Nedap ANPR Installation Manual

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2011-12-06 Doc.no. 5279330

This information is furnished for guidance, and with no guarantee as to its accuracy or completeness; its publication conveys no license under any patent or other right, nor does the publisher assume liability for any consequence of its use; specifications and availability of goods mentioned in it are subject to change without notice; it is not to be reproduced in any way, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the publisher.

ANPR

Installation Guide

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CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

1.1

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................. 3

1.2

KEY FEATURES ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3

1.3

DOCUMENT REVISIONS .............................................................................................................................................................. 3

GETTING STARTED .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

2.1

MOUNTING THE ANPR ................................................................................................................................................................ 4

2.2

CONNECTING THE ANPR ........................................................................................................................................................... 4

2.3

ASSIGNING AN IP-ADDRESS ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

2.4

TESTING THE ANPR ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4

INSTALLATION ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

3.1

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ............................................................................................................................................................... 5

3.2

MOUNTING ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

3.3

DIMENSIONS .................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

CONNECTIONS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

4.1

ETHERNET CONNECTION ........................................................................................................................................................... 8

4.2

POWER SUPPLY ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8

4.3

RS485 CONNECTION ................................................................................................................................................................... 8

4.4

DIGITAL I/O ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

CONFIGURATION .................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

5.1

USING THE WEB SERVER ............................................................................................................................................................ 9

5.2

NUMBER PLATE READER CONFIGURATION .................................................................................................................... 10

5.2.1

GENERAL ......................................................................................................................................................................... 10

5.2.2

CAMERA OCR ................................................................................................................................................................ 11

5.2.3

PLATE READER .............................................................................................................................................................. 12

5.2.4

DIGITAL TRIGGER ......................................................................................................................................................... 14

5.2.5

CHECK LIST ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15

5.2.6

EVENTS / ACTIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 16

5.2.7

IMAGE RESULT .............................................................................................................................................................. 21

5.2.8

TEXT RESULT .................................................................................................................................................................. 21

5.2.9

STATISTICS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21

5.3

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 22

5.3.1

NETWORK ....................................................................................................................................................................... 22

5.3.2

HTTP USERS ................................................................................................................................................................... 22

5.3.3

RS485 SERIAL PORT .................................................................................................................................................... 23

5.3.4

FIRMWARE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 23

5.3.5

DEVICE INFO .................................................................................................................................................................. 24

5.3.6

DIGITAL I/O .................................................................................................................................................................... 24

5.3.7

SYS STATISTICS ............................................................................................................................................................. 25

5.3.8

SECURE DIGITAL ........................................................................................................................................................... 25

COUNTRY CODES ................................................................................................................................................................................. 26

TCP TAG IDENTIFIER OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................................................... 27

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1 INTRODUCTION

The NEDAP ANPR License Plate Reader offers automatic number plate reading. The NEDAP ANPR is an all in one camera including camera, analyzer and IR illuminator. The ANPR has embedded processing software onboard. The License Plate Reader is default featured with an RS485 and Ethernet communication. Wiegand is possible using the separate available Wiegand Interface Module.

1.1 TYPICAL APPLICATIONS

Typical applications include parking, crime prevention, toll systems, security and access control, logistics and customs. In addition the NEDAP ANPR can be applied in applications where it is difficult to issue RFID tags.

1.2 KEY FEATURES

• Automatic number plate reading.

• All-in-one system including camera, analyzer, IR illuminator.

• Optimal performance in range from 3 to 6 meters.

• Library installed supporting all European countries (libraries for world-wide support available).

• Easy user configuration (web server).

• TCP/IP Ethernet interface.

• RS485 serial interface.

• Optical isolated digital input to trigger image captu r ing.

• Stand-alone operation supported by digital output and black-, and white-list features.

• 4GB SD-card memory to store log files and/or captured images.

• Wiegand Interface Module available for seamless integration with access control systems.

1.3 DOCUMENT REVISIONS

Version Date Comment

0.4 2011-12-06 RS485 A/B naming corrected

0.3 2011-11-10 Text corrections

0.2 2011-10-25 Update introduction and getting started chapters

0.1 2011-07-12 Initial document version

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2 GETTING STARTED

2.1 MOUNTING THE ANPR

Determine how to mount the ANPR. Onto a pole or behind the barrier. Mount behind the barrier to ensure recognition right in fron t o f the barrier.

Important mounting issues are:

• Best focus distance is between 3 and 6 meters.

• Angle between ANPR and number plate should be smaller than 25 degrees.

Mounting details are described in chapter 3.

2.2 CONNECTING THE ANPR

The ANPR is delivered with 5m cables for power, I/O and network. Power supply, RS485 communication and I/O are combined in one cable. Ethernet network is a second cable. The cables are pre-fitted to the ANPR. For installation the ANPR does not need to be opened. Connecting the power supply and network cables are required to configure the ANPR.

Connection details are described in chapter 4.

2.3 ASSIGNING AN IP-ADDRESS

Enter the default IP-address in the address bar of your web browser. Default IP address is:

IP address: 192.168.0.21 The login window appears where the user is asked to type the username and password. Username: superuser

Password: superuser Go to the system configuration and setup the network configuration as desired. If required, now also other

configuration settings ma y b e changed. Details about network settings are described in chapter 5.3.1.

2.4 TESTING THE ANPR

Test the ANPR to check if it is aligned correctly and if it is able to read the license plates. Drive the vehicle into the position where it should be possible to read its license plate. Connect to the ANPR using your web browser and select the 'Camera OCR' feature. On the left side of the page

'live' video images are shown and also the license plate reading results. It might be necessary to adjust the ANPR alignment.

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3 INSTALLATION

3.1 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

The following safety precautions must be observed during normal use, service and repair.

• The ANPR shall be connected to safety ground.

• Disconnect the power supply before removing any parts.

• The ANPR shall only be installed and serviced by qualified and trained personnel.

• To be sure of safety, do not modify or add anything other then mentioned in this manual or indicated by

NEDAP N.V.

• CAUTION: for continued protection against risk of fire, replace fuses only with the same type and rating.

