Automatic Licence Plate Recognition System

The client operated licensed disposal of greenfield and construction waste across multiple sites. Individual projects involved several hundred to over a thousand vehicle movements, making manual record-keeping impractical, error-prone, and a compliance risk.

No commercially available ALPR system met the site constraints: remote locations without mains power, variable lighting conditions, and the need for fully autonomous operation with minimal operator intervention. Thomas Hadden designed and implemented a non-standard solution from the ground up.

The hardware platform integrated an 8-megapixel Hikvision camera triggered by a PLC-connected sensor, with off-grid solar power management via a Modbus-connected charge controller. The system included battery monitoring and automatic generator start when energy reserves fell below defined thresholds, ensuring continuous operation regardless of weather or season.

Captured images were processed using JavaScript and Node-RED, then transmitted to a cloud-based ALPR API for plate recognition. Results were returned to the system, stored in a local SQLite database, and processed via FTP, VBA, and Excel to generate automated weekly compliance and billing reports distributed by email.

Beyond the technical delivery, Thomas coordinated the environmental compliance dimension of the project, engaging an environmental engineer to support waste exemption applications and regulatory submissions to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. The technical system design had to align with regulatory reporting requirements and operational auditability.

The system operated autonomously and reliably across multiple sites, eliminating manual vehicle logging and providing auditable records for both billing and regulatory compliance.