APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING DATA ASSOCIATED WITH OBJECTS

• US 3,685,012 A
• Filed: 04/16/1970
• Issued: 08/15/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edwin W. Whitfield, John S. Case
• Original Assignee: Edwin W. Whitfield, John S. Case
• Inventors: Case, John S., Whitfield, Edwin W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cooper, William C.
• Application Number:
  US05/029,189
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 340/38P 178/DIG.1 250/222,224
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

Apparatus for determining data associated with objects such as vehicular traffic on a roadway. An alternating pattern comprising colinearly arranged contrasting portions adjacent each other is disposed on the surface of the roadway. A television camera is disposed above the roadway for scanning the traffic on the roadway as well as the pattern which may be partially obscured by the vehicles. The video pulses resulting from scanning the pattern are processed to determine the data associated with the vehicles.

Claims

1. A system for determining data associated with objects comprising pattern means comprising alternating contrasting portions, means for scanning said pattern means, said pattern means being disposed with respect to said scanning means for at least partial effective obscuration from said scanning means by said objects, said pattern means not being interposed between said scanning means and said objects, said scanning means providing pulses corresponding to the scanned alternating portions of said pattern means not effectively obscured therefrom by said objects, and means for processing said pulses to determine said data.

2. The system of claim 1 in which said pattern means comprises said contrasting portions adJacent each other, said scanning means comprises television camera means, said objects are effective to obscure some of said portions of said pattern means from said television camera means, and said pulses comprise video pulses provided by said television camera means corresponding to the scanned portions of said pattern means not effectively obscured therefrom by said objects.

3. A system for determining data associated with vehicles on a roadway comprising, pattern means having a longitudinal dimension and comprising colinearly arranged contrasting portions adjacent each other, television camera means disposed with respect to said roadway for scanning said pattern means in accordance with a raster the scanning lines of which are substantially parallel to said longitudinal dimension of said pattern means, said vehicles being effective to obscure some of said portions of said pattern means from said television camera means, said television camera means providing video pulses corresponding to the scanned portions of said pattern means not effectively obscured therefrom by said vehicles, and means for processing said video pulses to determine said data.

4. The system of claim 3 including said pattern means being disposed on the surface of said roadway, and said television camera means being disposed above said roadway, said vehicles on said roadway obscuring some of said portions of said pattern means from said television camera means by interposition therebetween.

5. The system of claim 3 in which said processing means comprises first counting means for counting said pulses to provide signals representative of said data.

6. The system of claim 5 further including control means for providing a control signal coincident with the occurrence of said scanning of said pattern means by said television camera means in accordance with a predetermined portion of a predetermined scanning line of said raster, and first logic means responsive to said control signal and the video signal from said television camera means for enabling said first counting means to count said video pulses in response to said control signal.

7. The system of claim 6 in which said television camera means provides vertical and horizontal sync pulses and in which said control means includes first timing means responsive to said vertical sync pulse from said television camera means for providing a first signal representative of the beginning of said predetermined scanning line, second timing means responsive to said first signal for providing a second signal representative of the beginning of said predetermined portion of said predetermined scanning line, and third timing means responsive to said second signal for providing a third signal representative of the end of said predetermined portion of said predetermined scanning line, said second and third signals defining said control signal.

8. The system of claim 7 in which said first, second and third timing means comprise first, second and third adjustable storage means for storing respectively first, second and third numbers representative of said predetermined scanning line, said beginning of said predetermined portion and said end of said predetermined portion respectively, control counter means for providing said first, second and third signals, first, second and third gating means coupled between said first, second and third storage means respectively and said control counter means for sequentially gating said first, second and third numbers thereto, a source of clock pulses, and second logic means coupled to receive said clock pulses and said horizontal sync pulses from said television camera means for selectively enabling said control counter means to count said horizontal sync pulses for comparison with said first number thereby providing said first signal and to count said clock pulses for comparison with said second and third nuMbers thereby providing said second and third signals respectively.

9. The system of claim 8 in which said control means further includes sequencing counter means coupled to receive said vertical sync pulse for providing a sequence of timing signals in response thereto, said timing signals being applied to said first, second and third gating means and to said second logic means for controlling the operations thereof.

10. The system of claim 6 including said pattern means being disposed on the surface of said roadway transversely thereto, and said television camera means being disposed above said roadway, said vehicles on said roadway obscuring portions of said pattern means from said television camera means by interposition therebetween.

11. The system of claim 10 further including fourth adjustable storage means for storing a fourth number representative of the number of said portions comprising said pattern means, and fourth gating means coupled between said fourth storage means and said first counting means for gating said fourth number thereto, said first logic means enabling said first counting means to count said video pulses for comparison with said fourth number thereby providing said signals representative of said data.

