Non-Intrusive Weight Measurement of Commercial Vehicles

It has long been known that some commercial vehicle operators that exceed safe weight limits for their vehicles often bypass fixed weigh stations. Since it is documented that for each 1 lb increase in weight, there is a guadruple impact on asphalt deterioration, the development of mobile stations that can detect attempts to bypass weigh stations (referred to as virtual weigh stations) is an extremely valuable goal. To reduce the size and cost for these portable virtual stations, it is essential to include and test technologies that are "non-intrusive", thereby causing minimal impact to the roadway. In this project, the authors developed a system that is based on utilizing vibration sensors (laser Doppler vibrometer and triaxial accelerometer) coupled with wavelet transform for weight measurement of commercial vehicles. Among the advantages of the developed system are its light weight, simplicity, mobility, automation, rapid response, reliability, low cost, and more importantly being non-contact and non-intrusive. A thin metal strip was firmly attached to the surface of the road, and modeled as an elastic continuous bar. The vibration response of the bar due to the impact loading of a passing vehicle axle was measured at a specific point on the bar, away from the wheels, by a vibration transducer (laser vibrometer or triaxial accelerometer). The velocity signal provides the required input data for the analysis. Since the vibration response is a function of the axle weight and location of the points of impact, it is necessary to measure the distance between the wheel and the sensor point. Such measurements were made by a non-contact distance sensor. The response signal was analyzed by wavelet transform, and the maximum wavelet coefficient was correlated to the weight and speed of the vehicle.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Central Florida, Orlando

  Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering
  P.O. Box 162450
  Orlando, FL  United States  32816-2450

  University of Central Florida, Orlando

  Center for Advanced Transportation Systems Simulation
  4000 Central Florida Boulevard, P.O. Box 162450
  Orlando, FL  United States  32816-2450
• Authors:
  • Moslehy, F A
  • Oloufa, A A
• Publication Date: 2004-7-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 65p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accelerometers; Commercial vehicles; Cost effectiveness; Portable equipment; Reliability; Speed measurement; Vibrometers; Wavelets; Weigh stations; Weight measurement
• Uncontrolled Terms: Non-intrusive detectors; Virtual weigh stations
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Terminals and Facilities; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01002008
• Record Type: Publication
• Contract Numbers: Project Account Number 16509003
• Files: UTC, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 15 2005 3:58PM