Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

1. INTRODUCTION

With the increase in the number of vehicles on-road, the task of traffic

management becomes more complex. It is hard to keep & maintain the details of the

each vehicle, which is running on the road. Also in case of hit –and-run or carrying of

illegal goods over inter-state cross boarder or road-robbery cases, the police may

not trace the culprits very easily, as the vehicle details are not monitored

continuously.

Suppose The Cargo Company wants to send a message to its On-road

vehicle to stop delivering the goods to customer, policeman want to stop a vehicle

which is smuggling some illegal goods or city transports want to track each buses

details such as departure and arrival time on bus terminal, number of round trips it

has undergone in a single day. All this is possible by the use of automated toll gates.

Fig1.Toll gate booth

This system is intended to help the RTO, Police Department, Public Transport

and Cargo Companies to track the vehicles. This system comprises of Toll Gate

office having a personal computer connected with the receiver and the software to

run the “Automation of Toll Gate” system. To implement this system, every vehicle

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

must be fitted with a remote transmitter, hidden behind the number plate of the

vehicle. The transmitter continuously sends the number of vehicle on which it is

mounted, in coded form. When a vehicle enters the zone of toll office, the sensors

fitted on either side of the road, sense and send the signal to the toll office control

unit. This micro controller based control unit activates the number plate sensor,

which in results receives the number of the entering vehicle [capturing the signal

sent by vehicle’s remote transmitter] and sends it to computer.

The computer scans its centralized database and displays the details of that

vehicle with the current time and date. The details can be: registration number and

model number with vehicle’s body color, owner’s name and address, date of

registration, current status-clear or in black listed etc. If the vehicle records show that

its current status is clear, then the gate will be opened automatically.

Otherwise, the gate will not open and the vehicle owner can be called for

further enquiry. This system can be used at the regional Transport Office to watch

the unregistered vehicles or trace the other state vehicles. The public transport s can

keep the details of each vehicle’s check-in and check-out times with number of round

trips it makes in a day. The police department can easily stop the wanted vehicle, by

posting the vehicle’s registration number on its data base. If the toll gate PC checks

its data base and finds the current status as ‘wanted’, it does not open the gate and

immediately alerts the concerned authority. This system is a step towards improving

the tracking and monitoring vehicles of traveling in predetermined routes. Here, a

computerized system automatically identifies an approaching vehicle and records the

vehicle number and time. If the vehicle belongs to the authorized person/group, it

automatically the toll gate and a predetermined amount is automatically deducted

from its account. There are many benefits of Toll Gate Automation. The average

service time with E-pass is 2 seconds compared to 30 seconds for manual collection.

This translates to reduced traffic congestion at toll plazas, lower fuel consumption,

less air pollution, and therefore less economic losses.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

2. HISTORY

In 1959, Nobel Economics Prize winner William Vickrey was the first to propose a

system of electronic tolling for the Washington metropolitan area. He proposed that

each car would be equipped with a transponder. “The transponder’s personalized

signal would be picked up when the car passed through an intersection, and then

relayed to a central computer which would calculate the charge according to the

intersection and the time of day and add it to the car’s bill”.

In the 1960s and 1970’s, free flow tolling was tested with fixed transponders at the

undersides of the vehicles and readers, which were located under the surface of the

highway.

Norway has been the world’s pioneer in the widespread implementation of this

technology. ETC was first introduced in Bergen, in 1986, operating together with

traditional tollbooths. In 1991, Trondheim introduced the world’s first use of

completely unaided full-speed electronic tolling. Norway now has 25 toll roads

operating with electronic fee collection (EFC), as the Norwegian technology is called

(see AutoPASS). In 1995, Portugal became the first country to apply a single,

universal system to all tolls in the country, the Via Verde, which can also be used in

parking lots and gas stations. The United States is another country with widespread

use of ETC in several states, though many U.S. toll roads maintain the option of

manual collection.

Enforcement is accomplished by a combination of a camera which takes a picture of

the car and a radio frequency keyed computer which searches for a drivers

window/bumper mounted transponder to verify and collect payment. The system

sends a notice and fine to cars that pass through without having an active account or

paying a toll.

Factors hindering full-speed electronic collection include significant non-participation,

entailing lines in manual lanes and disorderly traffic patterns as the electronic- and

manual- collection cars “sort themselves out” into their respective lanes; problems

with pursuing toll evaders; need, in at least some current (barrier) systems, to

confine vehicles in lanes, while interacting with the collection devices, and the

dangers of high-speed collisions with the confinement structures; vehicle hazards to

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

toll employees present in some electronic-collection areas; the fact that in some

areas at some times, long lines form even to pass through the electronic-collection

lanes; and costs and other issues raised when retrofitting existing toll collection

facilities. Unionized toll collectors can also be problematic.

Fig2.Toll Plaza

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

3. AUTOMATION OF TOLL GATE AND VEHICLE

TRACKING

Toll gate Automation and Vehicle Tracking is designed to automatically keep

track of the vehicle's movement, record the time and the details like Owner's name,

date of registration, vehicle model etc. This system is very useful for automatic

vehicle tracking, time management and also for automation of Toll gate. This paper

explains the implementation of Toll Gate Automation which is a step towards

improving the Tracking & monitoring of vehicles, traveling in predetermined routes. In

this system, a computerized system automatically identifies an approaching vehicle

and records the vehicle number & Time. If the vehicle belongs to the authorized

person/group, it automatically opens the Toll Gate and a predetermined amount is

automatically deducted from its account.

Automated vehicle identification (AVI) is the process of determining the

identity of a vehicle subject to tolls. The majority of toll facilities record the passage

of vehicles through a limited number of toll gates. At such facilities, the task is then to

identify the vehicle in the gate area.

Some early AVI systems used barcodes affixed to each vehicle, to be read

optically at the toll booth. Optical systems proved to have poor reading reliability,

especially when faced with inclement weather and dirty vehicles.

Most current AVI systems rely on radio-frequency identification, where an

antenna at the toll gate communicates with a transponder on the vehicle via

Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC). RFID tags have proved to have

excellent accuracy, and can be read at highway speeds. The major disadvantage is

the cost of equipping each vehicle with a transponder, which can be a major start-up

expense, if paid by the toll agency, or a strong customer deterrent, if paid by the

customer.

To avoid the need for transponders, some systems, notably the 407 ETR

(Electronic Toll Route) near Toronto, use automatic number plate recognition. This

allows customers to use the facility without any advance interaction with the toll

agency. The disadvantage is that fully automatic recognition has a significant error

rate, leading to billing errors and the cost of transaction processing can be

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

significant. Systems that incorporate a manual review stage have much lower error

rates, but require a continuing staffing expense.

3.1. Automatic vehicle Identification using RFID:

This system has really helped a lot in reducing the heavy congestion caused

in the metropolitan cities of today. It is one of the easiest methods used to organize

the heavy flow of traffic. When the car moves through the toll gate on any road, it is

indicated on the RFID reader that it has crossed the clearing. The need for manual

toll based systems is completely reduced in this methods and the tolling system

works through RFID. The system thus installed is quite expedient reducing the time

and cost of travelers since the tag can be deciphered from a distance.

Fig3.Toll gate automation using RFID

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

The people traveling through this transport medium do not need anything else

to get on a highway; instead the RFID tag carried by their vehicle does every thing. A

commuter traveling through this medium gets to know how much amount has been

paid and how much money is left in the tag. It does not require the person to carry

cash with him to pay the toll gate all the time. The long queue waiting for their turn is

reduced, which in-turn reduces the consumption of fuel. The RFID toll payment

systems are really used in preventing trespassing on borders. The software solution

developed can ensure a smooth running of vehicles without any need for further

development. The software controlling these RFID tags and readers is easy to

implement.

Here Basic idea is to develop the automatic challan system that can check for

signal break by any vehicle. The RFID Reader reads the information like vehicles no.

and automatically sends a report to the owner of vehicles and simultaneously

information is given on the site itself through LCD.

Fig4.An RFID tag used for electronic toll collection.

3.1.1Introduction to RFID

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method,

relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or

transponders. The technology requires some extent of cooperation of an RFID

reader and an RFID tag.

An RFID tag is an object that can be applied to or incorporated into a product,

animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves.

Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the

reader.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

What is RFID?

A basic RFID system consists of three components:

a) An antenna or coil

b) A transceiver (with decoder)

c) A transponder (RF tag)

Antenna

The antenna emits radio signals to activate the tag and read and write data to

it. Antennas are the conduits between the tag and the transceiver, which controls the

system's data acquisition and communication. Antennas are available in a variety of

shapes and sizes; they can be built into a door frame to receive tag data from

persons or things passing through the door, or mounted on an interstate tollbooth to

monitor traffic passing by on a freeway. The electromagnetic field produced by an

antenna can be constantly present when multiple tags are expected continually. If

constant interrogation is not required, a sensor device can activate the field.

Fig5.Antenna

RF Transceiver:

The RF transceiver is the source of the RF energy used to activate and power

the passive RFID tags. The RF transceiver may be enclosed in the same cabinet as

the reader or it may be a separate piece of equipment. When provided as a separate

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

piece of equipment, the transceiver is commonly referred to as an RF module. The

RF transceiver controls and modulates the radio frequencies that the antenna

transmits and receives. The transceiver filters and amplifies the backscatter signal

from a passive RFID tag.

Transponder

An RFID tag is comprised of a microchip containing identifying information

and an antenna that transmits this data wirelessly to a reader. At its most basic, the

chip will contain a serialized identifier, or license plate number, that uniquely

identifies that item, similar to the way many bar codes are used today. A key

difference, however is that RFID tags have a higher data capacity than their bar code

counterparts. This increases the options for the type of information that can be

encoded on the tag, including the manufacturer, batch or lot number, weight,

ownership, destination and history (such as the temperature range to which an item

has been exposed).

Fig6. RFID tag

3.2. Automatic number plate recognition

ANPR is a special surveillance tool specially designed for the recognition of

license plates of vehicles. It is based on optical character recognition, which enables

the system to capture the alphanumeric characters on the number plate of a vehicle.

With the alarming increase in demand for various security based products, the ANPR

finds application in many industries such as the police forces, traffic management, or

highway and toll management systems. The system uses infrared lights, to take

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

images at any time of the day. These pictures are then sent and processed in the

system software, which in turn releases usable/readable data.

BGIL offers the ANPR for the automatic identification of a vehicle by capturing the

image of the license plate, and making its data available.

The system finds application in areas where

1.    There has to be a control in vehicle access

2.    Where there is need for monitoring traffic violations

3.    Where there are automated toll gates

4.    On weigh bridges 

5.    At vehicle test stations

6.    Police departments

There are two major steps involved in the ANPR:

Number Plate Extraction: - In many cases, the number plate/license plate of a

vehicle is not affixed in the prescribed location. The Number Plate Extraction tool

automatically analyzes an image of the vehicle and locates the position of the license

plate and extracts the same and stores it.

Number Plate Reading: - Once the Number Plate Extraction extracts the license

plate from an image of the vehicle, this is passed to the Number Plate Reading

module that reads the numbers and characters on the license plate and passes it

onto a computer. This module can be integrated with a database for further

functionalities.

Fig7.Automatic Number Plate Recognition

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

Features of ANPR System

1. Verified accuracy of 98-99%

2. Captures vehicles up to 120 mph

3. Records overview images too

4. Vehicle & driver database included

5. Typically stores 1 month's activity

6. Automatic barrier control option

7. Message sign option

8. No annual software charges

9. Telephone support

3.2.1 System architecture

Receiving end This system is designed to automatically open the toll gate whenever there is registered vehicle within the Toll Gate Zone. The figure below shows the receiver end of the system.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

Fig8.Receiver end of automation of toll gate

The infrared signal (which contains the vehicle’s registration number in RC-5)

transmitted by the moving vehicle is received by the IR receiver. The RC-5 coded

vehicle registration number is decoded using micro-controller IC. The micro

controller IC inherits a smart RC-5 decoder program, which is capable of decoding

all the RC-5 signals. This IC sends the decoded signal to the driver stage. Channel

amplifier provides the amplification to the 8 channel received IR signal. The signal

must be elevated to sufficient level, such that it can be fed to the next stage without

any load effect. Buffer section provides a stronger current path to the decoded

signal and also to isolate the driver section and PC from the rest of the circuit. Toll

Gate Motor Controller section acts as an electronic switch and drives the Gate

Open/Shut Motor. When it senses the OK signal from the PC (after confirming that

the vehicle has current status clear), driver section switches the motor and thus toll

gate opens. The PC software recognizes the decoded vehicle registration number

coming out of the buffer and starts scanning its database for the details. After

fetching the details, it shows it in standard fashion on the screen for operator’s

knowledge. It also checks the ‘Current Status’ of the vehicle. If the vehicle is black

listed by any authority, then it will be marked as ‘blocked’, otherwise it will be marked

as ‘Clear’. If the Current Status is ‘blocked’, then the system immediately alerts the

concerned authority by sounding a siren and shuts the gate if it is open. If the current

status is ‘clear’, then the system will order the Toll Gate Motor Controller section to

open the door. All these interaction are carried out through interface circuit, which

sits next to the PC’s port.

Transmitting End

The figure below shows the transmitting end of the system.

Fig9.Block diagram of transmitter end

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

IR ID chip is the heart of the IR transmitter, as it contains the vehicle’s registration

number. Every IR transmitter fitted besides the number plate, is implanted with one

IR ID chip which stores the vehicle’s registration number. This output is further

encoded for security reason. After the encoding, theRC-5 encoded signal is fed to

the multiplexer, this in result sends the encoded signal to the modulator for

frequency modulation to prepare the signal for transmission. Every vehicle which

moves on the road has this RF transmitter besides its number plate. This transmitter

continuously transmits the radio frequency signal towards its moving direction

through the antenna.

Toll Gate Control Room Unit

The figure below show the block diagram of vehicle’s transmitter.

Fig10.Block Diagram of Vehicle’s Transmitter

The remote control receiver fitted outside the control unit senses and accepts the

signal transmitted by the remote control transmitter and sends these signals to the

computer placed inside the control room for getting the full details of the vehicle,

such as owner’s name, registration number, type of vehicle, model etc.

The remote control transmitter transmits different combination of pulses(code word)

to the receiver using Pulse Code Modulation. Different set of transmitters use

different combinations of this code word. This makes vehicle a secured transmitter,

which can transmit only its registration number and not any other vehicle’s. The

pulse code word is generated by the remote control transmitter IC. In this IC, each

transmitted code word is assumed to be made of 12 binary digits. Out of these 12

bits, 4 bits are address bits and 6 bits are command bits. The transmitted code word

is received by the control room receiver and after receiving the signal, receiver will

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

check if the transmitted address in the code word matches the address of the

receiver. If the address in the code word matches the address of the receiver, the

receiver will accept the command word.

4. TECHNOLOGIESElectronic toll collection systems rely on four major components: automated vehicle

identification, automated vehicle classification, transaction processing, and violation

enforcement.

The four components are somewhat independent, and, in fact, some toll

agencies have contracted out functions separately. In some cases, this division of

functions has resulted in difficulties. In one notable example, the New Jersey E-

ZPass regional consortium's Violation Enforcement contractor did not have access to

the Transaction Processing contractor's database of customers. This, together with

installation problems in the automated vehicle identification system, led to many

customers receiving erroneous violation notices, and a violation system whose net

income, after expenses, was negative, as well as customer dissatisfaction.

4.1. Automated vehicle identification

Some highways, such as Ontario’s Highway use automatic number plate recognition

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

Automated vehicle identification (AVI) is the process of determining the identity of

a vehicle subject to tolls. The majority of toll facilities record the passage of vehicles

through a limited number of toll gates. At such facilities, the task is then to identify

the vehicle in the gate area.

Some early AVI systems used barcodes affixed to each vehicle, to be read optically

at the toll booth. Optical systems proved to have poor reading reliability, especially

when faced with inclement weather and dirty vehicles.

Most current AVI systems rely on radio-frequency identification, where an antenna at

the toll gate communicates with a transponder on the vehicle via Dedicated Short

Range Communications (DSRC). RFID tags have proved to have excellent

accuracy, and can be read at highway speeds. The major disadvantage is the cost of

equipping each vehicle with a transponder, which can be a major start-up expense, if

paid by the toll agency, or a strong customer deterrent, if paid by the customer.

To avoid the need for transponders, some systems, notably the 407 ETR (Electronic

Toll Route) near Toronto, use automatic number plate recognition. Here, a system of

cameras captures images of vehicles passing through tolled areas, and the image of

the number plate is extracted and used to identify the vehicle. This allows customers

to use the facility without any advance interaction with the toll agency. The

disadvantage is that fully automatic recognition has a significant error rate, leading to

billing errors and the cost of transaction processing (which requires locating and

corresponding with the customer) can be significant. Systems that incorporate a

manual review stage have much lower error rates, but require a continuing staffing

expense.

A few toll facilities cover a very wide area, making fixed toll gates impractical. The

most notable of these is a truck tolling system in Germany. This system instead

uses Global Positioning System location information to identify when a vehicle is

located on a tolled Autobahn. Implementation of this system turned out to be far

lengthier and more costly than expected.

As smart phone use becomes more commonplace, some toll road management

companies have turned to mobile phone apps to inexpensively automate and

expedite paying tolls from the lanes. One such example application is Alabama

Freedom Pass mobile, used to link customer accounts at sites operated by American

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

Roads LLC. The app communicates in real time with the facility transaction

processing system to identify and debit customer accounts or bill a major credit card.

4.2. Automated vehicle classification

Automated vehicle classification is closely related to automated vehicle identification

(AVI). Most toll facilities charge different rates for different types of vehicles, making

it necessary to distinguish the vehicles passing through the toll facility.

The simplest method is to store the vehicle class in the customer record, and use the

AVI data to look up the vehicle class. This is low-cost, but limits user flexibility, in

such cases as the automobile owner who occasionally tows a trailer.

More complex systems use a variety of sensors. Inductive sensors embedded in the

road surface can determine the gaps between vehicles, to provide basic information

on the presence of a vehicle. Treadles permit counting the number of axles as a

vehicle passes over them and, with offset-treadle installations, also detect dual-tire

vehicles. Light-curtain laser profilers record the shape of the vehicle, which can help

distinguish trucks and trailers.

4.3. Transaction processing

Transaction processing deals with maintaining customer accounts, posting toll

transactions and customer payments to the accounts, and handling customer

inquiries. The transaction processing component of some systems is referred to as a

"customer service center". In many respects, the transaction processing function

resembles banking, and several toll agencies have contracted out transaction

processing to a bank.

Customer accounts may be postpaid, where toll transactions are periodically billed to

the customer, or prepaid, where the customer funds a balance in the account which

is then depleted as toll transactions occur. The prepaid system is more common, as

the small amounts of most tolls makes pursuit of uncollected debts uneconomic.

Most postpaid accounts deal with this issue by requiring a security deposit,

effectively rendering the account a prepaid one.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

4.4. Violation enforcement

A violation enforcement system (VES) is useful in reducing unpaid tolls, as an

unmanned toll gate otherwise represents a tempting target for toll evasion. Several

methods can be used to deter toll violators.

Police patrols at toll gates can be highly effective. In addition, in most jurisdictions,

the legal framework is already in place for punishing toll evasion as a traffic

infraction. However, the expense of police patrols makes their use on a continuous

basis impractical, such that the probability of being stopped is likely to be low enough

as to be an insufficient deterrent.

A physical barrier, such as a gate arm, ensures that all vehicles passing through the

toll booth have paid a toll. Violators are identified immediately, as the barrier will not

permit the violator to proceed. However, barriers also force authorized customers,

which are the vast majority of vehicles passing through, to slow to a near-stop at the

toll gate, negating much of the speed and capacity benefits of electronic tolling.

Automatic number plate recognition, while rarely used as the primary vehicle

identification method, is more commonly used in violation enforcement. In the VES

context, the number of images collected is much smaller than in the AVI context.

This makes manual review, with its greater accuracy over fully automated methods,

practical. However, many jurisdictions require legislative action to permit this type of

enforcement, as the number plate identifies only the vehicle, not its operator, and

many traffic enforcement regulations require identifying the operator in order to issue

an infraction.

An example of this is the vToll system on the Illinois Tollway, which requires

transponder users to enter their license plate information before using the system. If

the transponder fails to read, the license plate number is matched to the transponder

account, and the regular toll amount is deducted from the account rather than a

violation being generated.[27] If the license plate can't be found in the database, then

it is processed as a violation. An interesting aspect of Illinois' toll violation system is a

7 day grace period, allowing toll way users to pay missed tolls online with no penalty

the 7 days following the missed toll.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

5. OVERVIEW

In some urban settings, automated gates are in use in electronic-toll lanes, with

5 mph (8 km/h) legal limits on speed (and 2 to 3 times that as practical limits even

with practice and extreme concentration) in other settings, 20 mph (35 km/h) legal

limits are not uncommon. However, in other areas such as the Garden State

Parkway in New Jersey, and at various locations in Florida, Pennsylvania, Delaware,

and Texas, cars can travel through electronic lanes at full speed. Illinois' Open Road

Tolling program features 274 contiguous miles of barrier-free roadways, where I-

PASS or E-ZPass users continue to travel at highway speeds through toll plazas,

while cash payers pull off the main roadway to pay at tollbooths. Currently over 80%

of Illinois' 1.4 million daily drivers use and I-PASS

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

Enforcement is accomplished by a combination of a camera which takes a

picture of the car and a radio frequency keyed computer which searches for a

driver’s window/bumper mounted transponder to verify and collect payment. The

system sends a notice and fine to cars that pass through without having an active

account or paying a toll.

Factors hindering full-speed electronic collection include significant non-

participation, entailing lines in manual lanes and disorderly traffic patterns as the

electronic- and manual- collection cars "sort themselves out" into their respective

lanes; problems with pursuing toll evaders; need, in at least some current (barrier)

systems, to confine vehicles in lanes, while interacting with the collection devices,

and the dangers of high-speed collisions with the confinement structures; vehicle

hazards to toll employees present in some electronic-collection areas; the fact that in

some areas at some times, long lines form even to pass through the electronic-

collection lanes; and costs and other issues raised when retrofitting existing toll

collection facilities. Unionized toll collectors can also be problematic.

Even if line lengths are the same in electronic lanes as in manual ones,

electronic tolls save registered cars time: eliminating the stop at a window or toll

machine, between successive cars passing the collection machine, means a fixed-

length stretch of their journey past it is traveled at a higher average speed, and in a

lower time. This is at least a psychological improvement, even if the length of the

lines in automated lanes is sufficient to make the no-stop-to-pay savings insignificant

compared to time still lost due waiting in line to pass the toll gate. Toll plazas are

typically wider than the rest of the highway; reducing the need for them makes it

possible to fit toll roads into tight corridors.

Despite these limitations, however, it is important to recognize that throughput

increases if delay at the toll gate is reduced (i.e., if the tollbooth can serve more

vehicles per hour). The greater the throughput of any toll lane, the fewer lanes

required, so expensive construction can be deferred. Specifically, the toll-collecting

authorities have incentives to resist pressure to limit the fraction of electronic lanes in

order to limit the length of manual-lane lines. In the short term, the greater the

fraction of automated lanes, the lower the cost of operation (once the capital costs of

automating are amortized). In the long term, the greater the relative advantage that

registering and turning one's vehicle into an electronic-toll one provides, the faster

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

cars will be converted from manual-toll use to electronic-toll use, and therefore the

fewer manual-toll cars will drag down average speed and thus capacity.

In some countries, some toll agencies that use similar technology have set up

(or are setting up) reciprocity arrangements, which permit one to drive a vehicle on

another operator's tolled road with the tolls incurred charged to the driver's toll-

payment account with their home operator. An example is the United States E-ZPass

tag, which is accepted on toll roads, bridges and tunnels in fourteen states

from Illinois to Maine.

Fig11.E-TAG lane on the Second Severn Crossing, Wales

In Australia, the e-TAG device is accepted at all tolled motorways. A toll is debited to

the customer's account with their tag provider. Some toll road operators – including

Sydney's Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Lane Cove Tunnel, and West link M7,

Melbourne'sCityLink and East link, and Brisbane's Gateway Motorway – encourage

use of such tags, and apply an additional vehicle matching fee to vehicles without a

tag.

