Method and system for vehicle authentication
AssigneeFlashParking, Inc.
InventorsJuan Rodriguez, Hunter Dunbar, Ranjith Parakkal, Sankaranarayanan Parameswaran, Dossan George, Bhaskar C, Deval Shah, Naman Mishra
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for identification and authentication of vehicles using imaging to develop a vehicle signature based off of both license plate recognition and identification of distinct features of the vehicle. The system may cross-reference the vehicle signature against databases of known vehicle signatures to authenticate the vehicle and to determine whether or not the vehicle is on a whitelist.
Claims17
A system for vehicle authentication comprising:
- a processing unit communicably connected to a camera and a database, wherein the camera is configured to obtain vehicle information from a vehicle as it enters and/or exits a parking facility and send the vehicle information to the processing unit, wherein the database comprises a plurality of vehicle signatures and is configured to provide the processing unit with access to the vehicle signatures, and wherein the processing unit is configured to receive the vehicle from the camera, to compare the vehicle information against the vehicle signatures, and to determine if the vehicle information matches one of the vehicle signatures.
The system for vehicle authentication of claim x-1 further comprising:
- an image validator module and an application configured to run on a user device;
- wherein the application is configured to receive user input and to transmit user information to the processing unit;
- and
- wherein the image validator module is configured to receive user information from the application and to perform license plate recognition thereon and to generate a vehicle signature therefrom.
A method of vehicle authentication comprising the steps of:
- capturing an image of a vehicle via a camera;
- establishing a vehicle signature for the vehicle based on an analysis of the image;
- comparing the license plate information and the vehicle signature for the vehicle against a signature database;
- and
- determining a match or no-match status between the vehicle signature and a known vehicle signature from the signature database.
A method for authentication of a vehicle comprising the steps of:
- capturing a plurality of images of a vehicle as it enters/exits a parking facility via a camera;
- capturing event information contemporaneously with the capturing of the images;
- sending the image and the event information to a processing unit;
- receiving location information from a user device at the processing unit;
- performing license plate recognition on the images at a license plate recognition module;
- comparing the license plate information against a plurality of known vehicle signatures stored in a signature database at a candidate selector module;
- selecting at least one candidate known vehicle signature based on said comparing;
- removing a known vehicle signature from the at least one candidate known signatures responsive to a comparison of the event information and the location information;
- selecting at least one preferred image from the plurality of images via an image selector module;
- establishing a vehicle signature comprising vehicle features for the vehicle based on analysis of the at least one preferred image at the signature module ;
- comparing the vehicle signature against the at least one candidate known vehicle signature at a matcher module;
- determining a match or no-match status between the vehicle signature and a candidate known vehicle signature;
- and
- determining a whitelist status for the vehicle responsive to a match determination.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.