JP2003240518A - Method, system and apparatus for inspection of earth surface state - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an earth-surface-state inspection method in which, e.g. in a runway, an earth surface state causing a trouble in a safe operation of an aircraft such as an F0 state, a pavement crack state, a collapse state, an upheaval state, a wet state, a freezing state or the like can be inspected without being hardly influenced by a takeoff, and a landing of the aircraft and irrespective of weather and in which an operation by an inspector can be reduced; and to provide an earth-surface-state inspection system and an earth-surface-state inspection apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A self-propelled earth-surface-state inspection vehicle 1 is provided with a laser radar 2 which calculates a distance up to an object existing in an earth-surface region, and an ultraviolet image sensor 3 which detects light contained in a range at a wavelength of 190 to 500 nm so as to image the earth surface state. The vehicle 1 is provided with a suction port 4 used to recover the F0 state or the like, and a robot arm 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ground surface condition inspection method, a ground surface condition inspection system, and a ground surface condition inspection device suitable for inspecting the condition of the ground surface, particularly the surface of a runway where an aircraft takes off and landing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Aircraft accidents can lead to a great human disaster and must be prevented in advance. By the way, on the runway, objects such as structural materials, panels, and rods (hereinafter, FO: Foreign Obje
ct) and pavement cracks, depressions, and bumps on the runway may be present. Such FOs, pavement cracks, depressions, and ridges, as well as moist and frozen conditions on the ground surface (hereinafter referred to as ground conditions) are one of the causes of aircraft accidents, and are highly safe in aircraft operation. In order to secure the property, it is essential to inspect the surface condition and remove FO and repair pavement cracks. Therefore, conventionally, an inspector has walked or boarded a low-speed vehicle to circulate the runway, and visually inspects the surface condition of the inspector.

[0003]

However, when an inspector makes a walk or walks by a low-speed vehicle, it takes a considerable amount of time to finish the entire runway patrol. Therefore,
When the frequency of departures and arrivals of aircraft is high, it is necessary to shorten the patrol time and carry out before departure and arrival. In addition, since the runway is generally several kilometers long and has a vast area,
The mental fatigue of the inspector due to the patrol work is also great. Therefore, the work efficiency may be deteriorated and the FO may be overlooked.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it has been demonstrated that the ground surface conditions such as FO, pavement cracks, depressions, bulges, wet conditions, and frozen conditions, regardless of the weather, Especially on the runway, the effect of aircraft takeoff and landing on work efficiency is reduced, relatively reliable and efficient detection is possible, and the work of the inspector can be reduced. The purpose is to provide an inspection system and a surface condition inspection device.

[0005]

According to the present invention described above, the self-propelled surface condition inspection apparatus transmits a signal wave toward the surface area and reflects the signal reflected by an object existing in the surface area. A wave is received, and the distance to the object is calculated based on the time from the transmission of the signal wave to the reception or the phase difference between the transmitted signal wave and the received signal wave. Also,
Short-wavelength light is detected and the surface area is imaged. Further, the ground condition is detected based on the information indicating the calculated distance and the information indicating the captured image.

[0006] For example, a self-propelled vehicle equipped with wheels,
It is equipped with a laser radar, radio wave radar, etc. that can measure the distance to the target object, and an ultraviolet image sensor, etc. that can detect and image ultraviolet rays, and run on a runway autonomously or remotely. The information indicating the distance and the information indicating the image are acquired, and the ground condition is detected based on the acquired information.

From the information indicating the distance obtained by using the laser radar, it is possible to detect the ground surface condition regarding the presence or absence of FO having a predetermined size, pavement cracking, depression, upheaval, etc. From the information showing the image acquired using the sensor, if the light reflectance is higher than the ground surface,
It is possible to detect a ground surface condition that is difficult to detect by the laser radar, such as a relatively small FO having a predetermined size or less, a planar FO such as a panel, a wet condition and a frozen condition of the ground surface.

Therefore, by running the self-propelled surface condition inspection device at a relatively high speed (for example, 30 km / h to 40 km / h), the surface condition required for safe operation of the aircraft is maintained, especially on the runway. Almost all of them can be inspected quickly and with a certain degree of accuracy regardless of personnel, regardless of the takeoff / arrival of the aircraft and the weather, etc.

The present invention described above further includes an information communication device that receives information indicating the surface condition detected by the surface condition inspection device and outputs the received information.

Therefore, the information indicating the surface condition is centrally managed at a place apart from the surface of the runway or the like to be inspected (for example, a management center responsible for the inspection of the runway).
It can be confirmed by personnel, and information can be transmitted to the control center provided at the airport so that the information can be used for safe operation of the aircraft.

Further, according to the present invention described above, the self-propelled surface condition inspection device acquires information indicating a distance and information indicating an image, and installs the acquired information in the management center or the like provided in the airport. To the ground surface condition detecting device. The surface condition detecting device, which has received the information transmitted from the surface condition inspection device, determines the surface condition such as FO, pavement crack, depression, bump, wet condition, and frozen condition based on the information indicating the received distance and the information indicating the image. To detect.

Therefore, the surface condition inspection device does not need to detect the surface condition, the structure is simple, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, in the above-mentioned invention, the light having a wavelength in the range of 190 nm to 500 nm is detected as the short wavelength light.

When light having a wavelength within the above range is detected and imaged, FO or the like, which has a higher reflectance than the ground surface, is compared with an image with visible light, regardless of the position of the sun and the image pickup position. The image can be more clearly captured, and the detection accuracy of the ground condition can be further improved. Also, within the range of 190 nm to 500 nm, 280 nm to 315 nm
It is more desirable to detect and image UVB, which is light whose wavelength is included in the range, in order to improve detection accuracy.

Further, according to the present invention described above, binarization processing and noise removal processing are performed on the image picked up by the surface condition inspection device.

Therefore, the surface condition can be inspected more accurately.

Further, according to the present invention described above, the surface condition inspection device has a function of collecting foreign matter such as FO existing on the surface of the ground. The function of collecting the foreign matter is, for example, a suction device that sucks the foreign matter like a so-called vacuum cleaner, or a robot arm that grips the foreign matter and conveys the foreign matter to a recovery box provided in advance in the surface condition inspection device.

Therefore, it is possible not only to inspect the ground surface area such as the runway but also to collect the foreign matter according to the actually detected ground surface condition, so that the work by the personnel can be further reduced.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an appearance when the surface condition inspection system according to the present invention is applied to a runway. Reference numeral 1 in the figure is a self-propelled surface condition inspection device (hereinafter referred to as a surface condition inspection vehicle) according to the present invention, which runs on a runway 8 provided at an airport. In addition, an information management center 6 is provided on the premises of the airport, and an information communication device 60 capable of wirelessly communicating with the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 is installed in the information management center 6. ing. Further, a control center 7 that communicates with the aircraft and manages the operation of the aircraft is provided on the premises of the airport, and the control center 7 also communicates with the information management center 6.

The surface condition inspection vehicle 1 is a self-propelled vehicle having wheels, and a laser radar capable of measuring the distance to an object on the surface of the earth at the upper end of a pole standing upright. 2 and the wavelength is 190 nm to 500 nm
And an ultraviolet image sensor 3 capable of capturing an image of the ground surface area by detecting light included in the range (hereinafter, referred to as short-wavelength light). Further, a housing having a space stabilizing function for suppressing the vibration of the ultraviolet image sensor 3 is provided.

At the lower part of the front surface of the surface condition inspection vehicle 1, a long suction port 4 is provided in a direction substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction of the surface condition inspection vehicle 1. The suction port 4 is a suction port of a suction device provided inside the ground surface condition inspection vehicle 1 and opens facing the ground surface. Therefore, by driving an engine or a motor provided inside the surface condition inspection vehicle 1, air around the surface of the ground is sucked, and along with this, a relatively lightweight and small FO existing on the surface of the ground is sucked. You can

Further, on the front surface of the ground surface condition inspection vehicle 1, a base end portion of a robot arm 5 having one or a plurality of joints and a grip portion at a tip end portion is attached. By driving the joints, the robot arm 5 can freely grip the FO existing within a predetermined range on the ground surface with the ground surface condition inspection vehicle 1 as a reference. The robot arm 5 can be configured using a known technique such as a robot arm used for an industrial robot.

Further, the self-propelled ground surface condition inspection vehicle 1 may be configured to run autonomously based on a preset algorithm, or may be separated by radio (for example, the information management center 6). ), The vehicle may be configured to travel by remote control.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the ground surface condition inspection vehicle 1. As described above, the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 is provided with the laser radar 2 and the ultraviolet image sensor 3, and the laser radar 2 and the ultraviolet image sensor 3 are connected to the measuring means control unit 10 including a CPU and the like. The operation is controlled.

In addition to the measuring means controller 10, the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 has a collecting means controller 11 for controlling the operation of the suction device and the robot arm 5, and a vehicle for inspecting the surface condition inspection vehicle 1. The traveling means controller 12 is provided to control the drive system, and the collecting means controller 11 and the traveling means controller 12 are connected to the measuring means controller 10, respectively.

The measuring means controller 10 receives the data output from each of the laser radar 2 and the ultraviolet image sensor 3, and detects the ground condition based on the received data. Further, based on the detection result, a command is sent to the recovery means control unit 11 and the traveling means control unit 12 in order to control the suction device, the robot arm 5, and the drive system.

Further, the operation of the communication unit 13 is controlled so as to transmit the detection result to the information communication device 60.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the laser radar 2. Reference numeral 20 in the figure denotes a light source, which can emit laser light. The laser light emitted from the light source 20 is split into laser light in two directions by the beam splitter 21. One of the split laser beams (hereinafter referred to as the first laser beam) is the analyzer 2
Input to 5. The other laser beam is incident on one mirror surface of an inverted V-shaped mirror body 22 having two mirror surfaces whose normal directions are substantially orthogonal to each other. The incident laser light is reflected by the one mirror surface, is output to the outside of the laser radar 2, and is irradiated on an object existing on the ground surface.

The mirror body 22 is provided with a motor 23, and the motor body 23 drives the mirror body 22 so that the direction of the mirror surface changes. Specifically, the operation of the motor 23 is controlled by the CPU 26 described later, and drives the mirror body 22 so that the laser light emitted from the laser radar 2, that is, the first laser light scans the surface of the earth. The first laser light is scanned in the circumferential direction in a substantially horizontal plane centering on the position of the laser radar 2 itself.
Further, the first laser light can also be scanned in the vertical direction under the control of the CPU 26 described later.

A part or all of the laser beam reflected by the object is input to the mirror body 22 and is incident on the other mirror surface. The incident laser light is reflected by the other mirror surface and is input to the filter 24. The light reflected by the other mirror surface of the mirror body 22 and input to the filter 24 includes not only laser light but also light having various wavelengths such as visible light and infrared light. Only the light having the same wavelength as the first laser light is extracted. The extracted light (hereinafter referred to as the second laser light) is input from the filter 24 to the analyzer 25.

The analyzer 25 includes a beam splitter 21.
The first laser light directly input from the CPU and the second laser light input through the filter 24 are analyzed to generate digital data regarding amplitude and phase, and the CPU
26.

The CPU 26 controls the operation of the hardware constituting the laser radar 2, and also calculates the distance to the object and calculates the average value of the distance based on the data input from the analyzer 25. The obtained and acquired data is output to the measuring means control unit 10 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a surface area where the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 can inspect the surface condition. Laser radar 2 provided on the surface condition inspection vehicle 1
Drives the motor 23 to scan in a substantially horizontal plane in the circumferential direction by a scan angle of 68 °. The ground surface area to which the laser light is actually irradiated depends on the installation height of the laser radar 2, the depression angle of the laser light to be irradiated, and the like. In the laser radar 2 according to the present embodiment, the central angle is 68 °. An arc-shaped surface area 2a having a radius of 24 m is a surface area to which laser light is applied. Further, as the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 travels, surface scanning having a width of 27 m in the left-right direction can be performed. Laser radar 2
The range of the ground surface area 2a can be arbitrarily changed by appropriately setting the installation height, depression angle and the like.

The laser radar 2 according to this embodiment is
Within the surface area 2a, FO and pavement cracks having a relatively high height (for example, FO and pavement cracks of about 10 cm)
Can be detected.

Next, the principle of the ultraviolet image sensor 3 detecting the short wavelength light to image the ground surface area will be described. The ultraviolet image sensor 3 detects short-wavelength light using a high-sensitivity CCD or the like and converts an optical signal into an electric signal, and can be realized by using a known one. Will be omitted.

In the outdoor environment, there are mainly two types of light that illuminate the surface area. That is, there are direct light emitted directly from the sun and skylight emitted from the entire sky as a surface light source by scattering the light emitted from the sun in the atmosphere. Therefore, the FO and the ground surface existing in the surface area reflect both the direct light and the skylight, and a visible light image sensor,
It is incident on an image sensor such as the ultraviolet image sensor 3.

By the way, when the sun and the image sensor are in the position of regular reflection with respect to the FO, visible light and ultraviolet light are emitted unless the reflectance of the FO is sufficiently smaller than the reflectance of the ground surface. In any case of light, the FO is detected brighter than the ground surface. However, it is rare that the sun and the image sensor have the above-mentioned regular reflection positional relationship, and there is usually a high probability that the sun and the image sensor do not have the regular reflection positional relationship.

On the other hand, when the sun and the image sensor are not in the position of regular reflection with respect to FO, the sky light component incident on the image sensor is about 1.5 times the direct light component in ultraviolet light. On the other hand, with visible light, the sky light component is only about 1/9 times the direct light component even on a sunny day. This is because ultraviolet light has a shorter wavelength than visible light and is scattered more in the atmosphere to have more skylight components.

That is, when the sun and the image sensor are not in the positional relationship of specular reflection, the visible light image sensor mainly detects the strong direct light reflected from the ground surface and the weak skylight reflected from the FO. The FO is imaged relatively bright only when it has a reflectance sufficiently higher than the ground surface. On the other hand, in the ultraviolet image sensor 3, the main component of the incident light is the skylight, and if the reflectance of FO is slightly higher than that of the ground surface, the FO is compared even if it is not in the positional relationship of the regular reflection. It is captured brightly.

As described above, by using the ultraviolet image sensor 3 instead of the visible light image sensor, the positional relationship between the sun and the image sensor (backlight position, forward light position) or the weather condition (clear weather, cloudy weather) is taken into consideration. If the reflectance of FO is larger than that of the ground surface, the FO can be brightly imaged. The ultraviolet image sensor 3 is a laser radar 2
Since it has a feature of higher resolution, it is possible to image a relatively small FO such as a bolt or the like, and a planar FO such as a panel or the like, in distinction from a normal ground surface. In addition, when the ground surface is wet due to rainfall, even if it is frozen, the reflectance is generally higher than that of a normal ground surface. Can be imaged separately from the normal ground surface.

Further, since an ultraviolet image (an image obtained by detecting ultraviolet light is picked up) is not used and visible light is not used, even if the FO has the same color as the ground surface, the FO is distinguished from the ground surface. be able to. Further, since infrared rays are not used, the FO can be distinguished from the ground surface and imaged even when there is almost no temperature difference between the FO and the ground surface.

The ultraviolet image sensor 3 picks up an image of the ground surface area based on the principle as described above. The surface condition inspection vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes 17 ultraviolet image sensors 3 arranged in an arc shape. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, among the fan-shaped ground surface areas having a central angle of 68 ° and a radius of 24 m, the ground surface area 2 b is a range excluding the fan-shaped ground surface area having the same central angle and a radius of 10 m. It is possible to simultaneously image the entire range of.

In the case of the ultraviolet image sensor 3 according to the present embodiment, the position of an arc having a radius of 14 m (the width in the left-right direction is 16 m) in the ground surface area 2b is the substantially central position in the imaged image. The detection accuracy is set so that FO of about 2 cm can be detected at this position. Further, as described above, the ultraviolet image sensor 3 according to the present embodiment is
Detecting short-wavelength light, which is light having a wavelength in the range of 190 nm to 500 nm, of which UVB, which is light having a wavelength in the range of 280 nm to 315 nm, is detected to image the surface area. It is preferable in terms of accuracy and practicality.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the situation when inspecting the surface condition of the runway 8 using the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment. The runway 8 has a width of 6
With a length of 0 m and a length of 4000 m, it is the largest runway in Japan. As described with reference to FIG. 4, the ground surface inspection vehicle 1 includes the ground surface area 2b having a width of 16 m in the horizontal direction at the center of the ultraviolet image and the ground surface area 2a having a width of 27 m in the horizontal direction by the laser radar 2. And are subject to inspection. Therefore, when the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 travels straight, it is possible to inspect the surface condition in a range having a minimum width of 16 m.

By the way, the runway 8 has four routes divided in the lengthwise direction. As a result, the width of one route becomes 15 m, and the inspection for one route can be completed by traveling the ground state inspection vehicle 1 only once.

In the present embodiment, one surface condition inspection vehicle 1 is used for each route, and 30 surface condition inspection vehicles 1 are used.
By running at a speed of km / h to 40 km / h, if there is no FO to be recovered by using the robot arm 5 on the ground surface, the inspection of the entire runway 8 should be completed in about 6 to 8 minutes. You can Even in this case, a small FO that cannot be detected by the laser radar 2 and the ultraviolet image sensor 3 (for example, F of 2 cm or less)
O) can be collected from the suction port 4 by constantly driving the suction device.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information communication device 60 according to this embodiment. Information communication device 60
Includes a CPU 61, and the CPU 61 includes a RAM 62, R
OM63, hard disk (henceforth HD) 6
4, and the operation of a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as communication I / F) 65 and the like.

The RAM 62 temporarily stores the data generated while the CPU 61 performs the arithmetic processing, and also temporarily stores the data transmitted and received via the communication I / F 65. The ROM 63 is composed of a PROM, a mask ROM, and the like, and stores in advance a basic computer program necessary for operating the information communication device 60 according to the present embodiment.

The HD 64 stores a computer program required for operating the information communication device 60 according to this embodiment, which is different from the computer program stored in the ROM 63. Further, the data received via the communication I / F 65 is stored in a database format.
The communication I / F 65 is hardware for communicating with the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 or the control center 7 via an antenna.

The structures of the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 and the information communication device 60 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 are examples, and other structures may be adopted as appropriate. For example, in FIG. 3, a plurality of CPUs 26 may be provided. Also,
Instead of the laser radar 2, other devices, such as radio wave radar and ultrasonic radar, which can measure the distance by utilizing the wave propagating in space may be used.

Next, the CPU 2 provided in the laser radar 2
The operation flow of No. 6 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. As described above, the analyzer 25 outputs digital data regarding the amplitude and phase of the first laser light and the second laser light, and the CPU 26 receives the digital data (S1). The CPU 26 determines the time lag (that is,
The distance to the object is calculated by calculating the phase difference between the first laser light and the second laser light (S2).

FIG. 8 is a chart schematically showing an example of the calculation result for explaining the contents of the calculation processing in the CPU 26. Of these, FIG. 8A is a chart showing the relationship between the scanning angle of the laser light and the distance to the object calculated in step 2. As shown in the figure, in this case, the distance calculated during the scan angle from X to Y is longer than the distance calculated during the other scan angles.

By the way, when the laser radar 2 scans the ground surface area where the FO exists and the distance is calculated, the distance from the laser radar 2 becomes short only where the FO exists. On the other hand, when the distance is calculated by scanning the ground surface area where the pavement crack exists with the laser / laser 2, the distance from the laser radar 2 increases only where the pavement crack exists. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 8A, it can be understood that pavement cracks may exist between the scanning angles X and Y.

