Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
  • G05D1/00—Control of position, course or altitude of land, water, air, or space vehicles, e.g. automatic pilot
  • G05D1/02—Control of position or course in two dimensions
  • G05D1/021—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles
  • G05D1/0231—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means
  • G05D1/0234—Control of position or course in two dimensions specially adapted to land vehicles using optical position detecting means using optical markers or beacons
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
  • B60W40/00—Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
  • B60W40/02—Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models related to ambient conditions
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
  • B60W50/00—Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
  • B60W50/08—Interaction between the driver and the control system
  • B60W50/14—Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01F—ADDITIONAL WORK, SUCH AS EQUIPPING ROADS OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATFORMS, HELICOPTER LANDING STAGES, SIGNS, SNOW FENCES, OR THE LIKE
  • E01F9/00—Arrangement of road signs or traffic signals; Arrangements for enforcing caution
  • E01F9/30—Arrangements interacting with transmitters or receivers otherwise than by visible means, e.g. using radar reflectors or radio transmitters
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01F—ADDITIONAL WORK, SUCH AS EQUIPPING ROADS OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATFORMS, HELICOPTER LANDING STAGES, SIGNS, SNOW FENCES, OR THE LIKE
  • E01F9/00—Arrangement of road signs or traffic signals; Arrangements for enforcing caution
  • E01F9/60—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs
  • E01F9/604—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs specially adapted for particular signalling purposes, e.g. for indicating curves, road works or pedestrian crossings
  • E01F9/608—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs specially adapted for particular signalling purposes, e.g. for indicating curves, road works or pedestrian crossings for guiding, warning or controlling traffic, e.g. delineator posts or milestones
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01F—ADDITIONAL WORK, SUCH AS EQUIPPING ROADS OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATFORMS, HELICOPTER LANDING STAGES, SIGNS, SNOW FENCES, OR THE LIKE
  • E01F9/00—Arrangement of road signs or traffic signals; Arrangements for enforcing caution
  • E01F9/60—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs
  • E01F9/604—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs specially adapted for particular signalling purposes, e.g. for indicating curves, road works or pedestrian crossings
  • E01F9/615—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs specially adapted for particular signalling purposes, e.g. for indicating curves, road works or pedestrian crossings illuminated
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01F—ADDITIONAL WORK, SUCH AS EQUIPPING ROADS OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATFORMS, HELICOPTER LANDING STAGES, SIGNS, SNOW FENCES, OR THE LIKE
  • E01F9/00—Arrangement of road signs or traffic signals; Arrangements for enforcing caution
  • E01F9/60—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs
  • E01F9/604—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs specially adapted for particular signalling purposes, e.g. for indicating curves, road works or pedestrian crossings
  • E01F9/619—Upright bodies, e.g. marker posts or bollards; Supports for road signs specially adapted for particular signalling purposes, e.g. for indicating curves, road works or pedestrian crossings with reflectors; with means for keeping reflectors clean
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
  • G08G1/095—Traffic lights
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
  • G08G1/0962—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
  • G08G1/09623—Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
  • B60W2552/00—Input parameters relating to infrastructure
  • B60W2552/15—Road slope
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
  • B60W2555/00—Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00
  • B60W2555/20—Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
  • B60W2555/00—Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00
  • B60W2555/60—Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
  • B60W2556/00—Input parameters relating to data
  • B60W2556/45—External transmission of data to or from the vehicle

Definitions

• the present application relates generally to pathway articles and systems in which such pathway articles may be used.
• Current and next generation vehicles may include those with a fully automated guidance systems, semi-automated guidance and fully manual vehicles.
• Semi-automated vehicles may include those with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that may be designed to assist drivers avoid accidents.
• ADAS advanced driver assistance systems
• Automated and semi-automated vehicles may include adaptive features that may automate lighting, provide adaptive cruise control, automate braking, incorporate GPS/ traffic warnings, connect to smartphones, alert driver to other cars or dangers, keep the driver in the correct lane, show what is in blind spots and other features.
• Infrastructure may increasingly become more intelligent by including systems to help vehicles move more safely and efficiently such as installing sensors, communication devices and other systems.
• vehicles of all types, manual, semi-automated and automated may operate on the same roads and may need operate cooperatively and synchronously for safety and efficiency.
• the disclosure is directed to a pathway article, such as an enhanced sign, that provides information to a computing device of a vehicle that may help the vehicle interpret and make decisions regarding the vehicle pathway ahead of the vehicle.
• the information in the pathway article may include information about the vehicle pathway in a manner that may not be interpretable by a human driver but may be computer-interpretable to assist the vehicle in making decisions regarding the vehicle pathway.
• the information may include first information that indicates first characteristics of the pathway.
• the first information may include symbols or graphics that are interpretable by a human driver and derive human semantic meaning from the shape and/or arrangement of the symbols or graphics.
• the information disposed at the pathway article may also include second information that indicates second characteristics of the pathway.
• the second information may be specifically interpretable by an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle and may provide additional context about the vehicle pathway in a manner not typically interpretable by human driver.
• a vehicle with vision systems or other sensors that takes cues from the vehicle pathway may be called a pathway-article assisted vehicle (PAAV).
• PAAV pathway-article assisted vehicle
• the second information may be included in the same symbols or graphics interpretable by a human driver such that human operated vehicles, as well as a PAAV may interpret and react to the pathway article in the same way.
• a pathway sign with a graphical symbol indicating a lane shift may include first information (e.g., a symbol illustrating a general contour of the lane shift) that may be sufficient for a human driver to respond to the lane shift.
• An enhanced sign may include second information that is interpretable by a PAAV, that indicates additional contextual information about the lane shift, such as a specific curvature, dimension, recommended speed, incline or decline, uneven pavement condition or other characteristic of the vehicle pathway.
• additional contextual information about the lane shift such as a specific curvature, dimension, recommended speed, incline or decline, uneven pavement condition or other characteristic of the vehicle pathway.
• the techniques described herein may be applied to a roadway (e.g., for passenger cars and trucks), the techniques may also be applied in warehouses, factories, airports, underground or pit mines, airways, waterways or any other setting in which a pathway is navigated by manually operated vehicles as well as PAAVs.
• the disclosure is directed to a pathway article, the article comprising: a physical surface; and an article message disposed at the physical surface, wherein the article message comprises: first information that indicates one or more first characteristics of a vehicle pathway, wherein the first information provides a human-perceptible representation that is descriptive of at least a portion of the vehicle pathway; and second information that indicates the one or more second characteristics of the vehicle pathway, wherein the second information is configured to be interpreted by a computing device of a pathway-article assisted vehicle (PAAV).
• PAAV pathway-article assisted vehicle
• method of constructing a pathway article comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a printing specification, wherein the printing specification defines one or more properties of the pathway article; receiving, by the computing device, data that indicates at least one attribute of a vehicle pathway; determining, by the computing device, based on the printing specification and the data that indicates the at least one attribute of a vehicle pathway, an article message that indicates the at least one attribute of a vehicle pathway, wherein the article message comprises: first information that indicates one or more first characteristics of the at least one attribute of the vehicle pathway, wherein the first information provides a human-perceptible representation that is descriptive of at least a portion of the vehicle pathway; and second information that indicates the one or more second characteristics of the at least one attribute of the vehicle pathway, wherein the second information is configured to be interpreted by a pathway-article assisted vehicle (PAAV); generating, by the computing device, construction data, wherein the construction data usable by a construction device to dispose the article message on a substrate in accordance with the printing specification
• PAAV pathway-article assisted vehicle
• the disclosure is directed to method comprising: receiving, by a computing device of a pathway-article assisted vehicle (PAAV) and from an image capture device of the PAAV, an image of an article message disposed on a pathway article, wherein the article message comprises: first information that indicates one or more first characteristics of a vehicle pathway, wherein the first information provides a human-perceptible representation that is descriptive of at least a portion of the vehicle pathway; and second information that indicates the one or more second characteristics of the vehicle pathway; determining, by the computing device, an adjustment for one or more functions of the PAAV based on the first information and the second information of the article message; and initiating, by the computing device, the determined adjustment.
• PAAV pathway-article assisted vehicle
• a system comprising: an image processing system comprising an image capture device and one or more processors; a pathway article, wherein the pathway article includes at least one article message, wherein the article message comprises: first information that indicates one or more first characteristics of a vehicle pathway, wherein the first information provides a human-perceptible representation that is descriptive of at least a portion of the vehicle pathway; and second information that indicates the one or more second characteristics of the vehicle pathway, wherein the second information is configured to be interpreted by a pathway-article assisted vehicle (PAAV); and a PAAV comprising the image processing system, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: interpret the article message; determine the one or more characteristics of the vehicle pathway, based in part on interpretation of the first information and the second information; determine an adjustment for one or more functions of the PAAV based at least in part on the one or more second characteristics represented by the second information; and control the determined adjustment.
• PAAV pathway-article assisted vehicle
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example system with a pathway article that is configured to be interpreted by an PAAV, in accordance with techniques of this disclosure.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device that may be incorporated in an PAAV, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 3A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example vehicle pathway and pathway articles that may mark the vehicle pathway.
• FIGS. 3B and 3C are conceptual diagrams illustrating an example of a fiducial marker.
• FIG. 4 is conceptual diagram illustrating an example pathway article in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
• FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a pathway article that displays a characteristic of a vehicle pathway in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
• FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a cross-sectional view of a pathway article in accordance with techniques of this disclosure.
• FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate cross-sectional views of portions of an article message formed on a retroreflective sheet, in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
• FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating example operations of a computing device of an PAAV configured to interpret a pathway article that indicates at least one characteristic of a vehicle pathway, in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
• FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating example operations of a computing device configured to construct a pathway article that indicates at least one characteristic of a vehicle pathway, in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
• ADAS Automated Driver Assist Systems
• ADAS Advanced Driver Assist Systems
• Some practical constraints may make this transition period decades long, such as the service life of vehicles currently on the road, the capital invested in current infrastructure and the cost of replacement, and the time to manufacture, distribute, and install fully autonomous vehicles and infrastructure.
• Autonomous vehicles and ADAS which may be referred to as semi-autonomous vehicles, may use various sensors to perceive the environment, infrastructure, and other objects around the vehicle. These various sensors combined with onboard computer processing may allow the automated system to perceive complex information and respond to it more quickly than a human driver.
• a vehicle may include any vehicle with or without sensors, such as a vision system, to interpret a vehicle pathway.
• a vehicle with vision systems or other sensors that takes cues from the vehicle pathway may be called a pathway-article assisted vehicle (PAAV).
• PAAV pathway-article assisted vehicle
• PAAVs may include the fully autonomous vehicles and ADAS equipped vehicles mentioned above, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) (aka drones), human flight transport devices, underground pit mining ore carrying vehicles, forklifts, factory part or tool transport vehicles, ships and other watercraft and similar vehicles.
• UAV unmanned aerial vehicles
• a vehicle pathway may be a road, highway, a warehouse aisle, factory floor or a pathway not connected to the earth's surface.
• the vehicle pathway may include portions not limited to the pathway itself.
• the pathway may include the road shoulder, physical structures near the pathway such as toll booths, railroad crossing equipment, traffic lights, the sides of a mountain, guardrails, and generally encompassing any other properties or characteristics of the pathway or objects/structures in proximity to the pathway. This will be described in more detail below.
• a pathway article such as an enhanced sign, in accordance with the techniques of this disclosure may include an article message on the physical surface of the pathway article.
• an article message may include images, graphics, characters, such as numbers or letters or any combination of characters, symbols or non-characters.
• An article message may include first information and second information.
• First information may include information that indicates one or more first characteristics of a vehicle pathway primary information, such as information typically intended to be interpreted by human drivers.
• the first information may provide a human -perceptible representation that is descriptive of at least a portion of the vehicle pathway.
• first information may generally refer to information that indicates a general characteristic of a vehicle pathway and that is intended to be interpreted by a human driver.
• the first information may include words (e.g., "dead end” or the like), symbols or graphics (e.g., an arrow indicating the road ahead includes a sharp turn).
• First information may include the color of the article message or other features of the pathway article, such as the border or background color. For example, some background colors may indicate information only, such as "scenic overlook” while other colors may indicate a potential hazard.
• the first information may correspond to words or graphics included in a specification.
• the first information may correspond to words or symbols included in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and includes specifications for many conventional signs for roadways. Other countries have similar specifications for traffic control symbols and devices.
• the first information may be referred to as primary information.
• an enhanced sign may also include second, additional information that may be interpreted by an PAAV.
• second information may generally refer to additional detailed characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• the second information is configured to be interpreted by an PAAV, but in some examples, may be interpreted by a human driver.
• second information may include a feature of the graphical symbol that is a computer-interpretable visual property of the graphical symbol.
• the second information may relate to the first information, e.g., provide additional context for the first information.
• the first information may be a general representation of an arrow, while the second information may provide an indication of the particular shape of the turn including the turn radius, any incline of the roadway, a distance from the sign to the turn, or the like.
• the additional information may be visible to a human operator; however, the additional information may not be readily interpretable by the human operator, particularly at speed. In other examples, the additional information may not be visible to a human operator, but may still be machine readable and visible to a vision system of an PAAV. In some examples, an enhanced sign may be considered an optically active article.
• a successful implementation of infrastructure and infrastructure support may include redundant sources of information to verify inputs and ensure the vehicles make the appropriate response.
• the techniques of this disclosure may provide pathway articles with an advantage for intelligent infrastructures, because such articles may provide information that can be interpreted by both machines and humans. This may allow verification that both autonomous systems and human drivers are receiving the same message.
• Redundancy and security may be of concern for a partially and fully autonomous vehicle infrastructure.
• a blank highway approach to an autonomous infrastructure i.e. one in which there is no signage or markings on the road and all vehicles are controlled by information from the cloud, may be susceptible to hackers, terroristic ill intent, and unintentional human error.
• GPS signals can be spoofed to interfere with drone and aircraft navigation.
• the techniques of this disclosure provide local, onboard redundant validation of information received from GPS and the cloud.
• the pathway articles of this disclosure may provide additional information to autonomous systems in a manner which is at least partially perceptible by human drivers. Therefore, the techniques of this disclosure may provide solutions that may support the long-term transition to a fully autonomous infrastructure because it can be implemented in high impact areas first and expanded to other areas as budgets and technology allow.
• pathway articles of this disclosure may provide additional information that may be processed by the onboard computing systems of the vehicle, along with information from the other sensors on the vehicle that are interpreting the vehicle pathway.
• the pathway articles of this disclosure may also have advantages in applications such as for vehicles operating in warehouses, factories, airports, airways, waterways, underground or pit mines and similar locations.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 100 with an enhanced sign that is configured to be interpreted by an PAAV in accordance with techniques of this disclosure.
• PAAV generally refers to a vehicle with a vision system, along with other sensors, that may interpret the vehicle pathway and the vehicle's environment, such as other vehicles or objects.
• a PAAV may interpret information from the vision system and other sensors, make decisions and take actions to navigate the vehicle pathway.
• system 100 includes PAAV 110 that may operate on vehicle pathway 106 and that includes image capture devices 102A and 102B and computing device 116.
• the illustrated example of system 100 also includes one or more pathway articles as described in this disclosure, such as enhanced sign 108.
• PAAV 110 of system 100 may be an autonomous or semi -autonomous vehicle, such as an ADAS.
• PAAV 110 may include occupants that may take full or partial control of PAAV 110.
• PAAV 110 may be any type of vehicle designed to carry passengers or freight including small electric powered vehicles, large trucks or lorries with trailers, vehicles designed to carry crushed ore within an underground mine, or similar types of vehicles.
• PAAV 110 may include lighting, such as headlights in the visible light spectrum as well as light sources in other spectrums, such as infrared.
• PAAV 110 may include other sensors such as radar, sonar, lidar, GPS and communication links for the purpose of sensing the vehicle pathway, other vehicles in the vicinity, environmental conditions around the vehicle and communicating with infrastructure. For example, a rain sensor may operate the vehicles windshield wipers automatically in response to the amount of precipitation, and may also provide inputs to the onboard computing device 116.
• PAAV 110 of system 100 may include image capture devices 102A and
• Image capture devices 102 may convert light or electromagnetic radiation sensed by one or more image capture sensors into information, such as digital image or bitmap comprising a set of pixels. Each pixel may have chrominance and/or luminance components that represent the intensity and/or color of light or electromagnetic radiation. In general, image capture devices 102 may be used to gather information about a pathway. Image capture devices
• 102 may send image capture information to computing device 116 via image capture circuitry 102C.
• Image capture devices 102 may capture lane markings, centerline markings, edge of roadway or shoulder markings, as well as the general shape of the vehicle pathway.
• the general shape of a vehicle pathway may include turns, curves, incline, decline, widening, narrowing or other characteristics.
• Image capture devices 102 may have a fixed field of view or may have an adjustable field of view.
• An image capture device with an adjustable field of view may be configured to pan left and right, up and down relative to PAAV 110 as well as be able to widen or narrow focus.
• image capture devices 102 may include a first lens and a second lens.
• Image capture devices 102 may include one or more image capture sensors and one or more light sources.
• image capture devices 102 may include image capture sensors and light sources in a single integrated device.
• image capture sensors or light sources may be separate from or otherwise not integrated in image capture devices 102.
• PAAV 110 may include light sources separate from image capture devices 102.
• Examples of image capture sensors within image capture devices 102 may include semiconductor charge -coupled devices (CCD) or active pixel sensors in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or N-type metal-oxide- semiconductor (NMOS, Live MOS) technologies.
• Digital sensors include flat panel detectors.
• image capture devices 102 includes at least two different sensors for detecting light in two different wavelength spectrums.
• one or more light sources 104 include a first source of radiation and a second source of radiation.
• the first source of radiation emits radiation in the visible spectrum
• the second source of radiation emits radiation in the near infrared spectrum.
• the first source of radiation and the second source of radiation emit radiation in the near infrared spectrum.
• one or more light sources 104 may emit radiation in the near infrared spectrum.
• image capture devices 102 captures frames at 50 frames per second (fps).
• frame capture rates include 60, 30 and 25 fps. It should be apparent to a skilled artisan that frame capture rates are dependent on application and different rates may be used, such as, for example, 100 or 200 fps. Factors that affect required frame rate are, for example, size of the field of view (e.g., lower frame rates can be used for larger fields of view, but may limit depth of focus), and vehicle speed (higher speed may require a higher frame rate).
• image capture devices 102 may include at least more than one channel.
• the channels may be optical channels.
• the two optical channels may pass through one lens onto a single sensor.
• image capture devices 102 includes at least one sensor, one lens and one band pass filter per channel.
• the band pass filter permits the transmission of multiple near infrared wavelengths to be received by the single sensor.
• the at least two channels may be differentiated by one of the following: (a) width of band (e.g., narrowband or wideband, wherein narrowband illumination may be any wavelength from the visible into the near infrared); (b) different wavelengths (e.g., narrowband processing at different wavelengths can be used to enhance features of interest, such as, for example, an enhanced sign of this disclosure, while suppressing other features (e.g., other objects, sunlight, headlights); (c) wavelength region (e.g., broadband light in the visible spectrum and used with either color or monochrome sensors); (d) sensor type or characteristics; (e) time exposure; and (f) optical components (e.g., lensing).
• width of band e.g., narrowband or wideband, wherein narrowband illumination may be any wavelength from the visible into the near infrared
• different wavelengths e.g., narrowband processing at different wavelengths can be used to enhance features of interest, such as, for example, an enhanced sign of this disclosure, while suppressing other features (e
• image capture devices 102A and 102B may include an adjustable focus function.
• image capture device 102B may have a wide field of focus that captures images along the length of vehicle pathway 106, as shown in the example of FIG. 1.
• Computing device 116 may control image capture device 102A to shift to one side or the other of vehicle pathway 106 and narrow focus to capture the image of enhanced sign 108, or other features along vehicle pathway 106.
• the adjustable focus may be physical, such as adjusting a lens focus, or may be digital, similar to the facial focus function found on desktop conferencing cameras.
• image capture devices 102 may be communicatively coupled to computing device 116 via image capture circuitry 102C.
• Image capture circuitry 102C may receive image information from the plurality of image capture devices, such as image capture devices 102, perform image processing, such as filtering, amplification and the like, and send image information to computing device 116.
• image capture circuitry 102C described above, mobile device interface 104, and communication unit 214.
• image capture circuitry 102C, mobile device interface 104, and communication unit 214 may be separate from computing device 116 and in other examples may be a component of computing device 116.
