FLASH: A DISABLED VEHICLE DETECTION SYSTEM

THE "FLASH LIGHTS AND SEND HELP" (FLASH) SYSTEM USES AN ELECTRO-OPTICAL DETECTOR DESIGNED TO ENABLE PASSING DRIVERS CONVENIENTLY TO SUMMON ASSISTANCE FOR MOTORISTS IN DISTRESS. THE DRIVER SIGNALS, AT DESIGNATED REPORTING STATIONS, BY FLASHING HIS HIGH-BEAM LIGHTS THREE TIMES. A ROADSIDE UNIT DETECTS THE HEADLIGHT FLASHES AND NOTIFIES A CENTRAL MONITORING STATION, WHOSE OPERATOR DISPATCHES A SERVICE VEHICLE TO THE PROPER SECTION OF ROAD. THE DETECTOR PERFORMS RELIABLY OVER A RANGE OF 1000 FEET DURING DAYLIGHT OR DARKNESS, BRIDGING AN ILLUMINATION RATIO OF 1:1000,000 WITHOUT A MECHANICAL IRIS. THE CONCEPT, DESIGN, AND MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE SYSTEM ARE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, E.G., DAY AND NIGHT OPERATIONS, VARIATIONS IN WEATHER, RANDOM REFLECTIONS, PUBLIC SAFETY, VANDALISM, AND MAINTENANCE. A DETECTOR KNOCKDOWN ALARM, SYSTEM TEST MODE, AND AN AUDIO ALARM ARE INCORPORATED ON AN ILLUMINATED ROAD-STATUS DISPLAY PANEL LOCATED AT THE CENTRAL MONITORING STATION. A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM IS BEING INSTALLED ON A 50-MILE SECTION OF INTERSTATE 4 BETWEEN TAMPA AND ORLANDO AND WILL BE OPERATED BY THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL DURING A ONE-YEAR EVALUATION PERIOD. /AUTHOR/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00189545
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol Vt-19, PP 82-89
• Authors:
  • Meiselbach, C J
  • Wisepart, I S
  • Inhelder, H R
  • Emery, R H
• Publication Date: 1970-2

Media Info

• Serial:
  • IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
  • Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • ISSN: 0018-9545
  • Serial URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/mostRecentIssue.jsp?punumber=25

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Detection and identification; Detectors; Flashing; High beamed headlamps; Maintenance; Prototypes; Reflection; Safety; Traffic incidents; Vandalism; Weather
• Uncontrolled Terms: Disabled vehicles
• Old TRIS Terms: High beamed headlights
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225871
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Traffic Systems Reviews & Abstracts
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 2 1970 12:00AM