Vehicle warning system

• US 7,362,239 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2005
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PerSen Technologies Incorporated (d/b/a PERSENTECH)
• Original Assignee: PerSen Technologies Incorporated (d/b/a PERSENTECH)
• Inventors: Vanstone, James D., Franczyk, Frank M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US11/141,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20050264404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/995.27, 340/901, 340/466, 340/905, 340/936, 342/20, 342/22
• US Class Current: 340/936
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle warning system is responsive to vehicle speed and position as determined by GPS or other location based system information to alert a vehicle operator of potentially unsafe conditions when either exceeding the speed limit on a given road segment or when approaching coordinates of a designated location alert point. The system comprises a portable device, a simple device personalization process using a single physical data communications interface to a local computing device connected to the Internet, and a remote server with a segmented database that provides access to common data services, positional data updates, and device personalization functionality.

Claims

1. A vehicle warning system responsive to speed and position of the vehicle, the system comprising:

an antenna subsystem arranged for capturing location based information system signals;

a radio frequency processing subsystem which is arranged to receive the signals from the antenna subsystem to determine a current position and a current velocity of the motor vehicle;

a local data storage including location alert points and road segment representations with speed data associated therewith, the location alert points each being representative of a given location, and the road segment representations with speed data associated therewith each being representative of an actual road segment and a speed limit for the actual road segment;

a processor which is arranged to compare the current position and the current velocity determined by the radio frequency processing subsystem to the local data storage to determine an alarm condition if the current position approaches a location alert point or if the current position corresponds with one of the road segment representations and the current velocity exceeds the speed data associated therewith;

an indicator arranged to alert an operator of the motor vehicle of the alarm condition;

a power supply arranged for supplying electrical power to the system;

the power supply being arranged to be disconnected such that the system is automatically powered down under software control in response to the current position remaining unchanged for an elapsed period of time;

a communication processing subsystem arranged for connecting the local storage data to a remote server to update the local data storage.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the remote server comprises a database of location alert points stored according to a plurality of different categories;

and the remote server comprises a selection tool arranged to permit a user to select which categories of location alert points among the database of location alert points of the remote server are updated to the local data storage by the communication processing subsystem.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the location alert points have no speed data associated therewith.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein each road segment representation is defined as two endpoints and a width.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the local data storage includes a plurality of continuous and intersecting road segment representations which represent the actual road segments within a prescribed area.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein substantially all actual road segments within the prescribed area are represented in the local data storage by a road segment representation.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein all actual road segments within the prescribed area having a posted or a legislated speed limit associated therewith are represented in the local data storage by a road segment representation.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the remote server includes a plurality of coverage areas, each coverage area comprising a plurality of road segment representations which are representative of substantially all actual road segments in a prescribed municipal area and wherein the communication processing subsystem permits a user to select which coverage area is stored in the local data storage.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the communication processing subsystem permits a user to select which location alert points, among a database of location alert points of the remote server, are updated to the local data storage.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a plurality of types of indicators and wherein the communication processing subsystem permits a user to select which indicator is associated with each alarm condition.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the plurality of types of indicators includes LED lights of different colours.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein the speed data comprises a speed limit and an allowance range exceeding the speed limit by a prescribed percentage and wherein the processor only determines an alarm condition if the current velocity exceeds the speed data including the allowance range exceeding the speed limit by the prescribed percentage, the allowance range being adjustable.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein the communication processing subsystem is arranged to connect to a computing device connected to the internet or to connect directly to the Internet to access the remote sever and wherein the remote server includes a segmented database to provide for local data storage update and to provide for personalization and configuration of various system settings.

14. The system according to claim 1 wherein the remote server includes a remote server application software tool that processes operator requests by automatically authenticating the communication processing subsystem through a connection management service that cross-references an electronic serial number of the system and validates registration and common data services subscription for local data storage updates, personalization, and category selection of location alert points.

15. The system according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a user log subsystem which records a log of travel of the vehicle and alarm conditions, the user log subsystem being arranged to permit a user to transfer the log in a form of position and time related data to a personal software application for mapping and reporting statistics.

16. The system according to claim 1 wherein the communication processing subsystem is arranged to initiate, receive, and operate in a mobile, real-time manner using wireless techniques including one of licensed analog FM (Frequency Modulation) frequencies, licensed digital radio frequencies, and licensed and unlicensed Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and Wi-MAX frequency spectra.

17. The system according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a user input arranged for interrogating the local data storage for the speed limit associated with a road segment representation with which the current position corresponds with responsive to a user contacting the user input such that the speed limit is relayed back to the user through the indicator.

18. The system according to claim 1 wherein the indicator includes a primary speaker and an auxiliary output for connection to an auxiliary speaker to alert the operator of the motor vehicle of the alarm condition.

19. The system according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a photocell for determining ambient light condition, the indicator including a light having a brightness which is in response to the ambient light condition determined by the photocell.

20. The system according to claim 1 wherein the integrated antenna subsystem, the radio frequency processing subsystem, the local data storage, the processor, the indicator, the power supply, and the communication processing subsystem are contained within a common portable housing.