Electro-Optical Bridge Motion Tracking for Weigh-In-Motion Accuracy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Weigh-In-Motion systems are inefficient and invasive, failing to accurately measure the weight of vehicles in motion without stopping them, which is crucial for enforcing weight limits and maintaining road safety and infrastructure integrity.
Innovation Solution
An electro-optical system using a camera with imaging optics and lasers to track the motion of recognizable targets on structures like bridges, measuring displacement and vehicle characteristics in real-time, eliminating the need for invasive sensors and providing accurate weight calculations through dynamic structural analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If Weigh-In-Motion systems are used to measure vehicle weight in motion, then vehicle weight measurement capability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to technical challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical Weigh-In-Motion systems with an electro-optical system using cameras and image processing. The system captures images of vehicles on bridges, tracks their positions across multiple frames, and calculates weight based on bridge deflection measurements, achieving accurate weight measurement without mechanical contact or stopping vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the bridge structure itself as an intermediary measurement element. Instead of placing sensors in the road, the system uses the bridge's natural deflection response to vehicle loads as the measurement mechanism, tracking visual targets on the bridge to measure displacement caused by vehicle weight.
2Reliability
If weigh stations are built to enforce weight limits, then weight enforcement capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive mechanical weigh stations with an electro-optical monitoring system using standard cameras and image processing algorithms. The system enforces weight limits by monitoring bridge deflection and calculating vehicle weights, eliminating the need for costly weigh station infrastructure while maintaining enforcement reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual copying of vehicle images and bridge deformation patterns to infer weight information. Instead of direct mechanical weighing, the system captures optical copies of the bridge structure under load and processes these images to determine vehicle weights, significantly reducing infrastructure requirements.
3Measurement precision
If trucks are stopped at weigh stations for weighing, then weight measurement accuracy is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static weighing (stopped vehicles) to dynamic weighing (moving vehicles). The electro-optical system continuously captures images of vehicles in motion on bridges, processes the video data in real-time, and calculates weights without requiring vehicles to stop, maintaining measurement accuracy while eliminating time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous monitoring of bridge deflection and vehicle positions throughout the vehicle's passage across the bridge. By continuously capturing images and tracking visual targets throughout the motion, the system maintains measurement accuracy while allowing uninterrupted vehicle flow, eliminating the need for stopping.
4Measurement precision
If invasive sensors are installed on structures for monitoring, then measurement capability is improved, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to structural modification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive mechanical sensors attached to the bridge structure with a non-contact electro-optical system. Cameras mounted at a distance capture images of visual targets on the bridge, and image processing algorithms measure displacement without any physical contact or structural modification, eliminating harmful factors while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual targets as intermediary elements on the bridge structure. These simple markers serve as reference points for the camera system to track bridge deflection, providing measurement capability without requiring complex sensor installation or structural modification beyond attaching the visual targets.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system offers sub-mm resolution displacement measurements, enabling real-time weight determination of vehicles without stopping, improving road safety and infrastructure management by accurately assessing vehicle loads and reducing the need for costly weigh stations.
Implementation Method 1
an imaging system; a sensor outputting signals in response to one or more images of an object or region of interest imaged on the sensor using the imaging system
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of lasers physically connected to the array so that the lasers are fixed relative to the array, the lasers each transmitting an electromagnetic beam to the region of interest so that images of the beams appear as spots in the image frames
Data Source
AI summary
An electro-optical device capable of identifying a target in the time series of the images so as to measure motion of a civil structure, such as a bridge, in response to forces (such as the weight of a vehicle traversing the bridge).