A near-infrared optoelectronic approach to detection of road conditions

L. Colace, F. Santoni, and G. Assanto

Optics and Lasers in Engineering 51 (5), 633-636 (2013)

Abstract:

We introduce and test an original approach for the optical assessment of road conditions due to various atmospheric perturbations such as the presence of ice, wet surfaces and rain. The technique is based on measuring diffused and reflected light under near infrared illumination, extracting the polarization contrast after reflection. Several tests, carried out on various types of asphalt and various thicknesses of water and ice layers, demonstrate that the system exhibits selectivity and robustness to allow the recognition of dry asphalt, water-layered, wet asphalt and asphalt with ice.