Dedicated License Plate Cam project

gpower07 said:

when you will release the lpr software? I will donate money for your time.

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The main ALPR software discussed in this thread is OpenALPR which is available for free.

Updated my IPC-HF5421E firmware with this: DH_IPC-HX5X2X-Themis_Eng_P_Stream3_V2.600.0005.0.R.20161219.bin

and now my LPR camera has the same cropping 720p substream feature that I found here: Dahua 4MP Varifocal Bullet (IPC-HFW5421E-Z)

proabibly going to configure ALPRD to pull that 720p cropped substream and start being able to record the main stream in h264/h265

@nayr Would you have time to write up a "how to" for ANLPR? I looked at your code up on get hub and I compared the conf files to the ANLPR I downloaded for my windows box but it's not syncing in how you have it running.

Jeremy.Flaugh said:

@nayr Would you have time to write up a "how to" for ANLPR? I looked at your code up on get hub and I compared the conf files to the ANLPR I downloaded for my windows box but it's not syncing in how you have it running.

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Start with a pre-compiled build for windows: Releases · openalpr/openalpr · GitHub
and then read the wiki: Home · openalpr/openalpr Wiki · GitHub

Reposted here my answer to a private message about my use of a long SLR lens, in case it is useful to others.

For extended range (plates at 200+ feet) I am using a fully manual old-style Nikon SLR lens, no auto iris, no auto-focus and that is what I recommend. Also needs F-mount to C-mount adaptor. For example NIKON NIKKOR-H 50MM F2.0 LENS (NON AI NIPPON KOGAKU) | eBay (although I'm using a 100mm lens) plus Camera Adapter For Nikon F Mount Lens To 16mm C Mount Film Movie Adapter | eBay

There is no way to activate a focus motor in a SLR lens without the SLR camera body, even if it was an autofocus model. Fortunately, you don't have to! That's the good news. The Dahua IPC-HF5421E camera I have has its own focusing motor that instead moves its image sensor back and forth by remote command (script), so you can remotely adjust focus on the camera even with a fixed manual lens that never moves. I've never tried to do this from Windows, I only use Linux for this stuff. I do not attempt autofocus, I just have my script switch at sunrise & sunset between two fixed settings found by trial & error (one for day, another for night with 850nm IR illuminator).

Yes, for less money you can get one of those 6-60 mm CS mount lenses. I did myself, and I also tried one of the few available 100mm CS lenses, before I ended up with an SLR lens. They do work but mine had glare / flare on bright spots, not really sharp/crisp. Maybe I'm a perfectionist but I was never happy with it. If you care about image quality the Nikon SLR lens is *much* better, although it is big and heavy and never designed to mount on an IP camera the way I did. I wonder a little about the mechanical stress on the lens mount, but my 100mm lens + long hood has been OK so far.

cam235 said:

Reposted here my answer to a private message about my use of a long SLR lens, in case it is useful to others.

For extended range (plates at 200+ feet) I am using a fully manual old-style Nikon SLR lens, no auto iris, no auto-focus and that is what I recommend. Also needs F-mount to C-mount adaptor. For example NIKON NIKKOR-H 50MM F2.0 LENS (NON AI NIPPON KOGAKU) | eBay plus Camera Adapter For Nikon F Mount Lens To 16mm C Mount Film Movie Adapter | eBay

There is no way to activate a focus motor in a SLR lens without the SLR camera body, even if it was an autofocus model. Fortunately, you don't have to! That's the good news. The Dahua IPC-HF5421E camera I have has its own focusing motor that instead moves its image sensor back and forth by remote command (script), so you can remotely adjust focus the camera even with a fixed manual lens that never moves. I've never tried to do this from Windows, I only use Linux for this stuff. I do not attempt autofocus, I just have my script switch at sunrise & sunset between two fixed settings found by trial & error (one for day, another for night with 850nm IR illuminator).

