When your parking app needs to read 苏EUK722

What it does

EasyPR is a C++ license-plate recognition system built on OpenCV. It locates plates in an image, judges whether they are real plates, segments the characters, and identifies them—including Chinese provincial abbreviations—outputting a standard std::string like "蓝牌：苏EUK722". The project claims over 80% accuracy for both detection and recognition when the input image is clear, and it ships with pre-trained models, training utilities, and synthetic data generation.

The interesting bit

The pipeline is deliberately modular: detection, judgment, segmentation, and recognition are separate stages you can inspect or retrain. It supports multiple location strategies—Sobel edges, color filtering, or CMSER text detection—and even tags the plate color alongside the characters. A “life mode” widens the search range when real-world conditions get sloppy.

Key highlights

• Outputs full Chinese plate strings as standard std::string, provincial abbreviations and plate color included
• Cross-platform core with community ports for Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, Java, and C#
• Ships with training code, model files, and a synthetic data generator
• Modular stages: SVM for plate judgment, ANN for character identification, each replaceable
• Adjustable detection modes and a setLifemode toggle for tougher real-world shots

Caveats

• Still runs on classical ANN/SVM, not CNNs; the maintainers explicitly list “replace ANN with CNN” as a pending task
• OpenCV version compatibility is finicky: Linux needs 3.2+ to avoid empty results, and 3.2+ requires manually flipping a version flag in config.h
• New energy vehicle plates and two-line plates are not yet supported

Verdict

Worth a look if you need an open-source, OpenCV-based Chinese ALPR with full source and training data included. Look elsewhere if you want modern deep-learning accuracy or plug-and-play support for the latest Chinese plate formats.