Abstract: An emergency vehicle alert system coupled with an interior rearview mirror assembly attached to the windshield or a header portion of a vehicle that will visually and audibly alert a driver of the presence of an emergency vehicle or railroad train in the proximity of the driver. A sound transducer having a probe engaged with the windshield receives acoustical warning signals from emergency vehicles and other vehicles, converts them into electrical audio frequency signals and sends them to an audio pre-amplifier which amplifies the signals and feeds them to a sound discriminator calibrated to evaluate and discriminate between signals that fit within parameters set for particular emergency sound frequencies. A piezo beeper alarm and an audio output amplifier and programmed voice warning unit are triggered upon detection of sounds that fit within the parameters.

Abstract: This invention provides a new and improved emergency alarm system comprising a central control unit which is directly or indirectly connected to every other component of the emergency alarm system. The central control unit triggers and stops a visual alarm generator and an audio alarm generator, either simultaneously or separately, upon receiving signals from other components of the emergency alarm system. A portable control element and a signal-generating detection means are used for starting and stopping the central control unit, which in turn triggers a power supply means to cause a change, through the visual alarm generator, in color of a visible outdoor board and to commence, through the audio alarm generator, an alarm. A hidden sensing circuit can serve as the signal-generating detection means. The present invention also presents a method of application of said emergency alarm system.