DATA AUGMENTATION METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVED AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION

• US 20140301606A1
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC (Conduent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Paul, Peter, Kozitsky, Vladimir, Burry, Aaron Michael, Hoover, Martin Edward, Cantelli, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,224,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names

Abstract

Methods, systems, and processor-readable media for data augmentation utilized in an automatic license plate recognition engine. A machine-readable code can be associated with an automatic license plate recognition engine. The machine-readable code can be configured to define parameters that drive processing within the automatic license plate recognition engine to produce recognition results thereof and enhance a machine readability of a license plate recognized and analyzed via the automatic license plate recognition engine.

Claims

1. A method for data augmentation utilized in an automatic license plate recognition engine, said method comprising:

associating a machine-readable code with an automatic license plate recognition engine; and

configuring said machine-readable code to define parameters that drive processing within said automatic license plate recognition engine to produce recognition results thereof and enhance a machine readability of a license plate recognized and analyzed via said automatic license plate recognition engine.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising decoding said machine-readable code to determine said parameters.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

encoding said machine-readable code with information based on a hierarchy having hierarchy levels with levels that are more robust to image noises and lower levels that are less robust with respect to said image noises; and

arranging said hierarchy such that said higher levels and said lower levels further define said parameters that drive said processing within said automatic license plate recognition engine to produce said recognition results thereof and enhance a machine readability of said license plate recognized and analyzed via said automatic license plate recognition engine.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of whether or not said license plate contains a potential for misreading due to confusing characters.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of whether or not said license plate comprises a standard plate or a non-standard plate.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of whether said license plate contains characters subject to plate frame occlusion.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of a state jurisdiction.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of whether or not said license plate possesses a logo.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of whether the license plate has stacked characters or not.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of a particular font utilized by said license plate.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of optimal RGB-to-Gray mapping.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of the number of characters on said license plate.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said parameters include data indicative of whether each character on said license plate is a letter or a number.

14. A system for data augmentation utilized in an automatic license plate recognition engine, said system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to said processor; and

a computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, said computer-usable medium being coupled to said data bus, said computer program code comprising instructions executable by said processor and configured for;

associating a machine-readable code with an automatic license plate recognition engine; and

configuring said machine-readable code to define parameters that drive processing within said automatic license plate recognition engine to produce recognition results thereof and enhance a machine readability of a license plate recognized and analyzed via said automatic license plate recognition engine.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said instructions are further configured for decoding said machine-readable code to determine said parameters.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein said instructions are further configured for encoding said machine-readable code with information based on a hierarchy having hierarchy levels with levels that are more robust to image noises and lower levels that are less robust with respect to said image noises;

and

arranging said hierarchy such that said higher levels and said lower levels further define said parameters that drive said processing within said automatic license plate recognition engine to produce said recognition results thereof and enhance a machine readability of said license plate recognized and analyzed via said automatic license plate recognition engine.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein said parameters include data indicative of at least one of the following:

whether or not said license plate contains a potential for misreading due to confusing characters;

whether or not said license plate comprises a standard plate or a non-standard plate;

or

whether said license plate contains characters subject to plate frame occlusion.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein said parameters include data indicative of at least one of the following:

a state jurisdiction;

optimal RGB-to-Gray mapping;

the number of characters on said license plate;

whether each character on said license plate is a letter or a number.

whether or not said license plate possesses a logo;

whether said license plate includes stacked characters; and

a particular font utilized by said license plate

19. A processor-readable medium storing computer code representing instructions to cause a process for data augmentation utilized in an automatic license plate recognition engine, said computer code comprising computer code to:

associate a machine-readable code with an automatic license plate recognition engine; and

configure said machine-readable code to define parameters that drive processing within said automatic license plate recognition engine to produce recognition results thereof and enhance a machine readability of a license plate recognized and analyzed via said automatic license plate recognition engine.

20. The processor-readable medium of claim 19 wherein said computer code is further configured to decode said machine-readable code to determine said parameters.