Road traffic weather-monitoring system and self-luminous road sign system

• US 7,095,337 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2004
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sekisui Jushi Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Sekisui Jushi Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hishigaki, Youichirou, Kondou, Shigeki, Yuasa, Masaya, Sudou, Terumasa, Ogata, Motonori, Imazu, Ryuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US10/892,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20050001739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/907, 340/908, 340/539.1, 340/601, 340/602, 362/494, 362/545, 362/490
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/04 Signs, boards or panels, illuminated from behind the insignia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A self-luminous road sign system comprises a plurality of sensor units 1 . . . 1 each of which is equipped at least with a visibility meter and an illuminance meter, or which may be equipped with an anemovane and a thermometer as well as the visibility meter and the illuminance meter; and an information processing and management department 2 for centralized management of weather information detected by the plural sensor units in order to predict any danger in the road observation area, wherein the output information from the information processing and management department 2 is displayed on road installations 4 . . . 4 connected via a network. Based on the road background brightness obtained by the illuminance meter in the sensor unit, the optimum luminous brightness which provides a predetermined contrast is calculated. Based on this optimum luminous brightness and depending on the visibility information outputted from the visibility meter, the luminous brightness or information display of the sign part is controlled.

Claims

1. A road traffic weather-monitoring system which comprises:

a plurality of sensor units, located in an observation area on a road, for detecting weather conditions in the observation area and for measuring a concentration of atmospheric suspended matter; and

an information processing and management department for centralized management of weather information detected by each of the sensor units, in which department analysis of the weather conditions in the observation area and the measured concentration of atmospheric suspended matter is made on the basis of the weather information so as to predict any danger in a driving environment,

wherein each one of the plurality of sensors includes a visibility meter and an illuminance meter used in combination with the visibility meter, the visibility meter having a transmission visibility meter part for measuring at least one of a transmission rate of the atmospheric suspended matter and the concentration of the atmospheric suspended matter and a reflection visibility meter part for measuring the concentration of the atmospheric suspended matter within a specified area.

2. A road traffic weather-monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the observation area is sectioned into a plurality of triangles, and each of the sensor units locates at vertices of each triangle.

3. A road traffic weather-monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the sensor units is equipped with an anemovane and a thermometer.

4. A road traffic weather-monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, which includes a road installation, connected to network communication means by wire or radio communications, for outputting and displaying, via said means, output information processed through the information processing and management department.

5. A road traffic weather-monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output information processed through the information processing and management department is delivered to the Internet by wire or radio communications.