07 Sep How time-of-flight technology is making speedgates ‘smarter and smaller’

Traditional point-to-point beam technology relies on a physical intrusion directly between two infrared sensors to trigger a response, but a new generation of sensor technology can pro-actively sense movement before a person or object reaches a security gate installation.

This state-of-the-art development in sensor technology has benefits beyond simple detection accuracy and marks an important evolution in entrance control.

From tripwires to 3D mapping

While the conventional use of ‘tripwires’ between sensors has worked well for decades, it doesn’t provide spatial awareness of anything happening outside of the 2D point-to-point pathways along beams.

‘Time-of-flight’ sensors take a more intelligent approach. Rather than waiting for a beam to be breached, the sensors emit focused pulses of energy across a field of awareness surrounding an entrance control installation and detect objects by measuring precisely how long pulses take to bounce back after striking an object.

The process creates a continuously updated 3D map of everything moving in a speedgate’s territory – including anything approaching it – using state-of-the-art laser equipment that has become increasingly accessible in recent years.

Entrance Control General Manager Michael Bystram said the technology is a paradigm shift in speedgates’ spatial awareness.

“Traditional beam sensors only know something’s there once it’s already in its lane. Time-of-flight sensors are constantly scanning the surrounding area, so a speedgate understands what’s coming before it arrives.”

The principle isn’t entirely new to the natural world. Bats navigate in a similar way by issuing ultrasonic pulses and reading the returning echoes to build a detailed picture of their environment, allowing them to discern distance, speed and even the size of objects.

In the entrance control world this advanced detection functionality is capable of identifying wrong-direction access and side-by-side entry attempts, as well as tailgating – even if someone follows closely behind an authorised visitor.

“Time-of-flight sensors can catch behaviours that narrow beam sensors were never designed to be aware of, seeing more than ever before and eliminating blind spots – making facilities safer and more secure,” Bystram said.

Shrinking yet smarter speedgates

Traditional beam-to-beam systems require a reasonable length of lane to house multiple sensor pairs and give a speedgate enough distance to accurately track an object’s progress through space.

Because time-of-flight sensors are not bound by the same restrictions, Entrance Control has been able to launch its smallest speedgate ever with svelte 290mm-long pedestals.

“We’ve taken advantage of this cutting-edge technology to design our new EasyGate Compact – an introduction to the smaller and smarter speedgates of the future.”

Bystram said time-of-flight sensor technology means speedgates have become more capable than ever before, with AI-enhanced sensors available to take detection ability to the next level.

“Time-of-flight represents the future of detection and I expect to see it become a standard feature as our product range evolves to meet clients’ requirements and harness further developments in technology.”