Roadmaster Surface Sensors

Durable and accurate pavement surface sensors are an essential component of most RWIS systems.

The Roadmaster sensor is exceptional because of its sensitivity, robustness and small size (the small size minimizes the thermal mass created by the sensor which accounts for most of the errors in existing sensors). Totally passive, with no moving parts, all necessary initial calibration takes place via the roadside RPU. This can also be accomplished at the CPU station via the CPU-RPU communications link.

Roadmaster pavement sensors can electronically sample the following pavement conditions:

  • Dry pavement condition
  • Wet pavement condition
  • Frozen
  • Dew pavement condition
  • Frost pavement condition
  • Pavement surface temperature, accurate to 0.25° F.
  • Wet but not frozen pavement condition below 32° F
  • Snowy or icy pavement conditions at or below 32° F
  • Solution freeze point from -6.6° C to 0° C.
  • Chemical concentration of de-icing chemical
    from 0 to 100 ppt

Stand Alone Sensor
For connecting to existing dataloggers or RPUs of other manufacturers.

The sensor system consists of a surface sensor and a controller card. The output is RS-232 or RS-485, selectable by the user. The controller card associated with the Coastal pavement sensor provides up to 8 analog or comma delimited ASCII outputs and accommodates input from up to 4 surface sensors.

Surface Sensor

This surface sensor distinguishes between these different states or surface conditions:

  • Dry pavement
  • Wet pavement
  • Wet but not frozen pavement below 32° F
  • Snowy or icy pavement at or below 32° F
  • Dew covered pavement
  • Frost covered pavement

Surface Condition Sensor

Roadmaster pavement sensors electronically sample the following pavement conditions:

  • Solution freeze point from -6.6° C to 0° C.
  • Chemical concentration of de-icing chemical present on pavement from 0 to 100 ppt.

* Associated cable runs can be up to 2500 feet long. For longer runs, or for RWIS installation on bridge decks remote from the central RPU, we suggest a wireless sensor system.

For complete information on Coastal's weather stations, please contact us.