System of tread depth estimation and method thereof

{
  "publication_number": "US11562472B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "System of tread depth estimation and method thereof",
  "abstract": "A method and system are provided for estimating tire tread depth, the method comprising: obtaining an image of the tire informative of tread and grooves embedded therein, wherein the image is acquired by an imaging device from a first angle relative to a horizontal direction perpendicular to tread surface, and the tire is illuminated by an illumination device from a second angle relative to the horizontal direction, causing a shadow section and an illuminated section at the bottom and/or sidewall of a groove, the first angle being smaller than the second angle, such that the image captures the illuminated section and at least part of the shadow section; performing segmentation on the image to obtain image segments corresponding to the illuminated section and the at least part of the shadow section; and estimating the tread depth based on the image segments, the groove width, and the second angle.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A computerized system of estimating tread depth of a tire, the system comprising a processing and memory circuitry (PMC) configured for: obtaining, from an imaging device, an image of the tire positioned on an inspection lane, the image informative of tread of the tire and one or more grooves embedded therein, wherein the imaging device is positioned on at least one side of the inspection lane, and the image is acquired by the imaging device from a first angle relative to a horizontal direction perpendicular to surface of the tread, and wherein the tire is illuminated by an illumination device from a second angle relative to the horizontal direction, causing a shadow section and an illuminated section at the bottom and/or sidewall of at least one groove, wherein the imaging device and the illumination device are positioned so as to have the first angle being smaller than the second angle, such that the image captures the illuminated section and at least part of the shadow section; performing segmentation on the image to obtain at least a first image segment corresponding to the illuminated section and a second image segment corresponding to the at least part of the shadow section; obtaining a groove width of the at least one groove; and estimating the tread depth based on at least the first image segment, the groove width, and the second angle.",
    "2. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the first image segment indicates that the illuminated section falls entirely on the sidewall of the at least one groove, and the estimating comprises determining a range of the tread depth based on the groove width and the second angle.",
    "3. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the first image segment comprises a first sub-segment corresponding to a first sub-section of the illuminated section that falls on the bottom of the at least one groove and a second sub-segment corresponding to a second sub-section of the illuminated section that falls on the sidewall of the at least one groove, and wherein the estimating comprises: measuring a width of the first sub-segment; calculating a width of the shadow section using the width of the first sub-segment and the groove width; and estimating the tread depth of the tire using the width of the shadow section and the second angle.",
    "4. The computerized system according to claim 1, further comprising the imaging device and the illumination device which are positioned in proximity to each other on the at least one side of the inspection lane, wherein at least the imaging device is operatively connected to the PMC.",
    "5. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the second angle is configured to adapt to different tire characteristics including different groove widths and/or tire locations on the inspection lane so as to provide estimation for tread depth in a predefined depth range for different tires.",
    "6. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the PMC is further configured for comparing the tread depth with a predefined criterion and determining whether to replace the tire.",
    "7. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the segmentation is performed using a segmentation learning model trained to segment a tire image in accordance with different illumination levels.",
    "8. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the image is further informative of one or more tread wear bars, and the PMC is further configured for estimating depth of at least one of the tread wear bars.",
    "9. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the image is informative of one or more tires, and the PMC is configured for extracting one or more sub-images corresponding to the one or more tires, and performing the segmentation and the estimation on each of the one or more sub-images.",
    "10. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the tire is a rotating tire on a moving vehicle, and the PMC is configured for obtaining a sequence of images of the tire during a relative movement between the tire and the imaging device, and performing the segmentation and the estimation on at least some of the sequence of images so as to obtain estimated tread depth covering at least part of circumference of the tire.",
    "11. The computerized system according to claim 1, wherein the image is split into a plurality of image patches corresponding to a plurality of measurement locations on the at least one groove, and the PMC is configured for performing the segmentation and estimation using the second angle for a first image patch that is along a horizontal plane with respect to the illumination device, the imaging device and center of the tire, and wherein for at least a second image patch that is above or below the horizontal plane, the PMC is configured for obtaining a 3D second angle corresponding to a measurement location in the second image patch, and performing the segmentation and estimation on the second image patch using the 3D second angle.",
    "12. The computerized system according to claim 11, wherein the 3D second angle is obtained by performing a correction on the second angle based on a relative position of the measurement location with respect to the horizontal plane, and radius of the tire.",
