EP1877725A2 - A device and method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, and a monitoring system comprising said device - Google Patents

A device and method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, and a monitoring system comprising said device

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Publication number
EP1877725A2
EP1877725A2 EP06755832A EP06755832A EP1877725A2 EP 1877725 A2 EP1877725 A2 EP 1877725A2 EP 06755832 A EP06755832 A EP 06755832A EP 06755832 A EP06755832 A EP 06755832A EP 1877725 A2 EP1877725 A2 EP 1877725A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
road
section
thickness
distance
measuring
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP06755832A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Roberto Gentile
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
HT-IDEA Srl
Original Assignee
HT-IDEA Srl
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by HT-IDEA Srl filed Critical HT-IDEA Srl
Publication of EP1877725A2 publication Critical patent/EP1877725A2/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
    • G01B11/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness
    • G01B11/06—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness for measuring thickness ; e.g. of sheet material
    • G01B11/0616—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness for measuring thickness ; e.g. of sheet material of coating
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B17/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
    • G01B17/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic vibrations for measuring thickness
    • G01B17/025—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic vibrations for measuring thickness for measuring thickness of coating

Definitions

  • a device and method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, and a monitoring system comprising said device
  • the present invention relates to a device for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road.
  • Said device is useful for determining the conditions prevailing on the carriageway of a section of urban or extra- urban road, with the aim of establishing the advised safety distance and speed for the motor vehicles passing along said section. More specifically, knowing the thickness of a layer of water, ice or snow deposited on an airport runway is a vital factor in ensuring the sa ⁇ ety of the aircraft during take-off or landing, with the aim of determining the braking distance and the potential risks associated with said manoeuvre .
  • Measuring devices of the above-stated kind which are mounted on a mobile or static station, are known and are arranged to store an initial distance of the sensors relative to the ground without a layer of a substance or material, for example water, in a first configuration phase of the device.
  • a second, measuring phase which may occur a significant period of time after the first phase (for example some days or even a week)
  • said devices are capable of calculating a final distance of the sensors relative to the ground covered with the layer of water.
  • a computing unit then subtracts the initial distance from the final distance, so obtaining a reading of the thickness of water deposited thereon.
  • This kind of device exhibits some drawbacks .
  • One object of the present invention is to provide an improved measuring device to overcome the problems of the prior art which simultaneously exhibits improved* operating efficiency, elevated operating reliability and is capable of being produced in a straightforward and economic manner.
  • a measuring device of the above-stated type which is primarily characterised in that it comprises sensor means including a first and a second emitting device respectively capable of emitting an acoustic signal and an optical signal which are capable of being received by a respective first and second receiving device; a computing unit associated with said sensor means and arranged to determine said thickness as a function of the distance travelled respectively by the acoustic signal emitted by the first emitting device, subsequently reflected by the layer and received by the receiving device; and by the optical signal emitted by the second emitting device, subsequently reflected by the section of road and received by the second receiving device.
  • a further object of the invention is a system for monitoring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, comprising at least one remote station comprising a measuring device for of the above-stated type and capable of transmitting at least one reading of said thickness to at least one central station.
  • a method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road characterised in that comprises the following operations: a) detecting a first distance travelled by an acoustic signal emitted by a first emitting device, subsequently reflected by the layer and received by a first receiving device; b) detecting a second distance travelled by an optical signal emitted by a second emitting device, subsequently reflected by the section of road and received by a second receiving device; and c) calculating the thickness as a function of the first and the second distance travelled.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a device according to the invention for measuring the thickness of a layer of water deposited on a section of road;
  • Figure 2 is a block diagram relating to a method for calculating said thickness, implemented by the measuring device of Figure 1;
  • Figure 3 shows an application in the context of an airport of a system for monitoring the thickness of a layer of water deposited on a section of road;
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram 'which summarises the principle of operation of the monitoring system illustrated in Figure 3.
  • a measuring device according to the invention is designated overall by the reference numeral 10.
  • the measuring device 10 is attached to a supporting element 12 of a static or mobile station (not shown) , for example the front part of a motor vehicle, and is intended to calculate a thickness t of a layer 14 of water, ice or snow (or also other substances and materials) deposited on a section of road 16.
