METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COUNTING THE BIDIRECTIONAL PASSAGE OF VEHICLES IN A WIRELESS VEHICULAR SENSOR NETWORK

• US 20070208499A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensys Networks Inc. (Tagmaster AB)
• Original Assignee: Sensys Networks Inc. (Tagmaster AB)
• Inventors: Kwong, Karric
• Granted Patent: US 9,177,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors

Abstract

Method and apparatus receiving reports from at least two wireless vehicular sensor nodes and stepping through a process of comparing filtered queues to determine the first and the second waveform in time, leading to counting the vehicles passing the magnetic sensors of the wireless vehicular sensor nodes.

Claims

1. A method of counting the passing of vehicles between at least two wireless vehicular sensor nodes;

wherein each of said wireless vehicular sensor nodes sends a report to create a filtered queue, further comprising;

a first of said wireless vehicular sensor nodes sends said report to create a first of said filtered queues, herein referred to as the first filtered queue; and

a second of said wireless vehicular sensor nodes sends said report to create a second of said filtered queues, herein referred to as the second filtered queue;

wherein said method, comprises the steps of;

step 2100 starts said method by directing to step 3300A;

step 3300A determines if either of said filtered queues are empty, when yes directing to step 3000 else directing to step 3100;

step 3000 fills and filters out short spikes in empty waveform queues by using said reports received from said wireless vehicular sensor nodes, then directing to step 3100;

step 3100 finds first rising edge in said filtered queues and designates said filtered queue as a first waveform, then directing to step 3200;

step 3200 determines whether second waveform rises before first waveform falls, if yes directing to step 3400 else directing to step 3800;

step 3400 determine whether second waveform falls before the first waveform falls, if yes directing to step 2500, else directing to step 3300B;

step 2500 causes good count and directs to step 2100;

step 3300B determines if either of said filtered queues are empty, when yes directing to step 3500 else directing to step 3600;

step 3500 pushes only last pulse back on each waveform queue and directing to step 3000;

step 3600 determines whether said second waveform starts within a first time T1 of said first waveform falling, if yes directing to step 3700 else directing to step 3800;

step 3800 pushes most recent pulse back onto said second waveform queue and directs to step 3300A; and

step 3700 determines whether said second waveform falls after the next rise of said first waveform, if yes directing to step 3800, else directing to step 3400.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step 3000 further comprises the steps of:

repeating receiving said respond from said wireless vehicular sensor node to update said filtered queue until all of said filtered queues are determined nonempty.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein all of said filtered queues are determined nonempty, is further comprised of the steps of:

determine if first filtered queue is nonempty and determine if said second filtered queue is nonempty.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step 3100 further comprises the steps of:

find first of said rising edges from said first filtered queue;

find second of said rising edges from said second filtered queue;

compare said first rising edge and said second rising edge to determine said first waveform and said second waveform;

pop a first pulse from one of said filtered queue to said first waveform; and

pop said first pulse from said other of said filtered queue to said second waveform.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step 3200 further comprises the steps of:

pop said pulse into said first waveform;

pop said pulse into second waveform; and

determine whether said second waveform rise before said first waveform falls.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step 3700, further comprises the steps of:

looking at a top pulse in said filtered queue for said first waveform;

determine whether said second waveform falls after the rise of said top pulse.

8. An apparatus using said reports from said wireless vehicular sensor nodes and implementing said method of claim 1, comprising:

means for performing step 3300A determining if either of said filtered queues are empty, when yes directing to step 3000 else directing to step 3100;

means for performing step 3000 filling and filtering out short spikes in empty waveform queues by using said reports received from said wireless vehicular sensor nodes, then directing to step 3100;

means for performing step 3100 finding first rising edge in said filtered queues and designating said filtered queue as said first waveform, then directing to step 3200;

means for performing step 3200 determining whether said second waveform rises before first waveform falls, if yes directing to step 3400 else directing to step 3800;

means for performing step 3400 determining whether said second waveform falls before the first waveform falls, if yes directing to step 2500, else directing to step 3300B;

means for performing step 2500 causing said good count and directs to step 2100;

means for performing step 3300B determining if either of said filtered queues are empty, when yes directing to step 3500 else directing to step 3600;

means for performing step 3500 pushing only last pulse back on each waveform queue and directing to step 3000;

means for performing step 3600 determining whether said second waveform starts within said first time T1 of said first waveform falling, if yes directing to step 3700 else directing to step 3800;

means for performing step 3800 pushing most recent pulse back onto said second waveform queue and directs to step 3300A; and

means for performing step 3700 determining whether said second waveform falls after the next rise of said first waveform, if yes directing to step 3800, else directing to step 3400.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving said reports from said wireless vehicular sensor nodes.

10. An access point first wirelessly communicating with said first wireless vehicular sensor node and second wirelessly communicating with said second wireless vehicular sensor node, comprising:

means for receiving said reports from said wireless vehicular sensor nodes of claim 9.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one member of said means group includes at least one instance of a member of the group consisting of:

a finite state machine and a computer accessibly coupled to a memory and at least partly directed by a program system including at least one program step residing in said memory;

wherein said computer includes at least one data processor and at least one instruction processor;

wherein said means group consists of the members of;

said means for receiving, means for performing step 3300A,

means for performing step 3000, means for performing step 3100,

means for performing step 3200, means for performing step 3400,

means for performing step 2500, means for performing step 3300B,

means for performing step 3500, means for performing step 3600,

means for performing step 3800, and means for performing step 3700.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said program system further comprises at least one member of the group consisting of the program steps of:

step 3300A determining if either of said filtered queues are empty, when yes directing to step 3000 else directing to step 3100;

step 3000 filling and filtering out short spikes in empty waveform queues by using said reports received from said wireless vehicular sensor nodes, then directing to step 3100;

step 3100 finding first rising edge in said filtered queues and designating said filtered queue as said first waveform, then directing to step 3200;

step 3200 determining whether said second waveform rises before first waveform falls, if yes directing to step 3400 else directing to step 3800;

step 3400 determining whether said second waveform falls before the first waveform falls, if yes directing to step 2500, else directing to step 3300B;

step 2500 causing said good count and directs to step 2100;

step 3300B determining if either of said filtered queues are empty, when yes directing to step 3500 else directing to step 3600;

step 3500 pushing only last pulse back on each waveform queue and directing to step 3000;

step 3600 determining whether said second waveform starts within said first time T1 of said first waveform falling, if yes directing to step 3700 else directing to step 3800;

step 3800 pushing most recent pulse back onto said second waveform queue and directs to step 3300A; and

step 3700 determining whether said second waveform falls after the next rise of said first waveform, if yes directing to step 3800, else directing to step 3400.

13. A processor, comprising:

said apparatus of claim 9;

and

said processor wireline communicatively coupled to said means for receiving said reports from said wireless vehicular sensor nodes to implement the method for counting.

14. A method of manufacturing said apparatus of claim 11, comprising the step of:

providing the members of said means group to create said apparatus.

15. The apparatus as a product of the process of claim 14.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said wireless vehicular sensor nodes uses a method of generating said report based upon at least one member of the group consisting of:

a rising edge and a falling edge;

wherein said members are determined based upon a vehicle sensor state using said magnetic senor.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said wireless vehicular sensor nodes uses a method of generating said report based upon a first time and an ending time using the recent variance of a vehicular sensor waveform based upon a vehicle sensor state using said magnetic sensor.

6. The method of claim 3600, wherein the step 3600 further comprises the steps of:

pop said pulse into said second waveform; and

determine whether said second waveform starts within said first time T1 of said first waveform falling.