Pavement marker and system for freeway advance accident merge signal

Abstract

A pavement marker includes a support structure adapted to be mounted on a highway pavement intermediate first and second highway lanes in a position visible to oncoming traffic. One or more red and yellow lights are directed toward the oncoming traffic. A sensor on it senses nearby traffic. A receiver on it receives an incoming signal from a first companion pavement marker that is mounted on the highway pavement more distant from the oncoming traffic. A transmitter on it transmits an outgoing signal to a second companion pavement marker that is mounted on the highway pavement less distant from the oncoming traffic. A solar-charged, battery-powered circuit controls operation according to information from the sensor and the receiver in order to relay advance warning of slowed, stopped, and all-clear traffic conditions to the oncoming traffic via multiple spaced-apart pavement markers.

1 . A pavement marker, comprising: 
 a support structure adapted to be mounted on a highway pavement intermediate first and second highway lanes in a position visible to oncoming traffic;    means on the support structure for producing a light directed toward the oncoming traffic, including at least one light-emitting circuit;    means on the support structure for sensing nearby traffic in order to provide information related to nearby vehicle speed, including a sensor;    means on the support structure for receiving an incoming signal from a first companion pavement marker that is mounted on the highway pavement more distant from the oncoming traffic, including a receiver;    means on the support structure for transmitting an outgoing signal to a second companion pavement marker that is mounted on the highway pavement less distant from the oncoming traffic, including a transmitter; and    means on the support structure for controlling operation of the light-emitting circuit and the transmitter according to information obtained from the sensor and the receiver in order to provide advance warning of traffic conditions to the oncoming traffic, including an electronic circuit with a circuit-powering battery and a battery-charging solar cell assembly;    wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to control operation under program control in order to relay the information related to nearby vehicle speed from the first companion marker to the second companion marker and thereby relay the information toward oncoming traffic as an advance warning of traffic conditions ahead of the oncoming traffic.    
   
   
       2 . (canceled)  
   
   
       3 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting circuit includes at least one red light-emitting component and at least one yellow light-emitting component.  
   
   
       4 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the sensor detecting an occurrence of the presence of a nearby vehicle for more than a first predetermined period of time by activating the light-emitting circuit and transmitting an INITIAL OUTGOING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal to the second companion pavement marker.  
   
   
       5 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the receiver receiving an INCOMING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal from the first companion pavement marker by activating the light-emitting circuit, disregarding the sensor, incrementing a counter valve to produce a new counter valve, and transmitting a RELAYED OUTGOING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal indicative of the new counter valve to the second companion pavement marker.  
   
   
       6 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to not transmit the RELAYED OUTGOING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal if the counter valve reaches a predetermined maximum valve.  
   
   
       7 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the sensor detecting an occurrence of the presence of a nearby vehicle for less than the first predetermined period of time after transmitting the INITIAL OUTGOING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal by deactivating the light-emitting circuit and transmitting an ALL-CLEAR signal to the second companion pavement marker.  
   
   
       8 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the sensor detecting an occurrence of the presence of a nearby vehicle for more than a second predetermined period of time by activating the light-emitting circuit and transmitting an INITIAL OUTGOING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal to the second companion pavement marker.  
   
   
       9 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the receiver receiving an INCOMING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal from the first companion pavement marker by activating the light-emitting circuit, disregarding the sensor, incrementing a counter valve to produce a new counter valve, and transmitting a RELAYED OUTGOING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal indicative of the new counter valve to the second companion pavement marker.  
   
   
       10 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to not transmit the RELAYED OUTGOING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal if the counter valve reaches a predetermined maximum valve.  
   
   
       11 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the sensor detecting an occurrence of the presence of a nearby vehicle for less than the first predetermined period after transmitting the INITIAL OUTGOING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal by deactivating the light-emitting circuit and transmitting an ALL-CLEAR signal to the second companion pavement marker.  
   
   
       12 . A method for providing an advance warning of traffic conditions to oncoming traffic, comprising: 
 providing a plurality of battery-powered, solar-charged pavement markers that are adapted to be mounted on a highway pavement, such that each pavement marker is adapted to sense nearby traffic and emit light as a warning of traffic conditions and such that each of the pavement markers includes an electronic circuit that is adapted to operate under program control as means for receiving and responding to a signal from a first companion pavement marker that is more distant from the oncoming traffic, and transmitting a signal to a second companion pavement marker that is less distant from the oncoming traffic, in order to thereby relay a SLOWED-TRAFFIC warning and a STOPPED-TRAFFIC warning of traffic conditions via the pavement markers toward the oncoming traffic;    mounting the plurality of pavement markers on the highway pavement in spaced-apart locations along the highway intermediate first and second highway lanes so that the light emitted is visible to oncoming traffic; and    relaying information related to nearby traffic from the first companion marker to the second companion pavement marker as an advance warning to the oncoming traffic of traffic conditions.    
   
   
       13 . A traffic warning system, comprising: 
 a plurality of similar pavement markers mounted at spaced apart positions on a highway pavement, including at least a first pavement marker, a second pavement marker, and a third pavement marker;    each of the first, second, and third pavement markers including a respective one of first, second, and third support structures such that the support structures are adapted to be mounted on a highway pavement in spaced apart positions visible to oncoming traffic;    the second pavement marker including means on the second support structure for producing light directed toward the oncoming traffic, including at least one light-emitting circuit;    the second pavement marker including means for sensing nearby traffic in order to provide information related to nearby vehicle speed, including a sensor;    the second pavement marker including means for receiving an incoming signal from the first pavement marker, including a receiver;    the second pavement markers including means for transmitting an outgoing signal to the third pavement marker, including a transmitter; and    the second pavement marker including an electronic circuit adapted to operates under program control as means for controlling operation of the light-emitting circuit and the transmitter according to information obtained from the sensor and the receiver in order to activate the light-emitting circuit and relay a warning of traffic conditions via the transmitter to the third pavement marker and thereby toward the oncoming traffic;    wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the sensor detecting an occurrence of the presence of a nearby vehicle for more than a first predetermined period of time by activating the light-emitting circuit and transmitting an INITIAL OUTGOING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal to the third pavement marker;    wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the receiver receiving an INCOMING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal from the first pavement marker by activating the light-emitting circuit, disregarding the sensor, incrementing a counter valve to produce a new counter valve, and transmitting a RELAYED OUTGOING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal indicative of the new counter valve to the third pavement marker; and    wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to not transmit the RELAYED OUTGOING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal if the counter valve reaches a predetermined maximum valve.    
   
   
       14 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the sensor detecting an occurrence of the presence of a nearby vehicle for less than the first predetermined period of time after transmitting the INITIAL OUTGOING SLOWED-VEHICLE signal by deactivating the light-emitting circuit and transmitting an ALL-CLEAR signal to the third companion pavement marker.  
   
   
       15 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the sensor detecting an occurrence of the presence of a nearby vehicle for more than a second predetermined period of time by activating the light-emitting circuit and transmitting an INITIAL OUTGOING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal to the third pavement marker.  
   
   
       16 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the receiver receiving an INCOMING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal from the first pavement marker by activating the light-emitting circuit, disregarding the sensor, incrementing a counter valve to produce a new counter valve, and transmitting a RELAYED OUTGOING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal indicative of the new counter valve to the third pavement marker.  
   
   
       17 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to not transmit the RELAYED OUTGOING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal if the counter valve reaches a predetermined maximum valve.  
   
   
       18 . A pavement marker as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the electronic circuit is adapted to respond to the sensor detecting an occurrence of the presence of a nearby vehicle for less than the first predetermined period after transmitting the INITIAL OUTGOING STOPPED-VEHICLE signal by deactivating the light-emitting circuit and transmitting an ALL-CLEAR signal to the third pavement marker.