Other

Santa Barbara Research Center

Sorbent Products Co., Inc.

Overland Safety Technologies Corporation

John R Toman

Ichiro Kasai

Milo Johnston

Michael P Hobin

John Clement

Gregory F Chinn

Michael Laughead

Richard Glancy

Apparatus, methods, system and devices for monitoring road surface temperature to detect hazardous road surface conditions. An indicator provides the sensed road surface temperature and hazardous road condition warning to a driver while a tail light interface automatically produce a tail light signal to warn drivers traveling behind the vehicle when a hazardous condition is detected. In an embodiment, the system includes a vehicle engine retardation system interfaced with the hazardous road condition warning system. When the retardation system is in use and hazardous road surface conditions are detected the controller automatically produces the brake light signal unless a tail light control switch is used to manually deactivating the automatic tail light flashing signal when the vehicle is traveling in a state that does not allow alternative control of the brake lights.

Vehicle safety warning device

A mat assembly is provided for absorbing liquid, such as oil, that may be spilled near a machine or automotive vehicle. The mat assembly includes a mat with at least an upper layer formed from a woven or non-woven array of fibers. The mat assembly further includes a frame formed from strips that can be cut to match the periphery of the mat. Each strip has a bottom surface with an attachment tape that can be engaged releasably with the woven or non-woven fibers of the mat. The restraining strip may include an array of resilient hooked filaments that can engage the fibers of the mat. The strips hold the mat in a planar orientation. However, the strips can be separated from the mat easily when the mat has become saturated. The mat then can be discarded and replaced with a new mat, and the same strips can be fixed to the upper surface of the new mat.

Sorbent mat assembly

An apparatus and method are disclosed for detecting and signaling when a vehicle enters or poses a serious risk of entering a roadway work zone. The apparatus comprises an intrusion detector array for detecting a vehicle breaching the work zone perimeter, and a high intensity strobe light array for providing an optical warning signal when the perimeter breaching vehicle is detected. The detector array includes one or more transmitters for emitting pulsed infrared signals along the work zone perimeter, and one or more receivers for detecting the presence or absence of the pulsed infrared signals, where the receivers include filters for removing stray signals emanating from sources other than the transmitters. The strobe light array includes a primary strobe activated by the detector array when a perimeter breaching vehicle is detected, and several relay strobes which are activated by the optical warning signal emitted by the primary strobe or another relay strobe. The primary and relay strobes emit a high intensity, psychologically proactive optical warning signal that is capable of immediate perception by work zone personnel despite the presence of noise and distractions. The detector array may also include a pneumatic hose assembly, and the assembly may include an electromagnetic emitter for falsely conveying the presence of a police radar trap. The electromagnetic emitter may be embodied in an excessive speed module for detecting a vehicle approaching the work zone at an excessive speed, and for activating the strobe light array upon detecting the speeding vehicle.

Assembly and method for detecting errant vehicles and warning work zone

The light receiving or back-side surface (22) of an indium antimonide (InSb) photodetector device (10) substrate (12) is cleaned to remove all native oxides of indium and antimony therefrom. A passivation layer (26) is then formed on the surface (22) of a material such as silicon dioxide, silicon suboxide and/or silicon nitride which does not react with InSb to form a structure which would have carrier traps therein and cause flashing. The device (10) is capable of detecting radiation over a continuous spectral range including the infrared, visible and ultraviolet regions.

Indium antimonide (InSb) photodetector device and structure for

An assembly for detecting and signalling when an object enters a work zone including a plurality of transmitter-sensor pairs serially connected along a section of the work zone perimeter for detecting when an object passes therethrough. Once an object is detected, an optical warning signal is activated. The optical warning signal includes a primary strobe and a plurality of relay strobes positioned throughout the work zone. The primary strobe flashes at a predetermined flash rate which is detected by a photoelectric sensor in a nearby relay strobe. The nearby relay strobe begins flashing at the predetermined flash rate thereby activating another relay strobe in close proximity. This cascading strobe effect saturates the work zone.

Growing community of inventors

Manchester, MO, United States of America

John R Toman