LICENSE PLATE SECURITY |
Smart hybrid plate
Customized security technology in license plates can create
a revolutionary function for this essential vehicle feature
VWords | Celine Guenot, Faab Fabricauto, France, and Chris Glendinning, Hills, United Kingdom
ehicle identification and
134 Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2020
Above: The
smart hybrid
plate contains
security features
on an aluminium
substrate, with the
registration number
printed on the back
of a transparent film
road safety are day-to-
day issues for authorities
worldwide. Those authorities
are constantly looking for new ways
of refining the management of
vehicle populations amid continuing
growth. Improving control over this
aspect of traffic management is a real
challenge in times of increased traffic
violations, counterfeit license plates,
vehicle crime and the use of vehicles
for criminal activity.
The increase in the quantity and
performance of Automatic Number
Plate Recognition (ANPR/ALPR)
cameras strongly reinforces the
important role of the vehicle license
plate, which is considered the
identity card of not just the vehicle
but also its owner or user.
Changing times
For more than a century, virtually
since the invention of the car itself,
the technologies used to produce
and process vehicle license plates
evolved very little. Mechanical
embossing and hot stamping or
paint rolling have been the norm
for decades. Although reliable, these
heavy and mechanical production
methods are difficult to integrate
into an increasingly digital world.
Hills, an international group with
more than 90 years of experience in
producing vehicle license plates, has
developed a suite of solutions and
holds numerous patents in this field.
Hills Group is one of the world’s
leading providers of vehicle
registration solutions and offers
all license plate technologies.
The smart aluminum license plate,
named Metatek in the UK, is a unique
concept – a ‘hybrid plate’, which
combines the strength of a traditional
aluminum substrate with the ease of
customization and securitization of a
digitally printed license plate during
the final stages of processing.
For decades, technological
limitations have meant that adding
any security features to the vehicle
license plate has had to be done at the
factory, on the primary production
line. The smart hybrid plate makes it
possible to incorporate dedicated
security elements during the last
phase of the official registration
process, even on-site, logging the
information to the database of any
authorized entity in real time, be it
police, insurance or any other
authorized body.
Smart specification
The smart hybrid plate consists of an
aluminum substrate covered with a
retroreflective film. This contains
security features such as a logo, coat
of arms, watermark, laser engraving,
hologram, unique serial number and
a transparent UV protected film.
The registration number is printed
on the back of the transparent film,