Traffic monitoring and reporting system

• US 4,792,803 A
• Filed: 06/08/1987
• Issued: 12/20/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electric Road Corporation
• Original Assignee: Peter A. Madnick, Russell W. Sherwood
• Inventors: Sherwood, Russell W., Madnick, Peter A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orsino, Joseph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tumm, Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US07/059,769
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/870.12, 364/436, 364/437, 364/438, 455/54, 455/228
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output

Abstract

A traffic reporting system which is to be in the form of a service that is to be subscribed to by each individual. Each individual is to have a receiver and this receiver is to be located within the individual'"'"'s vehicle. This receiver is to have a plurality of activatable buttons with each button to correspond to a particular zone of a specific overall geographical area. If the individual presses a button, a continuous message will be announced informing that individual of pertinent information on traffic conditions relating to that specific zone. Each message for each zone is automatically frequently updated.

Claims

1. A traffic monitoring and reporting system comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each said sensor located at a designated location and designed to produce an output based upon traffic conditions at its designated location;

an information receiving and analyzing computer, said output of each said sensor to be transmitted to and received by said information receiving and analyzing computer, said information receiving and analyzing computer to generate results based on said output of each said sensor, said results being organized into a plurality of different zones within an overall geographical area;

a message synthesis computer to receive the results of said information receiving and analyzing computer, said message synthesis computer to produce a plurality of different messages, each said message to be specially oriented to one of said zones;

transmitting of the output of said message synthesis computer to a broadcasting means, said broadcasting means for transmitting of said different messages by radio waves; and

a plurality of receivers, each said receiver to be adapted to be located within a vehicle with therebeing a plurality of vehicles, each said receiver having means to individually select and announce any one of said messages.

2. The traffic monitoring and reporting system as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said sensors including at least one camera.

3. The traffic monitoring and reporting system as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said sensors including at least one counter for counting the number of vehicles that move across one of said designated locations within a period of time.