Site Update - August 6, 2008

Welcome to the redesigned home page for The Neffer Report - or for short, Nefferport. Nefferport is the homesite to my weekly-updated online research journal - not research blog. I don't know if it's the first of it's kind, but it's not some rant from a dilettante in the art. No, what you see on these pages are the products of weeks or even years of research, experimentation, and invention - and most of my work has won awards on shows such as Modern Marvels and from companies like IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Moody's (NYSE: MCO).

On the above tabs, you can see previous research projects that I have done, view pictures and Powerpoint presentations that I gave, and even read my research papers. As the year progresses, I hope to provide information about my progress on my paper to ISEF.

I started publishing my work about three years ago, and have been making websites from the 5th grade. My first website was an astronomy news service. From the website, you used to be able to pull data from 20 solar observation satellites and even get a 3D image of where the ISS and Hubble were at any time. I even had the saddened priviledge to be the first to report on the Columbia spaceship disaster after communications had been severed the morning of February 1st, 2003. Unfortunately, the webserver where the site was being housed crashed, and all the data was lost.

Since then, there was NefferNet, a forum website that I had set up for my school so that everyone could keep in touch. It worked like a charm. Within a few months, everyone was posting there about everything - from what car they wanted to buy to what happened at last night's dance party.

Then came Nefferport (version 1), which used to stand for Neffer Portal. You remember it as the flash games site. While all the content is still here under the Flash Content tab, I thought that I could expand the site with a more academic touch. I will continue to publish new flash games as soon as I finish with my ISEF project.

Feel free to explore all of the tabs above, post in the forum, and print out everything you find interesting. However, I ask that if anyone would like to distribute my work, either by print, radio, TV, internet, etc. that they first ask for my permission. You can send me an email anytime at raneff@gmail.com.

*Winner of the IBM Innovation to be Greener Award

Exerpts from the research project Applying Magneto-Hydrodynamic Physics to Water Purification in Potable and Industrial Applications

Introduction: One of the hottest topics receiving attention in the media, scientific, political, and economic sectors of the world today is water purification. Today, both traditional water softening methods and plastic, disposable water bottles, that Americans traditionally take for granted, disturbs both local land and water ecosystems alike. Indeed, scientists agree that our current methods of water purification, no matter how ingeniously designed, have unavoidable environmental consequences. However, if newer methods are not developed to reduce the effects of such methods, it is certain that both local communities and global ecosystems will suffer without further intervention in the years to come.

The benefits of water purification are manifest, both in residential and industrial markets. Water purification can provide additional benefits, such as removing impurities that can gather over time in either our bodies or externally in pipes and other conduits. It is easy to decipher that water impurities can deteriorate the condition of human body. However, impurities that can gather in pipes and other conduits often cause damage to infrastructure that requires costly repairs. For example, the recent trend in the computer industry has been to abandon the air cooling methods in favor of water cooling. Purified water is in high demand by computer data centers for use in server cooling. Currently, the cost of repairing damage caused by water impurities is a heavy burden on the industry.

The semiconductor fabrication industry can benefit greatly from systems that enable water to be reused. An estimated 2000 gallons of highly purified water is required to process each 8 inch semiconductor wafer—more is required to process 12 inch wafers. Proposed systems for treating water used in semiconductor fabrication are expensive in order to reach required purity.  Such systems require several different chemical and physical technologies to work perfectly in order to achieve the required purity. On the other hand, purification systems must be compatible with dozens of chemicals used at various stages in the fabrication process.

Abstract
Using research on both current and developing water purification methods, a solution is presented to the water purification crisis that is both environmentally and economically friendly. Operating on the principles of magneto-hydrodynamic physics, the purification system removes contaminants, including hardness, various volatile organic compounds, dissolved chemicals and fertilizers, and dissolved gases such as chlorine, from the water through a series of electromagnets without the need for traditional filtration. The purifier will provide water quality comparable to bottle water, enabling plastic waste and transportation costs to be eliminated. Since it creates no environmentally-damaging waste, the system outperforms current water treatment facilities and is more eco-friendly.

The purifier could be easily deployed in residential homes, and even whole communities to provide marked benefits on both the economy and the environment. In my local school and community, purchasing disposable water bottles is often the alternative to drinking tap water, often because of high levels of hardness and chlorine that are unpleasant to taste. Such a purification system could rapidly replace disposable water bottles while providing the same quality and taste that local community members expect from purified water.

