Motor vehicle police radar detector for detecting multiple radar sources

• US 5,146,226 A
• Filed: 04/18/1991
• Issued: 09/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valentine Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Valentine Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Valentine, Michael D., Scholl, Stephen R., Groth, Clarence R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Application Number:
  US07/687,282
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 342/20, 342/13, 342/192, 324/77 C, 324/77 CS, 324/77 B, 455/145, 455/148, 455/154, 455/158, 455/226, 455/227
• US Class Current: 342/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/18 derived directly from separate directional antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/022 Road traffic radar detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/04 Display arrangements

Abstract

A police radar signal detector detects and monitors radar signals from up to nine (9) radar sources until a detected radar signal has not been redetected for a given number of detector operations, or spectrum sweeps, or until a detected signal has been displaced by a higher priority radar signal. In the police radar signal detector of the present invention, a user of the detector is advised not only of the presence of detected radar signals, the frequency band of detected radar signals and the relative field strength of the signals but also of the number of different radar signal sources which are transmitting signals toward the user'"'"'s motor vehicle. The information provided to the user for the frequency band of detected radar signals and the relative field strength of the signals is for the highest priority radar signal detected if more than one signal has been detected and is being monitored by the detector of the present invention. In addition, the directions of radar sources are determined and the user of the detector is advised of the direction or directions, front, side and rear, of origin of radar sources transmitting signals toward the user'"'"'s motor vehicle. If sources are oriented at more than one direction relative to the user'"'"'s motor vehicle, an indicator is illuminated to advise the user of all the directions of origin with the indicator for the direction of origin of the highest priority signal being flashed to so advise the user of the detector. Further, since multiple radar signals can be detected, each time a new radar signal is detected, a distinctive memo alarm is activated to alert the user to the presence of a new radar signal source.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source, said radar signal detector comprising:

receiver means for receiving incoming radar signals;

detector means coupled to said receiver means for detecting said incoming radar signals;

signal processing means coupled to said detector means for identifying detected radar signals, storing identification signals representative of detected radar signals, and determining the number of stored identification signals which correspond to incoming radar signals generated by different radar signal sources; and

alarm means for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector of the number of different radar signal sources which are directing radar signals toward said motor vehicle.

2. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 1 wherein said alarm means comprises a numeric display which displays the number of different incoming radar signals incident on said motor vehicle.

3. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 1 wherein said detector means is controlled by a ramp signal, said signal processing means identifying the detected radar signal by the value of said ramp signal upon detection of a radar signal and the frequency band of the detected radar signal.

4. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 3 wherein said detector means comprises an analog-to-digital converter which receives said ramp signal and generates a digital representation thereof for said signal processing means.

5. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 4 wherein said analog-to-digital converter defines the resolution of the frequency spectrum for each frequency band monitored by said radar signal detector, said resolution being equal to 2ⁿ where n equals the number of digital places of the digital output signals of said analog-to-digital converter.

6. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 5 wherein n=8 and the frequency spectrum resolution is equal to 256 frequency divisions for each frequency band monitored by said radar signal detector.

7. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from a plurality of radar signal sources, said radar signal detector comprising:

receiver means for receiving incoming radar signals;

detector means for detecting said incoming radar signals;

signal processing means coupled to said detector means for identifying each of said incoming radar signals detected, storing identification signals representative thereof, and determining the number of different stored identification signals; and

alarm means for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector of the number of different stored identification signals.

8. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from a plurality of radar signal sources as claimed in claim 7 wherein said alarm means comprises a single digit digital display whereby said plurality of radar signal sources is effectively limited to nine (9) radar signal sources.

9. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from a plurality of radar signal sources as claimed in claim 8 wherein detected radar signal sources exceeding nine (9) are deleted from storage in said signal processing means in accordance with defined priority levels, the lowest priority levels being deleted first.

10. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from a plurality of radar signal sources as claimed in claim 9 wherein said priority levels from highest priority to lowest priority are from highest weighted signal strength to lowest weighted signal strength.

11. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from a plurality of radar signal sources as claimed in claim 10 wherein the priority levels for multiple equally large weighted signal strengths are further prioritized from highest priority to lowest priority by frequency band from Ka, K, Ku to X.

12. A motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from a plurality of radar signal sources as claimed in claim 11 wherein the priority levels for multiple equally large weighted signals in the same frequency band are further prioritized from highest priority to lowest priority by direction of source from front, rear to side.

13. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting incoming radar signals;

identifying detected radar signals to generate identification signals;

storing identification signals representative of detected radar signals;

determining the number of stored identification signals which corresponds to incoming radar signals generated by different radar signal sources; and

alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector that radar signals from more than one radar signal source are incident on the motor vehicle.

14. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 13 wherein the step of alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector that radar signals from more than one radar signal source are incident on the motor vehicle comprises indicating the number of different radar signal sources which are directing radar signals toward the motor vehicle.

15. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 13 wherein the step of alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector that radar signals from more than one radar signal source are incident on the motor vehicle comprises:

generating an audible tone representative of detected radar signals, said audible tone having an operator selected volume;

switching said radar signal detector to a mute state in response to a mute signal such that said audible tone is reduced in volume; and

canceling said mute state only when radar signals are no longer being detected or monitored.

16. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 15 wherein the step of switching said radar detector to a mute state in response to a mute signal such that said audible tone is reduced in volume comprises the step of setting the mute tone volume equal to or above a minimum tone level to permit the operator to select the mute tone volume.

17. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 13 wherein the step of alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector that radar signals from more than one radar signal source are incident on the motor vehicle comprises generating a distinct memo alarm upon the detection of radar signals from a new radar signal source.

18. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 13 further comprising:

determining the direction of each source of detected radar signals, said identification signals including the determined direction of each source of detected radar signals; and

alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector of the direction of at least one source of detected radar signals.

19. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 18 wherein the step of alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector of the direction of at least one source of detected radar signals comprises lighting a corresponding indicator light.

20. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 18 wherein the step of alerting an operator of a motor vehicle using said radar signal detector of the direction of at least one source of detected radar signals comprises:

blinking a corresponding indicator light for the direction of a source of a detected radar signal having a highest priority; and

lighting a corresponding indicator light for each additional detected radar signal originating from a direction other than the direction of the highest priority source.

21. A method of operating a motor vehicle police radar signal detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to incoming radar signals from more than one radar signal source as claimed in claim 20 wherein the directions indicated are front, side and rear of the motor vehicle.