Intelligent distributed vision traffic marker and method thereof

• US 10,607,482 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Farajpour, Pouya, Lajevardi, Pedram, Kavusi, Sam, Vanderhaegen, Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): Foxx, Chico A
• Application Number:
  US16/062,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20180357895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/30 Arrangements interacting with transmitters or receivers otherwise than by visible means, e.g. using radar reflectors or radio transmitters E01F11/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/553 Low discrete bodies, e.g. marking blocks, studs or flexible vehicle-striking members
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/02 using treadles built into the road pads or other sensitive devices responsive to passage of vehicles E01F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/054 photographing overspeeding vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A vision traffic marker network system comprises a plurality of vision traffic markers or traffic nodes configured to capture information such as an event, an environment, a profile, or a condition of an object such as vehicle, human, combination thereof, or the like, for example. The environment information may be time of day, day of week, weather, traffic condition, and the like. The nodes may be one of a traffic node, an ambient node, a repeater, a gateway, or a combination thereof. These nodes are arranged in network neighborhoods and configured to communicate with at least one of the communication networks with at least one of the vision traffic markers or nodes, a control system, the automotive, a server, a global navigation system, other non-vision devices, traffic lights, street lights, electronic devices, or combination thereof, via one more links, either wirelessly or wired communication. The vision traffic marker network system analysis, process, distribute, and report the information to any vision traffic marker network system, client machines, and a server over a network.

Claims

1. A mesh network comprising:

a plurality of intelligent distributed vision traffic markers, each of the intelligent distributed traffic marker including;

a sensor assembly including a camera and a sensing element, the camera or the sensing element configured to obtain information of at least one of an event, a condition, a vehicle profile, and a human profile; and

a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory in order to;

transmit the information to another vision traffic marker of the plurality of intelligent distributed vision traffic markers operated in the mesh network; and

control the another vision traffic marker of the plurality of intelligent distributed vision traffic markers based on the information,

wherein the information includes existing and predictive information of at least one of next event or next condition,

wherein the camera includes an image sensor having a sensing die and an electronic circuit, the sensing die having an active pixel area and a deactivated pixel area, the electronic circuit being located in a portion of the deactivated pixel area and the deactivated pixel area being bigger than the active pixel area, and

wherein the information including traffic and environmental conditions appear on the active pixel area and the information including non-traffic and non-environmental conditions appear on the deactivated pixel area.

2. The mesh network of claim 1 wherein the plurality of the vision traffic marker are integrated into at least one of road/traffic signs, advertisement boards, street signs, signboard markers, location markers, mile markers, and automotive vehicles.

3. The mesh network of claim 1 wherein the information is redirected, forwarded, rerouted, shared, or broadcasted to one or more vision traffic markers of the plurality of the vision traffic marker operated in the mesh network.

4. The mesh network of claim 1, wherein the sensing element is selected from a group consisting of a thermal sensor, a humidity sensor, an inertial sensor, a gas sensor, a motion sensor, a profile sensor, an environmental sensor, an optical sensor, or an acoustic sensor.

5. An intelligent distributed vision traffic marker assembly in a mesh network, the assembly comprising:

a first vision traffic marker configured to obtain information associated with an event or a condition; and

a processor configured to execute program instructions in order to;

transmit the information to a second vision traffic marker included in another intelligent distributed vision traffic marker assembly and configured to obtain information associated with the event or the condition operated in the mesh network; and

control the first and the second vision traffic marker based on the information,

wherein the information further including existing and predictive information of at least one of next event or next condition,

wherein the camera includes an image sensor having a sensing die and an electronic circuit, the sensing die having an active pixel area and a deactivated pixel area, the electronic circuit being is located in a portion of the deactivated pixel area and the deactivated pixel area being bigger than the active pixel area, and

wherein the information including traffic and environmental conditions appear on the active pixel area and the information including non-traffic and non-environmental conditions appear on the deactivated pixel area.

6. The intelligent distributed vision traffic marker assembly of claim 5 wherein the processor is integrated into an external device.

7. The intelligent distributed vision traffic marker assembly of claim 5 wherein the processor is integrated into the first vision traffic marker.

8. The intelligent distributed vision traffic marker assembly of claim 5 wherein the information is redirected, forwarded, rerouted, shared, or broadcasted to one or more of vision traffic markers operated in the mesh network different from first or second vision traffic marker.