VITRONIC - Machine Vision Solutions for Toll Enforcement

In road traffic systems, machine vision (image processing) is increasingly being used for reliable detection, identification and classification of vehicles.

VITRONIC is the leading specialist for the enforcement of road-user charges, with vast experience in automatic tolling, including city tolling, motorway tolling, and all roads and road networks in between. VITRONIC also provides cutting-edge free flow traffic surveillance and digital speed detection systems that are used by border patrols, police authorities and many other similar organizations.

MULTI-LANE FREE FLOW TOLL ENFORCEMENT

Enforcement has become a key component in sophisticated road-user charging schemes. These schemes are often based on satellite positioning and avoid the need for a fee-collection infrastructure at every road section. Covering entire road-networks, today’s enforcement schemes are a combination of lean, strategically located stationary gantries or poles and flexible mobile patrols.

VITRONIC addresses these demands with the following line of products that cover both stationary and mobile enforcement of electronic fee collection:

• TollChecker – the original stand-alone enforcement system
• City-TollChecker – a descendant of TollChecker, optimised for the challenges of next-generation congestion charging in the city
• Evolved mobile TollChecker systems – for the efficient enforcement on large inter-urban road-networks to leverage deterrence

TOLLCHECKER - TOLL ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM

VITRONIC's TollChecker is a major part of the heavy truck tolling scheme in Germany, enforcing the correct payment of tolls. In operation since 1 January 2005, it is by far the largest enforcement system worldwide working in a multi-lane free flow manner, that is, without disturbing the flow of traffic, as with conventional toll plazas. It encompasses 300 gantries located throughout the network, 1,000 lanes of enforced traffic, and fully automated enforcement of 1 million to 1.5 million foreign and domestic road users daily.

Some of the TollChecker's key features and benefits include:

• Smart single gantry solution
• International License Plate Recognition (LPR) with a determination of the country of origin
• Built-in expandability for plate recognition beyond Europe
• 3D classification that derives vehicle class from a vehicle's length, width, height, axles, presence of a trailer and other valuable classification data
• Seamless integration with GPS and DSRC tolling systems
• Set-up in 4hs to 6hs at night, requiring just 15mins of total carriageway shutdown
• Free flow operation, even at German Autobahn speeds
• Optimised for all traffic and weather conditions

CITY-TOLLCHECKER - URBAN TOLL ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM

Based on the solid foundation of TollChecker, the state-of-the-art technology from motorways is now being put into action in the urban environment. The City-TollChecker has proven its capability of being a next generation enforcement system in a series of recent trials (e.g. London) that have tested and confirmed its superior performance in the city environment.

Some of the many features and benefits offered by the City-TollChecker are:

• Single and unobtrusive pole mount design that covers multiple lanes yet blends into the cityscape
• Performs at undiminished detection and recognition rates
• Digital short range imaging for seamless integration with DSRC technology
• Integrates with both DSRC and GPS
• Addresses legal concerns regarding evidential integrity
• Roadside processing and creation of comprehensive evidential records
• Easily expands to wider urban areas
• Successfully adapts to constantly changing city traffic conditions
• Easily migrates to facilitate differential charging
• Proven reliability and easy serviceability

POLISCAN - FREE FLOW TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE

Derived from TollChecker, the PoliScan family of products offers a wide range of options for free flow traffic monitoring and consists of:

• PoliScan surveillance - stationary and mobile license plate recognition systems for the identification of vehicles in free flow traffic
• PoliScan speed - fully digital enforcement of speeding, red-light and distance offences, stationary and mobile systems with multi-lane multi-vehicle coverage
• PoliScan digital - automated digital processing of traffic offences

Please also see Road Traffic Technology - VITRONIC - Machine Vision Solutions for Traffic Enforcement