Wear pattern, tread depth measurement, recognising summer / winter tyres? Frequently asked questions about the ProContour H3-D tyre measuring system
The following is a series of questions we have often been asked at trade fairs and when talking about our products. And the respective answers. If you have a question, just e-mail us and we will answer as soon as possible.
“Measuring tyre tread depth can also be useful when forwarding and transporting goods, for example...”
“What are the typical application areas for a ProContour H3-D measuring system?”
“How much installation work does such a measuring system involve?”
“How are the inspection holes or U-shaped channels secured if no measuring system is installed?”
“How are the measuring results documented and what output media are used?”
“What optional add-ons are available for the system?”
“The measuring system is based on the principle of laser triangulation. Is this dangerous and can it harm...”
“What are the system requirements?”
“Which track widths are catered for?”
“Of course, it is possible with the ProContour H3 D to measure not only the tyre condition...”
“What IT components must be integrated in the camera for number plate detection?”
“How are the results of a tyre condition measurement illustrated at the service adviser's desk...”
“How can the camera also be integrated in a pylon?”
“Can the ProContour H3 D measuring system distinguish between passenger cars and lorries?”
“Can the measuring system distinguish between summer and winter tyres?”
“Can the measuring system distinguish between different tyre manufacturers?”
“Does the system detect the tyre width?”
“How large is the measuring plate?”
“Can something be entered directly into the system or is a direct input device included?”
“As an alternative, can the system also draw data from the DMS via an interface analogously to above?”
“Measuring tyre tread depth can also be useful when forwarding and transporting goods, for example, when transporting dangerous goods. However, in this case, I don’t need a system that measures at 120 km/h.”
“Correct. That’s why we differentiate between three system types that can be adapted for specific application areas. For example, the ProContour H3-D facto system type supplies data and documentation about incoming and outgoing lorries that satisfy preventive safety concerns. For a brief description of the various system types, please go to Overview of Users.”
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“What are the typical application areas for a ProContour H3-D measuring system?”
“The main application area is, of course, the automatic measurement of tread in flowing traffic. This lies within the jurisdiction of transport authorities. We differentiate between:
- General automated traffic monitoring by public authorities and organisations involved in safety tasks
- Prevention and raising awareness, also prosecution and law enforcement
- Transport statistics and surveys
However, the basic concept of ProContour H3-D has now attracted many other user groups. These work in industry, as well as in trade and commerce. We offer the ideal and customised system type for the respective application at corresponding value for money.”
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“How much installation work does such a measuring system involve?”
“It depends on the application area, whether mobile or stationary use and on the required system type. As a rule, earthwork is necessary in order to dig the inspection holes or channels. However, in our experience, it takes a maximum of two days to install a system ready for online analysis.”
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“How are the inspection holes or U-shaped channels secured if no measuring system is installed?”
“Both variants have standardised covers that can also be locked.”
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“How are the measuring results documented and what output media are used?”
“That depends on the application field. A mobile motorway check saves the measurements and photos of the vehicles that give cause for complaint in temporary storage, and later transfers these as a data set via a data storage device to another system. A car dealership only wants to show its customer the measurement data online in the office after the vehicles have driven into the check-in area or give the customer a printout from a thermal printer as a preventive measure.”
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“What optional add-ons are available for the system?”
“Various add-ons are possible. We already offer the following:
- Display panel
- Camera to record the traffic situation
- Camera for number plate recognition
- Printer
- Transfer of measurement results to existing customer software (for example, for fleet management, customer relationship management or tyre storage)
If you need an add-on that is not listed here, please discuss your requirements with us.”
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“The measuring system is based on the principle of laser triangulation. Is this dangerous and can it harm the operators?”
“Definitely not. The measuring equipment is classified under laser protection class 1, which is the same as for a standard CD player. So there is no risk to either eyesight or health.”
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“What are the system requirements?”
Hardware:
- An intel i720 or faster processor with 4GB RAM and a dedicated Intel GBit Ethernet card is recommended. Process scheduling is optimised on this processor.
- Ethernet card, types:
- Intel® PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter dual port
- Intel® PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Server Adapter
- A fast dual-core system with more than 2.5GHz, 2GB RAM with the named cards.
- A 1GBit/100MBit Ethernet card
- (Type: any for number plate recognition camera and vehicle camera).
- A hard disk with at least 7200 rpm and a capacity of at least 80GB.
Operating system:
- Windows XP-SP2 or server 2003-SP1
“Which track widths are catered for?”
“With the round manhole systems, the measuring width is limited by the prescribed standards. The maximum possible measuring width is approx. 580 mm. The measuring width of the rectangular systems depends on the set-up.”
