Fast optical recognition system devised for heavy traffic

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4 July 2001 News

Devised at a UK university, a new hybrid digital/optical pattern recognition system that combines optical computing with latest digital electronic technology, is offering massive computational power for number plate recognition in high density traffic. According to the researchers, this is a task that is currently impossible to achieve using contemporary digital computer systems.

In a single camera-frame time of 40 ms, the recognition system can scan the number plates of vehicles in its field of view as they are driven along a motorway.

The optical computing system integrates with an industrial PC. The digital part of the system uses an array of Sharc DSP processors to compute the two-dimensional Fourier transform of the incoming image which is digitally mixed with the spectra of the reference template functions - data which are loaded, frame by frame, on to a phase modulating spatial light modulator (SLM). This is then addressed by the optical system that performs the recognition task at several thousand frames per second.

Professor Chris Chatwin, Head of the Advanced Technology Hub, based at the University of Sussex, believes that the system is a great advance in the application of high-speed pattern-recognition technology for demanding unconstrained problems that have, until now, eluded solution. The system may be applied to a range of complex visual recognition tasks that necessitate a realtime response and are not amenable to solution by way of conventional, solely electronic, processing methods. Other examples include recognition of bank notes, post codes on mail and security data.

For further information see www.technologyhub.org or contact [email protected]

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Fast optical recognition system devised for heavy traffic

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