Infrared vehicle detector

Abstract

The utility model discloses an infrared vehicle detector, and relates to the field of vehicle detectors, the detector comprises a shell, at least one transmitting end installed in the shell and at least one receiving end installed in the shell, the shell is provided with a detection surface, and the detection surface is provided with hole sites opposite to the transmitting end and the receiving end; the working ends of the transmitting end and the receiving end face the detection surface; the transmitting end and the receiving end have the same structure and are respectively provided with a light condensing cup with a light condensing function, a light transmitting plate arranged at an opening of the light condensing cup and a working tube upwards inserted into the light condensing cup from the bottom end; the working tube in the transmitting end is an infrared transmitting tube, and the working tube in the receiving end is an infrared receiving tube. The detector has the advantages of being long in detection distance, high in sensitivity, good in directivity, good in compression resistance and mud resistance, high in reliability and the like through light condensation design and glue pouring sealing design.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of vehicle detectors, and in particular to an infrared vehicle detector. Background Art

[0002] Vehicle detectors are typically used to detect the presence of vehicles in parking spaces. In intelligent parking systems, they collect parking space occupancy information. These detectors are typically installed on the ground, directly exposed to vehicle traffic and pedestrian traffic, and often face complex operating conditions such as sediment contamination and rainwater erosion. For example, sediment accumulation in parking lots not only affects the detector's function but can also shorten its lifespan and even cause false alarms.

[0003] Currently, the most widely used infrared vehicle detectors on the market primarily consist of an infrared transmitter, an infrared receiver, and a control circuit. The transmitter emits infrared light, the receiver receives the reflected light signal, and the control circuit processes and analyzes the received signal. Typically, the transmitter and receiver have a hemispherical head and a cylindrical body. To avoid direct exposure, these components are typically mounted within a cavity in a protective casing.

[0004] However, the design of infrared tubes makes them susceptible to damage in practical applications. Because they are mounted directly on the ground, vehicles running over them and pedestrians stepping on them can cause mechanical damage. This can be especially damaging under prolonged and frequent traffic, potentially causing cracks or deformation in the tube housing. Furthermore, accumulation of mud and sand can obstruct the infrared tube's transmitting and receiving areas, hindering the propagation of infrared light. This can significantly reduce detection accuracy or even completely disable the system.

[0005] Optically, the infrared emitting tube's light, besides being focused through the head, also scatters surrounding light. Due to the small diameter of the mounting hole—typically 3mm or 5mm (in line with industry standards)—this blocks surrounding light, limiting the effective propagation area of both transmitted and received light to the cross-sectional area of the mounting hole. Consequently, the detector's light energy utilization is extremely low, especially at long distances, where light energy attenuation is significant, resulting in a short detection range, low sensitivity, and poor directivity. Furthermore, an overly small hole can also attenuate scattered light, weakening the received light signal. This increases the detector's false alarm and missed alarm rates, further reducing its reliability.

[0006] In summary, infrared vehicle detectors face the following major problems in application:

[0007] 1. Susceptible to physical damage: Vehicles running over and pedestrians stepping on the infrared tubes can damage them;

[0008] 2. Sediment pollution: Sediment accumulation blocks the optical path, significantly reducing detection accuracy or even completely failing.

[0009] 3. Low light energy utilization: The light propagation of the infrared tube is limited by the hole size, resulting in short detection distance and low sensitivity;

[0010] 4. Poor reliability: Light propagation is unstable and easily affected by external factors, resulting in poor detector performance.

[0011] These problems make it difficult to promote and apply infrared detection technology in the field of vehicle detectors, and it has even been generally abandoned by the industry due to its poor effect. There is an urgent need to improve the practicality, accuracy and reliability of infrared vehicle detectors by improving the structural design, adding protective measures and optimizing the light propagation path. Utility Model Content

[0012] The purpose of this application is to at least overcome the difficulties faced by the existing technology and provide a highly practical infrared vehicle detector. The detector has the characteristics of long detection distance, high sensitivity, good directionality, good pressure and mud resistance, and high reliability through a focusing design and a glue sealing design.

