Road Surface Temperature Detection Using Vehicle Light Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining road surface temperature are inadequate as they often rely on external sensor devices and fail to accurately capture temperature fluctuations, especially in environments where ambient and road surface temperatures differ significantly, such as under bridges or between buildings.
Innovation Solution
A method using a sensor arrangement within a vehicle that captures the brightness of ambient light and radiated light from the road, incorporating light sensors and potentially infrared sensors, to calculate the road surface temperature through a multistage signal processing involving polynomial functions and machine-trained algorithms, while also considering ambient temperature and moisture levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fixed position measuring devices are used to determine road surface temperature, then local measurements can be performed, but the coverage is limited to a small number of road sections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by enabling vehicles equipped with sensors to serve multiple functions: they act as both transportation units and mobile temperature measurement devices. This allows the temperature determination system to be deployed across numerous road sections without requiring fixed infrastructure at each location, thereby expanding coverage while maintaining measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the vehicle's own sensors and computational resources to determine road surface temperature, eliminating the need for external fixed measuring devices. The vehicle serves itself by using its ambient light sensors and processing units to perform temperature measurements, thereby expanding coverage to any road section the vehicle traverses.
2Ease of operation
If ambient temperature is used to determine road surface temperature, then the measurement process is simple, but the accuracy deteriorates in special situations such as between rows of buildings or under bridges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the simple but inaccurate ambient temperature sensor approach with an optical measurement system using ambient light sensors. This substitution enables the system to capture radiated light reflected from the road surface and use it to calculate road surface temperature, thereby maintaining ease of operation while significantly improving accuracy in special situations where ambient temperature diverges from road surface temperature.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the measurement parameter from ambient air temperature to optical radiation properties of the road surface. By measuring the brightness of ambient light and the radiated light reflected from the road, the system calculates road surface temperature based on thermal radiation characteristics rather than ambient air temperature, thereby maintaining simplicity while improving accuracy in thermally divergent environments.
3Adaptability or versatility
If light sensors are used to capture ambient light and radiated light, then road surface temperature can be determined without external devices, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by using ambient light sensors that are already present in modern vehicles for rain and light detection, assigning them the additional function of road surface temperature determination. This multi-functional use of existing sensors enables independence from external temperature measurement devices while avoiding the need for dedicated temperature sensors, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the road surface temperature measurement function with the existing ambient light sensing system. By combining temperature determination capabilities with the vehicle's existing rain-light sensor unit, the patent achieves independence from external devices while utilizing shared hardware resources, thereby reducing the overall complexity increase compared to implementing a completely separate measurement system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise determination of road surface temperature without external devices, improving safety by accurately accounting for temperature variations and moisture effects, thus enhancing driving dynamics and reducing the risk of black ice formation.
Implementation Method 1
the brightness of the ambient light around the motor vehicle is determined, the radiated light reflected from the road is captured
Implementation Method 2
The radiated light reflected from the road is also captured by means of a radiated light sensor, for example, in particular a light sensor
Implementation Method 3
The radiated light reflected from the road may infrared radiated light, for example, so that information about the temperature of the road surface may be obtained thereby
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for determining the surface temperature of a road on which a motor vehicle is travelling, the brightness of the ambient light around the motor vehicle is determined, that radiated light reflected from the road is captured, and that the measured values for brightness of the ambient light and the radiated light reflected from the road are included in the calculation. Also, a sensor arrangement for a motor vehicle for determining the surface temperature of a road on which the motor vehicle is travelling is used to carry out the method, in which at least one light sensor is assigned to the sensor arrangement for capturing the brightness of the ambient light around the motor vehicle, that at least one light sensor is assigned to the sensor arrangement for capturing the radiated light reflected from the road on which the vehicle is travelling.