Automatic License Plate Recognition Using OpenCV

Abstract

Automatic license plate recognition is a technology that relies on optical character recognition methods used on images for reading license plate text. These techniques are, in general, used with image processing techniques, whether the system is composed of them entirely or in addition to deep learning techniques and neural network models. Such a system can be used by CCTV cameras, smart cameras, and other such devices, for tasks in areas like law enforcement, toll collection systems, or parking lot ticket systems. These systems can be used to capture images, locate license plates and recognize the text from the license plate. Depending on the region, post-processing can be conducted to further refine the recognized text based on a set of predefined rules, such as the position of letters and numbers in the license plate string. This work aims to create an automatic license plate recognition system with the use of image processing techniques, mainly from the OpenCV python library. The system will attempt to recognize license plate text from vehicles parked in parking lots. This can be useful for people, who do not remember the place where they parked their vehicle, or in other areas such as law enforcement. For large parking lots, there are generally camera systems already in place, in this case, the system should be able to work with multiple angles and views of the parking lot to get results with the highest accuracy ratings.