Cost-effectiveness was addressed as a key concern of the design implementation. In terms of electricity, the system will draw up to 125 watts when the purifier is operating at 1000 GPM at peak efficiency. Comparably, some of today’s most advanced continuous deionization systems aimed at reducing electrical costs to water purification consumes about 2000 watts per 1000 gallons of product – a 1600% increase in energy consumption – and an equal amount of salty waste water.

The Problem
Pure, clean drinking water is a critical necessity of every community. Today, however, it is becoming more difficult to provide this to growing multitudes in our communities. Water purification, in some areas, is the only available solution. However, we must also make sure that whichever method that we use to purify our drinking water be as environmentally friendly as possible, so that we continue to preserve our children’s future homeland. Therefore, today’s leading scientists have a number of goals when innovating on current water purification methods:

Today’s water purification systems have various pros and cons in their design and environmental impact. Below is a list of various water purification methods, including their benefits and their shortcomings.

 

 

Research Project: Effects of Diatomaceous Earth on Global Temperatures, June 3rd, 2008

Introduction

No matter what the cause, whether it is because of natural factors or just simply a man-made consequence of an industrial society, the recent increase in global temperatures is changing the world’s climate in unpredictable and damaging ways. Just recently, a cyclone off the coast of Myanmar left over 100,000 dead and displaced over 2.4 million people. The effects of Hurricane Katrina, which wiped a historical piece of our nation’s history almost completely off the map in New Orleans, can still be seen today; most people will still feel the effects of the storm for a lifetime. Apart from natural disasters, farmers who once had plentiful harvests now have to combat an ever-increasing drought in the southwest, and hundreds of thousands of people in low-lying areas of India have to take a boat for their major mode of transport.

While we may never know whether these storms were products of global warming, one thing is certain: unless a solution to the problem is implemented, these negative effects will only increase in their number and magnitude. Our love of fossil fuels and manufactured goods is only contributing to the release of even more greenhouse gases – like CO2 – that just add to the increase of global temperatures today.

There are already many passive measures in place today, but it’s unclear whether those will be enough to already stop the damage that’s been done. Some scientists today suggest that only curbing greenhouse gas emissions from cars, plastic, and home energy will not be enough; others go further to claim that passives measure to stop further damage to our environment will be ineffective, unless we remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, such a cleanup project to reclaim unimaginable amounts of carbon dioxide would not only be extremely costly but also energy-demanding.

Therefore, a more natural solution to the problem, that can actively combat global warming without harming the environment or the economy, must be found. Hopefully, through the application of chemical and environmental engineering, a compound can be discovered and implemented to meet these demands.

Research into a Possible Solution

            Recently, it has been stipulated that there might be a secondary cause to global warming that is separate and apart from greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The theory – entitled “Global Brightening” – recently appeared in a Science magazine article, interjecting that the upper atmosphere might actually be absorbing a reduced amount of solar energy than in previous years. It explained that the cause of the decrease was related to the cleaning up of smog in various nations around the world. Smog is widely known as a gaseous mixture of poisonous sulfuric and nitric acids that are often emitted by car engines and factories. Interestingly enough, the scientist behind the theory says that the secondary cause of this cleaning might actually have led to global warming itself.

To dig deeper into this theory, it is imperative to understand how this process works. Sulfuric acid, or H2SO4, is one of the six strong acids that most chemists are very familiar with. It is commonly referred to as a clear liquid that has a pungent, egg-like odor. However, sulfuric acid often makes a fine mist of toxic vapors when it comes in contact with air, called sulfuric aerosols; these vapors commonly burn the eyes in most kitchens. Onions are most commonly referred to as one example where sulfuric acids can make sulfuric aerosols. While the acid is a clear liquid, sulfuric aerosols actually have some interesting qualities: they absorb certain wavelengths of light. Most commonly, they absorb heat energy from the sun in the form of invisible infrared rays. Therefore, sulfuric aerosols share similar properties with greenhouse gases such as CO2, except that sulfuric aerosols mostly exist away from the surface of the earth in the stratosphere. Because of this, there is increased speculation that sulfate aerosols can actually decrease the global temperature by absorbing heat energy before it reaches the surface of the earth. This is the essence behind the global brightening theory.

There already is some evidence to show that at least some parts of the global brightening theory can be confirmed. For instance, observed data from the EPA shows that the amount of infrared radiation from the sun has increased 10-15% since 1990. This means that more heat energy is warming the lower levels of the atmosphere, causing a global temperature increase completely apart from current carbon dioxide levels. Also, data from weather balloons in the stratosphere show that global stratospheric temperatures have decreased by up to 6 degrees Celsius, indicating that reduced levels of sulfate aerosols, that would normally heat the stratosphere, might be the cause.

Even with all of this, though, there is still no rationale for using such a toxic chemical to reduce global warming, since the environmental consequences on both people and wildlife would be too great; therefore, a substitute material that can both mimic the effects of sulfate aerosols while being safe to the environment must be found.

Diatomaceous earth, abbreviated DE, is one possible solution to this engineering problem. It is an extremely fine, white powder that can be described as tiny particles of glass, mined from the fossilized remains of crustaceans. It is very similar to the types of volcanic ash that often stay in the earth’s stratosphere years after an eruption. DE also only absorbs the same frequencies of light as sulfate aerosols do, as shown by the transmittance plot comparison of both chemicals.

Figure 1 - Transmittance Spectrum of Diatomaceous Earth

*Note the similarities between the types of light waves that DE and sulfate aerosols pick up. As shown here, they’re very close to each other in the infrared range.

DE can also increase cloud formation by acting as a nucleation site for water droplet formation. Finally, DE is environmentally friendly. While in laboratory environments the chemical is harmful to inhale, DE is completely safe outside as it picks up water particles when exposed to air (note: it is known that both sugar and flour share this property).  Since DE is made up of tiny glass particles of silicon dioxide, it is indistinguishable with sand.

Read the full research paper (.doc)

Watch the presentation with notes included (.ppt)

Our world today is warming...

A Change in Temperature

Most scientists and civilians today believe that global warming is caused by an increase in the amount of "greenhouse gases" in the atmosphere - otherwise known as a variety of different gases that raise the global temperature. One may be familiar with its most widely-known component carbon dioxide (CO2). Greenhouse gases are known for their ability to absorb and trap heat - and are doing so within our own atmosphere, at an extraordinary rate. Infact, since 1970, the global temperature has risen about 0.6 degrees Celsius (1.1 degrees Fahrenheit). However, that doesn't hold true elsewhere - up above you and me.

The stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere right above the troposphere - where we live our daily lives. When a plane flies by above us - most often that plane is traveling in the stratosphere. Surprisingly, our stratosphere has undergone unexplainable cooling while the global temperature was rising in the troposphere. Since 1970, the stratospheric temperature has decreased - by over 7 degrees Celsius (12.6 degrees Fahrenheit) - an alarming decrease for such a short period of time. For years scientists have searched to find the answer for this change, and today, we might know what was causing it after all.

Stratospheric "Brightening" Theory

Just like washing a car or a pile of dirty dishes, our world has also been cleaned up from its recent past. Before the Clean Air Act, the world was a dirty place to live in, by far. Sulfate (SO4) aerosols, Nitrous oxide (NOx), and soot filled the atmosphere - polluting rivers, lakes, and entire cities. Even today, the affects of an unclean world can be seen in some cities such as Beijing, with heavy smog fills the air, darkening the air and polluting streams. Before 1970, large amounts of smog had filled the stratosphere, darkening the skies above.

However, at that time, the smog was counteracting the affects of global warming. Without the smog, the atmosphere would be a lot warmer today, and would have caused the atmosphere to rise an additional 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) in temperature. However, gases such as SO4 and NOx in the stratosphere were reflecting the sun's heat back into space before they reached the greenhouse gases below them - therefore stabilizing the earth's temperature at 60 degrees Fahrenheit - the "normal temperature" of the earth.

The Clean Air Act, however, aimed to help the earth's environment by eliminating smog, may have had unforeseen consequences. The act was put forth to eliminate six primary pollutants, SO4 and NOx being two of them, from industry processes, commercial applications and car exhaust. Fortunately, the program was a success, and our world had become much more clean and free of smog. As one can see today, smog has been reduced by up to around 70% since the program's inception. However, since 1977 when the program had gone into full effect, global temperatures also began to rise - at an unprecedented rate of 0.2 degrees C (0.37 degrees F) per decade - the highest seen in much of recorded history.