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"Of course, it is possible with the ProContour H3 D to measure not only the tyre condition, but also to then assign this to a number plate. How long does it take to detect the number plate and make the data available?"
"Number plate detection: avg. of 1.54 s; provision of data: avg. of 0.36 s (long-term averages)"
Background information: Duration of number plate detection
Drive-over process
The H3D tread depth measuring system receives the information on a vehicle approaching or moving away via magnetic-field-based sensor technology integrated in the measuring system.
When the vehicle enters the sensor area, the drive-over begins with the event "Vehicle start". A large number of internal processes concerning the measuring technology and data organisation are now started. When the vehicle exits the sensor area, the drive-over ends with the event "Vehicle end". Analogous to the start of the drive-over, processes are triggered again which, among other things, concern the total evaluation of the drive-over, the data export and, for example, also the illustration of the measured value on the external display ("sign").
For the number plate detection function module, it is possible to use either the event "Vehicle start" or "Vehicle end" to trigger the number plate detection. For both scenarios, triggering of number plate detection with "Vehicle start" or "Vehicle end" is the same with regard to the time required for detection of the number plate.
Excerpt from logging
Excerpts from log files from systems in field operation are used to illustrate the time required for determining the number plate information.
Data protection: As the data used concern actual people, times and number plates, the right-hand numbers of the number plate shown in the plain text are replaced with "X". The use of numbers and characters in the path specification and file name permits no conclusions to be drawn on the number plate.
As a large number of additional information exists in the logging data, however this does not concern the number plate detection, only the triggering event and the number plate information are filtered out for the time analysis.
The events "Vehicle start" and "Vehicle end" appear in the logging data with "Use SMMC 1 for vehicle start -> emit sigVehicleStartE and "Use SMMC 1 for vehicle start -> emit sigVehicleEnd". The receipt of the number plate information is logged with "Plate string: XXXXX". A respective line begins with the date and time at the point in time of logging, which occurs simultaneously with processing.
Two additional log entries are used for detailing the time analysis. These are "plate: listening" and "plate: accepted". The time between these entries is required by the number-plate detection module and refers to the effective time required to extract the number plate information from the vehicle image of the number plate camera.
For systems in field operation, the triggering of the number plate detection by the event "Vehicle start" has proven to be the more practical of the two triggering options. As during the drive-over, the computing load is naturally higher than loading between drive-overs, worsening of the times determined for number plate detection in the following is not to be expected for triggering by the event "Vehicle end".
Triggering of the number plate camera with the event "Vehicle start"
Drive-over – example data
2010-08-11 17:25:04,000 [ smmc] [t:MainThread] DEBUG Use SMMC 1 for vehicle start -> emit sigVehicleStart
2010-08-11 17:25:04,265 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: get_data: start
2010-08-11 17:25:04,265 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: _send_data_request: start
2010-08-11 17:25:04,265 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: connected to 10000
2010-08-11 17:25:04,265 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: sent trigger
2010-08-11 17:25:04,265 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: bound
2010-08-11 17:25:04,265 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: listening
2010-08-11 17:25:05,717 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: accepted
2010-08-11 17:25:05,828 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: received data
2010-08-11 17:25:05,828 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: data :☻K11.08.10 17:25:050100AC-RCXXX 583\00233143.JPG ♥
2010-08-11 17:25:05,828 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: _send_data_request: end
2010-08-11 17:25:05,842 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG Plate string: AC-RCXXX
2010-08-11 17:25:05,842 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG Plate picture: C:/CarReader/Ereignis/Bilder/583/00233143.JPG
2010-08-11 17:25:05,842 [vehicle-plate] [t:MainThread] DEBUG plate: get_data: end
2010-08-11 17:25:05,842 [ pcapp] [t:MainThread] DEBUG vehicle_camera: camera not found, using plate_picture
2010-08-11 17:25:05,890 [ smmc] [t:MainThread] DEBUG Use SMMC 1 for vehicle end -> emit sigVehicleEnd
Time until the number plate is received: 1.76 s
Time for number plate detection: 1.45 s
The vehicle has typically moved 5-7 m during this time.
Note:
The system does not wait for the evaluation of the number plate for the information on the information sign.
After an average time of 1.91 s the number plate information is available to the internal data processing function as a character string (e.g. "S AB 12") and as a number plate image. The determination of the specified time is based on the analysis of the continuous logging of the internal processing processes.
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- System diagram with Ethernet and power supply connections.
The red dashed-and-dotted lines are Ethernet connections.
"What IT components must be integrated in the camera for number plate detection?"