    "13. A computerized method of estimating tread depth of a tire, the method performed by a processing and memory circuitry (PMC), the method comprising: obtaining, from an imaging device, an image of the tire positioned on an inspection lane, the image informative of tread of the tire and one or more grooves embedded therein, wherein the imaging device is positioned on at least one side of the inspection lane, and the image is acquired by the imaging device from a first angle relative to a horizontal direction perpendicular to surface of the tread, and wherein the tire is illuminated by an illumination device from a second angle relative to the horizontal direction, causing a shadow section and an illuminated section at the bottom and/or sidewall of at least one groove, wherein the imaging device and the illumination device are positioned so as to have the first angle being smaller than the second angle, such that the image captures the illuminated section and at least part of the shadow section; performing segmentation on the image to obtain at least a first image segment corresponding to the illuminated section and a second image segment corresponding to the at least part of the shadow section; obtaining a groove width of the at least one groove; and estimating the tread depth based on at least the first image segment, the groove width, and the second angle.",
    "14. The computerized method according to claim 13, wherein the first image segment indicates that the illuminated section falls entirely on the sidewall of the at least one groove, and the estimating comprises determining a range of the tread depth based on the groove width and the second angle.",
    "15. The computerized method according to claim 13, wherein the first image segment comprises a first sub-segment corresponding to a first sub-section of the illuminated section that falls on the bottom of the at least one groove and a second sub-segment corresponding to a second sub-section of the illuminated section that falls on the sidewall of the at least one groove, and wherein the estimating comprises: measuring a width of the first sub-segment; calculating a width of the shadow section using the width of the first sub-segment and the groove width; and estimating the tread depth of the tire using the width of the shadow section and the second angle.",
    "16. The computerized method according to claim 13, wherein the second angle is configured to adapt to different tire characteristics including different groove widths and/or tire locations on the inspection lane so as to provide estimation for tread depth in a predefined depth range for different tires.",
    "17. The computerized method according to claim 13, wherein the image is further informative of one or more tread wear bars, and the method further comprises estimating depth of at least one of the tread wear bars.",
    "18. The computerized method according to claim 13, wherein the image is informative of one or more tires, and the method comprises extracting one or more sub-images corresponding to the one or more tires, and performing the segmentation and estimation on each of the one or more sub-images.",
    "19. The computerized method according to claim 13, wherein the tire is a rotating tire on a moving vehicle, and the method comprises obtaining a sequence of images of the tire during a relative movement between the tire and the imaging device, and performing the segmentation and the estimation on at least some of the sequence of images so as to obtain estimated tread depth covering at least part of circumference of the tire.",
    "20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of estimating tread depth of a tire, the method comprising: obtaining, from an imaging device, an image of the tire positioned on an inspection lane, the image informative of tread of the tire and one or more grooves embedded therein, wherein the imaging device is positioned on at least one side of the inspection lane, and the image is acquired by the imaging device from a first angle relative to a horizontal direction perpendicular to surface of the tread, and wherein the tire is illuminated by an illumination device from a second angle relative to the horizontal direction, causing a shadow section and an illuminated section at the bottom and/or sidewall of at least one groove, wherein the imaging device and the illumination device are positioned so as to have the first angle being smaller than the second angle, such that the image captures the illuminated section and at least part of the shadow section; performing segmentation on the image to obtain at least a first image segment corresponding to the illuminated section and a second image segment corresponding to the at least part of the shadow section; obtaining a groove width of the at least one groove; and estimating the tread depth based on at least the first image segment, the groove width, and the second angle."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The presently disclosed subject matter relates, in general, to the field of tire inspection, and more specifically, to methods and systems for tread depth estimation.\n\nTires are critical components of a vehicle, since they are the only parts of the vehicle that have direct contact with the road. Tires can affect vehicle handling and safety due to their functions of supporting vehicle load, transmitting traction and braking forces to the road surface, absorbing road shocks, and changing and maintaining the direction of travel. For optimum performance, tires must have correct air pressure, tread depth, balance, etc., and the wheels of the vehicle must be properly installed and maintained. Thus for at least safety and economy reasons, tires have to be inspected on a regular basis.\n\nThe tread of a tire refers to the rubber on its circumference that makes contact with the road or the ground. The tread is a crucial piece of the tire, whose importance ranges all the way from safety to economy. It gives the tire its ability to grip the road, and even help maximize fuel economy.\n\nAs tires are used, the tread is gradually worn off, limiting its effectiveness in providing traction. Thus, over time, tires become less effective at gripping the road. In some cases, if a tread has worn down too far, it could become a serious safety issue. Tire grooves are designed to allow water to be expelled from beneath the tire and prevent hydroplaning. Shallow tread grooves also make it harder to control the vehicle in wet weather and the chance of hydroplaning increases.",
  "cpc": [
    "G06T 7/0004",
    "B60C 11/24",
    "B60C 11/246",
    "B60C 2200/04",
    "G01B 11/22",
    "G01M 17/027",
    "G06T 2207/20021",
    "G06T 2207/20084",
    "G06T 2207/30108",
    "G06T 7/11",
    "G06T 7/507",
    "G06T 7/60",
    "H04N 23/56",
    "H04N 5/2256"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "H04N 5/225",
    "B60C 11/24",
    "G01B 11/22",
    "G01M 17/02",
    "G06T 7/00",
    "G06T 7/11",
    "G06T 7/507",
    "G06T 7/60"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Uveye Ltd"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Danny Grossman",
    "Roman Shklyar",
    "Ilya GRINSHPOUN"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2020-09-30",
  "publication_date": "2023-01-24",
  "grant_date": "2023-01-24",
  "priority_date": "2020-09-30",
  "application_number": "US-202017039793-A",
  "family_id": "80822700",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
  "citations": [
    "US20140002641A1",
    "US20150002847A1",
    "US9805697B1",
    "US20150330773A1",
    "US9677973B1",
    "US20160258842A1",
    "US20170160079A1",
    "US20180299352A1",
    "US20190084355A1",
    "WO2020086698A1",
    "US20220099530A1"
  ]
}