Hitachi’s new road scanning technology

Using advanced vehicle to vehicle communications, this data could be shared between cars and trucks using the same stretch of road. Multiple alerts over road surface issues could also be used to highlight the need for debris removal or road repairs to road authorities.
January 11, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

233 Hitachi Automotive Systems (Hitachi) has developed a new technology package that allows the detection of road surface problems, including holes and small debris. The system works while a vehicle is being driven and uses the firm’s in-vehicle stereo camera technology. This allows for accurate detection of small road surface issues.

The firm intends to link the package to vehicle suspension systems. This would allow vehicles to respond quickly to any surface irregularities, immediately prior to passing over them. The firm is working on a new development that would tune the vehicle’s stability in accordance to the condition of the road surface.

The firm says that its stereo cameras are also able to detect pedestrians as well as other objects and can determine distances accurately. The system is able to detect surface irregularities quickly accurately according to the firm and has been designed to ignore false readings caused by dirt or shadows in the roadway. The high performance readings made by the stereo cameras have been key to identifying shadows or dirt, aided by a sophisticated algorithm that can analyse the image information extremely rapidly, according to Hitachi.

Using advanced vehicle to vehicle communications, this data could be shared between cars and trucks using the same stretch of road. Multiple alerts over road surface issues could also be used to highlight the need for debris removal or road repairs to road authorities.

Maintenance

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Efficient asset management delivers
    April 25, 2013
    Maximising the economic benefit of infrastructure assets can be achieved through delivering better quality maintenance. Increasing utilisation of infrastructure follows on from those assets being in better condition. Clearly by tracking infrastructure condition closely, huge gains can be made in addressing technical issues before they become more serious and more costly, as well as minimising disruption. In UK city Birmingham, high resolution aerial photography from Bluesky is helping the city council under
    Read More
  • Advances in tyre technology boost performance
    February 7, 2017
    New tyre technology will increase productivity and cut downtime - Mike Woof writes Key advances in tyre technology will offer extended life for customers, as well as substantial gains in productivity and durability. Meanwhile, some major developments are also being seen in the market, with a number of smaller players now accounting for a substantial portion of sales. Important developments for tyre users include new strategies intended to improve tyre life and cut costs for consumers. One of the majo
    Read More
  • Plantworx 2013 focus on latest safety technology for worksite vehicles
    November 28, 2012
    Plantworx 2013 will showcase the latest worksite vehicle safety systems. GKD Technik’s (GKD) Incline Alert system will be among those featured at the UK’s largest construction show, spanning 100,000m², being held at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry Warwickshire on 16 May, 2013. The system is said by GKD to have been developed to meet a need for incline monitoring in the construction and utility maintenance industries, particularly for smaller excavators, which carry a higher risk of overturning when operating on i
    Read More
  • Rapid adoption of GPS machine control
    February 10, 2012
    The high sophistication of GPS machine control systems has resulted in a fast pace of technological advancement. The three major players in the machine control sector, Leica Geosystems, Topcon and Trimble have all made major gains in recent years. The sophistication of the latest systems can combine satellite position data from the GPS and GLONASS networks with information from total stations to provide precise, high speed machine operation. Further more the firms have also prepared themselves for the intro
    Read More

Highlighted Content