DESC:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
and
THE PATENTS RULE, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION
SYSTEM FOR MANAGING HIGH-SPEED VEHICLE TRAFFIC ON TOLL ROADS
2. APPLICANTS
(a) Name : KENT Intelligent Transportation Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd.
(b) Nationality : Indian Company
(c) Address : Siddharth Tower, S.No.12/3 B, Office No.1003 & 1004, 10th floor, Kothrud, Pune- 411 038, Maharashtra, India.

3.PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
PROVISIONAL
The following specification describes the invention COMPLETE
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to traffic management for vehicles and more particularly relates to a system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In conventional techniques of vehicle traffic management, vehicle separators use Infrared Optical Sensors/Curtains and/or Inductive Loop Detectors. The optical sensors are through-beam sensors that have separate transmitters and receivers and require two different mounting poles in lanes. The inductive loop is used by the vehicle separator to trigger the Optical Sensors/Curtains. But these techniques have limitations that affect the overall performance of toll operations, like
• Optical Sensors are through-beam sensors that have separate transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) entities and require two different mounting poles in lanes. The installation and maintenance are the overheads in this case.
• Optical Sensors have a wide beam spectrum that increases over distance, hence chances of cross-talk among the sensors may increase. Such circuits require regular maintenance for the proper functionality.
• A wide spectrum of optical sensors may allow only a few sensors to be used which causes low resolution of the curtain. The beam pitch (gap) may also become too wide and not effective to detect the presence of the vehicle till the vehicle is being passed. It happens especially in the case of oversized, articulated, and non-scheduled vehicles.
Further, the limitations of the inductive loop include:
• The circuit employs a separator Inductive Loop to trigger Optical Curtains.
• Require regular maintenance of Inductive Loops.
• Malfunction in Inductive Loop affects the performance of the separator.
Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads that would eliminate the deficiencies of the conventional techniques.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to detect the vehicle, tailgate, and separate vehicles and identify vehicle directions.
Another object of the present invention is to perform toll operations quickly and seamlessly to reduce vehicle queue at toll Lanes.
Yet, another object of the present invention is to facilitate faster validation of vehicles in a toll plaza.
Yet another object of the present invention is to enhance non-stop traffic movement in a toll plaza.
Yet another object of the present invention is to detect high-speed vehicles at a toll plaza.
Yet another object of the present invention is to facilitate the separation of tailgating vehicles with the lowest possible distance therebetween.
Yet another object of the present invention is to assure output vehicles in forward and reverse direction in a vehicle traffic management system.
Yet another object of the present invention is to eliminate the use of Inductive Loop in the conventional vehicle traffic management techniques and thereby avoid installation and maintenance overheads.
Yet another object of the present invention is to enhance the use of self-transceiver design in a vehicle traffic management system to reduce the installation time and maintenance overheads.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle traffic management system having high immunity to environmental disturbances such as sunshine, rain, snow, water, flow etc., and impure background.
Yet another object of the present invention is to avail Ethernet interface for faster communication and easy product integration for a vehicle traffic management system.
Yet another object of the present invention is to facilitate automatic hardware monitoring and real-time alerts for a vehicle traffic management system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads. The system comprising a control unit is communicatively coupled to at least two Laser Scanners having a first scanner and a second scanner mounted in a position for scanning a vehicle detection area, a communication module operably coupled to a communication network, at least one RFID reader, a self-health check mechanism coupled to an alarm module, and a power supply. The first scanner and a second scanner are configured for scanning the vehicle detection area for detecting the presence of a vehicle and the at least one RFID reader is also configured in a position for scanning vehicle in the vehicle detection area.
The self-health check mechanism having a plurality of fault detection circuits operably connected to the at least two Laser Scanners wherein the self-health check mechanism is configured for monitoring each of the least two Laser Scanners coupled thereto and provides alerts automatically upon detected with hardware failure.
