BR202013009607U2 - PRIORIZATION SYSTEM IN SEMAFORIC INTERSECTIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES - Google Patents

Abstract

PRIMORIZATION SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES, this model refers to the technical field of devices and systems to assist traffic light controllers, which is more specific to a system of prioritization at semaphore intersections for public transport vehicles, such as : buses, ambulances, fire engines, police vehicles among others. Each vehicle (C) receives a coded identifier TAG apparatus (2), which continuously emits the vehicle's identity or priority class through electromagnetic waves, which are captured by inductive loops (A) at the time the vehicle is passed over. which are installed below the track (E), at a certain distance from the traffic light intersection, and directly connected to the priority detector (3), physically located next to the traffic light control (B), which is responsible for making the reading the data received from the TAG (2) through the inductive loop (A), and identifying the vehicle (C), so that the signal controller (B) can apply programmed priority rules.

Description

"PRIORIZATION SYSTEM IN SEMAFORIC INTERSECTIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES".

The present model refers to the technical field of devices and systems to assist traffic light controllers, more specifically to a prioritization system at semaphore intersections for public transport vehicles, such as: buses, ambulances, fire engines, police vehicles between others. Each vehicle carries a coded identifier TAG apparatus which continuously emits the vehicle's identity or priority class via electromagnetic waves, which are captured by the inductive loops at the moment of the vehicle's passage over them, which are installed below the track. , at a certain distance from the semaphore intersection and directly connected to the priority detector, physically located next to the semaphore intersection controller, which is responsible for reading the data received from the TAG through the inductive loop, and for identifying the vehicle for that the signal controller can apply programmed priority rules.

Background There are systems that use predetermined timing of traffic lights, which allow the flow of public transport more efficiently. However, in most of these cases, this synchronization is only partially exploited, as public transport vehicles constantly interrupt their journey to embark and disembark people, causing them to miss synchronization times on predefined routes. There are also cases of manual priority triggering at remote-controlled traffic lights, either by a control center or an in-vehicle control, however, these systems depend on manual intervention at each pass of the vehicle through a specific intersection.

State of the art A PI0604619-3 A “Selective Priority System for Public Transport at Traffic Intersections” of the same applicant describes an identifier that continuously emits the vehicle's identity through an infrared cone of light in the invisible spectrum. When a vehicle passes a position reader that is located at some distance from the traffic light intersection, the position reader identifies the type of vehicle and sends the information via radio link to a priority manager, which gives the command to the traffic light controller. . Priorities are pre-set for each type of vehicle and the system operates without external intervention.

Defects, or difficulties that exist in the prior art This system requires a special infrared signal receiver that makes the system more expensive than inductive loop detection. In addition to this receiver, a radio wave signal transmitter is still required for a priority manager. The more equipment used to compose a system, the more sources of possible failure will be present in that system.

Another problem is that when working with light cones that point to pole-mounted equipment, any relatively large obstacle that may be present, even temporarily between the infrared signal source and the signal receiver, may block or impair communication, which occurs in a short time during the passage of the vehicle.

Another technology present in the current interference-prone system is data communication between position reader and priority manager via radio waves. If there is a radio wave source near the same frequency, it may interfere with communication between the equipment, causing system malfunction, depending on the case. The position detector is likely to suffer vandalism or damage from accidents that may cause its malfunction or calibration misalignment due to its exposure and the number of detectors that are required at large semaphore intersections.

Improvements to the product over the state of the art Because the composition described by this model has fewer components and less equipment, the system described in the format of this model ends up becoming more immune to failure than in the format currently used. The composition described by the present model also has fewer variables that can be influenced by the environment in which it is installed, since the inductive loop is basically an antenna and the whole system was designed to work with it, with no more infrared transmission and reception, no equipment. position detector and no radio wave identification relay. The inductive loop is also much cheaper and more accurate than infrared position sensing equipment and when installed it can measure exactly how far it is from the semaphore intersection, and this measurement does not change until there is a considerable road renovation. The selective priority system can also be installed using inductive loops previously installed on the track.

Another important improvement is that the inductive loop semaphore prioritization system is much less subject to any vandalism as it is fully accommodated within the semaphore controller housing and the inductive loop is under the track, with no components exposed.

