(12) United States Patent
`Orr
`
`111111
`
`1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
`US006670905Bl
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 6,670,905 BI
`Dec. 30, 2003
`
`(54) RADAR WARNING RECEIVER WITH
`POSITION AND VELOCITY SENSITIVE
`FUNCTIONS
`
`(75)
`
`Inventor: Steven K. Orr, Cincinnati, OH (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Escort Inc., Cincinnati, OH (US)
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.c. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`JP
`JP
`
`4,539,642 A
`4,581,769 A
`4,631,542 A
`4,876,527 A
`4,954,828 A
`
`9/1985 Mizuno et al.
`4/1986 Grimsley et al.
`12/1986 Grimsley ..................... 342/20
`10/1989 Oka et al.
`9/1990 Orr ............................. 342/20
`
`(List continued on next page.)
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`9-27096 A
`1/1997
`9-27096 A * 1/1997
`
`G08G/1/09
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`09/889,656
`
`(22) PCT Filed:
`
`Jun. 14,2000
`
`Primary Examiner-Bernarr E. Gregory
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wood, Herron & Evans,
`LLP
`
`(86) PCTNo.:
`
`PCT/USOO/16410
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`§ 371 (c)(l),
`(2), (4) Date: Mar. 15, 2002
`
`(87) PCT Pub. No.: W000/77539
`
`PCT Pub. Date: Dec. 21, 2000
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`(60) Provisional application No. 60/145,394, filed on Jul. 23,
`1999, and provisional application No. 60/139,097, filed on
`Jun. 14, 1999.
`
`Int. CI? ............................ GOlS 7/40; G01S 13/00
`(51)
`(52) U.S. CI. ........................... 342/20; 342/89; 342/175;
`342/195; 342/357.01; 342/357.06; 701/207;
`701/213
`(58) Field of Search ................................. 701/207, 213,
`701/214-216; 342/20, 175, 195, 357.01-357.17,
`104, 105, 109-118, 127-146, 159-164,
`89,91-93; 700/90; 340/988, 425.5, 438
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,492,952 A
`
`1/1985 Miller
`
`A GPS enabled radar detector (20) that aids in the manage(cid:173)
`ment of unrelated or otherwise unimportant sources (16),
`permitting the detector to dynamically improve its handling
`of such sources based upon previously-stored
`geographically-referenced information on such sources. The
`detector includes technology (30, 32) for determining the
`location of the detector, and comparing this location to the
`locations of known stationary sources, to improve the han(cid:173)
`dling of such detections. The detector may ignore detections
`received in an area known to contain a stationary source, or
`may only ignore specific frequencies or may handle fre(cid:173)
`quencies differently based upon historic trends of spurious
`police radar signals at each frequency. A Global Positioning
`Satellite System (GPS) receiver (30, 32) is used to establish
`current physical coordinates. The detector maintains a list
`(50, 82) of the coordinates of the known stationary source
`"offenders" in nonvolatile memory. Each time a microwave
`or laser source is detected, it will compare its current
`coordinates to this list. Notification of the driver will take on
`a variety of forms depending on the stored information and
`current operating modes.
`
`85 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 1
`
`

