Lidar system partnership sets sights on ending toll road delays

Cepton Technologies has collaborated with industrial perception and machine learning experts, MechaSpin, to develop a lidar-based solution.  

The solution aims to produce detailed 3D classification of vehicles in real time for automated tolling applications. This next-generation solution combines Cepton’s Sora-P60 with MechaSpin’s MSx software to enable immediate profiling and classification of vehicles at highway speeds in a wide range of weather and lighting conditions.

Traditional tolling systems often depend on physical infrastructure to reduce vehicle speed, or tollbooths to allow for manual processing, which can cause congestion and frustration amongst motorists. Advanced systems that allow for faster tolling, however, are often subject to abuses such as leakage, while road-based sensors often fail due to wear and tear.

Cepton and MechaSpin said its solution addresses such challenges by eliminating the need for physical infrastructure while providing accurate data, such as vehicle velocity, size and axle count, in a format that can be integrated with other sensor, data capture and billing systems. At the same time, the hardware is designed for aerial installation and contains minimal moving parts, reducing the likelihood of failure.

Neil Huntingdon, Cepton’s VP of Business Development, said, “Our partnership with MechaSpin is founded on both businesses’ deep understanding of the unique and powerful capabilities of lidar, especially when it is teamed with problem solving software solutions."

Danny Kent, PhD, MechaSpin’s President, added, “The tolling industry lacks an integrated end-to-end solution for deploying 3D lidar for vehicle classification and tracking. MechaSpin and Cepton have partnered to deliver a solution for this need. Cepton's lidar technology coupled with MechaSpin's MSx Processing Engine offers a robust solution for tolling, intermodal and other transportation industry applications.”