U.S. patent application number 15/910608 was filed with the patent office on 2018-07-12 for emergency safety marker system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Strobe Saver, LLC.. Invention is credited to Bruce S. Allen, Jan C. Lahtonen, Joseph V. Stafford.
Application Number | 20180197410 15/910608 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57205151 |
Filed Date | 2018-07-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180197410 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stafford; Joseph V. ; et
al. |
July 12, 2018 |
EMERGENCY SAFETY MARKER SYSTEM
Abstract
A method of warning a person of a first vehicle entering a
defined boundary. An electronic safety marker is provided proximate
the defined boundary. The electronic safety market has an
electrical current source, a transmitter, an impact sensor and
electrical circuitry interconnecting the electrical current source,
the transmitter and the impact sensor. The electronic safety marker
is deployed from a second vehicle proximate the defined boundary. A
signal is transmitted with the transmitter after the electronic
safety marker is deployed. A receiver is positioned a distance from
the electronic safety marker. The receiver is capable of receiving
the signal. The electronic safety marker is struck by first
vehicle. Transmission of the signal is ceased when the electronic
safety marker is struck by the first vehicle. An alarm is emitted
from the receiver when the receiver ceases receiving the signal to
warn the person of the first vehicle entering the defined
boundary.
Inventors: |
Stafford; Joseph V.; (White
Bear Lake, MN) ; Lahtonen; Jan C.; (Isanti, MN)
; Allen; Bruce S.; (Brroklyn Center, MN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Strobe Saver, LLC. |
Bloomington |
MN |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57205151 |
Appl. No.: |
15/910608 |
Filed: |
March 2, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15207929 |
Jul 12, 2016 |
9940839 |
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15910608 |
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14481598 |
Sep 9, 2014 |
9437109 |
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15207929 |
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62016407 |
Jun 24, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21L 4/02 20130101; G08B
7/06 20130101; E01F 9/654 20160201; E01F 9/70 20160201; G08G 1/0955
20130101; B60Q 7/00 20130101; G08B 25/006 20130101; F21V 21/06
20130101; E01F 9/615 20160201; B60C 7/00 20130101; F21Y 2107/30
20160801; F21Y 2115/10 20160801; F21W 2111/02 20130101; F21V
23/0492 20130101; G08G 1/097 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G08G 1/097 20060101
G08G001/097; G08B 25/00 20060101 G08B025/00; G08B 7/06 20060101
G08B007/06; G08G 1/0955 20060101 G08G001/0955; E01F 9/70 20060101
E01F009/70 |
Claims
1. A method of warning a person of a first vehicle entering a
defined boundary, wherein the method comprises: providing an
electronic safety marker proximate the defined boundary, wherein
the electronic safety market comprises an electrical current
source, a transmitter, an impact sensor and electrical circuitry
interconnecting the electrical current source, the transmitter and
the impact sensor; deploying the electronic safety marker from a
second vehicle proximate the defined boundary; transmitting a
signal with the transmitter after the electronic safety marker is
deployed; positioning a receiver a distance from the electronic
safety marker, wherein the receiver is capable of receiving the
signal; striking the electronic safety marker by first vehicle;
ceasing transmission of the signal when the electronic safety
marker is struck by the first vehicle; and emitting an alarm from
the receiver when the receiver ceases receiving the signal to warn
the person of the first vehicle entering the defined boundary.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein deploying the electronic safety
marker causes the electronic safety marker to contact a ground
surface and such contact causes the electronic safety marker causes
the transmitter to begin transmitting the signal.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein deploying the electronic safety
marker causes the electronic safety marker to contact a ground
surface and such contact a telescoping means to extend from the
electronic safety marker.
4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising orienting the
electronic safety marker in an upright position after the
electronic safety marker is deployed.
5. The method of claim 1, and further comprising emitting light
from the electronic safety marker after the electronic safety
marker is deployed.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined boundary is
associated with a vehicle accident location.
7. The method of claim 1, and further comprising mounting the
receiver in the second vehicle.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic safety marker is
deployed from a storage housing in the second vehicle.
9. The method of claim 1, and further comprising transmitting a
location of the electronic safety marker to an emergency responder
when the electronic safety marker is struck by the first
vehicle.
10. The method of claim 1, and further comprising emitting a
warning message of the existence of the defined boundary by at
least one of the electronic safety marker and the transmitter.
11. A method of warning a person of a first vehicle entering a
defined boundary, wherein the method comprises: providing an
electronic safety marker proximate the defined boundary, wherein
the electronic safety market comprises a telescoping means, an
electrical current source, a transmitter and electrical circuitry
interconnecting the electrical current source and the transmitter;
deploying the electronic safety marker proximate the defined
boundary; transmitting a signal with the transmitter after the
electronic safety marker is deployed; telescoping the telescoping
means after the electronic safety marker is deployed to increase a
height of the electronic safety marker; positioning a receiver a
distance from the electronic safety marker, wherein the receiver is
capable of receiving the signal; striking the electronic safety
marker by the first vehicle; ceasing transmission of the signal
when the electronic safety marker is struck by the first vehicle;
emitting an alarm from the receiver when the receiver ceases
receiving the signal to warn the person of the first vehicle
entering the defined boundary.
12. The method of claim 11, and further comprising emitting a light
from the telescoping means after the electronic safety marker is
deployed.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the light is emitted from a
plurality of lights on the telescoping means.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the light is emitted from a
plurality of sides of the telescoping means.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the telescoping means is
telescoped using an impact-actuated deployment mechanism.
16. A method of warning a person of a first vehicle entering a
defined boundary, wherein the method comprises: providing an
electronic safety marker proximate the defined boundary, wherein
the electronic safety market comprises an electrical current
source, a transmitter, an impact sensor and electrical circuitry
interconnecting the electrical current source, the transmitter and
the impact sensor; deploying the electronic safety marker proximate
the defined boundary; self-orienting the electronic safety marker
in an upright position after the electronic safety marker is
deployed; transmitting a signal with the transmitter after the
electronic safety marker is deployed; positioning a receiver a
distance from the electronic safety marker, wherein the receiver is
capable of receiving the signal, wherein the receiver is provided
on the second vehicle; striking the electronic safety marker by
first vehicle; ceasing transmission of the signal when the
electronic safety marker is struck by the first vehicle; and
emitting an alarm from the receiver when the receiver ceases
receiving the signal to warn the person of the first vehicle
entering the defined boundary.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein deploying the electronic safety
marker causes the electronic safety marker to contact a ground
surface and such contact causes the electronic safety marker causes
the transmitter to begin transmitting the signal.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein deploying the electronic safety
marker causes the electronic safety marker to contact a ground
surface and such contact a telescoping means to extend from the
electronic safety marker.
19. The method of claim 16, and further comprising emitting a light
from the electronic safety marker after the electronic safety
marker is deployed.
20. The method of claim 1, and further comprising transmitting a
location of the electronic safety marker to an emergency responder
when the electronic safety marker is struck by the first vehicle.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
15/207,929, filed Jul. 12, 2016, which is a continuation-in-part of
U.S. Ser. No. 14/481,598, filed on Sep. 9, 2014, which claims the
benefit of the U.S. provisional application No. 62/016,407 entitled
"Emergency Safety Marker System" filed on Jun. 24, 2014, which is
hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to flares used by emergency
responder personnel to mark an accident scene to warn other people
to stay away, and more specifically to electronic safety markers
that may be deployed by an emergency responder without risk of
physical injury while providing warning to that responder of any
reckless motorist approaching the accident scene.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] An integral aspect of daily life is the use of motor
vehicles to transport people from one location to another location.
Changes in local economies and housing prices have compelled many
people to live further from where they work, shop, or seek
entertainment. This means that the number of vehicle miles traveled
by motorists in many states and cities continue to climb year after
year.
[0004] Efforts have been made by many states to enhance the speed,
efficiency, and convenience of modern road systems. Motor vehicles
have also become safer. Despite these efforts, however, roughly
30,000 people die in vehicle accidents in the United States each
year in addition to 2 million other injuries arising from the more
than 10 million vehicle accidents reported annually.
[0005] Vehicle accident scenes are very dangerous, because they
represent a stationary obstacle amidst oncoming vehicles travelling
at high speeds. Police officers, sheriff deputies, and state
troopers are usually the first responders to arrive upon the
accident scene. In addition to taking care of traumatized injured
drivers and passengers in the damaged vehicles directly involved in
the accident, they must set up the initial security perimeter aimed
at diverting oncoming motorists safely around the accident scene.
This can be very dangerous to law enforcement personnel, as well as
other safety responders like ambulances, paramedics, and tow
trucks. These dangers are further compounded by darkness and
inclement weather. Each year in the U.S. alone, millions of law
enforcement officers and first responders risk their lives working
on roads, and thousands are injured or die each year in the
process.
[0006] Many states have enacted "move over" laws that require
drivers to slow down or change lanes to move away from stopped
emergency vehicles. While these laws are meant to enhance the
safety of accident scenes, too many law enforcement officers and
other emergency responders are injured or die due to reckless,
inattentive, or impaired incoming motorists approaching the
accident scene.
[0007] It is therefore critical that law enforcement officers and
first responders have the necessary equipment to mark the perimeter
of an accident scene to warn approaching motorists to stay away.
Moreover, it is important that such equipment be deployed in a
manner that is safe to the law enforcement officers or first
responders. The most basic article of traffic safety marker
equipment is the ubiquitous orange cone or pylon. These cones or
pylons are portable due to their light weight, and visible over
short distances due to their fluorescent orange color. See e.g.,
U.S. Published Application 2008/0125970 filed by Scheckler. But,
they are largely invisible at night, and can easily be blown or
knocked over to interfere with their function as a safety hazard
marker.
[0008] Another common tool used by law enforcement officers and
other emergency responders are road-side flares. They constitute
sealed containers holding phosphorescent chemicals that can be
broken open to ignite the chemicals. The resulting burning fire
emits a colored light that is clearly visible at night. While the
flares can be dropped along the perimeter of the accident scene by
the law enforcement officer, they burn for relatively short time
periods, thereby requiring replacement flares to be deployed if the
accident scene is not cleared quickly. They also require the law
enforcement officer to walk to the edge of the accident scene in
the path of rapidly approaching motor vehicles in order to drop the
ignited flares onto the pavement.
[0009] Electronic flares exist in the market for replacing the
traditional chemical-burning phosphorescent flares. U.S. Published
Application 2004/0240204 filed by Russ et al. discloses such an
electronic flare having a cylindrical housing containing a battery
and plurality of light-emitting diode ("LED") lights positioned
around the circumference of the housing. Such a flare merely needs
to be turned on via its switch, and can be placed on the ground as
a marker. U.S. Published Application 2006/0104054 filed by Coman
discloses a dome-shaped flare assembly with a flat bottom and a
reflector that disperses light radially. But, these types of
electronic flares require manual actuation and deployment along the
accident scene pavement, which can be dangerous in the face of
high-speed oncoming traffic.
[0010] Efforts have also been made to equip law enforcement
officers with hand-held light wands that can be used to direct
traffic. These devices operate like flash lights except that a
transparent tube containing a plurality of battery-powered lights
extends from the handle for radiating the light for 360.degree.
viewing. The light bulbs can be LED lights for improved visibility.
See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,679 issued to Chin-Fa, and U.S.
Published Application 2008/0094822 filed by Hsu. A colored
reflecting tube surrounding the light bulbs can produce the
appearance of colored lights for increased attention by motorists.
See U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,423 issued to Lee. Alternatively, colored
light bulbs or colored light bulbs in combination with white light
bulbs can be employed to create sections of different colors along
the light wand. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,019 issued to
Warner; U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,695 issued to Lin et al.; and U.S. Pat.
No. 5,865,524 issued to Campman.
[0011] But in the case of a roadside accident, it may represent an
inefficient use of resources to devote a police officer to waving a
hand-held light wand to motion approaching motorists away from the
accident scene. In some cases, only one police officer may be
present at the accident scene. Therefore, a self-standing light
device that can be quickly set up by the policeman on the pavement
along the perimeter of the accident scene is more convenient. Thus,
the light wand can be attached to a tripod base. See, e.g., U.S.
Pat. No. 6,899,441 issued to Chen; U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,423 also
issued to Chen; U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,444 issued to Lee et al.; and
U.S. Pat. No. 7,224,271 issued to Wang. See also U.S. Published
Applications 2002/0136005 filed by Lee; 2006/0133074 filed by Lai;
and 2008/0036584 filed by Lang et al. In many cases, the tripod
legs are permanently attached to the light stick portion of the
light wand devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,840 issued to Uchytil et
al. shows a safety warning device having a housing and pivotal leg
in which a battery-powered light source disposed in a reflector to
radiate light which is reflected off a plurality of flexible
reflective strips creates the visual appearance of a burning
incendiary flare.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,452 issued to Wang discloses a warning
device consisting of a tripod flash light with a pivoting head
lamp. Such a portable device can be set up to direct the light
source at varying heights. U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,782 issued to Yerian
substitutes a ballast-filled base for the tripod legs connected to
the light stick portion of the safety marker device to reduce the
chances of it blowing over or getting knocked over.
[0013] In other embodiments of electronic safety markers, an
electronic light stick is structured so that it can be inserted
into the top of a standard traffic cone. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No.
2,949,531 issued to Lemelson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,729 issued to
Chu; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,824 issued to Wright. The traffic cone
serves as the base for the light stick unit.
[0014] The light source used in safety markers can also flash for
added attention and visibility. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,905,622 and
7,997,764 issued to Nielson; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,370 issued to
Riblett et al.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,124 issued to Daggett et al. discloses
an electrical hazard warning system comprising a charging base for
a couple of transparent, cone-shaped markers containing a light
bulb. The electronics are placed in the bottom of the marker to
provide ballast for keeping the markers upright when they are
positioned on the ground. The charging base can be placed in the
trunk of a police car so that the marker devices are readily
available for deployment at accident scenes.
[0016] Other safety marker devices available in the industry
contain a rounded base that is filled with ballast, so that if the
device is tipped over, it will stand upright again. See, e.g., U.S.
Pat. No. 1,228,615 issued to Stafford; U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,956
issued to Messana et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,291 issued to
Aylward et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,030,929 issued to Chang et al.
claims to accomplish the same result using an ovate (egg-shaped)
housing.
[0017] Other electric safety marker devices available in the
industry are compact in their storage state. For example, U.S.
Published Application 2014/0096712 issued to Houle et al. teaches a
hollow tetrahedron with four vortexes formed by connecting rods.
The device can be expanded from its collapsed state to its
tetrahedral state, and a light positioned on the top vortex allows
it to act as a deployable safety marker. U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,343
issued to Carlson discloses a light unit comprising a base
containing a battery and a light bulb with a cone-shaped top that
can be manually pulled upwards to produce a red colored conical
housing that is lit up by the light bulb.
[0018] But all of these prior art safety markers require manual
actuation and deployment by the police officer or other emergency
responder. This can expose the police officer or other emergency
responder to the risk of physical injury by oncoming motorists.
[0019] Still other safety marker devices are designed for rapid
deployment by throwing or dropping them onto the ground. For
example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,951 issued to Nicholl shows a
substantially spherical shaped housing that is lit up by a light
bulb contained inside and can be rolled along the ground. The lamp
units are stored in a container, and they automatically light up
upon their removal from their container. U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,294
issued to Carboni discloses a cubic lamp box having six identical
sides. Light bulbs contained inside the box shine through windows
in the housing sides. The light box is thrown along the ground, and
when it comes to rest on one of its sides, the lights shine through
the resulting side and top windows.
[0020] But, because such safety marker devices can roll freely
along the ground, they cannot be deployed by the police officer or
other emergency responder accurately at a particular location
around the accident scene without being manually set in place at
the desired location on the ground. Again, this produces the risk
of physical injury for the person deploying the safety marker.
[0021] U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,115 issued to Ghahramani discloses a
mine hazard marker that is deployed on a battlefield by a tank. It
comprises a mast head with a flag and spring-actuated legs. When
the marker devices is dropped on to the ground by the tank or tank
operator, a skid plate impacted by the ground causes the legs to
deploy using a mechanical mechanism. No light is associated with
this marker device.
[0022] Still other safety markers containing LED lights contain
radio frequency or infrared receivers. An operator can remotely
turn on the lights by transmitting a radio frequency ("RF") or
infrared ("IR") signal. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,678 issued to
Stamatatos et al., and U.S. Published Application 2011/0249430
filed by Stamatatos et al.
[0023] Other marker devices can send warning signals or messages.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,952,168 issued to Recko, Jr. et al.
teaches an audio module that can be set into the top of a warning
cone. The module contains an infrared detector and an associated
warning system message. Deployed by a janitor around a wet floor,
the device senses an approaching pedestrian, and emits an audible
warning message about the potential danger posed by the wet floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,030,777 issued to Nelson et al. provides a
cone-mounted roadway incursion alert system. A series of the
devices are mounted onto traffic cones positioned around a
construction zone. When an approaching car physically hits one of
the cones, an impact sensor in the device sends a warning message
to the construction workers about the potential danger posed to
them by the car.
[0024] U.S. Published Application 2008/0125970 issued to Scheckler
discloses a traffic safety pylon with a GPS-locating and
RF-signaling capability. A radio transmitter sends a signal to a
central dispatcher for the location of the pylon based on the GPS
unit contained in the pylon. See also U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,370
issued to Riblett et al.
[0025] Therefore, providing an electronic lighted safety marker
system used by emergency responders to warn motorists on roadways
to avoid an accident scene, and that can be deployed by such
emergency responders with minimal risk to their own personal safety
would be highly beneficial. Such safety marker system should
simultaneously provide adequate prior warnings to motorists of the
stationary accident scene, and to the emergency responders of
reckless incoming motorists that may represent their own safety
hazard to the emergency responder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0026] An electronic lighted safety marker system used by emergency
responders to warn motorists on roadways of the presence of an
accident scene ahead on the roadway or beside the roadway is
provided by the invention. Such markers can be deployed
individually or in groups by the emergency responder along the
perimeter of the accident scene and ideally ahead of it along the
roadway to provide adequate warning to approaching motorists to
avoid the accident scene. The markers contain a power source, a
light panel, a protective shield for the light panel, and
electronic circuitry for controlling the operation of the lights in
a predetermined frequency or pattern. One or more of the lights may
be colored or operate in a strobe pattern for enhanced visibility
for the motorists.
[0027] At the same time, the marker device has a self-righting
base. An emergency responder can manually drop or drop via an
electro-mechanical device the marker device from his vehicle, and
have the marker device stand up in a substantially vertical
orientation after it hits the ground. In this manner, the emergency
responder need not leave the safety of his vehicle to deploy the
marker on or along the roadway and therefore suffer the risk being
struck by an approaching motorist.
[0028] The safety marker device should contain a low-impact sensor
switch operatively connected to the electronic circuitry to
automatically extend the light panel to its optimal height and turn
on the lights when the marker device strikes the ground or other
hard surface. The lights along the light panel should preferably be
visible around a 360.degree. perimeter for enhanced visibility to
approaching motorists no matter what is the orientation of the
marker device with respect to the roadway and motorists.
[0029] The safety marker device should also contain a high-impact
sensor switch that detects when a reckless motorist directly
approaching the accident scene hits the marker, and provides an
audible warning sound or message to the emergency responder of the
potential danger represented by the rapidly-approaching,
out-of-control vehicle. By positioning several of the marker
devices a predetermined distance ahead of the accident scene, the
emergency responder can receive an adequate warning of the
reckless, inattentive, or impaired approaching motorist with
sufficient time to move out of the way to safety and thereby avoid
personal injury while attending to the accident scene.
[0030] The safety marker devices can also contain a GPS transmitter
for sending a signal regarding the location of the marker to a
central dispatch department. In this manner, the central dispatch
department can quickly send emergency help to an emergency
responder who is injured by another motorist at the accident scene.
The emergency responder can also send his own distress signal
accompanied by the GPS location coordinates to the control dispatch
department or another emergency responder to ask for help.
[0031] The safety marker device can also contain a transmitter for
emitting an emergency radar signal. This transmitter constantly
sends out a feedback radar signal triggered by the deployment of
the device itself that can be received by vehicles equipped with
on-board radar capabilities used to detect objects like other cars
or animals in the roadway. The safety marker in this manner can
send a warning to the driver of an oncoming vehicle to slow down or
move to another lane to avoid the accident scene before a crash
occurs. This will enhance the personal safety of the victims of the
crash scene and the emergency responders.
[0032] This GPS location identification system also enables an
emergency responder at an emergency scene like a land slide or
fallen bridge to deploy one or more of the safety marker devices to
alert subsequently dispatched emergency responders of the location
of the emergency scene. This functionality allows the first
emergency responder to leave the accident scene to attend to other
duties secure in the knowledge that his backup responders will find
the emergency scene.
[0033] The GPS location identification system contained in the
safety marker devices are also useful for providing guidance to
approaching helicopters. The emergency responder may position a
plurality of safety markers around the perimeter of a safe landing
zone in a field to alert via the GPS functionality the pilot to the
location of the zone in which he should land his helicopter safely
away from hazards like overhead power lines and trees. This is
particularly useful for pilots who need to land helicopters at
night or in inclement weather like fog.
[0034] The safety marker of the present invention may also comprise
a hand-held unit comprising a power source, a light panel, a
protective shield for the light panel, and electronic circuitry for
controlling the operation of the lights in a predetermined
frequency or pattern. One or more of the lights may be colored or
operate in a strobe pattern for enhanced visibility for the
motorists. This hand-held unit also comprises a manually-operated
actuation switch connected to the electronic circuitry for
extending the light panel and turning on the lights. The lights
along the light panel should preferably be visible around a
360.degree. perimeter for enhanced visibility to approaching
motorists no matter what is the orientation of the marker device to
the roadway and motorists. The hand-held unit may be used by an
emergency responder to direct traffic at an accident scene, or be
mounted to the top of a conventional traffic cone to provide a
deployed safety marker. Accordingly, this hand-held unit also
comprises a high-impact sensor switch that detects when a reckless
motorist directly approaching the accident scene hits the marker,
and provides an audible warning sound or message to the emergency
responder of the potential danger, as well as a GPS transmitter for
sending a signal regarding the location of the marker to a central
dispatch department, transmitter for emitting an feedback radar
signal to on-board radar receiver units in oncoming vehicles. By
positioning several of the marker devices mounted to cones a
predetermined distance ahead of the accident scene, the emergency
responder can receive an adequate warning of a reckless,
inattentive, or impaired approaching motorist with sufficient time
to move out of the way to safety and thereby avoid personal injury
while attending the accident scene, and warn the motorist ahead of
time via the feedback radar signal to slow down or switch lanes to
avoid the accident scene.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] In the accompanying drawings:
[0036] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an accident scene beside a
roadway with the emergency safety marker system of the present
invention deployed.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the safety marker in its
retracted, standby state.
[0038] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an electrical circuit for the
safety marker.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a partial, exploded, cut-away view of the safety
marker of FIG. 2 showing its internal components.
[0040] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the light array wand for the
safety marker.
[0041] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the light array wand of FIG. 5.
[0042] FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the
light array wand for the safety marker.
[0043] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the safety marker of FIG. 2
in its extended, actuated state.
