SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING CONDITION OF ROAD USING INDICATOR ELEMENT

Abstract

 Disclosed is an indicator element (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) associated with a road (210, 304, 508, 602) for monitoring a condition of the road. Moreover, the indicator element comprises a measurable property (402, 404, 406) associated therewith, wherein a change in the measurable property over a period of time is indicative of the wear of the indicator element. Disclosed also is a system (600) for monitoring a condition of a road. Disclosed also is a method for monitoring a condition of a road.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to road monitoring devices; and more specifically, to an indicator element associated with a road for monitoring a condition of the road. The present disclosure also relates to a system for monitoring a condition of a road. The present disclosure also relates to a method for monitoring a condition of a road using the aforementioned indicator element and system.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent times, the density of traffic is increasing substantially on a road, especially in urban areas. Notably, the increase in traffic has resulted in a constant wear and tear of the roads. Such wear and tear may include, but is not limited to, grooves on the road. Moreover, the grooves may have different depths leading in uneven or non-uniform roads. Furthermore, the grooves may create several other problems on the road, such as slippery road, as water tends to stack in the grooves. In this regard, a regular maintenance and monitoring of a condition of the road is necessary to ensure road safety. Moreover, the condition of the road may include information such as a moisture or dryness content thereof, a temperature thereof, a presence of snow and/or ice thereon, a presence or absence of grooves thereon, a formfactor of the grooves, and so forth. Furthermore, several technological means and methods are used for monitoring the condition of the road.

[0003] Conventionally, a road surface monitoring system is used for monitoring the condition of the road. Said systems generally rely upon sensor units that are disposed on poles located adjacent to the road. Notably, the sensor units are expensive to maintain, replace, and are also difficult to access. Therefore, making the process of monitoring the condition of the road extremely costly and cumbersome.

[0004] In a Japanese Patent document JP H08121651 A ("Buried material information visible marker and buried material information display method" assigned to ITSUKI KOGYO KK) there is described a system for display information on underground buried material. For obtaining information on telephone cables or the like, buried under a road, precisely visible from the ground, an information stated mark on the bottom face side of a marker formed of a transparent body and installed on the ground surface is provided. A mark label is formed by laminating an adhesive seal with an acrylic adhesive applied to both faces of a polyester film cut out in circular shape of about 26mm in diameter, a printed seal, waterproof paper, with a mark 2 silk-printed, and a protective seal with an acrylic adhesive applied to only the upper face of a circular polyester film of about 26mm in diameter. This mark label is attached to the bottom face of a cylindrical transparent body to form a marker. The mark is an emblem indicating information on underground buried material such as the position, quantity, shape, and the like of buried material, and a cylindrical lump formed of colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin is used for the transparent body.

[0005] In an Australian Patent document AU 2015100588 A4 ("Wear indicator for concrete" assigned to NEW LIFE BUILD Pty Ltd) there is described a wear indicator for embedding in a concrete layer, such as a concrete slab, to facilitate indicating wear of the concrete layer. The wear indicator as disclosed comprises an elongate body defining a longitudinal axis. The elongate body is formed from a plurality of layers along the longitudinal axis, with each of the layers having a different visual appearance.

[0006] In a WIPO Patent document WO 2014186359 A1 ("Surface detection and indicator" assigned to CVG MANAGMENT CORP) there is described systems and methods that can discover and present to a user road conditions. A client can include sensors to measure local road conditions. Local road conditions can be measured by a sensor and reported to a server. The server disclosed in the document can aggregate road condition information at least by location and time and return the aggregated information to clients to facilitate presentation of road conditions not discovered locally.

[0007] Additionally, a handheld device may be used for monitoring the condition of the road. However, said devices require human labour to acquire routine records of the condition of the road and temporarily identify all navigational concerns related to the road. Moreover, using said devices is also time consuming, complex, and cost-inefficient.

[0008] Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks associated with conventional road condition monitoring systems.

SUMMARY

[0009] The present disclosure seeks to provide an indicator element associated with a road for monitoring a condition of the road. The present disclosure seeks to provide a system for monitoring a condition of a road. The present disclosure also seeks to provide a method for monitoring a condition of a road. The present disclosure seeks to provide a solution to the existing problems related to the monitoring and potential maintenance of the condition of the road. An aim of the present disclosure is to provide a solution that overcomes at least partially the problems encountered in prior art, and provides an improved system and method for monitoring of the condition of the road using an indicator element associated with the road.

[0010] In an aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an indicator element associated with a road for monitoring a condition of the road, the indicator element comprising a measurable property associated therewith, wherein the measurable property is selected from at least one of: a colour, a fluorescence, a colour gradient, a reflective index, a refractive index, an absorption index, an appearance of one or more substances, and a combination thereof, wherein the colour, the colour gradient and the fluorescence is along a depth of the indicator element, and wherein the depth is implemented as discrete sections having discrete colours or fluorescence or a single section with the colour gradient, and wherein a change in the measurable property over a period of time is indicative of the wear of the indicator element.

[0011] In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for monitoring a condition of a road, the system comprising:

• one or more indicator elements associated with the road;
• at least one measuring arrangement configured to measure a measurable property associated with the one or more indicator elements; and
• a processing arrangement, communicably coupled to the at least one imaging arrangement via a communication interface, configured to
  • receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement,
  • process the measurement data to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time, and
  • generate a notification at a user device, associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

[0012] In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for monitoring a condition of a road, the method comprising

• arranging one or more indicator elements with the road;
• arranging at least one measuring arrangement to measure a measurable property associated with the one or more indicator elements; and
• operating a processing arrangement, communicably coupled to the at least one measuring arrangement via a communication interface, to
  • receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement,
  • process the measurement data to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time, and
  • generate a notification at a user device, associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

[0013] In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product for monitoring a condition of a road, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when accessed by a processing arrangement, cause the processor to carry out the aforementioned method.

[0014] Embodiments of the present disclosure substantially eliminate or at least partially address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and provides an indicator element, an efficient system employing at least one of said indicator element and an improved method of monitoring the condition of the road by using the aforesaid system. Beneficially, the indicator element enables the effective analysis of the condition of the road based on a measurable property thereof. In this regard, advantageously, the indicator element possesses optical properties that indicate the rate of wear thereof and thereby indicate the condition of the road. Beneficially, a timely monitoring of the condition of the road may prevent potential accidents on the monitored road.

[0015] Additional aspects, advantages, features and objects of the present disclosure would be made apparent from the drawings and the detailed description of the illustrative embodiments construed in conjunction with the appended claims that follow.

[0016] It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure are susceptible to being combined in various combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Wherever possible, like elements have been indicated by identical numbers.

[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an indicator element associated with a road, for monitoring a condition of the road in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 are different conditions of an indicator element corresponding to a condition of a road, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a top view of an indicator element embedded in the road, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGs. 4A and 4B are side views of the indicator elements associated with a road for monitoring a condition of the road, in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGs. 5A and 5B are exemplary implementation s of the indicator element, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a system for monitoring a condition of a road, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting steps of a method for monitoring a condition of a road, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] In the accompanying drawings, an underlined number is employed to represent an item over which the underlined number is positioned or an item to which the underlined number is adjacent. A non-underlined number relates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlined number to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify a general item at which the arrow is pointing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the present disclosure and ways in which they can be implemented. Although some modes of carrying out the present disclosure have been disclosed, those skilled in the art would recognize that other embodiments for carrying out or practising the present disclosure are also possible.

[0021] In an aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an indicator element associated with a road for monitoring a condition of the road, the indicator element comprising a measurable property associated therewith, wherein a change in the measurable property over a period of time is indicative of the wear of the indicator element.

[0022] In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for monitoring a condition of a road, the system comprising:

• one or more indicator elements associated with the road;
• at least one measuring arrangement configured to measure a measurable property associated with the one or more indicator elements; and
• a processing arrangement, communicably coupled to the at least one imaging arrangement via a communication interface, configured to
  • receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement,
  • process the measurement data to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time, and
  • generate a notification at a user device, associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

[0023] In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for monitoring a condition of a road, the method comprising

• arranging one or more indicator elements with the road;
• arranging at least one measuring arrangement to measure a measurable property associated with the one or more indicator elements; and
• operating a processing arrangement, communicably coupled to the at least one measuring arrangement via a communication interface, to
  • receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement,
  • process the measurement data to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time, and
  • generate a notification at a user device, associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

[0024] In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product for monitoring a condition of a road, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when accessed by a processing arrangement, cause the processor to carry out the aforementioned method.

[0025] Pursuant to embodiments of the present disclosure, the aforementioned indicator element, the aforementioned system comprising one or more of said indicator element and the aforementioned method provided herein are used for monitoring the condition of the road. The disclosed system does not fully rely upon sensor units, that brings down the overall cost of the proposed system. Moreover, the maintenance and replacement of the one or more indicator elements associated with the road is less expensive and easy in comparison with the conventional methods of monitoring of the road conditions that involve sensors in particular. Furthermore, the system for monitoring the condition of the road is fully automated, so that the chances/generation of the errors in the real-time is negligible, this increases the overall efficiency of the system, and gives the more accurate data related to the condition of the road for a better management of the road conditions.

[0026] The term "indicator element" as used herein refers to a solid piece of a material having a definite size, a shape and a dimension thereof. Notably, the indicator element enables effective monitoring of a condition of a road. In this regard, the condition of the road may be considered good when the road may have no obstacles or hindrances in the path of vehicles riding thereon. Optionally, the condition of the road may be considered bad when the road may be worn out and includes a plurality of grooves formed thereon due to a heavy vehicle traffic thereon. The indicator element is shaped as a bar, having a length (L), width (W) and a depth (D). Optionally, the indicator element may be a circular-shaped element, wherein the circular shape may be implemented as a disk or a button or like a mushroom with a stock.

[0027] Optionally, the depth of the indicator element is associated with the road at least partly along a length of the road or at least partly along a width of the road, such that a vehicle is able to pass over the indicator element. In this regard, the indicator element may be associated with the road according to the aforementioned ways based on the application thereof. In an embodiment, the indicator element may be embedded in the road. In this regard, the indicator element may be embedded such that the road and the indicator element are on a same level. Moreover, the indicator element may be embedded in the road along the width or along the length of the road. In another embodiment, the indicator element may be arranged on the road, such as by way of an attachment on the surface of the road. In this regard, the indicator element may serve as a bump on the road to divert traffic out from the area in the vicinity of such indicator elements. In an alternative embodiment, the indicator element may be arranged on a vertical pole or a horizontal block arranged alongside the road. In an example, where the indicator element is implemented as a mushroom with a stock, here the mushroom stock may be embedded in the road and the circular top portion (i.e. the mushroom head) is laid over the surface of the road to create a bump-like protrusion, that may help in diverting the traffic off the grooves.

[0028] Optionally, number of indicator element associated with the road is at least two, wherein the at least two indicator elements are arranged parallel to each other, perpendicular to each other, in a zig-zag form, or in a straight line. In this regard, the road may be associated with a plurality of indicator elements therewith at a plurality of locations, and arranged in various orientations corresponding to each other. In an example, the indicator elements may be arranged at a regular/uniform distance of 1km. Optionally, the indicator element could potentially be also attached to the surface of the road for example, on a bump or uneven road surface in order to divert the vehicle out from the grooves. Beneficially, such widespread arrangement of the plurality of indicator elements with the road enables an effective monitoring of the condition of the road.

[0029] Optionally, a fabrication material of the indicator element is selected based on a fabrication material of a road, and wherein the fabrication material of the indicator element is selected from: a wood, a wood composite, a plastic, a rubber, a tarmac, a concrete. It will be appreciated that the fabrication material of the indicator element is selected based on the fabrication material of the road so that the wear rate of the indicator element may be substantially same as the wear rate of the road. Optionally, the wear rate of the indicator element may be faster or slower as compared to the wear rate of the road. In an example, the indicator element may be fabricated using the wood composite, thereby enabling the indicator element to degrade with a substantially similar wear rate as that of the road. Moreover, the fabrication material of the indicator element may be same or harder than the fabrication material of the road. It will be appreciated that use of the harder substance (such as a tarmac, and/or a concrete) than the road may also assist in directing the vehicles out of the grooves on the road.

[0030] The indicator element comprises a measurable property associated therewith, wherein a change in the measurable property over a period of time is indicative of the wear of the indicator element. The term "measurable property" as used herein refers to a characteristic of a material or a substance that is measured to provide data defining a quantitative value of that characteristic. Optionally, the measurable property may be an optical property, a detectable type substance, a mixed particle (such as a material having reflective, magnetic, metallic, and radioactive properties), and so forth.

[0031] Optionally, measurable property is an optical property. The term "optical property" as used herein refers to the properties of the materials that exhibit different properties when light passes therethrough. In this regard, the indicator element may have the optical property and the change in the optical property of the indicator element may indicate the amount of wear thereof and thereby indicating the condition of the road.

[0032] Optionally, the optical property is selected from at least one of: a colour, a fluorescence, a colour gradient, a reflective index, a refractive index, an absorption index, an appearance of one or more substances, and a combination thereof. The term "fluorescence" as used herein refers to an emission of an electromagnetic radiation, usually visible light, caused by an excitation of atoms in a material. The term "colour gradient" as used herein refers to a gradual blending from one colour to another. Optionally, the colour gradient may be visible using a radar wave. Optionally, the measurable property may be a radioactivity of the substance.

[0033] The colour, the colour gradient and the fluorescence is along a depth of the indicator element, and wherein the depth is implemented as discrete sections having discrete colours or fluorescence or a single section with the colour gradient. The term "plurality of sections" as used herein refers to different portions of the indicator element that are combined to form a complete indicator element. In this regard, the colour blending may occur between colours of a same tone or shade (such as from a light blue shade to a navy-blue shade), colours of two different tones (such as from a blue colour to a yellow colour), or even between more than two colours (such as from a blue colour to a purple colour to a red colour to an orange colour, and so forth). Beneficially, the changes in the colour gradient of the indicator element enables management and monitoring of the condition of roads. In an example, a red colour on the indicator element may indicate that the road is worn out and a green colour may indicate that the road may be in a good condition. In said example, the indicator element may be implemented as a two-section indicator element along the depth thereof that is embedded in the road. Herein the upper section is green in colour and the lower section is red in colour. While the condition of the road wears, the indicator element wears substantially at the same rate as that of the wear of the road. In such case the visible section of the indicator element changes from the upper section having green colour to the lower section having red colour.

[0034] Optionally, the each of the plurality of sections has a pre-defined cross-section selected from a cuboidal cross-section, a cylindrical cross-section, a hemispherical cross-section, an elliptical cross-section, or a combination thereof. In this regard, the indicator element may be customized into said pre-defined cross-sections based on the application thereof. Moreover, the selection may be based upon the location at which the indicator element requires to be arranged on the road. Furthermore, the pre-defined cross-section may also be selected such that the indicator element may not wear in an undesirable manner. In an example the cuboidal section may have a width in a range of 10-15 cm, and thickness in a range of 0.5-1 cm. Notably, by analysing the plurality of sections of the indicator element, the condition of the road is monitored.

[0035] Optionally, the discrete colours or the colour gradient of the disclosed indicator element is in a visible spectrum, an ultraviolet spectrum, or a radio wave spectrum. In this regard, the discrete sections of the indicator element having discrete colours or colour gradients present therein are detectable in the different spectrums. The ones in the visible spectrum (namely, visible light) are visible to a human with a naked eye. The ones in the ultraviolet spectrum have wavelength shorter than that of visible light but longer than the X-rays, i.e. in a range from 10 nm to 400 nm. The radio wave spectrum has electromagnetic radiation wavelengths longer than infrared light. It will be appreciated that each of such indicator element are read by a corresponding detection system (discussed later) for detecting the change on optical property of said indicator element. The system for monitoring a condition of a road comprises one or more indicator elements associated with the road. In this regard, the system may employ a plurality of indicator element at various locations on the road. Herein, the phrases "one or more indicator elements" and "plurality of indicator element" refer to the multiple pieces of the aforementioned indicator element. Moreover, the term "measuring arrangement" as used herein refers to a device that is used for measuring a measurable property associated with the one or more indicator elements. Optionally, the at least one measuring arrangement is a static arrangement or a movable arrangement.

[0036] The term "static arrangement" as used herein refers to a stable arrangement that is fixed at one location on the road for measuring the measurable property of the indicator element. Optionally, the static arrangement may be a digital camera, an ultraviolet camera, an infrared camera, a RADAR, and so forth. Optionally, the digital camera may include an HD camera, a 4K camera, an 8K camera, and the like. In an example, the static arrangement may be implemented by way of the cameras arranged adjacent to the road for the detection of the changes in the colour or colour gradient or the measurable property of the indicator element.

