Honda Research Institute USA, Inc. is developing a road condition monitoring system that uses vehicle technology to assess road conditions to detect potential hazards. Honda hopes to use this vehicle-generated road condition reporting system to help road operators monitor the condition of pavement markings more frequently, efficiently and cost-effectively, fulfilling Honda’s concept of “safety for all.” For a video demonstration of the system, visit https://honda.us/lanemarking.
The Honda Research Institute is conducting a pilot program in Ohio to evaluate a system that uses GPS coordinates and sensors such as cameras to collect real-time information about road conditions that can then be shared with road operators. Honda is working with the Ohio Department of Transportation and plans to begin providing road condition data from Honda vehicles in early 2022 as part of the pilot program to improve the efficiency of road maintenance in Ohio. The Honda Research Institute is also investigating how connected vehicles can access the anonymized data to adjust the perception settings of Honda and Acura’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) to alert drivers when lane markings are faded or in need of repair.
“Maintaining good road conditions helps keep everyone sharing the road safe,” said Paritosh Kelkar, scientist at Honda Research Institute USA, Inc. and project leader of the road condition monitoring system. “Real-time, high-accuracy roadway data captured from connected vehicles has the potential to improve the process of identifying, reporting, and more quickly repairing hazardous road conditions.”
Lane Marking Classification
When monitoring lane markings, the system visually classifies lane lines to the left and right of the vehicle using four color codes: green, yellow, grey, and red. Green and yellow classifications respectively indicate ideal to good lane marking conditions. The system displays grey classifications when there are no lane markings and red classifications when the lane markings need repair.
This road condition information, including latitude and longitude coordinates, as well as relevant images and video clips, is captured by the vehicle, anonymized, and then transmitted to a secure platform for analysis. Road operators can access this platform to determine the location, type and severity of road conditions and hazard information, and obtain a still image and video.
“We regularly inspect our roadways throughout Ohio and act quickly to address any issues, like faded or damaged pavement markings, that are identified. It’s a labor-intensive process. Good pavement markings are important to the drivers of today and the vehicles of tomorrow,” added Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks. “We’re excited to work with Honda to improve the process.”
In addition to lane markings, the Honda Research Institute plans to expand the system’s application to monitor other types of road conditions. It hopes the system can prove useful in making all roads safer for everyone.
