Arcelor Mittal Tubarão - Traffic control system: much more security.
Acerlor Mittal Tubarão is one of the biggest companies in Brazil and is responsible for 8% of the global volume of steel plates' commercialization. It has one of the highest indexes of reuse of waste produced in the productive proccess and since 2006, when it started the Terminal of Sea Barges, transports steel coils through the sea. Each sea barge travel, with a capacity of 9.5 thousand tons, represents 300 trucks less circulating in the highways of the country. This means a decrease of about 100 thousand tons per year of CO2. It has one of the best indicators in the world in the area of Health and Security, one of the reasons that pushed the company forward to develop an appropriate logistic solution to its need of maintaining security in internal transit.
About the Solution
The Client: Acerlor Mittal Tubarão is one of the biggest companies in Brazil and is responsible for 8% of the global volume of steel plates' commercialization. It has one of the highest indexes of reuse of waste produced in the productive proccess and since 2006, when it started the Terminal of Sea Barges, transports steel coils through the sea. Each sea barge travel, with a capacity of 9.5 thousand tons, represents 300 trucks less circulating in the highways of the country.
Proposed challenge: The trucks don't have great visibility of smaller vehicles nearby, causing eventual collision accidents or even crashes. This risk increases when they have to roam through ways with other smaller vehicles.
Equipment: L-A210 Reader, L-TGP-A tags and DS1005 modules.
Solution: Usage of Wave tags for the trucks to be identified when they go through readers installed near intersections or other vehicle's traffic access ways. RFID system integration with the traffic light controller through a Tibbo module.
Functioning: The tag is affixated to the truck's windshield. When there is no truck around, all traffic lights blink in yellow, which means normal vehicles are forced to stop and check if they can go through. When a tagged truck approaches the intersection, the tag signal is sent to the L-A210 reader, which transmits this tag's ID through RS-485 / 232 to the Tibbo DS1005 controller, it treats this ID checking if it really is going and not returning (there are 3 readers calculating this algorithm), then the DS1005 module activates a relay that lights up the green light so that the truck goes without braking, and red for the normal cars to stop. The reader number 2 confirmes the truck's passage and sends the ID to the DS1005 which makes the lights blink yellow again.
Features / Practical improvements: With this automated system, the need for personal presence to guide and prioritize truck traffic is avoided.
Gains / Benefits: Avoiding material and human losses, increasing safety.
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