• The ANPR can be powered from a low power, Class 2 power supply, in compliance with local regulations.

• The ANPR is equipped with an 850nm Infrared illuminator. The human eye will not or slightly see this light

coming from the illuminator. Do not look into the ANPR lens directly from close range or for more than 100 seconds. Eyes can be damaged by not taking these precautions. During normal use of the ANPR at a vehicle gate, reading plates, there is no risk to the public.

3.2 MOUNTING

The ANPR is intended for vehicle access control. Vehicles are identified by the number plate when approaching the gate. Because the number plate recognition is very fast, a full stop is normally not necessary. The ANPR covers a reading distance of 3 to 6 meters. The field of view is typically one lane wide. There are 2 recommended positions for the ANPR.

Pole mounting

The ANPR is positioned directly behind or in front of the actual barrier onto a pole. In that case the ANPR can be best positioned on a pole at maximum 2m20 height. In this position the number plate of the vehicle directly in front of the barrier cannot be read anymore. So these vehicles need to be recognized in flow. Mounting the ANPR at 2m20 height is here the best option. When overhead installation is an option, the ANPR can at best be installed in the center of the lane, above the lane. Horizontal angle will be 0° in that case, which is good.

Figure 1: Pole mounting

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Behind barrier mounting

The ANPR is positioned behind the barrier at bumper height. If there is space behind the barrier and the sight is not blocked, then the best place for the ANPR is at bumper height (0.5m height) about 2 to 3 meters behind the barrier. A vehicle just in front of the barrier is still recognized in that case.

Figure 2: Behind the barrier mounting

3.3 DIMENSIONS

Figure 3: ANPR housing dimensions

118

76.5

104 104

M6 (4x)

76.5

M4x12 (6x)

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Figure 4: Mounting bracket dimensions

104

Ø7 (4x)

60° max

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4 CONNECTIONS

The ANPR is delivered with two 5m long cables. Power supply, RS485 communication and I/O are combined in one cable. Ethernet network is a second cable. The cables are pre-fitted to the ANPR. For installation the ANPR does not need to be opened.

4.1 ETHERNET CONNECTION

The Ethernet cable is already fitted to the ANPR provided an RJ-45 connector. This Cat5e cable will be adequate for connection of the unit to a local area network.

4.2 POWER SUPPLY

RED Power supply +24VDC. BLUE Ground 0V.

4.3 RS485 CONNECTION

YELLOW RS-485 A GREEN RS-485 B PURPLE RS-485 GND / SC (voltage reference)

4.4 DIGITAL I/O

GRAY Digital input IN+ (optocoupler positive c ontact, U

max

PINK Digital input IN– (optocoupler negative contact).

= 24VDC).

BROWN Relay output (normally open contact, U

max

= 24VDC, I

max

WHITE Relay output (common contact).

= 2A).

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5 CONFIGURATION

5.1 USING THE WEB SERVER

Prior to accessing the ANPR using a Browser, make sure the PC network configuration is coherent with the IPaddress of the device to access. E.g.: if the ANPR IP-address is 192.168.0.21, the PC in use should have assigned an IP-address belonging to the same class (e.g. 192.168.0.22). See also chapter 2.3 for details about how to assign an IP-address to the ANPR.

Figure 5: Using the web server

Enter the IP-address (or NetBiosName) in the address bar of your web browser. The login window appears where the user is asked to type the username and password.

Factory default username and password are:

Username: superuser Password: superuser

Note: It is recommended, to change the factory default username and password after installation. See chapter 5.3.2.

If the login was successful, the user is now able to access the main menu screen. The main page shows two sections: Plate Reader and System. Refer to chapters 5.2 and 5.3 for further details.

Figure 6: Web server main menu

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5.2 NUMBER PLATE READER CONFIGURATION

5.2.1 GENERAL

The ANPR system can operate in three different modes:

• FREE RUN mode

• TRIGGER by digital input mode (see chapter 5.2.4 about how to setu p th e digital input to trigger the ANPR).

• TRIGGER by ethernet mode (see the ANPR ethernet programmers guide about how to trigger the ANPR by

ethernet).

When in FREE RUN mode, the ANPR freely grabs and processes images. The software automatically detects the presence of a number plate in the image and thus generates events.

When in TRIGGER-START-STOP mode, the ANPR grabs and processes the images in the time period between the start trigger and the stop trigger. I n case the sto p trigger is n ot being a ctivated within the G ateTim eMax interval, the system automatically generates the stop trigger after the interval expires. Any stop trigger received prior to a start trigger will be ignored. Any start trigger received after a start trigger immediately generates an event and restarts the image p rocessing.

When in TRIGGER-START-TIME mode, the un it starts image grabbin g whe n the star t trigger is activated and stops image grabbing after a time in terval tha t was previo usly d efined in the GateTimeMax setting (see chapter 5.2.4). Once GateTimeMax has expired, an event is generated. If the system receives a start trigger during GateTime period, it immediately generates an event and restarts the ima ge processing.

When in TRIGGER-START-FREE-RUN-STOP mode, the unit starts image grabbing when the start trigger is activated and then starts grabbing and reading number plates in FREE RUN mode. The system may generate multiple events during the interval between start trigger and stop trigger.

When in TRIGGER by ethernet mode the image grabbing and processing is started upon receiving the start TRIGGER message from the Ethernet network. The start trigger message contains a precise time in milliseconds that expresses the GateTime during which the ANPR will grab images. When GateTime expires or upon receiving a stop trigger message , the machine stops image grabbing. The trigger message also contains a gene ric string the system uses to generate trigger messages where info may be inserted. Such string will later made available on the web interface using the %NET_TRIG_ID tag. This makes it possible to associate to any event data, images and other info about the specific trigger message from which they were originated.

The system may generate the following events upon a processed image:

• OCR READ

• OCR NOT READ

• OCR NO PLATE (not in FREE RUN mode)

The General Settings page contains the following configuration fields: Enable Engine: It allows enabling/disabling the processing of the images grabbed by ANPR. The

parameter takes two possible values: YES or NO. If set to NO, the device is switched to stand-by mode and its infrared illuminator is disabled. It will ignore any external trigger. The infrared illuminator is only momentarily enabled if the Camera OCR page is being accessed.

