Computer vision aided automated tire inspection system for in-motion inspection of vehicle tires

• US 8,542,881 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nascent Technology, LLC (System Development Resources, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nascent Technology, LLC (System Development Resources, Inc.)
• Inventors: Teti, Fabio, Urban, Scott, Austin, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, JON CARLTON
• Application Number:
  US13/191,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20120020526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 382/104, 382/141
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/246 Tread wear monitoring systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/02 Tyres
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20021 Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection

Abstract

A system and method related thereto, for automatically inspecting at least one tire of a moving vehicle. The system includes an image acquisition device including at least one camera. The camera acquires multiple real-time images of at least one tire of a moving vehicle. As the tire of the vehicle enters a field of view of the camera, the camera component is configured to photograph and transmit the multiple photographs of the at least one tire. A light source illuminates the at least one tire of the vehicle in the field of view of the camera, and the light application may be synchronous with the imaging performed by the camera. A computer image processing component receives the multiple images transmitted from the camera and analyzes the multiple images using a detection program. The computer imaging processing component analyzing the photographs and provides an inspection analysis of each at least one tire.

Claims

1. A system for automatically inspecting at least one tire of a moving vehicle, comprising:

one or more image acquisition devices including at least one camera device configured for acquiring multiple photographs of at least one tire of a moving vehicle when the at least one tire enters a field of view of the at least one camera device;

a light source for providing light on the at least one tire in the field of view of the at least one camera device, the light being synchronous with the photographing by the at least one camera device; and

a computer image processing component for receiving the multiple photographs transmitted from the at least one camera device, the computer image processing component analyzing the multiple photographs using a detection program, the detection program being stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium of a computer system, the computer imaging processing component analyzing the multiple photographs and providing an inspection analysis of the at least one tire, the detection program analyzing the multiple photographs to determine a tread depth of the at least one tire and providing a rating of the at least one tire used to determine when the at least one tire should be replaced, and the computer image processing component transmitting inspection analysis results and the multiple photographs for storage thereof.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera device is activated to begin photographing when the at least one camera device detects movement in the field of view.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple photographs include a series of photographs of the at least one tire in a specified time sequence.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the specified time sequence corresponds to each foot of travel of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the series of photographs taken over the specified time sequence are combined to form a single image.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein vehicle velocity is determined by the at least one camera device and used to adjust a shutter speed of the at least one camera device for capturing photographs of the at least one tire during one revolution of the at least one tire.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera device includes a high resolution area scan camera, and a high-speed velocity camera.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera device provides a live video feed, or series of snapshot digital images, of the at least one tire.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one camera device on each respective side of the moving vehicle for simultaneously acquiring photographs of tires on both sides of the moving vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the photographs include treads of the tires.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer image processing component analyzes tread depth from the photographs of the treads of the tires.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera device further includes:

an area scan camera device that is activated when the moving vehicle enter the field of view of the area scan camera; and

a vehicle velocity camera that takes photographs at a specified shutter speed.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein a velocity camera acquires a series of photographs of the at least one tire in a specified time sequence, and the velocity camera measures a speed of the moving vehicle, the specified time sequence corresponding to every foot of travel of the moving vehicle by using an area scan camera that is activated when the moving vehicle enter a field of view of the area scan camera, and the velocity camera takes photographs at a specified shutter speed corresponding to the speed of the moving vehicle.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the light source includes at least one light for illuminating for the at least one tire during one revolution of the at least one tire, and the light being positioned above the at least one tire.

15. A method for automatically inspecting a tire of a moving vehicle, comprising:

acquiring multiple images of a tire of a moving vehicle using at least one camera as the tire enters a field of view of the at least one camera;

illuminating, using a light source, the tire of the vehicle in the field of view of the camera;

synchronizing the illuminating of the tire and the acquiring multiple images of the tire;

transmitting the multiple acquired images of the tire to a computer image processing component;

receiving the multiple acquired images at the computer image processing component;

analyzing the multiple images of the tire using a detection program to provide a tread depth of the tire and a rating of the tire used to determine when the tire should be replaced, the detection program being stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium of a computer system of the image processing component;

providing an inspection analysis of the tire using the analysis of the multiple acquired images and the detection program; and

transmitting the inspection analysis and the multiple acquired images for storage thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

activating the at least one camera when the camera detects movement in the field of view.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program, a computer system including a processor for executing the steps of the computer program for automatically inspecting at least one tire of a moving vehicle, the program steps comprising:

acquiring multiple images of at least one tire of a moving vehicle using at least one camera, as part of the vehicle enters a field of view of the at least one camera;

illuminating, using a light source, the at least one tire of the vehicle when in the field of view of the camera;

synchronizing imaging by the camera with illuminating the at least one tire;

transmitting the multiple acquired images of the at least one tire to a computer image processing component;

receiving the multiple acquired images at the computer image processing component;

analyzing the multiple acquired images of the at least one tire using a detection program, the detection program being stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium of a computer system of the image processing component;

analyzing the multiple acquired images to determine a tread depth of the at least one tire;

providing an inspection analysis of the at least one tire using the analysis of the multiple acquired images and the tread depth, and providing a rating of the at least one tire to determine when the at least one tire should be replaced; and

transmitting the inspection analysis and the multiple acquired images for storage thereof.