Module 29 - A207b

A207b: Building an ITS Infrastructure Based on the Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) 5201 Standard, Part 2 of 2

HTML of the Student Supplement

(Note: This document has been converted from the Student Supplement to 508-compliant HTML. The formatting has been adjusted for 508 compliance, but all the original text content is included, plus additional text descriptions for the images, photos and/or diagrams have been provided below.)

(Extended Text Description: Large graphic cover page with dark blue background with the title in white letters "A207b: Building an ITS Infrastructure Based on the Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) 5201 Standard Part 2 of 2" At the middle left is the "Standards ITS Training" logo with a white box and letters in blue and green. The words "Student Supplement" and "RITA Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office" in white lettering are directly underneath the logo. Three light blue lines move diagonally across the middle of the blue background.)

A207b: Building an ITS Infrastructure Based on the Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) 5201 Standard Part 2 of 2

Table of Contents

Introduction/Purpose - 2

Traffic Concepts - 2

Transportation Field Cabinet Systems (TFCSs) - 5

Glossary - 8

Reference to Other Standards - 12

References - 12

Study Questions - 13

1. Introduction/Purpose

A207b: Building an ITS Infrastructure Based on the Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) 5201 Standard (Part 2 of 2) is the second of two modules of the Professional Capacity Building (PCB) program on using the Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) 5201 Standard. A207b identifies the features of the ATC 5201 Standard, describes the architecture, describes how the standard works with other ITS standards, and helps users specify ATC equipment for procurements. This module provides the background information necessary to understand A208: Using the ATC 5401 Application Programming Interface Standard to Leverage ITS Infrastructures.

2. Traffic Concepts

Intersection Actuation - The extent at which an intersection is equipped for vehicle detection.

(Extended Text Description: This graphic consists of three graphics each representing a 4 way intersection. The intersection graphics are arranged such that two are evenly distributed across the page. The third intersection graphic is below the first two and aligned center on the page. Each graphic is depicted as two two-lane roads intersecting perpendicularly North/South and East/West in the shape of a cross (it is assumed that upward is north). There is a centerline on each road to differentiate the northbound lane from the southbound lane and the eastbound lane from the westbound lane. The area where the roads cross (center of the cross) is blank (no lines running through it). In the bottom graphic, the southbound, northbound, westbound, and eastbound approaches to the intersection contain rectangles extending across the width of the lane (total four lanes). The rectangles have one edge at the point where the blank center area begins and extends back into the lane about 1 ½ times their width. This graphic is labeled "Actuated." The graphic to the upper right has the rectangles on the southbound and northbound directions only. This graphic is labeled "Semi-Actuated." The graphic on the upper left does not contain any of the rectangles. This graphic is labeled "Non-Actuated.")

Figure 1

Cycle - The time required for one complete revolution of the timing dial (old definition). One complete sequence of signal indications.

Interval - Any one of the several divisions of the time cycle during which signals indications do not change. Examples:

• Minimum Green
• Vehicle Extension (passage)
• Pedestrian Clearance Interval
• Red Clearance Interval
• Yellow Change Interval

Phase - Any combination of traffic movements receiving right-of-way simultaneously during one or more intervals

• Vehicular/Pedestrian Phases
• Conflicting / Non-Conflicting Phases

Overlap - A traffic movement timed concurrently with one or more phases (parent phases). Typically, the yellow and red clearance timing of the overlap is equal to that of the phase terminating the overlap.

Standard Quad or 8-Phase Intersection. The odd numbered phases represent left turn movements. The even numbered phases represent though movements. Overlaps are indicated by the plus signs and indicate that the right arrow would appear during the timing of the two phases indicated. Example: The overlap 08 + 01 would be allowed during the timing of 08 and 01. No U-turns on left arrow allowed.

