Device for tolling or telematics systems

• US 10,777,075 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AB (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AB (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Inventors: Carlsson, Carl-Olov
• Primary Examiner(s): Nirjhar, Nasim N
• Application Number:
  US14/442,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20160247398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,492 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

The present subject matter relates to a device for tolling or telematics systems provided with a pixel based image sensor. The image sensor is adapted to be arranged above a surveillance zone provided on a road, wherein the surveillance zone has an extension along the direction of the road. The image sensor is adapted to be arranged in between a first and a second end zone of said surveillance zone. The image sensor is provided with a wide-angle optical system having a refraction and which is arranged such, relative said image sensor that an image captured by said image sensor comprises both said first and said second end zone.

Claims

1. A method to control a system for road tolling comprising a plurality of image sensors, wherein each image sensor of said image sensors is adapted to be mounted in the middle of and at a predetermined distance above a respective surveillance zone of a plurality of surveillance zones provided on a road, each respective surveillance zone having an extension along a direction of said road, wherein each image sensor of said image sensors is adapted to be mounted in between a first and a second end zone of said respective surveillance zone and each image sensor of said image sensors is provided with a respective wide-angle optical system of a plurality of wide-angle optical systems having a refraction and which is arranged relative to the image sensor such that an image captured by each image sensor of said image sensors comprises both said first and said second end zones of said respective surveillance zone, the plurality of image sensors and the plurality of wide-angle optical systems being mounted on a gantry, the method comprising:

continuously capturing first images, by a first image sensor of the plurality of image sensors, of a first surveillance zone of the plurality of surveillance zones;

continuously capturing second images, by a second image sensor of the plurality of image sensors, of a second surveillance zone of the plurality of surveillance zones;

combining information from the first images and the second images in order to estimate at least one of a height, a length or a volume of a vehicle; and

saving an output from said image sensors,

wherein said output comprises at least a first image, a second image, and a third image from one image sensor of the plurality of image sensors, wherein said first image comprises characteristics of a front of a vehicle in said first end zone, said second image comprises the characteristics of a rear of said vehicle in said second end zone, and said third image comprises said vehicle in a middle zone between said first end zone and said second end zone, the middle zone being larger than said first end zone and said second zone, and

wherein a first wide-angle optical system of the plurality of wide-angle optical systems is arranged relative to the first image sensor of the plurality of image sensors such that;

a first resolution of a first portion of the first images that captures said first and second end zones is higher than a second resolution of a second portion of the first images that captures the middle zone; and

the first end zone is projected on a first area of the first image sensor, the second end zone is projected on a second area of the first image sensor that is different than the first area, and the middle zone is projected on a third area of the first image sensor that is different than the first area and the second area, wherein the first area, the second area, and the third area being substantially equal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said image sensors are pixel based and variation in resolution is excelled with a varied pixel density of said image sensors.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of wide-angle optical systems comprises at least one mirror and/or lens arranged in front of a respective image sensor of the plurality of image sensors and causing refraction.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of wide-angle optical systems is provided with a shape enabling a rectangular surveillance zone.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said system is part of, or combined with, sensors providing stereoscopic and/or multidimensional images in which vehicle types and/or heights of vehicles can be detected.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said output consists of one compound image of a respective surveillance zone of the plurality of surveillance zones, wherein said compound image is put together of at least the first and the second image captured at different moments such that said compound image discloses said respective surveillance zone and comprises at least a front view and a rear view of said vehicle in said first and second end zone respectively.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said compound image further comprises the third image captured at a third moment such that a view of said vehicle from essentially above and in said middle zone also is comprised in said compound image.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said system is combined with other technology for vehicle identification, such as radio frequency identification.

6. A system for road tolling, said system is provided with a plurality of image sensors, wherein each of said image sensors is adapted to be arranged in the middle of and at a predetermined distance above a respective surveillance zone of a plurality of surveillance zones provided on a road, each of said plurality of surveillance zones having an extension along a direction of said road, and each of said image sensors is adapted to be mounted in between a first and a second end zone of a respective surveillance zone of the plurality of surveillance zones and each of said image sensors is provided with a respective wide-angle optical system of a plurality of wide-angle optical systems having a refraction and which is arranged relative to a respective image sensor of said image sensors such that an image captured by each of said image sensors comprises both said first and second end zones of a respective surveillance zone of the plurality of surveillance zones, said image sensors and said plurality of wide-angle optical systems being mounted on a gantry,

wherein said system is configured to combine information from first images taken by a first image sensor of the plurality of image sensors and second images taken by a second image sensor of the plurality of images sensors in order to estimate at least one of a height, a length, or a volume of a vehicle,

wherein a first wide-angle optical system of the plurality of wide-angle optical systems is adapted to and arranged relative to the first image sensor of the plurality of image sensors such that a first resolution of a first portion of the first images that captures said first and second end zones is higher than a second resolution of a second portion of the first images that captures a zone between said first and second end zones, and

wherein the first end zone is projected on a first area of the first image sensor, the second end zone is projected on a second area of the first image sensor that is different than the first area, and a middle zone between said first end zone and said second end zone is projected on a third area of the first image sensor that is different than the first area and the second area, the middle zone being larger than said first end zone and said second zone, wherein the first area, the second area, and the third area being substantially equal.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said system can combine information withdrawn from said first images and said second images in order to track a vehicle moving between the plurality of surveillance zones.