[0013] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present application discloses an infrared vehicle detector, which includes a shell, at least one transmitting end installed in the shell, and at least one receiving end installed in the shell, wherein the shell has a detection surface, and a hole is opened on the detection surface opposite to the transmitting end and the receiving end; the working ends of the transmitting end and the receiving end face the detection surface; the transmitting end and the receiving end have the same structure, both having a focusing cup that provides a focusing function, a light-transmitting plate installed at the opening of the focusing cup, and a working tube inserted into the focusing cup from the bottom end upward; the working tube in the transmitting end is an infrared transmitting tube, and the working tube in the receiving end is an infrared receiving tube.

[0014] As a preference, the focusing cup is a cup-shaped structure that is larger at the top and narrower at the bottom, with the flared end at the top facing the detection surface and the narrow end at the bottom having a mounting opening, and the working tube is inserted into the focusing cup from the mounting opening.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the installation chamber formed by the cooperation of the light-collecting cup and the light-transmitting plate is filled with a light-transmitting colloid, and the light-transmitting colloid seals the installation chamber as a whole.

[0016] Furthermore, the light-transmitting colloid is a transparent or translucent potting glue.

[0017] As a preference, the light-transmitting plate is a plane lens or a convex lens.

[0018] As a preference, the shell has a working cavity for accommodating the transmitting end and the receiving end, and the working cavity is filled with light-proof insulating potting glue.

[0019] Furthermore, the insulating potting glue is an opaque epoxy resin glue.

[0020] As a preferred embodiment, a boss is provided on the detection surface to isolate the transmitting end from the receiving end.

[0021] As a preference, there are more than two transmitting ends.

[0022] As a preference, there are more than two receiving ends.

[0023] As a preference, the upper end surfaces of the transmitting end and the receiving end are flush with the detection surface.

[0024] As a preference, on the detection surface, the transmitting end and the receiving end are respectively arranged near the two side edges of the detection surface, so that the transmitting end and the receiving end are as far away from each other as possible to minimize short-range crosstalk.

[0025] As a preferred embodiment, a control board electrically connected to the transmitting end and the receiving end is provided in the shell, and the control board drives the transmitting end to work and receives the feedback electrical signal from the receiving end; the control board is provided with at least a power supply input end and a signal output end leading out of the shell.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0027] 1. Enhanced resistance to physical damage: Through the design of the shell and the integrated dense potting design of the transmitter and receiver, and the use of high-strength and high-wear-resistant light-transmitting plates to protect the light-transmitting surface, the detector can effectively avoid external damage such as vehicle running over and pedestrian trampling, thereby extending the service life of the detector.

[0028] 2. Improved anti-mud pollution performance: The working cavity is filled with opaque insulating potting glue, and the transmitting end and the receiving end are sealed with translucent colloid, which effectively prevents the intrusion of external pollutants such as mud and sand, ensures the cleanliness of the propagation space of infrared light, and avoids detection being affected.

[0029] 3. Improved light energy utilization: Through the focusing function of the focusing cup and the design of the light-transmitting plate, the light-transmitting area can be effectively expanded, the probability of occlusion can be reduced, and the light can be concentrated to reduce scattering, thereby improving the utilization rate of light energy and the sensitivity of the receiving end, thereby increasing the detection distance and accuracy.

[0030] 4. Improved detector reliability: The transmitter and receiver are reasonably distributed on both sides of the detection surface to minimize short-range crosstalk, improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the detection signal, ensure the accuracy of detection, and improve the reliability of the detector.

[0031] 5. Improved practicability: The above technical solution overcomes the difficulties faced by the existing technology, making the infrared vehicle detector more practical.

[0032] The above-listed beneficial effects are not exhaustive and other potential beneficial effects and detailed technical implementations will be further disclosed in the examples or other description sections of this application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] After reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, you will better understand the various aspects of the present disclosure. The positions, sizes, and ranges of various structures shown in the drawings and the like sometimes do not represent the actual positions, sizes, and ranges. In the drawings:

[0034] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of an embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0035] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0036] Figure 3 It is an exploded view of a local structure in an embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0037] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of another embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0038] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of another embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0039] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment disclosed in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the present disclosure more complete and fully illustrate the scope of protection of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide many additional embodiments.

[0041] It should be understood that like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings. In the drawings, the dimensions of some features may be distorted for clarity.

[0042] It should be understood that the terms used in the specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, the techniques, methods and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques, methods and equipment should be considered part of the authorization specification.

[0043] As used in this specification, the singular forms "a," "an," "said," and "the" include the plural forms unless otherwise expressly stated. The terms "include," "comprise," and "contain" as used in this specification indicate the presence of the claimed features, but do not exclude the presence of one or more additional features. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Example

[0044] like Figure 1-3 As shown, this embodiment relates to an infrared vehicle detector designed to effectively address the shortcomings of existing infrared vehicle detectors in terms of accuracy, reliability, and resistance to physical damage in complex operating environments. This detector's structural design not only enhances protection against vehicle runover and pedestrian trampling, but also offers long detection range, high sensitivity, excellent directivity, high accuracy, and high reliability.

[0045] First, the housing 1 is made of a strong, high-strength material such as aluminum alloy or high-density plastic, ensuring that it has good compression resistance during long-term use.

[0046] The detection surface 101 of the housing 1 is designed to be a flat or curved structure. In this embodiment, it is a flat structure and is provided with a plurality of holes 102 to accommodate the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3. A boss 103 is provided on the detection surface 101. The boss 103 not only physically isolates the transmitter 2 from the receiver 3, but also prevents short-range crosstalk of optical signals between them. In addition, since the boss 103 is slightly higher than the detection surface 101. The height design of the boss 103 enables the detector to withstand external force impact first when a vehicle runs over it or a pedestrian steps on it, thereby avoiding direct action on the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3, thereby improving the pressure resistance of the entire detector.

[0047] In this embodiment, the housing 1 is provided with a working chamber 8 for accommodating the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3. The working chamber 8 is designed to accommodate and protect the control board 9, the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 components.

[0048] In practical applications, as a preferred solution, vehicle detectors are often exposed to the outdoors. The working chamber 8 is tightly sealed to prevent the ingress of external contaminants and prevent internal component failure due to mud, dust, moisture, and the like. To this end, the working chamber 8 is filled with a light-proof insulating potting compound (not shown). This insulating potting compound is a material resistant to environmental corrosion, such as black epoxy resin, and exhibits excellent insulation, sealing, and mechanical stability. The primary function of the insulating potting compound is to fill the gaps within the working chamber 8 after the control board 9, transmitter 2, and receiver 3 are installed, ensuring complete isolation of the internal components from the outside world.

[0049] The opaque insulating potting glue can also effectively block the light from the transmitting end 2 from entering the working cavity 8 and propagating from the inside of the working cavity 8 to the receiving end 3, thereby preventing the normal operation of the detector from being affected by internal optical crosstalk.

[0050] It's important to understand that when transmitter 2 emits infrared light onto the vehicle being detected, the infrared light is reflected by the vehicle and returned to receiver 3. Because receiver 3 determines the presence of a vehicle by measuring the intensity of the infrared light reflected from the vehicle, any infrared light that propagates from within working chamber 8 to receiver 3 will be mistakenly interpreted as infrared light reflected from the vehicle. This crosstalk of optical signals is converted into electrical noise in the circuit and can cause signal errors or detection failure. The presence of opaque insulating potting compound ensures an optical environment within the working chamber that isolates the vehicle from crosstalk, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the infrared detection signal, enhancing detection accuracy, and improving the reliability of the device.

[0051] The insulating potting compound also enhances structural strength, protecting the transmitter 2 and receiver 3 from mechanical damage such as rolling over and impact. Specifically, vehicle detectors installed in parking spaces or on the road may be subject to frequent rolling over and other mechanical impacts. The insulating potting compound, with its high hardness, can help absorb these external forces, reducing the risk of damage to internal components and extending the device's service life.

[0052] In this embodiment, the transmitting end 2 and the receiving end 3 have the same structure, and are both composed of a focusing cup 4 , a light-transmitting plate 5 and a working tube 6 .

[0053] Specifically, focusing cup 4 is designed to provide a focusing function. Its structure is cup-shaped, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Its inner surface undergoes special treatment, such as coating or optical coating, to enhance its infrared light reflection efficiency. The flared end of focusing cup 4 faces detection surface 101. The enlarged cup opening and focusing structure more effectively focus infrared light toward the detection area, reducing light scattering losses and thereby improving light utilization efficiency.

