Editing license plate reads in a parking zone - Security Center 5.11

Security Center User Guide 5.11

Product
Security Center
Content type
Guides > User guides
Version
5.11
Language
English
Last updated
2024-07-05

If a Sharp camera that is monitoring an AutoVu™ Free-Flow parking zone misreads a plate or fails to capture a plate, you can edit the read so that the entrance and exit reads match.

What you should know

  • This information applies to systems that use Free-Flow. If you are not using this feature, see Editing license plate reads.
  • If the camera fails to capture a plate, no ALPR image is associated with the read and the plate number NOPLATE is associated with the read. This ensures that all objects that pass through the camera's field of view are captured for review, thereby helping to maintain higher vehicle occupancy count accuracy in the parking zone. This is particularly useful in installations where there is a high chance of missed plate reads, for example, in muddy or snowy weather conditions.

  • You cannot edit a plate read if the read is protected or if the read generated a hit.
  • When a plate read is edited, if there is a confidence score associated with the plate read, the confidence score is changed to 100%.
  • The details of the plate read edit appear in the Activity trails report.
  • If the system generates too many NOPLATE reads (one car generates multiple NOPLATE reads, or a vehicle is detected but does not appear in the image) or too few NOPLATE reads (vehicles that pass the camera are not detected), it may indicate that there is a problem with the installation, for example, partial obstruction, bad lighting, bad positioning, or configuration issues. You might also need to recalibrate the Sharp camera's virtual loop feature. For more information see Calibrating the virtual loop.
  • You can edit plate reads from the following tasks:
    • Reads task
    • Monitoring task
    • Parking sessions task (not including NOPLATE reads)
    • Parking zone activities task (not including NOPLATE reads)
    • Alarm monitioring task (if alarms are configured for NOPLATE reads or reads with a low confidence score)

How editing plate reads affects parking sessions and parking zone occupancy

  • Editing an entry plate read:
    • If you edit the entry plate read for a vehicle that has an active parking session, the parking session is updated with the correct plate number. In this case, the parking zone's occupancy is not affected. If the system uses Pay-by-Plate Sync parking permits, the parking session's paid time, violation, or grace period state is reevaluated with Pay-by-Plate Sync.
    • If a vehicle's plate is misread when it enters the parking zone, a parking session is created and the parking zone's occupancy is increased. In this case, you must edit the entry plate read before the vehicle leaves the parking zone or before the parking session exceeds the maximum session time because at this point, the session is closed and editing the plate read does not update the parking session. However, this situation does not affect occupancy. When the vehicle's license plate is read correctly at the parking zone exit, the vehicle will be flagged as an unknown vehicle and the parking zone's occupancy is reduced.
    • If the entry read is a NOPLATE read, the vehicle is included in the occupancy of the parking zone, but a parking session is not created. Editing the read creates a parking session for the vehicle and the permit is evaluated based on the entry time of the vehicle.
  • Editing an exit plate read:
    • If you edit an exit plate read that matches the plate number of an active parking session, the system closes the session and the parking zone's occupancy is updated accordingly.
    • When a NOPLATE read is generated at the exit of a parking zone, the occupancy count for that zone is reduced. If that event is edited to a plate number that matches that of an active session in the parking zone, then the parking session is closed because we know that NOPLATE read is the same vehicle.

Procedure

To edit a plate read:

  1. From the license plate read tile, click Modify ().
    NOTE: If you are trying to modify a plate read in a Reads report, you must first double-click the read to display it in a tile.
  2. In the Edit read window, manually modify the Plate and State information as required.
  3. Click Save.

To investigate and edit a NOPLATE read:

  1. From the homepage, open the Reads task.
  2. From the ALPR units - Patrollers list, select the camera to investigate.
  3. Select the License plate filter and enter NOPLATE.
  4. Click Generate report.
    Reads with no associated plate number are listed in the report pane.
  5. If the vehicle's plate is visible in the context image, you can edit the plate read to include the correct plate number.
    1. Double-click the read to display it in a tile.
    2. From the license plate read tile, click Modify ().
    3. In the Edit read window, manually modify the plate information as required.
    4. Click Save.

Results

In Reads reports, the Edited column shows you if the plate read has been edited.