Method of detecting and documenting traffic violations, such as red light violations or speeding violations

• US 8,111,173 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jenoptik Robot GmbH (Jenoptik AG)
• Original Assignee: Robot Visual Systems GmbH (Jenoptik AG)
• Inventors: Schmitz, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu, Van T.
• Application Number:
  US12/338,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/905, 340/933, 340/935, 340/936, 340/937, 348/143, 348/148, 348/149, 701/300, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/933
• 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

According to the present invention, a first measured data packet M₁ of a first vehicle 1 at a first measuring time point t_M1 and a first image data packet B₁ are generated, and measured data packets M_X of additional vehicles X are generated at additional measuring time points t_MX, to which measured data packets duplicates of the first image data packet B₁ are linked to the extent that the additional measuring time points t_MX occur within a predetermined time interval α after the first measuring time point t_M1.

Claims

1. A method of documenting traffic violations, comprising, capturing measured data of a first vehicle having a speed, which passes through a predetermined measurement range on a roadway having a plurality of vehicle lanes, storing said measured data as a measured data packet jointly with a measuring time point, taking a picture of said first vehicle with a camera at a picture-taking time point, which picture is stored as an image data packet, wherein there is a known temporal correlation between the picture-taking time point and the measuring time point, which correlation makes it possible to link the image data packet uniquely to the measured data packet in order to be able to generate a first vehicle data packet, and capturing measured data for additional vehicles having speeds that pass through a predetermined measurement range and storing said measured data for said additional vehicles as measured data packets jointly with measuring time points, and checking to determine whether said measuring time points occur within a time interval after said measuring time point of the first vehicle and that, if necessary, the image data packet is duplicated in order to link it to the measured data packets of said additional vehicles in order to generate additional vehicle data packets.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein said measurement range is specified for each vehicle lane.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein said measurement ranges are determined by sensors located in each said vehicle lane.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein said captured measured data are the speeds of said vehicles.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein only one measurement range is determined by a measuring beam that extends across a plurality of vehicle lanes.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein said measurement beam is a radar beam.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein said measured data are the speeds of said vehicles, their distance from a measurement system and their angles relative to an axis of the measuring system.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein said time interval is shorter than 10 seconds.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein said time interval is predetermined as a function of difference of the speeds between said vehicles.

10. The method as in claim 8, wherein said time interval is predetermined and constitutes a fixed quantity.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein said time interval is shorter than 2 seconds.