JP7760212B2 - Determination device, determination method, program, and method for manufacturing concrete products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a determination device, determination method, program, and method for determining the compaction state of concrete, as well as a manufacturing method for concrete products.

Immediately after pouring, concrete contains excess air bubbles, resulting in uneven distribution of aggregate and cement. Compacting concrete immediately after pouring removes excess air bubbles and densifies and homogenizes the aggregate and cement, thereby enhancing the concrete's density, strength, watertightness, and durability. According to the 2017 Standard Specifications for Concrete [Construction Section] (Japan Society of Civil Engineers), sufficient compaction of ordinary concrete with average fluidity and viscosity can usually be confirmed by the absence of noticeable volume loss, a roughly level surface, and the appearance of a glossy surface. The recommended compaction time using a rod vibrator is approximately 5 to 15 seconds per section, but the completion time is determined by the operator's visual inspection of the concrete surface. Because the completion time depends on the operator's experience, insufficient or excessive compaction can result in inconsistent concrete density, material separation, and other inconsistencies in the finished product.

Methods for quantitatively determining when compaction is complete are also being considered. For example, one method has been proposed in which the smoothness of the concrete surface is obtained using a 3D scanner and the compaction state of the concrete is determined based on this smoothness (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Another method has been proposed in which the operating load, such as the current of a vibrator, is detected and the compaction state of the concrete is determined based on this operating load (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Another method has been proposed in which the vibration of the concrete caused by a vibrator is detected and the compaction state of the concrete is determined based on the vibration (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-025609 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-322812 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-054302

However, the optimal indicator for determining the compaction state of concrete varies depending on the concrete's aggregate and slump mix conditions, concrete temperature, working environment such as weather, and vibrator performance. For example, it is difficult to quantitatively determine the timing of compaction completion using the same indicator for stiff dam concrete and soft ready-mix concrete. For this reason, the determination methods described in Patent Documents 1-3 may not be able to appropriately determine the timing of compaction completion depending on the type of concrete.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a determination device, determination method, program, and method for manufacturing concrete products that can appropriately determine the timing of compaction completion regardless of concrete mix conditions, concrete temperature, working environment, vibrator performance, etc.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a determination device for determining the compaction state of concrete when it is compacted with a vibrator after being poured, and the determination device comprises an imaging unit that captures an image of the surface of the concrete, a measurement unit that measures the vibration of the vibrator, and a control unit connected to the imaging unit and the measurement unit. The control unit has an image processing unit that performs image processing on the surface image to determine an index value, a detection unit that simultaneously detects changes in the index value over time and changes in the vibration measurement values over time in real time, and a determination unit that determines the compaction state based on the detection results of the changes in the index value over time and the changes in the vibration measurement values over time. The determination unit simultaneously recognizes changes in the condition of the concrete surface and the interior of the concrete from the changes in the index value over time and the changes in the vibration measurement values over time, and determines the latest convergence timing of the convergence timing of the changes in the index value over time and the changes in the vibration measurement values over time as the timing of completion of compaction.

In one aspect of the present invention, the determination device captures an image of the concrete surface and measures the vibration of the vibrator. Changes in the condition of the concrete surface are observed from the concrete surface image, and changes in the condition of the entire concrete, including its interior, are observed from the vibrator vibration measurement values. The concrete compaction state is determined using multiple indicators related to the concrete surface image and the vibrator vibration measurement values. Therefore, the timing when concrete compaction is complete can be appropriately determined regardless of the concrete mix conditions, concrete temperature, work environment, vibrator performance, etc.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of image processing of a surface image according to the present embodiment. 1 is an example of the change over time in each index value for the ready-mixed concrete of this embodiment. 10 is an example of the change over time in each index value for the dam concrete of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the determination device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a method for manufacturing a concrete product according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a determination device attached to a buyback of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a determination device attached to an operator according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a determination device according to a modified example. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a processing operation of a determination device according to a modified example.

The first embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the determination device of this embodiment. Note that the term "concrete" in this embodiment encompasses other cement-based materials such as mortar.

As shown in Figure 1, a vibrator 5 is inserted into the concrete C after it has been poured, and the concrete C is compacted by the vibrations of the vibrator 5. When the vibrator 5 vibrates the concrete C, excess air bubbles are forced up to the surface from inside the concrete C, and the aggregate and cement inside the concrete C are homogenized. Concrete C includes both hard-mixed concrete such as dam concrete and soft concrete such as ready-mixed concrete. The timing for completing compaction must be determined appropriately depending on the type of concrete C.

The changes in the state of concrete C during compaction by the vibrator 5 are thought to be significantly affected by the aggregate and slump mix conditions, the concrete temperature, the working environment such as weather, and the performance of the vibrator 5. For example, with stiff dam concrete, even if a high-output vibrator 5 is used, it is expected that it will take longer for the state changes on the surface of the concrete to stabilize than those inside the concrete. On the other hand, with soft ready-mix concrete, if the output of the vibrator 5 is low, it is expected that it will take longer for the state changes inside the concrete to stabilize than those on the surface of the concrete.

For this reason, it is difficult to determine the optimal timing for completing compaction of the concrete C by observing only changes in the condition of the concrete surface or changes in the condition inside the concrete. Therefore, the determination device 10 of this embodiment is equipped with an imaging unit 11 that captures an image of the surface of the concrete C, and a measurement unit 12 that measures the vibrations of the vibrator 5. Changes in the condition of the concrete surface are observed using the surface image of the concrete C captured by the imaging unit 11, and changes in the condition of the entire concrete, including the interior of the concrete, are observed using the vibration frequency (vibration measurement value) of the vibrator 5 measured by the measurement unit 12.

The imaging unit 11 captures moving images as surface images of the concrete C. The imaging area of the imaging unit 11 is set to include the area being compacted by the vibrator 5. Note that instead of moving images, the imaging unit 11 may capture still images of the surface of the concrete C continuously every few seconds as surface images of the concrete C. The measuring unit 12 measures changes in the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5. The measuring unit 12 is equipped with a directional microphone with increased sensitivity on the vibrator 5 side, and the vibration frequency (dominant frequency) of the vibrator 5 is measured from the sound collection data of the directional microphone. The directional microphone can pick up the vibration sound of the vibrator 5 while minimizing pickup of surrounding environmental sounds.

The controller 13 of the determination device 10 is connected to the imaging unit 11 and the measurement unit 12. The controller 13 is equipped with an image processing unit 14, a detection unit 15, and a determination unit 16. A surface image (moving image) of the concrete C is input to the image processing unit 14 from the imaging unit 11, and two types of index values relating to the surface condition of the concrete C are obtained by performing various image processing on the surface image of the concrete C. Details will be described later, but the first type of index value is the average brightness of the surface image of the concrete C, and the second type of index value is the number of edge pixels of the surface image of the concrete C.

The detection unit 15 receives input of the average brightness and number of edge pixels of the surface image of concrete C from the image processing unit 14, and inputs the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 from the measurement unit 12. The detection unit 15 detects changes over time in the average brightness of the surface image of concrete C, changes over time in the number of edge pixels of the surface image of concrete C, and changes over time in the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5. In this way, changes in the condition of the concrete surface and changes in the condition inside the concrete are detected simultaneously in real time. The convergence of the changes over time in each index value indicates that the changes in the condition of concrete C have stabilized.

The determination unit 16 receives input from the detection unit 15 of the change in the average brightness of the surface image over time, the change in the number of edge pixels of the surface image over time, and the change in the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 over time. The determination unit 16 determines the compaction state of the concrete C based on the detection results of the detection unit 15. Of the convergence times of the changes in these three index values over time, the determination unit 16 determines, for example, the latest convergence time as the compaction completion time. In this way, the compaction completion time of the concrete C is automatically determined. Note that the convergence time indicates, for example, the time when the amount of change in the change in each index value over time becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount and this state continues for a certain period of time. Alternatively, the earliest convergence time of the convergence times of the changes in the three index values over time may be determined as the compaction completion time. If the compaction completion time is not determined in real time, the average time of the convergence times of the changes in the three index values over time may be used as the compaction completion time.

A display unit (alert unit) 17 is connected to the controller 13, and the display unit 17 displays the timing when compaction is complete. The display unit 17 may also display in real time the change over time in the average brightness of the surface image, the change over time in the number of edge pixels of the surface image, and the change over time in the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5. The operator can manually determine the timing when compaction is complete by visually checking the change over time in these three index values. The display unit 17 may be provided in the determination device 10, or the display unit 17 may be provided separately from the determination device 10.

The processing of each part of the determination device 10 may be implemented by software using a processor, or by logic circuits (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit or the like. When a processor is used, various processes are performed by the processor reading and executing programs stored in memory. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory may be configured from one or more storage media, such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory), depending on the application.

With reference to Figures 2 to 4, image processing by the image processing unit, detection processing by the detection unit, and judgment processing by the judgment unit will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of image processing of a surface image in this embodiment. Figure 3 is an example of changes over time in each index value for ready-mixed concrete in this embodiment. Figure 4 is an example of changes over time in each index value for dam concrete in this embodiment. Note that the symbols in Figure 1 will be used appropriately in the explanation.

As shown in Figure 2(A), a predetermined area of the surface image of the concrete C is cut out, and the average brightness of the predetermined area of the surface image is determined. The vibrator 5 (see Figure 1) is shown in the surface image (color image) of the concrete C, and a predetermined area (e.g., 281px x 281px) within the effective range centered on the vibrator 5 (e.g., a radius of 20-30cm for a manual vibrator, or a diameter of 1m for a vibrator used for backwashing) is cut out from the surface image. The predetermined area of the surface image is subjected to grayscale conversion by the image processing unit 14, and the average brightness is determined from the brightness value of each pixel of the 256-level monochrome image.

As shown in Figure 2 (B), the contours of the surface pattern contained in the monochrome image are detected, and the number of edge pixels constituting the contours of the surface pattern is determined. The monochrome image is subjected to contrast enhancement processing by the image processing unit 14, which enhances the contours of the surface pattern of the concrete C in the monochrome image. The number of edge pixels (in this embodiment, the number of white pixels) with locally different brightness within the monochrome image is then counted. In this way, the average brightness and the number of edge pixels are determined from the surface image of the concrete C as index values related to the surface condition of the concrete C.

Once the image processing unit 14 determines the average brightness and number of edge pixels of the surface image, the detection unit 15 detects changes over time in the average brightness and number of edge pixels of the surface image. In parallel with the image processing, the measurement unit 12 measures the vibration of the vibrator 5, and the detection unit 15 detects changes over time in the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5. While the imaging unit 11 captures a color image, it is also possible for the imaging unit 11 to capture a monochrome image and perform various image processing on the monochrome image. In this case, grayscale conversion of the surface image of the concrete C can be omitted.

Here, we will explain the change in each index value over time when ready-mixed concrete (maximum coarse aggregate size 20 mm, slump 8 cm) is compacted using rod-shaped vibrators with power consumptions of 280 W and 400 W, and when dam concrete (maximum coarse aggregate size 80 mm, slump 3 cm) is compacted using a rod-shaped vibrator with power consumption of 1500 W. The vertical axes of Figures 3(A) and 4(A) represent the brightness change (brightness difference) between the average brightness one second ago and the current average brightness. The vertical axes of Figures 3(B) and 4(B) represent the number of edge pixels. The vertical axes of Figures 3(C) and 4(C) represent the frequency difference between the reference frequency of vibrator 5 and the measured frequency. The horizontal axis of each figure represents the elapsed time from the start of compaction.

As shown by the solid line in Figure 3(A), when ready-mixed concrete is compacted with a 280 W vibrator 5, the change in the average brightness of the surface image over time converges approximately 6 seconds after compaction begins. As shown by the solid line in Figure 3(B), when ready-mixed concrete is compacted with a 280 W vibrator 5, the change in the number of edge pixels of the surface image over time also converges approximately 6 seconds after compaction begins. As shown by the solid line in Figure 3(C), when ready-mixed concrete is compacted with a 280 W vibrator 5, the vibration frequency (frequency difference) of the vibrator 5 converges approximately 7 seconds after compaction begins.

The compaction time is determined to be approximately 6 seconds from the change in the average brightness of the surface image over time, approximately 6 seconds from the change in the number of edge pixels of the surface image over time, and approximately 7 seconds from the change in the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 over time. When ready-mixed concrete is compacted using a 280 W vibrator 5, the determination unit 16 determines that compaction is complete approximately 7 seconds after the start of compaction. In this way, the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 is the optimal indicator for determining the compaction state of ready-mixed concrete using a 280 W vibrator 5. Note that the above compaction time and optimal indicators also change depending on the working environment, such as weather.

As shown by the dashed line in Figure 3(A), when ready-mixed concrete is compacted with a 400 W vibrator 5, the change in the average brightness of the surface image over time converges approximately 4 seconds after compaction begins. As shown by the dashed line in Figure 3(B), when ready-mixed concrete is compacted with a 400 W vibrator 5, the change in the number of edge pixels of the surface image over time converges approximately 6 seconds after compaction begins. As shown by the dashed line in Figure 3(C), when ready-mixed concrete is compacted with a 400 W vibrator 5, the vibration frequency (frequency difference) of the vibrator 5 converges approximately 5 seconds after compaction begins.

The compaction time is determined to be approximately 4 seconds from the change in the average brightness of the surface image over time, approximately 6 seconds from the change in the number of edge pixels of the surface image over time, and approximately 5 seconds from the change in the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 over time. When ready-mixed concrete is compacted using a 400 W vibrator 5, the determination unit 16 determines that compaction is complete approximately 6 seconds after the start of compaction. In this way, the number of edge pixels of the surface image is the optimal indicator for determining the compaction state of ready-mixed concrete using a 400 W vibrator 5. Note that the above compaction time and optimal indicator also change depending on the working environment, such as weather.

As shown in Figure 4(A), when the dam concrete was compacted with a 1500 W vibrator 5, the change in the average brightness of the surface image over time converged approximately 15 seconds after compaction began. As shown in Figure 4(B), when the dam concrete was compacted with a 1500 W vibrator 5, the change in the number of edge pixels of the surface image over time converged approximately 17 seconds after compaction began. As shown in Figure 4(C), when the dam concrete was compacted with a 1500 W vibrator 5, the vibration frequency (frequency difference) of the vibrator 5 converged approximately 8 seconds after compaction began.

The compaction time is determined to be approximately 15 seconds from the change in the average brightness of the surface image over time, approximately 17 seconds from the change in the number of edge pixels of the surface image over time, and approximately 8 seconds from the change in the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 over time. When dam concrete is compacted using a 1500 W vibrator 5, the determination unit 16 determines that compaction is complete approximately 17 seconds after compaction begins. In this way, the number of edge pixels of the surface image is the optimal indicator for determining the compaction state of dam concrete. Note that the above compaction time and optimal indicators also change depending on the working environment, such as weather.

With soft ready-mix concrete, changes in the condition of the concrete surface stabilize relatively quickly, but when a low-output vibrator 5 is used, it takes some time for changes in the condition inside the concrete to stabilize. With stiff dam concrete, changes in the condition inside the concrete are determined relatively quickly, but it takes time for changes in the condition of the concrete surface to stabilize. Changes in the condition of the concrete surface and inside the concrete are recognized simultaneously from changes over time in multiple indicators, and compaction is stopped when the condition of the entire concrete stabilizes.

The processing operation of the determination device will be explained with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing the processing operation of the determination device of this embodiment. Note that the reference numerals in Figure 1 will be used as appropriate for the explanation.

As shown in Figure 5, when compaction of concrete C begins (step S01), the imaging unit 11 captures an image of the surface of concrete C (step S02), and in parallel with this, the measurement unit 12 measures the vibration of vibrator 5 (step S03). As described above, in the imaging process, a moving image of the surface of concrete C including vibrator 5 is captured, and in the measurement process, the frequency difference between the reference frequency and the measurement frequency is measured as the vibration frequency from the vibration sound of vibrator 5. In addition, a timer (not shown) measures the elapsed time since compaction of concrete C began.

A surface image of the concrete C is input from the imaging unit 11 to the image processing unit 14, and a predetermined area within the effective range of the vibrator 5 is cut out from the surface image (step S04). A grayscale conversion is performed on the predetermined area of the surface image, and the average brightness of the monochrome image is determined (step S05). A contrast enhancement process is performed on the monochrome image, and the number of edge pixels indicating the outline of the surface pattern of the concrete C is determined (step S06). The average brightness of the surface image, the number of edge pixels of the surface image, and the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 are then input from the image processing unit 14 and measurement unit 12 to the detection unit 15.

The detection unit 15 detects changes over time in the average brightness of the surface image, the number of edge pixels of the surface image, and the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 (step S07). Steps S02-S07 are repeated until all of the changes over time in the average brightness of the surface image, the number of edge pixels of the surface image, and the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 converge (step S08). The determination unit 16 then determines that the latest convergence timing of the changes over time in the average brightness of the surface image, the number of edge pixels of the surface image, and the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 is the compaction completion timing (step S09). Note that in step S08, processing of the average brightness of the surface image, the number of edge pixels of the surface image, and the vibration frequency of the vibrator 5 whose changes over time have converged may be stopped.

The above-described method for determining the compaction of concrete can also be applied to the manufacturing method of a concrete product. The manufacturing method of a concrete product will be explained with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the manufacturing method of a concrete product of this embodiment. Note that the symbols in Figure 1 will be used as appropriate in the explanation.

As shown in Figure 6, concrete C is first poured into the formwork (step S11). At this time, the aggregate and cement inside the concrete are unevenly distributed, and excess air bubbles are mixed into the concrete. Next, the concrete C is compacted using a vibrator 5 (step S12). When compacting the concrete C, each step of the processing operation of the determination device 10 described above is performed, and the appropriate timing for completing compaction of the concrete C is determined. Compaction densifies the concrete, homogenizes the aggregate and cement inside the concrete, and removes excess air bubbles from inside the concrete.

Then, after the curing period, the concrete C is removed from the formwork and a concrete product is produced (step S13). By using the above-mentioned compaction state judgment during the production of concrete products, high-quality concrete products can be produced. Concrete products that can be produced include concrete blocks, concrete panels, concrete columns, precast concrete, wave-dissipating blocks, dam embankments, bridge substructures, building foundations, road surfaces, etc. Furthermore, the concrete is not limited to ready-mix concrete or dam concrete, and can be any cement-based material that requires compaction.

An example of how the determination device can be used will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows an example of a determination device attached to a buyback in this embodiment. Figure 8 shows an example of a determination device attached to an operator in this embodiment.

As shown in Figure 7, a heavy machine known as a Vivac 21 is used to compact the dam concrete. The Vivac 21 has multiple (four in this embodiment) relatively large vibrators 23 attached to the tip of its arm 22. The imaging unit 11 and measuring unit 12 are located on the roof of the cabin 24, and the controller 13 and display unit 17 are located inside the cabin 24. The optical axis of the imaging unit 11 and the sensitivity of the directional microphone of the measuring unit 12 are directed toward the vibrator 23. By installing the determination device 10 in the heavy machine, the appropriate timing for completing the compaction of the dam concrete can be determined. Note that AR goggles, described below, may be used instead of the controller 13 and display unit 17.

As shown in Figure 8, a manual power tool 31 is used to compact dam concrete in narrow areas where a vibrator cannot be used, or to compact ready-mix concrete. A relatively small vibrator 33 is attached to the tip of a hose 32 of the power tool 31. The imaging unit 11 and measuring unit 12 are mounted on the operator's helmet 35, and the operator's AR goggles 36 function as a controller (not shown) and display unit (not shown). The optical axis of the imaging unit 11 and the sensitivity of the directional microphone of the measuring unit 12 are directed in the operator's line of sight. By implementing the determination device 10 in the power tool 31, the appropriate completion timing for compacting the ready-mix concrete is determined.

As described above, according to this embodiment, a surface image of the concrete C is captured and the vibration of the vibrator 5 is measured. Changes in the condition of the concrete surface are observed from the surface image of the concrete C, and changes in the condition of the entire concrete, including its interior, are observed from the vibration measurement value of the vibrator 5. The compaction state of the concrete is determined using three indicators: the average brightness of the surface image, the number of edge pixels in the surface image, and the vibration measurement value of the vibrator. Therefore, the timing when the compaction of the concrete C is complete can be appropriately determined regardless of the mix conditions of the concrete C, the concrete temperature, the working environment, the performance of the vibrator 5, etc.

It has been found that the number of edge pixels in a surface image is an effective indicator for determining the compaction state of ready-mixed concrete and dam concrete. Therefore, as with the modified determination device, the timing of compaction completion may be determined based solely on the number of edge pixels in the surface image. The modified determination device will be described below. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the modified determination device. Figure 10 is a flow chart of the processing operations of the modified determination device. Here, only the differences between the modified determination device and the determination device of this embodiment will be described in detail.

As shown in Figure 9, the comparative example determination device 40 is provided with an imaging unit 41 that captures a surface image of the concrete C. The imaging unit 41 is connected to a controller 42 of the determination device 40. The controller 42 is provided with an image processing unit 43, a detection unit 44, and a determination unit 45. The image processing unit 43 performs various image processing operations on the surface image of the concrete C to determine the number of edge pixels that indicate the surface pattern of the concrete C. The number of edge pixels in the surface image of the concrete C is input to the detection unit 44 from the image processing unit 43, and changes over time in the number of edge pixels in the surface image of the concrete C are detected.

The determination unit 45 receives input of the change over time in the number of edge pixels in the surface image from the detection unit 44, and determines the compaction state of the concrete C based on the change over time in the number of edge pixels in the surface image. The compaction completion timing is determined when the change over time in the number of edge pixels falls below a predetermined amount and this state continues for a certain period of time. A display unit 46 is connected to the controller 42, and the compaction completion timing is displayed on the display unit 46. The display unit 46 may also display the change over time in the number of edge pixels in the surface image in real time. The operator can also determine the compaction completion timing by visually checking the change over time in the number of edge pixels in the surface image. As mentioned above, the controller 42 and display unit 46 may be implemented in AR goggles.

As shown in FIG. 10, when compaction of the concrete C begins (step S21), the imaging unit 41 captures an image of the surface of the concrete C (step S22). A timer (not shown) measures the elapsed time since compaction of the concrete C began. The surface image of the concrete C is input from the imaging unit 41 to the image processing unit 43, and a predetermined area within the effective range of the vibrator 5 is cut out from the surface image (step S23). A grayscale conversion is performed on the predetermined area of the surface image to generate a monochrome image (step S24).

Contrast enhancement processing is applied to the monochrome image, and the number of edge pixels indicating the outline of the surface pattern of the concrete C is determined (step S25). The number of edge pixels of the surface image is input from the image processing unit 43 to the detection unit 44, which detects changes over time in the number of edge pixels of the surface image (step S26). Steps S22-S26 are repeated until the changes over time in the number of edge pixels of the surface image converge (step S27). The determination unit 45 then determines that the convergence of the number of edge pixels of the surface image represents the completion of compaction (step S28).

As described above, according to this modified example, a surface image of the concrete C is captured, and changes in the condition of the concrete surface are observed from the number of edge pixels in the captured image. Therefore, changes in the condition of the concrete can be recognized in real time, and the timing when compaction of the concrete C is complete can be appropriately determined.

In this embodiment and its variations, a program may be installed on a computer, causing the computer to function as a determination device. For example, a program may be installed on a mobile device such as a tablet device or smartphone, or on a wearable device such as AR goggles, causing the mobile device or wearable device to function as a determination device. This program may be stored on a storage medium. The storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be a non-transitory storage medium such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or flash memory.

In addition, in this embodiment, the average brightness of the surface image and the number of edge pixels of the surface image were calculated as index values related to the surface image of the concrete, but only one of the average brightness of the surface image and the number of edge pixels of the surface image may be calculated. Furthermore, index values other than the average brightness of the surface image and the number of edge pixels of the surface image may also be calculated as index values related to the surface image of the concrete.

In addition, in this embodiment, changes over time in the average brightness of the surface image, the number of edge pixels in the surface image, and vibration measurement values are detected, and the compaction state is determined based on changes over time in these index values. However, the compaction state may be determined based on the surface image and vibration measurement values. For example, surface images and vibration measurement values of appropriate compaction states may be learned using deep learning to generate a learning model, and the compaction state may be determined using the learning model.

In addition, in the modified example, the compaction state is determined based on the change over time in the number of edge pixels in the surface image, but the compaction state may be determined based on the surface image. For example, a surface image of an appropriate compaction state may be learned using deep learning to generate a learning model, and the compaction state may be determined using the learning model.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the measurement unit measures the vibration frequency as the vibration measurement value, but the measurement unit may measure any measurement value related to vibration. For example, the measurement unit may measure the sound pressure level of the vibrator as the vibration measurement value.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a flexible vibrator that is inserted into concrete is used as an example, but the shape of the vibrator is not particularly limited.

In addition, while this embodiment uses a display unit as an example of the notification unit, the notification unit may be any unit that can notify the completion timing of compaction. For example, the notification unit may be a light-emitting unit that emits light when compaction is completed, or a sound-emitting unit that notifies the completion of compaction by sound.

