What is ANPR? Types, Benefits & Applications

ANPR is an abbreviation for Automatic Number Plate Recognition. ANPR technology is the ideal instrument for road safety because it aids law enforcement while also protecting the safety and security of road users around the world. It is used to read the vehicle's registration number, which is useful for detecting and preventing parking violations.

The ANPR parking management system is critical in the parking industry since it captures real-time vehicle movement to detect cars that are causing a nuisance. With this technology, parking lot owners may more easily manage their space because they can quickly combine their CCTV and barrier system with it, enhancing security against offenders.

Types of ANPR Systems

An automatic number plate recognition system is used for a variety of applications, including parking management, traffic management, road safety, tolling, retail park security, and so on. The bulk of the public is aware of ANPR and how it is used by various police departments to identify speeding instances and criminal activity. It is also used by authorities to promote public security and safety.

ANPR technology can be integrated with a wide range of applications, and it can be implemented in two ways:

Fixed ANPR system

Fixed ANPR systems can be put at various locations or sites, such as car park entrance or exit gates and on roadways, to monitor vehicles passing through.

Mobile ANPR system

These are mounted on vehicles and carried with them to scan license plates. Local governments primarily utilize it to locate desired automobiles.

These are mostly used by police personnel to locate unregistered or unlicensed automobiles.

Both systems are linked to system software, which serves as the central repository for all data, as well as tools for data analysis, inquiries, and reporting.

Different Types of Techniques used in ANPR

ANPR technology is one of the most accurate and frequently utilized AI-driven systems, and it is constantly evolving. These applicable techniques are constantly evolving to increase the performance, accuracy, cost-efficiency, durability, and scalability of automatic number plate recognition software.

ANPR technology is utilized for a variety of purposes, including the following:

Object Detection

Object detection is used in pictures and video streams to recognise automobiles such as cars, buses, motorcycles, and so on. Object detection methods such as YOLOv3 employ deep learning of neural networks (networks with several input and output layers) that have been refined through the usage of a large collection of pictures.

Image Processing

ANPR applications are most commonly employed in difficult real-world situations with variable lighting, occlusion, weather, and irregular set-ups. To considerably improve the output of future algorithms, image processing functions are employed to sharpen, color-correct, or crop images. OpenCV is a popular library for image-processing activities in ANPR systems.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

OCR is a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence research, as well as in the fields of pattern recognition and computer vision. It is employed in the extraction of text from photographs. Thus, ANPR can accurately read vehicle number plates and apply image processing technologies such as MaskOCR algorithms to convert number plate photos to text.

Template Matching

A license plate image is compared to a collection of license plate images using the template matching technique. It recognises a specific pattern in a text string, which in the case of ANPR is a set of characters written on car license plates.

What are the benefits of installing ANPR in a Car Park?

The ANPR system is gaining popularity around the world since it provides numerous benefits in a variety of disciplines, some of which are listed below:

Accuracy- Unlike humans, the ANPR system can swiftly and reliably identify a vehicle based on its number plate number.

Analytics- The collected data can be easily processed and used to improve traffic flow, parking management, and traffic congestion.

Automation- Because ANPR is an automated technology, it can create alert notifications in the event of any misconduct or violation.

Convenience- Because it is totally automated and does not require human intervention, ANPR is the best approach to get hassle-free services. Services such as a camera system, barrier system, and parking payment terminals coupled with ANPR can be controlled either manually or automatically.

Cost-Efficiency- Technology has mostly supplanted human resources since it is more efficient and error-free. With an ANPR system, you don't need to hire as many people and can get a more accurate result while spending less money.

Environmental Benefits- By locating decent unoccupied parking locations for motorists, an ANPR system can provide an excellent outcome with traffic congestion and parking concerns. This can reduce the amount of time spent waiting and travelling, resulting in less fuel use and a lower carbon footprint.