Method and apparatus for discriminating vehicle types

• US 5,750,069 A
• Filed: 12/30/1996
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Yong-sung, Kim, Young-ho, Lew, Yung-bai, Woo, Chang-sup, Park, Sang-il, Kim, In-soo, Park, Won-seo
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/777,068
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 340/909, 340/928, 340/931, 340/933, 340/937, 340/940, 340/942, 364/553, 364/554, 701/117, 246/247, 200/86 A, 235/381, 235/384, 177/210 R
• US Class Current: 340/933
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• 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 technique for discriminating a vehicle uses the pressures of tires of a vehicle passing on a pair of contact-point boards, which are converted into digital signals by using shift registers, and measures the width of the tires and the distance between tires, and counts the axles of the vehicle, according to the converted signals. The tire width of a vehicle, the distance between the left and right tires and the number of axles are processed in real time by outputting a digital signal from a contact-point in which a board portion makes contact with a tire of a passing vehicle. Furthermore, even if either one of the contact-point boards for discriminating a vehicle type breaks down, a vehicle can still be discriminated.

Claims

1. A vehicle-type discriminating apparatus comprising:

a board portion for outputting a serial digital signal from a contact-point board in which said board portion makes contact with a tire of a passing vehicle;

a serial-to-parallel converting portion for converting said serial digital signal output from said board portion into a parallel digital signal;

a parallel port interface;

a clearing portion for resetting an uncertain signal output from said board portion;

a digital-to-analog converting portion for converting said digital signal into an analog signal for counting the number of axles of said passing vehicle;

an interrupt portion for determining whether contact-point boards are pressed, and setting a parallel-input-serial-output (P/S) signal at a high level, to wait to receive an input signal;

an optical sensing portion for projecting an optical signal to discriminate between continuously passing vehicles;

a controlling portion for controlling the signals output from said parallel port interface, said clearing portion, said digital-analog portion, said interrupt portion, and said optical sensing portion and for storing the signals in a first memory;

a second memory for storing a predetermined vehicle-type discriminating program; and

a central processing portion for discriminating said vehicle by calculating the tire width, the distance between the left and right tires, and the number of the axles of said vehicle, on the basis of said predetermined vehicle-type discriminating program stored in said second memory, according to a signal output from said controlling portion.

2. A vehicle-type discriminating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said board portion comprises shift registers for outputting a digital signal corresponding to a contact-point board in which a tire of said passing vehicle makes contact with said board portion.

3. A vehicle-type discriminating method comprising the steps of:

(a) counting the number of axles of a vehicle;

(b) discriminating the vehicle into the fourth class, if said number of axles is 3 in said step (a), and discriminating the vehicle into the fifth class, if said number of axles is greater than 3;

(c) determining whether the tire width of said vehicle is a first predetermined length or over, if said number of axles is 2;

(d) determining whether the maximum tire width is a second predetermined or less, if the tire width is less than said first predetermined length in said step (c);

(e) discriminating said vehicle into the first class, if the tire width is over said second predetermined length in said step (d);

(f) determining whether the distance between the left and right tires is less than a third predetermined length, if the tires width is said second predetermined length or less in said step (d);

(g) discriminating said vehicle as a compact vehicle, if the distance between the left and right tires is less than said third predetermined length in said step (f), and discriminating said vehicle into the first class, if the distance between the left and right tires is said third predetermined length or over;

(h) determining whether the tire width is said fourth predetermined length or over, if the tire width is said first predetermined length or over in said step (c);

(I) determining whether the distance between the left and right tires is a fifth predetermined length or over, if the maximum tire width is less than said fourth predetermined length in said step (h);

(j) discriminating said vehicle into the first class, if the distance between the left and right tires is said fifth predetermined length or over in said step (I);

(k) determining whether the distance between the left and right tires is a sixth predetermined length, if the tire width is said fourth predetermined length or over in said step (h), and the distance between the left and right tires is said fifth predetermined length or over;

(l) discriminating said vehicle into the third class if the distance between the left and right tires is said sixth predetermined length or over, and discriminating said vehicle into the second class if the distance between the left and right tires is less than said sixth predetermined length; and

(m) determining that said vehicle is not a real vehicle, if the number of said axles is 1 in said step (a).

4. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 3, said first predetermined length being 28 cm.

5. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 3, said second predetermined length being 15 cm.

6. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 3, said third predetermined length being 120 cm.

7. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 3, said fourth predetermined length being 37 cm.

8. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 3, said fifth predetermined length being 136 cm.

9. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 3, said sixth predetermined length being 180 cm.

10. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 3, wherein to discriminate a real 3-axle vehicle from a vehicle appended with a first-class ordinary vehicle which may be misjudged as a 3-axle vehicle, said step (a) comprises the steps of:

(a'"'"') determining whether the tire width of a passing vehicle is said first predetermined length or over;

(b'"'"') discriminating said vehicle into the first class, if said tire width is less than said first predetermined length in said step (a'"'"');

(c'"'"') determining whether the distance between the left and right tires is said fifth predetermined length or over, if said tire width is said first predetermined length or over; and

(d'"'"') discriminating said vehicle into the first class, if said distance between the left and right tires is less than said fifth predetermined length in said step (c'"'"'), and discriminating said vehicle as a 4-axle vehicle, if said distance between the left and right tires is said fifth predetermined length or over.

11. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 10, said first predetermined length being 28 cm.

12. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 10, said second predetermined length being 15 cm.

13. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 10, said third predetermined length being 120 cm.

14. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 10, said fourth predetermined length being 37 cm.

15. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 10, said fifth predetermined length being 136 cm.

16. A vehicle-type discriminating method as claimed in claim 10, said sixth predetermined length being 180 cm.

17. A method for discriminating a single tire from a double tire of a passing vehicle comprising the steps of:

(a") determining whether a tire is of a first axle of the vehicle;

(b") discriminating said tire as a single tire if said tire is of the first axle in said step (a");

(c") determining whether the width of said tire is a first predetermined length or over;

(d") discriminating said tire as a single tire if the width of said tire is less than said first predetermined length in said step (c");

(e") subtracting the width of said first-axle tire from the width of a passing-axle tire if the width of said tire is said first predetermined length or over in said step (c");

(f") determining whether the subtrahend of said step (e") is a second predetermined length or over; and

(g") discriminating said tire as a single tire if the subtrahend is less than said second predetermined length in said step (f"), and discriminating said tire as a double tire if the result is said second predetermined length or over.

18. A method for discriminating a single tire from a double tire of a passing vehicle as claimed in claim 17, said first predetermined length being 19 cm.

19. A method for discriminating a single tire from a double tire of a passing vehicle as claimed in claim 17, said second predetermined length being 7 cm.