A license plate recognition system and method for an intelligent parking system

Abstract

The present invention is applicable to the field of intelligent parking, and provides a license plate recognition system and method for an intelligent parking system, including: an entrance camera, an exit camera, an entrance and exit control module, a data storage and processing module, a reservation module, a payment module, an auxiliary camera module, and a client. The present invention leaves vehicle information in the system by means of advance reservation and payment, so that when the vehicle enters and exits the parking lot, even if the license plate number is not recognized, the license plate information can still be obtained through the reserved information to realize the entry and exit of the vehicle. In addition, in the case of no reserved information, by analyzing the four items of data of the vehicle model, color, brand, and position relationship of the vehicles in the queue, the license plate number information of the vehicle in front of the entrance and exit can be obtained, so that even if the license plate of the vehicle cannot be collected in front of the gate, there is no need to reverse, and the vehicle can directly enter and exit the parking lot after being confirmed by the system, greatly improving the traffic efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of intelligent parking, and particularly relates to a license plate recognition system and method for a smart parking system. Background Art

[0002] A vehicle license plate recognition system (VLPR) is one of the important components in modern intelligent transportation systems and has a wide range of applications. Based on technologies such as digital image processing, pattern recognition, and computer vision, it analyzes the vehicle images or video sequences captured by a camera to obtain the unique license plate number of each vehicle, thereby completing the recognition process. Through some subsequent processing means, functions such as traffic flow control index measurement, vehicle positioning, vehicle anti-theft, automated supervision of highway speeding, red light running electronic police, highway toll stations, etc. can be achieved. It has practical significance for maintaining traffic safety and urban public order, preventing traffic jams, and realizing automated traffic management.

[0003] With the development of society, license plate automatic recognition technology has been increasingly applied to people's lives. Automatic recognition devices have begun to be deployed at the entrances of communities, community parking lots, shopping mall parking lots, etc., automatically recognizing license plate numbers and automatically charging fees, bringing a lot of convenience to people's lives. However, there are still deficiencies in the recognition mechanism of the existing license plate recognition technology. When vehicles queue up to enter and exit at the entrance and exit, the following distance of some vehicles is too close. After the vehicle in front has left, the following vehicle may fail to recognize. At this time, the user's vehicle needs to reverse and then drive forward to the camera for re-recognition. However, since the distance between vehicles does not meet the reverse condition, congestion occurs at the entrance and exit, which is very inconvenient and limits the further promotion of automatic license plate recognition. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide the subject matter protected by the first independent claim, aiming to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art determined in the background art.

[0005] The embodiments of the present invention are implemented as follows. On the one hand, a license plate recognition system for a smart parking system, the system includes: an entrance camera, an exit camera, an entrance and exit control module, a data storage and processing module, a reservation module, a payment module, an auxiliary camera module, and a client, wherein:

[0006] The entrance and exit control module collects license plate images of vehicles entering and exiting through the entrance camera and the exit camera, and controls the opening and closing of the gate;

[0007] The data storage and processing module extracts license plate information from the license plate images, and stores the extracted license plate number and entry time in the entry vehicle record table;

[0008] If extraction fails, the query mode is activated. The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information to enter and exit during this period from the reservation module and the payment module, and stores it in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table.

[0009] The data storage and processing module identifies the vehicle model, color, and brand through the auxiliary camera module, and compares them with the vehicles in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. If a match is found, it is sent to the client for confirmation.

[0010] If the confirmation fails, the retrieval mode is activated. The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information, license plate number information, and vehicle queuing information of the vehicles located in the section before the entrance and exit from the auxiliary camera module, and stores them in the auxiliary information table.

[0011] The data storage and processing module compares the extracted vehicle model, color, brand, and the information of the previous vehicle that passed through with the auxiliary information table. If the four items are consistent, the vehicle is allowed to pass.

[0012] As a further solution of the present invention, the specific steps for extracting the vehicle information to enter and exit during this period from the reservation module include:

[0013] The vehicle owner reports the time in advance before entering the parking lot, and enters the vehicle model, color, brand, and license plate information in the client.

[0014] The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information and entry time provided by the vehicle owner from the client, stores them in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table, and pushes the parking space information to the vehicle owner in real time according to the internal conditions of the parking lot.

[0015] After the data storage and processing module receives the reserved vehicle entering the parking lot, it deletes the corresponding record in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table.

