TOKYO, July 15, 2008 – Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. announced it has installed the "DSRC Gate Control System for ETC On-board Units," which is a system jointly developed with Sunpole Corp., a manufacture of aluminum flagpoles and traffic barriers. The system has been installed and now operates at the parking lot of OKI's Tokyo office as a gate control system for company-owned cars. The installation also serves as a showcase to enable customers to experience the operating conditions and vehicle registration system.
Vehicle recognition systems using an ETC on-board unit offer a high level of security. ETC has long years of operating experience, and utilizes a unique fixed ID (WCN) number allocated to each ETC device. Therefore, there are no recognition errors and identity thefts are greatly reduced. To use this system, there is no need to add another ETC on-board unit if the vehicle is already equipped with an ETC device. By using OKI's interface device for systems such as gate control devices for parking lots, users can keep the development and initial installation costs low.
"Though there are potential applications for vehicle recognition using ETC on-board units, practical problems have kept usage limited, and awareness is not high, either. By installing and showcasing this DSRC Gate Management System for ETC On-board Units at our own parking lot, we aim to contribute to accelerating the usage of DSRC systems," said Yasuro Nakanomori, President of ITS Solutions Company at OKI. "Taking this as an opportunity, we will offer new solutions to the vehicle and traffic markets in Japan which are markets adopting ICT rapidly."
OKI has a strong track record with ETC, offering them to highway toll-booths throughout Japan, and today boasts installations in approx. 400 lanes. Leveraging its technology skills and experience, OKI has been developing and offering its ETC systems and services to new areas in addition to highways. Applications include gate control systems at parking lots to recognize vehicles based on the unique ID of each ETC on-board unit, automatic measuring systems for truck scales, taxi dispatch control systems, automatic car washing systems, etc.
OKI will showcase a demonstration of this system at the company's booth (No.B-313) at Wireless Japan 2008, which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from July 22-24, in Tokyo, Japan.
Glossary
*1 DSRC: Dedicated Short-range Communication
*2 ETC: Electronic Toll Collection System
*3 WCN: Wireless Call Number
*4 ICT: Information and communication Technology
About Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.: Founded in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is Japan's first telecommunications manufacturer, with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. OKI provides top-quality products, technologies and solutions to its customers through its info-telecom system business, semiconductor business and printer business. All three businesses function as a collective force to create exciting new products and technologies that satisfy a spectrum of customer needs in various markets. Visit OKI's global web site at www.oki.com.