The control unit is configured for receiving signals from the at least two Laser Scanners, the at least one RFID reader, and the self-health check mechanism. The control unit has a processor in communication with a memory unit, and the memory unit is stored with an application that is being capable of receiving and analyzing output signals from the at least two Laser Scanners for validation of the presence of a vehicle and direction of movement thereof. Thus the control unit is configured for receiving, processing, and analyzing the output signals from the at least two Laser sensors to detect the presence of a vehicle in the vicinity, tailgate, and separate vehicles, and identify vehicle directions to enhance vehicle traffic management on roads.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when the disclosure is read in conjunction with the following figures, wherein
Figure 1 shows a block representation of a system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads in accordance with the present invention,
Figure 2 shows a pictorial view of a Laser Scanner in the system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads in accordance with the present invention,
Figure 3 shows a circuit layout of a control unit in the system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads in accordance with the present invention, and
Figure 4 shows a pictorial view of a power supply in the system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing objects of the present invention are accomplished and the problems and shortcomings associated with the prior art, techniques, and approaches are overcome by the present invention as described below in the preferred embodiments.
The present invention provides a system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads. The system is designed for toll plazas and is capable of performing vehicle detection, tailgating, vehicle separation, and identifying vehicle directions in order to perform toll operation quickly and seamlessly. Therefore, vehicle separation and queue management can be done smoothly in the toll lanes. The system incorporates laser technology and is intended to handle high-speed vehicle traffic.
In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details. One skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of the present invention, some of which are described below, may be incorporated into a number of systems.
Furthermore, connections between components and/or modules within the figures are not intended to be limited to direct connections. Rather, these components and modules may be modified, re-formatted or otherwise changed by intermediary components and modules.
Throughout this application, with respect to all reasonable derivatives of such terms, and unless otherwise specified (and/or unless the particular context clearly dictates otherwise), each usage of:
“a” or “an” is meant to read as “at least one.”
“the” is meant to be read as “the at least one.”
References in the present invention to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Embodiments of the present invention include various steps, which will be described below. The steps may be performed by hardware components and may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software, firmware and/or by human operators.
Various methods described herein may be practiced by combining one or more machine-readable storage media containing the code according to the present invention with appropriate standard computer hardware to execute the code contained therein. An apparatus for practicing various embodiments of the present invention may involve one or more processors and storage systems containing or having network access to computer program(s) coded in accordance with various methods described herein, and the method steps of the invention could be accomplished by modules, routines, subroutines, or subparts of a computer program product.
In some embodiments, the systems may be configured as a distributed system where one or more components of the system are distributed across one or more networks in a cloud computing system.
If the specification states a component or feature "may' can", "could", or "might" be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of "a, an," and "the" includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure).
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail. For clarity of the description, known constructions and functions will be omitted. Parts of the description may be presented in terms of operations performed by an Electrical/Electronic system, using terms such as state, link, ground, fault, packet and the like, consistent with the manner commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. As is well understood by those skilled in the art, these quantities take the form of data stored/transferred in the form of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, and otherwise manipulated through mechanical and electrical components of the electronic/electrical systems; and the term electronic/electrical/computer system includes general purpose as well as special purpose data processing machines, switches, and the like, that are standalone, adjunct or embedded.
While embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as described in the claim.
The present invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. These reference numbers are shown in brackets in the following description.
Referring to figures 1 to 4, a system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads (100) (‘the system (100)’ hereinafter) is shown, in accordance with the present invention. The system (100) comprises at least two Laser Scanners (10), a self-health check mechanism, a control unit, an alarm module, and a power supply.
The at least two Laser Scanners are high-resolution laser scanners configured for creating a very narrow beam array in the detection area. This provides very accurate detection of the objects specifically, vehicles in the detection area. In a preferred embodiment, each of the at least two laser scanners has a detection area of 90° and an angular resolution of 0.23°. The detection range of the at least two laser scanners is 5.5m x 5.5m. The at least two Laser Scanners are communicatively coupled to the control unit. The control unit has at least one processor in communication with at least one memory unit. In the exemplary embodiments, the control unit is implemented as one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, digital signal processors, logic circuitries, or devices that manipulate signals in accordance with operational instructions. In a preferred embodiment, the control unit has a 32-bit ARM processor in communication with a memory unit.
In an implementation, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the system of the present invention comprises a processor as the core element of the control unit and is in communication with the at least two Laser Scanners. The at least two Laser Scanners together create a detection zone greater than 90° in the surrounding area. The at least two Laser Scanners are configured for detecting vehicles in the detection area and respectively sending signals to the control unit. The memory unit in the control unit is stored with an application that is capable of receiving and analyzing the data from the at least two Laser Scanners for validation of the presence of the vehicle and its direction. Thus the control unit is configured for receiving, processing, and analyzing the output signals from the at least two Laser scanners for detecting the presence of a vehicle therein. The application is further capable of detecting the presence of a vehicle in the at least two Laser scanner outputs and the direction of movement of the vehicles.
