Method of Verifiably Detecting the Speed of a Vehicle

• US 20080278365A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jenoptik Robot GmbH (Jenoptik AG)
• Original Assignee: Jenoptik Robot GmbH (Jenoptik AG)
• Inventors: Terlau, Norbert, Behrens, Andreas, Dohmann, Bernhard, KLEIN, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/104
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/584 adapted for simultaneous range and velocity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/92 for velocity measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/054 photographing overspeeding vehicles

Abstract

A method of measuring the speed of a vehicle wherein the speed and the distance of the vehicle from a radar system and/or the measuring angle of the vehicle relative to the radar axis is determined by means of a radar measurement so as to characterize or determine the vehicle lane of the vehicle by means of the distance and/or the measuring angle. Knowledge of the vehicle lane makes it possible to unequivocally identify the detected vehicle in a group of vehicles unequivocally.

Claims

1. A method of measuring the speed of a vehicle comprising

directing a radar beam from a radar system at a road such that several vehicles at the same time can drive through the measuring range defined by the radar beam and so that part of the radar beam is reflected by a minimum of one vehicle;

comparing the reflected beam portion to the radar beam directed at the road;

deriving from said comparison measured values for the speed and the distance from the radar system linked to the vehicles;

comparing the derived speeds to a maximum permissible speed;

activating a camera for creating an image if a derived speed is higher than the maximum permissible speed, with the derived speed and the vehicle for which the excessive speed was derived being contained on the image;

continuously deriving the measured values several times throughout the duration of the passage of the vehicles through the measuring range;

assessing the plausibility of previously measured values by means of subsequently derived measured values;

using the measured values of the distances to characterize the vehicle lanes of the reflecting vehicles relative to the distance from the radar system; and

marking the vehicle lane of the vehicle in the image, linked to the vehicle for which the excessive speed was derived.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that measured values which are not confirmed as plausible are eliminated and are not used to characterize or determine the vehicle lane.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the infringing vehicle is marked in the image in that a line representing the vehicle lane is shown to the image.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the infringing vehicle is marked in the image in that a circular segment representing a distance range is shown in the image.

5. A method of measuring the speed of a vehicle comprising

directing a radar beam from a radar system at a road such that several vehicles at the same time can drive through the measuring range defined by the radar beam and so that part of the radar beam is reflected by a minimum of one vehicle;

comparing the reflected beam portion to the radar beam directed at the road;

deriving from said comparison measured values for the speed linked to the vehicles;

comparing the derived speeds to a maximum permissible speed;

activating a camera for creating an image if a derived speed is higher than the maximum permissible speed, with the derived speed and the vehicle for which the excessive speed was derived being contained on the image;

deriving measured values for measuring angles;

continuously deriving the measured values several times throughout the duration of the passage of the vehicles through the measuring range;

assessing the plausibility of previously measured values by means of subsequently derived measured values;

using the measured values for the measuring angles to characterize the vehicle lanes of the reflecting vehicles relative to the main beam of the radar system; and

marking the vehicle lane of the vehicle in the image, linked to the vehicle for which the excessive speed was derived.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein measured values for measuring angles are derived from the comparison and the measured values for the positioning angles, which were derived several times, together with the measured values for the speeds and the distance, which were derived at the same time, form a value triple by means of which the vehicle lane is determined relative to its location to the radar system.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein measured values for the distances are derived from the comparison and the measured values for the distance, which were derived several times, together with the measured values for the speed and the measuring angles, which were derived at the same time, form a value triple by means of which the vehicle lane is determined relative to its location to the radar system.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the reflected beam portion is proportionately received by two radar antennas and the measuring angle is determined by way of distances derived therefrom in different manners using a triangulation method.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that measured values which are not confirmed as plausible are eliminated and are not used to characterize or determine the vehicle lane.

10. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein determination of the individual vehicle lanes takes place relative to their location to one another so as to be able to distinguish the vehicles.

11. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the infringing vehicle is marked in the image in that a line representing the vehicle lane is shown to the image.

12. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the infringing vehicle is marked in the image in that an area representing an angle range is shown in the image.

13. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the infringing vehicle is marked in the image in that a circular segment representing a distance range is shown in the image.