(Extended Text Description: This is a graphic representing of a 4 way intersection. It is depicted as two four-lane roads intersecting perpendicularly North/South and East/West in the shape of a large cross (it is assumed that upward is north). There is a center median about the same width as the lanes on each road to differentiate the northbound lanes from the southbound lanes and the eastbound lanes from the westbound lanes. On each side of the median are parallel dotted lines to identify the two lanes on each side. The area where the roads cross (center of the cross) is blank (no lines running through it). For each of the southbound, northbound, westbound, and eastbound approaches to the intersection, the center medians narrow to provide an additional left turn lane for each approach (total 4). The straight through lanes and adjacent left turn lanes on each approach are separated by a dotted line. Each approach has its lanes identified as described below:

1. Southbound approach – The westernmost lane has a curved arrow starting in the south direction but then pointing westward with label "Φ6 + Φ7" (Φ is the Greek letter phi). The center straight through lane has an arrow pointing southbound with label "Φ6." The left turn lane has a curved arrow starting in the south direction but then pointing eastward with label "Φ1."
2. Westbound approach – The northernmost lane has a curved arrow starting in the west direction but then pointing northward with label "Φ8 + Φ1". The center straight through lane has an arrow pointing westbound with label "Φ8." The left turn lane has a curved arrow starting in the west direction but then pointing southward with label "Φ3." 
3. Northbound approach – The easternmost lane has a curved arrow starting in the north direction but then pointing eastward with label "Φ2 + Φ3". The center straight through lane has an arrow pointing northbound with label "Φ2." The left turn lane has a curved arrow starting in the north direction but then pointing eastward with label "Φ5." 
4. Eastbound approach – The southernmost lane has a curved arrow starting in the east direction but then pointing southward with label "Φ4 + Φ5". The center straight through lane has an arrow pointing northbound with label "Φ4." The left turn lane has a curved arrow starting in the east direction but then pointing northward with label "Φ7."

)

Figure 2

Ring - Consists of two or more sequentially timed and individually selected conflicting phases so arranged as to occur in an established order.

Barrier - A reference point in the preferred sequence of a multi-ring controller at which all rings are interlocked. Barriers assure there will be no concurrent selection and timing of conflicting phases for traffic movements in different rings. All rings cross the barrier simultaneously to select and time phases on the other side.

Concurrent Groups - All of the phases between two barriers. Typically, they are the left turn and through movements on a single street.

Dual Ring Operation for a Standard Quad - See diagram below. There are two rings. The first consists of phases 1-4 and the second consists of phases 5-8. A phase in Ring 1 can time with a phase in Ring 2 provided they are a part of the same concurrent group.

(Extended Text Description: This is a graphic representing the flow of service for each of the turning movements in a 4 way intersection. There are eight squares arranged in a two columns and four rows all evenly spaced. Above the left column of squares is a label "RING 1." Above the right column of squares is a label "RING 2." There is a dashed line extending vertically from between the labels to the bottom of the graphic. The dashed line is centered between the columns of squares. There is a horizontal dashed line extending across the graphic evenly between the second and third row of squares. The line is labeled "BARRIER." There is a second such dashed line and label extending across the graphic below the fourth row of squares. To the right of the graphic is a large right bracket highlighting the top four squares (above the first barrier line) with the label "CONCURRENT GROUP." To the right of the graphic is a large right bracket highlighting the bottom four squares (below the first barrier line) labeled "CONCURRENT GROUP." 

Each square contains a number and an arrow. The left column of squares contains the following (top to bottom):

• The number 1 with a curved arrow that starts in the north (upward) direction then points westward.
• The number 2 with a straight arrow that points southward.
• The number 3 with a curved arrow that starts in the east direction then points northward.
• The number 4 with a straight arrow that points westward.

The right column of squares contains the following (top to bottom):

• The number 5 with a curved arrow that starts in the south direction then points eastward.
• The number 6 with a straight arrow that points northward.
• The number 7 with a curved arrow that starts in the west direction then points southward.
• The number 8 with a straight arrow that points eastward.

