Air Ride Suspension Pressure Sensor Passenger Counting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automatic passenger counter (APC) systems in mass transit vehicles face inaccuracies due to improper calibration, vehicular assignment, and difficulty in analyzing data volume, leading to overestimation of passenger loads and miscounts, especially when multiple passengers board simultaneously or carry objects, which is costly and affects federal subsidies.
Innovation Solution
The system uses vehicle mass assessment by integrating pressure sensors into the air bag suspension system, coupled with GPS and CAN systems, to determine real-time vehicle mass and passenger load, providing accurate boarding and alighting data through algorithms and filtering techniques, reducing miscounts and offering additional insights into passenger distribution and fuel consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If light barrier APC systems are used to count passengers, then passenger count accuracy can reach over 95%, but miscounts occur when multiple people board simultaneously or from passengers boarding in close proximity, and the system overestimates passenger loads by a statistically significant margin
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (pressure sensor mat) placed between the passenger and the measurement system. This mat acts as a mediator that captures individual passenger weight data independently, allowing the system to distinguish between multiple passengers boarding simultaneously and providing more reliable passenger load estimation without the overestimation issues of light barrier systems.
2Ease of operation
If pressure sensor mat systems are used to measure passenger mass, then passenger count can be obtained, but accuracy drops to approximately 87% due to biased mass from passengers carrying objects like small children, packages, or bicycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the measurement approach by using multiple pressure sensors arranged in an array on the mat, allowing individual identification and tracking of each passenger's weight. This segmentation enables the system to distinguish between a passenger carrying objects and multiple passengers, improving measurement precision while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor and adjust measurements based on detected weight patterns. By analyzing the distribution and movement of weight across the sensor array, the system can identify and correct for biased mass from carried objects, maintaining high accuracy in passenger count measurements.
3Productivity
If multiple APC systems are deployed to improve coverage and reduce vehicular assignment errors, then more vehicles can be monitored, but the cost increases proportionally and data analysis volume becomes more difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent describes a universal APC system design that can be deployed across different vehicle types and locations with consistent performance. The pressure sensor mat technology provides multi-functional capability, serving as both a passenger count device and a weight distribution analyzer, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high productivity across multiple vehicles.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances passenger count accuracy, reduces costs, and provides route-specific passenger distribution data, improving transit agency decision-making and federally subsidized funding reliability.
Implementation Method 1
A sensor, such as a pressure sensor, is configured to monitor a parameter of the air bag circuitry indicative of vehicle mass
Data Source
AI summary
APC systems and methods using vehicle mass to assess boardings and alightings of passengers on transit vehicles (e.g., buses). Vehicle mass is determined based on signaled information indicative of a pressure in one or more air bag circuits of an air ride suspension system of the vehicle. In some embodiments, pressure information from three air bag circuits of the vehicle are monitored and reviewed to determine vehicle mass. The passenger count can be estimated based on determined vehicle mass by an Additional Mass Method or an Event-Based Method for example.