The CPU 26 differentiates the function indicating the distance calculated in step 2 by using the scanning angle as a parameter (S3). FIG. 8B is a chart showing a result obtained by differentiating the calculation result shown in FIG. 8A by the scanning angle. As shown in FIG. 8A, the distance to the object becomes long at the scanning angle X, and the distance to the object becomes short at the scanning angle Y. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, the result of differentiation with respect to the scan angle (that is, the degree of change in distance with respect to the scan angle) has a predetermined positive value at the scan angle X and a predetermined value at the scan angle Y. It has a negative value. By extracting the degree of change in the distance in this way, edge locations such as FO or pavement cracks (scan angles X and Y in FIG. 8)
Can be extracted.

Next, the CPU 26 makes a plurality of ranges of the ground surface area based on the scanning angle values X and Y obtained as a result of the differential processing in step 3 (in FIG. 8, the scanning angle is X or less, the scanning angle is X to X). Between Y and three ranges in which the scanning angle is Y or more), the average value of the distance calculated in step 2 is calculated in each range (S4). FIG. 8C is a chart showing the relationship between the average value of the distances calculated in step 4 and the scanning angle.

Further, the CPU 26 outputs the data relating to the average value of the distance calculated in step 4 to the measuring means control section 10 (S5), and the data relating to the outputted average value of the distance is the scanning angle X as will be described later. It is used to judge whether or not pavement cracks exist in the range from to Y. Further, the laser radar 2 irradiates the laser light from the light source 20 at a predetermined cycle. Therefore, the CPU shown in steps 1 to 5 above
The operation of 26 is repeated every time data is received from the analyzer 25 in the predetermined cycle.

Next, based on the data on the average value of the distances output by the laser radar 2, the measuring means control section 10
The flow of operation when determining the presence or absence of FO or pavement cracking will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. The measuring means control unit 10 is based on the data output by the ultraviolet image sensor 3 as will be described later in addition to the laser radar 2.
Since the presence / absence of FO and the like is also determined, the arithmetic processing for each is performed by time-division processing, or when a plurality of CPUs are provided in the measuring means control unit 10, each CPU performs the sharing processing.

First, when the data relating to the average value of the distance is received from the laser radar 2 (S10), the measuring means control section 10 causes the average value of the distance indicated by the received data and a predetermined threshold value (hereinafter, referred to as a first threshold value). 1 threshold value) (S11), and the size relationship is determined (S12).

The first threshold value is a numerical value that depends on the accuracy of distance calculation by the laser radar 2 and environmental conditions such as weather conditions. By comparing the magnitude relationship between the average value of the distance and the first threshold value, FO Alternatively, the presence of pavement cracks can be determined.

FIG. 10 is a chart showing an example of the relationship between the average value of distances and the first threshold value. When the distance to the ground surface area where FO and pavement cracks do not exist is L, the detection error of the laser radar 2 is taken into consideration and the first threshold value is set to L + α, L−.
α is set. Of these, L + α is a threshold value for detecting pavement cracks, and L−α is a threshold value for detecting FO.

Therefore, the average value of the calculated distances is L + α
And in the range of L-α, both FO and pavement cracks do not exist in the ground surface area, and it can be determined that the area is normal. On the other hand, the average value of the calculated distances is L + W, and L + W
When W> L + α, it can be determined that pavement cracking exists, and when the calculated average distance is L−H, and L−H <L−α, FO exists. Then you can tell.

For example, the average value of the distances obtained in the range of the scanning angle X or less shown in FIG. 8C is within the range of the first threshold value, that is, the value between L + α and L−α, Similarly, the average value of the distances obtained in the range of the scanning angle Y or more is the first
If the average value of the distances obtained in the range of the scanning angles X to Y is outside the range of the first threshold, that is, L + α or more or L-α or less, the scanning is performed. It is determined that FO or pavement crack (here, pavement crack) exists in the range between the angles X and Y.

When it is determined in step 12 that the average value of the distances does not exceed the first threshold value (S12: YES), it is determined that there is no FO or the like in the surface area 2a (S13),
When the data from the laser radar 2 is received again, the operations after step 10 are repeated. Also, step 1
When it is determined that the average value of the distances exceeds the first threshold value in 2 (S12: NO), it is determined that the FO or the like exists in the surface area 2a (S14), and the result is transmitted to the information management center 6. (S15). After transmitting the data in step 15, the operations in and after step 10 are repeated. The information management center 6 that has received the data can output the information on the surface condition of the runway 8 to the control center 7 in addition to outputting the data on a monitor or a printing device connected to the information communication device 60.

FIG. 11 is a chart schematically showing another example of the calculation result in the CPU 26. In addition, FIG.
Is a chart showing the relationship between the scanning angle of the laser beam and the calculated distance to the object, and FIG. 11 (b) shows the result obtained by differentiating the calculation result shown in FIG. 11 (a) by the scanning angle. FIG. 11C is a chart showing the relationship between the calculated average value of the distance and the scanning angle.

In the case as shown in FIG.
Unlike the case shown in (a), the distance calculated during the scanning angle from X to Y is shorter than the distance calculated during the other scanning angles. Therefore, it is understood that FO may exist between the scanning angles X and Y.

