Pothole detection

• US 9,626,763 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lytx, Inc.
• Inventors: Krotosky, Stephen, Hoye, Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEMIEUX, IAN L
• Application Number:
  US14/631,708
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/10 Front-view mirror arrangements; specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; Periscope arrangements , i.e. optical devices using combinations of mirrors, lenses, prisms or the like specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle B60R1/002; for viewing traffic-lights B60R1/005; Other mirror arrangements giving a view from above or under the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/301 combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• 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

A system for pothole detection comprises an input interface configured to receive sensor data and a pothole detector configured to determine a pothole based at least in part on the sensor data; and store pothole data associated with the pothole, wherein the pothole data comprises a pothole video.

Claims

1. A system for pothole detection, comprising:

an input interface configured to;

receive sensor data of a vehicle;

a vehicle event recorder processor configured to;

determine a pothole based at least in part on the sensor data;

store pothole data associated with the pothole, wherein the pothole data comprises a pothole video; and

provide the pothole data, wherein a pothole rating of the pothole is determined and stored based at least in part on the pothole data, wherein the pothole rating comprises a driving avoidability rating, a visibility rating, or any combination thereof.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pothole video comprises a short video.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pothole data additionally comprises at least one of:

location data, vehicle type data, vehicle speed data, pothole classification, pothole severity, pothole visibility, pothole difficulty to avoid, and pothole event occurrence rate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle event recorder is further configured to provide the pothole data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the pothole is based at least in part on a pothole definition that depends on a vehicle weight or a vehicle type.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the pothole is based at least in part on a pothole definition that depends on a vehicle speed.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the pothole data is received from the vehicle event recorder.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the pothole data is transmitted to pothole authorities.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the pothole video is provided for playing.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein providing the pothole video comprises selecting the pothole video.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein selecting the pothole video comprises selecting the pothole video with a dramatic video associated with a pothole collision severity for a pothole location.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein selecting the pothole video comprises selecting the pothole video with a dramatic video associated with a pothole collision severity for a given vehicle type.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the pothole data is stored and the pothole data is deleted.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the pothole data is deleted in the event a pothole frequency is equal to zero.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the pothole data is deleted in the event a manual indication of a pothole removal is received.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein a pothole map is built, wherein the pothole map comprises a pothole indicator that indicates the pothole rating.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the pothole uses a model trained on previously stored pothole data and confirmation of pothole data.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the pothole data is used to build a pothole map, wherein the pothole map is configured to receive an indication to play the pothole video.

19. A method for pothole detection, comprising:

receiving sensor data of a vehicle;

determining, using a vehicle event recorder, a pothole based at least in part on the sensor data;

storing pothole data associated with the pothole, wherein pothole data comprises a pothole video; and

provide the pothole data, wherein a pothole rating of the pothole is determined and stored based at least in part on the pothole data, wherein the pothole rating comprises a driving avoidability rating, a visibility rating, or any combination thereof.

20. A computer program product for pothole detection, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving sensor data of a vehicle;

determining, using a pothole detector, a pothole based at least in part on the sensor data;

storing pothole data associated with the pothole, wherein the pothole data comprises a pothole video; and

provide the pothole data, wherein the a pothole rating of the pothole is determined and stored based at least in part on the pothole data, wherein the pothole rating comprises a driving avoidability rating, a visibility rating, or any combination thereof.