Smart cameras for automatic number plate recognition and access control
Together with our renowned partners, such as AVUTEC, we enable various computer vision solutions. This includes advanced automatic number plate recognition and access control.
Computer vision, falling under the umbrella of Artificial Intelligence, empowers computers to process images. This means the computer can identify objects and make informed decisions based on what it “sees”. Computer vision goes beyond mere image registration. With our solutions, nearly all images can be recognized, analyzed, classified, and tracked. Potential applications include advanced license plate recognition and access control.
Automatic number plate recognition and access control
With ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), authorized individuals, such as staff and visitors, can effortlessly access your secured parking area without delays. Access is determined based on the vehicle’s license plate. Not only does this method work faster than using intercoms or access cards, it is also much more convenient.
The ANPR access control system operates with our smart cameras, rendering access passes, intercoms, and remote controls unnecessary. The solution provides seamless entry to an electrically secured parking lot, garage, or premises. When an authorized license plate approaches, the solution automatically opens the gate. In other words, in conjunction with each electrically operated gate, barrier, or garage door, the system autonomously grants access to registered vehicles.
When equipped with the right hardware, the solution can also function as a remote pass reader for all license plates.
Automatic number plate recognition: How does it work?
The smart camera reads license plates and verifies if these vehicles are registered in the system. Once a number plate is linked to a registration, the system automatically opens the gate.
The smart camera operates as a remote pass reader for license plates, without delays or reading errors. It can read all license plates from a distance of up to 25 meters, even at night. Thus, the smart camera no longer needs to be installed near a barrier; it can be mounted at a safer distance, such as on a building or camera pole.
The solution also provides live video of the entrance and all vehicles in front of the gate. In case a vehicle is not registered or validated for access, the gate can be opened with a mouse click after visual verification from the live video feed. Additionally, the system displays supplementary information about the identified license plates, such as the country of issuance.
The system is used to manage the access list of authorized vehicle license plates. With the management system, you can add or edit a license plate. Each specific license plate can have a designated time period during which access is allowed.
With our most advanced smart cameras, besides license plate recognition, multiple image analysis tasks can be performed. This includes vehicle classification, counting, and tracking of vehicles, people, and objects. The 3D variant even enables depth analysis, facilitating better and more accurate distance measurements, and precise determination of the location of objects and people.
Automatic number plate recognition: A few examples
Consider a factory site with incoming and outgoing vehicle traffic. In this example, object recognition is combined with license plate recognition. The factory has a single entrance used by trucks and visitors’ cars, as well as employees’ vehicles. The smart camera can classify different vehicle types, such as trucks, and open the gate automatically for them, as they always have access.
However, whether the gate opens for a passenger car depends on its license plate. Employees’ cars can proceed, but access for other visitors depends on whether they are registered. The smart camera’s ability to classify vehicles and recognize license plates allows these two tasks to be performed simultaneously.
The Gatekeeper X can also be applied in traffic tunnels. Suppose only pedestrians and cyclists are allowed to enter the tunnel, but occasional moped riders might attempt to pass through. In that case, the Gatekeeper X can distinguish between pedestrians, cyclists, and mopeds.
Lastly, consider the management of bridges. To determine maintenance requirements, theoretical models are often used. For example, a model may state that steel lasts approximately 15 years before maintenance is needed. By measuring the daily traffic crossing the bridge, it becomes possible to improve the model. Moreover, with smart cameras, it is possible to know the types of vehicles crossing the bridge daily. If there are many more trucks than expected, this will have implications for the maintenance model.
Automatic number plate recognition: Parking management
In addition to license plate recognition and access control, smart cameras can be utilized for various parking management solutions. Here are some examples:
- Paid parking (public or private)
- Parking management and enforcement
- Available parking spaces (with time limits or restricted access times)
- Corporate parking lots and garages (large offices, business centers, private parking lots, etc.)
- Smart city applications (parking reservations, allocation, and routing)
- Logistical optimization (loading, unloading, and storage areas at transportation companies and distribution centers)
- ITS applications (secure parking lots along highways for truck combinations, etc.)
Automatic number plate recognition: Banking of Things
One of the latest applications of license plate recognition involves financial transactions. By integrating secure payment software into the smart camera, the system can perform automated payments on behalf of the bank account holder. This is known as Banking of Things, based on the Internet of Things concept.
Our Banking of Things system, where delivered services are automatically charged, can be applied in drive-throughs, toll stations, parking lots, car washes, and gas stations, among other scenarios. Many other applications are conceivable: as long as a license plate is involved, we can leverage the system to automate payments.
For more information about our advanced computer vision solutions in the field of image recognition, please feel free to contact us.
