Tactile sensor system and method for inspecting the condition of a structure

• US 9,291,544 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Tofte, Nathan L., Jordan, Jackie O. II, Harvey, Brian N., Boyer, Patrick H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Jamel
• Application Number:
  US14/833,739
• Time in Patent Office: 211 Days
• Field of Search: 737/74
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 7/00 Roofs; Roof construction with regard to insulation structures for roofs as well as for floors E04B5/00; ceilings E04B9/00; greenhouses A01G9/14; large containers having floating covers B65D88/34; roof trusses, truss-like structures, joists E04C3/02; roof coverings E04D
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 13/00 Special arrangements or devices in connection with roof coverings; Protection against birds; Roof drainage ; Sky-lights ventilation tiles E04D1/30; ventilation slabs E04D3/40; internal channels E04F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 13/006 Provisions for detecting water leakage
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/22 Feeler-pin gauges, e.g. dial gauges for measuring contours or curvatures G01B5/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/207 using a plurality of fixed, simultaneously operating transducers G01B5/213 - G01B5/22 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/02 by making use of variations in ohmic resistance, e.g. of potentiometers , electric circuits therefor, e.g. bridges, amplifiers or signal conditioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0033 by determining damage, crack or wear
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0083 by measuring variation of impedance, e.g. resistance, capacitance, induction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 19/08 Detecting presence of flaws or irregularities
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of electric, electrochemical, or magnetic means G01N3/00 – G01N25/00 take precedence; measurement or testing of electric or magnetic variables or of electric or magnetic properties of materials G01R
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40575 Camera combined with tactile sensors, for 3-D
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40576 Multisensory object recognition, surface reconstruction
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40625 Tactile sensor

Abstract

In a computer-implemented method and system for capturing the condition of a structure, the structure is scanned with a three-dimensional (3D) scanner. The 3D contact scanner includes a tactile sensor system having at least one tactile sensor for generating 3D data points based on tactile feedback resulting from physical contact with at least part of the structure. A 3D model is constructed from the 3D data and is then analyzed to determine the condition of the structure.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of inspecting a structure, the method comprising:

deploying one or more three-dimensional (3D) contact scanners to scan a structure, wherein the one or more 3D contact scanners are communicatively connected to a memory;

detecting 3D information about the structure by implementing a tactile sensor system of the one or more 3D contact scanners across a surface of at least part of the structure, the tactile sensor system including at least one tactile sensor, the at least one tactile sensor including one or more of a pinscreen stamp having a plurality of pins, a roller device having a plurality of disks, or a whisker device having one or more of at least one whisker and a piezoelectric sensor, wherein implementing the tactile sensor system includes;

one or more of moving, rolling or dragging the at least one tactile sensor on a physical surface of at least part of the structure; and

measuring one or more of;

(1) resistance to pressure being applied to at least one point of a plurality of points on the surface of at least part of the structure via the at least one tactile sensor;

or (2) a depth of at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of the at least part of the structure via the at least one tactile sensor;

generating, at the one or more 3D contact scanners, a plurality of 3D data points, wherein at least one point of the plurality of 3D data points corresponds to at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of the structure detected by the at least one tactile sensor; and

causing a processor communicatively connected to the memory to generate an estimation of the condition of the structure based on the plurality of 3D data points.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing a processor communicatively connected to the memory to construct a 3D model from the generated plurality of 3D data points and analyze the 3D model to identify one or more features associated with the structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring resistance to pressure being applied to a plurality of points on the surface of at least part of the structure comprises applying pressure to at least one point of the plurality of points via the at least one tactile sensor, measuring a resistance to the pressure applied to at least one point of the plurality of points via the at least one tactile sensor, and comparing, via one or more processors, the difference in a first resistance measured for the at least one point of the plurality of points to a second resistance measured for at least another point of the plurality of points to determine if there is an indication of lack of strength for at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of the structure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein measuring resistance to pressure being applied to the plurality of points further comprises calibrating the at least one tactile sensor by applying pressure to a plurality of points of an undamaged area on the surface of the at least one structure, measuring a resistance to the pressure applied to at least one point of the plurality of points of the undamaged area on the surface of the structure, and setting the measured resistance of the at least one point of the plurality of points of the undamaged area as a threshold resistance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the measured first resistance to the first pressure applied to at least one point of the plurality of points and the measured second resistance to the second pressure applied to at least one point of the plurality of points is compared to the threshold resistance of the at least one point of the plurality of points of the undamaged area on the surface of the structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring resistance to pressure being applied to a plurality of points comprises:

(1) applying zero pressure to at least one disk of the roller device and measuring a height of the at least one disk with zero pressure being applied;

(2) applying a first pressure to the at least one disk toward the plurality of points and measuring the height of the at least one disk with the first pressure being applied; and

