Optical fiber sensor applications for automatic measurement of the weight on the move: research and development

Periods: 31.12.2010
- 31.12.2013

Projekta vadītājs/a:

Profesors 

Dr. sc. ing.
Aleksandrs Grakovskis
Dekāna p.i.
Inženierzinātņu fakultāte
Alexander Grakovski
+371 67 109 394

Academic degree and current position in TSI: professor, leading researcher of the Engineering Faculty, Director of BSc Program “Telecommunication Systems and Computer Networks” and MSc Program “Master of Engineering Sciences in Electronics”.

Previous experience: for more than 6 years was Dean of Computer Science and Telecommunication Faculty, Head of Telecommunication Department in Transport and Telecommunication Institute (TSI), founder of the Laboratory of Image Processing, Biometry & Automated Border Control Systems in TSI.

Membership: Member of ECTRI (since 2017), Latvian Operations Research Society, Latvian Higher School Professors Association; member of European Engineering Deans Council (2012-2013); has been a member of the steering and programme committee of the International Conference on Innovative Vocational Education and Training in Transport Area (IVETTA), 2005; programme committees of the International Conference Reliability and Statistics in Transportation and Communication (RelStat), Latvia, (9 events), Dependability of Computer Systems (DepCoS-RelMex), Poland (2 events), etc., and reviewer in transportation journals and conference proceedings. Member of Editorial Board of Journals: Transport and Telecommunication (WoS, SCOPUS), Computer Modeling and New Technologies (2012), etc.

Academic experience: Author of more than 90 publications, incl. 14 books and textbooks, chapters in the book “Sensor Network Technology Applications in the Water Supply and Transport Systems”, Ribickis, L., et al. (Scientific Monograph, Riga, RTU Press, 2017, in Latvian), papers in International Journal of Transport, Transport and Telecommunication, Mathematical Modelling and Analysis. An Expert in Transport and Logistics (2008-2021) and Civil Engineering (since 2021) at the Latvian Council for Science; member of the PhD promotion committee. Member of the expert working group of the Electronic Communications Sector Council of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Latvia (since 2010).

Teaching at post- and graduate level: System Theory (Dr. ing. in Telematics and Logistics, TSI); Computer Vision and Image Processing (MSc in Computers Science, TSI); Laboratory Research Workshop (MSc in Electronics, TSI); etc.

Participation in projects: as a leading researcher has participated in more than 15 European and Latvian research projects and 2 national transportation studies, has been a scientific coordinator in 4 of them, has participated in COST Action TU0804, Horizon 2020, FP, INTERREG, BSR programme’ s projects.

Research Interests: Mathematical modelling, numerical methods, dynamics of chaotic systems, signal and image processing in different fields (transportation sphere, biometry, networks, logistics and others). 

Supervised Doctoral, Master and Bachelor Theses: Promoted 1 Doctoral, more than 50 Master theses and 60 Bachelor theses, anofficial reviewer of 7 PhD theses.

Awards: by Latvian Education Fund in Computer Science (2017), IT industry (X-Infotech, 2016-2017), Riga Municipality (2010).

Problem definition

Latvia is a country highly orientated on transportation services. But the lack of modern ICT tools in this sphere lead Latvia to the significant expenditures. Expenditures could be observed from two points of view: one is connected with insufficient number of static weighing of trucks on the territory of Latvia, this points leads to the economical loses the second one is connected with expenditures connected with a huge budget dedicated to the roads maintenance. To decrease budget on road maintains it is necessary to organize a control of trucks weight and preventing them to damage roads surface. Main aim of this project is to develop weight of vehicle in motion system for Latvia. Some tasks of the project could be drawn as follows:

  • electrical signalform and repeatability research driving up on the sensor by car with weights different;
  • electrical signal processing algorithm development;
  • weight controller projection and development software for vehicle weighing station development.

Proceeding

As was mentioned before, the main objective of the project to develop weight of vehicle in motion system with high level of the reliability. As the solution, was proposed to use fiber-optic sensors. This provides to the market a new type of product, which absolutely a new and unique product, which currently hasn’t analogues in the world. This innovation can be used in other areas and sectors:

On the roads:

  • to determinate the speed of vehicles, classification, number of vehicles;
  • to determinate the traffic jams on the roads and switching frequency of traffic lights;

On the railway:

  • vehicles weighing, definition of damaged wheels, switching of railway arrows;

Building industry:

  • to determinate a deformation of the constructions, for example- bridges and etc.

The developed product includes two main components the hardware and software. The software part includes software for vehicle weighting stations and different kind of algorithms for electrical signal processing. The hardware part consists of fiber-optic sensors which must be located on road to collect the necessary data. The obtained should be processed to obtain weight value of the vehicles. The project executed by with the institute staff and with the technical specialists, which will bring an invaluable contribution to the technical execution of the project and projects management. Such cooperation will improve the scientific work of the Institute and will significantly expand its activities.

Results

As the result the prototype of the weight of vehicle in motion system will be presented to the industrial sector for next serial implementation and use on the Latvia. The prototype will include a hardware prototype and developed software.

Poster

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