Acquisition mode: It allows selecting the system operating mode. Select FREE-RUN, TRIGGER-START-

STOP, TRIGGER-START-TIME, TRIGGER-START-FREE-RUN-STOP or TRIG GER-ETHERNET.

Site Address: This field can contain an alphanumeric string, such as the address of a system

location. This string is available as %SITE_ADDRESS TAG and can be sued in the text value field of the Save Image action.

TCP message after ftp actions: With this parameter you can enable sending a TCP message after ftp actions

(ftp save image and ftp save DB).

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5.2.2 CAMERA OCR

This page configures the Frame Grabber Settings. On the left side of the page 'live' video images are shown. The red rectangle on the image border represents the search plate window. It is possible to set size and position of this window in Plate Reader page.

General

Grab Mode: Here it is possible to set the image grabbing mode and camera related settings. Three

image grabbing modes are available: AUTOIRIS, SINGLE-POINT, and MULTI-POINT.

Result position: In this section, it is possible to specify, inside the live image, the position of the OCR

reading results and the unit's work parameters. The allowed values are: TOP-LEFT, TOP-RIGHT, BOTTOM-LEFT, BOTTOM-RIGHT and DISABLED.

Autoiris

Automatic grabbing mode . Using autoiris, ima ges show better lighting uniformity during the whole day, while using the Multi-Point mode image lighting varies more. It is advisable using the autoiris mode while using the Multi-Point mode whenever autoiris can't provide for satisfying performance.

Max Shutter us: Maximum exposure time in microseconds. This value should be set based upon the

maximum vehicle speed. Too long an exposure time would produce blurred images and result in lower reading performance. Maximum exposure time value should therefore set to a low enough value so as not to get blurred images. During low light hours, the higher the exposure time the higher chances are to get images where the vehicle is visible.

Single-point

Gain: Indicates the gain of the vehicle signal. Shutter us: Indicates the exposure time in microseconds. Strobe us: Activation time of the infrared illuminator in microseconds.

Multi-point

In this section it is possible to set the parameters for the multi-point grabbing mode. This mode cyclically uses the work points Gain0/Shutter0, Gain1/Shutter1, Gain2/Shutter2 and Gain3/Shutter3. Too light or too dark images are automatically excluded from processing by the ANPR software. Set values must be steady crescent. This means that Gain3 ≥ Gain2 ≥ Gain1 ≥ Gain0 and Shutter3 ≥ Shutter2 ≥ Shutter1 ≥ Shutter0. The web page does not allow setting values that do not comply with these requirements.

Gain0: Indicates the gain of the vehicle signal for work point 0. Shutter0 us: Indicates the exposure time in microseconds for work point 0. Gain1: Indicates the gain of the vehicle signal for work point 1. Shutter1 us: Indicates the exposure time in microseconds for work point 1. Gain2: Indicates the gain of the vehicle signal for work point 2. Shutter2 us: Indicates the exposure time in microseconds for work point 2. Gain3: Indicates the gain of the vehicle signal for work point 3. Shutter3 us: Indicates the exposure time in microseconds for work point 3.

Function buttons

Start Live: Start live video displaying. Stop Live: Stop live video displaying. Apply: Confirm entered configuration values. Reset: Cancel entered configuration values that not have already been confirmed with the

Apply-button.

Note: Image processing engine is stopped during live video displaying!

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5.2.3 PLATE READER

The ANPR system is capable of real time OCR processing grabbed images. Up to 4 countries number plates can be simultaneously read. It is necessary to update the ANPR firmware if the user wants to change the countries the system should read. To view the countries the ANPR system is capable of reading, please access the web server and click the DeviceInfo icon: go to the line that shows the firmware version, as in the example below:

Example:

Firmware version = VEGA ACCESS 7.85 NLD-EU

The Plate Reader page contains the following fields:

Plate Locator

This section contains the coordinates of the number plate search area in the image. The search window is displayed with a red border on the live image in the Camera OCR page. By setting the search window, the user is allowed to exclude image zones where, supposedly, no number plate will ever be detected or to exclude image zones where plate reading needn’t be executed.

Win MinX Pixel: The upper left X-coordinate of the plate searching window. See picture below. Win MinY Pixel: The upper l e ft Y -coordinate of the plate searching window. See picture below. Win MaxX Pixel: The lower right X-coordinate of the plate searching window. See picture below. Win MaxY Pixel: The lower right Y-coordinate of the plate searching window. See picture below.

Sensitivity: This value may range from 2 to 8. Typically, used values are 4, 5 and 6. Higher

Sensitivity values cause higher reco gnition sensitiv ity but also ca use a higher chance of wrong readings. It is recommended to avoid higher sensitivity values unless these are absolutely necessary.

Plate searching window

MinX MaxX

MinY

Max

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Char Size Pixel

These parameters represent the size of the plate characters the OCR video camera is to recognize. The maximum and minimum character sizes should be empirically set upon installation, in order to check whether the OCR recognizes the number plates.

Min Width: The minimum character width in pixels. Max Width: The maximum character w id th in pixels. Min Height: The minimum character height in pixels. Max Height: The maximum character height in pixels .

Procedure for adjus ting the chara cter size settings:

1. In the Camera OCR page, take a shot of the number plate under the actual conditions later used in the ANPR system.

2. Use the Result Position setting in order to activate the OCR results image overlay feature.

3. Now, when the plate reading occurs, on the image is displayed not only the number plate but also the character size in pixels.

4. Enter these size values in the Plate Reader page, using the exact minimum and maximum values displayed on the screen during the live capture from the most distant vehicle position (min. size) and the nearest vehicle position (max. size).

5. If number plate reading is not reached, try and set a higher character maximum size, until a valid reading is reached.

6. In the Result web page, it is possible to read the character size of last detected vehicle. This is useful when checking the validity of the character size setup during system operation.

Note: Character size adjustment is important and can significantly improve the overall system performance.

