GPS based vehicle warning and location system

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing GPS based vehicle warning and location information to a vehicle operator.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Emergency vehicles need to travel quickly and safely through traffic in order to get to a destination. Conventional emergency vehicles use either sirens or emergency lights, or both, in order to get to the destination quickly and safely. It is often the case that a driver who is on the same road or a nearby road as the emergency vehicle is not made aware of the emergency vehicle's presence. This may be the case when the driver has poor hearing, is listening to the car radio, is on his or her car phone, etc. When this occurs, it may result in a dangerous situation when the emergency vehicle approaches the unaware driver, which may result in the driver causing an accident with the emergency vehicle or with another nearby vehicle on the road.

[0005] Also, when an emergency vehicle comes to an intersection, it is important that all vehicles approaching the intersection in different directions are made aware of the approaching emergency vehicle. Again, some drivers may not be aware of the sirens and emergency lights of the emergency vehicle, and this may result in an accident occurring with the emergency vehicle and/or other vehicles at or near the intersection.

[0006] There have been some solutions proposed to address this problem. One solution has been to use optical detectors at an intersection that detect light signals emitted from an approaching emergency vehicle, whereby the optical detectors would manipulate the traffic signal for oncoming traffic. One drawback to this solution is the lack of warning when an emergency vehicle is coming from behind a motor vehicle.

[0007] Another solution has been to use a radar detector, which would detect a signal transmitted from an emergency vehicle. One drawing to this solution is that false triggering of the radar may result in a driver turning off the radar detector out of frustration. Furthermore, the location and distance of the emergency vehicle would not be made available to the driver with this solution.

[0008] Yet another solution is to have the emergency vehicle transmit a radio frequency (RF) signal at a predetermined frequency or frequency range. In this case, each motor vehicle would be equipped with an RF receiver which would receive the RF signal output by the emergency vehicle when the emergency vehicle is traveling to its destination. A further enhancement to this solution would be to utilize GPS in order to provide information as to the location of the emergency vehicle relative to the motor vehicle, whereby that information would be used by a microcontroller in order to determine the location of the emergency vehicle with respect to the driver's vehicle. The emergency vehicle's location would be displayed at the motor vehicle by way of one of four indicator lamps that are in the driver's view area (e.g., on the dashboard). Actuation of a first lamp would indicate that the emergency vehicle was somewhere ahead of the driver's vehicle, actuation of a second lamp would indicate that the emergency vehicle was somewhere to the left of the driver's vehicle, actuation of a third lamp would indicate that the emergency vehicle was somewhere to the right of the driver's vehicle, and actuation of a fourth lamp would indicate that the emergency vehicle was somewhere behind the driver's vehicle.

[0009] The above solution using both GPS signals and an RF transmitter and RF receiver is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,382, issued to Donald Arbinger et al., which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. However, even with the Arbinger et al. solution, a driver is not provided precise information as to the exact location of the emergency vehicle, and so the driver may not choose the best streets to travel through in order to evade the emergency vehicle and to evade the snarled traffic that typically occurs on streets that the emergency vehicle travels on.

[0010] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an emergency vehicle alert system for providing information as to a location of an emergency vehicle to a motor vehicle. The system includes a first GPS receiving unit that is provided on said emergency vehicle and that is configured to receive at least three different GPS signals from at least different GPS satellites and to determine emergency vehicle location information of said emergency vehicle as a result thereof. The system also includes a radio-wave transmitter unit that is provided on said emergency vehicle and that is configured to transmit said emergency vehicle location information by way of an emergency vehicle location signal that includes said emergency vehicle location information. The system further includes a second GPS receiving unit that is provided on said motor vehicle and that is configured to receive at least three different GPS signals from at least three different GPS satellites and to determine vehicle location information of said motor vehicle as a result thereof. The system still further includes a radio-wave receiver unit that is provided on said motor vehicle and that is configured to receive the emergency location signal output by said radio-wave transmitter unit of said emergency vehicle. The system also includes a map display that is provided on said motor vehicle and that is configured to display, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations provided thereon, a current location of said motor vehicle as provided by the vehicle location information, and the map display configured to display, on the map, a current location of said emergency vehicle as provided by the emergency vehicle location information obtained from the emergency vehicle location signal received by said radio-wave receiver unit when said radio-wave receiver unit is in radio-wave communication range with respect to said radio-wave transmitter unit.

