A Sensor for the Optical Detection of Dangerous Road Condition

We present the design, realization and characterization of a sensor for the optical detection of hazardous road condition. The device exploits the radiation from a incoherent source to detect the polarized components of the light scattering from a rough surface and calculate a signal dependent on the surface state. We propose two distinct geometries, working with forward and backward scattering components, assessing the device performance in terms of reliability and compactness. In both cases, the sensor allows to discriminate potentially dangerous states like the presence of water (either wet surface or covered by a layer) or ice on an asphalt sample, in opposition to the dry surface representing a safe condition.