System for road sign sheeting classification
First Claim
1. A method of automated classification of different types of sheeting materials on road signs comprising:
- providing a database of known retrorefiectivity values associated with a plurality of colors for each of a plurality of different sheeting types;
identifying a road sign in at least a portion of at least one image frame;
determining at least one color associated with the road sign;
determining a retrorefiectivity value for the at least one color associated with the road sign; and
making an automated comparison of the retroreflectivity values for the at least one color with the known retroreflectivity values in the database to classify a sheeting material of the road sign as one of the plurality of different sheeting types.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for classifying different types of sheeting materials of road signs depicted in a videostream compares estimated retroreflectivity values against known minimum retroreflectivity values for each of a plurality of colors. Once a road sign has been identified in the videostream, the frames associated with that road sign are analyzed to determine each of a plurality of colors present on the road sign. An estimated retroreflectivity for each of the plurality of colors present on the road sign is then determined. By comparing the estimated retroreflectivity for each of the plurality of colors against known minimum retroreflectivity values for the corresponding color for different types of sheeting materials, an accurate determination of the classification of the sheeting material of the road sign is established. Preferably, certain conditions of gross failure of the sheeting material are filtered out before classification of the sheeting material is determined.
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A method of automated classification of different types of sheeting materials on road signs comprising:
-
providing a database of known retrorefiectivity values associated with a plurality of colors for each of a plurality of different sheeting types;
identifying a road sign in at least a portion of at least one image frame;
determining at least one color associated with the road sign;
determining a retrorefiectivity value for the at least one color associated with the road sign; and
making an automated comparison of the retroreflectivity values for the at least one color with the known retroreflectivity values in the database to classify a sheeting material of the road sign as one of the plurality of different sheeting types. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A system for acquiring information to classify sheeting types of road signs disposed along a roadway comprising:
-
a vehicle having;
at least one high output light source;
at least one intensity sensor;
at least one color camera;
a positioning system; and
a control system operably connected to the light source, intensity sensor, color camera and positioning system such that the intensity sensor, color camera and positioning system record information associated with an area that includes at least one road sign as the vehicle traverses along the roadway in response to repeated illumination of the area by the light source; and
a computer processing system that utilizes the recorded information to determine at least one color associated with the road sign and a retroreflectivity value for the at least one color associated with the road sign and compare the retroreflectivity values with at least one known retroreflectivity value in a database of known retroreflectivity values associated with a plurality of colors for each of a plurality of different sheeting types to classify a sheeting material of the road sign as one of the plurality of different sheeting types. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A system for automated determination of sheeting types for reflective surfaces disposed along a roadway comprising:
-
means for storing a set of known retroreflectivity values associated with a plurality of colors for each of a plurality of different sheeting types;
means for identifying a road sign in at least a portion of at least one image frame;
means for determining at least one color associated with the road sign;
means for determining a retroreflectivity value for the at least one color associated with the road sign; and
means for comparing the retroreflectivity values for the at least color with the known retroreflectivity values in the database to classify a sheeting material of the road sign as one of the plurality of different sheeting types.
-
-
29. A method for the determination of road sign sheeting type comprising:
-
creating a reference database containing at least one manufacturing standard retroreflectivity value for each of the plurality color for each of a plurality of commercially available road sign sheeting materials;
acquiring retroflectivity values for at least one color for a road sign;
comparing the acquired retroreflectivity values with the reference database using a computer processor; and
assigning a road sign sheeting type to the road sign in response to the comparison.
-
-
30. A method for classifying target objects having one of a plurality of types of reflective sheeting material according to sheeting type comprising:
-
identifying target objects in a videostream by isolating a portion of at least one videoframe containing a target object;
assigning a set of color values to each of a plurality of colors on the target object;
calculating the retroreflectivity for each color value of the target object;
comparing the retroreflectivity values with a database of standard retroreflectivity values; and
classifying a sheeting type of the target object based on the comparison.
-
Specification