[0044] FIG. 9 is a cut-away view of the cog and gear strip assembly
embodiment for actuating the extension of the safety marker.
[0045] FIG. 10 is a cut-away view of the gas propellant assembly
embodiment for actuating the extension of the safety marker.
[0046] FIG. 11 is a cut-away view of the spring assembly embodiment
for actuating the extension of the safety marker.
[0047] FIG. 12 is a cut-away view of the jack screw assembly
embodiment for actuating the extension of the safety marker.
[0048] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of two of the safety markers
of the present invention stored in the trunk of a police car in a
charged state.
[0049] FIG. 14 is a view of two of the safety markers of the
present invention stored in a rack secured to the back cage of the
interior of a police car in a charged state.
[0050] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a police car equipped with
a remotely-actuated, rotated-cradle bumper deployment system for
the safety marker of the present invention.
[0051] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the storage/discharge
housing for the bumper deployment system shown in FIG. 15.
[0052] FIG. 17 is a side cut-away view of the storage/discharge
housing shown in FIG. 16 with a safety marker shown stored in
it.
[0053] FIG. 18 is a top cut-away view of the storage/discharge
housing shown in FIG. 17 with both of the safety markers shown
stored in it.
[0054] FIG. 19A is a side view of the cradle and cog wheel assembly
for the bumper deployment system with the safety marker in its
stored condition.
[0055] FIG. 19B is a side view of the cog wheel of FIG. 19A
rotating the cradle to discharge the safety marker.
[0056] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a police car equipped with
a remotely-actuated, breakable housing bumper deployment system for
the safety marker of the present invention.
[0057] FIG. 21 is a cut-away view of the breakable housing and
squib-actuated piston assembly for the bumper deployment system of
FIG. 20.
[0058] FIG. 22 is a cut-away view of the breakable housing and
spring-actuated piston assembly for the bumper deployment system of
FIG. 20.
[0059] FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a utility truck equipped
with a remotely-actuated, gravity drop deployment system for the
safety marker of the present invention.
[0060] FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the vertical storage
housing for the gravity drop deployment system of FIG. 23.
[0061] FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the vertical storage
housing of an alternative embodiment for the gravity drop
deployment system of FIG. 23.
[0062] FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the safety marker system of
the present invention deployed adjacent to a damaged bridge.
[0063] FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the safety marker system of
the present invention deployed to mark a landing zone for a
helicopter.
[0064] FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a hand-held safety marker
of the present invention that can be mounted to the top of a
traffic safety cone to create a deployed safety marker at an
accident scene.
[0065] FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the hand-held safety marker
of FIG. 28.
[0066] FIG. 30 is a side cut-away view of the hand-held safety
marker of FIG. 29.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0067] An electronic lighted safety marker system used by emergency
responders to warn motorists of the presence of an accident scene
ahead on or beside the roadway is provided by the invention. Such
markers can be deployed individually or in groups by the emergency
responder along the perimeter of the accident scene and ideally
ahead of it along the roadway to provide adequate warning to
approaching motorists to avoid the accident scene. The markers
contain a power source, a light panel, a protective shield for the
light panel, and electronic circuitry for controlling the operation
of the lights in a predetermined frequency or pattern. One or more
of the lights may be colored or operate in a strobe pattern for
enhanced visibility for the motorists. The markers can also
contain: a self-righting base that causes the marker to
automatically return to its vertical position after it has been
dropped by an emergency responder onto the ground or knocked or
blown over after deployment; a low-impact sensor switch operatively
connected to the electronic circuitry to automatically extend the
light panel from its retracted, standby position to its extended,
actuated position to its optimal height and turn on the lights when
the marker device strikes the ground or other hard surface; a
high-impact sensor switch that detects when a reckless motorist
directly approaching the accident scene hits the marker, and
provides an audible warning sound or message to the emergency
responder of the potential incoming danger; a GPS transmitter for
sending a signal regarding the location of the marker to a central
dispatch department, so that the dispatcher can quickly send
emergency help to an emergency responder who is injured by an
incoming motorist at the accident scene; and a transmitter for
constantly sending out a feedback radar signal triggered by the
deployment of the device itself that can be received by vehicles
equipped with on-board radar capabilities to warn the driver of an
oncoming vehicle to slow down or move to another lane to avoid the
accident scene before a crash occurs. When deployed at an accident
scene, this safety marker provides a highly visible warning to
oncoming motorists to slow down or switch lanes to avoid a crash
with the vehicle at the accident scene, while also allowing the
emergency responder to deploy the safety marker without
jeopardizing his physical safety, and warn him of incoming reckless
drivers that might cause further injury to him. The safety marker
device may be capable of standing on its own at the accident scene,
or constitute a hand-held device with a capability for mounting it
to the top of a traffic cone for use at an accident scene. The
safety marker may also be equipped with a gunshot sensor that
detects the occurrence of a potential gunshot, transmitting a
warning message to the central dispatcher along with the GPS
location coordinates for the deployed safety marker and the
potentially shot emergency responder.
[0068] In the context of the present application, "roadway" means a
highway, freeway, road, street, rural or county route, or other
paved or unpaved surface public way used by motor vehicles.
[0069] For purposes of the present invention, "emergency responder"
means a person whose job is to respond to a stopped motor vehicle
or vehicles along a roadway and attend to their safety needs, such
as a policeman, state trooper, sheriff, deputy sheriff, ambulance,
paramedic, fireman, or tow truck operator. Emergency responders
also include non-official personnel like utility equipment
repairmen, road construction crews, and road maintenance crews.
[0070] For purposes of this application, "accident scene" means a
motor vehicle or motor vehicles on or adjacent to a roadway that
have been stopped because of an accident or crash, flat tire,
engine stall or disabled condition, medical emergency suffered by a
driver or passenger in the motor vehicle, or other problem or
emergency experienced by a vehicle or persons inside such
vehicle.
[0071] The safety marker system 10 of the present invention is
shown in FIG. 1. A passenger car 12 stopped by the side of roadway
14 with a flat tire is attended to by police car 16. Police car 16
has a flasher 18 on its top, which is used by the policeman to
visually warn approaching motorists to slow down and ideally move
from the right-hand lane 20 to the safer left-hand lane 22 for
passing the stopped passenger car and police car and their
occupants. For purposes of this invention, passenger car 14 could
be stopped along the roadway for any of a number of other possible
reasons, including a stalled or disabled engine or its components,
empty gas tank, accident with another car or truck, stoppage by the
police car for violation of a law, medical emergency, or another
reason for needing assistance. The point is that passenger car 14
and police car 16 attending to the passenger car and its occupants
are stationary on or beside roadway 12, and therefore represent a
potential hazard to approaching motorists who are passing at high
speeds, particularly to approaching drivers who are tired,
distracted, or inattentive. For purposes of this invention, any of
these scenarios involving a stopped car on or beside a roadway is
considered to be an "accident scene".
[0072] A plurality of safety markers 30 of the present invention
have been positioned by the policeman on the roadway 14 around the
accident scene to provide an additional visual warning to
approaching motorists. The safety markers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e,
and 30f are positioned along roadway 14 in a conventional manner
with markers 30b, 30c, and 30d positioned to gradually block
incoming traffic from right-hand lane 20, and divert it to
left-hand lane 22. Safety markers 30e and 30f are position on
roadway 12 to cause approaching motorists to continue to drive in
left-hand lane 22, so that right-hand lane 30 is free of traffic to
provide a buffer between the passenger car 14 and police car 16 and
their occupants from the passing traffic. This buffer provides
additional safety to the policeman who may need to walk along the
roadway 12 and the accident scene to attend to the occupants of
passenger car 12, clear vehicular debris from the roadway, or
investigate and gather evidence at the accident scene. As a further
safety measure, safety mark 30a is positioned beside roadway 12
physically behind police car 16, so that it will be struck by a
tired, inattentive, or impaired approaching motorist before that
motorist can crash into the police car. This ability to detect a
physical incursion by an approaching motorist into the buffer space
set up by the safety markers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e, and 30f
around the accident scene represents an important feature of the
safety marker system 10 of the present invention.
[0073] Safety marker 30 is shown in its retracted, standby position
in FIG. 2. It compromises a base 32 having a lower housing 34 and
an upper housing 36. Upper housing 36 has an inlet hole 38 along
its top surface for receipt of light array assembly 40.
[0074] Light array assembly 40 comprises a stanchion tube 42 that
is fixed in a vertical orientation to upper housing 36 of the base
32 via inlet hole 38. Positioned inside the interior region of a
stanchion tube 42 is a light array wand 44 for linear movement
between its retracted, standby position (FIG. 2) and its
telescopically extended, actuated position shown in FIG. 8, as
described more fully below (with only its top-most portion shown in
FIG. 2).
[0075] The functional components of the safety marker 30 are
depicted in the electrical circuit diagram 49 shown in FIG. 3. A
source of electricity like a battery 50 provides electrical current
in circuitry 52 to a sensor activation switch 54. This switch is
activated when the base 32 of safety marker 30 strikes the ground
or other hard surface, such as when the safety marker is dropped
from a position above ground. Actuation of the sensor switch 54
will close it to allow current 52 to flow to mechanism 56 for
extending light array wand 44 vertically from stanchion tube 42 of
the safety marker, as well as to turn on the plurality of light
bulbs 58 contained in light array wand 44. When vertically extended
and lighted, actuated safety marker 30 provides a visual warning to
oncoming motorists of an accident scene ahead that is on or beside
the roadway 14.
[0076] Current 52 in safety marker 30 will also flow through the
circuit to opened sensor switch 60. This sensor switch 60 is
located inside light array wand 44, preferably near its upper end.
If an oncoming motorist who is tired, distracted, or reckless
strikes the deployed safety marker 30 with his vehicle, the impact
will actuate sensor switch 60 to close it, thereby allowing
electrical current 52 to flow to screamer mechanism 62. This
screamer mechanism 62 comprises a sound module for producing an
audible warning sound or message to alert the policemen or other
emergency responder at the accident scene of the potential danger
posed to his personal safety by the rapidly approaching
motorist.
[0077] In an alternate embodiment, the safety marker can be
equipped with a transmitter and the emergency vehicle can be
equipped with a receiver and alarm (sound and/or light).
Alternatively, the receiver can be located near on the emergency
responder. The transmitter continually sends a signal to the
receiver. Upon impact of a vehicle or other object with the safety
marker, the impact is recognized by the safety marker and the
signal is no longer transmitted by the transmitter or received by
the receiver, causing the receiver to sound or signal an alarm,
warning the emergency responder. (If the impact between the vehicle
and safety marker destroys the safety marker, the effect is the
same--the signal is no longer transmitted by the transmitter or
received by the receiver, causing the alarm to issue.)
[0078] The advantage of this alternate arrangement is that
destruction of the safety marker nevertheless assures a warning
signal will issue. Further, the location of the alarm in the
emergency vehicle puts it closer to the emergency responder, making
it more likely the emergency responder will hear or see the
alarm.
[0079] Finally, electrical current 52 flows to location detector
and transmitter 64. This is preferably a GPS transponder that
applies triangulation from multiple cellular towers to determine
the physical location of the safety marker 30, and automatically
transmit the location coordinates to another party, such as a
police station central dispatcher, who can then contact the
policemen or other emergency responder at the accident scene to
determine whether that person has been struck or injured by the
oncoming motorist, and send emergency assistance where required. By
receiving the GPS location coordinates transmitted by the safety
marker 30, the central dispatcher can send the emergency assistance
to the correct accident scene with confidence. Because of its
circuitry 49, the location detector and transmitter 64 is only
activated if the screamer mechanism is activated by the sensor
switch 60. At the same time, it is only powered if the safety
marker 30 is deployed by the emergency responder to extend the
light array wand 44 and turn on the lights 58 by closing sensor
switch 54 when the base of the safety marker strikes the ground or
other hard surface.
