COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED GEOMETRY MONITORING METHOD

Abstract

The invention relates to a computer-implemented geometry monitoring method (100). The method comprises: - providing (102) a plurality of measurements (50) each representing a measured position in a three-dimensional reference frame of a point located on a structure to be monitored; - determining (103) a cylindrical co-ordinate system (r, θ, z) that has a vertical axis (19) parallel to an axis of the three-dimensional reference frame; - calculating (105), from the measurements (50), a plurality of discretisation points (250); - calculating (106), from the discretisation points (250), estimated positions (300) of N vertical edges (13) of the structure to be monitored; - calculating (107), from the estimated positions (300) of the N vertical edges (13), estimated positions (400) of N medians, each median being a median of a vertical section of the structure to be monitored; and - comparing (108) distances between diametrically opposite medians with an acceptable range of diameter (D).

Description

Computer-implemented geometry control method

[0001] The invention relates to a computer-implemented geometry control method for controlling the geometry of a structure, in particular for controlling the geometry of a supporting structure for a liquefied gas storage facility. More particularly, the structure to be controlled may comprise a generally vertical wall of generally regular polygonal shape. Technological background

[0002] Document US 8,550,276 B2 discloses a liquefied gas storage installation comprising a vertical wall and a bottom wall, where said bottom wall has a plurality of sectors which are images of each other by rotation, and where said bottom wall has the shape of a regular polygon, each side of which corresponds to one of said sectors. Such a structure is advantageous in that it allows each sector to be made with identical elements, which reduces the number of different elements to be used. In particular, a large part of the bottom wall is made using rectangular elements of identical dimensions.

[0003] Another liquefied gas storage facility of this type is known from document WO 2011 / 048300 A1. In this document also, the facility comprises a vertical wall and a bottom wall. The vertical wall has a plurality of vertical sections. The bottom wall includes a plurality of rectangular pieces distributed into sectors that are images of each other by rotation, the edges of the rectangular pieces of one of said sectors being respectively parallel and perpendicular to one of said vertical sections. However, unlike document US 8,550,276 B2, the number of said vertical sections is twice the number of said sectors. The number of vertical sections is for example chosen to be equal to 56.As described in this document, providing a high number of vertical sections, in particular double the number of sectors, makes it possible to limit the quantity of material required to produce the supporting structure to receive the vertical wall and the bottom wall, for an equal storage volume.

[0004] In both documents, the supporting structure is made of concrete, for example. Summary

[0005] Certain aspects of the invention are based on the observation that the supporting structure has, in practice, certain dimensional deviations from the ideally intended regular polygon shape. Such dimensional deviations can make the construction of the installation difficult. It is therefore appropriate that the dimensional deviations do not exceed tolerances specified in advance. However, if the supporting structure is of large dimensions, manually checking that the supporting structure falls within the specified tolerances can take considerable time, during which it is not possible to continue the construction of the installation, since it is not known whether the supporting structure is compliant or not.

[0006] One idea behind the invention is to provide a method for controlling the geometry of a structure, which is computer-implemented from a plurality of measurements each representing a three-dimensional measured position of a point on the structure to be controlled.

[0007] The invention thus proposes a computer-implemented geometry control method, comprising:- specifying a structure model, for example representing a supporting structure for a liquefied gas storage facility, the structure model comprising geometric attributes and dimensional attributes, the geometric attributes comprising a number N of sides of a polygon, N being an integer greater than or equal to 3, the dimensional attributes including an acceptable diameter range;- providing a plurality of first measurements each representing a measured position in a three-dimensional reference frame of a point located on a structure to be controlled;- determining a cylindrical coordinate system having a vertical axis parallel to an axis of said three-dimensional reference frame, said vertical axis having a position which minimizes a dispersion of said first measurements along a radial coordinate in said cylindrical coordinate system;- specifying first disjoint sectors of space in the cylindrical coordinate system, said first sectors being defined by azimuthal coordinate increments and axial coordinate increments in said cylindrical coordinate system;- calculating, from the first measurements, a plurality of first discretization points, each first discretization point representing an average position of the structure to be controlled in one of said first sectors;- calculating, from the first discretization points, estimated positions of N vertical edges of the structure to be controlled;- calculating, from the estimated positions of the N vertical edges, estimated positions of N medians, each median being a median of a vertical section of the structure to be controlled; and- from the estimated positions of the N medians, comparing distances between diametrically opposite medians with said acceptable diameter range.;

[0008] With the geometry control method as defined above, a geometry control of the supporting structure can be carried out from the first measurements, in an automated manner, that is to say without user intervention except to specify the model of the supporting structure. Geometry control is thus easy to implement even when the supporting structure is of very large dimensions.

[0009] The number N represents a number of sides of a polygon to serve as a directrix for a vertical wall of the structure to be inspected. The vertical wall, if conforming, will be close to an ideal shape composed of N vertical sections separated by N vertical edges and forming a polygonal cylindrical surface having a regular N-sided polygon as a directrix. In other words, the acceptable diameter range may represent an acceptable distance between respective medians of two diametrically opposed vertical sections, which ensures sufficient resemblance to the ideal shape.

[0010] According to embodiments, the geometry control method may comprise one or more of the following features.

[0011] According to one embodiment, said axis of said three-dimensional reference frame is parallel to the direction of the Earth's gravity field at the location of the structure to be controlled.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable radius range, and the geometry control method further comprises comparing distances between said estimated positions of the N medians and said vertical axis with said acceptable radius range.

[0013] In other words, the acceptable radius range may represent an acceptable distance between the medians and the said vertical axis, which ensures sufficient resemblance to the ideal shape.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of pan width, and the geometry control method further comprises comparing distances between the estimated positions of two neighboring vertical edges with said acceptable range of pan width.

[0015] In other words, the acceptable range of pan width can represent an acceptable distance between two neighboring vertical edges, which ensures sufficient resemblance to the ideal shape.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of edge non-verticality, and the geometry checking method further comprises comparing distances, perpendicular to the vertical axis of said cylindrical coordinate system, between end points of each vertical edge with said acceptable range of edge non-verticality.

[0017] In other words, the acceptable range of edge non-verticality may represent an acceptable distance, perpendicular to a vertical axis of the structure to be controlled, between two end points of a given vertical edge, which ensures sufficient resemblance to the ideal shape.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of ovality, and the geometry control method further comprises comparing a difference in diameter between a largest inscribed circle of the vertical wall and a smallest circumscribed circle of the vertical wall of the structure to be controlled with said acceptable range of ovality.

[0019] In other words, the acceptable range of edge non-verticality may represent an acceptable diameter difference between a larger inscribed circle of the vertical wall and a smaller circumscribed circle of the vertical wall, which ensures sufficient resemblance to the ideal shape.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of local deformation of the vertical sections, and the geometry control method further comprises comparing local deformations of the structure to be controlled with said acceptable range of local deformation of the vertical sections.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of non-verticality of the vertical sections, and the geometry control method further comprises:- selecting a subset of the first discretization points, in which subset the azimuthal coordinates of the first discretization points are equal to each other;- determining radial coordinate deviations between the first discretization points of the subset; and- comparing the radial coordinate deviations with said acceptable range of non-verticality of the vertical sections.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the radial coordinate deviations are radial coordinate deviations between a first discretization point of the subset which has the lowest vertical coordinate and the other first discretization points of the subset.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of non-flatness of the vertical sections, and the geometry control method further comprises: - from the estimated positions of the N vertical edges, selecting the first measurements corresponding to a vertical section of the structure to be controlled; - calculating a vertical section non-flatness parameter from the first selected measurements, and comparing the vertical section non-flatness parameter with said acceptable range of non-flatness of the vertical sections.

[0024] The vertical pan non-flatness parameter can be calculated for one or some of the vertical pans or preferably for all the vertical pans of the structure to be controlled.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the geometric attributes further comprise a flat bottom wall, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of non-flatness of the bottom wall, and the geometry control method further comprises: - providing a plurality of second measurements each representing a measured position in said three-dimensional reference frame of a point located on a bottom wall of the structure to be controlled; - associating with the second measurements a Cartesian coordinate system, said Cartesian coordinate system having a first axis, a second axis and a third axis perpendicular to each other, the third axis coinciding with said vertical axis of said cylindrical coordinate system;- specifying second disjoint sectors of space in said Cartesian coordinate system, said second sectors being defined by coordinate increments along the first axis and the second axis of said Cartesian coordinate system;- calculating, from the second measurements, a plurality of second discretization points, each second discretization point representing an average position of the bottom wall of the structure to be controlled in one of said second sectors;- calculating a non-flatness parameter of the bottom wall from the second discretization points, and comparing the non-flatness parameter of the bottom wall with said acceptable range of non-flatness of the bottom wall.;

[0026] According to one embodiment, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of local deformation of the bottom wall, and the geometry control method further comprises comparing local deformations of the bottom wall of the structure to be controlled with said acceptable range of local deformation of the bottom wall.

[0027] According to one embodiment, N is an even number, more particularly N is an even number between 8 and 56, more particularly still N = 8 or N = 56.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the geometry control method further comprises a generation step consisting of generating a visual representation of a result of at least one said comparison, or of all said comparisons or of some of said comparisons.

[0029] Such a visual representation may be displayed to a user or saved for later display to a user, for example. This provides the user with usable information to decide on corrective actions to be taken on the vertical wall and / or the back wall of the structure to be monitored.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the geometry control method further comprises a display step consisting of displaying said visual representation on a display device for a user.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the geometry control method further comprises the step of assigning a conformity qualification to the structure to be controlled, the conformity qualification being chosen from compliant and non-compliant.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the plurality of first measurements comes from an acquisition of measurements by means of a measuring instrument in the structure to be controlled.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the measuring instrument comprises a laser remote sensing device arranged in an internal space of the structure to be controlled.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the invention further provides a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement the geometry control method according to any one of the embodiments described above.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the invention further provides a computer-readable data carrier on which said computer program is recorded.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the invention further provides a geometry control device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing a computer program, wherein said at least one memory and the computer program are configured, together with said at least one processor, to cause the geometry control method according to any one of the embodiments described above to be executed by the geometry control device.

[0037] The measurements can be provided to the computer program and the geometry control device in various ways. According to one embodiment, the geometry control device comprises the aforementioned measuring instrument, the measuring instrument being configured to record the plurality of first measurements and, if applicable, the second plurality of measurements in the memory of the geometry control device. According to another embodiment, the geometry control device is configured to receive the plurality of first measurements and, if applicable, the second plurality of measurements on a data carrier or via a network interface.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the invention further provides a conformity control method for controlling a geometric conformity of a structure to be controlled, the conformity control method comprising:- an acquisition step consisting of acquiring a plurality of measurements each representing a measured three-dimensional position of a point located on the structure to be controlled; and- implementing the geometry control method according to any one of the embodiments described above.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the acquisition step is carried out in several sub-steps, the laser remote sensing device being arranged at each sub-step in a different location in the internal space of the structure to be controlled.

[0040] According to one embodiment, during the acquisition step, the measurements are associated with a measurement of the direction of the Earth's gravity field at the location of the structure to be controlled.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the structure to be controlled is a supporting structure for a liquefied gas storage facility.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the structure to be checked is made of concrete.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the liquefied gas storage facility is intended to be installed on land. In this case, the structure to be controlled can be made of concrete.

[0044] According to another embodiment, the liquefied gas storage facility is intended to be installed on board a floating structure, such as a ship. In this case, the structure to be controlled may be a portion of a double hull that the floating structure has.

[0045] In one embodiment, the liquefied gas is LNG, namely a mixture with a high methane content stored at a temperature of approximately -162°C at atmospheric pressure. Other liquefied gases may also be considered, including ethane, propane, butane, or ethylene. Liquefied gases may also be stored under pressure, for example at a relative pressure of between 2 and 20 bars, and in particular at a relative pressure of around 2 bars. The tank may be produced using various techniques, including in the form of an integrated membrane tank or a self-supporting tank.In particular, the vertical wall of the tank can be produced by juxtaposing vertical rows of flat insulating wall modules and vertical rows of corner insulating wall modules as described for example in international application No. PCT / EP2022 / 057845, published under No. WO 2022 / 200536 A1, or in international application No. PCT / EP2022 / 057848, published under No. WO 2022 / 200539 A1. Brief description of the figures

[0046] The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will appear more clearly during the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given solely for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] It represents, in section perpendicular to its vertical axis, the shape of a polygonal supporting structure for a liquefied gas storage installation.

[0048] This is a principle illustration of the non-flatness of a vertical load-bearing section of the load-bearing structure of the.

[0049] This is a block diagram representing the steps in a process for checking the conformity of the supporting structure of the.

[0050] This is a partial perspective view from the internal space of the supporting structure, illustrating a measurement acquisition step carried out in the supporting structure.

[0051] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, a Cartesian reference system in which the measurements obtained during the acquisition stage are expressed.

[0052] Laest is a diagram analogous to the, illustrating various dimensional attributes of the supporting structure.

[0053] This is a diagram similar to the, illustrating for explanation purposes an ovalization parameter of the supporting structure.

[0054] This is a diagram illustrating for explanation purposes a parameter of non-verticality of the edge of the supporting structure.

[0055] The is a diagram illustrating for explanation purposes, together with the, the principle of a calculation step used to express the coordinates of the measurements obtained during the acquisition step in the cylindrical frame of the.

[0056] The is a diagram illustrating for explanation purposes, together with the, the principle of a calculation step used to express the coordinates of the measurements obtained during the acquisition step in the cylindrical frame of the.

[0057] This is a diagram illustrating for explanation purposes a cylindrical reference frame used to express the coordinates of the measurements obtained during the acquisition stage.

[0058] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, together with la and la, the principle of a discretization carried out on the measurements of the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0059] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, together with la and la, the principle of a discretization carried out on the measurements of the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0060] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, together with la and la, the principle of a discretization carried out on the measurements of the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0061] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, the principle of calculating the estimated positions of vertical edges and medians of the vertical sections of the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0062] Laest is a diagram similar to laet to la, illustrating for explanation purposes the principle of control by calculating various parameters of the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0063] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, the principle of control by calculating local deformations of the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0064] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, the principle of control by calculating the verticality of the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0065] This is a diagram illustrating, as an explanation, the principle of a discretization carried out on the measurements of the bottom load-bearing wall visible on the.

[0066] This is a graph illustrating for explanation purposes a parameter of non-flatness of the bottom load-bearing wall.

[0067] This is a graph illustrating for explanation purposes another parameter of non-flatness of the bottom load-bearing wall.

[0068] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, the principle of control by calculating local deformations of the bottom load-bearing wall.

[0069] This is a functional block diagram of a geometry control device for implementing the conformity control method of the.

[0070] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, the principle of control by calculating a non-flatness parameter of the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0071] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, the reference lines that can be used to position insulating wall modules on the vertical load-bearing wall.

[0072] This is a diagram illustrating, for the purpose of explanation, the reference lines that can be used to position insulating blocks on the load-bearing back wall.

[0073] As mentioned above, the invention relates to the production of a liquefied gas storage installation, which bears the reference 1 in the description which follows.

[0074] According to one variant, the installation 1 is capable of storing a liquefied gas, in particular liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a temperature of approximately -162°C and at atmospheric pressure or other liquefied gases.

[0075] The supporting structure 10 is first described. The supporting structure 10 comprises at least one supporting wall which defines a cavity intended to receive the sealed tank 20. In one embodiment, a main supporting wall 12 has a roughly cylindrical geometry which surrounds the cavity. Such a main supporting wall 12 may further be closed by another supporting wall at at least one end in the direction of travel. In one embodiment, such a main supporting wall 12 may extend between a bottom supporting wall and a cover supporting wall.

[0076] The installation 1 may be designed to be located on land. The main load-bearing wall 12 is then typically vertical, i.e. located in a plane parallel to the direction of the acceleration of gravity within dimensional tolerances. The load-bearing structure 10 is, for example, made of concrete. In a manner not shown in the drawings, the bottom load-bearing wall may be located at ground level or possibly below ground level. In a manner not shown in the drawings, at the end of the main load-bearing wall 12 opposite the bottom load-bearing wall, the load-bearing structure 10 comprises a cover load-bearing wall closing the internal space 11 delimited by the bottom load-bearing wall and the vertical load-bearing wall 12. This cover load-bearing wall may support various equipment usable for conveying the liquid product from or to this internal space 11. The bottom load-bearing wall and / or the cover load-bearing wall may, for example, be flat.However, other shapes are possible for the bottom load-bearing wall and the cover load-bearing wall, including spherical cap shapes.

[0077] Alternatively, the installation 1 may be intended to be installed on board a floating structure, such as a ship. In this case, the supporting structure 10 is a portion of a double hull that the floating structure has. The main supporting wall 12 may optionally be non-vertical, and even have a direction of direction perpendicular to the direction of the acceleration of gravity when the floating structure is at rest.

[0078] In the following, we consider more particularly the case of an installation 1 located on land and where the main load-bearing wall 12 is vertical. We will thus speak in the following of a vertical load-bearing wall 12. It is nevertheless specified that the following description applies to any orientation of the main load-bearing wall 12 relative to the direction of the acceleration of gravity.

[0079] This is a schematic sectional view of the supporting structure 10, taken perpendicular to a vertical axis 9 of the vertical supporting wall 12. The vertical supporting wall 12 is shown in solid lines on the. The vertical supporting wall 12 forms a polygonal cylindrical surface and has typically been constructed by civil engineering techniques. Thus, the vertical supporting wall 12 has vertical sections 14 separated from each other by edges 13.

[0080] The sealed tank 20 (in dotted lines on the) is intended to be installed in the internal space 11 of the supporting structure 10. The tank 20 comprises a vertical peripheral wall 22 intended to be opposite the vertical supporting wall 12. In a manner not shown in the drawings, the tank 20 further comprises a bottom wall opposite the bottom supporting wall and a cover wall opposite the cover supporting wall.

[0081] The vertical peripheral wall 22 may be formed from vertical rows of planar insulating wall modules and vertical rows of corner insulating wall modules as described for example in international application No. PCT / EP2022 / 057845, published under No. WO 2022 / 200536 A1, or in international application No. PCT / EP2022 / 057848, published under No. WO 2022 / 200539 A1. The bottom wall may comprise a plurality of angular sectors which are images of each other by rotation as described in WO 2022 / 200536 A1 or WO 2022 / 200539 A1.

[0082] The position and orientations of the vertical sections 14 may have dimensional deviations from an intended shape of a regular polygon. Furthermore, as shown schematically in the, each vertical section 14 may have dimensional deviations from an ideal planar shape 14P. These dimensional deviations may for example be due to dimensional tolerances on a concrete construction. Such dimensional deviations may make the construction of the installation 1 difficult. It is therefore appropriate that the dimensional deviations do not exceed tolerances specified in advance. However, if the supporting structure 10 is of large dimensions, manually checking that the supporting structure 10 falls within the specified tolerances may take considerable time, during which time it is not possible to continue the construction of the installation 1 since it is not known whether the supporting structure 10 is compliant or not.

[0083] A conformity control method 1000 (hereinafter referred to as “the method 1000” for convenience) is described below, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 16, for controlling the geometric conformity of the supporting structure 1 with respect to a model.

[0084] In a first step 1001 (cf.) of the method 1000, the supporting structure 1 having been constructed, a plurality of measurements 50 (cf. and) are acquired. Each measurement 50 represents a measured three-dimensional position of a point located on the vertical supporting wall 12. In principle, each measurement 50 can be acquired by any suitable remote sensing technique. However, it is particularly advantageous to acquire the measurements 50 by means of a laser remote sensing device (lidar) 91 arranged in the internal space 11. The operating principle of such a device 91 is known as such and is therefore not described in detail here.

[0085] In a very simple variant, the acquisition step 1001 is carried out in a single step, the device 91 having been placed at a single point in the internal space 11.

[0086] However, it is preferable for the acquisition step 1001 to be carried out in several sub-steps, the device 91 being arranged in a different location in the internal space 11 at each sub-step. This can make it possible to obtain an acquisition with satisfactory resolution over the entire vertical load-bearing wall 12. Of course, in this case, the measurements 50 obtained at each sub-step are post-processed so that they are all expressed in the same spatial reference frame.

[0087] In any event, at the end of the acquisition step 1001, a large number of measurements 50 are available, expressed in the same spatial reference frame. According to one embodiment, as shown schematically in the, the measurements 50 are expressed in the same Cartesian orthogonal reference frame (x1, y1, z1), the origin A1 of which is fixed arbitrarily. The third coordinate z1 is preferably expressed along an axis corresponding precisely to the direction G (cf. et) of the local terrestrial gravity field, that is to say the terrestrial gravity field at the location of the supporting structure 10. The direction G of the local terrestrial gravity field may have been acquired during the step 1001 by means of an appropriate sensor 92, for example integrated into the apparatus 91 (cf.). It is specified that although figures 4 and 5 represent for explanation purposes a few measurements 50, the result of the acquisition step 1001 can comprise a very large number of measurements 50, of the order of 10 7 at 109 measures 50 in the case of a supporting structure 10 having internal dimensions of the order of 10 1 meters. The number of measurements 50 depends, as is known, on the scanning parameters of the device 91 and the number of sub-steps of the acquisition step 1001.

[0088] After the acquisition step 1001, a geometry control method 100 (hereinafter referred to as “the method 100”) is implemented, the steps of which are described below. According to one embodiment, the geometry control method 100 is implemented by a computer executing an appropriate computer program. However, the method 100 may be implemented by any appropriate combination of hardware and software, including in a distributed computing environment.

[0089] The method 100 comprises a first step 101 consisting of specifying a model to which the supporting structure 10 will be compared.

[0090] In the model, the number N of sides of the polygon that is to serve as a directrix for the vertical load-bearing wall 12 is specified. N is an integer greater than or equal to 3. For example, N is an even number. More particularly, N is for example an even number between 8 and 56. In a particular embodiment illustrated in the drawings, N is equal to 8. In another particular embodiment, N is equal to 56.

[0091] In the following, the radius Q, the diameter D, the pan width W, the ovality OV and the edge non-verticality NV designate physical quantities of the supporting structure 10. The model includes dimensional attributes, including in particular acceptable value ranges for each of these quantities. Figures 6 to 8 illustrate these quantities in the supporting structure 10.

[0092] Illustrates for explanation purposes the radius Q and the diameter D. Like the, the is a sectional view of the supporting structure 10, taken perpendicular to a vertical axis of the vertical supporting wall 12. The vertical axis bears the reference 9 on the. Each vertical face 14 can be associated with a midpoint 14A located in the section plane of the. The radius Q is the distance between the midpoint 14A and the vertical axis 9 in this section plane. The diameter D is the distance between the midpoints 14A of two diametrically opposite vertical faces 14.

[0093] Also illustrates for explanation purposes the width of the panel W. A vertical panel 14 being considered, the width of the panel W associated with this vertical panel is the distance, in the section plane of the, between the two vertical edges 13 delimiting the panel 14.

[0094] La illustrates for explanation the ovalization OV. Like la and la, la is a sectional view of the supporting structure 10, taken perpendicular to the vertical axis 9. Given a real contour 12R of the vertical supporting wall 12 in the section plane of la, we can define a larger inscribed circle IC in this real contour 12R and a smaller circumscribed circle CC of the real contour 12R. The larger inscribed circle IC has a diameter noted D_inner and the smaller circumscribed circle CC has a diameter D_outer. The ovalization OV is the difference between these two diameters, that is to say that OV = D_outer – D_inner.

[0095] Laillustrates for the purpose of explanation the non-verticality of edge NV. Lais a schematic front view of an edge 13 separating two vertical sections 14 (not shown in the). Given two end points 13-1 and 13-2 of the edge 13, the non-verticality of edge NV is the absolute value of a distance, perpendicular to the vertical axis 9, between the end points 13-1 and 13-2. It is specified that the end points 13-1 and 13-2 can be points of the edge 13 in two reference planes, spaced parallel to the vertical axis 9, in the vertical load-bearing wall 12.

[0096] The acceptable range for each of the above-mentioned quantities may be specified in the form of an interval of numerical quantities. Alternatively, an acceptable range may be specified in the form of a reference value V and a tolerance T on this reference value V; the acceptable range is then the interval between VT and V+T, this interval being able to be open, closed or semi-closed, according to the needs of the implementation. When the reference value V is a non-zero value, the tolerance T may in particular be specified in the form of a percentage of V. With regard to the diameter D, the radius Q, the pan width W, the reference value is a non-zero value specified in advance taking into account the desired dimensions and proportions of the supporting structure 10, and the tolerances are non-zero values ​​specified in advance taking into account the acceptable tolerances on these desired dimensions and proportions of the supporting structure 10.For ovality OV and edge non-verticality NV, the reference value is zero, and the tolerance is a non-zero value specified in advance.

[0097] The geometric attributes and / or the dimensional attributes of the model may be specified by a user, for example by means of a computer-implemented user interface. Alternatively, the model may also have been specified in advance in the form of a parameter file, possibly editable by the user. Advantageously, the acceptable ranges are editable by the user. In particular, when the tolerances are specified in the form of a percentage as mentioned above, the percentage is advantageously editable by the user. This allows the user to carry out a more rigorous or more lax control of the conformity of the supporting structure 10 to be controlled, by modifying the percentage. A more rigorous control will use a lower percentage, for example advantageously 10%, 5% or 3%, which amounts to accepting a deviation from the reference value of 10% or less, 5% or less, or 3% or less.A more lax control will use a higher percentage, for example advantageously 15%, 20% or 25%, which amounts to accepting a deviation from the reference value of 15% or less, 20% or less, or 25% or less. In any case, for each of the quantities mentioned above, the acceptable range specifies the deviation that will be accepted between the model and the supporting structure 10 to be controlled.

[0098] The method 100 further comprises a step 102 in which the measurements 50 described above, carried out on the supporting structure 10 to be checked, are provided. Concretely, the measurements 50 are provided in the form of a computer file, on a data medium or via a network interface. For example, the computer file is provided in the .pts file format well known in the field of laser remote sensing devices.

[0099] The method 100 further comprises a step 103 in which a cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z) is determined from the measurements 50.

[0100] As is known, defining a cylindrical coordinate system involves defining a vertical axis along which a z coordinate is measured and polar coordinates r, θ perpendicular to this vertical axis. Thus, in implementing step 103, it is first necessary to define a vertical axis along which the z coordinate is measured.

[0101] For this purpose, the above-mentioned Cartesian orthogonal reference frame (x1, y1, z1) in which the measurements 50 are expressed is defined in such a way that its vertical axis Z1 is parallel to the direction G of the local Earth gravity field. The vertical axis 19 of the cylindrical coordinate system is chosen to be parallel to the vertical axis Z1. It is understood that the vertical axis 19 is thus parallel or almost parallel to the vertical axis 9 of the supporting structure 10 to be controlled.

[0102] Furthermore, the position of the vertical axis 19 has a position which minimizes a dispersion according to the radial coordinate r of the measurements 50. It is understood that the vertical axis 19 is thus very close to the vertical axis 9 of the supporting structure 10 to be controlled. Furthermore, as will be detailed below, the edges 13 are thus precisely the places where local maxima of the radial coordinate r exist.

[0103] Various mathematical methods are suitable for finding a position of the vertical axis 19 which minimizes a dispersion according to the radial coordinate r of the measurements 50. In a simple example of execution, as shown schematically in the, several (here, four) subsets T1, T2, T3, T4 of measurements 50 are selected, the subsets T1, T2, T3, T4 being defined by increments Δz1 of vertical coordinates z1; and for each subset T1, T2, T3, T4 an interpolation circle C1, C2, C3, C4 (cf.) associated and perpendicular to the vertical axis Z1 is calculated, then a barycenter C of the centers of the circles C1, C2, C3, C4 is calculated. The vertical axis 19 is defined as passing through this barycenter C and being parallel to the vertical axis Z1.

[0104] Then, the Cartesian coordinates of the measurements 50 in the Cartesian frame (x1, y1, z1) (cf.) are converted by calculation into cylindrical coordinates (r, θ, z) (cf.) according to the known mathematical relationships. The choice of the direction in which θ = 0° can be either made arbitrarily, or be made according to the position of a frame traced on one of the sides 14 or of a structural element previously chosen on one of the sides 14. The positive direction of the vertical axis 19 is preferably chosen opposite to the direction of the acceleration of the Earth's gravity.

[0105] The method 100 further comprises a step 104 in which disjoint sectors 200 (cf.) of the space are specified in the cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z). Concretely, these sectors 200 are defined by an increment δθ of coordinates θ (cf.et) and by an increment δz of coordinates z (cf.et).

[0106] Like the numerical quantities of the model described above in relation to step 101, the increments δθ and δz may be specified by a user, for example by means of a user interface implemented on a computer. Alternatively, the model may also have been specified in advance in the form of a parameter file, possibly editable by the user. The increments δθ and δz may be specified a priori using knowledge of the reference value Q0 of the radius Q described above. For example, the increments δθ and δz may be specified such that an area of ​​the vertical load-bearing wall 12 included in a given sector 200 is between 1 cm 2 and 10 cm 2 .

[0107] The method 100 further comprises a step 105 in which, from the measurements 50, discretization points 250 are calculated, one of which is shown for illustration purposes in the. More specifically, one discretization point 250 is calculated per sector 200. Each sector 200 is associated with a range of cylindrical coordinates {Θ ± δθ / 2, Z ± δz / 2}. The discretization point 250 is the center of the sector 200. Its cylindrical coordinates are {R, Θ, Z}, where R is the average of the coordinates r of all the measurements 50 located in the sector 200.

[0108] The method 100 further comprises a step 106 in which, from the discretization points 250 calculated in step 105, estimated positions 300 of the N vertical edges 13 are calculated.

[0109] This calculation can be carried out in a large number of ways. Advantageously, this calculation consists of searching, using knowledge of the reference value W0 of the pan width W described above, for a set of N vertical lines 13 approximately spaced by W0 and whose positions correspond to N local maxima of r.

[0110] The principle of such a calculation will be better understood by referring to the. In this figure, some of the discretization points 250 calculated in step 105 are shown very schematically in the cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z), together with estimated positions 300 of the N vertical edges 13. The calculation consists of searching for a position of a set of N vertical lines 300 subject to the following two criteria: - (i) each of the N lines 300 is sufficiently close to local maxima of r as a function of θ; - (ii) each line 300 is separated from a neighboring line 300 by a distance (perpendicular to the vertical axis 19 of the cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z)) which is included in the interval [W0- W2; W0+ W2], where W2 is a non-zero value. Note that W2 is not necessarily equal to the value of the tolerance on W0; on the contrary, W2 can for example be chosen equal to 2.5 times or 3.0 times this tolerance.Criterion (ii) can then make it possible to prevent a local depression on one of the vertical sides 14 from being wrongly considered as a vertical edge 13. It will also be noted that the straight lines 300 do not necessarily pass through discretization points 250, and may not even pass through any discretization point 250.

[0111] In any event, at the end of step 106, the estimated positions 300 of the vertical edges 13 are available. The method 100 further comprises a step 107 in which, from the estimated positions 300 of the vertical edges 13, estimated positions of N medians 500 of the vertical sections 14 of the supporting structure 10 to be checked are calculated. In an exemplary embodiment, still with reference to the, this step 107 comprises calculating the positions of points 400 which are equidistant, perpendicular to the vertical axis 19, from the lines 300. Preferably, in order to simplify the calculation, the positions of the points 400 are calculated at the same coordinate z as discretization points 250. If it turns out that at this coordinate z, a point 400 does not coincide with a discretization point 250, the coordinate r of this point 400 is calculated by interpolation (for example by linear interpolation) from the coordinates of neighboring discretization points 250.The positions of the 500 medians are then calculated by interpolation, from the positions of the 400 points.

[0112] The method 100 further comprises a step 108 in which, from the estimated positions of the medians calculated in step 107, distances between diametrically opposite medians are compared with the acceptable range of diameter D. With reference to the, this calculation may consist of calculating a distance D c between two diametrically opposite points 400 located in the same vertical plane (in other words located at the same z coordinate), and to check that this distance D c falls within the acceptable range of diameter D.

[0113] Some or all of the comparisons listed below may also be performed in step 108.

[0114] In particular, with reference to the, from the estimated positions of the medians 500 calculated in step 107, and more specifically from the positions of the points 400, we compare the distances Q c between the vertical axis 19 and each of the N points 400 with the acceptable range of radius Q.

[0115] Furthermore, still with reference to the, the distances between the estimated positions 300 of the vertical edges 13 calculated in step 106 are calculated, and these distances are compared with the acceptable range of pan width W.

[0116] Furthermore, returning to the, we calculate the positions and diameters D_inner and D_outer of the largest inscribed circle IC and the smallest circumscribed circle CC, we calculate the value of ovalization OV = D_outer – D_inner, and we compare this calculated value with the acceptable range of ovalization OV.

[0117] Furthermore, from the lines 300 calculated in step 106, the positions of two end points located on the lines 300 are calculated, the absolute value of the distance NV, perpendicular to the vertical axis 19, between these two end points is calculated, and NV is compared with the acceptable range of edge non-verticality.

[0118] Furthermore, local deformations of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 are compared with an acceptable range of local deformation of the vertical load-bearing sections 14, which was previously specified in step 101. This comparison will be explained in more detail with reference to the. For a given sector 200, from all the measurements 50 included in this sector 200, a local interpolation plane 600 is calculated. Then, a local Cartesian coordinate system (a, b, c) is associated with this plane 600, which is orthogonal and defined as follows: the axis (c) is perpendicular to the plane 600; the axis (b) is parallel to the vertical axis 19 of the cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z); and the axis (a) is orthogonal to the axes (b) and (c). Then, the coordinates of the 50 measurements are expressed in this local Cartesian frame (a, b, c) according to the known mathematical relationships.

