Measurement and recording apparatus and system

• US 4,201,908 A
• Filed: 04/17/1978
• Issued: 05/06/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mangood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mangood Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Bernard A., Gardner, Frederick P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thesz, Joseph M.
• Application Number:
  US05/897,005
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 235/92 TC, 235/92 MT, 235/92 DP, 235/92 FQ, 235/99 A, 340/31 R, 340/22, 340/38 R, 340/38 L, 340/38 P, 340/38 S, 364/436, 364/424, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 377/9
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

A system for measurement and recording of data as to events and conditions is disclosed including a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detectors providing successive signals responsive to successive actuations by individual events, and a portable reader instrument adapted to be connected to said recorder unit. The recorder unit has semi-conductor memory for data and for instructions of a program, and a programmable data processor operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in memory to function in a recording mode. The data processor includes an arithmetic and logic unit for performing computational and decisional processes in a sequence determined by a program to count events in response to the detector signals, and to classify and accumulate the counts as data in separate locations in semi-conductor memory for separate real time periods. The portable reader instrument has a visual display device, a recording device, and a manually operable keyboard and switches for generating display commands and read commands and for transmitting those commands to the recorder unit for reading and displaying data as derived by the data processor of the recorder unit, without interruption of the recording mode, and to display on the visual display and re-record data received from the recorder unit in the recording device of the reader instrument. The reader instrument is employed both for monitoring the operation of the recorder unit and for collecting data recorded in the semi-conductor memory of the recorder unit.

Claims

1. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing successive detector signals responsive to successive actuations of said detector means by successive events, and

a portable reader instrument separate from and adapted to be connected to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit including semi-conductor memory means having separate locations for storage of data and instructions of a program, means including a programmable data processor connected to and operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said memory means to function in a recording mode, a time of day clock means connected to supply timing signals on a real time basis to said data processor, said data processor including an arithmetic and logic unit for performing computational and decisional processes in a sequence determined by said program to count said events in response to said detector signals, and to accumulate said count as data in separate locations in said memory means for separate real time periods based upon said timing signals,

said reader instrument having means for connection to said recorder unit, a recording device, and manually operable means for generating read commands and for transmitting said read commands over said connection means to said recorder unit,

said data processor of said recorder unit being operable under the control of said program to respond to said read commands and shift from a recording mode to a read mode and transmit count data accumulated in separate locations in said memory means of said recorder unit through said connection means to said reader instrument,

said reader instrument including means for operating said recording device to re-record accumulated count data received from said reader unit.

2. Apparatus for counting and recording count data according to claim 1,

said reader instrument further including means for storing programs for said recorder unit, and means responsive to said manually operable means for transmitting commands to said recorder unit to shift said means including said data processor from a recording mode to a reprogramming mode and for transmitting said programs to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit including means responsive to said commands for receiving and loading said transmitted programs into said memory means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 for counting, classifying and recording traffic data, said detector means including a pair of detectors in each lane of a multiple lane roadway spaced a given distance apart, and said detectors in each lane providing separate signals including:

(1) a first signal representing the time duration for a vehicle to pass one of said detectors, and

(2) a second signal representing the time duration for the same vehicle to pass the other detector in a lane,

said recorder unit data processor means being operable under the control of a program;

(1) in response to said second signal, and with said given spacing distance, to count each passing vehicle, to derive the velocity of each said passing vehicle, and to classify said passing vehicles according to velocity and accumulate in said data storage means in velocity categories, the count of all vehicles passing in each lane; and

(2) in response to said first signal, and having derived the vehicle velocity, to classify said passing vehicles according to length and accumulate in said data storage means in length categories, the count of all vehicles passing in each lane.

3. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit adapted to be set at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing detector signals responsive to events, and

a reader instrument separate from and adapted to be connected to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit including

(1) storage means for data and for program instructions,

(2) input/output circuit means for receiving said detector signals, and

(3) a programmable data processor means connected to said storage means and said input/output circuit means, and operable under the control of a program of said instructions to count events in response to said detector signals and to function in a recording mode and record said events as count data, and to accumulate said count data in separate locations in said storage means, and

(4) a terminal providing means for interconnection between said recorder unit and said reader instrument, said input/output circuit means providing a connection for transmitting count data and read commands between said data processor means and said terminal, said reader instrument having

(a) means for connection to said terminal of said recorder unit,

(b) a recording device, and

(c) manually operable means for generating read commands and for transmitting said read commands over said connection means and via said terminal to said recorder unit input/output means,

said data processor means of said recorder unit being operable in response to said read commands to shift from a recording mode to a read mode and transmit under the control of a program accumulated count data from said data storage means through said input/output means to said terminal,

said reader instrument including

(d) means for recording in said recording device accumulated count data received through said terminal from said recorder unit.

