Dynamic siren detection and notification system

• US 7,791,499 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: QNX Software Systems Company (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Hetherington, Phillip Alan, Mohan, Glenn Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US12/014,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20090179774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 340/902, 340/692, 340/691.6, 340/384.1, 340/384.4, 340/404.1, 340/933, 340/904, 340/905, 701/213, 701/301, 381/86
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle

Abstract

A monitoring and notification system detects and informs vehicle occupants of sirens. The system may adjust radio, phone, or other device settings in the vehicle in conjunction with the notification. The notification may take an audible or visual form, and the monitoring system may perform its analysis across multiple types of sirens. In addition, the system may adapt its processing based on location to take into account locally expected siren formats.

Claims

1. A siren detection and notification system comprising:

a vehicle bus interface;

a memory comprising;

a siren model;

a vehicle environment sound signal;

echo suppression logic operable to;

obtain a source reference signal prior to an audible reproduction;

suppress the source reference signal in the vehicle environment sound signal to obtain a siren analysis signal; and

a siren processing program operable to;

analyze the siren analysis signal with respect to the siren model to determine whether a siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal; and

issue a vehicle system control command over the vehicle bus interface when the siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the vehicle bus interface that executes the siren processing program.

2. The system of claim 1, where:

the vehicle system control command comprises an audio system control command.

3. The system of claim 2, where:

the audio system control command comprises an entertainment system volume attenuation command.

4. The system of claim 1, where:

the vehicle system control command comprises a siren announcement command.

5. The system of claim 1, where:

the vehicle system control command comprises a siren announcement command and an entertainment system volume attenuation command.

6. The system of claim 1, where the siren model comprises:

a discrete coefficient vector that parameterizes a siren waveform.

7. The system of claim 1, where the memory further comprises:

a confidence threshold; and

where;

the siren processing program is further operable to;

determine a confidence measure based on analysis of the siren analysis signal against the siren model; and

issue the vehicle system control command over the vehicle bus interface when the siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal and when the confidence measure exceeds the confidence threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, where the memory further comprises:

an analysis duration; and

where;

the siren processing program is further operable to;

analyze the siren analysis signal against the siren model for at least the analysis duration to detect whether a siren sound is present in the siren analysis signal; and

issue the vehicle system control command over the vehicle bus interface when the siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal.

9. A siren detection and notification system comprising:

a memory comprising;

a first geographical location siren model;

a second geographical location siren model;

a vehicle environment sound signal;

a vehicle location; and

a siren processing program operable to;

analyze the vehicle location to select between the first and second geographical location siren models, thereby obtaining a selected geographical location siren model;

analyze the vehicle environment sound signal with respect to the selected geographical location siren model to detect whether a siren sound is present in the vehicle environment sound signal; and

issue a siren detection notification when the siren sound is detected in the vehicle environment sound signal; and

a processor coupled to the memory and a vehicle bus interface that executes the siren processing program.

10. The system of claim 9, where at least one of the first and second geographical location siren models comprises:

a discrete coefficient vector that parameterizes a siren waveform.

11. The system of claim 9, where the memory further comprises:

a confidence threshold; and

where;

the siren processing program is further operable to;

determine a confidence measure based on analysis of the vehicle environment sound signal with respect to the selected geographical location siren model; and

issue the siren detection notification when the siren sound is detected in the vehicle environment sound signal and when the confidence measure exceeds the confidence threshold.

12. The system of claim 9, where the memory further comprises:

an analysis duration; and

where;

the siren processing program is further operable to;

analyze the vehicle environment sound signal with respect to the selected geographical location siren model for at least the analysis duration to detect whether a siren sound is present in the vehicle environment sound signal; and

issue the siren detection notification when the siren sound is detected in the vehicle environment sound signal.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a vehicle location input in communication with the processor.

14. The system of claim 13, where the vehicle location input comprises a satellite positioning system location input.

15. The system of claim 9, where:

the siren processing system is further operable to;

issue a vehicle system control command when the siren sound is detected in the vehicle environment sound signal.

16. The system of claim 15, where:

the vehicle system control command comprises a volume attenuation command.

17. A siren detection and notification system comprising:

a signal sensor operable to obtain a vehicle environment sound signal;

a memory comprising;

a siren model;

echo suppression logic operable to;

obtain a source reference signal prior to audible reproduction;

suppress the source reference signal in the vehicle environment sound signal to obtain a siren analysis signal; and

a siren processing program operable to;

analyze the siren analysis signal with respect to the siren model to determine whether a siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal; and

issue a siren detection notification when the siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal; and

a processor coupled to the memory and a vehicle bus interface that executes the siren processing program.

18. The system of claim 17, where the memory further comprises:

a confidence threshold; and

where;

the siren processing program is further operable to;

determine a confidence measure based on analysis of the siren analysis signal with respect to the siren model; and

issue the siren detection notification when the siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal and when the confidence measure exceeds the confidence threshold.

19. The system of claim 17, where the memory further comprises:

an analysis duration; and

where;

the siren processing program is further operable to;

analyze the siren analysis signal with respect to the siren model for at least the analysis duration to detect whether a siren sound is present in the siren analysis signal; and

issue the siren detection notification when the siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal.

20. The system of claim 17, where:

the siren processing system is further operable to;

issue a vehicle system control command when the siren sound is detected in the siren analysis signal.

21. The system of claim 20, where:

the vehicle system control command comprises a volume attenuation command.

22. A siren detection and notification system comprising:

a vehicle bus interface;

a memory comprising;

a first geographical location siren model;

a second geographical location siren model;

a vehicle environment sound signal;

a vehicle location; and

a siren processing program operable to;

analyze the vehicle location to select between the first and second geographical location siren models, thereby obtaining a selected geographical location siren model;

analyze the vehicle environment sound signal with respect to the selected geographical location siren model to detect whether a siren sound is present in the vehicle environment sound signal; and

issue a vehicle system control command over the vehicle bus interface when the siren sound is detected in the vehicle environment sound signal; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the vehicle bus interface that executes the siren processing program.

23. The system of claim 22, where the memory further comprises echo suppression logic operable to:

obtain a source reference signal prior to audible reproduction; and

suppress the source reference signal in the vehicle environment sound signal.