PlateMatching Technology

The PlateMatching software is a set fo API and libraries that, using the homnym technology patented in 38 countries, is used to detect vehicles that travel a certain section with an average speed higher than permitted.

The core of an average speed detection system is the technology used to match transits entering in the monitored section with transits that exit from the same.

The PlateMatching technology is part of second generation of average speed detection tecnology. Classic average speed detection systems, called also first generation systems, are based on Automatic Number Plate Recognition of inbound and outbound vehicles, the PlateMatching technology can determine whether a vehicle detected by both the inbound and outbound drive units is suspected of being infringed without however identifying the vehicle as it does not use automatic number plate recognition techniques (also knows as ANPR, LPR, OCR etc.): the survey methodology is based on a statistical approach characterized by the low probability of confusing two vehicles in transit in a certain road / motorway section in a short and well defined time span without the need to identify them uniquely through the exact recognition of their plate on each peripheral unit.

Advantages of PlateMatching usage are following:

  • Very high reliability (more than 99%) in detecting vehicles in violation
  • Very high efficiency of the system when checking speed of vehicles with plate from each country, degraded or altered plate or motorbykes. These are all typical context where first generation systems, based on ANPR have low efficiency

Technical details

The PlateMatching software is divided in two different software modules: image analysis library (to be used in peripheral detection devices) and transit matching library (to be used in the center).

Image analysis library (detector)

This software module is used to analyze images detected from peripheral devices at the beginning and at the end of the section. Typically at the beginning and at the end of the secton there is an image processing device (embedded on camera or external) where this software module is installed. Through some simple API is possible to activate the analysis of an image and extract a string that will be used during the matching phase.

Simple API permits to the peripheral device software do interact with the library in an easy and efficient way.

Transit matching library (matching)

The matching library analyze strings extracted from detectors and identify which can be matched, i.e. which strings belong to the same vehicle.

For each couple of strings the library extract a mathc result (i.e. yes if the strings belong to the same vehicle and no otherwise) and a match reliability. The management software that interact with the library match string extracted from a transit at the end of section with strings extracted from images detected at the beginning of the section end extract the best match.