METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION, SPEED AND CONDITIONS OF VISIBILITY

• US 3,788,201 A
• Filed: 12/14/1970
• Issued: 01/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frank Abell
• Original Assignee: Frank Abell
• Inventors: Abell, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Horan, John M.
• Application Number:
  US05/097,588
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 95/1.1,44C 346/107,33 343/8
• US Class Current: 73/489
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/054 photographing overspeeding vehicles

Abstract

A method is provided for producing a photographic record showing the identification of a moving vehicle, its speed, conditions of visibility, date and time. Conditions of visibility are established by periodically making a first photographic record of a target at a selected location along a highway. In one embodiment, identification and speed are established in a second photographic record by simultaneously photographing a vehicle moving along the highway in the vicinity of the target and a radar speed meter indicating the speed of the photographed vehicle. In a second embodiment, identification and speed are established by taking two pictures with the same photographic means of the identical portion of a moving vehicle in the vicinity of the target at a known time interval in order to make up a second photographic record, and measuring the relative sizes of the image of the identical portion of the vehicle in the two pictures; and thereafter calculating the speed of the vehicle by interrelating the time interval and vehicle image sizes with the image size of an object in a picture taken by said photographic means located at a known distance from the object, the object having an actual dimension corresponding to an actual dimension of the portion of the moving vehicle appearing in the second photographic record. The first and second embodiments for establishing identification and speed can be combined for purposes of corroborating the speed of the moving vehicle. Date and time are established by simultaneously photographing in all exposures making up the first and second photographic records date and time means showing the date and time at which the exposures are made.

Claims

1. A method for providing a photographic record showing the identification of a vehicle, its speed and conditions of visibility which comprises:

positioning photographic means along a selected section of a highway;

locating at least one target along said highway, said target being spaced at a known distance from said photographic means;

periodically making a first photographic record of said target with said photographic means on panchromatic film while said target is simultaneously illuminated by lighting substantially equivalent to the headlights of a vehicle in order to show conditions of visibility at said selected section of highway;

making a second photographic record with said photographic means on infrared sensitive film, showing the identification and speed of a selected vehicle moving on said highway in the vicinity of said target;

simultaneously photographing in all exposures making up the first and second photographic Records a timepiece to show the time of day at which such exposures are made; and

correlating said first and second photographic records with respect to the time at which such are made whereby a photographic record is established showing vehicle identification, speed and conditions of visibility.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the preparation of the second photographic record includes the step of simultaneously photographing said moving vehicle and a radar speed meter indicating the speed of the photographed vehicle.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein identification and speed of the moving vehicle are determined by:

taking a series of at least two pictures, with the same photographic means, at a known time interval of the identical portion of the moving vehicle in order to make up a second photographic record;

measuring the relative sizes of the image of the identical portion of the vehicle in two pictures; and

calculating the speed of the vehicle by interrelating the time interval and vehicle image sizes with the image size of an object in a picture taken by said photographic means located at a known distance from the object, said object having an actual dimension corresponding to an actual dimension of the portion of the moving vehicle appearing in the second photographic record.

4. A method according to claim 3 which includes the step of simultaneously photographing in all exposures making up the second photographic record a picture of radar speed meter indicating the speed of the photographed vehicle.