[0016] As a further solution of the present invention, the specific steps for extracting the vehicle information to leave during this period from the payment module include:

[0017] The vehicle owner makes a payment in advance through the client before leaving the parking lot.

[0018] The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information of the paid user from the entering vehicle record table and stores it in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table.

[0019] After the paid vehicle leaves the parking lot, the corresponding information in the entering vehicle record table and the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table is deleted.

[0020] As a further solution of the present invention, the specific steps of the retrieval mode include:

[0021] The auxiliary camera module scans the vehicles in front of the entrance and exit through the auxiliary camera 1, and extracts the vehicle model, color, and brand;

[0022] The data storage and processing module receives the vehicle information sent from the auxiliary camera module, and compares it with the vehicle information in the vehicle information table to be confirmed. If there is consistent information, it is sent to the client for confirmation. If the client confirms, the vehicle passes, and the corresponding information in the vehicle information table to be confirmed is deleted;

[0023] If the client does not confirm, the auxiliary camera module monitors the vehicles on the road section in front of the entrance and exit through the auxiliary camera 2 in real time, and extracts the vehicle model, color, brand, license plate information and position relationship of each vehicle in the queue;

[0024] The data storage and processing module receives the information sent from the auxiliary camera module and stores it in the auxiliary information table;

[0025] The data storage and processing module compares the vehicle model, color, brand of the vehicle that has been extracted and the information of the previous vehicle that passed through with the auxiliary information table. If the four items are consistent, the vehicle is allowed to pass, and the corresponding information in the auxiliary information table is deleted.

[0026] As a further solution of the present invention, the specific steps of comparing the vehicle model, color, brand of the vehicle that has been extracted and the information of the previous vehicle that passed through with the auxiliary information table include:

[0027] The data storage and processing module generates alternative vehicles by comparing the vehicle information collected by the auxiliary camera 1 with the vehicle information collected by the auxiliary camera 2;

[0028] The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information of the previous vehicle when the alternative vehicle queues in and out of the field;

[0029] The data storage and processing module compares the vehicle information with the newly added vehicle information in the vehicle entry record table. If they are consistent, the license plate information of the alternative vehicle is used as the finally identified license plate number, the vehicle is allowed to pass, and it is stored in the vehicle entry record table.

[0030] As a further solution of the present invention, the specific steps of pushing the parking space information to the vehicle owner in real time according to the internal conditions of the parking lot include:

[0031] The data storage and processing module extracts the occupancy status of the parking spaces through the cameras installed in the parking lot and generates a parking space status table;

[0032] The data storage and processing module will query the parking space status table, set the recommended priority of the parking space in the parking space occupancy status table, and push the parking space with the highest priority and currently unoccupied to the client according to the priority of the parking space.

[0033] As a further solution of the present invention, on the other hand, a license plate recognition method for a smart parking system, characterized in that, using the license plate recognition system for a smart parking system described in any one of the above, the method includes the following steps:

[0034] Extract the license plate information of the vehicle located at the entrance and exit. If possible, allow the vehicle to pass;

[0035] If it cannot be extracted, start the query mode, extract the vehicle information to enter and exit during this period from the reservation module and the charging module, and store it in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table;

[0036] Identify the model, color, and brand of the vehicle through the auxiliary camera module, and compare it with the vehicles in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. If found, send it to the client for confirmation;

[0037] If the confirmation fails, start the retrieval mode, extract the vehicle information, license plate number information, and vehicle queue information of the vehicle located in the section in front of the entrance and exit from the auxiliary camera module, and store it in the auxiliary information table;

[0038] Compare according to the model, color, brand of the extracted vehicle and the information of the previous vehicle that passed, and if the four are the same, allow the vehicle to pass.

[0039] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention are:

[0040] The present invention provides a license plate recognition system and method for an intelligent parking system. By extracting the license plate information of the vehicle at the entrance and exit, if possible, the vehicle is allowed to pass; if not, the query mode is started, and the vehicle information to enter and exit during this period is extracted from the reservation module and the charging module, and stored in the pending confirmation vehicle information table; the model, color, and brand of the vehicle are recognized through the auxiliary camera module and compared with the vehicles in the pending confirmation vehicle information table. If found, it is sent to the client for confirmation; if not confirmed, the retrieval mode is started, and the vehicle information, license plate number information, and vehicle queuing information located in the section before the entrance and exit are extracted from the auxiliary camera module and stored in the auxiliary information table; according to the model, color, brand of the vehicle that has been extracted and the information of the previous passing vehicle, it is compared with the auxiliary information table. If the four items are consistent, the vehicle is allowed to pass. By making reservations and paying in advance, vehicle information is left in the system, so that when the vehicle enters and exits the parking lot, even if the license plate number is not recognized, the license plate information can still be obtained through the reserved information, realizing the entry and exit of the vehicle. Moreover, in the case of not reserving information, by analyzing the four data items of the model, color, brand, and position relationship of the vehicles in the queue, the license plate number information of the vehicle in front of the entrance and exit can be obtained, so that even if the license plate of the vehicle cannot be collected in front of the gate, there is no need to reverse the vehicle, and it can directly enter and exit the parking lot after the system confirms it by itself, greatly improving the traffic efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1 It is the main structure diagram of the license plate recognition system for the intelligent parking system;

[0042] Figure 2 It is the main flowchart of the license plate recognition method for the intelligent parking system;

[0043] Figure 3 It is the flowchart of extracting vehicle information from the reservation module in the license plate recognition system for the intelligent parking system;

[0044] Figure 4 It is the flowchart of extracting vehicle information from the charging module in the license plate recognition system for the intelligent parking system;

[0045] Figure 5 It is the flowchart of the retrieval mode in the license plate recognition system for the intelligent parking system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0046] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0047] The following describes the specific implementation of the present invention in detail with reference to specific embodiments.

[0048] Figure 1 The license plate recognition system for the intelligent parking system provided by the embodiments of the present invention includes an entrance camera, an exit camera, an entrance and exit control module, a data storage and processing module, a reservation module, a payment module, an auxiliary camera module, and a client, wherein:

[0049] The entrance and exit control module collects license plate images of vehicles entering and exiting through the entrance camera and the exit camera, and controls the opening and closing of the gate;

[0050] The data storage and processing module extracts license plate information from the license plate image, and stores the extracted license plate number and entry time in the entry vehicle record table;

[0051] If extraction fails, the query mode is started. The data storage and processing module extracts vehicle information to enter and exit during this period from the reservation module and the payment module, and stores it in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table;

[0052] The data storage and processing module identifies the vehicle model, color, and brand through the auxiliary camera module, and compares it with the vehicles in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. If found, it is sent to the client for confirmation;

[0053] If the confirmation fails, the retrieval mode is started. The data storage and processing module extracts vehicle information, license plate number information, and vehicle queuing information of the vehicles located in the section in front of the entrance and exit from the auxiliary camera module, and stores it in the auxiliary information table;

[0054] The data storage and processing module compares according to the vehicle model, color, brand of the extracted vehicle and the information of the previous vehicle passing through. If the four items are the same, the vehicle is allowed to pass.

[0055] When this embodiment is applied, when a vehicle enters or leaves the parking lot, the entrance camera or the exit camera can collect the license plate in front of the gate. Since the angles of the entrance camera and the exit camera are fixed, when the distance between two vehicles is relatively close, after the front vehicle passes, the license plate of the rear vehicle has entered the shooting blind area, and the license plate information of the rear vehicle cannot be collected. The data storage and processing module identifies the vehicle model, color, and brand through the auxiliary camera module, and queries whether there are similar vehicles in the system that will enter and exit the parking lot during this time period. When there are alternatives, a confirmation message is sent to the corresponding client. If confirmation is obtained, the vehicle can pass. If confirmation is not obtained, the data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information, license plate number information, and vehicle queuing information of the vehicle in the section in front of the entrance and exit from the auxiliary camera module, and compares the vehicle information in front of the gate with the vehicle information in the section in front of the entrance and exit extracted from the auxiliary camera module. If the vehicle information matches, the vehicle in front of the gate is confirmed according to the vehicle queuing information, the license plate number information of the vehicle is extracted, and it is allowed to pass, so that the vehicle does not need to reverse even if the license plate in front of the gate cannot be collected, and can directly enter and exit the parking lot after being confirmed by the system automatically, greatly improving the traffic efficiency.

[0056] The data storage and processing module can be an independent physical server or terminal, or a server cluster composed of multiple physical servers, and can be a cloud server that provides basic cloud computing services such as cloud servers, cloud databases, cloud storage, and CDN.

[0057] The client can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, etc., but is not limited thereto. The client and the data storage and processing module can be connected through a network, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0058] As Figure 3 shown, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of extracting the vehicle information to enter and exit during this period from the reservation module include:

[0059] The vehicle owner reports the time in advance before entering the parking lot, and enters the vehicle model, color, brand, and license plate information in the client.

[0060] The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information and entry time provided by the vehicle owner from the client, stores them in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table, and pushes the parking space information to the vehicle owner in real time according to the internal conditions of the parking lot.

[0061] After the data storage and processing module receives the reserved vehicle entering the parking lot, it deletes the corresponding record in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table.

[0062] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of pushing the parking space information to the vehicle owner in real time according to the internal conditions of the parking lot include:

[0063] The data storage and processing module extracts the occupancy status of parking spaces through cameras installed in the parking lot and generates a parking space status table;

[0064] The data storage and processing module will query the parking space status table, set the recommended priority of the parking space in the parking space occupancy status table, and push the parking space with the highest priority and currently unoccupied to the client according to the priority of the parking space.

[0065] When this embodiment is applied, several internal cameras are installed inside the parking lot. The data storage and processing module extracts the occupancy status of each parking space inside the parking lot through the internal cameras and generates a parking space status table. The parking spaces in existing parking lots are arranged in parallel. When a car owner parks, if there are no parked vehicles on both sides of the parking space, the car owner can easily complete the parking operation. Therefore, if there are no obstacles within the preset distance range on both sides of a parking space, the priority of this parking space is the highest; if there are no obstacles within the preset distance range on only one side of a parking space, the priority of this parking space is medium; if there are obstacles within the preset distance range on both sides of a parking space, the priority level of this parking space is the lowest. After the car owner completes the reservation operation, the data storage and processing module pushes the parking space with the highest priority and currently unoccupied to the client according to the priority of the parking space, so that the car owner can quickly complete the parking operation after entering the parking lot, thus avoiding the vehicle wandering in the parking lot to search for a parking space continuously, resulting in congestion in the parking lot, improving the parking efficiency, and bringing great convenience to the car owner.

[0066] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of pushing the parking space priority includes: the data storage and processing module will query the parking space status table, select the parking space with the highest priority and currently unoccupied in the parking lot. If it does not exist, select the parking space with medium priority and currently unoccupied. If it does not exist, select the parking space with the lowest priority and currently unoccupied.

[0067] As Figure 4 shown, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of extracting the vehicle information of the vehicle to leave during this period from the payment module include:

[0068] The car owner pays in advance through the client before leaving the parking lot;

[0069] The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information of the paid user from the incoming vehicle record table and stores it in the incoming vehicle information to be confirmed table;

[0070] After the paid vehicle leaves the parking lot, the corresponding information in the incoming vehicle record table and the incoming vehicle information to be confirmed table is deleted.

[0071] When this embodiment is applied, before the vehicle owner drives away from the parking lot, the vehicle owner can perform a payment operation in the client in advance. After the data storage and processing module receives the charging information sent by the client, it extracts the vehicle information of the paying user from the entering vehicle record table. The vehicle information includes vehicle model, color, brand, and license plate number information. The advanced vehicle information is stored in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. When the vehicle normally drives away from the parking lot, the information in the entering vehicle record table is deleted. When the vehicle cannot be captured by the exit camera at the exit, the data storage and processing module uses the auxiliary camera module to identify the vehicle model, color, and brand, and queries whether there is a similar vehicle in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table that will enter and exit the parking lot during this time period. When there are alternatives, a confirmation message is sent to the corresponding client. If confirmed, the vehicle passes, enabling the vehicle to directly drive out of the parking lot without queuing for payment at the exit of the parking lot, thereby reducing the occurrence of situations where vehicles cannot be identified due to queuing and improving the entry and exit efficiency of the parking lot.

[0072] As Figure 5 shown, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of the retrieval mode include:

[0073] The auxiliary camera module scans the vehicle in front of the entrance and exit through the auxiliary camera 1, and extracts the vehicle model, color, and brand;

[0074] The data storage and processing module receives the vehicle information sent from the auxiliary camera module, and compares it with the vehicle information in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. If there is consistent information, it is sent to the client for confirmation. If the client confirms, the vehicle passes, and the corresponding information in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table is deleted;

[0075] If the client does not confirm, the auxiliary camera module monitors the vehicles on the section in front of the entrance and exit in real time through the auxiliary camera 2, and extracts the vehicle model, color, brand, license plate information, and position relationship of each vehicle in the queue;

[0076] The data storage and processing module receives the information sent from the auxiliary camera module and stores it in the auxiliary information table;

[0077] The data storage and processing module compares the extracted vehicle model, color, brand, and the information of the previous passing vehicle with the auxiliary information table. If the four are consistent, the vehicle is allowed to pass, and the corresponding information in the auxiliary information table is deleted.

