ROADWAY INFRASTRUCTURE MONITORING BASED ON AGGREGATED MOBILE VEHICLE COMMUNICATION PARAMETERS

• US 20160011124A1
• Filed: 02/07/2014
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xinctec Technologies LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: KRUGLICK, Ezekiel
• Granted Patent: US 9,784,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 22/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of microwaves or radio waves, i.e. electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of one millimetre or more G01N3/00 - G01N17/00, G01N24/00 take precedence

Abstract

Technologies are generally described to monitor roadway infrastructure based on aggregated mobile vehicle communication parameters. In some examples, a pair of vehicles with mobile communication devices passing an infrastructure, such as a bridge, may be identified, and the mobile communication devices may exchange a signal during a mobile communication as the vehicles pass the target infrastructure. During the signal exchange, channel characterization data for the target infrastructure may be collected. The channel characterization data may represent propagation conditions of signal waves through the target infrastructure. The channel characterization data may be received at a mobile communication network, where a tomographic model of the target infrastructure may be generated based on extraction and analysis of the channel characterization data. Physical and structural characteristics of the target infrastructure may be determined based on the generated tomographic image of the target infrastructure to facilitate monitoring for degradation and flaws in the target infrastructures.

Claims

1. A method to monitor roadway infrastructure based on aggregated mobile vehicle communication parameters, the method comprising:

identifying a target infrastructure to monitor;

identifying a pair of mobile communication devices approaching the target infrastructure;

instructing the pair of mobile communication devices to communicate with each other through one or more signals as the pair of mobile communication devices pass the target infrastructure;

instructing at least one of the pair of mobile communication devices to collect information about the one or more signals;

receiving the collected information about the one or more signals from the at least one of the pair of mobile communication devices;

analyzing the collected information about the one or more signals to determine a structural characteristic of the target infrastructure; and

instructing at least one of the mobile communication devices to provide analysis results to a tomographic data builder, the provided analysis results for use in assembling a tomographic model.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein instructing the pair of mobile communication devices to communicate with each other comprises causing the pair of mobile communication devices to exchange radio frequency communication signals.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein analyzing the collected information about the one or more signals comprises determining one or more communication parameters including one of:

an amplitude, a frequency, or a phase.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the target infrastructure for monitoring comprises identifying the target infrastructure from a database of target infrastructures selected for monitoring.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

assembling a tomographic model of the target infrastructure based on the analyzed information about the one or more signals.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein assembling the tomographic model comprises extracting channel state data from the analyzed information about the one or more signals that represent propagation conditions of the one or more signals through the target infrastructure.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the channel state data includes effects of one or more of:

a multipath, a spatial distribution and a conductivity of the target infrastructure.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein assembling the tomographic model comprises aggregating the extracted channel state data into a density and conductance map of the target infrastructure.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein assembling the tomographic model further comprises employing one or more of:

a sparse sensing approach, a stochastic approach, a state space approach, and a scattering approach.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

updating the tomographic model with newly received data from one or more pairs of mobile communication devices.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

storing the tomographic model in a historical database as a function of a date and a time for monitoring the target infrastructure at a particular time.

21. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

employing the tomographic model to detect target infrastructure flaws including one or more of;

material loss, spalling, pop-outs, cracks, honeycombing, corrosion, rusting, and misalignment of bearings and reinforcement structures.

4-11. -11. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. A controller to monitor roadway infrastructure based on aggregated mobile vehicle communication parameters, the controller comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions;

a communication module configured to facilitate communications with one or more mobile communication devices and to instruct the mobile communication devices to exchange one or more signals; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the communication module, the processor configured to execute a tomography application in conjunction with the instructions stored in the memory, wherein the tomography application is configured to;

identify a target infrastructure for monitoring;

identify a pair of mobile communication devices approaching the target infrastructure via a pairing module of the tomography application;

control the communication module to instruct the pair of mobile communication devices to communicate with each other through the one or more signals as the pair of mobile communication devices pass the target infrastructure;

control the communication module to instruct at least one of the pair of mobile communication devices to collect information about the one or more signals;

receive the collected information about the one or more signals from the at least one of the pair of mobile communication devices;

analyze the collected information about the one or more signals to determine a structural characteristic of the target infrastructure; and

provide analysis results to a tomographic data builder, the provided analysis results for use in assembling a tomographic model.

30. The controller according to claim 23, wherein the tomography application is further configured to:

assemble a tomographic model of the target infrastructure based on extraction of channel state data from the analyzed information about the one or more signals that represent propagation conditions of the one or more signals through the target infrastructure, wherein the channel state data includes effects of one or more of;

a multipath, a spatial distribution, and a conductivity of the target infrastructure between the pair of mobile communication devices; and

aggregate the extracted channel state data into a density and conductance map of the target infrastructure.

31. The controller according to claim 30, wherein the tomography application is further configured to:

store the tomographic model in a historical database as a function of a date and a time to monitor the target infrastructure at a particular time; and

employ the tomographic model to detect target infrastructure flaw.

24-29. -29. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

33. A mobile communication network to monitor roadway infrastructure based on aggregated mobile vehicle communication parameters, the mobile communication network comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication devices; and

one or more servers to manage communication among the plurality of mobile communication devices, at least one of the one or more servers configured to;

identify a target infrastructure for monitoring;

identify pairs of mobile communication devices approaching the target infrastructure;

instruct the pairs of mobile communication devices to communicate with each other through one or more signals as the pairs of mobile communication devices pass the target infrastructure;

instruct one or more of the pairs of mobile communication devices to collect information about the one or more signals;

receive the collected information about the one or more signals from the one or more of the pairs of mobile communication devices;

aggregate the received information about the one or more signals from the pairs of mobile communication devices that pass the target infrastructure over a period of time;

analyze the aggregated information about the one or more signals to determine a structural characteristic of the target infrastructure;

receive location data from each of the pair of mobile communication devices; and

refine locations of the received information about the one or more signals employing the location data.

35. The mobile communication network according to claim 33, wherein the one or more signals are radio frequency communication signals and the at least one of the servers is further configured to analyze one or more of:

an amplitude, a frequency, and a phase of the radio frequency communication signals.

37. The mobile communication network according to claim 33, wherein at least one other of the one or more servers is configured to facilitate one of:

an audio, a video, or a data exchange communication between the pairs of mobile communication devices.

38. The mobile communication network according to claim 37, wherein the at least one of the servers is further configured to instruct the one or more of the pairs of mobile communication devices to collect the one or more signals during the facilitated communication.

39. The mobile communication network according to claim 33, wherein the at least one of the servers is further configured to:

assemble a three-dimensional (3D) tomographic model of the target infrastructure based on the analyzed aggregated information about the one or more signals;

update the tomographic model with newly received data from other pairs of mobile communication devices;

store the tomographic model in a historical database as a function of a date and a time to monitor the target infrastructure at a particular time; and

employ the tomographic model to detect target infrastructure flaw.

34. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

40. (canceled)