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Israeli developer of optical character recognition (OCR) computer and vision systems, Hi-Tech Solutions (HTS), has announced introduction of the VIR (Vehicle Identity Recognition) suite that is to be implemented
in conjunction with the company’s License Plate Recognition (LPR)
systems. The new suite comprises recognition of a vehicle’s
manufacturer logo and model name or number, vehicle body and plate
color, special icons on the license plate itself, such as handicapped
driver badges, and country or state name. The new VIR suite, which is
to be added as an option to the company’s LPR systems, will be launched
at Intertraffic 2010, to be held on March 23-26 in Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.

VIR allows for comparison of more than one parameter of a given vehicle’s identity and can therefore provide a more complete picture and higher accuracy. The vehicle logo, color and country or state name
recognition capabilities greatly enhance vehicle verification and
classification, which will help check correlation between the car type,
license plate number, and data stored on police and homeland security
databases. This allows an immediate alert when a suspicious vehicle
passes through the system. HTS offers an interface that can communicate
with local law enforcement agencies, as well as national agencies, such
as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

VIR can provide a valuable contribution to law enforcement and homeland security organizations, helping them detect: vehicles with false license plates, such as stolen cars; drivers who are trying to
evade highway speed cameras or toll collection; and people who replace
their license plate with a stolen one to steal fuel from gas stations.
In controlled areas, such as airports, LPR systems with the vehicle
logo recognition feature can be installed at access lanes,
automatically monitoring the vehicles entering and exiting the area,
detecting any discrepancies between the vehicle type and its license
plate number.

HTS’ proprietary vision-based LPR devices read and identify plate numbers and letters, and record the information in real-time for further processing according to customer’s needs and specifications.
The LPR system comprises software and hardware, configured to the site
specifications. Meta Rotenberg, VP business development at HTS, says,
“VIR is state-of-the-art technology, and special algorithms were
developed by our R&D department. We had to meet many challenges.
For example, vehicle manufacturer logos vary in size, shape and color
and unlike license plates, car logos can be located in different places
on the vehicle, or even separated from the car body and placed on the
hood.”