As described above, the determination device (10) of this embodiment is a determination device that determines the compaction state of concrete when poured concrete (C) is compacted with a vibrator (5). It includes an imaging unit (11) that captures an image of the concrete surface, a measurement unit (12) that measures the vibration of the vibrator, and a control unit (controller 13) connected to the imaging unit and the measurement unit. The control unit determines the compaction state based on the surface image and the vibration measurement values. With this configuration, an image of the concrete surface is captured and the vibration of the vibrator is measured. Changes in the condition of the concrete surface are observed from the concrete surface image, and changes in the condition of the entire concrete, including its interior, are observed from the vibrator vibration measurement values. The compaction state of the concrete is determined using multiple indicators related to the concrete surface image and the vibrator vibration measurement values. Therefore, the timing of completion of concrete compaction can be appropriately determined regardless of the concrete mix conditions, concrete temperature, working environment, vibrator performance, etc.

In the determination device of this embodiment, the control unit has an image processing unit (14) that performs image processing on the surface image to determine an index value, a detection unit (15) that detects changes in the index value and vibration measurement values over time, and a determination unit (16) that determines the compaction state based on the detection results of the detection unit. With this configuration, an index value corresponding to changes in the condition of the concrete surface is determined, and the vibration of the vibrator corresponding to changes in the condition of the entire concrete, including the interior of the concrete, is measured. The completion timing of concrete compaction can be appropriately determined from changes in the index value related to the surface image over time and changes in the vibration measurement values over time.

In the assessment device of this embodiment, the image processing unit calculates the number of edge pixels in the surface image as an index value. With this configuration, changes in the condition of the concrete surface can be observed based on the number of edge pixels.

In the assessment device of this embodiment, the image processing unit calculates the average brightness of the surface image as an index value. With this configuration, it is possible to observe changes in the condition of the concrete surface based on the average brightness.

In the determination device of this embodiment, the determination unit determines the latest convergence timing of the time-dependent change in the index value and the time-dependent change in the vibration measurement value as the compaction completion timing. This configuration makes it possible to automatically determine the appropriate completion timing for concrete compaction.

In the determination device of this embodiment, the control unit causes the notification unit (display unit 17) to notify the operator when compaction is complete. This configuration makes it possible to prompt the operator to stop the concrete compaction operation.

The determination method of this embodiment is a method for determining the compaction state of concrete when it is compacted with a vibrator after pouring, and includes the steps of capturing an image of the concrete surface using an imaging unit, measuring the vibration of the vibrator using a measurement unit, and determining the compaction state based on the surface image and vibration measurement values. This configuration makes it possible to appropriately determine the timing when concrete compaction is complete, regardless of the concrete mix conditions, concrete temperature, work environment, vibrator performance, etc.

In the assessment method of this embodiment, the assessment step includes a sub-step of determining the number of edge pixels from the surface image, a sub-step of determining the average brightness from the surface image, and a sub-step of determining the vibration frequency from the vibration measurement value, and the compaction state is assessed based on the number of edge pixels, the average brightness, and the vibration frequency. With this configuration, it is possible to automatically determine the appropriate timing for completing concrete compaction.

The program of this embodiment is a program for determining the compaction state of concrete when it is compacted with a vibrator after pouring, and causes a computer to execute the steps of capturing an image of the concrete surface using an imaging unit, measuring the vibration of the vibrator using a measurement unit, and determining the compaction state based on the surface image and vibration measurement values. With this configuration, installing the program on a computer allows the computer to function as a determination device.

The method for manufacturing a concrete product in this embodiment comprises the steps of pouring concrete into a formwork, compacting the concrete with a vibrator, and removing the concrete from the formwork after a curing period. During the compaction step, an image of the concrete surface is captured by an imaging unit, the vibration of the vibrator is measured by a measuring unit, and the compaction state is determined based on the surface image and the vibration measurement value. This configuration enables the production of high-quality concrete products.

The modified judgment device (40) is a judgment device that judges the compaction state of concrete when the poured concrete is compacted with a vibrator, and includes an imaging unit (41) that captures an image of the concrete surface, an image processing unit (43) that performs image processing on the surface image to determine the number of edge pixels, and a judgment unit (45) that judges the compaction state based on the number of edge pixels in the surface image. With this configuration, an image of the concrete surface is captured, and changes in the condition of the concrete surface are observed from the number of edge pixels in the captured image. Therefore, changes in the condition of the concrete surface can be recognized in real time, making it possible to appropriately determine the completion timing of concrete compaction.

Note that while this embodiment and its modifications have been described, other embodiments may be combinations of the above embodiments and modifications in whole or in part.

