Vehicle Safety Alert System

• US 20160347241A1
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anthony Gralto
• Original Assignee: Anthony Gralto
• Inventors: Gralto, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 9,789,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/18 including a device to audibly, visibly, or otherwise signal the existence of unusual or unintended speed to the driver of the vehicle devices primarily intended for indicating speed to other traffic B60Q1/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/268 on windscreens or windows B60Q1/302 takes precedence; lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for windows B60Q3/208
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/509 specific to unauthorised use, e.g. for indicating stolen vehicles or infringements of traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 : where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 : Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 : where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A vehicle safety alert system. The system includes a controller disposed within a vehicle and a plurality of transmitters disposed along a roadway. The controller receives speed limit data from the transmitters and then both notifies a driver of the current speed limit and alerts the driver if the vehicle exceeds the speed limit. The controller also includes GPS components and is configured to upload vehicle location data to a database and server via an existing network. The transmitters are configured to receive vehicle speed and identification information and relay the information to a server. The information regarding vehicle speed, location, and identification is then sent from the database to the appropriate monitoring agency via the server.

Claims

1. ) A method of indicating to drivers of a vehicle of speeding when in a section of a roadway, comprising the steps of:

detecting a transmitter;

receiving a speed limit from the transmitter, the speed limit corresponding to a posted speed limit of the section of the roadway;

receiving a current speed of the vehicle via a sensor;

if the current speed is less than or equal to the speed limit, activating a first mode;

if the current speed is greater than the speed limit, activating a second mode;

if the current speed is at least one of greater than the speed limit plus a threshold value and greater than the speed limit for a time period, activating a third mode;

wherein the first mode activates a first alert;

wherein the second mode activates a second alert;

wherein the third mode activates a third alert and transmits a vehicle information to an agency.

2. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is adapted to receive the current speed from an on-board computer of the vehicle.

3. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is adapted to receive the current speed from a GPS receiver.

4. ) The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first alert, the second alert, and the third alert comprise an audible alert.

5. ) The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first alert, the second alert, and the third alert comprise a visual alert.

6. ) The method of claim 5, wherein the first alert comprises a first color, the second alert comprises a second color, and the third alert comprises a third color.

7. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the third mode further comprises transmitting the current speed to the agency.

8. ) The vehicle safety monitor system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable medium operatively connected to the one or more processors;

a logic stored in the non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the controller to monitor the speed of the vehicle, by at least;

detecting the one or more transmitters;

receiving a speed limit from the transmitter, the speed limit corresponding to a posted speed limit of the section of the roadway;

receiving a current speed of the vehicle via the sensor;

if the current speed is less than or equal to the speed limit, activating a first mode;

if the current speed is greater than the speed limit, activating a second mode;

if the current speed is at least one of greater than the speed limit plus a threshold value and greater than the speed limit for a time period, activating a third mode;

wherein the first mode activates a first alert;

wherein the second mode activates a second alert;

wherein the third mode activates a third alert and transmits a vehicle information to an agency.

9. ) The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor is adapted to receive the current speed from an on-board computer of the vehicle.

10. ) The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor is adapted to receive the current speed from a GPS receiver.

11. ) The method of claim 8, wherein one or more of the first alert, the second alert, and the third alert comprise an audible alert.

12. ) The method of claim 8, wherein one or more of the first alert, the second alert, and the third alert comprise a visual alert.

13. ) The method of claim 12, wherein the first alert comprises a first color, the second alert comprises a second color, and the third alert comprises a third color.

14. ) The method of claim 8, wherein the third mode further comprises transmitting the current speed to the agency.

15. ) The method of claim 8, wherein the controller further comprises an RFID chip configured to transmit the vehicle identification information via a wireless transceiver to the transmitter and wherein the transmitter is configured to identify a unique ID of the RFID chip.

16. ) A vehicle safety alert system comprising:

one or more transmitters comprising a second wireless transceiver in communication with the controller, the transmitter in further communication with a communications network via a server;

a controller attachable to a vehicle, the controller comprising;

a power supply;

a data storage;

a sensor adapted to receive a current speed of a vehicle;

a first wireless transceiver in communication with the communications network;

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable medium operatively connected to the one or more processors;

a logic stored in the non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the controller to monitor the speed of the vehicle, by at least;

detecting the one or more transmitters;

receiving a speed limit from the transmitter, the speed limit corresponding to a posted speed limit of the section of the roadway;

receiving a current speed of the vehicle via the sensor;

if the current speed is at least one of greater than the speed limit plus a threshold value and greater than the speed limit for a time period, then performing at least one of emitting an audible alert, activating a visual alert, and transmitting a vehicle identification information to the communications network via the first wireless transceiver;

a database in communication with the server and adapted to store information received from the first transmitter and the second transmitter.

17. ) The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more transmitters are arranged in groups delineating one or more sections of a roadway.

18. ) The system of claim 16, wherein:

the controller further comprises an RFID chip configured to transmit the vehicle identification information by emitting a distinct signal via the first wireless transceiver;

the transmitter is adapted to identify the RFID chip via second the wireless transceiver.

19. ) The system of claim 16, wherein the logic further comprises the steps of:

if the current speed is less than or equal to the speed limit, activating a first mode;

if the current speed is greater than the speed limit, activating a second mode;

wherein the first mode activates at least one of an audible alert and a visual alert;

wherein the second mode activates at least one of an audible alert and a visual alert.

20. ) The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is adapted to receive the current speed via at least one of a GPS and an on-board computer of the vehicle.