Security cameras in taxicabs with three rows of seating

Abstract

Taxicab security cameras are widely used to deter crimes against taxicab drivers in two-row-seating taxicabs. Some of these cameras have difficulty for use in three-row-seating taxicabs due to increased distance between the camera and the third-row seats. This project tested five sample taxicab security cameras with different image-sensor pixel counts to determine their utility for three-row-seating taxicabs. The cameras videotaped a normalized camera resolution test chart mounted in the third-row seat of a simulated three-row-seating taxicab in both daylight and dark (with infrared radiation) conditions. The resolution of each camera was measured and compared with the resolution threshold for customer facial identification. A dome-mounted camera with a standard-definition image-sensor is suggested as an effective camera in sustaining high camera resolution with small data file size for facial identification in the third-row seats. The image-sensors with at least 1280 × 720 pixels are suggested for windshield-mounted cameras in three-row-seating taxicabs for facial identification.