Highway premarking guidance system

• US 4,247,870 A
• Filed: 11/06/1978
• Issued: 01/27/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Her Majesty The Queen In Right of Canada As Represented By The Minister of National Defence
• Original Assignee: Her Majesty The Queen In Right of Canada As Represented By The Minister of Industry (The Republic of Canada)
• Inventors: Paulson, Garry E., Kirk, Thomas G., Gabel, Lorne G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orsino, Jr, Joseph A.
• Time in patent office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 404/93, 404/94, 358/93, 358/101, 358/108
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/001 Steering by means of optical assistance, e.g. television cameras steering devices for road marking vehicles E01C23/163
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/163 for marking-out the location of the markings; Guiding or steering devices for marking apparatus, e.g. sights

Abstract

A method and apparatus for marking a line, such as the centerline, along a roadway, using a vehicle carrying paint marking apparatus, in which a pair of television cameras, one mounted on each side of the vehicle, view the edges of the roadway and project the images onto a split screen. By keeping the images on the screen in a predetermined relationship the operator can steer the vehicle in a path along the roadway uniformly spaced from its edges. Preferably a third camera, centrally located on the vehicle, views the vanishing point of the roadway when straight and the image of the vanishing point is registered with a predetermined mark associated with the screen.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in marking a line along a roadway using a vehicle carrying paint marking apparatus, comprising:

a first set of at least two television cameras mounted on the vehicle and arranged to monitor the edges of the roadway;

a television screen mounted on the vehicle; and

means to arrange the images of the edges of the roadway on the screen in a predetermined relationship when the vehicle is in a predetermined location with respect to the edges of the roadway, said images being oriented to converge at a point, and

a further television camera mounted centrally on the vehicle and arranged to monitor the vanishing point of the roadway, and means to arrange the image of the vanishing point centrally on the screen when the roadway is straight and the vehicle is located centrally thereon.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the screen is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion carrying the image of the third camera and including an indicator marking the central point of the upper edge thereof, the lower portion being split centrally to carry the images of the pair of cameras.

3. Apparatus for marking the centreline of a roadway, comprising:

a vehicle having mounted thereon a pair of television cameras equispaced one on each side of the centreline of the vehicle and each directed at the same angle to view the adjacent edge of the roadway forwardly of the vehicle;

a screen mounted on the vehicle;

means to project the images from the pair of cameras simultaneously on the screen in side-by-side relationship with the images of the edges of the roadway in symmetrical arrangement thereon when the vehicle is steered centrally along the roadway, said images being oriented to converge at a point,

means mounted centrally on the vehicle to apply markings along the roadway to indicate the centreline thereof; and

a third television camera mounted on the vehicle viewing directly forwardly thereof, and means to project the image therefrom onto said screen with the image of the vanishing point of the roadway centrally disposed thereon.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the screen is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion carrying the image of the third camera and including an indicator marking the central point of the upper edge thereof, the lower portion being split centrally to carry the images of the pair of cameras.