Systems and methods for asphalt density and soil moisture measurements using ground penetrating radar

• US 10,145,837 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Ernest Troxler
• Original Assignee: Robert Ernest Troxler
• Inventors: Troxler, Robert Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Windrich, Marcus E
• Application Number:
  US14/214,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20150268218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 342 21, 342 22, 324663
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/235 Rolling apparatus designed to roll following a path other than essentially linear, e.g. epicycloidal
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 22/04 Investigating moisture content
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/246 for water content
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/42 Road-making materials G01N33/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/24 by observing the transmission of wave or particle radiation through the material
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/32 using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005

Abstract

Systems and methods for ground penetrating radar for determining thickness, density and moisture are therefore provided. According to an embodiment, a ground penetrating radar (GPR) system comprises a system controller configured to produce an electromagnetic signal for signal penetration of a pavement material. Further, the GPR system comprises a frequency modulated continuous wave controller. Further, the GPR system comprises an ultra wide band (UWB) antenna coupled to the system controller, wherein the UWB antenna is configured to transmit the produced electromagnetic signal to the pavement material and receive the electromagnetic signal as a reflection from the pavement material. Further, the system controller is further configured to receive the electromagnetic signal from the UWB antenna.

Claims

1. A ground penetrating radar system comprising:

a system controller configured to produce an electromagnetic signal for signal penetration of a pavement material;

a wave controller;

an ultra wide band (UWB) antenna coupled to the system controller, wherein the UWB antenna is configured to transmit the produced electromagnetic signal to the pavement material and receive the electromagnetic signal as a reflection from the pavement material; and

wherein the system controller is further configured to receive the electromagnetic signal from the UWB antenna, and

wherein the system controller is further configured to;

determine a moisture content of soil;

determine a permittivity response from at least a single reflected signal received from the pavement material;

compare the moisture content to a predetermined optimum moisture content during compaction of a base of the soil;

determine at least one of a target variance and a moisture uniformity of the soil based on the permittivity response and compared moisture content.

2. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is further configured to determine any one of a thickness, moisture content, density, stiffness, modulus, and a void ratio of the pavement material based on the received electromagnetic signal reflected from the pavement material.

3. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is further configured to determine any one of a thickness, moisture content, density, stiffness, modulus, and a void ratio of the pavement material based on the dielectric constant of the pavement material.

4. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 3, wherein the system controller is further configured to determine a property of one of thickness, stiffness, density, modulus and moisture content of the pavement material based on a frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic signal and the received electromagnetic signal.

5. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 4, wherein the system controller is further configured to correct the determined property of the pavement material based on a determined surface roughness of the pavement material using one of a multi-frequency and scattering analysis technique.

6. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 5, wherein the system controller is further configured to determine the moisture content of a soil base-material as related to the permittivity response.

7. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 4, wherein the system controller is further configured to adjust the determined moisture content of the pavement material based on a determined surface roughness of the pavement material using one of a multi-frequency and scattering analysis technique.

8. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal is one of a frequency modulated continuous wave signal and a time domain modulated pulse signal.

9. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 1, further configured to be coupled with an intelligent compaction unit or intelligent compaction roller.

10. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 9, wherein the system controller is configured to measure or monitor one of thickness of the pavement material, moisture of the pavement material, density, stiffness, and modulus of the pavement material.

11. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 9, wherein the system is configured to aid in obtaining optimum compaction of a soil by monitoring soil moisture in real time.

12. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 9, wherein the system is configured to aid in obtaining optimum compaction of a soil by monitoring at least one of soil moisture, stiffness, density, modulus and the rolling pattern, and displaying progress on a display.

13. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 1, further comprising a positioning system.

22. The method of claim 1, further configured to be coupled with an intelligent compaction unit or intelligent compaction roller.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the system controller is configured to measure one of thickness of the pavement material, moisture of the pavement material, and density, stiffness, void ratio, and modulus of the pavement material.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the system is configured to aid in obtaining optimum compaction of a soil by monitoring soil moisture.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the system is configured to aid in obtaining optimum compaction of a soil by monitoring at least one of soil moisture, density, stiffness, modulus and the rolling pattern, and displaying progress on a display.

34. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is further configured to operate on pavement materials in one of a soil, concrete, and asphalt mode.

14. A method comprising:

producing, by a system controller, an electromagnetic signal for signal penetration of a pavement material, wherein the system controller is a frequency modulated continuous wave controller; and

transmitting, by an ultra wide band (UWB) antenna coupled to the system controller, the produced electromagnetic signal to the pavement material;

receiving, by the system controller, the electromagnetic signal as a reflection from the pavement material;

receiving, by the system controller, the electromagnetic signal from the UWB antenna;

determining, by the system controller, a moisture content of soil;

determining, by the system controller, a permittivity response from at least a single reflected signal received from the pavement material;

comparing, by the system controller, the moisture content to a predetermined optimum moisture content during compaction of a base of the soil;

determining at least one of a target variance and a moisture uniformity of the soil based on the permittivity response and compared moisture content.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining, by the system controller, any one of a thickness, moisture content, density, stiffness, modulus, and a void ratio of the pavement material based on the received electromagnetic signal reflected from the pavement material.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining, by the system controller, any one of a thickness, moisture content, density, stiffness, modulus, and a void ratio of the pavement material based on the measured response related to the permittivity of the pavement material.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining, by the system controller, a property such as one of thickness, density, stiffness, modulus and moisture content of the pavement material based on a frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic signal and the received electromagnetic signal.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting, by the system controller, the determined property of the pavement material based on a determined surface roughness of the pavement material using one of a multi-frequency and scattering analysis technique.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining, by the system controller, moisture content of the pavement material based on a measured response related to the permittivity.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting, by the system controller, the determined moisture content of the pavement material based on a determined surface roughness of the pavement material using one of a multi-frequency and scattering analysis technique.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the electromagnetic signal is one of a frequency modulated continuous wave signal and a time domain modulated pulse signal.

26. The method of claim 14, further comprising a positioning system.

35. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 14, wherein the system controller is further configured to operate on selectable pavement materials with a specific calibration.

27. A ground penetrating radar system comprising:

a system controller configured to produce an electromagnetic signal for signal penetration of a pavement material;

a frequency or time modulated continuous wave controller; and

an ultra wide band (UWB) antenna coupled to the system controller, wherein the UWB antenna is configured to transmit the produced electromagnetic signal to the pavement material and receive the electromagnetic signal as a reflection from the pavement material,

wherein the system controller is configured to;

operate in either a soil mode and an asphalt mode;

determine a permittivity response from at least a single reflected signal received from the pavement material;

determine, in the soil mode, the moisture content of the soil needed for a predetermined optimum compaction of ground soil;

determine, in the asphalt mode, at least one of a stiffness, modulus, a void ratio and density of a layer of asphalt under analysis

determine at least one of a target variance, moisture uniformity of the soil based on the permittivity response and compared moisture content.

28. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 27, wherein the system controller is further configured to determine one of thickness, density, stiffness, void ratio, modulus, and moisture content of the pavement material based on one of a frequency and time domain difference between the transmitted electromagnetic signal and the received electromagnetic signal.

29. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 28, wherein the system controller is further configured to adjust the determined density, moisture content, thickness, stiffness, and modulus of the pavement material based on the determined surface roughness of the pavement material.

30. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 27, further configured to be coupled with an intelligent compaction unit or intelligent compaction roller.

31. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 27, further comprising a positioning system whereas the positioning system consists of at least one of a GPS, dead reckoning, distance, velocity, accelerometer, and differential corrected position.

32. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 31, wherein the system is configured to aid in obtaining optimum compaction of a soil by monitoring at least one of soil moisture, density, modulus, stiffness, and the rolling pattern, and displaying progress on a display.

33. The ground penetrating radar system of claim 31, further comprising a wireless data link to a network.