JP7580701B2 - Non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures that inspects civil engineering structures that are the subject of inspection.

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the need to maintain and manage existing civil engineering structures, and efficient management methods are required. Inspection of such civil engineering structures is carried out efficiently using non-destructive inspection equipment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

When inspecting civil engineering structures, there is on-site work to obtain inspection data for the civil engineering structure, and analysis work to analyze the obtained inspection data. Although it would be efficient for the analysis engineers in charge of the analysis work to only perform analysis work, traditionally, in order to ensure the quality of the inspection data, they have gone to the site where the civil engineering structure is located and obtained the data directly. This requires analysis engineers to travel back and forth between on-site work and the civil engineering structure, increasing their workload. In addition, because analysis is performed after measurements and the acquisition of inspection data, the work is serial, limiting the amount of work they can handle.

On the other hand, analytical engineers require specialized knowledge and experience, so a certain amount of time is required for education and training, and with the recent decline in the birthrate, it is not easy to secure the necessary personnel.

Patent No. 5062921

As mentioned above, there is a need to further improve the efficiency of civil engineering structure inspection work.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures that can efficiently inspect civil engineering structures.

The non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures according to claim 1 is a non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures that performs a non-destructive inspection method for civil engineering structures, the non-destructive inspection method including an acquisition step of acquiring non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure from an area where the civil engineering structure to be inspected is located, a transmission step of transmitting the non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure via a network, and an analysis step of analyzing the transmitted non-destructive inspection data, the non-destructive inspection system including a measuring device for personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure is located to acquire the non-destructive inspection data in the acquisition step, and an analysis device for analyzing the non-destructive inspection data transmitted via the network in the transmission step in the analysis step, The data includes the depth, extent, and thickness of the cavity inside the civil engineering structure, and the analysis device has a priority determination artificial intelligence that determines the priority of repairs to the civil engineering structure based on predetermined criteria set in advance using each input information of the cavity depth, extent, and thickness , past history of the non-destructive testing data, and at least any one of input information of the type of the civil engineering structure, weather conditions in the area where the civil engineering structure is located, traffic volume, and vehicle type , and the priority determination artificial intelligence learns the predetermined criteria based on at least any one of the input information, the analysis engineer's judgment on the input information, repair records, and literature information .

The non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in claim 2 is a non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in claim 1, in which the artificial intelligence for determining priorities determines repair priorities in the order of cavity depth, cavity extent, and cavity thickness.

The non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures according to claim 3 is a non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures which implements a non-destructive inspection method for civil engineering structures, the non-destructive inspection method including an acquisition step of acquiring non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure from an area where the civil engineering structure to be inspected is located, a transmission step of transmitting the non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure via a network, and an analysis step of analyzing the transmitted non-destructive inspection data, the non-destructive inspection system including a measuring device for personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure is located to acquire the non-destructive inspection data in the acquisition step, and a measuring device for analyzing the non-destructive inspection data transmitted via the network in the transmission step. and an analysis device which analyzes the non-destructive inspection data, the non-destructive inspection data including the depth, extent, and thickness of a cavity inside the civil engineering structure, the analysis device having a priority determination artificial intelligence which uses each of the input information of the cavity depth, extent, and thickness to determine the priority of repairs for the civil engineering structure in the order of cavity depth, extent, and thickness based on predetermined criteria that have been set in advance, the priority determination artificial intelligence learning the predetermined criteria based on at least one of the input information, an analysis engineer's judgment on the input information, repair records, and literature information.

The non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures according to claim 4 is a non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the measuring device is either a robot or a measuring vehicle that assists in obtaining non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure.

The non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in claim 5 is a non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the analysis device has artificial intelligence that detects the presence or absence of abnormalities in the civil engineering structure from non-destructive inspection data of the civil engineering structure.