Background information:
An Ethernet connection with a capacity of 100 megabits/s (Fast Ethernet/100BASE-T) or better and a power supply with approx. 230 V are necessary for operating the camera.
The distance between the camera and the next active component may be up to 100 m. Above this distance we use fibre optic components. The graphic on the right shows that a connection for connecting the camera and/or the information signs is provided on the measuring heads. Of course, the connection can also be made directly to the building network.
- Fig. 1 Realised visualisation at the workplace of the service advisor.
- Fig. 2 Sample template for the printout of a vehicle.
"How are the results of a tyre condition measurement illustrated at the service adviser's desk at the car dealership?"
"This is most practical via integration in the DMS of the car dealership. Or as an alternative as a printout or an acoustic signal."
Background information:
The data are made available to a DMS system with the two main interface formats (CSV, XML). This DMS can take the relevant information in each case and visualise it at the workplace. In Figure 1 this is shown using the example of the system from soft-nrg.
As an alternative, a printout can be produced, approximately in accordance with the sample shown in Figure 2. This printout can be generated both directly from the measuring system and from the DMS. In our experience, the printout has the character of "proof" for the car dealership customer. According to our customer with the longest experience operating our system, the sale of services or tyres succeeds considerably more easily and with much smaller discounts than without this proof on paper.
- Fig. 1 Example of installation situations with a pylon.
- Fig. 2 Example of installation situations with a pole.
"How can the camera also be integrated in a pylon?"
"An extremely broad range of designs is imaginable. There is a camera integrated in a pylon."
Background information:
The maximum practical distance between the camera and the measuring device, at which a high detection quota is still reached, is 25 m. Distances of less than 12 m are optimal. The two illustrations at the right show typical situations in which, on the one hand, a camera installation in a column is shown and, on the other hand, a camera installation on a pole can be seen. Our system supports five different camera manufacturers, and in turn various models for each manufacturer. As a result, solutions for special installation situations are always possible. To conduct an exact check of the integration in your pylon, please provide us with detailed information on it.
"Can the ProContour H3 D measuring system distinguish between passenger cars and lorries?"
"Yes"
Technical background on the data basis for this decision:
- Width of the latch in mm with a tolerance of approx. 3 %
- Track width in mm with a tolerance of approx. 3 %
- Wheel load/axle load/vehicle weight with a tolerance of approx. 3 %
- Axle spacing (vehicle length ) in mm. A specification of the tolerance is not possible here, as the driver's behaviour with regard to the speed when rolling over the device is unpredictable. With a uniform drive-over speed, the tolerance for the axle distance is approx. 10 cm.
- Twin tyres are present.
The customer must specify which basic conditions are assumed for a lorry.
- Fig. 1 Example of the data record of a winter tyre.
- Fig. 2 Example of the data record of a summer tyre.
"Can the measuring system distinguish between summer and winter tyres?"
"Yes"
Technical background on the data basis for this decision:
The system records at least 31,000 data points per measuring head, and therefore per tyre. During slow drive-overs (< 10km/h), it is many times this number. These 3D height data are used to determine whether the respective tyre is a summer or a winter tyre. The decision reliability of the process is currently > 95 %. Two thousand tyre data records recorded at a speed of 70 km/h on a main road were available as a data basis against which this reliability was checked. An example of the data record of a winter tyre and a summer tyre follows.
"Can the measuring system distinguish between different tyre manufacturers?"
"Yes, the system offers a system-immanent data quality and quantity which makes this process possible. However, we are still lacking a database against which we can classify. This database must be subjected to regular updates."
"Does the system detect the tyre width?"
"Yes"
Technical background on the data basis for this decision:
The width of the latch in mm with a tolerance of approx. 3 % calculated from the images shown above.
- Fig. 1 Main module combinations
- Fig. 2 Measurement point for lorries used by the police
"How large is the measuring plate?"
"Various sizes can be realised based on the modular design. A later enlargement, e.g. from a passenger car system to a lorry system, is possible."
Based on our modular system, the width of the measuring plate for a tire track can range from 500 mm to 1,250 mm. Main/practical dimensions of the system are listed in the following table. The plate length of 630 mm in the driving direction applies to all versions.
"Can something be entered directly into the system or is a direct input device included?" For example, I enter my number plate and my name directly at the system (How?) and the system recognises me?"
"Yes, via the solution with the web platform. After signing an NDA you will receive a demonstration with regard to a solution in progress for these functions."
"As an alternative, can the system also draw data from the DMS via an interface analogously to above?"
"Yes, via the solution with the web platform. After signing an NDA you will receive a demonstration with regard to a solution currently being developed for these functions."
