Alert and warning system and method

• US 8,884,787 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cirrus Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cirrus Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Burns, Chester Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US13/466,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20120218129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/426.18, 340/426.19, 340/426.2, 340/426.21, 340/426.22, 340/439, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/988, 340/989, 340/991, 340/993, 340/994, 340/905, 340/936, 340/466, 340/506, 340/516, 340/517, 180/167, 180/168, 701/19, 701/117, 701/118, 701/201, 379/211.02, 379/211.04
• US Class Current: 340/991
• 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:

a warning alert network;

an alert node network and an administration node;

the warning alert network comprising one or more warning devices and at least one warn node communication path;

the alert node network comprising one or more alert trigger nodes attached to a vehicle and at least one alert node communication path;

the administration node configured to receive administrative information from the warning alert network via the at least one warn node communication path and from the alert node network via the at least one alert node communication path;

the administrative information including vehicle information;

the vehicle information including logged location information and real time vehicle status.

2. The warning system of claim 1, wherein the warning alert network includes at least one warning alert response node and the warning alert response node is configured to communicate with one or more of the warning devices over at least one of the warn node communication paths.

3. The warning system of claim 1, wherein the administration node is further configured to send messages to the warning alert network.

4. The warning system of claim 1, wherein the administration node is further configured to send messages to the alert node network.

5. The warning system of claim 1, wherein the administration node is configured to allow networks other than the warning alert network and the alert trigger network access to the administrative information.

6. The administration node of claim 1 further configured to receive vehicle overhead information about the vehicle to which the alert trigger node is attached.

7. An alert system comprising:

an alert node network;

one or more alert trigger nodes;

one or more alert nodes; and

, a wireless alert communication path;

one of the alert trigger nodes including a location device and configured to transmit location information to one of the alert nodes;

one of the alert nodes configured to receive the location information from the alert trigger node over the wireless alert communication path and to receive alert trigger node real time status information; and

wherein the wireless alert communication path is accomplished via a non line-of-sight wireless communication path selected from the group consisting of a cellular communication path, a personal communications service (PCS) communication path, a public internet communication path, or a virtual private network (VPN) communication path, or any combination of a cellular communication path, a PCS communication path, a public internet communication path, or a VPN communication path.

8. The alert system of claim 7, wherein the alert node is configured to generate time stamps for receipt of information.

9. The alert system of claim 7, wherein the alert node is configured to log operational information.

10. The alert system of claim 7 further comprising an administration node configured to receive administrative information from one of the alert nodes.

11. The alert system of claim 10, wherein the administrative information includes information on the operation of the alert trigger node.

12. The alert system of claim 10, wherein the administration node is configured to allow third-party access to the administrative information.

13. The alert system of claim 12, wherein the administrative information includes current event reporting in real time, logged events, operation of the alert node, and operation of the alert trigger node.

14. The alert system of claim 7, wherein the alert trigger node is attached to a vehicle and the location device is a GPS receiver.

15. The alert system of claim 14, wherein the alert node receives vehicle status information in real time over the alert communication path.

16. The alert system of claim 15, wherein the alert system includes alert zones and the alert node is configured to determine whether a vehicle is in one of the alert zones.

17. The alert system of claim 16 further including at least one warning node and the alert node is configured to determine whether the at least one warning node is in one of the alert zones in which a vehicle is located.

18. The alert system of claim 7 further comprising at least one warning node and a warning node communication path, wherein the warning node communication path is configured to communicate status information from one of the warning nodes to one of the alert nodes and wherein the status information includes the location information.

19. The alert system of claim 18, wherein the alert node is configured to communicate alert signals to the at least one warning node and to log the notification.

20. A system comprising:

an alert node network and an administration node;

the alert node network comprising one or more alert trigger nodes and at least one alert node communication path;

wherein the administration node is configured to receive administrative information from the alert node network;

wherein the administrative information includes alert trigger node information; and

wherein the alert trigger node information includes operational status of the alert trigger node and real time alert trigger node location information.