings; and

a user interface to present for selection an audible warning from the plurality of audible warnings.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a controller to assign a selected audible warning to a hazardous condition.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the controller is to detect the hazardous condition and generate the selected audible warning associated with the hazardous condition.

4. The device of claim 3, further comprising a receiver to receive a signal from another source representative of the hazardous condition.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein a received signal comprises a modulated signal with threat-specific information representative of the hazardous condition.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein a received signal comprises an unmodulated signal representative of the hazardous condition.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller is capable of translating the unmodulated signal to determine the hazardous condition.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the audible warning comprises a verbal statement.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of audible warnings are recorded by the person.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein an audible warning comprises white noise.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of audible warnings are customizable by the person.

12. An audible warning system for a person, the system being responsive to hazard-indicative signals that range from a low level of imminence of a threat to a high level of imminence of a threat, the warning system comprising:

an audio source in which an output audio signal is to be modulated according to at least one or more characteristics including;

volume, pitch, periodicity of repetition, or rhythm; and

a controller responsive to a level of imminence of a threat of the hazard-indicative signals to modulate the characteristics of the output audio signal to create a greater conspicuity for a higher level of imminence of a threat.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the output audio signal includes at least one of location-specific or direction-specific information of a threat.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the output audio signal is to present information relating to at least one of a direction or a distance from a threat.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the output audio signal is to present information relating to time to a potential collision between the person and a threat.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising increasing at least one of the volume, the pitch, the periodicity of repetition, or the rhythm as the level of imminence of a threat increases as the person approaches a threat.

17. A warning system for an entity of interest comprising:

a receiver to receive a threat-specific warning signal conveying threat-specific information;

a controller to analyze the threat-specific warning signal and to determine a warning associated with the threat-specific information; and

a communicator to communicate the warning to the entity of interest.

18. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the threat-specific warning signal comprises a modulated threat-specific warning signal having the threat-specific information.

19. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the threat-specific warning signal comprises an unmodulated threat-specific warning signal, at least one of the receiver or the controller to translate the unmodulated threat-specific warning signal to determine the threat-specific information.

20. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the controller selects the warning from a plurality of pre-determined warnings.

21. The warning system of claim 20, wherein the communicator comprises an audio source and the pre-determined warnings comprises a plurality of audible warnings associated with a respective plurality of threat-specific information.

22. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the warning comprises at least one of an audible warning, a visual warning, or a tactile warning.

23. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the threat-specific information comprises at least one of location-specific or direction-specific information about a hazard.

24. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the threat-specific information comprises an identity of an operator of a forktruck.

25. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the threat-specific information comprises an approximate time at which a hazard will approach the entity of interest.

26. The warning system of claim 17, wherein the threat-specific information comprises a first data point representative of an orientation of a pedestrian and a second data point representative of a direction of an approaching threat.

27. The warning system of claim 26, wherein the threat-specific information comprises direction-specific information of the threat based on the first and second data points.

28. The warning system of claim 26, wherein the threat-specific information comprises information indicating whether a detected threat is at least one of stationary or moving relative to the entity of interest.

29. The warning system of claim 26, wherein the threat-specific information comprises an audible statement of at least one of getting warmer when a detected threat is approaching the entity of interest or getting colder when the detected threat is moving away from the entity of interest.