Patent ID: 8280617

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of monitoring vehicle traffic along a roadway comprising: initiating, in a first sensor disposed at a first location along a roadway, a first inquiry scan according to a communications protocol; receiving, in the first sensor and at a first time, a first inquiry response according to the communications protocol from a mobile device, the first inquiry response including a media access control address of the mobile device; storing, in the first sensor, a first device identifier identifying the mobile device based on the first inquiry response, wherein the first device identifier is based on the media access control address of the mobile device; storing, in the first sensor, a first sensor identifier that identifies the first sensor; associating the first device identifier with the first sensor identifier and a first time stamp that reflects the first time; initiating, in a second sensor, a second inquiry scan according to the communications protocol, wherein the second sensor is disposed along the roadway at a second location that is separated by a distance from the first location such that a first area associated with a communication range of the first sensor and a second area associated with a communication range of the second sensor are distinct; receiving, in the second sensor and at a second time, a second inquiry response according to the communications protocol from the mobile device, the second inquiry response including the media access control address of the mobile device; storing, in the second sensor, the first device identifier identifying the mobile device based on the second inquiry response; storing, in the second sensor, a second sensor identifier that identifies the second sensor; associating the first device identifier with the second sensor identifier and a second time stamp that reflects the second time; determining that the first device identifier is associated with the first sensor identifier and with the second sensor identifier; and based on determining that the first device identifier is associated with the first sensor identifier as well as with the second sensor identifier, deriving at least one vehicle traffic statistic based on the first time stamp, the second time stamp, the first location, and the second location.