Emergency vehicle alert system

• US 6,339,382 B1
• Filed: 12/07/2000
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dennis R. Bergin, Donald A. Arbinger, Scott T. Sander, Shane M. Pieper
• Original Assignee: Dennis R. Bergin, Donald A. Arbinger, Scott T. Sander, Shane M. Pieper
• Inventors: Pieper, Shane M., Bergin, Dennis R., Arbinger, Donald A., Sander, Scott T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US09/731,595
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/902, 340/903, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

An emergency vehicle alert system includes an emergency vehicle unit, a motor vehicle unit and a plurality of global positioning system (GPS) signals. The emergency vehicle unit includes an emergency GPS receiver, and RF transmitter. The motor vehicle unit includes a vehicle GPS receiver, RF receiver, microcontroller, and warning display. The emergency GPS receiver inputs at least three GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites. The emergency GPS receiver transforms the at least three GPS signals into an emergency location signal string. The emergency location signal string is transmitted by the RF transmitter. Each RF receiver which is within range of the emergency vehicle transmission will receive the emergency location signal string. The vehicle GPS receiver inputs at least three different GPS signals from the plurality of GPS satellites. The vehicle GPS receiver transforms the at least three different GPS signals into a vehicle location signal string. The microcontroller compares the location of the emergency vehicle to the location of the motor vehicle and enables at least one indicator lamp.

Claims

1. An emergency vehicle alert system comprising:

an emergency vehicle unit receiving at least three GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites and converting thereof to an emergency location signal string, said emergency location signal string being transmitted by said emergency vehicle unit, said emergency location signal string providing a location of an emergency vehicle; and

a motor vehicle unit receiving said emergency location signal string, said motor vehicle unit receiving at least three different GPS signals from the plurality of GPS satellites and converting thereof to a vehicle location signal string, said vehicle location signal string providing a location of a motor vehicle;

a warning display having at least four indicator lamps, said at least four indicator lamps corresponding to front, rear, left and right locations, said microcontroller enabling at least one said indicator lamp in response to the location of an emergency vehicle relative to said motor vehicle unit when the emergency vehicle is less than a set distance from said motor vehicle unit; and

all indicator lights being enabled when the emergency vehicle is less than a second set distance from said motor vehicle unit, said second set distance being less than said set distance.

2. The emergency vehicle alert system of claim 1, further comprising:

said emergency vehicle unit having an emergency GPS antenna, an emergency GPS receiver, and an emergency RF antenna, said emergency GPS antenna receiving said at least three GPS signals from said plurality of GPS satellites, said emergency GPS receiver converting said at least three GPS signals into an emergency location signal string, said emergency location signal string being transmitted by said emergency RF antenna.

3. The emergency vehicle alert system of claim 2, further comprising:

said motor vehicle unit having a vehicle GPS antenna, vehicle GPS receiver, vehicle RF antenna, and a RF receiver, said vehicle GPS antenna receiving said at least three different GPS signals from said plurality of GPS satellites, said vehicle GPS receiver converting said at least three different GPS signals to a vehicle location signal string, said emergency location signal string being received by said vehicle RF antenna and input into said RF receiver.

4. The emergency vehicle alert system of claim 3, further comprising:

a microcontroller utilizing said emergency and vehicle location signal strings, said microcontroller enabling said at least one indicator lamp in response to said location signal strings.

5. An emergency vehicle alert system comprising:

an emergency vehicle unit includes an emergency GPS antenna, an emergency GPS receiver, and an emergency RF antenna, said emergency GPS antenna receiving at least three signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, said emergency GPS receiver converting said at least three GPS signals into an emergency location signal string, said emergency location signal string being transmitted by said emergency RF antenna, said emergency location signal string providing the location of an emergency vehicle; and

a motor vehicle unit including a vehicle GPS antenna, vehicle GPS receiver, vehicle RF antenna, and a RF receiver, said vehicle GPS antenna receiving at least three different GPS signals from said plurality of GPS satellites, said vehicle GPS receiver converting said at least three different GPS signals to a vehicle location signal string, said vehicle location signal string providing a location of a motor vehicle, said emergency location signal string being received by said vehicle RF antenna and input by said RF receiver;

a warning display having at least four indicator lamps, said at least four indicator lamps corresponding to front, rear, left and right locations, said microcontroller enabling at least one said indicator lamp in response to the location of an emergency vehicle relative to said motor vehicle unit when the emergency vehicle is a less than a set distance from said motor vehicle unit; and

all indicator lights being enabled when the emergency vehicle is less than a second set distance from said motor vehicle unit, said second set distance being less than said set distance.

6. The emergency vehicle alert system of claim 5, further comprising:

a microcontroller utilizing said emergency and vehicle location signal strings, said microcontroller enabling said at least one indicator lamp in response to the presence of the emergency vehicle.

7. A method of warning a motorist that an emergency vehicle is in close proximity, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving at least three GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites;

(b) converting said at least three GPS signals into an emergency location signal string;

(c) transmitting said emergency location signal string;

(d) receiving said emergency location signal string;

(e) receiving at least three different GPS signals from the plurality of GPS satellites;

(f) converting said at least three different GPS signals into a motor vehicle location signal string

(g) utilizing said emergency and motor vehicle location signal strings to determine the position of the emergency vehicle relative to the motor vehicle;

(h) enabling at least one indicator lamp which illustrates the position of the emergency vehicle relative to the motor vehicle when the emergency vehicle is less than a set distance from said motor vehicle unit; and

(i) enabling all indicator lights when the emergency vehicle is less than a second set distance from said motor vehicle unit, said second set distance being less than said set distance.

8. The method of warning a motorist that an emergency vehicle is in close proximity of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

enabling a no emergency vehicle indicator lamp when no emergency vehicle is close to the motor vehicle.