Plate Format

Max Jolly Chars: This feature allows setting the maximum number of plate characters the ANPR reader

is allowed not to recognize within the number plate. If set to 0 (zero), the reading is valid only if the ANPR recognizes every character of the number plate. If set 1 or 2 (maximum value), the ANPR will consider the reading valid while the unrecognized characters are replaced by a Joll y character – represented by the # symbol. Number plate readings with jolly characters generate an OCR_READ event.

Plate With Separator: If enabled (YES) then an underscore character ('_') is inserted between the number

plate character groups. Only for German plates (DEU).

Plate Rotation %: This allows setting the plate rotation. This may improve the ANPR performance when

installed under an angle. The value is set in the range from 0 to 100%. When set to -1 the ANPR will automatically learn the plate rotation from the first 20 number plates.

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Temporal Integration

The ANPR system processes multiple images for each vehicle, which allows for higher OCR reading effectiveness and reliability. Section Temporal Integration contains the parameters for managing the whole packet of processed images for each single event.

Max Time Transit: This parameter is relevant only in FREE-RUN mode. This is the maximum time period

allowed for any number plate transition. If, for example, this parameter is set to 1000ms, then the ANPR system reads the number plate once, but will wait 1000ms before generating the event.

During this time, the system keeps grabbing and processing images of the same

vehicle whose number plate was read. This allows for a highly reliable number plate reading process.

During this same interval, the system may detect a vehicle with a different number

plate number. In that case a new event is immediately generated (no waiting for the 1000ms interval to expire). The images subsequently acquired and processed must be related to the new event.

The MaxTimeTransit value should be set to the highest possible value while of course

complying with the specific installation requirements. Setting a too low MaxTimeTransit value means less images are processed for the same vehicle, which

leads to lower reliability in OCR reading. Min Time Same Plate (Enable Multi Out Same Plate = 0): It represents the minimum time in milliseconds during which the camera will not

generate an event even if the number plate has already been recognized. In other

words, during this time a previously recognized number plate does not need be in

the ANPR field of action in order to generate another event. If the vehicle remains in

the ANPR field of action, the same plate recognition event is generated only once. Min Time Same Plate (Enable Multi Out Same Plate = 1): It represents the length of time in milliseconds that must elapse before generating a

new recognition event associated with a plate that was already recognized. In this

case, if vehicle remains within the camera field, then the ANPR system will repeat

generating a recognition event every Min Time Same Plate. Image Selection Mode: Indicates the selection mode of the image containing the recognized plate. Possible

values are: FIRST-PLATE, LAST-PLATE, BIGGEST-PLATE or BEST-LUMINANCE.

5.2.4 DIGITAL TRIGGER

This page configures the digital input to trigger image processing on the ANPR system. When the ANPR is configured to FREE RUN mode, the settings below are ignored. The Digital Input Trigger page contains the following fields:

Start Input Num: Set the number of the digital input a ssociated with the start trigger. Start Input Edge: Set the start trigger state (rising edge or falling edge). Stop Input Num: Set the number of the digital input associated with the stop trigge r . Stop Input Edge: Set the stop trigger state (rising edge or falling edge). GateTimeMax: It allows setting the value, in milliseconds, of the maximum period between start and

stop of the trigger. The values may range from 40 to 30000 (=30 seconds). Trigger Shift Time: It allows setting a delay to be applied to the start and stop triggers. This may be

useful in order to insert a delay between trigger detection and processing

initialization. Specify value in milliseconds. Default 0 is no delay.

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5.2.5 CHECK LIST

The ANPR features 2 check lists called A and B. The configuration of check list A and B are identical. These check lists can also be referred to as a white-list or black-list.

These check lists can be stored either on the internal flash memory of the ANPR or on a remote ftp-server. The check list is loaded into RAM memory upon ANPR start-up.

It is possible to modify and update in real time the number plate lists located in the ftp-server or in the internal flash memory of the ANPR unit. To load the updated list into the RAM memory, press the 'Reload List'-button.

Syntax Check List file contents

The check list file A and B containing number plate lists, must comply with the follo wing syntax:

Vehicle Number plate; Country; Comment string

The semicolon (' ; ') is used to separate the fields. Irrelevant spaces are ignored. The Country field should contain the 3 character capital code as found in appendix A. The comment string maximum length is 64 characters. Longer comment strings will be truncated. Every line (including the last line) must be terminated with a carriage-return.

Example:

46HVR9;NLD;Ferrari 599 GTO ZLSZ17;NLD;Fiat Cinquecento AB123HK;ITA;

Note: The maximum check file size is 200kbytes. This approximately holds up to 10000 number plates, depending

upon number plate and comment lengths.

General

Enable: Enables the use of the check list. List Location: Select the check list location. FFS is the ANPR internal Flash File System. FTP refers to a list residing on an external server.

FTP Server

File Name: It allows setting the check list file name. The file name and its extension must

correspond to the file name residing on the server. FTP IP: The ftp-server IP address. FTP Username: Username of the ftp-server user. FTP Password: Password of the ftp-server user. FTP Port: Port number of the ftp- server. Usually port number 21.

FFS (Flash File System)

Upload procedure - upload check file from PC to ANPR:

Click the Browse-button and select the check file (located on the PC or on the local network). After the file has been selected, click the 'Upload List'-button to send the file to the ANPR.

Download procedure - download check file from ANPR to P C:

Click the 'Download List'-button to download the check list from the ANPR (as .TXT file). This list is read from the ANPR's RAM memory.

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5.2.6 EVENTS / ACTIONS

The ANPR generates a number of different of events. It is possible to associate one or more actions to each event. The Events and Actions matrix is used to configure and assign actions to the events.

On the left side of the matrix the events are shown. OCR Read: Event number plate recognized.

OCR Not Read: Event number plate re ad partially. Partiall y means that groups of cha racter were read

that do not comply with any syntax supported by OCR libraries of the version in use.

Typically, an OCR Not Read event is generated when the detected number plate can't

be properly read due to dirt or damage. This event is also generated if the number

plate's Country of Origin is not supported by the firmware version. OCR No Plate: Event image processed containing no number plate – this event is generated in

trigger mode only. See chapter 5.2.1 for a more detailed description of the various

available operating modes. Match on list A: Event n u mbe r pl a te number recognized and a match found in check list A. No match on list A: Event number plate number recognized but no match found in check list A. Match on list B: Event number plate number recognize d and a match found in check l ist B. No match on list B: Event number plate number recognized but no match found in check list B. Start trigger: Start trigger event (either digital or ethernet). Stop trigger: Stop trigger event (either digital or ethernet).

The matrix contains the following icons (no icon is shown in case the event/action pair is not possible):

Icon indicating that the corresponding action is assigned to the event. Icon indicating that the ac tion is disabled.

In order to enable, disable or configure an event action, it is sufficient to click the icon as shown above. This will access the user to the Configuration page that contains all action parameters and allows enabling/disabling the action itself.

The Configuration page allo ws setting ea ch action para meters u sing configur ation TAGS i.e. strings s tarting with a % symbol. Click the context HELP buttons in each web page to view the available TAGS. The ANPR translates these TAGS into their corresponding value. Click on the Help button next to the configuration field to get detailed information about the supported tags.

For example: Let's think of how to form the name of the file to which the image will be saved. If the file name was set to %PLATE a nd the number plate is HG542ER then the file name is HG542ER.JPG (if image is saved to JPG format).

%PLATE à HG542ER.jpg

When using TAGS not provided by the software, then they are not translated. For example, the %TEST and %_ tags are not supported , so that:

%TEST%_%PLATE à TEST_HG542ER.jpg

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5.2.6.1 ACTION: SAVE IMAGE TO FTP SERVER

This function allows saving the images of vehicle detected by the ANPR to a remote ftp- server. See chapter 4.1 for details about connecting the ethernet interface.

Enable: Select YES to enable save to an ftp-server. Jpeg Quality: Jpeg image quality. The value may range from 1 to 100 where 1 is the maximum

compression level (lowest quality) and 100 is the minimum compression level

(highest image quality). Suggested values from 50 to 90.

Example jpeg imag e quality 90. Example jpeg image quality 5.

Crop Image: This setting allows sending to an ftp-server a crop of the full image. The crop is cut

around the number plate. Available sizes are: 320x240, 640x480, 800x600 and

1024x768. Sending an image crop instead of the full image saves space on the

storage server and cuts down on transmission time on the network (this is useful

when working with low bandwidth networks). Path Name: Specify the folder name where the image is saved. It is necessary to use appropriate

tags to indicate this folder name. For example, use the %DATE tag in order to use the

date of grabbing as folder name. If the specified directory does not exist, it is automatically created. File Name: Specify the image file name. It is necessary to use appropriate tags to indicate this file

name. For example, use the %PLATE tag in order to insert the read number plate in

the name. Text Position: Specify the position of a text window inside the saved image. This window contains

the information entered in Text Value. The allowed values are: TOP-LEFT, TOP-RIGHT,

BOTTOM-LEFT, BOTTOM-RIGHT and DISABLED. Text Options: It allows enabling the option NOT-OVER-PLATE. This option moves automatically the

text window when positioned over the plate, in order to not cover the plate. Text Value: Specify the information to be included in the image. It is necessary to use appropriate

tags to provide this information. Click the Help-button to check the supported tags. FTP IP: The ftp-server IP address. FTP Username: Username of the ftp-server user. FTP Password: Password of the ftp-server user. FTP Port: Port number of the ftp- server. Usually port number 21. FTP Passive Mode: It allows enabling (YES) the passive modality (PASV) for data transferring. Buffering on SD: In case of network failure and Buffering on SD is enabled, the camera will save all

data regarding the actions. When the network connection is restored, the ANPR will

manage automatically all data stored, freeing the memory. The saving is based over a

circular buffer. In case of full memory the ANPR will overwrite oldest data.

FTP LINK

: Click on this FTP-LINK to directly access the ftp-server. This hyperlink uses the FTP

parameters entered above. This is useful to check whether the ftp-server is operating

properly.

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5.2.6.2 ACTION: SAVE TO DB

If enabled, this feature allows creating and automatically updating on a remote ftp-server a text file in CSV format (CSV = Comma Separated Values) containing information about every detected vehicle by the ANPR. See chapter

4.1 for details about connecting the ethernet interface.

Enable: Select YES to enable updating the database with the generated events. Path Name: Specify the folder name where the database is saved. It is necessary to use

appropriate tags to indicate this folder name. For example, when using %DATE, a

new folder is created each day. File Name: Specify the name of the database to be updated with the event info. For example

when using %DATE a new file is generated each day. The file name is the date on that

day (e.g.: 2011-07-28.CSV). Fields: Specify the database fields. For example:

%DATE;%TIME;%PLATE

CSV file contents: 2011-07-28;09-14-44-222;ZLSZ17-NLD 2011-07-28;09-14-44-222;46HVR9-NLD

FTP IP: The ftp-server IP address. FTP Username: Username of the ftp-server user. FTP Password: Password of the ftp-server user. FTP Port: Port number of the ftp- server. Usually port number 21. FTP Passive Mode: It allows enabling (YES) the passive modality (PASV) for data transferring. Buffering on SD: In case of network failure and Buffering on SD is enabled, the camera will save all

data regarding the actions. When the network connection is restored, the ANPR will

manage automatically all data stored, freeing the memory. The saving is based over a

circular buffer. In case of full memory the ANPR will overwrite oldest data.

FTP LINK

: Click on this FTP-LINK to directly access the ftp-server. This hyperlink uses the FTP

parameters entered above. This is useful to check whether the ftp-server is operating

properly.

5.2.6.3 ACTION: PULSE OUT

If enabled, activates a digital output for a specified time period. See chapter 4.4 for details about the digital outputs.

Enable: Select YES to enable activation the digital output. Output Number: Number of the digital output to be activated. Delay Time: Delay (in milliseconds) to be applied prior to the actual activation of the output. Pulse Time: The time period (in milliseconds) for which the digital output will be activated.

