A real-time Malaysian automatic license plate recognition (M-ALPR) using hybrid fuzzy

The Road Transport Department of Malaysia has endorsed a specification for car plates that includes the font and size of characters that must be followed by car owners. However, there are cases where this specification is not followed. This paper proposes a new methodology to segment and recognize Malaysian car license plates automatically. The proposed methodology solves the problem of segmenting different length licenses such as license with different number of character and number. There are two main objectives for this paper: first is to develop fuzzy rules to recognize the segmented characters and numbers from the same input-sets, which is the same size without overlapping between the characters and numbers sets. Secondly, this paper proposes a method to recognize non-standard plates by Template Matching theorem. Finally, the hybrid method of Fuzzy and Template matching is tested on 300 samples of car images captured in outdoor environment. The results yield 90.4% recognition accuracy, the Fuzzy based required 1.7 seconds and Template matching based took 0.75 seconds to perform the recognition. The adaptability factor of the hybrid method is also discussed

An improved Malaysian automatic license plate recognition (M-ALPR) system using hybrid fuzzy in C++ environment

In this paper, an improved hybrid fuzzy technique (Fuzzy Logic and Template matching) for Malaysian Automatic License Plate Recognition (M-ALPR) system is proposed. The system is proposed to reduce the program complexity of the existing M-ALPR system and to decrease the processing time of recognizing Malaysian license plates. First, the algorithm to recognize the license plates is presented, by taking advantage of Matlab and C++ programming language benefits in order to increase system efficiency. Feature extraction using vertical line counter is introduced in this system. Later, with the help of OpenCV, the hybrid fuzzy technique is developed using the C++ language. Then, the comparison between these two implementations on M-ALPR system was reported. The improved system was tested on 740 samples images from real scene and the results show that the proposed improvement supports the accurateness and high speed processing of M-ALPR system

Spiral Microchannels with Trapezoidal Cross Section Fabricated by Femtosecond Laser Ablation in Glass for the Inertial Separation of Microparticles

The fabrication and testing of spiral microchannels with a trapezoidal cross section for the passive separation of microparticles is reported in this article. In contrast to previously reported fabrication methods, the fabrication of trapezoidal spiral channels in glass substrates using a femtosecond laser is reported for the first time in this paper. Femtosecond laser ablation has been proposed as an accurate and fast prototyping method with the ability to create 3D features such as slanted-base channels. Moreover, the fabrication in borosilicate glass substrates can provide high optical transparency, thermal resistance, dimensional stability, and chemical inertness. Post-processing steps of the laser engraved glass substrate are also detailed in this paper including hydrogen fluoride (HF) dipping, chemical cleaning, surface activation, and thermal bonding. Optical 3D images of the fabricated chips confirmed a good fabrication accuracy and acceptable surface roughness. To evaluate the particle separation function of the microfluidic chip, 5 μm, 10 μm, and 15 μm particles were focused and recovered from the two outlets of the spiral channel. In conclusion, the new chemically inert separation chip can be utilized in biological or chemical processes where different sizes of cells or particles must be separated, i.e., red blood cells, circulating tumor cells, and technical particle suspensions

Vacuum/Compression Valving (VCV) Using Parrafin-Wax on a Centrifugal Microfluidic CD Platform

This paper introduces novel vacuum/compression valves (VCVs) utilizing paraffin wax. A VCV is implemented by sealing the venting channel/hole with wax plugs (for normally-closed valve), or to be sealed by wax (for normally-open valve), and is activated by localized heating on the CD surface. We demonstrate that the VCV provides the advantages of avoiding unnecessary heating of the sample/reagents in the diagnostic process, allowing for vacuum sealing of the CD, and clear separation of the paraffin wax from the sample/reagents in the microfluidic process. As a proof of concept, the microfluidic processes of liquid flow switching and liquid metering is demonstrated with the VCV. Results show that the VCV lowers the required spinning frequency to perform the microfluidic processes with high accuracy and ease of control.open5

Development of a Passive Liquid Valve (PLV) Utilizing a Pressure Equilibrium Phenomenon on the Centrifugal Microfluidic Platform

In this paper, we propose an easy-to-implement passive liquid valve (PLV) for the microfluidic compact-disc (CD). This valve can be implemented by introducing venting chambers to control the air flow of the source and destination chambers. The PLV mechanism is based on equalizing the main forces acting on the microfluidic CD (i.e., the centrifugal and capillary forces) to control the burst frequency of the source chamber liquid. For a better understanding of the physics behind the proposed PLV, an analytical model is described. Moreover, three parameters that control the effectiveness of the proposed valve, i.e., the liquid height, liquid density, and venting chamber position with respect to the CD center, are tested experimentally. To demonstrate the ability of the proposed PLV valve, microfluidic liquid switching and liquid metering are performed. In addition, a Bradford assay is performed to measure the protein concentration and evaluated in comparison to the benchtop procedure. The result shows that the proposed valve can be implemented in any microfluidic process that requires simplicity and accuracy. Moreover, the developed valve increases the flexibility of the centrifugal CD platform for passive control of the liquid flow without the need for an external force or trigger

Real-time Malaysian automatic license plate recognition using hybrid fuzzy logic with skew detection and correction method

Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition on images to read the license plates on vehicles. This system has been used widely overseas. However, the different forms of Malaysian license plates still a problem that makes this system harder to be applied locally. The proposed license plate recognition algorithm is aimed to recognize the different Malaysian license plates by employing two methods: Fuzzy Logic to recognize standard license plate (the plates which consist of characters and numbers), and Template Matching to recognize non-standard plates (the plates which consist of non-standard word and numbers). Mathematical Morphology is the first preprocessing step used to enhance Malaysian license plate image quality, by removing noise from the binarized image. The second step is to remove license plate borders by implementing Mathematical Morphology process with conditional statements. The third preprocessing step is a new Skew Detection and Correction (SDC) method proposed to correct the skewness of license plate image. License plate level testing follows the preprocessing step in order to check if the license plate is one or two rows (the license plate elements are in one or two rows). The standard and non-standard test is performed by checking if the input image is representing a standard or a non-standard plate. Vertical scanning (VS) and horizontal scanning (HS) have been used to segment license plate image elements. Segmentation process is the step where license plate elements are segmented. The next step is to forward the extracted characters and numbers to the Fuzzy Logic system to be recognized in case of standard license plates input, while forward nonstandard words images to the Template Matching in order to be recognized in case of non-standard license plates input. The output of recognition step will be a string of numbers and characters which represent the recognized license plate. The proposed M-LPR algorithm has shown an impressive result to recognize different Malaysian license plate forms. Fuzzy Logic system has been tested on standard license plate shows 92.16% recognition accuracy and 0.88 second processing time. The Template Matching shows 92% recognition accuracy and 1.06 second processing time when it is tested on non-standard license plate. The proposed SDC method has been evaluated by comparing with different other existing SDC methods such as Hough Transform, Projection Profile, Mathematical Morphology and Bounding Box methods

Development of liquid sequencing valves by controlling air-flow to perform biomedical processes on centrifugal microfluidic platforms / Wisam Salah Hussein Al Faqheri

This thesis presents three different liquid valving methods for the centrifugal microfluidic platform, namely vacuum/compression wax valve, passive liquid valve (PLV), and check valve. The mechanism of the proposed valves is simply based on sequencing the liquid flow by controlling air-flow inside the microfluidic network. Specifically, the wax valve and passive liquid valve utilize a volume of trapped air in the source chamber or the destination chamber to control the burst frequency of the liquid. In contrast, the check valve controls the direction of the air to control the flow direction of the pumped liquid. Compared with the previously proposed valves, this mechanism prevents any direct contact between the valving materials and the sample/reagents. This will reduce the chance of sample/reagents contamination, and allow the use of wider range of valving materials. As a proof of concept, liquid metering, liquid switching, and liquid swapping are conducted using the proposed valving methods. Furthermore, Bradford assay for protein concentration detection, and enzyme linked-immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for dengue are demonstrated to show the capability of the developed valves to perform biomedical applications. The results illustrate that the valves reduce the required spinning frequency to perform the microfluidic processes on the centrifugal platforms. In addition, the presence of physical barriers improves the ability of the developed valves to reduce vapour and contamination effect. Furthermore, the proposed valves show additional advantages such as the simplicity of fabrication and implementation, reversibility and multi-actuation, and compatibility with biomedical applications. Finally, the demonstration of the ELISA and the Bradford assays illustrate the ability of the presented valves to be integrated in any multistep biomedical and chemical application on the centrifugal microfluidic platform

Low Cost Lab on Chip for the Colorimetric Detection of Nitrate in Mineral Water Products

The diagnostics of health status and the quality of drinking water are among the most important United Nations sustainable development goals. However, in certain areas, wars and instability have left millions of people setting in refugee camps and dangerous regions where infrastructures are lacking and rapid diagnostics of water quality and medical status are critical. In this work, microfluidic testing chips and photometric setups are developed in cheap and portable way to detect nitrate concentrations in water. The performed test is designed to work according to the Griess procedure. Moreover, to make it simple and usable in areas of low resource settings, commercially available Arduino mega and liquid crystal display (LCD) shield are utilized to process and display results, respectively. For evaluation purposes, different local products of tap water, bottled drinking water, and home-filter treated water samples were tested using the developed setup. A calibration curve with coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.98 was obtained when absorbance of the prepared standard solutions was measured as a function of the concentrations. In conclusion, this is the first step towards a compact, portable, and reliable system for nitrate detection in water for point-of-care applications

Development of Active Centrifugal Pump for Microfluidic CD Platforms

The continuous emerging of microfluidic compact disc (CD) platforms for various real-life applications motivates researchers to explore new innovative ideas towards more integrated active functions. However, microfluidic CDs have some drawbacks, including the unidirectional flow that limits the usable space for multi-stepped biological and chemical assays. In this work, a novel active and bidirectional centrifugal pump is developed and integrated on microfluidic CDs. The design of the developed pump partially replicates the designs of the conventional centrifugal pumps with a modification in the connecting channels’ positions that allow the developed pump to be reversible. The main advantage of the proposed centrifugal pump is that the pumping speed can be accurately controlled during spinning or while the microfluidic CD is stationary. Performance tests show that the pumping speed can reach up to 164.93 mm3/s at a pump rotational speed (impellers speed) of 4288 rpm. At that speed, 1 mL of water could be pumped in 6.06 s. To present a few of the potential applications of the centrifugal pump, flow reciprocation, bidirectional pumping, and flow switching were performed and evaluated. Results show that the developed centrifugal pump can pump 1096 µL of liquid towards the CD center at 87% pumping efficiency while spinning the microfluidic CD at 250 rpm. This novel centrifugal pump can significantly widen the range of the applicability of microfluidic CDs in advanced chemical processes and biological assays