Apparatus and Method Using a Radar in a Wireless and/or Wireline Sensor Node and Operating Radar In the Ground to Detect and Count Vehicles in Roadway, Parking Lot and Airport Applications

• US 20110221624A1
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sensys Networks Inc. (Tagmaster AB)
• Original Assignee: Sensys Networks Inc. (Tagmaster AB)
• Inventors: Kavaler, Robert
• Application Number:
  US13/111,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20110221624A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/22
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 11/00 Road engineering aspects of Embedding pads or other sensitive devices in paving or other road surfaces , e.g. traffic detectors, vehicle-operated pressure-sensitive actuators, devices for monitoring atmospheric or road conditionspressure-sensitive elements G01L; traffic control systems G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/91 for traffic control G01S13/93 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/916 Airport surface monitoring [ASDE]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/02 using treadles built into the road pads or other sensitive devices responsive to passage of vehicles E01F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/065 by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

A package, wireless sensor module, wireless sensor node and wireline sensor node are disclosed including a radar configured to embed beneath vehicles in pavements, walkways, parking lot floors and runways referred to herein as in ground usage. An access point interfacing to at least one of the sensors is disclosed to provide traffic reports, parking reports, landing counts, takeoff counts, aircraft traffic reports and/or accident reports based upon the sensor'"'"'s messages regarding the radar and possibly magnetic sensor readings. A runway sensor network is disclosed of radar sensors embedded in lanes of at least one runway for estimating the landing count and/or takeoff count effect of aircraft.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a runway sensor network of at least one runway, including at least one of:

a radar sensor, configured to be embedded in a lane of said runway for use in the ground and configured generate at least one radar reading used to detect the presence of an aircraft near said radar sensor; and

an access point configured to create at least one member of an aircraft traffic count group of said aircraft landing on said runway based upon at least one radar reading from at least one of said radar sensors embedded in at least one of said lanes;

wherein said aircraft traffic count group consists of the members of a landing count and a takeoff count.

2. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said access point is further configured to create said aircraft landing point estimate based upon at least two of said radar readings from at least two of said radar sensors embedded in at least two of said lanes;

and

wherein said radar sensor is further configured to detect said presence of said aircraft within a distance.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said access point is further configured to receive a message based upon said radar reading via at least one member of the physical transport group from at least one of said radar sensors,

with said physical transport group consisting of a wireless physical transport and a wireline physical transport.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said at least one of said radar sensors is further configured to send a status message to communicate said presence of said aircraft via said at least one member of said physical transport group.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said radar sensor includes a radar configured generate said radar reading for use to detect said presence of said aircraft when said radar sensor is embedded in said ground.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said access point is further configured to create at least one of an air traffic report, a parking report and an accident report.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor configured to communicate with at least one of said access points to assemble said at least one member of said air traffic count group.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said processor is further configured to assemble at least one of an air traffic report, a parking report and an accident report.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one member of the group consisting of said radar sensor and said access point includes at least one instance of a finite state machine and a computer accessibly coupled to a computer readable memory including a program system of at least one program step for instructing said computer.

10. A runway sensor network for a runway, comprising

an access point;

and

for each of at least two lanes in said runway;

at least two radar sensors embedded in said lane, each configured to detect the presence of an aircraft near said radar sensor and configured to communicatively couple to said access point.

11. The runway sensor network of claim 10, wherein at least one of said radar sensors is configured to communicatively couple via a form of Ethernet to said access point.

12. The runway sensor network of claim 10, wherein at least one of said radar sensors is configured to communicatively couple via a form of wireless communication with said access point.

13. The runway sensor network of claim 10, further comprising:

said access point configured to create an aircraft landing point estimate of said aircraft landing on said runway based upon at least one radar reading from at least one of said radar sensors embedded in at least one of said lanes.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said radar sensor includes a radar configured generate said radar reading for use to detect said presence of said aircraft when said radar sensor is embedded in said ground.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said access point is further configured to create at least one of an air traffic report, a parking report and an accident report.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a processor configured to communicate with at least one of said access points to assemble said at least one member of said air traffic count group.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said processor is further configured to assemble at least one of an air traffic report, a parking report and an accident report.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one member of the group consisting of said radar sensor and said access point includes at least one instance of a finite state machine and a computer accessibly coupled to a computer readable memory including a program system of at least one program step for instructing said computer.