Wireless Accelerometer-Based Automatic Vehicle Classification Prototype System

Automatic Vehicle Classification (AVC) systems provide data about vehicle classes that are used for many purposes. This paper describes a prototype axle count and spacing-based AVC system using wireless accelerometers and magnetometers. The accelerometers detect vehicle axles and the magnetometers report vehicle arrivals and departures and estimate speed. The prototype system is installed on I-80 at Pinole, CA and tested under various traffic conditions. Video images and reports from a nearby commercial Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) station provide ground truth to evaluate the performance of the system, including classification, axle spacing and vehicle counts. The results show the prototype AVC system is reliable in classifying vehicles even under congested traffic with 99% accuracy.