LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars don't

[hook3m]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

Try turning autofocus off and manually set the focus. I could never get good plate reads with autofocus enabled. Use a target plate as Nayr suggested or get reflective letters from Home Depot. I put 2 reflective letters on a street light pole in front of my house to set the focus as it is the exact same distance I'm reading plates at.

 

[frankred]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

So what I want to do at this point is get a good handle on the focus during day and night before I set out with a target to zoom more and do some tweaking.
I can currently either capture day or night because Zoom seems to be set independently of the Day/Night Profile. I don't see a way to set it according to the profile. I also don't see a way to disable Auto Focus, unless manually changing the focus is what you meant hook3m.
I was hoping to be able to either set it to stay in one profile 24/7 on B&W or set Day to use B&W to fix the focus. But that doesn't seem to be working, yet.

 

[frankred]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

So I had a friend help me with this camera the other night. I worked on settings and he was the target in either a parked or driving car. I made a lot of progress and I kept noticing that I could get it right, and then I could see something in the camera auto-adjust or change somehow. I just logged in and I realized that when I go to Camera > Conditions > Focus tab, it always defaults to Speed: 20. Meaning if you click + or - it is going to increment by 20. However, if I set it to say 5, and move from 210 to 205 and leave the screen, it changes back to the nearest increment of 20. I do not see where I can turn off this function. Any ideas??

 

[pozzello]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

that's the config software that cam with the cam? funny, but i've never seen or used it. only the web UI.

I run both my huisun/imporx v2 10x mini-ptz LPR cams in manual focus.
Since there is no day/night profile to switch the focus settings, I use preset 1 for day, preset 2 for night.
in manual focus mode, the focus settings are remembered with the presets.

Then i have BI switch the presets around sunset/sunrise.
If you're not using BI, you might find some other way to invoke the presets based on time of day or sunset/sunrise.

edit: doh! posted this thinking you were using a mini-ptz, not the Dahua box. nevermind.
but i still think your best bet is to have separate manual/fixed focus settings you can switch for day/night somehow...

 

[nayr]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

speed is the speed of autofocus, you can use it to help you land in the area.. then click the + and - button once to change it just one step in either direction, the speed has no impact on +/-

once you have it focused, I go to http://alpr-host/cgi-bin/devVideoInput.cgi?action=getFocusStatus and save the status.Focus=NUMBER then at a later time I can always go right back to that focus by running http://alpr-host/cgi-bin/devVideoInput.cgi?action=adjustFocus&focus=NUMBER

thats how I do it via scripts.

 

[frankred]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

edit: doh! posted this thinking you were using a mini-ptz, not the Dahua box. nevermind.
but i still think your best bet is to have separate manual/fixed focus settings you can switch for day/night somehow...

Your edit is correct, this is the webui of the dahua.
You bring up yet another problem though, the day/night switch seems to only have user set times, so in June, I can set night to start at 8:45pm, but in a few months I will need to change it. :/ I would love to solve that but for now I just want this camera to work for 24 hours straight.

 

[nayr]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

what are you running alprd on? If you install domoticz it can calculate sunrise/sunset and I can give you scripts for changing profiles at sunrise/sunset and changing focus.

 

[frankred]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

speed is the speed of autofocus, you can use it to help you land in the area.. then click the + and - button once to change it just one step in either direction, the speed has no impact on +/-

once you have it focused, I go to http://alpr-host/cgi-bin/devVideoInput.cgi?action=getFocusStatus and save the status.Focus=NUMBER then at a later time I can always go right back to that focus by running http://alpr-host/cgi-bin/devVideoInput.cgi?action=adjustFocus&focus=NUMBER

thats how I do it via scripts.

Here is the current behavior of Speed:
go to that tab and it is set to 20 on 200, select 1 and it goes to 207, select 5 and it goes to 205. Leave the screen and come back to find 20:210. I don't think it is working as designed. Maybe I don't get it yet. I hope that is the case. Either way, something is auto adjusting and messing with my image...

As to your links about alpr, this camera is connected to a router and nothing else. It connects to Milestone over the internet. Connecting a local PC would have to fit in a lock box and tolerate Texas summers and winters. But I have to admit that I have not yet researched openalpr. Maybe my assumptions are wrong and it can connect to and control this camera over the internet. Maybe a vpn?

