Vehicle documentation system

• US 10,580,234 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adesa Incorporated (OPENLANE, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Adesa Incorporated (OPENLANE, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dillow, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Delaney, Molly
• Application Number:
  US15/875,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20180211455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/12 in graphical form

Abstract

A distributed vehicle documentation system uses multiple sensor systems to capture vehicle information and generate vehicle documentation. A sensor system may be a micro server in communication with a sensor and a control device. In response to requests from the control device, the sensor system may analyze images input in order to identify an object in the images, and modifying the images based on the identified object. For example, in response to identifying a wheel in an image, the image may be cropped in order to be centered around the identified wheel. In the event that the sensor system cannot identify the object (e.g., cannot identify the wheel in the image), another image may be obtained with a different field of view based on a determined size of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle documentation booth comprising:

a structure adapted to receive a vehicle;

a remote communication interface configured to communicate with a remote server;

a vehicle documentation booth controller device in communication with the remote communication interface, the vehicle documentation booth controller device comprising an image capture device and a controller, the image capture device configured to capture an image of the vehicle in the structure, the controller configured to control the image capture device, the vehicle documentation booth controller device configured to;

access a size of the vehicle;

determine, based on the size of the vehicle, a first parameter to modify an image of the vehicle in the structure, wherein the first parameter is a first direction;

determine, based on computer vision analysis, a second parameter to modify the image of the vehicle in the structure, wherein the second parameter is a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

use the first parameter and the second parameter to modify the images of the vehicle in the structure such that the modification of the image is based on both the size of the vehicle and the computer vision analysis; and

send the modified images to the remote server.

2. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors in the structure;

and

wherein the vehicle documentation booth controller device is further configured to;

determine, based on sensor data generated by the one or more sensors, the size of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 1, wherein the first direction comprises a y-direction;

and

wherein the second direction comprises an x-direction.

4. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 1, wherein the modification of the images comprises cropping the image in the first direction based on the size of the vehicle and cropping the image in the second direction based on the computer vision analysis.

5. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 1, wherein the vehicle documentation booth controller device is configured to:

command the image capture device to send a first image of the vehicle with the first parameter and with another parameter different from the second parameter;

responsive to sending the command to the image capture device to send the first image of the vehicle, receive the first image of the vehicle;

analyze the first image in order to determine the second parameter;

command the image capture device to send a second image of the vehicle with the first parameter and the second parameter; and

responsive to sending the command to the image capture device to send the second image of the vehicle, receive the second image of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 5, wherein the vehicle documentation booth is configured to command the image capture device to crop the first image based on the size of the vehicle and independent of the computer vision analysis, and command the image capture device to crop the second image based on the size of the vehicle and based on the computer vision analysis.

7. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to analyze the first image in order to determine the second parameter by:

identifying an object, shape or pattern in the first image; and

based on the identification of the object, shape or pattern in the first image, select the second parameter in order to crop the second image.

8. A vehicle documentation booth comprising:

a structure adapted to receive a vehicle;

a remote communication interface configured to communicate with a remote server;

one or more sensor systems distributed within the structure; and

a controller in communication with the remote communication interface and the one or more sensor systems,

wherein the one or more sensor systems comprise;

a sensor configured to input one or more images of the vehicle at least partly in the structure;

analytical circuitry configured to analyze the one or more images in order to identify at least one aspect of the vehicle;

modification circuitry configured to modify the one or more images in order to center the identified at least one aspect of the vehicle in the one or more images based on the analysis of the analytical circuitry; and

transmission circuitry configured to transmit the modified one or more images to the controller,

wherein the controller is configured to transmit the modified one or more images to the remote server.

9. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 8, wherein the modification circuitry is configured to crop the one or more images based on the analysis of the analytical circuitry.

10. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 9, wherein the at least one aspect comprises at least one object of the vehicle;

and

wherein the modification circuitry is configured to crop the one or more images based on the analysis of the analytical circuitry by centering the identified at least one object of the vehicle in the one or more images.

11. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 8, wherein the at least one aspect comprises a shape of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 8, wherein the at least one aspect comprises a pattern.

13. A vehicle documentation booth comprising:

a structure adapted to receive a vehicle;

a remote communication interface configured to communicate with a remote server;

one or more sensor systems distributed within the structure; and

a controller in communication with the remote communication interface and the one or more sensor systems,

wherein the one or more sensor systems comprise;

a sensor configured to input one or more images of the vehicle at least partly in the structure;

analytical circuitry configured to analyze the one or more images for an object;

modification circuitry configured to modify the one or more images based on the analysis of the analytical circuitry; and

transmission circuitry configured to transmit the modified one or more images to the controller,

wherein the controller is configured to transmit the modified one or more images to the remote server;

wherein the analytical circuitry is configured to generate an error in response to failing to identify the object in the one or more images; and

wherein the transmission circuitry is configured to transmit a different image to the controller in response to the analytical circuitry generating an error.

14. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 13, wherein the different image transmitted to the controller has a different field of view than the modified one or more images transmitted to the controller.

15. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 14, further comprising sensor control circuitry configured to control one or more parameters of the sensor;

wherein the sensor control circuitry is configured to control the sensor so that an entire field of view in at least one direction is captured by the sensor; and

wherein, in response to the analytical circuitry generating an error, the sensor control circuitry is configured to control the sensor to capture a more narrow field of view based on a size of the vehicle.

16. A vehicle documentation booth comprising:

a structure adapted to receive a vehicle;

a remote communication interface configured to communicate with a remote server; and

controller and sensor circuitry in communication with the remote communication interface and configured to;

input one or more images of the vehicle at least partly in the structure;

identify an object, a shape or a pattern in the one or more images;

in response to identifying the object, the shape or the pattern in the one or more images;

modification circuitry configured to modify the one or more images based on the identified object, the identified shape or the identified pattern in the one or more images; and

transmission circuitry configured to transmit the modified one or more images to the controller,

in response to failing to identify the object, the shape or the pattern in the one or more images;

transmission circuitry configured to transmit an image different from the modified one or more images to the controller.

17. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 16, wherein the different image transmitted to the controller has a different field of view than the modified one or more images transmitted to the controller.

18. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 17, wherein the controller and sensor circuitry comprises analytical circuitry configured to identify the object, the shape or the pattern in the one or more images and sensor circuitry configured to input the one or more images;

further comprising sensor control circuitry configured to control one or more parameters of the sensor circuitry;

wherein the sensor control circuitry is configured to control the sensor so that an entire frame image is captured by the sensor; and

wherein, in response to the analytical circuitry failing to identify the object, the shape or the pattern in the one or more images, the sensor control circuitry is configured to control the sensor circuitry to capture a more narrow field of view based on a size of the vehicle.

19. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 18, wherein, in response to failing to identify the object, the shape or the pattern based on the performed edge detection, controlling the sensor to capture the more narrow field of view based on a size of the vehicle.

20. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 19, wherein the modification circuitry is configured to crop the one or more images based on the identification of the object, the shape or the pattern in the one or more images.

21. The vehicle documentation booth of claim 20, wherein the modification circuitry is configured to center the identified object, the identified shape or the identified pattern in the one or more images.