Automated sign inventory system

摘要

A system for automating maintenance and inventory of roadway signs and structures equips such signs and structures with transponders for electromagnetic communication. Further, the signs and structures have a memory that stores information relating to the signs and structures. An in-vehicle unit is placed in a vehicle and communicates with the transponders in the signs to identify and receive information from the signs. The in-vehicle unit further has memory for storing information relating to each sign. A location module and graphical user interface assist in navigation and identification of signs. After installation, maintenance or evaluation of a sign is complete, the memory in the sign is updated as well as the memory in the in-vehicle unit. A central database stores information relating to all signs.