• Mobile device interface 104 may include a wired or wireless connection to a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer or similar device.
• computing device 116 may
• computing device 116 may communicate to external networks 114, e.g. the cloud, via mobile device interface 104. In other examples, computing device 116 may communicate via communication units 214.
• One or more communication units 214 of computing device 116 may communicate with external devices by transmitting and/or receiving data.
• computing device 116 may use
• communication units 214 to transmit and/or receive radio signals on a radio network such as a cellular radio network or other networks, such as networks 114.
• communication units 214 may transmit and receive messages and information to other vehicles, such as information interpreted from enhanced sign 108.
• communication units 214 may transmit and/or receive satellite signals on a satellite network such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) network.
• GPS Global Positioning System
• computing device 116 includes vehicle control component 144 and user interface (UI) component 124 and an interpretation component 118.
• Components 118, 144, and 124 may perform operations described herein using software, hardware, firmware, or a mixture of both hardware, software, and firmware residing in and executing on computing device 116 and/or at one or more other remote computing devices.
• components 118, 144 and 124 may be implemented as hardware, software, and/or a combination of hardware and software.
• Computing device 116 may execute components 118, 124, 144 with one or more processors.
• Computing device 116 may execute any of components 118, 124, 144 as or within a virtual machine executing on underlying hardware.
• Components 118, 124, 144 may be implemented in various ways. For example, any of components 118, 124, 144 may be implemented as a downloadable or pre-installed application or "app.” In another example, any of components 118, 124, 144 may be implemented as part of an operating system of computing device 116. Computing device 116 may include inputs from sensors not shown in FIG. 1 such as engine temperature sensor, speed sensor, tire pressure sensor, air temperature sensors, an inclinometer, accelerometers, light sensor, and similar sensing components.
• sensors not shown in FIG. 1 such as engine temperature sensor, speed sensor, tire pressure sensor, air temperature sensors, an inclinometer, accelerometers, light sensor, and similar sensing components.
• UI component 124 may include any hardware or software for communicating with a user of PAAV 110.
• UI component 124 includes outputs to a user such as displays, such as a display screen, indicator or other lights, audio devices to generate notifications or other audible functions.
• UI component 24 may also include inputs such as knobs, switches, keyboards, touch screens or similar types of input devices.
• Vehicle control component 144 may include for example, any circuitry or other hardware, or software that may adjust one or more functions of the vehicle. Some examples include adjustments to change a speed of the vehicle, change the status of a headlight, changing a damping coefficient of a suspension system of the vehicle, apply a force to a steering system of the vehicle or change the interpretation of one or more inputs from other sensors. For example, an IR capture device may determine an object near the vehicle pathway has body heat and change the interpretation of a visible spectrum image capture device from the object being a non-mobile structure to a possible large animal that could move into the pathway. Vehicle control component 144 may further control the vehicle speed as a result of these changes. In some examples, the computing device initiates the determined adjustment for one or more functions of the PAAV based on the second information in conjunction with a human operator that alters one or more functions of the PAAV based on the first information.
• Interpretation component 118 may receive infrastructure information about vehicle pathway 106 and determine one or more characteristics of vehicle pathway 106. For example, interpretation component 118 may receive images from image capture devices 102 and/or other information from systems of PAAV 110 in order to make determinations about characteristics of vehicle pathway 106. As described below, in some examples, interpretation component 118 may transmit such determinations to vehicle control component 144, which may control PAAV 110 based on the information received from interpretation component. In other examples, computing device 116 may use information from interpretation component 118 to generate notifications for a user of PAAV 110, e.g., notifications that indicate a characteristic or condition of vehicle pathway 106.
• enhanced sign 108 represents one example of a pathway article and may include reflective, non-reflective, and/or retroreflective sheet applied to a base surface.
• An article message such as but not limited to characters, images, and/or any other information, may be printed, formed, or otherwise embodied on the enhanced sign 108.
• the reflective, non-reflective, and/or retroreflective sheet may be applied to a base surface using one or more techniques and/or materials including but not limited to: mechanical bonding, thermal bonding, chemical bonding, or any other suitable technique for attaching retroreflective sheet to a base surface.
• a base surface may include any surface of an object (such as described above, e.g., an aluminum plate) to which the reflective, non- reflective, and/or retroreflective sheet may be attached.
• An article message may be printed, formed, or otherwise embodied on the sheeting using any one or more of an ink, a dye, a thermal transfer ribbon, a colorant, a pigment, and/or an adhesive coated film.
• content is formed from or includes a multi-layer optical film, a material including an optically active pigment or dye, or an optically active pigment or dye.
• Article message 126 may include a plurality of components or features that provide information on one or more characteristics of a vehicle pathway.
• Article message 126 may include primary information (interchangeably referred to herein as first information) that indicates general information about vehicle pathway 106.
• Article message 126 may include additional information (interchangeably referred to herein as second information) that may be configured to be interpreted by an PAAV.
• one component of article message 126 includes arrow 126A, a graphical symbol.
• the general contour of arrow 126A may represent primary information that describes a characteristic of vehicle pathway 106, such as an impending curve.
• features arrow 126A may include the general contour of arrow 126A and may be interpreted by both a human operator of PAAV 110 as well as computing device 116 onboard PAAV 110.
• arrow 126A may also include additional information.
• the shape of arrow 126A closely conforms to the shape of the impending curve and provides information that is interpretable by both a human operator as well as computing device 116 to assist in controlling PAAV 110.
• the graphical symbol of arrow 126A may be unique to the particular portion of vehicle pathway 106 and be different from other graphical symbols marking different portions of vehicle pathway 106.
• arrow 126A may include additional features, such as a thickened portion 126B at the base of arrow 126A.
• the thickened portion 126B may represent additional characteristics of vehicle pathway 106, such as that the impending curve has a 10% incline or decline. While thickened portion 126B may not be readily interpretable by a human operator, thickened portion 126B may be interpretable by computing device 116.
• the second information is a refinement of the first information and provides further context about the first information that is interpretable by computing device 116. That is, the general contour of arrow 126A generally illustrates a curve ahead, while additional features of arrow
• a pathway article of this disclosure may include an enhanced sign with first information warning of a potential hazard ahead.
• the enhanced sign may also include second information with additional characteristics, such as physical properties of the pathway. For example, information that the potential hazard is on the left side of the road, beginning 500 meters from the sign and extending for 1 km.
• Other examples of pathway articles will be described in relation to FIGS. 3 - 5 below.
• article message 126 may include a machine readable fiducial marker 126C.
• the fiducial marker may also be referred to as a fiducial tag.
• Fiducial tag 126C may represent additional information about characteristics of pathway 106, such as the radius of the impending curve indicated by arrow 126A or a scale factor for the shape of arrow 126A.
• fiducial tag 126C may indicate to computing device 116 that enhanced sign 108 is an enhanced sign rather than a conventional sign.
• fiducial tag 126C may act as a security element that indicates enhanced sign 108 is not a counterfeit.
• article message 126 may indicate to computing device 116 that a pathway article is an enhanced sign.
• article message 126 may include a change in polarization in area 126F.
• computing device 116 may identify the change in polarization and determine that article message 126 includes additional information regarding vehicle pathway 106.
• enhanced sign 108 further includes article message components such as one or more security elements 126E, separate from fiducial tag 126C.
• security elements 126E may be any portion of article message 126 that is printed, formed, or otherwise embodied on enhanced sign 108 that facilitates the detection of counterfeit pathway articles.
• Enhanced sign 108 may also include the additional information that represent characteristics of vehicle pathway 106 that may be printed, or otherwise disposed in locations that do not interfere with the graphical symbols, such as arrow 126A.
• border information 126D may include additional information such as number of curves to the left and right, the radius of each curve and the distance between each curve.
• FIG. 1 depicts border information 126D as along a top border of enhanced sign 108. In other examples, border information 126D may be placed along a partial border, or along two or more borders.
• enhanced sign 108 may include components of article message 126 that do not interfere with the graphical symbols by placing the additional machine readable information so it is detectable outside the visible light spectrum, such as area 126F.
• area 126F As described above in relation to fiducial tag 126C, thickened portion 126B, border information 126D, area 126F may include detailed information about additional characteristics of vehicle pathway 106.
• article message 126 may only be detectable outside the visible light spectrum. This may have advantages of avoiding interfering with a human operator interpreting enhanced sign 108, providing additional security.
• the non-visible components of article message 126 may include area 126F, security elements 126E and fiducial tag 126C.
• Non-visible components in FIG. 1 are described for illustration purposes as being formed by different areas that either retroreflect or do not retroreflect light, non-visible components in FIG. 1 may be printed, formed, or otherwise embodied in a pathway article using any light reflecting technique in which information may be determined from non-visible components.
• non-visible components may be printed using visibly-opaque, infrared-transparent ink and/or visibly-opaque, infrared-opaque ink.
• non- visible components may be placed on enhanced sign 108 by employing polarization techniques, such as right circular polarization, left circular polarization or similar techniques.
• interpretation component 118 may receive an image of enhanced sign 108 via image capture circuitry 102C and interpret information from article message 126. For example, interpretation component 118 may interpret fiducial tag 126C and determine that (a) enhanced sign 108 contains additional, machine readable information and (b) that enhanced sign 108 is not counterfeit.
• Interpretation unit 118 may determine one or more characteristics of vehicle pathway 106 from the primary information as well as the additional information. In other words, interpretation unit 118 may determine first characteristics of the vehicle pathway from the first information on the pathway article, and determine second characteristics from the second information. For example, interpretation unit 118 may determine physical properties, such as the approximate shape of an impending set of curves in vehicle pathway 106 by interpreting the shape of arrow 126A. The shape of arrow 126A defining the approximate shape of the impending set of curves may be considered the primary information. The shape of arrow 126A may also be interpreted by a human occupant of PAAV 110.
• the shape of arrow 126A, and additional features of enhanced sign 108, such as thickened portion 126B may include second information with second characteristics of vehicle pathway 106.
• Interpretation unit 118 may interpret the second characteristics which may cause computing device 116, through vehicle control component 144, to, for example, reduce speed, change the field of view of one or more of image capture devices 102, control the vehicle steering to adjust the vehicle position on the pathway or similar actions.
• a human operator may also interpret the shape of arrow 126A, and the thickened portion 126B, and make a similar response. For example, a human operator may change speed, look ahead for the impending curve, set up the vehicle to efficiently and smoothly handle the curve, and take similar actions.
• Interpretation component 118 may also determine additional characteristics of vehicle pathway
• interpretation component 118 may determine vehicle pathway
• Interpretation component 118 may signal computing device 116, which may cause vehicle control component 144 to prepare to increase power to maintain speed up the incline. Additional information from article message 126 may cause additional adjustments to one or more functions of PAAV 110. Interpretation component 118 may determine other
• Computing device 116 may determine characteristics of vehicle pathway 106 require a change to the vehicle suspension settings and cause vehicle control component 144 to perform the suspension setting adjustment.
• interpretation component 118 may receive information on the relative position of lane markings to PAAV 110 and send signals to computing device 116 that cause vehicle control component 144 to apply a force to the steering to center PAAV 110 between the lane markings.
• the pathway article of this disclosure is just one piece of redundant information that computing device 116, or a human operator, may consider when operating a vehicle.
• Other information may include information from other sensors, such as radar or ultrasound distance sensors, lane markings on the vehicle pathway captured from image capture devices 102, information from GPS, and the like.
• Computing device 116 may consider the various inputs (p) and consider each with a weighting value, such as in a decision equation, as local information to improve the decision process.
• a weighting value such as in a decision equation, as local information to improve the decision process.
• One possible decision equation may include:
• weights (wl - wn) may be a function of the information received from the enhanced sign (pES).
• an enhanced sign may indicate a lane shift from the construction zone. Therefore, computing device 116 may de-prioritize signals from lane marking detection systems when operating the vehicle in the construction zone.
• PAAV 110 may be a test vehicle that may determine one or more
• characteristics of vehicle pathway 106 may include additional sensors as well as components to communicate to a construction device such as construction device 138.
• PAAV 110 may be autonomous, remotely controlled, semi-autonomous or manually controlled.
• One example application may be to determine a change in vehicle pathway 106 near a construction zone. Once the construction zone workers mark the change with barriers, traffic cones or similar markings, PAAV 110 may traverse the changed pathway to determine characteristics of the pathway. Some examples may include a lane shift, closed lanes, detour to an alternate route and similar changes.
• the computing device onboard the test device such as computing device 116 onboard PAAV 110, may assemble the characteristics of the vehicle pathway into data that contains the characteristics, or attributes, of the vehicle pathway.
• Computing device 116 may communicate to computing device 134, which may control construction device 138.
• Computing device 134 may receive a printing specification that defines one or more properties of the pathway article, such as enhanced sign 108.
• computing device 134 may receive printing specification information included in the MUTCD from the U.S. DOT, or similar regulatory information found in other countries, that define the requirements for size, color, shape and other properties of pathway articles used on vehicle pathways.
• a printing specification may also include properties of manufacturing the barrier layer, retroreflective properties and other information that may be used to generate a pathway article.
• Second information may also include a confidence level of the accuracy of the second information. For example, a pathway marked out by a drone may not be as accurate as a pathway marked out by a test vehicle. Therefore, the dimensions of a radius of curvature, for example, may have a different confidence level based on the source of the data. The confidence level may impact the weighting of the decision equation described above.
• Construction component 136 of computing device 134 may generate construction data to form the article message on an optically active device, which will be described in more detail below.
• the construction data may be a combination of the printing specification and the characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• Construction data generated by construction component 136 may cause construction device 138 to dispose the article message on a substrate in accordance with the printing specification and the data that indicates at least one characteristic of the vehicle pathway.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 2 illustrates only one example of a computing device.
• Many other examples of computing device 116A may be used in other instances and may include a subset of the components included in example computing device 116A or may include additional components not shown example computing device 116A in FIG. 2.
• computing device 116A may be a server, tablet computing device, smartphone, wrist- or head-worn computing device, laptop, desktop computing device, or any other computing device that may run a set, subset, or superset of functionality included in application 228.
• computing device 116A may correspond to vehicle computing device 116 onboard PAAV 110, depicted in FIG. 1.
• computing device 116A may also be part of a system or device that produces signs and correspond to computing device 134 depicted in FIG. 1.
• computing device 116A may be logically divided into user space 202, kernel space 204, and hardware 206.
• Hardware 206 may include one or more hardware components that provide an operating environment for components executing in user space 202 and kernel space 204.
• User space 202 and kernel space 204 may represent different sections or segmentations of memory, where kernel space 204 provides higher privileges to processes and threads than user space 202.
• kernel space 204 may include operating system 220, which operates with higher privileges than components executing in user space 202.
• hardware 206 includes one or more processors 208, input components 210, storage devices 212, communication units 214, output components 216, mobile device interface 104, and image capture circuitry 102C.
• processors 208, input components 210, storage devices 212, and image capture circuitry 102C are processors 208, input components 210, storage devices 212, and image capture circuitry 102C.
• communication units 214, output components 216, mobile device interface 104, and image capture circuitry 102C may each be interconnected by one or more communication channels 218.
• Communication channels 218 may interconnect each of the components 102C, 104, 208, 210, 212, 214, and 216 for inter-component communications (physically, communicatively, and/or operatively).
• communication channels 218 may include a hardware bus, a network connection, one or more inter-process communication data structures, or any other components for communicating data between hardware and/or software.
• processors 208 may implement functionality and/or execute instructions within computing device 116A.
• processors 208 on computing device 116A may receive and execute instructions stored by storage devices 212 that provide the functionality of components included in kernel space 204 and user space 202. These instructions executed by processors 208 may cause computing device 116A to store and/or modify information, within storage devices 212 during program execution.
• Processors 208 may execute instructions of components in kernel space 204 and user space 202 to perform one or more operations in accordance with techniques of this disclosure. That is, components included in user space 202 and kernel space 204 may be operable by processors 208 to perform various functions described herein.
• One or more input components 242 of computing device 116A may receive input. Examples of input are tactile, audio, kinetic, and optical input, to name only a few examples.
• Input components 242 of computing device 116A include a mouse, keyboard, voice responsive system, video camera, buttons, control pad, microphone or any other type of device for detecting input from a human or machine.
• input component 242 may be a presence-sensitive input component, which may include a presence-sensitive screen, touch-sensitive screen, etc.
• One or more communication units 214 of computing device 116A may communicate with external devices by transmitting and/or receiving data.
• computing device 116A may use communication units 214 to transmit and/or receive radio signals on a radio network such as a cellular radio network.
• communication units 214 may transmit and/or receive satellite signals on a satellite network such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) network.
• GPS Global Positioning System
• Examples of communication units 214 include a network interface card (e.g. such as an Ethernet card), an optical transceiver, a radio frequency transceiver, a GPS receiver, or any other type of device that can send and/or receive information.
• Other examples of communication units 214 may include Bluetooth®, GPS, 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi® radios found in mobile devices as well as Universal Serial Bus (USB) controllers and the like.
• USB Universal Serial Bus
• communication units 214 may receive data that includes one or more characteristics of a vehicle pathway.
• computing device 116A is part of a vehicle, such as PAAV 110 depicted in FIG. 1
• communication units 214 may receive information about a pathway article from an image capture device, as described in relation to FIG. 1.
• communication units 214 may receive data from a test vehicle, handheld device or other means that may gather data that indicates the characteristics of a vehicle pathway, as described above in FIG. 1 and in more detail below.
• Computing device 116A may receive updated information, upgrades to software, firmware and similar updates via communication units 214.
• One or more output components 216 of computing device 116A may generate output. Examples of output are tactile, audio, and video output.
• Output components 216 of computing device 116A include a presence-sensitive screen, sound card, video graphics adapter card, speaker, cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, liquid crystal display (LCD), or any other type of device for generating output to a human or machine.
• Output components may include display components such as cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, liquid crystal display (LCD), Light-Emitting Diode (LED) or any other type of device for generating tactile, audio, and/or visual output.
• Output components 216 may be integrated with computing device 116A in some examples.
• output components 216 may be physically external to and separate from computing device 116A, but may be operably coupled to computing device 116A via wired or wireless communication.
• An output component may be a built-in component of computing device 116A located within and physically connected to the external packaging of computing device 116A (e.g., a screen on a mobile phone).
• a presence -sensitive display may be an external component of computing device 116A located outside and physically separated from the packaging of computing device 116A (e.g., a monitor, a projector, etc. that shares a wired and/or wireless data path with a tablet computer).
• Output components 216 may include construction component 136, in the example where computing device 116A is a part of a system or device that produces signs, such as described in relation to computing device 134 in FIG. 1.
• Construction component 136 may send construction data to construction device, such as construction device 138 that causes construction device 138 to print an article message in accordance with a printer specification and data indicating one or more characteristics of a vehicle pathway.
• construction component 136 may receive data that indicates at least one characteristic of a vehicle pathway.
• Construction component 136 in conjunction with other components of computing device 116A, may determine an article message that indicates at least one characteristic of the vehicle roadway.
• the article message may include a graphical symbol, a fiducial marker and one or more additional elements that may contain the one or more characteristics of the vehicle roadway.
• the article message may include both machine-readable and human readable elements.
• Construction component 136 may provide construction data to construction device 138 to form the article message on an optically active device, which will be described in more detail below.
• Output components 216 may also include vehicle control component 144, in examples where computing device 116A is onboard a PAAV.
• Vehicle control component 144 has the same functions as vehicle control component 144 described in relation to FIG. 1.
• One or more storage devices 212 within computing device 116A may store information for processing during operation of computing device 116A.
• storage device 212 is a temporary memory, meaning that a primary purpose of storage device 212 is not long-term storage.
• Storage devices 212 on computing device 116A may configured for short-term storage of information as volatile memory and therefore not retain stored contents if deactivated. Examples of volatile memories include random access memories (RAM), dynamic random access memories (DRAM), static random access memories (SRAM), and other forms of volatile memories known in the art.
• RAM random access memories
• DRAM dynamic random access memories
• SRAM static random access memories
• Storage devices 212 also include one or more computer-readable storage media. Storage devices 212 may be configured to store larger amounts of information than volatile memory. Storage devices 212 may further be configured for long-term storage of information as nonvolatile memory space and retain information after activate/off cycles. Examples of non-volatile memories include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories. Storage devices 212 may store program instructions and/or data associated with components included in user space 202 and/or kernel space 204. [0081] As shown in FIG. 2, application 228 executes in userspace 202 of computing device 116A.
• Application 228 may be logically divided into presentation layer 222, application layer 224, and data layer 226.
• Presentation layer 222 may include user interface (UI) component 228, which generates and renders user interfaces of application 228.
• Application 228 may include, but is not limited to: UI component 124, interpretation component 118, security component 120, and one or more service components 122.
• application layer 224 may interpretation component 118, service component 122, and security component 120.
• Presentation layer 222 may include UI component 124.
• Data layer 226 may include one or more datastores.
• a datastore may store data in structure or unstructured form.
• Example datastores may be any one or more of a relational database management system, online analytical processing database, table, or any other suitable structure for storing data.
• Security data 234 may include data specifying one or more validation functions and/or validation configurations.
• Service data 233 may include any data to provide and/or resulting from providing a service of service component 122.
• service data may include information about pathway articles (e.g., security specifications), user information, or any other information.
• Image data 232 may include one or more images that are received from one or more image capture devices, such as image capture devices 102 described in relation to FIG. 1. In some examples, the images are bitmaps, Joint Photographic Experts Group images (JPEGs), Portable Network Graphics images (PNGs), or any other suitable graphics file formats.
• JPEGs Joint Photographic Experts Group images
• PNGs Portable Network Graphics images
• one or more of communication units 214 may receive, from an image capture device, an image of a pathway article that includes an article message, such as article message
• UI component 124 or any one or more components of application layer
• 224 may receive the image of the pathway article and store the image in image data 232.
• interpretation component 118 may determine that a pathway article is an enhanced sign, such as enhanced sign 108.
• the pathway article may include at least one article message that indicates one or more characteristics of a pathway for the PAAV.
• the article message may include primary, or first information that indicates one or more first characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• An enhanced sign may also include additional or second information that indicates the one or more additional characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• the additional information may information include one or more of a predicted trajectory, an incline change, a change in width, a change in road surface, a defect in the pathway or other potential hazard, the location of other pathway articles and speed limit change.
• An example of a predicted trajectory may include the shape of the vehicle pathway depicted by arrow 126A in FIG. 1.
• the additional information includes machine readable information that is detectable outside the visible light spectrum, such as by IR, a change in polarization or similar techniques.
• Interpretation component 118 may determine one or more characteristics of a vehicle pathway and transmit data representative of the characteristics to other components of computing device 116 A, such as service component 122.
• Interpretation component 118 may determine the characteristics of the vehicle pathway indicate an adjustment to one or more functions of the vehicle.
• the enhanced sign may indicate that the vehicle is approaching a construction zone and there is a change to the vehicle pathway.
• Computing device 116A may combine this information with other information from other sensors, such as image capture devices, GPS information, information from network 114 and similar information to adjust the speed, suspension or other functions of the vehicle through vehicle control component 144.
• computing device 116A may determine one or more conditions of the vehicle.
• Vehicle conditions may include a weight of the vehicle, a position of a load within the vehicle, a tire pressure of one or more vehicle tires, transmission setting of the vehicle and a powertrain status of the vehicle.
• a PAAV with a large powertrain may receive different commands when encountering an incline in the vehicle pathway than a PAAV with a less powerful powertrain (i.e. motor).
• Computing device may also determine environmental conditions in a vicinity of the vehicle.
• Environmental conditions may include air temperature, precipitation level, precipitation type, incline of the vehicle pathway, presence of other vehicles and estimated friction level between the vehicle tires and the vehicle pathway.
• Computing device 116A may combine information from vehicle conditions, environmental conditions, interpretation component 118 and other sensors to determine adjustments to the state of one or more functions of the vehicle. For example, interpretation component 118 may determine the vehicle is approaching a curve with a downgrade, based on interpreting an enhanced sign on the vehicle pathway. Computing device 116A may determine one speed for dry conditions and a different speed for wet conditions. Similarly, computing device 116A onboard a heavily loaded freight truck may determine one speed while computing device 116A onboard a sports car may determine a different speed.
• computing device 116A may determine the condition of the pathway by considering a traction control history of a PAAV. For example, if the traction control system of a PAAV is very active, computing device 116A may determine the friction between the pathway and the vehicle tires is low, such as during a snow storm or sleet.
• the pathway articles of this disclosure may include one or more security elements, such as security element 126E depicted in FIG. 1, to help determine if the pathway article is counterfeit.
• Security is a concern with intelligent infrastructure to minimize the impact of hackers, terrorist activity or crime. For example, a criminal may attempt to redirect an autonomous freight truck to an alternate route to steal the cargo from the truck. An invalid security check may cause computing device 116A to give little or no weight to the information in the sign as part of the decision equation to control an PAAV.
• the properties of security marks may include but are not limited to location, size, shape, pattern, composition,
• Security component 120 may determine whether pathway article, such as enhanced sign 108 is counterfeit based at least in part on determining whether the at least one symbol, such as the graphical symbol, is valid for at least one security element. As described in relation to FIG. 1 security component 120 may include one or more validation functions and/or one or more validation conditions on which the construction of enhanced sign 108 is based. In some examples a fiducial marker, such as fiducial tag 126C may act as a security element. In other examples a pathway article may include one or more security elements such as security element 126E.
• security component 120 determines, using a validation function based on the validation condition in security data 234, whether the pathway article depicted in FIG. 1 is counterfeit.
• Security component 120 based on determining that the security elements satisfy the validation configuration, generate data that indicates enhanced sign 108 is authentic (e.g., not a counterfeit). If security elements and the article message in enhanced sign 108 did not satisfy the validation criteria, security component 120 may generate data that indicates pathway article is not authentic (e.g., counterfeit) or that the pathway article is not being read correctly.
• a pathway article may not be read correctly because it may be partially occluded or blocked, the image may be distorted or the pathway article is damaged.
• the image of the pathway article may be distorted.
• another vehicle such as a large truck, or a fallen tree limb may partially obscure the pathway article.
• the security elements, or other components of the article message may help determine if an enhanced sign is damaged. If the security elements are damaged or distorted, security component 120 may determine the enhanced sign is invalid.
• the pathway article may be visible in hundreds of frames as the vehicle approaches the enhanced sign.
• the interpretation of the enhanced sign may not necessarily rely on a single, successful capture image.
• the system may recognize the enhanced sign.
• the resolution may improve and the confidence in the interpretation of the sign information may increase.
• the confidence in the interpretation may impact the weighting of the decision equation and the outputs from vehicle control component 144.
• Service component 122 may perform one or more operations based on the data generated by security component 120 that indicates whether the pathway article is a counterfeit.
• Service component 122 may, for example, query service data 233 to retrieve a list of recipients for sending a notification or store information that indicates details of the image of the pathway article (e.g., object to which pathway article is attached, image itself, metadata of image (e.g., time, date, location, etc.)).
• service component 122 may send data to UI component 124 that causes UI component 124 to generate an alert for display.
• UI component 124 may send data to an output component of output components 216 that causes the output component to display the alert.
• service component 122 may cause a message to be sent through communication units 214 that the pathway article is counterfeit.
• the message may be sent to law enforcement, those responsible for maintenance of the vehicle pathway and to other vehicles, such as vehicles nearby the pathway article.
• security component 120 may use both a visible light image captured under visible lighting and an IR light image captured under IR light to determine whether a pathway article is counterfeit.
• security component 120 may determine from the visible light image that obstructing material has been added the pathway article. Therefore, even if the IR light image includes a valid configuration of security elements (due to the obstructing material at various locations), security component 120 may determine that the visible light image includes the obstructing material and is therefore counterfeit.
• an obstructing material e.g., opaque, non-reflective, etc.
• security component 120 may determine one or more predefined image regions (e.g., stored in security data 234) that correspond to security elements for the pathway article. Security component 120 may inspect one or more of the predefined image regions within the image of the pathway article and determine, based at least in part on one or more pixel values in the predefined image regions, one or more values that represent the validation information.
• security component 120 when determining, based at least in part on one or more pixel values in the predefined image regions, one or more values that represent the validation information further comprises may further determine one or more values that represent the validation information based at least in part one whether the one or more predefined image regions of security elements are active or inactive. In some examples, security component 120 may determine the validation information that is detectable outside the visible light spectrum from the at least one security element further by determining the validation information based at least in part on at least one of a location, shape, size, pattern, composition of the at least one security element.
• security component 120 may determine whether the pathway article is counterfeit or otherwise invalid based on whether a combination of one or more symbols of the article message and the validation information represent a valid association. Therefore, an invalid enhanced sign may be from a variety of factors including counterfeit, damage, unreadable because of weather or other causes.
• computing device 116A may communicate with construction device 138 to initially manufacture or otherwise create enhanced sign 108 with an article message.
• Construction device 138 may communicate with construction device 138 to initially manufacture or otherwise create enhanced sign 108 with an article message.
• construction device 138 may be used in conjunction with computing device 116A, which may control the operation of construction device 138, as in the example of computing device 134 of FIG. 1.
• construction device 138 may be any device that prints, disposes, or otherwise forms an article message
• enhanced sign 108 may be the retroreflective sheeting constructed by construction device 138, and a separate construction process or device, which is operated in some cases by a different operators or entities than construction device 138, may apply the article message to the sheeting and/or the sheeting to the base layer (e.g., aluminum plate).
• base layer e.g., aluminum plate
• Construction device 138 may be communicatively coupled to computing device 116A by a communication link 130C.
• Computing device 116A may control the operation of construction device 138 or may generate and send construction data to construction device 138.
• Computing device 116A may include one or more printing specifications.
• a printing specification may comprise data that defines properties (e.g., location, shape, size, pattern, composition or other spatial characteristics) of article message 126 on enhanced sign 108.
• the printing specification may be generated by a human operator or by a machine.
• construction component 136 may send data to construction device 138 that causes construction device 138 to print an article message in accordance with the printer specification and the data that indicates at least one characteristic of the vehicle pathway.
• enhanced sign 108 may include a base layer (e.g., an aluminum sheet), an adhesive layer disposed on the base layer, a structured surface disposed on the adhesive layer, and an overlay layer disposed on the structured surface such as described in U.S.
• base layer e.g., an aluminum sheet
• adhesive layer disposed on the base layer
• structured surface disposed on the adhesive layer
• overlay layer disposed on the structured surface such as described in U.S.
• the structured surface may be formed from optical elements, such as full cubes (e.g., hexagonal cubes or preferred geometry (PG) cubes), or truncated cubes, or beads as described in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 7,422,334, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.
• optical elements such as full cubes (e.g., hexagonal cubes or preferred geometry (PG) cubes), or truncated cubes, or beads as described in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 7,422,334, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.
• a barrier material may be disposed at such different regions of the adhesive layer.
• the barrier material forms a physical "barrier" between the structured surface and the adhesive.
• a low refractive index area is created that provides for retroflection of light off the pathway article back to a viewer.
• the low refractive index area enables total internal reflection of light such that the light that is incident on a structured surface adjacent to a low refractive index area is retroreflected.
• the non-visible components are formed from portions of the barrier material.
• total internal reflection is enabled by the use of seal films which are attached to the structured surface of the pathway article by means of, for example, embossing.
• Exemplary seal films are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0114143, and U.S. Patent No. 7,611,251, all of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
• a reflective layer is disposed adjacent to the structured surface of the pathway article, e.g. enhanced sign 108, in addition to or in lieu of the seal film.
• Suitable reflective layers include, for example, a metallic coating that can be applied by known techniques such as vapor depositing or chemically depositing a metal such as aluminum, silver, or nickel.
• a primer layer may be applied to the backside of the cube-corner elements to promote the adherence of the metallic coating.
• construction device 138 may be at a location remote from the location of the signs. In other examples, construction device 138 may be mobile, such as installed in a truck, van or similar vehicle, along with an associated computing device, such as computing device 134 or 116A.
• a mobile construction device may have advantages when local vehicle pathway conditions indicate the need for a temporary or different sign. For example, in the event of a road washout, where there is only one lane remaining, in a construction area where the vehicle pathway changes frequently, or in a warehouse or factory where equipment or storage locations may change.
• a mobile construction device may receive construction data, as described, and create an enhanced sign at the location where the sign may be needed.
• the vehicle carrying the construction device may include sensors that allow the vehicle to traverse the changed pathway and determine pathway characteristics.
• the substrate containing the article message may be removed from a sign base layer and replaced with an updated substrate containing a new article message. This may have an advantage in cost savings.
• Computing device 116A may receive data that indicates characteristics or attributes of the vehicle pathway from a variety of sources.
• computing device 116A may receive vehicle pathway characteristics from a terrain mapping database, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) equipped aircraft, drone or similar vehicle.
• LIDAR light detection and ranging
• a sensor equipped vehicle may traverse, measure and determine the characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• an operator may walk the vehicle pathway with a handheld device.
• Sensors, such as accelerometers may determine pathway characteristics or attributes and generate data for computing device 116A.
• computing device 116A may receive a printer specification that defines one or more properties of the pathway article.
• the printer specification may also include or otherwise specify one or more validation functions and/or validation configurations, as further described in this disclosure.
• construction component 136 may print security elements and article message in accordance with validation functions and/or validation configurations that are also implemented in security component 120.
• a validation function may be any function that takes as input, validation information (e.g., an encoded or literal value(s) of one or more of the article message and/or security elements of a pathway article), and produces a value as output that can be used to verify whether the combination of the article message indicates a pathway article is authentic or counterfeit.
• validation functions may include one-way functions, mapping functions, or any other suitable functions.
• a validation configuration may be any mapping of data or set of rules that represents a valid association between validation information of the one or more security elements and the article message, and which can be used to verify whether the combination of the article message and validation information indicate a pathway article is authentic or counterfeit.
• security component 120 may determine whether the validation information satisfies one or more rules of a validation configuration that was used to generate the construct the pathway article with the article message and the at least one security element, wherein the one or more rules of the validation
• the techniques of this disclosure may have an advantage in that the enhanced signs may be created using current printing technology and interpreted with baseline computer vision systems.
• the techniques of this disclosure may also provide advantages over barcode or similar systems in that a barcode reader may require a look-up database or "dictionary.” Some techniques of this disclosure, such as interpreting the shape of arrow 126A in FIG. 1, may not require a look-up or other decoding to determine one or more characteristics of a vehicle pathway.
• the techniques of this disclosure include small changes to existing signs that may not change human interpretation, while taking advantage of existing computer vision technology to interpret an article message, such as a graphic symbol.
• Techniques of this disclosure may also have advantages of improved safety over conventional signs. For example, one issue with changes in vehicle pathways, such as a construction zone, is driver uncertainty and confusion over the changes. The uncertainty may cause a driver to brake suddenly, take the incorrect path or some other response. Techniques of this disclosure may ensure human operators have a better understanding of changes to vehicle pathway, along with the autonomous and semi- autonomous vehicles. This may improve safety, not only for drivers but for the construction workers, in examples of vehicle pathways through construction zones.
• FIG. 3 A is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example vehicle pathway and signs that may mark the vehicle pathway.
• FIG. 3 A illustrates curves in a vehicle pathway 300, a conventional sign 308 and an enhanced sign 108A.
• Example vehicle pathway 300 with characteristics that includes a curve in one direction, i.e. to the left for a direction of travel toward the top of the page and a second curve in the opposite direction.
• the curves each have additional characteristics of a radius 302 and radius 306, along with a distance between the curves of distance 304.
• Conventional sign 308 may be positioned proximate to vehicle pathway in advance of curves.
• a human operator may interpret the information on conventional sign 308 to mean that the vehicle pathway ahead takes two turns in opposite directions.
• an PAAV such as PAAV 110
• PAAV may also interpret conventional sign 308 in the same manner, that is, to expect two turns in the vehicle pathway, the physical properties of the curves cannot be determined based on the information contained in conventional sign 308.
• Enhanced sign 108A may include additional information (also referred to herein as additional information) that is interpretable by PAAV 110 and that indicates additional characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• Enhanced sign 108A is similar to enhanced sign 108 depicted in FIG. 1, with some features of article message 126 removed for clarity.
• arrow 126A includes features that indicate an accurate trajectory or shape for the vehicle pathway beyond the sign. Both a human operator and autonomous vehicle may interpret enhanced sign 108A and achieve a greater understanding of the shape of the vehicle pathway when compared to conventional sign 308.
• the graphical symbol, arrow 126A, as also described in relation to FIG. 1, may include additional information configured to be interpreted by a computing device onboard an PAAV.
• arrow 126A may be specific for the portion of vehicle pathway 300 and conform to radius 302 and radius 306 as well as distance 304 between radius 302 and radius 306.
• a different portion of vehicle pathway 300 may include a different trajectory or pathway contour with a different radius and therefore the graphical symbol for an enhanced sign marking the different portion would be different from arrow 126A.
• a computing device onboard a vehicle with an image capture device may interpret the shape and dimensions of arrow 126A and determine the specific characteristics of vehicle pathway 300. In other words, the computing device may determine the dimensions of each radius 302 and 306 as well as the distance 304 between each radius. In some examples, the general contour of arrow 126A may be considered first information.
• arrow 126A also includes additional information describing additional, or second characteristics of vehicle pathway 300.
• the thickened portion 126B as described above in relation to FIG. 1, may indicate an incline or decline in the vehicle pathway (in addition to the curvature).
• the particular shape of the thickened portion may correspond to a particular incline or decline.
• a particular thickness may represent an 8% downgrade, while another thickness may be used to represent a different incline or decline.
• the thickened portion 126B may be considered additional information that is part of the article message of enhanced sign 108.
• the additional information of an article message may also include non-visible machine-readable information.
• a computing device such as computing device 116 onboard PAAV 110, may combine the information from enhanced sign 108A, along with other information, such as GPS, information from vehicle radar, or other sensors to determine an adjustment for one or more functions of the PAAV based on the one or more characteristics represented by the information in the article message of enhanced sign 108A.
• a vehicle pathway may include portions not limited to the pathway itself.
• Portions of the vehicle pathway include non-physical aspects of the pathway and other physical structures proximate to the pathway.
• proximate to the vehicle pathway may be defined as
• threshold distances may include 10 meters, 100 meters, a range of 1-200 meters and similar threshold distances.
• a stack of shelves may be considered a portion of a vehicle pathway for a forklift PAAV and be within a single meter.
• a threshold distance may be in the hundreds of meters.
• the properties of structures proximate to a vehicle pathway may be included in the article message of a pathway article of this disclosure. For example, a school with small children present may be indicated by characters, symbols or graphics that may be interpreted as a school along the pathway.
• Second information in the article message may include times when children are present, proximity of the school to the pathway, and similar characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• the second information may include potential effects of the structure on the PAAV.
• the structure may be a weighing station that may require the PAAV to turn off the roadway to measure the weight of the PAAV.
• the structure could be snow making equipment for a ski area, and the second, and first information, may include a warning of impacts to visibility as well as impacts to the friction of the vehicle pathway surface.
• FIGS. 3B and 3C are conceptual diagrams illustrating an example of a fiducial marker.
• FIGS. 3B illustrates and example of a half-asterisk fiducial marking that may be a component of an article message, similar to fiducial tag 126C.
• a half-asterisk fiducial tag may be useful as a reference that is invariant to the observed view angle and distance. Because PAAVs capture image frames of traffic signs from a wide range of different view angles and distances, the captured images of traffic signs may be affected by a variety of geometrical and optical transformations. Therefore, to encode accurate information about the road shape and its scale, the captured sign may be mapped to a reference representation that is invariant to the observed view angle and the distance. This may be done by registering the image of the captured sign with a reference template sign image. A robust image registration may include several image key-points that are distributed in both horizontal and vertical directions on the image plane. Because some traffic sign borders may not be an accurate reference for registration, an enhanced sign, such as enhanced sign 108D in FIG.
• 3C may include such a fiducial marker.
• a robust fiducial marker for image registration may include a half asterisk shape.
• a half asterisk shape provides at least six robust key -points such that five key -points are located on a half-circle and the sixth one is on the center of the circle.
• the half asterisk fiducial can also be used to detect that the sign is an enhanced sign, in contrast with the conventional signs.
• FIG. 3C depicts an example of an enhanced sign 108D with half asterisk fiducial 126K and the scale indicator 126L.
• Half asterisk fiducial 126K corresponds to the half asterisk fiducial of FIG. 3B.
• Scale indicator 126L is a vertical line that is connected to the fiducial. The lengths and the width of scale indicator 126L may be used to decode scaling information about how much the road shape is scaled in vertical and horizontal direction. Scale indicator 126L may be considered second information that is configured to be interpreted by a computing device onboard a PAAV. Scale indicator 126L, along with the features of arrow 126A may describe the physical characteristics of the vehicle pathway, as described above in relation to FIG. 3A.
• FIG. 4 is conceptual diagram illustrating an example enhanced sign in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
• the enhanced sign 108B of FIG. 4 includes a graphical symbol indicating primary information of a potential hazard or change in characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• the article message of enhanced sign 108B may include additional, machine-readable information in the form of additional graphical symbols, as well as other portions of the article message.
• these additional portions include fiducial tag 126C, border information 126D, security element 126E, and area 126F. Where the reference numbers are the same, these portions of the article message correspond to portions of article message 126 described in relation to FIG. 1 above.
• Graphical symbol 126G is a "rough road” symbol indicating that there is a change in the condition of the vehicle pathway. In other words, the vehicle pathway ahead may have bumps, cracked pavement, be unpaved or other similar characteristics.
• Other examples of graphical symbols indicating a potential hazard in the vehicle pathway may include a symbol indicating deer or other animal crossing, pedestrian crossing, railroad crossing, narrow shoulder, steep turn, and similar hazards.
• the article message of enhanced sign 108B may include additional information such as information that indicates the nature of the potential hazard, the location of the potential hazard relative to the vehicle pathway, the portion of the vehicle pathway affected by the potential hazard and similar information.
• information that indicates the nature of the potential hazard may include, mudslide area, falling rock danger, large animal crossing, single lane ahead, narrow bridge, railroad crossing, slippery when wet, construction zone ahead, and similar potential hazards.
• Some examples of the extent of the potential hazard may include just a single hazard, multiple instances of a potential hazard, how much of the vehicle pathway is affected by a potential hazard, for example over the next one kilometer or for ten kilometers.
• This additional information may be included in features of graphical symbol 126G.
• one or more dimensions of graphical symbol 126G may be used to convey additional information to an PAAV system. That is, in a manner similar to the thickened portion of arrow 126A, one or more dimensions of graphical symbol may indicate characteristics of the vehicle pathway, such as the depth or conditions of the rough road.
• the additional information may be included in fiducial tag 126C, border information 126D, security element 126E, and area 126F, which have the same functions as described above in relation to FIG. 1.
• an enhanced sign warning of a potential hazard may have words indicating the potential hazard, rather than a graphical symbol (not shown in FIG. 4). For example, an enhanced sign may read, "Dead End,” “Road Closed Ahead,” or "Traffic Calming Ahead.”
• a computing device onboard a PAAV may interpret the rough road indicated by graphical symbol 126G and adjust the vehicle speed, damping and/or spring coefficient in the vehicle suspension, change the focus of one or more sensing devices, such as a camera, or make other similar adjustments to one or more functions of the vehicle.
• the additional information may indicate the extent of the rough road, for example, that it begins in 100 meters and continues for a kilometer.
• a graphical symbol on an enhanced sign may indicate a school zone with small children present, or the potential for large animals in the vehicle pathway.
• Computing device 116 may activate and/or change the focus of an IR image capture device to scan the edges or other portion of the vehicle pathway to determine the presence of children or animals.
• Additional information in the article message of enhanced sign 108B may indicate the times of greatest hazard, such as school hours, the direction from which the potential hazard may come, or similar information that may be interpreted by computing device 116 to adjust one or more vehicle functions.
• FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an enhanced sign that displays a characteristic of a vehicle pathway in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
• Enhanced sign 108C includes first information indicating a traffic signal on the vehicle pathway ahead.
• the article message of enhanced sign 108C also includes secondary information indicating the location and orientation of the traffic signal.
• a traffic signal may also be referred to as a traffic light, a stoplight or a semaphore.
• Graphical symbol 126H indicates a stoplight ahead on a vehicle pathway.
• Graphical symbol 126J may indicate the location and orientation of the stoplight relative to the vehicle pathway.
• graphical symbol 126 J may indicate the stoplight is in a vertical orientation and located on the right side of the pathway.
• graphical symbol 126J may indicate a stoplight in the horizontal orientation in a different location relative to the pathway.
• Graphical symbols 126H and 126J may be interpreted by either a human operator or a vision system in communication with a computing device onboard an PAAV.
• the article message may cause computing device 116 of PAAV 110 to change the aim direction and focus area of an image capture device to search for the stoplight.
• the article message of enhanced sign 108C may include additional, machine readable portions, as described above.
• the example of FIG. 5 depicts fiducial tag 126C, border information 126D and security element 126E.
• security element 126E overlaps graphical symbol 126H.
• Machine readable portions of an article message may overlap graphical symbols or words in other examples.
• FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a cross-sectional view of a pathway article in accordance with techniques of this disclosure.
• a pathway article may comprise multiple layers.
• a pathway article 700 may include a base surface 706.
• Base surface 706 may be an aluminum plate or any other rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible surface.
• Retroreflective sheet 704 may be a retroreflective sheet as described in this disclosure.
• a layer of adhesive (not shown) may be disposed between retroreflective sheet 704 and base surface 706 to adhere retroreflective sheet 704 to base surface 706.
• Pathway article may include an overlaminate 702 that is formed or adhered to retroreflective sheet 704.
• Overlaminate 702 may be constructed of a visibly -transparent, infrared opaque material, such as but not limited to multilayer optical film as disclosed in US Patent No. 8,865,293, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
• retroreflective sheet 704 may be printed and then overlaminate 702 subsequently applied to reflective sheet 704.
• a viewer 712 such as a person or image capture device, may view pathway article 700 in the direction indicated by the arrow 714.
• an article message may be printed or otherwise included on a retroreflective sheet.
• an overlaminate may be applied over the retroreflective sheet, but the overlaminate may not contain an article message.
• visible portions 710 of the article message may be included in retroreflective sheet 704, but non-visible portions 708 of the article message may be included in overlaminate 702.
• a non- visible portion may be created from or within a visibly-transparent, infrared opaque material that forms an overlaminate.
• European publication No. EP0416742 describes recognition symbols created from a material that is absorptive in the near infrared spectrum but transparent in the visible spectrum.
• Suitable near infrared absorbers/visible transmitter materials include dyes disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,581,325.
• U.S. Patent No. 7,387,393 describes license plates including infrared-blocking materials that create contrast on a license plate.
• U.S. Patent No. 8,865,293 describes positioning an infrared-reflecting material adjacent to a retroreflective or reflective substrate, such that the infrared-reflecting material forms a pattern that can be read by an infrared sensor when the substrate is illuminated by an infrared radiation source.
• EP0416742 and U.S. Patent Nos. 4,581,325, 7,387,393 and 8,865,293 are herein expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties.
• overlaminate 702 may be etched with one or more visible or non-visible portions.
• an image capture device may capture two separate images, where each separate image is captured under a different lighting spectrum or lighting condition. For instance, the image capture device may capture a first image under a first lighting spectrum that spans a lower boundary of infrared light to an upper boundary of 900nm. The first image may indicate which encoding units are active or inactive. The image capture device may capture a second image under a second lighting spectrum that spans a lower boundary of 900nm to an upper boundary of infrared light. The second image may indicate which portions of the article message are active or inactive (or present or not present). Any suitable boundary values may be used.
• multiple layers of overlaminate may be disposed on retroreflective sheet 704.
• One or more of the multiple layers of overlaminate may have one or more portions of the article message. Techniques described in this disclosure with respect to the article message may be applied to any of the examples described in FIG. 6 with multiple layers of overlaminate.
• a laser in a construction device may engrave the article message onto sheeting, which enables embedding markers specifically for predetermined meanings.
• Example techniques are described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/264,763, filed on December 8, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
• the portions of the article message in the pathway article can be added at print time, rather than being encoded during sheeting manufacture.
• an image capture device may capture an image in which the engraved security elements or other portions of the article message are distinguishable from other content of the pathway article.
• the article message may be disposed on the sheeting at a fixed location while in other examples, the article message may be disposed on the sheeting using a mobile construction device, as described above.
• the following examples provide other techniques for creating portions of the article message in a pathway article, in which some portions, when captured by an image capture device, may be
• a portion of an article message, such as a security element may be created using at least two sets of indicia, wherein the first set is visible in the visible spectrum and substantially invisible or non-interfering when exposed to infrared radiation; and the second set of indicia is invisible in the visible spectrum and visible (or detectable) when exposed to infrared.
• Patent Publication WO/2015/148426 (Pavelka et al) describes a license plate comprising two sets of information that are visible under different wavelengths. The disclosure of WO/2015/148426 is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
• a security element may be created by changing the optical properties of at least a portion of the underlying substrate.
• U.S. Patent No. 7,068,434 (Florczak et al), which is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes forming a composite image in beaded retroreflective sheet, wherein the composite image appears to be suspended above or below the sheeting (e.g., floating image).
• U.S. Patent No. 8,950,877 (Northey et al), which is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes a prismatic retroreflective sheet including a first portion having a first visual feature and a second portion having a second visual feature different from the first visual feature, wherein the second visual feature forms a security mark.
• the different visual feature can include at least one of retroreflectance, brightness or whiteness at a given orientation, entrance or observation angle, as well as rotational symmetry.
• the mold is at least partially filled with a radiation curable resin and the radiation curable resin is exposed to a first, patterned irradiation.
• FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate cross-sectional views of portions of an article message formed on a retroreflective sheet, in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.
• Retroreflective article 800 includes a retroreflective layer 810 including multiple cube corner elements 812 that collectively form a structured surface 814 opposite a major surface 816.
• the optical elements can be full cubes, truncated cubes, or preferred geometry (PG) cubes as described in, for example, U.S. Patent No.
• the specific retroreflective layer 810 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B includes a body layer 818, but those of skill will appreciate that some examples do not include an overlay layer.
• One or more barrier layers 834 are positioned between retroreflective layer 810 and conforming layer 832, creating a low refractive index area 838. Barrier layers 834 form a physical "barrier" between cube corner elements 812 and conforming layer 832. Barrier layer 834 can directly contact or be spaced apart from or can push slightly into the tips of cube corner elements 812. Barrier layers 834 have a characteristic that varies from a characteristic in one of (1) the areas 832 not including barrier layers (view line of light ray 850) or (2) another barrier layer 832. Exemplary characteristics include, for example, color and infrared absorbency.
• any material that prevents the conforming layer material from contacting cube corner elements 812 or flowing or creeping into low refractive index area 838 can be used to form the barrier layer
• Exemplary materials for use in barrier layer 834 include resins, polymeric materials, dyes, inks (including color-shifting inks), vinyl, inorganic materials, UV-curable polymers, multi-layer optical films (including, for example, color-shifting multi-layer optical films), pigments, particles, and beads.
• the size and spacing of the one or more barrier layers can be varied.
• the barrier layers may form a pattern on the retroreflective sheet. In some examples, one may wish to reduce the visibility of the pattern on the sheeting.
• any desired pattern can be generated by combinations of the described techniques, including, for example, indicia such as letters, words, alphanumerics, symbols, graphics, logos, or pictures.
• the patterns can also be continuous, discontinuous, monotonic, dotted, serpentine, any smoothly varying function, stripes, varying in the machine direction, the transverse direction, or both; the pattern can form an image, logo, or text, and the pattern can include patterned coatings and/or perforations.
• the pattern can include, for example, an irregular pattern, a regular pattern, a grid, words, graphics, images lines, and intersecting zones that form cells.
• the low refractive index area 838 is positioned between (1) one or both of barrier layer 834 and conforming layer 832 and (2) cube corner elements 812.
• the low refractive index area 838 facilitates total internal reflection such that light that is incident on cube corner elements 812 adjacent to a low refractive index area 838 is retroreflected.
• a light ray 850 incident on a cube corner element 812 that is adjacent to low refractive index layer 838 is retroreflected back to viewer 802.
• an area of retroreflective article 800 that includes low refractive index layer 838 can be referred to as an optically active area.
• an area of retroreflective article 800 that does not include low refractive index layer 838 can be referred to as an optically inactive area because it does not substantially retroreflect incident light.
• the term "optically inactive area” refers to an area that is at least 50% less optically active (e.g., retroreflective) than an optically active area. In some examples, the optically inactive area is at least 40% less optically active, or at least 30% less optically active, or at least 20% less optically active, or at least 10% less optically active, or at least at least 5% less optically active than an optically active area.
• Low refractive index layer 838 includes a material that has a refractive index that is less than about 1.30, less than about 1.25, less than about 1.2, less than about 1.15, less than about 1.10, or less than about 1.05.
• any material that prevents the conforming layer material from contacting cube corner elements 812 or flowing or creeping into low refractive index area 838 can be used as the low refractive index material.
• barrier layer 834 has sufficient structural integrity to prevent conforming layer 832 from flowing into a low refractive index area 838.
• low refractive index area may include, for example, a gas (e.g., air, nitrogen, argon, and the like).
• low refractive index area includes a solid or liquid substance that can flow into or be pressed into or onto cube corner elements 812.
• Exemplary materials include, for example, ultra-low index coatings (those described in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2010/031290), and gels.
• conforming layer 832 The portions of conforming layer 832 that are adjacent to or in contact with cube corner elements 812 form non-optically active (e.g., non-retroreflective) areas or cells.
• conforming layer 832 is optically opaque.
• conforming layer 832 has a white color.
• conforming layer 832 is an adhesive.
• Exemplary adhesives include those described in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2010/031290.
• the conforming layer may assist in holding the entire retroreflective construction together and/or the viscoelastic nature of barrier layers 834 may prevent wetting of cube tips or surfaces either initially during fabrication of the retroreflective article or over time.
• conforming layer 832 is a pressure sensitive adhesive.
• the PSTC (pressure sensitive tape council) definition of a pressure sensitive adhesive is an adhesive that is permanently tacky at room temperature which adheres to a variety of surfaces with light pressure (finger pressure) with no phase change (liquid to solid). While most adhesives (e.g., hot melt adhesives) require both heat and pressure to conform, pressure sensitive adhesives typically only require pressure to conform. Exemplary pressure sensitive adhesives include those described in U.S. Patent No. 6,677,030. Barrier layers 834 may also prevent the pressure sensitive adhesive from wetting out the cube corner sheeting. In other examples, conforming layer 832 is a hot-melt adhesive.
• a pathway article may use a non-permanent adhesive to attach the article message to the base surface. This may allow the base surface to be re-used for a different article message.
• Non-permanent adhesive may have advantages in areas such as roadway construction zones where the vehicle pathway may change frequently.
• a non-barrier region 835 does not include a barrier layer, such as barrier layer 834. As such, light may reflect with a lower intensity than barrier layers 834A-834B. In some examples, non-barrier region 835 may correspond to an "active" security element as described in
• the entire region or substantially all of image region 142A may be a non-barrier region 835.
• substantially all of image region 142A may be a non-barrier region that covers at least 50% of the area of image region 142A.
• substantially all of image region 142A may be a non-barrier region that covers at least 75% of the area of image region 142A.
• substantially all of image region 142A may be a non-barrier region that covers at least
• a set of barrier layers may correspond to an "inactive" security element as described in FIG. 1.
• an "inactive" security element as described in FIG. 1.
• inactive security element as described in FIG. 1 may have its entire region or substantially all of image region 142D filled with barrier layers.
• substantially all of image region 142D may be a non-barrier region that covers at least 75% of the area of image region 142D.
• substantially all of image region 142D may be a non-barrier region that covers at least 90% of the area of image region 142D.
• non-barrier region 835 may correspond to an "inactive" security element while an "active" security element may have its entire region or substantially all of image region 142D filled with barrier layers.
• FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating example operations of a computing device of an PAAV configured to interpret a pathway article that indicates at least one characteristic of a vehicle pathway, in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. The example operations are described below within the context of the computing devices 116 and 116A of FIGS. 1 and 2.
• Computing device 116 of PAAV 110 may receive an image of a pathway article, such as enhanced sign 108 via image capture devices 102.
• Enhanced sign 108 may include at least one article message that indicates one or more characteristics of a pathway for the PAAV (900).
• the article message may include primary, or first information that indicates one or more first characteristics of the vehicle pathway. As described above, this may include a general shape of the vehicle pathway as indicated by arrow 126A. In other words, the general shape of the vehicle pathway may include the contour or trajectory of the vehicle pathway.
• the primary, or first information may include one or more first characteristics such as potential hazards, changes in road conditions such as rough road, unsafe bridge and similar
• the article message may also include additional or second information that indicates the one or more second characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• second information is configured to be interpreted by an PAAV. Second information, as described above may include the radius of a curve, the nature of a potential hazard, the distance to the hazard or similar detailed characteristics.
• Computing device 116 may interpret the article message, for example using interpretation component 118.
• Computing device may determine an adjustment for one or more functions of the PAAV based on the one or more of the primary characteristics and additional, or second characteristics of the vehicle pathway represented by the information in the article message (902), which may include physical properties of the vehicle pathway, as described above.
• computing device 116 may combine information from the article message of enhanced sign 108 with other information, such as GPS, other sensors and information from network 114 to determine one or more adjustments to the functions of PAAV 110.
• Computing device 116 may initiate an adjustment of the functions of PAAV 110 via vehicle control component 144 (904).
• FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating example operations of a computing device configured to construct a pathway article that indicates at least one characteristics or attributes of a vehicle pathway, in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. The example operations are described below within the context of the computing devices 116 and 116A of FIGS. 1 and 2.
• Computing device 116A may a printing specification, that defines one or more properties of the pathway article (1000). As described above, a printing specification may include regulations for signs that may be placed on roads, inside warehouses, on airports or other vehicle pathways. A printing specification may also define how to create various layers of a pathway article including the location, shape and other properties of portions of an article message, such as a security element. [0154] Computing device 116A may receive data that indicates at least one characteristic of a vehicle pathway (1002). As described above, computing device 116A may receive data by manual entry such as through input components 210, via communication units 214, such as from a terrain database, a handheld device or an airborne or ground vehicle equipped with sensors that may determine the characteristics of a vehicle pathway.
• Computing device 116A may determine an article message that indicates at least one
• a printing specification may define the size, line thickness, maximum and minimum dimensions and other properties of arrow 126A.
• the printing specification may also define the background color, reflectivity, size, shape and orientation of enhanced sign 108.
• PAAV 110 may drive along a portion of vehicle pathway 106, such as vehicle pathway 300 depicted in FIG. 3A. Sensors in PAAV 110 may determine the radius of each curve, the distance between each curve, the degree of incline and other characteristics of the vehicle pathway.
• Computing device 116 may communicate the vehicle pathway data to computing device 116A.
• Computing device 116A may combine the vehicle pathway data along with the printing specification to determine the article message.
• Computing device 116A may generate construction data that causes a construction device, such as construction device 138, to dispose the article message on a substrate in accordance with the printing specification and the data that indicates at least one characteristic of the vehicle pathway (1006).
• Construction device 138 may create a pathway article that includes various layers with different portions of the article message.
• the article message may be fixed to a base layer and installed on a vehicle pathway.
• construction device 138 is a mobile construction device, as described above.
• Computer-readable media may include computer-readable storage media, which corresponds to a tangible medium such as data storage media, or communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another, e.g., according to a communication protocol.
• computer-readable media generally may correspond to (1) tangible computer-readable storage media, which is non-transitory or (2) a
• Data storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by one or more computers or one or more processors to retrieve instructions, code and/or data structures for implementation of the techniques described in this disclosure.
• a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium.
• such computer-readable storage media can comprise
• any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium.
• a computer-readable medium For example, if instructions are transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.
• DSL digital subscriber line
• Disk and disc includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
• Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry.
• DSPs digital signal processors
• ASICs application specific integrated circuits
• FPGAs field programmable logic arrays
• processor may refer to any of the foregoing structure or any other structure suitable for implementation of the techniques described.
• functionality described may be provided within dedicated hardware and/or software modules.
• the techniques could be fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.
• the techniques of this disclosure may be implemented in a wide variety of devices or apparatuses, including a wireless handset, an integrated circuit (IC) or a set of ICs (e.g., a chip set).
• IC integrated circuit
• a set of ICs e.g., a chip set
• a computer-readable storage medium includes a non-transitory medium.
• the term "non-transitory” indicates, in some examples, that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal.
• a non-transitory storage medium stores data that can, over time, change (e.g., in RAM or cache).

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• 2018
  • 2018-03-26 KR KR1020197031963A patent/KR20190133039A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2018-03-26 EP EP18720362.5A patent/EP3602515A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2018-03-26 JP JP2019552998A patent/JP2020515964A/ja active Pending
  • 2018-03-26 WO PCT/IB2018/052040 patent/WO2018178844A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2018-03-26 CN CN201880020643.9A patent/CN110462700A/zh active Pending

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