Cameras are an “intelligent eye” for ITS (Intelligent Traffic Systems), they have to provide high quality images in every weather condition for automated detection and recognition. With the rise of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), also known as LPR (License Plate Recognition), machine vision had become a cornerstone of modern traffic systems.
As mentioned above, the main traffic applications for machine vision systems are ANPR and traffic monitoring.
ANPR is a versatile technology that is used in many different traffic applications, such as access control systems, law enforcement, tolling or in-vehicle applications for example in police cars. In tolling systems machine vision camera-based ANPR is also capable of replacing transponder technologies, like RFID or DSRC for vehicle identification.
Traffic monitoring systems are most frequently tasked with monitoring traffic flows, detecting accidents, to ensure rapid reaction by the authorities and synchronized switching of traffic lights to promote a smooth traffic flow. Machine vision techniques are typically used for identification, detection, vehicle counting and categorization. The data can be combined with the results of a weighing system to determine the consumed raw materials and fill level, allowing for clear, fully automated identification of individual trucks or even railroad cars and tanks.
Camera systems can also be used in street and rail inspection systems to help with timely initiation of maintenance and repair measures. With image processing, cracks and holes or other defects can be detected automated with high speed in street surface and rail inspection applications.
For many projects, the infrastructure pre-determines the camera type.
Cameras for ITS applications:
for access control an IP camera is needed, due to its easy integration into existing security systems
for tolling systems and traffic monitoring, an industrial camera is the common choice, mostly because its real time compatibility, and with the proper sensor, they offer the necessary sensitivity to capture high quality images during short exposure times
in-vehicle applications usually need a USB 3.0 camera for easy connection to car’s computer systems and board-level cameras for highly integrated solutions
road or rail inspection needs line-scan cameras, so images can be recorded line-by-line, allowing vehicles recording during peak densities and in some cases with high speed
If you have a project in the traffic and transposrtation industry that needs a machine vision camera or special digital industrial camera, please come to us with your questions, we will gladly help you to identify the core parameters, and help you to choose from hundreds of possible cameras and accessories to get the optimal solution for your problem!
To download a success story on machine vision camera integration for automated traffic violation monitoring, please click here.
