WIRELESS SENSING AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR TRAFFIC LANES

• US 20140012431A1
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,781,715 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• 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

Abstract

Wireless sensing and communication system including sensors located in the roadway or in the vicinity of the roadway and which provide information which is transmitted to one or more interrogators in the vehicle by a wireless radio frequency mechanism. Power to operate a particular sensor is supplied by the interrogator or the sensor is independently connected to either a battery, generator, vehicle power source or some source of power external to the vehicle. The sensors can provide information about the exterior environment, about the roadway, ambient atmosphere, travel conditions and/or external objects. The sensors arranged on the roadway or ancillary structures include pressure sensors, temperature sensors, moisture content or humidity sensors, and friction sensors.

Claims

1. A driving condition monitoring system for vehicles on a roadway, comprising:

stationary mounting structures arranged proximate the roadway;

sensors located in said mounting structures in a vicinity of the roadway and apart from the roadway, said sensors being configured to generate information about the roadway or an environment around the roadway, each of said sensors including a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the roadway or the environment around the roadway and an energy harvesting system that generates energy and provides the generated energy to said measuring or detecting component to enable it to measure or detect the property or condition of the roadway or environment around the roadway; and

an initiating system that initiates a transmission of the information generated by each of said sensors to a vehicle when the vehicle is proximate said sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensors are configured to wirelessly transmit information in response to an activation signal from the vehicle that causes said sensors to wirelessly transmit the generated information.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said sensors is a RFID type sensor whereby said at least one sensor is configured to return information immediately to said at least one interrogator in the form of a modulated RF signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors further includes a power-receiving system that receives power wirelessly from said at least one interrogator.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to generate information about travel conditions relating to the roadway or external objects on or in the vicinity of the roadway.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to transmit an identification code indicative of its position with the information generated by said at least one sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to measure friction of a surface of the roadway, atmospheric pressure, measure atmospheric temperature, temperature of the roadway, moisture content of the roadway or humidity of the atmosphere.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensors each include a SAW device whereby said sensors are configured to transmit information after a delay, said sensors being arranged to use time-multiplexing such that each sensor has a different delay.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to transmit information including an identification of said sensor.

10. A driving condition monitoring system for vehicles on a roadway, comprising:

sensors embedded in the roadway, said sensors being configured to generate information about the roadway or an environment around the roadway, each of said sensors including a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the roadway or the environment around the roadway and an energy harvesting system that generates energy and provides the generated energy to said measuring or detecting component to enable it to measure or detect the property or condition of the roadway or environment around the roadway; and

an initiating system that initiates a transmission of the information generated by each of said sensors to a vehicle when the vehicle is proximate said sensor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said sensors are configured to wirelessly transmit information in response to an activation signal from the vehicle that causes said sensors to wirelessly transmit the generated information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of said sensors is a RFID type sensor whereby said at least one sensor is configured to return information immediately to said at least one interrogator in the form of a modulated RF signal.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said sensors further includes a power-receiving system that receives power wirelessly from said at least one interrogator.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to generate information about travel conditions relating to the roadway or external objects on or in the vicinity of the roadway.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to transmit an identification code indicative of its position with the information generated by said at least one sensor.

16. A vehicle on-board driving condition monitoring system operative while the vehicle travels on a roadway, comprising:

at least one interrogator that wirelessly transmits a signal receivable by sensors located on or in a vicinity of the roadway, the sensors including a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the roadway or the environment around the roadway and an energy harvesting system that generates energy and provides the generated energy to the measuring or detecting component to enable it to measure or detect the property or condition of the roadway or environment around the roadway, the sensors being configured to wirelessly transmit information about the measured or detected property or condition of the roadway after receiving the activation signal from said at least one interrogator;

a receiving system that receives the transmitted information from the sensors; and

a communications device coupled to said receiving system and that transmits the information generated by the sensors and received by said receiving system to a remote location spaced from the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a location-determining system that determines location of the vehicle, said communications device further transmitting the determined location of the vehicle with the sensor-generated information to the remote location.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said at least one interrogator includes two receiving antennas.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said communications device further transmitting location of the vehicle with the sensor-generated information to the remote location, the location of the vehicle relative to the sensors being determinable by transmitting the signal from one of said antennas and receiving a return signal at both of said antennas.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the sensors is configured to transmit an identification code indicative of its position with the information generated by the at least one sensor such that absolute position of the vehicle is determinable using a map and known position of the at least one sensor.