Technologies for communicating roadway information

• US 9,453,309 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Moran, Michael T., Baron, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US14/484,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20160076207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/907, 340/908, 340/908.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/30 Arrangements interacting with transmitters or receivers otherwise than by visible means, e.g. using radar reflectors or radio transmitters E01F11/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/40 Arrangements responsive to adverse atmospheric conditions, e.g. to signal icy roads or to automatically illuminate in fog; Arrangements characterised by heating or drying means
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/553 Low discrete bodies, e.g. marking blocks, studs or flexible vehicle-striking members
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 9/559 illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/02 using treadles built into the road pads or other sensitive devices responsive to passage of vehicles E01F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• 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 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

Technologies for communicating roadway information includes a plurality of roadway markers configured to propagate communications amongst each other. To do so, each roadway marker is configured to transmit communications to one or more other roadway markers. The communications may include sensor data generated by a sensor of a roadway marker. One or more roadway markers may transmit the sensor data to a roadway controller. Additionally or alternatively, the communication may include an alert message. A roadway marker may include a local alert device and be configured to activate the alert device in response to receiving an alert message. Additionally, one or more roadway markers may communicate with a roadway controller, a roadway traffic device, and/or an in-vehicle computing system of a vehicle to propagate roadway marker sensor data and/or alert messages. The roadway controller may be configured to control the roadway traffic devices, roadway makers, and/or communicate with remote computing devices.

Claims

1. A roadway marker for marking a roadway, the roadway marker comprising:

a communication circuit to receive a communication from a first roadway marker;

an alert device to generate at least one of an audible alert or a tactile alert; and

a control circuit to control the communication circuit to;

propagate the communication to other roadway markers, wherein to propagate the communication comprises to transmit the communication to a second roadway marker;

determine whether the communication includes an alert message;

identify, in response to a determination that the communication includes an alert message, a frequency and a duration in the alert message; and

control the alert device to generate the audible alert or the tactile alert based on the identified frequency and duration.

2. The roadway marker of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further to control the communication circuit to transmit the communication to an in-vehicle computing system of a vehicle on the roadway, wherein the communication comprises information indicative of a condition of the roadway.

3. The roadway marker of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further to control the communication circuit to transmit the communication to a roadway marker controller.

4. The roadway marker of claim 1, wherein

the control circuit is further to:

determine whether the communication includes a control message; and

control, in response to a determination that the communication includes a control message, the communication circuit to transmit the control message to a roadway traffic device to control the operation of the roadway traffic device.

17. The roadway marker of claim 1, further comprising a thermoelectric power circuit to:

generate power based on a difference in temperature between a first section of the roadway marker and a second section of the roadway marker; and

provide the generated power to the control circuit.

5. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions that cause, in response to execution, a first roadway marker to:

receive a communication transmitted by a second roadway marker attached to a roadway;

propagate the communication to other roadway markers, wherein to propagate the communication comprises to transmit the communication to a third roadway marker attached to a roadway;

determine whether the communication includes an alert message;

identify, in response to a determination that the communication includes an alert message, a frequency and a duration in the alert message; and

control an alert device to generate an audible alert or a tactile alert based on the identified frequency and duration.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 5, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the first roadway marker to transmit the communication to (i) an in-vehicle computing system of a vehicle on the roadway, wherein the communication includes information indicative of a condition of the roadway, or (ii) a roadway traffic device of the roadway, wherein the communication includes a control message to control the operation of the roadway traffic device.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 5, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the first roadway marker to:

generate power based on a difference in temperature between a first section of the first roadway marker and a second section of the first roadway marker; and

provide the generated power to a control circuit in the first roadway marker.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 5, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the first roadway marker to:

generate sensor data that indicates that a first vehicle has drifted out of a first lane associated with a first direction of travel to a second lane that is associated with a second direction of travel that is opposite the first direction; and

transmit the sensor data to an in-vehicle computing system of a second vehicle that is in the second lane.

