Real time information system for road users

A real time safety information system for providing real time information to drivers on roads, the system comprising:

• a plurality of short-interval units each adapted to be mounted along a road central reservation at separations in the range of 50 m to 500 m, and each comprising:
• a digital data processor,
• a communications interface, and
• at least one display component for conveying advance driver warning information when viewed in a sequence in a linear pattern along a road with other short interval unit display components,
• wherein:
• at least some of the short-interval units are configured to fit to a central reservation barrier of a dual carriageway, and
• at least some of the short-interval units are configured to provide driver warnings on both sides of a dual carriageway, bi-directionally for drivers approaching from both directions;
• and
• a plurality of longer-interval master control unit MCUs for roadside mounting, each comprising a digital data processor, and a communications interface, and in which the processor is configured to generate and communicate signals to short-interval units in a local area group and with other MCUs over a wide area network,
• wherein:
• each MCU is configured to determine that a warning is to be provided to approaching drivers, and to communicate a command in said signals to nearby short-interval units in said local group, and each said short interval unit is configured to activate its display to provide a driver warning in a linear pattern,
• at least some of the MCUs are linked with sensors for weather condition sensing and traffic condition sensing, and in which their processors are configured to process sensor feeds and in which said MCU is configured to determine that a warning should be provided by said short-interval units in said local group according to sensor signals, and to communicate via said signals to the short interval units in the local group that a warning should be provided,
• the MCUs and the short-interval units are configured to operate in a coordinated manner to provide real time information to driver, and
• the short-interval unit display components are configured to generate displays which do not include a written message required to be read by a driver but provide simple warnings due to any one or more selected from color, intensity, and/or blinking frequency of light sources,
• at least some of the MCUs are configured to communicate with a central control and monitoring system so that a road network operator is able to monitor data acquired at each MCU and is able to send commands to the relevant other MCUs if required, and
• at least some of the MCUs are configured to operate in an autonomous manner without instruction from a remote server or host including that of a central control and monitoring system of a road network operator, to make decisions on local real time advance warnings,
• wherein the processors of at least some of the MCUs are configured to receive image data from cameras.