EXCESS SPEED CALCULATOR AND SIGNALER

CALCULATEUR ET SIGNALEUR DE VITESSES EXCESSIVES

English Abstract

In a device for calculating and signaling excess vehicular speed to the vehicle occupants, it
is known to have a component which transmits a digital signal of the lawful maximum
roadway speed limit posted from a fixed point transmitter to an in-vehicle signal receiving
component which in turn sends the posted maximum speed digital value to the Excess
Speed Calculator and Signaler. An additional component is a digital speedometer which
sends the actual vehicle speed digital value to the Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler.
The Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler device, upon receiving these two digital values,
makes a comparison of the maximum posted speed limit value to the actual vehicle speed
value and subsequently sends a signal to an audible alarm and visual display inside the
vehicle when the posted digital roadway speed limit is exceeded by the actual digital speed
of the vehicle. The visual display and audible alarm will continue until: the driver reduces
the vehicle speed to the lawful maximum posted roadway speed limit, or the driver turns
off the Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler device, or the vehicle proceeds along the
roadway until the Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler device receives another digital
signal from the next fixed point posted roadway maximum speed transmitter, recalculates
for excess vehicular speed and stops sending the visual and audible signals when vehicular
speed is within the lawful posted roadway speed limit or alternatively, signals the newly
calculated excess speed condition.
There is no previous application known which calculates a comparison of the lawful
maximum roadway speed limit posted to the actual vehicle speed for the purpose of
issuing an alarm to the occupants inside the said vehicle when the speed of travel is in
excess of the lawful maximum roadway speed limit posted.

French Abstract

Cette invention concerne un dispositif de calcul et d'alerte de dépassement de la vitesse limite autorisée qui fait appel à un récepteur embarqué qui reçoit d'un transmetteur numérique en bordure de la route un signal de vitesse maximum autorisée et qui relaie cette information au calculateur de dépassement de la limite autorisée. Le dispositif fait également appel à compteur de vitesse numérique qui transmet la vitesse réelle mesurée du véhicule au calculateur de dépassement. Celui-ci compare les deux informations et, s'il y a dépassement, envoie un signal à un dispositif embarqué d'alerte sonore et visuelle. Ce dispositif d'alerte se fera entendre et continuera d'afficher l'avis de dépassement jusqu'à ce que le conducteur ait réduit sa vitesse à la limite autorisée, jusqu'à ce que le conducteur décide de fermer le dispositif de calcul et d'alerte de dépassement ou jusqu'à ce que le véhicule reçoive un nouveau signal de vitesse maximum autorisée que le dispositif détermine être est inférieure ou égale à la vitesse réelle du véhicule. Il n'existe aucune application antérieure connue qui calcule l'écart entre la vitesse maximum autorisée et la vitesse réelle du véhicule dans le but d'alerter les occupants du véhicule du dépassement de la vitesse maximum autorisée.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed
are defined as follows:
1 An electrical device to be used inside a specific motor vehicle which receives digital
signals from two other devices; one of the digital signals being the maximum lawful
roadway speed limit posted for a particular location, the other digital signal being the
actual speed of the specific motor vehicle in which the device is being used.

2 An electrical device as defined in claim 1, in which the mathematical values of the two
digital signals received are compared.


3 An electrical device as defined in claim 1 or claim 2 which upon comparison of the two
digital values of the signals received, determines that the digital value of one of the signals
received relating to the actual speed of the specific motor vehicle is in excess of the digital
value of the other signal received relating to the maximum lawful roadway speed limit
posted for a particular location.



4 An electrical device as defined in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 which upon determining the
condition of excess speed of a specific vehicle over the maximum lawful roadway speed
limit for a particular location, produces an output signal which is sent to an audible and
visual alarm.


5 An electrical device as defined in claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4 which will continue
to send an output signal to an audible and visual alarm until the electronic device is turned
off or, the condition of the excess speed of the specific vehicle over the maximum lawful
roadway speed limit posted for a particular location is eliminated by the vehicle driver





reducing the actual speed of the vehicle to the lawful limit or, or the vehicle proceeds
down the roadway to a new maximum lawful roadway speed limit signal when the
comparison of the two new values is made and stops sending the visual and audible signals
when vehicular speed is within the lawful posted roadway speed limit, or alternatively,
signals the newly calculated excess speed condition.



6 An electrical device as defined in claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4 or claim 5 which
when used inside a specific motor vehicle will alert the vehicle occupants to the condition
of excess speed of the vehicle in which they are traveling over the maximum lawful
roadway speed limit posted in order to give the vehicle driver an opportunity to
voluntarily reduce the vehicle speed to the lawful roadway speed limit for the particular
location.

