This application relates to systems, equipment and methods employing a self-assembling wireless local network of devices to enhance the safety of personnel conducting operations on or near working roadways including law enforcement, emergency response, construction sites, and roadside service providers such as tow trucks.
It is well-known that operations conducted on or beside traffic bearing roadways are extremely hazardous, with other motorists potentially colliding with equipment and personnel causing injury and death. Visual and audible warnings are commonly used to warn approaching motorists and pedestrians of roadside operations, and these warnings have been successful in reducing accidents. However, significant risks remain and there is an opportunity to deploy recently developed communications and sensor technology to further increase the safety of roadside personnel.
Currently, equipment used for operations on or near working roads are stand-alone devices, the operation of which is not coordinated with other devices. For example, if two or more emergency vehicles are stopped in a row at the scene of an accident, it is common for all of the vehicles to display warning light signals of various types. The warning light signals are not coordinated and can generate a confusing glare to the approaching motorist, pedestrian, or other emergency responders. It is common for emergency vehicles in the front of the line to continue projecting warning light signals rearwardly, which can blind emergency responders approaching the accident from behind the first vehicle. Ideally, only the rear-most vehicle would display warning lights to the rear, to warn approaching traffic. Coordinated traffic directing signals would also be less confusing to approaching traffic. Currently, there is no way to effectively coordinate the warning signal activity among several emergency vehicles at the scene of an accident, except to manually set each vehicle's warning system to the desired setting. Even then, the flash patterns emitted by each vehicle's lights will not be coordinated in time with the other vehicle flash patterns.
Warning signals from emergency vehicles, service vehicles and construction equipment can be augmented with traffic guiding devices such as cones, portable barriers, and portable lights that generate traffic guiding light signals or illuminated words. The effectiveness of such equipment is enhanced when the activity of the devices is coordinated. Further improvements are possible if the traffic guiding devices include sensors to detect approaching vehicles or objects that will enter a safety margin around the work zone. The information from such sensors is most effective if coordinated and communicated to personnel in the work zone.
It is now common for motor vehicles equipped for road service, construction, and emergency response to have computerized devices that control and coordinate available audible and visual warning signals generated by each of the vehicles. These computerized devices have computer processors, memory, and limited communication capability. Communication is typically limited to the control of signal devices on a motor vehicle from a central module. Some communication between the central module and the vehicle communication bus may be employed to obtain information about the status of the vehicle, including whether the vehicle is parked or moving, braking, speed, heading, etc.
There is an opportunity to enhance safety of emergency responders, construction crews and road service personnel by connecting devices into a wireless local network to exchange information and coordinate warning signal and other activity when responding to an emergency, at crime scenes, emergency response locations, and work zones.