KR101276935B1 - Traffic signal controller and signal driving unit mounted on traffic signal controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A traffic signal controller and a signal driving unit mounted on the traffic signal controller are provided to reduce an installation space and installation expenses of the traffic signal controller. CONSTITUTION: A communication unit(120) communicates with a main control unit of a traffic signal controller. A signal light driving unit(140) outputs a signal light driving signal for driving multiple signal lights including a red signal light and a green signal light. A control unit(110) controls the signal light driving unit according to a control signal from the main control unit of the traffic signal controller received through the communication unit. A first terminal(130) is connected to a control board. A second terminal(150) connects output from the signal light driving unit to a connection line of each signal light. [Reference numerals] (110) Control unit; (120) Communication unit; (130) First terminal; (140) Signal light driving unit; (150) Second terminal; (160) Flickering driving unit; (170) Voltage/current sensing unit; (AA) Main control unit; (BB) Signal light

Description

Traffic signal controller and signal driving unit mounted on traffic signal controller

The present invention relates to a traffic signal controller and a signal driving unit mounted on the traffic signal controller, and more particularly, a terminal portion for connection with a control board of the traffic signal controller and a connection portion for a connection line to a signal lamp. The present invention relates to a signal driving unit integrated with the traffic signal controller in which a plurality of signal driving units are mounted.

Intersections and roads that require control of vehicles and pedestrians are provided with traffic lights such as stop lights (red lights), change signals (yellow lights), left turn lights (green left lights), and traffic lights (green lights). The traffic lights installed at the intersection are regularly turned on and off according to the traffic volume or time zone to control the traffic flow. A traffic signal controller is provided for controlling the regular traffic lights.

1 is an external front view of a conventional traffic signal controller, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a conventional traffic signal controller.

The conventional traffic signal controller includes a main control unit (MCU) 10, a signal lamp driver (SCU) 20, a guitar unit 30, a terminal box 40, and the like. It consists of enclosure 50 for protection

The main control unit 10 is a system that plays a pivotal role of the traffic signal controller, and includes one or more central processing unit boards and a plurality of loop detection units 11 detecting the presence, speed, and other information of the vehicle. And a power supply for supplying power to a modem 13 for communicating with a control center, a man-machine interface unit (MMI) 15 for inputting operation signals of a field operator, and a traffic signal controller. Device 17.

The traffic light driver 20 is a device for receiving a signal progress command of the main control unit 10 and outputting a control signal to a traffic light and monitoring the output result. The time progresses in accordance with the signal progress command from the main control unit 10. And a controller device 22 for instructing the registered output according to the present invention, and connected to the controller device 22 by a motherboard to output a signal for driving a traffic light according to a control signal from the controller device 22. Flasher unit (FLU, Flasher Unit) which flashes a traffic light when there is a flashing signal from the plurality of LSU (Load Switch Unit) 21 and the controller device 22 and the luminaire 21 that detect the output result. 23).

The other device unit 30 is a mounting space in which a control device having an independent computing system can be located inside the traffic signal controller. The independent control device that can be mounted therein may be a wireless input / output device, an independent image processing system, or an alternative detector. Control devices with functions related to signal control such as control systems, independent real-time control systems, and equipment used as field devices in wireless vehicle information collection devices, vehicle recognition systems, and other intelligent transportation systems (ITS) can be mounted. have.

The terminal box 40 is a space for connecting a power supply device to a traffic signal controller, a power line, a detector cable, a communication line, and the like, and the terminal block 40-1, .., 40-n, 40-0. ) Is accepted. To the terminal block 40-1, .., 40-n, 40-0, an AC output line from the luminaire drive device 21-1, .., 21-n or flasher 23 is connected. In addition, wiring to each signal lamp is connected to the terminal block 40-1, .., 40-n, 40-0, so that each lamp driving device 21-1, .., 21-n or the flasher 23 is connected. It is electrically connected to each traffic light.

The enclosure 50 has a rectangular box shape, and accommodates a main control unit 10, a signal lamp driving unit 20 and other device units 30, a plurality of field connection terminal blocks, a field register wire and a loop detector lead line therein. A space part for providing is provided.

However, in the conventional traffic signal controller of the configuration as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the output lines from the lamp driving apparatuses 21-1, .., 21-n and the flasher 23 are accommodated in the terminal box box 40. The wiring in the traffic signal controller housing 50 is complicated because it must be connected to the terminal block. In order to drive the signal lamp, one lamp driving device should be connected to AC signal line of 6 circuits (R, Y, A, G, PR, PG) normally. Must be able to embed As a result, the conventional signal controller must secure a large number of internal wiring cables and a spatial structure for accommodating the same in order to drive the field lamp.

The wiring structure of the AC signal cable inside the signal controller has an inefficient production structure that requires a lot of time for wiring and maintenance work. As a result, the stability deterioration due to the multiple wiring structures can greatly affect the signal controller quality. have. In addition, the space for accommodating the internal cable must be secured, so that the signal controller enclosure is inevitably enlarged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of this point, and a signal driving unit in which a traffic light driving circuit and a terminal block are integrated, and using such a signal driving unit simplifies the wiring in the traffic signal controller enclosure and reduces the size of the enclosure, thereby improving productivity and installing costs. It is an object to provide a reduced traffic signal controller.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a signal driving unit and a traffic signal controller which are equipped with a signal light control function, an abnormality detection function of a signal lamp, and the like to increase the operational stability of the traffic signal controller.

Traffic signal controller according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main control unit for outputting a control signal for controlling a plurality of traffic lights; A control board provided with a plurality of connection terminals to which the control signal line and the AC power line from the main control unit are connected; Is connected to the connection terminal provided in the control board and mounted, a communication unit for communication with the main control unit, a signal light driving unit for outputting a signal light driving signal for driving a plurality of signal lights including a red signal light and a green signal light; And a control unit for controlling the traffic light driver according to a control signal received from the main controller, a first terminal unit for connection to a control board, and an output from the traffic light driver to a connection line to each signal lamp. It is provided with a plurality of signal driving unit having a second terminal for.

The signal driving unit may include a communication unit for communication with a main control unit of the traffic signal controller, a signal light driver for outputting a signal light drive signal for driving a plurality of traffic lights including a red light and a green light, and the traffic received through the communication unit. A control unit for controlling the traffic light driver in accordance with a control signal from the control unit of the signal controller, a first terminal unit for connection with a control board, and a second terminal unit for connecting the output from the traffic light driver to a connection line to each signal lamp; .

The signal driving unit may further include a flashing driver for controlling the traffic light driver to apply a flashing signal to some or all of the traffic lights irrespective of the control signal from the control unit, wherein the control unit is a main controller of the traffic signal controller through the communication unit. Enables the flashing drive unit when an error occurs in communication with the controller.

The signal driving unit may further include a voltage / current sensing unit for measuring a voltage or current applied to each signal lamp. The controller enables the blinking driver when an error occurs in the voltage or current detected by the voltage / current detector.

The traffic light driver includes an AC relay for applying an AC voltage to each signal lamp, and a latch for receiving a control signal from the controller and applying a control signal to the AC relay. When the flashing drive is enabled, the output of the latch is disabled, and some or all of the AC relays are flashing.

It is preferable that the signal driving unit is integrally formed. The first terminal unit may be provided on a lower surface of the signal driving unit and connected to a connection terminal provided on a control board of the traffic signal controller. The second terminal part may be provided on an upper surface or a side surface of the signal driving unit.

The control signal lines from the main controller can be divided into two or more groups of control signal lines for stable operation. A plurality of signal driving units are connected to any one of the two or more control signal line groups to control the signal lamps in near real time with low delay time.

Each signal driving unit preferably has a unique address. The main control unit broadcasts the control data using the address, and the signal driving unit performs an operation according to the control data when control data having an address corresponding to its address is broadcast.

Further, the main control unit broadcasts a packet including control data for all signal driving units belonging to each control signal line group at predetermined time intervals, and each signal driving unit is configured to transmit status information to the main control unit at a designated time. Can be.

According to the signal driving unit and the traffic signal controller of the present invention having such a configuration, the signal driving unit may be assembled on a control board in the traffic signal controller and connected directly to a signal lamp in the signal driving unit. Wiring from the device to the terminal block can be omitted, which simplifies wiring and facilitates assembly. In addition, when a specific signal driving unit is broken, only the corresponding signal driving unit needs to be replaced, so maintenance is easy. In addition, since the signal driving unit senses the current / voltage to the signal lamp, it is possible to increase the operational stability of the field signal with a simple configuration. In addition, since the space for wiring can be reduced, the size of the traffic signal controller can be reduced, and thus the space for installing the traffic signal controller can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of installing the traffic signal controller and improving the aesthetics of the city.

1 is an external front view of a conventional traffic signal controller.
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a conventional traffic signal controller.
3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a traffic signal controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing an example of a communication method that can be used between the main control unit and the signal driving unit in the present invention.
5 is a block diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of a signal driving unit.
6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a traffic light driver and a blinker driver.
7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a voltage / current detector.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a traffic signal controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The traffic signal controller of the present embodiment includes a control board provided with a main controller 200 for outputting control signals for controlling a plurality of traffic lights, and a plurality of connection terminals to which control signal lines and AC power lines from the main controller 200 are connected. 300 and a plurality of signal driving units 100 connected to and mounted on the connection terminals provided on the control board 300.

The main control unit 200 performs the same function as the main control unit of the existing traffic signal controller, and includes one or more central processing unit boards, a plurality of loop detection boards for detecting the presence, speed, and other information of the vehicle. , A communication device for communicating with the control center, a man-machine interface unit (MMI) for inputting operation signals from the field operator, and a power supply device for supplying power to the traffic signal controller. have. In addition, in the present invention, the main controller 200 communicates with the plurality of signal driving units 100 to transmit a control signal for controlling the signal driving unit 100 and receives status information from the signal driving unit 100. .

The control board 300 has a connection terminal to which a plurality of signal driving units 100 can be assembled. The connection terminal may be a connector in which the signal driving unit 100 may be assembled, or may be a PCB terminal in which the signal driving unit 100 is directly assembled to the control board 300 by soldering or the like. In the control board 300, a communication line and an AC power line with the main control unit 200 are wired to each connection terminal in a PCB pattern.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the control signal lines from the main controller 200 are divided into two or more control signal line groups, and the signal driving unit 100 is connected to any one of the control signal line groups. In the drawing, the main controller 200 is configured to communicate with two groups of signal driving units using two groups of control signal lines. However, the main controller 200 may be configured to communicate with one group or divided into three or more groups. .

The main controller 200 performs 1: n communication with the signal driving units 100 connected to the control signal lines of each group. In FIG. 3, odd-numbered signal driving units form one group and even-numbered signal driving units form another group.

4 shows some examples of a communication method between the main controller 200 and the signal driving unit 100. 4 (a) shows that the main controller 200 communicates with the signal driving units of each group every 100ms, but after transmitting and receiving data with the group # 1 (odd group), the data is transmitted and received with the group # 2 (even group). An example is shown. 4 (b) shows that the main controller 200 communicates with the signal driving units of each group every 100 ms, while simultaneously transmitting data to the group # 1 and receiving data from the group # 2, and then to the group # 2. Shows the case of receiving data from group # 1 while transmitting data. In addition, the transfer to group # 1 and the transfer to group # 2 are simultaneously performed in FIG. 4 (b), the transfer to group # 1, the transfer to group # 2, and the group # 1 from FIG. Various types of communication schemes can be implemented, such as reception and reception from group # 2. In addition, the communication period with each group can also be appropriately changed according to the number of connected signal driving units, the processing capability of the main controller, the processing capability of the signal driving unit, and the like.

The control board 300 is provided with a connection terminal for connection with the main controller 100, and a connection terminal for mounting each signal driving unit 100 is provided. As the connection terminal, a copper wire pattern for soldering on a printed circuit board (PCB) may be used, or a separate connector may be used. That is, the signal driving unit 100 may be assembled to the control board 300 by soldering or by using a separate connector.

As shown in FIG. 5, the signal driving unit 100 outputs a signal driving signal for driving a plurality of traffic lights including a communication unit 120 for communication with the main controller 200 and a red traffic light and a green traffic light. A first signal for connection with the control unit 110 and a control board 300 for controlling the traffic light driver 140 according to a control signal from the main controller received through the communication unit 120. The terminal unit 130 and the second terminal unit 150 for connecting the output from the traffic light driver 140 to the connection lines to the respective traffic lights are provided. The signal driving unit 100 may further include a state display unit (not shown) using an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like for indicating the state of the signal driving unit 100.

In addition, the signal driving unit 100 may include a flashing driver 160 for controlling the traffic light driver 140 to apply a flashing signal to some or all of the traffic lights irrespective of the control signal from the control unit 110, and to each of the traffic lights. A voltage / current detector 170 may be further provided to measure an applied voltage or current.

The communication unit 120 communicates with the main control unit 200 using a communication method such as RS485 capable of 1: N communication. By using the RS485 communication method, it is possible to connect a plurality of signal driving unit 100 to the main control unit 200, it is possible to achieve a communication speed up to MBPS (Mega Bits Per Second) unit, the communication speed is fast, two strands There is an advantage that communication is possible only by wire.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the traffic light driver 140 receives the AC relays 143a, 143b, and 143c for applying an AC voltage to each signal lamp, and receives a control signal from the control unit 110. A latch 141 for applying a control signal to 143c is provided.

The flashing driving unit 160 outputs a flashing signal outputting unit 163 for outputting a flashing signal and, when enabled, the flashing output enabling unit 161 for disabling the output of the latch 141 and enabling the flashing signal outputting unit 163. ). In FIG. 6, the flashing output enable unit 161 normally maintains low to enable the signal output of the latch 141. However, the flasher output enable unit 161 receives the flashing driver enable signal from the controller 110. 161 becomes high to disable the signal output of the latch 141 and drive the flashing signal output unit 163. The blinking signal output unit 163 may be configured to drive a part or all of the AC relays 143a, 143b, and 143c by blinking. In FIG. 6, only the AC relay 143c controlling the red light blinks and drives. Is showing.

The controller 110 disconnects / disconnects a signal line or a signal light signal when an error occurs in communication with the main controller 200 through the communication unit 120 or from a voltage or current detected by the voltage / current detector 170 to a signal lamp. When it is determined that an abnormality such as a contradiction occurs, the blinking driver 160 is enabled to drive the entire traffic light or the specific traffic light. In FIG. 6, the blinking driver 160 blinks only the AC relay 143c which controls the red light. That is, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, when an error occurs in communication with the main controller 200 or when an error occurs in a signal lamp from a voltage or current detected by the voltage / current detector 170, only a red lamp blinks. , The remaining traffic lights go out.

The voltage / current sensing unit 170 measures the AC current and / or AC voltage flowing into the traffic light driver 140 and transmits the measured AC current to the controller 110. An embodiment of the voltage / current sensing unit 170 is shown in FIG. 7. The voltage / current detector 170 of FIG. 7 includes a voltage / current detection circuit 161 for measuring an AC voltage and / or an AC current applied to the traffic light driver 140, and an amplification circuit for amplifying the detected signal ( 163, a smoothing circuit 165 for converting the amplified signal into a direct current signal, and an A / D converter 167 for converting the converted direct current signal into a digital signal. Meanwhile, the A / D converter 167 may be implemented in the controller 110.

As the voltage / current detection circuit 161, a voltage detection circuit and a current detection circuit which are generally used may be used. For example, a current flows through the AC power line by using a photo-coupler connecting a diode to the AC power line supplied to the traffic light driver 140 or by installing a pickup coil on the AC power line. Can be detected.

The control unit 110 determines whether the connection line to the traffic light is disconnected or shorted or the traffic light contradiction state according to the signal from the voltage / current detection unit 170.

The signal driving units 100 may be configured to have unique addresses. In this case, the main control unit 200 broadcasts the control data using this address, and the control unit 110 of the signal driving unit 100 broadcasts the control data having an address corresponding to its address. In this case, an operation according to the control data is performed. In addition, it is also possible to set a separate address to specify that the data sent to the entire signal drive unit (100).

The main control unit 200 broadcasts a packet including control data for all signal driving units 100 belonging to each control signal line group at a predetermined time, and each signal driving unit 100 transmits state information at a time designated to the control unit. It may be configured to transmit to the main control unit 200. The control data for the entire signal driving unit 100 may include an address of each signal controller, control information for the corresponding signal controller, information for error check coding or error correction coding, and the like.

The data transmitted from the main control unit 200 to the signal driving unit 100 includes a control command of each signal lamp, option information on how to operate a blinking function in the event of a traffic light abnormality or a communication error, and the like. The data transmitted to the main control unit 200 may include information regarding a driving state of each signal lamp of the signal driving unit.

The signal drive unit 100 is preferably composed of its components integrally. For example, all the components of the signal driving unit are mounted in one case, and the first terminal unit 130 is connected to the connection terminal provided on the control board of the traffic signal controller provided on the lower surface of the case, and the second terminal unit ( 150 may be configured to be exposed to the top or side of the signal driving unit.

8 shows an embodiment in which the signal driving unit 100 is assembled to the control board 300 by soldering or the like. In FIG. 8, the first terminal 130 of the signal driving unit 100 is connected to the connection terminal A of the control bobbin 300 by soldering or the like. Connecting lines B to respective traffic lights are connected to the second terminal 150.

As the connection terminal, a copper wire pattern for soldering on a printed circuit board (PCB) may be used as shown in FIG. 8, or a separate connector may be used. That is, the signal driving unit 100 may be assembled to the control board 300 by soldering or by using a separate connector.

In addition, the connection line (B) to each signal lamp may be configured to be directly coupled to the second terminal 150, or harnessing the connector for connection with the second terminal 150 to the connection line (B) It is also possible to configure the second terminal 150 to be a connector compatible with the connector, and to connect the connector of the connecting line to the second terminal 150.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In other words, within the scope of the present invention, all of the components may be selectively operated in combination with one or more. In addition, although all of the components may be implemented as one independent hardware, some or all of the components may be selectively combined to perform a part or all of the functions in one or a plurality of hardware. As shown in FIG. Codes and code segments constituting the computer program may be easily inferred by those skilled in the art. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium and read and executed by a computer, thereby implementing embodiments of the present invention.

Furthermore, the terms "comprises", "comprising", or "having" described above mean that a component can be implanted unless otherwise specifically stated, But should be construed as including other elements. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Terms used generally, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted to coincide with the contextual meaning of the related art, and shall not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100 signal drive unit
110 control unit
120 Communication Department
130 Terminal 1
140 traffic light driver
150 Terminal 2
160 blinker
170 voltage / current detector
200 topic fisherman
300 control board

Claims (12)

A signal driving unit mounted on the control board of the traffic signal controller,
Communication unit for communication with the main control unit of the traffic signal controller;
A traffic light driver for outputting a traffic light drive signal for driving a plurality of traffic lights including a red traffic light and a green traffic light;
A control unit controlling the traffic light driver in accordance with a control signal from the main controller of the traffic signal controller received through the communication unit;
A first terminal unit for connection with a control board;
A second terminal section for connecting the output from the traffic light driver to connection lines to the respective traffic lights;
Signal driving unit having a. The method of claim 1,
The signal driving unit further includes a flashing driver for controlling the traffic light driver to apply a flashing signal to some or all of the traffic lights irrespective of a control signal from the control unit controlling the traffic light driver,
And the control unit enables the blinking drive unit when an error occurs in communication with the main control unit of the traffic signal controller through the communication unit. The method of claim 2,
The signal driving unit further includes a voltage / current sensing unit for measuring a voltage or current applied to each signal lamp,
And the controller enables the blinking driver when an abnormality occurs in the voltage or current sensed by the voltage / current detector. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
The traffic light driver includes an AC relay for applying an AC voltage to each signal lamp, a latch for receiving a control signal from the controller and applying a control signal to the AC relay,
And when the blinking driver is enabled, disables the output of the latch, and drives part or all of the AC relays by blinking. The method of claim 1,
The signal drive unit is composed integrally,
The first terminal portion is provided on the lower surface of the signal driving unit is connected to the connection terminal provided on the control board of the traffic signal controller,
The second terminal portion is a signal driving unit, characterized in that provided on the top or side of the signal driving unit. A main controller outputting control signals for controlling a plurality of traffic lamps;
A control board provided with a plurality of connection terminals to which the control signal line and the AC power line from the main control unit are connected;
Is connected to the connection terminal provided in the control board and mounted, a communication unit for communication with the main control unit, a signal light driving unit for outputting a signal driving signal for driving a plurality of signal lights including a red signal lamp and a green signal lamp; And a control unit for controlling the traffic light driver according to a control signal received from the main controller, a first terminal unit for connection to a control board, and an output from the traffic light driver to a connection line to each signal lamp. A plurality of signal driving unit having a second terminal portion for;
Traffic signal controller having a. The method according to claim 6,
The control signal line from the main controller is divided into two or more control signal line groups,
And the plurality of signal driving units are connected to any one of the two or more control signal line groups. The method of claim 7, wherein
The plurality of signal driving units each have a unique address,
The main control unit broadcasts control data using the address,
And the signal driving unit performs an operation according to the control data when control data having an address corresponding to its address is broadcast. 9. The method of claim 8,
The main control unit broadcasts a packet including control data for all signal driving units belonging to each control signal line group at predetermined time intervals.
Each signal driving unit transmits the status information to the main control unit at a designated time to the traffic signal controller. The method according to claim 6,
The signal drive unit is composed integrally,
The first terminal portion is provided on the lower surface of the signal driving unit is connected to the connection terminal provided on the control board of the traffic signal controller,
The second terminal portion is a traffic signal controller, characterized in that provided on the top or side of the signal driving unit. The method according to claim 6,
The signal driving unit
A flashing driver for controlling the traffic light driver to apply a flashing signal to some or all of the traffic lights irrespective of the control signal from the control unit;
It further includes a voltage / current detection unit for measuring the voltage or current applied to each signal lamp,
The controller may enable the blinking driver when an error occurs in communication with the main controller of the traffic signal controller through the communication unit or when an error occurs in a voltage or current detected by the voltage / current detector. Traffic signal controller. The method of claim 11,
The traffic light driver includes an AC relay for applying an AC voltage to each signal lamp, a latch for receiving a control signal from a controller and applying a control signal to the AC relay,
The blinking driver disables the output of the latch when the blinking driver is enabled, and drives part or all of the AC relays by blinking.

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