Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

An apparatus and method for automatically recognizing the characters on a license plate which is fixed on a vehicle. A sensor/controller device is utilized to detect whether the vehicle has reached a predetermined position for image sampling, and to release a trigger signal when the vehicle has reached the predetermined position. An image processing unit is coupled to the sensor/controller device to receive the trigger signal and then to send an image-sampling instruction to an image-sampling device. The image-sampling device is coupled to the image processing unit, and samples a vehicle image including the image of the license plate in response to the image-sampling instruction. The vehicle image is converted into an electric signal by the image-sampling device, which in turn is sent back to the image processing unit. The image processing unit digitizes the electric signal, and process the digitized electric signal to estimate the position of the license plate, to determine the bounding edges of the characters on the license plate, to separate each character on the license plate, and to recognize each separated character.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim