Automated site security, monitoring and access control system

Abstract

The invention provides for automatic monitoring and control of the ingress and egress of vehicles to and from various areas within a secure facility. A plurality of cameras, such as infrared-sensitive cameras, capture images of license plates and/or optically readable passive tags on vehicles traveling into and within the facility. A video image processing system detects and extracts a vehicle license plate number (LPN) or other such identifying characters within the captured image of the license plate. Based at least in part on the location of the camera that captured the LPN, the processor stores the LPN with a time-stamp in one or more vehicle databases, such as a site LPN database, an in-transit database, an employee database, an expected visitor database, a 'blacklist' database, a loiterer database, a speeder database, a high-security database, a high-security parking lot database, a normal security parking lot database and a visitor parking lot database. Also, depending at least in part on the location of the camera that captured the LPN and whether the vehicle's LPN is listed in one or more of the above-listed databases, the processor controls the actuation of various barriers or like devices to allow ingress to and egress from various restricted areas within the facility. The processor also preferably controls information posted on various terminals in the site, such as a Security Portal terminal and a parking lot pay booth terminal, and on variable messaging signs at various locations within the facility.