Device for Warning of Radar Traps

• US 20130293407A1
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Patrick Dijkstra, Tom Marnix Alexander De Wilde
• Original Assignee: Patrick Dijkstra, Tom Marnix Alexander De Wilde
• Inventors: De Wilde, Tom Marnix Alexander, Dijkstra, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 9,255,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/886 for alarm systems alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/022 Road traffic radar detectors

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for warning of radar traps or speed radar signals, comprising a radar detection antenna, a central processing unit, which is connected to the radar detection antenna, an alert device or unit, which is connected to the central processing unit and which is designed for delivering an alarm, wherein the central processing unit is designed for determining at least one characteristic of the signal received by the radar detection antenna and for causing the alert device to deliver an alarm or suppress the delivery of an alarm in dependence on least one determined characteristic.

Claims

1. A radar detector for alerting a user of a speed radar signal comprising:

a radar detection antenna for receiving a signal;

an alert unit for alerting the user of the presence of a speed radar signal;

a central processing unit connected to the antenna and the alert unit which determines at least one characteristic of the signal and controls the delivery of an alarm to the alert unit based upon the at least one characteristic.

2. The radar detector of claim 1, wherein the at least one determined characteristic is comprised from at least one of the following:

the structure of the amplitude of the signal over a predetermined distance covered by the vehicle;

the modulation frequency of an amplitude modulation signal;

the modulation depth of an amplitude modulation signal;

the modulation frequency of a frequency modulation signal;

the frequency sweep of a frequency modulation signal;

the phase of a phase modulation signal;

the modulation frequency of a phase modulation signal;

the duty cycle of a pulse modulation signal;

the modulation frequency of a pulse modulation signal;

the frequency stability of the signal;

or

the phase noise of the signal.

3. The radar detector of claim 1, wherein control of the alarm is by transmitting an alarm signal to the alert unit.

4. The radar detector of claim 1, wherein control of the alarm is by suppressing the transmission of an alarm signal to the alert unit.

5. The radar detector of claim 2, wherein the central processing unit determines at least two characteristics of the signal and the central processing unit controls the delivery of an alarm to the alert unit based upon a combination of the at least two determined characteristics.

6. The radar detector of claim 2, wherein the central processing unit determines a profile of the signal based upon at least one of the determined characteristics.

7. The radar detector of claim 6, wherein the signal profile is determined using an algorithm.

8. The radar detector of claim 7, wherein the algorithm is a fuzzy logic algorithm.

9. The radar detector of claim 7, wherein a measured value is allocated to each of the determined characteristics, wherein the measured values are each multiplied by a characteristic specific weighting factor to obtain weighted characteristic values, whereupon the weighted characteristic values are added to obtain a signal profile value.

10. The radar detector of claim 9, wherein the signal profile value is compared to at least one threshold value and depending on the outcome of the comparison controls the alarm.

11. The radar detector of claim 10, wherein the at least one threshold value is adjustable.

12. The radar detector of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises at least the frequency stability of the signal and/or the phase noise of the signal.

13. The radar detector of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises the frequency of the signal.

14. The radar detector of claim 1, wherein the detector includes an input unit for receiving the input from a user which controls the alarm upon detection of a radar signal.

15. The radar detector according to claim 9, wherein the algorithm is changed by changing one or more of the characteristic specific weighting factors.

16. The radar detector of claim 1, wherein the detector further comprises a self-learning function, wherein the historical values of the determined characteristics of past detected signal are stored in a database, and wherein the values of determined characteristics of received signals are compared to the historical values and such comparison is used to control the alarm.

17. A radar detector for generating an alert in response to a speed radar signal comprising:

a radar detection antenna for receiving a signal;

an alert unit for alerting the user of the presence of a speed radar signal;

a memory unit for storing at least one database;

a central processing unit connected to the antenna, the alert unit, and the memory unit, wherein the central processing unit determines at least one characteristic of the received signal and generates a profile of the signal based upon the at least one determined characteristic, wherein the signal profile is compared to known profiles in the at least one database and based upon the comparison controls the delivery of an alarm to the alert unit.

18. A method of controlling an alert signal, by a device, upon receiving a speed radar signal, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the incoming speed radar signal;

determining at least one characteristic of the speed radar signal;

generating a profile of the speed radar signal based upon the at least one characteristic;

comparing the profile to one or more known profiles;

controlling an alert signal based upon the results of the comparison.

19. A radar detector for generating an alert in response to a speed radar signal comprising:

a radar detection antenna for receiving a signal;

an alert unit for alerting the user of the presence of a speed radar signal;

a memory unit for storing at least one database;

a central processing unit connected to the antenna, the alert unit, and the memory unit, wherein the central processing unit determines at least one characteristic of the received signal and generates a signal profile value of the signal based upon the at least one determined characteristic, wherein the signal profile value is compared to a threshold value and based upon the comparison controls the delivery of an alarm signal to the alert unit.

20. A method of controlling an alert signal, by a device, upon receiving a speed radar signal, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the incoming speed radar signal;

determining at least one characteristic of the speed radar signal;

generating a signal profile value of the speed radar signal based upon the at least one characteristic;

comparing the signal profile value to a threshold value;

controlling an alert signal based upon the results of the comparison.