Vehicle detection apparatus

• US 10,109,187 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Fox ID Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Red Fox ID Ltd.
• Inventors: Lees, Richard Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US15/552,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20180040242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 340941
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors

Abstract

Apparatus is disclosed for monitoring use of a carriageway, the carriageway having two or more lanes (12, 14, 16) for use by vehicles travelling in a single direction A, the apparatus including: a pair of inductive loops (20abc, 22abc) on or in the surface of each lane (12, 14, 16), the loops in the pair being positioned substantially side-by-side across the lane (12, 14, 16) and the pairs of loops (18a, 18b, 18c) being positioned substantially side-by-side across the carriageway, each pair of loops (18abc) substantially extending across the full width of the lane (12, 14, 16), and each loop having a length in the direction of vehicle travel which is substantially shorter than the width of the loop across the lane; a loop controller associated with each loop, each loop controller energising its associated loop and carrying out measurements of the inductance of its associated loop; and processing means for receiving the measurements from the loop controllers, and for using the measurements for calculating the estimated position of vehicle(s) on the carriageway.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring use of a carriageway, the carriageway having two or more adjacent lanes for use by vehicles travelling in a single direction, the apparatus including:

a first pair of inductive loops on or in the surface of one of the two or more lanes, and a second pair of inductive loops on or in the surface of another of the two or more lanes, the loops in each of the first pair and the second pair being positioned substantially side-by-side across the lane and the first pair and the second pair of loops being positioned substantially side-by-side across the carriageway, a width of each loop in the first pair being such that the loops of the first pair together span substantially the full width of the lane, a width of each loop in the second pair being such that the loops of the second pair together span substantially the full width of the another of the two or more lanes, and each loop of the first pair and the second pair having a length in the single direction of vehicle travel which is substantially shorter than the width of the loop across the lane;

a loop controller associated with each loop, each loop controller energizing an associated one of the loops and carrying out measurements of the change in inductance of the associated one of the loops as one of the vehicles passes over that loop; and

processing means adapted to receive the measurements from the loop controllers, and adapted to use the measurements to calculate the estimated lateral position of at least one of the vehicles on the carriageway relative to a center of one of the pairs of inductive loops, based on the magnitude of inductance change for one of the loops within the first pair as a proportion of the summed magnitudes of inductance change for both of the loops in the first pair.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which an additional pair of loops is provided in each lane, spaced along the carriageway from the first pair and the second pair of loops.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the loops of at least one of the first pair of loops, the second pair of loops, and the additional pair of loops overlap each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the loop controllers energize the loops in the first pair with different frequencies.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the loop controllers are configured not to energize the loops of the first pair at the same time.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, in which a secondary loop is provided in at least one lane, the secondary loop having a length along the lane which is substantially greater than the length of the loops in the first pair and the second pair.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the secondary loop has a length substantially similar to its width.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the secondary loop is positioned substantially centrally of the lane.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the secondary loop is coincident with the first pair of loops on the same lane.

4. An apparatus for monitoring use of a carriageway, the carriageway having two or more adjacent lanes for use by vehicles travelling in a single direction, the apparatus including:

a first pair of inductive loops on or in the surface of one of the two or more lanes, and a second pair of inductive loops on or in the surface of another of the two or more lanes, the loops in each of the first pair and the second pair being positioned substantially side-by-side across the lane and the first pair and the second pair of loops being positioned substantially side-by-side across the carriageway, a width of each loop in the first pair being such that the loops of the first pair together span substantially the full width of the lane, and each loop of the first pair and the second pair having a length in the single direction of vehicle travel which is substantially shorter than the width of the loop across the lane;

a loop controller associated with each loop, each loop controller energizing an associated one of the loops and carrying out measurements of the change in inductance of the associated one of the loops as one of the vehicles passes over that loop; and

processing means adapted to receive the measurements from the loop controllers, and adapted to use the measurements to calculate the estimated lateral position of at least one of the vehicles on the carriageway relative to a center of one of the pairs of inductive loops, based on the magnitude of inductance change for one of the loops within the first pair as a proportion of the summed magnitudes of inductance change for both of the loops in the first pair,

in which an additional pair of loops is provided in each lane, spaced along the carriageway from the first pair and the second pair of loops,

in which the loops of at least one of the first pair of loops, the second pair of loops, and the additional pair of loops overlap each other, and

in which the loops of the first pair or the second pair overlap each other, and in which the loops of the additional pair do not overlap.

11. An apparatus for monitoring use of a carriageway, the carriageway having two or more adjacent lanes for use by vehicles travelling in a single direction, the apparatus including:

a first pair of inductive loops on or in the surface of one of the two or more lanes, and a second pair of inductive loops on or in the surface of another of the two or more lanes, the loops in each of the first pair and the second pair being positioned substantially side-by-side across the lane and the first pair and the second pair of loops being positioned substantially side-by-side across the carriageway, a width of each loop in the first pair being such that the loops of the first pair together span substantially the full width of the lane, and each loop of the first pair and the second pair having a length in the single direction of vehicle travel which is substantially shorter than the width of the loop across the lane;

a loop controller associated with each loop, each loop controller energizing an associated one of the loops and carrying out measurements of the change in inductance of the associated one of the loops as one of the vehicles passes over that loop; and

processing means adapted to receive the measurements from the loop controllers, and adapted to use the measurements to calculate the estimated lateral position of at least one of the vehicles on the carriageway relative to a center of one of the pairs of inductive loops, based on the magnitude of inductance change for one of the loops within the first pair as a proportion of the summed magnitudes of inductance change for both of the loops in the first pair,

in which a secondary loop is provided in at least one lane, the secondary loop having a length along the lane which is substantially greater than the length of the loops in the first pair and the second pair, and

in which an additional pair of loops is provided in each lane, spaced along the carriageway from the first pair and the second pair of loops, and in which the secondary loop is coincident with one of the first pair and the second pair of loops and also with the additional pair of loops on the same lane.