Escort Inc.

Zonic Technical Laboratories, Inc.

Steven K Orr

John Kuhn

Timothy A Coomer

Jeffrey J Clawson

Kevin L Kipper

Thomas W Humphrey

Jeff Stevens

William L Townsend

Robert Gregory Blair

Gerald J Zobrist

In one embodiment, a police activity detector is provided. The detector includes a receiver section and a warning section. The receiver section is configured to receive signals generated in the context of law enforcement activity. The warning section is configured to respond to a pulsed signal received by the receiver section and provide an alert if a received signal correlates to a law enforcement signal. The warning section also includes a sliding window discrete Fourier transform (SWDFT) module configured to receive a plurality of time series of data corresponding to sampling a received pulsed signal at a set of sample rates corresponding to a plurality of target frequencies, perform a SWDFT determination on each of the plurality of time series of data to determine a magnitude of the received signal at each of the targeted frequencies, which reveals the presence of a received pulsed signal when the magnitude is elevated, and issue an alert if the magnitude of the received signal corresponding to at least one of the targeted frequencies is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

Sliding window discrete Fourier transform (SWDFT) police signal warning receiver

A radar detector suppresses alerts from vehicle guidance systems, by sweeping for a consistent radar signal; the center frequency of the signal is stored and the detector suppresses warnings of radar signals near that frequency. The detector uses an enhanced method for suppression of signals near a known location of a false signal source; in the event the detector detects a radar signal and finds a matching stored false signal, the detector will first compare the strength of the received signal to a threshold strength that is computed based upon the distance of the detector from the stored false signal, and will only suppress signals below threshold. The detector includes a camera directed to the road in the vicinity of the vehicle. Image data from the camera is processed to identify police vehicles as identified by flashing lights, a profile including a rooftop light bar and/or highly contrasting colored panels.

Radar false alert reduction

A GPS enabled radar detector incorporated in a general purpose navigation device dynamically handles radar sources based upon previously-stored geographically-referenced information on such sources and data from the GPS receiver. The detector may ignore detections received in an area known to contain a stationary source, or may only ignore specific frequencies or may handle frequencies differently based upon historic trends of spurious police radar signals at each frequency. Notification of the driver may take a variety of forms depending on the stored information, current operating modes, and vehicle speed. The device includes navigational functions as well. In one embodiment, the detector uses a transparent touch screen and a readily aligned mounting.

Radar detector with navigation function

A GPS enabled radar detector dynamically handles radar sources based upon previously stored geographically referenced information on such sources and data from the GPS receiver. The detector includes technology for determining the location of the detector, and comparing this location to the locations of known stationary sources, to improve the handling of such detections. The detector may ignore detections received in an area known to contain a stationary source, or may only ignore specific frequencies or may handle frequencies differently based upon historic trends of spurious police radar signals at each frequency. Notification of the driver will take on a variety of forms depending on the stored information, current operating modes, and vehicle speed.

Radar detector with position and velocity sensitive functions

Calibration of an acceleration detector is initiated by a user depressable button such as a button indicating a vehicle is at rest and/or by the detector reading an OBDII vehicle communication protocol to determine the condition of the vehicle. Calibration permits more accurate measurements in a vehicle performance test.

Police radar/laser detector with integral vehicle parameter display using a vehicle interface

Acceleration detector with integral vehicle parameter display using a vehicle interface

A method of factory calibrating a police radar/laser detector including a controller, an accelerometer, and a memory, by manipulating the detector to rotate the accelerometer, measuring and feeding real time measurements from the accelerometer to a Least Squares Elliptical Fit algorithm executed by the controller, applying the Least Squares Elliptical Fit algorithm to the real time measurements to find the equation of an ellipse formed by the measurements, storing the coefficients of the ellipse in the memory. The coefficients are then recalled from the memory to thereby calibrate the accelerometer.

A GPS enabled radar detector ( ) that aids in the management of unrelated or otherwise unimportant sources ( ), permitting the detector to dynamically improve its handling of such sources based upon previously-stored geographically-referenced information on such sources. The detector includes technology ( ) for determining the location of the detector, and comparing this location to the locations of known stationary sources, to improve the handling of such detections. The detector may ignore detections received in an area known to contain a stationary source, or may only ignore specific frequencies or may handle frequencies differently based upon historic trends of spurious police radar signals at each frequency. A Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS) receiver ( ) is used to establish current physical coordinates. The detector maintains a list ( ) of the coordinates of the known stationary source &ldquo;offenders&rdquo; in nonvolatile memory. Each time a microwave or laser source is detected, it will compare its current coordinates to this list. Notification of the driver will take on a variety of forms depending on the stored information and current operating modes.

Radar warning receiver with position and velocity sensitive functions

A police activity transponder utilizes data available through a vehicle on-board diagnostic system or a intelligent vehicle data bus to adjust the sensitivity of the police activity transponder to law enforcement signals based on speed data. A police activity transponder is configured to read speed data available through an on-board diagnostic system or an intelligent vehicle data bus and using an internal clock, calculate a 0 to 60 mile per hour or a quarter mile time for display and function as a speedometer. A police activity transponder is configured to read engine revolutions per minute (rpm) data and function as a tachometer. A police activity transponder is configured to allow a user to input shift points, read engine rpm data, and provide a user indication.

Police activity transponder utilizing a vehicle interface

A system for monitoring a physical phenomenon manifested by a change in displacement, including means for sampling, digitizing and recording a transient analog electrical signal associated therewith having a component of interest at a given frequency not exceeding approximately 100 KHz., and means for transmitting said digitized analog signal samples over a low grade communication link having an upper frequency limit substantially less than the high frequency component of interest in the transient signal.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Steven K Orr