US 4,839,749 AGranted

Recorded voice warning system for providing safety alerts and personal messages

OwnerEustace B. Franklininventor

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Abstract

A vehicle safety and personal message system primarily designed to be incorporated into a vehicle to provide the driver with a pre-recorded speech message pertaining to either a vehicle safety alert or a personal message. The safety alerts include such events as: door ajar, burgler alarm ON or OFF, speed limit exceeded and a fire/police siren detector. The personalized messages includes reminders such as birth dates, anniversaries, meeting date/time and scheduled maintenance periods. All the messages can be recorded in any language and in any local or ethnic jargon and the personal messages may be programmed to occur at anytime within a one-year period. Although the system's primary usage is for vehicles, it can also be adapted for use on many other products that utilize short messages. These products include robotics, ATM machines, telephone answering machines, fire detection devices, toys and numerous other consumer oriented products.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A recorded voice warning system for providing safety alerts and personal messages to a device in a vehicle comprising:

(a) a modified reversible cassette tape recorder having a dual record and playback head assembly and an endless-loop magnetic tape that incorporates a set of prerecorded safety alert messages,
(b) a set of fault detecting sensors where each of said sensors provides an electrical signal when a change corresponding to a specific safety alert occurs and where each of said sensors is optimally located in a section of said vehicle that best provides the chanve,
(c) a set of electronic circuits where said circuits have the means to accept and process the signals from said respective sensors and to then turn on and off said recorder playback mode at a precise time to allow the playback of a selected ssfety alert message corresponding to the specific fault detected by the respective said sensor,
(d) means to annunciate each of said safety alert messages to the driver in said vehicle, and
(e) a timed message circuit that allows a timed personalized message to be recorded on said recorder where said circuit comprises:
A a digital clock that is programmed to provide an output signal at the expiration of any preselected time within a one-year period,
B a flip-flop that is set by the output signal from said clock,
C a two-input AND gate that is enabled when a signal from said flip-flip is received together with a signal from a speed timer that produces the second enabling signal when the drive exceeds a speed of 20 mph,
D a two-input OR gate that is enabled by the output signal from said AND gate, and
E an output timer that when triggered by the signal from the enabled OR gate produces an output signal F for a period of time that is needed by said endless loop tape to complete one revolution where said F signal simultaneously turns on said tape motor and closes the respective switch on said multiplexer to allow the personal message to be annunicated over a speaker located in said tape recorder.

7 more elements

A recorded voice warning system for providing safety alerts and personal messages to a driver in a vehicle comprising:

(a) a modified reversible cassette tape recorder having a dual record and playback head assembly and an endless-loop magnetic tape that incorporates a set of prerecorded safety alert messages,
(b) a set of fault detecting sensors where each of said sensors provides an electrical signal when a change corresponding to a specific safety alert occurs and where each of said sensors is optimally located in a section of said vehicle that best provides the changes,
(c) a set of electronic circuits which comprises:
A a safety message circuit having the means to accept, condition and process the electrical signals from the respective sensors and where the output of said safety message circuit is a set of safety message signals that initiate the sequencing of the safety messages and establish the duration of time the recorder motor in said tape recorder operates,
B a time sequencer circuit having the means to accept the safety message signals from said safety message circuit and to set-up the safety message timing signal that control the processing of the safety messages and insure that the safety message occur in sequential order,
C a multiplexer having the means to accept the safety message from said recorder and to provide a single message output, where the message timing sequence is controlled by said timer sequencer circuit,
D a tape sychronization circuit having the means to be activated by the signals from said safety message circuit and to synchronize the endless loop magnetic located on said recorder so that the endless loop tape starts at the same tape location to assure that each sequential safety message commences at the beginning of the message,
E a speed indicator circuit having the means to sense and provide an output signal when a preselected speed has been exceeded where the input to said circuit is provided by said over speed limit sensor and where the output signal of said circuit activates said tape synchronization circuit and is applied to said multiplexer for further processing,
F a siren detector circuit having the means to accept a signal from said siren alert sensor and the means to process the signal to produce a signal that corresponds to a preselected db level where the resultant output signal activates said tape synchronization circuit and is applied to said multiplexer for further processing,
G a tape drive circuit having the means to be activated by the applicable sensor signal processing circuit and the means to provide the logic, drive and protection circuits to assure that said tape motor starts and stops the magnetic tape at the proper time,
H a timed message circuit that allows a timed personalized message to be recorded on said tape recorder where said circuit comprises:
(a) a digital clock that is programmed to provide an output signal at the expiration of any preselected time within a one-year period,
(b) a flip-flop that is set by the output signal from said clock,
(c) a two-input AND gate that is enabled when a signal from said flip-flop is received together with a signal from a speed timer that produces the second enabling signal when the driver exceeds a speed of 20 mph,
(d) a two-input OR gate that is enabled by the output signal from said AND gate, and
(e) an output timer that when triggered by the signal from the enabled OR gate produces an output signal F for a period of time that is needed by said endless loop tape to complete one revolution where said F signal simultaneously turns on said tape motor and closes the respective switch on said multiplexer to allow the personal message to be annunicated over a speaker on said tape recorder, and
(d) means to annunicate each of said safety alert messages to the driver in said vehicle.

