Smart made simple - Quercus Technologies
Transcription
Smart made simple - Quercus Technologies
172 | PARKING Smart made simple Reliability and usability go hand in hand as ALPR technologies become more intelligent and web connected Words | Sílvia Vilanova, Quercus Technologies, Spain Having made continuous strides to improve algorithm performance in order to provide highly reliable results, current trends in ALPR technology focus on also providing easy-to-use and technologically advanced features that are in line with the principles of automation and smart mobility present in parking lot design. Quercus Technologies is able to use its extensive experience as a developer and provider of ALPR technologies to renovate its units to better compete in the growing technologically advanced parking environment. The company’s new SmartLPR Access unit combines a small and stylish camera with user-friendly hardware and software. The camera is based on plug-and-play and is configured for the web, making installation easy. The simplified system architecture avoids the need to open the camera, and contributes to the straightforward installation and sealing of the unit. The unit is set up via an internal web server. Using a common browser, the operator can connect to the unit and adjust the motorized lens so that license plates can be seen from different angles. The hosted configuration enables the user to set the zoom and focus of the unit remotely so that plates are perfectly centered, ready for the optical character recognition (OCR) process. The operation can be checked instantly to see if any readjustments are needed. Worldwide reach As cities continue to grow, the demand for parking also grows. Parking operators are required to control more facilities, and to monitor more vehicles entering and exiting the same building. Increased automation and centralization of car lot management is a trend reflected in solutions such as cloud-based parking systems and automatic payment solutions. The SmartLPR configuration tool enables the configuration of multiple devices in the Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2015 (Left) The simple and stylish SmartLPR Access unit same facility simultaneously. All of the units are detected automatically and the settings of one unit are automatically applied to all, or to those chosen by the user. The initial setup and further changes can be accessed from any web browser. No additional software needs to be installed, and this is reflected in cost efficiency and a short setup time. The easy-to-use hardware is controlled by advanced algorithms that provide optimum reliability for license plates worldwide. Within one unit, SmartLPR Access can recognize license plates from numerous different countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Latin America and the USA. The challenges associated with being able to read such a wide variety of plates have been overcome with complex heuristic algorithms that can cope with complex plates. SmartLPR Access captures detailed images at any time of day or night and provides optimum accuracy for Arabic characters, double-lined or color-coded plates. It can also recognize differences between license plates from different states within the same country. It is able to cope with the diversity of US number plates by capturing color images and using customized algorithms to recognize the license plate pattern and correctly identify the state and the text number. Smart mobility As more consumers are going mobile and pay-by-plate solutions are evolving, information collected through license plate recognition can be integrated into various systems that support those tools and contribute to smart mobility. Using LPR technologies, applications can be developed to prebook parking spaces online; use traditional payment methods such as pay-on-foot and pay-on-exit; and accommodate cashless payment methods. Moreover, data could be used to help make business decisions based on customer behavior. The ALPR sector has experienced some of the most advanced developments PARKING | 173 (Left) Quercus SmartLPR Access software in ITS. However, many of these developments have focused on parking differentiation and improving the end-user experience. ALPR should also address the need for reliable and user-friendly software and hardware architecture. Therefore, technical features such as plug-and-play connectivity, easy-to-use back-office tools with smart preset options and web server configuration for easy, and remote setup and maintenance, should be also integrated in the holistic approach of ALPR solutions. Within a ‘smart city’ concept, parking lots are no longer just simple garages; they have evolved into comfortable spaces that contribute to making mobility as smooth and as automated as possible. While achieving maximum reliability for all the license plates in each country remains the focus of Quercus’s LPR units, the new SmartLPR Access is a great example of what advanced 21st century LPR technology should deliver. n Annual Showcase 2015 | Intertraffic World