Making Web Passport MRZ Reader and Scanner in HTML5 and JavaScript

Previously, I wrote an article demonstrating how to implement desktop passport MRZ recognition application using C++. Recently, Dynamsoft compiled the C++ OCR SDK to a web assembly module. It aims to help web developers to build web passport MRZ scanner applications using HTML5 and JavaScript. This article shows how to build web applications to read MRZ information from passport images and scan passport MRZ information with a camera in real time.

SDK Installation

The JavaScript OCR SDK has been published to npmjs.com.

To use the SDK, include https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-label-recognizer@2.2.0/dist/dlr.js in your HTML file.

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-label-recognizer@2.2.0/dist/dlr.js"></script>

For offline deployment, you can download the SDK via npm command in your terminal:

npm i dynamsoft-label-recognizer

SDK Activation

To make the SDK work, you need to:

1. Apply for a 30-day FREE Trial License.

   

2. Set the license key in JavaScript code:
   

   Dynamsoft.DLR.LabelRecognizer.initLicense("LICENSE-KEY");
   

API Reference

• https://www.dynamsoft.com/camera-enhancer/docs/programming/javascript/api-reference/?ver=latest
• https://www.dynamsoft.com/label-recognition/programming/javascript/api-reference/?ver=latest

Web Passport MRZ Reader

Let's get started with static passport images.

Here are the steps to create a web passport MRZ reader:

1. Initialize Dynamsoft Label Recognizer:
   

   var recognizer = null;
   Dynamsoft.DLR.LabelRecognizer.createInstance({
           runtimeSettings: "passportMRZ"
       }).then(function (obj) {
           console.log("recognizer created");
           recognizer = obj;
       });
   

   For the first time you create the instance of the SDK, it may take a long time to load the MRZ.data file, which is a model file used to recognize passport MRZ.

   

   There are several scenario-specific OCR templates optional. In addition to passportMRZ, you can also set number, numberLetter, letter, or vin.

2. Create a button to load passport images:
   

   <input type="file" id="file" accept="image/*" />
   

3. Trigger the button change event to recognize MRZ from passport images:
   

   document.getElementById("file").addEventListener("change", function () {
           let file = this.files[0];
           if (recognizer) {
               recognizer.recognize(file).then(function (results) {
                   for (let result of results) {
                       if (result.lineResults.length == 2) {
                           let lines = result.lineResults;
                           let line1 = lines[0].text;
                           let line2 = lines[1].text;
                           document.getElementById('result').innerHTML = extractMRZInfo(line1, line2);
                       }
                   }
               });
           }
       });
   

4. Finally, extract the MRZ information from a parser:
   

   function extractMRZInfo(line1, line2) {
       // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine-readable_passport
       let result = "";
       // Type
       let tmp = "Type: ";
       tmp += line1[0];
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Issuing country
       tmp = "Issuing country: ";
       tmp += line1.substring(2, 5);
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Surname
       let index = 5;
       tmp = "Surname: ";
       for (; index < 44; index++) {
           if (line1[index] != '<') {
               tmp += line1[index];
           } else {
               break;
           }
       }
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Given names
       tmp = "Given Names: ";
       index += 2;
       for (; index < 44; index++) {
           if (line1[index] != '<') {
               tmp += line1[index];
           } else {
               tmp += ' ';
           }
       }
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Passport number
       tmp = "Passport number: ";
       index = 0;
       for (; index < 9; index++) {
           if (line2[index] != '<') {
               tmp += line2[index];
           } else {
               break;
           }
       }
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Nationality
       tmp = "Nationality: ";
       tmp += line2.substring(10, 13);
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Date of birth
       tmp = line2.substring(13, 19);
       tmp = tmp.substring(0, 2) +
           '/' +
           tmp.substring(2, 4) +
           '/' +
           tmp.substring(4, 6);
       tmp = "Date of birth (YYMMDD): " + tmp;
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Sex
       tmp = "Sex: ";
       tmp += line2[20];
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Expiration date of passport
       tmp = line2.substring(21, 27);
       tmp = tmp.substring(0, 2) +
           '/' +
           tmp.substring(2, 4) +
           '/' +
           tmp.substring(4, 6);
       tmp = "Expiration date of passport (YYMMDD): " + tmp;
       result += tmp + "<br>";
   
       // Personal number
       if (line2[28] != '<') {
           tmp = "Personal number: ";
           for (index = 28; index < 42; index++) {
               if (line2[index] != '<') {
                   tmp += line2[index];
               } else {
                   break;
               }
           }
           result += tmp + "<br>";
       }
   
       return result;
   }
   

We can find some MRZ images from Google to test the simple web MRZ reader:

The MRZ recognition results:

Web Passport MRZ Scanner

Now, we can combine Dynamsoft Camera Enhancer and Dynamsoft Label Recognizer to quickly turn the MRZ reader into a MRZ scanner.

We include the JavaScript camera SDK to the HTML file:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-label-recognizer@2.2.0/dist/dlr.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-camera-enhancer@2.1.0/dist/dce.js"></script>

As the Dynamsoft Label Recognizer is initialized, we create the camera enhancer object:

<div id="enhancerUIContainer" style="height: 100vh;"></div>
<script>
    Dynamsoft.DLR.LabelRecognizer.createInstance({
        runtimeSettings: "passportMRZ"
    }).then(function (obj) {
        console.log("recognizer created");
        recognizer = obj;

        (async () => {
            enhancer = await Dynamsoft.DCE.CameraEnhancer.createInstance();
            document.getElementById("enhancerUIContainer").appendChild(enhancer.getUIElement());
            await enhancer.open(true);
            scanMRZ();
        })();
    });
</script>

Then continuously call the scanMRZ() function, in which we get the camera frame and call the MRZ recognition API:

function scanMRZ() {        
    let frame = enhancer.getFrame();
    if (recognizer) {
        recognizer.recognize(frame.canvas).then(function (results) {
            div.innerHTML = '';
            for (let result of results) {
                if (result.lineResults.length == 2) {
                    let lines = result.lineResults;
                    let line1 = lines[0].text;
                    let line2 = lines[1].text;
                    console.log(line1);
                    console.log(line2);
                    div.innerHTML = extractMRZInfo(line1, line2);
                }
            }

            scanMRZ();
        });
    }
}

With a few lines of HTML5 and JavaScript code, a simple web MRZ scanner is done. We can now scan passport from desktop and mobile web browsers in real time.

Source Code

https://github.com/yushulx/javascript-barcode-qr-code-scanner/tree/main/examples/9.x/barcode_mrz_document