Traffic monitor using two multiple-beam laser radars

A typical laser radar for detecting automobiles on highways has a very narrow beam that limits its ability to detect any targets outside its detecting zone. A multiple-beam laser radar provides a wider long-distance target detection region, but still suffers from close range problems. This paper demonstrates how two multiple-narrow beam laser radar units were extended to produce a smooth traffic monitoring coverage over a relatively wide frontal area. Dynamic information was extracted from measurement data by Kalman filters, and correlated using a dynamic clustering method. Actual experiments on a military truck were used to validate the concepts.