Part II Using SmartSensor Manager CHAPTER 3 - Getting Started with SmartSensor Manager CHAPTER 4 - Communication CHAPTER 5 - Sensor Settings CHAPTER 6 - Lane Setup CHAPTER 7 - Data Collection CHAPTER 8 - Tools CHAPTER 9 - Contact Closure Communications
Getting Started with SmartSensor Manager 3 In this Chapter Installing SmartSensor Manager About Screen Table of Contents After the SmartSensor is installed, it must be configured to the roadway for proper operation. The SmartSensor Manager (SSM) software is used to perform this configuration. SmartSensor Manager brings increased user-friendliness and improved functionality to the ITS industry’s only patented auto-configuration and autocalibration process.
4 CHAPTER 3 o GETTING STARTED WITH SMARTSENSOR MANAGER 6 7 8 the SSM install file. A File Download window will pop up. Click Save. In the Save As window, select where you would like the file to be saved, then click Save. Once you’ve downloaded the file, double-click on it to open SmartSensor Manager. About Screen To access information about the version of SmartSensor Manager you are using, as well as copyright information, go to Help>About SmartSensor Manager (see Figure 3.1). Figure 3.
CHAPTER 3 o GETTING STARTED WITH SMARTSENSOR MANAGER Figure 3.2 – Table of Contents Page Topic – Lists the available topics according to the setup of the software. Availability – Shows whether the information is available. If it is available, this column will show a Y. If it is not, this column and the one to the right of it will be blank. Type – Shows the type of information contained on the page.
36 CHAPTER 3 o GETTING STARTED WITH SMARTSENSOR MANAGER Figure 3.3 – Help Screen Note You can also access the Table of Contents help information for a given page by pressing the F1 key while on that page. Additionally, some pages have question marks in the upper right-hand corner that lead to their Table of Contents help pages. You can access the Table of Contents page from anywhere in SmartSensor Manager; an active sensor connection is not needed.
4 Communication In this Chapter Serial Connection Modem Connection Internet Connection Firmware Upload Connection Properties Address Book Communication Error When the SmartSensor Manager application is opened, you will be taken to the New Connection page, where you will be able to connect using one of three connection options: serial, modem, or Internet. Choose the desired method of connection and click OK.
38 CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Figure 4.1 – New Connection Page Clicking OK opens a connection page unique to each connection option. Each connection page contains three function buttons: Advanced, Cancel, and one that allows you to connect or dial. The advanced functions for each connection option are specific for each option. Serial Connection To make a serial connection, click the Serial (COM Port) radio button and then OK. The message below will appear (see Figure 4.2): Figure 4.
CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Advanced Serial Settings Click the Advanced button to change the Advanced Connection settings (see Figure 4.3). Figure 4.3 – Advanced Connection Settings PC Com Port Settings – By default, SSM is set to automatically detect PC com port & baud rate settings. To manually configure these settings, click the Specify PC com port & baud rate settings radio button. This will activate the Port # and Baud Rate (bps) drop-down lists.
40 CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Modem Connection Clicking the Modem (Phone #) radio button on the New Connection page and then clicking OK will allow you to connect to the SmartSensor using a modem. The Modem Connection page has a text box in which you can enter the phone number for the sensor’s modem (see Figure 4.4). Figure 4.
CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Figure 4.5 – Advanced Modem Settings Local Modem Settings – The initialization string and auto-find command can be entered in their respective text fields in the Local Modem Settings section. The Restore Defaults button will return these functions to their default settings. The port number and baud rate will be automatically detected by SmartSensor Manager, so these settings cannot be changed.
42 CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Internet Connection The Internet (TCP/IP) option will allow you to connect to the SmartSensor using the sensor’s IP address. The Internet Connection page has two text boxes in which you can enter the sensor IP address and port number (see Figure 4.6). The Connect button does not become active until both the IP address and port number boxes are filled. You can also establish an Internet connection using a domain name by entering that domain name in the IP address text field.
CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Figure 4.7 – Advanced Internet Settings Additional Response Wait Time – By default, SmartSensor Manager waits a few milliseconds to receive a response from the sensor before timing out and displaying a communication error message. You can add additional milliseconds to the response wait time to give the program more time to make a connection.
44 CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Figure 4.8 – Firmware/Software Compatibility Screen Upload Selecting Upload will upload the bundled firmware to the sensor, thereby eliminating any compatibility problems. The amount of time it takes to complete the upload depends primarily on your connection speed, but usually varies from 1 to 10 minutes. During the upload process, you can cancel at any time.
CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION SmartSensor Manager can be viewed by clicking on View Details. The differences between the two versions will be highlighted in red. Knowing the details of the detected differences may help you make a more informed decision about how to proceed (see Figure 4.9). Figure 4.9 – View Details Version – Shows the software version. Programmable Hardware – Shows the FPGA version. Year – Shows the year of of the version’s release in YY format.
46 CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Figure 4.10 – Current Connection Properties The page shows the following information about your connection: Type – Shows the type of connection (serial, modem or Internet). This will say Disconnected if the software is not currently connected to a sensor. Port / Phone # / Address – Displays information about the connection endpoint. This will vary based on the kind of connection made.
CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Select Open to access the most recently created or accessed address book file. This option is divided into two choices, Modem Entries and Internet Entries (see Figure 4.11). Selecting these will allow you to access all the modem or Internet entries in the address book. If you have not yet created an address book file, you will be prompted to do so now. Figure 4.
48 CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Figure 4.12 – Address Book for Modem Entries Use the buttons in the address book to work with entries and make connections: Select – Selects an entry to use to connect. When you have chosen the entry you would like to use to connect, highlight it in the list and click Select. This will close the address book and enter the desired information into the connection page. Note When accessing the Address Book screen using the menu options, the Select button is disabled.
CHAPTER 4 o COMMUNICATION Communication Error The Communication Error screen will appear if SmartSensor Manager can no longer communicate with the sensor. If such an error occurs, the Communication Error screen will give you the following options (see Figure 4.13): Retry – Tells SSM to try to communicate with the sensor again. Cancel – Stops the current operation as well as other operations that may be in process. Details – Shows error details. Figure 4.
5 Sensor Settings In this Chapter Sensor Info Sensor Settings Sensor Date & Time Operating Mode There are several ways to access and change sensor settings using SSM. Sensor Info Going to File>Sensor Info opens the Sensor Information page, which displays the properties unique to each sensor (see Figure 5.1). Figure 5.1 – Sensor Information Although the information cannot be edited, there must be an active connection to view the Sensor Information page.
52 CHAPTER 5 o SENSOR SETTINGS The Identification section information includes the following: Serial Number – Shows the 16-digit serial number given to the sensor by the manufacturer. It can be used to uniquely identify the sensor. Description – Shows the 32-character, user-created sensor description as set using the Sensor Settings screen (for more information, see the Sensor Settings section later in this chapter). It is used to describe the sensor and/ or the installation site.
CHAPTER 5 o SENSOR SETTINGS Figure 5.2 – General Tab Serial Number – Shows the 16-digit serial number given to the sensor by the manufacturer, used to uniquely identify the sensor. This is the only setting on this screen that cannot be edited. SmartSensor (Multidrop) ID – Allows you to enter a 4-character ID number. This number is used to identify the sensor on a multi-drop network. Each sensor on such a network must have a unique ID number.
54 CHAPTER 5 o SENSOR SETTINGS Measurement Units – Allows you to choose between English and metric measurements. Metric units are entered in decimeters so that the metric and English units can be converted more accurately. RF Channel – This allows you to assign specific RF channels to sensors that are installed in close proximity to each other to prevent the sensors from interfering with each other. Communication Tab The Communication tab allow you to change the following settings (see Figure 5.
CHAPTER 5 o SENSOR SETTINGS Note If you increase the response delay, you should also increase the additional response wait time that SmartSensor Manager uses when communicating to the sensor. Advanced Comm Register – The Advanced Comm Register on the SmartSensor holds two settings: Simple Protocol and Flow Control. The first setting selects whether Simple SmartSensor protocol is enabled or disabled. By default Simple protocol is enabled.
56 CHAPTER 5 o SENSOR SETTINGS lost. However, if there is only one sensor connected to the data bus, there should be no collisions in data push mode. Before you change to Data Push mode, select the desired port and data type from the drop-down lists provided. You can set the sensor up to push data over more than one port. You can also set it up to push multiple types of data over the same port.
CHAPTER 5 o SENSOR SETTINGS automatically determine the minimum lengths. Lane Setup – Allows you to change specific lane information such as lane name and direction of travel, for your own information and for identification. You can also change scale occupancy (loop size) and scale speed (loop spacing). The entry in these columns for each lane represents the manual scaling applied to the occupancy/duration and speed data.
58 CHAPTER 5 o SENSOR SETTINGS of the screen to save the changes from all three tabs. You can also use these buttons to discard all your changes and return to the old settings. Save to Sensor – Saves the changes you’ve just made to the sensor. If you do not push this button after making changes, they will be lost when you navigate away from this page. Open from Sensor – Returns all settings to those currently saved on the sensor.
CHAPTER 5 o SENSOR SETTINGS Figure 5.5 – Sensor Date & Time The Sensor Date & Time page includes the following three function buttons: Clocks icon – Performs a one-time synch of the sensor to the PC’s UTC time. Disk icon – Saves the new settings. Arrow icon – Undoes the changes. Operating Mode Selecting Edit>Operating Mode allows you to switch between Side Fire and Forward Fire operation modes.
6 Lane Setup In this Chapter Lane Configuration – Automatic Lane Configuration – Manual Verifying Lane Configuration Setting up lanes is simple in SmartSensor Manager because the software will do it for you with the click of a button. Additionally, if SmartSensor Manager is unable to correctly configure due to barriers, obstacles or irregular lanes, you can use the Manual Configuration mode to adjust. Note Free-flowing traffic in each lane is required for proper configuration.
62 CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP (see Figure 6.1). SmartSensor Manager will now automatically begin detecting and configuring lanes, and the screen will show a visual depiction of the lanes and vehicle detections in real time. Figure 6.1 – Confirming Automatic Lane Configuration 6 After the lanes have been detected and configured correctly, save the configuration by clicking the Finished button.
CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP 2 3 4 5 Click on one of the range blinders and drag its edge to the desired range (refer to the range markers on the left side of the screen). Repeat Step 2 for the other range blinder if necessary. Click the Restart button to apply the range blinders. When the range blinders are applied, they will turn from a red color to a dark khaki color. To cancel and use the default ranges, or to start over, or click the Range Blinders button again.
64 CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP No adjustments to the gain can be made once the configuration is saved to the sensor. However, the detection thresholds configured for the sensor during the automatic configuration process are based upon the current level of the gain and will continue to adapt for up to one minute after clicking the Finished button. Note The default starting point of 5 is also the largest starting point allowed. If you enter a value larger than 5 the default starting point of 5 will be used.
CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP 3 Once you’ve made the necessary adjustments, hit Finished to save your changes. Adjust Lanes The Adjust Lanes button allows you to click your cursor on any visible shoulder (gray line), lane divider (white line) or lane center (pink line) and drag it to the desired position (see Figure 6.3). The cursor will change from an arrow to a hand when it is positioned over a “draggable” line. Lane centers (pink lines) only appear when the cursor is placed directly over them.
66 CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP cursor to the desired lane. When the arrow changes to a hand, click and the selected lane will disappear. Construct and Remove Roads To insert a new road, click on the Construct Roads button and select a location anywhere in the background (khaki-colored) area. Make sure the cursor appears as a hand and then click to draw the road.
CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP Before After Figure 6.4 – Reverse Direction Click the mouse, and the arrow will reverse direction to verify the change has occurred. Using the Reverse Direction button only affects the SmartSensor Manager display, not the sensor or any detections, and is useful for verifying performance. Edit Lane Names By default, the SmartSensor identifies the lanes it configures as lane 1 up to lane 8, where lane 1 is located closest to the sensor.
68 CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP Figure 6.5 – Editing Lane Names To do this, click on the Edit Lane Name button and the Edit Lane Names window will appear. Highlight the current lane name by double-clicking on it, then type in the lane’s new alphanumeric identification of up to eight characters. Lane names can also be changed by going to Sensor Settings and clicking on the Data Collection tab (see chapter 7 for more information).
CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP Restarting Lane Configurations To completely erase the SmartSensor’s current configuration and restart the lane configuration routine, change from Manual back to Automatic mode by clicking on the Automatic button and then clicking on the Restart button located near the Update and Undo buttons below the Manual toolbar (see Figure 6.6). This erases all manual changes that have been made, and the SmartSensor Manager will automatically reconfigure the road for you.
70 CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP Note If the connection’s additional response wait time is greater than 500 ms, event and actuation information is not displayed on the screen. Traffic (Event) Data In Event mode, this screen allows you to verify the SmartSensor’s configuration by comparing the traffic on the road to event information shown in the window (see Figure 6.8). In order to keep a record of your verification results, the event data can also be saved to a log file while you remain on this screen.
CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP The four icons located at the bottom of the screen are active in this mode. They are, from left to right: View Event Counter – Brings up a real-time volume counter lane by lane (see Figure 6.9). Each time a vehicle enters and leaves the radar detection zone, the volume for the corresponding lane will increment accordingly. If counting needs to be paused for any reason, click on the Pause button; click the Play button to resume counting.
72 CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP timestamp, which is formatted using the local time zone settings on your computer in hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds, is the time the vehicle entered the detection zone. The lane name is a string of eight alphanumeric characters that describe the lane. The duration is the number of 2.5ms ticks that elapsed while the vehicle was in the sensor’s detection zone.
CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP Figure 6.11 – View Interval Data Before interval data verification is performed, do the following: 1 2 Specify the desired interval length in the Interval (Bin) Size edit box. To do this, enable the edit box by pressing Edit, then type the desired length of the interval in seconds and press Submit. The minimum interval allowed is five seconds. If you must cancel your changes, press Cancel and Refresh. Pressing Refresh button will restore the current interval length.
74 CHAPTER 6 o LANE SETUP The interval data in the Interval Data Screen is displayed in a table that contains the lane name, volume, speed, occupancy, and class. The lane at the top of the table is the lane closest to the sensor. At the bottom of the screen is a status bar that indicates the time the interval data table was last updated. It also displays the amount of time that has elapsed since this update. Lane Name – Displays the string of eight alphanumeric characters that describes the lane.
Data Collection 7 In this Chapter Data Collection Setup Data Download Data Logs Once you’ve set up your sensor and lanes, you can collect data for studies. This chapter outlines the steps necessary for data collection Data Collection Setup Go to Data Collection>Setup to prepare your sensor for a study. The screen that appears is divided into two steps: Configure Data Storage and Configure the Sensor (see Figure 7.1).
76 CHAPTER 7 o DATA COLLECTION Figure 7.1 – Data Collection Setup Step 1: Configure Data Storage The Interval (Bin) Size option specifies the interval of time over which traffic variables like volume, speed, occupancy and classification are aggregated. This type of data is called interval data. The minimum interval allowed is five seconds. By default, the checkbox next to Memory Overwrite is checked.
CHAPTER 7 o DATA COLLECTION Step 2: Configure the Sensor When you are ready to begin the study, click on the Start button to: Enable flash storage Save the selected settings to the sensor Synchronize the sensor date and time Erase stored data from both SRAM and flash memory It will take several seconds before the study actually begins. When the study does begin, the start time will be displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.
78 CHAPTER 7 o DATA COLLECTION Note This screen can be accessed via the Data Collection Download screen by clicking on the View Data Buffer Status button. The sensor’s SRAM buffer contains up to 246 of the most recent interval data records. This type of storage is temporary because SRAM is volatile—its contents will be lost if the sensor’s power supply is interrupted. The sensor’s flash memory buffer contains up to 2975 interval data records.
CHAPTER 7 o DATA COLLECTION Figure 7.3 – Data Download Download Interval Data Under the Download Interval Data section, click the Browse button. This will open a directory box where you can either create a new data download file log or locate an existing download file log. Once you’ve selected an existing file or entered the name of the new file, select Open. Next, select the type of download to perform.
80 CHAPTER 7 o DATA COLLECTION Data in the SRAM buffer contains the most recent information and will be downloaded first. If there is any data in the flash buffer, it will be downloaded second. However, before the data is written to the log file it will be reordered, so that the oldest data intervals will be near the top of the file.
CHAPTER 7 o DATA COLLECTION Note If intervals expire during (or immediately after) your download, you will be prompted to download the new intervals before you erase. If you are presented with the option to download and erase, it is recommended that you do so in order to prevent losing data. Data Logs Going to File>Data Logs . . . allows you to create new data logs, open existing ones, and export logs into 3 Card format.
82 CHAPTER 7 o DATA COLLECTION Figure 7.4 – Export Data Logs First, select the file to export by clicking the “. . .” button next to the Export File text field. This will open a directory where you can select the log to be exported. Next is a spot to select the format for export. Currently the only supported destination file format is 3 Card (for more information about this format, see the FHWA’s Traffic Monitoring Guide, available from fhwa.dot.gov). Click Continue.
CHAPTER 7 o DATA COLLECTION Figure 7.5 – Step 3 of Export Process Click Finish to create the 3 Card file. (To see the file immediately, click the Open 3 Card export file when finished box.) SmartSensor Manager will take the entered information and format the file according to 3 Card standards.
8 Tools In this Chapter Hyperterminal Firmware Upload The Tools menu allows you to view and send messages to and from the sensor, as well as to upload firmware. Hyperterminal Hyperterminal allows you to send message requests and view message responses for any commands in either Simple or Multi-drop protocols (see Figure 8.1). Enter the request in the text field marked Command Line located near the top of the screen.
86 CHAPTER 8 o TOOLS Figure 8.1 – Hyperterminal Firmware Upload When you first connect, the program will prompt you to update your firmware if it sees a discrepancy between the software and firmware versions, but you can also go at any time to Tools>Firmware Upload and select a firmware file (.hex) stored on your computer to upload to your sensor (see Figure 8.2). Before using something other than the most current firmware version, please contact Wavetronix Technical Services for assistance.
CHAPTER 8 o TOOLS Figure 8.
Contact Closure Communications 9 In this Chapter Selecting the Contact Closure Model Programming Sensors for Use with Contact Closures Programming Contact Closures In many applications, you will not need to use your SmartSensor with contact closure cards. Often traffic data is collected directly from the sensor via a serial, modem or Internet connection.
90 CHAPTER 9 o CONTACT CLOSURE COMMUNICATIONS Click! 100 – The Click! 100 is a din rail–mounted contact closure that can be used in cabinets without detector racks and simplifies integration into automatic data recorders and data loggers. The wiring harness of the automatic data recorders can connect directly to the screw terminals of the Click! 100.
CHAPTER 9 o CONTACT CLOSURE COMMUNICATIONS Tip In many cases, the traffic data detected by SmartSensor is valuable to both operations and planning departments. However, when legacy systems are used, often there is no mechanism to directly share the data. Even with the limitations of legacy systems, contact closures can sometimes provide a way for operations and planning to both get what they need from a single sensor.
