Houston Radar Speedlane Pro User manual

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Speedlane® Pro
True Dual Beam Side-Fire Traffic Sensor
and Collector User Manual and Installation
Guide
Rev 2, 26th May 2018
Speedlane® Pro Non-Intrusive Dual FMCW Radar Based Traffic Sensor and Collector

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This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
The device must be located 20 cm or more from persons. The device must not be co-located
with other transmitters.
This device is certified to be used in Canada under “RSS 310”.
Contains FCCID PD420, QOQWT41
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance
could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
Any modification or use other than specified in this manual will strictly void the certification
to operate the device.
Unit emits low power microwave radar signals through the front. Do not cover with any
labels or block for proper operation. Keep unit powered off when not in use.
No user serviceable parts inside. Warranty void if opened.
Note: Specifications may change without notice.
Note: Not liable for typographical errors or omissions.

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Table Of Contents
A LOOK INSIDE A SPEEDLANE PRO RADAR ........................................................ 5
AN EXAMPLE SOLAR POWERED SPEEDLANE PRO SITE................................. 6
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION....................................................................................... 7
FMCW RADAR ................................................................................................................ 7
RADAR DETECTION ZONE ................................................................................................ 8
RADAR POINTING............................................................................................................. 9
BACKGROUND CLUTTER .................................................................................................. 9
Clutter Map................................................................................................................. 9
Clutter Map Time Constant ........................................................................................ 9
Choosing a CTC value.............................................................................................. 10
USER CONFIGURABLE DETECTION LANES ..................................................................... 11
Lane Definition ......................................................................................................... 11
Lane Status over Serial or Ethernet.......................................................................... 11
Lane Setup................................................................................................................. 11
Historical Per Vehicle Data Collection.................................................................... 11
STREAMING DATA ......................................................................................................... 11
RADAR MOUNTING ........................................................................................................ 12
Side firing installations............................................................................................. 12
Mounting Bracket...................................................................................................... 12
Location .................................................................................................................... 13
Setback and Mounting Height................................................................................... 14
Setup Tutorial Video ................................................................................................. 17
Sighting Camera ....................................................................................................... 18
Leveling the Speedlane Pro during installation: ...................................................... 20
HOOKUP:........................................................................................................................ 21
Power Input: ............................................................................................................. 21
Serial Connection: .................................................................................................... 22
WIRE SIGNAL DESCRIPTIONS:........................................................................................ 23
INITIAL SETUP................................................................................................................ 25
Selecting Clutter Time Constant and Performing Clutter Initialization................... 25
Defining Lanes.......................................................................................................... 25
Optimal Performance Checklist................................................................................ 26
Configuring the Radar via the provided Houston Radar Configuration Tool GUI: 27
Connecting to The Radar .......................................................................................... 28
................................................................................................................................... 28
Setup Tutorial Video ................................................................................................. 29
Using the Installation Wizard ................................................................................... 29
Speedlane Pro Basic Application Setup.................................................................... 30
Speedlane Pro Target Verification and Lane Setup ................................................. 31

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Improving Performance in Installations with Multi-Path Reflections: .................... 36
RECORDING VIDEO IN THE SPEEDLANE PRO:................................................. 37
IN-RADAR LOGS:......................................................................................................... 38
RETRIEVE DATA USING THE BUILT IN BLUETOOTH WIRELESS INTERFACE: ..................... 39
READING HISTORICAL DATA FROM SPEEDLANE PRO ................................. 39
ANALYZING DATA...................................................................................................... 41
........................................................................................................................................... 41
PUSHING DATA TO THE TETRYON SERVER IN THE CLOUD ....................... 42
USING THE BUILT-IN 3G MODEM.......................................................................... 43
SPEEDLANE PRO WITH BUILT-IN LIFEPO4 RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
AND MPPT SOLAR CHARGER ................................................................................. 44
SPEEDLANE PRO SPECIFICATIONS ...................................................................... 45
GENERAL ....................................................................................................................... 45
CAMERA ........................................................................................................................ 45
ETHERNET OPTION......................................................................................................... 45
PoE Option................................................................................................................ 45
BLUETOOTH ................................................................................................................... 45
APPROVALS ................................................................................................................... 45
DATA INTERFACES ......................................................................................................... 45
MECHANICAL................................................................................................................. 46
PERFORMANCE............................................................................................................... 46
Speed Accuracy......................................................................................................... 46
Length Class Accuracy ............................................................................................. 46
Lane Occupancy Accuracy ....................................................................................... 46
APPENDIX A: CONNECTING TO THE SPEEDLANE PRO OVER ETHERNET
........................................................................................................................................... 47
ASSIGNING A STATIC IP ADDRESS TO THE SPEEDLANE PRO............................................ 48
APPENDIX B: CAPTURING DEBUG DATA ON THE ROAD............................... 49

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A Look Inside a Speedlane Pro Radar

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An Example Solar Powered Speedlane Pro Site
Solar powered Speedlane Pro with built-in 3G
modem sending data to Tetryon server. A 50W solar
panel is sufficient at this location in Ontario Canada.

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Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the Houston Radar Speedlane Pro true dual beam
non-intrusive traffic sensor/collector, traffic flow monitor. This state of the art 24GHz K-
band microwave frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) dual radar based
counter is specifically designed for license free portable or permanent traffic data
measurement and collection.
Utilizing high performance, ultra-low power DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology
and microwave components based on a planar patch array antenna with integrated low
power PHEMT oscillator, you will find that this high quality product meets your exacting
standards for performance and reliability.
Some of the highlights of this product include:
World’s lowest power usage true dual beam FMCW radar.
Up to 255ft (78m) detection range
Simultaneously detects, tracks and logs per-vehicle speeds, lengths of up to sixteen individual targets.
Logs lane occupancy, gap, average speed
Sixteen user-configurable lanes allow assignment of targets to specific lanes.
Unmatched range resolution allows setting lane boundaries in 1 foot (0.3m) increments.
1 Mega Pixel HD video camera for snapshots and live streaming video.
Companion Windows application provides intuitive GUI to set all configuration parameters and display
real time plots of the targets, lane by lane counts and accumulated count histograms.
Firmware “boot loader” allows for field upgrading of the firmware.
Built-in 1 million vehicle statistics storage memory for stand-alone per-vehicle data gathering.
FCC, Industry Canada pre-approved with CE mark.
Optional high performance maximum power point technology (MPPT) solar charger to long term studies
or permanent locations
Optional GPS option to geostamp data collection location.
Optional 3G modem for remote data access. (Annual data plan subscription required).
Optional server software to connect and collect data from multiple devices in the field.
Optional 100 Mbps Ethernet Port
Optional Power over Ethernet (POE)
Principle of Operation
FMCW Radar
The dual FMCW radars in the Speedlane Pro modulates the frequency of the transmit
signal in a linear fashion. The difference between the frequencies of the local oscillator
and the signal returned from the target is proportional to the time delay between these
signals and thus is proportional to the distance to target. In case of a moving target we

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also take into account Doppler shift of the return signal. Radar utilizes double linear ramp
modulation, first increasing and then decreasing the frequency of the signal. Additional
information derived from two ramps allows the radar to measure both range to target and
target velocity. The patent pending dual radars setup “virtual speedtraps” in 0.375”
increments in front of the Speedlane Pro which allows measurement of speed, direction
of travel and length of each vehicle.
The Speedlane Pro employs advanced target tracking technique based on a proprietary
algorithm that allows it to detect, measure and track multiple targets simultaneously. It
also features advanced “application filters” pre-configured to optimize performance for a
variety of applications.
For a more detailed theoretical description of the principles of FMCW radar operation
please see this article on the Internet.
Radar Detection Zone
The radar detection zones has an oval shape and is defined by the beam cone (7ºx74º) and
incident angle to the road surface. Note that the beam does not cutoff abruptly at the
boundary of the detection zone but rather gradually tapers off. Thus weak targets near the
boundaries may be missed while strong targets outside may still get detected. The
strength of the target is determined by its radar cross-section (RCS) and depends on the
target material, area, shape and incident angle of the radar beam. Large flat metallic
surfaces positioned at exactly 90 degrees to the incident radar beam make the best targets.
Examples are vehicle sides, front and rear ends. Flat metal surfaces at angles other than
perpendicular to the beam tend to reflect the radar signal away and reduce the signal
strength. Two or three metal surfaces joined at 90 degree angle, for example a corner of a
pickup truck bed create perfect reflector and usually result in a very strong return signal.
Important things to remember about radar detection zone:
1. The radar beam does not end abruptly at the specified angle. Per convention, we
specify “half-power” beam angles where the power falls off to half the value from
the center of the beam. Thus it is possible for the radar to detect strong targets
outside of the oval derived from a trigonometric calculation based on the beam
angle.
2. Every target has different microwave reflective characteristics. This is
characterized by the RCS and affects how much microwave energy the target
returns back to the radar. This is one of the most important factors in reliable
detection. Simple rules of thumb are:
a. Vehicle side typically has larger cross section than vehicle front
b. Vehicle rear typically has larger cross section than vehicle front
c. Larger target is likely to have larger RCS, thus a truck will provide a
stronger return signal then a passenger car or a motorcycle.

