# US 11,028,543 B2 · Apparatus, system, and method for smart roadway stud control and signaling

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- Number: US 11,028,543 B2
- Document ID: US11028543B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/806,582
- Filed: 2020-03-02
- Published: 2020-06-25
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-04-25
- Assignees: MZC Foundation, Inc.
- Applicants: MZC Foundation, Inc.
- Inventors: Harriet Anderson Langford; A. Philip Langford; Alan J. Anderson; John Picard; Allison Kelly Beaton; Glenn Le Faou; Laura Churcher; James Salisbury; Marie Buda; Edward Colby; Andy Milton
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11028543B2

## CPC

- E01F 9/559: illuminated
- F21S 8/032: {the surface being a floor or like ground surface, e.g. pavement}
- F21S 9/037: {the solar unit and the lighting unit being located within or on the same housing}
- G01W 1/02: Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed (G01W1/10 takes precedence)
- G08G 1/0116: {from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons}
- G08G 1/0133: {for classifying traffic situation}
- G08G 1/0145: {for active traffic flow control}
- G08G 1/0175: {by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules}
- G08G 1/042: using inductive or magnetic detectors
- G08G 1/048: with provision for compensation of environmental or other condition, e.g. snow, vehicle stopped at detector
- G08G 1/052: with provision for determining speed or overspeed {(speed measuring in general G01P)}
- G08G 1/095: Traffic lights
- G08G 1/164: {Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles}
- G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes}
- H05B 45/10: Controlling the intensity of the light
- H05B 45/12: using optical feedback
- H05B 45/18: using temperature feedback
- H05B 47/19: via wireless transmission
- H05B 47/199: {Commissioning of light sources}
- F21W 2111/02: for roads, paths or the like
- F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED]
- G06F 1/26: Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C)
- G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection}
- H05B 47/11: by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
- Y02B 20/40: Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection
- E01F: ADDITIONAL WORK, SUCH AS EQUIPPING ROADS OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATFORMS, HELICOPTER LANDING STAGES, SIGNS, SNOW FENCES, OR THE LIKE
- F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- G01W: METEOROLOGY (radar, sonar, lidar or analogous systems, designed for meteorological use G01S13/95, G01S15/88, G01S17/95)
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- F21W: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
- F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS

## Abstract

The subject matter described herein includes a roadway stud control system including a local stud control system positioned along a first section of a roadway, a plurality of roadway studs, each roadway stud disposed on a surface of the first section of the roadway and communicably coupled to the local stud control system, wherein the local stud control system is configured to communicate a control signal to control at least one aspect of the plurality of roadway studs.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A roadway stud comprising:
a processor;
a wireless communication interface electrically coupled with the processor and configured to communicate with a local control system positioned above a roadway;
a vehicle detector electrically coupled with the processor, wherein:
the vehicle detector includes a magnetic sensor;
the processor is configured for:
recording a magnetic field change detected by the magnetic sensor adjacent to the roadway stud including a magnitude, an orientation, and a duration of the magnetic field change; and
transmitting a roadway stud identifier, a timestamp, the magnitude, the orientation, and the duration of the magnetic field change to the local control system via the wireless communication interface; and
the local control system is configured for:
determining a size of a vehicle based on the magnitude; and
determining a speed of the vehicle based on the duration; and
wirelessly communicating with additional roadway studs positioned along a path of the roadway;
and
a light source electrically coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to illuminate the light source upon receiving a first activation signal from the local control system via the wireless communication interface, wherein the light source and the vehicle detector are configured to allow the roadway stud to be installed to identify a lane boundary to a driver of the vehicle and to detect the magnetic field change.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1, wherein the first activation signal is received from another roadway stud.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1, wherein the first activation signal is received from a roadway stud control system and the roadway stud control system is configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of roadway studs.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1 further comprising an ambient temperature sensor electrically coupled with the processor, and the processor is further configured to transmit environmental data via the wireless communication interface associated with the ambient temperature sensor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1 further comprising an ambient humidity sensor electrically coupled with the processor, and the processor is further configured to transmit environmental data via the wireless communication interface associated with the ambient humidity sensor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1, wherein the first activation signal is associated with an environmental threshold being exceeded.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1 further comprising:
an ambient temperature sensor electrically coupled with the processor; and
an ambient humidity sensor electrically coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to detect an environmental threshold being exceeded based on temperature data received from the ambient temperature sensor and humidity data received from the ambient humidity sensor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1 further comprising an ambient light sensor electrically coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to control an illuminance level of the light source based at least partially on ambient light data provided by the ambient light sensor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1 further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) receiver electrically coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a location of the roadway stud via the wireless communication interface.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive a unique string identifier associated with the roadway stud and the processor is configured to transmit the unique string identifier via the wireless communication interface.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1 further comprising a Doppler radar detector, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit speed data via the wireless communication interface associated with a vehicle monitored by the Doppler radar detector.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to activate a first color of the light source upon receiving the first activation signal via the wireless communication interface, and the processor is further configure to activate a second color of the light source upon receiving a second activation signal via the wireless communication interface.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to illuminate the light source using a first illumination sequence based on the first activation signal, and the processor is further configured to illuminate the light source using a second illumination sequence upon receiving a second activation signal via the wireless communication interface.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The roadway stud of claim 13, wherein the first illumination sequence includes first sequence timing information configured for illuminating the light source to provide a visual pattern with additional light sources of the additional roadway studs to indicate a current safe travel speed for the driver of the vehicle.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The roadway stud of claim 14, wherein the visual pattern appears to the driver of the vehicle to be moving towards the vehicle when the vehicle is exceeding the current safe travel speed.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1 further comprising a backscatter detector electrically coupled with the processor, wherein the backscatter detector is configured for detecting airborne visual inhibitors affecting viewing of the light source when installed on a roadway.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The roadway stud of claim 1, wherein the lane boundary is an edge of the roadway.