As you probably know by now – the way a parking lot LPR system works is:
At the entrance to the parking lot a camera captures the license plate and saves the entry time and plate number in the system. When the vehicle approaches the exit, a camera again captures the license plate, the system then calculates the amount of time parked, and the driver is shown the amount owed. This system works great when the camera accurately captures the full license plate at both the entrance and exit to the parking lot.
But what about when the camera can’t capture the full license plate?
The traditional approach to this issue is to give everyone a ticket. Because if a vehicle with a problematic license plate approaches to a ticketless terminal, it would have to be dealt with manually. Instead of using the license plate number, the system uses the ticket to calculate the time parked. The problem with tickets is they are an added expense, the printers need maintenance, they create traffic in the lanes, they get lost, and they create a mess.
The end result is when you have a traditional ticketing parking system, due to all the maintenance needed (a check-up approximately every 1000-5000 vehicles), its only a semi-automatic parking lot.
Technoso offers a few innovative solutions.
Fully Ticketless parking solution.
With a ticketless system, there is no need to take a ticket, the whole process works off of the license plate. It allows for a fast vehicle flow, no mess, and no maintenance. In a case where there is a problematic license plate (less than %1 of the time), the vehicle will be allowed in and saved in the system as “Not in List”. When exiting, the vehicle will be charged the minimum amount. If it is a parking lot where a high percentage of vehicles stay for a long time it’s possible to charge the “not in List” vehicles the maximum daily rate.
Technoso’s second solution is a Hybrid system.
A Ticket Recycle terminal is installed in both the entrance and exit lanes. When vehicles approach the entrance with a regular readable license plate, the system will work like a ticketless system and open the barrier without releasing a ticket. If a vehicle with a problematic license plate approaches, the system will automatically release a recyclable PVC ticket which will then be used by the exit to determine the amount to be charged.
Technoso’s system has a 99% identification rate and instead of printers and paper, it has a chamber that holds 2000 recyclable PVC tickets which get reused hundreds of times. This means that a maintenance person is needed (to take the tickets from the exit terminal and fill up the entrance terminal) approximately once every three months in a large parking lot or after about 200,000 vehicles pass through the lane.
