Using headlight patterns in vehicle recognition

•Vehicle recognition in dark images when the headlights are on and are projecting light onto a flat vertical surface.•Confirm or rule out specific car makes and model-codes based on the reflected headlight pattern seen in photographs.•When there is a headlight pattern photograph and a suspected vehicle, both patterns are compared to determine if they are of the same model-code.•When there is a headlight pattern photograph and suspected vehicle is unavailable, the pattern can be compared to a pattern's database. Crime scenes are frequently poorly lit, making it difficult to recognize and identify implicated vehicles that have been caught on film or photographed during incidents. This paper explores vehicle recognition capabilities in dark images, specifically as when a vehicle’s headlights are on and are projecting light onto a flat vertical surface. In this study, the headlight reflection patterns of 68 vehicles were photographed and analyzed. This paper presents a method for confirming or ruling out a vehicle's make and model by its headlight pattern.