VEHICLE SPEED MONITORING SYSTEMS

• US 3,680,043 A
• Filed: 11/25/1969
• Issued: 07/25/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Paul Angeloni
• Original Assignee: Paul Angeloni
• Inventors: Angeloni, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Cooper, William C.
• Application Number:
  US04/879,854
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 340/32,33,34 325/1,117 179/41A,1VE
• US Class Current: 340/936
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0058 responsive to externally generated signalling
• 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 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

A system is disclosed for monitoring speed of highway vehicles from a central control station. The system includes posting devices positioned at intervals along the highway and adapted to receive a speed message from the control station and transmit the speed message to passing vehicles in a limited region of the highway in the form of an r-f signal. Each vehicle contains an rf receiver which is connected to the vehicle speedometer or other vehicle indication means in a manner that will provide, upon the occurrence of some predetermined excessive speed, an indication to the driver of the vehicle that the speed limit at that particular region of the highway is being exceeded. There is provision, also, for means for reporting back to the control station the occurrence of excessive vehicular speed as well as for providing accident warnings and the like.

Claims

1. A system for remotely establishing speed limits for vehicles on a highway and for monitoring the speed of the vehicles that comprises, in combination, a plurality of posting devices disposed along the highway, each device including a transmitter adapted to transmit a radio frequency signal to a limited region of the highway, the signal being modulated to provide an indication of proper speed at said region, a receiver mounted in each vehicle to receive and demodulate said signal, the output of the receiver being connected to a plurality of tuned circuits, switch means connected to receive the output of each tuned circuit and to be controlled by a voltage from the associated tuned circuit, the particular tuned circuit which provides an output voltage being determined by the output frequency of the demodulated receiver output, a speedometer having electric contact points at various speed positions and pickup means adapted to make electrical contact with the contact points upon the occurrence of a particular speed and complete an electric circuit thereby through the switches and means for conveying a modulation signal from a central control station to the posting devices to establish the speed limit at each region posting the highway.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the transmitter is frequency modulated to provide an output frequency that is indicative of proper speed of vehicle operation.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the transmitter is amplitude modulated to provide an output signal that comprises a modulated carrier, the modulations providing the means by which proper speed signals are transmitted to the vehicle.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 which includes a warning device connected in said electric circuit to be actuated upon occurrence of said particular speed.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 in which the warning device includes a buzzer and the like to provide the driver of the vehicle with an indication of excess vehicle speed.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5 and including apparatus adapted to play a recorded message and a further transmitter to transmit the message, delay means being provided in said apparatus to provide a message only at such times as the vehicle exceeds proper speed by a predetermined amount for a predetermined time period.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 in which the posting device contains a receiver tuned to receive the message transmitted from the vehicle and a still further transmitter to re-transmit the message to the central control station.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7 including manual switch means associated with each further transmitter for producing a signal of a predetermined nature to the further transmitter for transmittal to said central control station.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1 including a control circuit connected between said posting device and the central control station, the modulation of the signal transmitted from each posting device being effected from said central control station.

10. A system for remotely establishing speed limits for vehicles on a highway and for monitoring said vehicles that comprises, in combination, a plurality of posting devices disposed along the highway, each device including a transmitter adapted to transmit a signal to a limited region of the highway, the signal being modulated to provide a message indicative of proper vehicle speed at said region, a receiver mounted in each vehicle to receive said signal and provide an output, speed detecting means having means at various vehicle speeds to complete an electric circuit upon occurrence of the particular speed, the receiver and the speed detecting means being so inteRconnected that the speed in which the circuit is completed is determined by the output of the receiver, and means for conveying said message from a control station to the posting devices to establish the speed limit at each region of the highway.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10 in which the signal is at radio frequency and the receiver demodulates the signal to provide an output which is connected to a plurality of tuned circuits.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11 in which the speed detecting means is a multiple-electric-contact speedometer and in which a relay bank is connected between the tuned circuit and the contacts of the speedometer, one relay of said bank being serially connected with each contact of the speedometer to complete a circuit through said one relay to the associated speedometer contact in response to a voltage from the tuned circuit associated with said one relay.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12 in which the relay bank comprises a plurality of relay sets, each such set being connected to receive the output of a particular tuned circuit, and each set comprising:

a momentary relay the holding coil of which is connected to receive the tuned circuit output, a latching relay the holding coil of which is connected in series with the momentary relay, and a further momentary relay mechanically interconnected to reset the latching relay, the latching relay of each set being serially connected to one speedometer contact and the further momentary relay being serially connected to another speedometer contact to complete a circuit through each of the relays to the associated speedometer contact in response to a voltage from said particular tuned circuit.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 in which the speedometer comprises a brush adapted to move from contact to contact in response to changes in vehicle speed and thereby complete a circuit through the particular contact to the brush upon occurrence of that particular speed.

15. Apparatus of claim 14 and including audio means connected to be actuated when the circuit is closed through the brush thereby to indicate the existence of excessive speed.

16. A system as claimed in 13 in which further posting devices are disposed along the highway, each such further device having a transmitter, and a further receiver mounted in each vehicle to receive the output of the further transmitter and connected to provide a reset voltage to said further momentary relay.

17. A system as claimed in claim 16 in which the further receiver provides an output to a momentary reset relay the contacts of which are serially connected with the coils of each said further momentary relay thereby, upon receipt of a reset signal, to activate each of the further momentary relay to reset each of the latching relays.

18. A system for remotely establishing speed limits for vehicles on a highway and for monitoring said vehicles that comprises, in combination, a plurality of posting devices disposed along the highway, each device including a transmitter adapted to transmit a signal to a limited region of the highway to provide an indication of proper vehicle speed at said region, means to control the transmitter from a remote location to impose a message upon the transmitted signal indicative of proper speed at said region, a receiver mounted in each vehicle to receive said signal and provide an output, and speed detecting means mounted in each vehicle, the receiver and the speed detecting means being interconnected to provide a indication of vehicle speed in excess of the proper vehicle speed at said region.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18 that includes means in the vehicle operable to play a recorded message and a further transmitter to transmit the message and in which each posting device contains a receiver tuned to receive the message transmitted from the vehicle and a still further transmitter to re-transmit the message to said remote location.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19 that includes switch means assocIated with each said further transmitter to initiate the playing of a recorded message for transmittal to the remote location.