WO2009049384A2

WO2009049384A2 - Housing for a device for signalling and detecting, imaging and/or identifying vehicles and a device equipped therewith

Info

Publication number: WO2009049384A2
Application number: PCT/BE2008/000080
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bert Waumans
Original assignee: Bert Waumans
Priority date: 2007-10-15
Filing date: 2008-10-15
Publication date: 2009-04-23
Also published as: BE1017814A3; WO2009049384A3

Abstract

Housing for a device for signalling and detecting, imaging and/or identifying vehicles, characterised in that it consists of at least one hollow pole with one or several openings provided therein in view of mounting electrical components for signalling, detection, image recording and/or identification, whereby the pole makes it possible to mount, either or not by means of a connecting piece, an electrical component bare, in other words without any additional protection, in or over the above-mentioned openings.

Description

Housing for a device for signalling and detecting, imaging and/or identifying vehicles and a device equipped therewith.

The present invention concerns a housing for a device for signalling and detecting, imaging and/or identifying vehicles and a device equipped therewith.

Such devices for which the housing is designed are known for example for taking photographs of and/or for filming vehicles, in particular vehicles on which has been provided a container, such as a lorry, a train or the like.

Such devices which are equipped with a photo station comprising at least two poles placed at a distance from one another in between which a vehicle such as a lorry, a train or the like with a container upon it can ride and whereby lights, cameras and detection means are provided on the above-mentioned poles are already known.

Further, the known devices comprise a control unit which is connected to the above-mentioned detection means for detecting a vehicle such as a lorry, a train or the like, such that when such a vehicle approaches the above- mentioned photo station, it will be detected by the above- mentioned detection • means, which will signal this to the above-mentioned control unit, which in turn will activate the above-mentioned lights and cameras to make a photograph of for example the number plate of the vehicle.

The obtained image can then be processed by means of identification software provided to that end, and the number plate of the vehicle can be identified.

Moreover, while the vehicle is riding between the above- mentioned poles, one or several photos are taken so as to register the side walls of the vehicle and in particular of a container provided on said vehicle, in order to thus determine any possible damage to the container and/or identify the container.

Finally, an additional photo is taken of the vehicle's rear number plate with the known devices since, for example in case of a lorry, the number plate of the towing vehicle may differ from the number plate of the trailer.

In practice, it is found that the above-mentioned cameras and lights and other electrical and electronic components often suffer a lot under bad weather conditions, as they are sensitive to extreme temperatures and the impact of precipitation such as rain, snow and hail. This has for a result that the cameras and lights often need to be repaired and/or replaced with such known devices .

Moreover, these components need to be built in separate housings which must meet the- prevailing standards regarding electrical insulation, water-tightening, safety and the like, expressed as a certain IP value depending on the prevailing standard, and depending on the conditions of use.

In order to remedy this, it is already known to place a container over the known devices, which is very expensive and can only be realised by means of appropriate material.

Moreover, the electrical components such as cameras and lights which are mounted on the above-mentioned poles are often damaged or put out of order, for example as the vehicle concerned runs into said cameras or as a ladder collides with it during maintenance or repair works .

As a consequence, additional repairs are often required or the angle of sight of the cameras and lights often needs readjusting, which entails considerable costs and loss of time.

The present invention aims to remedy one or several of the above-mentioned and other disadvantages.

To this end, the present invention concerns a housing for a device for signalling and detection; the imaging and/or identification of vehicles, characterised in that it at least consists of one hollow pole with one or several openings in it in view of mounting electrical components for signalling, detection, image recording and/or identification, whereby the pole makes it possible to mount, either or not by means of a connecting piece, an electrical component bare, in other words without any additional protection, in - or over the above-mentioned openings .

An advantage of such a .housing according to the invention is that separate built-in or built-on units are no longer required to mount the above-mentioned components, as these components are built in and thus are protected by the housing itself against external influences such as precipitation or mechanical damage, as the vehicle concerned can no longer run into components such as cameras and as the electronics of such cameras are protected as well.

Another advantage is that, by building in the components, they can no longer be put out of order or become misaligned due to vehicles riding into them or ladders or the like colliding with them during maintenance or repair works.

