System, method and apparatus for communicating with vehicle occupants

• US 8,401,477 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2012
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eddie B. Lofton
• Original Assignee: Eddie B. Lofton
• Inventors: Lofton, Eddie B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cole, Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US13/469,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20120220236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 455 39- 48, 455 59- 90
• US Class Current: 455/42
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/008 using optical signals for detecting or generating sound

Abstract

An application for a two-way communication system for communicating with a person who is within a vehicle includes a short-range radio transmission to transmit audio to a radio within the vehicle. Communication from the person is done by reflecting a light beam on a window of the vehicle and receiving the light beam. The light beam is modulated by vibration of the window caused by the person'"'"'s voice. The received light beam is then processed to reproduce the sound of the person'"'"'s voice.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication apparatus comprising:

a radio frequency transmitter, the radio frequency transmitter modulates a first audio signal onto a radio frequency signal;

a light source, the light source emits light in a direction towards a window of a vehicle;

a detector positioned to receive at least part of the light that is reflected from the window of the vehicle,

the detector converting the at least part of the light that is reflected from the window of the vehicle into an electrical signal;

an audio detector operatively coupled to the detector receives the electrical signal, the audio detector extracts a second audio signal from the electrical signal; and

an audio output device, the audio output device receives the second audio signal from the audio detector and reproduces the second audio signal to be audible.

2. A method of communicating with a person within a vehicle, the method comprising:

providing the vehicle communication apparatus of claim 1;

transmitting the first audio signal modulated on a radio frequency by the radio frequency transmitter to a radio within a vehicle;

emitting a light beam from the light source towards the window of the vehicle;

receiving at least some of the light beam reflected from the window of the vehicle by the detector; and

extracting the second audio signal from the vehicle from the reflected light beam by the audio detector.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of emitting the light beam includes emitting light from a laser light source.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of emitting the light beam includes emitting light from a semiconductor laser diode.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of receiving uses a photo diode.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising after the step of extracting, a step of filtering noise from the second audio signal to remove at least some environment noise.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the radio frequency is in a band selected from the group consisting of the AM band and the FM band.

8. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source emits a laser light.

9. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source is a semiconductor laser diode.

10. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector is a photo diode.

11. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector further comprises a filter, the filter removing at least some environment noise.

12. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency transmitter is an FM radio transmitter.

13. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency transmitter is an AM radio transmitter.

14. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio output device is a speaker.