Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras can expedite many operations.
An ALPR camera takes a digital picture of a vehicle, identifies the license plate in that image, and makes a separate image of the plate. Then, using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, it creates a digital file of the information on the plate. A human or a computer can read that file. There is also called the 3D camera which captures a broad range of objects that is beneficial for vehicle cameras.
Depending on the software and databases this file is linked to, many kinds of information can be gleaned about the vehicle and its owner. If action is needed, the system acts or notifies the appropriate person.
Want to identify a stolen car?
Want to charge a toll or other fee to the owner?
Want to see if the owner has a reservation or is otherwise authorized to enter a facility?
These are just a few of the types of uses that can be made of the information recorded by these versatile devices.
Adaptive Recognition has been at the forefront of automatic license plate reading since 1991. They offer some of the most versatile and rugged devices in the industry. Many businesses can benefit from using these devices.
In this article, we’ll explore the possible applications in several types of industries.
Are You Buying, Selling, or Servicing by Weight?
Here’s a landfill operation in New Zealand that uses a combination of ALPR cameras, weight scales, and payment links. The ALPR camera notes an incoming vehicle’s license plate number. When the vehicle drives over a scale, its weight is linked to its plate number.
Here, the data of interest is what the vehicle leaves behind. After dropping off the trash it brought in, it’s weighed again, and the departing weight is linked to the plate number.
The driver is then charged for the difference between the arrival and departure weight. If it’s a one-time or occasional visitor, they may just pay as they leave. Regular users can link a credit card or bank information, so they’re charged automatically.
If you buy or sell something by weight, such as fuel, fruit, garbage, or anything else that doesn’t need to be itemized, this ALPR-based system is a great tool for you.
Does the Vehicle Have a Reservation? Has Its Fare been Paid?
The Laeso Ferry Company operates a several-round-trips-a-day ferry shuttle between the Danish mainland and Laeso Island, carrying foot passengers and vehicles.
To stay on schedule, they need quick turnarounds at each end of their voyage. When they were checking in vehicles manually, they often experienced delays that accumulated through the day, making the afternoon and evening departures up to a few hours late.
The result: frustrated customers, ferry crews working overtime, less time for overnight ferry maintenance, etc. They had to find a better way.
The company decided to put in place an ALPR-based pay-by-plate system. When a vehicle enters the boarding area, an ALPR camera enters its information into a booking system that automatically generates an invoice when the trip is completed. Again, regular users can link credit cards or bank information so their payment is automatic.
By installing ALPR cameras and their linked systems, Laeso ferry now operates on time, customers are happy, fuel consumption is reduced, and humans are available to do more productive things than checking in vehicles. Reduced costs all-around may enable the company to upgrade its fleet.
Does your business operate by checking a reservation or charging a per-vehicle fee for your service? A similar system to Laeso’s, which has also been successful in collecting highway tolls, could streamline your operation and free up human capital for other purposes.
Want to Know Exactly When an Expected Customer or Appointment is Arriving?
Strongpoint, a Norwegian chain of retail stores, receives many of its orders online for store pick-up. Of course, this trend increased during the COVID-19 quarantine.
A long line of cars waiting for their orders would sometimes accumulate during rush hours, disrupting other traffic and frustrating customers.
Adaptive Recognition provided a system that texts the customer when their order is ready for pick-up and asks them to enter their license plate number through a secure weblink. When an ALPR camera identifies their plate entering the pick-up area, the system notifies the store staff to be ready to immediately load the order into their car, and they’re on their way without delay.
The results: less congestion, happier customers, store staff able to give their attention to other tasks when no one is waiting for pick-up. Win-win – the way business should be done!
Would the efficiency of your business improve if you knew exactly when a customer, salesperson or other appointment was approaching so you could be immediately ready for them? Perhaps an ALPR-based notification system is just what you need.
Want to Offer Your Guests and Customers a Better Experience?
Anybody in the hospitality business knows the importance of offering a convenient customer experience.
A high-end hotel is a perfect example – guest convenience is a top priority. When a guest arrives at the hotel, their first interaction with the hotel is parking their car.
Copenhagen’s 4-star Tivoli Hotel uses an ALPR-based system, integrated into ONEPARK’s SmartParkering parking system, to identify the guest by their license plate number, recorded by an ALPR camera. Their times in and out are automatically registered in the system’s database.
When they check out, they can go to the kiosk on their hotel floor and pay their parking charges by credit card. Or they can register their card or bank information and have the system charge their account automatically with no on-site action on their part.
Want to give your customers and guests a superlative experience? If they arrive by car, your parking arrangements provide your first opportunity to impress them when they arrive. You may want to take a page from Tivoli Hotel’s book and consider an ALPR-based system similar to theirs.
To conclude, these examples give you a little taste of what an ALPR camera might do for you in your business. To learn more, go to Adaptive Recognition’s website and explore other success stories. Each page on the site has a contact button so you can talk with their experts about how ALPR technology can provide the unique solution you need.
