Automatic Number Plate Recognition
Overview
The ability to identify vehicles at parking entrances can provide major benefits for businesses, local authorities, and a range of other organizations. Now, managers in any area can improve entrance security to schools, offices, and factories, for instance, or to implement road tolling, and much more.
In the past, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) has been costly, unreliable, and only relevant for a limited number of applications. Errors were commonplace and the available hardware could not read every licence plate reliably, and so could not operate without human confirmation. Additionally, low-light areas, oblique vantage points, and non-standard characters caused issues in detecting and capturing number plates.
Today’s ANPR cameras, engineered with deep learning algorithms and GPU processors, are extremely accurate – more than sufficient to overcome previous challenges.
Purpose
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is an analytics software that reads, documents and matches vehicle license plates without needing a human operator. For private businesses and governments, license plate recognition offers safety and the efficiencies of monitored vehicle access while reducing congestion, supporting loyalty programs and offering the potential for targeted advertising. On duty 24-7, License plate readers have helped to locate criminals and stolen vehicle for decades.
How it Works
ANPR is a technology that automatically reads vehicle registration marks (VRMs), allowing these details to be compared against database records.
An ANPR camera takes an image of a vehicle number plate; the image is passed to a reader, which locates the VRM and reads the letters and characters so that they can be identified using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. An image of the view of the number plate and/or overview camera is then saved and checked against the database.
ANPR data comprises “read” data and “hit” data. A read is the capture of the VRM and image of the vehicle as it passes through the camera view; read data is the term used to describe all the data collected as vehicles pass through the ANPR reader. A hit is a match to a VRM held within the database being searched.
Features
Complete vehicle recognition solution
Proven recognition engine typically achieves 95-98% accuracy
Full accuracy maintained with vehicle speeds up to 120mps on all lanes
Captures rectangular, square, borderless and inverse plates (white characters on black)
Sophisticated database, full graphical reporting with full export and PDF print facilities
Full offence management facility and police BOFII interface included
Dedicated design with no PC to maintain – inexpensive to install and service
Memory card stores all records, so there’s no hard drive to fail
8Gb card supplied typically records vehicles for 30 days (larger cards are available)
Internal UPS prevents record corruption due to power failure
Powerful yet simple touch screen interface provides access to all main features
Optional full screen display offers many additional features system configuration access
Front panel LCD display shows system status, capture events and actions taken
System can be extended up to 4 lanes with simultaneous real time capture on all lanes
Network capability can be added to build large systems of over 1000 traffic lanes
Telemetry control of all SNAP ANPR and overview cameras
Optional integrated driver intercom for each traffic lane
Comprehensive vehicle barrier/gate control using time schedules and groups
User-defined messaged for LED signs with group and time schedule control
Compatible with our renowned bollard and ANPR speed cameras
Serial data output for linking with DVR’s and other third party systems
Optional weigand interface available for integrating with access control systems
Technology
ANPR is therefore the underlying technology used to find a vehicle license/number plate and it, in turn, supplies this information to a next stage of computer processing through which the information can be interpreted, stored or matched to create an ANPR based application.
Most members of the public will be aware that ANPR is used by many police forces to track down criminal behaviour and is also seen on many UK Motorways as a method of detecting speeding through average speed calculation. However, ANPR is used in a variety of other ways to support the security and safety of the public as well as supporting efficiencies in the way we interact with transportation and vehicle based infrastructure. Examples of this are the use of ANPR in:
Car Park Management
Journey Time Analysis
Traffic Management
Retail Park Security
Weighbridges
Tolling
Bus Lane Enforcement
Intelligent Transport Systems
ANPR is a technological tool which is used in providing assistance to the enforcement of the law as well ensuring the continued safety of all road users. ANPR is supporting the safety and security of citizens throughout the world and is evolving to enhance the effective transport flow of people in real time.
FAQs
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
How the car has to be seen in the number recognition system to work correctly? - Car license plate numbers size must not be less than 20 px. Or generally speaking, a car must take up at least 1/3 of the total area of the screen. Truck - at least 1/2.
How fast the car can move ensure the system can capture the number? - This requirement depends only on the selected camera settings. Our system is designed so that it takes out each transmitted frame and in it looks for the number plates. It is therefore important that the every frame has to be in bright view. The main factor in this case - the camera gate speed (shutter speed). In the cameras it is usually set in automatic mode. In order to capture fast-moving vehicle number plates must change this setting to manual and set to not less than 1/500.
If I prefer the system to be supplemented by missing functionality? We are always ready for the client wishes to realize in practice. You just need us to form a clear task for work.
Is work in network possible? The system is designed to function using a single database, so it can be installed on remote computers that connect to a central database. Or it can act as a central server to pick-up a video stream and commands to remote units handing over a network.
Does the system work at night without additional lighting? Yes. In the current facilities we use cameras, with infrared. They highlights the number plate in the dark, thus ensuring its recognition.
Does the system recognize the number at night with car lights turned on, or very sunny day? Yes. The current facilities we use cameras, which use the BLC or WDR function. This feature adjusts the image so that the number is perfectly readable.
What kind of cameras or video recorders can handle your system? Our system can work with all IP cameras directly or analog cameras connected through a video recorder that support RTSP or HTTP video transmission protocols. Today, almost all manufacturers of IP cameras have such functionality.
In which operating systems can work in your system? Windows 7/8.
What are the hardware requirements? at least i3 processor, video card supports OpenCL / OpenGL. It all depends on the image size transmitted from the camera. EG. If the camera is 1080p video quality and is required to process 2 cameras then we would need i3 processor, for 4 cameras - i5 processor, for 6 cameras - i7 processor, etc. However, if you reduce the resolution or the system have powerful video card, the number of cameras would be processed double that.
Is it possible to reinstall the program to another computer? Yes. The program is not "tied" to the computer. Her requires a USB key. Therefore, if you want to transfer the program to another computer you need to carry and specially prepared USB stick too.
Does remain in the system car numbers which have been refused? Yes, the system continuously makes numbers recognition and makes car pictures irrespective of whether they are admitted or not.
What is the cost of software updates? By purchasing a program together you pay for the upgrades that will be released within 1 year from your purchase. After this time the updates will cost half the price of the acquisition program.
Applications
Car Access Point
Retail Mall Car Management
Transport Management
Bus Lane Enforcement
Toll Management
Weighbridge Management
Journey Time Analysis
Traffic Management