Automatic number plate recognition

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The system must be able to deal with diferent styles of license plates
icense !late "ecognition !rocess
Automatic number plate recognition #A$!"% see also other names below& is a
mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition on images
to read the license plates on vehicles' They can use e(isting closed)circuit
television or road)rule enforcement cameras, or ones speci*cally designed for
the task' They are used by various police forces and as a method of electronic
toll collection on pay)per)use roads and cataloging the movements of tra+c
or individuals'
A$!" can be used to store the images captured by the cameras as well as
the te(t from the license plate, with some con*gurable to store a photograph
of the driver' ,ystems commonly use infrared lighting to allow the camera to
take the picture at any time of the day'-./-0/ A$!" technology tends to be
region)speci*c, owing to plate variation from place to place'
1oncerns about these systems have centered on privacy fears of government
tracking citi2ens3 movements, misidenti*cation and high error rates'
1ontents
-hide/
4 . 5ther names
4 0 6evelopment history
4 7 1omponents
4 8 Technology
o 8'. A$!" in mobile systems
4 9 Algorithms
4 : 6i+culties
4 ; <maging =ardware
4 > 1ircumvention techni?ues
4 @ !olice enforcement
o @'. Aermany
o @'0 Bkraine
o @'7 =ungary
o @'8 Bnited Cingdom
o @'9 Bnited ,tates
4 .D Average)speed cameras
o .D'. The $etherlands
o .D'0 BC
o .D'7 <taly
4 .. Tra+c control
4 .0 Electronic toll collection
o .0'. Toll roads
o .0'0 1harge 2ones F the ondon congestion charge
o .0'7 ,tockholm congestion ta(
4 .7 Bsage
4 .8 1ontroversy
4 .9 5ther uses
4 .: "elated research society
4 .; Geasuring A$!" system performance
4 .> ,ee also
4 .@ "eferences
-edit/ 5ther names
A$!" is sometimes known by various other terms:
4 Automatic license plate recognition #A!"&
4 Automatic vehicle identi*cation #AH<&
4 1ar plate recognition #1!"&
4 icense plate recognition #!"&
4 ecture Automati?ue de !la?ues d3<mmatriculation #A!<&
-edit/ 6evelopment history
The A$!" was invented in .@;: at the !olice ,cienti*c 6evelopment Iranch
in the BC' !rototype systems were working by .@;@, and contracts were let to
produce industrial systems, *rst at EG< Electronics, and then at 1omputer
"ecognition ,ystems #1",& in Wokingham, BC' Early trial systems were
deployed on the A. road and at the 6artford Tunnel' The *rst arrest through
detection of a stolen car was made in .@>.'-citation needed/