US 12,136,340 B2
Camera roadway monitoring method and system
Wael Mohamed Elsayed Ali Eldessouki, Al Khobar (SA)
Assigned to Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam (SA)
Filed by Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam (SA)
Filed on Mar. 8, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/599,371.
Application 18/599,371 is a continuation of application No. 17/140,730, filed on Jan. 4, 2021, granted, now 11,978,341.
Prior Publication US 2024/0212489 A1, Jun. 27, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G08G 1/054 (2006.01); G06Q 50/26 (2024.01); G08G 1/01 (2006.01); G08G 1/017 (2006.01); H04W 4/44 (2018.01)
CPC G08G 1/054 (2013.01) [G08G 1/0112 (2013.01); G08G 1/0116 (2013.01); G08G 1/0175 (2013.01); H04W 4/44 (2018.02); G06Q 50/26 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for detecting driving violations of vehicles travelling on a roadway, comprising:
at least five presence sensors mounted at spaced apart locations from one another on a monitoring vehicle travelling on said roadway, said at least five presence sensors comprising a first presence sensor, a second presence sensor, a third presence sensor, a fourth presence sensor, and a fifth presence sensor, and said at least five presence sensors being range-finding sensors each configured to interrogate said vehicles travelling on said roadway with electromagnetic beams, receive said electromagnetic beams returning to at least one of said at least five presence sensors after being reflected from one or more of said vehicles travelling on said roadway, and generate timestamp signals at each respective time of receiving each of said electromagnetic beams that have been returned, wherein the roadway is a divided highway with opposing lanes of traffic separated by a median;
at least three digital cameras mounted at spaced apart locations from one another and from each of said at least five presence sensors on said monitoring vehicle travelling on said roadway, said at least three digital cameras comprising a first digital camera, a second digital camera, and a third digital camera, and said at least three digital cameras each configured to collect visual data from a respective field of view determined by a respective orientation of each respective digital camera with respect to said monitoring vehicle;
wherein said monitoring vehicle has a length axis, a width axis, a left front side, a left rear side, a right front side, a right rear side, a front bumper comprising a left front side bumper portion and a right front side bumper portion, and a rear bumper comprising a left rear side bumper portion and a right rear side bumper portion;
wherein said first presence sensor is mounted on said left rear side bumper portion of said rear bumper of said monitoring vehicle and is configured to direct said electromagnetic beam away from said monitoring vehicle along said width axis;
wherein said second presence sensor is mounted on said left front side bumper portion of said front bumper of said monitoring vehicle and is configured to direct said electromagnetic beam away from said monitoring vehicle along said width axis;
wherein said third presence sensor is mounted on said right rear side bumper portion of said rear bumper of said monitoring vehicle and is configured to direct said electromagnetic beam away from said monitoring vehicle along said width axis;
wherein said fourth presence sensor is mounted on said right front side bumper portion of said front bumper of said monitoring vehicle and is configured to direct said electromagnetic beam away from said monitoring vehicle along said width axis;
wherein said fifth presence sensor is mounted on said rear bumper and is configured to direct said electromagnetic beam away from said monitoring vehicle along said length axis;
wherein said first digital camera is mounted on said left front side of said monitoring vehicle and has a first orientation configured to enable a first field of view directed at a 45-degree angle with said width axis and away from said monitoring vehicle;
wherein said second digital camera is mounted on said right front side of said monitoring vehicle and has a second orientation configured to enable a second field of view directed at a 45-degree angle with said width axis and away from said monitoring vehicle; and
wherein said third digital camera is mounted on said rear bumper of said monitoring vehicle and has a third orientation configured to enable a third field of view directed along said length axis away from said monitoring vehicle;
a communication unit located in said monitoring vehicle;
a computer monitoring unit located in said monitoring vehicle;
a global positioning system (GPS) module located in said monitoring vehicle operatively connected to said computer monitoring unit, wherein said GPS module is configured to determine estimated velocities of said vehicles travelling on said roadway, a speed limit of said roadway, and a first estimated velocity of said monitoring vehicle;
a controller area network (CAN) data unit located in said monitoring vehicle configured to determine a second estimated velocity of said monitoring vehicle, operatively connected to said computer monitoring unit;
wherein said computer monitoring unit is configured to:
receive said first estimated velocity of said monitoring vehicle from said GPS module;
receive said second estimated velocity of said monitoring vehicle from said CAN data unit;
arbitrate said first estimated velocity and said second estimated velocity to determine a corrected velocity, Vx, of said monitoring vehicle; receive said timestamp signals from said at least five presence sensors;
receive said visual data from said at least three digital cameras;
determine relative speeds and time gaps between said vehicles traveling on said roadway relative to each other and relative to said monitoring vehicle based on said timestamp signals, said visual data, and said corrected velocity, Vx, of said monitoring vehicle;
detect whether a first vehicle and/or a second vehicle of said vehicles traveling on said roadway is/are committing one or more of said driving violations based on said relative speeds and said time gaps determined, wherein said driving violations are one or more of speeding, tailgating, street racing, and/or improper passing;
instruct at least one of said at least three digital cameras to photograph a license plate of said first vehicle and/or said second vehicle of said vehicles traveling on said roadway that is/are detected as committing one or more of said driving violations; and
instruct said communication unit to transmit a violation report regarding said first vehicle and/or second vehicle of said vehicles traveling on said roadway that is/are detected as committing said one or more of said driving violations to a transit authority.