WO2011129830A1 - Improved location based alert device and method - Google Patents

Improved location based alert device and method Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2011129830A1
WO2011129830A1 PCT/US2010/031252 US2010031252W WO2011129830A1 WO 2011129830 A1 WO2011129830 A1 WO 2011129830A1 US 2010031252 W US2010031252 W US 2010031252W WO 2011129830 A1 WO2011129830 A1 WO 2011129830A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
point
interest
distance
trigger area
geographical location
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2010/031252
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Ronald Byron Kabler
Original Assignee
Cobra Electronics Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Cobra Electronics Corporation filed Critical Cobra Electronics Corporation
Priority to PCT/US2010/031252 priority Critical patent/WO2011129830A1/en
Publication of WO2011129830A1 publication Critical patent/WO2011129830A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
    • G08G1/0962—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
    • G08G1/0967—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits
    • G08G1/096708—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
    • G08G1/096716—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W30/00—Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units, or advanced driver assistance systems for ensuring comfort, stability and safety or drive control systems for propelling or retarding the vehicle
    • B60W30/18—Propelling the vehicle
    • B60W30/18009—Propelling the vehicle related to particular drive situations
    • B60W30/18154—Approaching an intersection
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W50/00—Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
    • B60W50/08—Interaction between the driver and the control system
    • B60W50/14—Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
    • G01C21/3697—Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/02—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S13/00
    • G01S7/021—Auxiliary means for detecting or identifying radar signals or the like, e.g. radar jamming signals
    • G01S7/022—Road traffic radar detectors
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
    • G08G1/0962—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
    • G08G1/0967—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits
    • G08G1/096733—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits where a selection of the information might take place
    • G08G1/09675—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits where a selection of the information might take place where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
    • G08G1/0962—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
    • G08G1/0967—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits
    • G08G1/096766—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits where the system is characterised by the origin of the information transmission
    • G08G1/096775—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits where the system is characterised by the origin of the information transmission where the origin of the information is a central station
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
    • G08G1/0962—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
    • G08G1/0967—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits
    • G08G1/096766—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits where the system is characterised by the origin of the information transmission
    • G08G1/096791—Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits where the system is characterised by the origin of the information transmission where the origin of the information is another vehicle
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W2556/00—Input parameters relating to data
    • B60W2556/45—External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
    • B60W2556/50—External transmission of data to or from the vehicle for navigation systems

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to a method and an apparatus useful in road- going vehicles operated in areas which are known to include one or more automated traffic monitoring devices or other location based alert points.
  • the present invention further relates to monitoring the location of an associated vehicle and comparing that location against the locations of known points of interest and performing various functions based on the vehicle's proximity to one or more points of interest.
  • the present invention may be equipped to provide an alert once the vehicle enters a trigger area associated with a point of interest.
  • radar detector will refer to any of a number of known speed detection units capable of detecting electromagnetic signals on the X-band, K-band or Ka-band. Furthermore, the radar detector will also be used to refer to speed detection units known as laser detectors, and could refer to any electromagnetic detector.
  • radar detectors and their ilk rely on electromagnetic signals emitted from a traffic control device (such as a police radar gun) to recognize a traffic control device and thereafter alert the driver to its presence. Because many modern traffic control devices, such as red-light cameras, do not operate in the same areas of the electromagnetic spectrum as radar detectors, and because red- light cameras, for example, do not continuously emit electromagnetic radiation, radar detectors are ineffective at alerting drivers to the presence of this type of device.
  • a traffic control device such as a police radar gun
  • GPS Global Positioning System
  • a database of known locations of traffic control devices is stored by a GPS-enabled device, typically operated in a motor vehicle. As the vehicle is operated, the GPS- enabled device continuously monitors the location of the vehicle and compares it against the database of known locations of traffic control devices. These GPS devices are then enabled to sound an alert, or otherwise notify the vehicle operator, when the vehicle is in the presence of such a device.
  • this type of GPS device establishes a virtual perimeter around the known traffic control devices, and in the event that the vehicle enters the virtual perimeter, it sets off an alarm.
  • the diameter of the perimeter around the known traffic control device may change given the vehicle's speed.
  • the heading of the vehicle is used in combination with direction of enforcement to determine whether to sound the alarm.
  • a traffic control device may only be associated with travel in one direction, for example, a red-light camera monitoring only one direction of travel.
  • GPS-enabled devices are limited in that they may provide false alerts (or fail to provide an alert) when the traffic control device is operating on the roadway a vehicle is traveling.
  • a traffic control device lying on a curved road may fail to provide an alert because a vehicle may enter the virtual perimeter heading a different direction than the direction of enforcement and even though the vehicle will likely approach the traffic control device in the direction of enforcement due to the curve in the road.
  • a driver/operator of a prior GPS-enabled device may be presented with an irrelevant alert or fail to receive a relevant alert.
  • the point of interest may be a traffic control device, an intersection or other road area known to have a high incidence of traffic accidents, a school zone, another location where traffic is known to be frequently monitored, or some other user-selected point.
  • Each point of interest has at least one trigger area associated with the point of interest.
  • a trigger area is an identified location set on the path of travel at a selected distance from the point of interest. Alerts may be provided based upon the device entering a trigger area associated with a point of interest.
  • the trigger area can be limited in size to minimize false alerts caused by entering oversized virtual perimeters used in the above scenarios.
  • the trigger area can be positioned to minimize false alerts caused by overlapping or closely situated roadways.
  • the trigger area is stored with a directional indication so that the device can compare the directional indicator of the trigger area with the direction of travel of the vehicle to determine if an alert is appropriate.
  • the device can further limit any potential false alerts.
  • the location-based alert device just described may be incorporated into a traditional radar detector, providing the operator with the benefits of both conventional detection of speed monitoring radar as well as improved indication of a fixed red light camera, other traffic control devices, or other points of interest.
  • the location based alert device may be a standalone device.
  • the standalone device may be connectable to a radar detector.
  • the location-based alert device may be incorporated into or connectable to a navigation device, a smart phone, or other device.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic depicting a first example of operation of the present system.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic depicting a second example of operation of the present system.
  • FIG. 3 is a view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic depicting a third example of operation of the present system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
  • FIG. 1 depicts an example of the present invention used in a traffic situation.
  • Roads 12 and 14 cross at four way intersection 10.
  • Four way intersection 10 has a traffic light 22 and point of interest 24.
  • point of interest 24 is a red-light camera which is depicted as an arrow attached to traffic light 22 and indicates that traffic light 22 is monitored by a red-light camera and that the enforcement direction is eastbound.
  • Vehicle A 16 is shown headed eastbound on road 12
  • Vehicle B 20 is shown heading northbound on road 14
  • Vehicle C 18 is heading westbound on road 12.
  • Each vehicle is equipped with an apparatus embodying one or more aspects of the present invention.
  • Trigger area 26 is defined and stored in a database associated with the apparatus of the present invention.
  • trigger area 26 will be adjusted to account for inaccuracies in map data, and positioning errors of the location device.
  • a trigger area may vary in size and shape as long as it is sufficiently defined to alert an apparatus moving on the roadway in the enforced direction.
  • the database stores geographical location point 25 and a radial distance to define circular trigger area 26; however, the trigger area may be defined and stored in other ways.
  • the location of the device, the geographical location point, the trigger area, and/or the point of interest may be defined in terms of latitude and longitude, another coordinate system, a relative system of defining a location or area, or any other system of defining a location or area and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • the apparatus may include predefined trigger areas or may include attributes of a trigger area and a means for calculating desired attributes of the trigger area.
  • means for calculating the trigger area may include mechanical or manual calculating ability; however, in a preferred embodiment, the apparatus will use an electronic calculating device such as a microprocessor.
  • attributes of a trigger area will be stored in a memory device at least ephemerally, such as during the time the attributes of the trigger area are compared to the readings from a GPS receiver, or other location device.
  • the database is designed to minimize the necessary storage space while providing all necessary information.
  • the necessary storage space can be minimized by only storing a geographical location point to represent the central point of a trigger area.
  • the geographical location point of a trigger area, a geographical location point of the point of interest, and a point of interest indicator are stored in the database.
  • the enforcement direction, roadway intersection, and/or other attributes do not need to be stored in the database.
  • the geographical location point of a trigger area, a directional indicator, and a point of interest indicator are stored in the database.
  • each geographical location point and directional indicator is associated with a known point of interest, but the location, intersection, and/or other attributes of the point of interest do not need to be stored in the database.
  • the device may also store at least one area attribute, such as a radial distance, that is applied to each geographical location point to create trigger areas.
  • the device will contain multiple options to select from a set of radial distances or other area attributes based upon an area indicator, and the area indicator will be stored in the database and associated with a specific geographical location point.
  • Each set of area attributes may include one or more attributes that can be applied to the geographical location point.
  • the device may store a set of area attributes (e.g.
  • the device may also store a set of signals or displays that correspond to different points of interest and the alerting device will reflect the point of interest based upon the point of interest indicator associated with the geographical location point.
  • other information may be stored instead of or in addition to all or some of the identified information and remains within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • the database may be created by identifying points of interest on a road network map, identifying a geographical location point along the roadway leading to the point of interest to identify a point of interest, and saving the geographical location point in the database along with the directional indicator to reflect the direction of travel to the point of interest.
  • the database of geographical location points may be developed by storing each geographical location point into a road network database, and then removing the road network data to leave the geographical location point data in the database.
  • the database may include information related to specific interests, such as places with RV hook-ups.
  • the apparatus may be in communication with a central database that provides current traffic information.
  • the database may be stored within the memory of the apparatus, on external memory which is in communication with the apparatus, or some combination of external and internal memory.
  • at least a local area surrounding the position of the apparatus would be stored on the apparatus.
  • the size and scope of a local area may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • the apparatus would update the stored memory as it is moved near the edge of its currently defined area.
  • the external memory would be a server that the device can access wirelessly over the Internet or a similar network.
  • the location and method of communication with the database or various portions of the database may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • the GPS receiver While Vehicle A 16 is traveling, the GPS receiver, or other location device, regularly identifies the current location of the apparatus and compares the current location to trigger area 26.
  • the means for comparing may include mechanical or manual calculating ability; however, in a preferred embodiment, the apparatus will use an electronic calculating device such as a microprocessor. Means for comparing may use any of the attributes defining a trigger area to determine if the current location is within the trigger area.
  • the device may compare the current latitude to determine if it is within a range of latitudes defining the trigger area and, if it is, then compare the current longitude to determine if it is within a range of longitudes defining the trigger area (or vice versa), and if it is not within both ranges the apparatus is not in the trigger area.
  • the device may determine the distance to a nearby trigger area (or areas) and then determine if that distance is greater than the radial distance defining the trigger area, and if it is greater than the radial distance the apparatus is not in the trigger area.
  • an alerting device associated with the apparatus will generate an alert based upon a determination that the apparatus entered a trigger area. For example, when Vehicle A 16 enters trigger area 26, the alerting device may generate an alert output for the driver indicating that a point of interest may be ahead.
  • trigger area 26 is defined at least a sufficient distance from point of interest 24 to allow the driver to take appropriate action.
  • an alert may also be contingent upon secondary factors monitored by the apparatus to determine whether the apparatus is approaching a point of interest in the direction of travel. For example, when Vehicle A 16 enters trigger area 26, the apparatus may enable a microprocessor to begin monitoring the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24. If the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 decreases to a secondary threshold distance, the alerting device generates an alert. In other words, in some embodiments, the alerting device will generate an alert based upon a determination that Vehicle A 16 has entered trigger area 26 and a determination that Vehicle A 16 is approaching point of interest 24.
  • secondary factors could include distance comparisons, changes in distance to a defined point, directional indicators, secondary trigger areas, and/or any other factor indicative of an approach towards a point of interest in the enforcement direction.
  • the same secondary factors or additional factors may be monitored to determine that the apparatus is not approaching a point of interest.
  • the apparatus is enabled to monitor secondary factors based upon a determination that Vehicle A 16 has entered trigger area 26, and the apparatus disables the monitoring of secondary factors based upon a determination that Vehicle A 16 is not approaching point of interest 24.
  • the monitoring of secondary factors may be disabled, limited, or affected by user inputs, a determination to generate an alert, or other electronically received input.
  • a user may desire to have the alert occur closer to or further from the point of interest 24 than trigger area 26 or a secondary factor is defined.
  • the user can input a desired alert distance into the apparatus, and once the apparatus enters trigger area 26, it can delay the alert from the alerting device until the apparatus reaches the user defined distance. Calculations to determine the necessary delay can be made using the actual distance between trigger area 26 and point of interest 24, the desired distance, the velocity of the apparatus, and the change in time.
  • the method and calculations for setting user defined alert distances may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • Trigger area 26 is defined to minimize false alerts. For example, Vehicle B 20 traveling northbound on road 14 through intersection 10 will not enter trigger area 26 and, therefore, will not provide a false alert. In addition, Vehicle C 18 will not receive an alert while approaching intersection 10 traveling westbound. However, as shown in Fig. 1, there is a possibility that Vehicle C 18 will pass through a portion of trigger area 26 while driving westbound away from intersection 10. As will be shown, the apparatus may be enabled to eliminate false alerts in this situation as well.
  • a directional indication will be stored with at least one attribute of trigger area 26 in the database, and the apparatus will compare the direction of travel to the stored directional indication to prevent a false alert.
  • trigger area 26 may be stored with an eastbound directional indication.
  • the apparatus in Vehicle A 16 enters trigger area 26, it will compare the eastbound travel direction of Vehicle A 16 to the eastbound directional indication and, because the directions match, alert the driver to point of interest 24.
  • the apparatus in Vehicle C 18 enters trigger area 26 it will compare the westbound travel direction of Vehicle C 18 to the eastbound directional indication and, because the directions do not match, the apparatus will not alert the driver to point of interest 24.
  • how the directional indications are defined, compared to the vehicle direction, and whether a match indicates an alert is appropriate or inappropriate may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • the apparatus may begin monitoring the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24. If the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 decreases by a threshold distance, the apparatus provides an alert output via the alerting device. However, if the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 increases by a threshold distance, the apparatus may stop monitoring the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24.
  • the threshold distance may be a defined distance, a variable distance based upon factors available to the apparatus, and/or a calculated distance based upon the distance between a trigger area and the associated point of interest and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • a threshold distance may be defined as one-tenth of a mile, such that an alert is given if the apparatus is one-tenth of a mile (or more) closer to point of interest 24 than trigger area 26 is to point of interest 24 or the apparatus stops monitoring the distance to point of interest 24 if the apparatus is one-tenth of a mile (or more) farther from point of interest 24 than trigger area 26 is to point of interest 24.
  • a threshold distance may be defined as a ten percent change in a base distance defined as the distance between trigger area 26 and point of interest 24, such that an alert is given if the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 is ninety percent or less of the base distance or the apparatus stops monitoring the distance to point of interest 24 if the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 is one-hundred and ten percent or more of the base distance.
  • the placement of trigger areas and the associated selection of a threshold distance can account for geographic concerns such as curved roads, densely packed street patterns, and/or other geographic concerns.
  • the threshold distances on each side of the trigger area may differ and remain within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
  • the threshold distance to alert may be one-tenth of a mile while the threshold distance to stop monitoring may be two-tenths of a mile.
  • FIG. 2 An alternate embodiment is depicted in FIG. 2.
  • Roads 32 and 34 cross at intersection 30.
  • Traffic light 38 and point of interest 40 are located in intersection 30.
  • point of interest 40 is a red-light camera which is depicted as an arrow attached to the back of traffic light 38 and indicates that traffic light 38 is monitored by a red-light camera and that the enforcement direction is eastbound.
  • Each vehicle is equipped with an apparatus embodying one or more aspects of the present invention.
  • Trigger area 44 is defined and stored in a database associated with each apparatus.
  • the parameters for the trigger area and the database in this embodiment are the same as those discussed above with regard to FIG. 1.
  • this embodiment utilizes second trigger area 46.
  • trigger area 44 will be stored with a first indication in the database and second trigger area 46 will be stored with a second indication in the database. If an apparatus passes through trigger area 44 with a first indication and then passes through second trigger area 46 with a second indication, the apparatus will alert the driver that a point of interest is ahead.
  • the apparatus will not provide an alert.
  • Vehicle A 36 has entered trigger area 44 which has a first indication.
  • the apparatus in Vehicle A 36 will register the first indication and when Vehicle A 36 enters second trigger area 46 the apparatus will receive a second indication causing the apparatus in Vehicle A 36 to provide an alert output of point of interest 40.
  • Vehicle B 42 enters second trigger area 46 first, the apparatus will not provide an alert output at that point or when Vehicle B 42 enters trigger area 44.
  • the apparatus may only register a first indication for a limited amount of time, sufficient to allow Vehicle A 36 to enter second trigger area 46, and not signaling an alert unless a second indication is received within the limited amount of time the first indication is registered.
  • trigger area 44 and second trigger area 46 may include providing unique identifiers to each area and identifying if the identifiers are passed in the correct order. As one skilled in the art will recognize methods of determining the direction of travel is towards the point of interest may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • a radar detector 50 is shown wherein the radar detector 50 is further enabled to act as a location-based alert device according to the principles of the present invention.
  • the location based alert device of the present invention may be combined with other devices, such as a navigation device or a smart phone, or be a separate device that may be connectable to other devices and remain within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
  • Radar detector 50 is comprised of a display 54, speaker 51 , USB Port 53, and user interface 52. Radar detector 50 also incorporates a receiver capable of receiving an incoming GPS signal, and a memory device containing a database of trigger areas, either fixed, or automatically or user updatable.
  • the present invention also includes an alerting device that creates a visual display or signal, an auditory signal or any other sensory effect that can alert the user's senses, an effect on the operation of the vehicle the device is located within, and/or any combination of effects.
  • Radar detector 50 is shown with display 54 operating as one alerting device and speaker 51 operating as a second alerting device.
  • other devices may be utilized to provide a visual signal output (e.g. a light or an LED) or auditory signal output (e.g. a piezoelectric device) and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • the database may be updated using user interface 52 and/or by connecting to an external device, such as a computer, a cellular telephone, a server, another electromagnetic signal detector, or any other similar device and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • user interface 52 is depicted as elements located on each side of display 54.
  • user interface 52 may be located in any number and arrangement of elements on radar detector 50 (e.g. user interface 52 may include a touch panel on display 54, voice activation components, and switches) and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • USB Port 53 is also shown to permit radar detector 50 to connect to external devices for updating the database, saving user created points to an external device, or for any number of other reasons.
  • Radar detector 50 may provide different modalities based on the speed of the vehicle in which it is traveling, and/or the distance from the detector to a point of interest.
  • radar detector 50 may store not only target areas, but also one or more distance indicators to the points of interest. Thereafter, as radar detector 50 passes the distance indicators, various modalities may be triggered within radar detector 50.
  • radar detector 50 may alter the color of its displays, may sound an audible alert in addition to the visual display, may mute an audible alert, or may take some other action.
  • variations in the speed of the vehicle in which radar detector 50 is placed may prompt radar detector 50 to make similar changes in its mode of operation.
  • combinations of various vehicle speeds, acceleration, and distances to the point of interest may be used to alter the functions of radar detector 50.
  • Radar detector 50 may be equipped with an alternate display capable of provide multiple simultaneous alert outputs or may be limited to providing one alert at a time.
  • display 54 is depicted with primary display 56 providing an alert to a point of interest which, in this case, is a red-light camera.
  • secondary display 58 is alerting the driver that vehicle speed in the area is being monitored with a laser.
  • the alert output may be an auditory output, a visual output, a mechanical output, another type of output, or any combination thereof and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
  • FIG. 4 depicts another example of the present invention used in a traffic situation.
  • Roads 62 and 64 cross at four way intersection 60. Adjacent to road 64 is highway 66.
  • Four way intersection 60 has traffic lights 72 and 80 and points of interest 74 and 82.
  • points of interest 74 and 82 are red-light cameras which are depicted as arrows attached to traffic lights 72 and 80. The arrows indicate that traffic light 72 is monitored by a red-light camera and that the enforcement direction is northbound and traffic light 80 is monitored by a red-light camera and that the enforcement direction is eastbound.
  • Vehicle A 76 is shown headed eastbound on road 62 towards traffic light 80
  • Vehicle B 84 is shown heading southbound on highway 66
  • Vehicle C 68 is heading northbound on road 64 towards intersection 60
  • Vehicle D 86 is shown heading northbound on highway 66.
  • Each vehicle is equipped with an apparatus embodying one or more aspects of the present invention.
  • traffic traveling eastbound on road 62 towards intersection 60 is subject to enforcement of point of interest 82, a red-light camera, and traffic traveling
  • Trigger areas 70 and 78 are defined and attributes are stored in a database associated with the apparatus of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, trigger areas will be adjusted to minimize false alerts. For example, in the embodiment shown trigger area 78 is defined further from intersection 60 than trigger area 70 in order to avoid placing a trigger area over highway 66 and creating the potential for a false alert for Vehicle B 84 and Vehicle D 86. As one having skill in the art will recognize, a trigger area may be defined at any position along the roadway being enforced and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention, but in a preferred embodiment, the selection of a trigger area will be made to provide relevant alerts while minimizing the potential for false alerts.
  • Vehicle D 86 is travelling northbound in the general direction of point of interest 74 in the direction subject to enforcement, the apparatus in Vehicle D 86 will not generate an alert output because Vehicle D 86 does not pass through trigger area 70.
  • the apparatus in Vehicle A 76 will compare the current distance to point of interest 82, if the current distance to point of interest 82 is less than the distance from the trigger area 78 to point of interest 82, the apparatus will alert the driver that a point of interest may be ahead. As discussed in Fig. 1, in some embodiments the alert output may be delayed until the apparatus reaches a specified distance from point of interest 82.
  • the apparatus in Vehicle C 68 may alert the driver that a point of interest may be ahead.

Abstract

A device capable of storing a database of trigger areas is provided. The GPS-enabled device comprises a display capable of alerting a driver to a point of interest while minimizing the possibility of false alerts by using a database of trigger points. In an alternate embodiment, the device comprises a display capable of displaying multiple, simultaneous alerts. In some embodiments, the device is a GPS-enabled radar detector.

