Pavement Marking Quality Assessment via Color Distance and Contrast
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing pavement marking quality are subjective and qualitative, leading to inconsistent assessments and schedules for restriping, without objective measures for paint color deterioration or visibility contrast.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses image data from vehicles to convert image frames into grayscale, apply color masks to isolate pavement markings, calculate mean color space values, and determine color distance and intensity contrast ratios, providing objective measurements for pavement marking quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If subjective visual inspection is used to assess pavement marking quality, then the assessment process is simple and quick, but the assessment results are inconsistent and vary based on individual perception
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/subjective visual inspection system with an automated image processing system that captures pavement marking images and objectively analyzes color and contrast metrics. This substitution eliminates human perception variability while maintaining operational efficiency through automated processing pipelines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces image data and quantitative color/contrast metrics as intermediaries between the pavement markings and the assessment process. These intermediaries serve as objective mediators that translate visual characteristics into measurable data, enabling consistent and reproducible quality assessments.
2Device complexity
If manual or pre-set schedule restriping is used, then restriping decisions are made without complex quality assessment, but restriping occurs without objective measures of actual marking condition
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables pavement markings to essentially assess themselves by capturing images of the markings and automatically analyzing their condition through color distance and contrast ratio calculations. This self-service approach provides objective condition measurements without requiring complex external evaluation processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the restriping decision basis from time-based or experience-based parameters to objective quantitative parameters such as color distance measurements and intensity contrast ratios. This parameter transformation enables data-driven restriping decisions that reflect actual marking condition rather than arbitrary schedules.
3Measurement precision
If quantitative color and contrast measurements are implemented, then objective and uniform assessment is achieved, but the system complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex assessment task into distinct processing stages: image capture, grayscale conversion, color mask application, color space value extraction, and metric calculation. This segmentation breaks down the complex quantitative assessment into manageable, automated steps that reduce overall system complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for quantitively determining quality for pavement markings disposed along pavement on a roadway includes one or more controllers in wireless communication with a plurality of vehicles. The one or more controllers receive image data represents the pavement markings disposed along the pavement collected by the plurality of vehicles. The one or more controllers execute instructions to determine at least one of a color distance measurement between a mean color space value of the pavement markings and an ideal marking color space value and a marking intensity contrast ratio between the pavement markings and the pavement.