According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, the above-mentioned poles are connected to one another with their topmost free ends by means of a sleeper that is at least partly hollow, so as to form a portal, and one or several components are built-in in the above-mentioned sleeper.

According to a special aspect of the invention, the poles and the sleeper of the device have a continuous channel in their longitudinal direction, and the poles and the sleeper are joined such that the above-mentioned continuous channels connect so as to form a common enclosed channel. The device preferably also comprises measuring sensors to measure the temperature, the air humidity and/or the air flow rate in the above-mentioned inner channel, which measuring sensors are connected to an air conditioning unit sending a flow of air through the inner channel of the poles . An advantage of such an embodiment is that, in the above- mentioned channel _f a flow of air can be created in order to take into account factors such as extreme temperatures, air humidity and the like, as a result of which the electronic components will last longer.

The present invention also concerns a photo station which can be used in a device as described above, whereby this photo station comprises at least two poles provided at a distance from one another and one or several cameras, and whereby the above-mentioned poles of the photo station are made at least partly hollow and the above-mentioned camera or cameras have been built-in in the above-mentioned poles.

In order to better explain the characteristics of the present invention, the following preferred embodiments of a device according to the invention for making photos of and/or for filming vehicles and a photo station which can be used in such a device are described with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

figure 1 schematically represents a photo station with a housing according to the invention, seen in perspective; figure 2 represents the part indicated by arrow F2 in figure 1 to a larger scale; figure 3 represents a section according to line III-

III in figure 2; figure 4 represents the part indicated by arrow F4 in figure 1 to a larger scale; figure 5 represents a variant of a photo station according to figure 1; figure 6 represents a part of a view according to arrow F6 in figure 5.

Figure 1 represents a photo station 1 for making photos of and/or for filming a vehicle, whereby this photo station 1 is mainly composed of a housing according to the invention with at least two vertical poles 2 and 3, also called pillars, whereby these poles 2 and 3 are provided at a distance from one another, such that a vehicle can move in between the above-mentioned poles 2 and 3.

According to the invention, the poles 2 and 3 are made at least partly hollow, but according to a preferred characteristic, said poles 2 and 3 are made entirely hollow in the present case, as an inner channel extends through these poles 2 and 3 over their entire longitudinal length in which, according to the invention, one or several cameras 4, represented in more detail in figures 2 to 4, and in this case also lights 5, have been built in or on, or also other electrical or electronic components.

To this end, the poles 2 and 3 concerned are made as hollow struts in the given example, with a rectangular, either or not square cross section.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the above-mentioned poles 2 and 3 are connected with their topmost free ends by means of a hollow sleeper 6 that is at least partly hollow, so as to form a portal, and also one or several cameras 4 have been built-in in the above- mentioned sleeper 6.

In this case, the above-mentioned sleeper 6 of the photo station 1 is provided with an inner channel according to its longitudinal direction, and the poles 2 and 3 and the sleeper 6 are connected such with one another that the above-mentioned inner channels of said poles 2 and 3 and the sleeper 6 connect so as to form a common enclosed space.

The above-mentioned cameras 4 are in this case made as photo cameras, but it is also possible according to the invention for these cameras to comprise one or several video cameras.

As is represented in more detail in figures 2 and 3, a number of the above-mentioned cameras 4 is in this case built-in in the poles 2 and 3 and sleepers 6, by means of a connecting piece 7 which is fixed round or over a respective opening in the wall of an above-mentioned pole 2 and 3 or sleeper 6.

The above-mentioned connecting piece 7 mainly consists of a housing confining an inner space 8 whereby this housing is provided with an outer wall 9 in which is made an outermost opening 10 providing access to said inner space 8, which outer wall 9 is situated at an oblique angle in relation to an opposite mounting wall 11 of the housing, with which the connecting piece 7 is mounted on the wall of the pole 2 or

3 or the sleeper 6 concerned. The above-mentioned cameras 4 which are mounted in the poles 2 and 3 by means an above-mentioned connecting piece 7 are fixed to this end in the above-mentioned connecting piece 7 by means of a mounting flange 12 which is at least partly transparent and on which the above-mentioned camera 4 is fixed, as this mounting flange 12 is fixed to the above-mentioned outer wall 9 of the housing of the connecting piece 7 , in this case by means of bolts.

