AU2003212024A1 - Traffic information system - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT TRAFFIC INFORMATION

SYSTEM

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me.

TRAFFIC INFORMATION SYSTEM 1. This invention relates to a traffic information system and in particular to a system which enables motorists to be readily aware of the speed limit in areas in which they are travelling.

2. Whilst there has been, over recent years, a great deal of material about traffic systems and speeds motorists travel, these have largely been based on enforcement type systems rather than information systems.

3. Police use radar guns and fixed and moving traffic cameras to fine people for breaching speed limits.

4. Speed limits are normally indicated by roadside signs and, in many cases, the signs are not readily visible.

This can be for a number of reasons, some signs are simply badly placed and the motorist, when passing the sign, is concentrating on areas of road other than the sign. In others, the signs have been placed behind obstacles, or obstacles have been placed in front of the signs and, particularly in multi-lane roads, a sign may be completely obscured to a motorist who is, say, travelling beside a semi-trailer vehicle or other large vehicle.

6. Also, particularly where minor roads meet major roads, there may be no signage indicating that the motorist is moving from one speed limit area to another and he/she must gauge what the likely speed limit of the new road is largely from the speed of other vehicles travelling on it.

7. Not unreasonably, many motorists can be upset when they are charged with speeding where they have taken all reasonable precautions to ensure that they are travelling within the speed limit of the local area.

1. It is the object of the invention to provide motorists with effectively continual indications of the speed limit of an area in which they are travelling.

2. The invention includes marking the centre line of roads with codes which indicate the speed limit appropriate to the particular area of the road.

3. This marking is preferably more or less continuous but it can be broken, if required, and can be omitted when road marking to indicate some other situation, such as the provision of double solid lines for no passing from either side or one code line and one unbroken line indicating that vehicles can pass from the broken side through the solid side but not the opposite.

4. Alternatively at locations of no passing from either direction the speed code marking could be continued with the solid lines either side, thus maintaining indication of both speed limit and no passing regulations.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood I shall describe one particular embodiment of the invention.

6. In this embodiment I will indicate specific codes but it is to be appreciated that this is arbitrary but it is also to be appreciated that if the system was adopted a consistant system would be required.

7. In my suggested arrangement where there is, say, a 40 km/hr school zone, or a lesser speed school zone, if that is what is used in the area, there would be a yellow continuous centre line.

8. Where the speed zone is 50 km/hr, which is the general speed limit in many built areas or suburban streets, the lines could be yellow lines 600 millimetres long with 600 millimetres spacing between the lines.

1. It may well be that where, say, a State has a blanket 50 km/hr speed limit, unless otherwise signed, it would not be necessary to use such lines over substantial areas but where, say, there are junctions with other speed zones or at intersections within the 50 km/hr speed zone area, then the lines could be used for a specific distance, say, 20-300 metres.

2. Also where there is a 50 km/hr zone encompassed on both ends with higher speed zones, such as passing through small towns on country roads, short lengths of indication could be provided but it would be preferable that the marking be used throughout the area.

3. For 60 km/hr zone I could use a white line having 2 metre lines with a 6 metre spacing and for a 70 km/hr zone the lines could be the same as for 60 km/hr zone but in yellow.

4. An 80 km/hr zone could be white lines of 3 metres followed by an 8 metre spacing and then a 1.5 metre line followed by an 8 metre spacing. Thus the line would have alternating long and shorter lines each separated by an 8 metre spacing.

The 90 km/hr zone could be identical to the 80 km/hr zone with the exception that the line would be yellow rather than white.

6. 100 km/hr zone could be white and could be 4 metres long and have 11 metre spacing and 110 km/hr zone could be alternating white lines having areas of 4 metres long with 11 metre spacing followed by an area 2 meters long followed by an 11 metre spacing.

7. It will be seen that in my proposed form of marking system in the intermediate areas the colours alternate between white and yellow and pairs of adjacent colours having the same arrangement of lines which relate to speeds which are 10 km/hr apart.

4 1. Whilst the motorist would have to learn the coding used in the centre line, this is made as simple as possible and it is believed that the motorists would learn the system quickly.

2. As mentioned earlier, the centre lines could be coded effectively through the whole of the length of the area to which the particular speed relates, although it could be omitted where some other complex indication is required with the speed code terminating before and recommencing after such notification.

3. Also, where there is a substantial area where a single speed limit is applicable, such as in suburban streets, it may only be necessary to incorporate the coded message at the junctions of these streets, with streets or roads of different speed limits.

4. Thus, particularly in many Australian cities where the whole city area has a fixed speed limit, such as 50 km/hr, unless it is otherwise marked, the driver thus expects to be travelling at 50 km/hr and it would not be necessary that continual marking be provided Whilst I have described my marking as being done in two colours, which are colours which are currently used on line marking and which are relativvely simple to identify, there is no reason why different colours, such as orange, could also be used and in this case, it may be necessary to have fewer changes in the actual form of lines but rather use a different coloured line.

6. Also, whilst I have described the invention applied to the centre line of a road there is no reason why, if a road has a continuous edge line, that the information could not be a incorporated into this line as an alternative.

7. Apart from servicing its major purpose of ensuring that a motorist can readily ascertain the speed limit of the area in which he/she is travelling, it does have a secondary purpose and that is that a motorist could not reasonably state that they were unaware of the speed limit should they be apprehended for travelling in excess of the speed limit.

1. In the drawing FIG. 1 shows a scaled schematic example of this invention.

2. Whilst I have described herein a particular embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be made in this without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.