`

`US 6,670,905 BI
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,986,385 A
`5,038,102 A
`5,049,885 A
`5,058,698 A
`5,079,553 A
`5,127,487 A
`5,134,406 A
`5,153,512 A
`5,164,729 A
`5,177,685 A
`5,206,500 A
`5,250,951 A
`5,300,932 A
`5,305,007 A
`5,347,120 A
`5,365,055 A
`5,400,034 A
`5,450,329 A
`
`1/1991 Masaki
`8/1991 Glasheen
`9/1991 Orr ............................. 342/20
`10/1991 Yoshida et al.
`1/1992 Orr ... ... ..... ... ... ... ... ...... 342/20
`7/1992 Yamamoto et al.
`7/1992 Orr ... ... ..... ... ... ... ... ...... 342/20
`10/1992 Glasheen
`11/1992 Decker et al.
`1/1993 Davis et al.
`4/1993 Decker et al.
`10/1993 Valentine et al. ............. 342/20
`4/1994 Valentine et al. ............. 342/20
`4/1994 Orr et al. ...................... 342/20
`9/1994 Decker et al.
`11/1994 Decker et al.
`3/1995 Smith ......................... 342/103
`9/1995 Tanner
`
`................ 342/20
`
`5,504,482 A
`5,515,042 A
`5,539,645 A
`5,559,508 A
`5,668,554 A
`5,815,092 A
`5,864,481 A *
`5,929,753 A
`5,955,973 A
`5,977,884 A
`5,983,161 A
`6,084,510 A
`6,118,403 A *
`6,201,493 B1
`6,204,798 B1
`6,252,544 B1
`6,384,776 B1 *
`6,400,304 B1 *
`* cited by examiner
`
`4/1996
`5/1996
`7/1996
`9/1996
`9/1997
`9/1998
`1/1999
`7/1999
`9/1999
`* 11/1999
`11/1999
`7/2000
`9/2000
`3/2001
`3/2001
`6/2001
`5/2002
`6/2002
`
`Schreder
`Nelson
`Mandhyan et al.
`Orr et al.
`Orr et al. ...................... 342/20
`Gregg, III et al.
`Gross et al.
`.................. 700/90
`Montague
`Anderson
`Ross . ... ... ... ... ..... ... 342/357.07
`Lemelson et al.
`Lemelson et al.
`Lang . ... ... ... ... ..... ... ... ... 342/20
`Silverman ... ... ..... ... ... ... 342/20
`Fleming, III . ... ..... ... ..... 340/20
`Hoffberg
`Martin ........................ 342/20
`Chubbs, III .. ... ..... ... ..... 342/20
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 2
`
`

`

`u.s. Patent
`
`Dec. 30, 2003
`
`Sheet 1 of 8
`
`US 6,670,905 BI
`
`XIKIKA
`BAND
`DETECTOR
`
`VEHICLE
`ELECTRONIC 1---.1
`SYSTEMS
`
`FIG. 1
`
`FIG. 2
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 3
`
`

`

`u.s. Patent
`
`Dec. 30, 2003
`
`Sheet 2 of 8
`
`US 6,670,905 BI
`
`'Co+,
`FIG. 3
`
`r
`
`FULL COORDINATE (128 BITS) I
`
`r
`SPEED (7 BITS)
`
`1
`
`~
`
`SPEED (7 BITS)
`
`SPEED (7 BITS)
`
`v/D
`
`v/D
`
`SPEED (7 BITS)
`
`v/D
`
`SPEED (7 BITS)
`
`v/D
`
`$(7 1:1COORD
`
`~
`
`$(7 1:1COORD
`..--
`
`$(7 1:1COORD
`..--
`
`6'(7 1:1 COORD
`.-.....
`
`FULL COORDINATE (128 BITS) I
`FIG. 4
`
`'-.
`
`SPEED (7 BITS)
`
`FIG. 5
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 4
`
`

`

`u.s. Patent
`
`Dec. 30, 2003
`
`Sheet 3 of 8
`
`US 6,670,905 BI
`
`FIG.6A
`
`INITIALIZE GPS
`SYSTEM AND
`CONFIRM INTEGRITY.
`100
`
`RETRIEVE RADAR
`SIGNAL DETECTOR ~
`OUTPUT.
`-----
`1D2
`
`REQUEST CURRENT
`LOCATION AND SPEED
`FROM GPS RECEIVER.
`104
`
`SELECT NON-GPS
`No
`MODES FROM KEYPAD
`ACTIVITY (FIG. SE). ~~-~",...{
`114
`
`GPSSIGNAL
`OBTAINED?
`106
`~Yes
`
`PROCESSGPS
`SIGNAL (FIGS. 6B-6D).
`108
`
`SELECT MODES
`FROM KEYPAD
`ACTIVITY (FIG. 6E).
`110
`
`GENERATE AUDIBLENISIBLE
`RESPONSE BASED UPON
`OPERATING MODE.
`(FIG.6F)
`112
`
`~
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 5
`
`

