RU2574298C2 - Car body bottom examination system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: motor car construction.

SUBSTANCE: claimed system comprises examination unit with scanning surface to support illumination units and two video cameras. One more video camera with IR illumination for the car license plate registration and car exterior is located sideways of the scanning surface. Video cameras are connected to operator's computer while examination unit with said scanning surface is composed of a metal carcass enclosed in guarding duckboard. Said metal carcass in said guarding duckboard is provided with the mirror arranged across the car motion direction. Glazed opening is arranged above the mirror enclosed in metal carcass. Lenses of video cameras arranged in said metal carcasses are directed to the mirror while illumination units are located under the glass ahead of and behind the mirror. Guarding duckboard for car drive on/down is composed of three different components to allow their quick replacement is faulty. Examination unit is equipped with the light signal for control over the car drive on/down, temperature-and-moisture content controller, magnetic sensor of the car availability and controller of all aforesaid devices. Said controller controls the illumination units, first of all, those composed of the set of LEDs and the drive.

EFFECT: higher reliability, expanded range of available data.

2 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to technical means for inspecting the bottom of vehicles, namely, units and assemblies of the lower part of the engine, frame, front and rear axles, suspension, wheel arches with wheels, crankshaft, pipes and hoses of the brake system, design elements of the exhaust system and fuel tank with highways.

A known vehicle underbody inspection system comprising a scanning area in which lighting devices and at least one video camera with a wide-angle lens and infrared illumination are installed; behind the scanning area in the direction of the vehicle, an infrared-illuminated video camera is installed to register the vehicle number and its appearance, video camera connected to the operator’s computer

US patent No. 6856344, IPC: H04N 7/18, publ. 02/15/2005.

This system allows you to quickly inspect the bottom of the car and create control shots of the bottom of each passing car. However, this system requires the use of at least one linear video camera to obtain a complete picture of the bottom of a passing car, which complicates the system and leads to images of the bottom of the car with significant distortions that impede image analysis, since it requires a complex processing and decoding system obtained with a wide-angle linear camcorder information.

The closest analogue to the proposed technical solution is the “Vehicle underbody inspection system”, which contains a scanning platform in which lighting devices and at least one video camera with a wide-angle lens and infrared illumination are installed; behind the scanning platform, an infrared-illuminated video camera is installed for registration of the vehicle number and its appearance, and the cameras are connected to the operator’s computer, while the scanning platform is made de a metal case with two ramps for driving in a car and with two ramps for driving a car, a mirror is installed in the metal case in the space between the ramps across the car, and above it a metal hole is made in the metal case of the scanning platform, with the camera lens or lenses two cameras, mounted or installed in a metal case, is directed (s) at the mirror, and the lighting fixtures are installed under the glass behind the mirror.

RF patent for ПМ №130562 IPC: B60S 5/00, publ. 2013.07.27.

The technical result consists in increasing the reliability of the system and expanding the range of information obtained by providing the inspection unit with a traffic light, a temperature control system for controlling the temperature and humidity conditions, and magnetic sensors for the presence of the vehicle, as well as a controller that controls them and backlight units.

In addition, the implementation of the enclosing gangway for entry and exit of the car from three components provides a quick replacement of these parts in case of failure.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the vehicle’s underbody inspection system contains an inspection unit with a scanning platform in which backlight units and two video cameras are installed. On the side of the scanning platform, another infrared-illuminated camcorder is installed to register the vehicle number and appearance. The video cameras are connected to the operator’s computer, and the inspection unit with the scanning platform is made in the form of a metal case in the enclosing gangway. In the metal case located in the enclosing ramp, a mirror is installed across the direction of movement of the car. A glass-closed window is made above the mirror in the metal case of the inspection unit. In this case, the lenses of video cameras installed in a metal case are directed to the mirror, and the backlight units are installed under the glass behind and in front of the mirror. The enclosing ladder for entering and exiting the car is made of three different components, which allows for quick replacement of these parts in case of their malfunction. At the same time, the inspection unit is provided with a traffic light regulating the arrival and exit of the vehicle, a temperature control system for controlling the temperature and humidity conditions of the device, and magnetic sensors for the presence of the vehicle, as well as a controller that controls them.

In addition, the controller controls the backlight units, which in turn consist of a set of LEDs and a driver.

The inspection unit of the system is made without touching the enclosing ramp.

Using the lower level controller allows you to reduce the number of cable lines between the operator and the inspection unit, automate the required backlight level, and control the temperature and humidity conditions inside the inspection unit.

The underbody inspection system is illustrated in FIG. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 - vehicle underbody inspection system - general view (drawing diagram);

FIG. 2 is a photograph of a vehicle underbody inspection system.

According to FIG. 1 and 2, the vehicle’s underbody inspection system contains an inspection unit with a scanning platform, which is equipped with a metal case 1, cameras 3 and backlight units 2 are installed in it. On cameras 3, lenses with a small viewing angle are used to reduce optical distortions, and to increase the capture area two cameras are used together. On the side of the scanning platform, another video camera 4 with infrared illumination is installed to register the vehicle number and its appearance. Camcorders 3 are connected to the computer 5 of the operator. The metal case 1 of the inspection unit is embedded in the enclosing gangway 6 for arrival and exit of the car. A mirror 7 is installed in the metal case 1, transverse to the direction of the car’s movement. A window 8 closed by glass is made over the mirror in the case of the inspection unit 1. In this case, the lenses of the video cameras 3 installed in the metal case 1 are directed to the mirror 7, and the backlight units 2 are installed under glass behind and in front of the mirror 7. The enclosing ladder 6 is made of three different components, which provides the ability to quickly replace these parts in case of failure. The inspection unit is provided with a controller 9, a traffic light 10, a temperature control system 11 for controlling the temperature and humidity conditions, in addition, magnetic sensors 12 for the presence of the vehicle are located in the inspection unit. The use of these sensors eliminates the disadvantages inherent in similar systems that use mechanical contacts of pressure action or induction rings. The controller 9 provides control of the backlight units 2, the traffic light 10, the temperature control system 11, the magnetic sensors 12, as well as the heating of the cameras 3. The presence of the controller 9 reduces the number of cable lines between the inspection unit and the operator’s computer 5. The communication of the controller 9 with the computer 5 of the operator is carried out according to the RS-485 protocol.

Each backlight unit 2 consists of a set of LEDs and a driver interacting with the controller 9 of the inspection unit. This allows you to take high-quality pictures, regardless of the time of day or the height of the vehicle (clearance). Functionally, the driver is a PID controller that controls LEDs based on the brightness of frames received from cameras 3 and 4.

The vehicle underbody inspection system operates as follows.

In the process, the camera 4 with infrared illumination constantly scans the space in front of the scan area for the presence of a vehicle and, if available, recognizes its license plate number. The system automatically turns on when the magnetic sensors 12 of the presence of the vehicle are triggered. This will initiate a scan of the vehicle bottom using two fixed high-speed optical digital cameras 3 operating in the visible range, located in the inspection unit. Images received by video cameras 3 are transmitted to a computer monitor 5 (AWP), i.e. image of a car underbody with a car license plate, date and time. To identify the image of the bottom with the corresponding vehicle data from the database, in addition to the number, the front view of the vehicle can also be read. The system provides storage of bottom images in a database. The obtained information can be transmitted to the vehicle license plate recognition system for joint storage, while using computer 5, automatic visual comparison of images for re-passing cars is achieved. Thus, it is achieved:

- high resolution of the resulting image;

- high speed of inspection, since it is possible to provide inspection of the underbody at a vehicle speed of up to 53 km / h;

- it is possible to compare images for re-passing cars and the ability to recognize numbers;

- The possibility of frontal image of the car;

- the system allows you to create a mobile version (deployment time of not more than 20 minutes);

- The system allows you to create a single database of images for each passing car.

Claims (2)

1. The vehicle underbody inspection system, comprising an inspection unit with a scanning platform, in which backlight units and video cameras are installed, one more video camera with infrared illumination is installed on the side of the scanning area for registering the vehicle number and its appearance, and the video cameras are connected to the operator’s computer, the inspection the block with the scanning platform is made in the form of a metal case placed in a protecting gangway for arrival and exit of a car, while in a metal case located in in the space between the ramps, a mirror is installed across the direction of the car’s movement, and a window closed by a glass is made in the metal case of the inspection unit, while the lenses of the cameras installed in the metal case are directed to the mirror, and the backlight units are installed under the glass behind and in front of the mirror, which differs the fact that the enclosing gangway for entering and leaving the car is made of three different components, while the inspection unit is provided with a traffic light regulating the entry and exit of the vehicle In addition, the temperature control system for controlling the temperature and humidity conditions of the device, and the magnetic sensors of the presence of the vehicle, as well as the controller that controls them, in addition, the controller controls the backlight units, which in turn consist of a set of LEDs and a driver. 2. The vehicle underbody inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the inspection unit is made without touching the edges of the ramp.

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