Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), or automatic licence plate recognition (ALPR), is the use of cameras and optical character recognition (OCR) software to read vehicle licence plates and, in some cases, determine resulting action. This is one of the more traditional technologies used in road transportation and has been around since the early 1980s.
One or more high-resolution cameras are positioned to capture vehicle plates – the more cameras that are used, the more angles and surrounding detail that can be covered. Many cameras include a day/night mode so they can operate in the dark or in conditions of reduced visibility, such as fog. Our imaging business unit, Active Silicon, manufactures a range of compact, powerful autofocus-zoom cameras with up to 40x zoom and resolution up to 4K. Harrier camera interface boards extend the video output options of Harrier HD block cameras to 3G-SDI, USB3, HDMI, MIPI CSI-2 and networked cameras with Ethernet IP output.
Steatite can further support camera systems with components including GPS clocks to add accurate time and date information and PNT hardware to clarify precise positioning. Accelerometers, in combination with positioning data, can determine speed.
These products are specifically built to withstand the challenging environment of roadside operation and to function reliably 24 hours a day for years. Many Steatite products are certified to e-Mark standards, meaning they are safe and compliant for use in moving vehicles.
Traditionally, image and video data was captured for processing at a later date. More recent developments mean that processing can be applied onboard or adjacent to the camera, interpreting data at the Edge. The use of AI algorithms enable camera systems to take action based on the data collected, such as raising a barrier for certain vehicles but not others, or alerting law enforcers to cars that may be on the road illegally.
Embedded computers offer an extremely reliable and flexible option for providing in-the-field and mobile data processing. For example, Axiomtek’s NVIDIA® Jetson AGX Xavier™ AIE900-902-FL computer is a fanless, compact and low-power AI system for intelligent edge applications, machine learning and computer vision. Its extensive IO options plus additional expansion slots combine with the 32GB 256-Bit LPDDR4x memory to provide a perfect solution for ANPR requirements.
To implement traffic and transport AI solutions, our computer experts recommend the Jetson Xavier NX AN810 Industrial Carrier Board. Its compact size of just 120mm x 120mm defies its huge processing power, housing a 6-core NVIDIA Carmel ARM®v8 CPU and 384-core NVIDIA Volta™ GPU with 48 Tensor Cores. Its operating range of -20 to +70°C means it won’t be troubled whatever the weather throws at it.
If space is limited, the small but mighty Cincoze DI-1100 8th Gen Core i3/i5/i7 Industrial PC is ideal for traffic and road transportation, security and surveillance, as well as industrial applications, logistics and warehousing, IoT deployments, and other applications.
For ANPR and traffic applications requiring computing power that’s guaranteed to be available for a number of years, Steatite’s 1U shallow depth industrial rack-mount computer features a 10th gen Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 CPU and up to 2x PCIe x8 slots. Furthermore, Steatite engineers can fully customise IO options, chipset, expansion selection and design to suit your exact requirements.
