Autonomous wide-angle license plate recognition

• US 7,711,150 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US10/546,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20060171564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,490 Days
• Field of Search: 382/181, 382/182, 382/183, 382/318, 382/321, 382/100, 382/104, 382/105, 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 moving surveillance vehicle with respect to first and second license plates on moving first and second target vehicles within camera surveillance distance of the surveillance vehicle, respectively, comprising:

at least first and second cameras mounted on the surveillance vehicle, and collectively configured to capture, without a need for input from the operator, images of each of the license plates of the target vehicles regardless of whether the target vehicles are in a same lane as the surveillance vehicle, or in left or right adjacent lanes to that of the surveillance vehicle; and

at least one processor carried by the surveillance vehicle that continuously uses character recognition to determine the first and second license plate numbers only upon discovering that there is a potential problem related to the second or third moving vehicles, all without a need for input from the operator.

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, wherein the second camera is mounted at the rear of the first vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first camera has a viewing angle of is 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.