[0037] The term "movable arrangement" as used herein refers to a movable arrangement of measuring the measurable property of the indicator element. Optionally, the movable arrangement may be a mobile camera of the user, a drone camera, a front camera of the vehicle and so forth. Optionally, the at least one measuring arrangement may be a battery-powered or may be powered using a renewable source of energy (such as a solar energy, a wind energy, and so forth). In an example, the at least one measuring arrangement such as the digital camera may capture an image of the indicator element continuously, or may be at a specific time interval (for example, 1 to 4 times in a month) for the detection of the changes in the colour or colour gradient or the measurable property of the indicator element.

[0038] Moreover, the system comprises the processing arrangement, communicably coupled to the at least one measuring arrangement via a communication interface. Optionally, the communication interface may be one of: a wired, a wireless communication unit. Optionally, the communication interface may include, but is not limited to, Bluetooth^®, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), Wireless LANs (WLANs), Wireless WANs (WWANs), Wireless MANs (WMANs), the Internet, second generation (2G) telecommunication networks, third generation (3G) telecommunication networks, fourth generation (4G) telecommunication networks, fifth generation (5G) telecommunication networks and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAx) networks. In an example, the wireless communication unit may be a cellular communication unit.

[0039] The term "processing arrangement" refers to an application, program, process or device that responds to requests for information or services by another application, program, process or device (such as an external device) via a network interface. Optionally, the processing arrangement also encompasses software that makes the act of serving information or providing services possible. It may be evident that the communication means of the external device may be compatible with a communication means of the processing arrangement, in order to facilitate communication therebetween. Optionally, the processing arrangement employs information processing paradigms such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cognitive modelling, and neural networks for performing various tasks associated monitoring (for example real-time) the condition of the road.

[0040] The processing arrangement is configured to receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement. It will be appreciated that the at least one measuring arrangement may measure and gather the measured data corresponding to the measurable property associated with the one or more indicator elements, and communicate with the processing arrangement for processing of the measured data. The processing of the measurement data is done to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time. Furthermore, the processing arrangement of the system generate a notification at a user device, associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

[0041] Optionally, the user may be any entity such as a person (i.e., human being) or a virtual program (such as, an autonomous program or a bot) that is associated with or operates the user device. Optionally, the user may be associated with the monitoring of the condition of the roads using the aforementioned system. In an example, the user may be authorized personnel from the municipality office of a city, a mayor of the city, a road inspector, and so forth. In this regard, the user device may be selected but not limited to a cellular phone, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices, laptop computers, personal computers, configured to provide the user interface to the user, or a server (such as a cloud server). In this regard, optionally, the user device may include, microphone, display screen, touch screen, optical markers, and speakers. The display screen is typically large enough to show in big size (namely, clearly) the text and graphics, comprising pictures and/or videos.

[0042] The present disclosure also relates to the method as described above. Various embodiments and variants disclosed above apply mutatis mutandis to the method.

[0043] Herein, the one or more indicator elements and the at least one measuring arrangement to measure the arranged one or more indicator elements are arranged such that the one or more indicator elements may be in a vicinity or a coverage range of the at least one measuring arrangement.

[0044] Optionally, a depth of the one or more indicator elements is associated with the road at least partly along a length of the road or at least partly along a width of the road, such that a vehicle passes over the one or more indicator elements.

[0045] Optionally, the one or more indicator elements are arranged parallel to each other, perpendicular to each other, in a zig-zag form, in a straight line.

[0046] The present disclosure also relates to the computer program product as described above. Various embodiments and variants disclosed above apply mutatis mutandis to the computer program product.

[0047] The computer program product for monitoring a condition of a road, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when accessed by a processing arrangement, cause the processor to carry out the aforementioned method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] 

Referring to FIG.1, illustrated is a schematic view of an indicator element 100 associated with a road for monitoring a condition of the road, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the indicator element 100 comprises a measurable property associated therewith, wherein a change in the measurable property over a period of time is indicative of the wear of the indicator element 100. Herein, the indicator element 100 is implemented as a cuboidal block having a length L, a width W and a depth D. Moreover, the indicator element 100 has discrete sections such as 102, 104, and 106 along the depth D of the indicator element 100. Furthermore, each of the discrete section 102, 104, and 106 have a different measurable property (depicted as dots, slant lines and straight lines).

Referring to FIG. 2, illustrated are different conditions 200 of an indicator element 202, 204, 206, and 208 corresponding to a condition of a road 210, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Block A, the indicator element 202 is in a good condition and indicating a good condition of the road 210. As shown in Block B, C and D, the size of the indicator elements 204, 206 and 208 are reduced as condition of the road 210 starts degrading, a partial wear and tear or medium condition of the road 210, and the complete wear and tear or the bad condition of the road 210, respectively. Herein, the depth of the indicator elements 202, 204, 206, 208 may be embedded in the road 210 at least partly along a length of the road 210 or at least partly along a width of the road 210, such that a vehicle passes over the indicator element 202, 204, 206, and 208.

Referring to FIG. 3, illustrated is a top view of an environment 300 showing an indicator element 302 embedded in a road 304, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The depth of the indicator element 302 is implemented as discrete sections (shown with different hatching) having discrete colours or a colour gradient. Moreover, each of the discrete section is indicative of a unique condition of the road 304. In an example, the first section having dots is depicting that the indicator element is in a good condition and thus the condition of the road is good at the corresponding location, such as the grooves 306 and 308 on the road 304. Furthermore, the second section having dashes depicts that the indicator element 302 has having a partial wear and tear of the groove 310 on the road 304. As shown, the grooves 306, 308 and 310 have varying depth and formfactor thereof which are measurable by the discrete sections of the indicator element 302.

Referring to FIGs. 4A and 4B, illustrated are schematic illustrations of the indicator elements 400A, and 400B associated with a road for monitoring a condition of the road, in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4A, the indicator element 400A has different measurable properties such as 402 and 404 across the diagonal thereof. As shown in FIG. 4B, the indicator element 400B has a uniform measurable property 406 throughout the cross-section of the indicator element 400B. Moreover, a change in the measurable property 402 and/or 404 over a period of time is indicative of a wear and tear of the indicator elements 400A and/or 400B, respectively. In an embodiment, the change in the measurable property 402 in each of the discrete section may increase with an increase in the wear and tear of the indicator element 400A, and the change in the measurable property 404 in the discrete section may decrease with a decrease in the wear and tear of the indicator element 400A. In some embodiments, the uniform measurable property 406 is a colour gradient and thus a change in the colour gradient along the depth of the indicator element may be indicative of the condition of the road.

Referring to FIGs 5A and 5B, illustrated are an exemplary illustration of the indicator element 500, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGs. 5A and 5B, each of the indicator elements 500A and 500B have a plurality of sections 502, 504, and 506. Moreover, the each of the plurality of sections 502, 504, and 506 have a pre-defined cross-section. Furthermore, the section 502 has a cuboidal cross-section that is embedded in the road 508, and the sections 504 and 506 are having a hemispherical cross-section that are arranged on a surface of the road 508. Moreover, the indicator elements 500A and 500B wears along the hemispherical surface thereof as the condition of the road degrades over a period of time.

Referring to FIG 6, illustrated is a schematic illustration of a system 600 for monitoring a condition of a road 602, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 600 comprises one or more indicator elements (not shown) associated with the road 602. Moreover, the system 600 comprises at least one measuring arrangement, such as the measuring arrangement 604, configured to measure a measurable property associated with the one or more indicator elements. Herein, the at least one measuring arrangement, such as the measuring arrangement 604, is a static arrangement or a movable arrangement. Furthermore, the system 600 comprises a processing arrangement 606, communicably coupled to the at least one measuring arrangement, such as the measuring arrangement 604, via a communication interface 608, configured to receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement, such as the measuring arrangement 604, process the measurement data to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time, and generate a notification at a user device 610, associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

Referring to FIG 7, there is shown a flowchart 700 illustrating steps of a method for monitoring a condition of a road, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. At step 702, one or more indicator elements associated with the road are arranged. At step 704, at least one measuring arrangement is arranged to measure a measurable property associated with the one or more indicator elements. At step 706, a processing arrangement, communicably coupled to the at least one measuring arrangement via a communication interface, is operated, to receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement, process the measurement data to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time, and generate a notification at a user device, associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

[0049] The steps 702, 704, and 706 are only illustrative and other alternatives can also be provided where one or more steps are added, one or more steps are removed, or one or more steps are provided in a different sequence without departing from the scope of the claims herein.

