Methods, systems and devices related to road mounted indicators for providing visual indications to approaching traffic

• US 7,688,222 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Spot Devices Incorporated (Carmanah Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Spot Devices Incorporated (Carmanah Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Peddie, Timm, Bim-Merle, David P., Miller, Lawrence E., Burnham, Thomas A., Van Niekerk, Johannes B., Santos, Daniel O., Mehta, Vineet
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US11/055,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20050270175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 340/908, 340/910, 340/916, 340/917, 340/905, 340/901, 340/906, 340/907, 340/937, 340/539.1, 340/539.25, 340/332, 340/333, 116/1, 116/63.P, 116/63
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/559 illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A traffic informational system provides information to traffic moving along a road and may include a plurality of traffic information devices mountable to the road, each having an integral power producing source, at least a first set of illumination sources, and a wireless communications subsystem. The traffic informational system may further include at least a first external control device comprising at least one antenna and a transmitter communication wirelessly with the traffic information devices and/or with one another. The traffic information device may communicate with one another, and may include sensor for sensing ambient conditions. The system employs various approaches to reducing power consumption and improving communications, and is suitable for a wide range of applications, including use in remote environments.

Claims

1. A road mounted indicator comprising:

a housing comprising a base and at least one face extending generally upward from the base, wherein said housing is removably mountable in the path of oncoming vehicles such that the vehicles may pass over the indicator and one end of the face is adjacent to and extends generally upward from the surface of a roadway carrying the vehicles;

the housing being constructed such that it can withstand the weight of the vehicles that may come in contact with the housing when the housing is mounted in the oath of oncoming vehicles;

a non-photovoltaic power producing source housed in the housing and operable to produce electrical power from a source remotely located from the housing;

an illumination device housed in the housing and positioned to transmit light through the face of the housing in the direction of the oncoming vehicles when the housing is mounted in the path of the oncoming vehicles;

a circuit housed in the housing, electrically coupled to the power producing source and the first illumination source, the circuit operable to selectively cause the illumination device to generate light; and

a wireless communications subsystem housed in the housing and operable to receive wireless communications at least from an external source remote from the housing.

2. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 wherein the non-photovoltaic power producing source comprises at least one radio frequency transducer operable to convert electromagnetic signals to an electrical current.

3. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 wherein the non-photovoltaic power producing source comprises at least one pressure transducer operable to convert pressure into an electrical current.

4. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 wherein the circuit comprises power conversion circuitry including at least one switch and at least one of a capacitor or an inductor, the power conversion circuitry operable to change a voltage of power produced by the power producing source.

5. The road mounted indicator of claim 1, further comprising:

at least a rechargeable power storage device housed in the housing and electrically coupled to selectively receive power produced by the power producing source and provide power to the illumination device.

6. The road mounted indicator of claim 5, further comprising:

at least one non-rechargeable power storage device housed in the housing and electrically coupled to selectively provide power to the illumination device.

7. The road mounted indicator of claim 5 wherein the circuit comprises at least one unidirectional current flow device electrically coupled between the power producing source and the rechargeable power storage device to allow power produced by the power producing source to flow to the power storage device, and to preclude power flow from the power storage device to the power producing source.

8. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 wherein the illumination device comprises at least a first filter transmissive of light of a first color and at least a second filter transmissive of light of a second color.

9. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 wherein the illumination device is operable to produce at least a first number of colors of light from a second number of light sources, where the first number is greater than the second number.

10. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 wherein the wireless communications subsystem comprises an optical receiver.

11. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 wherein the wireless communications subsystem employs a unique identifier stored in the housing, whereby the indicator may be individually addressed in wireless communications.

12. The road mounted indicator of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of a camera;

a video camera;

or

a precipitation sensor.

13. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 further comprising an anchor assembly;

the anchor assembly including an anchor;

wherein the housing is attached to the anchor;

the anchor constructed so as to be capable of being partially embedded in the roadway of the oncoming traffic to secure the road mounted indicator in the path of the oncoming vehicles.