According to the non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in claim 1, non-destructive inspection data obtained by personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure is located using a measuring device is transmitted via a network, and the transmitted non-destructive inspection data is analyzed by an analysis device by an analysis engineer, so that the analysis engineer does not need to go directly to the area where the civil engineering structure is located, and the acquisition and analysis of non-destructive inspection data can be performed in parallel, making it possible to efficiently inspect the civil engineering structure, and by using at least input information on the depth, extent, and thickness of the cavity inside the civil engineering structure contained in the non- destructive inspection data, the past history of non-destructive inspection data, the type of civil engineering structure, the weather conditions in the area where the civil engineering structure is located, the volume of traffic, and the type of vehicle, the civil engineering structure can be efficiently repaired by determining the priority of repairs of the civil engineering structure using a priority determination artificial intelligence based on predetermined criteria set in advance , using the input information.

According to the non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures as set forth in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 4, the civil engineering structures can be efficiently repaired.

According to the non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in claim 3, non-destructive inspection data obtained by personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure is located using a measuring device is transmitted via a network, and the transmitted non-destructive inspection data is analyzed by an analysis device by an analysis engineer, so that the analysis engineer does not need to go directly to the area where the civil engineering structure is located, and the acquisition and analysis of non-destructive inspection data can be performed in parallel, making it possible to efficiently inspect the civil engineering structure.In addition, using input information on at least the depth, extent, and thickness of the cavity inside the civil engineering structure contained in the non-destructive inspection data, the priority order for repairs to the civil engineering structure is determined by a priority determination artificial intelligence based on predetermined criteria in the order of cavity depth, extent, and thickness, making it possible to efficiently repair the civil engineering structure.

According to the non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in claim 4, in addition to the effects of the non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in any one of claims 1 to 3, non-destructive inspection data for civil engineering structures can be obtained efficiently and accurately with a smaller number of people by assisting with the non-destructive inspection data for civil engineering structures with robots and measuring vehicles.

According to the non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in claim 5, in addition to the effects of the non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures described in any one of claims 1 to 4, by utilizing artificial intelligence to detect the presence or absence of abnormalities, it is possible to reduce misidentifications and oversights by analysts, eliminating the need for excessive expertise on the part of analysts and reducing variation in analysis results due to the level of the analysts.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing a nondestructive inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 10 indicates a non-destructive testing system. The non-destructive testing system 10 is a system that performs non-destructive testing and inspection of existing civil engineering structures 11 to be inspected, such as roads, tunnels, waterways, bridges, levees, revetments, ports, and airports.

The non-destructive testing system 10 includes a measuring device 13 and an analysis device 14.

The measuring device 13 includes a non-contact or contact output unit that outputs detection waves such as electromagnetic waves or ultrasonic waves, and an acquisition unit that acquires responses such as reflected waves from the civil engineering structure 11 to the output from the output unit. The measuring device 13 is a device that non-destructively measures the state of the civil engineering structure 11, such as the thickness of the concrete lining in the civil engineering structure 11, the presence or absence of internal cavities G or defects, and the state of reinforcing bars and internal metal objects. The measuring device 13 can measure, for example, buried pipes and structures in roads such as manholes M, cavities P that may be at risk of subsidence under the road surface, pavement structures S such as asphalt concrete thickness and roadbed thickness, bridge decks F, and cavities G that may cause embankment subsidence or collapse. The output unit and acquisition unit can be realized, for example, by an antenna of a radar device. This measuring device 13 may be mounted on a measuring vehicle operated by a measurer or a measuring assistant, such as a work vehicle capable of traveling on or near the civil engineering structure 11, or may be mounted on a robot that assists in obtaining non-destructive testing data for the civil engineering structure 11, such as a remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (drone). There may be one or more measuring devices 13.

The analysis device 14 is a device that analyzes the nondestructive testing data acquired by the measurement device 13. The analysis device 14 is equipped with a PC 16, which is a processing means, and a monitor 17, which is a display means that can display data related to the nondestructive testing data, such as the nondestructive testing data or an image obtained by processing the nondestructive testing data.