`

`u.s. Patent
`
`Dec. 30, 2003
`
`Sheet 4 of 8
`
`US 6,670,905 BI
`
`FIG. 68
`
`PROCESSGPS
`SIGNAL.
`108
`
`MODIFYGPS
`OORDINATES TO GRID.
`MAP INTO CELLS.
`- 120
`
`CURRENT CELL
`EQUAL TO PRIOR
`CELL?
`122
`No
`
`STORE CURRENT
`CELL AS PRIOR
`CELL
`124
`
`ENTER "EVERYDAY
`IS CURRENT
`>-'-'-':..--~ COORDINATE ON ANY Y ROUTE" MODE FOR
`STORED ROUTES?
`STORED ROUTE.
`128
`130
`No
`
`UPDATE -
`NO SIGNAL.
`(FIG. 60)
`144
`
`UPDATE - SIGNAL.
`(FIG.6C)
`142
`
`REMOVE OLDEST HISTORY
`ENTRY IF NECESSARY, AND
`'-----~~ CREATEH~TORYENTRY
`FOR CURRENT CELL.
`146
`
`RETURN.
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 6
`
`

`

`u.s. Patent
`
`Dec. 30, 2003
`
`Sheet 5 of 8
`
`US 6,670,905 BI
`
`FIG.6C
`
`Yes
`
`ENTER "SIGNAL.
`TRACKING" MODE.
`152
`
`STORE CURRENT CELL
`AND FREQUENCY DATA
`IN TRACKING STORAGE.
`154
`
`FINO DATA FOR
`MATCHING OR
`NEIGHBORING CELLS.
`156
`
`MATCH
`
`WARN USER(cid:173)
`DATABASE FULL.
`166
`
`No
`
`REMOVE OLDEST
`SIGNAL AND FLAG
`ENTRY.
`162
`
`CREATE NEW SIGNAL
`AND FLAG ENTRY
`FOR CURRENT CELL.
`164
`
`ADD 1 TO UNWANTED SOURCE
`INCIDENCE COUNTER FOR EACH
`REQUENCY BLOCK IDENTIFIED BYI
`ECEIVER AS CONTAINING SIGNAL,
`PREVENTING OVERFLOW.
`170
`
`I
`
`'f
`
`1
`
`SOURCE INCIDENCE COUNTER FOR
`CH FREQUENCY BLOCK JDENTIFIE
`
`I SUBTRACT 1 FROM UNWANTED ~
`Pay RECEIVER AS NOT CONTAINING
`I ;'GNAL, PREVENTING UNDERFLOW.
`
`172
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 7
`
`

`

`u.s. Patent
`
`Dec. 30, 2003
`
`Sheet 6 of 8
`
`US 6,670,905 BI
`
`FIG. 60
`
`UPDATE·NO
`SIGNAL
`144
`
`IN "SIGNAL
`No
`,--.....;,.;,;:.( TRACKING" MODE?
`180
`
`Yes
`
`EXIT "SIGNAL
`TRACKING" MODE.
`182
`
`IN "POLICE
`"...-____ -I---.:Y:..:e=ts CONFIRMATION"
`MODE?
`184
`
`SET "ALWAYS WARN"
`BIT FOR AWCENTRAL
`CELLS IN TRACK.
`186
`
`No
`
`IN "TRAINING"
`OR "EVERYDAY
`ROUTE" MODE?
`202
`Yes
`
`SUBTRACT 1 FROM UNWANTED
`SOURCE INCIDENCE COUNTER
`FOR EACH FREQUENCY BLOCK
`.
`IDENTIFIED BY RECEIVER,
`PREVENTING UNDERFLOW.
`204
`
`CLEAR "FREQUENCY
`LOCKour', "LOCATION
`LOCKOUT", "MINIMAL VISUAL"
`AND "POLICE CONFIRMATION"
`MODES.
`206
`
`SET LOCKOUT BITS FOR
`FREQUENCIES TRACKED,
`FOR ALUCENTRAL CELLS
`IN TRACK.
`190
`
`IN "LOCATION
`LOCKOUT" MODE?
`192
`
`Yes
`
`SET ALI. LOCKOUT BITS
`FOR ALUCENTRAL
`CELLS IN TRACK.
`194
`
`SET MV BITS FOR
`ALUCENTRAL CELLS
`IN TRACK.
`198
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 8
`
`

`

`FIG.6E
`
`d •
`rJl
`•
`
`.ELECT NON..a~.
`MODII fFloM
`kEYJl'AO AC'MTY .
`.. I
`
`CLUR AU CPS RELATED MODES:
`ftEQUlHCY, LoeA liON AND MINIMA
`VfSUAL LOCKOUT MODEl; ROUJE
`---------~._--__I IDENnP'lcA'K)N MODI!; POLICE
`CONFIRMATION MODE; TANNING
`MODEj EYEAYDAV Roun MODI •
`
`...
`
`------o-------------~- J r NO ACTIVITY]
`
`L 21.
`~r
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 9
`
`

