Bluetooth-Based Travel Time/Speed Measuring Systems Development

011732532010Final Report, June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2010PDFTech ReportUTCM 09-00-17DTRT06-G-0044Bluetooth technologyCellular telephonesHigh occupancy vehicle lanesInfrastructureReal time informationTechnological innovationsTraffic speedTravel timeWireless communication systemsResearch projectsResearch HubMedia access control addressesData and Information TechnologyHighwaysOperations and Traffic ManagementI73: Traffic ControlBluetooth TechnologyTravel timeHigh occupancy vehicle lanesInfrastructureMedia access controlTechnological innovationsCellular telephonesResearch projectsTraffic speedUnited StatesTexasHouston (Texas)Texas Transportation InstitutePuckett, Darryl D.Vickich, Michael J.Texas Transportation Institute. University Transportation Center for MobilityUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationUniversity Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)US Transportation CollectionAgencies in the Houston region have traditionally used toll tag readers to provide travel times on freeways and High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, but these systems require large amounts of costly and physically invasive infrastructure. Bluetooth is a widely used technology embedded in cellular telephones and in-vehicle applications for exchanging data over short distances. The initial demonstrations of wireless address matching were primarily designed to prove the ability for Bluetooth technology to produce matches between two points on a roadway outfitted with the proper Bluetooth reader equipment, with a resulting travel time and speed calculated. Costs for Bluetooth travel time measurement systems are one to two orders of magnitude below costs for traditional toll tag reader equipment, depending on the application. This cost advantage could significantly lower the threshold for hundreds of agencies and private entities to enter the travel time measurement market, but there is little guidance on the application. Development and testing of various prototype software and hardware platforms were conducted to use the anonymous Media Access Control (MAC) address from each Bluetooth device to measure and report real-time traffic conditions. Several issues were examined and resolved in order to develop a true first generation \u201cproduct.\u201d The development of this method and process is pending patent approval