GPS BASED VEHICLE WARNING AND LOCATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

摘要

An emergency vehicle alert system for providing information as to a location of an emergency vehicle to a motor vehicle, includes a first GPS receiving unit that is provided on the emergency vehicle and that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites and that determines emergency vehicle location information of the emergency vehicle. The system also includes a radio-wave transmitter unit that is provided on the emergency vehicle and that transmits the emergency vehicle location information by way of an emergency vehicle location signal. The system further includes a second GPS receiving unit that is provided on the motor vehicle and that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites and that determines vehicle location information of the motor vehicle. The system also includes a radio-wave receiver unit that is provided on the motor vehicle and that receives the emergency location signal output by the radio-wave transmitter unit of the emergency vehicle. The system further includes a map display that displays, on a map that includes a plurality of street locations, a current location of the motor vehicle a current location of the emergency vehicle. The emergency vehicle is shown as an icon on the map, whereby the icon has a different visual characteristic depending on the position of the emergency vehicle with respect to the motor vehicle.