SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AND RECORDING TRAFFIC LAW VIOLATION EVENTS

• US 20110234749A1
• Filed: 03/28/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redflex Traffic Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: RoadMetric, Ltd. (Redflex Traffic Systems Inc.)
• Inventors: ALON, Yaniv
• Granted Patent: US 10,643,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/054 photographing overspeeding vehicles

Abstract

A system for detecting and recording real-time law violations having an array of wide and narrow angled cameras providing a plurality of images of a substantially 360° field of view around a law enforcement unit, a recording unit for recording said images, an analyzing unit for detecting a law violation, a permanent storage unit for permanently storing a plurality of images of a law violation event and a reporting unit for issuing citations.

Claims

1. A system for detecting and recording real-time law violations, the system comprising:

a. an array of cameras providing a plurality of images of a substantially 360°

field of view around a law enforcement unit;

b. a recording unit for recording said plurality of images from said array of cameras; and

c. an analyzing unit for analyzing said plurality of images so as to detect a law violation event.

2. A system of claim 1 wherein said array of cameras includes:

i. at least 4 wide angled cameras positioned to view primary relative directions, providing a substantially 360°

field of view for detecting an object within said field of view; and

ii. at least one narrow angled camera operable to rotate in order to provide a plurality of close up images of at least one identification feature of said detected object.

3. A system of claim 1 further consisting of:

d. a permanent storage unit for permanently storing a plurality of images identified by said analyzing unit as representing a law violation event.

4. A system of claim 1 wherein the law enforcement unit is selected from a group consisting:

a. a permanently fixed law enforcement unit

b. a vehicular law enforcement unit; and

c. a transportable law enforcement unit.

5. A system of claim 2 wherein said object is selected from a group consisting:

a. a vehicle; and

b. a person.

6. A system of claim 2 wherein said at least one identification feature is selected from the group consisting:

i. a license plate;

ii. a vehicle model;

iii. a vehicle color; and

iv. a face.

7. A system of claim 1 wherein said recording unit is further configured to record data, for use as evidentiary material, selected from the group consisting of:

i. current speed of the law enforcement unit;

ii. geographical location of the law enforcement unit;

iii. current date; and

iv. current time.

8. A system of claim 1 further consisting of:

d. a reporting unit, wherein said reporting unit is operable to report said detected law violation, said reporting unit being selected from the group consisting of;

i. a local citation issuing unit; and

ii. a remote citation issuing unit.

9. A system of claim 2 wherein said wide angled cameras are fixedly mounted on the law enforcement unit.

10. A system of claim 2 wherein said wide angled cameras are fixedly mounted in the law enforcement unit.

12. A method of claim 1 further including the step of:

d. storing a set of identification features of a law violating object from said plurality of images for identification of said violating object.

13. A method of claim 12 wherein said law violating object is a vehicle.

14. A method of claim 12 wherein said law violating object is a person.

15. A method of claim 12 wherein said set of identification features is selected from the group consisting:

i. a license plate;

ii. a vehicle model;

iii. a vehicle color; and

iv. a face.

11. A method for recognition of a law violation including the steps of:

a. acquiring a plurality of images;

b. recognizing a law violation by comparing a set of features from said plurality of images with a set of predefined rules for the law violation; and

c. taking a legal action against a perpetrator of the law violation.

16. A method of claim 11 wherein said law violation is selected from the group of:

i. an illegal changing of lanes;

ii. illegally overtaking a second vehicle; and

iii. tailgating.

17. A method of claim 16 wherein said illegal changing of lanes includes changing lanes without prior indication of a turn signal.

18. A method of claim 16 wherein said illegal changing of lanes includes changing lanes across a solid line.

19. A method of claim 11 wherein said legal action is effected by a local unit.

20. A method of claim 11 wherein said legal action is effected by a remote unit.

21. A mechanism including:

a. at least one wide-angled camera for providing a plurality of images;

b. a processor for processing said plurality of images so as to determine a region of interest; and

c. at least one narrow angled camera operationally coupled to said processor operable to rotate in order to provide a plurality of higher quality images of said determined region of interest.

22. A mechanism of claim 21 wherein said wide angled camera is operationally coupled to said narrow angled camera, further configured to provide a wide angled image for every narrow angled image, where said wide angled image is captured at substantially the same time as said narrow angled image.