Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision

Daimler’s double take sees machine vision move in-vehicle

December 13, 2013

Jason Barnes looks at Daimler’s Intelligent Drive programme to consider how machine vision has advanced the state of the art of vision-based in-vehicle systems. Traditionally, radar was the in-vehicle Driver Assistance System (DAS) technology of choice, particularly for applications such as adaptive cruise control and pre-crash warning generation. Although vision-based technology has made greater inroads more recently, it is not a case of ‘one sensor wins’. Radar and vision are complementary and redundancy

One eye on the future

December 12, 2013

Mobileye’s Itay Gat discusses the evolution of monocular solutions for assisted and autonomous driving with Jason Barnes. Founded in 1999, Israeli company Mobileye manufactures and supplies advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) based on its EyeQ family of systems-on-chips for image processing for solutions such as lane sensing, traffic sign recognition, vehicle and pedestrian detection. Its products are used by both the OEM and aftermarket sectors. The company’s visual interpretation algorithms drive

Iowa DOT approves new traffic camera rules

December 11, 2013

Iowa DOT’s Transportation Commission has unanimously approved proposed rules for red light and speed cameras that require cities to prove the devices are needed to improve safety on highways. The rules require a city to perform an engineering analysis of the highway and also present some alternatives to the cameras to address any safety issues. Cities that currently have cameras installed would have to do the engineering study by May 2014. The rules must still go through the legislative approval process

Siemens joins US DOT connected vehicle test bed

December 11, 2013

Siemens Mobility and Logistics division has joined an affiliation of infrastructure device makers and operators to expand deployment of vehicle to infrastructure (V-I) communications. The affiliated test bed, organised by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) of the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), will focus on deployment of connected vehicle technology, the wireless exchange of critical safety and operational data between vehicles and specific road infrastructure l

Coach crash-prevention system tracks drivers' eyes

December 11, 2013

Australian facial tracking systems developer Seeing Machines has teamed up with European coach and tour operator Royal Beuk, in a deal that will see the deployment of automated fatigue monitoring systems to ensure driver alertness and safeguard coach passengers. The Seeing Machines fatigue monitoring system is based on patented eye-tracking technology that can detect if a driver is distracted or falling asleep at the wheel. Using sensing equipment that requires no re-calibration between different drive

Hot spot detector prevents road tunnel fires

December 9, 2013

Sick’s new hot spot detector system proved its worth only one week after being installed by preventing a fire in the Karawanks Tunnel, Austria. A semi-trailer truck with a wheel temperature exceeding 200 degrees centigrade triggered the alarm as it passed the hot spot detector. Closer inspection indicated that in addition to the overheated brake, the vehicle was also travelling with two cracked brake discs. Developed by Sick’s Swiss subsidiary ECTN and based on the Sick LMS511 laser sensor with the T

Big Data: Datalogic predicts growth in advanced data collection

December 6, 2013

Datalogic, a global leader in automatic data capture and industrial automation markets, expects a surge in next generation advanced data collection devices, which will intelligently edit and communicate data and play a critical role in providing improved business analytics, termed ‘big data’. This vision for future market growth was delivered by Bill Parnell, President and CEO of Datalogic ADC, the division focused on the global automatic data capture market, speaking during ID World Rio de Janeiro, the

New York Thruway installs LED signs to alert wrong-way drivers

December 5, 2013

New York’s state Thruway Authority has installed Doppler radar-enhanced LED signs to alert wrong-way drivers before they enter exits in Buffalo and Nyack, Rockland County, where wrong-way derivers have been involved in crashes. The radar can detect vehicles travelling the wrong way, setting off the LED sign and alerting the rest of the Thruway system. “New York is the first state in the nation to utilise this sophisticated technology to enhance traffic safety and save lives,” Governor Andrew Cuomo sai

TraffiStar S350 success for Jenoptik

December 5, 2013

Jenoptik’s TraffiStar S350 speed and red light enforcement systems has been type approval by Germany’s Physical Technical Institute (PTB) for the German market and won a major order for the Ministry of the Interior in Qatar. The contract will see Jenoptik Traffic Solutions and its local partner Telco International install more than 60 stationary speed and red-light enforcement systems in Qatar as part of the country’s initiative to improve road safety. TraffiStar systems use noninvasive sensors instead

Clearview expands smart parking range

December 5, 2013

Clearview Traffic Group has expanded its M300 wireless occupancy detection range to provide solutions for both on and off-street parking with the M301, a surface-mounted sensor for parking bay monitoring, and the M302 which is a flush mounted sensor that is embedded into the road surface. Clearview also offers a version of the sensors for detection of larger vehicles such as HGVs, trucks and coaches. The sensors use technology that has been designed to accurately detect the presence of a vehicle in a def