Search

Tilt correction is an integrant part of the automatic vehicle license plate recognition (VLPR) system. In this paper, according to the least square fitting with perpendicular offsets (LSFPO) the VLP region is fitted to a straight line. After the line slope is obtained, rotation angle of the VLP is estimated. Then the whole image is rotated for tilt correction in horizontal direction by this angle. Tilt correction in vertical direction by minimizing the variance of coordinates of the projection points is proposed. Despite the success of VLP detection approaches in the past decades, a few of them can effectively locate license plate (LP), even when vehicle bodies and LPs have similar color. A common drawback of color-based VLP detection is the failure to detect the boundaries or border of LPs. In this paper, we propose a modified recursive labeling algorithm for solving this problem and detecting candidate regions. While conducting the experiment, vehicle images taken under various conditions from traffic stations to evaluate the robustness, the flexibility and effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the proposed work a method for generating HDR images based on exposure blending is described. Using three differently exposed images a single image with recovered details in shadows and highlights is generated. Input images are analyzed to locate over and underexposed regions based on pixels intensity. Local contrast of input images is also considered in order to generate the output image with correct color transactions between differently exposed areas. Then images are merged using blending function. The proposed method requires a single pass thru the image to generate the result, which allows to process one image for less than 100 milliseconds. The proposed method requires no information about camera or shutting conditions, such as shutter speed or aperture size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting license plate (LP) is a crucial and inevitable component of the vehicle license plate recognition (VLPR) system. In this paper to select automatically statistical threshold value in HSI color model is proposed. The proposed vehicle license plate detection (VLPD) method consists of two main stages. Initially, HSI color model is adopted for detecting candidate regions. According to different colored LP, these candidate regions may include LP regions; geometrical properties of LP are then used for classification. The proposed method is able to deal with candidate regions under independent orientation and scale of the plate. Finally, the decomposition of candidate regions contains predetermined LP alphanumeric characters by using position in the histogram to verify and detect vehicle license plate (VLP) region. Experimental results show that the proposed method is very effective in coping with different images under the variety of conditions such as complex scenes, illumination changing, distances and varied weather etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an algorithm for vehicle license plate detection (VLPD) is proposed, to select automatically statistical threshold value in HSI color space. The proposed VLPD algorithm consists of two main stages. Initially, HSI color space is adopted for detecting candidate regions. According to different colored LP, these candidate regions may include LP regions; geometrical properties of LP are then used for classification. The proposed method is able to deal with candidate regions under independent orientation and scale of the plate. Finally, the decomposition of candidate regions contains predetermined LP alphanumeric characters by using position in the histogram to verify and detect vehicle license plate (VLP) region. In experiment more than 150 images were used, they were taken from the variety of conditions such as complex scenes, illumination changing, distances and varied weather etc. Under these conditions, success of LP detection has reached to more than 94%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy begins with fertilization of the ovulated oocyte by the sperm. After fertilization, the egg undergoes time-dependent mitotic division while trying to reach the blastocyst stage and the uterus for implantation. Uterine preparation for implantation is regulated by coordinated secretions and functions of ovarian sex steroids. The first sign of contact between the blastocyst and the uterus can be detected experimentally by an intravenous blue dye injection as early as the end of day 4 or the beginning of day 5 of pregnancy. This blastocyst-uterine attachment reaction leads to stromal decidual reaction only at sites of implantation. The process of implantation can be postponed and reinstated experimentally by manipulating ovarian estrogen secretion. Stromal decidualization can also be induced experimentally in the hormonally prepared uterus in response to stimuli other than the embryo. Fundamental biological questions surrounding these essential features of early pregnancy can be addressed through the application of various techniques and manipulation of this period of early pregnancy. This chapter describes the routine laboratory methodologies to study the events of early pregnancy, with special emphasis on the implantation process in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]