In-pavement wireless Weigh-In-Motion

Abstract

Truck weight data is used in many areas of transportation such as weight enforcement and pavement condition assessment. This paper describes a wireless sensor network (WSN) that estimates the weight of moving vehicles from pavement vibrations caused by vehicular motion. The WSN consists of: acceleration sensors that report pavement vibration; vehicle detection sensors that report a vehicle's arrival and departure times; and an access point (AP) that synchronizes all the sensors and records the sensor data. The paper also describes a novel algorithm that estimates a vehicle's weight from pavement vibration and vehicle detection data, and calculates pavement deflection in the process. A prototype of the system has been deployed near a conventional Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) system on I-80 W in Pinole, CA. Weights of 52 trucks at different speeds and loads were estimated by the system under different pavement temperatures and varying environmental conditions, adding to the challenges the system must overcome. The error in load estimates was less than 10% for gross weight and 15% for individual axle weights. Different states have different requirements for WIM but the system described here outperformed the nearby conventional WIM, and meets commonly used standards in United States. The system also opens up exciting new opportunities for WSNs in pavement engineering and intelligent transportation.