Direction processing based on multi-state inputs

• US 9,329,198 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority of NY and NJ)
• Original Assignee: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority of NY and NJ)
• Inventors: Sesti, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Carol S
• Application Number:
  US14/322,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20140316739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 702/150, 324/207.18, 324/207.24, 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/469, 348/169, 348/355, 705/11, 340/917
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/04 Indicating positive or negative direction of a linear movement or clockwise or anti-clockwise direction of a rotational movement

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for determining the direction of a moving object across a sensor having a plurality of inputs is disclosed. The invention determines the direction of a moving object, such as a vehicle on a roadway, based on inputs provided by sensors along the object'"'"'s path. The methods involve monitoring state changes of the inputs as the object passes the sensor and comparing the magnitude of state changes in the order in which a forward-moving object would cause inputs to switch to a particular state. For each state change comparison, a direction variable is adjusted to indicate forward or reverse movement. After passage of the object, a direction of movement is assigned to the moving object on the basis of the final value of the direction variable. The invention provides a high degree of accuracy, is simple to reconfigure, and more economical than other methods.

Claims

1. A system for determining the direction of a moving object, the system comprising:

a sensor having a plurality of inputs and configured to monitor the direction of the moving object as it moves across the sensor, and

a computer in communication with the sensor, the computer comprising circuitry, memory, and a processor configured to execute non-transient programming instructions which when executed perform the operations of;

a. assigning an initial value to a direction variable;

b. monitoring state changes of the inputs as the moving object passes across the sensor;

c. upon detection of a state change of a particular input from a lowest state to a higher state, comparing the magnitude of the state changes of the particular input to its immediately adjacent and enabled inputs in the order in which a forward-moving object would cause inputs to switch to a particular state;

d. for each comparison, incrementing the value of the direction variable by a fixed amount to indicate a forward-moving object, and decrementing the value of the direction variable by the fixed amount to indicate a reverse-moving object;

e. monitoring the order of state changes for all inputs until all inputs return to their lowest state and thereby indicating passage of the moving object; and

f. assigning a direction of movement to the moving object on the basis of the final value of the direction variable after the object has moved past the sensor.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the moving object is a vehicle or a part thereof.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a treadle pad, or a set of electromechanical or optical inputs.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is affixed to, suspended over, or mounted along the side of a road, street, wall, or ceiling surface during use of the system.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operation of comparing the magnitude of the state changes comprises evaluating a plurality of arrays, each array representing a particular state and having a plurality of elements, each element representing a particular input, and the value stored in each element representing the order in which the particular input transitioned to that particular state in comparison to its immediately adjacent and enabled inputs.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the operation of recording only the most recent state change if a particular input undergoes a plurality of state changes.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the inputs are discrete or continuous.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the operations of ceasing to monitor a particular input if the input remains in a state other than a lowest possible state for a predefined period of time and reestablishing monitoring of the particular input if the input subsequently switches to another state.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a secondary sensor which functions on the same or different operating principle as a primary sensor, and the processor is further configured to perform the operation of detecting the presence of the moving object using the secondary sensor.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the operations of comparing the final value of the direction variable to a pre-assigned confidence level threshold, and assigning the direction of movement to the moving object if the direction variable is outside the confidence level threshold.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is a microcontroller located on a printed circuit board, and the microcontroller is programmed with the programming instructions.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the programming instructions are performed by the computer.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the operation of outputting the direction of the moving object to an external device selected from the group consisting of a printer, database, spreadsheet, computer monitor, and data storage unit.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the operation of outputting the direction of the moving object to a subsequent separate computer process.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having non-transient computer readable programming instructions embodied therein which when executed cause a computer equipped with circuitry, memory, and a processor to determine the direction of a moving object across a sensor electrically connected to the processor, the programming instructions causing the processor to perform the operations of:

a. assigning an initial value to a direction variable;

b. monitoring state changes of the inputs as the moving object passes across the sensor;

c. upon detection of a state change of a particular input from a lowest state to a higher state, comparing the magnitude of the state changes of the particular input to its immediately adjacent and enabled inputs in the order in which a forward-moving object would cause inputs to switch to a particular state;

d. for each comparison, incrementing the value of the direction variable by a fixed amount to indicate a forward-moving object, and decrementing the value of the direction variable by the fixed amount to indicate a reverse-moving object;

e. monitoring the order of state changes for all inputs until all inputs return to their lowest state and thereby indicating passage of the moving object; and

f. assigning a direction of movement to the moving object on the basis of the final value of the direction variable after the object has moved past the sensor.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the computer program product is a programmable printed circuit board or a computer-readable storage medium.