In the nondestructive testing system 10 of this embodiment, nondestructive testing data measured by the measuring device 13 is transmitted in real time to a cloud server on a network N such as the Internet, where it is stored, and the data stored in the cloud server is analyzed by the analysis device 14.

The measuring device 13 is loaned, transferred, or sold to personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located, and non-destructive inspection data is obtained by these personnel. The personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located are preferably residents of the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located or nearby areas. For this reason, it is preferable that the measuring device 13 is constructed to be, for example, fully automatic or semi-automatic so that even personnel without specialized skills or knowledge can use it with only simple adjustments. It is also preferable that the usage method, such as the specific adjustment method of the measuring device 13, is pre-manufactured. The manual display means for displaying the usage method may be loaned, transferred, or sold together with the measuring device 13 as a printed matter or booklet, the measuring device 13 itself may be used as the manual display means, or the usage method obtained from a cloud server on the network N may be displayed on any display means. In the illustrated example, the measuring device 13 can be directly connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and can directly send and receive data to a cloud server on the network N, but this is not limited to the above, and data can also be indirectly sent and received to a cloud server on the network N via a communication device such as a PC or mobile terminal that can be connected to the network N.

The analysis device 14 is used by an analysis engineer, different from the personnel who acquire the non-destructive testing data. The analysis device 14 only needs to be connectable to the network N and be located in the place or area where the analysis engineer performs the analysis, and may be installed in an area away from the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located. The analysis device 14 may also be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI). The artificial intelligence (AI) assists in the analysis of the non-destructive testing data of the civil engineering structure 11. Specifically, the artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes the non-destructive testing data (images) and detects the presence or absence of abnormalities in the civil engineering structure 11.

The non-destructive inspection system 10 of this embodiment implements a non-destructive inspection method for a civil engineering structure 11, including the steps of acquiring non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure 11 from the area where the civil engineering structure 11 to be inspected is located, transmitting the non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure 11 via a network N, and analyzing the transmitted non-destructive inspection data. Furthermore, the non-destructive inspection method for a civil engineering structure 11 of this embodiment includes the steps of determining a repair order for the civil engineering structure 11 based on the analysis of the non-destructive inspection data, and feeding back the repair order to the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the measuring device 13 is, for example, loaned to personnel employed locally in the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located, and the personnel use the measuring device 13 to obtain non-destructive testing data. At that time, by preparing a manual for the on-site work, the on-site personnel can easily obtain the non-destructive testing data.

The acquired non-destructive testing data becomes huge amounts of big data. This big data is sent in real time to a cloud server on network N.

The transmitted non-destructive testing data is analyzed by a waiting analyst using the analysis device 14. For example, the analyst processes the image of the non-destructive testing data displayed on the monitor 17 of the analysis device 14 or data related to the non-destructive testing data, and performs visual data analysis to determine, for example, the presence or absence of defects in the civil engineering structure 11, the soundness of the civil engineering structure 11, etc. Artificial intelligence AI installed in the analysis device 14 may be used for this data analysis.

When an analysis engineer or an artificial intelligence (AI) detects defects in the civil engineering structure 11 through data analysis, the analysis engineer or the artificial intelligence (AI) determines the order of repairs of the civil engineering structure 11 or the order of repairs of the defects in the civil engineering structure 11. In other words, the artificial intelligence (AI) may have a function of an artificial intelligence for determining priority. The repair order is determined based on a predetermined criterion set in advance. The input information for determining the priority is, for example, non-destructive inspection data of the civil engineering structure 11 to be inspected, such as the depth, spread, and thickness of the detected cavity. In addition, at least one of the past history of inspection data, the type of the civil engineering structure 11 such as a bridge or road, the amount of rainfall or weather conditions such as temperature in the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located, and the amount of traffic, the type of vehicle, etc. may be used as the input information for determining the priority. As an example, the repair of a cavity with a shallow depth is given priority over the repair of a deep cavity, the repair of a cavity with a large spread is given priority over the repair of a small cavity, and the repair of a cavity with a large thickness is given priority over the repair of a small cavity. Depth, spread, and thickness may also be assigned a predetermined priority order. As an example, the priority order may be determined by giving the highest priority to depth, followed by spread and then thickness. These priorities may be determined arbitrarily. Note that the artificial intelligence for determining the priority order does not necessarily have to be the same as the artificial intelligence AI installed in the analysis device 14.

