Innovations and patents from DataCollect
Innovation can be claimed – or proven. DataCollect has been developing measurement systems and displays for traffic data and road safety since 1993 and holds its own intellectual property rights, which can be verified in the relevant registers: three registered EU trade marks with the EUIPO and two granted patents with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and the European Patent Office. This page lists the intellectual property rights by number and date, places them within the context of the company’s development history, and specifies which technologies are in use today – and which are still under development.
Over 30 years of development: the milestones
DataCollect was founded in 1993 by Christof Herrlich. It all began as a service provider for traffic counting and as a supplier of traffic measurement technology. Increasing customer demands and the company’s own ideas led to the development of proprietary systems in the 2000s. This is how DataCollect used the feedback to invent the DSD speed display. The smiley face helped speed displays achieve a market breakthrough worldwide and promotes road safety; DataCollect still holds the trademark, and it remains an integral part of the company’s DNA. This was followed shortly afterwards by the first SDR side-radar measurement system, which enabled automated counting and classification at simple cross-sections. Following myTrafficData in 2013, the first cloud-based solutions for mobile traffic data collection were introduced – designed for generating reports and analysing traffic counts. In 2016, DataCollect entered the field of AI video analysis; the underlying technology was at Intertraffic in the first mobile counting system. The ARGOS product line is based on this technology and our extensive experience.
| Stage | Period | What came of it |
|---|---|---|
| Founded in Kerpen | 1993 | Launched as a service provider for traffic monitoring and a supplier of traffic measurement technology; over 30 years of continuous development in Germany |
| DSD speed display with Smiley | first in-house development, 2000s; trademarks registered on 17 January 2006 | Invention of feedback in the speed display; ‘Smiley’ and ‘Frownie’ figurative marks registered with the EUIPO (2007) |
| SDR side-view radar | shortly afterwards | Automated counting and classification at simple cross-sections; today known as SDR traffic and SDR Dual lane, covering up to 3 lanes and 4 or 6+ length classes |
| myTrafficData cloud platform | 2013 | One of the first cloud solutions for mobile traffic data collection – for generating reports and analysing traffic counts; configuration, analysis and export, developed and hosted in Germany |
| Entry into AI video analysis | 2016 | DataCollect began fundamental development of Edge AI in 2016. The underlying technology was presented in 2018 at Intertraffic in the first mobile counting system. Following setbacks, the first mobile, fully automated Edge AI counting device, ARGOS, was launched in 2021 |
| ARGOS AI video detection | latest product line | Edge AI with analysis performed directly on the device; currently supports 11 object classes, with recounting possible up to 90 days retrospectively; an expansion to 14 object classes has been announced |
| ARGOS Generation 2 | 2026 | The second generation of AI video detection will be launched in 2026 |
| Patent for distance monitoring | filed on 11 November 2022 | German patent granted in 2024, European patent in 2026; associated product ‘Safe Bike’ under development |
Overview of registered intellectual property rights
All five intellectual property rights are registered in the name of DataCollect Traffic Systems GmbH and can be verified via the public registers: EU trade marks via the register of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the German patent via DPMAregister, and the European patent via the register of the European Patent Office.
| Intellectual property right | Number and register | Registered or granted |
|---|---|---|
| Word mark ‘datacollect’ | EU trade mark 008353021, EUIPO | 5 April 2010 |
| Frownie figurative mark (warned face) | EU trade mark 004839445, EUIPO | 10 May 2007 (filed 17 January 2006) |
| Smiley figurative mark (friendly face) | EU trademark 004839511, EUIPO | 26 July 2007 (filed 17 January 2006) |
| Patent ‘Traffic monitoring system and method for monitoring a distance’ | DE 10 2022 129 914, DPMA, IPC Class G08G 1/09 | Grant published 16 May 2024 (filed 11 November 2022) |
| The same application as a European patent | EP 4372714, European Patent Office | Grant notice 25 March 2026 |
Both figurative marks have been renewed with the EUIPO and are therefore still in force. A sixth intellectual property right, the patent ‘Cyclist feedback system for road traffic’, is documented on the patents page with the patent specification dated 3 May 2019 and the patent certificate dated 30 October 2025.
What is protected in the smiley symbolism
Two figurative marks are protected: the friendly face and the warning face in the dot-matrix-style display. Both were filed on 17 January 2006 and registered as EU trade marks in 2007. The protection applies to the symbols themselves, not the measurement method – the speed measurement carried out by a display is radar technology and is not protected under trade mark law.
- Two separate EU figurative marks: Frownie (004839445) and Smiley (004839511)
- Both marks were applied for on 17 January 2006, registered in 2007, renewed ever since
- The proprietor is DataCollect Traffic Systems GmbH
- It is the design of the signs that is protected, not the measurement technology behind them
- The signs are used in the DSD light, smart and pro versions, as well as in the DSD flex
This is relevant for local authorities because feedback via a face is the mechanism by which the display works: it responds without text and without penalties. The response threshold is 3 km/h; the digit height is 34 cm in the ‘light’, ‘smart’ and ‘pro’ versions, and 45 cm for the DSD flex.
