Automatic License Plate Recognition System (ALPR System)

This project is an Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system designed for edge devices and optimized for high performance. It includes an AI Engine for image recognition, a frontend and backend for management, MQTT Databus for communication, and GPIO interfacing for hardware control.

Overview
Features
Technology Stack
Setup Instructions
Components
- Backend
- Frontend
- Databus
- AI Engine
- GPIO Handler
Environment Variables
Docker
License

Overview

The ALPR System is designed to provide a comprehensive solution for license plate recognition and management. It utilizes a combination of AI image recognition, backend APIs, frontend interfaces, and hardware interfacing to deliver a full-featured ALPR system.


Schematic representation of ALPR System.


ALPR Manager – UI.

Features

Designed for Edge Devices: Optimized for Jetson Nano.
High Performance: AI inference up to 40 FPS.
Easy Integration: Seamlessly integrates into existing systems.
Admin Management: User authentication and management (Angular and Node.js).
MQTT Communication: Efficient message queuing and data transfer.
AI-based License Plate Recognition: High accuracy LPR and OCR.
GPIO Interfacing: Control hardware such as parking ramps.
Secure: All data is encrypted with HTTPS and Databus over TLS.
Easy Deployment: Packed as Docker Compose.

Technology Stack

Backend: Node.js, Express, SQLite, JWT
Frontend: Angular
Databus: MQTT
AI Engine: Python
GPIO Handler: Python

Setup Instructions

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/CuAuPro/alpr-system.git
cd alpr-system

Setup backend:
```
cd backend
npm install
npm run build
```

Setup frontend:

cd ../frontend
npm install
ng build --configuration=production

Setup MQTT (for additional requirements)

cd ../databus
# Follow instructions in mqtt/README.md

Setup Python AI scripts (for additional requirements):

cd ../ai-engine
# Follow instructions in ai-engine/README.md

Setup Python GPIO scripts (for additional requirements):

cd ../gpio-handler
# Follow instructions in gpio-handler/README.md

Components

Backend

For detailed instructions on backend setup and usage, refer to backend/README.md.

Frontend

For detailed instructions on frontend setup and usage, refer to frontend/README.md.

Databus

For detailed instructions on Databus setup and usage, refer to databus/README.md.

Python AI

For detailed instructions on AI setup and usage, refer to ai-engine/README.md.

Python GPIO

For detailed instructions on GPIO setup and usage, refer to gpio-handler/README.md.

Environment Variables

Create a dev.env file in the backend/env directory with the following contents:

NODEJS="DEVEL"
PORT=443
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

Create a prod.env file in the backend/env directory with the following contents:

NODEJS="PROD"
PORT=443
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

Docker

Dockerfiles are provided for both the backend and frontend components. You can use Docker Compose to easily build and run the entire system in containers.

Docker's default-runtime to nvidia, so that the NVCC compiler and GPU are available during docker build operations. Add "default-runtime": "nvidia" to your /etc/docker/daemon.json configuration file before attempting to build the containers:

{
    "runtimes": {
        "nvidia": {
            "path": "nvidia-container-runtime",
            "runtimeArgs": []
        }
    },

    "default-runtime": "nvidia"
}

Then restart the Docker service, or reboot your system before proceeding:

$ sudo systemctl restart docker

You can then confirm the changes by looking under docker info

$ sudo docker info | grep 'Default Runtime'
Default Runtime: nvidia

You also need to create persistend database file. To create a directory in and set up a volume for the backend alpr.db, follow these steps:

Create Directory: Open a terminal and run the following command to create a directory named alpr-system in /var/opt/docker/database:
```
sudo mkdir -p /var/opt/docker/alpr-system/database
```
Copy initialized alpr.db to /var/opt/docker/alpr-system/database.
Set Up Volume: After creating the directory, you can specify a volume for the backend alpr.db in your Docker Compose file. Add the following volume configuration under the backend service in your docker-compose.yml file:
```
volumes:
  - /var/opt/docker/alpr-system/database:/app/backend/database
```

To start the application using Docker Compose:

docker-compose up --build

License

This project is licensed under the terms specified in the LICENSE file.

CuAuPro / alpr-system

readme