Automobile counters AC-108X

Photo 1. Automobile counter AC-1080, AC-1081.

Purpose and scope

Automobile counters of the type AC-108X are used to counter the number of cars passing through gates or other places that provide single-row flow of transport vehicles.

Automobile counters can be used at the paid car parks, car washes, car park gates etc. with the aim of additional objective control of the car flow.

Principle of operation and basic functions Basic technical characteristics

The principle of operation (photos 1-2, pic. 1) is based on actuation of sensors when the vehicle crosses the infrared beam. The total number of cars for a set interval is recorded in the memory of the counter, indicating date and time. The direction of car flow is not detected. The counting result is stored in the flash memory and shown on the 4-digit 7-segment indicator. The counter also keeps a record of emergency situations: the time of turning the power off/on, the time of deliberate interruption of the infrared channel “transmitter – receiver”. Recording the emergency situations is necessary to prevent unauthorized actions with the counter.

Data from the counters can be processed either manually or using the PC. Comparative characteristics of the counters are given in the table 1. During manual data processing information is obtained visually from the LED indicator, in this case only the absolute counted amount is withdrawn from the counter. During automatic data processing information from the counters is read through the COM-port (RS-232 or RS-485 interface). After transferring data to the PC, the programme analyses the car flow.

The initial data for the analysis is the number of counter or number of gate where it was, as well as the date or time interval of interest and discretization of analysis. The result of the analysis is presented in the form of a table and a graph. The programme has a user-friendly interface, works in the Windows XP environment, can be modified for the specific needs of the customer. The counters can be networked via the interface
RS-485 and connected to the PC.

When the cellular terminal is connected, the counters can send all the information remotely to the server and from there be requested by the user’s PC.

Maximum time of autonomous information storage – 3 months

Pic. 1. Installation of the AC-1080

- two-wire interface of sensors with the control unit
- supply voltage ~220V
- max. power consumption – not more than 5 W

Table 1. Comparative characteristics of the counters of the type AC-108X

Type	Sensor type	Max. number of the controlled car flows	Max. width of the gate, not more than	Max. communication range counter – receiver	Max. communication range counter – transmitter	Interface counter – PC	Max. communication range counter – PC
AC-1080	IR	2	10 m	1000 m	1000 m	RS-232	10 m
AC-1081	IR	2	10 m	1000 m	1000 m	RS-485	1000 m

The counters can be networked via interface RS-485 and connected to the PC.

When the cellular terminal is connected, the counters can send all the information remotely to the server and from there be requested by the user’s PC.