Raytheon Company

Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Douglas A Dwyer

Stephen J Feitelson

James Peter Baukus

Roger J O'Connor

Mark E Bianco

Allan R Kramer

Faik S Ozdemir

James E Handy

Rick E Pflugshaupt

Paul E Curry

Patrick P Lim

Jeanne M Perales-Herdt

Robert H Kramp, Ii

Kevin B Grant

Gary S Gallagher

Edward Broad

David J Knobbe

Ira R Feldman

Thomas L McDaniel

Peter W Kwok

A cashless toll collection system and method that detects vehicles using transponders for prepaid customers and cameras for casual or non-transponder equipped vehicles. The system has a plurality of roadside toll collectors, one or more toll transaction processors, and a revenue management system. Each roadside toll collector has a vehicle to roadside communications system that communicates with transponders disposed in transponder equipped vehicles and generates entry and exit transaction reports indicating the entry and exit locations and times of the transponder equipped vehicles. Each roadside toll collector has a plurality of license plate cameras that selectively provide video images of license plates of vehicles that are not equipped with a transponder. Each roadside toll collector has a vehicle detector and classification system that detects the presence of vehicles, controls the cameras to capture the video images of the license plates, and generates entry and exit transaction reports indicating the entry and exit locations and times, and the license plate images of each detected vehicle that is not equipped with a transponder. The toll transaction processor processes the transaction reports to generate tolling transactions for each vehicle. The revenue management system processes the tolling transactions to generate tolls for each vehicle and generate bills for use of the toll road.

Open road cashless toll collection system and method using transponders

A thresholding method and improved light sensor that reduce the processing requirements of processors used to control the shutter, gain, and pedestal settings of license plate cameras employed in a toll road revenue collection system. The thresholding method and light sensor reduce the amount of data transmitted from the light sensor to the processor which controls the shutter, gain, and pedestal settings of license plate cameras of the toll road collection system. To minimize the redundant transmission and processing of data by the processor, a threshold comparator is used in the light sensor that only transmits data when the light level changes enough to exceed or fall below a programmable threshold. The threshold is programmed by the processor using a microprocessor. Thus, data is only transmitted when lighting conditions change, and transmission of redundant data is therefore eliminated.

Light sensor and thresholding method for minimizing transmission of

Data transmissions between a transponder and a reader of a toll collection system are minimized while the transponder moves through a communication zone of the system. A plurality of dimensionally programmable detection regions, are defined within the communication zone. Detection criteria are also defined that indicate whether the transponder transitions into, out of, or both into and out of one of a plurality of 'in' detection regions. Then it is determined if the current geolocation of the transponder is within any of the detection regions. The current location of the transponder is compared to the previous location of the transponder. If a change in the location of the transponder occurs and one of the detection criteria has been met, a detection region report message is generated. The detection region report message is sent to an application processor for processing, and if the transponder moves out of any of the 'in' detection regions, the application processor drops the communications link to that transponder. This minimizes the amount of processing and data transfer between the transponders and the reader and processor.

Detection regions for transponder tracking

A sequential messaging method for use in a vehicle detector and classification system having a processor and that uses first and second beams to detect transitions of front and rear ends of a vehicle. The method comprises detecting the vehicle when its front end breaks the first beam, assigning a new vehicle ID number to the vehicle, and transmitting a vehicle detection report containing the vehicle ID number to the processor. The vehicle is detected when its front end passes the second beam, and a vehicle detection update report is transmitted to the processor comprising left edge position, right edge position, range to each edge, vehicle height, and vehicle speed, all of which are derived from the beams reflected from the vehicle. The vehicle is detected when its rear end passes the first beam, and a rear vehicle detection report is transmitted to the processor comprising the left edge position, right edge position, range to each edge, vehicle height, and vehicle speed. The vehicle is detected when the rear end of the vehicle passes through the second beam, and a trigger report is transmitted to the processor. The data accumulated for the vehicle is compiled, and a classification report that best fits the vehicle and a confidence level of the classification estimate are generated. The classification report and confidence level are transmitted to the processor.

Real time messaging interface for vehicle detection sensors

A system 10 and methods for acquiring and archiving images derived from multiple sources with minimal operator interaction and understanding of the archiving computer 11. The system 10 and methods provide for reception of digitized images via modem 24 from a remote source, and the input of images from local sources including a digital photographic image source 25 such as a digital camera or 35 millimeter digitizing camera data back, an optical scanner 23, and digitized images previously stored on magneto-optical disk or digital audio tape. The system 10 also archives and distributes image and document data to multiple destinations, including a magneto-optical drive 22, digital or hard disk drive 15, and to laser or photographic quality continuous tone printers 26, 27. One key aspect of the system 10 and methods is that the operator is not given access to the operating system of the computer 11 and can only perform a predetermined set of functions that correspond to graphical icons 30 disposed on the computer desktop 17 (monitor 12). Each of the icons 30 launches a set of linked macro functions that initialize the modem 24, control data transfer, format the received image data into a predetermined format, attach textual data to the image files, and automatically archive or print the files. Submenus are provided during operation that permit certain selected actions related to the macro that is being run.

Image display and archiving system and method

A Manchester decoder and clock recovery circuit for recovering Manchester encoded data and a clock synchronized with the incoming data. The circuit uses an oversampling rate of eight times the data rate, and a reduction in circuit elements to reduce the circuit power consumption requirements. The circuit operates in a search mode and in a tracking mode. A clock phase generator produces eight phase clocks, used by a sampling and majority vote circuit to determine the decoded data value. During the tracking mode, the phase of the synchronized clock can be adjusted during data reception.

Minimized oversampling Manchester decoder

A set/scan test capability is provided for a circuit that includes sensitive subcircuits, but that can be latched out to prevent reverse engineering the sensitive elements. A mechanism to inhibit set/scan test access to at least some of the sensitive subcircuits is selectively actuated by a control circuit to override a normal set/scan test and inhibit set/scan access to the sensitive subcircuits. Various implementations are possible, such as fusible-link PROMs for irreversibly inhibiting set/scan access to the sensitive subcircuits after an initial non-inhibited test period, the use of encryption codes to enable repeated set/scan access to the sensitive subcircuits, and an erasable/reprogrammable mechanism for inhibiting set/scan access to programmed sets of subcircuits.

Apparatus and method for sensitive circuit protection with set-scan

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Brea, CA, United States of America

Douglas A Dwyer