The police and operators of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in the USA require an effective means of counting the number of occupants in moving vehicles. Occupancy Monitoring Systems (OMS) have problems dealing with tinted windows, different vehicle types and passenger seating arrangements, and varying weather and light conditions. An alternative system is one based on in-vehicle occupancy monitoring, where the presence of passengers is recorded in the vehicle and communicated with an external recording system. Such systems could be based, for example, on mechanical systems, infrared sensors, weight sensors or ultrasonic range sensing. Automation of occupancy monitoring can increase areas of HOV application. These include high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes and HOV priority within congestion pricing schemes. Potential challenges include privacy issues, legal/legislative roadblocks, costs and economics.
Abstract