Bus passenger alerting system

• US 5,021,780 A
• Filed: 09/29/1989
• Issued: 06/04/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RICHARD F. FABIANO, 6629 DENHAM COURT, S.E., GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49545
• Original Assignee: Richard F. Fabiano
• Inventors: Fabiano, Richard F., Houskamp, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orsino, Jr., Joseph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US07/414,537
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 340/991-994, 340/988, 340/996, 340/539, 180/168, 342/457, 364/436, 364/460, 455/49, 455/99, 370/85.8
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

A system for alerting passengers, particularly school children, that the particular bus they are to board is approaching. The passengers have a receiver which senses the particular signal transmitted by the approaching bus. The passengers listen for and/or watch for a visual indication that the bus is now at the location on its route where preparations should be made for boarding. The bus carries a transmitter which sends out a specific signal identifying that bus. The signal is derived from data which was entered into a signal generator in the transmitter relating to the particular school district, the route to be traveled by the bus, and the number of the bus. Each residence where the school children are waiting has a receiver which will activate an indicating device only when the specific bus identification signal is received.

Claims

1. A system for alerting a bus passenger that a particular bus is approaching and that it is time for the passenger to prepare to meet the bus comprising:

a bus;

a transmitter on said bus for sending out a specific bus identification signal derived from district, route and bus identification input data entered into the transmitter by the bus driver before the bus starts out on its route;

said transmitter comprising a signal generator having a plurality of switches for entering district, route and bus number information respectively, said signal generator further including an encoder circuit for generating said specific bus identification signal;

a receiver, which has been preadjusted to receive said specific bus identification signal, for detecting said specific bus identification signal transmitted by said bus when said bus has reached the location along its route where the signal strength of said transmitted signal is sufficiently strong to cause said receiver to detect said signal and provide a passenger alerting signal so that passengers scheduled to ride that particular bus can prepare to meet said bus;

wherein said transmitter broadcasts an intermittent signal to limit the possibility of receiver capture;

wherein actuation of said encoder circuit in said signal generator is delayed by a variable amount determined by the bus number information switch.

2. A system for alerting a passenger as described in claim 1 wherein said receiver can only be turned on and off when needed with all other adjustment being inaccessible to the user.

3. A system for alerting a passenger as described in claim 1 wherein said specific bus identification signal does not change, after having been preset before the bus started out on its route, as said bus proceeds to pick up passengers along its route.