The theory is that smog (in gray) in the upper stratosphere was shielding the earth from heat from the sun in the form of IR (infrared) radiation before 1977 when the increase began. This smog, in turn, had caused the stratosphere to warm as IR radiation was also scattered and trapped between these highly-reflective particles. As the stratosphere reflected the heat - the troposphere was shielded and had remained cool. However, today, as most pollutants have been removed from the atmosphere, this IR radiation reaches the troposphere - where it is trapped by increasing amounts of CO2 gas(in pink). This is causing what we know today as the phenomenon of global warming.

Of course, this is only in the stratosphere - as total visible light from the sun that hits the surface has decreased 22% in the past 35 years, the amount of light that passes through the stratosphere above it has doubled. Because of this, there are observably higher temperatures in the troposphere and reduced sunlight amounts - CO2 absorbs both light and heat from the sun. However, since there is less SO4 and NOX in the atmosphere today, the stratosphere has brightened in return - hence the name for the stratospheric "brightening" theory behind it.

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*Second Round Winners

Moody's Mega Math Challenge 2008: Is Corn Ethanol a Viable Energy Solution for the US?

By: Ryan Neff, Dani Roselius, Nicolas Valente, and David Lee.

Summary: One of the hottest topics receiving attention in the media, science, economic, and political sectors of American life is the prospect of corn-derived ethanol as a substitute for gasoline.  The combination of the conflict in the Middle East with the imminent threat of economic recession domestically worries producers and consumers alike.  The rising price of gasoline has fueled research on alternative energy sources.  Indeed, the prospect of U.S. energy independence is appealing to all, but many wonder if such a feat is possible, economically feasible, or environmentally sound.  If the United States does adopt a predominantly corn-derived ethanol approach to these problems, there will ultimately be negative consequences, such as an increased risk of shortage due to corn’s vulnerability to weather, and an inevitable decrease in grain production that will affect food supplies domestically and abroad.

Using statistical analysis of data from past decades, we constructed a model for determining the amount of gasoline the United States uses and will use each year.  In 2008, we predict that the U.S. will consume 3.535 billion barrels of gasoline.  If the country were to substitute 10% of this gasoline for ethanol, taking into account the fact that gasoline has higher energy efficiency, the U.S. would need to produce 505 million barrels of ethanol to compensate for the difference.
A substitution of this scale would have numerous environmental consequences.  However, using statistical analysis, we determined that using ethanol instead of gasoline will result in 1.5% less carbon dioxide emissions.

Substituting ethanol for gasoline may be beneficial to the economy as well.  Based on the current production costs of each fuel, corn-derived ethanol is more cost efficient than gasoline.  Producing a gallon of ethanol currently costs $1.09, and as of March 3, the average cost of producing a gallon of gasoline is $2.62.  Based on our equation relating the overall efficiency of using ethanol to that of using gasoline, we determined that gasoline production costs would have to equal $1.56 per gallon to be as cost-efficient as ethanol currently is.  However, due to rising corn prices, the cost of ethanol production will increase until 2015, when its cost efficiency will be less than that of gasoline.

A negative consequence of increasing corn-derived ethanol production is the decrease in grain supply.  Harvesting ethanol will become more lucrative to farmers than growing wheat or cultivating livestock.  This could result in an increase in grain prices of 150-300% per year.  This would devastate the food supply and could result in food shortages worldwide, especially in developing nations that depend on U.S. grain to survive.

Though it is currently cost efficient to produce ethanol over gasoline and  may reduce carbon dioxide emissions, it may not be the best solution.  There is no magical energy source that will solve all of this country’s energy problems.  However, a conglomerate of several alternatives to gasoline may ameliorate some of the suffering.  We found that a combination of wind power, solar power, and cellulosic ethanol production may establish an economically feasible and environmentally stable energy source for the United States in the future.

Please send me an email at raneff@gmail.com for the full text of this paper.

