1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improved devices and methods for controlling vehicle peripheral devices and subsystems, such as sirens, light bars, radar systems and so forth. Further, the invention relates to an emergency response system for rapidly coordinating and controlling the operation of numerous emergency vehicle peripheral subsystems. In other aspects, the invention relates to devices and methods for transmitting and relaying data, such as information and messages, remotely to, through and from an emergency vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 912,676 described devices and methods for control of emergency vehicle peripheral subsystems such as those used in police cars or in ambulances, fire trucks other emergency vehicles. A vehicle-based control system and controller was described. Application Ser. No. 912,676 also described devices and methods for allowing communications and information transmission between a police officer or other emergency worker located outside of the vehicle and the vehicle-based control system via a hand-held unit. Communications and information transmission with a remote communications base were also described.
Devices and methods of this type are currently being commercialized by the Texas Transportation Institute's "ALERT.RTM." program for use in police vehicles, and other emergency vehicles. Although the ALERT.RTM. program has been very successful in developing this technology recently, several areas of potential improvement have been identified. There is a desire to reduce the overall cost of the ALERT.RTM. intelligent vehicle control system, reduce power consumption, increase the overall computing ability for the system and shrink the physical size of the components used in the ALERT.RTM. system. Also, it is desired to expand the capability of the system to control a larger number of peripheral subsystems without the expense associated with acquiring additional serial controller boards that have been needed to associate the peripheral subsystems with the controller.
In addition, it is desired to make ALERT.RTM.-type systems interoperable with the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) data bus (IDB) that has recently been developed by the Society of American Engineers (SAE). The IDB is a non-proprietary token passing bus, designed to allow disparate consumer, vehicle and commercial electronic components to share information across a standard open data bus. The IDB is primarily intended for the consumer vehicle market. However, use in other vehicles is also expected, including trucks and emergency vehicles. At this time, the IDB is being used in a number of prototype and demonstration vehicles and is expected to be in more widespread use within the next few years. Aspects of the IDB are described in SAE publications including J2366-2, ITS Data Bus Link Layer, Draft Recommended Practice (Jun. 22, 1998) and J2366-4, ITS Data Bus Thin Transport Layer, Draft Recommended Practice (Jun. 29, 1998).
The IDB is currently intended to permit associated devices to operate on a peer-to-peer architecture basis, as opposed to a master-slave form of operation which would require a master device to control the operation of a number of "slave" devices. The use of peer-to-peer architecture allows "plug-and-play" operation to occur so that devices can be attached to the bus, or replaced, without having to program or reprogram a master controller.
Hence, a need exists for a control system that is interoperable with the IDB or other vehicle data bus. A need also exists for a control system that is capable of controlling a large number of peripherals without becoming prohibitively expensive and cumbersome.