7. A method for marking a roadway, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first roadway marker attached to a roadway, a communication transmitted by a second roadway marker attached to the roadway;

propagating the communication to other roadway markers by transmitting, by the first roadway marker, the communication to a third roadway marker attached to a roadway;

determining, by the first roadway marker, whether the communication includes an alert message;

identifying, by the first roadway marker in response to a determination that the communication includes an alert message, a frequency and a duration in the alert message; and

controlling, by the first roadway marker, an alert device to generate an audible alert or a tactile alert based on the identified frequency and duration.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating, by a sensor of the first roadway marker, sensor data indicative of a road condition; and

transmitting, by the first roadway marker, the sensor data to the second roadway marker or the third roadway marker.

20. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating, by the first roadway marker, power based on a difference in temperature between a first section of the first roadway marker and a second section of the first roadway marker; and

providing, by the first roadway marker, the generated power to a control circuit in the first roadway marker.

21. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying, by the first roadway marker, an audible message in the alert message; and

playing, by the first roadway marker, the audible message.

9. A roadway controller for controlling a roadway, the roadway controller comprising:

a communication module to receive sensor data from a roadway marker attached to a roadway; and

a roadway management module to analyze the sensor data received from the roadway marker, generate an alert message that specifies at least one of an audible alert function or a tactile alert function based on the sensor data, transmit the alert message to a roadway marker to cause the roadway marker to perform the specified alert function, determine whether a driver of a vehicle is unresponsive to the alert message, and transmit, in response to a determination that the driver is unresponsive to the alert message, a control message to at least one traffic light that controls cross traffic to stop the cross traffic.

10. The roadway controller of claim 9, wherein the sensor data is indicative of (i) a condition of the roadway, (ii) a local environment of the roadway marker, or (iii) the presence of a vehicle on the roadway.

11. The roadway controller of claim 9, wherein the roadway management module is further to (i) determine a location of a vehicle based on sensor data indicative of the presence of the vehicle on the roadway, (ii) identify a first roadway light located in front of the vehicle based on the location of the vehicle, (iii) identify a second roadway light located behind the vehicle based on the location of the vehicle, (iv) transmit a first control message to the first roadway light to cause the first roadway light to switch from an off-state to an on-state, and (v) transmit a second control message to the second roadway light to cause the second roadway light to switch from an on-state to an off-state.

12. The roadway controller of claim 9, wherein the roadway management module is to (i) generate a notification message based on the sensor data and (ii) transmit the notification message to a remote computing device.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions that cause, in response to execution, a roadway controller to:

receive sensor data from a roadway marker attached to a roadway;

analyze the sensor data;

generate an alert message that specifies at least one of an audible alert function or a tactile alert function based on the sensor data;

transmit the alert message to a roadway marker device of the roadway to perform the specified alert function;

determine whether a driver of a vehicle is unresponsive to the alert message; and

transmit, in response to a determination that the driver is unresponsive to the alert message, a control message to at least one traffic light that controls cross traffic to stop the cross traffic.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein to receive sensor data comprises to receive sensor data indicative of (i) a condition of the roadway, (ii) a local environment of the roadway marker, or (iii) a presence of a vehicle on the roadway.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving sensor data comprises receiving sensor data indicative of (i) a condition of the roadway, (ii) a local environment of the roadway marker, or (iii) a presence of a vehicle on the roadway.

15. A method for controlling a roadway by a roadway controller, the method comprising:

receiving, by a communication module of the roadway controller, sensor data from a roadway marker attached to a roadway;

analyzing, by a roadway management module of the roadway controller, the sensor data;

generating, by the roadway management module, an alert message that specifies at least one of an audible alert function or a tactile alert function based on the sensor data;

transmitting, by a communication module of the roadway controller, the alert message to a roadway marker of the roadway to cause the roadway marker to perform the specified alert function;

determining, by the roadway controller, whether a driver of a vehicle is unresponsive to the alert message; and

transmitting, by the roadway controller in response to a determination that the driver is unresponsive to the alert message, a control message to at least one traffic light that controls cross traffic to stop the cross traffic.