Vehicle weight estimation apparatus, vehicle weight estimation method, and computer readable recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12326356-B2
Application number	US-201917637604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2019
Priority date	Nov 20, 2019
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

A vehicle weight estimation apparatus 10 includes: a collecting unit 11 that collects vibration information indicating vibration output from a sensor 25 installed to a structure having a vibration-generating structure that generates vibration upon passage of a vehicle 30 ; an axle response extracting unit 12 that detects, by using the vibration information, axle responses indicating the passage of one or more axles of the vehicle 30 over the vibration-generating structure; an axle index calculating unit 13 that calculates axle indices corresponding to the individual axles based on the axle responses; a converting unit 14 that converts the axle indices into axle weights by referring to conversion information that is stored in advance and that indicates a relationship between axle indices and axle weights; and a vehicle weight calculating unit 15 that calculates the weight of the vehicle by totaling the axle weights of the individual axles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle weight estimation apparatus comprising:
a memory storing one or more instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the one or more instructions to:
when the vehicle passes through a vibration-generating structure that is a bump/dent structure that obtains a preset vibration, collect vibration information indicating vibration output from a sensor installed in a structure having the vibration-generating structure;
by using the vibration information, detect axle responses indicating vibration generated in the structure for each axle when the vehicle passes over the vibration-generating structure;
calculate axle indices corresponding to individual axles based on the axle responses for each axle;
convert the axle indices into axle weights by referring to conversion information that is stored in advance and that indicates a relationship between the axle indices and the axle weights;
calculate the weight of the vehicle by totaling the axle weights of the individual axles; and
extract response start times, response end times, and window widths of the axle responses,
wherein each axle response of the axle responses includes acceleration data, and

wherein a square root of sum of squares of acceleration in the axle response, the maximum amplitude value in the acceleration data in the axle response, or the maximum value among spectral amplitudes obtained through frequency conversion of the acceleration data in the axle response is adopted as an axle index.

2. The vehicle weight estimation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vibration-generating structure utilizes a step at a joint between an elastic portion and an upper structure.

3. A vehicle weight estimation method comprising:
when the vehicle passes through a vibration-generating structure that is a bump/dent structure that obtains a preset vibration, collecting vibration information indicating vibration output from a sensor installed in a structure having the vibration-generating structure;
detecting, by using the vibration information, axle responses indicating the vibration generated in the structure for each axle when the vehicle passes over the vibration-generating structure;
calculating axle indices corresponding to individual axles based on the axle responses for each axle;
converting the axle indices into axle weights by referring to conversion information that is stored in advance and that indicates a relationship between the axle indices and the axle weights;
calculating the weight of the vehicle by totaling the axle weights of the individual axles; and
extracting response start times, response end times, and window widths of the axle responses,
wherein each axle response of the axle responses includes acceleration data, and
wherein a square root of sum of squares of acceleration in the axle response, the maximum amplitude value in the acceleration data in the axle response, or the maximum value among spectral amplitudes obtained through frequency conversion of the acceleration data in the axle response is adopted as an axle index.

4. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium that includes a program recorded thereon, the program including instructions that cause a computer to carry out:
when the vehicle passes through a vibration-generating structure that is a bump/dent structure that obtains a preset vibration, collecting vibration information indicating vibration output from a sensor installed in a structure having the vibration-generating structure;
detecting, by using the vibration information, axle responses indicating the vibration generated in the structure for each axle when the vehicle passes over the vibration-generating structure;
calculating axle indices corresponding to individual axles based on the axle responses for each axle;
converting the axle indices into axle weights by referring to conversion information that is stored in advance and that indicates a relationship between the axle indices and the axle weights;
calculating the weight of the vehicle by totaling the axle weights of the individual axles; and
extracting response start times, response end times, and window widths of the axle responses,
wherein each axle response of the axle responses includes acceleration data, and
wherein a square root of sum of squares of acceleration in the axle response, the maximum amplitude value in the acceleration data in the axle response, or the maximum value among spectral amplitudes obtained through frequency conversion of the acceleration data in the axle response is adopted as an axle index.

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Kinoshita Shohei
• Petladwala Murtuza
• Kasai Shigeru
• Saneyoshi Eisuke

Classifications

• G01G19/022

  for weighing wheeled or rolling bodies in motion (G01G19/045 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01G19/03 Primary

  for weighing during motion ({G01G19/022, G01G19/045,} G01G19/04, G01G19/07 take precedence {; weighing a continuous stream material during flow G01G11/00; check weighing of materials dispensed into removable containers G01G15/00}) · CPC title