Patent ID: 6827265
Filing Date: 2004-12-07
Classification: G02B,G06K,H01S

Abstract:
An automatic vehicle classification and identification (AVIC) system for installation along a roadway, comprising:a first planar light illumination and imaging (PLIIM) based imaging and profiling subsystem mounted above said roadway, and arranged for (1) profiling the geometry of the top surface of each vehicle traveling under said first PLIIM-based profiling and imaging subsystem and generating vehicle profile data, for each vehicle profiled by said first PLIIM-based imaging and profiling subsystem, and also for (2) capturing digital images of both the front and rear license plates mounted on each said vehicle traveling under said first PLIIM-based profiling and imaging subsystem, and generating vehicle image data representative of each captured digital image; a second planar light illumination and imaging (PLIIM) based imaging and profiling subsystem mounted above said roadway, and arranged for (1) profiling the geometry of the side surface of each vehicle traveling under said second PLIIM-based imaging and profiling subsystem and generating vehicle profile data, for each vehicle profiled by said second PLIIM-based Imaging and profiling subsystem, and also (2) capturing digital images of both the front and rear license plates mounted on each said vehicle traveling under said second PLIIM-based profiling and imaging subsystem, and generating vehicle image data representative of each captured digital image; and a computer system for receiving vehicle image and profile data generated by said first and second PLIIM-based imaging and profiling systems, and processing said vehicle image and profile data so as to automatically identify and classify each vehicle traveling along said roadway.