`

`u.s. Patent
`
`Dec. 30, 2003
`
`Sheet 8 of 8
`
`US 6,670,905 BI
`
`FIG.6F
`
`GENERATE
`AUDIBLENISIBLE
`RESPONSE BASED UPON
`OPERATING MDDE.
`112
`
`LOCAnoN LDCKDUT.
`MINIMAL VISUAL LOCKOUT
`DR ALWAYS WARN FLAG SEl
`FOR CURRENT CELL (FIG. 51?
`Z78
`
`Yes
`
`~~~~3=~~~~~-~
`
`IF NOT IN 'WARNING SUPPRESSION"
`MODE. GENERATE AUDIBJ..E AND
`VISUAL (NORMAl. OR "EXPERT
`METER"' RESPONSE FOR ALL
`FREQUENCIES IDENTIFIED BY
`RECEIVER.
`281
`
`DOES SELECTED
`FREQUENCY BLOCK HAVE
`Yes SOURCE INCIDENCE COUNTER
`GREATER THAN 'lGNOR£'
`THRESHOLD?
`
`GENERATE MINIMAl.
`VISUAL RESPONSE FOR
`ALLFREQUENClES rt------~
`IOENTIFIED BY RECEIVER.
`29.
`
`RETUfUoI.
`
`GENERATE VISUAL
`RESPONSE FOR ALL
`FREQUENCIES IOENTlFlED
`BY RECEIVER.
`2"
`
`DOES SELECTED
`FREQUENCY BLOCK HAVE
`SOURCE INCIDENCE COUNTER
`GREATER THAN 'SILENT'
`THRESHOLD?
`280
`
`IF NOT IN 'WARNING SUPPRESSION"
`MODE. GENERATE AUDIBLE AND
`VISUAL (NORMAl. OR "EXPERT
`I
`METER, RESPONSE FOR BAND
`.. CLUDING SELECTED FREQUENCY i ,
`,
`BJ..OCK.
`i I
`
`284
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 10
`
`

