Alert and warning system and method

• US 20080291052A1
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cirrus Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Spot Devices Incorporated (Carmanah Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Burns, Chester Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,772,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 3/02 Anti-collision systems

Abstract

The present inventions provide a system and method for providing a warning using at least one wireless communication link between an approaching object and the location where a warning is to be given based in part on the location of the object and its proximity to the warning location. One aspect of the inventions includes receiving a communication from an object, for example a vehicle, which includes location information, at an alert node, wirelessly communicating alert information to a warning node, and causing a warning device to generate a warning. Preferably the alert node communicates with a plurality of vehicles and a plurality of warning nodes and determines to which of the plurality of warning nodes to communicate alert information based in part on the location information received from at least one of the vehicles and the location of the warning device.

Claims

1. A warning system comprising:

at least one wireless alert trigger node attached to a vehicle, configured to generate a wireless alert signal based on the position of the vehicle with respect to a predetermined location;

at least one stationary warning alert response node configured to receive the wireless alert signal and generate a warning activation signal;

at least one warning device configured to receive said warning activation signal and generate a warning in response to said warning activation signal;

the warning device positioned at the predetermined location such that the warning will be most likely to reach the intended audience.

2. The warning system of claim 1 wherein the wireless alert trigger node includes a transmitter configured to transmit the wireless alert signal through a network selected from the group of a cellular network, a satellite network and a local wireless network.

3. The warning system of claim 1 wherein the wireless alert trigger node transmits the wireless alert signal through a combination of at least two networks selected from the group of a cellular network, a satellite network and a local wireless network.

4. The warning system of claim 1 wherein the wireless alert trigger node further comprises

a satellite navigation system receiver configured to receive position information from a satellite navigation system network and generate a position signal;

an alert signal generator configured to generate the wireless alert signal based in part upon the position signal.

5. The warning system of claim 4 wherein the alert signal generator further comprises

a microcontroller and a predetermined location storage medium;

the microcontroller is configured to receive the position signal from the satellite navigation system receiver as an input and to access the predetermined location storage medium;

the microcontroller is further configured to determine when the vehicle is within an alert zone of the predetermined location based at least in part on the predetermined locations and the position signal;

wherein the alert zone comprises all geographic locations less than an alert distance away from the predetermined location.

6. The warning system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined location storage medium is a Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM).

7. The warning system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined location storage medium is a Flash or similar memory.

8. The warning system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined location storage medium is a Hard drive.

9. The warning system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined location storage medium is a DVD.

10. The warning system of claim 4 wherein the satellite navigation system receiver is a GPS receiver and the satellite navigation system network is a GPS network.

11. The warning system of claims 5 wherein the alert distance varies for different predetermined locations.

12. The warning system of claim 5 wherein the alert distance varies depending on current weather conditions at the predetermined locations.

13. The warning system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is a locomotive and the wireless alert trigger node is attached to a railway crossing.

14. The warning system of claim 11 wherein at least one warning device is selected from the group consisting of a beacon, an audio device, a crossing gate, in-road warning lights, a traffic signal.

15. The warning system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is an emergency vehicle, the at least one wireless alert response node is configured to communicate with a traffic signal and to manipulate said traffic signal based on the position of said emergency vehicle to halt traffic at an intersection where the traffic signal is located until the emergency vehicle passes through said intersection.

16. The warning system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is a small watercraft and the at least one wireless alert response node is located on a navigation obstacle.

17. The warning system of claim 14 wherein the navigation aid(s) or obstacle(s) equipped with the wireless alert response node are selected from the group consisting of buoys, stationary beacons, channel markers and large watercraft.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising

transmitting said wireless alert signal from the wireless alert trigger node to the warning alert response node through a networks selected from the group consisting of a cellular network, a satellite network or a local wireless network.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising

transmitting said wireless alert signal from the wireless alert trigger node to the warning alert response node through a combination of at least two networks selected from the group of a cellular network, a satellite network and a local wireless network.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising

receiving position information from a satellite navigation system, wherein the position information is received by a satellite navigation system receiver of the wireless alert trigger node;

generating a position signal based on the position information, wherein the position signal is generated by said receiver;

transmitting said position signal to an alert signal generator;

receiving said position signal by the alert signal generator;

