System for road sign sheeting classification

• US 7,995,796 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mandli Communications, Inc., Mandli Inc.
• Original Assignee: Facet Technology Corp.
• Inventors: Retterath, James E., Laumeyer, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rosario, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US12/419,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20090252376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 382/104, 382/174
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/251 Colorimeters; Construction thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/84 Systems specially adapted for particular applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/06113 Coherent sources; lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/102 Video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/12 Circuits of general importance; Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

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.

Claims

1. A method for determining sheeting type of a reflective sheeting material covering a road sign comprising:

means for illuminating at least a portion of the reflective sheeting material covering the road sign from a plurality of distances along the roadway;

means for collecting a plurality of light intensity measurements reflected from the at least a portion of the reflective sheeting material;

means for generating an as-measured retroreflectivity profile using the light intensity measurements corresponding to exemplary angular displacements of incident light from a reference position;

means for providing a database of retroreflectivity profiles with each retroreflectivity profile having an associated known sheeting type;

means for comparing the as-measured profile to each retroreflectivity profile from the database of retroreflectivity profiles;

means for selecting the retroreflectivity profile that best correlates to the as-measured retroreflectivity profile; and

means for determining sheeting type of the reflective sheeting material based on the known sheeting type associated with the selected retroreflectivity profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the means for determining sheeting type further comprises:

means for calculating a degree of correlation between the as-measured retroreflectivity profile and the selected retroreflectivity profile;

means for determining if the degree of correlation lies between an acceptable range of predefined values;

means for selecting the sheeting type associated with the selected retroreflectivity profile if the degree of correlation lies between an acceptable range of predefined values; and

means for classifying the road sign as exhibiting a gross failure of the reflective sheeting material covering at least a portion of the surface of the road sign if the degree of correlation lies outside the acceptable range of predefined values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the means for determining sheeting type further comprises:

means for computing parameters to provide a best-fit curve to the as-measured retroreflectivity profile, the best-fit curve having an as-measured shape;

means for scaling each retroreflectivity profile in the database of retroreflectivity profiles to obtain a scaled characteristic curve sized substantially the same as the best-fit curve and having a characteristic shape; and

means for computing a deviation of the characteristic shape from the as-measured shape;

means for determining the sheeting type by identifying the sheeting type associated with the characteristic curve if the deviation of the characteristic shape from the as-measured shape is within a predefined threshold; and

means for filtering the road sign as exhibiting a gross failure of the reflective sheeting material covering at least a portion of the surface of the road sign if the deviation lies outside the predefined threshold.