Apparatus for detecting magnetostrictive resonator and traffic system

• US 6,100,821 A
• Filed: 06/12/1998
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshioka, Toshihiro, Tanji, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/096,983
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/933, 340/941, 340/825.34, 340/461, 180/168
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/753 using frequency selective elements, e.g. resonator
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence

Abstract

A magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus includes a transmission section for transmitting a resonance frequency of a magnetostrictive resonator, and a reception section for detecting a resonance frequency oscillated by the magnetostrictive resonator.

Claims

1. A magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus, comprising:

a transmission section for transmitting a resonance frequency of a magnetostrictive resonator; and

a reception section for detecting a resonance frequency oscillated by the magnetostrictive resonator, wherein one of a plurality of different resonance frequencies is transmitted and received and then another resonance frequency, different from said one resonance frequency, is transmitted and received, and wherein said reception section detects the resonance frequency oscillated by the magnetostrictive resonator after said transmission section terminates transmission, said transmission section and said reception section sharing a single antenna, and a switch section being provided to switch said antenna between reception and transmission.

2. The magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a discharge resistor, said discharge resistor being activated at the switching time from transmission to reception.

6. The magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising tuning capacitors in a one-to-one correspondence with said plurality of different resonant frequencies, one of said tuning capacitors being selected in conformance with the oscillated resonance frequency.

7. The magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display section for specifying a magnetostrictive resonator and displaying a detection level thereof on a bar graph.

3. A magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus, comprising:

a transmission section for transmitting a plurality of different resonance frequencies including a resonance frequency of a magnetostrictive resonator;

a reception section for detecting a resonance frequency oscillated by the magnetostrictive resonator; and

,

an intermediate frequency conversion section for converting the resonance frequency of the magnetostrictive resonator received by said reception section into an intermediate frequency; and

,

a detection section for detecting output from said intermediate frequency conversion section.

4. The magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a local oscillation section for oscillating a difference frequency between a transmitted frequency and intermediate frequency, wherein said intermediate frequency conversion section adds output of said local oscillation section to the received frequency to produce the intermediate frequency.

5. The magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said local oscillation section is one direct digital synthesizer for oscillating a difference frequency between a transmitted frequency and intermediate frequency and oscillating the transmitted frequency.

13. The magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising tuning capacitors in a one-to-one correspondence with said plurality of different resonance frequencies, one of said tuning capacitors being selected in conformance with the oscillated resonance frequency.

14. The magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of said plurality of resonance frequencies is transmitted and received and then another of said plurality of resonance frequencies, different from said one resonance frequency, is transmitted and received.

8. A traffic system, comprising:

a road having a plurality of magnetostrictive resonators, each of said magnetostrictive resonators having a resonant frequency;

a vehicle having a magnetostrictive resonator detection apparatus, said resonator detection apparatus comprising;

a transmission section for transmitting a plurality of different resonance frequencies in correspondence with the resonant frequencies of said plurality of magnetostrictive resonators; and

a reception section for detecting a resonance frequency oscillated by each of said plurality of magnetostrictive resonators, wherein said reception section detects the resonance frequency oscillated by said magnetostrictive resonators after said transmission section terminates transmission.

9. The traffic system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the plurality of magnetostrictive resonators consist of a first magnetostrictive resonator installed between up and down lanes on said road, a second magnetostrictive resonator installed in the proximity of a road shoulder of the up lane, and a third magnetostrictive resonator installed in the proximity of a road shoulder of the down lane, and the first, second, and third magnetostrictive resonators oscillate different resonance frequencies.

10. The traffic system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said vehicle detects the magnetostrictive resonators and is driven automatically.

11. The traffic system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the magnetostrictive resonators are buried in said road.

12. The traffic system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a display section for displaying said road, said vehicle, and a vehicle position on said road. frequencies.

15. The traffic system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

an intermediate frequency conversion section for converting the resonance frequency of the magnetostrictive resonator received by said reception section into an intermediate frequency and a detection section for detecting output from said intermediate frequency conversion section.

16. The traffic system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising tuning capacitors in a one-to-one correspondence with said plurality of resonance frequencies, one of said tuning capacitors being selected in conformance with the oscillated resonance frequency.

17. The traffic system as claimed in claim 16, wherein one of said plurality of resonance frequencies is transmitted and received and then another of said plurality of resonance frequencies, different from said one resonance frequency, is transmitted and received.

18. The traffic system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said transmission section and said reception section share a common antenna.