[0080] The base 32 of safety marker 30 is shown in greater detail
in FIG. 4. Lower housing 34 comprises a housing 70 having a
partition wall 71 that divides it into lower chamber 74 and upper
chamber 76. Lower chamber 74 is filled with a plurality of weighted
pellets 75 such as lead shot or plastic polymer pellets that
provides a "self-righting" feature to the safety marker 30 by
lowering its center of gravity, as discussed more fully below. The
lower housing 34 is preferably bowl-shaped with a rounded bottom,
so that if the safety marker falls or is tipped onto its side, the
weighted pellets contained inside lower chamber 74 will cause the
safety marker to automatically roll along its rounded bottom
surface to a vertical upright position. But lower housing 34 could
have a shape other than a bowl-like shape, such as a triangular,
cylindrical, or square prism as long as any bottom edges are
rounded to permit the safety marker to roll to its upright
position.
[0081] Fitted inside upper chamber 76 is battery bay 78 contained
within housing 80. A plurality of batteries 50 are positioned
inside this battery bay, such as in a circular arrangement around
stabilization rod 82. These batteries are wired together and
connected to contact strip 84 located on the top exterior surface
of lower housing 34 to provide a source of electrical current to
the safety marker 30, including to its light bulbs 58 in the light
array wand 44. The batteries could be alternatively deployed inside
upper housing 76 in a linear or stacked arrangement. The batteries
may be replaceable. Alternatively, they may be rechargeable with a
plug 81 provided in the sidewall 80 of lower base housing 34 for a
power cord. By positioning the batteries 50 in upper chamber 76 of
base 32, they are protected from moisture and other adverse weather
elements.
[0082] Alternatively, batteries 50 can be positioned inside lower
chamber 74 to further lower the center of mass of the safety marker
30 to enable its self-righting feature. A smaller amount of
weighted pellets 75 may be required inside lower chamber 74 due to
the weight contributed by the batteries 50, or the weighted pellets
may be eliminated entirely.
[0083] The electrical power requirement for safety marker 30 will
depend upon the number and nature of the electrical components that
need to be energized, and the desired duration of deployment,
particularly in the dark when the on-board solar panel 104 cannot
provide supplemental electrical power. The total battery capacity
should be 5-50V, preferably 10-30V so that the safety marker may be
deployed at the accident scene for at least four hours without
running out of its electrical charge.
[0084] Instead of a solid plastic material, housing 70 may
constitute a protective boot 70 made from a high-impact resistant,
but elastomeric material like natural or synthetic rubber or a
polymer material like silicone, acrylonitrile butadiene ("ABS"), or
high-impact polystyrene. Such material has a pliable characteristic
that becomes deformed when the base 32 of the safety marker 30
strikes the ground or other hard surface. The protective boot 70
also protects the components contained inside the lower housing 34
from rain, snow, dirt, rocks, grime, or other elements.
[0085] Also positioned inside lower chamber 74 of lower housing 34
is low-impact sensor switch 86 that provides the functionality of
sensor switch 54 shown in FIG. 3. This low-impact sensor switch 86
should be positioned relatively close to the bottom of the safety
marker and will be discussed more fully below.
[0086] Upper housing 36 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 4. It
comprises a protective housing 90 made from a high impact-resistant
plastic polymer like polystyrene, polyethylene, nylon, or other
suitable material that provides stability to the components
contained inside upper housing, protection from the weather
elements, and protection from impact if the safety marker should
fall onto the ground or its side.
[0087] Contained inside this housing 90 are electronics bay 92 and
GPS bay 94. Electronics bay 92 in turn contains a plurality of
circuit boards 96 that provide the necessary electronic circuitry
for the operation of safety marker 30. This includes the circuitry
98 connected to the low-impact sensor switch 86 that in turn is
located in the battery bay 78; the screamer module 100 and its
circuitry connected to the high-impact sensor switch 102 that in
turn is located near the top of the light array wand 44; and
early-warning radar transponder 104 and its circuitry that
transmits a warning signal to on-board radar signal receivers that
that are increasingly available in automobiles as a safety feature.
Such on-board receivers will receive and communicate to the
oncoming driver a transmitted warning signal or message for the
accident scene ahead along the roadway to enhance the chances of
the driver slowing down his speed or switching to the left-hand
lane in order to exercise caution when passing the accident scene.
These features of the safety marker 30 will be described more fully
below.
[0088] Mounted to the exterior of the housing 90 is a small solar
panel 106 that captures sunlight and converts it into on-board
photovoltaic power for the safety marker. Circuitry contained
inside the electronics bay 92 provides this photovoltaic power as
electric current to the circuit boards 96 and electronic components
contained inside the safety marker to extend the battery life of
the safety marker.
[0089] GPS bay 94 contains GPS location detector and transmitter 64
described more fully below for producing location coordinates for
the safety marker. This data is transmitted to a central dispatcher
as described above for providing an accurate location of the
accident scene in case backup assistance needs to be sent to the
emergency responders at the accident scene.
[0090] Screamer speaker 108 is mounted to the exterior of housing
90 adjacent to the GPS bay. This speaker is connected via its
electrical circuit to screamer module 62 to emit the emergency
warning sound or message if an oncoming motorist strikes the safety
marker 30 near the accident scene and actuates high-impact sensor
witch 60. This warning sound or message enables the emergency
responder at the accident scene to jump to a safe location to avoid
physical injury.
[0091] GPS bay 94 and electronics bay 92 are stacked one on top of
the other inside upper housing 90. Contacts strip 110 located along
the bottom surface of the upper housing engages contacts strip 84
located along the top surface of the lower housing 80 so that when
the upper housing is operatively connected to the lower housing, a
unified electrical circuit is produced containing battery 50,
circuit boards 96, low-impact sensor switch 86, high-impact sensor
switch 60, screamer module 62, location detector and transmitter
64, radar warning transmitter 104, and lights 58. A plurality of
contact strips 112 mounted to the plurality of circuit boards 96
connects them to each other electrically. Finally, stabilization
rod 82 passes through upper housing 90 and lower housing 80 and the
GPS bay 94, electronics bay 92, and battery bay 78 contained
therein to provide proper orientation of the components and lateral
stability around the vertical axis provided by the stabilization
rod 82. Stabilization rod 82 is securely connected to partition
wall 71 in lower base housing 34 to hold all of the components
together.
[0092] Light array wand 44 is shown more fully in FIGS. 5-7. It
comprises light array panel 46 contained inside transparent carrier
tube 48. Light array panel 46 comprises a core substrate 50, which
can adopt any suitable shape such as a cylinder, a square prism
(see FIG. 6), or a triangular prism (see FIG. 7). It preferably is
three-dimensional for providing multiple surfaces for lights that
are visible in 360.degree.. Carrier tube 48 is preferably
cylindrical with a circular cross section since such a shape will
accommodate a square prism, triangular prism, or cylindrical core
substitute 50. But, carrier tube 48 may adopt any other shape such
as a square, triangular, or rectangular cross section that is
capable of containing the shape of core substrate 50, and
protecting it from the weather elements (i.e., rain, snow,
sunshine, heat).
[0093] Positioned along the exterior surface of core substrate 50
is a plurality of light bulbs 52. These light bulbs 52 may
compromise incandescent, LED, CFL, fluorescent lamps, or any other
suitable emitter of light. The light bulbs 52 may be positioned in
one or more columns along each exterior face of the core substrate
50. They may also be positioned in a single row or multiple rows
along the exterior faces of the core substrate 50. Preferably, the
light bulbs 52 are positioned sufficiently around the perimeter of
core substitute 50 to enable the core substrate to emit light in an
arc of 90-360.degree., preferably 150-360.degree., even more
preferably 360.degree.. In this manner, an approaching motorist
will see the warning light emitted by the light bulbs 52 positioned
along core substrate 50 regardless of the specific orientation of
the safety marker 30 positioned along roadway 12 with respect to
the angle of the approaching motorist. Light output is measured
primarily in lumens. A single LED bulb can produce from 2 to 200
lumens in light output depending upon how it is driven. Adding more
individual LED bulbs will increase the lumen output. The light
bulbs 58 contained in the light array wand should produce
approximately 2 to 20,000 lumens of light output.
[0094] Carrier tube 48 should be made from a material that is
transparent or semi-transparent and durable. The light 52 must
readily shine through this carrier tube for optimal visibility. At
the same time, the carrier tube 48 should be sufficiently
impact-resistant to protect the components contained inside it if
the safety marker 30 should be struck by an oncoming vehicle, or
otherwise knocked onto the ground. Acrylic, polycarbonate, or clear
ABS plastics are good choices. But any other plastic polymer or
other material exhibiting these characteristics may be used.
[0095] The light bulbs 58 contained in the light array wand 44 may
be colored for added visibility to the approaching motorist. For
example, the light bulbs may be red or blue, which are colors
reserved for police and other law enforcement officials.
Alternatively, the light array may be broken up into alternating
segments of red and blue lamps. In another alterative embodiment,
all the lamps in the light array may be white with the transparent
carrier tube 48 instead colored red or blue or alternating red and
blue segments.
[0096] Because the safety marker 30 of the present invention is
also useful for non-law enforcement personnel, such as tow truck
operators, road construction crews, or utility equipment repairmen,
the light array may contain instead yellow light bulbs 58.
Alternatively, it may contain white light bulbs shining through a
yellow-colored transparent carrier tube 48. Yellow safety warning
lights are widely associated by motorists with a construction or
repair scene that requires motorists to slow their speed to pass or
switch to a lane further away from the stopped vehicles to
pass.
[0097] To add further visibility to the safety marker 30 of the
present invention, the lights 58 contained in the extended light
array panel 46 may blink on and off in a constant or timed cycle. A
strobe light beacon 56 may also be positioned on top of the light
array wand 44 to emit a pulsating white light.
[0098] To address reduced night-time visibility, one or more bands
59 of fluorescent color like orange, yellow, or green may be
positioned along the circumference of stanchion tube 42. The bands
will be reflected by the headlights of approaching motorists. They
may be provided to the stanchion tube by means of paint or
reflective tape.
[0099] In order to further help approaching motorists to notice the
presence of the safety marker 30 along the roadway 12, an array of
lights, such as LED strobe bulbs 60, may be positioned around the
perimeter of the base 32. The pulsating lights, especially if
colored, will be noticeable from a distance.
[0100] A day/night switch 117 may be mounted to the base housing
90. LED bulbs 58 in particular need to be bright enough during
daylight hours to be seen by oncoming motorists. But, their high
lumen intensity often makes them too bright during nighttime hours.
Thus, this switch 117 may be integrated with the circuitry for the
lights 58 to either turn off some of the light bulbs during
nighttime deployment hours, turn on and off separate sets of light
bulbs having different wattages for daylight versus nighttime hours
(higher wattages for daylight, lower wattages for nighttime), or
act to reduce the voltage directed to the light bulbs to dim their
lumen intensity.
[0101] While the visibility to approaching motorists of the safety
marker 30 and the usage of a possibility of such marker in the
safety marker system 10 is an important feature of the present
invention, even more important is the ability of emergency
responders to safely deploy the markers 30 along the roadway 12
around the accident scene without subjecting themselves to injury
or death by inattentive, impaired, incapacitated, or reckless
approaching motorists. Therefore, the safety marker 30 should be
preferably be capable of being dropped by the emergency responder
onto the pavement and automatically actuated to its extended,
lighted status without the emergency responder having to get out of
his vehicle.