Furthermore, the technology of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified, substituted, or altered in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical concept. Furthermore, if technological advances or derived technologies allow the technical concept to be realized in a different way, the invention may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical concept.

5: Vibrator 10, 40: Determination device 11, 41: Imaging unit 12: Measurement unit 13, 42: Controller (control unit)
14, 43: Image processing unit 15, 44: Detection unit 16, 45: Determination unit 17, 46: Display unit (notification unit)
C: Concrete

Claims (7)

A determination device for determining the compaction state of concrete when compacting poured concrete with a vibrator,
an imaging unit that captures an image of the surface of the concrete;
a measurement unit that measures the vibration of the vibrator;
a control unit connected to the imaging unit and the measurement unit,
The control unit
an image processing unit that performs image processing on the surface image to obtain an index value;
a detection unit that simultaneously detects changes in the index value and the vibration measurement value over time in real time;
a determination unit that determines the compaction state based on the detection results of the change over time of the index value and the change over time of the vibration measurement value ,
The determination unit simultaneously recognizes changes in the condition of the concrete surface and the interior of the concrete from the changes in the index value over time and the changes in the vibration measurement values over time, and determines the latest convergence timing of the convergence timing of the changes in the index value over time and the changes in the vibration measurement values over time as the timing of completion of compaction . The determination device described in claim 1, characterized in that the image processing unit calculates the number of edge pixels in the surface image as the index value. The determination device described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the image processing unit calculates the average brightness of the surface image as the index value. 4. The determination device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the notification unit to notify the completion timing of compaction. A method for determining the compaction state of concrete when compacting poured concrete with a vibrator, comprising:
capturing an image of a concrete surface by an imaging unit;
measuring vibration of the vibrator by a measurement unit;
determining a compaction state based on the surface image and the vibration measurement value by a control unit;
The determining step includes:
a sub-step of determining the number of edge pixels from the surface image;
a sub-step of determining an average luminance from the surface image;
and determining a vibration frequency from the vibration measurements;
A determination method characterized by simultaneously detecting changes in the number of edge pixels over time, changes in average brightness over time, and changes in vibration frequency over time in real time, simultaneously recognizing changes in the condition of the concrete surface and inside the concrete from the changes in the number of edge pixels over time, changes in average brightness over time, and changes in vibration frequency over time, and determining the latest convergence timing of all the convergence timings of the changes in the number of edge pixels over time, changes in average brightness over time, and changes in vibration frequency over time as the timing of compaction completion . A program for determining the compaction state of concrete when compacting poured concrete with a vibrator,
capturing an image of a concrete surface by an imaging unit;
measuring vibration of the vibrator by a measurement unit;
determining the compaction state based on the surface image and the vibration measurements;
The determining step includes:
a sub-step of determining the number of edge pixels from the surface image;
a sub-step of determining an average luminance from the surface image;
and determining a vibration frequency from the vibration measurements;
A program that simultaneously detects changes in the number of edge pixels over time, changes in average brightness over time, and changes in vibration frequency over time in real time, simultaneously recognizes changes in the condition of the concrete surface and inside the concrete from the changes in the number of edge pixels over time , changes in average brightness over time, and changes in vibration frequency over time, and determines the latest convergence timing of all the convergence timings of the changes in the number of edge pixels over time, changes in average brightness over time, and changes in vibration frequency over time as the timing when compaction is complete . A method for manufacturing a concrete product, comprising:
Pouring concrete into the formwork;
A process of compacting the concrete with a vibrator;
and removing the concrete from the formwork after a curing period.
In the compaction step, an imaging unit captures an image of the concrete surface, a measurement unit measures the vibration of the vibrator, and a control unit determines the compaction state based on the surface image and the vibration measurement value.
When determining the compaction state, the number of edge pixels is calculated from the surface image, the average brightness is calculated from the surface image, and the vibration frequency is calculated from the vibration measurement value.
A method for manufacturing a concrete product, characterized in that the changes in the number of edge pixels over time, the changes in average brightness over time, and the changes in vibration frequency over time are simultaneously detected in real time, changes in the condition of the concrete surface and the interior of the concrete are simultaneously recognized from the changes in the number of edge pixels over time, the changes in average brightness over time, and the changes in vibration frequency over time , and the latest convergence timing of all the convergence timings of the changes in the number of edge pixels over time, the changes in average brightness over time, and the changes in vibration frequency over time is determined to be the timing when compaction is complete .