Toll roads are public or private roadways that charge drivers a fee for access or passage. Some toll roads have an operator who collects payment from drivers, issues a receipt, and manually raises a barrier granting passage. Automated toll booth payment systems allow drivers to insert payment into a machine that prints a receipt and raises a barrier automatically upon receiving the required payment. Some automated systems have open roads without barriers and involve wireless transponders where drivers have prepaid accounts or payments are billed and collected later. Cameras on toll roads capture images of vehicles and license plate information as they pass toll areas. Bills are automatically sent to drivers based on address information from the Department of Motor Vehicles if payment is not provided. Since toll roads are located in outdoor locations with varying temperatures and humidity levels, industrial-grade equipment is necessary for Automated Toll Road Systems. ICP DAS USA provides flexible software, data acquisition, communication, and wireless equipment for Automated Toll Road Systems.
Tollbooth lanes on a highway are marked as open or closed to show when toll road operators are working in the booths. Toll prices vary at different times of day and are usually more expensive during periods of high traffic congestion. Tollbooth operators collect cash payments from drivers at the booth. Upon receipt of payment, an operator presses a button on a touch screen controller and a barrier is lifted, granting drivers passage. When an operator presses a button on the TPD-280 touch screen PLC, it triggers a relay output from the M-7060, which lifts the barrier allowing the vehicle to pass.
Cash registers are used to collect and calculate the revenue from the toll booths. The tDS-715 converts the data from RS-485/serial to Ethernet so the data can be sent back to a PC running InduSoft SCADA software. Manual systems often slow down traffic and are more expensive to operate with tollbooth operators, cash collection couriers, and maintenance personnel.
In unmanned, self-service automated toll booth systems, lanes on a highway are marked for toll collection so drivers can pay by cash or credit card. Fee amounts are pre-programmed into the system based on times of day and are displayed on a VPD-143N Touch Screen Controller. The fee amounts are updated as needed through InduSoft SCADA software on a Windows 7 PC that is connected to the VPD-143N over Ethernet cabling with an NS-205 Industrial Ethernet Switch.
After payment is submitted by a driver, the VPD-143N triggers a relay output from the M-7060, which lifts the barrier allowing the vehicle to pass. Cash registers are used to collect and calculate revenue from the toll booths. The tDS-715 serial-to-Ethernet device server converts the data from RS-485/serial to Ethernet so the data can be sent back to a PC running InduSoft SCADA software for control and monitoring. Self-service systems often increase traffic as vehicles must wait in line to submit payment and are more expensive to operate. They require tollbooth operators, cash collection couriers, and maintenance personnel.
In unmanned automated tollbooth systems, lanes on a highway are marked for toll collection for drivers who are set up with wireless transponders and accounts for payment collection by credit or debit. As drivers pass through the open road, they pass by counter sensors connected to M-7053D data acquisition modules that detect the vehicle’s presence.
M-7053D Modbus-based digital input data acquisition modules are used with motion sensors, cameras, tGW-715 Modbus RTU to Modbus TCP gateways, NS-205 Industrial Ethernet Switches, and InduSoft SCADA software on a PC. When vehicles are detected by motion detectors, the M-7053D digital input modules trigger cameras to take pictures of vehicles as they pass. Vision analysis software is used to extract the vehicles’ license plate information, and the numbers are stored in a database along with the date, time, and picture of the vehicle.
The tGW-715 Modbus RTU to Modbus TCP gateway allows the M-7053D to communicate back to a computer running SCADA software over Ethernet cabling. An NS-205 is used to network the computer and the rest of the system.
In wireless tollbooth systems, ZT-2052 ZigBee Wireless Modbus-Based Digital Input Data Acquisition Modules are used with motion sensors, cameras, ZT-2570, and InduSoft SCADA software on a PC. When vehicles are detected by motion detectors, the ZT-2052 ZigBee wireless digital input data acquisition modules trigger cameras to take pictures of vehicles as they pass.
Vision analysis software extracts the vehicles’ license plate information and stores it in a database along with the date, time, and picture. The ZT-2570 ZigBee Host allows the ZT-2052 to communicate back to a computer running InduSoft SCADA software over Ethernet cabling. An NS-205 Industrial Ethernet Switch, rated for extended operating temperatures, is used to network the computer with the ZT-2570 ZigBee wireless host.
Lanes on a highway are marked for toll collection for drivers set up with wireless transponders and accounts for payment collection by credit or debit.