Description

IMPROVED LOCATION BASED ALERT DEVICE AND METHOD FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a method and an apparatus useful in road- going vehicles operated in areas which are known to include one or more automated traffic monitoring devices or other location based alert points. The present invention further relates to monitoring the location of an associated vehicle and comparing that location against the locations of known points of interest and performing various functions based on the vehicle's proximity to one or more points of interest. In an embodiment, the present invention may be equipped to provide an alert once the vehicle enters a trigger area associated with a point of interest.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Modern roadways are monitored by a number of traffic control devices. Speed enforcement as well as enforcement of other traffic laws is handled by traditional law
enforcement officers operating from motor vehicles who have been joined by a various unmanned traffic devices. Fixed and mobile speed detection devices (radar, laser, etc.) and fixed photographic devices designed to record incidents of motorists disobeying traffic regulations ("red light cameras"), are but two examples of modern tools used to enforce traffic regulations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that for many years there have been a number of tools used by drivers to provide an alert to these sorts of traffic control devices, with radar/laser detectors the most common. As used herein, the term radar detector will refer to any of a number of known speed detection units capable of detecting electromagnetic signals on the X-band, K-band or Ka-band. Furthermore, the radar detector will also be used to refer to speed detection units known as laser detectors, and could refer to any electromagnetic detector. Examples of known technology in this area include United States Patent Nos. 5,784,021 and 5,151,701. However, radar detectors and their ilk rely on electromagnetic signals emitted from a traffic control device (such as a police radar gun) to recognize a traffic control device and thereafter alert the driver to its presence. Because many modern traffic control devices, such as red-light cameras, do not operate in the same areas of the electromagnetic spectrum as radar detectors, and because red- light cameras, for example, do not continuously emit electromagnetic radiation, radar detectors are ineffective at alerting drivers to the presence of this type of device.
[0003] To address this problem, and to alert drivers to the presence of traffic control devices, devices utilizing the Global Positioning System ("GPS") have been employed. In some examples of the prior art, a database of known locations of traffic control devices is stored by a GPS-enabled device, typically operated in a motor vehicle. As the vehicle is operated, the GPS- enabled device continuously monitors the location of the vehicle and compares it against the database of known locations of traffic control devices. These GPS devices are then enabled to sound an alert, or otherwise notify the vehicle operator, when the vehicle is in the presence of such a device. Typically, this type of GPS device establishes a virtual perimeter around the known traffic control devices, and in the event that the vehicle enters the virtual perimeter, it sets off an alarm. In some examples of the prior art, the diameter of the perimeter around the known traffic control device may change given the vehicle's speed. In other examples of the prior art, the heading of the vehicle is used in combination with direction of enforcement to determine whether to sound the alarm.
[0004] However, such devices are limited in that they are unable to provide any indication or suggestion as to whether the traffic control device is operating on the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling. For example, in many cities, limited access highways are often abutted by city streets or frontage roads. If the city street or frontage road is monitored by a traffic control device, prior GPS-enabled devices operated on the abutting highway may sound an alert, despite the fact that the vehicle is not in any danger of encountering the traffic control device, simply because the vehicle has entered the virtual perimeter established around the traffic control device. Similarly, in dense urban areas, parallel city streets may be so close to one another, and the virtual perimeters established around the traffic control devices so large, that vehicles operating as much as one block away from the traffic control device may trigger an alarm.
Again, a vehicle traveling on one of these parallel streets is not likely to actually enter the intersection or section of roadway monitored by the traffic control device. However, because the vehicle has entered the virtual perimeter established around the traffic control device, an alert may be sounded.
[0005] In addition, a traffic control device may only be associated with travel in one direction, for example, a red-light camera monitoring only one direction of travel. GPS-enabled devices are limited in that they may provide false alerts (or fail to provide an alert) when the traffic control device is operating on the roadway a vehicle is traveling. For example, a traffic control device lying on a curved road may fail to provide an alert because a vehicle may enter the virtual perimeter heading a different direction than the direction of enforcement and even though the vehicle will likely approach the traffic control device in the direction of enforcement due to the curve in the road. In all of these situations, a driver/operator of a prior GPS-enabled device may be presented with an irrelevant alert or fail to receive a relevant alert.
SUMMARY
[0006] These problems may be addressed by utilizing trigger areas associated with the points of interest. The point of interest may be a traffic control device, an intersection or other road area known to have a high incidence of traffic accidents, a school zone, another location where traffic is known to be frequently monitored, or some other user-selected point. Each point of interest has at least one trigger area associated with the point of interest. A trigger area is an identified location set on the path of travel at a selected distance from the point of interest. Alerts may be provided based upon the device entering a trigger area associated with a point of interest. The trigger area can be limited in size to minimize false alerts caused by entering oversized virtual perimeters used in the above scenarios. In addition, the trigger area can be positioned to minimize false alerts caused by overlapping or closely situated roadways.
[0007] In other embodiments, the trigger area is stored with a directional indication so that the device can compare the directional indicator of the trigger area with the direction of travel of the vehicle to determine if an alert is appropriate. By using directional comparisons, the device can further limit any potential false alerts.
[0008] In one or more embodiments, the location-based alert device just described may be incorporated into a traditional radar detector, providing the operator with the benefits of both conventional detection of speed monitoring radar as well as improved indication of a fixed red light camera, other traffic control devices, or other points of interest. Alternatively, the location based alert device may be a standalone device. In some embodiments the standalone device may be connectable to a radar detector. In addition, the location-based alert device may be incorporated into or connectable to a navigation device, a smart phone, or other device.
[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that is enabled to provide an indication of the location of various known and user-generated points of interest. [0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a location-based alert device that is enabled to provide an indication of the location of various known and user-generated points of interest by utilizing trigger areas.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle apparatus enabled to provide an indication of the location of various known and user generated points of interest.
[0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus enabled to provide an indication of the location of various known and user-generated points of interest while minimizing the number of irrelevant alerts.
[0013] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus enabled to provide a mutable audio alert to the presence of one or more points of interest.
[0014] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which utilizes at least one visual display to provide an alert.
[0015] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which utilizes at least two visual displays, one of which may be superimposed over another to form a picture-in- picture.
[0016] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is enabled to provide audio and/or visual alerts for multiple points of interest, and which may prioritize such multiple alerts based on a default or user generated prioritization scheme.
[0017] It is a further object of the invention to provide a radar detector further enabled to provide an indication of the location of various known and user generated points of interest.
[0018] It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus that utilizes a database that takes up a low amount of storage space in memory. [0019] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a database of points of interest and associated trigger areas for use with a location-based alerting device.
[0020] It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for providing an alert utilizing a database that takes up a low amount of storage space in memory.
[0021] Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. Furthermore, the figures shown are specific to only one particular embodiment of the communication device described.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic depicting a first example of operation of the present system.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a schematic depicting a second example of operation of the present system.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a schematic depicting a third example of operation of the present system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] FIG. 1 depicts an example of the present invention used in a traffic situation. Roads 12 and 14 cross at four way intersection 10. Four way intersection 10 has a traffic light 22 and point of interest 24. In this embodiment, point of interest 24 is a red-light camera which is depicted as an arrow attached to traffic light 22 and indicates that traffic light 22 is monitored by a red-light camera and that the enforcement direction is eastbound. There are three vehicles traveling on these roads towards intersection 10. Vehicle A 16 is shown headed eastbound on road 12, Vehicle B 20 is shown heading northbound on road 14, and Vehicle C 18 is heading westbound on road 12. Each vehicle is equipped with an apparatus embodying one or more aspects of the present invention.
[0028] In this example, only traffic traveling eastbound on road 12 towards intersection 10 is subject to enforcement of point of interest 24, the red-light camera. Trigger area 26 is defined and stored in a database associated with the apparatus of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, trigger area 26 will be adjusted to account for inaccuracies in map data, and positioning errors of the location device. As one having skill in the art will recognize, a trigger area may vary in size and shape as long as it is sufficiently defined to alert an apparatus moving on the roadway in the enforced direction. In a preferred embodiment, the database stores geographical location point 25 and a radial distance to define circular trigger area 26; however, the trigger area may be defined and stored in other ways. The location of the device, the geographical location point, the trigger area, and/or the point of interest may be defined in terms of latitude and longitude, another coordinate system, a relative system of defining a location or area, or any other system of defining a location or area and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0029] The apparatus may include predefined trigger areas or may include attributes of a trigger area and a means for calculating desired attributes of the trigger area. As one having skill in the art will recognize, means for calculating the trigger area may include mechanical or manual calculating ability; however, in a preferred embodiment, the apparatus will use an electronic calculating device such as a microprocessor. In either instance attributes of a trigger area will be stored in a memory device at least ephemerally, such as during the time the attributes of the trigger area are compared to the readings from a GPS receiver, or other location device.
[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the database is designed to minimize the necessary storage space while providing all necessary information. The necessary storage space can be minimized by only storing a geographical location point to represent the central point of a trigger area. However, in a preferred embodiment, the geographical location point of a trigger area, a geographical location point of the point of interest, and a point of interest indicator are stored in the database. In this embodiment, the enforcement direction, roadway intersection, and/or other attributes do not need to be stored in the database. In another embodiment, the geographical location point of a trigger area, a directional indicator, and a point of interest indicator are stored in the database. In this embodiment, each geographical location point and directional indicator is associated with a known point of interest, but the location, intersection, and/or other attributes of the point of interest do not need to be stored in the database.
[0031] The device may also store at least one area attribute, such as a radial distance, that is applied to each geographical location point to create trigger areas. In a preferred embodiment, the device will contain multiple options to select from a set of radial distances or other area attributes based upon an area indicator, and the area indicator will be stored in the database and associated with a specific geographical location point. Each set of area attributes may include one or more attributes that can be applied to the geographical location point. As one having skill in the art will recognize, the device may store a set of area attributes (e.g. , a variety of radial distances, a formula to define an ellipse, a variety of distances used to define a rectangle, etc.) that may be used to define different shapes and sizes of area based upon the area indicator stored with a geographical location point and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention. The device may also store a set of signals or displays that correspond to different points of interest and the alerting device will reflect the point of interest based upon the point of interest indicator associated with the geographical location point. As one having skill in the art will recognize, other information may be stored instead of or in addition to all or some of the identified information and remains within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0032] The database may be created by identifying points of interest on a road network map, identifying a geographical location point along the roadway leading to the point of interest to identify a point of interest, and saving the geographical location point in the database along with the directional indicator to reflect the direction of travel to the point of interest. The database of geographical location points may be developed by storing each geographical location point into a road network database, and then removing the road network data to leave the geographical location point data in the database. As one skilled in the art will recognize, other methods of creating the database used to define target areas may be employed and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention. In some embodiments, the database may include information related to specific interests, such as places with RV hook-ups. In other embodiments, the apparatus may be in communication with a central database that provides current traffic information.
[0033] Once the database is created the database may be stored within the memory of the apparatus, on external memory which is in communication with the apparatus, or some combination of external and internal memory. In a preferred embodiment, at least a local area surrounding the position of the apparatus would be stored on the apparatus. As one having skill in the art will recognize, the size and scope of a local area may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention. [0034] If only a portion of the database is stored, the apparatus would update the stored memory as it is moved near the edge of its currently defined area. In a preferred embodiment, the external memory would be a server that the device can access wirelessly over the Internet or a similar network. As one having skill in the art will recognize, the location and method of communication with the database or various portions of the database may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0035] While Vehicle A 16 is traveling, the GPS receiver, or other location device, regularly identifies the current location of the apparatus and compares the current location to trigger area 26. The means for comparing may include mechanical or manual calculating ability; however, in a preferred embodiment, the apparatus will use an electronic calculating device such as a microprocessor. Means for comparing may use any of the attributes defining a trigger area to determine if the current location is within the trigger area. For example, the device may compare the current latitude to determine if it is within a range of latitudes defining the trigger area and, if it is, then compare the current longitude to determine if it is within a range of longitudes defining the trigger area (or vice versa), and if it is not within both ranges the apparatus is not in the trigger area. As a second example, the device may determine the distance to a nearby trigger area (or areas) and then determine if that distance is greater than the radial distance defining the trigger area, and if it is greater than the radial distance the apparatus is not in the trigger area. As one having skill in the art will recognize, the method of determining if the apparatus is within the trigger area may vary and may be based upon a number of different attributes that can define a trigger area and the various methods of comparing remain within the scope and spirit of the invention. [0036] An alerting device associated with the apparatus will generate an alert based upon a determination that the apparatus entered a trigger area. For example, when Vehicle A 16 enters trigger area 26, the alerting device may generate an alert output for the driver indicating that a point of interest may be ahead. Preferably, trigger area 26 is defined at least a sufficient distance from point of interest 24 to allow the driver to take appropriate action. In other embodiments, an alert may also be contingent upon secondary factors monitored by the apparatus to determine whether the apparatus is approaching a point of interest in the direction of travel. For example, when Vehicle A 16 enters trigger area 26, the apparatus may enable a microprocessor to begin monitoring the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24. If the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 decreases to a secondary threshold distance, the alerting device generates an alert. In other words, in some embodiments, the alerting device will generate an alert based upon a determination that Vehicle A 16 has entered trigger area 26 and a determination that Vehicle A 16 is approaching point of interest 24. One skilled in the art will recognize that secondary factors could include distance comparisons, changes in distance to a defined point, directional indicators, secondary trigger areas, and/or any other factor indicative of an approach towards a point of interest in the enforcement direction.
[0037] In addition, the same secondary factors or additional factors may be monitored to determine that the apparatus is not approaching a point of interest. In some embodiments, the apparatus is enabled to monitor secondary factors based upon a determination that Vehicle A 16 has entered trigger area 26, and the apparatus disables the monitoring of secondary factors based upon a determination that Vehicle A 16 is not approaching point of interest 24. One of skill in the art will also recognize that the monitoring of secondary factors may be disabled, limited, or affected by user inputs, a determination to generate an alert, or other electronically received input.
[0038] In some embodiments, a user may desire to have the alert occur closer to or further from the point of interest 24 than trigger area 26 or a secondary factor is defined. The user can input a desired alert distance into the apparatus, and once the apparatus enters trigger area 26, it can delay the alert from the alerting device until the apparatus reaches the user defined distance. Calculations to determine the necessary delay can be made using the actual distance between trigger area 26 and point of interest 24, the desired distance, the velocity of the apparatus, and the change in time. As one having skill in the art will recognize, the method and calculations for setting user defined alert distances may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0039] Trigger area 26 is defined to minimize false alerts. For example, Vehicle B 20 traveling northbound on road 14 through intersection 10 will not enter trigger area 26 and, therefore, will not provide a false alert. In addition, Vehicle C 18 will not receive an alert while approaching intersection 10 traveling westbound. However, as shown in Fig. 1, there is a possibility that Vehicle C 18 will pass through a portion of trigger area 26 while driving westbound away from intersection 10. As will be shown, the apparatus may be enabled to eliminate false alerts in this situation as well.