`

`US 6,670,905 Bl
`
`1
`RADAR WARNING RECEIVER WITH
`POSITION AND VELOCITY SENSITIVE
`FUNCTIONS
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`This application is a United States continuation-in-part of
`U.S. Provisional Patent Application serial No. 60/139,097,
`filed Jun. 14, 1999, and a United States continuation-in-part 10
`of U.S. Provisional Patent Application serial no. 60/145,394,
`filed Jul. 23, 1999, both of which are hereby incorporated
`herein in their entirety.
`
`5
`
`2
`Methods for conditioning detector response are gammg
`importance, because there is an increasing number of signals
`present in the X, K, and Ka bands from products that are
`completely unrelated to police radar. These products share
`the same regions of the spectrum and are also licensed by the
`FCC. The growing number of such signals is rapidly under(cid:173)
`mining the credibility of radar detector performance. Radar
`detectors cannot tell the difference between emissions from
`many of these devices and true police radar systems. As a
`result, radar detectors are increasingly generating false
`alarms, effectively "crying wolf', reducing the significance
`of warnings from radar detectors.
`One of the earliest and most prevalent unrelated Micro(cid:173)
`wave sources is the automatic door system used in many
`15 commercial buildings such as supermarkets, malls, restau(cid:173)
`rants and shopping centers. The majority of these operate in
`the X-Band and produce signals virtually indistinguishable
`from conventional X-Band Police Radar. Other than the fact
`that door opening systems are vertically polarized, vs cir-
`20 cular polarization for police radar, there is no distinction
`between the two that could be analyzed and used by a
`receiver design.
`Until recently, virtually all of the door opening systems
`were designed to operate in the X-Band. As a result, radar
`25 detectors generally announced X-Band alerts far more often
`than K-Band. As these X-Band 'polluters' grew in numbers,
`ultimately 99% of X-Band alerts were from irrelevant
`sources. X-Band alerts became meaningless. The only ben(cid:173)
`efit that these sources offered the user was some assurance
`30 that the detector was actually capable of detecting radar. It
`also gave the user some intuition into the product's detection
`range. To minimize the annoyance to users, most radar
`detector manufacturers added a filter-like behavior that was
`biased against X-Band sources. Many also added "Band
`35 priority" that was biased against X and in favor of bands that
`were less likely to contain irrelevant sources such as K, Ka,
`and Laser. If signals in both X and K Bands were detected,
`band prioritization would announce K, since it was more
`likely be a threat to the driver. In the last few years, K-Band
`door opening systems have also grown in number. This has
`reduced the significance of the K-Band warning and further
`undercut the overall benefit to the user of a radar detector.
`Another unrelated microwave signal is generated by traf(cid:173)
`fic management systems such as the ARTIMIS manufac(cid:173)
`tured by TRW, used in Cincinnati, Ohio. ARTIMIS Stands
`for "Advanced Regional Traffic Interactive Management
`and Information System", and reports traffic flow informa(cid:173)
`tion back to a central control center. Traffic congestion and
`other factors are analyzed by the control center. Control
`center employees use this information to formulate routing
`suggestions and other emergency information, which they
`transmit to a large distribution of overhead and roadside
`signs. In order to collect information on vehicle traffic, a
`roadside ARTIMIS station transmits an X-Band signal
`55 toward cars as they drive by. The ARTIMIS source, unlike
`the X-Band door opener systems, is distinguishable from
`police radar as it is not transmitted at a single fixed fre(cid:173)
`quency. As a result, it is possible to differentiate police radar
`signals from sources such as ARTIMIS, and ignore ARTI-
`60 MIS sources in newer detectors. Older detectors, however,
`do not incorporate this feature and could be obsolete in areas
`where ARTIMIS is in use.
`Unrelated Microwave signals are also transmitted by a
`system called the RASHID VRSS. Rashid is an acronym for
`Radar Safety Brake Collision Warning System. This elec(cid:173)
`tronic device warns heavy trucks and ambulances of hazards
`in their path. A small number of these RASHID VRSS units
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates to radar warning receivers.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Radar detectors warn drivers of the use of police radar,
`and the potential for traffic citations if the driver exceeds the
`speed limit. The FCC has allocated several regions of the
`electromagnetic spectrum for police radar use. The bands
`used by police radar are generally know as the X, K and Ka
`bands. Each relates to a different part of the spectrum. The
`X and K bands are relatively narrow frequency ranges,
`whereas the Ka band is a relatively wide range of frequen(cid:173)
`cies. By the early 1990's, police radar evolved to the point
`that it could operate almost anywhere in the 1600-megahertz
`wide Ka band. During that time radar detectors kept pace
`with models that included descriptive names like "Ultra
`Wide" and "Super Wide." More recently, police have begun
`to use laser (optical) systems for detecting speed. This
`technology was termed LIDAR for "Light Detection and
`Ranging."
`Radar detectors typically comprise a microwave receiver
`and detection circuitry that is typically realized with a
`microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP). Micro(cid:173)
`wave receivers are generally capable of detecting micro(cid:173)
`wave components in the X, K, and very broad Ka band. In 40
`various solutions, either a microprocessor or DSP is used to
`make decisions about the signal content from the microwave
`receiver. Systems including a digital signal processor have
`been shown to provide superior performance over solutions
`based on conventional microprocessors due to the DSP's 45
`ability to find and distinguish signals that are buried in noise.
`Various methods of applying DSP's were disclosed in U.S.
`Pat. Nos. 4,954,828, 5,079,553, 5,049,885, and 5,134,406,
`each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
`Police use of laser has also been countered with laser 50
`detectors, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,500,
`5,347,120 and 5,365.055, each of which is incorporated
`herein by reference. Products are now available that com(cid:173)
`bined laser detection into a single product with a microwave
`receiver, to provide comprehensive protection.
`The DSP or microprocessor in a modem radar detector is
`programmable. Accordingly, they can be instructed to man(cid:173)
`age all of the user interface features such as input switches,
`lights, sounds, as well as generate control and timing signals
`for the microwave receiver and/or laser detector. Early in the
`evolution of the radar detector, consumers sought products
`that offered a better way to manage the audible volume and
`duration of warning signals. Good examples of these solu(cid:173)
`tions are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,542, 5,164,729,
`5,250,951, and 5,300,932, each of which is hereby incorpo- 65
`rated by reference, which provide methods for conditioning
`the response generated by the radar detector.
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 11
`
`

