System for setting up and keeping up-to-date datafiles for road traffic

Claim 1

A road inventory system comprising a mobile unit and a stationary unit; wherein said mobile unit includes a vehicle used for surveying a geographic area of interest, said vehicle having: metric data base means for delivering digital topographical information relating to the area to be surveyed; a plurality of video cameras which are operated in a continuous manner to make video pictures of respective parts of the area to be surveyed, said cameras being connected to a video recording apparatus via a multiplexer so as to record video frames from said cameras in a given alternation on a single first recording medium, together with address signals for individually identifying each of said frames, said recording taking place under control of a time base; and a data recording apparatus connected to said data base means and to external sensing means for sensing vehicle motion parameters, including the length, direction and inclination of the route followed by said vehicle, said data recording apparatus recording, under control of said time base, on a second recording medium relevant data from said data base means together with output information of said sensing means, said apparatus producing respective address signals for identifying corresponding video frames on said first recording medium; wherein said stationary unit includes: video display means for reproducing, on a plurality of display screens, the video information on said first recording medium via a de-multiplexer, the latter separating the video frames recorded on said medium into individual series each corresponding to the video camera from which the frames in question originated; data reproducing means for reproducing the data recorded on said second recording medium, and for storing said data in a data inventory system, the addresses stored therein being used for selecting the corresponding video information on said first recording medium; and data processing means for combining and recording, on a suitable third recording medium, a selection of said video and data information originating from said first and second recording media.