Autonomous wide-angle license plate recognition

• US 8,009,870 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MPB Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: James Simon
• Inventors: Simon, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Samir A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fitzpatrick, Atiba O
• Application Number:
  US12/971,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20110084855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/104, 382/105, 382/181, 382/182, 382/183, 382/318, 382/321, 340/425.5, 340/426.1, 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/936, 340/969, 348113-115
• US Class Current: 382/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/054 photographing overspeeding vehicles

Abstract

A system in a moving surveillance vehicle operates in background mode to capture images of license plates of neighboring moving vehicles, which may occupy lanes other than the lane in which the surveillance vehicle is moving. The images are used to determine the license plate numbers of the moving vehicles, which are then checked against a database to determine whether there are any potential law enforcement-related problems that require the attention of the operator. If so, the system alerts the operator using an audible tone, visual prompt, vibration, or in some other suitable manner. The entire process, including generation of the alert can occur autonomously of the operator.

Claims

1. A system for alerting an operator of a surveillance vehicle moving in a first lane, with respect to (a) a first license plate on a first target vehicle traveling in the first lane in front of the surveillance vehicle, (b) a second license plate on a second target vehicle traveling in a second lane to the left of the surveillance vehicle, (c) a third license plate on a third target vehicle traveling in a third lane to the right of the surveillance vehicle, and (d) a fourth license plate on a fourth target vehicle traveling in the first lane behind the surveillance vehicle, comprising:

at least a first camera mounted on the surveillance vehicle, collectively configured to autonomously capture images of each of the license plates; and

at least one processor carried by the surveillance vehicle that autonomously applies character recognition to the images to determine corresponding license plate numbers, and to autonomously alert the operator when any one of the license plate numbers matches an entry in a database relating to a possible law enforcement-related problem.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the surveillance vehicle comprises a police patrol unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first camera comprises a motion video camera.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first camera comprises a still image camera.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first camera is mounted at the front of the first vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a second camera mounted at the rear of the first vehicle, the first and second cameras collectively configured to autonomously capture images of each of the license plates.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first camera has a viewing angle of at least 160 degrees.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first camera has sufficient sensitivity to identify the first license plate number while the first target vehicle is moving at a speed of at least 50 kilometers per hour.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to access a license plate database local to the surveillance vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to transmit at least a portion of at least one of the images to a remote facility for license plate recognition.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive information related to the potential problem from a remote facility.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising an auditory alert that alerts the operator to the existence of the potential problem.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a non-auditory alert that alerts the operator to the existence of the potential problem.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the surveillance vehicle comprises a police patrol unit, the first camera has a viewing angle of at least 160 degrees, and the processor is programmed to access a database local to the first vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the surveillance vehicle comprises a police patrol unit, the camera has a viewing angle of at least 160 degrees, and the processor is programmed to transmit at least a portion of at least one of the images to a remote facility for license plate recognition.