[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an emergency vehicle that provides a warning indication to other vehicles. The emergency vehicle includes a GPS receiving unit that is configured to receive at least three different GPS signals from at least different GPS satellites and to determine emergency vehicle location information of said emergency vehicle as a result thereof. The emergency vehicle also includes a radio-wave transmitter unit that is configured to transmit said emergency vehicle location information by way of an emergency vehicle location signal that includes said emergency vehicle location information. The emergency vehicle further includes a radio-wave receiving unit that is configured to receive radio-wave signals from at least one other emergency vehicle that include information as to a current location of the at least one other emergency vehicle. The emergency vehicle still further includes a controller that is configured to determine a latitude and longitude position of said emergency vehicle based on the at least three different GPS signals, and to determine a latitude and longitude position of said at least one other emergency vehicle based on the received radio-wave signals. The emergency vehicle also includes a map display that is configured to display, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations provided thereon, a current location of said emergency vehicle and said at least one other emergency vehicle.

[0012] According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided an emergency vehicle alert system that is provided on a motor vehicle. The system includes a GPS receiving unit that is configured to receive at least three different GPS signals from at least different GPS satellites and to determine vehicle location information of said motor vehicle as a result thereof. The system also includes a radio-wave receiver unit that is configured to receive an emergency vehicle location signal output by an emergency vehicle. The system further includes a map display that is configured to display, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations provided thereon, a current location of said motor vehicle as provided by the vehicle location information as determined by said GPS receiving unit, and the map display configured to display, on the map, a current location of said emergency vehicle as obtained from the emergency vehicle location signal received by said radio-wave receiver unit when said radio-wave receiver unit is in radio-wave communication range with respect to said emergency vehicle.

[0013] According still yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided an emergency vehicle alert method that provides information as to a location of an emergency vehicle to a motor vehicle. the method includes receiving, by said emergency vehicle, at least three different GPS signals from at least different GPS satellites, and determining emergency vehicle location information of said emergency vehicle as a result thereof. The method also includes transmitting, by said emergency vehicle, said emergency vehicle location information by way of an emergency vehicle location signal. The method further includes receiving, by said motor vehicle, at least three different GPS signals from at least three different GPS satellites, and determining vehicle location information of said motor vehicle as a result thereof. The method still further includes receiving, when the motor vehicle is within a predetermined distance of said emergency vehicle, the emergency location signal output by said emergency vehicle. The method also includes displaying, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations provided thereon, a) a current location of said motor vehicle as provided by the vehicle location information, and b) a current location of said emergency vehicle as obtained from said emergency vehicle location signal.

[0014] The embodiments of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings with like reference numerals indicating corresponding parts throughout, wherein:

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing elements utilized in an emergency vehicle in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing elements utilized in a motor vehicle in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a map display that may be provided to a driver of a motor vehicle, in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention;

[0018] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a map display that may be provided to a driver of a motor vehicle, in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; and

[0019] FIG. 5 is a frequency plot of a notch filter that is utilized in an emergency vehicle, in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention.

[0020] Different embodiments of the invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Referring now to FIG. 1, an emergency vehicle unit 10 of an emergency vehicle alert system is shown. The emergency vehicle alert system includes one or more emergency vehicle units, one or more motor vehicles, and a plurality of global positioning system (GPS) satellites 100 that each output GPS signals 14. The emergency vehicle unit 10, which may be a fire truck, a school bus, or a police car, for example, includes an emergency GPS antenna 16, an emergency GPS receiver 18, a controller 19, an RF transmitter 20, an emergency RF antenna 22, and an emergency power source 24. The emergency power source 24 supplies electrical power to the electronic components in the emergency vehicle unit 10.

[0022] Referring now to FIG. 2, the motor vehicle unit 12 includes a vehicle GPS antenna 28, a vehicle GPS receiver 30, a vehicle RF antenna 32, a vehicle RF receiver 34, a controller 36, a map display 38, and a vehicle power source 40. The vehicle power source 40 supplies electrical power to the electrical components in the motor vehicle unit 12.

[0023] Referring back to FIG. 1, the plurality of GPS satellites 100 output respective GPS signals 14, whereby the emergency GPS antenna 16 receives at least three GPS signals 14 from the plurality of GPS satellites 100. The at least three GPS signals 14 are input to the emergency GPS receiver 18. The emergency GPS receiver 18 triangulates the plurality of GPS signals 14 into an emergency location signal string 15 which is described by a particular longitude and latitude. The emergency location signal string 15 is input to the controller 19. The controller 19 provides output to the RF transmitter 20, whereby that output is transmitted through the emergency RF antenna 22. The RF transmitter 20 is preferably a low powered radio transmitter, which has a specific, exclusive bandwidth and that covers an area of approximately {fraction (1/2)} mile in radius. The bandwidth exclusivity is desirable so that other RF signals do not interfere with the emergency vehicle's RF transmission, and with the reception of that signal by one or more motor vehicle units.

[0024] The controller 19 provides a switch function for the emergency vehicle 12, whereby when a sensor input signal 23 indicates that a warning signal is to be output, the controller 19 passes the location signal string 15 received from the GPS receiver 18 to the RF transmitter 20. One sensor input signal may be when a school bus activates its yellow or red lights, whereby only at those times will warning signals be output from the school bus. Another sensor input signal may be when a police car is traveling faster than a predetermined rate of speed (e.g., >65 miles per hour) to catch a suspected criminal. Another input to the controller 19 is an override signal 24, which is used so as to deactivate the emergency warning system even when the sensor input signal 23 is in an active state. The override signal 24 may be used, for example, when a police vehicle is on a car chase and does not want the current location of the police vehicle to be known to other nearby vehicles, since one of those nearby vehicles may very well be the vehicle of a suspected criminal that is being chased by the police vehicle.

[0025] Referring now to FIG. 2, each motor vehicle unit 12 that is within range of the emergency vehicle transmission will receive the emergency location signal string 15 through the vehicle RF antenna 32. The RF receiver 34 takes the analog signal from the vehicle RF antenna 32, and transforms it back into its original digital data string, which is provided to the controller 36. The controller 36 utilizes that information to determine the precise latitude and longitude of the emergency vehicle unit 10, in a manner known to those skilled in the art.

[0026] The vehicle GPS antenna 28 receives at least three GPS signals 14 from the plurality of GPS satellites 100 that are within its line of sight. The at least three different GPS signals 14 are input to the vehicle GPS receiver 30, by way of the GPS antenna 28. The vehicle GPS receiver 30 outputs a motor vehicle location signal string 42, which is received by the controller 36. The controller 36 uses that information to determine the precise latitude and longitude of the motor vehicle unit 12, in a manner known to those skilled in the art.

[0027] FIG. 3 shows a map display 300 that is displayed on the warning display 38 according to a first embodiment of the invention, whereby the map display 300 provides, to a driver of the motor vehicle unit 12, both the precise position of the emergency vehicle unit 10 and the precise position of the motor vehicle unit 12. The map display is a street map showing the street that the motor vehicle unit 12 is currently located, as well as the surrounding streets within a particular range. For example, the map display 300 may include a map of streets that are within a 3 mile radius of a point from where the motor vehicle unit 12 is currently located. The map display 300 preferably has a feature in which it can be zoomed in or zoomed out by operator control, so that the driver can get a better perspective as to the location of his/her motor vehicle unit 12 and the emergency vehicle unit 10, with respect to a particular region.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a map display 400 that is displayed on the warning display 38 according to a second embodiment of the invention, whereby all elements except for the map display are the same as those described with respect to the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the map display 400 shows a current location 410 of the emergency vehicle unit 10, as well as the most previous location or locations 420 of the emergency vehicle unit 10. With that information, the driver of the motor vehicle unit 12 can determine a direction in which the emergency vehicle unit 10 is heading, so that the driver of the motor vehicle unit 12 can decide on a driving path in order to not get in the way of the driving path of the emergency vehicle unit 10. The current location 410 may be shown with a particular icon or color on the map display 400, in order to easily distinguish it from the previous locations 420 that are also shown on the map display 400. In FIG. 4, the previous locations 420 are shown as dashed vehicle icons.

[0029] In either the first or second embodiments, the map display 300, 400 is preferably a liquid crystal display (LCD), but other ways of displaying the location of the emergency vehicle unit 10 and the motor vehicle unit 12 on a road/street map may be utilized (e.g., cathode ray tube display), while remaining within the scope of the invention as described herein.

[0030] In a preferred implementation of the first and second embodiments, the emergency GPS antenna 16 is mounted permanently on all police, fire, ambulance, school buses and other types of emergency/public safety equipment. The elements shown in FIG. 1 will preferably be running constantly when the emergency vehicle unit 10 is operating, and will have a start up and continuous diagnostic cycle to insure proper operation. For example, the emergency vehicle unit 10 will begin broadcasting RF signals when flashing lights are initiated in the emergency vehicle unit 10.

[0031] In a third embodiment of the invention, the emergency location signal string 15 is output from one or more stationary locations that do not correspond to motor vehicles. For example, in the morning and in the afternoon when school children are walking to or from a school, a school crosswalk will have an RF transmitter that broadcasts its precise latitude and longitude information, so that motor vehicles can stay clear of this zone or approach the zone with caution while children are walking on the street to and from the school. A similar feature can be utilized at a railroad crossing, and at locations (e.g., fire stations) where emergency vehicles enter traffic from their station locations.

[0032] In a fourth embodiment, which is a variation of the first and second embodiments, the precise latitude and longitude of the emergency vehicle unit 12 will be constantly broadcast in a mile radius, except in the case of police vehicles or other types of emergency vehicles that may have to drive at high rates of speed, in which they will utilize a speed sensor that will automatically increase the radio transmission signal strength cover a broader area (e.g., 1 mile radius), as needed, in order to give motorists in their vicinity sufficient advance notice of their approach. FIG. 1 shows a dashed line 27 that corresponds to a speed signal that is used to control the output power of the emergency RF transmitter 20. The speed signal 27 is shown as a dashed line since it is not a part of the first embodiment, and is only used in the fourth embodiment. In cases where a police vehicle does not want his or her current position know, such as in the case when the police vehicle is chasing a bank robber's getaway vehicle, the police vehicle has the means to deactivate the emergency warning RF broadcast, by way of the override signal 24, so that the bank robber will not know the current location of the police vehicle or vehicles that are trying to catch the bank robber.

[0033] Each motor vehicle unit 12 in any of the embodiments described above has a map display, which is preferably an LCD screen that is provided on a dashboard of the motor vehicle unit 12. The LCD screen is preferably capable of mapping the entire continental United States, for a vehicle to be sold and used in the United States. That way, when the vehicle is moved from one state to another, no changes need to be made in order to utilize the emergency vehicle warning and location system and method in the other state. Of course, for other regions, such as Europe, a corresponding map having all street locations in Europe is installed in the motor vehicle unit 12 for use in Europe. Preferably, the street/road maps are updated very two years, in order to reflect the current road and street layout for a particular area.

[0034] The present invention is also useful when two or more emergency vehicles, such as two police vehicles, are in the same area, such as when they are approaching the same intersection from different directions. In that case, using the system and method as described above, each police vehicle will be provided with current positioning of the other police vehicle, and so a potential collision can be greatly avoided. Police cars in this instance will include all of the features shown in FIG. 1, as well as the RF Antenna 32 and the Map Display 38 as shown in FIG. 2 (in order to receive warning signals from other nearby emergency vehicles).

[0035] Furthermore, the emergency vehicle will utilize a notch filter having output signal versus frequency characteristics 500 as shown in FIG. 5. The notch filter will be provided along a communications path between the RF antenna 32 and the RF receiver 34 of FIG. 2, whereby the notch filter will notch out any RF transmissions made by the emergency vehicle's own emergency warning system (centered at frequency f1 with a notch bandwidth of d), while at the same time passing through emergency signals from other emergency vehicles that output RF warning signals at frequencies other than the one used by the emergency vehicle.

[0036] In a preferred implementation, the warning display 38 of the different embodiments described above will normally be blank, and will activate when emergency signals are detected. The system and method of the different embodiments also may include an audio output, which will provide synthesized speech that audibly notifies a driver where the emergency vehicle is currently located and its direction of movement. The synthesized speech is preferably output through the radio speakers of the motor vehicle unit 12, or by separate speakers in an alternative configuration. The GPS feature described above may incorporate navigational features as are currently available on many models of private and business vehicles, whereby those features would automatically cancel whenever emergency vehicles are detected.

[0037] The frequency band allocated for the emergency vehicle RF transmissions is preferably large enough in order to accommodate several different emergency vehicles operating close to each other. For example, if the allocated frequency band is from 3.100 to 3.200 MHz, then 100 kHz of frequency bandwidth is available. If each emergency vehicle is allocated a 5 kHz emergency signal bandwidth (including guard band), then up to 20 emergency vehicles can operate in close proximity to each other, without causing any problems with respect to detection at a motor vehicle unit 12 of the respective emergency signals output by these 20 emergency vehicles. As one example, the particular frequency range utilized by an emergency vehicle may be randomly selected within the operating frequency band, in order to lessen the chance that two emergency vehicles are operating in the exact same frequency range and are operating very close to each other. Also, by using the notch filter having the input/output characteristics 500 as shown in FIG. 5, an emergency vehicle can output its own emergency signal while at the same time receive emergency signals from other emergency vehicles (that are used to map the locations of those other emergency vehicles on a map display on a dashboard of the emergency vehicle).

[0038] Possible uses of the present invention are provided below. Emergency operators or patrolmen on duty are alerted to a location where they need assistance, or, in the case of patrolmen, they may have to stop a traffic violator. When their emergency vehicle warning systems are activated (e.g., by turning on the warning lights on a police vehicle), their location is broadcast within a prescribed area. School bus drivers activate their yellow and then red lights to take on children or let them off at school or at a bus stop near the children's' homes. Fire houses, police stations, etc., where vehicles frequently have to enter traffic, will have a permanently mounted transmitter to alter motorists of traffic entering the roadway, so that the motorists can take appropriate action. The permanently mounted transmitter at a fire station may be activated by opening the garage doors of the fire station, or by some other device that allows for manual operation of the RF emergency transmitter.

[0039] One possible scenario in which the present invention is useful is described below. Fire station number 109 receives a call of a fire at 1010. Locust Street, whereby one fire truck and one emergency medical technician (EMT) team are needed. As the doors of the firehouse are opened, the permanently mounted transmitter in the street is activated. Motorists in the vicinity of the fire station have their LCD screen activated with a map showing their location and the location of the emergency transmitter. A synthesized voice will warn each motorist that Emergency vehicle entering roadway, mile ahead. A motorist will look at the map on his or her LCD screen, and will see that the location of the fire station is two blocks to his or her right. Based on this information, the motorist will avoid the road which the fire station is located on.

[0040] As the emergency vehicles enter traffic, they will begin broadcasting their locations. Motorists will be informed by their systems Emergency traffic ahead, mile moving towards you. Again, this may be two blocks to a motorists' right, but the system will show both the motorist's progress and the path of the emergency vehicles. If the emergency vehicles turn onto the same street as a motorist, this will be shown on that motorist's LCD screen, and a synthesized voice will say Emergency traffic ahead, on the right. If a patrolman has a vehicle stopped and is issuing a ticket to the stopped vehicle, when a driver gets within range of the patrolman's vehicle, the driver will receive a message that states Emergency vehicle ahead, stationary. Again, by looking at the LCD screen and/or by listening to the audible warnings provided in the driver's compartment, the driver will know where to look for the patrolman in order to avoid an accident.

[0041] In case of school buses, when the driver starts the yellow light sequence, the transmitter begins broadcasting a signal with its location, direction and an additional radio code that identifies the transmitter as a school bus. A driver would hear School bus ahead, mile, and the driver's map display would show both the bus location and the driver's location, so that the driver can be aware of the situation.

[0042] In the case where transmitters are located at stationary locations, such as timed crossings, a driver would hear School zone ahead, mile, and the driver can take appropriate action to slow down.

[0043] While different embodiments have been described herein, modification of the described embodiments may become apparent- to those of ordinary skill in the art, following the teachings of the invention, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. For example, the method and system according to the invention is applicable to a completely digital communication system, whereby no analog to digital conversion of information received over-the-air would be required in that instance. Also, other frequency bands for transmitting information over-the-air in a limited range, beyond the one described above that uses the radio frequency range, may be utilized (e.g., infrared), while remaining within the scope of the invention.