License Plate Image-Pickup Device and Image White Balance Adjustment Method Thereof

• US 20130235193A1
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Altek Corporation
• Original Assignee: Altek Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Tai-Chang, Peng, Shih-Yuan, Chou, Hong-Long, Chang, Wen-Yan, Hsieh, Chia-Chun, Chao, Shan-Lung
• Application Number:
  US13/445,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20130235193A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/73 Colour balance circuits, e.g. white balance circuits or colour temperature control camera processing pipelines for colour balance H04N23/88

Abstract

A license plate image-pickup device and an image white balance adjustment method thereof applicable to vehicles. The license plate image-pickup device comprises an image-sensing module, a recognition module, a data base and a processing module. The image-sensing module senses a scene to produce an image.

The recognition module recognizes an object contained in the image and a license plate color feature contained in the object to produce recognition parameter set. The database saves parameter sets of reference objects and reference license plate color features respectively corresponding to the reference objects. The processing module searches the reference objects in the database according to the recognition parameter set, to obtain a corresponding reference license plate color feature, and adjusting the white balance of the image according to the corresponding reference license plate color feature.

Claims

1. A license plate image-pickup device, comprising:

an image-sensing module, for sensing a scene to produce an image;

a recognition module, for recognizing an object contained in the image and a license plate color feature contained in the object to produce a recognition parameter set;

a database, for storing parameter sets of reference objects and reference license plate color features respectively corresponding to the reference objects; and

a processing module, for searching the reference objects in the database according to the recognition parameter set, to obtain a corresponding reference license plate color feature, and adjusting the white balance of the image according to the corresponding reference license plate color feature.

2. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 1, wherein the recognition module further recognizes a road surface contained in the image and the processing module determines the road surface according to a reference road surface color feature.

3. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 2, wherein the processing module adjusts the white balance of the image according to the corresponding reference license plate color feature and the reference road surface color feature.

4. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 1, further comprising a positioning module for detecting a position of the license plate image-pickup device to produce a position data.

5. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 4, wherein the database further comprises parameter sets of reference position data respectively corresponding to the reference objects and the reference license plate color features and the processing module compares the corresponding reference position data in the database according to the position data, and obtains the corresponding reference object and the license plate color feature in the database according to the reference position data, and the processing module adjusts the white balance of the image according to the reference license plate color feature corresponding to the position data.

6. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 1, further comprising a calibrating module provided for a user to set a user parameter, so that the processing module adjusts the white balance of the image according to the user parameter and the corresponding reference license plate color feature.

7. An image white balance adjustment method, comprising the steps of:

providing an image-sensing module to sense a scene to produce an image;

using an recognition module to recognize an object contained in the image and a license plate color feature contained in the object to produce a recognition parameter set;

providing a database to store parameter sets of reference objects and reference license plate color features respectively corresponding to the reference objects; and

using a processing module to search the reference objects and the reference license plate color features in the database according to the recognition parameter set, and adjust the white balance of the image according to the corresponding reference license plate color feature.

8. The image white balance adjustment method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

using the recognition module to recognize a road surface contained in the image;

using the processing module to determine the road surface according to a reference road surface color feature; and

using the processing module to adjust the white balance of the image according to the corresponding reference license plate color feature and the reference road surface color feature.

9. The image white balance adjustment method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

providing a positioning module to detect a position of the license plate image-pickup device to produce a position data.

10. The image white balance adjustment method of claim 9, wherein the database further comprises parameter sets of reference position data respectively corresponding to the reference objects, and the image white balance adjustment method further comprises the steps of:

using the processing module to compare the corresponding reference position data in the database according to the position data, and obtaining the corresponding the reference object and the license plate color feature in the database according to the reference position data; and

using the processing module adjusts the white balance of the image according to the reference license plate color feature corresponding to the position data.

11. The image white balance adjustment method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

using a calibrating module provided for a user to set a user parameter, such that the processing module adjusts the white balance of the image according to the user parameter and the corresponding reference license plate color feature.

12. A license plate image-pickup device, comprising:

an image-sensing module, for sensing a scene to produce an image;

a recognition module, for recognizing an object contained in the image and a license plate color feature contained in the object to produce a recognition parameter set;

a database, for storing parameter sets of reference objects and reference license plate color features respectively corresponding to the reference objects;

a processing module, for searching the reference objects in the database according to the recognition parameter set, and determining the license plate color feature according to the reference license plate color feature; and

a white balance adjustment module, for adjusting the white balance of the image according to the reference license plate color feature.

13. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 12, wherein the recognition module further recognizes a road surface contained in the image and the processing module determines the road surface according to a reference road surface color feature.

14. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 13, wherein the processing module adjusts the white balance of the image according to the corresponding reference license plate color feature and the reference road surface color feature.

15. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 12, further comprising a positioning module for detecting a position of the license plate image-pickup device to produce a position data.

16. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 15, wherein the database further comprises parameter sets of reference position data respectively corresponding to the reference objects, and the processing module compares the corresponding reference position data in the database according to the position data, and obtains the corresponding the reference object and the license plate color feature in the database according to the reference position data, and the processing module adjusts the white balance of the image according to the reference license plate color feature corresponding to the position data.

17. The license plate image-pickup device of claim 12, further comprising a calibrating module provided for a user to set a user parameter, and the processing module adjusts the white balance of the image according to the user parameter and the reference license plate color feature.