Intelligent traffic counting with the TAPS sensor

Over 5.5 million Swiss owned at least one vehicle in 2020. The trend is for the numbers to keep rising, all over the world. This presents traffic management with an ever-increasing challenge. In many cities, there are already more vehicles on the road than there are parking spaces, for example. 

Increasingly busy intersections, unnecessary driving around to find parking and increasing traffic jams are putting the infrastructure to the test. TAPS sensors provide a remedy. They provide valuable support in traffic management and ensure that roads do not descend into chaos. The sensors capture vehicle data, process it and display it for better coordination between traffic systems. 

The sensors therefore monitor the traffic and forward the collected information to reporting networks. With the help of special transmission systems for communication, the data reaches control devices. These in turn are responsible for influencing the traffic accordingly. Control centers monitor everything and initiate the necessary measures.

TAPS sensors thus provide the basis for effectively improving traffic flows without the need for great effort. The conditions can be quickly and easily adapted to the current traffic situation and the resulting needs of the road users.

The TAPS sensors are the functional heart of the Smart Traffic and Parking Management System. Each sensor measures 145 millimeters in diameter and 43 millimeters high. The housing is made of V4A stainless steel and is covered with safety glass. All that is needed for installation is a suitable crown drill for the hole.

Only 30 minutes are estimated per piece for laying the 1.1-kilogram sensors. This greatly reduces the duration of the necessary road closures. Regular traffic is therefore only briefly interrupted, and the resulting traffic jams and time losses for road users can be minimized. 

Another factor is the size of the closures. If induction loops have to be laid, the roads are torn up over a large area. The TAPS sensors, on the other hand, are used selectively. One drill hole per sensor is sufficient, and so the installation is actually completed after just 30 minutes. 

There is no need for costly large-scale milling of the asphalt, as is necessary for laying induction loops. This method thus saves time, effort and money in equal measure.

Due to the self-sufficient operation of the TAPS sensors, there is also no need to lay cables or other wiring. The sensors are self-calibrating and use various magnetic field and radar technologies for their reliable sensor performance - independent of any power or other energy sources.

The TAPS sensors require very little maintenance and usually only need to be replaced after about ten years. In this respect, too, you save yourself quite a bit of effort as an operator. 

One of the reasons for this is the sensors' energy-autonomous mode of operation. They do not need batteries or similar energy sources. Configurations and updates can also be carried out remotely. 

In addition, the sensors have IP code 67, which means that they are resistant to contact of any kind. They can even be temporarily submerged in water without suffering any damage. Humidity of up to 100 percent does not affect them either. 

This means that the TAPS sensors can withstand particularly heavy rainfall without any problems. They are also resistant to temperatures between -25 °C and 65 °C.

The sensors send data to the gateway, a data collection point, from there they are bundled and forwarded to the database of the clientele. Into the database, the data is processed in real time for traffic counting, the control of a traffic control system, a parking guidance system or a reservation system for parking spaces. They are then immediately sent to the operator.

Real-time data sharing is particularly important. The earlier operators are informed about changes in traffic, the sooner they can react. This is important, for example, when electric signs have to be switched. These then inform road users about increased traffic volumes, congestion, road works and other obstructions. 

At the same time, they show possible detours so that everyone knows immediately where the journey continues. Sudden closures without warning can quickly cause confusion, and drivers first have to reorient themselves. If one vehicle after another then starts to turn in the middle of the road, traffic chaos is inevitable. With the help of TAPS sensors, you can prevent this. 

The rapid transfer of data can also be used for switching traffic signals. Some traffic lights, for example, only intervene in traffic when a vehicle is approaching. 

Is there no one far and wide who wants to cross the road at a certain point? Then there is also no reason to stop the traffic coming from the other direction. So it can continue flowing until there is actually a need to stop the vehicles temporarily by a red traffic light.

Our TAPS Software package offers much more possibilities than a simple sensor-based system for traffic counting. The software package uses modern communication technologies. It holds software interfaces and can communicate with your customers' IT systems via PUSH or PULL methods if required. The software package includes the following functionalities:

• Management of parking lots and use of measuring points for traffic control and monitoring Control of parking lot maintenance

• Updates of the TAPS sensors Over-the-Air (OTA)

• Data storage and export to customers' IT systems (if required)

• Data collection and data evaluation according to various methods

• Monitoring of parking spaces against unauthorized use

• Reservation and payment of parking spaces via app

The TAPS software suite can be used, among other things, for a visualization of various statistics. In the TAPS data management on our homepage you will find a well understandable explanation of the TAPS Open Data policy.

The particularly innovative concept of Smart Traffic includes more than just the ability to perform a differentiated traffic count in a simple way. The system is able to compare the number of vehicles detected on a neuralgic stretch of road with historical data. According to the programmed algorithm, it can predict the traffic situation in the immediate future, i.e. in the next few minutes.

The prediction of dynamic traffic events makes it possible to control a traffic control system not only on the basis of real-time data, but also to make it much more intelligent and predictive by including processed historical data. The wealth of experience is incorporated and offers the possibility of early traffic control in the sense of avoiding congestion or optimizing traffic flow.

