System and method for remotely sensing visible ray transmittance of vehicle window

• US 9,784,677 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Jong Deog, Park, Mi-ryong, Shin, Dongseung
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, Sunghee Y
• Application Number:
  US14/850,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20160231243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 356445
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1793 Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/59 Transmissivity G01N21/25 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/5911 of the scanning type scanning per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/06113 Coherent sources; lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/10 Scanning

Abstract

A vehicle window visible ray transmittance remote sensing system emits a plurality of laser beams to a driving vehicle, estimates transmittance of a window of the vehicle by acquiring a plurality of point data of a plurality of points from which a plurality of laser beams are reflected from a surface of the vehicle, and distinguishes a vehicle that deviates from a transmittance reference based on the estimated window transmittance.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a laser scanner that emits a laser beam and that acquires a plurality of pieces of point data of a plurality of points when the laser beam is transmitted through an atmosphere and is reflected from a surface of a vehicle;

an environment sensor unit that detects environment information based on absorption and scattering of laser light in the atmosphere; and

a signal processing controller that measures a reflectivity of a window of the vehicle and a distance to the vehicle based on the plurality of pieces of point data, that calculates an external loss coefficient based on the environment information and the distance to the window, that corrects the reflectivity of the window based on the external loss coefficient, and that calculates a transmittance of the window based on the corrected reflectivity of the window and on a predetermined internal loss coefficient of the widow.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processing controller distinguishes the vehicle when the transmittance of the window deviates from a transmittance reference.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle recognition unit that recognizes identification information of the vehicle,

wherein the signal processing controller stores the reflectivity of the window and the transmittance of the window to correspond to identification information of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising an online information service unit that provides an online service based on the reflectivity of the window and the transmittance that are stored to correspond to the identification information of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser scanner is installed in a facility that is installed on a road.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the environment sensor unit comprises at least one detection sensor that detects at least one of temperature, humidity, rain, atmospheric pressure, and fine dust.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processing controller operates the system in a dormant state and a non-dormant state based on the environment information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser scanner comprises one of:

a front laser scanner that acquires point data of a front window of the vehicle;

a rear laser scanner that acquires point data of a rear window of the vehicle;

at least one left side laser scanner that acquires point data of a left side window of the vehicle; and

at least one right side laser scanner that acquires point data of a right side window of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one of left side laser scanners is installed at different heights, and the at least one right side laser scanner is installed at different heights.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of laser scanners use red, green, and blue wavelength regions.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processing controller determines a transmittance of the window based on a predetermined loss coefficient of the window based on the reflectivity of the window and visible ray loss rate information of the window.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processing controller measures the reflectivity of the window using point data of a point at which signal intensity of a laser beam is a maximum among the plurality of point data.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processing control estimates the reflectivity of the window and the distance to the window based on a piece of point data having the maximum signal intensity among the plurality of pieces of point data.

13. A method, comprising:

emitting a plurality of laser beams;

acquiring a plurality of point data of a plurality of points in which the plurality of laser beams are transmitted through an atmosphere and are reflected from a surface of a vehicle;

estimating a reflectivity of a window of the vehicle and a distance to the window based on the plurality of point data;

detecting environment information based on absorption and scattering of laser light transmitted by the atmosphere;

calculating an external loss coefficient of the window according to the environment information and the distance to the window;

correcting the estimated reflectivity of the window based on the external loss coefficient;

calculating a transmittance of the window based on the corrected estimated reflectivity and a predetermined internal loss coefficient of the window; and

distinguishing the vehicle when the transmittance of the window deviates from a transmittance reference.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

recognizing identification information of the vehicle;

storing the reflectivity and the transmittance of the window that are measured from the vehicle to correspond to identification information of the vehicle; and

providing an online service based on the reflectivity and the transmittance of the vehicle that are stored to correspond to identification information of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the estimating of the reflectivity comprises:

measuring the reflectivity of the window and the distance to the window using point data of a point at which signal intensity of a corresponding laser beam is a maximum among the plurality of point data.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining an atmosphere state based on the environment information; and

controlling a vehicle window visible ray transmittance remote sensing system in a dormant state and a non-dormant state based on the atmosphere state.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the emitting of a plurality of laser beams comprises one of:

emitting a plurality of laser beams from a front laser scanner to a front window of the vehicle;

emitting a plurality of laser beams from a rear laser scanner to a rear window of the vehicle;

emitting a plurality of laser beams from a left side laser scanner to a left side window of the vehicle; and

emitting a plurality of laser beams from a right side laser scanner to a right side window of the vehicle.

19. A system, comprising:

a plurality of laser scanners that emit a plurality of laser beams and that acquire a plurality of pieces of point data of a plurality of points when the plurality of laser beams are reflected from a surface of a vehicle; and

a signal processing controller that measures a reflectivity of a window of the vehicle based on the plurality of pieces of point data and that estimates the reflectivity of the window based on the measured reflectivity of the window,

wherein the plurality of laser scanners comprises;

a front laser scanner that acquires point data of a front window of the vehicle;

a rear laser scanner that acquires point data of a rear window of the vehicle;

at least one left side laser scanner that acquires point data of a left side window of the vehicle; and

at least one right side laser scanner that acquires point data of a right side window of the vehicle.