See under the vehicle, compare with the last pass
Under-vehicle scanning
ProVife Under-vehicle scanning combines the underside of a vehicle passing a checkpoint into a single image, matches it with the license plate and compares it with the same vehicle’s previous pass to mark differences.
At the gates of critical facilities, inspecting under vehicles with a mirror and flashlight is slow and leaves no record. ProVife Under-vehicle scanning combines an under-vehicle camera installed in the roadway with a plate camera into a single station. As the vehicle passes, the under-vehicle image is captured in strips and stitched into one long image; the plate and pass time read at the same moment are linked to it. ProVife finds the previous scan of the same plate, aligns the two images and marks the areas that changed. The officer checks the vehicle on the Under-Vehicle Monitor screen without holding it up, and can generate a PDF report with images when needed. All scans are stored in an archive searchable by plate and date.
Speed at the gate
The officer sees the vehicle’s underside on screen; a recorded process replaces checks with a mirror and flashlight.
Changes become visible
Comparison with the same vehicle’s previous pass highlights added or changed areas.
Every pass documented
Plate, time and under-vehicle image are stored together and can be turned into a PDF report.
Integrated with the plate system
List status, driver and barrier decision are managed on the same ProVife server.
Station setup
Each under-vehicle station consists of two cameras: an under-vehicle camera embedded in or placed on the roadway, and a plate camera that reads the vehicle’s license plate. Both cameras are added via ONVIF and RTSP. The station sets how a scan starts: after a set delay once the plate is read, or by motion in the under-vehicle image. Image direction is set to forward or backward according to the vehicle’s direction of travel.
- Under-vehicle camera and plate camera pair
- Start by plate delay or by motion
- Forward or backward image direction
- Adding cameras via ONVIF and RTSP
Single under-vehicle image
As the vehicle passes over the camera, ProVife captures the image in strips and stitches them into a single image spanning the vehicle’s length. The number of frames in the scan, the number of strips used and the image quality are stored with the record. The officer can zoom, pan and inspect suspicious areas up close. Because the image is recorded, it serves as a reference for the same vehicle’s later passes and can be opened for retrospective review.
- Full image stitched from strips
- Frame, strip and quality information
- Inspection with zoom and pan
- Live status during scanning
Plate matching
The under-vehicle image is linked to the plate read during the same pass and to the pass time. If the vehicle is registered in the plate list, the driver’s name appears below the plate. The officer sees who the vehicle belongs to, which list it is on and what its underside looks like on the same screen. Plate data is shared with the License Plate Recognition module’s lists; for a block-listed vehicle, an alarm can be sent to the WhatsApp group and other notification channels.
- Scans linked to plate and time
- Registered driver name below the plate
- Shared records with License Plate Recognition lists
- Scans saved even when the plate cannot be read
Comparison with previous pass
ProVife automatically retrieves the previous scan of the same plate and shows the two images side by side. Since speed, lateral position and lighting can differ between passes, the images are aligned band by band; only changes outside the reference’s local tolerance are marked. Areas that cannot be aligned are flagged separately. The comparison is a tool that assists the officer; the officer makes the final decision. This approach prevents a simple image difference from flagging the entire vehicle.
- Retrieval of the same plate’s previous scan
- Side-by-side comparison view
- Band-by-band alignment
- Marking of changed areas
- Separate flagging of areas that cannot be aligned
Under-Vehicle Monitor screen
Under-Vehicle Monitor is a dedicated screen designed for checkpoint officers. Live passes, the under-vehicle image, the plate and the comparison with the previous pass are visible at a glance. The officer checks the vehicle without holding it up; if something looks suspicious, they generate a PDF report with images and forward the event to the relevant unit. The screen is available only to authorized users; checkpoint officers do not need access to other ProVife settings.
- Live pass list
- Under-vehicle image and plate card
- Comparison row
- One-click PDF report with images
Search, archive and reports
All scans are stored in an archive searchable by plate and date/time. A vehicle’s past passes are listed, and images can be zoomed in for inspection. The PDF report with images combines the selected passes with their under-vehicle image, plate and time in a single document; the report is generated only from cameras the user has permission for. The report is saved as a single file and can be attached directly for a security supervisor, the relevant authority or an audit file.
- Search by plate and date/time
- List of past passes
- Up to 100 passes per report
- Permission-checked report generation
Technical specifications
| Station | One under-vehicle camera and one plate camera |
|---|---|
| Start | Plate delay or motion |
| Image direction | Forward or backward |
| Image | Single under-vehicle image stitched from strips |
| Comparison | With the same plate’s previous scan, with differences marked |
| Search | Plate and date/time |
| Report | PDF with images, up to 100 passes per report |
| Licensing | Per station |
Frequently asked questions
How many cameras are needed for under-vehicle scanning?
Each station consists of two cameras: an under-vehicle camera that sees the vehicle’s underside and a plate camera that reads the plate. Licenses are issued per station.
Does the comparison identify threats on its own?
The comparison is an aid that marks areas that look different from the same vehicle’s previous pass. The officer at the checkpoint does the evaluation and makes the final decision.
Is a scan lost if the plate cannot be read?
No. The scan is saved without a plate and can be found by date/time. When the plate is read, the scan is linked to it and compared with the previous pass.
How long are under-vehicle images kept?
Scans are kept in a searchable archive on the ProVife server and managed together with the server’s recording and storage settings. For critical facilities, storage is usually planned with ProVife Server.