Surface condition and friction measurements
The measurement systems help you and your customers in the planning and quality control of winter maintenance activities on the roads and at the airports.
The Teconer Road Weather Stations have been developed for fixed installations along the roadside. They feature all the essential road weather measurements, including surface condition, friction, water/ice layer thickness, air pressure, surface temperature and dew point temperature. Existing roadside infrastructure may be used for easy commissioning.
The Mobile Road Condition Monitors and the associated data acquisition and displaying system are designed for mobile road weather measurements in winter maintenance. The performance of RCM systems has been verified in several published third party tests and comparisons.
Data acquisition is integrated in a single application, which records GPS information and communicates all the collected data to a server for displaying it in Mobile Road Condition Map™. The measurement data from mobile road weather sensors is also available in real time in the RCM Mobile application installed on a mobile phone.
Customer benefits
- Optimized timing of maintenance operations
- Savings in salting operations through optimization
- Increased road safety and improved driving conditions
- Decreased environmental impact
- Enhanced road weather forecasts
Ask for more information about surface condition and friction measurement systems
Road weather monitoring with Road Weather Station
RWS reports the following road surface and road weather information
- surface condition
- coefficient of friction
- water/ice layer thickness
- air pressure
- surface temperature
- dew point temperature
RWS highlights
- easy installation: when a power line is available, the installation to an existing mast can be carried out within an hour
- cost-efficient solution for all basic road weather measurements
- minor maintenance needs
- automatic software updates and remote control of parameters
The sensor emits infrared light to the surface and measures the reflection of light. The water and/or ice on the road surface attenuate the reflected light as compared to the calibrated values. The degree of signal attenuation depends on the quantity of ice or water. Snow is seen as ice in the spectre and can be distinguished from hard ice. The measurement data analysis is executed in the microprocessor of the sensor.
Mobile road and runway weather monitoring with RCM50 Road Condition Monitors
RCM50 monitors are optical sensors based on spectral analysis. The firmware of the sensor measures the optical reflection signals and analyses the data to produce a road surface condition and friction report.
RCM511 reports the following road surface information
- Surface condition
- Coefficient of friction
- Water layer thickness
- Ice layer thickness
RCM511W sensor reports
- Surface condition: Dry / Wet
- Water layer thickness up to 15 mm
RCM511+W sensor
- A combination of RCM511 and RCM511W sensors that allows for extensive monitoring of surface conditions, coefficient of friction, and water layer thickness up to 15 mm.
RCM50 group sensor highlights
- Small physical size makes installation easy and fast in any vehicle, from passenger vehicles to plough trucks. The sensor is easily transferable to another vehicle
- Low purchasing cost and economic life cycle costs of the total measurement system
- The system is almost maintenance free: only cleaning of lenses may occasionally be needed
- Automatic software updates and remote control of parameters
The sensor emits infrared light to the surface and measures the light reflection. The water and/or ice on the road surface attenuate the reflected light as compared to the calibrated values. The degree of signal attenuation depends on the amount of ice or water. Snow is seen as ice in the spectre and can be distinguished from hard ice. The measurement data analysis is executed in the microprocessor of the sensor.
Browse new data measured by RCM511 and RCM411 sensors on Mobile Road Condition Map™. The map also shows fresh data of some road weather stations.
Temperature Sensors
Surface temperature sensor RTS411/RTS411SA and Surface temperature and dew point sensor RTD411(I2C)/RTD411SA can be used as stand-alone units or as an integrated part of the Road condition monitoring system. The standalone versions include sensor heads and an enclosure with Bluetooth unit. A mobile device is used for user interface in the vehicle and for data transmission to selected servers. Mounting is easy on the metallic parts of the vehicle by using a magnetic fixture.
In addition to road surface monitoring, optical measurement technology can also be used for material moisture measurement in industrial processes.
Friction Meter µTEC™
µTEC is an Android smartphone application, which is based on measurement of acceleration while braking a car so that the tires start to slip. µTEC has been certified for Quality Control measurements by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
µTEC™ features
- Coefficient of friction
- Vehicle speed and direction (phone GPS)
- Vehicle location (phone GPS)
Frequently Asked Questions About Road Surface Monitoring
What is road surface friction measurement?
Road surface friction measurement determines how much grip exists between tires and the road surface.
How does road condition monitoring work?
Road condition monitoring uses optical sensors to measure road surface conditions.
Why is road friction measurement important?
Accurate friction measurements help detect slippery conditions early and improve winter road maintenance decisions.
What technologies are used in road surface condition monitoring?
Road surface condition monitoring typically uses optical sensors, temperature sensors and data analysis systems to detect moisture, ice, snow and friction conditions on the road surface in real time.
Who uses road surface condition monitoring systems?
Road authorities, winter maintenance operators and intelligent transportation system providers use road condition monitoring systems to improve road safety and optimize maintenance operations.
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