[0050] Modifications to embodiments of the present disclosure described in the foregoing are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. Expressions such as "including", "comprising", "incorporating", "have", "is" used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural.

Claims

1. An indicator element (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) associated with a road (210, 304, 508, 602) for monitoring a condition of the road, the indicator element comprising a measurable property (402, 404, 406) associated therewith, wherein the measurable property is selected from at least one of: a colour, a fluorescence, a colour gradient, a reflective index, a refractive index, an absorption index, an appearance of one or more substances, and a combination thereof, wherein the colour, the colour gradient and the fluorescence is along a depth (D) of the indicator element, and wherein the depth is implemented as discrete sections (102, 104, 106, 502, 504, 506) having discrete colours or fluorescence or a single section with the colour gradient, and wherein a change in the measurable property over a period of time is indicative of the wear of the indicator element.

2. An indicator element (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) according to claim 1, wherein the measurable property (402, 404, 406) is an optical property.

3. An indicator element (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein discrete colours or the colour gradient is in a visible spectrum, an ultraviolet spectrum, or a radio wave spectrum.

4. An indicator element (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a fabrication material of the indicator element is selected based on a fabrication material of a road (210, 304, 508, 602), and wherein the fabrication material of the indicator element is selected from: a wood, a wood composite, a plastic, a rubber, a tarmac, a concrete.

5. An indicator element (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the depth (D) of the indicator element is associated with the road (210, 304, 508, 602) at least partly along a length (L') of the road or at least partly along a width (W') of the road, such that a vehicle is able to pass over the indicator element.

6. An indicator element (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein number of indicator element associated with the road (210, 304, 508, 602) is at least two, wherein the at least two indicator elements are arranged parallel to each other, perpendicular to each other, in a zig-zag form, or in a straight line.

7. An indicator element (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the each of the plurality of sections (102, 104, 106, 502, 504, 506) has a pre-defined cross-section selected from a cuboidal cross-section, a cylindrical cross-section, a hemispherical cross-section, an elliptical cross-section, or a combination thereof.

8. A system (600) for monitoring a condition of a road (210, 304, 508, 602), the system comprising

- one or more indicator elements (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) associated with the road, wherein the one or more indicator elements is according to any of the claims 1-7;

- at least one measuring arrangement (604) configured to measure a measurable property (402, 404, 406) associated with the one or more indicator elements; and

- a processing arrangement (606), communicably coupled to the at least one measuring arrangement via a communication interface (608), configured to

- receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement,

- process the measurement data to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time, and

- generate a notification at a user device (610), associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

9. A system (600) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the at least one measuring arrangement (604) is a static arrangement or a movable arrangement.

10. A method for monitoring a condition of a road (210, 304, 508, 602), the method comprising

- arranging one or more indicator elements (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) associated with the road;

- arranging at least one measuring arrangement (604) to measure a measurable property (402, 404, 406) associated with the one or more indicator elements; and

- operating a processing arrangement (606), communicably coupled to the at least one measuring arrangement via a communication interface (608), to

- receive a measurement data from the at least one measuring arrangement,

- process the measurement data to determine a change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements over a period of time, and

- generate a notification at a user device (610), associated with a user, based on the determined change in the measurable property of the one or more indicator elements.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein a depth (D) of the one or more indicator elements (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) is associated with the road (210, 304, 508, 602) at least partly along a length of the road or at least partly along a width (W') of the road, such that a vehicle passes over the one or more indicator elements.

12. A method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the one or more indicator elements (100, 202, 204, 206, 208, 302, 400A, 400B, 500A, 500B) are arranged parallel to each other, perpendicular to each other, in a zig-zag form, in a straight line.

13. A computer program product for monitoring a condition of a road (210, 304, 508, 602), the computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when accessed by a processing arrangement (606), cause the processor to carry out the method of claims 10 to 12.

Drawing