[0078] In the application of this embodiment, the auxiliary camera 1 installed at the entrance and exit extracts the vehicle model, color, and brand. The data storage and processing module receives the vehicle information extracted by the auxiliary camera 1 and compares it with the vehicle information in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. In the reservation module, before entering the parking lot, the vehicle owner has input the vehicle model, color, and brand into the system and stored them in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. By comparing the three sets of vehicle data, if all three sets of data are the same, alternative vehicles 1, alternative vehicles 2... alternative vehicles n are generated. Confirmation information is sent to the client of the corresponding vehicle owner based on the obtained alternative vehicles. If a vehicle owner confirms, the license plate information of the alternative vehicle corresponding to the vehicle owner is used as the finally recognized license plate number, the vehicle is allowed to pass, and it is stored in the entering vehicle record table. At the same time, its information in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table is deleted. If none of the vehicle owners of all alternative vehicles confirm, it means that the vehicle has a prior reservation in the system. At this time, the data storage and processing module collects video information on the road section in front of the entrance and exit through the auxiliary camera 2, extracts the vehicle model, color, brand, license plate information, and positional relationship of each vehicle in the queue from the video information, and compares the extracted vehicle model, color, brand, and the information of the previous vehicle that passed with the auxiliary information table. If the four are consistent, the vehicle is allowed to pass, and its corresponding information in the auxiliary information table is deleted, so that even if the license plate of the vehicle cannot be collected in front of the gate, there is no need to reverse the vehicle, and it can directly enter and exit the parking lot after the system automatically confirms, greatly improving the traffic efficiency.

[0079] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of comparing the extracted vehicle model, color, brand, and the information of the previous vehicle that passed with the auxiliary information table include:

[0080] The data storage and processing module generates alternative vehicles by comparing the vehicle information collected by the auxiliary camera 1 with the vehicle information collected by the auxiliary camera 2;

[0081] The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information of the vehicle in front of the alternative vehicle when queuing to enter and exit the parking lot;

[0082] The data storage and processing module compares the vehicle information with the newly added vehicle information in the entering vehicle record table. If they are consistent, the license plate information of the alternative vehicle is used as the finally recognized license plate number, the vehicle is allowed to pass, and it is stored in the entering vehicle record table.

[0083] When this embodiment is applied, when the vehicle owner fails to report in advance when entering or leaving the parking lot and the license plate information cannot be extracted at the entrance and exit, the data storage and processing module collects video information on the road section in front of the entrance and exit through the auxiliary camera 2, and extracts the model, color, brand, license plate information and positional relationship of each vehicle in the queue from the video information. For example, vehicles A and B have the same model, color, and brand, and both need to enter and leave the parking lot during the same time period. Vehicle C is in front of vehicle A, and vehicle D is in front of vehicle B. Vehicle A is located in front of the entrance and exit at this time. The data storage and processing module collects the model, color, and brand of vehicle A through the auxiliary camera 2, and after comparing with the information collected by the auxiliary camera 1, it is concluded that vehicles A and B are alternative vehicles. The data storage and processing module queries according to the video information that vehicle C is in front of vehicle A and vehicle D is in front of vehicle B. The data storage and processing module queries that the newly added vehicle in the incoming vehicle record table is vehicle C, then extracts the license plate of vehicle A in the auxiliary information table, uses the license plate information of vehicle A as the finally recognized license plate number, allows the vehicle to pass, and stores it in the incoming vehicle record table. At the same time, the record corresponding to this license plate number is deleted from the auxiliary information table.

[0084] As Figure 2 shown, in one embodiment, a license plate recognition method for a smart parking system is proposed. This embodiment mainly takes the application of this method to the license plate recognition system for the smart parking system described above Figure 1 as an example. Specifically, it may include the following steps:

[0085] Step S10: Extract the license plate information of the vehicle located at the entrance and exit. If possible, allow the vehicle to pass;

[0086] Step S11: If it cannot be extracted, start the query mode, extract the vehicle information to enter and leave during this period from the reservation module and the charging module, and store it in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table;

[0087] Step S12: Identify the model, color, and brand of the vehicle through the auxiliary camera module, and compare it with the vehicles in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. If found, send it to the client for confirmation;

[0088] Step S13: If the confirmation fails, start the retrieval mode, extract the vehicle information, license plate number information and vehicle queue information on the road section in front of the entrance and exit from the auxiliary camera module, and store it in the auxiliary information table;

[0089] Step S14: Compare according to the extracted model, color, brand of the vehicle and the information of the previous passing vehicle with the auxiliary information table. If the four items are the same, allow the vehicle to pass.

