Designed to help increase parking enforcement efficiency in the traditionally narrow streets of European cities, Motoscan is a lightweight, low-power, yet fully-featured license plate recognition unit that is designed to be easily mounted on a smaller vehicle such as a scooter or small motorbike. Equipped with specialised ANPR cameras mounted on the scooter, the Autovu Motoscan system automatically scans license plates and sends back the information to the parking authorities’ back-end system which will identify parking violations and issue tickets, as required.

“Managing parking in a city is not an easy task, but it’s particularly challenging for many European cities with narrow, busy streets. We have designed Motoscan to bring all the features of our state of the art Autovu ANPR (Automated Number Plate Recognition) system, in a small, compact unit that can be easily mounted on a scooter or small motorbike, without compromising the balance and stability of the vehicle,” said Chris Yigit, Product Line Manager, Genetec Inc.

The Motoscan unit is compact, measuring just 50Wx39Dx30H cm (19.7x15.2x12 in). It combines all critical components onto a single device to keep the weight low.

“At less than 15 kg, the Motoscan consumes less power than a 40-watt light bulb, allowing it to be powered on appropriate scooters without additional batteries, and function for as long as there is a fuel in the tank,” added Yigit.

The main unit is designed to meet the demanding automotive environment, making it able to withstand a broad range of harsh vibrations, weather and road conditions, including cobblestones, bumpy streets and smooth pavement.

In spite of its small form factor, Motoscan packs plenty of state-of the-art mobile ANPR features: this single, powerful ANPR solution automatically captures and reads thousands of license plates per shift. Thanks to the Autovu Sharp X ANPR high-resolution cameras included with the unit, Motoscan will offer consistent performance day and night and in all weather conditions. It can accurately decipher plate numbers on vehicles parked in parallel, at 45° or 90°, and can even read dirty or obstructed plates. The unit is also equipped with ruggedised built-in wireless technology to ensure real time communication with third-party parking management companies.

In order to avoid distracting the driver, Motoscan features an active manual controller instead of a screen. Located on the steering bar, the controller features toggle switches and LED lights to inform the driver of the functioning state of system. The data collected by the ANPR camera is automatically sent to a central location, and there is no need for the driver to interact with the controls, making it simpler and safer to operate.