Development and Analysis of a Pedestrian Crossing Warning System

摘要

Research has been conducted in the development of a system of in-pavement warning lights for use at pedestrian crosswalks for increased safety. The system consists of ground embedded units which contain Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). The units are aligned along each side of the crosswalk. Optics have been designed to provide concentrated beams aimed towards approaching drivers. Several means of system activation have been investigated, both manual and automatic, allowing the system to power up whenever a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Investigations have centered upon: Beam spread, ver tical and horizontal; light source color; aiming and lane coverage; and system optics. These factors are discussed in the paper. Pulsing of the LEDs is used to increase visibility of the lights. Various pulsing schemes have been analyzed to maximize the conspicuity of the system. Investigations have been conducted to test drivers' reaction time to determine system effectiveness. Results will be provided which report the increases in reaction distances achieved.