Bluetooth Signal Collector Research and Its Application in Pedestrian Traffic Survey

As the combination of Internet of Things and transportation, the research for pedestrian or vehicle traffic information collection have been carried out. This paper shows the concepts and methodologies of Bluetooth signal collectors, which can collect real-time Bluetooth signals from portable electronic devices such as intelligent cellular phones, PDA, Bluetooth headsets, etc., within its coverage. In field application, Bluetooth signal collectors are distributed to fixed points in the traffic network. Based on the matches of uniform Bluetooth MACs in time series, the traffic parameters can be collected precisely. After programming design, circuit design and electronic components selection, sets of prototypes were developed. Then, groups of experiments were carried out and the detection rate of the collector prototype was found to be 85% with self-antenna. Furthermore, the influence factors for missing signal detection were summarized. Based on the research, the Bluetooth signal collectors were applied in field pedestrian traffic survey at metro transfer stations squares. It is concluded that important parameters of pedestrian traffic can be collected and calculated accurately, including the arrival and departure distribution of tourists, the transfer ratios and transfer time, which are essential for refined traffic planning and management.