4. Apparatus for counting and recording according to claim 3, wherein

said reader instrument includes a programmable data processor, semi-conductor memory means for storing a program of instructions for said reader instrument data processor, a display device, and input/output circuit means interfacing said reader instrument connection means, recording device, data processor, memory means, and display device;

said reader instrument data processor being operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said reader instrument memory means to generate and transmit read commands to said recorder unit and to operate said display device to display and said recording device to record count data received from said recorder unit memory means in response to said read commands.

6. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing successive detector signals responsive to actuations of said detector means by successive events, and

a portable reader instrument separate from and adapted to be connected to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit including memory means for data and for instructions of a program, means including a programmable data processor connected to and operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said memory means to function in a recording mode, said data processor including an arithmetic and logic unit for performing computational and decisional processes in a sequence determined by said program to count said events in response to said detector signals, and to accumulate said count as data in said memory means,

said reader instrument having means for connection to said recorder unit, a visual display device, a recording device, and manually operable means for generating display commands and read commands and for transmitting said commands over said connection means to said recorder unit,

said means including said data processor of said recorder unit being operable under the control of said program to respond to display commands received from said reader instrument to transmit the count of said events as derived by said data processor means without interruption of said recording mode, and to shift from a recording mode to a read mode and transmit under the control of said program accumulated count data from said memory means through said connection means to said reader instrument,

said reader instrument including means for displaying on said visual display the event count received from said recorder unit and means for recording in said recording device accumulated count data received from said recorder unit.

7. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing successive detector signals responsive to successive actuations of said detector means by successive events, and

a portable reader instrument separate from and adapted to be connected to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit including semi-conductor memory means for storage of data and instructions of a program, means including a programmable data processor connected to and operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said memory means to record data as to said events in said memory means, a time of day clock means connected to supply clocking signals on a real time basis to said data processor, said data processor including an arithmetic and logic unit for performing computational and decisional processes in a sequence determined by said program to count said events in response to said detector signals, and to record said count as data in separate locations in said memory means for separate real time periods based upon said clocking signals,

said reader instrument having means for connection to said recorder unit, a recording device for recording data on magnetic tape, and means including a manually operable keyboard for generating read commands and for transmitting said read commands over said connection means to said recorder unit,

means included in said recorder unit to transmit read commands received over said connection means to said data processor, said data processor being operable under the control of said program to respond to said read commands and shift from a recording mode to a read mode and transmit count data accumulated in separate locations in said memory means of said recorder unit through said connection means to said reader instrument,

said reader instrument including means for operating said recording device to record on said magnetic tape accumulated count data received from said recorder unit.

8. Apparatus for counting and recording according to claim 7,

said reader instrument further including semi-conductor memory means, means including a programmable data processor connected to and operable under the control of a reader program of instructions stored in said reader instrument memory means to operate said recording device to record said accumulated count data received from said recorder unit, and a display device operated by said reader instrument data processor to display such count data, storing programs for said recorder unit, and means responsive to said manually operable means for transmitting commands to said recorder unit to shift said means including said data processor from a recording mode to a reprogramming mode and for transmitting said programs to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit including means responsive to said commands for receiving and loading said transmitted programs into said memory means.

9. Apparatus for counting and recording according to claim 7, wherein said reader instrument includes programmable data processor means, semi-conductor memory means for storage of program instructions for said reader instrument data processor means, an output terminal, and input/output circuit means interfacing said reader instrument output terminal, keyboard, recording device, data processor means and memory means, said reader instrument data processor means being operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said reader instrument memory means to operate said recording device to read data recorded on said magnetic tape and to transmit said data to peripheral devices via said output terminal.

10. Apparatus for counting and recording comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit including a case, a receptacle on the outside of said case for a plurality of input lines for signals representing events to be counted, semi-conductor memory means for storing count data and for storing a program of recorder unit instructions, means including input/output circuitry for receiving event signals on said input lines and producing input signals, control means connected to said input/output circuitry to receive said input signals and including arithmetic and logic means for deriving count data in response to said input signals in accordance with instructions of said program stored in said memory means, means connecting said control means and said memory means for transferring instructions to said control means and for transferring derived count data to said memory means, a reader receptacle on the outside of said recorder unit case, said control means including means for reading count data stored in said memory means in accordance with said program of instructions in response to read commands and for transferring count data so read to said reader receptacle,

a portable reader instrument separate from and adapted to be connected to said recorder unit, said reader instrument including a case, a receptacle on the outside of said reader instrument case for a cable to connect said reader instrument to said reader receptacle on said recorder unit case, a keyboard having a plurality of command keys, display means for displaying count data, a recording device for re-recording on record medium count data read from said memory means of said recorder unit, semi-conductor memory means for storing a program of reader instrument instructions, control means for generating display, record and read commands in response to selective activation of said keyboard keys in accordance with reader instrument instructions stored in said reader instrument memory means, and for transmitting read commands over said connect cable to said recorder unit control means, said reader instrument control means including means actuated in response to said record commands for operating said recording device for re-recording on said record medium count data received from said memory means of said recorder unit in response to said read commands, and means connecting said reader instrument control means to display count data on said display means in response to said display commands.

11. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing successive detector signals responsive to successive actuations of said detector means by successive events, and

a portable reader instrument separate from and adapted to be connected to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit including semi-conductor memory means having separate locations for storage of data, circuit means operable in a recording mode including accumulator means for storing counts of said events in response to signals from said detector means, timer means connected to supply said circuit means with timing signals on a real time basis, said circuit means including means for transfering said counts from said accumulator means to separate locations in said memory means for separate real time periods based upon said timing signals,

said reader instrument having means for connection to said recorder unit, a recording device, and manually operable means for generating read commands and for transmitting said read commands over said connection means to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit circuit means being operable in a read mode in response to said read commands to transmit counts accumulated in separate locations in said memory means of said recorder unit through said connection means to said reader instrument,

said reader instrument including means for operating said recording device to re-record accumulated counts received from said recorder unit.

12. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing successive detector signals responsive to successive actuations of said detector means by successive events,

said recorder unit including semi-conductor memory means having separate locations for storage of data, circuit means operable in a recording mode including accumulator means incremented in response to signals from said detector means to provide a count of said events, timer means connected to supply said circuit means with timing signals on a real time basis, said circuit means including means for transfering accumulated count from said accumulator means to separate locations in said memory means for separate real time periods based upon said timing signals, a terminal, and input/output circuit means between said terminal and said circuit means,

said recorder unit circuit means being operable in a read mode in response to read commands received via said terminal and said input/output circuit means to transmit count data from separate locations in said memory means of said recorder unit through said terminal to peripheral equipment.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 for counting, classifying and recording traffic data, said detector means including a pair of detectors in each lane of a multiple lane roadway spaced a given distance apart, and said detectors in each lane providing separate signals including:

(1) a first signal representing the time duration for a vehicle to pass one of said detectors, and

(2) a second signal representing the time duration for the same vehicle to pass the other detector in a lane,

said recorder unit circuit means including means operable;

(1) in response to said second signal, and with said given spacing distance, to increment said accumulator means and thereby count each passing vehicle, to derive the velocity of each said passing vehicle, and to classify said passing vehicles according to velocity and transfer to said memory means in velocity categories, the count of all vehicles passing in each lane; and

(2) in response to said first signal, and having derived the vehicle velocity, to classify said passing vehicles according to length and transfer to said memory means in length categories, the count of all vehicles passing in each lane.

14. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit adapted to be set at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing detector signals responsive to events,

said recorder unit including

semi-conductor memory means having separate locations for data storage,

counter means,

circuit means operable in a recording mode to increment said counter means in response to said detector signals from said detector means for recording said events as count data, and for transfering said count data from said counter means on a time interval basis to separate locations in said memory means,

a terminal providing means for interconnection between said recorder unit and peripheral equipment, and

input/output circuit means for transmitting count data upon command between said memory means and said terminal.

15. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing successive detector signals responsive to successive actuations of said detector means by successive events,

said recorder unit including semi-conductor memory means having separate locations for storage of data and instructions of a program, means including a programmable data processor connected to and operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said memory means to function in a recording mode, a time of day clock means connected to supply timing signals on a real time basis to said data processor, said data processor including an arithmetic and logic unit for performing computational and decisional processes in a sequence determined by said program to count said events in response to said detector signals, and to accumulate said count as data in separate locations in said memory means for separate real time periods based upon said timing signals,

said recorder unit including a terminal and input/output circuitry between said data processor and said terminal,

said data processor of said recorder unit being operable under the control of a program to respond to read commands received via said terminal and input/output circuitry and shift from a recording mode to a read mode and transmit count data accumulated in separate locations in said memory means of said recorder unit to said terminal means for transmission to peripheral equipment.