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5.2.6.4 ACTION: SEND MESSAGE TO RS485 SERIAL PORT

It is possible to send messages to the RS485 serial port. Tags are used to define the content of the message sent. Before using the serial ports, it is necessary to configure them in a web page found in the system section. See chapter 5.3.3. See chapter 4.3 for details about connecting the RS485 serial interface.

Enable: Select YES to enable sending messages to the RS485 serial port. Message: Specify the message content syntax. This is done using tags. Click the Help-button to

check the supported tags. It is possible to inserts bytes using hexadecimal coding.

This makes data packet building more flexible than when using alphanumeric

characters only. For example: in order to send the number plate number string followed by the two

character sequence CR (carrier return) and LF (line feed) as terminators, the message

field is to be set as follows: %PLATE%0x0D%0x0A where 0x0D and 0x0A are the

hexadecimal codes of CR and LF, respectively.

5.2.6.5 ACTION: SEND MESSAGE TO TCP/IP SOCKET

If enabled, this action will send a message to a TCP/IP socket connection. Tags are used to define the content of the message sent. See chapter 4.1 for details about connecting the TCP/IP ethernet interface. See the ANPR ethernet programmer's guide which describes the TCP/IP message data format.

Enable: Select YES to enable sending messages to a TCP/IP socket. Message: Specify the message contents. This is done using tags. Click the Hel p-button to che ck

the supported tags. It is possible to insert in the packet either data (such as number

plate number, date and time) or the JPEG image of the vehicle: %IMAGE_BW. The data is sent on the network using a message header that includes the overall

number of data contained in the message. Jpeg Quality: Jpeg image quality. The value may range from 1 to 100 where 1 is the maximum

compression level (lowest quality) and 100 is the minimum compression level

(highest image quality). Suggested values from 50 to 90. Server IP: IP address of the server. Server Port: Server listening port. Reuse Connection: NO: the socket connection is opened and closed upon every message. YES: the socket connection is opened upon sending the first message and is kept

active. The connection is shut down if unused for 15 minutes. Regardless of mode configuration, the TCP connection will close and open a new TCP

connection when problems occurred while sending data. This means the receiver

should be steadily ready to accept new TCP connections. Buffering on SD: In case of network failure and Buffering on SD is enabled, the camera will save all

data regarding the actions. When the network connection is restored, the ANPR will

manage automatically all data stored, freeing the memory. The saving is based over a

circular buffer. In case of full memory the ANPR will overwrite oldest data.

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Network data packet format:

Value Length (in bytes) Description

24 4 Header size in bytes. Always set to 24 (=0x00000018). <CMD> 4 Command code. Always set to 40000 (=0x00009C40). 0 4 Not used 0 4 Not used <ERR> 4 Error code ( 0=no error). <LEN> 4 Data size in bytes. 32-bit aligned. Header not included. <DATA> <LEN> Packet data. Containing the tag defined in the Message field above.

The packet data contains the tags defined in the Message field. Every tag is defined by a tag-identifier and a tagsize indicator. The packet may contain any number of tag-fields. Tag-fields are arranged depending on the ANPR firmware. This may as well change when using a different firmware version. For this reason, when searching fo r tag-fields in a received packet, the server should scan all tag-fields regardless of their position inside the received message. This programming method allows for software compatibility with future firmware versions.

Network packet tag-field format:

Value Length (in bytes) Description

<TAG-ID> 4 Tag-identifier <TAG-LEN> 4 Tag-size in bytes <TAG-DATA> <TAG-LEN> Tag field contents

In the web interface it is possible to select the tags to attach to the message sent to the TCP server. To define the data to be attached, tags are used. For example, use %PLATE in order to attach the string with th e number plate number. Refer to the table below in appendix B for an overview of the available tags on the web interface, their description and tag-identifier code included in the message.

5.2.6.6 ACTION: SAVE IMAGE TO SD MEMORY

If enabled, save data on a partition of the SD memory regardless of network status. In this case the saving is NOT managed with circular bu ffer.

Enable: Select YES to enable saving images on SD memory. Jpeg Quality: Jpeg image quality. The value may range from 1 to 100 where 1 is the maximum

compression level (lowest quality) and 100 is the minimum compression level

(highest image quality). Suggested values from 50 to 90. Crop Image: This setting enables a crop of the full image. The crop is cut around the number plate.

Available sizes are: 320x240, 640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768. Path Name: Specify the folder name where the image is saved. The first part of the path is

mandatory %DATE%HOUR. File Name: Specify the image file name. Text Position: Specify the position of a text window inside the saved image. This window contains

the information entered in Text Value. The allowed values are: TOP-LEFT, TOP-RIGHT,

BOTTOM-LEFT, BOTTOM-RIGHT and DISABLED. Text Options: It allows enabling the option NOT-OVER-PLATE. This option moves automatically the

text window when positioned over the plate, in order to not cover the plate. Text Value: Specify the information to be included in the image. It is necessary to use appropriate

tags to provide this information. Click the Help-button to check the su pp orted tags.

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5.2.7 IMAGE RESULT

This Image Result page displays image and grabbing data of the last detected vehicle. The page is automatically and periodically reloaded so it is possible to keep open and view in real time the system results. Since the page is periodically being reloaded, it might happen that not all system-detected vehicles are displayed. It may happen, with heavy traffic, that the refresh period is not capable of showing all vehicles that actually have passed.

Next to the image, the following data is displayed: PLATE: The number plate ass ociated with the recognition.

COUNTRY: Three-character str in g indicating the plate's country of origin. See appendix A. N. READ: The number of images containing the read plate. CHAR WIDTH/HEIGHT: The character width and height, in pixels. Helpful whe n adjusting the minimum and

maximum character size in the Plate Reader settings page (see chapter 5.2.3). SHUTTER: The exposure time, in microseconds, used for image grabbing. STROBE: The infrared illuminator activ ity time, in microsecond s , u sed for image grabbing. GAIN: The gain used for ima ge grabbing. DATE/TIME: Date and time at which the image was grabbed.