There are solid lines connecting the numbered squares as follows:

• There is a short arrow pointing downward in the center of the graphic to a horizontal line above the first row of squares. There is an arrow at each end of the horizontal line pointing downward to squares 1 and 5 respectively.
• There are arrows pointing downward from squares 1 and 5 to squares 2 and 6 respectively.
• There is a short line coming out of the bottom of squares 2 and 6 connecting to the ends of a second horizontal line. There is an arrow that extends downward from the center of the second horizontal line crossing over the first dashed barrier line to the center of another third horizontal line. There is an arrow at each end of the third horizontal line pointing downward to squares 3 and 7 respectively.
• There are arrows pointing downward from squares 3 and 7 to squares 4 and 8 respectively.
• There is a short line coming out of the bottom of squares 4 and 8 connecting to the ends of a fourth horizontal line. There is a short line that extends downward from the center of the fourth horizontal line crossing over the second dashed barrier line to the left end of a fifth horizontal line. The right end of the fifth horizontal line extends beyond the right column of squares but before the large right brackets. There is a line that extends upwards from right end of the fifth horizontal line to the right end of a sixth horizontal line. The sixth horizontal line is below the RING 2 label and above the first horizontal line. The left hand side of the sixth horizontal line connects the top of the short arrow that points downward to the first horizontal line.

)

Figure 3

3. Transportation Field Cabinet Systems (TFCSs)

Field Architectures for Performing Traffic Management

(Extended Text Description: This is a graphic of 5x5 crisscrossing perpendicular lines representing a downtown "grid" of intersecting streets. The grid forms a 4x4 (rows and columns) representation of city blocks. In the bottom left side of each city block (except for the first block in the third row) is a TFCS (each TFCS is about 2/3 of the height of block. The leftmost TFCSs in row 3 and 4 have the abbreviation "FMS" above them (stands for Field Management Station). Left of the grid is a graphic of a building which represents a traffic management center (TMC).

The TFCSs are associated to different field architectures. Dotted lines are used to represent communications.

1. The TFCSs in column 4 rows 1 and 2 have arrows pointing to them with a label to the right of the grid saying "Standalone TFCSs."
2. There are dotted lines between the TMC and TFCSs in column 1 rows 1 and 2. The TFCSs have arrows pointing to them with a label above the grid saying "TFCSs Under Central Control."
3. There are dotted lines between the four TFCSs in row 4 of the grid (note the leftmost is labeled FMS). This row of TFCSs has an arrow pointing to it with a label to the right of the grid saying "TFCSs in a Closed-Loop System."
4. There is a dotted line between TMC and TFCS (labeled FMS) in column 2 row 3. There are dotted lines between the three TFCSs in row 3 of the grid. This row of TFCSs has an arrow pointing to it with a label to the right of the grid saying "Hybrid – TFCSs in a Closed-Loop System and Under Central Control."
5. The four TFCSs in columns 1 and 2, rows 2 and 3, have dotted lines between them where each TFCS is connected to the other three. The TFCSs have an arrow pointing to them with a label above the grid saying "TFCSs in a Peer-to-Peer System."

)

Figure 4

Evolution of Transportation Control Equipment

(Extended Text Description: This graphic contains a horizontal arrow that stretches almost the entire width of the slide near the bottom. There are years listed beneath the timeline (not evenly spaced) as follows: "1940s," "1976," "1980s," "1992," "1998," and "2006." Above the timeline are labeled photographs of TFCSs of different shapes and sizes as follows:

1. Above the 1940s point in the time line is a picture of a TFCS that is about 3 1/2 feet tall and 2 feet wide with the door open and out of view. It has a single shelf approximately 1/3 down from the top of the cabinet. On the shelf is a cuboid type taller than it is wide with a dial on it. Otherwise the internal back of the cabinet has an electrical panel with numerous wires attached to it. The label above this picture says "Electro-Mechanical."
2. Above the 1976 point in the time line is a picture of a TFCS that is about 4 feet tall and 2 1/2 feet wide with the door open and out of view. It has two shelves approximately 1/3 and 2/3 down from the top of the cabinet. On the top shelf sit two cuboid electronic devices. On the middle shelf is a larger cuboid device about 1 1/2 feet wide with four thick round cables attached to it. There is an additional smaller cable coming from the device. All 5 cables are attached and spaced equidistantly across the bottom portion of the device. The lower internal back area of the cabinet has an electrical panel with numerous wires attached to it. The label above this picture says "NEMA TS 1."
3. Above the 1980s point in the time line is a picture of a TFCS that is about 5 1/2 feet tall and 2 feet wide with the door open and out of view. The interior of the cabinet contains a 19 inch wide standard electronic equipment rack. The side metal rails of the rack run along the left and right sides of the front of the cabinet interior. There are four sections of the equipment that extend edge to edge of the cabinet interior attaching to the side rails of the rack with screws. There are a few thin cables running between components. There is a piece of cardboard in over the left side of the upper section of the cabinet. The label above this picture says "Model 3XX."
4. Above the 1992 point in the time line is a picture of a TFCS that is about 4 1/2 feet tall and 3 1/2 feet wide with the door open and out of view. It has two shelves approximately 1/6 and 2/5 down from the top of the cabinet. On the top shelf sit two cuboid electronic devices that appear to be racks for holding other devices. On the middle shelf are two larger cuboid devices with one being about 1 1/2 feet long and 1 foot high and the other about 1/2 feet wide and 1 foot tall. There are cables running between all of the devices. The lower remainder of the cabinet has various devices with lights on them that appear to be plugged into an electrical panel in the back of the cabinet interior. The label above this picture says "NEMA TS 2."
5. Above the 1998 point in the time line is a picture of a TFCS that is about 4 1/2 feet tall and 3 1/2 feet wide with the door open and out of view. It has two shelves approximately 1/6 and 2/5 down from the top of the cabinet. On the top shelf sit two cuboid electronic devices that appear to be racks for holding other devices. On the middle shelf are two larger cuboid devices with one being about 1 1/2 feet long and 1 foot high and the other about ½ feet wide and 1 foot tall. There are cables running between all of the devices. The lower remainder of the cabinet has various devices with lights on them that appear to be plugged into an electrical panel in the back of the cabinet interior. The label above this picture says "TS 2 with NTCIP."
6. Above the 2002 point in the time line is a picture of a TFCS that is about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide with the outer metal shell of the cabinet removed exposing the interior of the cabinet. The interior of the cabinet contains a 19 inch wide standard electronic equipment rack. The side metal rails of the rack run along the left and right sides of the front of the cabinet interior. There are five sections of the equipment that extend edge to edge of the cabinet interior attaching to the side rails of the rack with screws. There are a few thin cables running between components towards the bottom of the cabinet. The label above this picture says "ITS Cabinet."

)

Figure 5

Basic Transportation Field Cabinet System Components

(Extended Text Description: This graphic illustrates that the field cabinet contains various equipment. There are two large graphics. The leftmost graphic is the aluminum looking cabinet. The cabinet has a door with a horizontal handle on the left side of the cabinet and two vent slots in the center top. The cabinet is about 2.5 times high as it is tall. Above it is the label "Housing." The graphic on the right is about twice the size of the cabinet on the left. It is an enlargement of the aluminum cabinet without a door and showing the contents of the cabinet. Inside the cabinet are six labeled cuboids that extend almost the width of the cabinet. They are evenly distributed vertically. Starting from the top the cuboids are labeled "Input," "Controller," "Outputs," "Monitoring," "Power Supply," and "Internal Bus." There is a large left bracket between the cabinet graphic on the left and the enlarged cabinet on the right emphasizing that the right graphic represents the contents of the cabinet on the left.)

Figure 6

Basic Transportation Field Cabinet System Operation

(Extended Text Description: On the upper right side of this graphic is the intersection graphic labeled "Actuated" as described in Section 2 Definition of "Intersection Actuation." In this case, the graphic is labeled "Field Sensors." In the lower right of the graphic is a graphic of a traffic signal mast arm. On the mast are three traffic signal heads. This graphic is labeled "Field Displays." On the left side of the slide are four cuboids each the same size and about 5 times wider than their height or depth. They are evenly spaced and aligned with each other. They are labeled top to bottom "Inputs, Controller, Outputs and Monitoring." There are arrows showing the flow of information through the TFCS. There is an arrow extending out of the top of the Field Sensors graphic into the Inputs cuboid. There is an arrow extending out of the bottom of the of the Inputs cuboid to the Controller cuboid. There is an arrow extending out of the Controller cuboid to the Outputs cuboid. There is an arrow extending out of the Outputs cuboid to the Monitoring cuboid. There is a double arrow extending from the left side of the Monitoring cuboid back up to the left side of the Controller cuboid. This line has a label associated with via a dotted line. The label says "Controller/Monitor Communications Used in NEMA TS 2 and ITS Cabinets." There is a line extending from the ride side of the Outputs cuboid to the top of the Field Displays graphic.)

