Radar Warning Receiver with Position and Velocity Sensitive Functions

Abstract

A GPS enabled radar detector dynamically handles radar sources based upon previously-stored geographically-referenced information on such sources and data from the GPS receiver. The detector 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. The detector may ignore detections received in an area known to contain a stationary source, or may only ignore specific frequencies or may handle frequencies differently based upon historic trends of spurious police radar signals at each frequency. Notification of the driver will take on a variety of forms depending on the stored information, current operating modes, and vehicle speed.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A police activity transponder comprising:
 a receiver section receiving signals in a band that is used in the context of law enforcement activity;   a warning section responding to the receiver section and providing a warning if a received signal correlates to a law enforcement signal;   a storage device including stored data identifying a plurality of geographic locations and signal information associated with each of the plurality of geographic locations, the signal information describing a signal detected at the associated location in a band that is used in the context of law enforcement activity.   
     
     
         2 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  wherein the receiver section receives electromagnetic radar signals in one or more of an X, K or Ka radar band. 
     
     
         3 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  wherein the receiver section receives signals carried in the visible or infrared spectrum. 
     
     
         4 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  further comprising an interface reading vehicle speed data from a host vehicle. 
     
     
         5 . The police activity transponder of  claim 4  wherein the interface is an OBDII compliant interface. 
     
     
         6 . The police activity transponder of  claim 4  wherein the interface is an IVBD compliant interface. 
     
     
         7 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  further comprising a position storing circuit for storing an indication of the position of the police activity transponder. 
     
     
         8 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  wherein the warning section is a visible display that makes visible warnings. 
     
     
         9 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  wherein the warning section is an audio speaker that makes audible warnings. 
     
     
         10 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  further comprising an interface for receiving signal information associated with geographic locations from an Internet resource. 
     
     
         11 . The police activity transponder of  claim 10  wherein the signal information comprises information of rejectable electromagnetic signals not related to police activity at an identified geographic location. 
     
     
         12 . The police activity transponder of  claim 10  wherein the signal information comprises information of non-rejectable electromagnetic signals related to police activity at an identified geographic location. 
     
     
         13 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  wherein the signal information comprises information of rejectable electromagnetic signals not related to police activity at an identified geographic location. 
     
     
         14 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  wherein the signal information comprises information of non-rejectable electromagnetic signals related to police activity at an identified geographic location. 
     
     
         15 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  wherein the warning section includes a signal tracking feature that tracks electromagnetic signals that are continuously received by the receiver section. 
     
     
         16 . The police activity transponder of  claim 15  further comprising a position storing circuit, wherein the signal tracking feature interacts with the position storing circuit to store geographic locations at which electromagnetic signals are continuously received. 
     
     
         17 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  further comprising a display presenting signal information relating to received electromagnetic signals. 
     
     
         18 . The police activity transponder of  claim 1  further comprising a display presenting signal information relating to stored electromagnetic signals.