ROUTE DAMAGE PREDICTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20150294153A1
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Naithani, Nidhi, Rao, Dattaraj Jagdish, Bind, Anju, Chaki, Sreyashi Dey
• Granted Patent: US 9,875,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/042 Track changes detection
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/047 Track or rail movements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0008 checking presence/absence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/55 from multiple images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

A route damage prediction system includes cameras, a conversion unit, and an analysis unit. The cameras obtain image data that include a route traveled upon by vehicles. The image data includes still images and/or video of the route obtained at different times. The conversion unit includes one or more computer processors configured to at least one of create wireframe model data or modify the image data into the wireframe model data representative of the route. The analysis unit includes one or more computer processors configured to examine changes in the wireframe model data to identify a historical trend of changes in the image data. The analysis unit is configured to compare the historical trend of the changes in the image data with designated patterns of changes in the wireframe model data to determine when to request at least one of repair, inspection, or maintenance of the route.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more cameras configured to obtain image data within one or more fields of view of the one or more cameras that include a route that is traveled upon by plural different vehicles, the image data including at least one of still images or video of the route obtained at different times;

a conversion unit including one or more computer processors configured to at least one of create wireframe model data or modify the image data into the wireframe model data representative of the route; and

an analysis unit including one or more computer processors configured to examine changes in the wireframe model data to identify a historical trend of changes in the image data, wherein the analysis unit is configured to compare the historical trend of the changes in the image data with designated patterns of changes in the wireframe model data to determine when to request at least one of repair, inspection, or maintenance of the route.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a communication unit configured to communicate a request signal to direct the at least one of repair, inspection, or maintenance of the route to be performed based on comparing the historical trend of the changes in the image data with the designated patterns.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the conversion unit is configured to create the wireframe model data from different sets of the image data of the route acquired at the different times by the different vehicles.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the conversion unit is configured to at least one of create the wireframe model data or modify the image data into the wireframe model data by identifying at least one of pixels or other locations in the image data having image characteristics that are within designated ranges of each other and assigning a common image characteristic in the wireframe model data to the at least one of pixels or other locations having the image characteristics that are within the designated ranges of each other.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the image characteristics include at least one of intensities, colors, or luminance.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is configured to filter out changes in the image data caused by external factors other than damage to the route, wherein the wireframe model data that is examined by the analysis unit to identify the historical trend includes the wireframe model data after filtering out the changes in the image data caused by the external factors.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the historical trend of changes in the image data includes at least one of changes in a number of lines representative of the route in the image data, changes in spacing between segments of the lines in the image data, changes in lengths of the lines or the segments of the lines, or changes in gaps between the segments of the lines.

8. A method comprising:

receiving image data having one or more fields of view that include a route that is traveled upon by plural different vehicles, the image data including at least one of still images or video of the route obtained at different times;

at least one of creating wireframe model data or modifying the image data into the wireframe model data representative of the route;

examining changes in the wireframe model data to identify a historical trend of changes in the image data; and

comparing the historical trend of the changes in the image data with designated patterns of changes in the wireframe model data to determine when to request at least one of repair, inspection, or maintenance of the route.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising communicating a request signal to direct the at least one of repair, inspection, or maintenance of the route to be performed based on comparing the historical trend of the changes in the image data with the designated patterns.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireframe model data is created from different sets of the image data of the route acquired at the different times by the different vehicles.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireframe model data is created or the image data is modified into the wireframe model data by identifying at least one of pixels or other locations in the image data having image characteristics that are within designated ranges of each other and assigning a common image characteristic in the wireframe model data to the at least one of pixels or other locations having the image characteristics that are within the designated ranges of each other.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the image characteristics include at least one of intensities, colors, or luminance.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising filtering out changes in the image data caused by external factors other than damage to the route, wherein the wireframe model data that is examined to identify the historical trend includes the wireframe model data after filtering out the changes in the image data caused by the external factors.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the historical trend of changes in the image data includes at least one of changes in a number of lines representative of the route in the image data, changes in spacing between segments of the lines in the image data, changes in lengths of the lines or the segments of the lines, or changes in gaps between the segments of the lines.

15. A system comprising:

a conversion unit configured to receive image data acquired at different times, the image data representing at least one of still images or video of a common segment of a route traveled by vehicles, the conversion unit configured to create wireframe model data from the image data; and

an analysis unit configured to examine the wireframe model data to identify changes in the wireframe model data over time, the analysis unit also configured to examine the changes in the wireframe model data to determine when to request at least one of repair, maintenance, or inspection of the common segment of the route.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the conversion unit is configured to examine the image data to identify pixels in the image data having image characteristics that are within a designated range of each other and to create the wireframe model data by assigning a first designated image characteristic to the pixels having the image characteristics that are within the designated range of each other and assigning a different, second designated image characteristic to the pixels having the image characteristics that are not within the designated range of each other.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the image characteristics include at least one of pixel intensities, colors, or luminance.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the conversion unit is configured to create different sets of the wireframe model data representative of the image data at the different times, and the analysis unit is configured to compare the different sets of the wireframe model data to determine when to request the at least one of repair, maintenance, or inspection of the common segment of the route.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the vehicles are separate from each other and the conversion unit is configured to receive the image data from cameras disposed onboard the vehicles as the vehicles separately travel on the route at the different times.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the analysis unit is configured to compare the changes in the wireframe model data with designated changes associated with at least one of different types or different degrees of damage to the common segment of the route.