As training data for the artificial intelligence used to determine priorities, for example, a model of the input information and an analyst's judgment on it may be used, or repair records and literature information may be used.

The results of the data analysis, including the repair order of the civil engineering structure 11, are sent, for example, to a cloud server on the network N and fed back to the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located.

In this way, personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located acquire non-destructive testing data using measuring device 13 and transmit the acquired non-destructive testing data via network N, and an analysis engineer analyzes the transmitted non-destructive testing data using analysis device 14. This eliminates the need for the analysis engineer to directly go to the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located, and allows data to be transferred in real time, enabling acquisition and analysis of non-destructive testing data to be performed in parallel, and acquired non-destructive testing data to be analyzed quickly, thereby enabling efficient inspection of the civil engineering structure 11. This makes it possible to reduce inspection costs and alleviate personnel shortages.

In addition, when inspecting civil engineering structures 11 in multiple different regions, the analysis engineer does not need to go and obtain non-destructive testing data each time, and the process can be carried out easily and quickly.

In particular, since the areas where maintenance of civil engineering structures 11 is required are located all over the country, such as regional cities and their suburbs, coastal areas, and mountainous regions, according to this embodiment, analysis engineers can concentrate on analysis in the area where the analysis device 14 is installed without having to travel to these areas, thereby reducing the time and cost required for travel. Furthermore, inspections can be performed not only when the civil engineering structures 11 are located in Japan, but also when they are located overseas.

Because the personnel using the measuring device 13 can use the measuring device 13 by referring to the manual display means, the acquisition of non-destructive testing data can be made more efficient, and the accuracy of the non-destructive testing data can be ensured at a certain level or higher, regardless of the level of expertise of the personnel using the measuring device 13. Therefore, the analysis technician himself does not need to go out to acquire non-destructive testing data, and there is no need for night shifts or physically demanding field work, so even experienced elderly people with specialized skills can perform analysis as an analysis technician.

By using robots and measuring vehicles to assist in the collection of non-destructive inspection data for civil engineering structures 11, non-destructive inspection data can be collected more efficiently with fewer people and with greater accuracy, even without the presence of specialized engineers. In addition, by using robots, it becomes possible to collect data from places where it is difficult for people to directly approach.

By equipping the analysis device 14 with artificial intelligence (AI) and using the AI to detect the presence or absence of abnormalities, it is possible to reduce oversights by analysis engineers, eliminating the need for excessive expertise on the part of the analysis engineers, and reducing the variation in analysis results due to the level of the analysis engineers. In other words, by performing analysis of abnormalities using artificial intelligence (AI), an objective response is possible, reducing misidentifications and oversights due to human error on the part of the analysis engineers, eliminating the need for excessive expertise on the part of the analysis engineers, and reducing time constraints due to personnel shortages and training. In addition, there is no need for experienced analysis engineers to review the data, reducing the amount of work.

By determining the priority order of civil engineering structures 11 or abnormal parts to be repaired by artificial intelligence (AI) based at least on non-destructive inspection data, the civil engineering structures 11 or abnormal parts can be repaired efficiently without relying on analysis engineers. Furthermore, by making the artificial intelligence (AI) the same as the artificial intelligence (AI) that detects the presence or absence of abnormal parts, the entire process from detecting abnormal parts to determining repair priorities can be carried out by the artificial intelligence (AI).

As a result, it will be possible to reduce costs, accommodate diversifying work styles, and create local jobs. In other words, a system can be created where people can work without time constraints, and even experienced elderly people or people who are raising children or caring for the elderly at home can be employed to collect non-destructive testing data, which will lead to the promotion of new employment.