Therefore, when the differentiation process shown in step 3 of FIG. 7 is applied to the result shown in FIG. 11A, a predetermined negative value is obtained at the scanning angle X as shown in FIG. 11B. It is found that the scanning angle Y has a predetermined positive value, and the edge portion of FO can be extracted. Further, by calculating the average value of the distances as shown in step 4 in each range divided by the edge portion,
The calculation result as shown in (c) can be obtained.

Further, based on the data showing the obtained calculation result, the measuring means control unit 10 performs the processing as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9 so that FO exists between the scanning angles X and Y. It is possible to determine whether or not.

As described above, using the laser radar 2,
The surface condition can be detected for the presence or absence of both FO and pavement cracking.

The method of checking the ground surface condition using the laser radar 2 described above is an example, and the operations of steps 1 to 5 shown in FIG. 7 and step 11 shown in FIG. 9 are performed.
Alternatively, all the operations of step 14 may be performed by the CPU 26 included in the laser radar 2, and only the determination result of the presence or absence of FO and the like obtained as a result thereof may be input to the measuring means control device 10. Further, the data output from the analyzer 25 included in the laser radar 2 is input to the measuring means control unit 10, and the operations of steps 2 to 5 shown in FIG. 7 and the operations of steps 11 to 15 shown in FIG. 9 are performed. ,
Alternatively, the measurement means control unit 10 may perform all the operations. In this way, the operation performed by the CPU 26 included in the laser radar 2 and the operation performed by the measuring unit control unit 10 may be appropriately shared.

Then, based on the data relating to the image received from the ultraviolet image sensor 3, the measuring means controller 10
The flow of operation when determining the presence or absence of FO and the like will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the measuring means control section 10 receives data relating to an image from the ultraviolet image sensor 3 (S20),
The binarization process is performed by comparing the brightness value of each pixel indicated by the received data with a predetermined threshold value (hereinafter, referred to as a second threshold value) (S21). FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the processing in the measuring means control unit 10 based on the data regarding the image received from the ultraviolet image sensor 3, and FIG. 13A shows the image before the binarization processing. FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram showing an image after the binarization process. The image obtained by the ultraviolet image sensor 3 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3 (a), an image considered as FO and some noise are included, and the background has a shading due to unevenness in brightness. A black and white image is obtained as shown in FIG.

The measuring means controller 10 removes the noise by subjecting the image obtained by the processing in step 21 to the black area contraction processing and the black area expansion processing (S22). Further, the area of the image considered to be FO or the like is extracted by performing labeling on the image from which noise has been removed (S23). FIG. 13C is a diagram shown in FIG.
It is a schematic diagram which shows the image obtained after performing the contraction / expansion process and area extraction about the image shown to (b).

Next, the size relation between the area extracted in step 23 and a predetermined threshold value (hereinafter referred to as the third threshold value) is determined (S24). The third threshold value is a numerical value that slightly depends on the resolution of the image captured by the ultraviolet image sensor 3, environmental conditions, etc. When the extraction area is equal to or larger than the third threshold value, the ultraviolet image sensor 3 captures an image. The possibility that FO or the like exists in the ground surface area 2b is relatively high, and when the extraction area is smaller than the third threshold value, the possibility that the FO or the like exists is relatively low.

When it is determined in step 24 that the extraction area is smaller than the third threshold value (S24: YES), it is determined that no FO or the like exists in the imaged ground surface area 2b (S2).
5). Then, in order to follow changes in the environment and the like, the value of the second threshold value used in the binarization processing in step 21 is updated, and the operations in step 20 and subsequent steps are repeated.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step 24 that the extraction area is equal to or larger than the third threshold value (S24: NO), it is determined that FO or the like exists in the imaged surface area 2b (S2
7), and sends the result to the information management center 6 (S2
8). After sending in step 28, step 2 again
The operation after 0 is repeated. At the information management center 6 that has received the determination result, it can be output by a monitor or a printing device connected to the information communication device 60.

By the way, the measuring means control section 10 performs the operations shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 9 and 12, and based on the discrimination result in step 12 and the discrimination result in step 24, the collecting means control section 11 and the traveling means. The command is output to the control unit 12.

That is, when it is determined that the FO is present as a result of the determination made by the measuring means control section 10 in each step, a command is sent to the collecting means control section 11 and the traveling means control section 12 in accordance with the size and shape of the FO. Output and collect the FO.

For example, the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 is 30 km /
Since the vehicle travels at a speed of h to 40 km / h, a braking distance of about 7 m is required before stopping. Therefore, the laser radar 2 detects the FO on the surface area 2a.
When it is determined that the FO exists, the FO is outside the range of the surface area 2a when the FO is stopped to be recovered. Therefore, the ground surface condition inspection vehicle 1 also scans in the vertical direction using the laser radar 2 at the horizontal scanning angle at which the FO is detected, and detects the existing position of the FO again.