  • the above-stated measuring device 10 may also be used to detect a layer of debris present on any dry section of road, for example caused by abrasion of tyres of aircraft landing along an airport runway.
  • the aircraft's wheels are in fact subjected to elevated levels of stress and the associated tyres reach temperatures of the order of 1000 0 C.
  • Such conditions promote "rubber build-up", i.e. the deposition of a layer of rubber which impregnates the runway's asphalt, not only bringing about an unwanted change in the grain size profile of the road, but also accentuating skidding problems in the presence of water in relation to the vehicles passing over the sections of road affected by this phenomenon.
  • Said device 10 comprises sensor elements S including a first and a second emitting device El, E2, respectively capable of emitting (simultaneously or in succession, the sequence of performance being immaterial) an acoustic signal, in particular an ultrasound signal indicated by the dashed line 18, and an optical signal, in particular a monochromatic optical signal represented by the dashed line 20.
  • the sensor elements S furthermore include a first and a second receiving device Rl, R2, respectively capable of receiving the signals 18, 20.
  • the first and the second emitting device El, E2 respectively transmit the ultrasound signal 18 and the monochromatic optical signal 20 towards the section of road 16.
  • Said signals 18, 20 are respectively reflected from a first reflection point A, located on the free surface of the layer 14, and from a second reflection point B, located on the surface of the section of road 16, in order to be directed towards the corresponding first and second receiving device Rl , R2.
  • the measuring device 10 furthermore comprises a computing unit 19 arranged to calculate the thickness t as a function of the distance travelled respectively by the ultrasound signal 18 between the first emitting- device and receiver El, Rl, and by the monochromatic optical signal 20 between the second emitting device and receiver E2 , R2.
  • the sensor elements S comprise the first and the second emitting/receiving group El/Rl, E2/R2 aligned at the same level from the ground, identified by a common reference height r, located at the bottom of the sensor elements and indicated by a dot-dashed line.
  • the first and the second emitting/receiving group may be located in vertically offset positions, without consequently extending beyond the scope of the invention.
  • Figure 2 shows a block diagram relating to a method for calculating the thickness t of the layer 14 of water deposited on the section of road 16.
  • the sensor elements S are capable of supplying the computing unit 19 with a first and a second distance dl, d2 from the common reference height r respectively of the layer 14 and of the section of road 16.
  • the sensor elements or the computing unit
  • the sensor elements are arranged to detect the distances of the layer 14 and of the section of road 16 from respective different reference heights, and the computing unit is arranged to take account of the offset between the difference reference heights when calculating the -thickness t .
  • the thickness t is detected by means of the ' computing unit 19, for example by the following operations: receiving the first and the second distance dl, d2 from the sensor elements S; and calculating the thickness t by means of the computing unit 19, by subtracting the first distance dl from the second distance d2.
  • the first distance dl is advantageously calculated as a function of the echo return time, and the second distance d2 is preferably calculated according to the principle of triangulation.
  • the thickness t may of course also be detected in a manner known per se by means of calculation algorithms differing from those shown above, based on the concept of the invention of using two different signals reflected respectively by the section of road and by the layer superposed thereon.
  • the measuring device 10 advantageously comprises associated storage devices M for recording a series of readings of the thickness t obtained at a plurality of positions along the section of road and performed at predetermined sampling times (for example at a sampling frequency of up to 2.5 GHz) .
  • the computing unit 19 is conveniently, but not necessarily, arranged to calculate a mean value t of the series of readings of thickness t along the section of road 16 recorded by the storage means M, and furthermore to detect the temperature T and the atmospheric conditions w along said section of road 16. In this manner, the computing unit 19 is capable of determining data c which are indicative of the passability of the section of road 16 as a function of temperature T, of atmospheric conditions w, and of the readings of thickness t.
  • the measuring device 10 optionally includes display means D, for example a VDU or a printer, with the aim of visually reproducing the reading (s) of the thickness t, the mean value t thereof, atmospheric conditions w, temperature T, and passability c, for example by means of a graph as a function of time shown on a display or printed on a paper support.
  • display means D for example a VDU or a printer
  • the measuring device 10 comprises the following features: the sensor elements S output respective analogue variables, between approx. 0 V and 10 V, which are representative of the distances dl and d2; the ultrasound signal 18 has a frequency of approx. 400 kHz and the monochromatic optical signal 20 is a class 3a laser; the range of measurement of the first distance dl is approx. 60-350 mm, and that of the second distance d2 is approx.
