Staying responsive in the middle of dust, heat and rush hour in Vietnam.
January 2022
High-reliability Connectwell Terminal Blocks and slim relays
Vietnam road traffic is increasing at a phenomenal rate. To better manage the flow of traffic across Vietnam’s major highways, the Vietnamese Transport Ministry implemented Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems at all toll booths nationwide from 2020. This would help the dense traffic situation and cut time and fuel costs through traffic management efficiency.
The ERTC systems were installed on national highways 1 and 14, followed by 25 more systems along national highway 1 and Ho Chi Minh Road. The system uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology combined with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. Drivers are issued with an e-tag, which is stuck on the inner side of the vehicle’s windscreen.
The Challenge
While the system itself is in use in many countries around the world, the system integrator who had undertaken the automation requirement of the panels faced a few challenges.
- The system needed to achieve a very fast response to the various digital inputs received via RFID and the ANPR system integrator required a fast responsive relaying solution
- As the near continuous vehicular movement caused higher vibration and a high pollution environment, the system integrator required a reliable solution for the various signal termination which could stand up to the sustained harsh usage environment
The Connectwell Solution
On analysing the system requirements and the harsh environment in which it was to be utilised, Connectwell offered the following solution:
- Slim relay solution which facilitates switching of loads with low power input signals received from controller. It also provided additional reverse polarity protection to avoid failure of its control circuit
- Screw clamp technology with its proven track record of 40 years working in harsh environments and which has the maximum international certification
- Connectwell also provided customised color markers for unique identification of terminal blocks by signal type to enable quick standardisation and visual recognition.
A positive outcome
Connectwell drove smoothly into the project with a Terminal Block solution that was able to solve for the high intensity demands placed on it. The system is now in place for several years and has proved to be resilient in the face of the high traffic experienced.