(3) comparing the measured heights of the at least one disk when each of the zero pressure and the first pressure are applied to determine if there is a lack of strength at at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of the structure.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising dragging the at least one whisker of the whisker device, and wherein measuring a depth of a plurality of points on the surface of the at least part of the structure via the at least one tactile sensor comprises detecting a whisker angle of the at least one whisker at at least one point of the plurality of points on the structure and determining the depth of at least one point of the plurality of points based on the detected whisker angle, wherein detecting a whisker angle comprises detecting one or more of an angle of deflection or an angle of rotation of the at least one whisker of the whisker device from an axis of a pivot point of the at least one whisker.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising dragging the at least one whisker of the whisker device, and wherein measuring a depth of a plurality of points on the surface of the at least part of the structure comprises measuring a voltage, if any, generated by a piezoelectric sensor of the whisker device at at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of the at least part of the structure and determining a depth of at least one point of the plurality of points based on the voltage generated by the piezoelectric sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring a depth of a plurality of points on the surface of at least part of the structure comprises recording at least one vertical movement of at least one disk of the roller device relative to the surface of the structure via a camera and measuring the vertical movement of the at least one disk from the surface of the structure at at least one point of the plurality of points.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring a depth of a plurality of points on the surface of the structure comprises measuring the depth of at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of at least part of the structure via a depth gauge.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring a depth of a plurality of points on the surface of at least part of the structure comprises stamping the pinscreen stamp on the surface of at least part of the structure, the pinscreen stamp having a plurality of pins forming an imprint of the plurality of points on the surface of at least part of the structure, such that a difference in height of at least one pin of the plurality of pins on the imprint measured from a first threshold TH1 of the pinscreen stamp when no pressure is applied from when pressure is applied to the pinscreen stamp corresponds to a depth of at least one point of the plurality of points.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein stamping the pinscreen stamp comprises extending at least one pin of a plurality of pins of the pinscreen stamp into at least one point of the plurality of points of the surface of the structure, identifying a plurality of positions of the plurality of pins, and generating a 3D model or map of the surface of the structure based on the positions of the plurality of pins.

13. A property inspection system for determining the condition of a physical structure, the property inspection system comprising:

one or more 3D contact scanners adapted to scan a surface of a structure;

at least one tactile sensor system coupled to the one or more 3D contact scanners, the tactile sensor system including at least one tactile sensor having one or more of a pinscreen stamp, a roller device having a plurality of discs, or a whisker device having one or more of at least one whisker or a piezoelectric sensor, wherein the at least one tactile sensor is adapted to detect 3D information about the surface of the structure by;

(1) one or more of moving, rolling, or dragging the at least one sensor of the tactile sensor system on a physical surface of the structure; and

(2) measuring one or more of;

(a) resistance to pressure being applied to at least one point of a plurality of points on the surface of the structure;

or (b) a depth of the at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of the structure;

one or more processors for generating 3D data points corresponding to the 3D information detected by the tactile sensor system;

a memory, communicatively coupled to the one or more 3D contact scanners, for storing the 3D data points generated by the one or more processors and the 3D information detected by the at least one tactile sensor; and

a network interface, communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, for transmitting the 3D data points to a data analysis system for estimating the condition of the structure.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one tactile sensor comprises the roller device, the roller device including a plurality of disks adapted to contact the physical surface of the structure, such that when zero pressure is applied to at least one disk of the plurality of disks in the direction of the surface of the structure, the height of the at least one disk of the plurality of disks is measured from a top surface of the structure to define a threshold, and when a first pressure is applied to the at least one disk of the plurality of disks in the direction of the surface of the structure, the height of the at least one disk of the plurality of disks is measured from the top surface of the structure and compared to the threshold.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one tactile sensor comprises the whisker device, the at least one whisker of the whisker device comprising a whisker having a pivot point, such that one or more of an angle of deflection or an angle of rotation of the at least one whisker from an axis of the pivot point is detected to measure a depth of at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of at least part of the structure.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising one or more of a potentiometer or an optical encoder coupled to the whisker device, such that one or more of the potentiometer or the optical encoder measures one or more of the angle of rotation or the angle of deflection of at least one whisker.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one tactile sensor comprises the whisker device, the whisker device comprising a piezoelectric sensor, such that a voltage generated, if any, by the piezoelectric sensor at at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of the structure is measured to determine a depth of at least one point of the plurality of points.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the tactile sensor system further comprises a camera, such that the camera records at least one vertical movement of at least one disk of the roller device relative to a top surface of the at least part of the structure to determine a depth of at least one point of a plurality of points on the surface of the structure.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the tactile sensor system further comprises a depth gauge, the depth gauge adapted to be dragged across the physical surface of the at least part of the structure and measure a depth of at least one point of a plurality of points on the physical surface of the structure.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one tactile sensor comprises the pinscreen stamp, the pinscreen stamp having a plurality of pins adapted to form an imprint of a plurality of points on the surface of the structure when pressure is applied to the pinscreen stamp in the direction of the surface of the structure.