  • the computing unit 19 is a computer, in particular a handheld computer, which interfaces with the sensor elements S by means of a data acquisition card (for example the PCMCIA model 6062 DAQ Card) , and which is capable of outputting a 16 bit digital reading of thickness t, with software conversion of the input analogue variables; and timing is provided by means of an oscillator (75 ppb) .
  • a data acquisition card for example the PCMCIA model 6062 DAQ Card
  • timing is provided by means of an oscillator (75 ppb) .
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of an airport comprising a control tower 24 and an airport runway 16, in which a monitoring system according to the invention is implemented. Said system is obviously not only directed towards air transport, but also has versatile uses in other sectors of transport, for example for monitoring sections of motorway.
  • said monitoring system is arranged to monitor the readings of the thickness t of a layer 14 of water (or also snow or ice) deposited under particular weather conditions w, for example rain, along a section of road, in the present case the airport runway 16.
  • the above-stated system comprises at least one remote station, for example a motor vehicle 22 comprising a measuring device 10 of the above-described type, mounted on the front part of said motor vehicle 12, and intended to perform a plurality of readings of thickness t along the entire airport runway 16 at predetermined sampling intervals.
  • the motor vehicle 22 is furthermore equipped with a locating device (not shown) , for example an apparatus using the global positioning system or GPS .
  • the motor vehicle 22 is intended to transmit to at least one central station a plurality of items of information comprising: the x, y coordinates indicating* its position on the airport runway 16; and the respective reading of the thickness t obtained at the x, y coordinates identified by the locating device.
  • control tower 24 performs the function of the central station, but it is nevertheless possible to use one or more different central stations which are intended to perform the operations which will be described below and are capable of communicating subsequently with said control tower 24.
  • the control tower 24 is arranged to calculate the mean value t of said thickness t along the airport runway 16 as function of the above-stated items of information by means of known calculation algorithms .
  • the monitoring system optionally comprises at least one apparatus 25 for detecting the temperature T and atmospheric conditions w associated with the airport runway 16.
  • the apparatus 25 is installed in a predetermined position along the airport runway 16, or may be located directly on the control tower 24.
  • control tower 24 is arranged to determine data c which are indicative of the passability of the airport runway 16 (for example advised values for landing angle and speed, and the suggested braking distance for aircraft arriving at the airport) as a function of temperature T, of atmospheric conditions w, and of the readings of thickness t.
  • the control tower 24 is then capable of transmitting such indicative data c directly to a plurality of vehicles, only one aircraft 26 being illustrated by way of example, which are to pass along the airport runway 16.
  • the types of transmission between the motor vehicle 22, the control tower 24, the apparatus 25 and the aircraft 26 are of known kind, for example by means of UHF, VHF radio communications, or telecommunications systems based on OMTS, Wi-Fi, GSM, GPRS technology, or satellite communications etc ..
  • UHF Ultra High Speed Downlink
  • VHF radio communications Low-power Bluetooth
  • telecommunications systems based on OMTS, Wi-Fi, GSM, GPRS technology, or satellite communications etc .
  • OMTS OMTS
  • Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity
  • GSM Global System for Mobile communications
  • GPRS Global System for Mobile communications
  • satellite communications etc . satellite communications etc .
  • static remote stations mounted at predetermined positions, and in which respective measuring devices of the previously described type are installed.
  • Each static remote station is capable of sending its respective thickness reading to a central unit, which is capable of calculating therefrom a mean value, in an entirely similar manner to the system used in the airport context .
  • the monitoring system may conveniently comprise signalling devices (not shown) located in predetermined positions on the section of road, and the central station may advantageously transmit the data indicative of passability to the signalling devices.
  • These latter may comprise, * for example, traffic signs arranged along a section of motorway to provide information relating to the state of the carriageway to the drivers of the motor vehicles passing along said section.
  • the monitoring system may obviously be arranged to perform the described operations and interactions by means of operating modules or control units which are distributed differently between the remote and central station (s) .