A device with an OS would be great to have in that box, it would also help with Dynamic IP issues during power outages. The routers don't handle DDNS properly and Static IPs are out due to price since there are 7 setups like this (with the exception of this new LPR). So a device with about any OS would help. Long term goal is high powered wifi though. And for now, I just want to see this camera work

 

[nayr]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

i dont think pulling the slider works very well, try just the +/- buttons for fine tuning.. i have a mic on mine and i can hear it move one gear, the steps might not be 1:1 but its moving as little as it can.

as long as you can access the camera's http uri's you could issue commands externally from just about anywhere you want, the closer to the camera the more reliable it will be (ie will still work when internet is down)

 

[frankred]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

what are you running alprd on? If you install domoticz it can calculate sunrise/sunset and I can give you scripts for changing profiles at sunrise/sunset and changing focus.

I am not running alpr, although I was just brainstorming about how to do so in my last post. A vpn setup has been on my list of things to work on. Is my basic idea sound? Use a vpn to make it seem like there is a local computer to run alpr? I guess I would need a PC on both ends of the pipe right?

Also, with regards to my comments about speed, I am pretty sure that each of those makes a instant impact on the focus on the motionless street. However, I can't confirm that at this moment since it is night.

 

[nayr]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

get on ebay and go buy your self a used license plate already, if you need a calibration plate I'd go for a black and white Texas one in really good condition.. you can sit it on the side of the street and get alot further than you are right now waiting for help

this looks like a great calibration candidate, should be easy to dial in focus with something like this leaning on the curb: http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEXAS-THE-LONE-STAR-STATE-MAP-TX-Graphic-License-Plate-/182184069296

 

[frankred]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

get on ebay and go buy your self a used license plate already, if you need a calibration plate I'd go for a black and white Texas one in really good condition.. you can sit it on the side of the street and get alot further than you are right now waiting for help

this looks like a great calibration candidate, should be easy to dial in focus with something like this leaning on the curb: http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEXAS-THE-LONE-STAR-STATE-MAP-TX-Graphic-License-Plate-/182184069296

I hope I don't come off as sounding ungrateful for help or too cheap to put a plate in front of the cameras. Neither are the case. I am very grateful for the help I have received so far and I was telling my friend that helped me this weekend that I was driving down Friday night when he said he would go out there and give me a target.

We spent quite a while with plates in front of the camera, and I could sit and watch some function adjust the image, typically for the worse.

When I move the Speed setting, the focus changes. I wish I could disable that. I plan to confirm that in the morning against the asphalt.

I also plan to start looking at alpr asap. I am too tired at the moment to work with a primarily linux item though. That is not my cup of tea.

 

[frankred]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

So here are a couple of images from the camera to look at the Zoom slider and the Speed dropdown. I took a few snips showing 2 browser windows open to show that the speed drop down doesn't change the focus (but does change when I leave the stinkin window) and the zoom slider controls the zoom, as expected. I am still pretty pumped to learn that openalpr can control cameras remotely. I hope to start on that tomorrow morning if I can get the time.

The higher the zoom level, the more it moves down and right in the frame. My second window is covering the sweet spot in the zoom 200 pic...

 

[nayr]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

the back focus just lets you do minor adjustments, you have to manually focus with the lens.. and trying to focus on cracks on the road is nowhere near as good as trying to actually focus on letters.. I went down this path, I get a sharper image putting the focus slider in the middle, taking a laptop outside and manually focusing the ring until its perfect on a plate that's out in the street..

OpenALPR wont focus shit for you, you have to do all this on your own..

 

[SyconsciousAu]

Re: LPR is currently looking like about a 50% success, slow cars capture, fast cars d

When I move the Speed setting, the focus changes.

Im assuming you mean the shutter speed and that you have an auto iris lens. What you are experiencing is depth of field change.

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

When you increase the shutter speed the lens will automatically increase the aperture to let in more light. Increased aperture means decreased depth of field. You can use that calculator to work out your depth of field.

The idea is to set up your focus with the aperture as far open as it will go. If your camera has an aperture priority function set it to the lowest F number it has. If it doesn't set the shutter speed as high as it will go to force the shutter open. As aperture reduces your depth of field gets larger so if you are in focus at f1.2 you should be in focus at everything above that.