Yes, for less money you can get one of those 6-60 mm CS mount lenses. I did myself, and I also tried one of the few available 100mm CS lenses, before I ended up with an SLR lens. They do work but mine had glare / flare on bright spots, not really sharp/crisp. Maybe I'm a perfectionist but I was never happy with it. If you care about image quality the Nikon SLR lens is *much* better, although it is big and heavy and never designed to mount on an IP camera the way I did. I wonder a little about the mechanical stress on the lens mount, but my 100mm lens + long hood has been OK so far.

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pics?

This is the same camera that I put a photo from here:
ALPR: anyone have a 100mm lens they like?

It is good enough for a clear view of plates at 250 ft. Often you can even read the smaller print on the frame of the plate.

cam235 said:

This is the same camera that I put a photo from here:
ALPR: anyone have a 100mm lens they like?

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that shows the lens, I was interested to see the actual camera with the lens on it lol.

Don't have a photo of the Nikon handy, but first I tried a Canon 100mm SLR lens which was actually larger than the Nikon is. Photo of that lens on the camera is here: https://ipcamtalk.com/attachments/dahua-canon100mm-jpg.12858/

Here are some photos of my current setup, the Nikon SLR lens on the Dahua box cam using F-mount to C-mount adaptor. In background of one photo is a homebrew IR spotlight. After installing I put "black wrap" foil around the lens hood and camera body, to keep some dust off and make the white camera body stand out less.

cam235 said:

Here are some photos of my current setup, the Nikon SLR lens on the Dahua box cam using F-mount to C-mount adaptor. In background of one photo is a homebrew IR spotlight. After installing I put "black wrap" foil around the lens hood and camera body, to keep some dust off and make the white camera body stand out less.

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dude that's sick lol.

@cam235 I assume it just lives under a tool/lawnmower lean-to outside and shoots through the open side? Probably wouldn't have to be too weatherproof like that. Nobody would guess from the road what it was. Looks more like a potato cannon than a camera TBH.

It's near the roofline, just under the eaves. If you're walking by on the sidewalk or even up the driveway, I don't think it really jumps out at you. I had to increase the camera exposure to make it visible with the black wrap on; from any distance mostly it just looks like a dark blob.

Spent my Sunday setting up my 2x IPC-HFW5431E-Z5 as dedicated LPR cams.

TheSuperServer said:

Spent my Sunday setting up my 2x IPC-HFW5431E-Z5 as dedicated LPR cams.

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I've been doing the same. Still working on the settings. This was taken in Shutter priority with a custom range of no slower than 1/2000. The camera obviously cranked up the iso hence all the grain. I've turned the gain down to 25 and pulled the shutter back to 1/1000. Now all I need is a car to drive past.

That's what my settings are 1/1000 I didn't mess with the gain just changed the shutter. Results day and night seem to be good but still testing.

These settings seem to work fairly well by day and night.

All of us will run into the issue of non reflective number plates at night from time to time, which looks something like this.


When I built my new number plate recognition setup I wanted to eliminate the unreadable plate so I put a starlight on the job running 1/250s shutter at night. The result is this



Combining the IPC-HFW5431E-Z5 with the IPC-HFW5231E-Z5 has worked very well for me.

@SyconsciousAu, that's really nice!

I saw a a few cars like that, i.e. non-reflective license plate when I tested my IPC-HFW5231E-Z5. Currently waiting for my Z12 hoping to get a better angle.

Is that only using the inbuilt IR from your two cameras, or do you have additional IR?

cb8 said:

Is that only using the inbuilt IR from your two cameras, or do you have additional IR?

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Running a cheap 15 degree 6 x 1W IR LED additional illuminator at the moment which cost me AUD$22 delivered from Aliexpress. I'm tempted to spend some more dollars and get one of the Scene 12 x 2W illuminators. They are about AUD$180 delivered but I suspect I could run the starlight at 1/500 and get really clear images of vehicles and non reflective plates.