According to the invention, the above-mentioned mounting flange 12 can be realised in many ways and in this case it is made in the shape of a transparent plate 13 made of glass or plastic (e.g. polymethyl metacrylate) onto which is fixed a first leg 14 of an L-shaped support 15 and whereby a small tripod 17 for a camera 4 is provided on the second leg 16 of said L-shaped support 15.

If need be, the above-mentioned tripod 17 is mounted on the second leg 16 in an adjustable way, such that said camera 4 can be moved further away from or closer to the above- mentioned plate 13 and/or can be set at another angle in relation to said plate 13.

In the given example from figures 2 and 3, .the connecting piece 7 is also provided with a nozzle 18 and a wiper 19, to respectively spray and wipe the above-mentioned plate 13; however, such a nozzle 18 and wiper 19 must not be necessarily provided according to the invention.

According to the invention, it is not necessary for all cameras 4 and/or lights 5 to be mounted in the poles 2 and 3 and possibly in the sleeper 6 by means of such a connecting piece 7.

Preferably, one or several of said cameras 4 and/or lights 5 are mounted directly in an opening in a wall of the poles 2 and/or 3 and possibly the sleeper 6.

Figure 4 shows an example of a light 5 which has been mounted in said manner, in this case by means of a mounting flange 12 which is at least partly transparent, on which is fixed a lamp which is not represented in the figures, as said mounting flange 12 is fixed to the wall of the pole 2 or 3 concerned, round the above-mentioned opening in the wall, by means of gluing, screwing, snapping in or the like.

Such a light may contain any type of lamp or lamps, such as LEDs, halogen lamps or the like.

A camera 4 or any other electrical components can also be mounted directly on the wall of a pole 2 or 3 or a sleeper 6 by means of a mounting flange 12, in a way which is analogous to the mounting of said light 5, without making use of a connecting piece 7.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the above-mentioned mounting flanges 12 and lights 5 are fixed to the wall of a pole. 2 or 3 or a sleeper 6 in a modular manner. By a modular fastening is meant here that said mounting flanges 12 and lights 5 can be fixed to the wall of a pole 2 or 3 or a sleeper 6 in at least two directions at right angles .

This can be realised according to the invention as the openings around which the respective mounting flanges 12 or lights 5 can be mounted are provided with at least two axes of symmetry at right angles, for example as the above- mentioned openings are made square or round.

Since the mounting flanges 12 and the lights 5 are in this case fixed by means of bolts, also the pattern of the bore holes through which said bolts can be provided must have at least two axes of symmetry at right angles.

This is advantageous in that it becomes possible to mount the mounting flanges 12 and the lights 5 according to at least two directions at right angles in the above-mentioned openings and, if the respective openings and bore holes all have the same dimensions, to mutually change the positions of the lights 5 and cameras 4.

According to a special aspect of the invention, the connecting pieces 7 are also fixed in a modular manner to the wall of a pole 2 or 3 or a sleeper 6, in a way which is analogous to that of the modular mounting flanges 12 and/or lights 5.

The photographing device is also provided with a control unit and with detection means to detect the presence of a vehicle, not represented in the drawings, which detection means are connected to the above-mentioned control unit, and whereby the above-mentioned camera 4 or cameras 4 is/are also connected to said control unit.

The above-mentioned detection means are preferably realised in the known manner in the form of at least one induction loop provided in or on the floor and, in the present example, it comprises three induction loops which respectively detect when a vehicle approaches the photo station 1, rides through the photo station 1 and leaves the photo station 1.

Naturally, the detection means can also be realised in other ways, for example in the form of optical sensors, pressure sensors, infrared cells, radar-sensitive speedometers and the like.

According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, the device further comprises measuring sensors, not represented in the drawings, for measuring the temperature, the air humidity and/or the air flow rate in the inner channel of the poles 2 and 3 and the possible sleeper 6, which measuring sensors are connected to an air conditioning unit which can send a flow of air through said inner channel of the above-mentioned poles 2 and 3 and of the sleeper 6.

