WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY IN A RADAR DETECTOR

• US 20100214148A1
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Escort Incorporated (Cedar Electronics Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Escort Incorporated (Cedar Electronics Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kuhn, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,373,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/022 Road traffic radar detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

Wireless and other external connectivity technology is used in various ways to enhance or improve upon existing radar detector and police activity detection systems. External memory interfaces, such as SD cards or USB, provide external storage. Wireless interfaces such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, 802.11, and wireless personal area network communication protocols, allow a detector processor to interact wirelessly with external devices, such as a Bluetooth headset, a cellular network device providing a server connection, or toggle buttons used to indicate the presence of police activity at a current position. Further, radar detectors are upgraded to provide GPS capabilities, using the existing power/data connector of the radar detector.

Claims

1. A police activity detector, comprising:

a receiver for detecting electromagnetic signals generated in the context of police activity, a processor coupled to said receiver and evaluating electromagnetic signals received by said receiver to determine whether a warning is to be issued, the processor operating under control of software and/or data, and

an external memory interface coupled to said processor, the processor connecting to external memory connected to said external memory interface to retrieve or store said software and/or data or copies thereof.

2. The detector of claim 1 wherein said external memory interface is a secure digital (SD/uSD) card interface.

3. The detector of claim 1 wherein said external memory interface is a universal serial bus (USB) interface, wherein said detector operates as a host for a USB memory device coupled to said USB interface.

4. The detector of claim 1 wherein said external memory stores data selected from the group consisting of:

stored voice commands,

voice files,

text files in a selected language,

radar source locations and characterizations,

geographic locations of police enforcement activity,

speed camera locations, and

red light camera locations.

5. The detector of claim 1 wherein said receiver is enclosed within a first housing and said external memory interface is enclosed within a second housing, and further comprising a connection between the first and second housing permitting connection of said processor to said external memory interface.

6. The detector of claim 5 wherein said second housing is incorporated into a windshield mounting for said receiver.

7. The detector of claim 1 further comprising a safety warning system (SWS) radio receiver acquiring SWS data, the processor alerting a driver of SWS data acquired by the receiver.

8. The detector of claim 1 further comprising a wireless networking radio for communication with networked devices using a digital networking communication standard in the IEEE 802.X family.

9. A police activity detector, comprising:

a receiver for detecting electromagnetic signals generated in the context of police activity,

a processor coupled to said receiver and evaluating electromagnetic signals received by said receiver to determine whether a warning is to be issued, the processor operating under control of software and/or data, and

a wireless device interface comprising a radio compliant with one or more of;

Bluetooth, Zigbee, 802.11, and wireless personal area network communication protocols,

the processor interacting wirelessly with an external device via said wireless device interface.

10. The detector of claim 9 wherein the external device is a device having a Bluetooth headset profile, the processor interacting with the Bluetooth headset to deliver warnings to a user of the detector.

11. The detector of claim 9 wherein the external device is a Bluetooth-compatible cellular network device.

12. The detector of claim 11 wherein the processor connects to the cellular device to obtain an Internet connection, and exchanges data with a remote server via said Internet connection.

13. The detector of claim 11 wherein the processor connects to the cellular device to establish a telephone connection, and exchanges data with a remote server via said telephone connection by use of dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) signaling.

14. The detector of claim 9 wherein the external device comprises a global positioning receiver and a wireless device interface, the processor interacting with the global positioning receiver in determining whether to issue a warning to a user of the detector.

15. The detector of claim 14 wherein the external device comprises a housing that incorporates a cigarette lighter plug for obtaining 12 volt power from a cigarette lighter connector.

16. A police activity warning system, comprising

a global positioning receiver,

a processor obtaining a position from the global position receiver, and evaluating said position in relation to stored data regarding police activity, and/or storing data relative to police activity in relation to said position, and

a wireless device interface comprising a radio compliant with one or more of Bluetooth, Zigbee, 802.11, and wireless personal area network communication protocols,

the processor interacting wirelessly with an external device via said wireless device interface to obtain or store data related to positions and data relative to police activity at those positions.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the detector further includes at least one toggle button which may be activated by a user to indicate the presence of police activity at a current position.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the external device is a Bluetooth-compatible wireless cellular device.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor connects to the wireless cellular device to obtain an Internet connection, and exchanges data with a remote server via said Internet connection.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor connects to the wireless cellular device to establish a telephone connection, and exchanges data with a remote server via said telephone connection by use of dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) signaling.

21. A position-responsive police activity detector upgrade device, for use with a radar detector having a power and data connection, the radar detector receiving electroical power and communicating data over the connector including at least an indication of an alert generated upon detection of police radar, and the radar detector responding to data received over the connector including at least a muting signal for muting of an alert, the upgrade device comprising

a housing that incorporates a cigarette lighter plug for obtaining 12 volt power from a cigarette lighter connector,

a power and data connection for connection to a radar detector power and data connection,

a position indicating circuit for detecting a current position of the upgrade device,

storage identifying locations at which alerts otherwise generated by a radar detector are to be muted,

the upgrade device including circuitry coupling power obtained from said cigarette lighter connector to a connected radar detector, receiving an indication of an alert from a connected radar detector, and providing a muting signal to a radar detector in the event a location identified by said position indicating circuit correlates to a location at which an alert is to be muted.

22. The detector upgrade device of claim 21 wherein upon indication of an alert generated by a radar detector, said upgrade device stores a current location as identified by said position indicating circuit.