~etroCount ® The Traffic Data Specialists Roadside Unit Operator Guide MetroCount 5600 Series January 2002 ® ©MetroCount
Contents MetroCount 5600 Roadside Unit......................................................................1 Overview.....................................................................................................1 Roadside Unit Operating States..................................................................1 Roadside Unit Status LEDs ..............................................................................2 Roadside Unit Communications...........................................................
MetroCount 5600 Roadside Unit Overview This guide is an introduction to the operation and installation of the MetroCount 5600 Series Roadside Unit. For detailed software instructions, refer to your MetroCount Traffic Executive User Manual. The MetroCount 5600 Series Roadside Unit is a dual air-sensor data logging unit. The MetroCount 5600 is powered by a user-replaceable alkaline battery pack, giving up to 290 days continuous data collection. The PVC Main System Unit is totally weatherproof.
Roadside Unit Status LEDs The MetroCount 5600 has three Status LEDs, located near the air sensors. The A and B Status LEDs operate in either of the Roadside Unit’s active states. When an air sensor is triggered by an air pulse, the respective Status LED will flash. This allows you to check sensor installation, and easily identify problems, such as blockages. The Heart Status LED is used to indicate the Roadside Unit’s current state, as described in the table below.
Roadside Unit Memory Capacity Traffic volume at your site dictates how long it will take to fill your Roadside Unit’s memory. Higher flow rates result in shorter logging periods. Use the table below as a guide to how long a Roadside Unit will last at a given site, based on an approximation of daily volumes and axle hits per vehicle. Roadside Unit Memory Capacity Total Axle Events (maximum) 512K 240,000 1M 490,000 2M 990,000 Remember that once a Roadside Unit fills to capacity, it will shut down.
An important point to note is that the battery discharge curve is not linear. Initially, there is quite a drop in voltage before levelling out. With continuous use, the MetroCount 5600 will last for about 290 days before the battery pack requires replacing. Checking the Battery Level The Roadside Unit battery levels are displayed as part of the Roadside Unit status in either MCSurvey or MCSetLite.
To replace the MetroCount 5600’s main battery pack, you will require: • Replacement MetroCount battery pack. • 4mm hex driver (supplied). • A pair of pliers (optional). To replace the MetroCount 5600’s main battery pack 1. Remove the six screws from the MetroCount 5600’s lid, using the supplied 4mm hex driver. 2. Remove the lid. 3. Lift the existing battery pack from the base. 4. Disconnect both battery pack terminals. Refer to the connector tips below. 5.
Classifier Installation Overview The Roadside Unit can be installed in a variety of ways, with either one or two sensors. However, the most common approach is to use a Classifier Sensor Layout, which requires two sensors in parallel, approximately one metre apart. This section focuses on this sensor configuration, using rubber pneumatic tubes for the sensors. Warning: Installation and use of the Roadside Unit should be by competent, and, if and where applicable, duly qualified personnel.
Bidirectional Sites When surveying a bidirectional traffic flow, the preferred installation method is to use one Roadside Unit per lane. This approach will ensure the best achievable accuracy for a given site, in terms of volume, classification and speed. Preferred method for surveying bidirectional sites When installing one Roadside Unit across two lanes of bidirectional traffic, careful consideration must be paid to the level of resultant degradation of data quality.
Multilane Unidirectional Sites For multilane carriageways with unidirectional traffic, a Roadside Unit per lane must be used. If the sensors of a single Roadside Unit are placed across two or more lanes with traffic travelling in the same direction, the resultant axle events of multiple vehicles travelling in echelon may be indistinguishable from a heavy vehicle. Do NOT use this configuration! For a two lane carriageway with a central median, both lanes can be accessed using two Roadside Units.
• Chalk or lumber crayon. • Tape measure, or one metre stick. • High quality safety equipment including all safety equipment required by any relevant statutes or regulations in force and personal safety equipment. Sensor Installation The following section discusses the installation of a Roadside Unit using a Classifier Sensor Layout. The tips and techniques discussed here can be carried over to Count Sensor Layout installations. To attach a Figure-8 Cleat 1.
4. Seal the same end of each tube with two knots, adjacent to the cleats. 5. Secure both tubes to the road, using a road nail through the eyelet of each cleat. 6. Attach Figure-8 cleats to the kerb side of each tube, using two per tube, and secure to the road using road nails. Ensure that the tubes are parallel to each other, and perpendicular to the direction of vehicle travel. 7. Double-check that the tube spacing is one metre. 8. Stretch each tube 10% to 15% to minimise lateral movement.
Roadside Unit Setup The procedure for Roadside Unit setup is covered in your MetroCount Traffic Executive User Manual or MCSetLite User Guide. The following sections provide a reference for the Debounce setting, Direction Codes, and Lane Numbering. Debounce The Digital Debounce in the Roadside Unit eliminates spurious axle hits caused by tube slap from poorly installed tubes, or slow moving vehicles, as wheels roll onto and then off the tube.
The A tube should be the first tube hit by vehicles travelling on the side of the road on which the Roadside Unit is installed. The following tables provide a useful reference for matching a direction code to a given tube layout.
Bidirectional Direction Codes Direction Code Left-hand drive example Right-hand drive example 5 South bound A>B North bound B>A 6 West bound A>B East bound B>A 7 North bound A>B South bound B>A 8 East bound A>B West bound B>A Lane Numbering The lane number is used to distinguish data collected from multiple Roadside Units at one site. By convention, a lane number of zero (0) is used for sites where only one Roadside Unit is used.
For multiple installations at a single site, adopt a consistent lane numbering convention. For example, number the lanes consecutively, starting at one (1) from the north (north-south roads), or west (east-west roads). Count Installation The Roadside Unit can also be used in several Count Sensor Layouts, to obtain short-term count information. Each of the sensors can be placed independently of each other, and across multiple lanes. Alternatively, the sensors can be used in a split mode.
Factory Setup Under very rare circumstances, you may receive a Header is garbled message when trying to communicate with a Roadside Unit. This message usually indicates some unusual values in a Roadside Unit’s setup information. If you encounter this message, you will need to perform a Factory Setup operation in MCSurvey. A Factory Setup resets the Roadside Unit setup parameters, and switches the unit to its Active Logging state. This should then allow you to communicate normally with the Roadside Unit.
MetroCount Traffic Survey Equipment Warranty (Applicable for the MetroCount Roadside Unit) (Version 2002-01-01 - English Language Only) ATTENTION: Detailed below is a Warranty for Traffic Survey Equipment supplied by Microcom Proprietary Limited (“us”). To operate our equipment, our Software is required to be used, and any such use is governed by an End User License Agreement (EULA) between you and us.
Our Roadside Unit equipment contains embedded firmware, and other MetroCount products may contain embedded firmware. You may not transfer, rent, lease, lend, assign, copy, modify, translate, sublicense or electronically transmit or receive any MetroCount firmware contained in any of our products.
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