14. The road mounted indicator of claim 13 wherein the anchor comprises a stem.

15. The road mounted indicator of claim 13 wherein the anchor assembly further comprises an anchoring mechanism comprising a base plate attached to a cylinder;

the base plate comprising an aperture aligned with the centerline of the cylinder;

the cylinder configured to receive and securely retain the anchor.

16. The road mounted indicator of claim 1 wherein the housing is constructed to withstand a vehicle weight of 15 metric tons.

17. A method of providing information to vehicles moving along a road in at least a first direction, the method comprising:

producing power from a non-photovoltaic power producing source at each of a number of road mounted indicator devices mounted in the path of oncoming vehicles;

wherein each of the road mounted indicator devices is partially embedded in the roadway such that the vehicles travel over the road mounted indicator devices;

wirelessly receiving information by at least a first one of the road mounted indicator devices, the wirelessly received information from an external device remotely located with respect to at least the first one of the number of road mounted indicator devices; and

transmitting light from at least one of the number of road mounted indicator devices toward the oncoming vehicles, in a direction generally opposed to the first direction based at least in part on the wirelessly received information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein producing power from a non-photovoltaic power producing source at each of a number of road mounted indicator devices comprises converting radio frequency transmissions into an electrical current.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein producing power from a non-photovoltaic power producing source at each of a number of road mounted indicator devices comprises converting pressure generated when a vehicle tire presses on the road mounted indicator device into an electric current.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein wirelessly receiving information by at least a first one of the road mounted indicator devices comprises receiving an optical signal transmitted by the external device at an optical sensor of at least the first one of the road mounted indicator devices.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

changing a voltage of the power produced from the power producing source of the road mounted indicator device; and

selectively supplying the power with the changed voltage to an integral illumination device of each of the number of road mounted indicator devices, respectively.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing the produced power in a rechargeable power storage device of at least one of the number of road mounted indicator devices; and

selectively supplying the stored power to an integral illumination device of the at least one of the number of road mounted indicator devices from the rechargeable power storage device.

23. The method of providing information to vehicles of claim 17 wherein the road mounted indicator devices are removably mounted in the roadway to define at least a part of a pedestrian crosswalk across the roadway carrying the vehicles.

24. A traffic informational system for providing information to traffic moving along a road in at least a first direction, the traffic informational system comprising:

a plurality of road mounted visual information devices mountable in the path of oncoming traffic such that the oncoming traffic can pass over the visual information devices without harm to the traffic or the visual information device, each of the visual information devices comprising;

a housing comprising a base;

a non-photovoltaic power producing source carried by the housing, the power producing source operable to produce power;

a first illumination source carried by the housing, the first illumination source operable to transmit light out of the housing generally toward oncoming traffic when the visual information device is mounted in the path of oncoming traffic such that the oncoming traffic gasses over the visual information device;

a circuit carried by the housing, the circuit operable to selectively cause the illumination source to generate light; and

a wireless communications subsystem carried by the housing and operable to receive wireless communications.

25. The traffic informational system of claim 24, further comprising:

a plurality of external control devices, each of the external control devices comprising a transmitter and an antenna, where at least one of the external control devices further comprises a receiver, and at least the one of the external control devices acts as a repeater to relay wireless communications received from at least another one of the external control devices to at least one of the plurality of road mounted visual information devices.

26. The traffic informational system of claim 24, further comprising:

a plurality of external control devices, each of the external control devices comprising a transmitter, a receiver and an antenna, and at least some of the external control devices act as repeaters to relay wireless communications received from one to another of the external control devices.

27. The traffic informational system of claim 24 wherein the wireless communications subsystem of at least one of the road mounted visual information devices comprises a receiver and a transmitter, and at least the one of the road mounted visual information devices acts as a repeater to relay received wireless communications to at least another one of the visual information devices.

28. The traffic informational system of claim 24 wherein the wireless communications subsystem of at least a plurality of the road mounted visual information devices comprises a receiver and a transmitter, and the road mounted visual information devices act as repeaters to relay received wireless communications from one to another of the road mounted visual information devices.

29. The traffic informational system of claim 24 wherein the road mounted visual information devices are removably mounted in the roadway to define at least a part of a pedestrian crosswalk across the roadway carrying the traffic.