Transit Operations Monitoring and Supervision
Personal Rapid Transit is all about network (and vehicle) controls. 2getthere’s supervisory control system TOMS (Transit Operations Monitoring and Supervision) is based on the well proven SuperFROG system for industrial applications. A development history of 22+ years, demanding applications in multiple environments and experiences with APM-systems ensures 2getthere is technologically ahead of its competitors. The controls and experience are a significant competitive edge and the basis of several key advantages: proven reliability and availability, flexibility in configuration and operations, speed of implementation and minimum capital and operational costs.
TOMS, fully customized for people mover requirements, allows for synchronous control of operations on the basis of Frog’s time synchronization patent. Merging and docking procedures at stations (with independent berths) are accurately timed to allow for smooth operations.
The system operates according to the parameters set in a scenario. Scenarios become active depending on the time of day or can be activated by the operator. The scenarios contain parameters with regard to work scheduling, traffic control, communication and job generation and assignment. The number of scenarios that can be programmed is virtually unlimited, allowing the operations to be optimized for each hour of each day.
Work scheduling, the assignment of transport requests to vehicles, is based on a customized set of rules (framework of conditions). The rules incorporate elements such as vehicle availability, distances, lay-out and transport requirements. As a traffic cop, TOMS directs traffic based on well-defined traffic rules. At crossings and intersections the supervisory system decides which vehicle has the right-of-way based on the priority of the vehicle.
Generation of transport requests is typically done by push-buttons at the stations of the system or generated automatically based on logged patterns of transportation requests and/or synchronization with the arrival/departure of other modes of transportation. TOMS is also in control of fleet management. This entails a.o. ensuring timely recharging of the batteries and keeping log files of all system events, alerts and transportation requests. The log files can be retrieved for statistical processing at any time.
The necessary communication to and from vehicles is done via a Radio Frequency (RF) wireless link. TOMS allows for an easy expansion of the vehicle fleet and has standardized interfaces for communication with other systems (traffic lights, beams, etc.). The TOMS system was developed and tested in-house and operates on a Linux-platform.