PAVEMENT MARKING DETERMINATION

• US 20170213084A1
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Akselrod, Ben Z., Di Loreto, Anthony, McDuff, Steve, Robeson, Kyle D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,068,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/163 for marking-out the location of the markings; Guiding or steering devices for marking apparatus, e.g. sights
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/95607 using a comparative method
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30256 Lane; Road marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0006 using a design-rule based approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

In an approach to determining pavement markings, a computer determines a location of a first computing device based on data received from one or more location devices associated with the first computing device. The computer then retrieves pavement marking data for one or more pavement markings for the location and determines whether one or more existing pavement markings are present at the location. Responsive to determining that one or more existing pavement markings are present at the location, the computer determines whether each of the one or more existing pavement markings meet one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable pavement marking quality. Furthermore, responsive to determining each of the one or more existing pavement markings do not meet the one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable pavement marking quality level, the computer provides pavement marking data to the first computing device.

Claims

1. A method for determining pavement markings, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more computers, a location of a first computing device based on data received from one or more location devices associated with the first computing device;

retrieving, by one or more computers, pavement marking data for one or more pavement markings for the location;

determining, by one or more computers, whether one or more existing pavement markings are present at the location;

responsive to determining that one or more existing pavement markings are present at the location, determining, by one or more computers, whether each of the one or more existing pavement markings meet one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable pavement marking quality; and

responsive to determining each of the one or more existing pavement markings do not meet the one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable pavement marking quality level, providing, by one or more computers, pavement marking data to the first computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by one or more computers, whether the one or more existing pavement markings are present comprises determining, based, at least in part, on at least one of:

a digital image received from one or more cameras and sensor data received from one or more sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more pre-determined thresholds for the acceptable pavement marking quality level include at least one of:

a level of contrast between a pavement marking color and a pavement color, a percent of a pavement marking present, a location of a pavement marking as compared to a specified pavement mark for the location of an existing pavement marking, and any other threshold of the one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable quality level included in a governing traffic regulation document.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing, by one or more computers, pavement marking data includes providing data for removal of one or more of the one or more existing pavement markings.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprises responsive to determining, by one or more computers, that one or more existing pavement markings are not present at the location, providing, by one or more computers, pavement marking data to the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing, by one or more computers, pavement marking data to the first computing device includes providing pavement marking data for display using augmented reality.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more location devices includes a precision global positioning system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is one of:

a mobile computing device held by an operator of a pavement painting system, a computer integrated into the pavement painting system, and an automated robotic painting system that is one of an autonomous car, an autonomous kart, or an autonomous drone.

9. A computer program product for determining pavement markings, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions executable by a processor, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine a location of a first computing device based on data received from one or more location devices associated with the first computing device;

program instructions to retrieve pavement marking data for one or more pavement markings for the location;

program instructions to determine whether one or more existing pavement markings are present at the location;

responsive to determining that one or more existing pavement markings are present at the location, program instructions to determine whether each of the one or more existing pavement markings meet one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable pavement marking quality; and

responsive to determining each of the one or more existing pavement markings do not meet the one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable pavement marking quality level, program instructions to provide pavement marking data to the first computing device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein program instructions to determine whether the one or more existing pavement markings are present comprises program instructions to determine, based, at least in part, on at least one of:

a digital image received from one or more cameras and sensor data received from one or more sensors.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the one or more pre-determined thresholds for the acceptable pavement marking quality level include at least one of:

a level of contrast between a pavement marking color and a pavement color, a percent of a pavement marking present, a location of a pavement marking as compared to a specified pavement mark for the location of an existing pavement marking, and any other threshold of the one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable quality level included in a governing traffic regulation document.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein program instructions to provide pavement marking data includes providing data for removal of one or more of the one or more existing pavement markings.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprises responsive to determining that one or more existing pavement markings are not present at the location, program instructions to provide pavement marking data to the first computing device.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein program instructions to provide pavement marking data to the first computing device includes providing pavement marking data for display using augmented reality.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more location devices includes a precision global positioning system.

16. A computer system, for determining pavement markings, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine a location of a first computing device based on data received from one or more location devices associated with the first computing device;

program instructions to retrieve pavement marking data for one or more pavement markings for the location;

program instructions to determine whether one or more existing pavement markings are present at the location;

responsive to determining that one or more existing pavement markings are present at the location, program instructions to determine whether each of the one or more existing pavement markings meet one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable pavement marking quality; and

responsive to determining each of the one or more existing pavement markings do not meet the one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable pavement marking quality level, program instructions to provide pavement marking data to the first computing device.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein program instructions to determine whether the one or more existing pavement markings are present comprises program instructions to determine, based, at least in part, on at least one of:

a digital image received from one or more cameras and sensor data received from one or more sensors.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the one or more pre-determined thresholds for the acceptable pavement marking quality level include at least one of:

a level of contrast between a pavement marking color and a pavement color, a percent of a pavement marking present, a location of a pavement marking as compared to a specified pavement mark for the location of an existing pavement marking, and any other threshold of the one or more pre-determined thresholds for an acceptable quality level included in a governing traffic regulation document.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein program instructions to provide pavement marking data includes providing data for removal of one or more of the one or more existing pavement markings.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein program instructions to provide pavement marking data to the first computing device includes providing pavement marking data for display using augmented reality.