Apparatus and method for the contactless detection of vehicles

• US 20140021947A1
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MobiliSis GmbH
• Original Assignee: MobiliSis GmbH
• Inventors: GMAJNIC, Nikola, MESTRIC, Kresimir, VIETOR, Uli
• Granted Patent: US 9,927,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/252
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 37/04 Tables specially adapted for use in the garden or otherwise in the open air, e.g. with means for holding umbrellas or umbrella-like sunshades
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/02 Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux G01R33/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/09 Magnetoresistive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 11/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods combining techniques covered by two or more of main groups G01V1/00 - G01V9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/081 the magnetic field is produced by the objects or geological structures characterised by the method of magnetic field measurement G01R33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/087 the earth magnetic field being modified by the objects or geological structures
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 7/00 Measuring gravitational fields or waves; Gravimetric prospecting or detecting
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for the contactless detection of vehicles via one or more magnetometers for measuring the geomagnetic field, in which at least one magnetometer includes a device for measuring the gravitational field.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the contactless detection of vehicles comprising one or more magnetometers for measuring the geomagnetic field, wherein the at least one magnetometer comprises a device for measuring the gravitational field and the apparatus further comprises one or more electronic evaluation modules that are equipped with an integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a Field Programmable Gate Array or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit, and are connected to or integrated with the at least one magnetometer.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is a microprocessor.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises one or more groups of magnetometers, each group comprising two, three, four or more magnetometers arranged at a distance from one another in a direction of travel that is prescribed by transport engineering.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic evaluation module comprises a nonvolatile digital memory.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the nonvolatile digital memory is a Flash EEPROM.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the magnetometers comprises at least one magnetic field sensor and at least one gravitation sensor.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the magnetometers comprises three magnetic field sensors that are arranged such that the output signals from the three magnetic field sensors are each proportional to the magnetic field strength in three spatial directions that are not coaxial with respect to one another.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the three spatial directions are orthogonal with respect to one another.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one magnetic field sensor is an integrated electronic circuit.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one magnetic field sensor is based on the magnetoresistive (MR), anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR), giant magnetoresistive (GMR), tunnel magnetoresistive (TMR) or giant magnetic inductance (GMI) effect or wherein the at least one magnetic field sensor is in the form of a fluxgate magnetometer or Fö

rster probe.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the magnetometers comprises three gravitation sensors that are arranged such that the output signals from the three gravitation sensors are each proportional to the force of gravity in three spatial directions that are not coaxial with respect to one another.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the three spatial directions that are not coaxial with respect to one another are orthogonal with respect to one another.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one gravitation sensor is in the form of a microelectromechanical component (MEMS).

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a software or firmware program having a geometric algorithm for calculating the vertical and/or horizontal component of the geomagnetic field;

and/or the apparatus comprises a bus system; and

/or the apparatus comprises a reception and transmission unit for a mobile radio and/or a reception and transmission unit for Ethernet; and

/or the at least one magnetometer is connected to the at least one electronic evaluation module via the Internet.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the bus system is a can BUS.

23. A traffic control system comprising one or more apparatuses as claimed in claim 1 and one or more control devices, signal apparatuses and/or information systems connected to the at least one apparatus.

24. A traffic control system as claimed in claim 23, wherein said control devices, signal apparatuses and/or information systems are selected from traffic lights, light signal installations, barriers and navigation systems.

16. A method for the contactless detection of vehicles, comprising the following steps:

(a) providing one or more apparatuses comprising one or more magnetometers for measuring the geomagnetic field and the gravitational field and also one or more electronic evaluation modules, wherein the magnetometers are arranged above or below the surface of a carriageway or a parking lot and are connected to the at least one evaluation module;

(b) transmitting the output signals from the magnetometers to the at least one evaluation module; and

(c) software-assisted processing of the output signals from the magnetometers in the at least one evaluation module and translating into readout signals.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said method further comprises transmitting the readout signals produced in step (c) to an electronic control and/or information system by wire, by optical fiber or wirelessly.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the magnetic field strength is measured in three spatial directions that are not coaxial with respect to one another and/or the gravitation or force of gravity is measured in three spatial directions that are not coaxial with respect to one another.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the magnetic field strength is measured in three spatial directions that are orthogonal with respect to one another, and/or the gravitation or force of gravity is measured in three spatial directions that are orthogonal with respect to one another.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein step (c) further comprises calculating the vertical and/or horizontal component of the geomagnetic field from the strength and direction of the geomagnetic field, which are measured using the at least one magnetometer, on the basis of a geometric transformation, the parameters of which are determined from the strength and direction of the gravitational field as measured using the magnetometer.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said steps (b) and (c) further comprise transmitting the output signals from two, three, four or more magnetometers arranged at a distance from one another in a direction of travel that is prescribed by transport engineering are transmitted to the evaluation module and processing in order to produce readout signals;

and/or wherein steps (b) and (c) further comprise transmitting the output signals from one or more magnetometers arranged above or below a first parking space in a parking lot and the output signals from one or more magnetometers arranged above or below a second, third and/or fourth parking space in the parking lot to the evaluation module and are processing in order to produce readout signals, the second, third and/or fourth parking spaces being adjacent to the first parking space.

22. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein step (c) further comprises processing the output signals via a knowledge-based algorithm in conjunction with a database having prescribed parameters or by employing an artificial neural network in conjunction with a database having prescribed weight parameters.