[0040] In other embodiments, a directional indication will be stored with at least one attribute of trigger area 26 in the database, and the apparatus will compare the direction of travel to the stored directional indication to prevent a false alert. For example, trigger area 26 may be stored with an eastbound directional indication. When the apparatus in Vehicle A 16 enters trigger area 26, it will compare the eastbound travel direction of Vehicle A 16 to the eastbound directional indication and, because the directions match, alert the driver to point of interest 24. Conversely, when the apparatus in Vehicle C 18 enters trigger area 26, it will compare the westbound travel direction of Vehicle C 18 to the eastbound directional indication and, because the directions do not match, the apparatus will not alert the driver to point of interest 24. As one having skill in the art will recognize, how the directional indications are defined, compared to the vehicle direction, and whether a match indicates an alert is appropriate or inappropriate may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0041] As mentioned above, in other embodiments, when Vehicle A 16 enters trigger area 26, the apparatus may begin monitoring the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24. If the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 decreases by a threshold distance, the apparatus provides an alert output via the alerting device. However, if the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 increases by a threshold distance, the apparatus may stop monitoring the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24. One skilled in the art will recognize that the threshold distance may be a defined distance, a variable distance based upon factors available to the apparatus, and/or a calculated distance based upon the distance between a trigger area and the associated point of interest and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, a threshold distance may be defined as one-tenth of a mile, such that an alert is given if the apparatus is one-tenth of a mile (or more) closer to point of interest 24 than trigger area 26 is to point of interest 24 or the apparatus stops monitoring the distance to point of interest 24 if the apparatus is one-tenth of a mile (or more) farther from point of interest 24 than trigger area 26 is to point of interest 24. For another example, a threshold distance may be defined as a ten percent change in a base distance defined as the distance between trigger area 26 and point of interest 24, such that an alert is given if the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 is ninety percent or less of the base distance or the apparatus stops monitoring the distance to point of interest 24 if the distance between the apparatus and point of interest 24 is one-hundred and ten percent or more of the base distance. The placement of trigger areas and the associated selection of a threshold distance can account for geographic concerns such as curved roads, densely packed street patterns, and/or other geographic concerns. One of skill in the art will also recognize that the threshold distances on each side of the trigger area may differ and remain within the scope and spirit of the present invention. For example, the threshold distance to alert may be one-tenth of a mile while the threshold distance to stop monitoring may be two-tenths of a mile.
[0042] An alternate embodiment is depicted in FIG. 2. Roads 32 and 34 cross at intersection 30. Traffic light 38 and point of interest 40 are located in intersection 30. In this embodiment, point of interest 40 is a red-light camera which is depicted as an arrow attached to the back of traffic light 38 and indicates that traffic light 38 is monitored by a red-light camera and that the enforcement direction is eastbound. There are two vehicles traveling on road 32. Vehicle A 36 is traveling eastbound towards intersection 30 and Vehicle B 42 is traveling westbound away from intersection 30. Each vehicle is equipped with an apparatus embodying one or more aspects of the present invention.
[0043] In this example, only traffic traveling eastbound on road 32 towards intersection 30 is subject to enforcement of point of interest 40, the red-light camera. Trigger area 44 is defined and stored in a database associated with each apparatus. The parameters for the trigger area and the database in this embodiment are the same as those discussed above with regard to FIG. 1. Instead of storing a directional indicator to further minimize false alerts as discussed as the preferred embodiment above, this embodiment utilizes second trigger area 46. In this embodiment, trigger area 44 will be stored with a first indication in the database and second trigger area 46 will be stored with a second indication in the database. If an apparatus passes through trigger area 44 with a first indication and then passes through second trigger area 46 with a second indication, the apparatus will alert the driver that a point of interest is ahead. If the trigger areas are not entered in the proper order the apparatus will not provide an alert. For example, Vehicle A 36 has entered trigger area 44 which has a first indication. The apparatus in Vehicle A 36 will register the first indication and when Vehicle A 36 enters second trigger area 46 the apparatus will receive a second indication causing the apparatus in Vehicle A 36 to provide an alert output of point of interest 40. However, because Vehicle B 42 enters second trigger area 46 first, the apparatus will not provide an alert output at that point or when Vehicle B 42 enters trigger area 44. In addition, to minimize potential false alerts, the apparatus may only register a first indication for a limited amount of time, sufficient to allow Vehicle A 36 to enter second trigger area 46, and not signaling an alert unless a second indication is received within the limited amount of time the first indication is registered. Other methods of associating trigger area 44 and second trigger area 46 may include providing unique identifiers to each area and identifying if the identifiers are passed in the correct order. As one skilled in the art will recognize methods of determining the direction of travel is towards the point of interest may vary and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0044] With reference to FIG. 3, a radar detector 50 is shown wherein the radar detector 50 is further enabled to act as a location-based alert device according to the principles of the present invention. As one having skill in the art will recognize, in other embodiments, the location based alert device of the present invention may be combined with other devices, such as a navigation device or a smart phone, or be a separate device that may be connectable to other devices and remain within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Radar detector 50 is comprised of a display 54, speaker 51 , USB Port 53, and user interface 52. Radar detector 50 also incorporates a receiver capable of receiving an incoming GPS signal, and a memory device containing a database of trigger areas, either fixed, or automatically or user updatable. The present invention also includes an alerting device that creates a visual display or signal, an auditory signal or any other sensory effect that can alert the user's senses, an effect on the operation of the vehicle the device is located within, and/or any combination of effects. Radar detector 50 is shown with display 54 operating as one alerting device and speaker 51 operating as a second alerting device. As one having skill in the art will recognize, other devices may be utilized to provide a visual signal output (e.g. a light or an LED) or auditory signal output (e.g. a piezoelectric device) and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0045] The database may be updated using user interface 52 and/or by connecting to an external device, such as a computer, a cellular telephone, a server, another electromagnetic signal detector, or any other similar device and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention. In the embodiment shown, user interface 52 is depicted as elements located on each side of display 54. As one skilled in the art will recognize, user interface 52 may be located in any number and arrangement of elements on radar detector 50 (e.g. user interface 52 may include a touch panel on display 54, voice activation components, and switches) and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention. USB Port 53 is also shown to permit radar detector 50 to connect to external devices for updating the database, saving user created points to an external device, or for any number of other reasons. As one having skill in the art will recognize, other means for connecting external devices to radar detector 50 remain within the scope and spirit of the invention. [0046] Radar detector 50 may provide different modalities based on the speed of the vehicle in which it is traveling, and/or the distance from the detector to a point of interest. For example, radar detector 50 may store not only target areas, but also one or more distance indicators to the points of interest. Thereafter, as radar detector 50 passes the distance indicators, various modalities may be triggered within radar detector 50. Depending on the distance to the point of interest, radar detector 50 may alter the color of its displays, may sound an audible alert in addition to the visual display, may mute an audible alert, or may take some other action. In addition, variations in the speed of the vehicle in which radar detector 50 is placed may prompt radar detector 50 to make similar changes in its mode of operation. Finally, combinations of various vehicle speeds, acceleration, and distances to the point of interest may be used to alter the functions of radar detector 50.
[0047] Radar detector 50 may be equipped with an alternate display capable of provide multiple simultaneous alert outputs or may be limited to providing one alert at a time. In FIG. 3, display 54 is depicted with primary display 56 providing an alert to a point of interest which, in this case, is a red-light camera. Simultaneously, secondary display 58 is alerting the driver that vehicle speed in the area is being monitored with a laser. Of course, the particular point of interest and secondary alert depicted could be altered. As one skilled in the art will recognize, the alert output may be an auditory output, a visual output, a mechanical output, another type of output, or any combination thereof and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0048] FIG. 4 depicts another example of the present invention used in a traffic situation. Roads 62 and 64 cross at four way intersection 60. Adjacent to road 64 is highway 66. Four way intersection 60 has traffic lights 72 and 80 and points of interest 74 and 82. In this embodiment, points of interest 74 and 82 are red-light cameras which are depicted as arrows attached to traffic lights 72 and 80. The arrows indicate that traffic light 72 is monitored by a red-light camera and that the enforcement direction is northbound and traffic light 80 is monitored by a red-light camera and that the enforcement direction is eastbound.
[0049] There are four vehicles traveling on these roads. Vehicle A 76 is shown headed eastbound on road 62 towards traffic light 80, Vehicle B 84 is shown heading southbound on highway 66, Vehicle C 68 is heading northbound on road 64 towards intersection 60, and Vehicle D 86 is shown heading northbound on highway 66. Each vehicle is equipped with an apparatus embodying one or more aspects of the present invention.
[0050] In this example, traffic traveling eastbound on road 62 towards intersection 60 is subject to enforcement of point of interest 82, a red-light camera, and traffic traveling
northbound on road 64 towards intersection 60 is subject to enforcement of point of interest 74, a red-light camera. Trigger areas 70 and 78 are defined and attributes are stored in a database associated with the apparatus of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, trigger areas will be adjusted to minimize false alerts. For example, in the embodiment shown trigger area 78 is defined further from intersection 60 than trigger area 70 in order to avoid placing a trigger area over highway 66 and creating the potential for a false alert for Vehicle B 84 and Vehicle D 86. As one having skill in the art will recognize, a trigger area may be defined at any position along the roadway being enforced and remain within the scope and spirit of the invention, but in a preferred embodiment, the selection of a trigger area will be made to provide relevant alerts while minimizing the potential for false alerts. For example, although Vehicle D 86 is travelling northbound in the general direction of point of interest 74 in the direction subject to enforcement, the apparatus in Vehicle D 86 will not generate an alert output because Vehicle D 86 does not pass through trigger area 70. [0051] In the embodiment shown, when Vehicle A 76 enters trigger area 78, the apparatus in Vehicle A 76 will compare the current distance to point of interest 82, if the current distance to point of interest 82 is less than the distance from the trigger area 78 to point of interest 82, the apparatus will alert the driver that a point of interest may be ahead. As discussed in Fig. 1, in some embodiments the alert output may be delayed until the apparatus reaches a specified distance from point of interest 82. When Vehicle C 68 enters trigger area 70, the apparatus in Vehicle C 68 may alert the driver that a point of interest may be ahead.
[0052] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. An electromagnetic signal detector for detecting a signal and generating an alert comprising:
a GPS receiver;
at least one memory device storing at least one database of reference points, wherein said reference points comprise attributes defining at least one geographical location point, wherein said at least one geographical location point is defined in relation to at least one point of interest;
at least one memory device storing attributes of at least one trigger area based upon each of said at least one geographical location point;
at least one means for comparing said attributes of at least one trigger area to information from said GPS receiver, wherein said means of comparison determines whether said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area;
a user interface; and
at least one alerting device, wherein said at least one alerting device generates an alert output based upon a determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area.
2. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic signal detector is a radar detector.
3. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said reference points further comprise attributes defining said at least one point of interest.
4. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 3 wherein said at least one point of interest is defined using a coordinate system.
5. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said at least one geographical location point is defined using at least one of a coordinate system and a road network database.
6. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said at least one trigger area is defined using at least one of a coordinate system and a road network database.
7. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said at least one memory device storing at least one database and said at least one memory device storing attributes of at least one trigger area are on the same memory device.
8. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 7 wherein said reference points further comprise attributes defining said at least one trigger area.
9. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said means for comparing comprises at least one microprocessor.
10. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said reference points further comprise at least one area indicator associated with said at least one geographical location point.
1 1. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 10 further comprising:
at least one memory device storing at least one set of area attributes, wherein each of said at least one set of area attributes correspond to said at least one area indicator; and
at least one means for calculating said attributes of at least one trigger area, wherein said attributes of at least one trigger area are calculated by applying said set of area attributes corresponding to said at least one area indicator with said at least one geographical location point associated with said at least one area indicator.
12. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 1 wherein said means for calculating comprises at least one microprocessor.
13. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 1 wherein said means for comparing and said means for calculating comprise at least one microprocessor.
14. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said at least one alerting device further comprises at least one of an auditory output and a visual output.
15. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 further comprising at least one display.
16. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 15 wherein said display indicates a visual output from said at least one alerting device.
17. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 15 wherein said at least one display further comprises a primary display and at least one secondary display.
18. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said reference points further comprise at least one direction indicator associated with said at least one geographical location point.
19. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 18 further comprising a means for comparing said directional indicator and a direction of travel for said electromagnetic signal detector is moving to determine if said direction of travel is towards said point of interest.
20. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 19 wherein said at least one alerting device generates said alert output based upon said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area and based upon a determination that said direction of travel is towards said point of interest.
21. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said database of reference points further comprises a directional indicator associated with at least one of said at least one point of interest.
22. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said reference points further comprise at least one point of interest indicator associated with said at least one geographical location point.
23. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 22 further comprising:
at least one memory device storing at least one point of interest attribute, wherein each of said at least one point of interest attribute correspond to said at least one point of interest indicator; and
wherein said alert output is indicative of said at least one point of interest attribute.
24. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said electromagnetic signal detector is capable of providing multiple simultaneous alerts.
25. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said at least one database of reference points is updatable.
26. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 25 wherein said at least one database of reference points is updatable through at least one of said user interface and communication with an external device.
27. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said user interface is a touchscreen display.
28. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said GPS receiver is in a separated enclosure from said at least one memory device storing at least one database, said at least one memory device storing attributes of at least one trigger area, said at least one means for comparing, said user interface, and said at least one alerting device.
29. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said at least one alerting device delays generating said alert output after said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area.
30. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 29 wherein said alert output is delayed after said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area until at least one of a selected amount of time lapses and said GPS receiver has traveled a selected distance.
31. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 further comprising:
a means for determining a distance, wherein said means for determining said distance determines an apparatus distance and a base distance, wherein said apparatus distance is based upon a distance between said electromagnetic signal detector and said point of interest and said base distance is based upon at least one of a distance between said at least one geographical location point and said point of interest, a defined distance to said point of interest, and a defined distance from said geographical location point; and
a means for comparing said apparatus distance and said base distance, wherein said means for comparing determines at least one of that said apparatus distance is less than said base distance, that said apparatus distance is more than said base distance, and that said apparatus distance equal to said base distance.
32. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 31 wherein said at least one alerting device generates said alert output based upon said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area and a determination that said apparatus distance is less than said base distance.
33. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 31 wherein said means for determining said distance is enabled to execute said determination of said apparatus distance based upon said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area.
34. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 33 wherein said means for determining said distance is disabled from executing said determination of said apparatus distance based upon said determination that said apparatus distance is more than said base distance.
35. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 1 wherein said at least one geographical location point further comprises at least one first geographical location point and at least one second geographical location point, wherein said at least one first geographical location point and said at least one second geographical location point are defined in relation to each of said at least one point of interest.
36. The electromagnetic signal detector of claim 35 wherein said at least one trigger area further comprises:
at least one first trigger area based upon said at least one first geographical location point; and
at least one second trigger area based upon said at least one second geographical location point:
wherein said at least one alerting device generates said alert output based upon said determination that said GPS receiver has entered said at least one first trigger area and said GPS receiver is located within said second trigger area.
37. An apparatus for detecting a signal and generating an alert comprising: a GPS receiver;
at least one memory device storing at least one database of reference points, wherein said reference points comprise attributes defining at least one geographical location point, wherein said at least one geographical location point is defined in relation to at least one point of interest;
at least one memory device storing attributes of at least one trigger area based upon each of said at least one geographical location point;
at least one means for comparing said attributes of at least one trigger area to information from said GPS receiver, wherein said means of comparison determines whether said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area;
a user interface; and
at least one alerting device, wherein said at least one alerting device generates an alert output based upon a determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area.
38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the apparatus is at least one of a radar detector, a navigation device, and a smart phone.
39. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said reference points further comprise attributes defining said at least one point of interest.
40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein said at least one point of interest is defined using at least one of a coordinate system and a road network database.
41. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said at least one geographical location point is defined using at least one of a coordinate system and a road network database.
42. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said at least one trigger area is defined using at least one of a coordinate system and a road network database.
43. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said at least one memory device storing at least one database and said at least one memory device storing attributes of at least one trigger area are on the same memory device.
44. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein said reference points further comprise attributes defining said at least one trigger area.
45. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said means for comparing comprises at least one microprocessor.
46. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said reference points further comprise at least one area indicator associated with said at least one geographical location point.
