Fixed focal length lenses from Rainbow are being used for cargo recognition at major harbours on the western seaboard.
Ports including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma and Seattle are using manual iris and dc auto-iris lenses from the California-based manufacturer in assemblies created by Rainbow's client Hi-Tech Solutions.
The SeeContainer product from Hi-Tech Solutions features at port recognition projects across the globe, monitoring container markings through proprietary optical character recognition (OCR).
The Rainbow lenses are part of units which not only record general location data from the camera but also track, read and compare identification markings, presenting harbour authorities and shipping lines with overall image and extracted results.
A major site for the system is Oakland, which was the first harbour on the Pacific coast to build container terminals. It is now the fourth busiest port in the United States, behind Long Beach, Los Angeles and Newark.
The Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro Bay is also benefiting from the OCR systems, which are contributing to the harbour's competitive edge and recent record-setting cargo operations.
Rico Martinez, Rainbow's Sales and Marketing Director, said, "We're particularly pleased to be involved with these installations which underline that our lenses are well suited to the machine vision sector as well as security projects."
He continued, "Efficient container tracking systems are crucial if US importers are to reduce their carbon footprint by using surface rather than air freight. Los Angeles has become an environmental steward and model for harbours around the globe and we wish the port well in its centenary year."
