Apparatus for photographing moving body

• US 5,896,167 A
• Filed: 08/14/1997
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Souichi, Omae, Masanori, Sunahara, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIN, LUANNE PAN
• Application Number:
  US08/911,185
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 348/149, 348/143, 348/148, 348/159, 340/937, 340/936, 340/933, 340/928
• US Class Current: 348/149
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/054 photographing overspeeding vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus for photographing a moving body. A video memory including a plurality of frame memories is used in order to store frame images obtained by a plurality of photographing operations. The frame images obtained by photographing are sequentially stored in any of frame memories. Any of a plurality of frame memories is selected in accordance with a detection of a front edge or a rear edge of a vehicle, and a frame image in a selected frame memory is used. A speed of a vehicle is used for this selection. In another case, apparatuses for photographing, such as TV cameras or storage devices such as video memories are provided in a plurality of systems, and a frame relating to either of the systems is selected in accordance with the speed. The high speed processing is enabled without image processings such as clipping of characters on a license plate.

Claims

1. An apparatus for photographing a moving body, comprising:

a camera for repeatedly photographing a capture zone, said capture zone being provided on a downstream side along an advancing direction of said moving body as viewed from a detection position;

a memory, which has a plurality of memory areas being capable of storing images obtained by a plurality of times of photographing operations, for sequentially storing the images obtained by repetition of photographing;

a time detector for detecting a time at which said moving body passes said detection position;

a speed detector for detecting a speed at which said moving body passes said detection position; and

an image selector for selecting at least one from a plurality of stored images on the basis of the relationship between said time and said speed, wherein said selected image is an earlier of the plurality of stored images when said vehicle travels at a faster detected speed and said selected image is a later of the plurality of stored images when said vehicle travels at a slower detected speed.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising content updater for updating contents of said plurality of memory areas by storing an image obtained by a most recent photographing in a memory area storing an image obtained at an earliest time among a plurality of said memory areas.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said camera comprises a television camera directed towards said capture zone, said television camera generating a video signal which includes a synchronous signal synchronized with a timing for photographing and representing a photographed image, and

said apparatus further comprises:

an extractor for extracting said synchronous signal from said video signal; and

a switch for alternately switching a memory area for storing said video signal among said plurality of memory areas in accordance with extracted synchronous signal.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said video signal generated by said television camera is an analog signal, and

said apparatus further comprises:

an A/D convertor for converting said video signal generated by said television camera from analog to digital; and

a controller for controlling said A/D convertor in accordance with said extracted synchronous signal.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:

a D/A converter means for converting said stored video signal from digital to analog; and

a D/A controller for controlling said D/A converting means in accordance with said extracted synchronous signal.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said time detector includes a loop coil which is provided at said detection position and whose inductance varies when said moving body passes in the vicinity thereof.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said speed detector includes a loop coil which is provided at said detection position and whose inductance varies with a speed corresponding to a speed of said moving body when said moving body passes in the vicinity thereof.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a loop coil which is provided at said detection position and whose inductance varies with a speed corresponding to a speed of said moving body when said moving body passes in the vicinity thereof, said loop coil being shared by said time detector and said speed detector.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said detection position is provided within said capture zone.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said detection position is provided at an end portion of said capture zone along an advancing direction of said moving body.

11. An apparatus for photographing a moving body, comprising:

a time detector for detecting a time at which said moving body passes a detection position;

a speed detector for detecting a speed at which said moving body passes said detection position;

a plurality of cameras each of which photographs a corresponding capture zone among a plurality of capture zones whose boundaries are continuous or which partially overlap one another, a plurality of said capture zones being provided on a downstream side of said detection position along an advancing direction of said moving body;

a plurality of memory devices which are provided in correspondence with said plurality of cameras and each of which stores an image obtained by a corresponding camera and

a picture selector for selecting, on the basis of the relationship between said time and said speed, at least one image from a plurality of pictures obtained by said plurality of cameras, wherein said selected image is an earlier of the plurality of stored images when said vehicle travels at a faster detected speed and said selected image is a later of the plurality of stored images when said vehicle travels at a slower detected speed.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said plurality of cameras comprise a plurality of television cameras each of which is directed towards the corresponding capture zone among said plurality of capture zones and generates a video signal representing photographed image.

13. An apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein said video signals generated by said plurality of television cameras are analog signals, and

said apparatus further comprises:

a camera controller for controlling times at which each of said plurality of television cameras photographs;

a plurality of A/D convertors which are provided in correspondence with said plurality of cameras and said plurality of memory devices and convert said video signals generated by said plurality of television cameras from analog to digital, each of thus obtained digital video signals being supplied to a corresponding memory device; and

an A/D controller for controlling said plurality of A/D convertors in accordance with synchronous signals in synchronism with photographing timings.

14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13, further comprising:

a D/A convertor for converting said video signals stored in said plurality of memory means from digital to analog; and

means for controlling said D/A converting means in synchronism with a photographing timing.

15. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said time detector includes a loop coil which is provided at said detection position and whose inductance varies when said moving body passes in the vicinity thereof.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said speed detector includes loop coils which are provided at detection positions and whose inductances vary with a speed corresponding to a speed of said moving body when said moving body passes in the vicinity thereof.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a loop coil which is provided at said detection position and whose inductance varies with a speed corresponding to a speed of said moving body when said moving body passes in the vicinity thereof, said loop coil being shared by said time detector and said speed detector.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said detection position is provided within said capture zone.

19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said detection position is provided at an end portion of said capture zone along an advancing direction of said moving body.