When the manhole cover recognizes the car

If Tönnjes and Kathrein have their way, reading stations installed on gantries will soon be a thing of the past. The market leader for modern vehicle identification from Delmenhorst and the manufacturer of car ID solutions from Stephanskirchen in Bavaria have developed the ID e-reader Inroad in cooperation: A channel cover with integrated RFID technology for electronic vehicle identification. The new solution is inserted into the manhole instead of gantries and thus provides the technical basis for toll booths, transit controls or other applications - with potential savings for states, municipalities and authorities.

Canal cover instead of gantry

Tönnjes and cooperation partner Kathrein are launching a product on the market that meets the constantly changing requirements for electronic vehicle identification. Where previously meter-high gantries were used to read license plates, the modern manhole cover will be used in future. "The Inroad ID e-reader is powerful and significantly reduces the installation and maintenance costs for permanently installed reading points," says Tönnjes Managing Director Jochen Betz, explaining the new product. "The authorities are not only reducing costs, they are also supporting the widespread expansion of applications in the field of electronic vehicle identification."

Proven concept rethought

The companies are relying on a clever principle: an object that is already part of every road is turned into a technology solution. The ID e-reader Inroad can be installed in an existing or new manhole. The complete system consists of a robust indoor unit that houses the adaptive antenna system and the evaluation electronics. A vibration damper specially designed to withstand the massive loads in heavy-duty traffic protects the system from damage. The entire unit is embedded in a standardized channel shaft made of recycled plastic granulate. The intelligent antenna system enables the reading field to be swiveled in all four directions, which ensures both reliable identification and direction recognition of vehicles. The license plates are equipped with transponders for this purpose. "By integrating the reading infrastructure into the road surface, the installation costs are reduced many times over compared to classic installation on gantries," explains Thomas Brunner from Kathrein.

Reliable reading results

To ensure that the evaluation is secure and reliable, Tönnjes uses its own ID-E-Plate license plate and ID-E-Stix Headlamp Tag headlamp sticker in combination with the IDeReader InROAD, both of which are equipped with a Rain RFID chip. This contains a unique identification number that is recognized by the ground antenna in the cover and then compared with a database. The necessary data can then be viewed by the relevant authorities almost in real time. The entire system is forgery-proof and tamper-proof.
Jochen Betz sees this as an opportunity for local and national roads in particular: "ID-E-Reader Inroad in conjunction with ID-E-Plate and ID-E-Stix Headlamp Tag is an economical solution to ensure comprehensive electronic license plate recognition for trucks, cars and motorcycles."