Wireless vehicle detection system and associated methods having enhanced response time

• US 8,855,902 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Trafficware Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Neel, Clyde, Beyer, Darren, Fiebrich, Timothy, Green, Michael, Vadlamani, Srikar, Hawkins, Mark, MacLeod, Kenneth W
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US14/194,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 221 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/1
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include a wireless vehicle detection systems and associated methods with extended range and battery life. The wireless vehicle detection system can include a plurality of sensor pods in communication with an access point without repeaters. Embodiments of the sensor pod can include a vehicle detector controller adapted to determine the presence of vehicles and a communication controller connected to the vehicle detector and adapted to transmit data 300 feet or more to an access point, which in turns communicates with the base station. To extend the battery life of the sensor pod, the sensor pod can be adapted to detect received communication signal strength and adjust transmitting power based upon said strength to thereby conserve power. Embodiments of the sensor pod can also include a battery connected in parallel to an HLC capacitor to further extend the life of the battery.

Claims

1. A wireless vehicle detection system comprising:

one or more spaced-apart sensor pods positioned in or below, and yet in close proximity to, a plane of a surface of a road, adapted to detect received communication signal strength, and operationally adapted to adjust transmitting power based upon said communication signal strength to thereby conserve power usage, each sensor pod including (1) a vehicle detector controller adapted to determine presence of one or more vehicles, (2) a communication controller connected to the vehicle detector and adapted to communicate data relating to the presence of one or more vehicles, the vehicle detector controller and the communication controller each having separate clock cycles and separately controlled sleep cycles for drawing power, (3) a battery, (4) a hybrid layer capacitor connected in parallel electrically to the battery to protect the battery from degradation at transmit power levels and extend the life of the battery; and

(5) a low profile antenna positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation when positioned within an enclosure of the sensor pod and adjacent a top end of the enclosure when the sensor pod is positioned in or below the surface of the road, the antenna adapted to allow for and support one or more communication frequencies in the 902-928 MHz ISM radio frequency band, the low profile antenna also having an antenna housing having a substantially hollow interior portion to allow communication circuitry components to be mounted at least partially within the antenna housing thereby decreasing vertical space requirements within the enclosure of the sensor pod;

a base station adapted to provide data processing and storage for the wireless vehicle detection system; and

an access point adapted to communicate with the base station wirelessly at a communication frequency of approximately 2.4 GHz or via one or more wires, and further adapted to communicate with the one or more sensor pods at one or more communication frequencies in the range of 902-928 Mhz.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle detector controller is adapted to communicate with the communication controller, the vehicle detector controller further comprising:

a plurality of magnetic sensors adapted to sense the presence of one or more vehicles, and to output sensed data corresponding to the presence of one or more vehicles;

a calibration module adapted to adjust for sensor offset, or to set or reset the plurality of magnetic sensors; and

a sensor controller adapted to determining the presence of the one or more vehicles responsive to one or more of the plurality of magnetic sensors outputting the sensed data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication controller is adapted to communicate with the vehicle detector controller via a serial link, the communication controller further comprising:

a radio transceiver adapted to communicate in the 902-928 Mhz ISM band;

the antenna; and

a communication controller adapted to generate a packet suitable to be wirelessly transmitted via the antenna to the access point.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle detector controller is adapted to communicate with the communication controller, the vehicle detector controller further comprising:

a plurality of magnetic sensors adapted to sense the presence of one or more vehicles, and to output sensed data corresponding to the presence of one or more vehicles;

a calibration module adapted to adjust for sensor offset, or to set or reset the plurality of magnetic sensors; and

a sensor controller adapted to determining the presence of the one or more vehicles responsive to one or more of the plurality of magnetic sensors outputting the sensed data; and

wherein the communication controller further comprises;

a radio transceiver adapted to communicate in the 902-928 Mhz ISM band;

the antenna; and

a communication controller adapted to generate a packet suitable to be wirelessly transmitted via the antenna to the access point.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the access point further comprises a plurality of antennas, one or more first antennas of the plurality of antennas being adapted to communicate with the base station at a communication frequency of approximately 2.4 GHz and one or more second antennas of the plurality of antennas being adapted to communicate with the one or more sensor pods at a communication frequency in the range of approximately 902-928 Mhz.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the access point comprises an access point housing and an omnidirectional antenna adapted to be positioned remote from the access point housing, the omnidirectional antenna adapted to wireless communicate with the one or more sensor pods and to communicate with an antenna associated with the access point housing.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle detector controller comprises a plurality of magnetic sensors adapted to sense the presence of one or more vehicles, and to output sensed data corresponding to the presence of one or more vehicles.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of magnetic sensors include at least one of an x-axis sensor, a y-axis sensor, and a z-axis sensor.

