Imaging apparatus, axle load measuring system, and imaging method

• US 10,609,292 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Imagawa, Taro, Noda, Akihiro, Kusaka, Hiroya
• Primary Examiner(s): Findley, Christopher G
• Application Number:
  US15/708,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20180249058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/00 Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10144 Varying exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit, a detector, a calculator, and a controller. The imaging unit captures an image of a road on which a vehicle runs, and generates the captured image of the road. The detector detects a contact position at which the vehicle is in contact with the road in the captured image. The calculator calculates a first brightness range based on brightness distribution in a first road surface area on the road and the first road surface area includes the contact position. The controller determines an imaging condition for the imaging unit based on the first brightness range, and controls the imaging unit using the determined imaging condition.

Claims

1. An axle load measuring system comprising:

an imaging apparatus, wherein the imaging apparatus includes;

an imaging unit that captures an image of a road on which a vehicle runs and generates the captured image of the road;

a detector that detects, in the captured image, a contact position at which the vehicle is in contact with the road;

a calculator that calculates a first brightness range based on brightness distribution in a first road surface area on the road, the first road surface area including the contact position; and

a controller that determines an imaging condition for the imaging unit based on the first brightness range and controls the imaging unit using the determined imaging condition; and

an axle load measuring device that measures an axle load of the vehicle using the captured image, wherein the axle load measuring device includes;

an axle load position identifying unit that identifies the contact position in the captured image;

a displacement amount detector that detects a contact position displacement amount representing an amount of displacement at the contact position; and

an axle load calculator that calculates the axle load based on the contact position displacement amount.

2. The axle load measuring system according to claim 1, wherein

the detector recognizes a tire of the vehicle to detect the contact position.

3. The axle load measuring system according to claim 1, wherein

the calculator calculates a second brightness range based on brightness distribution in a second road surface area on the road, the second road surface area being at least a predetermined distance away from the first road surface area, and

the controller determines the imaging condition based on the first brightness range and the second brightness range.

4. The axle load measuring system according to claim 3, wherein

the predetermined distance is a distance from the first road surface area to an area that is not subject to an axle load of the vehicle.

5. The axle load measuring system according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging condition includes at least one item of a diaphragm, a gain, an exposure time, and a black level of the imaging unit.

6. The axle load measuring system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller determines the imaging condition, and then controls the imaging unit using the imaging condition for a predetermined period.

7. The axle load measuring system according to claim 2, wherein

when the detector does not recognize a tire of a vehicle for a predetermined period, the controller controls the imaging unit using a predetermined imaging condition.

8. The axle load measuring system according to claim 1, wherein

the calculator determines whether the first brightness range satisfies a predetermined condition, and

when the calculator determines that the first brightness range does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the calculator stores the captured image.

9. The axle load measuring system according to claim 1, wherein

the calculator determines whether the first brightness range satisfies a predetermined condition, and

when the calculator determines that the first brightness range does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the calculator notifies that the captured image is abnormal.

10. The axle load measuring system according to claim 1, wherein

the axle load position identifying unit identifies a third road surface area which is on the road and which includes the contact position, calculates a third brightness range based on brightness distribution in the third road surface area, and identifies, in the captured image, a fourth road surface area having a brightness range identical to the third brightness range or having a brightness range narrower than the third brightness range, without including the third road surface area,

the displacement amount detector detects a compared displacement amount representing an amount of displacement in the fourth road surface area, and

the axle load calculator calculates the axle load based on the contact position displacement amount and the compared displacement amount.

11. An axle load measuring method comprising:

detecting, in a captured image of a road on which a vehicle runs, a contact position at which the vehicle is in contact with the road;

calculating a first brightness range based on brightness distribution in a first road surface area on the road, the first road surface area including the contact position;

determining an imaging condition for an imaging unit based on the first brightness range;

controlling the imaging unit using the determined imaging condition;

identifying the contact position in the captured image;

detecting a contact position displacement amount representing an amount of displacement at the contact position; and

calculating an axle load of the vehicle based on the contact position displacement amount.