*Nationally recognized by The History Channel and Awardee of the Modern Marvels InventNow Competition

US Patent 6,850,170: On board vehicle system for receiving and indicating driver-related signals

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to transportation safety systems, and more specifically to a system on board a vehicle for receiving and displaying driving-related signals such as traffic light signals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional traffic light signaling at intersections only works well under good weather conditions. When sunglare or heavy precipitation are present, it can be difficult to understand whether a given traffic signal glows red, green or amber. Often under such conditions a driver will finally identify the traffic signal later than he or she should, with little time left to stop the vehicle when the signal glows red. During twilight periods, when eyes have difficulty distinguishing objects in the partially illuminated landscape, it can be just as difficult to understand when an intersection is being approached, and to watch for the presence of a traffic signal. In addition to these problems which affect all drivers, a significant number of drivers have red green color blindness which may impair their ability to distinguish between the conventional green light signal for "GO" and the conventional red light signal for "STOP". Thus, under poor lighting or poor weather conditions, a driver may fail to stop before an intersection when the traffic signal glows red and thereby endanger himself and others.

Besides traffic signals, the driver must continually monitor other visual information. Even under the worst weather conditions, e.g. snowstorms, duststorms, fog, etc., the driver must understand the position of the vehicle in relation to the road and other vehicles. If the driver fails to understand the edge of the road and the vehicle veers off the road, a serious collision may result. At minimum, the driver may not be able to return the vehicle to the road. In such weather, when vehicles ahead of the driver slow down, a delay in perceiving such condition could lead to a serious collision.

Much needed driver information presumes keen and watchful perception on the part of the driver. The driver has must watch for and perceive visual events that appear with only a moment's notice. Road hazards, such as potholes and debris, pose serious risks to vehicles. Animals in the roadway, whether still or live, cause damage to vehicles and may cause vehicles to veer off the road. Caution and warning signs must also be perceived in time to be heeded. If vehicles approach a sharp turn or lane merge too fast, they may collide or veer off the road.

For all these reasons, an on-board vehicle signaling system is needed which complements external visual driver information by receiving and indicating driving-related signals such as the phase of a traffic stoplight being approached by the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the vehicle on-board system of the present invention is adapted to receive and indicate driving-related signals including phases of traffic light signals to a driver of the vehicle. The on-board system includes means for receiving a plurality of driving related signals, the signals including at least one signal representing a phase of a traffic light signal in proximity to the system; and means for indicating the driving-related signals to a driver.

Preferably, the receiving means includes means for distinguishing a plurality of distinct signals and may include polling means which activate signaling devices external to the system, and the signaling devices are adapted to produce the driving related signals. The indicating means is preferably adapted to indicate all phases of a traffic light signal. The indicating means is preferably further adapted to indicate one of the red, green and amber light signals of a traffic signal using at least one light selected from the group consisting of blue, orange, brown or purple. The indicating means may preferably be adapted to verbally indicate the phases of a traffic signal, through, for example, an indicator light which bears a label such as "STOP", "GO", or "CAUTION".

In addition to, or alternatively, the indicating means may be adapted to provide auditory indication of the phases of the traffic signal. By way of example, the auditory indication may include a voiced verbal message.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a possible use of the on-board vehicle receiving and indicating system in connection with traffic light signaling.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating circuitry for transmitting traffic light signals for reception by on-board vehicle receiving system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of on-board vehicle receiving and indicating system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a possible use of an embodiment of the invention for receiving and indicating traffic light signals on board a vehicle 10 approaching a traffic signal 12. Distinguishable signals, for example radio frequency signals, are transmitted towards vehicles approaching the traffic signal 12 in connection with traffic light signals which are illuminated by traffic signal 12. A signal receiving and indicating system 14 on-board vehicle 10 receives the transmitted signals and indicates the signals to the driver of the vehicle.

The signal receiving aspect of the invention may be realized in a number of ways. In the example described as follows, radio frequency signals are transmitted in connection with the traffic light signals, the radio frequency signals being received by the on board vehicle receiver/indicator system 14. However, another way to transmit and receive signaling is through light, e.g. from narrowband sources, especially infrared LEDs and infrared lasers

FIG. 2 illustrates a possible signal transmitter 30 implementation for transmitting signals indicating traffic light signal phase for reception by the on-board vehicle receiving system 14. As background to the invention, it will be understood, a traffic light signal controller 20 for a conventional red-amber-green traffic light signal outputs a group 27 of lamp controls 21, 22, and 23 for timing the illumination of red, amber, and green lights at the intersection from two directions in the line of one road, for example, east and west. At the same time, the signal controller 20 outputs a group 28 of lamp controls 24, 25, and 26 for timing the illumination of the red, amber and green lights in the other two directions, e.g. north and south, in the line of the intersecting road. As is known, the lamp controls 21 through 26 are generated by signal controller 20 through use of a timer 19, alone, or together with certain inputs 16 . . . 18, e.g. road vehicle sensors, and pushbutton input from pedestrians, etc. It will be understood that only one lamp control can be active at a time in a group 27 or 28 while the other two lamp controls are deactivated, such that only one lamp, e.g. the red lamp, is illuminated, while the green and amber lamps are turned off.

