Traffic pathway alerting system
View Patent ↗The present invention is directed to a pathway alerting system, comprising: at least two alerting devices ( 30 ), disposed distantly from each other, in line, along a pathway ( 100 ), each alerting device ( 30 ) comprising: an alarm; a sensor ( 35 ) for detecting a transient vehicle; a communication module with at least one adjacent alerting device ( 30 ); and a mechanism for: upon detecting a transient vehicle by the sensor ( 35 ), instructing via the communication module at least one adjacent alerting device ( 30 ) to turn on its alarm.
1. A traffic pathway alerting system, comprising:
at least two alerting devices ( 30 ), disposed distantly from each other, in line, along a pathway ( 100 ) having a pedestrian lane ( 10 ) along a bike lane ( 11 ), each alerting device ( 30 ) comprising:
an alarm;
a sensor ( 35 ) for detecting a transient vehicle; and
a mechanism for: upon detecting a transient vehicle by said sensor ( 35 ), instructing at least one adjacent alerting device ( 30 ) to play its alarm,
wherein a number of adjacent alerting devices instructed to play their alarm is a function of a velocity of said transient vehicle, so that a time until said vehicle reaches a pedestrian walking on said bike lane is sufficient to allow said pedestrian to move to another lane of said pathway.
2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said sensor is adapted to detect a moving direction of said transient vehicle.
3. A system according to claim 2 , wherein said mechanism is adapted to turn on an alarm of at least one adjacent alerting device ( 30 ) in said vehicle's moving direction.
4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said sensor ( 35 ) comprises two infrared sensors ( 35 a , 35 b ), one for detecting a vehicle only at a front side thereof, and one only for detecting a vehicle only at a back side thereof, thereby allowing detecting a moving direction and velocity of transient vehicle by a time difference between disappearance of said vehicle from one of said infrared sensors and its appearance on a second of said infrared sensors.
5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein a velocity and direction is detected by a time difference a vehicle is detected by two adjacent alerting devices.
6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said alarm comprises visual alerting means.
7. A system according to claim 6 , wherein said visual alerting means comprises an item selected from a group comprising: LED, colored illumination element, blinking illumination element.
8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said alarm comprises audio alerting means.
9. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said mechanism supports wired communications.
10. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said mechanism supports wireless communications.
11. A system according to claim 1 , wherein a power supply of each of said alerting devices is a solar panel.
12. A system according to claim 1 , wherein a power supply of each of said alerting devices is an external power source.
13. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one of said alerting devices is adapted to be installed on the ground.
14. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one of said alerting devices ( 30 ) is adapted to be installed above the ground level.
15. A system according to claim 1 , wherein each of said at least one of said alerting devices ( 30 ) further comprises an ID detector of a transient vehicle, for reporting thereof to a monitoring and control center, thereby allowing performing an operation selected from a group consisting of: locating said vehicle in an urban space, disabling said vehicle, displaying an alarm installed on said vehicle, and displaying an alarm installed on said alerting device ( 30 ).
16. A system according to claim 15 , wherein said ID detector of a transient vehicle is a camera ( 24 ) for photographing an image of an ID plate of said vehicle, and OCR decoder for decoding an ID form said image.
17. A system according to claim 15 , wherein said ID detector of a transient vehicle is an RFID reader, for detecting an ID stored in an RFID tag installed in said transient vehicle.
18. A system according to claim 15 , wherein said ID detector is in a form of an ID stored in the vehicle, wherein said vehicle communicating with an ID reader of an alerting device.
19. A system according to claim 1 , wherein each of said alerting devices ( 30 ) comprises a green LED and a red LED, for indicating allowed and forbidden moving direction in a pedestrian pathway.
20. A system according to claim 1 , wherein each of said alerting devices ( 30 ) comprises a blue LED, for indicating that moving in both directions in allowed.
21. A system according to claim 1 , wherein each of said sensors comprises a shutter, for limiting a detection region thereof.