The control unit is further coupled to a communication network by means of a communication module. In the one embodiment, the communication module supports wired connectivity between the control unit and Ethernet and converts data from Control Unit into Ethernet with high-speed isolated data transmission techniques. In the preferred embodiment, the communication between the Control Unit and Ethernet is serial communication by means of RS232 connectivity.
The at least two Laser Scanners include a first scanner and a second scanner communicatively coupled to the control unit. The first scanner and a second scanner are mounted in a suitable position for scanning and detecting the presence of a vehicle in a detection area. When the control unit detects the presence of a vehicle in the first Laser scanner output, the data from the second Laser scanner also will be considered for analysis. Thus the control unit is configured for processing the signals from the second scanner, for verification and confirmation of the presence of a vehicle in the first Laser scanner output. A similar procedure is followed by the control unit to detect the presence of vehicles coming in opposite direction. The control unit first receives signals from the second Laser scanner and processes them to find a presence of a vehicle therein. Later considers the output from the first Laser scanner for confirmation in case of the presence of the vehicle in the first Laser scanner output. Thus the laser scanners are configured to scan the detection area according to a sequence followed by the control unit and are capable of detecting the presence of a vehicle coming in both forward and reverse directions.
In the embodiment, the control unit with the help of signals from Laser scanners monitors and determines the presence of a vehicle in a detection area. The presence of a vehicle moving in one direction is confirmed upon detecting the presence of the vehicle in the first Laser scanner output, then in the second Laser scanner output, later, the absence of the vehicle in the first Laser scanner output, and then in the second Laser scanner output. Likewise, the presence of a vehicle moving in the opposite direction is determined upon detecting the presence of the vehicle in the second Laser scanner output, then in the first Laser scanner output, and later, the absence of the vehicle in the second Laser scanner output and then in the first Laser scanner output. Thus the blocking and unblocking sequences of the first and second laser scanners by the vehicle are used for determining the vehicle direction.
In an implementation, according to an embodiment of the present invention the control unit is configured for receiving, processing, and analyzing the output signals from the at least two Laser sensors to detect the presence of a vehicle in the vicinity, tailgate, separate vehicles, and identify vehicle direction to enhance vehicle traffic management on roads. The quick response from the at least two Laser scanners also helps to detect and control tailgating and separation of vehicles. The control unit captures unblocking signals with their sequence from the at least two Laser scanners and controls the vehicle tailgating and separation.
The self-health check mechanism includes a plurality of fault detection circuits integrated with each of the at least two Laser Scanners. These fault detection circuits provide alerts to the control unit by means of voltage signals and further to an alarm module that gives alerts when any hardware failure is found. The control unit also stores these voltage signals from the fault detection circuits and send them as alert over wherein the communication network such as Ethernet.
The power supply is electrically coupled to the control unit, at least one RFID reader, the self-health check mechanism, the communication module, and the alarm module to provide the necessary working voltage. The power supply provides an AC/DC Power Supply with an input range of 180V to 265VAC and output of 24VDC/5A. The power supply is provided with an overvoltage and short circuit protection unit.
The at least two Laser scanners and control unit assembly is also configured for detecting FasTag and Non-FasTag vehicles in the same line. The at least two Laser scanners provide quick and accurate responses in such cases and are capable of maintaining effective queuing of FasTag and Non-FasTag vehicles in the detection area. Thus the system allows free flow for valid FasTag vehicles at toll plazas and provides a seamless ride experience.The system also comprises at least one RFID reader coupled to the control unit. The at least one RFID reader is configured in a position for scanning vehicles in the vehicle detection area. The at least one RFID reader is installed for facilitating FasTag transactions, and also helps to maintain vehicle queues by detecting non- FasTag and invalid vehicles in the lane.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
1. The system (100) helps to increase the throughput of the current toll lanes by working in hybrid mode.
2. In the system (100), the Laser scanners provide better response time, less than 10ms and a detection area of 90°.
3. The system also reduces the queue for toll payments; hence reducing the pollution and increasing customer satisfaction.
