Communication and Surveillance for Ground Transportation

For high speed intercity or low speed intracity operation, communications and surveillance are important aspects in the design of control systems for advanced ground transportation. New technological approaches in communications and surveillance can provide improvements in system capacity, operational economy, safety and passenger convenience. A dielectric waveguide for communications and surveillance of vehicle characteristics (position and velocity) has been under experimental and analytical investigation for use along fixed guideways for ground transportation. This communication concept is nonradiating, has a broad bandwidth and provides a high rate of information transfer. Another important aspect of guideway surveillance is the detection of foreign obstacles that may cause vehicle damage or compromise passenger safety. For this application, an optical concept using a set of laser beams along the wayside is under investigation. The operating characteristics and method of deployment along TACV and railway guideways are presented