Apparatus, systems, and methods for determining the location of a roadway mark or portion thereof not meeting standards

• US 9,230,177 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LimnTech LLC
• Original Assignee: LimnTech LLC
• Inventors: Dolinar, Douglas D., Haller, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US14/594,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41, 701/49, 701468-469, 701/50, 404 93- 94, 404/84.5, 427/137, 173/4, 359/534, 359/540, 382/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/00 Arrangements for holding or mounting articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/004 outside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0087 around two axes
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/01 Devices or auxiliary means for setting-out or checking the configuration of new surfacing, e.g. templates, screed or reference line supports form rails E01C19/50; Applications of apparatus for measuring, indicating, or recording the surface configuration of existing surfacing, e.g. profilographs E01C23/07 takes precedence; measuring roughness or irregularity in general G01B
• 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: F16M 11/10 around a horizontal axis F16M11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/18 with mechanism for moving the apparatus relatively to the stand
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2014 around a vertical axis F16M11/2035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2028 for rolling, i.e. for creating a landscape-portrait rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/022 repositionable
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• 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: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for determining the geographical location of a roadway mark or portion thereof not meeting roadway mark standards data. The system includes a GPS antenna; a GPS receiver responsive to the GPS antenna for determining the geographical location of the GPS antenna; and a system responsive to the GPS receiver. The system (a) determines the GPS geographical location of the roadway mark or portion thereof, (b) determines characteristic data of the roadway mark or portion thereof, (c) inputs roadway mark standards data, (d) compares the roadway characteristic data with the roadway mark standards data, and (e) determines the geographical location of the roadway mark or portion thereof based upon the comparison of the roadway characteristic and standards data.

Claims

1. A roadway mark inspection apparatus comprising:

a GPS antenna mounted on a vehicle;

a GPS receiver responsive to the GPS antenna for determining the geographical location of the GPS antenna;

an imager mounted on the vehicle, the imager synchronously responsive to the GPS receiver and positioned to image a preexisting roadway mark evident on a roadway surface and provide a roadway mark image; and

a computer responsive to the imager and GPS receiver, the computer configured to;

(a) determine the GPS geographical location of the roadway mark,

(b) determine a roadway mark characteristic of the preexisting roadway mark from the roadway mark image, the roadway mark characteristic including one or more of the roadway mark, length, width, area, grayscale reflectivity, the GPS geographical location of the preexisting roadway mark, retroreflectivity, and fill percentage,

(c) compare the roadway mark characteristic data with roadway mark standards data,

(d) determine whether the preexisting roadway mark meets the roadway mark standards data based on the comparison of step (c), and

(e) attend to applying a new roadway mark to the roadway surface at the GPS geographical location of the preexisting roadway mark if the pre-existing roadway mark does not meet the roadway mark standards data.

3. The roadway mark inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a roadway mark marker responsive to the computer for applying the new roadway mark to the roadway surface if the preexisting roadway mark does not meet the roadway mark standards data.

4. The roadway mark inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the GPS antenna is adapted to receive GPS radio wave signals originating from a GPS satellite system or a GPS-pseudolite array and is connected to the GPS receiver which decodes the GPS signals to determine the geographical location of the GPS antenna.

7. The roadway mark inspection apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a speed detector.

8. The roadway mark inspection apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a vehicle navigation and control system controlling the direction, speed, and acceleration of the vehicle along a predetermined path.

9. The roadway mark inspection apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a filter processing the roadway image data and producing GPS-referenced filtered image data and a compressor responsive to the GPS-referenced filtered image data for compressing the GPS-referenced filtered image data.

10. The roadway mark inspection apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an adjustable mount affixing the imager to the vehicle and positioning the imager to image the roadway mark or portion thereof, the mount including at least one fixably adjustable axis of rotation substantially parallel to the roadway surface.

11. The roadway mark inspection apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a second imager, the imager aligned to image a roadway mark substantially parallel to, and to the left of, a direction of travel of the vehicle, and the second imager carried by the vehicle and aligned to image a roadway mark substantially parallel to, and to the right of, the direction of travel of the vehicle.

2. A method for determining the geographical location of a roadway mark not meeting roadway mark standards data, the method comprising:

(a) determining the geographical location of a GPS antenna mounted on a vehicle using a GPS receiver;

(b) obtaining a roadway mark image of a preexisting roadway mark evident on a roadway surface using an imager mounted on the vehicle, the imager being synchronously responsive to the GPS receiver;

(c) determining the GPS geographical location of the roadway mark using a computer responsive to the imager and the GPS receiver, wherein the computer determines the GPS geographical location of the preexisting roadway mark based on the roadway mark image and the geographical location of the GPS antenna;

(d) determining a roadway characteristic of the preexisting roadway mark using the computer, the roadway mark characteristic including one or more of length, width, area, grayscale reflectivity, the GPS geographical location of the preexisting roadway mark, retroreflectivity, and fill percentage;

(e) inputting roadway mark standards data into the computer;

(f) comparing the roadway mark characteristic with the roadway mark standards data using the computer;

(g) determining whether the preexisting roadway mark meets the roadway mark standards data based on the comparison of step (f); and

(h) attending to applying a new roadway mark to the roadway surface at the GPS geographical location of the preexisting roadway mark if the preexisting roadway mark does not meet the roadway mark standards data.

5. The method according to claim 2 further comprising receiving GPS radio wave signals originating from a GPS satellite system or a GPS-pseudolite array, and decoding the GPS signals for determining the GPS location of the GPS antenna.

6. The method according to claim 2 further comprising controlling the direction, speed, and acceleration of the vehicle along a predetermined path.

12. The method according to claim 2 further comprising filtering the roadway image data to produce GPS-referenced filtered image data, and compressing the GPS-referenced filtered image data.

13. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of providing a vehicle carrying first and second imagers, the first imager aligned to image a roadway mark substantially parallel to, and to the left of, a direction of travel of the vehicle, and the second imager aligned to image a roadway mark substantially parallel to, and to the right of, the direction of travel of the vehicle.