[0119] Then, a value σa having been specified, the sector 200 is searched for the measurements 50 whose coordinates (a) are included in an interval of width σa (cf.); among these measurements 50, the two measurements 50 furthest from the plane 600, perpendicular to the axis (c), are searched for, one in the positive direction of the axis (c) and the other in the negative direction of the axis (c); the difference σc between the coordinates along the axis (c) of these two measurements 50 is calculated; and this difference σc is compared with the acceptable range of local deformation. This process is repeated until the sector 200 is exhausted, each time shifting the interval of width σa by a fixed increment; in other words, the interval of width σa is used as a sliding window, which can be of any width along the axis (b) of the local Cartesian coordinate system (a, b, c). The preceding operations are repeated for each of the sectors 200.

[0120] Furthermore, a radial coordinate deviation is calculated between all the discretization points 250 having the same azimuthal coordinate Θ and the lowest of them and this deviation is compared with an acceptable range of non-verticality of the vertical load-bearing sections 14, which was previously specified in step 101. This comparison will be explained in more detail with reference to the. Among all the discretization points 250 having a given coordinate Θ, we obtain the radial coordinate Rb of the discretization point 250b which has the smallest coordinate Zb along the vertical axis 19. Then, for each discretization point 250 having the same coordinate Θ, we calculate the radial coordinate deviation ΔR = R – Rb, and we compare ΔR with the acceptable range of non-verticality of the vertical load-bearing sections 14. The preceding operations are repeated for each coordinate Θ between 0 and 360°.

[0121] Alternatively, the deviation ΔR may only be calculated for certain discretization points 250 having a given coordinate Θ. Alternatively, the deviation ΔR may only be calculated for certain discretization points 250 having a coordinate Z included in one or more given ranges. This may make it possible to evaluate the non-verticality of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 over particular zones thereof, and / or to prevent the evaluation of the non-verticality of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 from being distorted by the connection between the bottom load-bearing wall 15 and the vertical load-bearing sections 14, more particularly when this connection has the shape of a chamfer. Alternatively, the radial coordinate deviation ΔR may be calculated with the radial coordinate of another discretization point 250 than the discretization point 250b.

[0122] The method 100 may optionally comprise a step 109 of generating at least one visual representation of the conformity of the load-bearing structure of the results of the checks carried out in step 108. For example, this visual representation may comprise or consist of graphs indicating by colors the regions of the vertical load-bearing wall 12 where the various parameters calculated in step 108 do not fall within the acceptable ranges specified in step 101. For this, more concretely, for each sector 200 of the vertical load-bearing wall 12 and for each parameter calculated in step 108, a Boolean variable is calculated, and takes the value NO (for non-compliant) if the parameter does not fall within the associated acceptable range specified in step 101, and YES (for compliant) otherwise.Additionally or alternatively, the visual representation may comprise or consist of graphs indicating by colors the various parameters calculated in step 108 on a graphical representation of the vertical load-bearing wall 12.

[0123] In a step 1010 of the method 1000, the visual representation(s) generated in step 109 may be displayed to a user, which allows the user to have information that can be used to decide on corrective actions to be taken on the vertical load-bearing wall 12. The method may also result in generating a conformity qualification chosen from compliant and non-compliant, for example a Boolean variable. In one example, the Boolean variable may take the value YES (for compliant) if a percentage of non-compliant sectors 200 of the vertical load-bearing wall 12 is less than a predetermined percentage, and take the value NO (for non-compliant) otherwise.

[0124] Up to now, only a geometry check of the vertical load-bearing wall 12 has been described. However, as mentioned previously, the load-bearing structure 10 may also comprise a bottom load-bearing wall. A variant of the method 100 is described below, which is applicable in the case where this bottom load-bearing wall 15 (cf.) is flat.

[0125] In this variant, in the acquisition step 1001, the apparatus 91 further acquires a plurality of measurements 51 (cf.), where each measurement 51 represents a three-dimensional position measured from a point located on the bottom load-bearing wall 15 of the load-bearing structure 10 to be checked. In step 102, these measurements 51 are provided at the same time as the measurements 50.

[0126] The 51 measurements are expressed in the same Cartesian orthogonal frame (x1, y1, z1) as the 50 measurements.

[0127] In step 103, the Cartesian coordinates of the measurements 51 in the Cartesian coordinate system (x1, y1, z1) (cf.) are converted by calculation, according to known mathematical relationships, into Cartesian coordinates in a Cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z) whose vertical axis z coincides with the vertical axis 19 of the cylindrical coordinate system for the measurements 50.

[0128] In step 104, disjoint sectors 201 of the space in the Cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z) are further specified. Specifically, these sectors 201 are defined by an increment δx of x coordinates and by an increment δy of y coordinates (cf.). Like the numerical quantities of the model described above in relation to step 101, the increments δx and δy can be specified by a user, for example by means of a user interface implemented on a computer. Alternatively, the model may also have been specified in advance in the form of a parameter file, possibly editable by the user. The increments δx and δy can be specified a priori using knowledge of the reference value Q0 of the radius Q described above. For example, the increments δx and δy can be specified such that an area of ​​the bottom load-bearing wall 15 included in a given sector 201 is between 5 cm 2 and 50 cm 2.In step 105, still with reference to the, a discretization point 251 is calculated per sector 201. Each sector 201 is associated with a range of Cartesian coordinates {X ± δx / 2, Y ± δy / 2}. The discretization point 251 is the center of the sector 201. Its Cartesian coordinates are {X, Y, Z}, where Z is the average of the z coordinates of all the measurements 51 located in the sector 201.

[0129] In step 108, a dispersion Δz is calculated, along the vertical axis z, of the measurements 51; in other words, the difference between the highest z coordinate and the lowest z coordinate of the measurements 51 is calculated. With reference to the, which is a graph representing a statistical distribution of the z coordinates of the measurements 51 in an example, it is understood that the higher Δz is, the higher the highest asperity of the bottom load-bearing wall 15. Δz is therefore a parameter which quantifies the non-flatness of the bottom load-bearing wall 15. Still in step 108, Δz is compared with an acceptable range of non-flatness of the bottom load-bearing wall 15, which was previously specified in step 101.

[0130] In step 108, a global interpolation plane 601 is also calculated from all the measurements 51 (cf.). Then, the two measurements 51 furthest from the plane 601 are searched for, parallel to the vertical axis z, one in the positive direction of the vertical axis z and the other in the negative direction of the axis z; and the difference Δd between the z coordinates of these two measurements 51 is calculated. With reference to the, which is a graph representing a statistical distribution of the z coordinates of the measurements 51 in another example, it is understood that in this way, Δd quantifies the non-flatness of the bottom load-bearing wall 15 in a different way from Δz. Still in step 108, Δd is compared with an acceptable range of non-flatness of the bottom load-bearing wall 15, which may or may not be identical to that to which Δz is compared.

[0131] Alternatively, only one of the dispersions Δz or Δd can be calculated.

[0132] Advantageously, the dispersion Δz can only be calculated on the measurements 51 which are located sufficiently far from the vertical load-bearing sections 14. More concretely, thanks to the a priori knowledge of the reference value Q0 of the radius Q, it is possible to exclude from the calculation of the dispersion Δz the measurements 51 whose cylindrical coordinate r verifies r > R0– R2 where R2 is a predetermined threshold. The same is advantageously true for the dispersion Δd. This can make it possible to avoid the evaluation of the non-flatness of the bottom load-bearing wall 15 taking into account the connection between the bottom load-bearing wall 15 and the vertical load-bearing sections 14, more particularly when this connection has the shape of a chamfer.