[0054] Light-transmitting plate 5 is installed at the flared opening of focusing cup 4 to provide protection. It is typically made of highly transparent glass or plastic, offering excellent light transmittance, wear resistance, and hardness to ensure efficient transmission of infrared light. Light-transmitting plate 5 can be designed as a flat lens or a convex lens to meet different optical requirements.

[0055] The working tube 6 is inserted upward from the bottom end of the focusing cup 4 into the focusing cup 4. The working tube 6 of the emitting end 2 is an infrared emitting tube responsible for emitting infrared light. After being reflected by the inner surface of the focusing cup, the infrared light is concentrated and emitted to the detection area.

[0056] The working tube 6 at the receiving end 3 is an infrared receiving tube, used to receive infrared light reflected from the target object. The receiving tube is also mounted in a focusing cup 4 and receives the reflected infrared light signal through a light-transmitting plate 5. Because the transmitting end 2 and the receiving end 3 have the same structure, the focusing cup 4 focuses both the transmitted and received light. For the transmitting end 2, the focusing cup 4 concentrates the emitted light into the detection area. For the receiving end 3, the focusing cup 4 concentrates a large amount of light energy at a focal point and provides it to the receiving tube, thereby multiplying the intensity of the received light signal and effectively improving the overall sensitivity and accuracy of the detector.

[0057] In addition, a mounting chamber 7 is formed between the focusing cup 4 and the light-transmitting plate 5, and the working tube 6 is located within the mounting chamber 7. The mounting chamber 7 is further filled and sealed by injecting a light-transmitting colloid (not shown in the figure). The light-transmitting colloid is a transparent potting glue that is liquid during potting and hardens into a solid state after curing. The light-transmitting colloid has good light transmittance and high mechanical hardness after curing. It plays the role of supporting the light-transmitting plate 5, enhancing the load-bearing and pressure-resistant capacity of the light-transmitting plate 5, and firmly bonding the various components together to provide integrated mechanical strength. At the same time, the dense structure effectively prevents the ingress of external dust, sediment, or moisture, ensuring a clean and stable optical path, thereby improving the long-term reliability of the detector.

[0058] It should be understood that this detector is typically used in parking lots or parking space management systems to detect in real time whether a vehicle is occupying a designated parking space. In actual use, the detector is installed on the parking space floor, exposed to complex environments such as vehicle crushing, pedestrian trampling, and sediment accumulation. Therefore, the protective design of the detector is particularly important. The protective effect of the light-transmitting colloid filled in the installation chamber 7 significantly increases the service life of the device and reduces the frequency of maintenance and replacement.

[0059] In the specific implementation process, the detector can be configured with different combinations of the transmitting end 2 and the receiving end 3 as needed. For example, Figure 4 As shown, the configuration may be two transmitters 2 and one receiver 3, or as shown Figure 5 As shown, there is one transmitter 2 and two receivers 3, or even Figure 6 The two transmitters 2 and two receivers 3 shown in this configuration provide redundant operation. If one detection channel fails due to external forces or environmental factors, the other channel will continue to function, further enhancing the detector's reliability and stability. This redundant design is particularly suitable for parking lots or parking management systems with high vehicle traffic, helping to reduce false positives and missed detections due to detector failure.

[0060] In terms of control circuit, the transmitter 2 and receiver 3 of the detector are electrically connected to the control board 9 through the circuit. The control board 9 is located inside the housing 1 and is connected to the external power supply and data processing system through leads.

[0061] The control board 9 is responsible for controlling the transmitting end 2 to emit infrared light, processing the signal fed back by the receiving end 3, and judging the occupancy status of the parking space by the signal strength.

[0062] It should be understood that when there are multiple transmitters 2 or multiple receivers 3, the control board 9 is designed with a multi-channel signal processing function, which can simultaneously control multiple transmitters 2 and process data from multiple receivers 3. Through redundant configuration, the usage of parking spaces can be judged more accurately.

[0063] More specifically, in this embodiment, the control board 9 includes a transmission control module, a signal receiving module, a signal processing unit, and a power management module. The transmission control module is responsible for providing current to the infrared emitting diodes, enabling the transmitters 2 to function properly. Infrared light from each transmitter 2 is focused by a focusing cup 4 and directed toward the detection area. Upon encountering a vehicle or other object, the light is reflected back to the receiver 3.