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Length Measuring Devices With Unspecified Measuring Means (AREA)
  • Length Measuring Devices By Optical Means (AREA)
  • Length Measuring Devices Characterised By Use Of Acoustic Means (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for measuring the thickness (t) of a layer (14) deposited on a section of road (16) , which comprises sensor elements (S) which include a first and a second emitting device (E1, E2) respectively capable of emitting an acoustic signal (18) and an optical signal (20) which are received by a respective first and second receiving device (R1, R2) ; a computing unit (19) associated with said sensor elements (S) for determining the thickness (t) as a function of the distance travelled respectively by the acoustic signal (18) reflected by the surface of the layer (14) and received by the receiving device (R1) ; and by the optical signal (20) reflected at the interface between the layer (14) and the road (16) , and received by the second receiving device (R2) . The invention furthermore relates to a method for measuring the above-stated thickness (t) , and to a monitoring system which comprises the measuring device (10) .

Description

A device and method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, and a monitoring system comprising said device
The present invention relates to a device for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road.
Said device is useful for determining the conditions prevailing on the carriageway of a section of urban or extra- urban road, with the aim of establishing the advised safety distance and speed for the motor vehicles passing along said section. More specifically, knowing the thickness of a layer of water, ice or snow deposited on an airport runway is a vital factor in ensuring the saζety of the aircraft during take-off or landing, with the aim of determining the braking distance and the potential risks associated with said manoeuvre .
Measuring devices of the above-stated kind, which are mounted on a mobile or static station, are known and are arranged to store an initial distance of the sensors relative to the ground without a layer of a substance or material, for example water, in a first configuration phase of the device. During a second, measuring phase, which may occur a significant period of time after the first phase (for example some days or even a week) , said devices are capable of calculating a final distance of the sensors relative to the ground covered with the layer of water. A computing unit then subtracts the initial distance from the final distance, so obtaining a reading of the thickness of water deposited thereon. This kind of device exhibits some drawbacks .
One drawback is due to the fact that the initial distance and the final distance are calculated at different times which are sometimes separated by a long period of time. Factors may- arise between the two detection phases which displace the reference by means of which the above-stated distances are calculated, for example the height of the sensors relative to the ground may be lowered or raised, so introducing systematic errors into the measurement. This problem proves particularly complex when this kind of device is mounted on motor vehicles, in which such errors may be due to numerous factors which are difficult to control, including variation in tyre pressure and the load carried by the motor vehicle.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved measuring device to overcome the problems of the prior art which simultaneously exhibits improved* operating efficiency, elevated operating reliability and is capable of being produced in a straightforward and economic manner.
This and further objects are achieved according to the invention with a measuring device of the above-stated type which is primarily characterised in that it comprises sensor means including a first and a second emitting device respectively capable of emitting an acoustic signal and an optical signal which are capable of being received by a respective first and second receiving device; a computing unit associated with said sensor means and arranged to determine said thickness as a function of the distance travelled respectively by the acoustic signal emitted by the first emitting device, subsequently reflected by the layer and received by the receiving device; and by the optical signal emitted by the second emitting device, subsequently reflected by the section of road and received by the second receiving device.
A further object of the invention is a system for monitoring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, comprising at least one remote station comprising a measuring device for of the above-stated type and capable of transmitting at least one reading of said thickness to at least one central station.
According to another aspect of the invention, it is proposed to provide a method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, characterised in that comprises the following operations: a) detecting a first distance travelled by an acoustic signal emitted by a first emitting device, subsequently reflected by the layer and received by a first receiving device; b) detecting a second distance travelled by an optical signal emitted by a second emitting device, subsequently reflected by the section of road and received by a second receiving device; and c) calculating the thickness as a function of the first and the second distance travelled.
Further features and advantages of the, invention will emerge from the following detailed description, which is provided purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a device according to the invention for measuring the thickness of a layer of water deposited on a section of road;
Figure 2 is a block diagram relating to a method for calculating said thickness, implemented by the measuring device of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows an application in the context of an airport of a system for monitoring the thickness of a layer of water deposited on a section of road; and
Figure 4 is a block diagram 'which summarises the principle of operation of the monitoring system illustrated in Figure 3.
With reference to the schematic diagram of Figure 1, a measuring device according to the invention is designated overall by the reference numeral 10.