The dynamic traffic control of a busy intersection often serves as an example of how you can retrofit the Smart Traffic Management System at low cost. While retrofitting an induction loop requires milling off the road surface, the Smart Traffic and Parking Management System only requires installing one to two TAPS sensors per lane. 

The intersection does not have to be closed for the installation. Instead, traffic on two-lane or multi-lane roads is routed via the unaffected lane for the short installation time of 30 to 60 minutes during low-traffic periods. Immediately after installation, the TAPS sensors are ready for use and can transmit their recorded data to the TAPS gateway. Further information can be found here.

Parking space search traffic leads to avoidable additional traffic congestion in many cities. Intelligent parking space management with short-term parking space reservation options via a corresponding smartphone app can significantly reduce parking space search traffic and thus lead to an equalization of traffic and a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions. The Smart Parking Management system based on TAPS sensors can make a significant contribution to this.

Finding a parking space is not only a problem in big cities. Road users spend around ten minutes per trip trying to find a suitable parking space. They spend seven percent of their total fuel consumption on this. New parking options and an intelligent parking guidance system are needed to save time and reduce emissions. At the same time, of course, this also ensures greater convenience for drivers. The TAPS sensors collect precise information on where traffic volumes are particularly high and where a correspondingly large number of parking spaces are being used. It quickly becomes clear where there is increased demand, and the operator can act and create new parking spaces. 

Thanks to real-time data transmission, display boards can be used to inform drivers where there are currently how many parking spaces free. Have the spaces also been equipped with small lamps? Then drivers can see from a distance whether it is worthwhile to continue driving in that direction. If all the lights are red, it is easy to see that there are no more spaces available. If a driver sees a green light from a distance, he can head straight for it. He does not have to check each parking space individually as he passes. All this saves an enormous amount of time when looking for a parking space.

TAPS sensors can be installed in almost any parking space without considerable effort. You can also use them on parking decks without a roof because, unlike systems with green and red LED displays, they do not require a roof or a shelf in which the LEDs can be installed. Each individual parking space must be equipped with a TAPS sensor in order to include the parking space in the parking management system. The following parking spaces are very suitable for the installation of the Smart Parking Management System:

• Public parking with and without roofing

• Parking garages (no height restrictions)

• Parking deck (without or with roofing)

• Park Sharing

• Monitoring of parking spaces for residents

• Managed parking space of companies or institutions

Das Smart Parking System kann nicht nur eine grosse Hilfe bei der Parkplatzsuche sein und für eine Optimierung der Auslastung sorgen. Sie können sich auf unserer Homepage inform about it how well the system can also allocate and monitor time-limited parking. Likewise, the system has intelligent solutions ready for allocating parking space to people or institutions with special authorizations such as the disabled, police or long-term tenants.

The Smart Traffic and Parking System is of interest to an amazingly large and differentiated group of people, institutions and companies. In all cases where intelligent, dynamic traffic control adapted to the situation in real time is required, the TAPS system can play an important role. This is also fully true for the management of parking space, including a reservation system. The following stakeholders are among the potential customers of the system:

• Cities and municipalities

• Managed parking for companies

• Parking space managers and parking service providers

• Operators of charging stations for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids

• Airports

• Freeway service stations

• Hotels and campsite operators

Transportation planners, traffic integrators, property managers, and parking service providers also have an interest in incorporating the TAPS system into their planning efforts.

The benefits associated with the installation of the TAPS sensors are extensive. For example, those who rely on the sensors can save financial resources at various levels. Obvious, of course, is the savings due to low installation and maintenance costs. Compared to induction loops, the use of sensors is associated with a savings of about 50 percent.

Installing the TAPS sensors also pays off financially at the state level. A glance at the statistics reveals that road users spend around nine percent of their time in traffic jams. Directly and indirectly, this quickly results in annual costs of several billion Swiss francs. 

Since congestion can be significantly reduced through the targeted use of TAPS sensors, the financial burden is also reduced. Not to forget the relief that the TAPS sensors provide to the environment. 

For every kilometer driven, a car emits well over 150 grams of carbon dioxide. Extrapolated to more than 5.5 million vehicles in Switzerland, which travel an average of 12,000 kilometers per year, this adds up to quite a bit. In addition, particulate matter is also produced.

The more kilometers driven that can be saved, the better it is for the environment, of course. And this is precisely where the TAPS sensors are important. Thanks to them, not only are traffic jams reduced, but the search for a parking space is also made easier. 

Excessive driving around can be limited thanks to improved traffic management. In addition, there are optimized traffic light phases that are based on the actual volume of traffic. The sensors therefore make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.

In the future, more and more vehicles will be on the roads worldwide. Consequently, the needs of road users will also change. Therefore, the infrastructure must also be adapted. 

LTS AG develops solutions that are future-oriented and at the same time meet the highest industry standards. With in-depth expertise and years of experience in the industry, it leads the way and is happy to provide personal advice.

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