The personnel who will collect the non-destructive testing data are expected to be people who are familiar with the geography and location information of the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located, making it possible to take advantage of the strengths of local networks. In addition, since the inspection will be of the civil engineering structure 11 that is used in the daily life of the area where the personnel live, it will also lead to the personnel's contribution to the local area.

In addition, if the inspection reveals any abnormalities or information that is deemed dangerous in the civil engineering structure 11, this information, including indicators of the soundness of the civil engineering structure 11, can be quickly fed back to the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located via the network N.

For example, in this embodiment, the repair order for the civil engineering structure 11 is determined based on the analysis of non-destructive inspection data, and the repair order is fed back to the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located. In recent years, the number of defects such as cavities occurring due to abnormal weather such as torrential rains has been increasing, so by feeding back the repair order for the civil engineering structure 11, repairs can be carried out in order of priority for defects in the area where the civil engineering structure 11 is located, and repairs to the civil engineering structure 11 can be carried out efficiently.

10. Non-destructive Inspection Systems
11 Civil Engineering Structures
13. Measurement Equipment
14 Analysis equipment
AI Artificial intelligence with the function of artificial intelligence for determining priorities N Network

Claims (5)

A non-destructive inspection system for a civil engineering structure that implements a non-destructive inspection method for a civil engineering structure, the non-destructive inspection method including an acquisition step of acquiring non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure from an area where the civil engineering structure is located, a transmission step of transmitting the non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure via a network, and an analysis step of analyzing the transmitted non-destructive inspection data,
a measuring device for personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure is located to acquire the non-destructive inspection data in the acquisition step;
an analysis device that analyzes the non-destructive inspection data transmitted via the network in the transmission step,
The non-destructive inspection data includes a depth of a cavity inside the civil engineering structure, an extent of the cavity , and a thickness of the cavity ;
the analysis device has an artificial intelligence for determining priority order, which determines the priority order for repair of the civil engineering structure based on a predetermined criterion set in advance, using input information of the depth of the cavity , the extent of the cavity , and the thickness of the cavity, the past history of the non-destructive inspection data, and at least any of input information of the type of the civil engineering structure, the weather conditions of the area where the civil engineering structure is located, the amount of traffic , and the type of vehicle;
The priority order determining artificial intelligence learns the predetermined criteria based on at least one of the input information, the analysis engineer's judgment on the input information, repair records, and literature information.
A non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures. The artificial intelligence for prioritization determines the priority of repairs in the order of cavity depth, cavity spread, and cavity thickness.
2. The non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures according to claim 1. A non-destructive inspection system for a civil engineering structure that implements a non-destructive inspection method for a civil engineering structure, the non-destructive inspection method including an acquisition step of acquiring non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure from an area where the civil engineering structure is located, a transmission step of transmitting the non-destructive inspection data for the civil engineering structure via a network, and an analysis step of analyzing the transmitted non-destructive inspection data,
a measuring device for personnel in the area where the civil engineering structure is located to acquire the non-destructive inspection data in the acquisition step;
an analysis device that analyzes the non-destructive inspection data transmitted via the network in the transmission step,
The non-destructive inspection data includes a depth of a cavity inside the civil engineering structure, an extent of the cavity, and a thickness of the cavity;
The analysis device has an artificial intelligence for determining a priority order, which uses the input information of the cavity depth, the cavity extent, and the cavity thickness to determine the priority order of repairs of the civil engineering structure in the order of the cavity depth, the cavity extent, and the cavity thickness based on a predetermined criterion set in advance,
The priority order determining artificial intelligence learns the predetermined criteria based on at least one of the input information, the analysis engineer's judgment on the input information, repair records, and literature information.
A non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures. 4. The non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures according to claim 1, wherein the measurement device is either a robot or a measurement vehicle that assists in obtaining non-destructive inspection data for civil engineering structures. 5. The non-destructive inspection system for civil engineering structures according to claim 1, wherein the analysis device has an artificial intelligence for detecting the presence or absence of an abnormality in the civil engineering structure from non-destructive inspection data of the civil engineering structure .

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