parkocr 0.3.0

Automatic license plate recognition using YOLOv8 and EasyOCR, with ROI filtering, FIFO output, and screenshot support.

ParkOCR

ParkOCR is a Python library for automatic license plate recognition using YOLOv8 for detection and OCR for text recognition. It is designed to work with RTSP streams (e.g., IP cameras), webcams, or video files.

✨ Features

• YOLOv8 for plate localization (supports n, s, m, l, x models).
• Multiple OCR backends (EasyOCR or RapidOCR).
• Two installation options: lite (~90MB) or full (~950MB).
• ROI filtering: only detect plates inside a defined region.
• Headless mode (no window display).
• Prevents freezing on the same consecutive plate.
• Optional FIFO output for inter-process communication.
• Screenshot saving:
  • screenshot=None: disabled
  • screenshot="full": saves full frame
  • screenshot="roi": saves only the region of interest
• Performance optimizations (v0.2.0+):
  • Async processing with threading (non-blocking detection)
  • Camera buffer clearing (reduces latency)
  • Frame downscaling for faster inference
  • Performance monitoring and logging

📦 Installation

ParkOCR requires Python 3.12+.

Lite Version (Recommended for CPU)

Lightweight installation using ONNX Runtime (~90MB total):

pip install parkocr[lite]

Best for:

• Systems without GPU
• Low-resource environments
• Docker containers
• Edge devices

Full Version

Complete installation using PyTorch (~950MB total):

pip install parkocr[full]

Best for:

• Systems with GPU
• Maximum accuracy requirements
• Development and experimentation

Check Installed Backend

from parkocr import get_available_backend
print(get_available_backend())  # 'lite', 'full', or 'none'

✅ Requirements

• Python 3.12 or higher
• OpenCV (installed automatically)
• Lite: ONNX Runtime + RapidOCR
• Full: PyTorch + EasyOCR + Ultralytics

🚀 Usage

Basic example

from parkocr.detector import Detector

detector = Detector(
    rtsp_url="rtsp://user:password@192.168.0.100:554/onvif1",
    model_size=0,  # 0=nano, 1=small, 2=medium, 3=large, 4=xlarge
    headless=True,
    screenshot="roi",  # options: None, "full", "roi"
)

detector.run()

With FIFO output

detector = Detector(
    rtsp_url="rtsp://user:password@192.168.0.100:554/onvif1",
    fifo_output="/tmp/plates_fifo",
    headless=True
)
detector.run()

Now another process can read detected plates from /tmp/plates_fifo.

With callback

def on_plate(plate):
    print("Detected plate:", plate)

detector = Detector(
    rtsp_url="rtsp://user:password@192.168.0.100:554/onvif1",
    on_detect=on_plate,
    headless=True
)
detector.run()

🚀 Performance Optimization

CPU-Only Systems (No GPU)

For systems without dedicated GPUs, use these settings for optimal performance:

detector = Detector(
    rtsp_url="rtsp://camera_url",
    model_size=0,               # Use nano model (fastest)
    inference_scale=0.4,        # Downscale to 40% (faster inference)
    buffer_clear_frames=3,      # Clear 3 frames from buffer
    process_interval_s=0.5,     # Process every 0.5s
    headless=True,              # Disable display for production
    enable_performance_logging=True  # Monitor bottlenecks
)

Expected Performance on CPU:

• Intel i5-10400 / Ryzen 5 3600: ~500-800ms per detection
• Intel i7-12700 / Ryzen 7 5800X: ~300-500ms per detection

Systems with GPU

For GPU-enabled systems, you can use higher quality settings:

detector = Detector(
    rtsp_url="rtsp://camera_url",
    model_size=2,               # Medium model (better accuracy)
    inference_scale=1.0,        # Full resolution
    buffer_clear_frames=1,      # Minimal buffer clearing
    process_interval_s=0.3,     # Faster processing
)

Note: GPU support will be added in a future version. Current version (0.2.0) is CPU-optimized.

Performance Tips

1. Reduce inference_scale: Lower values (0.3-0.5) significantly speed up YOLO at minimal accuracy cost
2. Use smaller model: model_size=0 (nano) is 3-5x faster than larger models
3. Increase process_interval_s: If you don't need real-time processing, increase to 1.0-2.0s
4. Enable buffer_clear_frames: Reduces latency by skipping old frames (2-4 recommended)
5. Use headless=True: Disabling display saves CPU cycles
6. Optimize ROI: Smaller ROI = less area to process
7. Enable logging: Use enable_performance_logging=True to identify bottlenecks

Common Issues

Symptom: High CPU usage, system freezes Solution: Reduce inference_scale to 0.3-0.4, use model_size=0, increase process_interval_s

Symptom: Detection lag (detecting plates that already passed) Solution: Increase buffer_clear_frames to 3-5

Symptom: Missing some plates Solution: Decrease process_interval_s, reduce buffer_clear_frames, or increase inference_scale

⚙️ Parameters

Core Parameters

• rtsp_url (str): RTSP stream, file path, or webcam index.
• model_size (int): 0=n, 1=s, 2=m, 3=l, 4=x. Larger = more accurate, slower.
• conf_thresh (float): YOLO detection confidence threshold (default: 0.5).
• roi (tuple[int, int, int, int] | None): Region of interest (x1, y1, x2, y2). Defaults to central ROI.
• headless (bool): Disable display windows and overlays (default: False).
• window_size (tuple[int, int]): Window size for display (default: 1280x720).

Processing Parameters

• process_interval_s (float): Seconds between detection cycles (default: 1.0).
• freeze_seconds (float): How long to display detection result, non-blocking (default: 0.5).
• ocr_langs (list[str]): OCR languages for EasyOCR (default: ["en"]).
• min_ocr_conf (float): Minimum OCR confidence (default: 0.30).

Output Parameters

• on_detect (callable): Callback called with detected plate text.
• fifo_output (str | None): Path to FIFO file to send plates.
• screenshot (str | None): None, "full", or "roi".

Performance Parameters (v0.2.0+)

• inference_scale (float): Scale factor for frame downscaling before YOLO (0.0-1.0, default: 0.5). Lower values = faster inference but less accurate. Recommended: 0.3-0.5 for CPU, 1.0 for GPU.

• buffer_clear_frames (int): Number of frames to skip from camera buffer before processing (default: 2). Helps reduce latency caused by buffered frames. Recommended: 2-4 for most setups.

• enable_performance_logging (bool): Enable detailed timing logs for each detection stage (default: False). Useful for identifying performance bottlenecks.

Backend Parameters (v0.3.0+)

• backend (str | None): Force specific backend ('lite' or 'full'). If None, auto-detects based on installed packages. Use this to explicitly select a backend when both are installed.

📂 Project structure

parkocr/
├── __init__.py
├── detector.py     # Main Detector class
├── backends.py     # Backend abstraction (ONNX/PyTorch)
README.md
pyproject.toml

📝 License

MIT © 2025 João Luiz Thomazetti