Communications: electrical – External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm – Highway information
Patent
1990-09-13
1994-05-31
Swarthout, Brent
Communications: electrical
External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm
Highway information
340901, 364436, 455345, G08G 109
Patent
active
053173112
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a traffic congestion monitoring system.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is conventional to advise police or highway officials of traffic congestion upon main roads by monitoring such congestion visually or by closed-circuit television for example. It is also conventional to advise drivers of congestion locations by broadcasting details of such congestion locations on ordinary or special radio channels to which conventional vehicle radios can be tuned. A drawback of such conventional systems for the drivers is the time delay between the build-up of congestion at a location and the communication of that information to the driver, often with the result that he is unable to avoid that location. The time delay may be worsened by the facts that the broadcasting announcer naturally has to give information about the congestion locations in turn, which also means that the driver has to carry the information in his mind in order to be able to work out a route avoiding all of the congested locations. Moreover, only serious congestion locations may be identified in the announcement, to reduce the interruption of ordinary broadcasting. The transient and aural nature of the presentation of the information to the driver mean that if the driver is not listening to the broadcast or cannot hear the broadcast (for example because the vehicle is in a tunnel or because a passenger is talking to him) when the information is given, he has to await the next bulletin.
Another drawback is that the monitoring involves employing personnel continuously to watch the locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a traffic congestion monitoring system, comprising detecting means disposed at a location and serving to detect stationary or slow-moving traffic units at said location, transmitting means communicating with said detecting means to receive from said detecting means signals representing information as to congestion at said location and arranged to transmit signals representing said information, and receiving means carried by traffic units and arranged to receive the transmitted signals and to present said information at the traffic units carrying said receiving means.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a traffic congestion monitoring system, comprising a plurality of detecting means disposed at respective locations remote from each other and serving to detect stationary or slow-moving traffic units at their respective locations, and to emit signals representing information as to congestion at said locations, transmitting means arranged to transmit signals representing said information, and receiving means carried by traffic units and arranged to receive the transmitted signals and to present said information at the traffic units carrying said receiving means, the receiving means at each unit being arranged to present the information as to congestion at said respective locations simultaneously.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a traffic congestion monitoring system, comprising detecting means disposed at a location and serving to detect stationary or slow-moving traffic units at said location and to emit signals representing information as to congestion at said location, transmitting means arranged to transmit signals representing said information, and receiving means carried by traffic units and arranged to receive the transmitted signals and to present said information at the traffic units carrying said receiving means, said receiving means serving to present said information as aforesaid continuously for as long as said information is relevant.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a traffic congestion monitoring system, comprising detecting means disposed at a location and serving to detect stationary or slow-moving traffic units at said location and to emit signals repres
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Martell David K.
Williams Ian R.
Hall William D.
Swarthout Brent
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