Description

21867!3~


Specification
The "Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler" invention relates to an electrical device to
make a mathematical determination of a vehicle's excess rate of speed over the roadway
posted speed limit and to issue a visual display signal and audible alarm signal to alert
vehicle occupants when the vehicle rate of speed exceeds the roadway posted speed limit.
In essence, the invention is a traffic control methodology which has at its centre-point a
means of voluntary driver speed control.



There is no previous application known which makes this dete"llhlalion of a vehicle's
excess speed over the lawful m~ximllm roadway speed limit posted for the purpose of
issuing alarm signals to alert the vehicle occ-1pants and in particular to give the vehicle
driver the opportunity to voluntarily reduce vehicle speed to the lawful roadway speed
limit.



Present traffic control practices use law enforcement "radar devices" to independently
determine the rate of speed of a vehicle and in-vehicle "radar detectors" are used by
vehicle occ~p~ntc to determine the presence of a "radar device" in use. The underlying
principle of this traffic control system is to have the law enforcement agent stop the
vehicle in violation of the lawful maximum speed limit and issue a violation notice to the
vehicle driver. The "radar detector" signals the presence of a law e~orcement "radar
device" which is intended to have the driver reduce vehicular speed, if the driver
considers the vehicle is traveling in excess of the lawful roadway speed lirnit.


The "Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler" is an alternative to the present traff1c control

21867~0

methodology. The "Excess Speed C~lcul~tor and Signaler" is used solely by the vehicle
occup~nts to determine the condition where the vehicle is traveling in excess of the lawful
m~imllm roadway speed limit posted in order to allow the driver to voluntarily reduce the
vehicle speed to the lawful limit, regardless of the presence or absence of law enforcement
"radar devices". We believe the use of the "Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler" will
aid vehicle drivers in abiding by posted speed limits by sign~ling to the vehicle occup~nt~
and, in particular, the driver when the vehicle is traveling in excess of the posted speed
limit. This immç~ te knowledge will give the driver an opportunity to voluntarily
çlimin~te the excess vehicle speed above the posted speed limit. The "Excess Speed
Calculator and Signaler" will reduce traff1c acçidçnts due to excessive vehicular speed by
reduçing the number of speeding vehicles on the posted roadways.


218S790




In the schematic drawing which illustrates the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1, the
"Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler" invention, (Reference #4), is installed inside a
vehicle and is connected by hard wire to: a posted m~ximum speed receiver and sender -
~Reference #2), a vehicle speedometer actual speed sender - (Reference #3), a visual
excess speed display - (Reference #5) and an audible alarm - (l~eference #6). Outside the
vehicle is a fixed point posted mL~ulllulll speed llan~ r - (Reference #l) which sends an
intermittent digital signal ofthe m~ximl~m roadway speed limit to oncoming vehicular
traffic. As a vehicle equipped with the Excess Speed C~lc~ tQr and Signaler invention
approaches the posted maximum speed lli1n~lll;ller (Reference #1), the in-vehicle posted
maximum speed receiver and sender - (Reference #2) receives the digital m~ximllm posted
speed value and sends this information to the Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler -



21~6790

(Reference #4). A digital speedometer - (Rerelence #3) sends the actual vehicle speed
digital value to the Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler - (Reference #4). The invention,
the Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler, upon receiving these two digital values makes a
comparison of the maximum posted speed limit value to the actual vehicle speed value and
subsequently sends a signal to the visual excess speed display - (Reference #5) and an
audible alarm - (Reference #6) to alert the vehicle occupants when the posted digital
roadway speed limit is exceeded by the actual digital speed of the vehicle. This visual and
audible information will allow the driver to voluntarily reduce the vehicle speed to the
lawful roadway posted speed limit. The visual display - (Reference #5) and audible alarm
- (Reference #6) will continue until: the driver reduces the vehicle speed to the maximum
posted roadway speed limit, the driver turns offthe Excess Speed Calculator and Signaler
- (Reference #4), or the vehicle proceeds down the roadway until the Excess Speed
C~lcul~tor and Signaler - (Reference #4) receives another digital signal from the next fixed
point posted roadway maximum speed ll~ns~ ler - (Reference #l) upon which the Excess
Speed Calculator and Signaler - (Reference #4) recalculates for excess vehicular speed and
stops sending the visual and audible signals when vehicular speed is within the lawful
posted roadway speed limit, or signals the newly calculated excess speed condition.

Representative Drawing