12. The system of claim 6 further including filtering means coupled to receive said video signal for filtering undesired low frequency variations therefrom to provide a filtered video signal, and bistable means coupled to receive said filtered video signal for providing a first potential when said filtered video signal is in excess of a predetermined voltage and a second potential when said filtered video signal is not in excess of said predetermined voltage thereby generating said video pulses,

13. The system of claim 6 further including AND gate means coupled to receive said video pulses and said control signal for providing a signal representative of the logical conjunction thereof, and means coupled to receive said conjunction signal and said video signal for combining said conjunction signal with said video signal thereby providing a video signal intensified in accordance with said video pulses during the occurrence of said predetermined portion of said predetermined scanning line of said raster.

14. The system of claim 6 further including means coupled to receive said control signal and said video signal for combining said control signal with said video signal thereby providing a video signal intensified during the occurrence of said predetermined portion of said predetermined scanning line of said raster.

15. The system of claim 3 in which said portions of said pattern means comprise alternate black and white rectangles respectively, contiguously arranged with respect to each other.

16. The system of claim 3 further including television monitor means coupled to receive the video signal from said television camera means for displaying the scene scanned thereby.

17. The system of claim 3 in which said video pulses define digital numbers, and said processing means comprises computer means for analyzing said numbers to determine said data.

18. The system of claim 17 including said alternating pattern means being disposed on the surface of said roadway longitudinally with respect thereto, and said television camera means being disposed above said roadway, said vehicles on said roadway obscuring some of said portions of said pattern means from said television camera means by interposition therebetween.

19. The system of claim 18 further including control means for providing a control signal coincident with the occurrence of said scanning of said pattern means by said television camera means in accordance with a predetermined scanning line of said raster, and gating means responsive to said control signal and the video signal from said television camera means for transmitting said video pulses to said computer means in response to sAid control signal.

20. A system for determining the dimensions of objects comprising a plurality of pattern means orthogonally disposed with respect to each other, each said pattern means comprising alternating contrasting portions, a plurality of means for scanning said pattern means respectively, said plurality of pattern means being disposed relative to said plurality of scanning means for partial obscuration from said plurality of scanning means by said objects by interposition of said objects between said pattern means and said scanning means, respectively, each said scanning means providing pulses corresponding to the scanned alternating portions of said respective pattern means not obscured therefrom by said objects, and means for processing said pulses to determine said dimensions.

21. The system of claim 20 in which each said pattern means comprises said contrasting portions adjacent each other, and said processing means comprises a plurality of counting means for counting said pulses from said plurality of scanning means respectively to provide signals representative of said dimensions.

22. Apparatus for use in a system for determining data associated with objects including television camera means for scanning pattern means comprising alternating contrasting portions, said camera means providing a video signal and vertical and horizontal sync pulses, said pattern means being disposed with respect to said camera means for at least partial effective obscuration therefrom by said objects, said apparatus comprising in combination:

control means responsive to said horizontal and vertical sync pulses from said television camera means for providing a control signal coincident with the occurrence of said scanning of said pattern means by said television camera means in accordance with a predetermined portion of a predetermined scanning line of the raster of said television camera means, means for processing said video signal from said television camera means, and first logic means responsive to said control signal and to said video signal for enabling said processing means to process said video signal in accordance with said control signal to provide signals representative of said data.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 in which said control means includes first timing means responsive to said vertical sync pulse for providing a first signal representative of the beginning of said predetermined scanning line, second timing means responsive to said first signal for providing a second signal representative of the beginning of said predetermined portion of said predetermined scanning line, and third timing means responsive to said second signal for providing a third signal representative of the end of said predetermined portion of said predetermined scanning line, said second and third signals defining said control signal.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 in which said first, second and third timing means comprise first, second and third adjustable storage means for storing respectively first, second and third numbers representative of said predetermined scanning line, said beginning of said predetermined portion and said end of said predetermined portion respectively, control counter means for providing said first, second and third signals, first, second and third gating means coupled between said first, second and third storage means respectively and said control counter means for sequentially gating said first, second and third numbers thereto, a source of clock pulses, and second logic means coupled to receive said clock pulses and said horizontal sync pulses for selectively enabling said control counter means to count said horizontal sync pulses for comparison with said first number thereby providing said first signal and to count said clock pulses for comparison with said second and third numbers thereby providing said second and third signals respectivelY.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 in which said control means further includes sequencing counter means coupled to receive said vertical sync pulse for providing a sequence of timing signals in response thereto, said timing signals being applied to said first, second and third gating means and to said second logic means for controlling the operations thereof.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 in which said pattern means comprises said contrasting portions adjacent each other, said television camera means provides video pulses corresponding to the scanned portions of said pattern means not effectively obscured therefrom by said objects, and said processing means comprises first counting means for counting said pulses to provide signals representative of said data, said first logic means enabling said first counting means to count said video pulses in response to said control signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 further including fourth adjustable storage means for storing a fourth number representative of the number of said portions comprising said pattern means, and fourth gating means coupled between said fourth storage means and said first counting means for gating said fourth number thereto, said first logic means enabling said first counting means to count said video pulses for comparison with said fourth number thereby providing said signals representative of said data.