1. New Opportunities in Loop Detectors  Presented by Tom Potter Sr.

2. Loop Detector History  Analog loop detectors  Digital loop detectors  Microcontroller loop detectors

3. Loop Detector Advantages  All weather  Proven technology  Cost  Existing infrastructure  Detects all licensed vehicles

4. Loop Detector Drawbacks  Loops are damaged during construction projects  Can distress the roadway  Misconceptions of operation  “Many agencies report that most of their maintenance problems involving detectors can be traced directly to installation errors. These errors can be a direct result of sloppy installation, poor inspection, and the use of low- grade components not suited to the particular environment.” Traffic Detection Handbook, 2 nd Ed. 1990. U.S. Dept. of Transportation.

6. Advances in Installation and Materials  Preformed loops  Loop wire (insulation)  Sealants  Geometries

7. Recent Advances in Loop Detectors  Real time display  Inductive signature analysis  Check loops  Infinite presence

8. Real Time Display  Eliminates guesswork when setting sensitivity and frequency  Accumulates loop failures  Display inductance and change of inductance  Displays type of loop failures

9. Inductive Signature Analysis  Vehicle Counts from a single long loop or multiple loops in a single lane  Vehicle Classification and Speed  Vehicle Tracking  Loop Diagnostics

10. Check Loops What is a check loop?  Provides continual verification of a loop’s functionality  Functionality can be checked in both the occupied and the non-occupied states  Doesn’t mistake a stalled or parked vehicle for a loop failure  Developed for high reliability installations

11. Infinite Presence  Vehicle detections can be held for years  Cycling of power does not cause loss of detection  Very useful in railroad applications

12. Loop Detectors The Proven Technology  Still the most accurate, reliable, and proven form of vehicle detection  The benchmark for other vehicle detection technologies  Increases in computational power of the microcontroller are allowing more and more information to be derived from the existing loops  Communications ports (wireless?) and cheap memory will allow easy storage and retrieval of the additional data