초록 ▼

Wireless sensing and communication system including sensors located in the roadway or in the vicinity of the roadway and which provide information which is transmitted to one or more interrogators in the vehicle by a wireless radio frequency mechanism. Power to operate a particular sensor is supplie

Wireless sensing and communication system including sensors located in the roadway or in the vicinity of the roadway and which provide information which is transmitted to one or more interrogators in the vehicle by a wireless radio frequency mechanism. Power to operate a particular sensor is supplied by the interrogator or the sensor is independently connected to either a battery, generator, vehicle power source or some source of power external to the vehicle. The sensors can provide information about the exterior environment, about the roadway, ambient atmosphere, travel conditions and/or external objects. The sensors arranged on the roadway or ancillary structures include pressure sensors, temperature sensors, moisture content or humidity sensors, and friction sensors.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A driving condition monitoring system for vehicles on a roadway, comprising: stationary mounting structures arranged proximate the roadway;activatable sensors located in said mounting structures in a vicinity of the roadway and apart from the roadway, said sensors being configured to generate inf

1. A driving condition monitoring system for vehicles on a roadway, comprising: stationary mounting structures arranged proximate the roadway;activatable sensors located in said mounting structures in a vicinity of the roadway and apart from the roadway, said sensors being configured to generate information about the roadway or an environment around the roadway and communicate the generated information directly to a vehicle or occupant thereof when activated, each of said sensors including a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the roadway or the environment around the roadway and an energy harvesting system that generates energy and provides the generated energy to said measuring or detecting component to enable it to measure or detect the property or condition of the roadway or environment around the roadway; andan initiating system that initiates a communication of the generated information directly from each of said sensors to the vehicle or occupant thereof when the vehicle is proximate said sensor by activating each sensor to communicate the generated information directly from the sensor to the vehicle or occupant thereof, whereby the generated information is not communicated from said sensors until initiated by said initiating system,said initiating system being arranged on the vehicle and configured to activate each sensor by transmitting an activation signal, andsaid sensors being configured to communicate the generated information directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof in response to the activation signal from said initiating system. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication from each sensor is wireless transmission of a signal, and said sensors are configured to wirelessly transmit the signal directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof in response to the activation signal from said initiating system. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is a RFID type sensor whereby said at least one sensor is configured to return information directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof in the form of a modulated RF signal such that the communication from each sensor is wireless transmission of the modulated RF signal. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said initiating system includes at least one interrogator configured to activate each sensor by transmitting the activation signal, and at least one of said sensors further includes a power-receiving system that receives power wirelessly from said at least one interrogator. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to generate information about travel conditions relating to the roadway or external objects on or in the vicinity of the roadway. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to communicate directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof, an identification code indicative of its position with the information generated by said at least one sensor when activated. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to measure friction of a surface of the roadway, atmospheric pressure, measure atmospheric temperature, temperature of the roadway, moisture content of the roadway or humidity of the atmosphere. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensors each include a SAW device whereby said sensors are configured to communicate the generated information after a delay, said sensors being arranged to use time-multiplexing such that each sensor has a different delay. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to communicate an identification of said sensor directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof when activated. 10. A driving condition monitoring system for vehicles on a roadway, comprising: activatable sensors embedded in the roadway, said sensors being configured to generate information about the roadway or an environment around the roadway and communicate the generated information directly to a vehicle or occupant thereof when activated, each of said sensors including a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the roadway or the environment around the roadway and an energy harvesting system that generates energy and provides the generated energy to said measuring or detecting component to enable it to measure or detect the property or condition of the roadway or environment around the roadway; andan initiating system that initiates a communication of the generated information directly from each of said sensors to the vehicle when the vehicle is proximate said sensor by activating each sensor to communicate the generated information directly from the sensor to the vehicle or occupant thereof, whereby the generated information is not communicated from said sensors until initiated by said initiating system,said initiating system being arranged on the vehicle and configured to activate each sensor by transmitting an activation signal, andsaid sensors being configured to communicate the generated information directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof in response to the activation signal from said initiating system. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the communication from each sensor is wireless transmission of a signal, and said sensors are configured to wirelessly transmit the signal directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof in response to the activation signal from said initiating system. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of said sensors is a RFID type sensor whereby said at least one sensor is configured to return information directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof in the form of a modulated RF signal such that the communication from each sensor is wireless transmission of the modulated RF signal. 13. The system of claim 10, wherein said initiating system includes at least one interrogator configured to activate each sensor by transmitting the activation signal, and at least one of said sensors further includes a power-receiving system that receives power wirelessly from said at least one interrogator. 14. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to generate information about travel conditions relating to the roadway or external objects on or in the vicinity of the roadway. 15. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said sensors is configured to communicate directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof, an identification code indicative of its position with the information generated by said at least one sensor when activated. 16. A vehicle on-board driving condition monitoring system operative while the vehicle travels on a roadway, comprising: at least one interrogator arranged on the vehicle and configured to transmit an activation signal receivable by sensors located on or in a vicinity of the roadway, the sensors including a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the roadway or the environment around the roadway and an energy harvesting system that generates energy and provides the generated energy to the measuring or detecting component to enable it to measure or detect the property or condition of the roadway or environment around the roadway, the sensors being configured to communicate information about the measured or detected property or condition of the roadway directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof after and in response to receiving the activation signal from said at least one interrogator, whereby the sensors do not communicate the information until the activation signal is received;a receiving system arranged on the vehicle and that receives the communicated information directly from the sensors that is communicated after the activation signal is transmitted by said at least one interrogator and received by the sensors; anda communications device arranged on the vehicle, coupled to said receiving system and that transmits the information communicated by the sensors and received by said receiving system to a remote location spaced from the vehicle. 17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a location-determining system that determines location of the vehicle, said communications device further transmitting the determined location of the vehicle with the sensor-communicated information to the remote location. 18. The system of claim 16, wherein said receiving system includes two receiving antennas, said antennas being controlled by said at least one interrogator to cause the activation signal to be transmitted from either of the two antennas. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein said communications device further transmits location of the vehicle with the sensor-communicated information to the remote location, the location of the vehicle relative to the sensors being determinable by transmitting the signal from one of said antennas and receiving a return signal at both of said antennas. 20. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the sensors is configured to communicate directly to the vehicle or occupant thereof, an identification code indicative of its position when the sensor is activated by the activation signal such that absolute position of the vehicle is determinable using a map and known position of the at least one sensor.