[0090] In the above embodiments of the present invention, a license plate recognition system for a smart parking system is provided, and based on this license plate recognition system for a smart parking system, a license plate recognition method for a smart parking system is provided. By extracting the license plate information of the vehicle located at the entrance and exit, if possible, the vehicle is allowed to pass; if it cannot be extracted, the query mode is started, and the vehicle information to enter and exit during this period is extracted from the reservation module and the charging module, and stored in the pending confirmation vehicle information table; the vehicle model, color, and brand are recognized through the auxiliary camera module, and compared with the vehicles in the pending confirmation vehicle information table. If found, it is sent to the client for confirmation; if not confirmed, the retrieval mode is started, and the vehicle information, license plate number information, and vehicle queue information located in the section before the entrance and exit are extracted from the auxiliary camera module and stored in the auxiliary information table; according to the vehicle model, color, brand of the extracted vehicle and the information of the previous passed vehicle, compared with the auxiliary information table, if the four items are the same, the vehicle is allowed to pass. By making a reservation and paying in advance, vehicle information is left in the system, so that when the vehicle enters and exits the parking lot, even if the license plate number is not recognized, the license plate information can still be obtained through the reserved information, realizing the entry and exit of the vehicle. Also, in the case of no reserved information, by analyzing the four data items of the vehicle model, color, brand, and position relationship of the vehicles in the queue, the license plate number information of the vehicle in front of the entrance and exit can be obtained, so that even if the license plate of the vehicle cannot be collected in front of the gate, there is no need to reverse the vehicle, and it can directly enter and exit the parking lot after the system automatically confirms, greatly improving the traffic efficiency.

[0091] In order to enable the above method and system to run smoothly, in addition to the above various modules, the system may further include more or fewer components than the above description, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, it may include input and output devices, network access devices, buses, processors, and memories, etc.

[0092] The so-called processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc. The above processor is the control center of the above system, connecting various parts through various interfaces and lines.

[0093] The above-mentioned memory can be used to store computer and system programs and / or modules. By running or executing the computer programs and / or modules stored in the memory, and calling the data stored in the memory, the processor can implement the various functions. The memory mainly includes a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area can store an operating system, application programs required for at least one function (such as the function of displaying information collection templates, the function of publishing product information, etc.). The data storage area can store data created according to the use of the berth status display system (such as product information collection templates corresponding to different product types, product information to be published by different product providers, etc.). In addition, the memory can include high-speed random access memory, and can also include non-volatile memory, such as hard disks, memory, plug-in hard disks, smart media cards (SmartMediaCard, SMC), secure digital (SecureDigital, SD) cards, flash cards (FlashCard), at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices.

[0094] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope described in this specification.

[0095] The above-described embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present invention. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the patent for the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent for the present invention should be subject to the appended claims.

