JPH0855296A - Vehicle license number reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To install the vehicle license number reader in a necessary place at need by putting a means which inputs an image of an area including a vehicle license number, a means which extracts the vehicle license number from image data, and a means which executes data communication on the vehicle license number in an unfixed housing. CONSTITUTION:An ITV camera 2 photographs the license plate 21 of a traveling vehicle 20, and a license number read part 3 extracts an image signal of the photographed license plate 21, reads its number string, and generates license number data. A data management control part 4 stores the license number data and converts it into a signal format matching the data communication part 5, which sends the license number data to a management head office 11 by radio. In a power source part 6, a battery which supplies driving electric power to the respective parts is incorporated. Those parts are put in the unfixed cabinet 1 for easy movement.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle number reading device for reading a vehicle number installed on a highway or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, highways and main roads are
A vehicle number reading device, which is a part of the vehicle monitoring system, is provided.

The vehicle number reading device reads the vehicle number of a traveling vehicle. Generally, an ITV (Industrial Television) camera for photographing a license plate of a vehicle on which the vehicle number is described, and this ITV.
From a vehicle number extraction unit that performs image processing on image data of an image captured by a camera to extract a vehicle number, and a reading device main unit that includes a transmission output unit that transmits the extracted vehicle number to the outside. It is configured.

Such a vehicle number reading device is
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the ITV camera 34 is installed on a pillar 36 projecting above the road 31, and the vehicle number of a license plate 33 of a vehicle 32 traveling in front of the installation point is photographed and the side of the pillar 36 is photographed. The main body of the reading device is housed in the provided box 35.

A data communication line such as an electric line and a telephone line is drawn to the pillar 36 through a cable provided underground or on the ground, whereby the ITV camera 3 is provided.
4 and the main body of the reading device is supplied with electricity,
The vehicle number data captured by the ITV camera 34 and extracted by the vehicle number extraction unit is input from the transmission output unit to the central monitoring control device of the remote management headquarters via the data communication line. There is. Then, the central supervisory control device collates the vehicle number data with the vehicle number list of the criminal vehicle held by the police, for example, and the criminal vehicle such as the stolen vehicle or the escape vehicle is determined.

In addition, the vehicle number of a speeding vehicle is specified by the central supervisory control device, and this is used for arresting a speeding vehicle or a runaway vehicle.

[0007]

However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional vehicle number reading device, the ITV camera 3 is used.
4 and the box 35 accommodating the reading device main body,
Since the structure is fixed to the pillars 36, the monitoring place cannot be changed flexibly as needed, and only the traveling vehicle passing through the same place is always monitored.

Therefore, even if a driver controls a speeding vehicle or a runaway vehicle, the driver who remembers the installation location is
It uses a method such as slowing down the speed only when passing through the surveillance place where the vehicle number reading device is installed, and it is only a menacing effect.

Further, the fixed type cannot be installed urgently even if the traveling route of the runaway vehicle is known, so that the number of the runaway vehicle cannot be read by a machine, which is absolutely necessary. The reality is that they have not done so.

Similarly, even if the escape vehicle is to be determined, the fixed type cannot be temporarily installed on a road that may be used for escape, so that it is currently necessary to rely on an inspection and many police officers. Have been mobilized.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable vehicle number reading device which can be quickly installed in a necessary place as needed.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vehicle number reading device of the present invention is obtained by an image input means for inputting an image of a region including a vehicle number on a vehicle, and an image input means. Vehicle number extraction means for performing image processing on the image data to extract the vehicle number from the image data, data communication means for data communication of the extracted vehicle number, the image input means, vehicle number extraction means, and data communication A power supply means for supplying a driving voltage to the means is housed in a non-fixed housing.

[0013]

According to the above structure, the image input means for inputting the image of the area including the vehicle number on the vehicle, and the image data obtained by the image input means are subjected to the image processing to extract the vehicle number from the image data. The vehicle number extraction means, the data communication means for performing data communication of the extracted vehicle number, the image input means, the vehicle number extraction means, and the power supply means for supplying a driving voltage to the data communication means are in a non-fixed housing. Since it is housed in the vehicle, the vehicle number reading device can be moved as needed to change the installation location.

As the data communication means, for example, a radio or a telephone line can be used, and as the power supply means, a battery or a system of drawing power from an external power source through a plug can be used. In this case, by using wireless as the data communication means and using the battery as the power supply means, the vehicle number reading device can be quickly installed anywhere with a mounting space, which is very convenient in an emergency. is there. Also, by providing a data communication means using a telephone line and a set of outlets at a plurality of locations on the expressway, it is possible to install one vehicle number reading device at a desired location as needed. In this case, although the installation location is limited to some extent, it has advantages such as being usable over a long period of time compared to battery power supply and less likely to cause noise than wireless communication, and it is effective in controlling speeding. .

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following will describe one embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle number reading apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a data communication section 12, a vehicle number data management section 13, and a management head section 11 having a data output section 14, and a vehicle. Configures a surveillance system.

The vehicle number data management unit 13 in the management headquarters 11 comprises a part of the central supervisory control device installed in the management headquarters 11, and the vehicle number data received by the data communication unit 12 and the central supervisory control device. The vehicle number list recorded in the memory (not shown) is collated to determine whether or not the vehicle number data transmitted to the vehicle number list is present.

When the vehicle number data management section 13 determines that the transmitted vehicle number data is in the vehicle number list, the data output section 14 displays the vehicle number data on a display or the like. It is like this. Instead of displaying on the display, an alarm may be issued.

On the other hand, the above vehicle number reading device 1
Is an ITV camera (image input means) 2, a vehicle number reading unit (vehicle number extraction means) 3, a data management control unit 4, a data communication unit (data communication unit) 5, and a power supply unit (power supply unit) 6. And an illumination lamp 7.

First, the appearance of the vehicle number reading device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 (a) (b) (c). 1A is a front view of the vehicle number reading device 1, FIG. 1B is a side view, and FIG. 1C is a plan view.

As shown in the figure, the above-mentioned ITV camera 2, vehicle number reading unit 3, data management control unit 4,
The data communication unit 5, the power supply unit 6, and the illumination lamp 7 are non-fixed cabinets (housings) 8 so that they can be easily moved.
Housed within.

The cabinet 8 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has four wheels 10 with stoppers attached to its bottom surface. As a result, the cabinet 8 can be easily moved and can be temporarily fixed after the movement.

The cabinet 8 is divided into two parts, an upper part 8c and a lower part 8d, and the upper part 8c and the lower part 8d are divided into two parts.
A height adjusting portion 9 is provided at the matching portion of d. The height adjusting unit 9 is adapted to adjust the camera position of the ITV camera 2 by slidably accommodating the upper portion of the lower portion 8d in the lower portion of the upper portion 8c and fixing the ITV camera 2 with a screw at an appropriate position. This makes it possible to meet the conditions of various installation locations. Specific dimensions of the cabinet 8 are, for example, 450 mm in length and 450 mm in width, and the height can be changed from 1000 mm to 1600 mm by the height adjusting unit 9 described above.

At the front of the cabinet 8, there is an opening 8a.
And openings 8b and 8b are formed, and the opening 8a
The ITV camera 2 inside the cabinet 8 is photographed through the through, and the illumination light is emitted from the illumination lamp 7 inside the cabinet 8 through the openings 8b.
A transparent plate (not shown) is of course fitted in these openings 8a, 8b, 8b to prevent rainwater and the like from entering.

As the material of the cabinet 8, since it is installed outdoors, it is made of a material that is excellent in waterproofness, and can withstand direct sunlight in summer and severe cold in winter, and is also strong against impacts. Further, the cabinet 8 is painted for camouflage so that it cannot be visually distinguished from the vehicle number reading device.

The above-mentioned ITV camera 2 housed in the cabinet 8 as shown in FIG.
The vehicle number on the license plate 21 of the vehicle 20 traveling at a predetermined point determined according to the installation position of the TV camera 2 is photographed. The angle of the ITV camera 2 can be adjusted by an angle adjusting unit (not shown) so as to correspond to various conditions of the installation place.

The vehicle number reading unit 3 is equipped with an A / D (analog / digital) converter (not shown), an image memory, a high-speed arithmetic processing unit, and the like, and an analog image taken by the ITV camera 2 is displayed. After converting the signal to digital, the video signal of the license plate 21 of the vehicle 20 is extracted, and the number string displayed on the license plate 21 is read to form the vehicle number data.

The data management control unit 4 includes a memory unit, a computing unit, and an interface unit (not shown), stores the vehicle number data formed by the vehicle number reading unit 3, and stores the stored vehicle number data. Processing for converting into a signal format suitable for the data communication unit 5 is performed.

The data communication unit 5 is composed of a modem unit, and wirelessly manages the vehicle number data converted into an appropriate signal format by the data management control unit 4 by the management headquarters 1.
Data communication to 1 is made.

The illuminating lamp 7 is composed of, for example, an infrared lamp and is turned on when necessary. As a result, it is possible to deal with the case where the ITV camera 2 does not sufficiently photograph the license plate 21 of the vehicle 20 at night or due to insufficient illumination.

The power supply unit 6 supplies drive power to the ITV camera 2, the vehicle number reading unit 3, the data management control unit 4, the data communication unit 5, and the illumination lamp 7 described above, and has a built-in battery. There is.

Further, the vehicle number reading device 1 as described above has a complete rainproof structure because it is installed outdoors, and has a portable structure with wheels 10 ... The weight of the wheels 10 is such that they cannot be easily moved when the stopper is operated.

In the above structure, when the vehicle passes through the image area of the ITV camera 2, the front or rear surface of the vehicle 20 is photographed. In addition, at this time, in the case of a dark night, the illumination lamp 7
Illuminate 0. Then, the captured video signal is output to the vehicle number reading unit 3. The video signal input to the vehicle number reading unit 3 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter and stored in the image memory. The high-speed arithmetic processing unit performs image arithmetic processing for extracting the characteristics of the image based on the data stored in the image memory, extracts the vehicle number on the license plate 21, and forms vehicle number data.

The vehicle number data thus obtained by the vehicle number reading section 3 is stored in the data management control section 4 and, after being converted into an appropriate signal format, wirelessly transmitted via the data communication section 5. Administration Headquarters 1
1 is transmitted to the data communication unit 12.

The data communication unit 12 of the management headquarters 11 receives this vehicle number data and outputs it to the vehicle number data management unit 13. Vehicle number data management unit 13
Compares the data stored in a memory (not shown) of the central monitoring and control device with the input vehicle number data for comparison. The data stored in this memory includes criminal vehicle data held by the police. The vehicle number data management unit 13 determines that the vehicle is a criminal vehicle candidate when the vehicle number data matches with the criminal vehicle list and the data output unit 14 displays the vehicle number on the display.

As described above, in the vehicle number reading device 1 according to the present embodiment, the ITV camera 2, the vehicle number reading unit 3, the data management control unit 4, the data communication unit 5, the power supply unit 6, and the illumination lamp 7 are the wheels 10. It is housed in a non-fixed cabinet 8 with ... so that it can be moved freely, and if there is enough mounting space, there is no need to worry about power supplies or cables for data communication. It can be quickly installed in various places.

Therefore, when a crime occurs, the escape vehicle can be found by quickly installing it on a road that may be used for escape. Also, stolen vehicles can be found efficiently.

In the above embodiment, the management headquarters 11
Was trying to find out a criminal vehicle by collating the vehicle number data transmitted from the vehicle number reading device 1 with a criminal vehicle list. Of course, it can also be used as evidence. That is, by periodically changing the installation location of the vehicle number reading device 1, it is possible to efficiently control speeding violations. Also, by installing the vehicle number reading device 1 on the run route of a runaway vehicle quickly, the vehicle number read by the person The number of vehicle numbers can be specified more reliably than the specification of, and the control of runaway vehicles can be effectively performed.

Further, by installing the vehicle on the road connecting to the restricted area at the time of a disaster, the vehicle entering the restricted area can be surely specified.

Further, in the above embodiment, radio is used as the data communication means by the data communication units 5 and 12, but a communication line such as a telephone line can also be used, and the power supply unit 6 can be used.
In addition to the battery, a method of drawing power from an external power source through a plug may be used. In this case, one vehicle number reading device can be installed at a desired place as needed by providing a data communication unit using a telephone line and an outlet as a set at a plurality of places on the highway. In this case, the installation location is limited to some extent, but it has the advantages that it can be used for a long time compared to battery power supply and there is less risk of noise generation compared to wireless communication. It is especially effective for

Further, in the case of the vehicle number reading device 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the data communication section 5 was designed to perform data communication with the management headquarters 11, but in addition to the configuration for performing data communication with the management headquarters 11, As shown in FIG. 3, the data is matched with the data search unit 16 that searches the vehicle number data obtained by the vehicle number reading apparatus 1 for a predetermined vehicle number list, in the reading apparatus 1 itself or in the vicinity thereof. It is also possible to provide a management device 15 including a data output unit 17 that displays and outputs the vehicle number when doing so.

[0042]

The vehicle number reading device of the present invention is
As described above, the image input means for inputting the image of the area including the vehicle number on the vehicle, and the vehicle number extracting means for performing the image processing on the image data obtained by the image input means to extract the vehicle number from the image data. Data communication means for data communication of the extracted vehicle number, image input means, vehicle number extraction means, and power supply means for supplying a driving voltage to the data communication means are housed in a non-fixed housing. It is a composition.

As a result, it becomes possible to quickly install the vehicle number reading device at a necessary place when and where necessary, so that a runaway vehicle or a speeding violation can be efficiently cracked down and a criminal vehicle can be effectively identified. In addition, it is possible to surely identify the vehicle that enters the restricted area at the time of a disaster or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle monitoring system in which a vehicle number reading device is used according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the vehicle number reading device,
(A) is the front view, (b) is the side view, (c) is the top view.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention and is a block diagram showing another configuration of a vehicle monitoring system in which a vehicle number reading device is used.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a conventional vehicle number reading device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Vehicle Number Reading Device 2 ITV Camera (Image Input Means) 3 Vehicle Number Reading Unit (Vehicle Number Extraction Means) 5 Data Communication Unit (Data Communication Means) 6 Power Supply Unit (Power Supply Means) 8 Cabinet (Housing) 10 Wheels

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image input means for inputting an image of a region including a vehicle number on a vehicle, and a vehicle number extraction means for subjecting image data obtained by the image input means to image processing to extract a vehicle number from the image data. , Data communication means for data communication of the extracted vehicle number,
A vehicle number reading device characterized in that the image input means, vehicle number extraction means, and power supply means for supplying a drive voltage to the data communication means are housed in a non-fixed housing.