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d. Metal targets have larger cross section than non-metallic targets (like
humans, animals, plastics etc.)
e. Metal surfaces joined at a 90-degree angle create perfect reflector.
f. Perfectly flat metal surface at an angle other then 90 degrees may reflect
the radar beam away and result in a weak target.
3. In a side firing configuration as the vehicle passes in front of the radar, an incident
angle momentarily becomes 90º and results in a strong return signal. This effect
manifests in a somewhat narrower detection zone compared to what may be
expected from the beam geometry.
4. Unlike in a Doppler radar, with FMCW radar there is always a fixed internal
design limit to the maximum detection range. No matter how strong the target is,
it will not be detected beyond this limit. The maximum detection range may be
found in the specification.
Radar Pointing
The radar beam should be pointed across the traffic at 90º to the road. Pointing the radar
at an angle substantially different from 90º is not recommended because the signal
strength is severely reduced. The industry refers to pointing the radar at 90º as a side
firing installation. Consult Operating Mode section about what types of installations are
supported by current firmware.
Background Clutter
Clutter Map
Since the radar can detect stationary targets; things like fences, road curbs, lane
separators, traffic signs and other unwanted targets need to be processed and eliminated
from the output. In order to do so the radar maintains a clutter map where it stores all
these unwanted targets. The clutter map is subtracted from the signal leaving only true
targets to report.
Clutter Map Time Constant
The radar continuously adjusts the clutter map to account for changing conditions. The
rate of the adjustment is determined by clutter time constant (CTC). CTC specifies how
long does it take for an average target to fade away into the background, e.g. become part
of the clutter map and no longer be reported as a valid target. CTC is a user
programmable value and can be set from 1 second to 300 minutes (5 hours). For a fast
moving traffic CTC may be set to a lower value whereas for a stopped traffic it is
appropriate to set it to a higher value. Besides automatic continuous adjustment of the
clutter map, the user can issue a command to take and store a quick snapshot of the
current clutter map and use it as a new basis the next time the radar is turned on. Typical
use cases are:

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1. You may issue this command during the setup when road is clear of the vehicles
so you do not have to wait for an automatic clutter map adjustment to take place.
This is especially handy in applications where a long CTC is required. A snapshot
command temporarily overrides long CTC value and speeds up clutter map
reconstruction.
2. You want the radar to start with a “mostly good” clutter map after the power cycle
in order to reduce initial adjustment time.
The clutter map adjustment rate is asymmetric. The clutter is adjusted up slowly (targets
fade away slowly) but is adjusted down fast. This facilitates improved clutter map
maintenance in situations where traffic density is high.
Choosing a CTC value
Typically you would set the CTC value to be 5 to 10 times longer than the maximum
expected presence time of real targets. Settings the CTC to too short a value may result in
real targets fading into the background thus resulting in poor detection.
Typical CTC values are 15 seconds to 15 minutes for highway mode if vehicles are not
expected to stop in front of the radar for extended periods of time. If congestion is
expected on the road, you may set the CTC to a significantly higher value, perhaps 60 or
90 minutes.
By default the Installation Wizard sets the CTC value to 15 minutes which is appropriate
for most locations and traffic conditions. If your traffic conditions warrant it, you may
adjust this up or down after stepping through the Installation Wizard steps. We highly
recommend contacting our technical support at [email protected] if you have
any questions or require a recommendation. We will be more than happy to help you.
You MUST issue the “Initialize Clutter” command via the provided GUI after you
have setup the radar in the intended location.
You MUST reissue this command after you adjust the radar pointing, height or angle
on the road.
If you use the “Installation Wizard” in the provided Windows setup software this is
done automatically. We highly recommend stepping through the Wizard every time
you make an adjustment to the radar installation.

