Device for determining, during operation, the category of a vehicle according to a pre-established group of categories

• US 3,927,389 A
• Filed: 12/06/1974
• Issued: 12/16/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Victor Neeloff
• Original Assignee: Victor Neeloff
• Inventors: Neeloff, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Waring, Alvin H.
• Application Number:
  US05/530,097
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 340/22,31R,31A,38R 235/92R,92TC,92PK,99A,150.24
• US Class Current: 340/940
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles

Abstract

A vehicle category indicator or registering device is disclosed which is characterized in that it comprises a certain number of sensors arranged on the roadway, a vehicle separator device, all these being related to memories through an electronic circuit such that the memories are automatically reset to zero after the passing of the vehicle and that it is impossible for a preceding vehicle to disturb the measurements made on the following vehicle.

Claims

1. Device for determining the category of a vehicle according to a pre-established group of categories, comprising:

counting detector means for detecting the passing or presence of axles and arranged traversally to tHe roadway, logic means connected to said counting detector means for determining the direction of movement, a reversible counter controlled by said logic means for counting the number of axles crossing said counting detector means, vehicle separating means placed near said counting detector means and having a first transducer element providing an electric signal when no vehicle is placed in front of the vehicle separating means, reset detector means for detecting the passing or presence of axles arranged traversally on the roadway and situated at a distance from said counting detector means which is less than the minimum wheel base which is required to be determined, a second transducer connected to said reset detector means and providing an electric signal when said reset detector means is actuated, a logic OR circuit receiving as one input the output of said second transducer, a delay circuit connected between said first transducer and the other input of said logic OR circuit, and at least one wheel base detector means for detecting the passing or presence of axles placed transversally on the roadway and downstream from said reset detector means in relation to the direction of movement of the vehicles, a third transducer connected to said wheel base detector means, a logic AND gate receiving as a gated input the output of said third transducer, decoder means connected to said reversible counter for enabling said logic AND gate only when a single axle of a vehicle has passed said counting detector means, said reversible counter having an input for resetting the zero connected, through the said delay circuit to the said first transducer a wheel base memory device receiving the output of said logic AND gate and having an input for resetting to zero connected to the output of the said logic OR circuit.

2. Device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of wheel base detector means and a plurality of transducers connected to corresponding ones of said plurality of wheel base detectors, a plurality of logic AND gates and a plurality of wheel base memory devices receiving the outputs of respective ones of said plurality of logic AND gates, the logic AND gates each related to a wheel base detector means other than the first wheel base detector means each having three inputs, one of which is connected to the output of the wheel base memory device related to the preceding wheel base detector means.

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the distance separating said reset detector means and the first wheel base detector means as well as the distance separating each wheel base detector means from the neighboring wheel base detector means is less than the minimum sum of the distance comprised between the front of a vehicle and the first axle and of the distance comprised between the rear of a vehicle and the last axle.

4. Device according to claim 2, further comprising an auxiliary detector means placed between two wheel base detector means when the distance separating two wheel base detector means is greater than the minimum sum of the distance comprised between the front of a vehicle and the first axle and of the distance comprised between the back of a vehicle and the last axle, a fourth transducer conntected to said auxiliary detector means, a second logic AND gate having three inputs, and an auxiliary memory device receiving the output of said second logic AND gate, said second logic AND gate receiving as inputs the output of said fourth transducer, the output of the preceding wheel base memory device, and the enabling output from said decoder means.

5. Device according to claim 2, further comprising height detector means placed above end level with said counting detector means and including a fourth transducer a second logic AND gate whose first input is connected to the 0 output of said decoder means and whose second input is connected to the output of the logic means for determining the direction of movement and whose thIrd input is connected to the output of said fourth transducer, a height memory device receiving as an input the output of said second logic AND gate, said height memory device having an input for resetting to zero connected through the said delay circuit to the output of the said first transducer.

6. Device according to claim 5, further comprising a buffer memory connected to receive the output of said wheel base memory devices, said height memory device, and said reversible counters, a differentiator connected to the output of said first transducer and generating a transfer pulse to said buffer memory on the leading edge of a signal from said first transducer, the data contained in the said memory devices being transferred in said buffer memory when the vehicle has ended its pass in front of the said vehicle separating means.