Complete remote sensing bridge investigation system

A selectively mobile system for infrared thermographic and visual scanning and comparative analysis of an area of focus to provide video image data representative thereof;

• and while also concomitantly capturing successive location data uniquely representative of geologic locations within the common for evaluating geological areas for subterranean anomalies comprising at least one infrared scanner, at least one video/still camera, a location detecting provision, image and location data processing capability, image and location data preservation capability and a vehicle for carrying said infrared scanner, video camera, location technology and image preservation capability;
• said infrared scanner and said video camera being collocated and affixed to said process vehicle and alignable to provide overlapping fields of view having a common area of focus of selectively scanned portions of a geological area as said vehicle is moved relative thereto;
• said video camera providing video data output representing successive visual images of the selectively scanned area portions;
• said infrared scanner providing infrared data output representing variations in temperature of the selectively scanned area portions;
• said location detection provision being responsive to movement of said vehicle for providing location data representing at least the relative position of said vehicle in said geological area, said location data identifying two selectively scanned area portions;
• said image and location data processing capability comprising:
• (a) provision for colorizing the infrared data output to provide colored infrared data wherein colors resent differences between anomalous and non-anomalous regions of the selectively scanned area portions;
• (b) provision for converting the location data to visually recordable form;
• (c) provision for permitting operator provision of further visually recordable information data relevant to the selectively scanned area portions;
• (d) composite video processing capability for superimposing the colored infrared data, visual data, visually recordable location data, and information data to provide composite video data wherein video/still frames each have segments corresponding to such forms of data;
• and
• (e) video monitor for operator viewing of the composite video data;
• said image and location data preservation capability comprising:
• (f) at least one video recorder for sequentially recording video frames of said composite video data;
• and
• (g) color videocopy processor selectively operator-actuated for providing hard copy of selected video frames.
• (h) ground penetrating radar carried by the vehicle for detection of the depth characteristics of the anomalous regions.

A method of infrared thermographic and video/still scanning and comparative analysis for evaluating geological areas for subterranean anomalies, comprising:

• collocating an infrared scanner and a video camera by affixing them on a mobile carrier;
• aligning the infrared scanner and video camera to provide overlapping fields of view having a common area of focus;
• capturing successive infrared images of the common area of focus to provide infrared image data representative thereof;
• while concomitantly capturing the common area of focus to provide video image data representative thereof;
• and while also concomitantly capturing successive location data uniquely representative of geologic locations within the common successive video images of the common area of focus;
• superposing the infrared image, video image and location data on a composite video data frame;
• and
• successively video recording such video data frames for further use.