Emergency vehicle warning and traffic control system
First Claim
1. An emergency vehicle warnng and traffic control system comprising;
- dual channel transmitting means having one channel constructed to transmit a code indicating the approach of an emergency vehicle to an intersection, the other channel constructed to transmit a code indicating the departure of an emergency vehicle from an intersection;
means mounting said dual channel transmitting means on an emergency vehicle;
a plurality of directional receiving means mounted at a traffic intersection in the path of said emergency vehicle;
signal processing means receiving and processing the outputs from said plurality of directional receiving means;
coupling means coupling said signal processing means to a traffic control system at said intersection;
said signal processing means pre-emptying said traffice control system to control the flow of all traffic through said intersection;
display means mounted at said intersection, said display means constructed and arranged to indicate the proximity and direction of travel of an approaching or departing emergency vehicle;
connecting means connecting said signal processing means to said display means for activating said display when a signal is received from said plurality of directional receiving means whereby information about an approaching or departing emergency vehicle is displayed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for providing early warning of the approach and egress of emergency vehicles in which the warning system provides a display to indicate the direction from which the emergency vehicle is approaching and in addition provides preemption control of the traffic signals at an intersection. A transmitter mounted on an emergency vehicle transmits a signal whenever it is on an emergency call which is received by infrared (I.R.) receivers positioned at an intersection to respond to the transmitted signals. The received signal is then processed by a master controller which in turn pre-empts operation of traffic signals to control traffic flow at the intersection to which the emergency vehicle is approaching. The master controller also provides an output to display signs facing approaching traffic on each road approaching the intersection which displays messages and symbols indicating the direction of the approaching emergency vehicle. Additionally, the display system indicates whether the emergency vehicle has passed through and is departing the intersection. After a predetermined interval when an emergency vehicle has passed through an intersection the display system is deactivated and the traffic signals are returned to the traffic light control system.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An emergency vehicle warnng and traffic control system comprising;
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dual channel transmitting means having one channel constructed to transmit a code indicating the approach of an emergency vehicle to an intersection, the other channel constructed to transmit a code indicating the departure of an emergency vehicle from an intersection; means mounting said dual channel transmitting means on an emergency vehicle; a plurality of directional receiving means mounted at a traffic intersection in the path of said emergency vehicle; signal processing means receiving and processing the outputs from said plurality of directional receiving means; coupling means coupling said signal processing means to a traffic control system at said intersection; said signal processing means pre-emptying said traffice control system to control the flow of all traffic through said intersection; display means mounted at said intersection, said display means constructed and arranged to indicate the proximity and direction of travel of an approaching or departing emergency vehicle; connecting means connecting said signal processing means to said display means for activating said display when a signal is received from said plurality of directional receiving means whereby information about an approaching or departing emergency vehicle is displayed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification