Summary
Network Video Recorders (NVRs) manufactured by Hanwha Vision can be used to record and manage a plate archive. To do so, the camera must be configured with the ARTECO LPR app installed in the Hanwha Vision NVR.
This article describes how to configure the ARTECO LPR application to be used along with Hanwha NVRs. Configuration consists of settings in ARTECO Open Platform application as well as settings on the NVR configuration to effectively direct the license plate events to be added to the NVR.
Configuring NVR
After configuring the camera in the NVR, it is required to set a plate text “listener” for that camera.
To set up the listener:
- Open the WAVE client.
- Navigate to the NVR menu, and select Setup > Device > Text > Device.
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Click the Gear icon to edit the settings for Text Channel 1.
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Repeat this for each LPR camera you have on the NVR.
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Use the following settings:
- Device Name = Enter a descriptive name, such as LPR1 or Text 01, up to 8 characters.
- Text Device = Enable.
- Channel = Select the camera channel(s) that will be associated with the LPR text. Each Text Channel requires a unique TCP port to receive the text data from the LPR app. The default is 7001 for channel 1. Take note of the port. This can be changed if needed, otherwise leave it at the default.
- Encoding type = US-ASCII.
- Device Type = User Defined.
- Start character = !.
- End character = #.
NOTE: You may wish to adjust the Pre-event playback time
depending on your environment settings. - Device Name = Enter a descriptive name, such as LPR1 or Text 01, up to 8 characters.
- Click OK to save these settings on the Individual Text Device popup screen.
- Click OK again to save the settings on the main Text menu.
Setting Up NVR Queries
To setup the NVR for plate queries:
- Open the WAVE Client.
- Navigate to the NVR menu, and select Setup > Device > Text > Event > Add.
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Enter the keyword to be used for plate queries. It is recommended to enter plate.
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Click OK to save these settings.
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To set a proper pre-event timing, select Setup > Record > Record Setup.
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Set the Pre-event time to 10 seconds. This instructs the NVR to begin recording related to a plate query right before the plate enters in the camera’s field of view. This buffer can be decreased if the delay is too long before the plate is seen.
Configuring ARTECO LPR on Hanwha Vision Cameras
To enable the APP to send events to NVR:
- In the Camera Setup menu, select App > Open Platform menu > Go App > Setup > Event action setup.
- Enable TCP for Plate detected event to receive all the plates read in the NVR.
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In TCP section, set the Hanwha Vision / Samsung NVR protocol.
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Set the same port number entered in the NVR in the Setup > Device > Text > Device menu previously.
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After changing parameters, click Apply and confirm the changes.
NVR Live Display
When all previous settings are done, you can view live plate reads in the Live page of Hanwha Vision NVR. As plates are read, new plate reads are displayed at the top of the list, as the camera sends them to the NVR. A T icon displays on the top right of the camera to indicate a Text event has occurred from a plate read.
Retrieving NVR Plate Search Queries
To retrieve a recorded plate, a partial match of the plate text string is necessary; for example, DE. The NVR returns all plates fully or partially matching that string DE, allowing play of the related recorded video.
To perform a search query:
- Select Search > Select the Search.
- Select Text Search from the three-dot menu next to the default Time Search entry.
- Click Search to display the most recent plate reads. Each plate read displays the time/date and the channel number.
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Click the playback icon for quick playback and display of the plate text.
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Click the bookmark icon to create a bookmark associated with the event for easy retrieval later. You are prompted to enter text for the bookmark.
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Export the search results to a CSV file or export the video to an AVI file.
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To search for a specific plate, click in the keyword text entry area. Enter a plate and select to search for the whole word or a partial text search.