Evaluation of Ultra-Wideband Radio for Improved Pedestrian Safety at Signalized Intersections

Details

• Creators:
  Frenzel, James
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Idaho
• Corporate Contributors:
  Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium ; University of Washington ; University Transportation Centers Program (U.S.) ; United States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Mobility
  • Visually impaired persons
  • Pedestrian safety
  • Technological innovations
  • Signalized intersections
  • Wideband communication systems
  • Highways
  • Pedestrians and Bicyclists
  • Safety and Human Factors
  • Pedestrian detection
  More +
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Oregon
• TRIS Online Accession Number:
  01556946
• Edition:
  Final Report: 16 Jan 2015 -31 Dec 2016
• Corporate Publisher:
  Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium
• Abstract:
  As America’s population continues to age, the number of pedestrians with mobility or vision disabilities will increase. The focus of this project was to evaluate ultra-wideband (UWB) radio signaling for the purpose of tracking individuals as they cross an intersection. Working with products from DecaWave, we conducted multiple tests on a test course. Under ideal conditions we were able to achieve a positioning accuracy of approximately +/- 15 cm, not quite as good as the +/- 10-cm accuracy reported by the manufacturer. One possible explanation is the generic antennas supplied with the development kits and, in particular, their proximity to the human body and earth ground. Both cases resulted in signal absorption, leading to degradation in positioning accuracy. Future work would involve the development of antennas tuned to the application and less susceptible to signal loss. If that work was successful, additional software development would be required to exchange positioning information between the pedestrian “tag” and a traffic controller via UWB.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTRT13-G-UTC40
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/36283/dot_36283_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 686.22 KB]
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers ; US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8ce56d3fb07cd7ee618e11b317fe8928e3c031621298b47676fa992ca67bb787