ANPReader (full version)

ANPReader is the first ANPR/ALPR (automated number plate/license plate recognition) application designed and optimised for mobile devices, providing single-click capture and accurate results within seconds. It works well in a wide range of lighting conditions, supports oblique angles, can read skewed plates, and can perform recognition across a broad spectrum of distances and sizes.

Unlike other scanning apps, this one runs entirely on your Android device without needing a network, so there are NO data charges or network delays whatsoever, and the number plates you want to read are NOT uploaded to any server.

As well as handling poor and low lighting conditions, ANPReader also supports numerous formats of car, motorcycle, and heavy goods vehicle registration plates, including personalised and some international (non-UK) number plates.

In the past, Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology has been mostly limited to expensive roadside cameras or sophisticated vehicle mounted devices. Use in parking and garage security systems has been limited to costly server based solutions, and largely restricted to capturing number-plates facing directly towards a camera, and in fixed lighting conditions.

Limitations:

This is the full version of ANPReader. Customers who require more advanced recognition or integration capabilities may wish to upgrade to the 'Pro' ANPR version. To upgrade to the professional version and enquire about volume licensing deals, international plate formats and other deployment options, or to hear about the wide range of other image recognition solutions offered by Imense Ltd., please email sales@imense.com and visit our website.

Usage:

(1) Hold your Android device horizontally, making sure the camera is not obscured. Try to line up the car number plate such that it falls roughly within the green focusing rectangle. The focusing box serves as a visual guide, but it does not matter if the number plate falls slightly outside its area.

(2) Tap the camera icon on the screen to take a picture of the number plate. ANPReader will analyse the image you took and recognise and display the number plate. The plate string will be displayed in green (high confidence), amber (medium confidence), or red (low confidence). A low confidence might indicate that the image was out of focus or that lighting was insufficient for the camera to capture a good image. You can simply hit 'return' to take the image again. There is also a button and settings option to make use of the flash or torch light if your device has one (note that this is only effective at very short distances and may cause undesirable reflections).

(3) You can then tap the plate string to edit it or copy and paste it into another application. To copy the number to the clipboard, swipe it with your finger and then select 'Copy to clipboard' from the context menu.

(4) You also have the option of logging the date, time, and plate string to a CSV (comma separated value) text file on your SD card by clicking the "Add to log" button. The name of the log text file can be configured via the 'Settings' menu.

(5) To take a new image, simply press the 'back' button on your Android device.

(6) If you'd like ANPReader to save each image that it recognises to your SD card, then please go to the 'Settings' menu and check the option 'Save images to SD card'. Images will be written to your SD card using file names of the form 'plateID_date_time.png'. The 'Settings' menu can be accessed by pressing the menu button on your Android device or by selecting it from the activity bar.