[0096] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A license plate recognition system for a smart parking system, characterized in that: The system includes: an entrance camera, an exit camera, an entrance and exit control module, a data storage and processing module, a reservation module, a payment module, an auxiliary camera module and a client, wherein: The entrance and exit control module collects license plate images of vehicles entering and leaving through the entrance camera and the exit camera, and controls the gate switch; The data storage and processing module extracts the license plate information from the license plate image, and stores the extracted license plate number and entry time in the entry vehicle record table; If the information cannot be retrieved, the query mode is started, and the data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information to be entered and exited during the corresponding period from the reservation module and the payment module, and stores it in the vehicle information table to be confirmed; The data storage and processing module identifies the model, color and brand of the vehicle through the auxiliary camera module, and compares it with the vehicle in the vehicle information table to be confirmed. If found, it is sent to the client for confirmation; If the confirmation fails, the retrieval mode is started, and the data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information, license plate number information and vehicle queue information located on the road section before the entrance and exit from the auxiliary camera module, and stores them into the auxiliary information table; The data storage and processing module compares the extracted vehicle model, color, brand and information of the last vehicle that passed with the auxiliary information table, and allows the vehicle to pass if the four items are consistent; The specific steps of the retrieval mode include: The auxiliary camera module scans the vehicle in front of the entrance and exit through the auxiliary camera 1 to extract the model, color and brand of the vehicle; The data storage and processing module receives the vehicle information sent from the auxiliary camera module and compares it with the vehicle information in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table. If there is consistent information, it is sent to the client for confirmation. After the client confirms, the vehicle passes and its corresponding information in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table is deleted. If the customer does not confirm, the auxiliary camera module monitors the vehicles on the road section before the entrance and exit in real time through the auxiliary camera 2, and extracts the model, color, brand, license plate information and position relationship of each vehicle in the queue; The data storage and processing module receives the information sent from the auxiliary camera module and stores it into the auxiliary information table; The data storage and processing module compares the extracted vehicle model, color, brand and information of the last vehicle that passed with the auxiliary information table. If the four items are consistent, the vehicle is allowed to pass and its corresponding information in the auxiliary information table is deleted; The specific steps of comparing the extracted vehicle model, color, brand and the last passing vehicle information with the auxiliary information table include: The data storage and processing module generates candidate vehicles by comparing the vehicle information collected by the auxiliary camera 1 with the vehicle information collected by the auxiliary camera 2; The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information of the previous vehicle when the candidate vehicle is queuing to enter or exit the station; The data storage and processing module compares the vehicle information with the newly added vehicle information in the vehicle entry record table. If they are consistent, the license plate information of the candidate vehicle is used as the final recognized license plate number, the vehicle is allowed to pass, and stored in the vehicle entry record table.

2. The license plate recognition system for a smart parking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific steps of extracting the vehicle information to enter and exit the corresponding time period from the reservation module include: The car owner reports the time in advance before entering the parking lot and enters the model, color, brand and license plate information of the vehicle in the client; The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information and entry time provided by the car owner from the client, stores the information of the vehicle to be confirmed in the table, and pushes the parking space information to the car owner in real time according to the internal conditions of the parking lot; After receiving the reservation vehicle entering the parking lot, the data storage and processing module deletes the corresponding record in the to-be-confirmed vehicle information table.

3. The license plate recognition system for a smart parking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific steps of extracting the vehicle information to be driven out during the corresponding period from the payment module include: The car owner pays in advance through the client before leaving the parking lot; The data storage and processing module extracts the vehicle information of the paying user from the entry vehicle record table and stores it in the vehicle information table to be confirmed; After the paid vehicle leaves the parking lot, its corresponding information in the entry vehicle record table and the vehicle information table to be confirmed is deleted.

4. The license plate recognition system for a smart parking system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The specific steps of pushing parking space information to the car owner in real time according to the internal conditions of the parking lot include: The data storage and processing module extracts the occupancy status of the parking spaces through a camera arranged in the parking lot, and generates a parking space status table; The data storage and processing module will query the parking space status table, set the recommended priority of the parking space in the parking space occupancy status table, and push the highest priority and currently unoccupied parking space to the client according to the priority of the parking space.

5. The license plate recognition system for a smart parking system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The step of pushing the highest priority and currently unoccupied parking space to the client according to the priority of the parking space includes: the data storage and processing module will query the parking space status table, select the highest priority and currently unoccupied parking space in the parking lot, if it does not exist, select the middle priority and currently unoccupied parking space, if it does not exist, select the lowest priority and currently unoccupied parking space.

6. A license plate recognition method for a smart parking system, characterized in that: The license plate recognition system for a smart parking system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is adopted, and the method comprises the following steps: Extract the license plate information of the vehicle at the exit, and if possible, allow the vehicle to pass; If it cannot be retrieved, the query mode is started to extract the vehicle information to be entered and exited during the corresponding period from the reservation module and the charging module, and the information is stored in the vehicle information table to be confirmed; The model, color and brand of the vehicle are identified through the auxiliary camera module and compared with the vehicles in the vehicle information table to be confirmed. If found, it is sent to the client for confirmation; If the confirmation fails, the search mode is started to extract the vehicle information, license plate number information and vehicle queue information located on the road section before the entrance and exit from the auxiliary camera module, and store them in the auxiliary information table; The model, color, brand and information of the last vehicle that passed through are compared with the auxiliary information table. If the four items are consistent, the vehicle is allowed to pass.

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