[0133] A similar comparison with an acceptable range of non-planarity of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 can further be carried out in step 108. From the estimated positions 300 of the vertical edges 13 calculated in step 106, all the measurements 50 corresponding to a given vertical load-bearing section 14 are selected, and a global interpolation plane 701 (cf.) is calculated from the measurements 50 thus selected. It should be noted that the global interpolation plane 701 is not necessarily parallel to the local interpolation plane 600 shown in the. Then, a Cartesian coordinate system (i, j, k) is associated with the global interpolation plane 701, which is orthogonal and defined as follows: the axis (k) is orthogonal to the plane 701; and the axes (i) and (j) are included in the plane 701.Still with reference to the, we search among the measurements 50 used to calculate the plane 701 the two measurements 50 furthest from the plane 701, parallel to the axis (k), one in the positive direction of the axis (k) and the other in the negative direction of the axis (k); and the difference Δk between the coordinates k of these two measurements 50 is calculated. Still in step 108, Δk is compared with an acceptable range of non-flatness of the vertical load-bearing sections 14, which was previously specified in step 101. It will be understood that, similarly to Δd, Δk quantifies the non-flatness of the vertical load-bearing section 14. Furthermore, it is clearly understood that Δk can be calculated and compared with the acceptable range of non-flatness of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 for one, some or all of the vertical load-bearing sections 14.

[0134] The global interpolation plane 601 can also be used to control local deformations of the bottom load-bearing wall 15, as will be described with reference to the. For a given sector 201, a value σx having been specified, the measurements 51 are searched for whose x coordinates are included in an interval of width σx (cf.); among these measurements 51, the two measurements 51 furthest from the plane 601, parallel to the vertical axis z, one in the positive direction of the vertical axis z and the other in the negative direction of the axis z, are searched in the sector 201; a difference σz is calculated between the coordinates along the vertical axis z of these two measurements 51; and this difference σz is compared with an acceptable range of local deformation of the bottom wall, which was previously specified in step 101.This process is repeated until the sector 201 is exhausted, each time shifting the width interval σx by a fixed increment; in other words, the width interval σx is used as a sliding window, which can be of any width along the y axis of the Cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z). The preceding operations are repeated for each of the sectors 201. Alternatively, the two measurements 51 used to calculate σz can be the two most distant measurements of a local interpolation plane which is calculated from all the measurements 51 included in the sector 201. It should be noted that this local interpolation plane is not necessarily parallel to the global interpolation plane 601.

[0135] The principles described above for a flat bottom load-bearing wall 15 are also applicable to a flat cover wall of the load-bearing structure 10.

[0136] The geometry control procedures described above can be applied to any civil engineering structure or any welded mechanical structure to be built in accordance with the specified model.

[0137] As mentioned above, the vertical peripheral wall 22 may be formed from vertical rows of planar insulating wall modules and vertical rows of corner insulating wall modules as described in WO 2022 / 200536 A1 or in WO 2022 / 200539 A1. As described in these documents, knowledge of the three-dimensional positions of the N vertical edges 13 makes it possible to draw, on the vertical load-bearing sections 14, vertical reference lines that can be used to position the vertical rows of planar insulating wall modules and the vertical rows of corner insulating wall modules on the vertical load-bearing sections 14. In the, for the purpose of explanation, for a vertical load-bearing section 14, such vertical reference lines 800 are shown schematically, together with orthoradial reference lines 825.With reference to the, the vertical reference lines 800 and the orthoradial reference lines 825 together delimit disjoint sectors 830, each sector 830 corresponding to the intended location of a planar insulating wall module or a corner insulating wall module on the vertical load-bearing panel 14.

[0138] According to a variant of the method 100, - from the estimated positions 300 of the N vertical edges 13 calculated in step 106 and the measurements 50, the positions of the vertical reference lines 800 are calculated as described in WO 2022 / 200536 A1 or in WO 2022 / 200539 A1; - from the calculated positions of the vertical reference lines 800 and the expected dimensions of the insulating modules, the positions of the orthoradial reference lines 825 are further calculated; and - in step 108, local deformations of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 are compared with the acceptable range of local deformation of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 as described above, except that, instead of the sectors 200, the sectors 830 are used or sectors of a predetermined radius around the geometric center of each sector 830.In this way, the comparison of the local deformations of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 with the acceptable range of local deformation of the vertical load-bearing sections 14 is better indicative of corrective actions to be taken on the vertical load-bearing wall 12 so that the planar insulating wall modules and the corner insulating wall modules can be positioned as desired on the vertical load-bearing sections 14.

[0139] As described in WO 2022 / 200536 A1 or in WO 2022 / 200539 A1, knowledge of the three-dimensional positions of the N vertical edges 13 further makes it possible to draw, on the flat bottom load-bearing wall 15, horizontal reference lines which can be used to position the angular sectors which are images of each other by rotation and of the insulating blocks forming these angular sectors. In the, such horizontal reference lines 900 have been shown schematically for explanation purposes, together with orthoradial reference lines 925. With reference to the, the horizontal reference lines and the orthoradial reference lines 925 together delimit disjoint sectors 930, each sector 930 corresponding to the intended location of an insulating block on the bottom load-bearing wall 15. It should be noted that the sectors 930 may have various shapes, in particular rectangle, trapezoid, etc. It is therefore in no way limiting in this regard.

[0140] According to a variant of the method 100, - from the calculated positions of the vertical reference lines 800, the positions of the horizontal reference lines 900 are calculated as described in WO 2022 / 200536 A1 or in WO 2022 / 200539 A1; - from the calculated positions of the horizontal reference lines 900 and the planned dimensions of the insulating blocks, the positions of the orthoradial reference lines 925 are further calculated; and - in step 108, local deformations of the planar bottom load-bearing wall 15 are compared with the acceptable range of local deformation of the bottom load-bearing wall as described above, except that, instead of the sectors 201, the sectors 930 are used or sectors of a predetermined radius around the geometric center of each sector 930.In this way, the comparison of the local deformations of the flat bottom load-bearing wall 15 with the acceptable range of local deformation of the bottom load-bearing wall is better indicative of corrective actions to be taken on the vertical load-bearing wall 12 so that the insulating blocks can be positioned as desired on the bottom load-bearing wall 15.

[0141] Since the sectors 830, 930 correspond to the intended location of insulating wall modules or insulating blocks, the measurements 50, 51 included in the sectors 830, 930 can further be used to calculate the dimensions of spacer elements. For example, the spacer elements comprise shims and / or beads of mastic. The spacer elements are intended to compensate for flatness defects of the vertical load-bearing panels 14 and the bottom load-bearing wall 15. For this purpose, the spacer elements are positioned between an insulating wall module and a vertical load-bearing panel 14, or between an insulating block and the bottom load-bearing wall 15. The dimensions of the spacer elements can be calculated as described in WO 2023 / 073201 A1 for example.

[0142] The geometry control methods described above can be implemented by means of a geometry control device 3000 (cf.). The geometry control device 3000 comprises at least one processor 3001 and at least one memory 3002 containing a computer program; the at least one memory 3002 and the computer program are configured, with said at least one processor 3001, to cause the execution of the geometry control method 100 described above. The geometry control device 3000 can be implemented in different forms, in a unitary or distributed manner, by means of hardware and / or software components. Usable hardware components are specific integrated circuits ASIC, programmable logic networks FPGA or microprocessors. Software components can be written in different programming languages, for example C, C++, Java (registered trademark) or VHDL. This list is not exhaustive.

[0143] Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular embodiments, it is obvious that it is in no way limited thereto and that it includes all technical equivalents of the means described as well as their combinations if these fall within the scope of the invention.

[0144] The use of the verb "comprise", "comprise" or "include" and its conjugated forms does not exclude the presence of other elements or other steps than those set out in a claim.

[0145] In the claims, any reference sign in parentheses cannot be interpreted as a limitation of the claim.

Claims

A computer-implemented geometry control method (100), comprising:- specifying (101) a structure model (10), the structure model (10) comprising geometric attributes and dimensional attributes, the geometric attributes comprising a number N of sides of a polygon, N being an integer greater than or equal to 3, the dimensional attributes including an acceptable range of diameter (D);- providing (102) a plurality of first measurements (50) each representing a measured position in a three-dimensional frame (x1, y1, z1) of a point located on a structure to be controlled;- determining (103) a cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z) having a vertical axis (19) parallel to an axis of said three-dimensional frame, said vertical axis (19) having a position which minimizes a dispersion of said first measurements (50) according to a radial coordinate (r) in said cylindrical coordinate system;- specifying (104) first disjoint sectors (200) of the space in the cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z), said first sectors (200) being defined by azimuthal coordinate increments (δθ) and axial coordinate increments (δz) in said cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z);- calculating (105), from the first measurements (50), a plurality of first discretization points (250), each first discretization point (250) representing an average position of the structure to be controlled in one of said first sectors (200);- calculating (106), from the first discretization points (250), estimated positions (300) of N vertical edges (13) of the structure to be controlled;- calculating (107), from the estimated positions (300) of the N vertical edges (13), estimated positions (400) of N medians, each median being a median of a vertical section (14) of the structure to be controlled;and- from the estimated positions of the N medians, compare (108) distances between diametrically opposite medians with said acceptable range of diameter (D).; The geometry control method (100) of claim 1, wherein the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable radius range (Q), and wherein the geometry control method (100) further comprises comparing (108) distances between said estimated positions (400) of the N medians and said vertical axis (19) with said acceptable radius range. A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of pan width (W), and wherein the geometry control method (100) further comprises comparing (108) distances between the estimated positions (300) of two neighboring vertical edges (13) with said acceptable range of pan width. A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of edge non-verticality (NV), and wherein the geometry control method (100) further comprises comparing (108) distances, perpendicular to the vertical axis (19) of said cylindrical coordinate system, between end points of each vertical edge (13) with said acceptable range of edge non-verticality (NV). A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of ovality (OV), and wherein the geometry control method (100) further comprises comparing (108) a difference in diameter between a largest inscribed circle (CI) of the vertical wall (12) and a smallest circumscribed circle (CC) of the vertical wall (12) of the structure to be controlled with said acceptable range of ovality. A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of local deformation of the vertical sections (14), and wherein the geometry control method (100) further comprises comparing local deformations of the structure to be controlled with said acceptable range of local deformation of the vertical sections (14). A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of non-verticality of the vertical sections (14), and wherein the geometry control method (100) further comprises:- selecting a subset of the first discretization points (250), in which subset the azimuthal coordinates (Θ) of the first discretization points (250) are equal to each other;- determining radial coordinate (R) deviations (ΔR) between the first discretization points (250) of the subset; and- comparing the radial coordinate (R) deviations (ΔR) with said acceptable range of non-verticality of the vertical sections (14). A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of non-flatness of the vertical planes (14), and the geometry control method (100) further comprises: - from the estimated positions (300) of the N vertical edges (13), selecting the first measurements (50) corresponding to a vertical plane (14) of the structure to be controlled; - calculating a vertical plane non-flatness parameter (Δk) from the selected first measurements (50), and comparing the vertical plane non-flatness parameter (Δk) with said acceptable range of non-flatness of the vertical planes (14). A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the geometric attributes further comprise a flat bottom wall, the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of non-flatness of the bottom wall, and the geometry control method (100) further comprises:- providing (102) a plurality of second measurements (51) each representing a measured position in said three-dimensional reference frame (x1, y1, z1) of a point located on a bottom wall (15) of the structure to be controlled;- associating (103) with the second measurements (51) a Cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z), said Cartesian coordinate system having a first axis, a second axis and a third axis perpendicular to each other, the third axis coinciding with said vertical axis (19) of said cylindrical coordinate system;- specifying (104) second disjoint sectors (201) of the space in said Cartesian coordinate system, said second sectors (201) being defined by coordinate increments (δx, δy) along the first axis and the second axis of said Cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z);- calculating (105), from the second measurements (51), a plurality of second discretization points (251), each second discretization point (251) representing an average position of the bottom wall (15) of the structure to be controlled in one of said second sectors (201);- calculating (108) a non-flatness parameter of the bottom wall (Δz; Δd) from the second discretization points (251), and comparing (108) the non-flatness parameter of the bottom wall (Δz; Δd) with said acceptable range of non-flatness of the bottom wall.; The geometry control method (100) of claim 9, wherein the dimensional attributes further include an acceptable range of local deformation of the bottom wall, and wherein the geometry control method (100) further comprises comparing local deformations of the bottom wall of the structure to be controlled with said acceptable range of local deformation of the bottom wall. Geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, in which N is an even number, more particularly N is an even number between 8 and 56, more particularly still N = 8 or N = 56. A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a generation step of generating (109) a visual representation of a result of at least one said comparison (108). Geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising the step of assigning a conformity qualification to the structure to be controlled, the conformity qualification being chosen from compliant and non-compliant. A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the plurality of first measurements (50) comes from an acquisition of measurements (1001) by means of a measuring instrument in the structure to be controlled, and wherein the measuring instrument comprises a laser remote sensing apparatus (91) arranged in an internal space (11) of the structure to be controlled. A geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the structure to be controlled is a supporting structure for a liquefied gas storage facility (1). Geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the structure to be controlled is made of concrete. A computer program comprising instructions which, when the computer program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 16. A geometry control device (3000) comprising at least one processor (3001) and at least one memory (3002) containing a computer program, wherein said at least one memory (3002) and the computer program are configured, together with said at least one processor (3001), to cause the geometry control method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 16 to be executed by the geometry control device (3000).