GM files patent application for road deterioration detection
General Motors has applied for a vehicle technology patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that would predict road deterioration.
According to the patent, memory and data processing hardware would communicate based on collected vehicle sensor data to determine road maintenance scores and trend lines, then outline future road maintenance requirements.
For example, data could be collected from cameras, suspension displacement sensors, accelerometers, wheel rotation sensors, image data, and/or video data.
According to the patent, the collected data may send an alert to a road management entity (RME) when the road conditions warrant a road maintenance score that exceeds a defined threshold value.
The system would also utilize a multiplier to compare the scores to the threshold values, with variables that account for larger roads with higher traffic volumes and smaller roads with lower traffic.
A vehicle navigation system could then be updated with road conditions based on the collected sensor data.
“Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein can be realized in digital electronic and/or optical circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof,” the application states. “These various implementations can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.”
The vehicles could use telematics to transmit data collected by the sensors and cameras to a cloud-based computer, communicating with a cellular network via a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and/or a “connected car” Vehicle-to-Network (V2N) system.
“The RMS may be saved in the cloud-based computer, uploaded to a separate cloud-based computer, and/or sent to a database for use by an RME in determining a road condition and/or determining what roads need maintenance and when such maintenance should be performed. While the RMS may be stored by the cloud-based computer, transmitted to a different cloud-based computer, or sent to a database for use by an RME, the RMS will be described hereinafter as being used by the cloud-based computer in determining when a particular road will require maintenance.”
The status of the patent application is pending.
Images
Images from GM patent application