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US 9,851,440 B1Granted
Subsurface imaging system and method for inspecting the condition of a structure
AssigneeState Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
InventorsPatrick H. Boyer, Nathan L. Tofte, Jackie O. Jordan, II
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a method and system for inspecting the condition of a structure, the structure is scanned with a three-dimensional (3D) scanner. The 3D scanner includes a sensing system having one of a radar sensing device or an ultrasonic detection device. The sensing system detects 3D information about a subsurface of the structure, and the 3D scanner generates 3D data points based on the information detected by one or more of the radar sensing device and the ultrasonic detection device. A 3D model is constructed from the 3D data and is then analyzed to determine the condition of the subsurface of the structure.
Claims16
A method of inspecting a structure, the method comprising:
- deploying one or more three-dimensional (3D) scanners to scan a structure, wherein the one or more 3D scanners are communicatively coupled to a memory;
- detecting 3D information about a subsurface of the structure by implementing a sensing device including one or more of a radar sensing device or an ultrasonic detection device coupled to the one or more 3D scanners, wherein implementing the sensing device includes:
- transmitting, via at least one transmitter, pulses to at least one point of a plurality of points of the subsurface of the structure;
- receiving, via at least one receiver, one or more reflected signals from at least one point of a plurality of points of the subsurface of the structure;
- and
- determining, via one or more processors, a distance from one of the radar sensing device or the ultrasonic detection device to at least one point of the plurality of points of the subsurface of the structure based on the at least one received reflected signal;
- generating, at the one or more 3D 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 a plurality of points in the subsurface of the structure detected by the radar sensor device or the ultrasonic detection device during the scan of the structure;
- and
- causing a processor communicatively connected to the memory to generate an estimation of the condition of the subsurface of the structure based on the plurality of 3D data points,
- wherein receiving, via the at least one receiver, one or more reflected signals from at least one point of a plurality of points of the subsurface of the structure includes:
- receiving one or more waves, via at least one receiver, reflected off of at least part of the subsurface of the structure, and
- identifying, via one or more processors, at least one reflection that corresponds to at least one layer of the subsurface of the structure, the at least one layer including one of a shingle layer, a tar layer, a fiberglass mesh layer or a lower layer disposed beneath the fiberglass mesh layer of a roof of the structure.
9 more elements
A property inspection system for inspecting the condition of a physical structure, the property inspection system comprising:
- one or more three-dimensional (3D) scanners adapted to scan a surface of the roof;
- a sensing device including one or more of a radar sensing device or an ultrasonic detection device coupled to the one or more 3D scanners, each of the radar sensing device and the ultrasonic detection device having at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one processor, each sensing device adapted to detect 3D information about a subsurface of the structure by:
- (1) transmitting, via the at least one transmitter, pulses to at least one point of a plurality of points of the subsurface of the structure;
- (2) receiving, via at least one receiver, one or more reflected pulses from at least one point of a plurality of points of the subsurface of the structure, including receiving one or more waves, reflected off of at least part of the subsurface of the structure, and identifying, via one or more processors, at least one reflection that corresponds to at least one layer of the subsurface of the structure, the at least one layer including one of a shingle layer, a tar layer, a fiberglass mesh layer or a lower layer disposed beneath the fiberglass mesh layer of the roof of the structure;
- and (3) determining, via at least one processor, a distance from one or more of the devices to at least one point of the plurality of points of the subsurface of the structure based on the at least one received reflected pulse;
- at least one processor adapted to generate 3D data points corresponding to the 3D information detected by the radar sensing device or the ultrasonic sensing device;
- a memory, communicably coupled to the one or more 3D scanners, adapted to store 3D data points generated by the one or more processors and the 3D information detected by the radar sensing device or the ultrasonic sensing device;
- and
- a network interface, communicably coupled to the one or more processors, adapted to transmit the 3D data points to a data analysis system for estimating the condition of the subsurface of the structure.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.