5.2.8 TEXT RESULT

The Text Results page displays the returned values of the OCR algorithm for each grabbed ima ge.

14/07/2011 14:46:38:643 ZLSZ17-NLD(7) Acq(Sh=1226ms, St=1000ms, G=284, GP=2, IL=50) 14/07/2011 14:46:38:643 YT57HB-NLD(5) Acq(Sh=1158ms, St=1000ms, G=284, GP=2, IL=50) 14/07/2011 14:46:38:643 NOTREAD Acq(Sh=1717ms, St=1000ms, G=284, GP=3, IL=50)

The text lines will contain the recognized number plate (if any), the corresponding date and time and the shutter, strobe and gain parameters that were used during the image processing.

5.2.9 STATISTICS

This page contains the OCR statistics for the last 24 hours of operation. The upper part of the OCR Statistics page contains the percentages recognized as READ, NOT READ or NO PLATE.

The lower part contains the percentage of readings for the 3 different points of image grabbing. This allows viewing, at any time of the day, how many vehicles have been detected as well as what grabbing points were used. Using this info rma tion, the user can evaluate whether the grabbing settings are correct and consistent and calculate the recognition rate.

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5.3 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

5.3.1 NETWORK

The Network Settings page contains the following configuration fields:

Network

NetBiosName It allows setting the name of the ANPR device. It is possible to enter alphanumeric

values in this field. Spaces must be represented by "_" (underscore). IpAddress It allows setting the IP address of the ANPR device. NetMask It allows setting the network net mask. Gateway It allows setting the gateway IP address. DhcpEnable It allows enabling/disabling automatic acquisition of IP addresses.

Time Server

Syncro This feature enables/disables the synchronization to an external timeserver. IpAddress Indicates the IP address of the time server which is used as reference to synchronize

the ANPR's internal clock. GMT Offset Indicates the number of minutes to add to the time received from the time server, in

order to offset between "Greenwich Mean Time" and local time. This value is

expressed in minutes and can be negative. See

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com

for further details on time zones for different countries around the world. Auto DST Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes. If set to YES, it a utomatically

handles switching between daylight-saving time and standard time.

5.3.2 HTTP USERS

Three user access levels are available:

• Superuser The superuser is allowed to access all system-enabled features, modify operational

parameters (setup) and assign access rights to other users.

• Administrator The administrator has the rights to modify any all operational parameters but is not

allowed to access the HTTP Users page.

• Guest Guest users are only allowed to view the system parameters.

Access to HTTP Users page is granted to the superuser only, who is allowed to enable, disable or delete users or to assign new passwords. Up to ten administrator and/or guest users can be assigned to the system and only one superuser account.

The HTTP Users page contains the configuration settings of the users who access the ANPR via a browser.

Server Port: The port number where the http server is open. Default value is 80. Name: User's username. Password: User's password. Status: User's access level. Can be ADMIN, GUEST or DISABLED.

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5.3.3 RS485 SERIAL PORT

It is possible to send messages to the RS485 serial port. The messages must be enabled in the Events / Actions settings table. Tags are used to define the content of the message sent. See chapter 5.2.6.4.

Below the RS485 serial port configuration is shown:

Enable: It allows enabling or disabling communication through the serial port. Baud rate: Serial port communication speed. Default 9600. Parity: Serial port parity checking. Default NONE. Data Bit: Serial port number of data bits. Default 8. Stop Bit: Serial port number of stop bits. Default 1. Message: Message protocol format. Default RAW format. This format syntax can fully be

specified using the web interface. See chapter 5.2.6.4. Using the PROTOCOLLED format involves a message header, footer and acknowledge

packets. See packet formats below. Wait ACK: It allows enabling/disabling the confirmation signal sent by the external unit upon

data receiving. Only when in protocolled mode. Timeout ms: It allows specifying the time (in milliseconds) of waiting for an answer from the

external unit (only when in protocolled mode). Retry Number: It allows s pecifying the number of times to resend unacknowledged messages to the

external receiving unit (only when in protocolled mode).

Protocolled data packet format:

Value Length (in bytes) Description

0x89ABCDEF 4 Open message code. <ID> 4 Message ID number. Start at 1, incremented upon every message. <LEN> 4 Data size in bytes. <DATA> <LEN> Packet data. As specified in chapter 5.2.6.4. <XOR> 1 Checksum. Xor of all previous bytes. 0x12345678 4 Close message code.

Protocolled acknowledge packet format:

Value Length (in bytes) Description

0xA5 1 Open message code. <ID> 4 Message ID number. Must be the same as the ID of the received message. 0x5E 1 Close message code.

5.3.4 FIRMWARE

It is possible to update the ANPR firmware. The firmware update requires one file only, where operating system, application and configuration files are integrated. The firmware file is distributed as a .bin-file.

Two possible update options are available:

7. Upgrade firmware keeping current settin gs .

8. Upgrade firmware with default settings (network s e ttings will remain unchanged).

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Upload procedure:

Click the Browse-button below the preferred update method and select the firmware file (.bin-file). After the file has been selected, click the Upload-button and confirm the operation. When the update completes, the user is asked to reboot the device.

Notes: It is recommended, to use the internet explorer to update the firmware. Other browsers may not work or cause

problems with the ANPR firmware. During the update it is very important to make sure the ANPR is not powered off. Please do not close the HTTP connection until the download is completed.

Download procedure:

Press the Download-button to save a compressed bin-file containing the ANPR firmware and all its user defined parameters. This feature is very useful when duplicating the same configuration onto another device or keeping the file for backup purpose s. The bin-file can be directly loaded to an ANPR system, using either of the available upgrade options.

5.3.5 DEVICE INFO

This page displays information about the ANPR firmware and hardware.

