Optisoft - Revision history

EPAC-EPIC-MARC: /* Early Development */

2017-01-17T02:28:00Z

‎Early Development

Pyth at 03:05, 14 April 2014

2014-04-14T03:05:27Z

Pyth: /* Relationship with Intelight */

2014-02-06T01:20:13Z

‎Relationship with Intelight

EPAC-EPIC-MARC at 03:40, 9 January 2014

2014-01-09T03:40:55Z

EPAC-EPIC-MARC: /* OptiSoft's First Contract */

2013-12-14T17:04:28Z

‎OptiSoft's First Contract

EPAC-EPIC-MARC at 16:28, 14 December 2013

2013-12-14T16:28:41Z

EPAC-EPIC-MARC at 07:21, 14 December 2013

2013-12-14T07:21:38Z

EPAC-EPIC-MARC at 06:48, 14 December 2013

2013-12-14T06:48:41Z

EPAC-EPIC-MARC at 06:44, 14 December 2013

2013-12-14T06:44:37Z

EPAC-EPIC-MARC at 22:57, 13 December 2013

2013-12-13T22:57:58Z

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 == Early Development ==
 [[File:Early Optisoft Interior.jpg|thumb|left|Early OptiSoft Interior]]
-[[File:Old Opti.jpg|thumb|Early OptiSoft Interior]]
+[[File:Old Opti.jpg|thumb|Early OptiSoft Head - note the small heat sinks]]
 The earliest OptiSoft signal heads were fairly basic in design. The housing had electronics only to light the LED board, and one integrated power filter and LED driver board. The back of each signal section incorporated heat sinks to allow heat to dissipate into the outside atmosphere. The earliest units, possibly even prototypes, has small heat sinks, later models had larger heat sinks.
 == Innovations ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Introduction ==
-[[File:Untitled.png|thumb|OptiSoft with Camera in Red Section (taken by Flickr user)]]
+[[File:Untitled.png|thumb|OptiSoft with Camera in Red Section (taken by Flickr user [https://www.flickr.com/photos/tracksidegorilla/ Trackside Gorilla])]]
 OptiSoft was founded in 1997 under the name Power Signal Technologies. It is not known when the name change to OptiSoft took place or why. The company was founded by Mike Hutchison, and led by CEO and former chairman of Compaq Computer Corporation Ted Enloe. The company was based in Richardson, Texas. OptiSoft's slogan was "The Intelligent Traffic Platform", as its traffic signal products were designed for both traffic control, and advanced homeland security tools. OptiSoft produced only vehicle and pedestrian signals. They did not design controllers.
 [[File:Service.png|thumb|OptiSoft on right, note flatter door profile and more inset heat sink compared to Intelight]]

@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 == Relationship with Intelight ==
-Intelight was a totally separate entity from OptiSoft. Intelight was founded in 2006 by former Siemens ITS program manager Craig Gardner, and is based out of Tucson, Arizona.
+[[Intelight]] was a totally separate entity from OptiSoft. Intelight was founded in 2006 by former Siemens ITS program manager Craig Gardner, and is based out of Tucson, Arizona.
 Intelight bought the rights to the OptiSoft products, and fully developed and marketed the Electronically Steerable Beam signal head. They made some modifications to the signal including updated firmware, and some physical modification to the housing, heat sink, lens and door. They brought the Electronically Steerable Beam to full production and has become one of their flagship products.

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 == Undeveloped Innovations ==
 Many features for the OptiSoft signal head never made it past the engineers' drawing boards. These include camera software for license plate recognition, bio-terrorism sensors for detection airborne viruses and toxic particles, and biometrics for detection and recognition of faces. Car crash and red light photo enforcement were also not developed. All these features were advertised for future release.
 OptiSoft did not produce an Electronically Steerable Beam signal head, but did have one in development. But due to the company's failure, the signal was not released past development. The internals were similar to that of the version made by Intelight, who bought the rights to the OptiSoft equipment.

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 == OptiSoft's First Contract ==
-In about 2002, Polk County, Florida contracted with OptiSoft to have their vehicle and pedestrian signals installed at all he intersections in the county. OptiSoft did not follow through with the order as they did not feel the company would have enough money to fulfill the contract obligations.
+[[File:Polkcounty.png|thumb|left|Local news article on the Polk County contract]]
 In about 2002, Polk County, Florida contracted with OptiSoft to have their vehicle and pedestrian signals installed at all he intersections in the county. OptiSoft did not follow through with the order as they did not feel the company would have enough money to fulfill the contract obligations.
 == Layoffs, Denial, and OptiSoft declines ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Introduction ==
 OptiSoft was founded in 1997 under the name Power Signal Technologies. It is not known when the name change to OptiSoft took place or why. The company was founded by Mike Hutchison, and led by CEO and former chairman of Compaq Computer Corporation Ted Enloe. The company was based in Richardson, Texas. OptiSoft's slogan was "The Intelligent Traffic Platform", as its traffic signal products were designed for both traffic control, and advanced homeland security tools. OptiSoft produced only vehicle and pedestrian signals. They did not design controllers.
 == Early Development ==
 The earliest OptiSoft signal heads were fairly basic in design. The housing had electronics only to light the LED board, and one integrated power filter and LED driver board. The back of each signal section incorporated heat sinks to allow heat to dissipate into the outside atmosphere. The earliest units, possibly even prototypes, has small heat sinks, later models had larger heat sinks.
@@ Line 11: / Line 15: @@
 OptiSoft signal heads were one of the first fully LED, Energy Star qualified, signal head, as well as the first to incorporate an incandescent look design over matrices of diodes common during the late 1990s. Only a few high powered LEDs positioned a distance from a fresnel, pixelated lens provided the full color for the indication.
-OptiSoft also pioneered a feature called "Red Light Hold". This feature was designed to use detection to see if vehicles were in the intersection after the signal turned red. The controller would hold red until all traffic exited the intersection before releasing cross traffic. This feature is recently seeing new life as an optional feature in many traffic signal controller units, such as the Siemens M50. Siemens calls this feature "Red Protect" and operates the same way.
+OptiSoft also pioneered a feature called "Red Light Hold". [[File:Video.png|thumb|OptiSoft Video Feed]]This feature was designed to use detection to see if vehicles were in the intersection after the signal turned red. The controller would hold red until all traffic exited the intersection before releasing cross traffic. This feature is recently seeing new life as an optional feature in many traffic signal controller units, such as the Siemens M50. Siemens calls this feature "Red Protect" and operates the same way.
 == Homeland Security ==
 The selling point to OptiSoft vehicle signals was their ability to house embedded video cameras and other sensors.
-The video cameras were positioned in the lower left hand portion of the doors, while the upper right corner had an ambient sensor. These cameras were mostly designed for surveillance. During the day the cameras shot video in color, and at night the cameras switched to high res black and white. Video from these cameras could be stored, or sent via ethernet to traffic control center or police station. External control units installed elsewhere, such as the intersection cabinet, could be used for advanced functions for the cameras like stop bar vehicle detection, red light hold, or traffic counters. OptiSoft cameras were shown briefly in a Modern Marvels episode titled "Surveillance"
+The first major sensor outside the cameras was the gunshot detector, developed for OptiSoft by Planning Systems Incorporated of Virginia. Housed inside the signal head, these sensors detected short-burst sounds at specific frequencies: gunshots. [[File:TedEnloe.png|thumb|CEO Ted Enloe showing the gunshot sensor]] OptiSoft received some media attention for the innovation at stations in Washington DC. The developers of the sensors stated the unit could decipher between gunshots and other loud burst noises like firecrackers. It is not known how well the gunshot sensors worked, or if they worked as advertised at all.

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:48, 14 December 2013
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	Intelight bought the rights to the OptiSoft products, fully developed with some modifications to the signal including updated firmware, and some physical modification to the housing, heat sink, lens and door. They brought the Electronically Steerable Beam to production and has become one of their flagship products.		Intelight bought the rights to the OptiSoft products, fully developed with some modifications to the signal including updated firmware, and some physical modification to the housing, heat sink, lens and door. They brought the Electronically Steerable Beam to production and has become one of their flagship products.

−	The OptiSoft vehicle signal was produced very early in Intelight's run, as was a version that used standard door-mounted LED modules fitted into the housings. The heat sink was not used in this version; the backside was blanked out where the heat sink would have been installed. This version was primarily sold to OMJC signal for their products. Both these products were quickly discontinued, but the latter eventually came back as their HAWK signal product. They did not continue to produce a pedestrian signal, instead they focused on technology innovation in the controller and software end of the spectrum.	+	The OptiSoft vehicle signal was produced very early in Intelight's run, as was a version that used standard door-mounted LED modules fitted into the housings. The heat sink was not used in this version; the backside was blanked out where the heat sink would have been installed. This version was primarily sold to OMJC signal for their products. Both these products were quickly discontinued, but the latter eventually came back as their HAWK signal product.
		+
		+	They did not continue to produce a pedestrian signal, instead they focused on technology innovation in the controller and software end of the spectrum.
		+
		+	Intelight discontinued most of the sensor options for the ESB head and did not continue with producing the other sensors. The camera option still available for real time video only. It is very rarely included and may be phased out.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:57, 13 December 2013
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−	'''OptiSoft ~~info to come soon'''~~	+
		+	== Introduction ==
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		+	== Early Development ==
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		+	== Innovations ==
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		+	== Homeland Security ==
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		+	== Undeveloped Innovations ==
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		+	== The Pedestrian Signal Failure ==
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		+	== OptiSoft's First Contract ==
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		+
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		+	== Layoffs, OptiSoft declines ==
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		+	== Relationship with Intelight ==