4. The system (100) response time is very fast and performs toll operation quickly and seamlessly.
5. As the system (100) reduces the waiting time of the vehicles in the toll lanes, it reduces pollution, saves fuel for the future, and also reduces the operating cost of the vehicles, and congestion around plazas.
6. The system (100) provides high-speed vehicle detection up to 40km/hr.
7. The Laser scanners in the system (100) provide better response time, less than 10ms and a detection area of 90°.
8. The system provides excellent accuracy in detecting vehicle direction and is capable of tailgating vehicles with the very lowest possible vehicle-to-vehicle distance greater than 10cm.
9. The system (100) provides a high angular resolution of 0.23° and a wide detection area of 90° of Laser Scanner ensures detection of all types of non-standard traffic.
10. The system (100) provides real-time hardware status and alerts and provides lesser power consumption.
11. The system (100) has high immunity to environmental disturbances.
12. The installation and integration of the system (100) are easy.
13. The recognition of FasTag and Non-FasTag vehicle by the system (100) saves time provides seamless ride to a valid FasTag users.
14. The self-transceiver design of the system (100) allows single-side installation.
15. In the system (100), the Laser scanners are self-transceivers that require only one side of installation, unlike traditional optical sensor/curtain based vehicle systems. This reduces installation overheads and are easy to maintain.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the present invention.
,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A system for managing high-speed vehicle traffic on toll roads, the system comprising:
at least two Laser Scanners (10) having a first scanner and a second scanner mounted in a position for scanning a vehicle detection area, wherein the first scanner and a second scanner are configured for scanning the vehicle detection area for detecting the presence of a vehicle;
a communication module operably coupled to a communication network;
at least one RFID reader, the at least one RFID reader is configured in a position for scanning a vehicle in the vehicle detection area;
a self-health check mechanism coupled to an alarm module, the self-health check mechanism having a plurality of fault detection circuits operably connected to the at least two Laser Scanners (10) wherein the self-health check mechanism is configured for monitoring each of the least two Laser Scanners coupled thereto and provides alerts automatically upon detected with hardware failure;
a power supply, the power supply is coupled to at least two Laser Scanners (10), at least one RFID reader, the self-health check mechanism, the communication module and the alarm module to provide the necessary working voltage;
a control unit communicatively coupled to the at least two Laser Scanners (10), the communication module, the at least one RFID reader, the self-health check mechanism, and the power supply, the control unit has a processor in communication with a memory unit, and the memory unit is stored with an application that is being capable of receiving and analyzing output signals from the at least two Laser Scanners for validation of the presence of a vehicle and direction of movement thereof,

wherein the control unit confirms the presence of a vehicle moving in one direction upon detecting the presence of the vehicle in the first Laser scanner output, then in the second Laser scanner output, later, the absence of vehicle in the first Laser scanner output, and then in the second Laser scanner output, likewise, the presence of a vehicle moving in the opposite direction is determined upon detecting the presence of the vehicle in the second Laser scanner output, then in the first Laser scanner output, and later, absence of vehicle in the second Laser scanner output and then in the first Laser scanner output,
wherein the control unit is configured for receiving, processing, and analyzing the output signals from the at least two Laser sensors to detect the presence of a vehicle in the vicinity, tailgate, and separate vehicles, and identify vehicle directions to enhance vehicle traffic management on roads.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Laser Scanners (10), the first scanner the second scanner together create a detection zone greater than 90° in a surrounding area with an angular resolution of 0.23°.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit includes devices selected from a group of microcontrollers, microprocessors, digital signal processors, logic circuitries, or devices that manipulate signals in accordance with operational instructions.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit has a 32-bit ARM processor in communication with a memory unit.
5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured for receiving output signals from the at least one RFID reader and detecting non-FASTag vehicles and invalid vehicles in the toll lanes.
6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power supply is an AC/DC Power Supply.
7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power supply is provided with an overvoltage and short circuit protection unit.
8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication module facilitates wired connectivity between the control unit and communication network and high-speed data transmission therebetween.
9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication network is Ethernet and the communication between the Control Unit and Ethernet is serial communication by means of RS232 connectivity.
10. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured for storing the voltage signals from the fault detection circuits and send them as alert over wherein the communication network.
Dated this on 13th day of September, 2022

Ragitha. K
(Agent for Applicant), IN-PA/2832