`

`20
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention overcomes these difficulties by
`providing a method of operating a radar detector that aids in
`the management of unrelated sources, and permitting the
`detector to dynamically improve its handling of unrelated
`sources. As noted above, many non-stationary sources can
`be identified and ignored using existing technology.
`However, many stationary sources cannot, as yet be effec(cid:173)
`tively filtered economically with existing technology.
`Accordingly, the invention provides a radar detector that
`includes technology for determining the location of the
`detector, and comparing this location to the locations of
`known stationary sources, to improve the handling of such
`detections.
`In one embodiment, a radar detector may ignore detec(cid:173)
`tions received in an area known to contain a stationary
`source. In the specific embodiment described below, sub(cid:173)
`stantially more sophisticated processing is performed to
`determine whether and what actions to take in response to a
`25 detection.
`The Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS) offers an
`electronic method for establishing current physical coordi(cid:173)
`nates very accurately. In the detailed embodiment described
`below, a radar detector utilizes a GPS system to determine
`30 its current position. The detector also maintain a list of the
`coordinates of the known stationary source "offenders" in
`nonvolatile memory. Each time a microwave or laser source
`is detected, it will compare its current coordinates to this list.
`Notification of the driver will take on a variety of forms
`35 depending on the setup configuration.
`By adding GPS conditioning capabilities to a radar
`detector, the combination becomes a new product category
`that is capable of rejecting signals from any given location
`no matter what the nature of the microwave/laser signals
`40 might be from that location. This will have a dramatic effect
`on the usable life of the product and subsequent value to its
`owner.
`The above and other objects and advantages of the present
`invention shall be made apparent from the accompanying
`drawings and the description thereof
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`
`3
`have been deployed. They are categorized as a member of
`the 'non-stationary' set of unrelated sources. As in the
`ARTIMIS example, detection of RASHID can be prevented.
`Perhaps the biggest source of non-stationary unrelated
`sources is from other radar detectors. These are sometimes 5
`referred to as "polluting radar detectors," and present a
`serious threat to some detector products. An early example
`of this occurred in the mid 1980's when radar detectors
`using superhomodyne circuitry became popular. Such detec(cid:173)
`tors leak energy in the. X-Band and K-bands and appeared 10
`as police radar to other detectors. A solution to this problem
`is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,769, which is hereby
`incorporated by reference in its entirety. A similar problem
`occurred in the early 1990's when the Ka band was widened.
`An unexpected result was that the wider Ka band then also 15
`detected harmonics of signals generated by local oscillators
`within many existing radar detectors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,
`007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
`entirety, describes a method for ignoring these polluting
`detectors.
`At this time, there are very few signal sources that can
`cause false laser detections in comparison to the substantial
`list of false microwave signals just described. However there
`are certain types of equipment that can cause the amplifiers
`and detection circuitry used in a laser detector to generate a
`"false" detect. In particular, certain locations near airports
`have been demonstrated to cause such problems for various
`laser detector products. As a result, selected airport envi(cid:173)
`ronments are examples of stationary signals that produce
`false laser detections.
`As can be appreciated from the foregoing example, as
`sources of unrelated signals continue to propagate, radar
`detectors must continually increase in sophistication to filter
`unrelated sources and accurately identify police radar. Each
`of these changes and enhancements has the potential effect
`of obsoleting existing detectors that do not include appro(cid:173)
`priate countermeasures. Furthermore, some sources, particu(cid:173)
`larly stationary door opener sources, at this time cannot be
`filtered economically, and thus threaten the usefulness of
`even the most sophisticated modem radar detector.
`During the 1980's, the functionality of radar detectors
`expanded into other classes of driver notification. A system
`was developed that required a special transmitter be placed
`on emergency vehicles, trains, and other driving hazards. 45
`The term 'emergency radar' was coined, and a variety of
`products were introduced that could detect these transmit(cid:173)
`ters. One such solution was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
`5,559,508, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein
`in its entirety. Another system was later introduced offering 50
`a larger class of 'hazard categories' called the SWS system.
`Both emergency radar and SWS involve the transmission of
`microwave signals in the 'K' band. Such signals are con(cid:173)
`sidered to be a part of the group of signal types that are
`intended to be detected by radar detectors.
`A drawback of these warning systems is that stationary
`transmitters of these signals send the same message to
`drivers constantly, and become a nuisance during daily
`commute. This is beneficial to 'new' drivers receiving the
`message for the first time. However these messages become 60
`an annoyance to drivers who follow the same path to work
`everyday.
`Thus, radar detector manufacturers are continually con(cid:173)
`fronted with new problems to solve, due to the variety of
`different types of unrelated sources and their sheer numbers.
`The rate at which new or upgraded radar detector models are
`introduced continues to increase as manufacturers try to
`
`55
`
`US 6,670,905 Bl
`
`4
`evolve their products to manage the growing number of
`unrelated sources. Meanwhile, the market for radar detectors
`is shrinking because consumers are no longer interested in
`buying products that so quickly become obsolete.
`
`The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in
`and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodi(cid:173)
`ments of the invention and, together with a general descrip(cid:173)
`tion of the invention given above, and the detailed descrip(cid:173)
`tion of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the
`principles of the invention.
`FIG. 1 is an illustration of a vehicle receiving radar
`signals from police radar and from a number of unrelated
`sources, and further receiving global positioning signals
`from a global positioning satellite;
`FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram of a radar detection
`circuit in accordance with principles of the present inven(cid:173)
`tion;
`FIG. 3 is a illustration of a database structure used by the
`radar detection circuit of FIG. 2, for storing information
`radar signals received or receivable from unrelated sources
`65 at a number of locations, as identified by cell coordinates;
`FIG. 4 is an illustration of a database structure used for
`storing historic information on the locations of a vehicle
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 12
`
`

