Method for investigating ground structure of pavement

• US 5,298,987 A
• Filed: 09/30/1991
• Issued: 03/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Geo Search Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Geo Search Company Limited
• Inventors: Tomita, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Application Number:
  US07/768,817
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 382/1, 358/100, 73/151, 73/152, 73/153, 324/323, 324/324, 324/333, 324/338, 324/368, 364/422
• US Class Current: 348/82
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/002 by visual inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/073 Transforming surfaces of revolution to planar images, e.g. cylindrical surfaces to planar images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Method for investigating the ground structure of a paved road which requires only a small diameter boring for direct observation of the ground structure. The method comprises a step of boring an investigation hole with a small diameter which reaches at least a sand layer of a roadbed, penetrating a paved floor of said paved road, a step of cleaning an inside of said investigation hole which is bored by said boring step, a step of photographing in said investigation hole which has been cleaned by said cleaning step, said photographing step photographing an overall surface of an inner circumferential wall of said investigation hole by means of image pickup means, a step of sending this image to a warping microprocessor, a step of recording said photograph data in recording means, and a step of filling up said investigation hole after said photographing step is finished to repair the hole.

Claims

1. A method for investigating a ground structure of a paved road, comprising the steps of:

boring an investigation hole with a small diameter which reaches at least a sand layer of a roadbed, penetrating a paved floor of said paved road;

cleaning an inside of said investigation hole which is bored by said boring step;

photographing, in said investigation hole which has been cleaned by said cleaning step, an overall surface of an inner circumferential wall of said investigation hole by an image pickup means for providing an image of said overall surface;

sending said image to a warping microprocessor for providing photograph data of said image;

recording said photograph data in recording means; and

filling up said investigation hole after said photographing step is finished to repair the hole.

2. A method for investigating a ground structure of a paved road according to claim 1, in which the diameter of the investigation hole is in a range of approximately several centimeters.

3. A method for investigating a ground structure of a paved road according to claim 1 in which the depth of the investigation hole is up to 2 meters.

4. A method for investigating a ground structure of a paved road according to claim 1 in which the investigation hole is photographed vertically and successively.

5. A method for investigating a ground structure of a paved road according to claim 1 in which a photograph data of an overall surface of an inner circumferential wall of the investigation hole taken by the photographing step is shown in a developed state of display.

6. A method for investigating a ground structure of a paved road according to claim 1 in which a vertical position of the image pickup means is detected by position detection means.

7. A method for investigating a ground structure of a paved road according to claim 6, in which position information from the position detection means are recorded in accordance with said photograph data.