Figure 7

Differences in Transportation Field Cabinet System

TFCS	Physical Mounting	Internal Bus	Signal Monitor	Input Channels	Monitored Output Channels
NEMATS1	Shelf	Parallel / Discrete Wiring	Conflict Monitor	8	3/6/12/18
Caltrans Model 33X	Rack	Parallel / Discrete Wiring	Conflict Monitor	44	16/18
NEMATS 2	Shelf	Serial 153.6 kbps	Malfunction Management Unit	64	16
ITS Cabinet v01	Rack	Serial 614.4 kbps	Cabinet Monitor Unit	120	28

Figure 8

4. Glossary

Term	Definition
AASHTO	American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AC	Alternating Current
AC-	120 VAC, 60 Hz neutral (grounded return to the power source)
AC+	120 VAC, 60 Hz line source (ungrounded)
ANSI	American National Standard Institute
ASCII	American Standard Code for Information Interchange
Assembly	A complete machine, structure, or unit of a machine that was manufactured by fitting together parts and/or modules
ASTM	American Society for Testing and Materials
ATC	Advanced Transportation Controller
AWG	American Wire Gage
BSP	Board Support Package
Cabinet	An outdoor enclosure generally housing the controller unit and associated equipment
Caltrans	California Department of Transportation
CD	Carrier Detect
Component	Any electrical or electronic device
CPU	Central Processing Unit
CTS	Clear to send (data)
CU	Controller Unit, that portion of the controller assembly devoted to the operational control of the logic decisions programmed into the assembly
DAT	Design Acceptance Testing
DC	Direct Current
DCD	Data Carrier Detect (receive line signal detector)
DRAM	Dynamic Random Access Memory
EEPROM	Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
EG	Equipment Ground
EIA	Electronic Industries Association
EL	Electro-luminescent
EMI	Electromagnetic Interference
ENET	Ethernet
EPROM	Ultraviolet Erasable, Programmable, Read-Only Memory
Equal	Connectors: comply to physical dimensions, contact material, plating and method of connection. Devices: comply to function, pin out, electrical and operating parameter requirements, access times and interface parameters of the specified device
ETL	Electrical Testing Laboratories, Inc.
FCU	Field Control Unit
Firmware	A computer program or software stored permanently in PROM, EPROM, ROM, or semi-permanently in EEPROM
FLASH	A form of EEPROM that allows multiple memory locations to be erased or written in one programming operation. It is solid-state, permanent and non-volatile memory typically having fast access and read/write cycles
FPA	Front Panel Assembly
FSK	Frequency Shift Keying
HDLC	High-level Data Link Control
I/O	Input/Output
IEEE	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IP	Internet Protocol
ISO	International Standards Organization
ITE	Institute of Transportation Engineers
ITS	Intelligent Transportation Systems
Jumper	A means of connecting/disconnecting two or more conductors by soldering/desoldering a conductive wire or by PCB post jumper
Keyed	Means by which like connectors can be physically altered to prevent improper insertion
LCD	Liquid Crystal Display
LED	Light Emitting Diode
LOGIC	Negative logic convention (Ground True) state
logic-level	HCT or equivalent TTL - compatible voltage interface levels
lsb	Least Significant Bit
LSB	Least Significant Byte
MIPS	Million Instructions Per Second
Module	A functional unit that plugs into an assembly
msb	Most Significant Bit
MS	Military Specification, Mil-Spec or Mil-Standard
MSB	Most Significant Byte
NA	Presently Not Assigned. Cannot be used by the contractor for other purposes.
NEMA	National Electrical Manufacturer's Association
NETA	National Electrical Testing Association, Inc.
NLSB	Next Least Significant Byte
NMSB	Next Most Significant Byte
NTCIP	National Transportation Communication for ITS Protocols
OST	Operating System Time
NYSDOT	New York State Department of Transportation
O/S	Operating System
Open System	Standardized hardware interfaces in a module
PCB	Printed Circuit Board
PDA	Personal Data Assistant (electronic)
RAM	Random Access Memory
RF	Radio Frequency
RMS	Root mean square
ROM	Read only memory
RTC	Real Time Clock
RTS	Request to send (data)
RX	Abbreviation for "Receive" when used to describe communication signals. Typically a prefix for other character(s).
RXC	Receive Clock
RXD	Receive Data
SDLC	Synchronous Data Link Control
SP	Serial Port
SPI	Serial Peripheral Interface
SRAM	Static Random Access Memory
TEES	Transportation Electrical Equipment Specifications
TMC	Transportation Management Center
TOD	Time Of Day Clock
TTL	Transistor-Transistor Logic
TX	Abbreviation for "Transmit" when used to describe communication signals. Typically a prefix for other character(s).
TXC	Transmit Clock
TXD	Transmit Data
UL	Underwriter's Laboratories, Inc.
USB	Universal Serial Bus
VAC	Volts Alternating Current
VDC	Volts Direct Current
WDT	Watchdog Timer: A monitoring circuit, external to the device watched, which senses an Output Line from the device and reacts