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User Configurable Detection Lanes
Lane Definition
A lane is a user-configurable range slot within the radar’s detection zone. When a vehicle
is present within this slot, the lane gets “activated”. Lane activations are used for
presence indication whereas vehicle tracking is used for counting. For example if a
vehicle has crossed from lane to lane it will be counted once only but both lanes will be
sequentially activated. Defining a lane is optional in the unit but highly recommended.
The provided Windows program can only generate detailed reports if lanes have been
defined. The radar will detect and log vehicles with their actual range even if lanes have
not been defined, but in this case, direct SQL queries will need to be made to the radar’s
SQL raw target database. Contact us if you have a need for this feature.
Lane Status over Serial or Ethernet
Target presence information in each lane (lane activation status) is also available in real-
time to an attached controller via the external communication ports. An external
controller communicates with the radar via the Houston Radar Binary protocol. The same
protocol is used to communicate to all radars (Doppler and FMCW) produced by
Houston Radar. Please contact us for a “C” or “C#” SDK (software development kit) if
you wish to utilize this feature.
Lane Setup
Typically, you would configure one or more detection lanes during initial setup. Please
note that the radar measures distance along the line of view from the radar to the target
and does not correct for the mounting height. This is usually not a problem as the
supplied configuration program accumulates and displays all detected targets as a
histogram in real time regardless of lane setup and the user may simply draws the lane
boundaries around the histogram peaks. Thus no manual calculations are required.
Historical Per Vehicle Data Collection
The radar measures per-vehicle speeds, direction of travel, vehicle length and per lane
counts. Additionally, it keeps track of the number of vehicles detected in each lane,
average speed, 85th percentile speed, vehicle gap and lane occupancy during every
accumulation interval. Accumulation interval is programmed in minutes via the “Record
Interval” setting on the configuration tool “Advanced” tab. These counts are stored in
internal memory and may be retrieved later for analysis.
Streaming Data
Per vehicle data including speed, range, direction of travel, length, gap from previous
vehicle and timestamp is also available on a real time streaming basis. This may be

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received in a computer or controller connected to a communication port of the Speedlane
Pro. A full featured “C” or C# SDK along with a developers application guide is
available. Please contact us for more details.
Radar Mounting
Side firing installations
Typically the radars will be used in a side firing installation where the radar points across
the traffic, e.g. radar beam is at 90 degree angle to the road and covers one or more lanes.
This mode must be used to detect traffic at typical highway speeds.
In this mode vehicles traveling on the road at highway speeds are detected for a short
duration of time while they are crossing the beam and their velocity is mostly tangential
(at right angle to the beam) with a negligible radial (along the beam) component.
Mounting Bracket
The provided mounting bracket allows for sufficient adjustment of the radar pointing
angle for various mounting heights. The user must perform a “camera view” check using
the included snapshot camera to validate that the radar beam is pointed correctly.
Installation must also ensure that the Speedlane Pro is rigidly mounted. Support
structures that are affected by wind are not a good choice. Swaying action changes
radar’s field of view and affects the performance.

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Using a 3/16” hex key loosen the 4 hex bolts about 2 to 3 turns till the clamps allow the
tube to rotate freely. Adjust the pitch to the desired pointing and then tighten the bolts all
the way till the split washer is compressed flat. The clamps are designed to properly grasp
the tube when they are tightened all the way. A 3/16” hex key is provided with all
Speedlanes.
Location
Places that have a lot of wall area such as tunnels and overpasses are not a good location
for the radar. Walls can bounce the radar beam and create ghost targets.
Note: when beam bounce or multi-pass propagation creates ghost targets it is sometimes
possible to adjust the radar location in such way that these ghost targets would fall
outside of the user defined lanes or lanes traveling in the opposite direction and thus be
discarded. Supplied Windows Configuration Utility should always be used to verify the
setup.
See section “Leveling the Speedlane Pro during installation:” for details on using the
onboard level meter to assist with ensuring that the unit is parallel to the road surface.
For installations which may be moved often (for example on a trailer), we also offer
tool-less quick adjust clamps (pictured above). These can be loosened via the hand
and then snapped back to grab the tube once the pitch adjustment has been made.

