Configuring the License Plate Recognition module🔗
To use the module, enable and configure it.
To do that, launch the launch the Eocortex Configurator application application, go to the 
Cameras tab, select a camera in the list located on the left side of the page, then go to the Analytics tab on the right side of the page, and enable the module using the 
switch.
Clicking the 
button opens the module setup window.
The module settings description is provided below.
Basic settings
Set the size range of a license plate: Opens the settings window for the minimum and maximum width of recognized license plates.
License plate search zone: Opens the zones settings window within license plates will be recognized.
Mode: Selecting the license plate detection mode based on the speed of vehicle movement.
Mode options:
Slow: for stationary or slow-moving objects. For example, for parking lots. The distance the object shifts in the movement direction in one second should not be more than 1/4 of its size.
Medium: For objects moving at an average speed. For example, for slow-moving cars in a parking lot. The distance the object shifts in the movement direction in one second should not be more than its size.
Fast: For objects that come in and out of the frame quickly. For example, for cars on a highway. The distance the object shifts in the movement direction in one second should not be more than 2.5 times of its size.
Determine the movement direction: Enabling this option allows you to specify which direction of vehicle movement will be considered as entry and which as exit.
You can also configure a parameter that will not consider certain vehicle license plates:
Upon entry
Upon exit
For undetermined direction.
Detect two-line plates: Enabling this option allows the detection of two-line license plates.
Number of license plate frames required for recognition: The module accuracy settings. The License Plate Recognition event will be created only when the license plate is recognized on the specified number of frames. A higher value reduces the number of false recognitions, but may lead to the recognition failure of license plates moving fast in the frame.
Plate color: Selecting the color of the license plate for detection.
Available colors:
White
Black
Blue
Orange
Limit the license plate re-recognition time, sec.: Specifies the time interval after which the number will be re-recognized.
Parking spots
On the Parking spots tab, it is possible to configure the settings for the parking lots.
To access the settings for parking lots, turn on the Track parking lots slider.
Note
Parking lot settings are set for the entire system.
In the settings window, it is possible to perform the following actions:
create a new parking lot;
edit or delete an existing parking lot.
For a parking lot you configure the following settings:
name;
one or more cameras working as entry and exit points;
permissible parking time;
number of parking spots;
period and time of resetting the counter.
The following events were added to the Tasks by event tab of the Automation section:
Parking vehicle counter has been changed
Parking event
Parking lot occupancy has changed
A new user right, Adjusting the number of occupied parking spots has been added to the Users section. This right allows the user to change the value of the occupied parking spots counter in the Eocortex Client application. By default, this right is enabled.
Database
The access to the license plate database can be set on the Database tab.
Two database deployment options are available: Local or Remote.
If the recognition process runs on only one server, it is recommended deploying the database on this server by selecting Local.
If the recognition process is running on several servers, the database should still be hosted only on one of them. For this purpose, select the Remote option for all cameras and specify the database connection parameters: server address, name and password of the database administrator. The same applies when the database of the module is deployed on one server, and the camera with the module enabled is attached to another one.
Note
Eocortex version 3.6 and lower uses Firebird DBMS with the following default values:
Port: 3050
Username: SYSDBA
Password: masterkey
Note
Starting from version Eocortex 4.0, the module's database is handed over to the PostgreSQL DBMS with the following default values:
Port: 5432
Username:
For Windows: postgres
For Linux: eocortex
Password: masterkey
Warning
Remote access to databases is not allowed by default in PostgreSQL and must be additionally configured if remote databases are used for analytics. All settings must be done for the server where the database is stored. Settings are slightly different for Windows and Linux operating systems.
When the server is running for the first time after upgrading Eocortex to version 4.0 or higher, the existing module database will be automatically transformed to be compatible with PostgreSQL.
Warning
If connecting to a Remote database, use the DBMS Username and Password that are valid for the server storing the database.
Warning
Independent of the database location, the recognition events (date and time of recognition, coordinates of the object in the frame, binding of the recognized object to the database) will always be stored on the server to which the camera with the corresponding events is bound.
Warning
Synchronization with the database located on a remote server can take some time
Note
When using a remote database, the remote database replication mechanism will be applied.
It is possible to check the availability of the database clicking the Connection check link. If the server is unavailable, the corresponding message will be displayed.
Barrier gate control
The settings of the module’s interaction with a rising arm barrier can be configured on the Barrier gate control tab.
The Rising arm barrier control mode must be activated to access the settings of the module’s interaction with a rising arm barrier.
Note
To use the module only for controlling a rising arm barrier, the License Plate Recognition (Complete) module license or protection key is not required. However, for ensuring the abovementioned functionality, it is necessary to have the License Plate Recognition (Complete) module support indicated in the Eocortex license file or software key for the corresponding quantity of cameras.
When the rising arm barrier control mode is activated, the following capabilities are available:
Control methods:
Manual control: allows the operator to open and close the barrier using the Eocortex Client application.
Auto (by recognized license plate): allows to open the rising arm barrier automatically if the recognized number is in the white list, i.e. is included in the group of vehicles for which the automatic opening of the barrier is envisioned.
In case the automatic rising arm barrier control is activated, the following options are available:
Open the barrier: if the recognized number is in the white list, the Eocortex server generates a command to open the barrier.
Open and close: if the recognized number is in the white list, the Eocortex server generates a command to open the barrier; then, in a number of seconds set in the Close after opening in (sec) field, a command for closing the barrier is generated.
Note
Most of the modern rising arm barriers automatically close after the passing of one vehicle. For such barriers, the Open the barrier option shall be selected.
Warning
When the Open and close option is selected, it is imperative that the barrier itself has a feature of preventing its closing when a car is below the rising arm. It means that after generating the closing command the barrier’s automatics must check if there is a vehicle or a person on the line of closing, and proceed with the closing only in the absence of the above.
Note
Both in manual and in automatic barrier control mode, the opening or closing command is understood as the generation of the Request to open rising arm barrier or Request to close rising arm barrier event, correspondingly. To control the rising arm barrier, it is required to set the actions for these events depending on the control wiring diagram of the particular barrier.
Warning
The module will start working only when the settings are applied.