Passive optical lane position monitor

A laboratory prototype of a passive optical lane position monitor has been designed, built, and tested. The sensor head is simple and consists of two parts: a cylindrical lens, and a position sensitive detector. The amplifier/processing electronics which provides the position signal is compact and lightweight. No complex software or computer is needed. Sensor performance was validated both in the laboratory and in the field. The prototype was tested in sunlight over a range of solar angles from dawn to dusk. It was even tested at night with illumination provided by headlights. The bottom line is that, for such a simple system, the sensor worked quite well. This opens up possibilities for its use as a practical tool in vehicle/highway management.