92 CHAPTER 9 o CONTACT CLOSURE COMMUNICATIONS Note The SmartSensor default loop size and spacing will change the values of SmartSensor data. The default loop size is used in the calculation of lane occupancy, vehicle duration and vehicle length. The default loop spacing is used in the calculation of vehicle speed and length. The Click! 100 and 172/174 also use these settings to change the duration and spacing of contact closures signaled on their output pins.
Appendix In the Appendix A – Cable Connector Definitions B – Old Cable Connector Definitions C – Cable Lengths D – Direct Serial Connections Appendix A – Cable Connector Definitions The SmartSensor cable is composed of three groups of wires, each containing colorcoded wires and a drain wire and surrounded by a shield. Table A.
94 APPENDIX See Figure A.1 for a diagram of the previously used SmartSensor cable’s 25-pin socket assignment. The codes listed in the diagram are to be used to solder wires into the back of the plug where the letters represent the individual solder cups. Figure A.1 – SmartSensor 105 Plug Connector Socket Assignment Appendix B – Old Cable Connector Definitions The previously used SmartSensor cable is composed of six twisted pairs of wire.
APPENDIX Red 3 +485 Black 3 -485 Drain of Pair 3 485 GND Red 4 232 (TD) output from sensor Black 4 232 (RD) input to sensor Drain of Pair 4 232 GND Pair 5 Reserved for future use Red 6 CTS flow for 232 Black 6 RTS flow for 232 Table A.2 – Cabinet Connection Use Figure A.2 below if you are using the old SmartSensor cable: Figure A.2 – Click! 200 Wiring (Old) See Figure A.3 below for a diagram of the previously used SmartSensor cable’s 25-pin socket assignment.
96 APPENDIX Figure A.3 – Old SmartSensor SS105 Plug Connector Socket Assignment Communication between the SmartSensor and PC can be established using the RS-232 DTE specifications, along with the use of a null modem cable and the standard 9-pin “D” male connector. Please use the following guidelines for connecting the SmartSensor cable to the serial connection on a PC or modem when not using a Click! 200.
APPENDIX RS-232 RS-485 Power Table A.3 below shows the individual wiring of both the new and old SmartSensor cables and how they correspond. Orion Color-Coded Cable Beldin 9331 Cable Red Red 1, Red 2 Black Black 1, Black 2 Drain None White Red 3 Blue Black 3 Drain Drain 3 Yellow Red 4 Violet Black 4 Orange Black 6 Brown Red 6 Gray Drain 4 Drain Drain 4 None Red 5, Black 5, Drain 5, Drain 6 Table A.
98 APPENDIX possible to increase the maximum cable length by wiring a pair of lines normally used for RS-232 communications with the red and black wires. If the cable length is 200 ft. (61 m) or greater you cannot reliably use RS-232 communications. To add 400 ft. (121.9 m) and achieve a maximum cable length of 1000 ft. (304.8 m), connect the orange wire (normally RTS) to the red wire and the brown wire (normally CTS) to the black wire. If your cable run is longer than 1000 ft. (304.
APPENDIX Length Cable Comm. Channel 1 Comm. Channel 2 0–200 ft. (0–61 m) SmartSensor Cable Native RS-485 Native RS-232 200–1000 ft. (61–304.8 m) SmartSensor Cable Native RS-485 Click! conversion of RS-232 to RS-485 1000–1400 ft. (304.8–426.7 m) SmartSensor Cable Native RS-485 N/A 1400–2000 ft. (426.7–609.6 m) Alternate power and communications cable Click! conversion of RS-485 to RS-232 Native RS-485 Table A.
100 APPENDIX Note If you do not have the right type of RS-232 physical connection you will not be able to connect using the SmartSensor Manager software. Since null modem cables and straight-through cables look similar, you may want to label them. Alternatively, you may want to use a null modem adapter instead of a null modem cable. If you do, you can turn your straightthrough cable into a null modem cable by attaching the adapter on one end.
