Emergency vehicle alert system

• US 7,271,736 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2004
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael Aaron Siegel
• Original Assignee: Michael Aaron Siegel
• Inventors: Siegel, Michael Aaron, Howell, William G., Yarbrough, Robert, Serrone, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins; Davetta W.
• Application Number:
  US10/769,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20040246144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 340/902, 340/901, 340/903, 340/904, 340/436, 340/539.13, 340/988, 340/989, 701/301, 701/302
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

An alert transceiver in commuter vehicles in a line-of-site warning area receive line of sight (LOS) alert signals from another vehicle, such as an emergency vehicle. Upon detecting the LOS alert signal, the alert transceiver can relay the alert signals to other alert transceivers in commuter vehicles within a warning zone that are outside of LOS zone, thereby creating mobile tracking network (MTN). The alert signals can include any relevant information, such as information regarding a hazard that includes the type of hazard (emergency vehicle, fire, ambulance, etc.), the time stamped location, direction of travel, speed and planned route for the emergency vehicle; and/or the coordinates of warning zone as determined by alert transceivers.

Claims

1. An apparatus for alerting occupants in a commuter vehicle to the presence of a plurality of emergency vehicles in the vicinity, comprising:

a transceiver operable to receive alert signals transmitted by at least one of the emergency vehicles;

a processor coupled to communicate with the transceiver, wherein the processor is operable to;

relay the alert signals to other commuter vehicles,

determine the commuter vehicles and the at least one emergency vehicle included in a mobile network, and

dynamically determine routes for relaying the alert signals to other commuter vehicles as the commuter vehicles enter and leave the mobile network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to determine a warning zone in which the alert signals will be relayed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signals include information regarding the location of the at least one emergency vehicle, and the processor is further operable to update a display representing the position of the at least one emergency vehicle in relation to the commuter vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to activate an all-clear indicator when the at least one emergency vehicle has traveled past the location of the commuter vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the alert signals are radio frequency signals.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the alert signals include at least one of:

position, speed, direction of travel, and route information for the at least one emergency vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the strength of the alert signals indicate the position of the at least one emergency vehicle relative to the commuter vehicle.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a directional antenna operable to transmit the alert signals in a desired direction.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises at least one of:

a voice warning, a light, an alphanumeric display, and a symbol on a map display.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communication protocol operable to discover routes for relaying the alert signals between the commuter vehicles, and to update the routes as commuter vehicles enter and leave the mobile network.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an interface operable to communicate with a user processing device.

12. A method for communicating an alert signal from an emergency vehicle to commuter vehicles in a vicinity, comprising:

receiving an alert signal transmitted in at least one of the commuter vehicles;

forming a mesh communication network between the commuter vehicles;

relaying the alert signal from the at least one of the commuter vehicles to a second of the commuter vehicles in the mesh network; and

caching multiple routes to a destination within the mesh communication network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising relaying the alert signal from the one of the other commuter vehicles to a second one of the other commuter vehicles.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a warning zone, wherein the commuter vehicles within the warning zone are included in the mobile network.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising activating an all-clear indicator when all of the emergency vehicles have traveled past the location of the commuter vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising determining routes for relaying the alert signal to the other commuter vehicles as commuter vehicles enter and leave the mobile network.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising discovering routes for relaying the alert signals between the commuter vehicles, and updating the routes as commuter vehicles enter and leave the mobile network.

18. The method of claim 17, directing transmission of the alert signal to a desired area.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the alert comprises at least one of the group of:

a voice warning, a light, an alphanumeric display, and a symbol representing the position of the emergency vehicle in relation to the commuter vehicle.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising outputting the alert to a user processing device.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising supporting unidirectional communication between two commuter vehicles.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising activating an all-clear indicator when the emergency vehicle has traveled past the location of the commuter vehicle.

23. A system for communicating alert signals among a plurality of vehicles, wherein the plurality of vehicles form a mobile network, the system comprising:

an alert transceiver operable to;

receive the alert signals directly from an object transmitting the alert signals;

determine the shape and location of a warning zone in the vicinity of the object transmitting the alert signals;

determine one of the plurality of vehicles in the vicinity of the alert transceiver that is within the warning zone; and

relay the alert signals to the one of the plurality of vehicles in the vicinity of the alert transceiver.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising a directional antenna operable to transmit the alert signals in a selected area.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising a user interface and display panel operable to receive input from a user and to present information from the alert signals in a format detectable by the user.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising a directional antenna operable to transmit the alert signals in a selected area;

an omni-directional antenna operable to transmit the alert signals in all directions; and

an antenna switch operable to select between use of the directional and the omni-directional antennas.

27. The system of claim 23, further comprising an interface operable to communicate with a user processing device.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the alert transceiver is further operable to:

receive relayed alert signals from one of the plurality of vehicles;

determine another of the plurality of vehicles in the vicinity of the alert transceiver that is within the warning zone and that has not received the alert signals; and

relay the alert signals to the another of the plurality of vehicles.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the object transmitting the alert signal is an emergency vehicle and the alert transceiver is further operable to activate an all-clear indicator when the emergency vehicle has traveled past the alert transceiver.