Eco-friendly and Economical Road Safety
Introducing the Solar AWSC4 Active Advanced Warning Sign Controller, a new generation of eco-friendly and economical advanced warning systems to warn road users of a Railway Level Crossing currently in use by a train and therefore to prepare to stop.
Such systems are deployed in remote rural locations where visibility of the railway level crossing is often obstructed by objects such as trees or sharp road bends and hills make it impossible to see far ahead.
This version of the product was developed to meet the market needs for an easy to deploy solution that minimizes the amount of civil works to install the unit.
Rail and Road Traffic Authorities are deploying these systems to address an increase in road user fatalities at Railway Level Crossings.
Standalone Solar Power
This solution is based on the proven and Type Approved Advanced Warning Sign Controller, and ATC have integrated a set of solar panels that connect to a Solar Regulator and GEL batteries.
The output of the highly efficient Solar Regulator goes to a Pure Sine Wave Inverter Module that converts the DC voltage to 240 VAC, 50 Hz (optional 110 VAC, 60Hz) that powers the AWSC4 cabinet load.
The Solar Regulator, batteries and inverter are all co-located in a separate cabinet providing AC power to the AWSC4. Since the AWSC4 was originally designed to work with mains ac power, the power input point is identical and most of the AC subsystem wiring is identical – providing for commonality of maintenance.
A standalone system such as the Solar Powered AWSC4 is designed with an intelligent Solar Regulator that can handle the current generated by the solar panels, performs temperature compensation for charging of batteries and has a very low voltage drop.
The Solar Panels are high current capacity units that use special texturing to reduce reflections and increase the efficiency of conversion. Such solar panels are mounted in close proximity to the two cabinets to minimize any cables losses.
All of these qualities result in an integrated system able to withstand the elements of heat and cold, surge protection at multiple levels resulting in a protected and reliable product.
Warning Signs and LED Lanterns
The Active Advanced Warning Sign Controller (AWSC4-SOL) is capable of driving from 1 to 4 signs each fitted with two (2) Yellow aspect LED Lanterns that are Extra Low Voltage and low power units.
An independent Flasher Unit is the central module that interfaces to Railway signaling systems to act on a signal from the Railway Crossing Train Detection system that a train is about to go through a Railway Level Crossing.
This advanced warning is particularly targeted at all motorists, but in particular heavy trucks that require a much greater stopping distance and therefore earlier warning to stop as mentioned in Australian Standard AS7142.7.
3G - UMTS Communications
Monitoring of all main functions in the system is achieved via a modem communications (3G - UMTS) link that can be customized to any client requirements. The main electronics have been tested in harsh environments and provide the functions that monitor the Flasher unit, UPS and internal systems.
Remote Monitoring
Remote support means an operator at a Traffic Management Centre can dial into the unit and request any diagnostic information.
Two solutions are available, one is a Windows Application that can run on a desktop computer with a modem and the second is the ability to integrate with a SCADA system.