9. A wireless sensor pod adapted to be positioned in or below and yet in close proximity to a plane of a surface of a road, the sensor pod comprising:

(1) a vehicle detector controller adapted to determine presence of one or more vehicles;

(2) a communication controller adapted to detect received communication signal strength and operationally adapted to adjust transmitting power based upon said communication signal strength to thereby conserve power, the communication controller further adapted to transmit data 300 feet or more;

(3) a battery;

(4) a hybrid layer capacitor connected in parallel electrically to the battery to protect the battery from degradation at transmit power levels and extend the life of the battery; and

(5) an antenna positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation when positioned within the sensor pod and when the sensor pod is positioned in or below the surface of the road, the antenna adapted to allow for and support 902-928 MHz ISM radio frequency band, the antenna also having an antenna housing having a hollow interior to allow communication circuitry components to be mounted at least partially inside the antenna housing thereby decreasing vertical space requirements.

10. The sensor pod of claim 9, the communication controller further comprising:

a radio transceiver adapted to communicate in the 902-928 Mhz ISM band;

the antenna; and

a communication controller adapted to generate a packet suitable to be wirelessly transmitted via the antenna to an access point.

11. The sensor pod of claim 9, the vehicle detector controller further comprising:

a plurality of magnetic sensors adapted to sense the presence of one or more vehicles, and to output sensed data corresponding to the presence of one or more vehicles;

a calibration module adapted to adjust for sensor offset, or to set or reset the plurality of magnetic sensors; and

a sensor controller adapted to determining the presence of the one or more vehicles responsive to one or more of the plurality of magnetic sensors outputting the sensed data; and

wherein the communication controller further comprises;

a radio transceiver adapted to communicate in the 902-928 Mhz ISM band;

the antenna; and

a communication controller adapted to generate a packet suitable to be wirelessly transmitted via the antenna to the access point.

12. A sensor pod of claim 9, wherein the one or more sensor pods further comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having an executable program stored thereon, and one of the vehicle detection controller or the communication controller is adapted to execute the executable program to wake up the sensor pod from sleep mode to execute a function and to queue a next function to be subsequently executed.

13. A method for detecting one or more vehicles, the method comprising the steps of:

installing a sensor pod in or below and in close proximity to a plane of a surface of a road, the sensor pod adapted to detect and receive communication signal strength and operably adapted to adjust transmitting power based upon said communication signal strength to thereby conserve power, the sensor pod including (1) a vehicle detection controller adapted to determine presence of one or more vehicles, (2) a communication controller adapted to communicate data relating to the presence of one or more vehicles, (3) a battery, (4) a hybrid layer capacitor connected in parallel electrically to the battery to protect the battery from degradation at transmit power levels, and (5) an antenna positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation when positioned inside the sensor pod and when the sensor pod is positioned in or below the surface of the road, the antenna adapted to allow for and support one or more communication frequencies in the 902-928 MHz ISM radio frequency band, the antenna also having an antenna housing having a hollow interior to allow communication circuitry components to be mounted at least partially inside the antenna housing;

transmitting data relating to the presence of one or more vehicles from the sensor pod to an access point positioned remote the sensor pod; and

providing data processing to a traffic controller by a base station positioned remote from the access point and the sensor pod, the data processing being responsive to the base station receiving data from the access point.

14. A method of claim 13, wherein the access control comprises:

one or more first antennas adapted to communicate with the sensor pod at a communication frequency in the range of approximately 902-928 MHz; and

one or more second antennas adapted to communicate with the base station of the wireless vehicle detection system at a frequency of approximately 2.4 GHz.

15. A method of claim 13, wherein the vehicle detector controller comprises a plurality of magnetic sensors adapted to sense the presence of one or more vehicles, and to output sensed data corresponding to the presence of one or more vehicles.

16. A method of claim 13, wherein the vehicle detector controller further comprises:

a plurality of magnetic sensors adapted to sense the presence of one or more vehicles, and to output sensed data corresponding to the presence of one or more vehicles;

a calibration module adapted to adjust for sensor offset, or to set or reset the plurality of magnetic sensors; and

a sensor controller adapted to determining the presence of the one or more vehicles responsive to one or more of the plurality of magnetic sensors outputting the sensed data.

17. A method of claim 13, wherein the communication controller further comprises:

a radio transceiver adapted to communicate in the 902-928 Mhz ISM band;

the antenna; and

a communication controller adapted to generate a packet suitable to be wirelessly transmitted via the antenna to the access point.

18. A method of claim 13, wherein the vehicle detector controller and the communication controller each have one or more separate clock cycles and one or more separately controlled sleep cycles for drawing power.