Road traffic monitoring system
AssigneeQinetiq Limited
InventorsDavid J Hill, Philip J Nash
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A traffic monitoring system comprises at least one sensor station (2) and an interferometric interrogation system (9); wherein the at least one sensor station (2) comprises at least one optical fibre sensor (5) deployed in a highway (1); wherein the at least one optical fibre sensor (5) comprises a former (14), an optical fibre (13) wound on the former, a casing (15) and compliant material (16) provided between the casing and the former; such that the compliant material reduces the sensitivity of the sensor (5); and wherein the interferometric interrogation system (9) is adapted to respond to an optical phase shift produced in the at least one optical fibre sensor due to a force applied by a vehicle passing the at least one sensor station (2).
Claims25
A traffic monitoring system, the system comprising:
- at least one sensor station, wherein the at least one sensor station comprises at least one optical fibre sensor deployed in a highway, wherein the at least one optical fibre sensor comprises:
- a former,
- an optical fibre wound on the former,
- a casing and
- a compliant material provided between the casing and the former;
- such that the compliant material reduces the sensitivity of the sensor;
- and
- an interferometric interrogation system, wherein the interferometric interrogation system is responsive to an optical phase shift produced in the at least one optical fibre sensor due to a force applied by a vehicle passing the at least one sensor station.
A method for monitoring traffic, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of sensor stations on a highway;
- deploying a plurality of optical fibre sensors at each sensor station;
- wherein each optical fibre sensor comprises:
- a former,
- an optical fibre wound on the former,
- a casing and
- a compliant material provided between the casing and the former;
- such that the compliant material reduces the sensitivity of the sensor;
- interfacing each optical fibre sensor to an interferometric interrogation system,
- employing time division multiplexing such that the interrogation system is adapted to monitor an output of each optical fibre sensor substantially simultaneously;
- and
- using the output of each optical fibre sensor to derive data relating to the traffic passing each sensor station.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.