14 more elements

A recorded voice warning system for providing safety alerts and personal messages to a driver in a vehicle comprising:

(a) a modified reversible cassette tape recorder having a dual record and playback head assembly and an endless-loop magnetic tape that incorporates a set of prerecorded safety alert messages,
(b) a set of fault detecting sensors where each of said sensors provides an electrical signal when a change corresponding to a specific safety alert occurs and where each of said sensors is optimally located in a section of said vehicle that best provides the changes,
(c) a set of electronic circuits which comprises:
A a safety message circuit having the means to accept, condition and process the electrical signals from the respective sensors and where the output of said safety message circuit is a set of safety message signals that initiate the sequencing of the safety messages and establish the duration of time the recorder motor in said tape recorder operates, wherein said safety message circuit further comprises:
B a time sequencer circuit having the means to accept the safety message signals from said safety message circuit and to set-up the safety message timing signal that control the processing of the safety messages and insure that the safety message occur in sequential order,
C a multiplexer having the means to accept the safety message from said recorder and to provide a single message output, where the message timing sequence is controlled by said timer sequencer circuit,
D a tape sychronization circuit having the means to be activated by the signals from said safety message circuit and to synchronize the endless loop magnetic located on said recorder so that the endless loop tape starts at the same tape location to assure that each sequential safety message commences at the beginning of the message,
E a speed indicator circuit having the means to sense and provide an output signal when a preselected speed has been exceeded where the input to said circuit is provided by said over speed limit sensor and where the output signal of said circuit activates said tape synchronization circuit and is applied to said multiplexer for further processing, wherein the speed indicator circuit uses a speed detection scheme that is based on an average speed thus, annoying and unnecessary over speed alerts are prevented during momentary vehicle excursions that are above the preset speed, where the speed averaging is determined by a timer and a shaft register that comprise a section of said speed indicator circuit, where said shift register is designed to accumulate a plurality of speed pulses, supplied by said over-speed limit sensor, over a time period that is determined by said timer, when the pulses are received in a time period that is less than the preset time in said timer an over-speed alert is produced that is heard over a speaker located in said tape recorder and where said speed circuit has the means to turn off the over speed alert by either disabling the speed sensor or by suspending the alert to a higher preset speed,
F a siren detector circuit having the means to accept a signal from said siren alert sensor and the means to process the signal to produce a signal that corresponds to a preselected db level where the resultant output signal activates said tape synchronization circuit and is applied to said multiplexer for further processing, and
G a tape drive circuit having the means to be activated by the applicable sensor signal processing circuit and the means to provide the logic, drive and protection circuits to assure that said tape motor starts and stops the magnetic tape at the proper time, and
(d) means to annunicate each of said safety alert messages to the driver in said vehicle.

8 more elements

A recorded voice warning system for providing safety alerts and personal messages to a driver in a vehicle comprising:

(a) a modified reversible cassette tape recorder having a dual record and playback head assembly and an endless-loop magnetic tape that incorporates a set of prerecorded safety alert messages,
(b) a set of fault detecting sensors where each of said sensors provides an electrical signal when a change corresponding to a specific safety alert occurs and where each of said sensors is optimally located in a section of said vehicle that best provides the changes,
(c) a set of electronic circuits which comprises:
A a safety message circuit having the means to accept, condition and process the electrical signals from the respective sensors and where the output of said safety message circuit is a set of safety message signals that initiate the sequencing of the safety messages and establish the duration of time the recorder motor in said tape recorder operates, wherein said safety message circuit further comprises:
(1) a timer circuit that is normally in a reset condition and which has the capability to reset itself after each of said safety message faults are corrected and at the end of a six second time period which corresponds to the length of said tape,
(2) a latch circuit that upon receiving a signal from one of said sensors is energized preventing other sensor signals from being processed until said timer has completed its six second time period, thus two safety messages cannot be heard simultaneously or the safety message in process cannot be truncated and where said latched circuit provides a control signal that:
(a) sets said timer circuit and controls the timing operations of said system,
(b) energizes said tape motor at a precise time, and
(c) in combination with the timing signal from said timer sequencer circuit controls the operation of the switches in said multiplexer to allow the selected safety alert message to be played,
B a time sequencer circuit having the means to accept the safety message signals from said safety message circuit and to set-up the safety message timing signal that control the processing of the safety messages and insure that the safety message occur in sequential order,
C a multiplexer having the means to accept the safety message from said recorder and to provide a single message output, where the message timing sequence is controlled by said timer sequencer circuit,
D a tape sychronization circuit having the means to be activated by the signals from said safety message circuit and to synchronize the endless loop magnetic located on said recorder so that the endless loop tape starts at the same tape location to assure that each sequential safety message commences at the beginning of the message,
E a speed indicator circuit having the means to sense and provide an output signal when a preselected speed has been exceeded where the input to said circuit is provided by said over speed limit sensor and where the output signal of said circuit activates said tape synchronization circuit and is applied to said multiplexer for further processing,
F a siren detector circuit having the means to accept a signal from said siren alert sensor and the means to process the signal to produce a signal that corresponds to a preselected db level where the resultant output signal activates said tape synchronization circuit and is applied to said multiplexer for further processing, and
G a tape drive circuit having the means to be activated by the applicable sensor signal processing circuit and the means to provide the logic, drive and protection circuits to assure that said tape motor starts and stops the magnetic tape at the proper time, and
(d) means to annunicate each of said safety alert messages to the driver in said vehicle.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.