VEHICLE DETECTORS:


They Can Spell the Success o “A


Tom Potter, President of Reno A&E and the designer of the first commercially successful digital solid-state self-tuning loop vehicle detector, spoke with PT last month, focusing on this crucial but often overlooked piece of your PARCS.


N INDUCTIVE LOOP VEHICLE detector is a metal dete ctor,” said Tom Potter. “It works on the same principle as portable metal detec- tors seen at beaches and other


locations where people use them in hopes of finding lost coins, jewelry or other valuables in the sand.


“Treasure hunters move the search coil above the surface of


the sand, and when a disturbance occurs in the coil’s electrical field, the electronic circuitry responds and alerts the user that a buried metal object exists near the search coil. “Portable metal detectors and inductive loop vehicle detec-


tors operate on the same principle. In an inductive loop detector, a stationary coil is looking for moving objects, namely vehicles. The location and size of the inductive loop are determined by the detection requirements of the control system. “For example, in parking systems, reliable vehicle detection


information is needed to properly control traffic using devices such as gates, gate arms, barriers, etc. In addition, there is a valu- able benefit in obtaining highly accurate vehicle count informa- tion. Accurate count information can be used to increase revenue, direct drivers to available parking spaces, etc. “Early loop detector designs were roughly equivalent to


black-and-white TV sets with mechanical tuners. You may recall adjusting ‘rabbit ears’ trying to improve ‘snowy pictures.’ You also may recall adjusting inductive loop detectors, trying to achieve minimum acceptable operation. “Today’s loop detector technology is much closer to that of


high-resolution digital flat-panel color TV sets. Today’s technolo- gy offers full self-tuning for all loop configurations, plus continu- ous compensation for environmental changes such as tempera- ture and moisture. “To achieve a highly accurate and reliable vehicle detection


system, you must understand the importance of selecting the proper material for the inductive loop and the best available elec- tronics,” Potter said.


42 JANUARY 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67