Passive pavement-mounted acoustical linguistic drive alert system and method

• US 6,259,374 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Anderson, Richard L., Carnal, Charles L., Kisner, Roger A., Hylton, James O., Stevens, Samuel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M.
• Application Number:
  US09/396,998
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/901, 340/437, 340/435
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for passive pavement-mounted acoustical alert of the occupants of a vehicle. A method of notifying a vehicle occupant includes providing a driving medium upon which a vehicle is to be driven; and texturing a portion of the driving medium such that the textured portion interacts with the vehicle to produce audible signals, the textured portion pattern such that a linguistic message is encoded into the audible signals. The systems and methods provide advantages because information can be conveyed to the occupants of the vehicle based on the location of the vehicle relative to the textured surface.

Claims

1. A vehicle occupant acoustical linguistic notification system, comprising:

a driving medium having a textured portion which interacts with the vehicle to acoustically produce audible signals, the textured portion having a pattern which causes a linguistic message to be acoustically encoded into the audible signals, wherein the linguistic message encoded into the audible signals can be understood as speech by a driver of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, wherein the driving medium is a roadway.

3. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, wherein the driving medium is portable.

4. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, wherein the textured portion includes a plurality of grooves.

5. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, wherein the textured portion includes a plurality of bumps.

6. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, wherein the driving medium is manufactured from a mixture of cement, reinforcement material and binders.

7. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 6, wherein the reinforcement material includes fiberglass.

8. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, further comprising:

an on board vehicle subsystem including logic for translating the audible signals to the linguistic message.

9. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 8, wherein the on board vehicle subsystem includes a display for displaying the linguistic message to a driver of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 8, wherein the on board vehicle subsystem includes a speaker for pronouncing the linguistic message to a driver of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, wherein the textured portion is sufficiently rough to provide audible signals which can be heard within a cab of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, wherein the driving medium includes at least one resin and at least one filler selected from the group of metals and ceramics.

13. The vehicle occupant notification system of claim 1, wherein the driving medium includes a polymer-based mat that is applied to a surface of a roadway.

14. A method of acoustically linguistically notifying a vehicle occupant, comprising:

providing a driving medium upon which a vehicle is to be driven; and

texturing a portion of the driving medium such that the textured portion interacts with the vehicle to acoustically produce audible signals, the textured portion patterned such that a linguistic message is acoustically encoded into the audible signals, wherein the linguistic message encoded into the audible signals can be understood as speech by a driver of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein providing a driving medium includes paving a road.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein providing a driving medium includes forming a portable strip configured to be driven upon.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein texturing a portion of the driving medium includes providing a plurality of grooves in the driving medium.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the linguistic message results from providing a variable distance between the grooves.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the linguistic message results from providing a variable distance between the bumps.

20. The method of claim 14, texturing a portion of the driving medium includes providing a plurality of bumps on the driving medium.