[0102] FIG. 8 shows the safety marker 30 of the present invention
in its extended, activated state. The light array wand 44 is
extended vertically from the stanchion tube 42. This causes the
plurality of light bulbs 58 on core substrate 50 to shine through
transparent carrier tube 48 at a higher elevation that is more
noticeable to an approaching motorist. Instead of having to look
for a conventional safety marker like a flare or low-profile LED
lamp that is short and therefore closer to the pavement of roadway
14, the lights 58 of the safety marker 30 of the present invention
are positioned along the upper region of an extended safety marker
that is approximately 2.5 to 3 feet tall from the ground. This is
closer to the line of sight of the approaching motorist.
[0103] The inlet hole 38 in the top of the upper base housing 36
accommodates the light array wand assembly 40 of the safety marker
30. The inside diameter of this inlet hole should be approximately
the same size as the outside diameter of stanchion tube 42. In this
manner, the lower end of stanchion tube 42 may be securely held in
place by inlet hole 38, as further laterally supported by
stabilization rod 82 that extends vertically from the lower base
housing 34 and upper base housing 36 into the core substrate 46 of
the light array wand 44. Stanchion tube 42 will define the vertical
axis A-A, and provide support to light array wand 40, which travels
inside the stanchion tube between its standby position and extended
position along the vertical axis A-A.
[0104] The triggering mechanism for the automatic extension of the
light array wand 44 and actuation of the lights 58 contained inside
the safety marker 30 is low-impact sensor switch 54/86 located
inside lower chamber 74 in lower base housing 34. It comprises a
disturbance sensitivity switch, shock switch, inertia switch,
contact switch, or tilt switch, such as the ones available from
Select Controls, Inc. of Bohemia, N.Y. This low-impact sensor
switch 90 is designed to detect instances of sudden impact or
severe vibration when the base 32 or side of the safety marker 30
hits the ground or other hard surface. Similar to airbag deployment
sensors or car alarm sensors used in vehicles, this shock/impact
sensor outputs a value that represents the severity of the impact
or severe vibration experienced by the safety marker, and compares
this value against a preprogrammed threshold value approximating
the impact when the safety marker is dropped from a height of about
2.5 feet from the ground or other hard surface. The switch should
preferably be positioned inside the lower chamber 74 of the lower
base housing 32 adjacent to the bottom or side wall. When the
marker base hits the ground or other hard surface, the slightly
pliable material of the bottom or side wall gives way to enable the
impact to activate the switch.
[0105] Shock sensors share technology types with accelerometers and
vibration sensors. Shock may be measured using piezoelectric or
piezoresistive means, as well as strain gages.
[0106] Piezoelectric sensors represent one of the most widely used
sensor types for shock measurements due to their inherent
ruggedness and adaptability. This type of sensor relies upon a
piezoelectric material like a quartz crystal or polycrystalline
ceramic material to sense changes in force. The piezoelectric
effect refers to the accumulation of an electrical charge in the
material due to mechanical stress. Piezoelectric shock sensors use
some type of piezoelectric material in close proximity to a solid
mass. When forces are applied to the device, the material responds
to the compression or strain provided by the mass. Due to Newton's
Second Law of Motion (F=ma), the change in electric charge within
the material is equal to the force acting against it, thereby
allowing the sensor to effectively measure the shock imposed upon
the dropped safety marker when it hits the ground.
[0107] Piezoresistive sensors are similar to piezoelectric sensors,
except that their output is measured at a change in resistance,
instead of electric charge. They are typically manufactured as
semiconductors with separate resistive circuits for each axis to be
measured. Each axis includes multiple piezoresistors that decrease
their resistive value when force is applied. Piezoresistive
accelerometers intended for shock and impact measurement are
usually designed to include semiconductor strain gages for
stability. This type of sensor is typically selected for
applications that require the measurement of steady, long-duration
shocks.
[0108] If the force of impact or shock measured by low-impact
sensor switch 54/86 when the dropped safety mark 30 hits the ground
or other hard surface meets or exceeds the preprogrammed volume for
a 2.5-3.0 foot drop, the sensor will close switch 54 (see FIG. 3)
to send electrical current 52 to light array wand extension and
light actuation mechanism 56 to extend the light array wand 44
vertically from its contracted, standby position inside stanchion
tube 40 (see FIG. 2) to its extended position shown in FIG. 8.
[0109] There are several different embodiments available under the
safety marker 30 of the present invention for this mechanism 56 for
extending the light array wand 44, as shown in FIG. 8. For example,
FIG. 9 shows a cog and gear strip assembly 120. The light array
wand assembly 40 surrounded by carrier tube 48 moves vertically
within stanchion tube 42, defining chamber 122 within the stanchion
tube 42 below the light array wand assembly. An annular region 124
is formed between stanchion tube 42 and carrier tube 48. Formed
around the bottom circumference of carrier tube 48 is lip 126 which
abuts shoulders 128 formed within the interior surface of stanchion
tube 42 when the light array wand assembly 40 is vertically
extended. Secured vertically along the exterior surface of carrier
tube 48 is gear strip 130 which comprises a solid substrate having
a plurality of apertures 132 formed therein in a vertical array.
Mounted to stanchion tube 42 and extending partially into the
annular region 124 is drive gear 134. A servo motor 136 (not shown)
turns this drive gear along an axis extending from the servo motor.
Teeth 138 formed around the perimeter of the drive gear engage the
apertures 132 within gear strip 130.
[0110] When actuated, the low-impact sensor switch 54/86 closes its
switch to send electrical current to servo motor 136 to cause it to
start to rotate drive gear 134. The rotating teeth 138 engaging the
plurality of apertures 132 in gear strip along carrier tube 48
causes the light array wand assembly 40 to move vertically within
stanchion tube 42 until perimeter lip 126 carrier tube 48 abuts the
shoulders 128 formed within stanchion tube 42 to halt the upward
movement of the light array wand assembly 40. At this point the
light array wand assembly of the safety marker is in its fully
extended configuration. Spring-loaded release pin 138 extending
partially into chamber 122 engages the bottom surface of lip 126 of
the carrier tube to support the light array wand assembly in its
fully extended position. Meanwhile, female contacts embedded within
the sidewall of carrier tube 48 make electrical contact with male
contacts positioned along the sidewall of stanchion tube 42 to
complete the electrical circuit for delivering current to lights 52
contained inside light wand 44.
[0111] When the emergency responder wishes to return the light
array wand to its standby position after the accident scene is
cleared, he simply disengages the release pin 138 to allow the
light array wand to be manually pushed down into the stanchion tube
42. The clutch in the servo motor 136 has disengaged when the light
wand has reached its extended position. Thus, it provides no
resistance to the drive gear 134 which rotates freely as the light
array wand is pushed down to its retracted, standby position.
[0112] Alternatively, the actuator mechanism 54 may compromise the
gas propellant embodiment shown in FIG. 10. The structure of the
stanchion tube 42 and carrier tube 48 are similar to the FIG. 9
embodiment except that a cup seal 142 extends along the bottom
surface of the carrier tube 48 to seal the light array wand
assembly 40 from chamber 122 formed inside stanchion tube 42. A
small cylinder 144 filled with a compressed gas like carbon dioxide
is located inside chamber 122. Firing pin 146 extends inside the
throat 148 of the cylinder to serve as a valve for closing the
cylinder to prevent the compressed gas from escaping. Linkage 148
is connected in a pivotable relationship at its one end to the top
of the firing pin 146, and at its other end in a pivotable
relationship to solenoid actuator 150.
[0113] When actuated, the low-impact sensor switch 54, 86 closes
its switch to send electrical current to solenoid actuator 150.
This solenoid actuator in turn causes the end of linkage 140 to
which it is connected to be lowered, raising in the process the
other end of the linkage to pull firing pin 146 out of the throat
of the gas cylinder 144 to open the valve. This allows the
compressed gas contained inside the cylinder to escape inside
chamber 122. This gas escapes in a short, quick burst because the
solenoid actuator 150 quickly acts to raise its end of the linkage
148 to lower the other end and cause the firing pin to close the
cylinder once again. The released burst of compressed gas pushes
against the cup seal 142 to raise the light array wand inside
stanchion tube 42 until it reaches its fully extended position when
lips 126 of the carrier tube abut shoulders 128 in stanchion tube.
Release pin 138 supports the light array wand in its vertically
extended position. Mating female and male contacts complete the
electrical circuit to deliver electric current to lights 52 inside
the light array wand, as before.
[0114] A pressure relief valve 152 inside the stanchion tube 42
enables the emergency responder to evacuate the escaped compressed
gas from chamber 122 so he can manually push the light array wand
44 back to its retracted, standby position when the accident scene
is cleared.
[0115] A spring embodiment 160 for the actuator mechanism 54 is
shown in FIG. 11. The structure of the stanchion tube 42 and
carrier tube 48 are similar to the FIG. 9 embodiment. A compression
spring 162 is disposed inside chamber 122 between the bottom wall
of stanchion tube 42 and retaining member 164 disposed below the
bottom surface of the carrier tube 48 containing the light array
wand 44. An electronic solenoid operates actuator arm 166 connected
to hook 168 which engages recess 170 formed in the bottom surface
of retaining member 164.
[0116] When actuated, the low-impact sensor switch 54/86 closes its
switch to send electrical current to the solenoid actuator 100.
This solenoid actuator in turn causes the actuator arm 166 to move
to disengage hook 168 from recess 170 in the retaining member 164.
This allows the compression spring 162 to expand to its fully
length, using its stored energy to push against the bottom surface
of the light array wand to raise it inside stanchion tube 42 to its
extended position when lips 126 of the carrier tube abut shoulders
128 in stanchion tube. Release pin 138 supports the light array
wand in its vertically extended position. Mating female and male
contacts complete the electrical circuit to deliver electric
current to lights 52 inside the light array wand, as before.
[0117] The emergency responder can push the light array wand down
to its retracted, standby position after the accident scene is
cleared, compressing spring 162 in the process. Hook 168 will
engage the spring once again to retain it in its compressed
state.
[0118] A jack screw embodiment 180 for the actuator mechanism 54 is
shown in FIG. 12. The structure of the stanchion tube 42 and
carrier tube 48 are similar to the FIG. 9 embodiment. A base
support 182 is mounted to the bottom surface of the carrier tube 48
of the light array wand 44. A threaded column 184 contained inside
chamber 122 is attached at its upper end to the base support 182.
The bottom end of the threaded column 184 is operably secured to a
motor 186 also contained inside chamber 122.
[0119] When actuated, the low-impact sensor switch 54/86 closes its
switch to send electrical current to motor 186. The energized motor
rotates threaded column 184 to raise base support 182 and with it
the light array wand inside stanchion tube 42 to its extended
position when lips 126 of the carrier tube abut shoulders 128 in
stanchion tube. Release pin 138 supports the light array wand in
its vertically extended position. Mating female and male contacts
complete the electrical circuit to deliver electric current to
lights 52 inside the light array wand, as before.
[0120] When the emergency responder wishes to return the light
array wand in the safety marker to its retracted, standby position
after the accident scene is cleared, he causes the motor 186 to
turn the threaded column 184 in the opposite direction.
[0121] The lower chamber 74 of the lower base housing 34 is filled
with a plurality of weighted pellets, such as lead shot or plastic
polymer pellets. These weighted pellets act to lower the center of
gravity of the safety marker 30. In this manner, when the safety
marker is dropped onto the roadway 14 or other hard surface, it
will stand upright as the rounded, weighted bottom surface rolls
along the roadway, even if it initially lands on its side or at an
angle with respect to its vertical axis A-A. This self-righting
feature enables the emergency responder to drop the safety marker
30 at the desired location around the accident scene perimeter with
confidence that it will come to rest deployed along its vertical
axis A-A. The emergency responder does not need to get out of his
vehicle to manually deploy the safety marker in a vertical
orientation, where he might subject himself to the danger of being
struck by an approaching motorist.
