Apparatus and method using radar in the ground to detect and/or count bicycles
AssigneeSensys Networks, Inc.
InventorRobert Kavaler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A package, wireless sensor module, wireless sensor node and wireline sensor node are disclosed including a radar configured to embed beneath vehicles in pavements, walkways, parking lot floors and runways referred to herein as in ground usage. An access point interfacing to at least one of the sensors is disclosed to provide traffic reports, parking reports, landing counts, takeoff counts, aircraft traffic reports and/or accident reports based upon the sensor's messages regarding the radar and possibly magnetic sensor readings. A runway sensor network is disclosed of radar sensors embedded in lanes of at least one runway for estimating the landing count and/or takeoff count effect of aircraft.
Claims20
An apparatus, comprising:
- a sensor module, configured to be embedded in the ground, and
- said sensor module configured to generate a radar reading used to detect the presence of a bicycle near said radar sensor;
- and
- said sensor module, comprising:
- a radar configured to generate said radar reading to detect said presence of said bicycle near said radar sensor;
- a radio configured to send a message based upon said radar reading via a wireless physical transport and further configured to receive a timing synchronization message to create a global clock estimate;
- a processor configured to maintain said global clock estimate using a local clock and to use said received timing synchronization message to occasionally update said global clock estimate;
- and
- a power control circuit coupled to said radar and said radio,
- said power control circuit configured to couple to a battery, and
- said power control circuit configured to control distribution of power from said battery using said global clock estimate to alternatively turn off and on said radar and said radio.
A system, comprising:
- a sensor module, configured to be embedded in the ground, and
- said sensor module configured to generate a radar reading used to detect the presence of a bicycle near said radar sensor;
- and
- said sensor module, comprising:
- a radar configured to generate said radar reading to detect said presence of said bicycle near said radar sensor;
- a radio configured to send a message based upon said radar reading via a wireless physical transport and further configured to receive a timing synchronization message to create a global clock estimate;
- a processor configured to maintain said global clock estimate using a local clock and to use said received timing synchronization message to occasionally update said global clock estimate;
- and
- a power control circuit coupled to said radar and said radio,
- said power control circuit configured to couple to a battery, and said power control circuit configured to control distribution of power from said battery using said global clock estimate to alternatively turn off and on said radar and said radio;
- and
- said system further comprising
- an access point configured to wirelessly communicate with said radio to perform at least one of receive said message based upon said radar reading and send said timing synchronization message to support said processor maintaining said global clock estimate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.