JP7616660B2 - Construction plan creation support system and method thereof - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a construction plan creation support system and method for supporting the creation of construction plans for traffic signs, including road markings and road signs.

When creating a construction plan for constructing road markings such as crosswalks, stop signs, and dividing lines, workers would first go to the construction site and measure the distance and width of the road where the road markings would be installed, as well as the locations where the road markings would be installed. Then, based on the measurements obtained, they would create a drawing of the construction site showing the road markings, and then create a construction plan that includes an estimate.

However, surveying a construction site requires the use of tools such as tape measures, which requires multiple workers and requires attention to vehicles passing on the road, making it a time-consuming, labor-intensive and dangerous task. In addition, drawings of the construction site are created by hand, which is also time-consuming and labor-intensive. For this reason, there was a demand for a construction plan creation support system that could create construction plans safely and in a short time.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a construction plan creation support system and a support method for the same that can safely and quickly create construction plans for traffic signs, including road markings and road signs.

In order to solve the above problems, the construction plan creation support system according to the present invention comprises:
"A road surface camera that captures images of a road surface at regular time intervals while moving on or above a road on which traffic signs, including road markings and road signs, are installed;
a GPS unit that moves together with the road surface camera and receives signals from GPS satellites to acquire GPS information at regular time intervals;
a control means for creating a construction plan from the acquired plurality of road surface images and the plurality of GPS information,
The control means
an image synthesis means for generating a synthetic road surface image by arranging the plurality of road surface images on map data based on the plurality of acquired GPS information;
a construction data generating means for generating construction data by pasting item data of the traffic signs, which is set in advance and includes a unit price, onto the synthetic road surface image;
An estimate data generating means for generating estimate data including an estimate amount based on the construction data;
and a document creation means for creating a construction plan based on the construction data and the estimate data.

Here, the traffic signs to be installed are those stipulated in the Road Act and the Road Traffic Act, and examples thereof include road markings applied to the road surface and billboard-like road signs (main signs and auxiliary signs) erected on the road surface or road shoulders. Specifically, for example, examples of road markings as traffic signs include dividing lines such as center lines and shoulders, numbers such as "40" indicating maximum speed, letters such as "Stop," arrows, diamond-shaped figures indicating the presence of a pedestrian crossing, and pedestrian crossings. The item data is the above-mentioned traffic signs converted into data, and for example, in the case of road markings as traffic signs, the name of the road marking, the line width, the line length, the shape and size of figures and letters, the unit price, etc. are converted into data.

In this configuration, a road surface camera and a GPS unit are provided on a mobile medium such as an automobile or a drone. The mobile medium is then moved on or above the road on which the traffic signs are to be installed to acquire multiple road surface images and multiple GPS information. Next, the multiple road surface images are arranged and synthesized based on the multiple GPS information by the image synthesis means of the control means. In more detail, since the GPS information contains location information at the time of acquisition, the shooting location of the corresponding road surface image can be identified based on the location information. Therefore, since the road surface images can be arranged in order at the corresponding positions on the map data based on the GPS information, the multiple road surface images can be synthesized into one synthetic road surface image.

Then, the construction data generating means of the control means pastes item data of various types of traffic signs onto the synthetic road surface image to generate construction data. Since the synthetic road surface image is an actual photograph of the construction site, it is easy to grasp the condition of the road surface, road shoulders, etc. In addition, since the synthetic road surface image is synthesized based on GPS information, the positions and sizes of existing traffic signs, existing structures such as gutters and curbs, etc. that are installed on the road (road information) are more accurate than the map data. Therefore, the positions, sizes, and lengths of the pasted item data in the construction data are proportional to the positions, sizes, and lengths of the traffic signs to be actually installed. And since the construction data is the item data (traffic signs) pasted onto the synthetic road surface image, i.e., onto the map data, it can be used as a drawing of the construction site.

Then, the control means's estimate data generating means generates estimate data including an estimated amount from the construction data. Then, the control means's document creation means creates a construction plan based on the construction data and the estimate data.

Thus, according to this configuration, accurate road information can be obtained at a construction site for traffic signs simply by moving a mobile vehicle equipped with a road surface camera and a GPS unit on or above the road, so there is no need to survey the construction site as in the past, and there is no need to pay attention to vehicles passing on the road or to restrict vehicle traffic. This makes it possible to reduce the number of workers and work time, while also increasing safety in obtaining road information. Also, because pre-set item data is attached to the synthetic road surface image, drawings of the construction site can be easily created in a short period of time.

Furthermore, according to this configuration, the construction data includes item data, which indicates the type, number, length, size, etc. of the traffic signs to be actually constructed. The item data also includes unit prices, so estimate data (estimated amount) for construction can be easily generated from the construction data, reducing the effort and time required for estimates. As a result, construction plans for traffic signs can be created safely and quickly.

In addition to the above configuration, the construction plan creation support system according to the present invention further comprises:
"The road surface image is associated with the shooting time, and the GPS information is associated with the acquisition time,
The image synthesis means includes:
The acquisition times of the two pieces of GPS information arranged in chronological order are used to calculate the direction of travel and the average travel speed, and the road surface image having the photographing time between the two acquisition times is rotated according to the direction of travel, and the photographing position of the road surface image is calculated based on the photographing time and the average travel speed, and the rotated road surface image is pasted at the photographing position on the map data, and this is repeated in sequence to generate the synthetic road surface image.
It is characterized by:

According to this configuration, the shooting position of the road surface image is identified from the acquisition time of two adjacent GPS information pieces and the shooting time of the road surface image, so it can handle cases where the acquisition time of the GPS information and the shooting time of the road surface image are different, or where the shooting time interval of the road surface image is different from the acquisition time interval of the GPS information. In addition, since the road surface image is rotated according to the moving direction calculated from the two GPS information pieces, it can be followed even if the road at the construction site is curved, making it possible to make the contents of the construction plan more accurate.

The construction plan creation support method according to the present invention comprises:
"A road surface camera that captures images of a road surface at regular time intervals while moving on or above a road on which traffic signs, including road markings and road signs, are installed;
a GPS unit that moves together with the road surface camera and receives signals from GPS satellites to acquire GPS information at regular time intervals;
A construction plan creation support method using a construction plan creation support system including a control means for creating a construction plan from the acquired plurality of road surface images and the acquired plurality of GPS information,
The control means
Based on the acquired plurality of pieces of GPS information, the plurality of road surface images are arranged on map data to generate a synthetic road surface image,
generating construction data by pasting item data of the traffic sign, which is set in advance and includes a unit price , onto the synthetic road surface image;
generating estimate data including an estimated amount based on the construction data;
Create a construction plan based on the construction data and the estimate data.
It is characterized by:

This support method allows construction plans for constructing traffic signs to be created more safely and in a shorter time than ever before.

As described above, the effect of the present invention is to provide a construction plan creation support system and a support method for the same that can safely and quickly create construction plans for traffic signs, including road markings and road signs.

1A is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the process from photographing the road surface to generating a synthetic road surface image in a construction plan creation support system which is one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the road surface camera and the width of the road. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the construction plan creation support system of FIG. 1. This is a display screen for acquiring road surface images and GPS information. 13 is a flowchart of a synthesis range setting process. 1 is a display screen for generating a synthetic road surface image. 13 is a flowchart of an image synthesis process. (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the relationship between a road surface image and GPS information and time, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the shooting position of a road surface image included on a movement trajectory between two adjacent GPS information, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of a rotated road surface image pasted at the shooting position on the movement trajectory. FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing three screens, an editor tool screen, a road marking drawing/editing screen, and a navigation screen, which are displayed to generate construction data; FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing another display on the navigation screen; FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a created quotation.

The construction plan creation support system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The construction plan creation support system according to this embodiment is intended to support the creation of construction plans for constructing road markings as traffic signs.

The construction plan creation support system includes an automobile 10 as a vehicle moving on a road R, and a road surface camera 11, a peripheral camera 12, a GPS antenna 13, a GPS unit 14, a mobile router 15, and a first computer 16, which are each installed on the automobile 10. The construction plan creation support system also includes a data server 20, a second computer 30, and an input device 31, a display device 32, and a printing device 33 connected to the second computer 30.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), the automobile 10 is equipped with a support stay 10a attached to the roof so as to protrude rearward, and a waterproof storage case 10b attached to the upper surface of the support stay 10a. A road camera 11, a surrounding camera 12, a GPS antenna 13, and a mobile router 15 are attached to the support stay 10a. The storage case 10b is attached to a portion of the support stay 10a directly above the automobile 10. The storage case 10b houses a GPS unit 14 and a first computer 16.

The road surface camera 11 is a digital camera. The road surface camera 11 is attached to the rear end of the support stay 10a with the lens facing downward, and is used to capture the road surface RS and obtain a road surface image 21. The road surface camera 11 is attached so that the wider angle of view α faces in the width direction of the automobile 10. The angle of view α and height H from the road surface RS of the road surface camera 11 are set so that it can capture at least the width W of the lanes on the road (see Figure 1 (b)). The data of the road surface image 21 is acquired in accordance with the capture time.

The road surface camera 11 of this embodiment has an angle of view α of 120 degrees and is mounted at a height H of 1930 mm from the road surface RS. This makes it possible to capture an image of a range of approximately 6.7 m in width. It is also possible to capture an image of a range of approximately 2 m in the longitudinal direction of the road R. The capacity of one road surface image 21 is approximately 0.05 MB.

The peripheral camera 12 is a digital camera. The peripheral camera 12 is attached to the rear end of the support stay 10a with its lens facing rearward, and is used to capture images of the surroundings behind the automobile 10 to obtain peripheral images 22. The data of the peripheral images 22 is acquired in accordance with the time of capture.

The GPS antenna 13 is for receiving signals from multiple GPS satellites 1 and is attached to the upper surface of the support stay 10a. The GPS unit 14 is for acquiring GPS information 23 based on the signals from multiple GPS satellites 1 received by the GPS antenna 13. The GPS information 23 includes acquisition time, date, longitude and latitude, altitude, positioning status (reception state), number of satellites used, etc.

The mobile router 15 receives signals from the mobile base station 2 (including an access point) to obtain auxiliary location information 24 as the current location. The auxiliary location information 24 includes the acquisition time, date, longitude and latitude, altitude, etc. This auxiliary location information 24 can be used as an auxiliary when the positioning status of the GPS information 23 is low.

In this embodiment, the first computer 16 is a personal computer. The first computer 16 includes a central processing unit, an input unit 16a consisting of a keyboard and a touchpad, a display unit 16b consisting of an LCD display, and a memory unit 16c consisting of an HDD or SSD. The first computer 16 is capable of controlling the road surface camera 11, the peripheral camera 12, the GPS unit 14, and the mobile router 15 by executing a specific program stored in the memory unit 16c, and the acquired road surface image 21, peripheral image 22, GPS information 23, and auxiliary position information 24 are stored in the memory unit 16c.

The various data stored in the memory unit 16c of the first computer 16 is stored in the data server 20 via a communication network such as the Internet via the mobile router 15, or via external storage such as a USB memory.

The data server 20 is provided so as to be connectable via a communication network such as the Internet. The data server 20 stores a road surface image 21, a surrounding image 22, GPS information 23, and auxiliary position information 24. The data server 20 also stores map data 25, item data 26, construction data 27, estimate data 28, and document data 29. The map data 25 and item data 26 are stored in the data server 20 in advance. The data server 20 also stores a synthetic road surface image 40, which will be described later.

The map data 25 is data for displaying a map of the construction site on the display device 32 of the second computer 30, which will be described in detail later, and contains information such as roads, railways, rivers, buildings, place names, and administrative boundaries for latitudes and longitudes divided into a predetermined mesh pattern.

Item data 26 is a digitalized version of road markings as defined in the Road Act and the Road Traffic Act. Specifically, for example, in the case of "line" markings (so-called dividing lines) such as center lines and shoulder lines, the name of the road marking, the type of width such as W15, W30, and W45 (the number after W means cm), the color of the line such as a white line or a yellow line, and the unit price per unit length are defined. In addition, in the case of figures that include letters and numbers such as "Stop", "40", and "50" other than "lines", diamond shapes indicating a pedestrian crossing, arrows, and crosswalks, the name of the road marking, vector data of the figure, the length of the lines that make up the figure, the width of the line, the color of the line, and the unit price per unit length are defined. In addition, in the case of figures, the unit price per piece may be determined for each type of figure (type of road marking).

The construction data 27, the estimate data 28, and the document data 29 are data generated in the second computer 30, as will be described in detail later.

In this embodiment, the second computer 30 is a personal computer, and includes a central processing unit and a storage means 30e consisting of a RAM, HDD, and SSD. The second computer 30 performs the following functions by executing a predetermined program. In detail, the storage means 30e of the second computer 30 stores programs that cause the second computer 30 to function as an image synthesis means 30a that generates a synthetic road surface image 40 by arranging multiple road surface images 21 on map data 25 based on multiple GPS information 23, a construction data generation means 30b that generates construction data 27 by pasting item data 26 on the synthetic road surface image 40, an estimate data generation means 30c that generates estimate data 28 including an estimate amount based on the construction data 27, and a document creation means 30d that creates a construction plan based on the construction data 27 and the estimate data 28.

The generated synthetic road surface image 40 and construction data 27 are stored in a database in the storage means 30e of the second computer 30. The second computer 30 in this embodiment corresponds to the control means of the present invention.

The input device 31 is composed of a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse. The display device 32 is a monitor such as a liquid crystal display. The printing device 33 is composed of an inkjet printer or a laser printer.

Next, a method of supporting the creation of a road marking construction plan using the above support system will be described. First, the acquisition of road surface images 21 and GPS information 23 at the site where road markings are to be constructed (hereinafter simply referred to as the construction site) will be described. First, the storage case 10b attached to the roof of the automobile 10 is opened, and the first computer 16 is started. After that, when a program for photographing the road surface images 21 and the like is executed, a road surface image/GPS information acquisition screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display unit 16b of the first computer 16. At this time, the image of the road surface camera 11 and the image of the surrounding camera 12 are displayed on the screen. Then, the input unit 16a is used to input the construction site name, the name of the recorder, and the camera position correction. It is also possible to input the height H from the road surface RS to the road surface camera 11, the angle of view α of the road surface camera 11, and the like.

Here, the camera position correction is the distance from the GPS antenna 13 to the road camera 11. This is because the position information included in the acquired GPS information 23 is the position of the GPS antenna 13, not the position of the road camera 11, so by inputting the distance to the road camera 11, the position information of the GPS information 23 is corrected to the position of the road camera 11. Note that if the positions of the road camera 11 and the GPS antenna 13 are fixed, the camera position correction value may be input in advance.

In this embodiment, although not shown in the figures, it is possible to set a fixed time interval (first time) for capturing road surface images 21 by the road surface camera 11 and a fixed time interval (second time) for acquiring GPS information 23 by the GPS unit 14. It is preferable that the first time is within the range of 40 ms to 200 ms. This is because if the first time is shorter than the above range, the number of road surface images 21 will be relatively large, resulting in an excessively large data capacity for the composite road surface image 40. If the first time is longer than the above range, depending on the traveling speed of the automobile 10, when multiple road surface images 21 are synthesized, adjacent road surface images 21 will not overlap each other, leaving gaps, resulting in an incomplete composite road surface image 40.

On the other hand, it is desirable to set the second time within the range of 200 ms to 500 ms. This is because if the second time is shorter than the above range, there is a risk that the same position information will be acquired due to the influence of accuracy errors in the GPS information 23, and if the second time is longer than the above range, the reproducibility of the shape of the curves of the road R and other features will be reduced, making it impossible to generate a synthetic road surface image 40 that is close to the actual shape.

In this embodiment, the first time is preset to 100 ms, and the second time is preset to 250 ms. In this embodiment, the interval at which the peripheral camera 12 captures the peripheral image 22 is set to the same first time interval as the road surface camera 11, but the capture time interval may be set separately from the road surface camera 11.

After inputting the name of the construction site, etc., confirm that the reception level is good at the location of the GPS positioning state (positioning status), then click the "Start recording" button to start recording. Note that when the "Start recording" button is clicked, the button display changes to "Stop recording". Then, close the storage case 10b, and drive the automobile 10 on the road R at the construction site. At this time, drive the automobile 10 from outside the construction site to a position beyond the construction site.

This allows the road surface image 21 captured by the road surface camera 11 and the surrounding image 22 captured by the surrounding camera 12 to be stored while moving on the road R, and also allows the GPS information 23 acquired by the GPS unit 14 to be stored. Note that if the width of the road R is wider than the range of the angle of view α of the road surface camera 11, the automobile 10 will travel back and forth or will travel in different lanes.

When the automobile 10 has finished traveling, the storage case 10b is opened and the "Stop Recording" button displayed on the display unit 16b of the first computer 16 is clicked to stop recording the road surface images 21 and the like. As a result, the recorded road surface images 21, surrounding images 22, and GPS information 23 are stored in a construction site folder named after the construction site in the memory unit 16c of the first computer 16. The construction site folder also stores the set first and second times, the inputted name of the recorder, camera position correction, and the like. After that, the mobile router 15 connects to the data server 20, and the recorded road surface images 21 and the like are sent together with the construction site folder to the data server 20 via the communication network for storage.

Next, the generation of the composite road surface image 40 by the image synthesis means 30a will be described. When a program for creating a construction plan is executed in the second computer 30, a composite road surface image generation screen as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display device 32, and the synthesis range setting process (see FIG. 4) is executed. In this synthesis range setting process, first, the "Select" button to the right of the part labeled "Select construction site folder" is clicked to select the construction site folder (step S101). In more detail, when the "Select" button is clicked, a list of construction site folders stored in the data server 20 is displayed, and the desired construction site folder is selected from the list by clicking on it.

When a construction site folder is selected, the corresponding construction site folder is read from the data server 20 and stored in the storage means 30e, and map data 25 of the surrounding area of the construction site is extracted from the data server 20 and stored in the storage means 30e. Various processes are executed below using the data of the construction site folder and the map data 25 stored in the storage means 30e. The map data 25 extracted from the data server 20 is displayed as a map of the construction site in the center of the screen (step S102). At this time, the name of the construction site is also displayed. In addition, the trajectory traveled by the automobile 10 is displayed on the map based on the multiple GPS information 23 stored in the construction site folder (shown by dashed lines in FIG. 5).

The map data 25 around the construction site displayed here is for a wider area than the construction site itself. For example, based on multiple GPS information 23 stored in the construction site folder, map data 25 for a range obtained by adding a specified latitude and longitude to the minimum and maximum values of latitude and longitude is extracted from the data server 20.

Although not shown in the figure, this composite road surface image generation screen displays the scale of the displayed map, as well as the name of the recorder, first time, second time, etc. stored in the selected construction site folder. In addition, the composite road surface image generation screen allows you to input the name of the person who synthesized the images, camera angle correction, etc.

Here, camera angle correction refers to the angle between the lens direction of the road surface camera 11 that captures the road surface RS and the vertical direction. In more detail, it is desirable to point the lens direction of the road surface camera 11 vertically downward, but in that case, the capture range of the road surface RS may be narrowed when the automobile 10 enters the capture range, so the lens direction of the road surface camera 11 is tilted to capture the road surface RS so that a wide area of the road surface RS is captured. Since the road surface RS is distorted in the road surface image 21 captured in this tilted manner, the road surface image 21 is corrected by the angle at which the road surface camera 11 is tilted (camera angle correction) before use.

Then, the synthesis range (the construction range where road markings are to be constructed) in which multiple road surface images 21 are to be synthesized is selected by encircling it with a rectangle (the area indicated by the thick frame in FIG. 5) using the mouse as the input device 31 (step S103). Note that, in addition to encircling it with a rectangle, the synthesis range may also be selected by clicking the start point and then the end point.

Once the synthesis range is selected, the capacity of each road surface image 21 included within that range is added up to calculate the capacity of the synthesized road surface image 40 to be synthesized (step S104). Then, it is determined whether the calculated capacity exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 1 GB) (step S105). If the capacity exceeds the predetermined value (YES in step S105), a message to that effect is displayed, the rectangle drawn with the mouse is erased, and the synthesis range is selected again (return to step S103). On the other hand, if the capacity does not exceed the predetermined value (NO in step S105), the user is prompted to click the "Start synthesis" button, and when the "Start synthesis" button is clicked (pressed) (step S106), the synthesis range setting process ends and the next image synthesis process begins.

As shown in FIG. 6, the image synthesis process first acquires multiple pieces of GPS information 23 within the set synthesis range (step S201). Then, the GPS information 23 with the earliest acquisition time among the acquired multiple pieces of GPS information 23 (hereinafter referred to as the first GPS information 23) is set as the start point of the synthesis range loop (step S202). Also, the GPS information 23 with the latest acquisition time (hereinafter referred to as the nth GPS information 23) is set as the end point of the synthesis range loop (step S210).

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the multiple GPS information 23 are arranged at regular second time intervals on the time axis. The multiple road surface images 21 are also arranged at regular first time intervals on the time axis. In this embodiment, the first time and the second time are different, and multiple road surface images 21 exist between two GPS information 23 that were acquired at adjacent times.

In the next synthesis range loop (steps S203 to S210), the direction (angle of the traveling direction), distance, and speed are calculated from the two pieces of GPS information 23 that were acquired at adjacent times (step S204). In more detail, for example, the angle β1 of the traveling direction with respect to the reference direction is calculated from the longitude and latitude of the first GPS information 23 and the second GPS information 23 that was acquired the next time. Next, the distance between the first GPS information 23 and the second GPS information 23 is calculated from the longitude and latitude of the first GPS information 23 and the second GPS information 23, for example, using the Hubeny formula. Then, the average traveling speed v1 between them is calculated from the calculated distance and the time difference between the first GPS information 23 and the second GPS information 23 (see FIG. 7B). This allows the movement trajectory of the automobile 10 to be obtained.

If the positioning status included in the GPS information 23 is low, the angle of the direction of travel and the speed may be calculated using auxiliary position information 24 from the mobile router 15.

Next, the road surface images 21 associated with the shooting times between the two GPS information 23 are extracted (step S205), and the process proceeds to the inter-processing range loop (steps S206 to S209). In this embodiment, multiple road surface images 21 are extracted. Then, the number of the multiple extracted road surface images 21 is set as the processing range at the start point (step S206) and end point (step S209) of the inter-processing range loop, respectively.

In the processing range loop, the shooting position of the extracted road surface image 21 is calculated one by one based on the GPS information 23 as described above (step S207), and the calculated shooting position is stored in the storage means 30e (step S208), and the process moves to the next road surface image 21. Specifically, the shooting position on the movement trajectory is calculated from the direction and average movement speed calculated in step S204 and the shooting time included in the road surface image 21. Then, the direction (angle of the traveling direction) and the shooting position are associated with the road surface image 21 and stored in the storage means 30e as image editing data. This is repeated the number of times equal to the number of extracted road surface images 21.

When the processing range loop is completed, the next GPS information 23 is obtained, and if the GPS information 23 is within the synthesis range, the processing in the synthesis range loop is repeated (step S210). Specifically, for example, if the next GPS information 23 is the third GPS information 23, the angle β2 of the traveling direction and the average moving speed v2 are calculated between the second GPS information 23 and the third GPS information 23, and then the shooting position for the road surface image 21 between the second GPS information 23 and the third GPS information 23 is calculated, and the image editing data is stored.

When the synthesis range loop is completed, a working area for synthesizing multiple road surface images 21 is secured in the storage means 30e or RAM (not shown) of the second computer 30 (step S211). After that, as an image pasting loop (steps S212 to S215), the number of road surface images 21 within the synthesis range is set as the end point, and the image pasting loop is started.

In the image pasting loop, the first road surface image 21 is extracted (step S213), and then the road surface image 21 is rotated and pasted at the corresponding position in the work area based on the image editing data associated with the road surface image 21 (step S214). This is repeated for the number of road surface images 21 within the synthesis range (step S215).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7(c), for example, the first to third road surface images 21 between the first GPS information 23 and the second GPS information 23 have the same orientation (angle of the traveling direction) included in the corresponding image editing data, β1, so each road surface image 21 is rotated by angle β1. At this time, the distortion of the road surface image 21 may be corrected by the value input to the camera angle correction (the angle at which the road surface camera 11 is tilted). Then, the center of the road surface image 21 is moved to the corresponding position on the virtual coordinates (on the virtual movement trajectory) in the work area according to the shooting position included in the image editing data, and the road surface image 21 is pasted at that position. By repeating this in order, multiple road surface images 21 are arranged. Note that in FIG. 7(c), the arranged road surface images 21 are alternately shaded for ease of understanding.

When the image pasting loop is completed, the multiple road surface images 21 pasted in the work area are output as a composite road surface image 40 (step S216), and the composite road surface image 40 is displayed (step S217), completing the image synthesis process. The synthesized composite road surface image 40 is stored in the construction site folder and stored in the storage means 30e or the data server 20.

While multiple road surface images 21 are being synthesized, a progress bar showing the progress of the image synthesis process is displayed at the bottom of the synthetic road surface image generation screen. When the "Start synthesis" button is clicked to start the image synthesis process, the display changes to "Stop synthesis" (not shown), and the image synthesis process can be stopped by clicking this button.

Next, the generation of construction data 27 by the construction data generating means 30b will be described. First, when "Road marking drawing/editing" is selected in the menu bar (not shown), three screens for generating construction data 27 are displayed on the display device 32 as shown in FIG. 8(a). The three screens are, from the left, an editor tool screen, a road marking drawing/editing screen, and a navigation screen. First, click the "Select" button next to "Select construction site folder" in the upper left corner of the road marking drawing/editing screen displayed in the center to select the construction site folder for generating construction data 27.

When a construction site folder is selected, the corresponding construction site folder and map data 25 of the surrounding area of the construction site are read from the data server 20, and the composite road surface image 40 in the construction site folder is displayed on the road marking drawing and editing screen. The construction site folder and map data 25 that have been read are stored in the storage means 30e, and the data stored in the storage means 30e is used until the "Save" button described below is clicked.

Although not shown in the figure, the displayed composite road surface image 40 exists in a specified layer, and the layer of the map data 25 exists after the layer of the composite road surface image 40. Therefore, if the composite road surface image 40 does not exist in the construction site folder, a map based on the map data 25 is displayed. Also, on the road marking drawing/editing screen, it is possible to switch between displaying and hiding the composite road surface image 40.

On this road marking drawing and editing screen, the displayed composite road surface image 40 can be enlarged or reduced as desired, and the display range when enlarged can be moved. For example, with the mouse pointer moved over the composite road surface image 40, the composite road surface image 40 can be enlarged or reduced by rotating the mouse wheel, and the display range can be moved by clicking and moving the mouse.

When the construction site folder is selected, a synthetic road surface image 40 is displayed in the navigation tab of the navigation screen. This navigation screen has three tabs: navigation, surrounding map, and surrounding image, and the navigation tab is displayed when the screen is started. The navigation tab and surrounding map tab display the entire construction site, and when the screen is enlarged on the road marking drawing/editing screen, a rectangular frame line indicating the display range is displayed. In addition, the surrounding image tab displays a surrounding image 22 close to the area clicked with the mouse on the road of the construction site displayed on the road marking drawing/editing screen.

When generating construction data by pasting road markings onto the synthetic road surface image 40, the desired road marking to be pasted is selected from the editor tool screen. If the desired road marking is not displayed on the editor tool screen, another road marking will be displayed by clicking the "Previous" or "Next" button displayed at the bottom of the screen. Also, on the editor tool screen, it is possible to select the color of the "line" (center line, shoulder line), which is one of the road markings.

To paste a road marking, the user clicks the mouse on the desired road marking displayed on the editor tool screen to select it. Next, if the road marking is a "line", the user moves the mouse pointer to the start point of the desired position on the composite road surface image 40 displayed on the road marking drawing/editing screen and right-clicks, and then moves the mouse pointer to the end point and right-clicks. If the road marking is a "STOP" character, an arrow indicating the direction of travel, a pedestrian crossing, or the like, the user positions the mouse pointer at the reference position where the road marking is to be displayed and right-clicks. If the "Curve" radio button (not shown) is pressed, the user can use the mouse to specify passing points for a Bezier curve or spline curve in accordance with the curve of road R, and it is also possible to paste a curved "line" that follows the curve of road R.

By performing the above operations, a road marking image with a size that matches the scale of the displayed composite road surface image 40 is pasted onto a layer before the composite road surface image 40. In addition, a text box containing the name and length of the road marking is displayed near the pasted road marking image (not shown). Note that the road marking image may be pasted onto the road marking drawing/editing screen by dragging and dropping from the editor tool screen.

The orientation, length, position, etc. of the pasted road marking image can be freely changed or deleted by clicking on the road marking image. The composite road surface image 40 onto which the road marking image is pasted is a photograph of the actual construction site, and can be freely enlarged or reduced as described above, so it is possible to accurately paste the road marking image in the desired position. For example, if an existing road marking is shown in the composite road surface image 40, the road marking image can be easily pasted in the desired position by using the existing road marking as a guide.

Clicking the "UNDO" button at the bottom of the editor tool screen will delete the previously pasted road marking image. Clicking the "Deselect" button at the bottom of the editor tool screen will deselect the selected road marking.

In this way, by pasting the road marking image onto the synthetic road surface image 40, the item data 26 is associated with the synthetic road surface image 40 and the map data 25, and construction data 27 is generated in which the item data 26 is pasted onto the synthetic road surface image 40. Then, once the road marking image has been pasted onto the synthetic road surface image 40, the construction data 27 is stored in the corresponding construction site folder by clicking the "Save" button on the road marking drawing/editing screen, and is also stored in the storage means 30e and the data server 20.

In addition, on the road marking drawing/editing screen, the road marking image is pasted on a different layer from the composite road surface image 40. Therefore, when the composite road surface image 40 is hidden, the road marking image is displayed on the map of the map data 25, and can be used as a drawing of the construction site.

Next, the generation of estimate data 28 by the estimate data generation means 30c will be described. Although not shown in the figure, when "Create estimate" is selected from the menu bar, a screen for selecting a construction site folder is displayed on the display device 32, and the construction site folder for which an estimate is to be created is selected. At this time, if there is construction data 27 in the construction site folder, the corresponding construction data 27 is extracted from the data server 20. On the other hand, if there is no construction data 27 in the selected construction site folder, a message to that effect is displayed, and the user is prompted to generate the construction data 27.

The length (quantity) of each road marking is calculated from the item data 26 included in the extracted construction data 27, and then the amount is calculated based on the unit price. Furthermore, the estimated amount such as the subtotal, various expenses and taxes, and the total is calculated. For example, the length of the road marking is calculated by identifying the start point and end point if it is a straight line, and if it is a curved line, it is calculated based on a formula (stored in the program or in the database 20) that calculates the length of a Bezier curve or spline curve that passes through the curve, or the curve is calculated as if it is a series of short straight lines. In this way, the estimate data 28 is generated. The generated estimate data 28 is then stored in the construction site folder and in the data server 20. Note that when generating the estimate data 28, it may be possible to input the destination to which the estimate is to be submitted, the name of the work, and the like.

Next, the generation of document data 29 by document creation means 30d will be described. Although not shown, when "Document Creation" is selected from the menu bar, a screen for selecting a construction site folder is displayed on display device 32, and the construction site folder for which a construction plan is to be created is selected. At this time, if construction data 27 and estimate data 28 are present in the construction site folder, the corresponding construction data 27 and estimate data 28 are extracted from data server 20. On the other hand, if construction data 27 or estimate data 28 is not present in the selected construction site folder, a message to that effect is displayed, and the user is prompted to generate construction data 27 and estimate data 28. Note that if only estimate data 28 is not present, estimate data 28 may be calculated from construction data 27.

A construction plan is then created from the extracted construction data 27 and estimate data 28. Specifically, a drawing of the construction site is created from the map data 25 and item data 26 contained in the construction data 27, and an estimate as shown in FIG. 9 is created from the estimate data 28. The created drawing of the construction site and estimate are compiled into a construction plan and displayed as a preview image on the display device 32. At this time, it is possible to enter missing items and annotations into the construction plan, and to insert an image 22 of the surrounding area of the construction site. Then, when the "Save" button (not shown) is clicked, the created construction plan is stored as document data 29 in the construction site folder and then stored in the data server 20.

Then, the created document data 29 is printed by the printer 33, and the creation of the construction plan is completed. Note that in this embodiment, it is also possible to print the construction site drawings and the estimate separately.

As described above, according to this embodiment, accurate road information can be obtained at a road marking construction site simply by moving an automobile 10 equipped with a road surface camera 11 and a GPS unit 14 along road R, so there is no need to survey the construction site as in the past, and there is no need to pay attention to vehicles passing along road R or to restrict vehicle traffic. This makes it possible to reduce the number of workers and work time, while also increasing safety in obtaining information about road R. In addition, because preset item data 26 is attached to the synthetic road surface image 40, drawings of the construction site can be easily created in a short period of time.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the construction data 27 includes item data 26, which indicates the type, number, length, size, etc. of the road markings to be actually constructed. Since the item data 26 also includes unit prices, estimate data 28 (estimated amount) for construction can be easily generated from the construction data 27, reducing the effort and time required for estimates. As a result, construction plans for road markings can be created safely and in a short time.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the synthetic road surface image 40 is an image of the construction site, by looking at the synthetic road surface image 40, it is possible to confirm the detailed condition of the road surface, road shoulders, etc. of the road R at the construction site. This makes it possible to consider points to note during construction, and to create a more detailed construction plan.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the photographing position of the road surface image 21 is identified from the acquisition time of two adjacent GPS information 23 and the photographing time of the road surface image 21, so it can handle cases where the acquisition time of the GPS information 23 and the photographing time of the road surface image 21 are different, or where the photographing time interval of the road surface image 21 and the acquisition time interval of the GPS information 23 are different. In addition, since the road surface image 21 is rotated according to the moving direction calculated by the two GPS information 23, it can be followed even if the road R at the construction site is curved, making it possible to make the contents of the construction plan more accurate.

The present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and design changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the road surface camera 11, GPS unit 14, etc. are shown to be mounted on the automobile 10, but this is not limited thereto, and the road surface camera 11, GPS unit 14, etc. may be mounted on a vehicle towed by an automobile, a bicycle, an autonomous robotic device, an unmanned flying drone including a helicopter type, etc.

In the above embodiment, a construction plan for road markings as traffic signs is created, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a construction plan for signboard-like road signs may be created. For example, the road surface image 21 (synthetic road surface image 40) captures the road surface RS and also captures a part of the road shoulder, so the road surface RS and the roots of the road signs installed on the road shoulder are captured, and the position (coordinates) of the road sign can be determined from the synthetic road surface image 40. Then, the construction data 27 can be generated by pasting the road sign image of the item data 26 to which the data of the road sign has been added at the position of the road sign. At this time, the type of road sign installed on the road R can be determined by using the surrounding image 22 captured together with the road surface image 21. Therefore, in addition to the construction plan for road markings, construction plans for road signs and construction plans for traffic signs including road markings and road signs can be easily created.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 GPS satellite 10 Automobile 11 Road surface camera 12 Peripheral camera 13 GPS antenna 14 GPS unit 16 First computer 20 Data server 21 Road surface image 22 Peripheral image 23 GPS information 24 Auxiliary position information 25 Map data 26 Item data 27 Construction data 28 Estimate data 29 Document data 30 Second computer 30a Image synthesis means 30b Construction data generation means 30c Estimate data generation means 30d Document data generation means 30e Storage means 31 Input device 32 Display device 33 Printing device 40 Synthesized road surface image R Road RS Road surface

Claims (3)

A road surface camera that captures images of a road surface at regular time intervals while moving on or above a road on which traffic signs including road markings and road signs are installed;
a GPS unit that moves together with the road surface camera and receives signals from GPS satellites to acquire GPS information at regular time intervals;
a control means for creating a construction plan from the acquired plurality of road surface images and the plurality of GPS information,
The control means
an image synthesis means for generating a synthetic road surface image by arranging the plurality of road surface images on map data based on the plurality of acquired GPS information;
a construction data generating means for generating construction data by pasting item data of the traffic signs, which is set in advance and includes a unit price, onto the synthetic road surface image;
An estimate data generating means for generating estimate data including an estimate amount based on the construction data;
A construction plan creation support system comprising: a document creation means for creating a construction plan based on the construction data and the estimate data. The road surface image is associated with a photographing time, and the GPS information is associated with an acquisition time,
The image synthesis means includes:
The construction plan creation support system described in claim 1, characterized in that the movement direction and average movement speed are calculated using the acquisition times of each of the two GPS information items arranged in chronological order, the road surface image having the shooting time between the two acquisition times is rotated according to the movement direction, the shooting position of the road surface image is calculated using the shooting time and the average movement speed, the rotated road surface image is pasted onto the shooting position on the map data, and this is repeated sequentially to generate the synthetic road surface image. A road surface camera that captures images of a road surface at regular time intervals while moving on or above a road on which traffic signs including road markings and road signs are installed;
a GPS unit that moves together with the road surface camera and receives signals from GPS satellites to acquire GPS information at regular time intervals;
A construction plan creation support method using a construction plan creation support system including a control means for creating a construction plan from the acquired plurality of road surface images and the acquired plurality of GPS information,
The control means
Based on the acquired plurality of pieces of GPS information, the plurality of road surface images are arranged on map data to generate a synthetic road surface image,
generating construction data by pasting item data of the traffic sign, which is set in advance and includes a unit price , onto the synthetic road surface image;
generating estimate data including an estimated amount based on the construction data;
A construction plan creation support method, comprising creating a construction plan based on the construction data and the estimate data.

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