Camera and sensor system for measurement of road surface deflection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12283115-B1
Application number	US-202418926265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 24, 2024
Priority date	Jul 10, 2024
Publication date	Apr 22, 2025
Grant date	Apr 22, 2025

Abstract

A system for measuring surface deflection of a road includes a first stereo line-scan camera pair on a sensor rig and for capturing a first set of 3D images of a road surface; a second stereo line-scan camera pair on the sensor rig and for capturing a second set of 3D images of the road surface; at least one digital electro-optical (EO) camera rigidly attached to the sensor rig; an inertial measurement unit (IMU) detecting inertial forces acting upon the sensor rig; and a processor compensating for acceleration and vibration effects upon the sensor rig; and calculating the surface deflection of the road based on the first and second sets of 3D images. The processor utilizes imagery from the EO camera and inertial measurements from the IMU to produce 2D mosaics and 3D reconstructions of the road surface from the first and second sets of 3D images.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of analyzing pavement deflection, the method comprising:
receiving first and second sets of 3D images of a pavement surface, the second set captured at a predetermined distance from the first set;
receiving inertial measurement data synchronized with the 3D images;
compensating for motion artifacts in the 3D images using the inertial measurement data;
generating a first 3D point cloud from the first set of 3D images;
generating a second 3D point cloud from the second set of 3D images;
comparing the first 3D point cloud and the second 3D point cloud to determine pavement deflection;
generating a deflection map based on the determined pavement deflection; and
outputting a visualization of the deflection map.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of 3D images is captured by a first stereo line-scan camera pair, and the second set of 3D images is captured by a second stereo line-scan camera pair.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising applying a color scale to the deflection map to represent varying degrees of pavement deflection.

4. A method of analyzing pavement deflection, the method comprising:
receiving first and second sets of 3D images of a pavement surface, the second set captured at a predetermined distance from the first set;
generating a first 3D point cloud from the first set of 3D images;
generating a second 3D point cloud from the second set of 3D images;
comparing the first 3D point cloud and the second 3D point cloud to determine pavement deflection;
generating a deflection map based on the determined pavement deflection;
segmenting the deflection map into regions based on deflection magnitude;
identifying areas of concern where deflection magnitude exceeds a predetermined threshold; and
outputting a visualization of the deflection map.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising:
receiving inertial measurement data synchronized with the 3D images; and
compensating for motion artifacts in the 3D images using the inertial measurement data.

6. A method of analyzing pavement deflection, the method comprising:
receiving first and second sets of 3D images of a pavement surface, the second set captured at a predetermined distance from the first set;
generating a first 3D point cloud from the first set of 3D images;
generating a second 3D point cloud from the second set of 3D images;
comparing the first 3D point cloud and the second 3D point cloud to determine pavement deflection;
generating a deflection map based on the determined pavement deflection;
outputting a visualization of the deflection map; and
generating a time series of deflection maps to analyze changes in pavement deflection over time.

7. The method of claim 6 , comprising:
receiving inertial measurement data synchronized with the 3D images; and
compensating for motion artifacts in the 3D images using the inertial measurement data.

8. A method of analyzing pavement deflection, the method comprising:
generating electric pulses based on rotation of a wheel of a vehicle using a wheel encoder;
detecting rising and falling edges of the pulses generated by outputs of the wheel encoder;
determining a direction of motion of the wheel based on the detected rising and falling edges of the pulses;
triggering capture of the first and second sets of 3D images based on the detected rising and falling edges of the pulses;
receiving first and second sets of 3D images of a pavement surface, the second set captured at a predetermined distance from the first set;
generating a first 3D point cloud from the first set of 3D images;
generating a second 3D point cloud from the second set of 3D images;
comparing the first 3D point cloud and the second 3D point cloud to determine pavement deflection;
generating a deflection map based on the determined pavement deflection; and
outputting a visualization of the deflection map.

9. The method of claim 8 , comprising:
receiving inertial measurement data synchronized with the 3D images; and
compensating for motion artifacts in the 3D images using the inertial measurement data.

10. A system for pavement analysis, the system comprising:
a data interface configured to receive 3D images of a pavement surface captured at different locations, wherein the data interface is to receive inertial measurement data synchronized with the 3D images;
a processor to:
compensate for motion artifacts in the 3D images using the inertial measurement data;
generate 3D point clouds from the 3D images;
compare 3D point clouds from different locations to determine pavement deflection; and
create a deflection map based on the determined pavement deflection; and

an electronic display to visualize the deflection map.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the 3D images are captured by stereo line-scan camera pairs.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is to apply a color scale to the deflection map to represent varying degrees of pavement deflection.

13. A system for pavement analysis, the system comprising:
a data interface configured to receive 3D images of a pavement surface captured at different locations;
a processor to:
generate 3D point clouds from the 3D images;
compare 3D point clouds from different locations to determine pavement deflection;
create a deflection map based on the determined pavement deflection;
segment the deflection map into regions based on deflection magnitude; and
identify areas of concern where deflection magnitude exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

an electronic display to visualize the deflection map.

14. A system for pavement analysis, the system comprising:
a data interface configured to receive 3D images of a pavement surface captured at different locations;
a processor to:
generate 3D point clouds from the 3D images;
compare 3D point clouds from different locations to determine pavement deflection;
create a deflection map based on the determined pavement deflection;
generate a time series of deflection maps to analyze changes in pavement deflection over time; and

an electronic display to visualize the deflection map.

15. A system for pavement analysis, the system comprising:
a wheel encoder to generate electric pulses based on rotation of a wheel of a vehicle;
a data interface configured to receive 3D images of a pavement surface captured at different locations;
a processor to:
detect rising and falling edges of the pulses generated by outputs of the wheel encoder;
determine a direction of motion of the wheel based on the detected rising and falling edges of the pulses;
trigger capture of the 3D images based on the detected rising and falling edges of the pulses;
generate 3D point clouds from the 3D images;
compare 3D point clouds from different locations to determine pavement deflection; and
create a deflection map based on the determined pavement deflection; and

an electronic display to visualize the deflection map.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving 3D images of a pavement surface captured at multiple points along a path;
receiving inertial measurement data synchronized with the 3D images;
compensating for motion artifacts in the 3D images using the inertial measurement data;
generating a series of 3D point clouds from the 3D images;
comparing successive 3D point clouds to determine pavement deflection along the path;
creating a continuous deflection profile of the pavement surface based o

Assignees

• Novateur Res Solutions
• Univ Texas
• Bivateur Res Solutions

Inventors

• Rasheed Zeeshan
• Hassan-Shafique Khurram
• Li Maoxu
• Gans Nicholas Raphael
• Lundberg Cody Lee
• Araujo Michael Edward

Classifications

• G06T17/00

  Three-dimensional [3D] modelling for computer graphics · CPC title

• G01B11/167

  by projecting a pattern on the object · CPC title

• G06V20/588 Primary

  Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road · CPC title