Wavetronix VDR24 Radar - Manual (Page 60)

Setting Up Lanes, Zones, and Channels
60 VDR24 Radar Detection System, Rev 1.0
8.5.1. Watch Vehicles Traversing the Crossing to Verify Proper Detection
As vehicles move over the crossing and through the established detection zones, observe the
vehicle tracking and detection zone response to verify proper detection activity. Depending on
your computer speed, there may be a slight processing delay (up to 1.2 second) between the
actual detection and the illumination of Channel Status indicator4s and highlighted Zones on
your SSM-Rail application screen.
8.5.1.1. Verify No Missed Detections
Verify that there are no missed detections as vehicles move through the detection zone area.
Note that the radar system is optimized for detecting vehicles that are potentially trapped in the
crossing or queued up on the crossing when the warning system starts. The radar system is not
expected to instantly respond to vehicles that are moving at high speed over the crossing area.
They will still be detected but the detection duration will be very short.
8.5.1.2. Verify No False Detections
The dual redundant radar detection system rarely, if ever, misses any detection. A more
important verification test involves false detections due to improper placement of detection zone
boundaries. The reason that the boundaries are placed halfway into the Clear Storage Distance
is to prevent vehicles that are partially underneath the entrance gate from triggering a detection
event and to prevent moving entrance or exit gates from being falsely interpreted as part of a
vehicle.
Watch carefully as gates are lowered to verify that no detection events occur. After the gates
are lowered, move them horizontally simulating movement in high wind to see if any gate
movement from any of the gates is detected by the system. This gate movement test needs to
be conducted from outside the crossing as some human presence may be detectable within the
crossing island.
8.5.2. Verify Connections to Railroad Equipment
If any of the preceding verification tests suggest that zone placement needs to be changed, then
repeat those configuration steps and conduct the Missed and False detection verification tests
once more. When satisfactory, the radar detection system interfaces to the railroad equipment
must be verified.
8.5.2.1. Verify Detection Event Connections
If railroad equipment (exit gate controller or relay logic) is connected to the VDR24 outputs, then
verify that detections registered by the VDR24 are being received by railroad equipment (either
through observing the necessary indicator lights on a controller or watching physical relays
change state).
8.5.2.2. Verify Health Status Connection
Any problems, circuit failures, or broken connections at any point in the radar system will cause
the system to enter a failsafe mode. A failsafe mode (which can be self-healing) forces all
detection zones to revert to their failsafe state – with all zones in a presence detection state. In
addition, the health circuit associated with a radar in a failsafe state opens providing a separate
signal that may be used by railroad equipment to react to a failsafe state, executing what over
logic or procedures are designed into the entire controller logic.
While there are numerous self-tests in the VDR24 and in the radars themselves that run
continuously, to test for a health check failure and to verify proper connection to railroad
equipment you need only disconnect a radar sensor from the VDR24. Within five seconds, the
VDR24 will recognize that a problem has occurred and the system will enter a failsafe state.