US 5,673,039 A · Method of monitoring vehicular traffic and of providing information to drivers and system for carring out the method

Abstract

An arrangement for monitoring vehicular traffic and providing information and warnings to drivers of traffic disruptions, driver error, dangerous road conditions, and severe weather. Road and traffic conditions are detected with roadside traffic sensing equipment, and the conditions are displayed over luminescent elements with signal lamps distributed at intervals along the road and combined into chains of lamps. The luminescent elements are illuminated simultaneously or in sequence for providing continuous traffic information. A processor network and a signal network are combined through a communication network to regulate the luminescent elements by processing, if necessary, under real time controlled conditions.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A traffic-monitoring and information-providing system for monitoring and analyzing vehicular traffic and providing information and warnings to drivers on traffic disruptions, driver errors, dangerous road conditions, and severe weather conditions, comprising:

sensing means enclosing detection points with induction loops;
drive over scales and dynamic wheel-load-sensors;
a specific number of road-event-processors connected to said dynamic wheel-load sensors;
an intelligent bussystem interconnected to said road-event processors;
a varying processor network of distributed intelligence interconnected to said road-event processors through said intelligent bus system;
signal processors connected to said varying processor network;
a signal network for generating traffic signals;
a lighting bus for connecting said signal processors to said signal network;
a plurality of interconnected luminescent elements receiving traffic signals from said signal network;
said luminescent elements having signal lamps as optical signal generators.

7 more elements

A method for monitoring vehicular traffic and providing information and early warnings to drivers on traffic disruptions, driver error, dangerous road conditions, and severe weather conditions, comprising the steps of:

detecting road and traffic conditions with a net of sensing equipment enclosing detection points with induction loops, drive over scales and dynamic wheel load sensors;
emitting traffic information signals by a measurement network to a given number of road event processors interconnected with an intelligent bussystem to a varying processor network with distributed intelligence means interconnected with signal processors combined to a signal network by a lighting bus;
and displaying said traffic conditions over interconnected luminescent elements with signal lamps distributed at intervals along the road and combined into chains of lamps illuminated for providing continuously said traffic information signals emitted from the measurement network at a communication network to said interconnected luminescent elements.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of monitoring vehicular traffic and of providing information to drivers and system for carring out the method

Life of this patent

Method of monitoring vehicular traffic and of providing information to drivers and system for carring out the method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims33