Apparatus for weighing and identifying characteristics of a moving vehicle
First Claim
1. Apparatus for weighing and identifying characteristics of a vehicle in motion including vehicle weight comprising, an elongated base having upper and lower surfaces and positionable on a vehicle roadway transverse to a path of a moving vehicle for traverse thereby, a plurality of parallel elongated grooves in the upper surface of said base extending over substantially the length thereof with said grooves being spaced apart from one another and transverse to the path of the vehicle, a plurality of elongated fiber-optic sensing means supported by said base for sensing the weight of the vehicle in motion and with one of said plurality of fiber-optic sensing means in each of said plurality of grooves and extending over substantially the length thereof, light source means located at one end of each fiber-optic sensing means for transmitting light therethrough, a plurality of light receiving means with one of said plurality of light receiving means located at an opposite end of each fiber-optic sensing means for receiving an amount of light transmitted therethrough, and contact grid means in contact with each of the plurality of fiber-optic sensing means for varying the amount of light transmitted though each of said plurality of fiber-optic sensing means when subjected to the weight of a moving vehicle, each of said contact grid means adapted to provide a different level of contact with the fiber-optic sensing means contacted thereby for providing each of the plurality of fiber-optic sensing means with a different sensitivity to vehicle weight so that different amounts of light are transmitted through each of the plurality of fiber-optic sensing means when subjected to the same vehicle weight.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for weighing a vehicle in motion is provided by employing a plurality of elongated fiber-optic sensors defined by an optical fiber embedded in an encasement of elastomeric material and disposed parallel to each other on the roadway in the path of moving vehicles. Each fiber-optic sensor is provided with contact grid means which can be selectively altered to provide the fiber-optic sensors with sensitivities to vehicular weight different from each other for weighing vehicles in an extended weight range. Switch means are used in conjunction with the fiber-optic sensors to provide signals indicative of the speed of the moving vehicle, the number of axles on the vehicle, weight distribution, tire position, and the wheelbase of the vehicle. The use of a generally N-shaped configuration of switch means also provides a determination of the number of tires on each axle and the tire footprint. When switch means in this configuration are formed of optical fibers, the extent of light transmission through the fibers during contact with the tires of the vehicle is indicative of the vehicle weight.
60 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. Apparatus for weighing and identifying characteristics of a vehicle in motion including vehicle weight comprising, an elongated base having upper and lower surfaces and positionable on a vehicle roadway transverse to a path of a moving vehicle for traverse thereby, a plurality of parallel elongated grooves in the upper surface of said base extending over substantially the length thereof with said grooves being spaced apart from one another and transverse to the path of the vehicle, a plurality of elongated fiber-optic sensing means supported by said base for sensing the weight of the vehicle in motion and with one of said plurality of fiber-optic sensing means in each of said plurality of grooves and extending over substantially the length thereof, light source means located at one end of each fiber-optic sensing means for transmitting light therethrough, a plurality of light receiving means with one of said plurality of light receiving means located at an opposite end of each fiber-optic sensing means for receiving an amount of light transmitted therethrough, and contact grid means in contact with each of the plurality of fiber-optic sensing means for varying the amount of light transmitted though each of said plurality of fiber-optic sensing means when subjected to the weight of a moving vehicle, each of said contact grid means adapted to provide a different level of contact with the fiber-optic sensing means contacted thereby for providing each of the plurality of fiber-optic sensing means with a different sensitivity to vehicle weight so that different amounts of light are transmitted through each of the plurality of fiber-optic sensing means when subjected to the same vehicle weight.
- 18. Apparatus for determining characteristics of a vehicle moving along a path including vehicle weight, speed, number of axles, weight distribution on each axle, number of tires on each axle, tire position, and footprint of each tire on each axle of the moving vehicle comprising, first, second and third elongated optical-fiber assembly means positionable on a vehicle roadway in the path of a moving vehicle and contactable by tires on said moving vehicle for providing signals upon being contacted thereby, said first and second optical-fiber assembly means being disposed parallel to each other and transverse to the path of the moving vehicle at spaced apart locations on said roadway, said third optical-fiber assembly means being positioned diagonally to the first and the second optical-fiber assembly means on said roadway at a location between and substantially coextensive with the first optical-fiber assembly means and the second optical-fiber assembly means and thereby emplacing the first, the second and the third optical-fiber assembly means in a generally N-shaped configuration, a plurality of light source means with one of said light source means at one end of each of the optical-fiber assembly means for transmitting light therethrough, and a plurality of light receiving means with one of said light receiving means at an opposite end of each optical-fiber assembly means for receiving the light transmitted through each of said optical-fiber assembly means with the light being transmitted through each of the optical-fiber assembly means being changed in intensity upon being contacted by the one or more tires on each axle on the moving vehicle, whereby the change in the light intensity in each of the optical-fiber assembly means is dependent upon a proportional amount of the vehicle weight supported by the one or more tires on the axle contacting each optical-fiber assembly means for providing said signals with said signals being indicative of the vehicle weight and the distribution of the vehicle weight on each axle, whereby differences in time between the contact of the first optical-fiber assembly means and the second optical-fiber assembly means by the tires on same axle of the vehicle is indicative of the speed of the moving vehicle, and whereby a duration of the change in the light intensity transmitted through the third optical-fiber assembly means during contact with one or more tires on each axle of the moving vehicle is indicative of the number of tires on each axle and the footprint of each tire.
Specification