5. Reference to Other Standards

• Institute of Transportation Engineers, Application Programming Interface (API) Standard for the Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) v02.17. ATC Joint Committee, 1 September 2011. www.ite.org/technical-resources/topics/standards/
• Institute of Transportation Engineers, ATC 5202 Model 2070 Controller Standard Version 03. ATC Joint Committee, 28 December 2012. www.ite.org/technical-resources/topics/standards/
• Institute of Transportation Engineers, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Standard Specification for Roadside Cabinets v01.02.17b. ATC Joint Committee, 16 November 2006. www.ite.org/technical-resources/topics/standards/
• National Electrical Manufacturers Association, NEMA Standards Publication TS 2-2003 v02.06 Traffic Controller Assemblies with NTCIP Requirements. NEMA, 2003.
• National Electrical Manufacturers Association, NEMA Standards Publication TS 1-1989 Traffic Control Systems. NEMA, 1989.

6. References

• California Department of Transportation, Caltrans Transportation Electrical Equipment Specifications (TEES). California Department of Transportation, 12 March 2009.
• ITS PCB Training stds_training.aspx.
• United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. Systems Engineering Guidebook for Intelligent Transportation Systems Version 3.0. November 2009. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/cadiv/segb/

7. Study Questions

Participant Questions Included in Presentation

1) Which of the following is NOT a purpose of the ATC standards program?

1. General Purpose Field Computing Platform
2. Grow with technology
3. Open Architecture
4. Compact

2) Which of the following is NOT a major feature of ATC controller units?

1. Manage/Configure applications
2. Windows operating system
3. Manage external devices
4. Facilitate ease of maintenance and future hardware/software updates

3) Which of the following is critical to being able to replace an Engine Board with a more powerful Engine Board in the future?

1. Identical Pinout
2. New Host Module
3. Same Processor Family
4. Same Engine Board Manufacturer

4) Which of the following ATC controller resources is NOT shared/managed by the API software?

1. Real-Time Clock
2. Front Panel
3. Datakey
4. Field Input/Output

5) Which of the following is a TRUE statement?

1. API Software provides NTCIP communications software for multiple applications
2. ATC 5201 allows multiple applications to use NTCIP communications simultaneously
3. ATC environmental requirements are generally the same as TFCS standards and specifications
4. Most 170 controllers are suitable for NTCIP ASC communications

6) What is the best way to migrate to ATC equipment?

1. Use existing TFCSs and replace older controllers with ATC controller units
2. Use existing operational software that has a version suitable for ATC controller units
3. Replace controller units as part of regular scheduled maintenance
4. All equally good and it depends on the needs of the agency

7) Which of the following is a good practice when preparing a specification using ATC 5201 v06?

1. Establish a precedence of referenced standards and specifications
2. Always specify the fastest CPU available
3. Always specify several extra serial ports than you need
4. Never exceed the minimum user interface requirements of the ATC 5201 Standard