The development of an emergency vehicle alert system for hearing impaired drivers is proposed for NIA Subject 3 A, 1996. The proposed system will display a visual warning signal for hearing impaired (most of whom are elderly) or deaf drivers if an emergency vehicle is approaching. Through the display, the driver can quickly determine the presence, distance, and direction of the approaching emergency vehicle. The Phase I objective will be to verify the feasibility of the proposed acoustic alert system concept. The system will consist of microphones, a signal processor, and display. Several products for the same purpose are currently or were previously marketed. These devices use banks of filters and level detection, and they provide only a simple warning sign. False detection rate of these devices is very high and the performance of these devices is far from satisfactory. The key goal addressed by this project is to drastically increase the accuracy and reliability of such systems while maintaining low cost. Recent strides in signal processing and in the performance of low cost microprocessors make this a practical goal.
The proposed alert system for hearing impaired drivers also has a potential application for drivers with normal hearing. With all windows up and the radio on, drivers with normal hearing may have the same difficulties as the hearing impaired in detecting warning sirens. Therefore, this system should have a high commercial potential.
