Systems and methods of legibly capturing vehicle markings
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of scanning for a legible marking on a vehicle, the method including the steps of:
- acquiring an indication to begin a scan with a video camera,wherein the video camera has a first recording attribute and a second recording attribute;
sweeping the first recording attribute across a first scan range,wherein the first scan range is defined by a first lower limit and a first upper limit;
wherein the first recording attribute is swept across the first scan range by uniform increments,wherein a size of the uniform increments is determined based on a time of day or a sensed ambient light level;
sweeping the second recording attribute across a second scan range,wherein the second scan range is defined by a second lower limit and a second upper limit;
determining, after said sweeping of said first recording attribute and second recording attribute, an acquisition of the legible marking on a vehicle based at least on a user'"'"'s response to a displayed image of at least a portion of the vehicle; and
storing, in a memory, at least a portion of said scan that includes said legible marking on a vehicle.
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Abstract
A system and method for legible capture of vehicle identification data includes video cameras and a computer. Recording attributes such as gain, gain shutter speed, and white balance are adjusted throughout ranges to maximize the likelihood of capturing at least one frame in which characters, such as those on the license plate, are legible. Successful capture of a legible frame may trigger storage of the data, while unsuccessful capture may trigger additional scans.
414 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of scanning for a legible marking on a vehicle, the method including the steps of:
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acquiring an indication to begin a scan with a video camera, wherein the video camera has a first recording attribute and a second recording attribute; sweeping the first recording attribute across a first scan range, wherein the first scan range is defined by a first lower limit and a first upper limit; wherein the first recording attribute is swept across the first scan range by uniform increments, wherein a size of the uniform increments is determined based on a time of day or a sensed ambient light level; sweeping the second recording attribute across a second scan range, wherein the second scan range is defined by a second lower limit and a second upper limit; determining, after said sweeping of said first recording attribute and second recording attribute, an acquisition of the legible marking on a vehicle based at least on a user'"'"'s response to a displayed image of at least a portion of the vehicle; and storing, in a memory, at least a portion of said scan that includes said legible marking on a vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 13, 16, 17, 18)
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3. An image capture device including:
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a video camera with a first recording attribute and a second recording attribute, a storage device; and a processor configured to perform the steps of; acquiring an indication to begin a scan with the video camera, sweeping the first recording attribute across a first scan range, wherein the first scan range is defined by a first lower limit and a first upper limit, sweeping the second recording attribute across second scan range, wherein the second scan range is defined by a second lower limit and a second upper limit, wherein said first upper limit, said first lower limit, said second upper limit, and said second lower limit are selected based on a time of day or a sensed ambient light level, determining, after said sweeping of said first recording attribute and second recording attribute, a successful capture of an image of a legible marking on a vehicle based on a computer recognition of a valid marking, and storing at least a portion of said scan within said storage device, wherein the portion of said scan includes the image of the legible marking on the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 14, 15)
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8. A method of scanning for a legible marking on a vehicle, the method including the steps of:
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acquiring an indication to begin a scan with a video camera, wherein the video camera has a first recording attribute and a second recording attribute; sweeping the first recording attribute across a first scan range, wherein the first scan range is defined by a first lower limit and a first upper limit; sweeping the second recording attribute across a second scan range, wherein the second scan range is defined by a second lower limit and a second upper limit; wherein said first upper limit, said first lower limit, said second upper limit, and said second lower limit are selected based on a time of day or a sensed ambient light level; and determining, after said sweeping of said first recording attribute and second recording attribute, if said marking on a vehicle has been legibly captured based on a computer recognition of a valid marking format. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification