Example Applications - RFID: Fundamentals and Applications in Contactless Smart Cards and Identification - page 340

were issued to customers for this project. However, significant flaws in the installed
systems became evident during this pilot project; the biggest problem was that the
registration time of over three seconds per passenger was considered to be excessive.
At the beginning of 1996 a new field test was launched, the Fahrsmart II system
based upon contactless smart cards. The RFID technology used was the MIFARE
system by Philips/Mikron. System integration, i.e. the commissioning of the entire
system, was performed by Siemens VT (Berlin).
The Fahrsmart system automatically calculates the cheapest price for the customer
(best price guarantee). The passenger must check in at the start of the journey using
their personal smart card and check out at the end of the journey. The journey data
obtained are collected in the on-board computer and stored on the smart card for
verification.
When the vehicle returns to the depot at the end of the day the current day's
data is sent from the vehicle computer to the station server via an infrared interface
(Figure 13.8). The processed data is then transferred to the central Fahrsmart server via
an internal network. To calculate the monthly invoice, the Fahrsmart server analyses
the usage profile of each individual passenger and calculates the cheapest ticket for
the distance travelled (individual journey, weekly pass, monthly pass etc.). Figure 13.9
shows a Fahrsmart II smart card.

13.2.6.3 EUProjects - ICARE andCALYPSO

Some of the above-mentioned local transport projects using contactless smart cards,
like almost all projects realised to date, are so-called closed exchange systems. In
practice this means that the smart cards are 'charged up' with money, but can only be
used within the public transport system in question as a ticket or means of payment
for small amounts — for example in the operating company's drinks machines. They
cannot be used in other shops or even as an electronic travel pass in other towns.

Depot/headquarters Vehicle equipment

Depot
server
Fahrsmart
server

On-board
computer

IR module IR module

Customer service
reader

Contactless
card reader

Depot signal

Figure 13.8 System components of the Fahrsmart system. The vehicle equipment consists of
a reader for contactless smart cards, which is linked to the on-board computer. Upon entry into
the station, the record data is transferred from the on-board computer to a depot server via an
infrared link