Model development The signaling prioritization system for public transport vehicles consists of an emitting TAG that emits the vehicle identification or its priority class, through electromagnetic waves that are captured by the inductive loop, acting as the detector's receiving antenna. In turn, it acts by identifying that vehicle or its priority level and transmitting that identification to the traffic light controller, which changes the passage or blocking times of each lane from schedules received from the fleet management system. The emitting TAG is installed on the underside of the vehicle, emitting electromagnetic waves of specific modulation, amplitude, carrier frequency and signal bandwidth. The inductive loop has a specific shape and size and is installed on or just below the road paving layer, at a defined distance from the traffic light intersection, serving as an antenna for capturing the vehicle identification signal issued by the issuing TAG. The connection between the inductive loop and the priority detector is via cable. The priority detector is housed within the same box as the semaphore controller and is the equipment that identifies the vehicle, sending the corresponding identification, whether an individual or priority level identification, to the semaphore controller that applies the corresponding rule to it. it is received from the fleet management system or pre-programmed in the signal controller, changing the times of each signal. For this, it has an RS232 or RS485 interface and dry contact outputs to send the identification issued by the TAG to the semaphore controller. The priority detector is capable of identifying both a metal mass corresponding to a vehicle passing over the inductive loop and the information issued by the TAG, using the same inductive loop as antenna for both functions. Repeatedly alternating between two short time intervals, in the order of milliseconds, in a first interval, a signal emitted by the oscillator circuit is activated over the inductive loop and the TAG identification system is turned off to detect the presence of metal mass. By measuring the frequency of the oscillating signal and detecting a variation of that emitted frequency that occurs in the presence of a metal mass on the loop, the processor detects whether or not there is a vehicle on the inductive loop. In the following time interval the oscillator circuit is turned off and the TAG identification system is turned on, and the frequencies that the loop is capturing are read as an antenna. Whether a specific TAG carrier frequency is detected by the TAG detector circuit; The signal being received is demodulated by the demodulator circuit and the processor identifies the signal emitted by the TAG, which may be a standardized priority level or a unique identification. This data is then sent to the semaphore controller via dry contact or via RS232 or RS485 serial interface so that the decision to change traffic light times is made.

It is also possible to connect to the TAG an onboard control equipment capable of sending operating instructions to the TAG, changing the identification signal issued by it, to be captured by the inductive loop, or even deactivating it. This equipment is capable of communication with the TAG and computational capacity and can store electronic tables of priority rules according to its own capacities, which may include GPS location, clock, timetable and others. It may or may not also have a wireless connection to the fleet management system so that it is possible for the fleet management system to change vehicle TAG control rules according to vehicle position or other criteria. The semaphore controller may also have the ability to store priority rules that will apply as per the vehicle identification received from the priority detector. The semaphore controller may also be able to communicate with the fleet management system, which will have the same function of managing, adding, deleting and changing the semaphore controller's priority rules, such as internet communication or private network link for communication. , wired or wireless.

Depending on the model, the system can operate by applying priority rules in three ways: In the first mode of operation of the prioritization system the vehicle has a TAG that emits a fixed priority level signal but can be activated or disabled according to a predefined situation. This is the case with an ambulance which, for example, may have its priority over other vehicles activated only while its siren is on. This priority signal is captured by the inductive loop interpreted by the priority detector and its priority level is transmitted to the semaphore controller, which applies the configured priority rules.

In the second mode of operation of the prioritization system the vehicle has a TAG which can have its priority level adjustable through the control equipment communicating with the TAG. In this form of operation, the basic operation of the system is to transmit through the TAG a priority degree signal, which signal is captured by the inductive loop, interpreted by the priority detector and the identification of this priority degree transmitted to the semaphore controller. makes priority decisions according to predefined rules for the degree of priority detected through electronic tables present in the semaphore controller. Still in the same form of operation, it is possible that the control equipment connected to the TAG changes the priority level transmitted by the TAG according to pre-defined rules in electronic tables present in the control equipment itself or according to commands sent by the fleet management system. This second form of operation of the prioritization system turns out to be very similar to the first form of operation, but with greater possibility of control over the priority levels and the rules applied to each priority level in the semaphore controller. The fleet controller does not necessarily have to communicate with control equipment or the semaphore controller.

In the third way of operation of the prioritization system, it will not have any control equipment linked to the TAG, and the TAG will have a unique identification and the semaphore controller will be responsible for deciding the priority according to predefined electronic tables where the identification of the received vehicle, defining how much priority the vehicle needs for the semaphore intersection in question. The semaphore controller may also be able to communicate with the fleet management system by consulting at the same time the priority of the vehicle that has passed over the inductive loop and the rules to be applied and may dispense with the use of electronic tables.

