Patent ID: 8478480

Claim:
A method of evaluating a vehicle, the method comprising: obtaining evaluation data for the vehicle on a computer system including at least one computing device, wherein the evaluation data for the vehicle is concurrently acquired in a single pass, the obtaining including: obtaining infrared data for a plurality of sides of the vehicle on the computer system; in response to obtaining the infrared data, processing the infrared data using the computer system to enhance a set of signal features in the infrared data and extract infrared wheel data corresponding to each of a plurality of wheels on the vehicle from the infrared data, wherein the processing uses at least one enhancement process selected from a group of enhancement processes based on at least one anomaly, the group of enhancement processes including: segmentation, fusion of multiple infrared images in the infrared data, edge detection within an infrared image in the infrared data, applying thresholding to assign a pixel in the infrared data to white or black, and feature detection of a wheel of the vehicle in the infrared data; and obtaining vehicle identification data for distinguishing the vehicle from another vehicle on the computer system; automatically analyzing the processed infrared data to determine a presence of the at least one anomaly using the computer system, wherein the analyzing includes determining whether a wheel of the vehicle comprises an infrared signature outside of an expected infrared signature range using the processed infrared data; and providing a result of the analyzing and the vehicle identification data from the computer system for use at an inspection station.