When the detected FO is gripped and collected, the robot arm 5 is controlled, and when the ground surface condition inspection vehicle 1 is moved forward and sucked and collected from the suction port 4, the drive system and the suction device are controlled. . Further, regarding the FO or the like having a shape and a size that cannot be collected by using the robot arm 5, the fact is notified to the information management center 6 in step 15, and the personnel will later collect it. FO that is so small that it cannot be detected by either the laser radar 2 or the ultraviolet image sensor 3 is sucked and collected while the vehicle is running by constantly driving the suction device.

Similar to the running of the surface condition inspection vehicle 1, the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 may autonomously perform a collecting operation when an FO or the like is found. You may perform by operation.

In addition, in the surface condition inspection system according to the present embodiment, the case where the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 determines the presence or absence of FO and the like and transmits the result to the information management center 6 has been described. Not limited to this, the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 acquires data using the laser radar 2 and the ultraviolet image sensor 3, and acquires the acquired data from the information management center 6
Alternatively, the CPU 61 included in the information communication device 60 included in the information management center 6 may determine whether or not the FO is present. As a result, the structure of the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

In this case, the information communication device 60 is obtained.
Whether to send the result of presence or absence of FO etc. to the ground surface inspection vehicle 1,
Alternatively, a command is transmitted to the ground surface condition inspection vehicle 1 for remote control based on the obtained result of presence or absence of FO and the like.

As described above, according to the surface condition inspection system of the present embodiment, the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 equipped with both the laser radar 2 and the ultraviolet image sensor 3 is caused to travel to detect the surface condition. Perform an inspection. The laser radar 2 has a relatively large size of about 10 cm or more.
FO, pavement cracks, depressions, ridges, etc. can be detected even if they have the same reflectance as the ground surface (that is, regardless of the reflectance). According to the ultraviolet image sensor 3, about 2 cm. The following relatively small FO, flat FO like a panel,
It is possible to detect FO, which has a reflectance higher than that of the ground surface, such as a wet state and a frozen state of the ground surface.

When it is determined that the FO exists in the surface area, the FO can be collected. Therefore,
The work of collecting FO, which was performed by personnel, is reduced.

Since the information communication device 60 for collecting the data obtained by the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 is provided, the information communication device 60 can centrally manage the data.

Since the image picked up by the ultraviolet image sensor 3 is subjected to binarization processing and noise removal processing,
It is possible to detect the surface condition in more detail and accurately.

Further, by applying the surface condition inspection vehicle 1 to the runway 8, it is possible to reduce the work performed by the personnel, and it is possible to efficiently and early inspect the surface condition of the runway 8, It is possible to improve the safety of operating an aircraft.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case of targeting the runway 8 is described, but it goes without saying that it is also effective when inspecting the surface condition of a highway and other road surfaces.

[0089]

According to the present invention, FO, pavement cracking, depression,
Relatively reliable and efficient detection of surface conditions such as upheaval, wet condition, and frozen condition, regardless of weather conditions, and reducing the effect of aircraft takeoff and landing on work efficiency on runways. Therefore, it is possible to provide a ground condition check method, a ground condition check system, and a ground condition check device that can reduce the work of an inspector.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an appearance when a surface condition inspection system according to the present invention is applied to a runway.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a ground surface condition inspection vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the laser radar.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a ground surface area where a ground surface condition inspection vehicle can inspect a ground surface condition.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the situation when inspecting the ground surface condition of a runway using the ground surface condition inspection vehicle according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information communication device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a flow of operations of a CPU included in the laser radar.

FIG. 8 is a chart schematically showing an example of a calculation result for explaining the contents of a calculation process in a CPU included in the laser radar.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart for explaining the flow of operation when the measuring means control unit determines whether or not there is an FO or pavement crack based on the data on the average value of the distance output by the laser radar.

FIG. 10 is a chart showing an example of a relationship between an average value of distances and a first threshold value.

FIG. 11 is a chart schematically showing another example of the calculation result by the CPU included in the laser radar.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of operations when the measuring unit controller determines the presence / absence of an FO or the like based on the data regarding the image received from the ultraviolet image sensor. Is

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a process in the measuring unit controller based on the data regarding the image received from the ultraviolet image sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Surface condition inspection vehicle (ground condition inspection device) 2 laser radar 3 UV image sensor 4 suction port 5 robot arm 6 Information management center 7 control center 8 runways 10 Measuring means control unit 11 Recovery means control unit 12 Traveling means control unit 13 Communications department 20 light sources 21 Beam splitter 22 Mirror 23 motor 24 filters 25 analyzer 26,61 CPU 60 Information and communication equipment 62 RAM 63 ROM 64 hard disk (HD) 65 Communication interface (communication I / F)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Keiichi Abe             25-12 Yamate-cho, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture (72) Inventor Takehiro Sugiyama             1-23-3 Hirosawa, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture 3 Hirosawa Housing 3             −13 F term (reference) 2F065 AA06 AA20 AA49 AA53 BB05                       CC40 DD06 FF04 FF11 GG04                       GG21 JJ03 JJ05 JJ26 LL12                       LL61 QQ04 QQ06 QQ31 QQ34                 5C054 CA03 CA06 CC02 CF06 CF08                       DA07 ED17 EJ05 FC01 FC04                       FC05 FE09 FF07 HA19                 5J070 AC02 AE01 AF03 AH39                 5J084 AA05 AB16 AC02 AD02 BA03                       BB14 BB20 BB28 DA01 EA07

