Apr 27 2020
OMNIQ Corp. (“OMNIQ”, “the Company”) introduces SeeHOV™, an AI-Machine Vision-based, state-of-the art solution for the efficient and accurate detection of vehicle occupants. The Company filed a patent on April 21, 2020 for the solution’s novel method and system (USPTO application No. 63/013,523: "AUTOMATED HOV VIOLATION DETECTION").
HOV lanes, were created for use by cars carrying more than one occupant, with the goal of increasing average vehicle occupancy to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. Historically, HOV violation enforcement has been a manual process, with few available commercial systems that successfully automate the process. Under existing protocols, police officers observe vehicles using the HOV lane and pull over drivers who appear to be alone. This can be a difficult and dangerous task as it requires that police vehicles accelerate to highway speeds, merge into busy traffic, and issue side-of-the-road citations and these challenges limit the enforcement of HOV lanes, resulting in their abuse by drivers. For example, according to the California Highway Patrol, up to 39 percent of the cars in a diamond lane during peak commute times contain only one passenger, in violation of HOV requirements. In addition to promoting the safety of traffic officers, a machine-to-machine solution enables the capture of revenue lost when a traffic stop doesn’t occur. SeeHOV™ implements AI and deep learning to provide an accurate, reliable automated solution that records the violation and generates a ticket.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway administration (https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freewaymgmt/hov.htm), estimates that there over 350 HOV facilities across the U.S., covering over 3,300 miles - and growing. Automated violation detection systems are in high demand, with State agencies testing new technologies in an effort to address the issue, aiming at high detection accuracy and lowering equipment costs, while maintaining the safety and privacy of the occupants. HOV violation detection systems are also required worldwide, such as a new tender for the Ministry of Transportation in Israel that is planning to automate its newly constructed HOV lanes.
OMNIQ’s unique SeeHOV™ solution is based on an array of cameras and Infrared illumination units and uses multi-spectrum analysis of the reflected illumination to detect the occupant number combining image processing algorithms with deep learning networks. The system differentiates between human passengers and dummies, a practice used by drivers violating the multi-passenger HOV requirement. Together with an OMNIQ-made License Plate Reader, the system transmits violation data to a central control station. The violation ticket is then processed using OMNIQ’s cloud based solution for permits, enforcement and revenue control system (PERCS).
This is a major scientific and commercial milestone in transforming OMNIQ into a worldwide leader in providing AI-Machine Vision based solutions for verticals like Smart City, Safe City, Automation of parking and supply chain. We’re excited to introduce our new SeeHOV™ solution with cutting edge, proprietary AI-Machine vision technology, which enables the efficient monitoring and ticketing of drivers violating HOV requirements resulting in better traffic flow on crowded roads and highways. With its ability to automatically count the occupants inside vehicles, without utilizing an actual traffic stop, this technology is revolutionizing HOV enforcement by improving the performance of the detection systems and enhancing the affordability of these systems. Our SeeHOV™ systems is part of the Company's solution for Smart City traffic management cloud based systems.
As more and more cities, states and countries adopt the Smart City model, the monitoring and maintenance of HOV lanes, route management and the enforcement of traffic regulations will increasingly rely on automation. SeeHOV™ is a compatible solution easily integrated into existing or new Smart City systems, providing an attractive and cost-effective solution for municipalities worldwide.”
Shai Lustgarten, CEO, OMNIQ Corp
Source: https://www.omniqinc.com/