ES2325717B1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CAPTURE AND ASSOCIATION OF IMAGES. - Google Patents

Abstract

System and method of capture and association of images.

Image capture and association system that includes at least:

a first image capture sensor (14) and a second image capture sensor (15), fixed together with their respective optics, a first optic (11) of the first sensor (14) and a second optic (12) of the second sensor (15) so solidarity with each other by means of an alignment piece (18), and

electronic control means, comprising first sensor control means (16) and some second electronic means of generating and assigning codes (17).

Description

System and method of capture and association of images.

Object of the invention

The object of the present invention is a system and method of capturing and associating a plurality of images digital vehicles on public roads for reading Automatic vehicle registration and observation Human from the captured vehicle.

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Background of the invention

Currently, there is a wide variety of vehicle digital image capture systems for your subsequent automatic processing of the license plate reading, basing most of them on digital or analog cameras and infrared lighting systems, some of them equipped also with filters that reduce the passage of light in the areas of wavelengths shorter than the infrared zone.

The problem with these types of systems is that, in the captured images, especially at night, the vehicle as a whole, basically highlighting the license plate registration due to its reflectance conditions, and the headlights or pilots of the same, which makes the image valid for the view and reading of the license plate, but not to identify the vehicle as a whole.

On the other hand, if the lighting is increased or open the diaphragm sufficiently to appreciate the totality of the vehicle, it would be that by the characteristics of high license plate reflectance, these would be saturated with light, by what would not be possible to read.

Therefore, on some occasions, a second camera, usually colored and with a more field of view global, that is, with a shorter focal length than the reading chamber, attached or not to said reading chamber of license plates, thus obtaining a second image, in which You can appreciate the vehicle. However this option has little force of legal proof, for the simple fact that in an image captured the tuition is appreciated, while in the other one appreciate the vehicle, without a direct relationship between they guarantee to all legal effects that registration and vehicle have a direct correspondence.

In other known systems, such as radars, this problem is solved using a single camera equipped with a visible light flash, but this is not applicable to license plate reading, since it is required to be continuously illuminated. If trigger triggering is not used, that is, it illuminates 24 hours a day, whether or not there is a vehicle and whether it is day or night, it would mean 25 images per second, that is, 2160000 daily flash shots. If trigger triggering is used, that is, it is only captured and illuminated when an external device detects the presence of a vehicle, the number of shots is greatly reduced, but continues to be very high, and also, for obvious reasons, in The practice should not be continuously firing a flash on public roads. In the case of the radar if it is operational, since the flash is only fired in the case that a vehicle is traveling at a speed higher than the allowed.

Therefore, a system that allows have the valid images for the license plate reading and for vehicle observation, and to ensure that both images:

one.-

They are focused on the same field visual.

2.-

Be They have captured in the same instant of time.

3.-

Be They have captured by the same device.

4.-

Be have unequivocally associated on the same device.

5.-

Do not they could be manually composed by a third party.

European patent EP 1 117 082 presents a solution to the problems raised, said solution being based in the use of anti-polarization filters for eliminate excess light incident on the license plate.

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Description of the invention

To alleviate the problems mentioned above, it presents the image capture and association system, object of The present invention. Said capture and association system of Images includes at least:

two sensors image capture, of type CCD or CMOS, fixed together with their optics in solidarity with an alignment piece, and

media control electronics, which synchronize the capture of different sensors and that generates a plurality of codes that associate the images captured by the capture sensors, of such that it allows to guarantee that these images have been captured with the same device, at the same instant and pointing to the same area of vision.

How sensors and optics are jointly aligned, very close, the CCDs are the same size, and optics of the same focal length, the field of Vision in practice is the same. So, for example, the first Capture sensor is parameterized so that you can read the license plate and the second capture sensor so that, although for saturation the license plate is not visible, if the vehicle.

In addition, in the case of wanting to know the orientation regarding the cardinal points of the image taken, The system comprises an electronic compass, solidary and aligned with the CCD and the optics, in such a way that it facilitates the system the orientation of the same, so knowing the location of the device, you can know the place and sense in which the vehicle was driving when the images were captured. Optionally, the system object of the invention can to incorporate:

a grill of infrared LEDs that illuminate, not visible to the driver, the field of vision of the sensors;

a GPS system, that associate location coordinates and / or time with captures practiced by the system;

means of assignment of relevant information, which assign certain information, such as the kilometer point, to catches practiced by the system.

Similarly optional, both images captured as to the various data and associated codes and encoded in them, you can apply a watermark, as well as other similar protections or guarantees.

The method of image capture, object of the The invention comprises at least the following steps:

a first image capture stage of each sensor at the same instant of weather;

A second assignment and coding stage to both images of the date and time at the time of capture start; the precision used it is a millisecond, so the structure of the date is I would compose as AAAAMMDDHHNNSSLLL where AAAA is the year, MM is the month, DD is the day, HH the hours, NN the minutes, SS the seconds and LLL to the milliseconds;

a third stage of assignment and coding to both images of the number of device series;

a fourth stage of assignment and coding to each code image or capture sensor identifier inside the device, at least one for each capture image;

a fifth stage of assignment and coding to both images of the counter device images, which is incremented by one unit at a time that an image is captured;

a sixth stage, of assignment and coding to each image of the encrypted code resulting from applying certain operations to, on the one hand, the codes described above (date, time, serial number of the device, sensor identifier, and image counter), and on the other, the value of certain pixels of the image itself, preventing a third party who does not know the encryption, can perform a manual assembly;

a seventh mapping and coding stage to each image of a code common encryption for both resulting from applying certain operations to the codes and pixels described in the previous point and to the value of certain pixels of each image, which reinforces the guarantee that both images correspond to the same capture of the same device.