[0122] A plurality of batteries 50 are positioned around
stabilization rod 82 in upper chamber 74 of lower base housing 34.
These batteries are wired together to provide the necessary
electrical power source to the light bulbs 52 of the light array
wand 44. The batteries may be replaceable. Alternatively, they may
be rechargeable with a plug 81 provided in the sidewall 80 of lower
base housing 34 for a power cord. By positioning the batteries 50
in upper chamber 76 of base 32, they are protected from moisture
and other adverse weather elements. They alternatively may be
placed inside lower chamber 74 to provide their collective weight
to further lower the center of gravity of the safety marker 30 to
enhance its self-righting capability and reduce the amount of
weighted pellets required.
[0123] The sidewall 80 of battery bay 78 of base 32 is made from a
suitable impact-resistant material like polystyrene plastic. This
will help to absorb the impact of the dropped safety marker 30 by
the ground or other hard surface to protect the unit, itself, as
well as the electronics contained inside the unit over a prolonged
time period of usage.
[0124] Instead of low-impact sensor switch 54/86, the safety marker
30 may be equipped with two contact plates 72 and 73 positioned
across lower chamber 74 inside lower base housing 34 (see FIG. 4).
These contact plates are made from a flexible metal like copper or
gold. The plates are positioned in the substantially parallel
alignment with each other approximately 0.25-2.0 inches from the
bottom surface of the boot 70 in base 32. The plates should be
approximately 0.20-1.0 inches from each other and are connected to
the electronic circuitry of the safety marker (see FIG. 3). When
the safety marker 30 is dropped onto the ground, the impact causes
deformation of the elastomeric material in boot 70 to deflect
contact plate 72 against contact plate 73. The weighted pellets
contained inside lower chamber 74 may also be pushed by the
deformed bottom boot surface 70 to deflect contact plate 72 against
contact plate 73. By the two contact plate's surfaces coming into
contact with each other, the electrical circuit is completed to
deliver electrical current 52 to actuation mechanism 56 for
extending the light panel 44 and turning on lights 58 in the
deployed safety marker. These contact plates may be used in lieu of
the low-impact sensor switch 54/86, or as a backup to the sensor
switch.
[0125] The safety marker 30 may also contain a manually-operated
switch 116 located in the sidewall 90 of upper housing 36 (see FIG.
4). Contained inside electronics bay 92, this manual switch 116
enables the emergency responder to manually extend the light wand
44 and/or turn on lights 58.
[0126] As shown in FIG. 3, this switch 66 bypasses sensor switch 54
to deliver electrical current 52 to actuation device 56 for
extending the light wand 44 and turning on lights 58.
Alternatively, switch 68 bypasses both sensor switch 54 and
actuation device 56 if the emergency responder only wishes to turn
on lights 58 without extending light wand 44. This manual switch
116 constitutes a flush-mounted, sealed, and waterproofed switch
set within the housing wall like a microwave switch.
[0127] Low-impact sensor switch 54/86 or manual on-off switch 116
may have a delay circuit built into it so that a predetermined
delay period (e.g., 5-15 seconds) occurs after the switch is
actuated before the associated functionality in the safety marker
(i.e. light wand extension or turning on the lights) is in turn
actuated. This delay feature enhances safety for the emergency
responder so that he is not blinded by the lights suddenly being
turned on, or have his eye accidently poked by the extended light
wand. At the same time, the delay period should be short enough in
duration so that the resulting actuation of the safety marker's
functionality is rapid enough to ensure the emergency responder
that the unit is working properly.
[0128] Another important feature of the safety marker 30 of the
present invention for enhancing the safety and well-being of an
emergency responder at an accident scene is its incursion detection
system. A high-impact sensor switch 60 is preferably positioned
inside the light array wand 44 near its upper end, as shown in FIG.
8. Any recklessly driven, oncoming vehicle is likely to strike the
deployed safety marker with its light array wand extended roughly
to the height of the front bumper or axle of most vehicles. In this
manner, the high-impact sensor switch 60 will be proximate to the
oncoming vehicle's bumper in order to enhance its actuation.
[0129] The high-impact sensor switch 60 comprises an inertia switch
or a shock sensor switch, such as the ones available from Select
Controls, Inc. of Bohemia, N.Y. The high-impact sensor switch 60
operates similarly to the low-impact sensor switch 54/86 described
above. It measures the degree of impact created on the safety
marker by an incoming motor vehicle driven by an inattentive,
impaired, or reckless motorist hitting the safety marker, and may
be adjusted for a predetermined triggering speed threshold. If the
impact exceeds the equivalent of, e.g., twenty miles per hours,
then the high-impact sensor switch 60 will actuate via a separate
switch in the circuitry an on-board screamer device 62 which is
connected to a speaker 108 mounted to the base of the safety marker
30. The screamer device 62 will emit via, e.g., a computer-actuated
sound chip a loud wailing sound or audible warning message that can
be heard by the emergency responder. By prepositioning the safety
marker 30 a predetermined distance from the accident scene towards
the oncoming traffic (e.g., 30 feet), sufficient time will be
provided after an oncoming motorist' vehicle strikes the safety
marker and the screamer device emits its wailing sound or warning
message for the emergency responder to jump out of harm's way.
[0130] This early warning detection feature of the safety marker
system of the present invention may be analogized to a baseball
game. If a batter hits a pitched baseball travelling at 100 mph,
the resulting hit ball also travelling at approximately 100 mph
will travel the 60 feet to reach the pitcher in approximately 0.41
seconds. But it will not reach an outfielder standing 350 feet from
home plate for 2.39 seconds. If the accident scene is analogized to
being located in the outfield, and the safety marker is analogized
to being located at home plate, then the emergency responder
located at the accident scene will receive much more advanced
warning provided by the deployed safety marker of the potential
danger posed by the incoming vehicle than if he was standing on the
pitcher's mound.
[0131] The safety marker 30 of the present invention will provide
an alert in advance to the emergency responder at the safety marker
for a variety of different combinations of incoming vehicle speed
and distance travelled, as shown below in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Distance from Incoming Vehicle Accident
Scene Warning Time Speed (mph) (yards) (sec.) 60 50 1.7 60 100 3.4
60 200 6.8 60 1/4 mile 15 45 50 2.3 45 100 4.5 45 200 9 45 1/4 mile
20
[0132] For example, if the incoming vehicle is approaching the
accident scene at 60 mph and strikes a safety marker deployed 50
yards ahead of the accident scene, the emergency responder will
receive approximately 1.7 seconds of advanced warning provided by
the screamer in the safety marker before the vehicle actually
reaches the accident scene. On the other hand, if the safety marker
is deployed 200 yards ahead of the accident scene, the emergency
responder will receive approximately 6.8 seconds of advanced
warning for the same incoming vehicle travelling at 60 mph. If the
safety marker is deployed instead one-quarter mile ahead of the
accident scene, then the advanced warning provided to the emergency
responder will increase to 15 seconds for the same incoming vehicle
travelling at 60 mph. Thus, this early warning feature provided by
the safety marker of the present invention may save the life of the
emergency responder, or at least protect him from serious bodily
injury.
[0133] As an additional safety measure, the emergency responder may
be equipped with a small remote transponder containing a speaker
worn on, e.g., the lapel of his uniform. The speaker may contain a
radio frequency receiver in communication with a corresponding RF
transmitter 280 connected to the screamer device 62 in the base of
the safety marker. This will enable the wailing sound or audible
warning message emitted by the screamer device 62 to be transmitted
directly to the lapel remote speaker so that the emergency
responder can more easily hear the warning above the traffic noise
before the oncoming motorist strikes him.
[0134] The safety marker 30 of the present invention may be stored
in the emergency responder's vehicle, as shown in FIG. 13. In this
example, the trunk 192 of a police car 16 can contain a charging
station 194. The one or more safety markers 30 stored inside the
trunk 192 may be connected via power cords 196 to the charging
station 194, so that they are fully charged and ready for
deployment if the policeman encounters an accident scene.
Alternatively, the trunk may come equipped with a storage bay with
a built-in charger for one unit to eight units of the safety
markers. The multiple safety markers can be stored, one facing
right and one facing left. The charging unit is built into each
bay. The individual safety markers snap into the bay for easy usage
and charging. In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 14, a rack
198 containing two safety markers can be connected to the back cage
196 of the police vehicle for easy access and deployment by the
policeman. Charger unit 197 keeps the batteries of the safety
markers 30 charged for ready use at an accident scene.
[0135] A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a
remotely-actuated bumper deployment system 210 for the safety
markers 30, as shown in FIGS. 15-19b. A deployment case 212 is
contained inside the back bumper of, e.g., a police car, as shown
in FIG. 16. It can be attractively designed to appear like a
natural extension of the bumper.
[0136] Contained inside the deployment case 212 is a vacuum-formed
cradle 214 that bears the contoured shape of two safety markers 30
on their side and protects the safety markers from damage, as shown
in FIGS. 17-18. This cradle 214 has a bottom wall 216 and opposite
side walls 218. Attached to the side walls 218 are horizontally
disposed axes 220. The axes 220 in turn are attached to cog wheels
222. The cog wheels, in turn, are operatively engaged by drive
wheels 224 operated by a motor 228.
[0137] A lid 230 along the top of the deployment case 212 (see FIG.
16) can be lifted to allow each safety marker 30 to be inserted
into its respective cradle 214. The cradles also have electrical
contacts around their perimeter to allow the batteries inside the
safety markers to be charged while they are stored in the cradles.
Doors 232 are disposed across the bottom of the deployment case 212
for discharge of the safety markers.
[0138] FIG. 19A shows the cradle 214 containing a safety marker 30
in its standby storage position. At the push by the policeman of a
button located inside the police car, electric current is delivered
to the motor 228 inside the deployment case 212. The energized
motor causes the drive wheels 224 to in turn rotate the cog wheels
222 engaged by the drive wheels (see FIG. 19B). The rotated cog
wheels will rotate the cradle 214 like a carriage until it is
turned upside down, as shown in FIGS. 17a and 17b. At the same
time, the doors 232 are moved to their open position to create an
opening across the bottom of the deployment case 212. The safety
marker 30 drops to the ground by means of gravity. Upon hitting the
ground, it will self-actuate to extend the light array panel 44 and
turn on all on-board electronics including the lights 52, leaving
the emergency responder to continue on with his work. In this
manner, the emergency responder can deploy one or more safety
markers 30 ahead of the accident scene on or along the roadway 14
without leaving his vehicle to provide a warning if an oncoming
motorist should strike the deployed safety marker 30. The emergency
responder may perform this deployment of the safety markers
remotely without any need to get out of the car and face the risk
of physical injury caused by reckless-driven oncoming vehicles.
When the accident scene is cleared, the emergency responder may
simply back up the car and reach down through the window to
retrieve each deployed safety marker unit, returning them to the
carriage on the back bumper when time permits.
[0139] The deployment case 212 or cradle 214 may also be equipped
with a heater that warms the safety markers 30 stored therein to
prevent them from freezing.
[0140] In another embodiment of the remote deployed device 230
shown in FIGS. 20-22, the safety marker 30 is stored in a
horizontal orientation inside "breakable" housing 232 having a
bottom wall 234 (see FIG. 20). As shown more clearly in FIGS.
21-22, the housing comprises two housing halves 236 and 238 that
separate along break line 240. The housing halves may optimally be
hinged along point 242. Piston 244 having bearing surface 246
extends inside the housing walls adjacent to the side of the safety
marker when the piston is in its retracted position. A push button
in the emergency responder's vehicle may be pressed by the
emergency responder to deliver electrical current to an electric
actuator 248 (see FIG. 22) or an explosive squib 249 (see FIG. 21)
that are actuated to move the piston 244 and bearing surface 246 to
the right to physically push the safety marker against the housing
walls 336 and 238 to break them open along point 240 to release the
safety marker. The safety marker will fall to the ground for
deployment to extend the light wand and turn on its lights, as
described above.