Lamp controls 21 through 26 are input to a signal generator 32 of signal transmitter 30. Signal generator 32 simultaneously generates at least two orthogonal signals 34, 36 for transmission to vehicles. One signal 34 modulates an RF carrier from oscillator 38 via mixer 35 for transmission over a first pair 40 of directional antennas, one directional antenna transmitting, for example, in the north direction of a road traversing the intersection, and the other directional antenna transmitting in the opposite direction of the road, i.e. south direction. Signal 36 modulates RF carrier from oscillator 38 via mixer 37 for transmission over a second pair 42 of directional antennas in the directions of a second road traversing the intersection. Each of signals 34 and 36 preferably change with the phase of the traffic signal 12 such that "STOP", "CAUTION" and "GO" signals are transmitted over respective pairs 40, 42 of directional antennas in phase with the red-amber-green light signals of traffic light signal 12.

The traffic signal phase information of a signal 34 or 36 must be reliably and unmistakably distinguished time after time with little chance of disruption from unintentional, internal or external sources of signal interference. Accordingly, signals 34, 36 may comprise different tones. Alternatively, signals 34, 36 may comprise pulse sequences of varying information content.

The signal receiving and indicating system 14 on-board a vehicle will now be described, with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, transmitted signals 52 are picked up on an antenna 54, which may be the vehicle's existing radio antenna, the car's body, or a special antenna attached only to system 50. Signals from antenna 54, after being bandpass filtered, are provided to fixed gain amplifier 56 and then to mixer 58 for downconversion using RF frequency from oscillator 60. The downconverted signal is provided to detector 62 which discriminates the received signals and outputs them, to indicator lamps verbally labeled "STOP", "CAUTION", "HAZARD" and "GO". Only one of "STOP", "CAUTION" and "GO" lamps of system 14 will be illuminated at a particular time, according to the phase of traffic signal 12 in the direction the vehicle is traveling. For example, when the red signal light is illuminated at traffic signal 12, the corresponding RF signal is received from transmitting system 30 on board the vehicle system 14 and the indicator lamp of system 14 which is labeled "STOP" is illuminated. Similarly, when the amber light is illuminated at traffic signal 12, a different signal is transmitted from system 30 and received on board the vehicle by system 50, which then illuminates the indicator lamp labeled "CAUTION". When the green light is illuminated at traffic signal 12, yet another signal is received by on board vehicle system 50, and the indicator lamp of system 14 which is labeled "GO" is then illuminated. The "HAZARD" indicator lamp is in addition to the indicator signals which correspond to the red-amber-green traffic light signal. The "HAZARD" indicator lamp can be illuminated upon receipt of a signal indicating a nearby road hazard, stopped traffic condition, or reduced speed limit due to special circumstances, e.g. severe weather condition or school zone active period.

Preferably, the indicator lamps of system 14 are also color coded to further aid in the driver's immediate perception thereof. Since most drivers obtain best perception with a conventional color scheme, the "STOP" lamp is color-coded red, the "CAUTION" lamp is color-coded amber and the "GO" lamp is color-coded green. It will be understood that such color coding can be accomplished by installing colored lenses over incandescent lamps, or alternatively, using colored light emitting diodes directly.

However, a significant number of drivers suffer from red-green color blindness. For such drivers, it is often difficult to distinguish between the conventional red and green colors used on traffic light signals to indicate "STOP" and "GO". System 14 includes optional lamp settings or, alternatively, optional lenses that permit different choices of colors to help color-blind drivers best distinguish differences between the indicated signals. For example, the color blue can be used instead of green to indicate "GO." Other colors, for example, orange, brown or purple, may be used instead of one or more of the conventional traffic signal light colors, to help ensure best perception.

