Abstract: An admixed and kneaded material of a mixture of a hydraulic powder, a potentially hydraulic powder, water, and fine and coarse aggregates, if necessary is molded and hardened. Then the hardened body is heat cured to form silicic acid anions of at least a trimer. This molded and hardened body has a compression strength at least 1000 kgf/cm.sup.2 and a bending strength of at least 150 kgf/cm.sup.2 so that hardened cement body having a high mechanical strength can be obtained without using a special reinforcing member or fiber. The hardened concrete product of this invention has a high bending strength, compression strength and modulus of elasticity. A glaze can be applied and fired to obtain beautiful concrete products.

Abstract: The present invention provides vehicle activity data by accurately measuring and collecting traffic information, such as vehicle speed, number of passing vehicles, types such as small size and large size of the vehicles. The invention allows tracing of a vehicle which makes a lane change, avoids influence of a large size vehicle for measurement in an adjacent lane, and provides an approach for obtaining vehicle activity data at night time or in the rain. The apparatus stores video information from a video camera in image memories. The stored current image data and background data are processed by an image processing section to assign identification number for respective individual vehicles. Results of tracing include a position of the front end of the vehicle in a measuring area, a vehicle width, and both end positions of the vehicle are stored in time sequence.

Abstract: A video camera is placed so as to overlook vehicles' attitudes at an intersection and in the vicinity of the intersection. Video signals provided by the video camera are sent to the main body of a vehicles movement measuring apparatus. An A/D converting unit in the main body converts the video signals into digital data. Digital data in two frames, one of which is taken a certain length of time after the other, is stored in image memory units. Another image memory unit stores data of an input image including no vehicle image. An image data processing unit performs image processing on the data stored in the image memory units and extracts data about vehicles from the processed data. Information relating to speeds, tracking, etc., of vehicles is output from a data input-output unit. This processing of the obtained image data measures vehicles' movement as the degree of traffic jam or the smoothness of the downstream traffic flow on a road with detection of data regarding vehicles presence or speeds.

Abstract: A method for predicting a traffic flow rate at a point on a road to control a traffic light signaling system measures a traffic density on the road to predict a traffic flow rate by utilizing the fact that a velocity of a vehicle on the road is restricted by an interval between successive vehicles, since the traffic density is locally increased when the vehicle interval is not uniform and therefore the spatial mean speed is lowered. This method offers higher accuracy by utilizing a correction coefficient obtained from an actual vehicle distribution, for instance, a coefficient derived from entropy.

Abstract: A device for cracking down on disregard of a traffic signal includes a television camera for imaging a road, on which signal lights are mounted at a cross; a vehicle movement measuring instrument for processing image data coming from the television camera and measures traveling position and traveling speed of each vehicle; a signal state detector for detecting an indication color of the signal lights; and a traffic signal disregarding vehicle detector for detecting a vehicle which has disregarded a traffic signal, based on the traveling position and the traveling speed of the vehicle measured by the vehicle movement measuring instrument and the indication color of the signal lights detected by the signal state detector. The vehicle movement measuring instrument measures the distance from the cross and the speed of the vehicle.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a moving state of a vehicle in a tunnel, in which traffic information such as number of vehicles which have passed, velocity, and the like can be always accurately measured without being influenced by changes in brightness in the tunnel. The measuring apparatus has an image pickup device installed in the tunnel and an image processing device for processing image data generated from the image pickup device. The apparatus further includes an input device for receiving a brightness/darkness signal which is changeable to adjust brightness of an illuminating apparatus installed in the tunnel, and adjusting device for adjusting an operation of the image pickup device or an operation of the image processing device in accordance with a change of the brightness/darkness signal, thereby preventing possible errors caused in the measurement.

Abstract: In an apparatus for measuring the dynamic state of traffic, a video camera unit picks up images of traffic on the road. The picture information is temporarily stored in memory units, and then processed by an image processing unit. The image processing unit controls the rate for updating background data determines whether it is daytime, dusk or night, and controls a threshold value for processing images. Further, the updating of the background data is made accurate and the extraction or identification of running vehicles is facilitated by employing a background differential system and a frame differential system. The output is transferred to a CPU to be utilized as a source of traffic information or for scheduling travelling time.