Surface material and condition sensing system
First Claim
1. A system carried by a vehicle for remotely sensing and displaying at least one characteristic of a material deposited on a vehicle travel surface, said apparatus comprising:
- an electromagnetic radiation transmitter mounted on said vehicle for transmitting a signal toward said material on said vehicle travel surface;
an electromagnetic radiation receiver mounted on said vehicle for receiving a first reflected signal from said vehicle travel surface and a second reflected signal from said deposited material on said vehicle travel surface;
at least one signal processor connected to said receiver for processing said first and second reflected signals and producing an output signal corresponding to at least one characteristic of said deposited material; and
a computer connected to said processor generating a corresponding display signal.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and apparatus for detecting and evaluating surface conditions on a road surface from a moving vehicle as disclosed. The system comprises a sensor means for detecting the presence of deposited material on a road surface, detecting means for determining one or more characteristics of the material such as its freezing temperature, process means for converting a detected signal and display means for displaying the condition of the road surface. A first embodiment of the invention includes a collection device for collecting a sample of the surface materials and one or more sensors to detect the freezing point of the material. A second embodiment includes a collection chamber which can be isolated and its contents frozen so that the freeze temperature may be obtained irrespective of knowing the composition of the material. A third embodiment of the present invention includes a remote sensing apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic radiation to sense actual surface material conditions, temperatures, and composition. This information is then processed through a computer in order to determine, preferably while the vehicle is in motion, those additional steps necessary to apply additional materials to the road surface in order to minimize hazardous driving conditions.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A system carried by a vehicle for remotely sensing and displaying at least one characteristic of a material deposited on a vehicle travel surface, said apparatus comprising:
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an electromagnetic radiation transmitter mounted on said vehicle for transmitting a signal toward said material on said vehicle travel surface; an electromagnetic radiation receiver mounted on said vehicle for receiving a first reflected signal from said vehicle travel surface and a second reflected signal from said deposited material on said vehicle travel surface; at least one signal processor connected to said receiver for processing said first and second reflected signals and producing an output signal corresponding to at least one characteristic of said deposited material; and a computer connected to said processor generating a corresponding display signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A system carried by a vehicle for remotely sensing and displaying at least one characteristic of a material deposited on a vehicle travel surface, said apparatus comprising:
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an electromagnetic radiation transmitter mounted on said vehicle for transmitting a signal toward said material on said vehicle travel surface; an electromagnetic radiation receiver mounted on said vehicle for receiving a first reflected signal from said deposited material on said vehicle travel surface; at least one signal processor connected to said receiver for processing said first reflected signal and producing an output signal corresponding to at least one characteristic of said deposited material; and a second signal processor connected to said receiver for processing said first reflected signal and comparing the reflected signal to said transmitted signal to determine another characteristic of said deposited material. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A system carried by a vehicle for remotely sensing and displaying at least one characteristic of a material deposited on a vehicle travel surface, said apparatus comprising:
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an electromagnetic radiation transmitter mounted on said vehicle for transmitting a signal toward said material on said vehicle travel surface; an electromagnetic radiation receiver mounted on said vehicle for receiving a first reflected signal from said vehicle travel surface and a second reflected signal from said deposited material on said vehicle travel surface; at least one signal processor connected to said receiver for processing said first and second reflected signals and producing a depth output signal corresponding to the thickness of said deposited material. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system carried by a vehicle for remotely sensing and displaying at least one characteristic of a material deposited on a vehicle travel surface, said apparatus comprising:
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an electromagnetic radiation transmitter mounted on said vehicle for transmitting a signal toward said material on said vehicle travel surface; an electromagnetic radiation receiver mounted on said vehicle for receiving a first reflected signal from said vehicle travel surface and a second reflected signal from said deposited material on said vehicle travel surface; at least one signal processor connected to said receiver for processing at least one of said first and second reflected signals and producing an output signal corresponding to at least one characteristic of said deposited material. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A system carried by a vehicle for remotely sensing and displaying at least one characteristic of a material deposited on a vehicle travel surface, said apparatus comprising:
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an electromagnetic radiation transmitter mounted on said vehicle for transmitting a signal toward said material on said vehicle travel surface; an electromagnetic radiation receiver mounted on said vehicle for receiving a reflected signal from said deposited material on said vehicle travel surface; at least one signal processor connected to said receiver for processing said reflected signal and producing an output signal corresponding to at least one characteristic of said deposited material; a database containing information representing various characteristic values for potential deposited materials; and a computer connected to said processor and to said database for comparing said output signal to information in said database and generating a corresponding display signal. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification