Slow moving object road warning system

• US 10,008,119 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SLOW Ride LLC
• Original Assignee: SLOW Ride LLC
• Inventors: Willborn, Bradley R., Olson, Erling M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akki, Munear
• Application Number:
  US15/586,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20170323569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 340907, 340908, 340903, 340436, 34053911, 3405391, 340439, 3404255, 340905, 340525, 340933, 340 4, 340 41, 340944, 701301, 701117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0955 transportable
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A computing device identifies a slow moving object and activates an alert signal a predetermined period of time when the slow moving object is identified. A sensor measurement is received from a sensor to compute a speed of travel of a moving object. When the computed speed is below a predefined speed threshold, an alert signal of an alert signal device mounted adjacent to the sensor is activated and the alert signal is deactivated when a predetermined period of time relative to a time of activation of the alert signal expires.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to:

receive a sensor measurement from a sensor to compute a speed of travel of a moving object passing the sensor;

compute a speed of travel of the moving object based on the received sensor measurement; and

when the computed speed is below a predefined speed threshold,

activate an alert signal of an alert signal device mounted adjacent to the sensor to alert an operator of a different moving object;

determine an alert activation time based on the computed speed, wherein the determined alert activation time increases as the computed speed decreases; and

deactivate the alert signal when the determined alert activation time relative to a time of activation of the alert signal expires.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a pair of photoelectric sensors.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an infrared motion sensor.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the predefined speed threshold is half a rated speed for a road on which the moving object is traveling.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the alert signal device includes a flashing light, and the alert signal includes a flashing light.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the moving object includes a vehicle.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the moving object includes a moving animal or a moving human.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the alert signal device is a display, and the alert signal includes a slow moving vehicle warning message.

10. A device comprising:

a sensor mounted to a post;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium operably coupled to the processor, the computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to

receive a sensor measurement from the sensor;

compute a speed of travel of a moving object passing the sensor based on the received sensor measurement; and

when the computed speed is below a predefined speed threshold,

activate an alert signal of an alert signal device mounted adjacent to the sensor to alert an operator of a different moving object; and

deactivate the alert signal when a predetermined period of time relative to a time of activation of the alert signal expires.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the alert signal device is mounted to the post.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor and the non-transitory computer-readable medium are mounted to the post.

13. The device of claim 10, further comprising the alert signal device.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the predefined speed threshold is half a rated speed for a road on which the moving object is traveling.

15. A method of identifying a slow moving object and activating an alert signal, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a sensor measurement from a sensor;

computing, by the computing device, a speed of travel of a moving object passing the sensor based on the received sensor measurement; and

when the computed speed is below a predefined speed threshold,

activating, by the computing device, an alert signal of an alert signal device mounted adjacent to the sensor to alert an operator of a different moving object; and

deactivating, by the computing device, the alert signal when a predetermined period of time relative to a time of activation of the alert signal expires.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the alert signal device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the predefined speed threshold is half a rated speed for a road on which the moving object is traveling.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the predefined speed threshold is half a rated speed for a road on which the moving object is traveling.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the alert signal device is a display, and the alert signal includes a slow moving vehicle warning message.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the moving object includes a moving animal or a moving human.