Commercial vehicle electronic screening hardware/software system with primary and secondary sensor sets

• US 20040021579A1
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: Worrell, Gary C., Chiu, Wendy W., Oursler, Mark A., Char, Ronald K., Fewer, John H. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 6,980,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.07
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/02 for weighing wheeled or rolling bodies, e.g. vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/02 using treadles built into the road pads or other sensitive devices responsive to passage of vehicles E01F11/00

Abstract

A primary set of sensors is situated along a highway approaching a weighing/inspection station, and a secondary set of sensors is situated along a ramp that is traversed by vehicles exiting the highway into a weighing/inspection station. The secondary sensors use vehicle identification based upon transponders and/or alternate means (such as license plate readers) that are suitable for lower speeds and for vehicles not equipped with transponders. The sensors are coupled to a processing system that accesses a database storing data correlated to vehicles using the highway. Upon the sensing of certain parameters by the primary sensors, the vehicles are directed to exit the highway to the weigh station entry ramp The secondary set of sensors along the ramp provide an ability to identify transponder and non-transponder equipped vehicles and more accurate sensing capability due, among other things, to the slower speed of the vehicle while passing sensors.

Claims

1. A system for electronically screening vehicles on a road along which is situated a vehicle weigh station having a static scale, comprising:

a first sensor set positioned along the road in the proximity of said vehicle weigh station;

a second sensor set positioned along a driving area associated with said weigh station; and

a processor coupled to said sensor sets, said processor communicating with said sensor sets and directing vehicles traveling on said road to either pull onto or bypass the static scale based on communications with said first and/or second sensor sets.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more signals perceivable by a driver of said vehicles, wherein:

said processor directs said vehicles traveling on said road to either pull onto or bypass the driving area by activating one or more of said signals.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein vehicles directed to pull onto the driving area are sensed by said second sensor set, and the results of said sensing is communicated to said processor, whereby based on said communication between said second sensor set and said processor, said vehicle is directed to pull onto said static scale or return to said road.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said processor comprises:

an operations processor;

a database, coupled to said operations processor, storing data regarding vehicles traveling on said road; and

a screening processor, coupled to said operations processor and to said first and second sensor sets, whereby;

instructions delivered to said screening processor from said operations processor identify relevant information obtained from said first and second sensor sets;

said relevant information is communicated to said operations processor; and

based on said relevant information and information from said database, said operations processor directs the activation of said signals.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein some of said vehicles are transponder equipped and some of said vehicles are non-transponder equipped, said second sensor set comprising:

one or more sensors that can detect information from non-transponder equipped vehicles.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said second sensor set further comprises:

one or more sensors that can detect information from transponder-equipped vehicles.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said detected information from said second sensor set includes identifying information regarding the vehicle being sensed by said second sensor set.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more signals include signals transmitted to transponders in transponder-equipped vehicles.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said one or more signals further include visual signals situated outside of said vehicles and visually perceptible by a driver of said vehicles.

10. The system of claim of claim 6, wherein said second sensor set includes license-plate readers.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein said second sensor set includes WIM scales.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein said second sensor set comprises AVI sensors communicating with transponders in said transponder-equipped vehicles.

13. A method for electronically screening vehicles on a road along which is situated a vehicle weigh station having a static scale, comprising the steps of:

positioning a first sensor set along the road in the proximity of said vehicle weigh station;

positioning a second sensor set along a driving area associated with said weigh station;

coupling a processor to said sensor sets;

sensing information from vehicles traveling within sensing proximity of said first and/or second sensor sets;

communicating said sensed information to said processor and directing vehicles traveling on said road to either pull onto or bypass the static scale based on said communicated information.