The above-mentioned air conditioning unit is provided for example with a fan, either or not built-in in the above- mentioned pole 2 or 3, and/or with a compressor for producing a flow of air and with one or several of the following conditioning elements: a heating element, a cooling element, an air dryer, a dust filter and an oil filter.

The above-mentioned conditioning elements may possibly but not necessarily also be built-in in the poles 2 and 3 of the photo station 1.

According to another embodiment which is not represented in the drawings, the above-mentioned conditioning elements can also be connected via a connecting piece to an above- mentioned opening in the side wall 20 of a pole 2 or 3 or a sleeper 6, or they can be connected to a lower end of the respective poles 2 and/or 3.

The working of a device for making photos of and/or for filming a vehicle is very simple and as follows.

When a vehicle such as a lorry, which is provided with a trailer with a container, approaches the device, this will be detected by the above-mentioned detection means .

In the given example, this will be noticed by a first one of the above-mentioned induction loops provided at a distance from the photo station 1 to this end.

This first induction loop transmits a signal to the above- mentioned control unit which subsequently activates any possible nozzles and wipers so as to clean the cameras and/or lights concerned which are provided with such a nozzle 18 and wiper 19.

Said signal also makes sure that the respective camera or cameras 4 which are directed to a side where the vehicles approach the photo station 1 take a photo of the front of the vehicle.

Next, the obtained image can be sent to a processing unit provided to that end in the known manner so as to read in the number plate of said vehicle by means of OCR techniques and thus identify the vehicle.

While the photos are being made, any possible lights 5 directed towards the approaching vehicle will light up, resulting in a clearer photographic image.

As soon as the vehicle drives between the poles 2 and 3 and under the sleeper 6, this will be detected by the above- mentioned detection means as well, in this case by means of the second induction loop, upon which a new signal is transmitted to the above-mentioned control unit which then switches off the above-mentioned nozzles 18 and wipers 19 and activates the cameras 4 and any possible lights 5 which have been worked into the inside of the portal and which are directed towards the space situated under the portal of the photo station 1.

During this period, a series of photos is taken of the sides and possibly of the top side of the vehicle while said vehicle is driving under the portal, such that an image of the entire length of the vehicle, and in particular of a container provided on the vehicle, is made.

Finally, in this case, it is detected by one third of the above-mentioned induction loops when the above-mentioned vehicle has driven entirely through the photo station 1, upon which the above-mentioned control unit stops taking a series of photos of the sides and possibly of the top side of the vehicle.

At that time, the control unit also transmits a signal to the camera or cameras 4 and any possible lights 5 which are directed to the back of the vehicle which is riding away, such that a photo is taken of the back of said vehicle as well, which in turn can be processed by means of OCR techniques in order to identify the rear number plate of the vehicle, which may be for example the number plate of a trailer.

Since the cameras 4 and any possible lights 5 according to the invention are built-in in the housing in the form of a portal, these cameras 4 and lights 5 cannot be damaged or put out of order while the vehicle is driving through the portal .

An additional advantage of the invention consists in that the cameras 4 are not exposed to weather conditions such as precipitation or extreme temperatures .

Also connecting cables between the cameras 4, lights 5 and the control unit can preferably be entirely worked into the inner channel of the poles 2 and 3 and the possible sleeper 6, resulting in a mechanical protection of these connecting cables .

According to a special aspect of the invention, this is partly obtained thanks to the presence of the above- mentioned air conditioning unit which, based on the measurements of the above-mentioned measuring sensors for measuring the temperature, the air humidity and/or the air flow rate, produces a conditioned flow of air in the inner space of the portal, for example in the form of a cooled or heated, and possibly dried flow of air.

Providing additional elements such as an oil and/or dust filter may allow for an additional processing of the conditioned flow of air if need be, but this is not necessary according to the invention.

Figure 5 shows a variant of a photo station 1 according to the invention with a housing which is in this case provided with more than two poles 20 erected next to one another, connected to one another with their respective topmost free ends by means of sleepers 21, so as to form several passages for vehicles situated next to one another.

