C-TRAN Transit Vehicles - Transit Vehicle OBE Functionality
Subsystem Description
The Transit Vehicle On–Board equipment (OBE) resides in a transit vehicle and provides the sensory, processing, storage, and communications functions necessary to support safe and efficient movement of passengers. The types of transit vehicles containing this physical object include buses, paratransit vehicles, light rail vehicles, other vehicles designed to carry passengers, and supervisory vehicles. It collects ridership levels and supports electronic fare collection. It supports a traffic signal prioritization function that communicates with the roadside physical object to improve on–schedule performance. Automated vehicle location enhances the information available to the transit operator enabling more efficient operations. On–board sensors support transit vehicle maintenance. The physical object supports on–board security and safety monitoring. This monitoring includes transit user or vehicle operator activated alarms (silent or audible), as well as surveillance and sensor equipment. The surveillance equipment includes video (e.g. CCTV cameras), audio systems and/or event recorder systems. It also furnishes travelers with real–time travel information, continuously updated schedules, transfer options, routes, and fares. A separate 'Vehicle OBE' physical object supports the general vehicle safety and driver information capabilities that apply to all vehicles, including transit vehicles. The Transit Vehicle OBE supplements these general capabilities with capabilities that are specific to transit vehicles.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle On-Board Fare Management
'Transit Vehicle On–board Fare Management' supports fare collection using a standard fare card or other non–monetary fare medium and detects payment violations. Collected fare data are made available to the center.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle On-Board Information Services
'Transit Vehicle On–board Information Services' furnishes en route transit users with real–time travel–related information on–board a transit vehicle. Current information that can be provided to transit users includes transit routes, schedules, transfer options, fares, real–time schedule adherence, current incidents, weather conditions, non–motorized transportation services, and special events are provided. In addition to tailored information for individual transit users, it also supports general annunciation and/or display of general schedule information, imminent arrival information, and other information of general interest to transit users.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle On-Board Maintenance
'Transit Vehicle On–Board Maintenance' collects and processes transit vehicle maintenance data on–board the vehicle, including mileage and vehicle operating conditions. This maintenance information is provided to the management center and used to schedule future vehicle maintenance and repair.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle On-Board Trip Monitoring
'Transit Vehicle On–Board Trip Monitoring' tracks vehicle location, monitors fuel usage, collects operational status (doors opened/closed, running times, etc.) and sends the collected, time stamped data to the Transit Management Center.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle Passenger Counting
'Transit Vehicle Passenger Counting' collects transit vehicle loading data and makes it available to the center.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle Pedestrian Safety
'Transit Vehicle Pedestrian Safety' exchanges current location and motion information with pedestrian–carried devices in the vicinity and uses that information to warn the driver of pedestrians in the vehicle's path. Information from on–board sensors (e.g., radars and image processing) are used to augment the short range communications, if available. In addition to notifying the driver, control information can also be provided to support automated control functions that can avoid the collision.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle Schedule Management
'Transit Vehicle Schedule Management' monitors schedule performance and identifies corrective actions when a deviation is detected. It provides two–way communication between the transit vehicle and center, enabling the center to communicate with the vehicle operator and monitor on–board systems.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle Security
'Transit Vehicle Security' provides security and safety functions on–board the transit vehicle. It includes surveillance and sensor systems that monitor the on–board environment, silent alarms that can be activated by transit user or vehicle operator, operator authentication, and a remote vehicle disable function. The surveillance equipment includes video (e.g. CCTV cameras), audio systems and/or event recorder systems. The sensor equipment includes threat sensors (e.g. chemical agent, toxic industrial chemical, biological, explosives, and radiological sensors) and object detection sensors (e.g. metal detectors).
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle Signal Priority
'Transit Vehicle Signal Priority' provides the capability for transit vehicles to determine eligibility for priority and request signal priority at signalized intersections, ramps, and interchanges through short range communication with traffic control equipment at the roadside.
Functional Object: Transit Vehicle V2V Safety
'Transit Vehicle V2V Safety' exchanges current vehicle location and motion information with other vehicles in the vicinity, uses that information to predict vehicle paths, and notifies the driver when the potential for an impending collision is detected. Information from on–board sensors (e.g., radars and image processing) are used to augment the V2V communications, if available. In addition to notifying the driver, control information can also be provided to support automated control functions that can avoid the collision. This object is similar to the 'Vehicle Basic V2V Safety', but it accounts for crash scenarios that are unique to transit vehicles (e.g., Vehicle Turning Right in Front of Bus). It is also stop–aware since stop locations pose specific crash threats for transit vehicles. Finally, the detection and control algorithms, filters, and timing account for bus performance and risk profiles associated with remote vehicles that are unique to transit.