Rabbit OP7100 User Manual download pdf (Page 5)

In the late 1990s,

Sudhir Murthy toiled on

a research project for

the National Academy

of Sciences, spearhead-

ing efforts to develop a

telemetric model for

collecting information

about traffic on our

nation’s busy highways.

The pioneering system,

based on wireless com-

munication technology

that interfaces with

remote monitoring devices via the Internet, was designed

to give transportation officials a simple and seamless way to

extract important data for effective roadway planning.

“State departments of transportation have countless devices

that collect information, such as the number of vehicles that

cross a specific point on the highway,” says Murthy. “We

developed a system that allows

them to extract that information

remotely using wireless tech-

nology and the Internet.”

When Murthy decided to bring

the idea to commercial

fruition—starting his own company, TRAFINFO.COM, and

targeting state transportation agencies as customers—he

began looking for a rugged, efficient, and affordable single-

board computer to serve as the centerpiece of his system.

Maximum Exposure, Minimum Expenditure

The controlling device would have to withstand extreme

temperature fluctuations, as it would be placed adjacent to

traffic detectors and counters fully exposed to the elements. It

would also need to operate on low power because solar-charged

batteries would typically be its only source of electricity.

Finally, to meet tight government budgets, the control unit

would need to be cost effective to procure and develop.

“We looked at quite a few single-board computers, and

Z•World’s Jackrabbit was exactly what we were looking for—

it had all the features and functions we needed,” Murthy says.

“The primary criterion was extended temperature operation,

because our devices are out in the cold and heat. We also

needed a board where we could control power consump-

tion—these units operate on solar-powered batteries, so they

need to consume very little power. The thing that appealed to

us was that there are ways you can control the amount of

power the Jackrabbit uses.”

Serial communications capabilities and a low price tag were

equally important considerations in choosing the Jackrabbit

BL1800 series. “We needed at least two serial ports [the

Jackrabbit has four]—one to talk to the traffic device and the

other to interface to a wireless data transfer unit,” says Murthy.

“And of course the low price was very attractive. State agencies

are always looking for good value because they use taxpayers’

money, so from a business point of view, the low price of the

Jackrabbit really helps us.”

Traffic Telemetry

Once the decision was made to go with the Jackrabbit, Murthy

and his team integrated the BL1810 model with a wireless

modem to create the “Trafmate,” a wireless transceiver that

serves as the heart of TRAFINFO’s traffic monitoring system.

The Trafmate connects to existing traffic sensors, downloads

daily traffic counts, and transmits compiled data to an Internet

server via digital two-way paging technology or satellite-based

communications. From there, it can be downloaded at any

time by transportation agency staff.

“Because our system is based

on wireless technology, the cost

of installation is very low as

compared to telephone service,”

Murthy says. “And by using two

types of service providers—

paging networks in population centers and satellite communi-

cations in rural areas—we have seamless coverage throughout

the country.”

The data collected via traffic monitoring equipment is used

not only to maintain existing roadways and plan additional

new infrastructure but also to monitor air quality. “States need

to help control the level of polluting emissions, so traffic moni-

toring is a key input in determining how well each state is

doing in maintaining or improving air quality,” says Murthy.

TRAFINFO’s telemetry system is already proving successful in

its first major application for the New York State Department

of Transportation (NYSDOT), which employs the new devices

along the Queens-Bronx expressway and in the Long Island

area. “NYSDOT has been using our system since November

[of 2000], and they haven’t had any problems at all,” says Murthy.

A Fitting Selection

The Jackrabbit’s full-featured functionality and plentiful I/O

made it a perfect fit for the Trafmate design. “There are four

types of I/O features on the Jackrabbit that we use: one is the

standard RS-232 serial communications, another is the digital

outputs for interfacing with an LCD screen, a third is used to

Jackrabbit/Trafmate Tandem a Triumph in Wireless Traffic Monitoring

Transportation agencies are discovering an easy new way to collect traffic data—via the Internet

continued on page 6

In Control • Fall 2001 • www.zworld.com

“We looked at quite a few single-board computers, and the

Jackrabbit was exactly what we were looking for—it had

all the features and functions we needed.”

—Sudhir Murthy, President,TRAFINFO

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