MAGNETIC GUIDANCE SYSTEM STEERS BUS

摘要

Transportation engineers at the University of California at Berkeley have created a magnetic guidance system that can steer a bus with precision, even at high speeds. The operation of the system was demonstrated with the aid of a 60 ft (18 m) bus traveling along a 1 mi (1.6 km) stretch of East 14th Street in San Leandro, California, in the midst of traffic. Sensors and processors on the bus controlled the bus's steering with the aid of large magnets that had been placed under the pavement at 3.3 ft (1 m) intervals along the center of the lane. While the driver maintained control of the braking and acceleration in the demonstration, no driver was needed when the system was tested on a closed track, although a manual override option was available. In the San Leandro demonstration, the automated steering enabled the bus to stop with a lateral accuracy of 0.4 in. (1 cm), a feat that could increase the efficiency and reliability of buses by decreasing the amount of time necessary to load and unload passengers. The precision in steering could also decrease the lane width necessary for travel from 12 ft (3.6 m) to 10 ft (3 m) and make it possible for additional vehicles to run closer to one another during times of peak demand. Since a magnetic guidance system offers many of the benefits of a light-rail system for a fraction of the cost, transit agencies are paying close attention. While researchers have been studying such magnetic guidance systems for nearly 20 years, the recent demonstration was the first application to a mass transit bus on a public road. The California Department of Transportation provided $320,000 to fund the demonstration project, which was conducted by members of the University of California at Berkeley's initiative Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways.