Sound pollution surveillance system and method

• US 6,997,057 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2002
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SETI Media Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SETI Media Incorporated
• Inventors: Noël, René
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, ROSE MARY
• Application Number:
  US10/485,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20040194549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 736/47, 735/87, 734/89, 736/49, 734/321, 340/943
• US Class Current: 73/647
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for detecting a sound level of vehicles comprising sensor units for detecting vehicles on a road and for measuring a sound level of a detected vehicle. A data processing unit is connected to the sensor units and has an identification recorder for operating the system by recording an identification of the vehicle detected if the sound level is above a given value.

Claims

1. A method for detecting sound level of vehicles, comprising the steps of:

i) monitoring a road to detect movement caused by a vehicle;

ii) measuring at least a sound level of a vehicle detected in step i);

iii) determining if the measured sound level is above a given value and indicating an infraction;

iv) recording an identification of the vehicle indicated as one of said infraction;

v) detecting the time at which the vehicle is detected; and

vi) forwarding recorded infraction information to a central unit for storage therein, for subsequent access to said recorded information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step i) includes detecting a direction of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step i) includes detecting a speed of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step iii) includes measuring a weight of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access to said recorded information comprises displaying the measured sound level on site.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising a step of displaying the measured sound level on site if the measured sound level is above the given value.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said identification of the vehicle is at least one of an image and a signal emitted by the vehicle.

8. A system for detecting a sound level of vehicles comprising:

at least one sensor unit for at least detecting vehicles on a road and measure a sound level of a detected vehicle, the at least one sensor unit having an emitter/receiver device with at least one disruptable light beam to detect vehicles; and

a data processing unit connected to the sensor unit and having an identification recorder for operating the system by;

i) monitoring a road to detect movement caused by a vehicle;

ii) measuring at least a sound level of a vehicle detected in step i);

iii) recording an identification of the vehicle detected if the sound level is above a given value.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising at least one display unit connected to the data processing unit, for displaying the measured sound level.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor unit, the data processing unit, and the at least one display unit are connected by wireless communications.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the emitter/receiver device has two disruptable light beams, the light beams being spaced by a given distance so as to selectively detect movement of objects of given lengths.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein an order of disruption of the two light beams is used to identify a direction of the vehicle and to calculate a speed of the vehicle.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the at least one sensor unit has a sonometer to measure the sound level.

14. The system according to claim 8, comprising a series of said at least one sensor unit positioned along a road, with information recorded by an upstream one of the series of said sensor unit being validated by subsequent ones of said sensor unit.

15. The system according to claim 8, wherein the data processing unit is positioned with respect to a road such that the identification recorder thereof has a working range coinciding with a portion of the road wherein vehicles must come to a stop.

16. The system according to claim 8, wherein the identification recorder is one of an image recorder a frequency signal recorder receiving signals from an emitter device on the vehicle.

17. A system for detecting a sound level of vehicles comprising:

at least one sensor unit for at least detecting vehicles on a road and measure a sound level of a detected vehicle;

a data processing unit connected to the sensor unit and having an identification recorder for operating the system by;

i) monitoring a road to detect movement caused by a vehicle;

ii) measuring at least a sound level of a vehicle detected in step i);

iii) recording an identification of the vehicle detected if the sound level is above a given value;

a series of the at least one sensor unit positioned along a road, with information recorded by an upstream one of the series of said sensor unit being validated by subsequent ones of said sensor unit.

18. A system for detecting a sound level of vehicles comprising:

at least one sensor unit for at least detecting vehicles on a road and measure a sound level of a detected vehicle; and

a data processing unit connected to the sensor unit and having an identification recorder for operating the system by;

i) monitoring a road to detect movement caused by a vehicle;

ii) measuring at least a sound level of a vehicle detected in step i);

iii) recording an identification of the vehicle detected if the sound level is above a given value;

the data processing unit being positioned with respect to a road such that the identification recorder thereof has a working range coinciding with a portion of the road wherein vehicles must come to a stop.