In this case, each of the above-mentioned poles and sleepers 21 is provided with an inner channel extending over its entire longitudinal length, and the respective poles 20 and sleepers 21 are connected to one another in such a way that their respective inner channels connect to one another so as to form an inner circulation space for a conditioned flow of air. The respective sleepers 21 and poles 20 are in this case preferably connected by means of a connecting piece 22 provided to that end which is placed at the top free end of each respective pole 20 and which consists of a box-shaped element which, in this case, is provided with an opening in all sides which is sealed by means of a removable plate 23.

By removing the plates from the respective walls of the connecting piece 22 to which the poles 20, sleepers 21 respectively connect is thus created a passage for said conditioned flow of air and/or for applying connecting cables of the electrical components.

Figure 6 represents a detail of a part from figure 5 whereby, according to arrow P, a possible flow direction of the flow of air coming from the air conditioning unit is represented-

Naturally, provided appropriate connecting diagrams and appropriate control techniques are used, it is possible to create many different flows of air through the respective adjacent portals of the photography device 1 according to figure 6 so as to optimally meet the requirements of the cameras 4 and/or lights 5 that are mounted on said respective portals.

In the above-mentioned connecting piece 22, according to a preferred characteristic of the invention, deflection plates 24 are provided, represented by means of a dashed line, so as to better guide a flow from a pole 2 or 3 to a connecting sleeper 6, or from a sleeper to a pole 2 or 3. Turbulence losses in the flow of air through the portal can be minimised in this manner.

According to the invention, it is not necessary for the housing to be made in the form of a portal; on the contrary, it is sufficient if it comprises two poles provided at a distance from one another.

In that case, no photos can be taken from the top side of any vehicle passing by, but this is not always necessary in practice .

A special application of such a photo station 1 comprising two poles, without a sleeper, consists in making photos from a train or the like.

Such a variant of a photo station 1 without a sleeper also makes it possible to apply an internal, conditioned flow of air, for example as the poles are provided with a blow-off opening near their top free ends, such that air coming in from below can be blown off via the top.

The present invention is by no means restricted to the embodiments described by way of example and represented in the accompanying drawings; on the contrary, such a device ^■ according to the invention for making photos of and/or for filming vehicles, and a photo station which is part of such a device can be made according to many shapes and • dimensions while still- remaining within the scope of the invention .

Claims

Claims .

1.- Housing for a device for signalling and detecting, imaging and/or identifying vehicles , characterised in that it consists of at least one hollow pole with one or several openings provided therein in view of mounting electrical components for signalling, detection, image recording and/or identification, whereby the pole makes it possible to mount, either or not by means of a connecting piece, an electrical component bare, in other words without any additional protection, in or over the above-mentioned openings .

2.- Housing according to claim 1, characterised in that the unused openings are sealed splash-proof by means of a lid.

3,- Housing according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the above-mentioned pole or poles (2 and 3 or 20) are provided over their entire longitudinal length with an inner channel in which the above-mentioned components (4-5) have been built-in.

4.- Housing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the above-mentioned poles (2 and 3) are made in the shape of hollow struts with a rectangular or square cross section.

5.~ Housing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the above-mentioned poles (2 and 3 or 20) are connected to one another with their topmost free ends by means of a sleeper (6 or 21) which is at least partly hollow so as to form a portal, and in that also one or several of the above-mentioned cameras (4) are built-in in the above-mentioned sleeper (6 of 21) .

6.- Housing according to claim 5, characterised in that the above-mentioned sleeper (6 of 21) has an inner channel in its longitudinal direction and in that the poles (2 and 3 or 20) and the sleeper (6 or 21) are connected to one another in such a way that the above-mentioned inner channels connect so as to form one common enclosed channel.

7.- Housing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is applied in a device which is embodied as a photo station (1) comprising at least two poles (2 and 3 of 20) provided at a distance from one another and one or several cameras (4) , whereby the device is further provided with a control unit and detection means to detect the presence of a vehicle, which detection means are connected to the above-mentioned control unit, and whereby the above-mentioned at least one camera is also connected to said control unit, characterised in that the above-mentioned poles (2 and 3 or 20) of the photo station (1) are made at least partly hollow and in that the above- mentioned camera or cameras (4) are built-in in the above- mentioned poles (2 and 3 or 20) .

