Method and device for controlling a red light camera

• US 20050206728A1
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gatsometer B.V. (Sensys Gatso Group AB)
• Original Assignee: Gatsometer B.V. (Sensys Gatso Group AB)
• Inventors: Janssen, Theodorus Maria
• Application Number:
  US10/511,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20050206728A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/149
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a red-light camera at a traffic light, the lights of which are formed by an array of intermittently operated LEDs. Vehicles which pass through the traffic light are detected and a recording is made when a vehicle passes during a period in which the red light of the traffic light is activated. There is herein detected for which part of the activation period the LEDs of the red light are actually on, and the recording is made in precisely that part of the activation period. The moment of the recording can further be corrected for a response time of the red-light camera. The invention further relates to a device for performing this method.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a red-light camera at a traffic light by detecting vehicles which pass through the traffic light and making at least one recording when a vehicle passes during a period in which the red light of the traffic light is activated, is comprising detecting which part of the activation period the red light is on, and generating at least one record that is made in precisely that part of the activation period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said red light burns in flashing manner during the activation period, wherein the moment that the red light comes on is detected in the case of at least some of the flashes and therefrom is determined the moment at which the at least one recording is made.

3. The method of claim 2, characterized in that the red light is powered by an alternating current, at least one zero passage of the alternating current is detected, and on the basis of the at least one detected zero passage a recording signal generated when the vehicle passes and is transmitted to the red-light camera.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said recording signal is corrected for a response time of the red-light camera.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said characterized in that the response time is determined each time a recording is made, and the subsequent recording signal is corrected for the thus determined response time.

6. Device for controlling a red-light camera at a traffic light, comprising a vehicle detector for detecting vehicles passing through a traffic light, an activation detector for determining a period in which the red light of the traffic light is activated, a signal generator connected to said vehicle detector and said red light detector wherein said signal generator produces a recording signal when a vehicle passes during an activation period, a red light detector for determining during which part of the activation period the red light is actually on, timing controller to generate a signal at the moment in time at which the generated recording signal is transmitted to the red-light camera.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said red light burns in a flashing manner during the activation period, and said red light detector is adapted to detect in the case of at least some of the flashes the moment that the red light comes on and to transmit this moment to the timing controller.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said activation detector is adapted to detect at least one zero passage of an alternating current powering the red light and to transmit the crossing of said current to the timing controller.

9. The device of claim 7 or 8, wherein said timing controller comprises a delaying element.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said delaying element is adjustable.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said timing controller is adapted to determine the flashing frequency of the red light and to adjust the delaying element on the basis thereof.

12. The device of claim 10 or 11, wherein said timing controller is adapted to determine a response time of the red-light camera and to adjust the delaying element on the basis thereof.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein a red light camera detector is connected to the timing controller and is capable of measuring the response time of the red-light camera at each recording.