Open Road Tolling, also known as free-flow tolling, is fundamentally based on automatic detection of each vehicle without the need for it to slow down to go through a tolling system. It is a technology created to optimize time and reduce traffic bottlenecks in highways, which leads to systemic decreases on the road and, as a result, of gas emissions into the atmosphere.
In Brazil, the logistic chain of transportation is essential for the economic flow: according to a report by the Brazilian National Confederation of Transportations (CNT), 64% of cargo in the country is transported through highways. In the roads with free-flow, it is common to use checkpoints in the extremities to identify the exact location of each vehicle: reading on entry and exit guarantees greater control of the traffic.
There are multiple advantages to the experience: for the end user, it is a guarantee that they will only pay what they travelled, since the tax is based on the driven path; also, there is no need to slow down or stop to make sure the reading is done, which saves time for the user and relieves the traffic; without these traffic bottlenecks, the risk of accidents is also decreased.
For the companies that run the tolling operations, the advantages are also significant: despite needing a backend system for the data proccessing, they save time and money in other fields, such as the building and maintenance of cabins or hiring of multiple employees. But the greatest perk lies in the possible integration and capturing of data to analytically comprehend everything that can be done to improve the deployed system.
For the end users, the system is simple: all you need is an RFID transponder to be read by an antenna connected to a reader. However, it is essential to consider, for an optimal solution, a high performance reader that is also weather-resistant and capable of communicating with the tolling system that will effectively process the reading data.
Acura RFID readers EDGE-60R and EDGE-70R
The deployment of a system such as the free-flow demands fast and accurate reading of the vehicles, especially when the reading conditions are subject to different contexts of traffic and weather. With the EDGE-60R and EDGE-70R readers, it is possible to read up to 750 tags per second, while they communicate securely via Ethernet for data integration. As for the weather, both readers have IP66 protection rate, making them ideal for installation in external environments.
When it comes to development, the EDGE-60R and EDGE-70R feature the M6e Micro module and come with an SDK that supports C#, .NET, Java and C. They also come with sample source codes and a demo to ease the learning process in a development environment. With the Acura readers, capturing data in a robust manner with easy access to development tools ceases to be just an idea.
The EDGE-60R and EDGE-70R are the definitive readers for Free-Flow tolling system.
