Method and apparatus for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to an incoming radar signal

• US RE39,038 E1
• Filed: 01/28/2003
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Escort Incorporated (Cedar Electronics Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hoyt A Fleming
• Inventors: Fleming, Hoyt A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US10/352,679
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 342/20, 342/26, 342/27, 342/52, 342/73, 342/83, 342/90, 342/91, 342/92, 342/93, 342/104, 342/105, 342/103, 342/115, 342/118, 342/159, 342/165, 342/175, 342/195, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.1, 342/357.13, 342/357.17, 370901-905, 370/933, 370/936, 370/988, 370/989, 370/991
• US Class Current: 342/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/022 Road traffic radar detectors

Abstract

A radar detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to an incoming police radar signal. This radar detector includes a microprocessor; a circuit coupled to the microprocessor for detecting the incoming police radar signal; and a global positioning system receiver coupled to the microprocessor. Upon detection of an incoming radar signal, the radar detector can utilize the position, velocity, and/or heading data from the global positioning system receiver to determine whether to generate an alert.

Claims

1. A method, executed by a device having a position, of generating an alert to an incoming radar signal having a frequency and a signal strength, the method comprising the acts of:

(a) detecting the incoming radar signal;

(b) determining the position of the device that detected the incoming radar signal; and

(c) generating an alert if the position of the device is not within a predetermined distance of a predetermined position.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of detecting the incoming radar signal includes determining at least one characteristic of the radar signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the act of determining at least one characteristic of the radar signal includes determining the frequency of the radar signal.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the act of determining at least one characteristic of the radar signal includes determining a frequency bin number.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the act of determining at least one characteristic of the radar signal includes determining whether the incoming radar signal is in the X frequency band, the Ku frequency band, the K frequency band, or the Ka frequency band.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the act of determining at least one characteristic of the radar signal includes determining the signal strength of the incoming radar signal.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the act of generating an alert includes generating an alert if the at least one characteristic is not similar to a predetermined characteristic.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of determining the position of the device includes receiving signals from a plurality of satellites.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of determining the position of the device includes receiving a differential global positioning signal.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of determining the position of the device includes receiving dead reckoning data.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) generating the alert if the device is within the predetermined distance of the predetermined position and if the signal strength of the incoming radar signal is greater than a predetermined radar signal strength.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) generating the alert if the device is within the predetermined distance of the predetermined position and if the signal strength of the incoming radar signal is not within a predetermined frequency range of a predetermined radar frequency.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) generating the alert if the device is within the predetermined distance of the predetermined position and if either the signal strength of the incoming radar signal is greater than a predetermined signal strength or if the frequency of the incoming radar signal is not within a predetermined frequency range of a predetermined radar frequency.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) generating the alert if the position of the device is within the predetermined distance of the predetermined position.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) storing the position of the device in a memory device.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) storing the frequency of the incoming radar signal in a memory device.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) storing the signal strength of the incoming signal in a memory device.

11. A method, executed by a device having a position and a velocity, of generating an alert to an incoming radar signal having a frequency and a signal strength, the method comprising the acts of:

(a) detecting the incoming radar signal;

(b) determining the velocity of the device that detected the incoming radar signal;

and

(c) generating an alert if the velocity of the device is greater than a predetermined velocity;

(d) determining the position of the device that detected the incoming radar signal; and

(e) comparing the position of the device that detected the incoming radar signal to a predetermined position.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the act of determining the velocity of the device includes receiving data from a plurality of satellites.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the act of determining the velocity of the device includes receiving data from a plurality of global positioning satellites.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the act of determining the velocity of the device includes receiving differential global positioning data.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the act of determining the velocity of the device includes receiving dead reckoning data.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the act of generating an alert if the velocity of the device is greater than a predetermined velocity includes generating an alert if the velocity of the device is greater than a velocity that has been previously programmed by an operator of a motor vehicle.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the act of generating an alert if the velocity of the device is greater than a predetermined velocity includes generating an alert if the velocity of the device is greater than a legal speed limit that is retrieved from a database.

18. A radar detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to an incoming police radar signal comprising:

(a) a microprocessor;

(b) a circuit coupled to the microprocessor for detecting the incoming police radar signal; and

(c) a global positioning system receiver coupled to the microprocessor and operable to provide the microprocessor with data that indicates the position of the radar detector.

19. The radar detector of claim 18, further including A radar detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to an incoming police radar signal comprising:

(a) a microprocessor;

(b) a circuit coupled to the microprocessor for detecting the incoming police radar signal;

(c) a global positioning system receiver coupled to the microprocessor and operable to provide the microprocessor with data; and

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

(a)(i) determining the position of a radar detector; and

(b)(ii) generating an alert if the position of the radar detector is not within a predetermined distance of a predetermined position.

20. The radar detector of claim 19, wherein the program storage device includes machine readable instructions for determining at least one characteristic of the radar signal.

21. The radar detector of claim 18, further including a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for:

(a) determining the velocity of the device utilized to detect the incoming radar signal; and

(b) generating an alert if the velocity of a radar detector is greater than a predetermined velocity.

29. The radar detector of claim 18, wherein the global positioning system receiver is operable to provide the microprocessor with data that indicates the velocity of the radar detector.

30. The radar detector of claim 18, wherein the global positioning system receiver is operable to provide the microprocessor with data that indicates the heading of the radar detector.

31. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

i) storing the position of the radar detector.

32. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

i) determining the position of a source of a radar signal; and

ii) storing the position.

33. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

i) determining the distance between the position of the radar detector and another position.

34. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

i) determining the bearing between the position of the radar detector and another position.

35. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a memory device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the memory device containing at least one position.

36. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a memory device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the memory device containing at least one radar frequency.

37. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a memory device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the memory device containing at least one radar signal strength.

38. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a memory device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the memory device containing at least one position and at least one radar frequency.

39. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a memory device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the memory device containing at least one position and at least one radar signal strength.

40. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a memory device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the memory device containing at least one position, at least one radar frequency, and at least one radar signal strength.

41. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

i) comparing the frequency of an incoming radar signal with a previously stored radar frequency.

42. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

i) comparing the frequency of an incoming radar signal with a previously stored radar frequency; and

ii) generating an alert based at least in part upon the result of the comparison.

43. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

i) comparing the signal strength of an incoming radar signal with a previously stored radar signal strength.

44. The radar detector of claim 18, further comprising:

(d) a program storage device that is coupled to the microprocessor, the program storage device containing machine readable instructions for;

i) comparing the signal strength of an incoming radar signal with a previously stored radar signal strength; and

ii) generating an alert based at least in part upon the result of the comparison.

45. A radar detector for alerting an operator of a motor vehicle to an incoming radar signal comprising:

(a) a circuit operable to detect an incoming radar signal; and

(b) a microprocessor operable to disable an alert to the incoming radar signal based at least in part upon the position of the radar detector.

46. The radar detector of claim 45, wherein the microprocessor is operable to disable the alert based at least in part upon the velocity of the radar detector.

47. The radar detector of claim 45, wherein the microprocessor is operable to disable the alert based at least in part upon the frequency of the incoming radar signal.

48. The radar detector of claim 45, wherein the microprocessor is operable to enable the alert based at least in part upon the frequency of the incoming radar signal.

49. The radar detector of claim 45, wherein the microprocessor is operable to disable the alert based at least in part upon the signal strength of the incoming radar signal.

50. The radar detector of claim 45, wherein the microprocessor is operable to enable the alert based at least in part upon the signal strength of the incoming radar signal.