Viofo A139 pro // open-air photo-studios and sensor readout

[Müller]

Hello.

By accident (or: the adequate tools) the secret doings of these "bystanders" have been revealed to me: What i knew: The purpose of these at first glance silent posts positioned at the side of the road (property of the company Toll Collect GmbH) is to check the oncoming traffic for participants who have to pay for using these roads. No speed-check. For this, some wireless communication between the internals of the post and a device placed in the relevant cars is taking place. Here starts the part i and/or most people didn´t/do not know because it cannot be seen since it all takes place outside the VIS-range (at least in the dark), and that is that these posts are taking pictures continuously, several times per second, of every participant of the oncoming traffic, no exception of relevant car, just car, moped, rollator, deer, fox, hedgehog or cat. I don´t know what happens to those pics after they´ve been taken but i guess the ones of the relevant pay-worthy participants are kept and send to some central database, the others, i hope, will be discarded. There are privacy-protection laws. Right? RIGHT?? ... Oo

So two interesting things to observe here: That these "silent" posts are actually machine-gun busy open-air photo-studios and the activity of the readout-zone of the A139 and additionally some things that are going on in this zone. (btw.: The readout-zone is moving vertically from bottom to top of the pics (so no bending of vertical lines/objects in the video-footage). In the video it´s much better to see.))

Nothing to see in VIS. Just a post:



But fireworks in IR:

 

[Vortex Radar]

The shape of that pole is oddly reminiscent of the Vitronic Poliscan, a lidar-based automated speed enforcement camera system.

Seamless Speed Enforcement Systems | VITRONIC | Overview

Use our modern, laser-based speed enforcement technology to increase traffic safety. Discover the benefits now.

www.vitronic.com

If that’s what it is, you’re picking up its IR-based lidar gun pulses.

 

[Dashmellow]

Yeah, I was also going to mention that it might be a roadside lidar detector. They are becoming more common on major highways all around the world.

One member posted an image he caught of a bright red flash emanating from post on the side of the road in the UK and it appears to have been one of these.

 

[Müller]

Hello Mr. Vortex and Dashmellow,

i don´t think LIDAR. That flasher seems to be a simple, around 850nm-multi-LED-board.




I somtimes watch the same kind of post here on the outskirts of my town through the NV-googles and there´s no sharp (out)-lines to it´s invisible light-field. Just a diffuse, somewhere in the distance "ending" illumination. Just an infrared-lamp. I guess if it was LIDAR-based, there would more defined/sharp(er) outlines ... ?

Source.

These posts are officially said to have no speed-checking capabilities. The Vitronic-ones on the other hand look 1:1 like our speedchecking-posts ...

 

[Panzer Platform]

That these "silent" posts

Check out this video to these these “spy cameras” in action.
In my small town population 12,000 we have one busy intersection that is right off the highway.
I believe the city installed these cameras to count the number of cars going through the intersection so they will know when the stop signs needs to be replaced with an actual stop light.
I guess it probably reads license plates too.
You can see several cameras being activated with what appears as a flashing purple light at;
0:33
0:47
1:06
1:24
Set the YouTube resolution to 1440p to get the best image quality from the A229 rear camera.

-Chuck

 

[Dashmellow]

@Müller, The image you linked is rather interesting. It appears as if it could possibly have more than one functionality.

 

[Müller]

Hello Chuck,

these IR-cuts on the backside of the M12-lenses are not "watertight". Means: Even a non-modified camera can see a bit into the IR-range. These nasty cameras don´t seem to be shy of blasting a good amount of IR onto our private? paths ... ><!

Have a look at these:





Hey, ... but we are watching the watchers! ...

 

[Dashmellow]

these IR-cuts on the backside of the M12-lenses are not "watertight". Means: Even a non-modified camera can see a bit into the IR-range.

You are quite right about this. The IR-cut filters used in dash cameras cut wavelengths up to about 650 nm but the sensors in the cameras are sensitive to the near infra-red spectrum well beyond that. Usually there is no noticeable effect unless there is a more powerful IR source at night. Whenever I return home at after dark my dash cams always pick up the IR emitters from my CCTV cameras and driveway illuminators which have 840 nm emitters.

 

[Müller]

@Müller, The image you linked is rather interesting. It appears as if it could possibly have more than one functionality.

View attachment 64264

Hello Mr. Dashmellow,

with all of these windows it has to have. One window is for serving cold beer, one for Currywurst/Pommes-Schranke ... No, just joking. Actually there seems to be at least an additional side-illuminator for what i´m sure that there will be also an additional camera to look into the driver´s cabin from the side:



What is strange about this illuminator: It´s not flashing, its´s constant -ON- ... oO?!

And then there is the wireless communication stuff. Which i´m not familiar with. And do not know which filter to remove from the lens to be able to visualize that ... . Btw.: These posts have been additionally installed to catch the black-sheeps who try to run the original Toll-Collect bridges placed over our beloved Autobahn and try to smuggle themselves overland and through the towns to get around the bridges ... and the payment ...

 

[Dashmellow]

I love Currywurst! I remember them fondly from when I lived in Germany for a time many years ago. Sadly, we do not have them here.

 

[Dashmellow]

Actually there seems to be at least an additional side-illuminator for what i´m sure that there will be also an additional camera to look into the driver´s cabin from the side:

Obviously, I'm just speculating based on the appearance of the traffic monitoring "bollard" but the number of windows and their size seems to suggest that there is more equipment behind the glass than just for illumination or simple cameras, so I am left wondering what else the device might be doing. There are some very powerful IR illuminators on the market that are a fraction of the size of those windows.

 

[Müller]

I love Currywurst! I remember them fondly from when I lived in Germany for a time many years ago. Sadly, we do not have them here.

If there weren´t "some" miles between us, i would love to take you out to a +1 Pommesbude some 35 Auto-minutes from my keyboard. Here, in the middle of the Ruhrgebiet, Currywurst/Pommes-Soße-Mayo is basically our soulfood. Yes, it is. No doctor, no nutrional propaganda can breach up this fortress ...

 

[Müller]

[...] There are some very powerful IR illuminators on the market that are a fraction of the size of those windows.

It think at the time these ... things were born, VCSELs were at much higher costs than a stupid simple "power"-LED-board ... (?)

 

[Dashmellow]

I've been reading about some of the IR systems the military uses these days that can practically illuminate an entire battlefield up to 270º for soldiers wearing night vision goggles. There are some IR illuminators bright enough to allow for full speed driving in the dark. Some of the systems are hybrid and use a selectable combination of LED, laser and white light.

For traffic monitoring some systems now are using pulsed IR/laser illumination for plate capture. Perhaps the device you are featuring here has such a capability along with capturing the cars and/or drivers?

 

[Müller]

What these posts/bollards do according to official statements by company TollCollect:

1.) They classify if a passing Kfz is of a type being liable to pay a corresponding toll for the road wear.

2.) an overview-screen/overall-picture is taken.

3.) a sideview-picture is taken.

4.) a licence-plate picture is taken.

5.) by additional stereo-picture-/videoprocessing the post can determine how many axles the Kfz has, if it´s a one-piece-Kfz or a combination of Kfz and trailer and which total weight-class the Kfz belongs to. Only Kfzs over 7,5t max. weight are obligated to pay the toll.

6.) If the post detects the Kfz is max. 7,5t, the pictures/data taken are discarded immediately and never leave the post.

7.) If the post detects a Kfz with a total-weight of over 7,5t, it connects wirelessly to the OBU in the Kfz (OnBoardUnit) and sniffs out if payments have been compounded correctly. If positiv, the pictures and data taken while the Kfz passing the post are discarded immediately and never leave the post. If negativ, the data are send to the TollCollect headquaters and all people who are responsible for that are send to serve in some Plutonium-mines of undisclosed locations.

 

[Dashmellow]

Good info @Müller!

A little research reveals that rather than being called "posts" or "bollards" these devices are officially called "Enforcement Pillars".

And they are so often mistaken for speed monitors that the company has put out an official video attempting to dispel the myth.

Enforcement pillars are not speed cameras​

 

[Müller]

Hello Dashmellow,

Yes, they oftentimes actually are RECEs. RearEndCollisionEnforcers ... Oo!