In general rules, a traffic light prioritization system applies priority rules for a traffic light intersection through changes in traffic light times, so that when a vehicle is ahead of its travel the average lock time (red light) for the The vehicle is increased to compensate for its advance and, similarly, when a vehicle is behind schedule, the system causes the vehicle to stand for less time at the intersection concerned, increasing the average passing time (green light) to the vehicle.

System components: -TAG: A device that works autonomously when powered by electrical power, issuing the vehicle identification or its priority class, and can receive configurations of compatible control equipment through an RS485 or RS232 interface. -Inductive loop: loop installed on the road that serves as a signal reception antenna or vehicle presence identification at that point. - Priority Detector: Equipment that detects the priority and identity signals of vehicles and sends this data to the traffic light controller, which changes the opening and closing times of the traffic lights of the intersection in question. - Traffic light controller: equipment that physically accommodates the priority detector in your cabinet and is responsible for controlling the traffic light according to predefined time settings of each signal and vehicle priority ratings that can be changed by the management system. Fleet Fleet management system (not a part, but interacts with the system): Internet-connected computer program or a particular network link that remotely manages, includes, deletes, and changes priority system priority times and rules according to the priority class or vehicle identification for each semaphore controller. This system is also able, through control equipment connected to the TAG, to change TAG settings such as the degree of priority or ID issued, and to enable or disable it. -Control Equipment: Embedded computing equipment with RS485 or RS232 interface capable of sending commands to change the settings of the sending tag, to activate or deactivate it. You can optionally have your own external communication capability with the fleet management system and be instructed by it to change settings of the sending TAG, such as vehicle identification and issued priority level.

Explanation of Assembly and Device Operation When a vehicle passes an inductive loop connected to a priority management system, it is detected and assigned a priority level to the given traffic light intersection. The equipment that has the function of detecting priority signals received by the inductive loop and sending them to the semaphore controller is the priority detector. The semaphore controller, in turn, has the function of receiving the individual vehicle identification or its priority level from the priority detector to apply traffic light prioritization rules for the vehicle in question. These rules are defined through predefined electronic tables present in the semaphore controller or received from the fleet management system, which can receive queries about these rules in real time through requests from the semaphore controller as soon as a vehicle is detected, thus dispensing with storage. of the electronic tables in the semaphore controller. The traffic light of interest for each priority level will be increased or decreased according to the settings present in the traffic light controller or obtained from the fleet management system, always respecting the maximum and minimum safety limits.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objectives, advantages and other important features of the model under consideration may be more readily understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 01 is a schematic view of the operation of the prioritization system at semaphore intersections. public transport vehicles. Figure 02 is a block diagram of the semaphore intersection prioritization system for public transport vehicles. Figure 03 represents a schematic view of a semaphore intersection of the prioritization system in semaphore intersections for public transport vehicles. Figure 04 is a perspective view of the traffic light control box of the traffic light prioritization system for public transport vehicles. Figure 05 is a side view of the vehicle passing with the emitting TAG over the inductive loop, of the prioritization system at semaphore intersections for public transport vehicles. Fig. 06 is a front view of the vehicle passing with the emitting tag over the inductive loop, of the prioritization system at semaphore intersections for public transport vehicles.

Detailed description of the drawings As can be seen from the accompanying drawings which illustrate and form part of the present descriptive report of the present model of "Intersection Prioritization System for Public Transport Vehicles", this is a system for prioritizing intersection vehicles. semaphore, which uses its own inductive loops (A) or existing inductive loops, along with the semaphore controllers (B), to prioritize the passage of public transport vehicles (C) or public emergency services, the system being (1), comprised of using TAGs (2) transmitters installed in transport and utility vehicles (C), which constantly send the vehicle identification, or in a simpler version its priority class, which is captured by the inductive loop (A) (receiving antenna), and sent to the priority detector (3), which acts by identifying that vehicle and transmitting that identification. for the semaphore controller (B), which alters the semaphore light times (D), for the passage or blocking of each lane (E).

Figure Olé presents a schematic view of the operation of the prioritization system at semaphoric intersections (1), where the routes (E) are highlighted; the vehicles (C), with the transmitter TAGs (2) arranged at the front and bottom; the inductive loops (A) wired to the priority detector (3), which is connected to the semaphore controller (B); and the traffic light (D). In this view the operating system is shown, where the vehicle (C) with the emitting TAG (2) is passing the inductive loop (A), which identifies the signal and sends it to the priority detector (3), which processes the information and sends a priority identification and / or unique vehicle identification to the traffic light controller (B) so that the traffic light timing rules according to the detected vehicle can be applied.