`

`US 6,670,905 Bl
`
`5
`carrying the radar detection circuit of FIG. 2, as identified by
`cell coordinates;
`FIG. 5 is an illustration of a database structure used for
`storing flags identifying various conditions at a number of
`locations, as identified by cell coordinates;
`FIG. 6Ais a flow chart of the operations of the CPU of the
`radar detector of FIG. 2, carrying out principles of the
`present invention;
`FIG. 6B is a flow chart of operations of the CPU of FIG. 10
`2 in processing GPS information when GPS signals are
`being received;
`FIG. 6C is a flow chart of operations of the CPU of FIG.
`2 in updating stored information when a radar signal is being
`received;
`FIG. 6D is a flow chart of operations of the CPU of FIG.
`2 in updating stored information when a radar signal is not
`being received;
`FIG. 6E is a flow chart of operations of the CPU of FIG.
`2 in responding to keypad activity to change operative mode 20
`of the GPS enabled radar detector; and
`FIG. 6F is a flow chart of operations of the CPU of FIG.
`2 in generating audible and visible responses based upon
`operating modes of the radar detector and the presence or
`absence of radar signals and stored information.
`
`25
`
`6
`DOD can engage an encryption segment on the P-code
`called anti-spoofing (AS). The CIA-code is designed for use
`by nonmilitary users and provides SPS service. The C/A(cid:173)
`code is less accurate and easier to j am than the P-code. It is
`5 also easier to acquire, so military receivers first track the
`CIA-code and then transfer to the P-code. Selective avail(cid:173)
`ability is achieved by degrading the accuracy of the C/A(cid:173)
`code.
`The precision of SPS is stated as providing 100-meter
`horizontal and 156 meter vertical accuracy "95% of the
`time." PPS is only available for the U.S. and allied military,
`certain U.S. Government agencies, and selected civil users
`specifically approved by the U.S. Government. PPS pro(cid:173)
`vides 22 meters horizontal and 22.7 meters vertical accuracy
`15 95% of the time.
`Other than intentional errors inserted by the DOD, there
`are a variety of other error sources that vary with terrain and
`other factors. GPS satellite signals are blocked by most
`materials. GPS signals will not pass through buildings,
`metal, mountains, or trees. Leaves and jungle canopy can
`attenuate GPS signals so that they become unusable. In
`locations where at least four satellite signals with good
`geometry cannot be tracked with sufficient accuracy, GPS is
`unusable.
`The "Differential GPS" system was developed in order to
`compensate for the inaccuracy of GPS readings. A high(cid:173)
`performance GPS receiver (known as a reference station or
`beacon) is placed at a specific location; the information it
`receives is then compared to the receiver's location and
`30 corrects the SA satellite signal errors. The error data is then
`formatted into a correction message and transmitted to GPS
`users on a specific frequency (300 kHz). A true or arbitrary
`set of coordinates are assigned to the position occupied by
`a reference GPS receiver. The difference between these and
`the coordinates received via GPS at the reference is a very
`close approximation to the SA error at nearby sites. This
`error is nearly identical to the error calculated by any nearby
`GPS receiver. The reference site is sometimes referred to as
`a 'beacon,' as it constantly transmits these difference coor-
`dinates. A DPGS receiver is designed to receive both the
`GPS information and the beacon information. It generates a
`far more accurate estimate of its coordinates by applying the
`difference information to the GPS coordinates. The draw(cid:173)
`back to this is that the remote and reference receivers may
`45 not be using the same set of satellites in their computations.
`If this is the case, and the remote receiver incorporates the
`corrections, it may be accounting for satellite errors that are
`not included in its own measurement data. These corrections
`can make the differential solution worse than the uncor-