8.- Housing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is further provided with measuring sensors to measure the temperature, the air humidity and/or the air flow rate, which measuring sensors are connected to an air conditioning unit sending a flow of air through the inner channel of the above-mentioned poles (2 and 3 or 20) .

9.- Housing according to claim 8, characterised in that the above-mentioned air conditioning unit is provided with a fan and/or a compressor to create a flow of air and with one or several of the following conditioning elements: a heating element, a cooling element, an air dryer, a dust filter and an oil filter.

10.- Housing according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that the above-mentioned photo station (1) is provided with more than two poles (2 and 3 or 20) erected next to one another which are connected to one another with their respective topmost free ends by means of sleepers (6 or 21) so as to form several adjacent passages for vehicles.

11.- Housing according to claim 10, characterised in that each of the above-mentioned poles (2 and 3 or 20) and sleepers (6 of 21) are provided with an inner channel extending over their entire longitudinal length and in that the respective poles (2 and 3 or 20) and sleepers (6 or 21) are connected to one another in such a way that their respective inner channels connect so as to form an enclosed channel for a conditioned flow of air.

12.- Housing according to claim 1, characterised in that the electrical component or components comprise a camera and in that this camera is mounted in or over an opening of the pole by means of a mounting flange (12) on which the above-mentioned camera (4) is fixed, as this mounting flange (12) is fixed to the wall concerned, round the above-mentioned opening.

13.- Housing according to claim 1, characterised in that in a wall of the above-mentioned poles (2 and 3 or 20) is provided an opening and in that round this opening, on the above-mentioned wall is fixed a connecting piece (7) , which connecting piece (7) is provided with an inner space (8) and an outer wall (9) with an outermost opening (10) therein providing access to said inner space (8), which outer wall (9) is situated at an oblique angle in relation to a mounting wall (11) of the housing provided opposite to the latter, with which the connecting piece (7) is mounted to the wall concerned of the pole (2, 3 or 20) ; and in that the above-mentioned camera (4) is mounted in the pole (2 or 3 or 20) by means of the connecting piece (7), by means of a mounting flange (12) on which the above-mentioned camera (11) is fixed, as said mounting flange (12) is fixed to the above-mentioned outer wall (9) .

14.- Housing according to claim 12 or 13, characterised in that the above-mentioned mounting flange (12) is made at least partly transparent.

15.- Housing according to claim 12 or 13, characterised in that the above-mentioned mounting flange (12) and/or the above-mentioned connecting piece (7) is fixed in a modular manner to the wall of a pole (2 or 3) or a sleeper (6), such that said mounting flange (12) and/or said connecting piece (7) is/are fixed to the wall of a pole (2 or 3) or a sleeper (6) in at least two directions standing at right angles .

16.- Housing according to claim 14, characterised in that the openings round which the respective mounting flanges (12) can be mounted are provided with at leas two axes of symmetry standing at right angles.

17.- Housing according to any one of claims 7 to 16, characterised in that it is also provided with one or more lights (5) which are connected to the above-mentioned control unit, and in that these lights (5) are built-in in a respective pole {2 and/or 3 or 21) and in that these lights (5) are fixed in an either or not modular way to the wall of a pole (2, 3 or 21) or a sleeper (6) .

18.- Housing according to any one of claims 7 to 17, characterised in that the above-mentioned detection means are made in the form of at least one induction loop provided in on or on the floor.

19.- Housing according to claim 16, characterised in that the above-mentioned detection means are made in the form of three induction loops which respectively detect when a vehicle approaches the photo station (1), drives through the photo station (1) and leaves the photo station (1) , so that photos can be made of the front number plate of the vehicle, the side walls of the vehicle or a container provided on it, and the rear number plate of the vehicle respectively .

20.- Housing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is connected to an installation for a conditioned flow of air.

21.- Photo station with a housing according to one or several of the preceding claims, which photo station (1) comprises at least two poles (2 and 3 or 20) provided at a distance from one another and one or several cameras (4), characterised in that the above-mentioned poles (2 and 3 or 20) of the photo station (1) are made at least partly hollow and in that the above-mentioned camera or cameras (4) are built-in in the above-mentioned poles (2 and 3 or 20) .