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A self-propelled surface condition inspection device for inspecting the condition of the ground surface transmits a signal wave to the surface area,
Receiving the signal wave reflected by the object existing in the surface area, the time from the transmission of the signal wave to the reception, or the object based on the phase difference between the transmitted signal wave and the received signal wave The image of the ground surface area is obtained by calculating the distance to, and the short-wavelength light is detected, the ground surface state is detected based on the information indicating the calculated distance and the information indicating the captured image, and the information indicating the detected ground surface state. To the information communication device, which receives the information indicating the surface condition transmitted from the surface condition inspection device and outputs the received information indicating the surface condition. Method. 2. A self-propelled surface condition inspection device for inspecting the condition of the surface of the earth transmits a signal wave to the surface area,
Receiving the signal wave reflected by the object existing in the surface area, the time from the transmission of the signal wave to the reception, or the object based on the phase difference between the transmitted signal wave and the received signal wave To the surface state by detecting the short-wavelength light, the ground surface area is imaged, information indicating the calculated distance and information indicating the captured image are transmitted to the ground surface state detecting device, and the surface state detecting device is The ground surface receiving the information indicating the distance and the information indicating the image transmitted from the ground surface state inspection device, detecting the ground surface state based on the received information, and outputting the information indicating the detected ground surface state. Condition check method. 3. The surface condition inspection method according to claim 1, wherein the short-wavelength light is light having a wavelength in the range of 190 nm to 500 nm. 4. A means for transmitting a signal wave to the surface area, a means for receiving the signal wave reflected by an object existing in the surface area, a time from the transmission of the signal wave to the reception, or Means for calculating the distance to the object based on the phase difference between the transmitted signal wave and the received signal wave,
Means for imaging the ground surface area by detecting short wavelength light, means for detecting the ground surface condition based on information indicating the calculated distance and information indicating the captured image, and information indicating the detected ground surface condition are transmitted. A self-propelled surface condition checking device having means, means for receiving information indicating the surface condition transmitted from the surface condition checking device, and an information communication device having means for outputting the received information indicating the surface condition. A surface condition inspection system comprising: 5. A means for transmitting a signal wave to the surface area, a means for receiving the signal wave reflected by an object existing in the surface area, a time from the transmission of the signal wave to the reception, or Means for calculating the distance to the object based on the phase difference between the transmitted signal wave and the received signal wave,
A self-propelled surface condition that has means for imaging the surface area by detecting short-wavelength light, and means for transmitting the information indicating the calculated distance and the information indicating the captured image for the purpose of detecting the surface condition. Inspection device, means for receiving information indicating the distance and information indicating an image transmitted from the surface condition inspection device, means for detecting the surface condition based on the received information, and output information indicating the detected surface condition A surface condition inspection system, comprising: 6. The surface condition inspection system according to claim 4, wherein the short-wavelength light is light having a wavelength in the range of 190 nm to 500 nm. 7. The surface condition inspection system according to claim 4, further comprising: a unit that performs a binarization process and a unit that performs a noise removal process on the image. 8. The surface condition inspection system according to claim 4, further comprising means for collecting foreign matter existing in the surface area determined by inspecting the surface condition. 9. The collecting means is any one or both of a means for gripping and collecting the foreign matter and a means for sucking and collecting the foreign matter. The listed surface condition inspection system. 10. A means for transmitting a signal wave to the surface area, a means for receiving the signal wave reflected by an object existing in the surface area, and a time from the transmission of the signal wave to the reception. Alternatively, a means for calculating the distance to the object based on the phase difference between the transmitted signal wave and the received signal wave, a means for imaging the surface area by detecting short wavelength light, and the calculated distance are shown. A self-propelled surface condition inspection device comprising: information and a means for detecting a surface condition based on information indicating a captured image. 11. A means for transmitting a signal wave to the surface area, a means for receiving the signal wave reflected by an object existing in the surface area, a time from the transmission of the signal wave to reception, Alternatively, a means for calculating the distance to the object based on the phase difference between the transmitted signal wave and the received signal wave, a means for imaging the surface area by detecting short wavelength light, and the calculated distance are shown. A self-propelled surface condition inspection device, comprising: a means for transmitting information and information indicating a picked-up image to another device in order to detect the surface condition. 12. The surface condition inspection apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the short-wavelength light has a wavelength in the range of 190 nm to 500 nm. 13. The surface condition inspection apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a unit that performs a binarization process and a unit that performs a noise removal process on the image. 14. The surface condition inspection apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising means for collecting foreign matter existing in the surface area determined by detecting a surface condition. 15. The collecting means is any one or both of a means for gripping and collecting the foreign matter and a means for sucking and collecting the foreign matter. Surface condition inspection device described in.