Jenoptik’s Traffic Solutions division has won the tender for the Germany-wide section speed control pilot project. In this 18-month pilot project under the patronage of the state of Lower Saxony, an average speed control system will be tested initially in Lower Saxony.
Jenoptik will supply a system from its TraffiSection product range for the project in order to monitor the speed limit on a section of highway just under three kilometers in length on Federal Highway 6 south of Hanover. The system will be installed until the end of March 2015. The test phase will start in April. Approval for Germany is to be obtained from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (Germany’s national metrology institute, or PTB) in the course of this year which will allow the system to go into full operation, probably in autumn of 2015.
Jenoptik President & CEO Michael Mertin: “We are pleased that we can support such a trend-setting project in Germany with our experience. Our modern technology for section speed control has already contributed to increase traffic safety in other countries. It has been used successfully for several years in the United Kingdom, in Austria and Switzerland as well as in Kuwait.”
Coded data transmission
For section speed control, Jenoptik uses its laser scanner-based TraffiSection technology. Section speed control measures average speeds over an extended stretch of highway using measuring systems and cameras at the entry and exit points. Every vehicle is registered at each control point and is identified by its license plates. These data are then, after their registration at the entry point, immediately anonymized and encoded using a cryptological procedure in such a way that it is impossible to work out any details of the actual vehicle or any personal data at any time during the measurement. It is not possible either to recognize people in the vehicle as the vehicles are scanned in low resolution from the rear.
If a vehicle’s average speed over the section of highway exceeds the maximum permitted speed, a conventional high-resolution frontal photograph is taken with driver recognition when the vehicle exits the section of the highway. The system automatically records data such as the license plate and a photograph of the driver for use in prosecuting the violation.
By contrast, all data on vehicles that have not exceeded the speed limit will only be stored temporarily for the duration of the period they travel on this stretch of highway and automatically deleted completely after they leave the section of the highway. Due to the use of anonymization, encryption and automatic deletion, access to personal data is not possible.
Advantages of this technology
Average speed control using TraffiSection technology offers significant advantages for modern traffic monitoring. The speed limit can be monitored more effectively and cost-efficiently with the aim of achieving increased traffic safety as only one system is required for long stretches of highway and drivers keep to the prescribed speed limit on long sections of highway. This also harmonizes the traffic flow, thus preventing traffic jams from forming. Laser scanner-based Jenoptik technology also makes it possible to accurately identify drivers and document records of traffic offences that will be admissible in court.
Due to the modular structure of this concept, the TraffiSection system is suitable for both stationary, longer-term applications such as in tunnels, and for mobile, short-duration use, for examples at construction sites. Jenoptik also offers “multi-section” solutions for complex stretches of highway with intersections and turn-offs.
About Jenoptik and the Traffic Solutions division
As an integrated optoelectronics group, Jenoptik operates in five divisions: Lasers & Material Processing, Optical Systems, Industrial Metrology, Traffic Solutions and Defense & Civil Systems.
In the Traffic Solutions division, Jenoptik develops, manufactures and markets components and systems that increase road traffic safety throughout the world. The product portfolio, which is based on the proven Robot technology, includes comprehensive systems for all aspects of road traffic, such as speed and red-light monitoring systems as well as OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) products and systems for detecting traffic violations. In the services area, the Jenoptik division covers every aspect of the support process chain.