Image Sensor OCR = CCD_1300x1000_BW Board Serial Number = 583447 Board code = 573 Board revision = 2 FPGA Version = 0 MAC Address = 0x0050C2BE1442 GMT Time & Date = 14.01.21, 13/07/2011, GMT offset: 0min, DST status: OFF CPU time = 05.15.41 Temperature = Not Available Flash file system size = 40312 KByte Boot version = 2.7 TOS version = 4.29.13a Firmware version = VEGA ACCESS 7.85 NLD-EU May 23 2011 16:25:00 OCR lib version = Tattile Plate Reader Ver.3.05.00 Buffering SD size = 3.8 GB (READY) Storage SD size = 3.8 GB (READY)

5.3.6 DIGITAL I/O

The ANPR has a number of embedded digital inputs and outputs. Outputs are used for external monitoring devices or for example control an electronic door lock. Inputs are used as trigger sources. It is possible to check and modify the s tatus of d igital ou tputs. This function is useful when checking the cabling after installation. See also chapter 4.4 for details about the digital i/o connections.

Digital input

Green input icon indicates that the input is high (gray is low). Click on the Refresh-button to update the s ta tes of the icons .

Digital output

Red output icon indicates that the output is high (gray is low). Click on the digital output icon to change its state.

Note: Only digital output 0 is wired on the ANPR.

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5.3.7 SYS STATISTICS

This page contains the statistics about data sending from ANPR to external devices. The info in this page is very useful upon installation as they help check the available bandwidths from ANPR to the data receiving servers.

In addition to this info, the page displays the statistics about synchronization with the SNTP server. These statistics are updated when synchronization with time server is enabled (see chapter 5.3.1).

------------------------------------------------------------------------- FTP Save Image | 0.00 0.00 | 0 0 | 0 | 0 | FTP Save DB | 0.00 0.00 | 0 0 | 0 | 0 | TCP Send Message | 0.01 0.03 | 5 1 | 6354 | 0 | PNS Alarm | 0.00 0.00 | 0 0 | 0 | 0 |

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIME SERVER SYNCRO Synchronization disabled

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

5.3.8 SECURE DIGITAL

SD memory management is entirely automatic and transparent by the ANPR firmware. SD memory is used to store data of ANPR generated events. The storage occurs only if the action planned for the event can't be executed.

Let's consider for example the 'save image to ftp-server' action taken upon number plate reading event. In case the ftp-server is not available (service not available or whatever network connection problem) then the image is being stored to SD memory. As soon as the ftp-server is back to service, the image is automatically read from the SD memory and sent to the server. Before sending the image, the event/action matrix is checked. If the action is enabled, the image will be sent while if disabled, the image will be deleted. In general, whenever action-related data are retrieved from the SD memory, the relevant action parameters that were set via web page are always checked first so that the action is executed according to these setting.

Let's assume for example that when saving the image to SD, the ftp-server IP is 192.168.0.100. If upon reading the image from SD the server IP is 192.168.0.200, then the image will be sent to this IP address.

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A COUNTRY CODES

Number plate countries are indicated with 3 characters. The table below shows the used country codes.

EUROPEAN PLATES

CODE COUNTRY CODE COUNTRY

AUT Austria LUX Luxembourg BEL Belgium MLT Malta BGR Bulgaria NLD Netherlands CYP Cyprus POL Poland DNK Denmark PRT Portugal EST Estonia GBR Great Britain FIN Finland CZE Czech Republic FRA France ROU Romania DEU Germany SVK Slovakia GRC Greece SVN Slovenia IRL Ireland ESP Spain ITA Italy SWE Sweden LVA Latvia HUN Hungary LTU Lithuania CHE Switzerland

OTHER PLATES

CODE COUNTRY CODE COUNTRY

AUS Australia ARG Argentina IND India COL Colombia KSA Saudi Arabia TUR Turkey MAR Morocco RUS Russia MEX Mexico BHR Bahrain RSA South Africa ISR Israel UAE United Arab Emirates

SPECIAL PLATES

CODE COUNTRY

ADR Dangerous goods CON Container (ISO code)

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B TCP TAG IDENTIFIER OVERVIEW

TAG WEB Description TAG-ID TAG-LEN DATA TYPE

%DATE Date string YYYY-MM-DD. E.g. '2011-07-28' 14000 12 STRING %TIME Time string HH-MM-SS. E.g. '12-34-56' 14001 16 STRING %NETBIOSNAME NetBiosName. E.g. 'NEDAP_ANPR1' 14002 32 STRING %PLATE Number plate, including country. E.g. '46HVR9-NLD' 14003 24 STRING %PLATE_STRING Number plate, without country. E.g. '46HVR9' 14004 20 STRING %PLATE_COUNTRY Number plate country. E.g. 'NLD'. See appendix A. 14005 4 STRING %NREAD Number of times the number plate was read. 14006 4 INT32 %IMAGENAME Image file name. 14007 128 STRING %IMAGEPATH image file path. 14008 128 STRING %TRANSIT_ID Transit counter . 14009 4 INT32 %PLATE_MIN_X Upper left X-coordinate of the car plate rectangle. 14010 4 INT32 %PLATE_MIN_Y Upper left Y-coordinate of the car plate rectangle. 14011 4 INT32 %PLATE_MAX_X Lower right X-coordinate of the car plate rectangle. 14012 4 INT32 %PLATE_MAX_Y Lower right Y-coordinate of the car plate rectangle. 14013 4 INT32 %SPEED RFU 14014 4 INT32 %CLASS RFU 14015 4 INT32 %CLASS_STRING RFU 14016 32 STRING %SN ANPR serial number. 14017 4 INT32 %DIRECTION RFU 14018 12 STRING %NET_TRIG_ID String received using ethernet trigger. 14019 32 STRING %IMAGE_BW Camera image in jpeg format. 14020 IMG-DIM BUFFER %IMAGE_COL RFU 14021 IMG-DIM BUFFER %OCRSCORE Score of the OCR regarding the number plate reading. 14022 4 INT32

All strings are null-terminated. The values of IMG-DIM for BUFFER data are not necessarily multiples of 4 bytes, yet the occupied buffer space is

always a multiple of 4 bytes, this in order to keep structure alignment. For example: IMG-DIM is 34231 bytes. But data buffer sent is larger (so as to keep 4 bytes-alignment) and the result is a 34232 bytes image. When using the IMG-DIM value to skip to next datum of the message, this should not be overlooked.