The patent for monitoring distance
The method is protected under the title ‘Traffic monitoring system and method for monitoring a distance’. It was filed on 11 November 2022, the grant of the German patent DE 10 2022 129 914 was published on 16 May 2024, and the grant of the European patent EP 4372714 was announced on 25 March 2026. The classification under the International Patent Classification is G08G 1/09 – Traffic control and traffic monitoring systems.
The German patent certificate names Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Felix Hüning, Prof. Dr. Thorsten Ringbeck and Mario Lippoldt as inventors. The patent holder is DataCollect Traffic Systems GmbH.
The patent has been granted. The product based on it, Safe Bike, is currently under development and is not yet part of the product range. For enquiries regarding the stage of development, please contact the management team.
Where development performance has been independently assessed
A patent attests to novelty, not performance. There are other forms of evidence for performance. The ARGOS AI video detection achieved an accuracy of over 95 per cent in the Mobility Lab test, even with an average daily traffic volume of 70,,000 to 100,000 vehicles. For the SDR radar measurement technology, accuracy has been demonstrated, amongst other things, by extensive tests carried out by the Carinthian provincial government and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which use the SDR Dual Lane as permanent measurement points; it depends on the location and average daily traffic volume and is over 98 per cent for traffic counts.
| Type of verification | What it verifies |
|---|---|
| Mobility Lab test | Over 95 per cent accuracy of the AI-ARGOS video detection, even at DTV 70,000–100,000 |
| Tests by public sector clients | Accuracy of SDR radar measurement technology: over 98 per cent for counting, depending on location and traffic volume; demonstrated by the use of permanent measurement points by the Carinthian Provincial Government and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg |
| In-house reference measurements | Ongoing monitoring of SDR measurement quality |
| Register entries | Novelty and originality of the protected methods and marks |
| Association membership | Membership of the Federal Association for Road Safety Technology (BVST) |
| Certified workshop | In-house maintenance and repairs, with quality assurance prior to every release |
At ARGOS, data collection is carried out exclusively using anonymised object data; actual video recording is not necessary for this. Recounting – the ability to retrospectively amend measurement fields up to 90 days later and re-evaluate the data – is unique and stems from the same development work.
How DataCollect is developed
Development takes place in collaboration with users. Requirements from tenders and feedback from operational use are incorporated directly into the configuration and analysis tools. This is complemented by collaboration with Aachen University of Applied Sciences (FH Aachen), from which two of the three inventors of the distance-measuring patent also hail. Production, quality assurance and the certified workshop are all based in Germany, enabling short lines of communication between development, manufacturing and service.
- User feedback is incorporated directly into the further development of the analysis tools
- Research collaboration with Aachen University of Applied Sciences
- Development and production in Germany, based in Kerpen since 1993
- In-house quality assurance tests every product before it is approved for sale
- Certified workshop for maintenance and repair
- Open interfaces: data transfer via FTP or API to higher-level traffic data management systems
Person responsible for technical matters: Mario Lippoldt, Managing Director of DataCollect Traffic Systems GmbH, Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. (FH). He is named as the inventor in patent certificate DE 10 2022 129 914 and is responsible for product development in the areas of trafficdata collection and speed display. Contact: info@datacollect.com
Frequently Asked Questions
DataCollect holds the patent ‘Traffic monitoring system and method for monitoring a distance’, granted as German patent DE 10 2022 129 914 (grant published on 16 May 2024) and as European patent EP 4372714 (grant notice on 25 March 2026). The ‘Cyclist feedback system for road traffic’ patent is also documented on the patents page.
Three EU trade marks registered with the EUIPO: the word mark ‘datacollect’ (No. 008353021, registered on 5 April 2010) and the two figurative marks Frownie (No. 004839445, registered on 10 May 2007) and ‘Smiley’ (No. 004839511, registered on 26 July 2007).
DataCollect describes itself as the inventor of the smiley display. The trade mark protection can be substantiated: the two figurative marks for the friendly and warning faces were applied for on 17 January 2006 and registered as EU trade marks in 2007.
No. The underlying patent has been granted; the Safe Bike product is currently under development and is not yet part of the product range.
The ARGOS AI video detection system achieved an accuracy of over 95 per cent in the Mobility Lab test, even with an average daily traffic volume of 70,000 to 100,,000 vehicles. For the SDR radar measurement technology, accuracy has been demonstrated, amongst other things, by extensive tests carried out by the Carinthian provincial government and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which use the SDR Dual Lane as permanent measurement points; it depends on the location and average daily traffic volume and is over 98 per cent.
Development, production, quality assurance and the certified workshop are all based in Germany, at our Kerpen site. The myTrafficData cloud platform is developed and hosted in Germany.
Do you have any questions about intellectual property rights, the development status of a system or interfaces for your traffic data? Mario Lippoldt, Managing Director, will be happy to answer them: info@datacollect.com, telephone +49 2273 5956-0. For enquiries regarding systems and tenders, please contact the sales management team at lierenfeld@datacollect.com.