Method of characterizing a surface texture and texture characterization tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11688085-B2
Application number	US-202016817962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2020
Priority date	Mar 15, 2019
Publication date	Jun 27, 2023
Grant date	Jun 27, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to evaluating the surfaces of a building. The present disclosure relates more particularly to a method of characterizing a surface texture of a building surface. The method includes illuminating a first area of the building surface from a single direction and capturing an image of the first area using a camera while the first area is illuminated. The first image includes a first group of digital pixel values. The method further includes calculating a first set of values that characterize a first surface texture of the first area based on a first group of digital pixel values of the image, and comparing the first set of values to a second set of values that characterize a second surface texture, so as to produce a comparator value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of characterizing a surface texture of a building surface, the method comprising:
activating, by a computing device, a light source of a texture characterization tool while the texture characterization tool is disposed over a first area of the building surface so as to illuminate the first area from a single direction;
receiving, via the computing device, a first image of the first area captured by a camera of the texture characterization tool while the first area is illuminated by the light source, the first image including a first group of digital pixel values;
calculating, using the computing device, a first set of values that characterize a first surface texture of the first area based on the first group of digital pixel values;
comparing, using the computing device, the first set of values to a second set of values that characterize a second surface texture, so as to produce a comparator value.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
activating, by the computing device, the light source of the texture characterization tool while the texture characterization tool is disposed over a second area of the building surface so as to illuminate the second area from a single direction;
receiving, via the computing device, a second image of the second area captured by the camera of the texture characterization tool while the second area is illuminated by the light source, the second image including a second group of digital pixel values; and
calculating, using the computing device, the second set of values based on the second group of digital pixel values.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, from the computing device, the comparator value to a display.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising generating, using the computing device, an assessment indicator based on the comparator value.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising receiving, from an end user, a target quality of the surface texture, and wherein generating the assessment indicator is based on the target quality received from the user.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising generating, using the computing device, an instruction message based on the comparator value, the instruction message including instructions for further finishing of a first section of the building surface that includes the first area.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein calculating the first set of values includes using an autocorrelation function, where each of the first set of values corresponds to an offset distance between the image and an offset copy of the image used in autocorrelation function.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein calculating the first set of values includes determining a percentage of the digital pixel values of the first image that have a brightness within a first brightness range.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein calculating the first set of values includes identifying shapes within the first group of pixels defined by a brightness range.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, via the first computing device, an initial image of the first area;
measuring, using the first computing device, a brightness of the initial image; and
in response to the brightness of the initial image, setting a light intensity value of the light source that is used during the capturing of the first image.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the computing device includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a three-dimensional rendering of an architectural space including the building surface, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, by the computing device, a target location of the first area based on lighting parameters of the three-dimensional rendering of the architectural space; and
outputting, via the computing device, a positioning instruction to an end user based on the target location.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of operations to perform the method of claim 1 .

13. A computing device comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12 .

14. A texture characterization tool comprising:
a housing including a cavity and an opening on one side of the housing providing access to the cavity;
the computing device according to claim 13 ;
a camera disposed opposite the opening and having an optical axis that passes through the opening of the cavity; and
a light source configured to provide light inside the cavity and project the light toward the optical axis of the camera from a single direction.

15. The texture characterization tool according to claim 14 , wherein an edge of the opening of the cavity defines a flat plane,
wherein an optical axis of the camera passes through the flat plane at a point, and
wherein an angle between an axis that is normal to the flat plane and a line extending from the light source to the point is in a range from 60 degrees to 87 degrees, e.g., from 70 degrees to 85 degrees, e.g., from 80 degrees to 85 degrees.

16. A method of preparing a building surface using a texture characterization tool according to claim 14 , the method comprising:
positioning an edge of the opening of the cavity of the housing of the texture characterization tool around a first area of the building surface;
activating the texture characterization tool to illuminate the first area of the building surface from a single direction using a light source in the cavity and to capture an image of the first area of the building surface using a camera of the texture characterization tool while the first area is illuminated by the light source; and
receiving a comparator value or an assessment indicator that is based on the comparator value from a computing device of the texture characterization tool.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the first area of the building surface is disposed within 4 inches of a joint between two wall boards.

18. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising positioning the edge of the opening of the cavity of the housing of the texture characterization tool around a second area of the building surface;
activating the texture characterization tool to illuminate the second area of the building surface from a single direction using the light source in the cavity and to capture an image of the second area of the building surface using the camera of the texture characterization tool while the second area is illuminated by the light source,
wherein the comparator value is calculated based on the image of the first area and the image of the second area.

19. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising, responsive to the comparator value or assessment indicator, modifying a first section of the building surface that includes the first area.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein modify the first section of the building surface includes sanding the building surface.

Assignees

• Certainteed Gypsum Inc

Inventors

• Pytel Rachel Z
• Wijesooriya Sidath S
• Mazoyer Simon
• Dubost Brice

Classifications

• G06T7/40

  Analysis of texture (depth or shape recovery from texture G06T7/529) · CPC title

• G06V10/20

  Image preprocessing · CPC title

• G06V10/141

  Control of illumination · CPC title

• G06T7/41 Primary

  based on statistical description of texture · CPC title

• G06T2207/30184

  Infrastructure · CPC title