HEADWAY SENSING FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED AND GUIDED VEHICLES

THE GOAL WAS TO ASSESS THE STATE-OF-THE-ART IN HEADWAY SENSING EQUIPMENT AND RECOMMEND PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND BREADBOARD PROGRAMS WHICH WOULD TEST, EVALUATE AND DEMONSTRATE THE TECHNOLOGY APPLICABLE TO SINGLE MODE AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED GUIDEWAY VEHICLES (ACGV'S). A SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED OF CURRENTLY OR POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE METHODS OF MEASURING SHORT HEADWAYS (LESS THAN 3 TIMES THE REQUIRED STOPPING DISTANCE) TO AN IMMEDIATELY PRECEEDING LEAD VEHICLE. THE REPORT DOES NOT DISCUSS HEADWAY CONTROL, SWITCHING, OR MERGING. THE PAPER SUMMARIZES THE HISTORY OF HEADWAY SENSING, DESCRIBES GENERAL OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, WAYSIDE SENSING EQUIPMENT, AND VEHICLE- MOUNTED EQUIPMENT WHICH HAS BEEN PROPOSED, BUILT, IMPLEMENTED, OR TESTED IN VEHICLE SEPARATION SYSTEMS. THE REPORT SUMMARIZES THE TECHNICAL FEATURES, OPERATION CHARACTERISITICS, AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF VEHICLE-MOUNTED AND GUIDEWAY-MOUNTED HEADWAY MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS, WHICH ARE POTENTIALLY CAPABLE OF CONTROLLING THE SEPARATION BETWEEN AUTOMATIC VEHICLES OPERATING ON A GUIDEWAY. THE STUDY ALSO DESCRIBES THE SYSTEMS PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS ACCURACY, SIZE RELIABILITY, AND POWER; PRESENTS THE FUNCTIONAL FLOW DIAGRAM OF THE SYSTEMS ESTIMATES, SYSTEMS COSTS; AND FORECASTS ENGINEERING EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. THE SURVEY STRESSES NEAR TERM APPLICATION OF VEHICLE-BORNE MICROWAVE SENSORS, WAYSIDE PRESENCE DETECTION AND SENSING NETS TO MEASURE RANGE AND RANGE RATE BETWEEN VEHICLES. THE 10-MILE GUIDEWAY, 100- VEHICLE DESIGN POINT SYSTEM, IS THE REFERENCE INSTALLATION UPON WHICH THE NUMBER OF SYSTEM COMPONENTS, SYSTEM COST, AND SYSTEM RELIABILITY IS BASED. DATA ON OTHER INDIRECT SENSING AND PROFILE CONTROL HEADWAY SYSTEMS ARE ALSO INCLUDED. /UMTA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • PROJ NO TRD-73
• Corporate Authors:

  Johns Hopkins University, Laurel

  Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road
  Laurel, MD  United States  20723-6099
• Publication Date: 1970-9

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic control; Costs; Detection and identification; Detectors; Guideways; Headways; Vehicles
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Terminals and Facilities; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226490
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 7 1972 12:00AM