Skip to main content

Cameras speed pothole detection

High-speed video cameras for ITS applications developed by Sony Image Sensing Solutions have been adopted by system integrator Horus to create a pothole identification system capable of detecting potholes at speeds of up to 130 kph (80 mph). The vision-based pothole detection system integrates six high-speed Sony ITS camera modules, each taking 15 high-resolution frames per second to form a 360-degree imaging system which accurately records data from up to three lanes simultaneously, even when travelling
October 25, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Sony high speed networked ITS cameras
High-speed video cameras for ITS applications developed by 576 Sony 5853 Image Sensing Solutions have been adopted by system integrator 7541 Horus to create a pothole identification system capable of detecting potholes at speeds of up to 130 kph (80 mph).

The vision-based pothole detection system integrates six high-speed Sony ITS camera modules, each taking 15 high-resolution frames per second to form a 360-degree imaging system which accurately records data from up to three lanes simultaneously, even when travelling at high speed. Images are combined with GPS data and processed by an on-board CPU.

Video from the system can then be transferred to the councils' computers and analysed using a bespoke media player with integrated mapping functionality, speeding the detection of potholes and allowing councils to make earlier, less costly repairs.

"The longer you leave a pothole, the more it costs to repair," said Dirk Aalbers of Horus.  "By recording at such high speeds, we can now monitor the main routes on a weekly basis, especially during the winter months when damage happens quickly."

Stéphane Clauss of Sony's Image Sensing Solutions division said: "Like many ITS applications, the Horus pothole detection system requires a high speed sensor, exceptional image clarity, and the ability to work in a range of light levels and that can cope with harsh environmental conditions."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ITS asset management matters
    April 26, 2013
    Maintenance of on-road ITS kit needs to become more sophisticated; while new technologies can deliver better road maintenance. David Crawford investigates both sides of the issue "Good information is key to effective ITS asset maintenance,” says Ian Routledge of the Ian Routledge Consultancy (IRC), whose Imtrac (Information Management for TRAffic Control) system is poised for European expansion. Developed as an ‘intelligent filing cabinet’ for storing information about on-road equipment, the online database
  • New Hampshire plans for tomorrow’s communication
    August 21, 2017
    Someone once likened predicting the future to ‘nailing a jelly to the wall’. With ITS, C-ITS and V2X technology progressing at such a pace, predicting the future is more akin to trying to nail three jellies to the wall – but only having one nail. And yet with roadways having a lifetime measured in decades, that is exactly what highway engineers and traffic planners are expected to do. Fortunately, New Hampshire DoT (NHDoT) believes its technological advances may be able to provide a solution. The Central Ne
  • Vehicle manufacturers and local authorities seek satnav solutions
    December 5, 2013
    The increasing capability of satellite navigation is helping vehicle manufacturers and local authorities as well as individual drivers and fleets. In comparison to the physical ITS infrastructure in towns and cities and on motorways and highways, satellite navigation (satnav) systems have come a long way in a short time. Many (if not the majority) individual drivers and fleets use or have access to a satnav and now the vehicle manufacturers and even local authorities are beginning to utilise satnav derived
  • Is DSRC progressive enough for future connected mobility?
    February 3, 2012
    Dedicated Short Range Communications technology, says Cisco's Paul Brubaker, is not by itself progressive enough to sustain long-term innovation in the connected mobility environment - and yet IPv6 and other developments remain largely ignored by policy-makers