Intelligent Highway Solutions, Inc. announced that it has received its patent pending approval for a battery-less wireless sensor that can be embedded in the road and used to measure traffic flow rate, speed and approximate vehicle weight. Compared to existing inductive loop based traffic sensors, the new sensor is expected to provide increased reliability, easy installation and low maintenance costs. The sensor uses power only for wireless transmission and has zero idle power loss.

The sensor is expected to be extremely energy efficient. Energy to power this sensor is harvested entirely from the short duration vibrations that results when an automobile passes over the sensor. The new sensors on the roadway require no external power supply while inductive loop detectors have to be continuously powered all the time, even during the night when traffic flow might be relatively low.

The new sensors can measure number of axles and vehicle length, in addition to traffic flow rate. Thus they can be used for vehicle classification. Data gathering at the sensor will be transmitted wirelessly to a road side data collection point and distributed via existing networks to municipal transportation centers.

The battery-less, wireless detection system is expected to be beta tested later the year 2013.