Vehicle classification and axle counting sensor system and method
First Claim
1. A method for determining a vehicle profile useful in classifying the vehicle and for counting the number of axles carried by the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
- scanning a laser range finder beam transversely across a vehicle traveling through a sensing zone of the sensor for determining the range for a plurality of points on the vehicle;
determining an orientation of the beam for each of the plurality of points on the vehicle;
determining a vehicle speed;
processing the ranges and corresponding beam orientations for forming a set of two dimensional cross-sectional profiles of the vehicle;
positioning the profiles based on the vehicle speed;
providing a three-dimensional representation of the vehicle for classification thereof; and
emitting a laser beam toward the vehicle for determining the number of axles carried by the vehicle.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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. 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. A laser is also used to count the number of axles associated with the vehicle.
147 Citations
1 Claim
-
1. A method for determining a vehicle profile useful in classifying the vehicle and for counting the number of axles carried by the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
-
scanning a laser range finder beam transversely across a vehicle traveling through a sensing zone of the sensor for determining the range for a plurality of points on the vehicle;
determining an orientation of the beam for each of the plurality of points on the vehicle;
determining a vehicle speed;
processing the ranges and corresponding beam orientations for forming a set of two dimensional cross-sectional profiles of the vehicle;
positioning the profiles based on the vehicle speed;
providing a three-dimensional representation of the vehicle for classification thereof; and
emitting a laser beam toward the vehicle for determining the number of axles carried by the vehicle.
-
Specification