47. The apparatus of claim 46 further comprising:
at least one memory device storing at least one set of area attributes, wherein each of said at least one set of area attributes correspond to said at least one area indicator; and
at least one means for calculating said attributes of at least one trigger area, wherein said attributes of at least one trigger area are calculated by applying said set of area attributes corresponding to said at least one area indicator with said at least one geographical location point associated with said at least one area indicator.
48. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein said means for calculating comprises at least one microprocessor.
49. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein said means for comparing and said means for calculating comprise at least one microprocessor.
50. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said at least one alerting device further comprises at least one of an auditory output and a visual output.
51. The apparatus of claim 37 further comprising at least one display.
52. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein said at least one alerting device is indicated on said display.
53. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein said at least one display further comprises a primary display and at least one secondary display.
54. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said reference points further comprise at least one direction indicator associated with said at least one geographical location point.
55. The apparatus of claim 54 further comprising a means for comparing said directional indicator and a direction of travel for said apparatus is moving to determine if said direction of travel is towards said point of interest.
56. The apparatus of claim 56 wherein said at least one alerting device generates said alert output based upon said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area and based upon a determination that said direction of travel is towards said point of interest.
57. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said database of reference points further comprises a directional indicator associated with at least one of said at least one point of interest.
58. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said reference points further comprise at least one point of interest indicator associated with said at least one geographical location point.
59. The apparatus of claim 58 further comprising:
at least one memory device storing at least one point of interest attribute, wherein each of said at least one point of interest attribute correspond to said at least one point of interest indicator; and
wherein said at least one alerting device provides an alert output indicative of said at least one point of interest attribute.
60. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said apparatus is capable of providing multiple simultaneous alerts.
61. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said at least one database of reference points is updatable.
62. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein said at least one database of reference points is updatable through at least one of said user interface and communication with an external device.
63. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said user interface is a touch-screen display.
64. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said apparatus is in operable connection with an electromagnetic signal detector.
65. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said GPS receiver is in a separated enclosure from said at least one memory device storing at least one database, said at least one memory device storing attributes of at least one trigger area, said at least one means for comparing, said user interface, and said at least one alerting device.
66. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said at least one alerting device delays generating said alert output after said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area.
67. The apparatus of claim 66 wherein said alert output is delayed after said
determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area until at least one of a selected amount of time lapses and said GPS receiver has traveled a selected distance.
68. The apparatus of claim 37 further comprising:
a means for determining a distance, wherein said means for determining a distance determines an apparatus distance and a base distance, wherein said apparatus distance is based upon a distance between said apparatus and said point of interest and said base distance is based upon at least one of a distance between said at least one geographical location point and said point of interest, a defined distance to said point of interest, and a defined distance from said geographical location point; and
a means for comparing said apparatus distance and said base distance, wherein said means of comparing determines at least one of that said apparatus distance is less than said base distance, that said apparatus distance is more than said base distance, and that said apparatus distance equal to said base distance.
69. The apparatus of claim 68 wherein said at least one alerting device generates said alert output based upon said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area and a determination that said apparatus distance is less than said base distance.
70. The apparatus of claim 68 wherein said means for determining said distance is enabled to execute said determination of said apparatus distance based upon said determination that said GPS receiver has entered one of said at least one trigger area.
71. The apparatus of claim 70 wherein said means for determining said distance is disabled from executing said determination of said apparatus distance based upon said determination that said apparatus distance is more than said base distance.
72. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein said at least one geographical location point further comprises at least one first geographical location point and at least one second geographical location point, wherein said at least one first geographical location point and said at least one second geographical location point are defined in relation to each of said at least one point of interest.
73. The apparatus of claim 72 wherein said at least one trigger area further comprises: at least one first trigger area based upon said at least one first geographical location point; and
at least one second trigger area based upon said at least one second geographical location point:
wherein said at least one alerting device generates said alert output based upon said determination that said GPS receiver has entered said at least one first trigger area and said GPS receiver is located within said second trigger area.
74. A method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest comprising the steps of:
determining a location of a vehicle;
accessing at least one memory device storing attributes of at least one trigger area that is associated with at least one point of interest;
comparing said location of said vehicle with said attributes of said at least one trigger area to determine if the location of said vehicle is within said at least one trigger area; and if said location of said vehicle is within said at least one trigger area, generating an alert.
75. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 74, wherein said memory device stores attributes of a plurality of trigger areas associated with a plurality of points of interest, wherein each trigger area of said plurality of trigger areas is associated with at least one point of interest of said plurality of points of interest,
wherein the steps further comprise:
comparing the location of said vehicle to attributes of at least one trigger area of said plurality of trigger areas, and if said location of said vehicle is within said at least one trigger area of said plurality of trigger areas, generating an alert.
76. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 75, wherein the step of generating an alert further comprises:
generating an alert that indicates each point of interest of said plurality of points of interest associated with said trigger area which said location of said vehicle is located within.
77. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 74, wherein the step of determining said location of said vehicle further comprises using a GPS device.
78. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 74, wherein at least one of said attributes of at least one trigger area is a geographical location point.
79. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 78, wherein said geographical location point is defined using at least one of a coordinate system and a road network database.
80. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 74, wherein said at least one point of interest is defined using at least one of a coordinate system and a road network database.
81. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 74, wherein said location of said vehicle is defined using at least one of a coordinate system and a road network database.
82. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 81 , wherein said attributes of at least one trigger area are defined by said coordinate system and wherein the step of comparing further comprises comparing coordinates defining said location of said vehicle with coordinates defining said attributes of at least one trigger area.
83. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 74, wherein said at least one memory device stores a database of at least one geographical location point, wherein each of said at least one geographical location point is a primary attribute of said at least one trigger area.
84. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 83, wherein said memory device stores at least one secondary attribute of said at least one trigger area.
85. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 83, wherein the steps of creating said database comprise:
locating said at least one point of interest on a road network;
determining said at least one geographical location point, wherein said at least one trigger area may be based upon said at least one geographical location point and said location of said vehicle will be within said at least one trigger area when driving along a roadway towards said at least one point of interest; and
storing said at least one geographical location point in said database.
86. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 85, wherein the step of storing said geographical location point further comprises the steps of: storing said road network that contains said at least one geographical location point in said database;
removing data from said road network other than said at least one geographical location point.
87. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 74, wherein the step of generating an alert further comprises:
delaying an output of said alert until at least one of a selected amount of time lapses and said vehicle has traveled a selected distance.
88. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 74, further comprising the steps of:
if said location of said vehicle is within said at least one trigger area, determining if said vehicle is travelling towards said point of interest; and
if said vehicle is travelling towards said point of interest, generating said alert.
89. The method for generating an alert associated with a point of interest from claim 88, wherein the step of determining if said vehicle is travelling towards said point of interest further comprises:
determining a distance between said vehicle and said point of interest;
determining a threshold distance from said point of interest;
determining if said distance between said vehicle and said point of interest is less than said threshold distance from said point of interest; and
if said distance between said vehicle and said point of interest is less than said threshold distance from said point of interest, outputting a determination that said vehicle is travelling towards said point of interest.
90. A method for creating a database associated with points of interest comprising the steps of:
locating at least one point of interest on a road network;
determining at least one geographical location point, wherein at least one trigger area may be based upon said at least one geographical location point and said at least one trigger area defines an area along a roadway towards said at least one point of interest; and
storing said at least one geographical location point in said database.
91. The method for creating a database associated with points of interest from claim 90, wherein the step of storing said geographical location point further comprises the steps of: storing said road network that contains said at least one geographical location point in said database;
removing data from said road network other than said at least one geographical location point.
92. The method for creating a database associated with points of interest from claim 90, wherein the step of determining at least one geographical location point further comprises the step of:
preventing said trigger area from overlapping with a roadway other than said roadway towards said at least one point of interest.
PCT/US2010/031252 2010-04-15 2010-04-15 Improved location based alert device and method WO2011129830A1 (en)

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