generating the wireless alert signal based in part upon the position signal, wherein the wireless alert signal is generated by the alert signal generator.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the position signal is received by a microcontroller of

the alert signal generator and further comprising

accessing a predetermined location storage medium;

retrieving the predetermined locations;

determining when the vehicle is within an alert zone of the predetermined location based at least in part on the predetermined locations and the position signal;

wherein the alert zone comprises all geographic locations less than an alert distance away from the predetermined location.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the predetermined location storage medium is a non-volatile random access memory.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the predetermined location storage medium is a Flash memory or similar.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the predetermined location storage medium is a Hard drive.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the predetermined location storage medium is a DVD.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein the alert distance varies for different predetermined locations.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein the alert distance varies depending on current weather conditions at the predetermined location.

29. The method of claim 19 wherein the satellite navigation system is a Global Positioning System (GPS).

31. The warning system of claim 26 comprising at least two alert zones and at least one warning device in each alert zone,

wherein the host alert node is configured to determine whether the vehicle is within either alert zone based on the position information and wherein the alert information comprises alert zone information, the alert zone information including information identifying which alert zone the vehicle is in;

and

the alert activation signal unit is configured to output the alert activation signal to the warning device located within the alert zone in which the vehicle is located.

32. The warning system of claim 26 wherein the wireless vehicle information is transmitted to the host alert node through a network selected from the group of a cellular network, a satellite network and a local wireless network.

33. The warning system of claim 26 wherein the system further comprises a

a satellite navigation system receiver configured to receive position information from a satellite navigation system network and communicate position information to the position transmitter.

34. The warning system of claim 29 wherein the system comprises a plurality of alert zones, a plurality of warning alert response nodes and a plurality of warning devices wherein each of the plurality of warning alert response nodes is associated with one or more warning devices;

and wherein each one of the plurality of warning devices is associated with one of the plurality of alert zones;

wherein the alert information generator further comprises

a microcontroller and an alert zone location storage medium;

the microcontroller is configured to analyze vehicle position information transmitted by the vehicle position transmitter and determine, based at least in part on the vehicle position information whether the vehicle is located in any of the plurality of alert zones using alert zone location information stored in the alert zone location storage medium;

the alert information generator is further configured to determine which of the plurality of warning alert response nodes should receive the alert information and cause the alert information transmitter to transmit the alert information to the appropriate warning alert response node.

39. The warning system of claim 29 wherein the satellite navigation system receiver is a GPS receiver and the satellite navigation system network is the GPS or similar network.

18. A method of providing a warning of an approaching vehicle at a predetermined location comprising:

generating a wireless alert signal based on the position of the vehicle, wherein the alert signal is generated by a wireless alert trigger node;

receiving said wireless alert signal by a warning alert response node;

generating a warning activation signal, wherein the warning activation signal is generated by the warning alert response node;

receiving said warning activation signal, wherein the warning activation signal is received by a warning device;

generating a warning in response to the warning activation signal, wherein the warning is generated by said warning device,

wherein the warning device is positioned at the predetermined location such that the warning will be most likely to reach the intended audience.

30. A warning system comprising:

a position transmitter attached to a vehicle, configured to transmit wireless vehicle position information;

a host alert node comprising a vehicle position signal receiver configured to receive the wireless vehicle position information;

an alert information generator and an alert information transmitter;

at least one warning alert response node comprising an alert information receiver and an alert activation signal unit;

at least one alert zone;

at least one warning device located in the at least one alert zone;

wherein the alert information generator is configured to determine whether the vehicle is within the at least one alert zone based at least in part on the vehicle position information and wherein the alert information transmitter is configured to transmit alert information to the warning alert response node when the vehicle is in the at least one alert zone;

the alert information receiver is configured to receive the alert information and communicate alert information to the alert activation signal unit;

the alert activation signal unit is configured to output an alert activation signal;

the warning device is configured to receive as an input the alert activation signal and generate a warning in response to the alert activation signal;

the warning device being positioned to alert interested parties.

35. The warning system of claim 30 wherein the alert zone location storage medium is a Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM).

36. The warning system of claim 30 wherein the alert zone location storage medium is a Flash or similar memory.

37. The warning system of claim 30 wherein the alert zone location storage medium is a hard drive.

38. The warning system of claim 30 wherein the alert zone location storage medium is a DVD.