Vehicle modeling for the analysis of the response of detectors based on inductive loops

Abstract

Magnetic loops are one of the most popular and used traffic sensors because of their widely extended technology and simple mode of operation. Nevertheless, very simple models have been traditionally used to simulate the effect of the passage of vehicles on these loops. In general, vehicles have been considered simple rectangular metal plates located parallel to the ground plane at a certain height close to the vehicle chassis. However, with such a simple model, it is not possible to carry out a rigorous study to assess the performance of different models of vehicles with the aim of obtaining basic parameters such as the vehicle type, its speed or its direction in traffic. For this reason and because computer simulation and analysis have emerged as a priority in intelligent transportation systems (ITS), this paper aims to present a more complex vehicle model capable of characterizing vehicles as multiple metal plates of different sizes and heights, which will provide better results in virtual simulation environments. This type of modeling will be useful when reproducing the actual behavior of systems installed on roads based on inductive loops and will also facilitate vehicle classification and the extraction of basic traffic parameters.

The practical design of a vehicle magnetic signature generator

“…A simulation enables the development of new systems, compares alternative designs, troubleshoots existing systems, and observes behavior before completing the prototype, thus saving resources (Hosseinpour and Hajihosseini, 2009). The virtual simulation environment, proposed by Belenguer et al (2019), includes different complex models that characterize vehicles as multiple metal plates of different sizes and heights, which simplifies analyzing the changes in the magnetic field. A hardware simulation setup to estimate vertical acceleration in the vehicle cabin influenced by road disturbances is presented by Kararsiz et al (2020).…”

Design, Implementation, and Configuration of Laser Systems for Vehicle Detection and Classification in Real Time

“…Nevertheless, even these dual systems do not provide all the information necessary to carry out highly detailed traffic control. For example, magnetic loops cannot obtain specific characteristics such as the height of vehicles or the existence of trailers [ 8 ]. The classification of vehicles offered by these is limited, and the margins of error made in calculating the speed and length of these are usually high (around 20%).…”