Vehicle classification and axle counting sensor system and method
US6304321A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 7, 2000 |
| Grant date | Oct 16, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 7, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/497
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A vehicle detection and classification sensor provides accurate 3D profiling and classification of highway vehicles for speeds up to 100 mph. A scanning time-of-flight laser rangefinder is used to measure the distance to the highway from a fixed point above the road surface and then measure the distance to the surfaces of any vehicle that is viewed by the sensor. A rotating polygon scans a beam laser into two beams projected across the road surface at a fixed angle between them. The beam is pulsed at a high repetition rate for determining vehicle speeds with a high accuracy and uses the calculated speed and consecutive range measurements as the vehicle moves past the sensor to develop a three-dimensional profile of the vehicle. An algorithm is applied to the three-dimensional profile for providing a vehicle-classification.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.