A similar device in France, called Liber-T for light vehicles and TIS-PL for HGVs, is

accepted on all toll roads in the country.

In Brazil, Sem Parar/Via-Fácil allows customers to utilize in more than 1,000

lanes in the states of São Paulo, Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Bahia

and Rio de Janeiro. Sem Parar/Via-Fácil also allows users to enter and exit more

than 100 parking lots. There is also other systems such as via expressa, onda

livre,auto expresso that is present in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul,

Santa Catarina, Parana and Minas Gerais.

In Pakistan, the National Database and Registration Authority is implementing

an electronic toll collection system on motorways using RFID.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

The European Union has created the EFC-directive,[4] which attempts to standardize

European toll collection systems. Systems deployed after 1 January 2007 must

support at least one of the following technologies: satellite positioning, mobile

communications using the GSM-GPRS standard or 5.8 GHz microwave technology.

All toll roads in Ireland must support the eTolltag standard.

6. HARWARE REQUIREMENTS AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Lane hardware devices:

Vehicle entry and exit detector: this device is used to detect the entry and exit of

the vehicle.

Loop has an interlock features so that device is active only when vehicle is in

proximity.

Boom barrier: Barrier is a heavy-duty metallic arm connected with lane controller. It

is used to restrict the vehicle access. It works in synchronization with the lane

controller.

RFID reader: this is used by the user who has owned a pass. Tag is read

automatically by it when vehicle is in proximity.

Camera: Camera takes a photograph of the vehicle which is used for cross

checking.

Smart card reader/writer:

Reader is used to take information from pre-paid smart card. Smart card can be

recharged.

Lane controller: Lane controller is the intermediary between software and lane

hardware. It converts software command into corresponding hardware action. 

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

Traffic light signal:

This is a LED based light signal to guide the user whether he should go or stop.

OHLS: This is a LED based light signal positioned on the top of the lane.

It shows that whether lane is closed or open.

UFD: This is an alpha numeric LED based display which can be seen by a user up to

a 100 feet distance.

Software:

Basic Toll Management System: The Basic TMS software provides a basic facility

for the management of toll plaza.

It does not include RFID tag and smart card controlling system.

Advanced Toll Management system: The Advanced TMS software is

comprehensive and user-friendly. It provides RFID tag controlling system

It has a complete range of Advance Automatic Tolling Systems with microwave

based ETC and infrared based AVC systems from Kapsch Trafficom AG. Metro has

provided its solutions to Toll projects for top most concession companies across

India; including the prestigious Delhi Gurgaon Expressway with 59 toll lanes and

more than 180,000 vehicles per day of traffic with more than 40% on ETC.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

7. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

7.1. Advantages using RFID

No "line of sight" requirements: Bar code reads can sometimes be limited or

problematic due to the need to have a direct "line of sight" between a scanner

and a bar code. RFID tags can be read through materials without line of sight.

More automated reading: RFID tags can be read automatically when a tagged

product comes past or near a reader, reducing the labor required to scan

product and allowing more proactive, real-time tracking.

Improved read rates: RFID tags ultimately offer the promise of higher read

rates than bar codes, especially in high-speed operations such as carton

sortation.

Greater data capacity: RFID tags can be easily encoded with item details

such as lot and batch, weight, etc.

"Write" capabilities: Because RFID tags can be rewritten with new data as

supply chain activities are completed, tagged products carry updated

information as they move throughout the supply chain.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

7.2. Disadvantages using RFID

o Some common problems with RFID are reader collision and tag

collision. Reader collision occurs when the signals from two or more

readers overlap.

o The tag is unable to respond to simultaneous queries. Systems must

be carefully set up to avoid this problem.

o Tag collision occurs when many tags are present in a small area; but

since the read time is very fast, it is easier for vendors to develop

systems that ensure that tags respond one at a time.

o The major disadvantage is the cost of equipping each vehicle with a

transponder, which can be a major start-up expense, if paid by the toll

agency, or a strong customer deterrent, if paid by the customer.

7.3. Advantages of using Automatic Number Plate Recognition

ANPR identifies suspect vehicles that may not normally attract police

attention.

Unlicensed or uninsured vehicles are likely to be seized on the spot by

ANPR-equipped officers.

