Heathrow cabs use RFID
A London taxicab passes a SmartPass reader at Heathrow Airport. The time, date, and taxi's location are relayed to a central computer.
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 12/1/1998
Taxi cab dispatch operations at London's Heathrow Airport acquired a radio frequency identification (RFID) system to provide hassle-free, nonstop taxi identification."The high volume of traffic among Heathrow's four terminals made it imperative to implement a highly efficient and 100% reliable system," says Vic Cantania, senior electronic engineering manager at the British Airport Authority (BAA). Amtech Systems division of Intermec Technologies, supplied the RFID system.
Heathrow is the world's busiest international airport, utilizing 7,000 taxi cabs which maneuver through parking lots and holding areas, and are then dispatched to awaiting passengers in one of the airport's four terminals.
Electronic tags, mounted on taxi windshields, are read by one of 19 SmartPass readers installed within the airport. As cabs pass a reader, the identification code in the tag is read. The time, date, and taxi's location is relayed to a BAA central computer.
The automatic vehicle identification (AVI) system verifies information provided by the reader and the status of the account. If the account is valid, the system authorizes the taxi to enter the 385 space taxi feeder park.
During peak morning and evening hours, BAA dispatches 1,074 taxis through the staging area two to three times in a two hour period.
There are no other articles related to this article.Talkback
Related Content
Related Content
Sponsored Links
View All Blogs