Brief description of the drawings

Then it goes on to describe very brief a series of drawings that help to better understand the invention and that expressly relate to an embodiment of said invention presented as a non-limiting example of is.

Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the image capture and association system, object of this invention.

Figure 2 shows an example of the type of image captured by the capture and association system of images, object of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows the block diagram of the image capture and association method, object of this invention.

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

As can be seen in Figure 1, the image capture and association system, object of this invention, comprises at least:

two sensors image capture (14 and 15), of type CCD or CMOS, fixed together with their respective optics (11 and 12) in solidarity with a alignment piece (18), and

media control electronics (16 and 17), which synchronize the capture of different cameras and that generates a plurality of codes that associate the images captured by the capture sensors (14 and fifteen).

where, and optionally, there is a electronic compass (13) in solidarity and aligned with the CCDs and optics, in such a way that it facilitates the orientation of the themselves, so knowing the location of the device, it You can know the place and direction in which the vehicle was traveling when the images were captured.

In figure 2 it is possible to observe the image capture results, where for example, the first capture sensor (14) is parameterized for reading the license plate (21) and the second capture sensor (15) is parameterized for the view of the complete vehicle (22).

The block diagram is shown in Figure 3 of the method of image capture, object of the invention, It comprises at least the following stages:

a first step (31) of capturing images of each sensor in the same instant of time;

A second step (32) of assignment and coding to both images of the date and time at the time of capture start; the precision used is a millisecond, so the structure of the date it would be composed as AAAAMMDDHHNNSSLLL where AAAA is the year, MM is the month, DD is the day, HH the hours, NN the minutes, SS the seconds and LLL to the milliseconds;

a third step (33) of assignment and coding to both images of the number as standard of the device;

a fourth stage (34) of assignment and coding to each image of the code or capture sensor identifier inside the device, at least one for each capture image;

a fifth stage (35) of assignment and coding to both images of the counter device images, which is incremented by one unit at a time that an image is captured;

a sixth stage (36) of assignment and coding to each code image encryption resulting from applying certain operations to, by one part, the codes described above (date, time, number standard device, sensor identifier, and counter image), and on the other, the value of certain pixels of the own image, preventing a third party who does not know the encryption, can perform manual assembly;

a seventh step (37) of assigning and coding to each image of a code common encryption for both resulting from applying certain operations to the codes and pixels described in the previous point and to the value of certain pixels of each image, which reinforces the guarantee that both images correspond to the same capture of the same device.

Claims (9)

1. Image capture and association system characterized in that it comprises at least:

a first sensor Image capture (14) and a second image capture sensor (15), fixed together with their respective optics, a first optic (11) of the first sensor (14) and a second optic (12) of the second sensor (15), in solidarity with each other by means of a piece of alignment (18), and

media electronic control, including first means of sensor control (16) and a few second electronic means of code generation and assignment (17).

2. Image capture and association system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first image capture sensor (14) and the second image capture sensor (15) are of the CCD type. 3. Image capture and association system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first image capture sensor (14) and the second image capture sensor (15) are of the CMOS type. 4. Image capture and association system according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor control means (16) synchronize the capture of the capture sensors (14) and (15). 5. Image capture and association system according to claim 1, characterized in that the second electronic means for generating and assigning codes (17) generates a plurality of codes that are associated with the images captured by the capture sensors (14) and (fifteen). 6. Image capture and association system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first capture sensor (14) is parameterized for reading the license plate (21) and the second capture sensor (15) is parameterized for view of the complete vehicle (22). 7. Image capture and association system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an electronic compass (13) integral and aligned with the CCDs and optics. 8. Image capture method, characterized in that it comprises at least the following stages:

a first step (31) of capturing images of each sensor in the same instant of time;

A second step (32) of assignment and coding to both images of the date and time at the time of capture start;

a third step (33) of assignment and coding to both images of the number as standard of the device;

a fourth stage (34) of assignment and coding to each image of the code or capture sensor identifier inside the device, when minus one for each capture image;

a fifth stage (35) of assignment and coding to both images of the counter device images, which is incremented by one unit at a time that an image is captured;

a sixth stage (36) of assignment and coding to each code image encryption resulting from applying certain operations to, by on the one hand, the identification codes and on the other, the value of certain pixels of the image itself;

a seventh step (37) of assigning and coding to each image of a code common encryption for both, resulting from applying certain operations to the codes and pixels of the sixth stage (36) and the value of certain pixels of each image.

9. Image capture method according to claim 8, characterized in that the precision used in the assigned date and time is one millisecond, whereby the structure of the date would be composed as YYYYMMDDHHNNSSLLL where YYYY is the year, MM is the month , DD is the day, HH the hours, NN the minutes, SS the seconds and LLL the milliseconds.