RedSpeed™ Digital Red Light & Speed Camera

UK Home Office / SABS Approved

 

RedSpeed™ operates using digital technology and therefore requires no film. Unmanned fixed equipment is installed at the roadside where traffic violations are automatically detected by the system using appropriate road sensors.

RedSpeed™ utilises all of the functions of the RedGuard™ and SpeedCurb™ systems, it is used at traffic light junctions to enforce traffic signals and speed limits. The system detects speed violations during the green and amber phases, and also detects red light violations.

Three images are captured, the first is a zoom shot showing the vehicle number plate, the second is a wide angle image including make, model, colour of car and the offence data. The system then delays, for a period related to the vehicles speed, and captures a third frame, also a wide angle image showing the time delay between frames. The two wide-angle images can be used as evidence to show that the vehicle was moving at the time of the recording.

Digital cameras record data relating to the offence and save the information along with the images that are taken. This data will vary according to the specific type of enforcement system installed. Information recorded with violation images taken by the RedSpeed system include;

• Site Identification, Name and Location
• Date and Time
• Lane and Head Number
• Offence and Frame Number
• Time into Red (RedGuard system)
• Previous Amber Time (RedGuard system)
• Speed (SpeedCurb system)

This information is encrypted, protected with message authenticated codes, and then stored ready for subsequent transmissions to a central computer. A built in flash module permits operation at night and uses three flash tubes. This means that the time between shots will be a lot quicker than single operating flash units, as no time is required to recharge the flash tube in between violation images.

Changeable operational parameters include:

• Flash setting
• Speed threshold
• Time into Red
• Selection of Specific Time Frames for Operation
• Statistics – Survey of Traffic usage
• Systems alarm.

 

RedGuard™ - Red Light Violation Enforcement System

 

The state of traffic signals is continuously monitored and their ‘on’ time recorded by the system. When the red aspect is detected, a timer is started. When this timer exceeds the programmed ‘time into red’ the two road loops are monitored for detection of a moving vehicle. If a vehicle is detected the program proceeds to violation capture, then two wide-angle images and one zoom image of the vehicle are recorded.

 

This image shows a red light violation

 

SpeedCurb™ - Speed Violation Enforcement System

The speed of vehicles passing through a monitored section of carriageway is measured by Piezo sensors buried in the road surface, or for overseas versions our system can be adapted to use other detection methods. The RedSpeed program continuously monitors each of the speed sensor interfaces. As soon as a timing reading is received from the timing processor, it is checked for accuracy, sequence number and validity and converted to a speed using the stored sensor spacing. If the measured speed exceeds the programmed speed threshold, then the vehicle presence loop is monitored until the vehicle clears the loop. The detective loops also trigger the enforcement system to take three images of the offending vehicle.

This image shows a speed violation

 

Encryption
By using key encryption codes (KEKS) for encryption an image is transformed into random data, ensuring the nature of the data is unrecognisable to an unauthorised observer. This makes it totally impossible to select or alter any part of an image or even to monitor it, which allows for maximum security.
Data collection must be done promptly to ensure notices of intended prosecution can be issued within the prescribed time. Evidence that is recorded automatically at the roadside, wet-film (35mm) is manually retrieved and therefore not immediate.

Transmission
By using digital technology this allows the data to be collected and transmitted automatically with minimal delay, normally within two minutes of the offence occurring, over a data network. Once the data is encrypted it can be transmitted to the back office via any communication protocol.

• PSTN
• ISDN
• ADSL – incorporating Satellite, Fibre and Microwave Radio Communication Technologies.

RedSpeed™ Outstation

This incorporates all the facilities of the separate RedGuard and SpeedCurb systems. The RedSpeed Outstation includes:

• Removable hard disc or Optical WORM disk (overseas version) for onsite storage of violations (or)
• Automatic transfer of offence information to Instation for storage on WORM or removable medium (UK version)
• Capable of monitoring offences from two separate camera heads into one Outstation (overseas version)
• Automatic Number Plate Recognition (overseas version)
• Capable of capturing violations from the Front and/or Rear of vehicles (overseas version)
• Unique Flash facility that allows side by side capture of violations
• Violation Server that allows connection to ISDN, PSTN or ADSL connections for transfer of encrypted violation images and data, all transfer and change commands are encrypted

 

RedSpeed Instation Software

RedSpeed™ software is designed to run on a PC with Windows XP Professional operating system. It provides central control and management of the system, with its intuitive graphical user interface the user can be up and running in minutes.

The Instation includes the following functions

• Automatically retrieves violation image and data from the roadside and stores it in a local database
• Allows remote communications with a site to modify operational parameters - for example, time into red
• Allows viewing and printout of captured violations
• Built-in image enhancement features such as brightness and contrast
• Removable hard disc - for example, Iomega Jaz Disk or Optical disk (overseas version)
• Automatic Number Plate Recognition (overseas version)
• Provides database searches - for example, all red light violations above 10 seconds into red for the previous week from all sites
• 'Contact Sheet' display permits rapid visual overview of selected sections of database
• Produces print-out of notice of Intention to Prosecute via 'hot-links' to standard word processing packages
• Retrieves statistical information from the camera site including:
  
  
  • Total vehicle count
  • Number of violations
  • Speed Profiles (histogram of average vehicle over time period)
  • Violation profiles (histogram of violations over a given time period)