By: Benjie Wells
When deploying an Automated Gate, data will be automatically collected at various process points. To enable data matching between all these process points, “common identifiers” are needed. One of the most regularly used is the truck identifier, but the Gate Operating System also often uses a combination of driver identifiers and truck identifiers. In this blog, we will focus on the truck identifier.
LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION
Since all trucks in the world have license plates, the typical method to identify trucks is through a license plate recognition (LPR) camera. At the different process points in the Automated Gate, cameras would be installed. LPR camera’s have special technology that ensure every license plate is read correctly. Bright light from headlights is automatically filtered and the image stabilized using Digital Image Stabilization. Built-in infrared lighting ensures optimal visibility in the dark.
Cons:
- High accuracy for most countries
- Easy deployable
Pros:
- Not every country has good quality license plates
- May add costs for bigger Gates with many Gate lanes
RFID TAG
Identification through RFID tags is a good alternative to identify trucks. The tags are typically mounted on the windscreen of the trucks on the first visit at your terminal, after having administered at a pre-gate area.
RFID tags have an advantage over license plate recognition because they allow you to capture truck identity at any location on the terminal. The ultra-low costs of these tags make them a good alternative for license plate recognition. They allow you to equip thousands of trucks for a fully automated gate and yard solution.
Pros:
- High accuracy reading, enabling truck identification in countries with poor license plates
- Could be used for truck identification in the yard too
Cons:
- Every truck needs to be ‘tagged’ once
- In case of a large truck communities, larger number of tags (costs) needed
What do we recommend?
Our recommendation is to work with LPR cameras where possible, for countries where LPR will not give enough accuracy, or where there is a need for truck identification in the yard, consider RFID.
Want to know more?
Read more about Truck Identifiers, Driver Identifiers and Mission Identifiers in our Whitepaper on Gate Automation or contact our us.