It can be used to gather intelligence on known criminals, and for running

pro-active operations using dedicated Roads Policing intercept teams.

This allows customers to use the facility without any advance interaction with

the toll agency

7.4. Disadvantages of using Automatic Number Plate Recognition

The disadvantage is that fully automatic recognition has a significant error

rate, leading to billing errors and the cost of transaction processing can be

significant. Systems that incorporate a manual review stage have much lower

error rates, but require a continuing staffing expense.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

8. APPLICATION AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

This system can be use to keep track of certain important details of the vehicle such

as time of arrival and departure of the vehicle, number of round trips each vehicle

has made, the route taken between source and destination and can be used to trace

the stolen vehicle.

8.1. Future developments This can be extended to handle more number of vehicles, as the number of

registered users may increase. The present set up in most countries is that, only

one vehicle passes the toll gate at a given time and the vehicles enter the toll gate in

a queue. Sophisticated setup can be built where in two or more vehicles can enter a

toll gate at a time and still the system recognizes the valid users and differentiates

the vehicles which are entering the toll gate parallelly. This increases the complexity

of the entire system but at the same time increases the traffic handling capacity and

saves time. The ID of the vehicle can be made more sophisticated to increase the

security and reducing the risk of tampering. The registered user can use a pre-paid

or post paid account by using a smart card.

He/she can insert the card into the card reader placed on the dash board of

the vehicle so that it can communicate with the IR interface at the toll gate. The

system identifies the registered vehicle from the user information stored on the smart

card and if he is a valid user, then the gate will automatically open and a pre-

determined amount will be deducted from the account. Once the amount gets

emptied, the user can always deposit the money and keep the account active. A

facility can be introduced wherein the vehicle owner can pay the ‘toll fee’ through his

credit card by mentioning in the application form. Whenever the vehicle owner

comes across a toll gate, the system detects the vehicle and charges the fee to his

credit card and allows him to pass the gate without interrupting him. This would

make the owner save his time and energy. The toll operators collect money only

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

from the un-registered users and hence the amount of liquid cash collected in the toll

gate is lesser. This reduces the risk of loosing more money in case of theft of the toll

collecting office on the highway. GPS receivers can be used to get the current

geographical position of the vehicles. Various sensors can be used to monitor critical

parameters like engine oil level, temperature level etc.

9. CONCLUSION

Toll gate automation using RFID has been a successful project with all its hits

and pits. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) provides a low-cost solution to read

passive RFID transponder tags. This RFID can be used in a wide variety of hobbyist

and commercial applications, including access control, automatic identification,

robotics navigation, inventory tracking, payment systems, and car immobilization.

The RFID read the RFID tag in range and outputs unique identification code of the

tag. The data from RFID reader can be interfaced to be read by microcontroller or

PC.

To avoid the need for transponders, some systems, notably the 407 ETR

(Electronic Toll Route) near Toronto, use automatic number plate recognition. This

allows customers to use the facility without any advance interaction with the toll

agency.

In this paper an overview of “Automation of Toll Gate and Vehicle Tracking” using

RFID and Automatic number plate recognition has been presented. By adapting this

technology, various applications like Traffic Management Process, Vehicle

Movement Tracking and Stolen Vehicle Detection could be implemented. Using

model based approach; this could be implemented and tested using MATLAB and

Simulink.

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Research Report Automation of Toll gate and Vehicle Tracking

10. REFERENCES

[1] S. Lauren, B. Mariko (2007, June 20). Electronic Toll Collection

[Online]. Available: http://www.atm.com

[2] M. Ayoub Khan, S. Manoj and R. B. Prahbu “A Survey of RFID Tags”,

International Journal of Recents Trends in Engineering, vol 1, no 4, May 2009

[3] Electronic Toll Collection, America’s Transportation Network.

[4] N. Gabriel, I. Mitraszewska, K. Tomasz, “The Polish Pilot Project of Automatic

Toll Collection System”, Proceedings of the 6th International Scientific

Conference TRANSBALTICA, 2009.

[5] R. Weinstein, RFID: a technical overview and its application to the enterprise,

IT Professional, Vol. 7, no. 3,pp. 27-33, May-June 2005.

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