The measuring device 10 is attached to a supporting element 12 of a static or mobile station (not shown) , for example the front part of a motor vehicle, and is intended to calculate a thickness t of a layer 14 of water, ice or snow (or also other substances and materials) deposited on a section of road 16.
The above-stated measuring device 10 may also be used to detect a layer of debris present on any dry section of road, for example caused by abrasion of tyres of aircraft landing along an airport runway. During the landing manoeuvre, the aircraft's wheels are in fact subjected to elevated levels of stress and the associated tyres reach temperatures of the order of 10000C. Such conditions promote "rubber build-up", i.e. the deposition of a layer of rubber which impregnates the runway's asphalt, not only bringing about an unwanted change in the grain size profile of the road, but also accentuating skidding problems in the presence of water in relation to the vehicles passing over the sections of road affected by this phenomenon.
Said device 10 comprises sensor elements S including a first and a second emitting device El, E2, respectively capable of emitting (simultaneously or in succession, the sequence of performance being immaterial) an acoustic signal, in particular an ultrasound signal indicated by the dashed line 18, and an optical signal, in particular a monochromatic optical signal represented by the dashed line 20. The sensor elements S furthermore include a first and a second receiving device Rl, R2, respectively capable of receiving the signals 18, 20.
During operation of the measuring device 10, the first and the second emitting device El, E2 respectively transmit the ultrasound signal 18 and the monochromatic optical signal 20 towards the section of road 16. Said signals 18, 20 are respectively reflected from a first reflection point A, located on the free surface of the layer 14, and from a second reflection point B, located on the surface of the section of road 16, in order to be directed towards the corresponding first and second receiving device Rl , R2.
The measuring device 10 furthermore comprises a computing unit 19 arranged to calculate the thickness t as a function of the distance travelled respectively by the ultrasound signal 18 between the first emitting- device and receiver El, Rl, and by the monochromatic optical signal 20 between the second emitting device and receiver E2 , R2.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the sensor elements S comprise the first and the second emitting/receiving group El/Rl, E2/R2 aligned at the same level from the ground, identified by a common reference height r, located at the bottom of the sensor elements and indicated by a dot-dashed line. In the more general case of other embodiments (not shown) , the first and the second emitting/receiving group may be located in vertically offset positions, without consequently extending beyond the scope of the invention.
Figure 2 shows a block diagram relating to a method for calculating the thickness t of the layer 14 of water deposited on the section of road 16.
The sensor elements S are capable of supplying the computing unit 19 with a first and a second distance dl, d2 from the common reference height r respectively of the layer 14 and of the section of road 16. In those embodiments (not shown) in which the first emitting/receiving group is installed in a vertically offset position relative to the second emitting/receiving group, the sensor elements (or the computing unit) are arranged to detect the distances of the layer 14 and of the section of road 16 from respective different reference heights, and the computing unit is arranged to take account of the offset between the difference reference heights when calculating the -thickness t .
In the preferred case of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the thickness t is detected by means of the' computing unit 19, for example by the following operations: receiving the first and the second distance dl, d2 from the sensor elements S; and calculating the thickness t by means of the computing unit 19, by subtracting the first distance dl from the second distance d2.
The first distance dl is advantageously calculated as a function of the echo return time, and the second distance d2 is preferably calculated according to the principle of triangulation.
The thickness t may of course also be detected in a manner known per se by means of calculation algorithms differing from those shown above, based on the concept of the invention of using two different signals reflected respectively by the section of road and by the layer superposed thereon.
With reference to Figure 2, the measuring device 10 advantageously comprises associated storage devices M for recording a series of readings of the thickness t obtained at a plurality of positions along the section of road and performed at predetermined sampling times (for example at a sampling frequency of up to 2.5 GHz) .
With reference to Figure 2, the computing unit 19 is conveniently, but not necessarily, arranged to calculate a mean value t of the series of readings of thickness t along the section of road 16 recorded by the storage means M, and furthermore to detect the temperature T and the atmospheric conditions w along said section of road 16. In this manner, the computing unit 19 is capable of determining data c which are indicative of the passability of the section of road 16 as a function of temperature T, of atmospheric conditions w, and of the readings of thickness t.
The measuring device 10 optionally includes display means D, for example a VDU or a printer, with the aim of visually reproducing the reading (s) of the thickness t, the mean value t thereof, atmospheric conditions w, temperature T, and passability c, for example by means of a graph as a function of time shown on a display or printed on a paper support.
In a preferred configuration of the invention, the measuring device 10 comprises the following features: the sensor elements S output respective analogue variables, between approx. 0 V and 10 V, which are representative of the distances dl and d2; the ultrasound signal 18 has a frequency of approx. 400 kHz and the monochromatic optical signal 20 is a class 3a laser; the range of measurement of the first distance dl is approx. 60-350 mm, and that of the second distance d2 is approx. 230-355 mm; the computing unit 19 is a computer, in particular a handheld computer, which interfaces with the sensor elements S by means of a data acquisition card (for example the PCMCIA model 6062 DAQ Card) , and which is capable of outputting a 16 bit digital reading of thickness t, with software conversion of the input analogue variables; and timing is provided by means of an oscillator (75 ppb) .
Figure 3 is a schematic representation of an airport comprising a control tower 24 and an airport runway 16, in which a monitoring system according to the invention is implemented. Said system is obviously not only directed towards air transport, but also has versatile uses in other sectors of transport, for example for monitoring sections of motorway.
With reference to Figures 3 and 4, said monitoring system is arranged to monitor the readings of the thickness t of a layer 14 of water (or also snow or ice) deposited under particular weather conditions w, for example rain, along a section of road, in the present case the airport runway 16.
The above-stated system comprises at least one remote station, for example a motor vehicle 22 comprising a measuring device 10 of the above-described type, mounted on the front part of said motor vehicle 12, and intended to perform a plurality of readings of thickness t along the entire airport runway 16 at predetermined sampling intervals. The motor vehicle 22 is furthermore equipped with a locating device (not shown) , for example an apparatus using the global positioning system or GPS .
During operation of the monitoring system, the motor vehicle 22 is intended to transmit to at least one central station a plurality of items of information comprising: the x, y coordinates indicating* its position on the airport runway 16; and the respective reading of the thickness t obtained at the x, y coordinates identified by the locating device.
For simplicity's sake, in the illustrated embodiment it is considered that the control tower 24 performs the function of the central station, but it is nevertheless possible to use one or more different central stations which are intended to perform the operations which will be described below and are capable of communicating subsequently with said control tower 24.
The control tower 24 is arranged to calculate the mean value t of said thickness t along the airport runway 16 as function of the above-stated items of information by means of known calculation algorithms .
The monitoring system optionally comprises at least one apparatus 25 for detecting the temperature T and atmospheric conditions w associated with the airport runway 16. The apparatus 25 is installed in a predetermined position along the airport runway 16, or may be located directly on the control tower 24.
By means of known calculation procedures which are not shown below, the control tower 24 is arranged to determine data c which are indicative of the passability of the airport runway 16 (for example advised values for landing angle and speed, and the suggested braking distance for aircraft arriving at the airport) as a function of temperature T, of atmospheric conditions w, and of the readings of thickness t. The control tower 24 is then capable of transmitting such indicative data c directly to a plurality of vehicles, only one aircraft 26 being illustrated by way of example, which are to pass along the airport runway 16.
The types of transmission between the motor vehicle 22, the control tower 24, the apparatus 25 and the aircraft 26 are of known kind, for example by means of UHF, VHF radio communications, or telecommunications systems based on OMTS, Wi-Fi, GSM, GPRS technology, or satellite communications etc .. In the present use or other uses, for example for monitoring the thickness of a layer of water which has accumulated on a section of motorway (embodiment not shown in the drawings) , it may be preferred to utilize static remote stations (not shown) mounted at predetermined positions, and in which respective measuring devices of the previously described type are installed. Each static remote station is capable of sending its respective thickness reading to a central unit, which is capable of calculating therefrom a mean value, in an entirely similar manner to the system used in the airport context .
As is obvious to the person skilled in the art, the monitoring system may conveniently comprise signalling devices (not shown) located in predetermined positions on the section of road, and the central station may advantageously transmit the data indicative of passability to the signalling devices. These latter may comprise, * for example, traffic signs arranged along a section of motorway to provide information relating to the state of the carriageway to the drivers of the motor vehicles passing along said section.
The monitoring system may obviously be arranged to perform the described operations and interactions by means of operating modules or control units which are distributed differently between the remote and central station (s) .
Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the embodiments and the details of construction may be widely varied from those described and illustrated here purely by way of non-limiting example, without consequently extending beyond the scope of the invention, as defined in the attached claims .

Claims

1. A device (10) for measuring the thickness (t) of a layer (14) of a substance or material deposited on a section of road (16) , characterised in that it comprises sensor means (S) including a first and a second emitting device (El, E2) respectively capable of emitting an acoustic signal (18) and an optical signal (20) which are capable of being received by a respective first and second receiving device (Rl, R2) ; a computing unit (19) associated with said sensor means (S) and arranged to determine said thickness (t) as a function of the distance travelled respectively by the acoustic signal (18) emitted by the first emitting device (El) , subsequently reflected by the layer (14) and received by the receiving device (Rl) ; and by the optical signal (20) emitted by the second emitting device (E2) , subsequently reflected by the section of road (16) and received by the second receiving device (R2) .
2. A measuring device according to claim 1, in which the sensor means (S) are arranged to determine a first and a second distance (dl, d2) respectively of the layer (14) and of the section of road (16) from a predetermined reference height (r) for the acoustic signal (18) and the optical signal (20) ; and the computing unit (19) is arranged to determine the thickness (t) by means of the following operations receiving the first and the second distance (dl, d2) from the sensor elements (S) ; and calculating said thickness (t) by subtracting the first distance (dl) from the second distance (d2) .
3. A measuring device according to claim 2, in which the sensor means (S) are arranged to calculate the first distance (dl) as a function of the echo return time.
4. A measuring device according to claim 2 or 3 , in which the sensor means (S) are arranged to calculate the second distance (d2) according to the principle of triangulation.
5. A measuring device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the optical signal comprises a monochromatic optical signal (20) .
6. A measuring device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the acoustic signal comprises an ultrasound signal (18) .
7. A measuring device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising associated storage means (M) for recording a series of readings of thickness (t) obtained at a plurality of positions along the section of road (16) , and performed at predetermined sampling times.
8. A measuring device according to claim 7, in which the computing unit (19) is arranged to calculate a mean value (F) of the series of readings of thickness (t) recorded by the storage means (M) .
9. A measuring device according to claim 7 or 8, in which the computing unit (19) is capable of detecting the temperature (T) and the atmospheric conditions (w) along the section of road (16) , and is arranged to determine the data (c) indicative of the passability of the section of road (16) as a function of temperature (T) , of atmospheric conditions (w) , and of the readings of thickness (t) .
10. A measuring device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising associated display means (D) connected to the control unit (19) and arranged to reproduce items of information (t, t , w, T, c) originating from the computing unit (19) visually or on a paper support.
11. A system for monitoring the thickness (t) of a layer (14) of a substance or material deposited on a section of road (16) , comprising at least one remote station (22) comprising a measuring device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, and capable of transmitting at least one reading of said thickness (t) to at least one central station (24) .
12. A monitoring system according to claim 11, in which said at least one remote station is static and is installed in predetermined positions on the section of road (16) .
13. A monitoring system according to claim 11, in which said at least one remote station (22) is mobile on the section of road (16) and is provided with a locating device capable of identifying the position of the remote station along the section of road (16) .
14. A monitoring system according to claim 12, in which the central station is arranged to receive the respective readings of said thickness (t) from a plurality of static remote stations and to calculate therefrom a mean value ( t ) along the section of road (16) .
15. A monitoring system according to claim 13 , in which said at least one mobile remote station (22) is capable of transmitting to the central station (24) items of information comprising coordinates (x, y) indicating its position on the section of road (16) , obtained by means of the locating device; and the respective reading of said thickness (t) obtained at the coordinates (x, y) ; and the central station (24) is arranged to calculate the mean value (I) of said thickness (t) along the section of road (16) as a function of said items of information.
16. A monitoring system according to any one of claims 11 to 15, furthermore comprising at least one apparatus (25) for detecting the temperature (T) and atmospheric conditions (w) on the section of road (16) , and in which the central station (24) is arranged to determine data (c) indicative of the passability of the section of road (16) as a function of temperature (T) , of atmospheric conditions (w) , and of the- readings of thickness
(t) transmitted by said at least one remote station (22) .
