HIGH-SPEED RECOGNITION |
Identifying at speed
Digital number plates increase security, says Tönnjes
IWords | Carsten Eicke, Tönnjes, Germany
n March 2019, German solution
144 Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2020
Above: This
was no ordinary
testing ground
– Tönnjes’ new
RFID-based vehicle
identification
technology was
demonstrated at the
Saschenring circuit
at 220km/h
provider Tönnjes debuted a
brand-new system for electronic
vehicle identification (EVI). The
company presented its innovation
to customers and public officials
from more than 30 countries at a
performance test at the Sachsenring
motor racing circuit – and surpassed
previous performance scores.
The RFID-based technology
recognises and authenticates vehicles
at a speed of up to 220km/h. This
is made possible by the IDePlate
and IDeStix systems developed
by Tönnjes.
IDePlate is a number plate with
an integrated, passive Rain RFID
chip (Ucode DNA) while IDeStix is a
holographic windscreen sticker also
equipped with a Ucode DNA chip.
Unique IDs
Both contain a unique, multiencrypted
identification number that
can only be deciphered by authorised
scanning devices. If the number is
matched with a government database,
it can reveal additional information
about the vehicle. Together, IDePlate
and IDeStix comprise the IDePlate
System, guaranteeing the highest
level of security for reliable vehicle
information in both stationary and
moving traffic. Tönnjes worked
with two different companies on
development: NXP Semiconductors,
which designed the Ucode DNA chip
– the RFID chip inside the IDePlate –
and the high-frequency expert
Kathrein, which provided the
scanning devices.
Demo run
Sachsenring circuit was selected
as the venue for the demonstration
of the IDePlate System under the
most realistic conditions possible.
Around 90 participants watched as
several passenger cars, trucks and
motorcycles simulated different traffic
scenarios captured via a scanning
device and camera mounted on
two road bridges.
“Whereas camera-based systems
securely identify only 65 to 70% of
vehicles in poor weather conditions
and low visibility, the combination
of IDePlate and IDeStix scores
around 99%,” says Tönnjes
director Jochen Betz.
With the help of IDePlate and
IDeStix, public authorities can
determine in a contactless manner
whether a number plate really
belongs to a vehicle or whether
it may have been manipulated.
“By improving both hardware
and software, it is now possible
to authenticate even at very high
driving speeds,” Betz says. “This
was especially noticeable for the