`50 rected GPS position. To prevent this error, an improved form
`of differential GPS involves the derivation of the corrections
`to the actual measurements made at the reference receiver to
`each satellite. By receiving all of the corrections
`independently, the remote receiver can pick and choose
`55 which are appropriate to its own observations. This method
`of DGPS is most widely used. Typically, the DGPS correc(cid:173)
`tion signal loses approximately 1 m of accuracy for every
`150 km of distance from the reference station.
`The availability of Beacons for DGPS systems elevate the
`60 very threat that the SA error was intended to reduce. In the
`presence of such networks, potentially hostile weapons
`systems using DGPS could be developed relatively rapidly.
`For this reason and others, the SA error has diminished in
`military significance. The White House has Directed that the
`65 S/A error be "Set to Zero" by the year 2006.
`In the United States, the US Coast Guard (USCG) and
`Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) have constructed a net-
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`To provide background for the present invention, a sum(cid:173)
`mary of GPS (Global Positioning System) technology will
`now be provided. GPS is a mature technology that provides
`a method for a GPS receiver to determine its relative
`location and velocity at any time. The (GPS) system is a
`worldwide constellation of 24 satellites and their ground 35
`stations. GPS receivers on earth use' line of sight' informa(cid:173)
`tion from these satellites as reference points to calculate
`positions accurate to a matter of meters. Advanced forms of
`GPS actually enable measurements to within a centimeter.
`The Global Positioning System consists of three segments: 40
`a space segment of 24 orbiting satellites, a control segment
`that includes a control center and access to overseas com(cid:173)
`mand stations, and a user segment, consisting of GPS
`receivers and associated equipment. Over time GPS receiv(cid:173)
`ers have been miniaturized to just a few integrated circuits
`and have become very economical.
`An unfortunate side effect of the GPS system is that it can
`be used by enemy forces, as GPS signals can be picked up
`by any receiver including both domestic and foreign. When
`the United States Department of Defense devised the GPS
`system they incorporated a feature that prevents high pre(cid:173)
`cision measurements unless the receiver is equipped with
`special military 'keys.' This is accomplished with the inten(cid:173)
`tional introduction of "noise" into the satellite's clock data
`which adds noise (or inaccuracy) into position calculations.
`The DOD sometimes also sends slightly erroneous orbital
`data to the satellites, which is transmitted back to receivers
`on the ground. This intentional degradation is referred to as
`"Selective Availability" or "SA" error. Military receivers use
`a decryption key to remove the SA errors. As a result of the
`SA error, there are two classes of GPS service, "Standard
`Positioning Service (SPS) and "Precise Positioning System"
`(PPS.). These classes are realized by having GPS satellites
`transmit two different signals: the Precision or P-code and
`the Coarse Acquisition or CIA-code. The P-code is designed
`for authorized military users and provides PPS service. To
`ensure that unauthorized users do not acquire the P-code, the
`
`K-40 Electronics, LLC Exhibit 1001, page 13
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`US 6,670,905 Bl
`
`7
`work of Beacon stations that service the majority of the
`eastern United States, the entire length of both coastlines,
`and the Great Lakes. Further plans exist to increase the
`density of this network to provide dual redundant coverage
`throughout the continental US by the end of the year 2000
`for a variety of applications including intelligent transpor(cid:173)
`tation system, infrastructure management, and public safety.
`The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) provides cov