17. A monitoring system according to claim 16, furthermore comprising signalling means located in predetermined positions on the section of road (16) ; and in which the central station (24) is capable of transmitting the data (c) indicative of passability to said signalling means.
18. A monitoring system according to claim 16 or 17, in which the central station (24) is capable of transmitting the data (c) indicative of passability directly to a plurality of vehicles (26) which are to pass along the section of road (16) .
19. A monitoring system according to claim 18, in which the section of road comprises at least one airport runway (16) , said at least one remote station is a motor vehicle (22) , the central station is located in a control tower (24) , and said vehicles comprise a plurality of aircraft (26) .
20. A method for measuring the thickness (t) of a layer (14) of a substance or material deposited on a section of road (16) , characterised in that comprises the following operations : a) detecting a first distance travelled by an acoustic signal (18) emitted by a first emitting device (El) , subsequently reflected by the layer (14) and received by a first receiving device (Rl) ; b) detecting a second distance travelled by an optical signal (20) emitted by a second emitting device (E2) , subsequently reflected by the section of road (16) and received by a second receiving device (R2) ; and c) calculating the thickness (t) as a function of the first and the second distance travelled.
21. A measuring method according to claim 20, in which operations a) and b) respectively comprise the calculation of a first and a second distance (dl, d2) respectively of the layer (14) and the section of road (16) from a predetermined reference height (r) for the acoustic signal (18) and the optical signal (20)'; and operation c) comprises the calculation of the thickness (t) by subtracting the first distance (dl) from the second distance (d2) .
22. A measuring method according to claim 21, in which the first distance (dl) is calculated as a function of the echo return time.
23. A measuring method according to claim 21 or 22, in which the second distance (d2) is calculated according to the principle of triangulation.
24. A measuring method according to any one of claims 20 to
23, in which the acoustic signal comprises an ultrasound signal (18) .
25. A measuring method according to any one of claims 20 to
24, in which the optical signal comprises a monochromatic optical signal (20) .
26. A measuring method according to any one of claims 20 to
25, comprising after operation c) the following operations: d) storing the reading of thickness (t) obtained during operation c) and corresponding to a position along the section of road (16) ; e) repeating operations a) to d) for a predetermined number of iterations, each subsequent iteration being performed at a different position along the section of road
(16) ; and f) calculating a mean value it) of the stored thickness (t) readings .
EP06755832A 2005-04-05 2006-04-04 A device and method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, and a monitoring system comprising said device Withdrawn EP1877725A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO20050223 ITTO20050223A1 (en) 2005-04-05 2005-04-05 LAYER THICKNESS MEASUREMENT DEVICE AND PROCEDURE OF A SUBSTANCE OR MATERIAL STORED ON A ROAD TRACK, AND MONITORING SYSTEM INCLUDING SUCH A DEVICE.
PCT/IB2006/000775 WO2006106402A2 (en) 2005-04-05 2006-04-04 A device and method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, and a monitoring system comprising said device

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1877725A2 true EP1877725A2 (en) 2008-01-16

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EP06755832A Withdrawn EP1877725A2 (en) 2005-04-05 2006-04-04 A device and method for measuring the thickness of a layer of a substance or material deposited on a section of road, and a monitoring system comprising said device

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EP (1) EP1877725A2 (en)
IT (1) ITTO20050223A1 (en)
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DE102011003334A1 (en) * 2011-01-28 2012-08-02 Robert Bosch Gmbh Method and device for determining the condition of the road surface by means of combined acoustic and electromagnetic wide-angle sensors
GB2527095A (en) * 2014-06-11 2015-12-16 Cygnus Instr Ltd Location-aware thickness gauge
CN104713488A (en) * 2015-03-26 2015-06-17 天津大学 Optical ice thickness observation barrel
CN108592844A (en) * 2018-04-23 2018-09-28 内蒙古欧晶科技股份有限公司 A kind of device and method of automatic measurement crucible transparent layer thickness
CN115327057B (en) * 2022-08-09 2023-11-03 陕西标远环保科技有限公司 Acoustic water quality detection device

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DE4007363A1 (en) * 1990-03-08 1991-09-12 Weber Maschinenbau Gmbh Measuring thickness of layer of carrier material - using two contactlessly working sensors to measure distances of layer and carrier surfaces from each other
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WO2006106402A3 (en) 2006-12-07
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