What ANPR/LPR software is out there?

I want to set up a HD (1080p, 30FPS) camera parallel to the road which is powered by 12v and has sufficient memory to record for 9 hours at a time.

I then want to feed this footage into software that will capture and recognise the plates and dump this information into a file. Better yet, I would like to be able to configure the system to recognise known plates and then dump these into a file including time/date. I could then manually review the footage. I have read about the need for the camera to be facing in a reasonably straight alignment to the vehicles direction of travel and the number plates need to be fairly clean and not obstructed.

Perhaps in the future I can look at getting ANPR set up using live footage from an IP CCTV. Just want to try out some software first.

Ideally, this software would be freeware for the first 30 days so that I could evaluate it.

Ideas anyone?

Funny you should say that because I have a couple of business cards of companies at ISC West I have to review to day to find one. The one that comes to mind is Geovision, spoke to them at the show. You get the normal Geovision NVR software and then they have a plugin for LPR. And yes, it has a database of plate numbers, when it gets a hit it can do some event processing and even trigger an alarm I/O back to the camera which is what I need. This way the camera can trigger an I/O to trigger a gate actuator. Usually this type of software keeps a picture of the car and the scanned output. The really good ones even tell you the state but that's not important for me.

What camera are you using. Don't use one with built in IR as it will likely not be able to read the plate from the reflection. I'm going to test with an Axis P3384-VE, with it's dynamic capture feature for higher speed low light sensitivity. I was going to use the Q1604, but then this camera came out with the same specs in a dome shape.

Researching it further, found the following products and approx. price

Geovision LPR - $900/camera

Milestone XProtect LPR - $3,000/camera

Luxriot LPR - $3,000/server (or $2,000 for 2 cams)

Vigilant ALPR - ???

ISS LPR - ???

Visec - $2000/1 lane, whatever that means

This is like the blind leading the blind.... no offence to RustyJL

RustyJL I know of a LRP solution that runs on a Axis camera and records a SD card. PM me if you want more info.

Ok gents thanks for your help. At this stage i only want to record the footage using a Muvi HD camera and then feed this through LPR recognition software to evaluate the usefulness thereof. Down the track i am hopeful of getting funding for a single Acti 5610 cam for its excellent low light ability and couple this with a Ubiquiti link for real time viewing and recording from a remote location.

I have that available also, and that was my first reaction, run a solution directly on an Axis camera as an app and avoid a PC altogether that may still be the way we go, but looking at alternatives. At the time it only worked on a Q1604 and I really don't want a box camera at each entrance, but maybe it now runs on domes like the P33 series. It wasn't that expensive, about $1,500/cam retail for the software, so maybe $3K camera and software.

The only problem is how do you sync the database of cameras across multiple cameras which got me thinking of a centralized solution. The local Sherriff told me the gun range has this, so I should stop by and see how theirs works if they will share. They must be hurting because it's nearly impossible to buy ammo these days.

I'm courious of any footage during night, front capture (headlights on).

Has anyone got any samples?

I'm courious of any footage during night, front capture (headlights on).

 

Has anyone got any samples?

Footage using what though... An IP cam or my HD camera? I am fairly confident my HD camera will be useless at night as the headlights will throw up a blinding wash. Daytime it is excellent at slower speeds, I've never tried it a highway speeds.

Typically, the area that I would have it setup will have the vehicles going no faster than 40kmh (25mph in the old scale).

Some of the cameras that are talking about here. At daylight, with no highway speeds, any camera should/could take a pic of a car's plate number (trigerring it's another subject). I was just courious how things go on during low light/night light.

Some of the cameras that are talking about here. At daylight, with no highway speeds, any camera should/could take a pic of a car's plate number (trigerring it's another subject). I was just courious how things go on during low light/night light.

Ok, to be perfectly clear, my camera is not an IP camera - the IP cam is something I am trying to get funding for, but it won't be anytime in the near future . It is a basic body worn video camera that records the footage in *.avi format. I just want to run this footage through LPR software to see how it works.

Is this possible?

During daylight, it might/should work...

But how about night?

Attached is a LPR camera snapshot. That's my point

During daylight, it might/should work...

But how about night?

 

Attached is a LPR camera snapshot. That's my point

Ok thanks.

What camera did you use for this shot and what settings? How fast was the vehicle going?

Also, what LPR software are you using?

If you don't use a camera specifically for tags your wasting your time.

And not a Geovision Tag camera. it sux.

We use the REG-D1 on encoders.

http://www.boschsecurity.us/NR/rdonlyres/BCA3C2AF-D146-4470-BBB1-A75778F11EBC/9087/REG_QuickGuide10_16_094.pdf

Here's a live example of a Mobotix in AU setup for ANPR: http://mobotix.prvgroup.com.au:8081/cgi-bin/guestimage.html

I think there's only 1 company making software specifically for Mobotix however.

During daylight, it might/should work...

But how about night?

 

Attached is a LPR camera snapshot. That's my point

Where is the ALPR? That is simply a camera used to ID plates I would like to see the software used to data base the plates from that image.

I was pointing out the need to use a dedicated camera, since not all cameras can help in making ANPR.

Software is in development, in-house made, for using with this camera.

Image is nice... My concern is with the angle that plate is towards the camera. Most systems need the plate to be square to the camera with the bottom of the plate parallel to the bottom of the FOV of the camera.

I don't think it's practical to have a camera directly behind or in front of the vehicle. Our goal is to mount it at the roads edge in the center median and capture plates at maybe a 15 degree angle, a telephoto lens setting aimed at the plate area with a Axis Q1604E or a P3384-VE. The existing Mobotix, while they have great low light capability are easily blinded by brake lights

My original idea is to use ipCongure which is an app that runs inside the Axis camera, much the same way Axis Camera Companion is an app that runs in the camera. No PC needed. But it only works with the Q1604E and that's going to be an ugly looking solution since the city turned down our application to put a camera pole there but the vandal dome I can mount on a pilaster.

Don't know what the interface looks like yet to insert plate numbers and names. That's the problem, no product webpage I've been to shows that piece of the puzzle. I'm hoping worst case is they provide an SDK and I can write a Windows program to do this, probably in .net pretty quickly, how hard can it be? Keep a database of names, addresses and license plates and feed the plate numbers to store in the camera. What I like is then the cameras event handling can do what you want to do, send a text, trigger alarm output, email a picture based on a plate match.

Image is nice... My concern is with the angle that plate is towards the camera. Most systems need the plate to be square to the camera with the bottom of the plate parallel to the bottom of the FOV of the camera.

I know, but using advanced video analytics this can be changed and obtain an image closer to real one.

The angle was like this because the camera was mounted on a car (yes, the image was obtained while in motion - both our car and the car in the image)

I don't think it's practical to have a camera directly behind or in front of the vehicle. Our goal is to mount it at the roads edge in the center median and capture plates at maybe a 15 degree angle, a telephoto lens setting aimed at the plate area with a Axis Q1604E or a P3384-VE. The existing Mobotix, while they have great low light capability are easily blinded by brake lights

 

My original idea is to use ipCongure which is an app that runs inside the Axis camera, much the same way Axis Camera Companion is an app that runs in the camera. No PC needed. But it only works with the Q1604E and that's going to be an ugly looking solution since the city turned down our application to put a camera pole there but the vandal dome I can mount on a pilaster.

 

Don't know what the interface looks like yet to insert plate numbers and names. That's the problem, no product webpage I've been to shows that piece of the puzzle. I'm hoping worst case is they provide an SDK and I can write a Windows program to do this, probably in .net pretty quickly, how hard can it be? Keep a database of names, addresses and license plates and feed the plate numbers to store in the camera. What I like is then the cameras event handling can do what you want to do, send a text, trigger alarm output, email a picture based on a plate match.

Before any installation, I would test it to find out how it performs in those conditions.

Image is nice... My concern is with the angle that plate is towards the camera. Most systems need the plate to be square to the camera with the bottom of the plate parallel to the bottom of the FOV of the camera.

I know, but using advanced video analytics this can be changed and obtain an image closer to real one.

The angle was like this because the camera was mounted on a car (yes, the image was obtained while in motion - both our car and the car in the image)

Yes I am familiar with mobile LPR solutions. We have looked at a couple of solutions for local police departments.

Can someone enlighten me as to how LPR works? I gather the video analytics searches the image for a reflective surface then there is some sort of optical character recognition software searches the reflective surface for alphanumerics? I presume the camera must take at least 30FPS to have any sort of luck. Black and white images seem to be best, why is this?

I can't tell you how the software side works because I don't know but the camera has filters on it to only see a narrow spectrum of light that the IR is in. That way any other light source won't affect the image.