[0141] Still another remotely-actuated deployment system 250 is
shown in FIGS. 23-25. It comprises a vertically disposed tubular
housing 252 which is ideal for taller emergency vehicles like
ambulances, fire trucks, or highway construction or maintenance
trucks (see FIG. 23). The safety marker 30 is stored vertically
within the housing 252, held in position by a pin 256 operably
mounted in the housing wall that extends into a niche 258 formed in
the base 32 of the safety marker, as shown in FIG. 24.
Alternatively, it can rest upon a pair of spring-actuated doors 254
that close off the bottom opening of the housing, as shown in FIG.
25.
[0142] When the emergency responder wishes to deploy the safety
marker, he pushes a button located inside the emergency vehicle.
The pushed button delivers electrical current to an electric
actuator or a cable-actuated latch which operates to withdraw pin
256 from engagement with the niche 258 in the safety marker. This
allows the safety marker to drop by means of gravity against bottom
doors 254. The weight of the safety marker overcomes the bias force
of the spring to push the doors 254 to their opened position. In
this manner, the safety marker is free to fall to the ground. Upon
hitting the ground, it will self-actuate to extend the light array
panel 44 and turn on all on-board electronics including the lights
52, leaving the emergency responder to continue on with his work.
In this manner, the emergency responder can deploy one or more
safety markers 30 ahead of the accident scene on or along the
roadway 14 without leaving his vehicle to provide a warning if an
oncoming motorist should strike the deployed safety marker 30. The
emergency responder may perform this deployment of the safety
markers remotely without any need to get out of the car and face
the risk of physical injury caused by reckless-driven oncoming
vehicles. When the accident scene is cleared, the emergency
responder may simply back up the car and reach down through the
window to retrieve each deployed safety marker unit, returning them
to the carriage on the back bumper when time permits.
[0143] Under the present invention, the safety marker 30 may
preferably also contain a transmitter 285 for emitting an emergency
radar signal. Instead of detecting the proximity of an incoming
vehicle driving at a dangerous speed, this transmitter constantly
sends out a feedback radar signal triggered by the deployment of
the safety marker, itself. Some models of cars and trucks today are
equipped with on-board radar capabilities used to detect objects
like other cars and animals in front of the vehicle and alert the
driver to the presence of that object, so that the driver can apply
the brakes to stop the vehicle in time before a crash occurs. Some
such vehicles even contain systems for automatically applying the
brakes to avoid a crash. The emergency radar signal of the present
invention is transmitted at the same frequency used by the onboard
radar safety devices in the vehicles in order to trigger an audible
or dashboard warning light provided to the driver to alert him to
slow down or switch lanes to avoid the accident scene ahead on or
beside the roadway 14. This feature is very useful in foggy
conditions when visibility for drivers is low.
[0144] Another feature of the safety marker 30 intended to enhance
the safety of the emergency responder is based upon GPS tracking
technology. A GPS tracking unit is a device that uses the Global
Positioning System to determine the precise location of a vehicle,
person, or other asset to which it has been attached, and to record
the position of that asset at regular intervals. The recorded
location data can be stored within the tracking unit, or it may be
transmitted to a central location database, or Internet-connected
computer, using a cellular (GPRS or SMS), radio, or satellite modem
embedded in the unit. This allows the asset's location to be
tracked using GPS tracking software.
[0145] A GPS tracker 290 contains a GPS module to receive the GPS
signal, and to calculate coordinates. The tracker acts as a data
pusher to send the position of the safety marker 30 to a
pre-designated server at, e.g. the central dispatcher for the
emergency responder's department. When the high-impact sensor
switch 60 is triggered by an incoming vehicle striking the safety
marker 30, the sensor sends a signal to the GPS tracker 290 to
prompt it to send the location coordinates for the safety marker
and associated accident scene to the central dispatcher. In this
manner, the central manager can promptly contact the emergency
responder by radio communication to determine whether he has been
injured by the incoming motorist's vehicle, and send backup
emergency responders if needed.
[0146] Another useful functionality for the GPS tracker 290 is as a
locater for planning purposes, as shown in FIG. 26. The safety
marker 30 has a manual activation switch 116. An emergency
responder arriving at a potentially hazardous emergency site like a
landslide that is covering a road, or a bridge that is damaged can
deploy the safety marker 30 as described above, and then use the
manual switch 116 to send the specific location of the safety
marker to the central dispatcher via the GPS tracker 290. The
emergency responder can leave the safety marker 30 behind if he
needs to leave the emergency scene to address another situation
elsewhere. The central dispatcher can send backup emergency
responders or road construction crews to the emergency scene with
confidence that they can use the GPS coordinate signals pushed out
by the deployed safety marker 30 to find the correct accident
scene.
[0147] Yet another useful functionality for the safety marker 30 of
the present invention is for GPS triangulation. Helicopters are
often sent to accident or emergency scenes. The GPS triangulation
is based on three or four safety markers 30 that will be placed at
precise locations to achieve maximum accuracy for ILS landings, as
shown in FIG. 27. The emergency responder will survey the accident
scene or emergency scene location, looking for overhead power or
telephone wires and other obstructions like trees. They would then
choose a starting point. A programmed iPad will show the person
activating the triangulation program exactly where to place three
or four safety markers. The software positioning program will not
allow any of the safety markers to be activated until they are
deployed at the exact position for a safe helicopter approach. This
means that within the designated space defined by the deployed
safety markers, there will be plenty of room for a helicopter to
descend and land safely. The safety markers will also activate the
LED lights and strobes for a visual approach by the helicopter
pilot. As long as the helicopter stays within the triangulated
area, the helicopter will have a safe descent.
[0148] Still another useful functionality for the safety marker 30
of the present invention is the inclusion of a gunshot sensor 270
(see FIG. 4). Emergency responders to an accident or crime scene
may expose themselves to gun fire, particularly in high-crime urban
areas. An emergency responder like a policeman may not be on the
look out for a potential shooter because the immediate focus is on
the investigation at the accident or crime scene or providing help
to injured victims.
[0149] A policeman who is shot may not necessarily be able to radio
to his central dispatch unit for assistance. This problem is
compounded by the fact that police or other law enforcement
departments frequently staff a car with a single policeman without
a partner who can provide assistance to the injured policeman or
radio for help. Therefore, a gunshot sensor 270 contained within
the deployed safety marker 30 at the accident scene that can detect
the gun shot and transmit this information to the central
dispatcher along with the GPS location coordinates for the safety
marker and associated accident scene where the potentially shot
policeman is located would be enormously helpful.
[0150] There are three primary attributes that characterize gunfire
and hence enable the detection and location of gunfire and similar
weapon discharges. An optical flash occurs when an explosive charge
is ignited to propel the bullet from the chamber of the gun. A
muzzle blast also occurs when the explosive charge is ignited to
propel the bullet from the chamber of the weapon. A typical muzzle
blast generates an impulse sound wave with a sound pressure level
that ranges from 120 dB to 160 dB. Finally, a "snap" or "crack"
occurs as the bullet moves through the air at supersonic
speeds.
[0151] The gunshot sensor 270 may use sound and visual or infrared
light to detect the incidence of the gunshot. For example, SST,
Inc. of Newark, California produces a gunshot detection system
called "ShotSpotter" that uses acoustical sensors in the form of
microphones and related equipment to detect the sonic boom from the
muzzle blast, indicating the possible occurrence of a gunshot. It
uses algorithms to determine whether the noise was emitted by a
firearm, as opposed to a fireworks display or car backfiring.
[0152] Optical or electro-optical systems detect either the
physical phenomenon of the muzzle flash of a bullet being fired or
the heat caused by the friction of the bullet as it moves through
the air. Such systems require that they have a line of sight to the
area where the weapon is being fired or the projectile while it is
in motion. Although a general line of sight to the shot event is
required, detections are sometimes available as the infrared flash
event bounces off surrounding structure. Just like acoustic based
systems, electro-optical systems can generally be degraded by
specialized suppression devices that minimize their sound or
optical signatures.
[0153] Acoustic and optical sensors can be co-located and their
data can be fused thereby enabling the gunshot location processing
to have a more exact discharge time that can be used to calculate
the distance of the discharge to the sensors with the greatest
possible precision. Optical systems are (essentially) not limited
to the number of individual shots being fired or the number of
different shooters simultaneously shooting, which allows
optical-based sensing to easily declare and locate shooters
conducting ambushes that employ multiple shooters, shooting from
multiple locations during the same time period.
[0154] The gunshot sensor 270 contained in the safety marker 30 of
the present invention can also be used to locate the gunshot. In
this case, multiple gunshot sensors 270 located in multiple safety
markers or on a police car can be used to enable the process of
acoustic triangulation. Because the speed of sound is a known
entity--340.29 meters per second (0.21 miles per second) at sea
level--the difference in the time it takes for the sound of a
gunshot to reach three different sensors can determine the location
of that gunshot. Using a built-in GPS system as an accurate time
source, three sensors work together to triangulate the location
from which a shot was fired. For example, a shot is fired somewhere
in the city near the accident scene. Sensor 1 picks up the sound of
the shot. Since each acoustic sensor has a range of about 2 miles,
all we know right now is that the shot was fired within a 2-mile
radius of Sensor 1. One second later, a second sensor picks up the
sound waves of a gunshot. If sound in this city travels at about
0.21 miles per second, we now know that the shot was fired
approximately one-fifth of a mile farther away from Sensor 2 than
from Sensor 1. We can draw a circle representing the perception
radius of Sensor 2 overlapping the perception radius of Sensor
1--since both sensors picked up the sound waves, the shot must have
been fired within the overlapping coverage areas. Where the two
circles intersect, we have two possible locations for our gunshot.
To figure out which of these two points is the location from which
the shot was fired, we need to find a third sensor that picked up
the sound of the shot. A third sensor, located to the south of
Sensors 1 and 2, picked up the sound waves a half-second after
Sensor 2 detected them. This would put the origin of the sound
about one-tenth of a mile farther from Sensor 3 than from Sensor 2.
We now have our gunshot location, at least in terms of distance
from the sensors. The system then uses built-in GPS receivers to
convert that known point into latitude and longitude coordinates,
and passes the information to the central dispatcher. The
ShotSpotter system uses such acoustical triangulation to detect the
location of gunshots. According to SST, the system is accurate to
25 meters (82 feet) or less--far less than the length of a typical
city block. Because the sensors themselves are about the size of a
thick stick of gum, they can easily fit inside the safety marker
30.
[0155] In another embodiment of the safety marker system of the
present invention, the safety marker can comprise a hand-held
device 320, as shown in FIG. 28. It comprises a power source, a
light panel, a protective shield for the light panel, and
electronic circuitry for controlling the operation of the lights in
a predetermined frequency or pattern. One or more of the lights may
be colored or operate in a strobe pattern for enhanced visibility
for the motorists.
[0156] The safety marker 320 is shown more clearly in FIG. 29. It
compromises a handle 330. A plurality of batteries 331 are
positioned inside the handle. These batteries are wired together to
provide the necessary electrical power source to the light bulbs of
the light array wand 332 in the safety marker 320. The batteries
may be replaceable. Alternatively, they may be rechargeable with a
plug provided in the handle sidewall for a power cord. By
positioning the batteries in the handle, they are protected from
moisture and other adverse weather elements.
[0157] Also located within handle 330 above the battery pack 331 is
lower electronics housing 334 with upper electronics housing 336
above it. Extending from the top of handle 330 radiating around its
perimeter is collar 338. Extending vertically from the top of upper
electronics housing 336 is light array wand 332. Similar to the
stand-alone safety marker 30 described above, the wand comprises a
light array panel contained inside a transparent carrier tube 333.
The light array panel comprises a core substrate, which can adopt
any suitable shape such as a square prism or a cylinder. It
preferably is three-dimensional for providing surfaces that are
visible in 360.degree.. The carrier tube 333 is preferably
cylindrical with a circular cross section since such a shape will
accommodate a square prism or cylindrical core substrate. But, the
carrier tube may adopt any other shape such as a square,
triangular, or rectangular cross section that is capable of
containing the shape of core substrate, and protecting it from the
weather elements (i.e., rain, snow, sunshine, heat).
[0158] Positioned along the core substrate is a plurality of light
bulbs 338. These light bulbs may compromise incandescent, LED, CFL,
fluorescent lamps, or any other suitable emitter of light. The
light bulbs may be positioned in a single row or multiple rows
along the core substrate. Preferably, the light bulbs are
positioned sufficiently around the perimeter of core substitute to
enable the core substrate to emit light in an arc of
90-360.degree., preferably 150-360.degree., even more preferably
360.degree.. In this manner, an approaching motorist will see the
light emitted by the light bulbs positioned along core substrate
regardless of the specific orientation of the safety marker 120
along roadway 12 with respect to the angle of the approaching
motorist. Light output is measured primarily in lumens. A single
LED bulb can produce from 2 to 200 lumens in light output depending
upon how it is driven. Adding more individual LED bulbs will
increase the lumen output. The light bulbs 338 contained in the
light array wand should produce approximately 2 to 20,000 lumens of
light output.
[0159] The light bulbs 338 contained in the light array wand may be
colored for added visibility to the approaching motorist. For
example, the light bulbs may be red or blue, which are colors
reserved for police and other law enforcement officials.
Alternatively, the light array may be broken up into alternating
segments of red and blue lamps. In another alterative embodiment,
all the lamps in the light array may be white with the transparent
carrier tube instead colored red or blue or alternating red and
blue segments.
[0160] Because the safety marker 320 of the present invention is
also useful for non-law enforcement personnel, such as tow truck
operators, road construction crews, or utility equipment repairmen,
the light array may contain instead yellow light bulbs.
Alternatively, it may contain white light bulbs shining through a
yellow-colored transparent carrier tube. Yellow safety warning
lights are widely associated by motorists with a construction or
repair scene that requires motorists to slow their speed to pass or
switch to a lane further away from the stopped vehicles to
pass.
[0161] To add further visibility to the safety marker 320 of the
present invention, the lights 338 contained in the light array
panel 332 may blink on and off in a constant or timed cycle. A
strobe light beacon 340 may also be positioned on top of the light
array wand to emit a pulsating white light.
[0162] To address reduced night-time visibility, one or more bands
342 of fluorescent color like orange, yellow, or green may be
positioned along the circumference of light wand 332. The bands
will be reflected by the headlights of approaching motorists. They
may be provided to the stanchion tube by means of paint or
reflective tape.
[0163] Contained inside the lower electronics housing 334 are a
plurality of circuit boards 348 that provide the necessary
electronic circuitry for the operation of safety marker 320. This
includes the circuitry 350 connected to the screamer module 352 and
its circuitry connected to the high-impact sensor switch 354 that
in turn is located near the top of the light array wand 332; and
early-warning radar transponder 356 and its circuitry that
transmits a warning signal to on-board radar signal receivers that
that are increasingly available in automobiles as a safety feature.
Such on-board receivers will receive and communicate to the
oncoming driver a transmitted warning signal or message for the
accident scene ahead along the roadway to enhance the chances of
the driver slowing down his speed or switching to the left-hand
lane in order to exercise caution when passing the accident
scene.
[0164] Mounted to the exterior of the housing 334 is a small solar
panel 360 that captures sunlight and converts it into on-board
photovoltaic power for the safety marker. Circuitry contained
inside the electronics bay 334 provides this photovoltaic power as
electric current to the circuit boards 348 and electronic
components contained inside the safety marker to extend the battery
life of the safety marker.
[0165] Upper electronics housing 336 contains GPS location detector
and transmitter 362 described more fully below for producing
location coordinates for the safety marker. This data is
transmitted to a central dispatcher as described above for
providing an accurate location of the accident scene in case backup
assistance needs to be sent to the emergency responders at the
accident scene.
[0166] Screamer speaker 364 is mounted to the exterior of housing
336. This speaker is connected via its electrical circuit to
screamer module 366 to emit the emergency warning sound or message
if an oncoming motorist strikes the safety marker 320 near the
accident scene and actuates high-impact sensor witch 354. This
warning sound or message enables the emergency responder at the
accident scene to jump to a safe location to avoid physical
injury.
[0167] Also mounted to upper electronics housing 336 is on/off
switch 370. The emergency responder can use this switch 370 to
manually turn on and off lights bulbs 338 contained in the
hand-held safety marker 320. Unlike safety marker 30, this
hand-held embodiment 320 of the safety marker device does not
contain a low-impact sensor switch that is actuated when the safety
marker is dropped on the ground or other hard surface. Instead, it
must be manually turned on.
[0168] Also mounted to upper electronics housing 336 is screamer
switch 372. This switch is used by the emergency responder to
manually turn on and off the screamer module 366 that emits the
emergency warning sound or message if an oncoming motorist strikes
the safety marker 320 near the accident scene and actuates
high-impact sensor witch 354.
[0169] Finally day/night switch 374 is mounted to upper electronics
housing 336. LED bulbs 338 in particular need to be bright enough
during daylight hours to be seen by oncoming motorists. But, their
high lumen intensity often makes them too bright during nighttime
hours. Thus, this switch 374 may be integrated with the circuitry
for the lights 338 to either turn off some of the light bulbs
during nighttime deployment hours, turn on and off separate sets of
light bulbs having different wattages for daylight versus nighttime
hours (higher wattages for daylight, lower wattages for nighttime),
or act to reduce the voltage directed to the light bulbs to dim
their lumen intensity.
[0170] Finally, mounted to lower electronics housing 334 is gunshot
sensor 378, as further described below.
[0171] The hand-held unit 320 may be used by an emergency responder
to direct traffic at an accident scene, or to set up a work zone
for utility workers, highway construction or maintenance workers,
etc. The emergency responder or other user of the device may turn
on the light bulbs 338 contained inside the light array wand 332
using the on/off switch 370 as described above, and direct oncoming
vehicular traffic with confidence that the directions or other
motions will be seen by the drivers.
[0172] Alternatively, the collar 322 connected around the handle
330 of the safety marker 320 allows the device to be conveniently
mounted to the top of a conventional traffic cone 322 to provide a
deployed, lighted safety marker, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 30.
Accordingly, it is important to enhance the safety and well-being
of an emergency responder at an accident scene. Therefore, an
incursion detection system is provided in the form of the
high-impact sensor switch 354 that is positioned near the top of
the light array wand 332 of the safety marker 320. It comprises an
inertia switch or a shock sensor switch, such as the ones available
from Select Controls, Inc. of Bohemia, N.Y. The high-impact senor
switch operates to measure the degree of impact created on the
safety marker by an incoming motor vehicle driven by an
inattentive, impaired, or reckless motorist hitting the safety
marker, and may be adjusted for a predetermined triggering speed
threshold. If the impact exceeds the equivalent of, e.g., twenty
miles per hours, then the high-impact sensor will actuate via a
separate switch in the circuitry an on-board screamer device which
is connected to a speaker mounted to the base of the safety marker
320. The screamer device will emit a loud wailing sound or audible
warning message that can be heard by the emergency responder. By
prepositioning the safety marker 320 a predetermined distance from
the accident scene towards the oncoming traffic (e.g., 30 feet),
and turning on switch 372 to activate the screamer functionality,
sufficient time will be provided after an oncoming motorist's
vehicle strikes the safety marker and the screamer device emits its
wailing sound or warning message for the emergency responder to
jump out of harm's way.
[0173] As an additional safety measure, the emergency responder may
be equipped with a small remote transponder containing a speaker
worn on, e.g., the lapel of his uniform. The speaker may contain a
radio frequency receiver in communication with a corresponding RF
transmitter connected to the screamer device in the base of the
safety marker. This will enable the wailing sound or audible
warning message emitted by the screamer device to be transmitted
directly to the lapel remote speaker so that the emergency
responder can more easily hear the warning above the traffic noise
before the oncoming motorist strikes him.
[0174] The safety marker 320 may preferably also contain the
transmitter 356 for emitting an emergency radar signal. Instead of
detecting the proximity of an incoming vehicle at a dangerous
speed, this transmitter constantly sends out a feedback radar
signal triggered by the deployment of the safety marker, itself.
Some models of cars and trucks today are equipped with on-board
radar capabilities used to detect objects like other cars and
animals in front of the vehicle and alert the driver to the
presence of that object, so that the driver can apply the brakes to
stop the vehicle in time before a crash occurs. Some such vehicles
even contain systems for automatically applying the brakes to avoid
a crash. The emergency radar signal of the present invention is
transmitted at the same frequency used by the onboard radar safety
devices in the vehicles in order to trigger an audible or dashboard
warning light provided to the driver to alert him to slow down or
switch lanes to avoid the accident scene ahead on or beside the
roadway 12. This feature is very useful in foggy conditions when
visibility for drivers is low.
[0175] Another feature of the safety marker 320 intended to enhance
the safety of the emergency responder is based upon GPS tracking
technology. The GPS tracking unit 362 is a device that uses the
Global Positioning System to determine the precise location of a
vehicle, person, or other asset to which it has been attached, and
to record the position of that asset at regular intervals. The
recorded location data can be stored within the tracking unit, or
it may be transmitted to a central location database, or
Internet-connected computer, using a cellular (GPRS or SMS), radio,
or satellite modem embedded in the unit. This allows the asset's
location to be tracked using GPS tracking software.
[0176] A GPS tracker contains a GPS module to receive the GPS
signal, and to calculate coordinates. The tracker acts as a data
pusher to send the position of the safety marker 320 to a
pre-designated server at, e.g. the central dispatcher for the
emergency responder's department. When the high-impact sensor
switch is triggered by an incoming vehicle striking the safety
marker 320, the sensor sends a signal to the GPS tracker to prompt
it to send the location coordinates for the safety marker and
associated accident scene to the central dispatcher. In this
manner, the central manager can promptly contact the emergency
responder by radio communication to determine whether he has been
injured by the incoming motorist's vehicle, and send backup
emergency responders if needed.
[0177] Another functionality for the GPS tracker is as a locater
for planning purposes. An emergency responder arriving at a
potentially hazardous emergency site like a landslide that is
covering a road, or a bridge that is damaged can deploy the safety
marker 320 on top of a traffic cone 322, as described above, and
then use the manual switch to send the specific location of the
safety marker to the central dispatcher via the GPS tracker. The
emergency responder can leave the safety marker 320 behind if he
needs to leave the emergency scene to address another situation
elsewhere. The central dispatcher can send backup emergency
responders or road construction crews to the emergency scene with
confidence that they can use the GPS coordinate signals pushed out
by the deployed safety marker 120 to find the correct accident
scene.
[0178] Finally, gunshot sensor 378 contained in the safety marker
320 when deployed at an accident scene or crime scene will allow
the occurrence of a gunshot to be transmitted to a central
dispatcher for emergency assistance provided to the possibly
injured emergency responder. It can also determine the location of
the gunshot via acoustical triangulation, as described above, to
send that information to the central dispatcher too.
[0179] The above specification and drawings provide a complete
description of the emergency safety marker system and associated
method of the present invention. Since many embodiments of the
invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter
appended.
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