Hyperspectral optical patterns on retroreflective articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11514659-B2
Application number	US-201917261621-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2019
Priority date	Oct 4, 2018
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

In some examples, a retroreflective article may include a retroreflective substrate, and an optical pattern embodied on the retroreflective substrate. The optical pattern may include a first optical sub-pattern and a second optical sub-pattern, wherein the optical pattern represents a set of information that is interpretable based on a combination of the first optical sub-pattern that is visible in a first light spectrum and the second optical sub-pattern that is visible in a second light spectrum. The first and second light spectra may be different.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A retroreflective article comprising:
a retroreflective substrate;
an optical pattern embodied on the retroreflective substrate, the optical pattern comprising a first optical sub-pattern and a second optical sub-pattern, wherein the optical pattern represents a set of information that is interpretable based on a combination of the first optical sub-pattern that is visible in a first light spectrum and the second optical sub-pattern that is visible in a second light spectrum, wherein the first and second light spectra are different;
and wherein a set of inactive optical elements in the optical pattern resulting from the combination of the first optical sub-pattern and the second optical sub-pattern become active elements in the interpretation of the optical pattern, such that the optical pattern includes only active elements corresponding to the first optical sub-pattern and active elements corresponding to the second optical sub-pattern.

2. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein the first optical sub-pattern that is visible in the first light spectrum comprises a first portion of the optical pattern, and wherein none of the set of information represented by the optical pattern is interpretable without the first portion of the optical pattern.

3. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein the set of information is interpretable from the optical pattern based on a spatial relationship between first optical sub-pattern and the second optical sub-pattern within the optical pattern, wherein interpretation of the set of information within the optical pattern is dependent on a first position of the first optical sub-pattern in relation to a second position of the second optical sub-pattern.

4. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein the second optical sub-pattern that is visible in the second light spectrum comprises a second portion of the optical pattern, and wherein none of the set of information represented by the optical pattern is interpretable without the second portion of the optical pattern.

5. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein the set of information represented by the optical pattern is a first set of information, wherein the first optical sub-pattern that is visible in the first light spectrum does not represent a second, independent set of information when interpreted independently of the second optical sub-pattern.

6. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein the first light spectrum and the second light spectrum do not substantially overlap.

7. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein the optical pattern includes a set of visually differentiable elements, and where each element corresponds to a value based at least in part on the visual appearance of the respective element.

8. The retroreflective article of claim 7 , wherein each of the set of visually differentiable elements is at least one of an active element or an inactive element, and wherein a first value corresponds to active elements, and a second value corresponds to inactive elements, and wherein the first value is different than the second value.

9. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein the first optical sub-pattern and the second optical sub-pattern do not spatially overlap on the retroreflective substrate.

10. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first light spectrum or the second light spectrum is within the infrared light spectrum.

11. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein the set of information represented by the optical pattern is usable by a vehicle to change the operation of the vehicle.

12. The retroreflective article of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first light spectrum or the second light spectrum is within the ultraviolet light spectrum.

13. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device and from a light capture device, a first image of the retroreflective article of claim 1 comprising a first optical sub-pattern that is visible in a first light spectrum, wherein the first optical sub-pattern is included in an optical pattern embodied on the retroreflective substrate;
receiving, by the computing device, a second image of the retroreflective article comprising a second optical sub-pattern that is visible in a second light spectrum, wherein the second optical sub-pattern is included in the optical pattern embodied on the retroreflective substrate;
interpreting the first optical sub-pattern in combination with the second-optical sub-pattern to determine a set of information represented by the optical pattern that comprises the first optical sub-pattern and the second optical sub-pattern; and
controlling at least one operation of a vehicle based at least in part on the set of information.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the set of information is interpretable from the optical pattern based on a spatial relationship between first optical sub-pattern and the second optical sub-pattern within the optical pattern, wherein interpretation of the set of information within the optical pattern is dependent on a first position of the first optical sub-pattern in relation to a second position of the second optical sub-pattern.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the combination is a sum of the first optical sub-pattern that is visible in a first light spectrum and the second optical sub-pattern that is visible in a second light spectrum.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the combination is the difference of the first optical sub-pattern that is visible in a first light spectrum and the second optical sub-pattern that is visible in a second light spectrum.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the spatial relationship is defined by a first bounds and a second bounds at least partially overlapping within the optical pattern, wherein the first optical sub-pattern that is visible in the first light spectrum defines the first bounds, wherein the second optical sub-pattern that is visible in the second light spectrum defines the second bounds.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the spatial relationship is defined by a first bounds and a second bounds that interleaves within the optical pattern, wherein the first optical sub-pattern that is visible in the first light spectrum defines the first bounds, wherein the second optical sub-pattern that is visible in the second light spectrum defines the second bounds.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the optical pattern includes a set of visually differentiable elements, wherein each of the set of visually differentiable elements is at least one of an active element or an inactive element, wherein a first value corresponds to active elements, and a second value corresponds to inactive elements, and wherein the first value is different than the second value, and wherein interpreting the first optical sub-pattern in combination with the second-optical sub-pattern comprises:
determining, for each respective visually differentiable element within the optical pattern, a respective value that corresponds to the respective visually differentiable element;
determining, the set of information for the optical pattern based on each respective value that corresponds to each respective visually differentiable element; and
determining the at least one operation associated with the set of information.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Company

Inventors

• Wheatley John A
• Clear Susannah C

Classifications

• G02B5/124 Primary

  plural reflecting elements forming part of a unitary plate or sheet · CPC title

• G06V10/143 Primary

  Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths · CPC title

• G06V10/145

  Illumination specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. using gratings · CPC title

• B60W2552/00

  Input parameters relating to infrastructure · CPC title

• G06V30/224

  of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks · CPC title