Receiving and indicating system 14 preferably includes an audio control unit 64 responsive to the separated signal output of detector 62 and loudspeaker 66 for providing auditory indications to the driver. Auditory indications can be nonverbal signals such as beeps, hums, etc. or voiced verbal messages that simulates or plays back human voice commands. For example, when approaching a traffic signal 12 that is glowing red, the audio control unit 64 will output a voiced verbal message of "STOP" over the loudspeaker 64. Similarly, when the traffic signal 12 is glowing green, a voiced verbal message of "GO" is output.

In addition to the above functions, the receiving system 14 may also have a collision avoidance feature which automatically stops the vehicle when approaching the traffic signal that is glowing red (signaling "STOP") at an excessive speed. The collision avoidance feature is implemented by a collision avoidance (CA) control unit 68 which receives "STOP" indicator input from detector 62 and an input from the vehicle representing its speed. Output from control unit 68 is provided to the vehicle's antilock braking system (ABS). A typical antilock braking system electronically varies the hydraulic pressure at the brake wheel cylinders many times a second to avoid wheel lock-up. However, a vehicle's ABS is typically only engaged by a fully depressed brake pedal, and once engaged, braking proceeds very rapidly, such that unsecured objects in the vehicle may be thrown forward. The CA feature of the invention contemplates use in connection with an ABS that can be engaged electronically, i.e. without requiring the brake pedal to be depressed, or fully depressed. Such ABS may also provide a second gradual stopping mode, for use when vehicle speed is only somewhat over limit. In such gradual mode, the ABS cycles the hydraulic pressure to a reduced pressure which is below the maximum pressure used for making sudden stops.

What is claimed is:

1. A system for use on board a vehicle for receiving driving related signals, including at least the red light phase of a traffic light, said system comprising: a receiver operable to receive a plurality of driving-related signal including at least one transmitted signal representing the red light phase of a traffic light signal used to signal traffic along a roadway in proximity to the vehicle; and a collision avoidance (CA) controller operable to electronically engage an antilock braking system (ABS) of the vehicle, said CA controller responsive to output of said receiver and to a speed of the vehicle to cause the ABS to automatically slow the vehicle to a stop when the vehicle approaches the traffic light signal during the red light phase thereof at excessive speed.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said receiver is operable to distinguish a plurality of distinct signals.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising polling means for activating signaling devices external to said system, said signaling devices adapted to produce said driving related signals.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said system includes a plurality of signal indicators responsive to output of receiver, said plurality of signal indicators being operable to indicate all phases of the traffic light signal.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said plurality of signal indicators is operable to verbally indicate said phases.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said plurality of signal indicators includes an indicator light bearing a label, said label selected from the group consisting of "STOP", "GO" and "CAUTION".

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said plurality of signal indicators is operable to provide auditory indication said phases.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said auditory indication includes a voiced verbal message.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said CA controller is operable to cause the ABS to stop the vehicle gradually upon determination that the vehicle speed is only somewhat over limit.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more signal indicators responsive to output of said receiver to indicate the driving related signals to a driver of the vehicle.

11. A system for use on board a vehicle for receiving and indicating driving related signals, including phases of traffic light signals, said system comprising: a receiver operable to receive a plurality of driving-related signals including signals representing phases of a traffic light signal used to signal traffic a roadway in proximity to the vehicle; and a plurality of signal indicators responsive to output of said receiver to indicate said signals to a driver of the vehicle, wherein the traffic light signal indicates the phases using red, green and amber lights, and said plurality of signal indicators is operable to indicate said phases using at least one light having a color selected from the group consisting of blue, orange, brown or purple.

12. A system for use on board a vehicle for receiving and indicating driving related signals, including phases of traffic light signals, to a driver of the vehicle, said system comprising: a receiver operable to receive a plurality of driving-related signals including a plurality of signals transmitted wirelessly by transmitting devices located outside of and in proximity to the vehicle, the driving related signals including at least one signal representing a phase of a traffic light signal used to signal traffic along a roadway, and at least one signal representing a condition occurring in proximity to vehicle, the condition selected from the group consisting of a road hazard, reduced speed limit, active period for school zone, and stopped traffic; and a plurality of signal indicators responsive to output of said receiver to indicate said signals to a driver of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising polling means, the polling means operable to activate at least some of the transmitting devices to at least some of the plurality of driving related signals.