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Setback and Mounting Height
In the side fire multi-lane installation the radar must be mounted in such way that it may
see over the top of the closer vehicles. This requires it to be mounted higher than the
tallest vehicle it will encounter in a closer lane. An exception to this rule is a situation
where you are detecting only the closer lane, e.g. a turn lane or an exit only. In which
case the radar can be mounted at target height and pointed horizontally. This may also be
used in locations with very low traffic density where the probability of simultaneous
vehicles in adjacent lanes is very low.
For optimal performance, the setback must be increased with the mounting height as
suggested in the table below. Insufficient setback may result in lane misdetection for the
closer lanes.
See setup table on next page.
As a general rule of thumb, the installation height should not be more than 1.25X the
setback distance from the closest lane to be measured.
Ln 1
Ln 2
Ln 3
Ln 4
Ln 5
Ln 6
Setback
Height
Radar pointed down between one-third
and one-half of the detection zone
Acceptable range of
pointing variation.

Ln 7
Ln 8…

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Speedlane Pro Installation Table (in feet)
Offset from 1st
lane
Recommended Height
(ft)
Minimum Height (ft)
Maximum
Height (ft)
7
17
8
19
8
17
8
20
9
17
8
21
10
17
9
22
11
17
9
23
12
17
10
24
13
17
11
25
14
18
11
26
15
20
12
26
16
20
12
27
17
21
13
28
18
22
14
29
19
22
14
30
20
23
15
30
21
23
15
31
22
23
16
31
23
25
16
32
24
25
16
33
25
26
17
33
26
26
17
34
27
27
18
35
28
27
18
35
29
27
18
36
30
29
19
37
31
29
19
37
32
29
19
38
33
30
19
39
34
30
19
39
35
30
20
40
36
30
20
41
37
30
20
41
38
31
21
42
39
31
21
43
40
33
22
43
41
33
22
44
42
34
22
44
43
34
22
45
44
35
23
46
45
35
23
46
Recommended Mounting

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Speedlane Pro Installation Table (in meters)
Offset from 1st
lane
Recommended Height
(m)
Minimum Height (m)
Maximum
Height (m)
2
5
2
6
2
5
2
6
3
5
2
6
3
5
3
7
3
5
3
7
4
5
3
7
4
5
3
8
4
5
3
8
5
6
4
8
5
6
4
8
5
6
4
9
5
7
4
9
6
7
4
9
6
7
5
9
6
7
5
9
7
7
5
9
7
8
5
10
7
8
5
10
8
8
5
10
8
8
5
10
8
8
5
11
9
8
5
11
9
8
5
11
9
9
6
11
9
9
6
11
10
9
6
12
10
9
6
12
10
9
6
12
11
9
6
12
11
9
6
12
11
9
6
12
12
9
6
13
12
9
6
13
12
10
7
13
12
10
7
13
13
10
7
13
13
10
7
14
13
11
7
14
14
11
7
14
Recommended Mounting

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Setup Tutorial Video
A step by step installation and setup training video is available. We highly recommend
watching this video before attempting to install the Speedlane Pro.
https://youtu.be/Tc072PymqRQ

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Sighting Camera
The Speedlane Pro has an inbuilt color HD (1.3 mega pixel) sighting camera. You may
take a snapshot via the supplied configuration tool and examine the view of the camera
that approximately matches the view of the radar. This makes verifying the pointing quite
simple and convenient.
In the example photo above note that the 4 lanes are approximately centered in the frame
and the radar is mounted high enough and with enough setback to allow an unblocked
view of traffic in all lanes.
In this example, the Speedlane Pro was mounted with a 40 foot setback from the closest
lane and about 20 feet high. The far lane is about 135 feet away. Note the concrete barrier
after the 2nd lane. It is handled by the Speedlane Pro without much trouble.
An example photo from the Speedlane Pro sighting camera showing proper pointing
for a 4 lane highway.

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You must have the Ethernet or 3G modem option to stream and view live video. If
you are not connected over Ethernet then the “View Video” button will not be
visible. You may still take a snapshot via a serial or Bluetooth connection.
Click the “Take Photo” button to take a snapshot of the radar
view of the road. This is a very convenient feature of the
SpeedLane to verify proper pointing both in the vertical and
horizontal direction. Ensure you are pointed as close to 90°
to the passing traffic as possible for best results.
The photo is also saved in the stats analyzer database and
you can later view it once you import the data from the unit.
Alternatively, if you have an Ethernet enabled SpeedLane;
you may click the “View Video” button to get a live view of
traffic on the road.