Method and a multi-functional apparatus for determining the class of a vehicle

• US 6,198,987 B1
• Filed: 04/15/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDS (China) Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeong, Han-kyu, Park, Won-seo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/060,465
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/117, 701/119, 701/223, 701/96, 701/28, 340/928, 340/933, 340/937, 340/942
• US Class Current: 701/1
• 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 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

A multi-functional apparatus for determining the class of a vehicle that can be used in a toll road collecting system. The apparatus for determining vehicle class according to the present invention includes a vehicle sensor, a vehicle separator installed along both sides of the lane, an axle detector using four switch contacts, a camera installed above the axle detector for photographing the vehicle as a reference image and photographing the vehicle when a first axle of the vehicle is sensed by the axle detector, and a vehicle class determiner that calculates the width and the length of the vehicle by using the difference value between the reference image and the vehicle image, determines the number of axles, and thus determines the class of the vehicle.

This multi-functional apparatus not only determines the class of a vehicle, but because it uses photographic images to determine the length and width of a vehicle, it also generates evidence that can be used at a future date. Additionally, the above apparatus can be installed so that it effectively operates as a “rolling” toll collecting system. The multi-functional apparatus determines the class of various vehicles, minimizes errors in discriminating between vehicle classes, can be flexibly applied to various circumstances by modifying software, and can be efficiently maintained and managed.

Claims

1. A multi-functional device for determining a class of a vehicle, comprising:

a computer;

a vehicle sensor that detects the entry of said vehicle into a lane to provide a vehicle detected signal;

a separator sensor that determines when an end of said vehicle has passed said separator sensor;

a treadle located in said lane, that detects an axle on said vehicle passing said treadle, and transmits an axle signal to said computer each time an axle of said vehicle is detected by said treadle;

a camera located above said lane that receives said vehicle detected signal and photographs a reference image of a background of said vehicle when said vehicle detected signal is received, that photographs an image of said vehicle when a first axle of said vehicle is detected by said treadle during a period of time said separator sensor determines said vehicle is passing said separator sensor, and transmits an image signal representing said reference image and transmits an image signal representing said image of said vehicle to said computer, said image of said vehicle and said reference image being used by said computer to determine a length of said vehicle and a width of said vehicle; and

said computer using a plurality of data from both said treadle and said camera to determine said class of said vehicle and said computer using a difference between said reference image and said image of said vehicle to determine said width of said vehicle and said length of said vehicle.

2. The multi-functional device of claim 1, further comprising said computer storing said image of said vehicle in a memory.

3. The multi-functional device of claim 1, further comprised of said treadle being a contact detector that detects an axle of said vehicle using a plurality of contact switches.

4. The multi-functional device of claim 1, further comprised of said treadle providing a plurality of tire data comprising a number of axles of said vehicle, a distance between the wheels of said vehicle, and a thickness of the wheels of said vehicle.

5. The multi-functional device of claim 1, further comprised of said camera taking a first picture of said background of said vehicle as said reference image when said vehicle is detected by said vehicle sensor and taking a second picture of said vehicle with said background as said image of said vehicle when said first axle of said vehicle is detected by said treadle, said first picture being discarded if a previously stored background picture is different from said first picture by more than a predetermined amount.

6. The multi-functional device of claim 1, further comprised of said treadle being capable of discriminating between forward movement and backward movement of said vehicle by an order and a number of activations of a plurality of contact switches on said treadle.

7. The multi-functional device of claim 1, further comprised of said vehicle sensor being a microwave sensor.

8. An apparatus installed in a traffic lane for determining a class of a vehicle entering said traffic lane, comprising:

a vehicle sensor for detecting said vehicle entering said traffic lane and generating a vehicle detected signal;

a separation detector installed along said traffic lane for measuring a period of time starting when a front end of said vehicle passes said separation detector and ending when a rear end of said vehicle passes said separation detector;

an axle detector for generating a contact signal due to the pressure of a wheel of said vehicle;

a camera installed above said traffic lane, said camera photographing a background of said vehicle as a reference image when said vehicle detected signal is generated, and said camera photographing said vehicle as a vehicle image during said period of time; and

a vehicle class determiner that determines a width of said vehicle and a length of said vehicle using a difference between said reference image and said vehicle image, and that determines the number of axles of said vehicle using each said contact signal for said vehicle from said axle detector to determine said class of said vehicle.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising said vehicle class determiner storing said vehicle image in a memory for a predetermined period of time for retrieval for evidentiary purposes.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprised of said vehicle class determiner further comprising:

an image processing unit for receiving said reference image of said background of said vehicle from said camera, receiving said vehicle image of said vehicle from said camera, determining a magnitude of difference between said reference image and said vehicle image, and for determining said width of said vehicle and said length of the vehicle using said magnitude of difference between said reference image and said vehicle image;

a contact signal processing unit determining a number of axles of said vehicle and discriminating between forward movement and backward movement of said vehicle by an order and a number of a plurality of respective contact signals generated at a plurality of switch contacts of said axle detector; and

a vehicle class determiner unit comparing said width of said vehicle and said length of said vehicle determined in said image processing unit and a number of axles of said vehicle determined by said contact signal processing unit with a plurality of vehicle class data and determining a corresponding class for said vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprised of said image processing unit comprising:

an image receiving unit for receiving said reference image and said vehicle image from said camera;

an image storing unit for discarding said reference image when a difference between said reference image and a previously stored reference image is larger than a predetermined difference value and said image storing unit otherwise replacing said previously stored reference image with said reference image;

a difference value image generating unit for determining said magnitude of difference between said reference image and said vehicle image received from said image receiving unit when said reference image is temporarily stored in said image storing unit, and said difference value image generating unit for determining said magnitude of difference between said previously stored reference image and said vehicle image when said reference image is discarded; and

a vehicle width and length calculating unit for determining said width of said vehicle and said length of said vehicle using said magnitude of difference determined by said difference value image generating unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprised of said vehicle sensor being a microwave sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprised of said separation detector being comprised by an optical sensor having a light emitting device and a light receiving device opposingly installed across said traffic lane, said separation detector determining said period of time when an optical signal from the light emitting device is interrupted, said period of time representing the time between when said front end of said vehicle passes said separation detector and when said rear end of said vehicle passes said separation detector.

14. A process for determining a class of a vehicle entering a traffic lane, comprising the steps of:

detecting said vehicle entering said traffic lane and photographing a background of said vehicle using a camera to generate a reference image that is stored in a memory of a vehicle class determiner;

photographing said vehicle with said background when a first axle of said vehicle is detected by an axle detector to generate a vehicle image;

discarding said reference image when said reference image is different from a previously stored reference image by more than a predetermined amount, and storing said reference image otherwise;

determining a width of said vehicle and a length of said vehicle using a difference between said vehicle image and said reference image when said reference image is not discarded, and determining said width of said vehicle and said length of said vehicle using a difference between said vehicle image and said previously stored reference image when said reference image is discarded;

determining a number of axles of said vehicle using said axle detector; and

determining said class of said vehicle using said vehicle class determiner to compare said width of said vehicle, said length of said vehicle, and said number of axles of said vehicle with a plurality of vehicle class data.

15. The process of claim 14, further comprising the step of storing said reference image, when said reference image is not discarded, and storing said vehicle image after determining said class of said vehicle to use for future evidentiary purposes.