Control and count people’s access by cell phone, badge or car plate

initially developed for waste collection centres

Mobile access control application for wardens: Mobile barcode terminals, or smartphones, barcode cards (badges or windscreen stickers) or NFC tags (Rfid), or automatic license plate reading (OCR), database, installation, training: everything you need at the very least to track, monitor and filter access to your facilities (in this case, waste collection centers), and enter quantities to be invoiced to professionals.

The bare minimum at competitive cost to filter access to your waste disposal sites, without heavy infrastructure like barriers.

We adapt to ALL PERSON FILTERING on BADGES, even Rfid (NFC) - billing can be added. With or without telephone subscription, works on commercial IP67 smartphones or ruggedized smartphones with or without barcode reader. It can be coupled with an office management and billing solution.

Understanding the initial demand for user filtering at waste collection centers

Communities of communes need fast, high-performance software to check (=verify the existence of) users with a card number, a vehicle plate number, time-stamp and count each passage, and enter these entries into a database, injecting a file of thousands of cards (=white-list, authorized list of commune residents). They intend to switch to an “incentive fee” system with underground containers whose entry is controlled by NFC RFID.

Next, the project and equipment will enable professionals to be billed directly according to the volumes they dispose of.

A screen on a PC allows the Communes’ Town Halls to enter users and rightful claimants by assigning them a barcode card already printed, and cancel lost cards.

Precautions :

- barcode selection: it’s inappropriate to choose a common code like EAN13, which has the 1st disadvantage of always having 13 digits to enter: which is a lot in town halls, and the 2nd disadvantage of being on any everyday product: if you don’t have a wireless Android scanner with the list of authorized card numbers in memory, you can read codes, but they could just as easily be cigarette pack numbers!

We custom-design your PVC cards with barcode or Qr-codes or NFC and supply them with the right choice of barcode to flash at a close reading distance for the cards.

If you already have cards: 2 qualification sample cards will be requested.

- Automatic license plate reading :

we’re now integrating automatic OCR (Optical Character Recognition) with the Android camera, so you can replace the cards with the license plate number of the incoming vehicle. Setting the reading distance is an important factor.

- choosing the reading device:

if you intend to order “scanners” that time-stamp a reading without checking it, you’ll miss the point, because you’re not filtering, you’re reading and storing numbers that may not exist in your database. Our terminals are ruggedized, so they can be used with gloves and in wet/frosty conditions, with the risk of falling. They can also scan barcodes or NFC cards quickly, retain all authorized cards and the number of passages already made, and send data to your servers by 3 or 4G, or by Wifi when returning to a covered area such as an office. We’ve also added intelligence to make it easy to distinguish a fake from a real card on a list. These smartphones will enable us to add a host of other advanced time-saving functions and back-office computer processing in the future. So, this is the hardware you need for your future developments, with today’s minimal functions, at the best price.

The functions currently used on the smartphone and the cost-effective way of retrieving the data:

If you have off-the-shelf smartphones, we can adapt to read barcodes or activate OCR, using the on-board camera of the off-the-shelf terminal if you prefer: the reading rate of 5 seconds per card is sufficient for the application in small waste collection centers, but for high-volume waste collection centers, a ruggedized terminal with integrated laser will do the job better.

We’ll be using Wifi to exchange input files and the list of codes authorized for entry with the central computer. Wifi allows employees to connect from home or the office and exchange new files with the Communauté de Commune computer. The advantage is that no cable or telephone subscription is required to perform these functions. Another very inexpensive and feasible method is to go round the waste collection centers with a phone fitted with a SIM data card (3 or 4G), pair this phone with each waste collection center terminal and send the collected data to the central PC.

Our terminals are not blocked from operators: this is an advantage for employees, who can put in their own personal SIM card to use them as a phone or smartphone with 3/4G (and for you, to be able to reach them).

Most of our terminals have an NFC sensor, which we can then use to read future Rfid cards with Mifare (NFC) for waste reduction incentive collection.

Software functions

We are specialists in the development of embedded software for these hardened devices, and we propose a simple software package in the first instance, with advanced functions available on request, such as invoicing for professional depots.

The software we are proposing is in two parts:

• on the PC of the Communauté de Communes (main establishment), which will have to remain on standby and connected to the Internet with a fixed IP, to exchange files with the on-call employees: the software enabling data exchanges. You’ll need to set up a port on your box to redirect incoming connections from smartphones to the database PC (called a “gateway”). This part is replaced by an API and a hosted database.
• software on smartphones that reads and records time-stamped codes read, and gives an audible and visual signal to the janitor of the absence of authorization for the N°s read, the presence of professionals to be billed, the display of a history of the day, and parameters enabling data to be sent back to the central PC.

Our software enables multi-dechettery, multi-commune use.

Other possible & useful software:

To manage card distribution across several town halls, we create a web application for town hall PCs which, as distribution progresses, builds up a file of constituents and cards/labels handed in or cancelled because lost/stolen, and centralizes the data on a database server so that it can be read by the terminals.

Please contact us for a customized quotation (restricted tenders only, so we can adapt to your needs).

Price levels that make it easier for public purchasers: they are compatible with the “lightened” procedure for supply and service contracts (under €40,000 excluding VAT as of January 1, 2020), with no need for formal advertising or competitive bidding: a simple quote is all that’s needed.

The following elements can be supplied to complete the solution, on request or made-to-measure:

• Office part :
  • PVC cards (badges) with unique barcode and your logo, to be handed out to constituents, or windshield stickers, or car license plate readers,
  • Creation and hosting of the MySQL database (Open source license) or MongoDB (customized) and installation of the gateway
  • Data entry module at the Town Hall for the subscriber’s references in relation to the given card + barcode handheld (as many stations as distribution points)
  • Statistics module (optional)
  • Billing module (optional)
• Waste collection section:
  • Ruggedized barcode & touch terminals, Android, without GSM chip, or wifi only, on request
  • On-board program with off-line input for filtering (OK / Not OK) and counting/tracking of passages - including options:
  • Billing, volume entry
  • Alert if passages exceed annual/monthly limits
• Remote training: desktop part and mobile input part

Advantages of pre-printed badges

Badges can also be produced in advance: you give “sections” of unique codes to your town halls. If the badge is lost, a new code is issued and the old one cancelled.

We can add security to the code, if you don’t want people to pass badges or labels to each other, or print barcodes themselves: if you want to control printing, we can add encryption codes that will prevent forgery with home printers, but not copying. Optional skip removal management.

As an option, we can also imagine giving a receipt to professionals with a thermal belt printer connected to the wireless handheld terminal.

These codes are then decrypted by our software embedded in the terminals.

Particularity of the terminals required for OCR.

To use our OCR and camera reading, you need terminals WITH GMS (Google mobile Service).

Do you have any specific requirements? Don’t hesitate to ask us for advice: together, we’ll find an innovative and competitive solution to suit your budget!

this app is under project of redevelopment.