Optimal System Design for Weigh-In-Motion Measurements Using In-Pavement Strain Sensors

Abstract

Weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems are widely deployed to collect real-time traffic data. They enable multiple applications, such as truck weight enforcement, pavement design, freight management, traffic management, and intelligent transportation systems, such as smart tolling and traffic data supports to smart cities. Engineers currently depend on the experiences of practitioners in the field to select parameters for the sensor and system design. This paper introduces a comprehensive design framework that optimizes the system design of in-pavement WIM sensors to meet high-level application requirements. The framework establishes the relationships between the sampling rate, measurement resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, sensor sensitivity, and the measurement dynamic range. The simulations and case study presented demonstrates an example of a specific design to accommodate high-speed truck weight measurements.