No abstract

Federal highways and state roads in Malaysia are sites of most traffic accidents. One contributing factor is the lack of or low visibility of road signage at dangerous bends or road corners. It is very important to have safety warning signage at strategic locations to warn drivers on conditions or hazards ahead by cautioning maximum allowable vehicle speed limit. However, signage boards alone by themselves are not enough. The relevant authorities have added flashing beacons to enhance visibility but the availability of on-grid power supply often hinders their installation. This is now a non-issue with the advent of solar power. With emerging flashing beacon signage scattered over a wide area, there is an operational need to monitor their performance status remotely for timely effective maintenance and repair. This paper describes the development of a smart self-diagnostic algorithm for a wirelessly monitored autonomous solar powered highway flashing beacon.