Back to results
US 11,081,001 B1Granted
Methods and systems for capturing and transmitting environmental and traffic conditions data using a traffic cone
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorAlex T. Pham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for capturing and transmitting data related to traffic and environmental conditions is provided. The system includes a processor that identifies location information of the traffic cone in real time, an image sensor that captures one or more images of an area external to the traffic cone, a communication module that transmits, in real time, the location information and the one or more images as a broadcast signal, and memory utilized to store the location information and the one or more images.
Claims20
A traffic cone comprising:
- an imaging sensor that captures an image of an area external to the traffic cone;
- a communication module that receives, from an additional traffic cone, an additional image of an additional area external to the additional traffic cone;
- and
- a processor that:
- identifies location information of the traffic cone in real time,
- combines the image of the area with the additional image of the additional area, and
- instructs the communication module to transmit the combination of the image and the additional image and the location information as a broadcast signal to a vehicle.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- identifying, by a processor of a traffic cone, location information of the traffic cone in real time;
- capturing, using an imaging sensor of the traffic cone, one or more images of an area external to the traffic cone;
- receiving, from an additional traffic cone, one or more additional images of an additional area external to the additional traffic cone;
- combining, the one or more images and the one or more additional images;
- and
- transmitting, using a communication module of the traffic cone, the location information and the combination of the one or more images and the one or more additional images as a broadcast signal to a vehicle.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- a traffic cone including:
- an imaging sensor that captures an image of an area external to the traffic cone;
- a communication module that receives, from an additional traffic cone, an additional image of an additional area;
- a processor that:
- identifies location information of the traffic cone in real time,
- combines the image of the area external to the traffic cone and the additional image of the additional area, and
- instructs the communication module to transmit the combination of the image and the additional image and the location information of the traffic cone to a vehicle as a broadcast signal;
- and
- memory utilized to store the location information and the image and the additional image;
- and
- the vehicle including:
- a data communication module that receives, in real time, the broadcast signal including the location information and the combination of the image and the additional image;
- and
- a vehicle processor that accesses the location information and the combination of the image and the additional image included in the broadcast signal.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.