Automatic traffic monitoring by intelligent sound detection

A traffic sensing technique is described which utilizes a microphone array to detect the sound waves generated by the road vehicles. The detected sounds are then digitized and processed by an on-site computer using a correlation based algorithm, which extracts key data reflecting the road traffic conditions, e.g. the speed and density of vehicles on the road, automatically on-site. In comparison with existing traffic sensors, the proposed system offers lower installation and maintenance costs and is less intrusive to the surrounding environment. The results of theoretical analysis, computer simulation and some preliminary experiments are presented.