Vehicle registration plates can be scanned in real-time using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). This is also known as License Plate Recognition (LPR), which employs sophisticated image processing and optical character recognition on video streams/images to provide vehicle location data.

What is license plate recognition?

So, what is licence plate recognition exactly? License plate recognition (LPR) can record photographic videos or photos from license plates and turn optical data into digital information in real time. LPR is also known as automatic license plate reading (ALPR).

LPR is a technology commonly utilized for vehicle management operations such as Ticketless Parking (off-street and on-street), Tolling, ITS, stolen vehicle identification, smart billing, and many more applications. It is also known by its acronym, Automatic Number Plate Recognition, or ANPR.

Due to the ability of ANPR to record both the time and location at which a vehicle was detected, it is possible to calculate the time it took for the vehicle to travel from one point along the highway to the next. It is possible if another camera equipped with ANPR is situated at a different location along the same stretch of road.

Common ANPR software applications

Automatic number plate recognition, often known as ANPR, is one of the most common and efficient methods for identifying vehicles in moving traffic and at checkpoints where entry is restricted. The Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) technology is utilized to automate checkpoints, weighing stations, car parks, car washes, and service stations. Additionally, it is utilized to control access for vehicles to the space of corporate offices, industrial zones, gated communities, hotels, and airports.

The Plate Recognizer created the ANPR software for all the uses mentioned above. It reads number plates with the maximum recognition accuracy, creates various types of reports, enables the creation of user lists, and controls traffic lights and barrier gates, among other things. Below are more ways in which ANPR is used:

Law enforcement

Law enforcement agencies utilize ANPR to enforce laws, check if a vehicle is registered, or identify vehicles associated with traffic offenses. Authorities can identify vehicles and determine their location, thanks to the ability to detect and recognize number plates in real time.

Automated Parking Control

A unified system that can identify individual vehicles is necessary to manage parking spaces efficiently. Therefore, automatic license plate reading is essential to effectively managing car parking spaces. ANPR makes it possible for parking garages to have automated parking management since the license plate numbers of each vehicle are used to keep track of them. These kinds of intelligent parking systems can maintain tabs on every vehicle that is housed within the facility and ensure that there is full governance.

Because of this, patrons of parking garages no longer have to go through the hassle of maintaining their tickets and keeping track of the amount of time they spend there or run the danger of incurring fines for making incorrect ticket payments or losing their tickets.

Calculating Travel Times

Journey time analysis, often known as JTA, is an important tool that helps authorities determine which cars are going through an area and how long it takes them to get from one location to another. In addition, such statistics make it possible for traffic administrators to improve their route design.

Control of Traffic Through Artificial Intelligence

The phrase “traffic management” is used to collectively refer to the many benefits that are made available by ANPR. Throughout cities, automated vehicle number plate detection can detect vehicles driving too fast, recklessly, or any unintended incident. You can also use this technology to detect overspeeding automobiles.

The Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) offers options for measuring and analyzing the traffic data of a specific area or an entire city. On a broader scale, traffic management provides the opportunity to gain insights regarding traffic congestion, enabling better traffic planning.

Keeping a retail park safe

Retail parks frequently face the problem of illegal parking, which can result in inconveniences for legitimate drivers searching for parking places or even questionable actions. The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system can help mitigate such security issues by ensuring that only authorized vehicles utilize parking spaces.

Tollbooth information

In some regions of the world, the management of tollbooths on highways is still done manually. When it comes to autonomous tollbooth administration, automated toll stations frequently utilize a variety of different technologies. For instance, ANPR allows authorities to obtain license plate numbers so that tolls can be paid by mail or automatically on major motorways, as opposed to drivers having to pull over and pay at a toll booth operated manually. As a result, ANPR makes it possible to operate toll booths effectively, implement dynamic pricing for roads, reduce the time needed for operational tasks, and boost overall productivity.

Conclusion

ANPR is an essential AI vision technology that provides a variety of benefits that are useful for a wide range of applications. ANPR offers many advantages, including the management of traffic, the protection of retail parks, the keeping of records at toll booths, and the investigation of travel times. Therefore, it is not unexpected that ANPR has seen such rapid growth in popularity over the past few years that the worldwide market for automatic number plate recognition is expanding rapidly. Disruptive ANPR projects are being implemented in various industries, including transportation, logistics, security, and the public sector.

This article was provided by Luke Wilhoit