Wireless sensors enable new and more inventive applications

First published in Intertraffic Innovation News - June 2, 2020

TAGMASTER thumbnail_A985 Clinkum BankLoops’ days are numbered. According to Sensys Networksthat’s because agencies are discovering more and more traffic applications for safety and traffic flow that cannot be solved effectively with traditional loops. In instances where accuracy is critical and distance from power access is a challenge, wireless sensors are stepping up to do the job.

Sensys Networks quotes an example from Chinkum Bank, England.  The combination of poor visibility and vehicles that turn across opposite lanes of traffic, causing traffic to queue and stop without warning, creates a hotbed for safety and traffic flow issues.

To remedy this, the local traffic agency leveraged speed and length information from magnetometers produced by Sensys Networks and installed by Clearview Intelligence, to warn drivers in advance to slow down as they approach these junctions when vehicles are stopped ahead, avoiding a potentially dangerous scenario.

The system feeding these automated warning signs is impressively simple. Wireless sensors were chosen specifically for their accuracy and ability to be placed at distances that are impractical for inductive loops. Speed detection sensors monitor if there is any slow moving traffic signifying queuing traffic. Meanwhile, presence detection sensors monitor any stopped traffic waiting to turn into the side roads. An additional presence detection sensor monitors traffic driving towards the main road. The data from the sensors furthest from the control cabinet is relayed wirelessly via a repeater unit. This data is then used to trigger warning signs so drivers know if traffic is stopped or turning up ahead.

In addition to this use case, wireless sensors are especially advantageous for applications like adaptive control, midblock and advance detection, and metering on highway entrance ramps. Now, with wireless sensors in their toolkit, agencies are expanding the boundaries of what is possible for improving safety and traffic flow in their roadways.

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