[0064] After receiving the electrical signal from the infrared receiver, the signal receiving module first amplifies the signal through the amplifier circuit to ensure that the signal strength is sufficient for processing. The strength of the received signal is closely related to the reflection of the vehicle. By processing the signal strength, the control board 9 can accurately determine whether the parking space is occupied by a vehicle.

[0065] The signal processing unit is responsible for analyzing and processing the received signals. By analyzing the signal strength, the signal processing unit can accurately determine whether the infrared light has been reflected by the vehicle and, based on the results, determine whether the parking space is occupied.

[0066] It's important to understand that for detectors with multiple transmitters 2 and receivers 3, the control board supports multi-channel signal processing. When multiple transmitters 2 and receivers 3 are operating, the signal processing unit can process signals from different channels separately and perform cross-validation by comparing the feedback from each channel. This design improves the detector's operational redundancy. Even if one channel fails, the other channels can continue to operate, ensuring system stability and reliability.

[0067] The power management module is responsible for providing a stable power supply to the control board 9 and the transmitter 2. In order to ensure the safe operation of the system, the power management module is designed with an overload protection mechanism to prevent circuit damage caused by current overload.

[0068] It should be understood that, in practice, the power management module often has an energy-saving function. When the detector is not working for a long time, it can enter a low-power mode, thereby extending the battery life of the device.

[0069] In summary, the control board enables the vehicle detector to work efficiently in environments such as parking lots through signal processing, redundant design, and power management.

[0070] In summary, this infrared vehicle detector utilizes a large-aperture focusing receiver, innovatively applying a focusing cup to the infrared receiving end of the vehicle detector. This significantly increases the light intensity at the receiving end, strengthens the ability to resist the effects of sludge obstructing the light path, and significantly improves receiving sensitivity, detection accuracy, and signal processing reliability. Furthermore, through a novel structural design and innovative glue-potting and sealing solutions, the detector's durability and protection are enhanced. This infrared vehicle detector overcomes the challenges faced by existing technologies and improves its practicality, accuracy, and reliability.

[0071] Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without departing substantially from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, all such changes and modifications are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and equivalents of these claims are intended to be included therein.

Claims

1. An infrared vehicle detector, characterized in that: The detector includes: a shell, at least one transmitting end installed in the shell, and at least one receiving end installed in the shell, wherein the shell has a detection surface with holes opposite to the transmitting end and the receiving end; the working ends of the transmitting end and the receiving end face the detection surface; the transmitting end and the receiving end have the same structure, both having a focusing cup that provides a focusing function, a light-transmitting plate installed at the opening of the focusing cup, and a working tube inserted into the focusing cup from the bottom end upward; the working tube in the transmitting end is an infrared transmitting tube, and the working tube in the receiving end is an infrared receiving tube.

2. The infrared vehicle detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The focusing cup is a cup-shaped structure that is larger at the top and narrower at the bottom. The expanded end at the top faces the detection surface, and the narrow end at the bottom has a mounting opening. The working tube is inserted into the focusing cup from the mounting opening.

3. The infrared vehicle detector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The installation chamber formed by the light-collecting cup and the light-transmitting plate is filled with a light-transmitting colloid, and the light-transmitting colloid seals the installation chamber as a whole.

4. The infrared vehicle detector as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The light-transmitting colloid is a transparent or translucent potting glue.

5. The infrared vehicle detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The light-transmitting plate is a plane lens or a convex lens.

6. The infrared vehicle detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The shell has a working cavity for accommodating the transmitting end and the receiving end, and the working cavity is filled with light-proof insulating potting glue.

7. The infrared vehicle detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The detection surface is provided with a boss for isolating the transmitting end from the receiving end.

8. The infrared vehicle detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: There are more than two transmitting ends.

9. The infrared vehicle detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: There are more than two receiving ends.

10. The infrared vehicle detector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A control board electrically connected to the transmitting end and the receiving end is provided in the shell. The control board drives the transmitting end to work and receives the feedback electrical signal from the receiving end. The control board is provided with at least a power supply input end and a signal output end leading out of the shell.

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