In view of the current corona pandemic, we find ourselves in an unprecedentedly exceptional situation globally. The Federal Ministry's pandemic hygiene concepts pose major challenges, especially for the trade sector. A minimum distance of 1.5 metres is recommended in supermarkets and shops and the number of people in the rooms should be limited to a certain amount. However, large rooms and sales areas are often very confusing and manual counting of people is not possible.
The focus is therefore increasingly on automated solutions such as camera traffic light systems. Multicolour LED lights are controlled directly by the cameras in order to safely control the flow of people via a traffic light system.
"With this kind of access control systems, which generally have to be retrofitted, it is important to make handling as simple, efficient and cost-effective as possible for users," says Volker Matthies, Director Global Product Management Signaling Technology at Pfannenberg. "On the other hand, the solution must work precisely and safely to ensure the health of employees and customers on site.”
Reliable access control - Plug & Play
Many creative solutions for restricting the number of people in the retail sector can be observed at present. For example, the number of shopping trolleys is limited, access badges are distributed, or personnel are assigned to the entrances for surveillance. This not only requires additional personnel effort and the permanent attention of the staff, but also means stress for all those involved and a residual risk of controlling the flow of people remains. More reliable and stress-free here are automated counting and control of the customer flow.
To meet this challenge, Pfannenberg has developed a plug & play solution together with camera manufacturers and system integrators. Cameras with integrated people counting function record all people at all entrances and exits as well as how many customers and employees are in the store. Based on this, the system evaluates the hazard level and directly controls the PYRA® LED RGB light. When a critical number of people is reached, the Pfannenberg RGB light in the entrance area changes to red and only changes back to green when more customers can enter the store.
This system solution can be used to clearly signal to people in front of the entrance to a supermarket, shop or public facility whether access can currently be granted or whether there are already too many customers inside. This ensures that the necessary minimum distance can be maintained, and the health of employees and customers is protected.
The advantage for users: the PYRA® LED-RGB light can be controlled directly from the camera as a traffic light, installed in no time via plug & play and works safely and automatically. No additional components and devices are required, thus avoiding additional costs.
More than a smart access control
In addition to precise access control, such a camera traffic light system can also be used to comply with social distancing regulations, e.g. at checkouts or in areas where queues are likely to form. The automated verification of the correct wearing of mouth and nose protectors and the associated access restriction through traffic lights can be realized as well as the measurement and monitoring of elevated body temperatures.
The system solution with the PYRA® LED-RGB is vandalism-proof and can be installed indoor and outdoor. Different signal modes can be flexibly selected according to requirements. The powerful LED technology also guarantees very good visibility, even in bright daylight.