16. A reader instrument for reading data from a recorder unit, having means for connection to said recorder unit,

said reader instrument including a programmable data processor, semi-conductor memory means for storing a program of instructions for said reader instrument data processor, a display device, a recording device, and input/output circuit means interfacing said reader instrument connection means, recording device, data processor, memory means, and display device;

said reader instrument data processor being operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said reader instrument memory means to generate and transmit read commands to said recorder unit and to operate said display device to display and said recording device to record data received from said recorder unit in response to said read commands.

17. Apparatus for counting and recording events at a surveillance site comprising:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing signals representing events occurring at said site,

said recorder unit including memory means for storage of data, circuit means operable to record data in said memory means and to read data from said memory means, said circuit means including means for accumulating counts of said events in response to signals from said detector means, timer means connected to said circuit means, means for operating said circuit means to transfer counts from said accumulator means on a time interval basis and record said counts as data in said memory means.

said recorder unit having terminal means connected to said circuit means and for connection to an external device,

said recorder unit including means for operating said circuit means to read data from said memory means in response to read instructions received from said external device via said terminal means, and to transmit such data to said external device via said terminal means.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said circuit means of said recorder unit includes data processor means, said memory means provides storage for data and for program instructions, and said means for operating said circuit means includes a program of instructions stored in said memory means.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the data processor means is operable under control of a program of instructions stored in said memory means and in response to instructions received from an external device via said terminal means.

20. Counting and recording apparatus according to claim 17, and in combination therewith, a reader device having means for connection to said terminal means of said recorder unit, said reader device having a recorder component, and circuit means for operating said reader device-recorder component to record data received from said recorder unit via said connection means.

21. A reader instrument for reading data from a recorder unit having a memory for storage of data,

said reader instrument including means adapted for connection to a recorder unit, data processor means operable under program control, memory means for storing a program of instructions for said reader instrument data processor means, a recording device, an input/output circuit means interfacing said reader instrument connection means, recording device, data processor and memory means;

said reader instrument data processor means being operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said reader instrument memory means to generate and transmit read commands to said recorder unit to read data from the memory of the recorder unit with description codes in a header portion preceding the data and to operate said recording device to record the data received from said recorder unit in response to said read commands.

22. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising, in combination:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing detector signals responsive to actuations of said detector means by events, and

a reader instrument separate from and adapted to be connected to said recorder unit,

said recorder unit including semi-conductor memory means having locations for storage of data, data processor means operable under control of a program in a recording mode for storing data as to said events in said memory means and in a read mode to read said data from said memory means;

said reader instrument having means for connection to said recorder unit, a recording device, data processor means operable under control of a program in a read mode to transmit read commands over said connection means to said data processor means of said recorder unit,

said recorder unit data processor means being operable in response to said read commands to transmit data in locations in said memory means of said recorder unit through said connection means to said reader instrument,

said reader instrument data processor means being operable under control of a program for operating said recording device to re-record data received from said recorder unit.

23. Apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said recorder unit semi-conductor memory means provides locations for program instructions,

said reader instrument memory means provides locations for program instructions, and

said recorder unit data processor means is operable under control of program instructions stored in both said recorder unit memory means and said reader instrument memory means, to record and read data,

24. Apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said recorder unit data processor means is operable under control of program instructions stored in said reader instrument memory means to read data from the memory means of the recorder unit with description codes in a header portion preceding the data.

25. Apparatus for counting and recording the count of events at a surveillance site comprising:

a recorder unit adapted to be located at a surveillance site and connected to detector means providing detector signals responsive to actuations of said detector means by events,

said recorder unit including semi-conductor memory means having locations for stroage of data and instructions of a program, data processor means operable under the control of a program of instructions stored in said memory means to function in a recording mode to record event data in response to said detector signals, a terminal, input/output circuit means connecting said terminal and said data processor means, said data processor means of said recorder unit being operable in response to instructions received from a peripheral device via said terminal and under control of a program of instructions stored in said memory means, to read event data from said memory means and to transmit such data via said terminal to said peripheral device.

26. Apparatus according to claim 25 wherein the event data read from the memory means of said recording device is transmitted with description codes in a header portion preceding the data.