Figure 02 shows a block diagram view of the prioritization system (1), showing the block (E), with the inductive loop (antenna) (A), the transmitter TAG (2) installed in the vehicle. (C), and an RS485 interface of the control equipment (F), for communication with control equipment of the sending TAG (2), for its configuration adjustments. The priority detector (3) is formed by an interface for the loop. inductive circuit (3A), an oscillator circuit (3B), a metal mass sensing circuit (3C), a bandpass filter (3D), a TAG detector circuit (3E), a processing circuit (3F), a demodulator (3G), an RS485 / RS232 output interface or dry contacts (3H) and a power input (31); and an external connection block (H) formed by the internet or private network link (I), a converter interface (J) and an alternating current (C.A.) power source (K).

Figure 03 shows a view of a traffic light intersection, where the traffic light (D) is shown, with the enclosure (G) of the traffic light controller (B), where the priority detector control equipment (3) is shown.

Figure 04 shows the enclosure (G) of the semaphore controller (B), where the priority detector control equipment (3) is shown.

Figures 05 and 06 show the front and side views of the priority system (1), showing the passage of the vehicle (C) with the transmitter TAG (2) over the inductive loop (A) installed on the track ( 3). The model described herein is not limited to these provisions but comprises other provisions provided that the same overriding characteristics remain.

Claims (7)

1.) "PRIMORIZATION SYSTEM IN SEMAFORIC INTERSECTIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES" means a system for prioritizing vehicles at semaphore intersections, using either own inductive loops (A) or already existing inductive loops along the roads. with traffic light controllers (B), to prioritize the passage of public transport vehicles (C) or public emergency services, and the system (1), characterized by the use of TAGs (2) emitters in transport vehicles and services (C), which constantly send a vehicle identification signal or, in a simpler version, its priority class, which will be picked up by the inductive loop (A) (receiving antenna), and sent to the priority detector ( 3), which acts by identifying this vehicle and transmitting this identification to the traffic light controller (B), which alters the traffic light times (D), for the passage or blocking of each vehicle. ia (E). 2.) "PRIMORIZATION SYSTEM IN SEMAPHORIC INTERSECTIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES" according to claim 1, the priority detector (3) comprises an interface for the inductive loop (3 A), an oscillator circuit ( 3B), a metal mass sensing circuit (3C), a bandpass filter (3D), a TAG detector circuit (3E), a processing circuit (3F), a demodulator circuit (3G), an output interface RS485 / RS232 or dry contacts (3H), a power input (31) and a fleet management system (4) that communicates with the semaphore controller (B) or control equipment (F) over the internet or of a particular network link (I). 3.) "SEMAFORIC INTERSECTION PRIORIZATION SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES" according to claim 1, the fleet management system (4) comprises internet connected computer program or a particular network link which remotely manages, includes, deletes and changes priority times and rules according to vehicle priority and / or identification class for each signal controller (B) or sends commands to connected control equipment (F) TAG (3E) of a vehicle (C). 4.) "SEMAFORIC INTERSECTION PRIORIZATION SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES" according to claim 1 is characterized by connecting to the TAG an on-board control equipment capable of sending to the TAG operating instructions, changing the identification signal or priority emitted by it, to be captured by the inductive loop, or even disable it. 5.) "SEMAFORIC INTERSECTION PRIORIZATION SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES" according to claim 4 is characterized in that the embedded control equipment can store electronic priority rule tables by applying these priority rules according to their own capabilities, which may include GPS location, clock, timesheet, and others, as well as whether or not you can wirelessly connect to the fleet management system so that the fleet management system can change the rules of your TAG control vehicle identifier according to vehicle position or other criteria. 6.) "SEMAFORIC INTERSECTION PRIORIZATION SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES" according to claim 1 is characterized by the TAG having a unique identification and the semaphore controller will be responsible for deciding the priority according to predefined electronic tables where the identification of the vehicle received, defining what degree of priority the vehicle needs for the semaphore intersection in question. 7.) "SEMAFORIC INTERSECTION PRIORIZATION SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES" according to claim 6 is characterized in that the semaphore controller is able to communicate with the fleet management system while at the same time consulting the priority level of the vehicle. vehicle that passed over the inductive loop and the rules to be applied and may not require the use of electronic tables.