In 1965, Electronics Magazine published a piece by Gordon Moore, co-founder of the Intel Corporation, which has since become a philosophy of sorts for computer engineers. The piece, entitled “Cramming More Components onto Integrated Circuits,” predicted exactly how computers would become vital components of everyday life. Perhaps it was Moore’s background in the physical sciences that led him to an almost biological observation about how computers were evolving — they were becoming smaller and more powerful.
This influential article spawned the concept of “Moore’s Law,” which states that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years. This observation turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it became the de facto industry guide in computing. This philosophy moved beyond the concept of transistors to concepts of memory, processing speed and even the number of pixels on a monitor. This evolution was important as many industries saw size as a limiting factor for utilizing computers.
As they evolved, computers became integrated into everyday life. Indeed, smaller, more powerful computer processors helped bring the power of computing to the traffic industry, and with it a new world of possibilities for traffic engineers to create safe, efficient roadways and intersections.
Unfortunately, the abundance of devices now available to traffic engineers as a result of this evolution has pushed the size boundary for traffic cabinets. Today, it is not unusual for traffic cabinets to be stuffed full of equipment, a jumbled mass of electronics and tangled wiring that makes operating — much less maintaining — these cabinets an exercise in chaos. To help alleviate this chaos, Wavetronix is introducing the Click 650, a controller interface device that brings more power and potential to traffic cabinets while using far less space.
It seems that while the rest of the technological world was growing smaller, traffic cabinets were getting much, much larger. Cabinets from the 1960s, when Moore wrote his “law,” were around the size of a small suitcase; today, they are closer to the size of a household closet. Old cabinets were often packed to the brim with clock mechanisms needed to run pre-timed phases; today, the largest contributor to the increase in cabinet size has been the need for more components to operate more complex applications.
Wavetronix is known for creating top-of-the-line radar traffic sensors for ITS and traffic applications. At the intersection, SmartSensor Matrix and SmartSensor Advance have proven to be invaluable tools for traffic engineers, not only performing basic traffic detection functions, but also allowing users to create and utilize more intelligent and helpful applications.
But, once again, size is the issue. As big as they are, most traffic cabinets simply aren’t big enough to house all of the hardware needed for these more advanced applications. Kevin Burtt, an applications engineer at Wavetronix, says many traffic engineers are unable to get the full potential from their SmartSensors because of the physical limitations of their cabinets.
“One of the primary complaints from traffic engineers is that traffic cabinets are already crowded and they keep trying to pack in new devices as well as support our legacy devices,” Burtt says. “Oftentimes it’s impossible for them to take advantage of advances in technology because there is literally no space available.”
Traditionally, sensors like Matrix and Advance connect to a cabinet via its back plate, where power sources, surge protectors and communication devices such as Ethernet ports, are located. Data from the sensors is sent to a rack containing anywhere from two to 10 input file cards, depending on the application; these rack cards pass the data on to the controller as contact closures.
These cabinet devices represent the guts and brains of traffic applications, and they can be an organizational nightmare as cabinets overflow with cables and rack cards. The more complex the application — for example, if an application requires more detection zones at the intersection — then the more crowded and complicated a cabinet becomes, until there is no room for additional improvements.
In short, traffic cabinet interface technology has not kept pace with the traffic applications that take advantage of the data provided by advanced traffic detection.
In response, Wavetronix has created the Click 650, a cabinet interface device that allows up to 64 data channels in a slim, all-in-one package that adds more space to the traffic cabinet rather than taking it away.
Burtt says the philosophy behind the Click 650 is to bring everything needed to run an intersection with four SmartSensors into one package.
“It’s natural for us to try and place all the necessary items into one compact box. We want to provide all the necessary functionality to support Matrix and Advance installations,” says Burtt. “The Click 650 provides all the necessary components.”
The Click 650 is able to eliminate the need for a back plate because it houses a power supply, surge protection and communication ports. It also allows up to 64 channels of data output, effectively replacing 16 to 32 rack cards.
The device communicates directly with controllers via an SDLC port and also offers USB, serial and T-bus connectivity, all on the front of the device for convenient access. An OLED panel allows for many common communication and configuration functions to be performed on the device itself without the need for a laptop or other device.
All of this functionality is contained in a box that measures 10.3 x 3.9 x 7 inches (26.2 x 9.9 x 19.8 cm) with a 30.4 square inch (77.2 square cm) footprint –roughly the size of a child’s lunchbox.
"Oftentimes it's impossible for [traffic engineers] to take advantage of advances in technology because there is literally no space available."—Kevin Burtt, Applications Engineer at Wavetronix
The potential unlocked by the small size and high power of the Click 650 means big things for traffic engineers who want to benefit from some of the latest cutting-edge traffic applications. Departments of transportation are learning to use advanced data metrics not only to get a current picture of traffic, but also to use historic data to proactively fix problems while improving efficiency and safety.
More and more, DOTs are learning that you can’t always build your way out of tough traffic problems. The cliché of working “smarter not harder” has real-world application in the traffic industry: rather than the costly option of building more roads to handle more traffic, advanced traffic applications can more intelligently move higher volumes of traffic efficiently over existing infrastructure for a fraction of the cost of building new roads.
Burtt says the potential benefits from these applications are available to everyone utilizing Matrix and Advance detectors — the ability to gather all the data needed is already there — so long as they have the right tools in their traffic cabinets to handle the large amount of information required.
“It’s just not possible to do more advanced data metrics in addition to simple detection with the current limitations of cabinets,” Burtt says. “We want to bring the tools that allow traffic engineers to unlock the full potential of their intersections. Click 650 is one giant leap in that direction.”■
