Improved low computational method for siren detection

Thanks to the advances in the automotive industry, the acoustic treatment of the car interiors keeps getting better. The hearing of conventional emergency signals becomes harder, as a consequence. In 2012, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 60 accidents involving emergency vehicles travelling with the specific signals in use in which at least one person died. Not being able to hear the sirens in a crossroad could lead to accidents with serious consequences. A siren detector could also help the hearing-impaired drivers. Siren detection is not a new topic, but most solutions use very complex digital signal processing techniques which have great demands in processing power. This is reflected in the high price. The paper presents an improved cost-effective microcontroller based siren detection system which decreases the needed processing power using analog electronics. The detailed system and the simulation results are illustrated and discussed in the paper.