Pipeline estimation system, pipeline estimation method, and pipeline estimation program

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a distance data calculation unit that inputs, with respect to a pipeline embedded in the ground, estimated partial pipeline data having an estimated partial pipeline estimated on the basis of measurement data, and pipeline management data including the positions of a plurality of pipelines recorded as management data, uses at least one pipeline included in the pipeline management data as a candidate pipeline, calculates the distance to the position of the candidate pipeline for each estimated partial pipeline included in the estimated partial pipeline data, and outputs the associated distance data; first processing for inputting the estimated partial pipeline data and the distance data and extracting estimated partial pipeline data that satisfies a predetermined distance for each candidate pipeline; second processing for estimating the actual position of the pipeline on the basis of the extracted estimated partial pipeline data; and a pipeline estimation unit that outputs the actual position of the pipeline estimated by the second processing as estimated pipeline data.

Description

Pipe line estimation system, pipe line estimation method, and pipe line estimation program

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for estimating the actual location of a pipeline buried underground.

[0002] Traditionally, when planning or constructing pole installations or utility pole removal, design drawings and construction drawings that aggregate information on buried objects and surrounding objects in the relevant locations are used. These drawings are managed, edited, and viewed using computer-aided design (CAD) technology. However, the various managed data may diverge from the actual conditions of the relevant locations because the timing of their preparation differs from the planning and construction periods. Therefore, a survey of buried objects in the relevant area is generally conducted. In the survey of buried objects, information including the location of buried objects measured using various methods is obtained based on actual measurements. This eliminates the discrepancy between managed data such as design information and the actual conditions, reducing rework in planning and construction.

[0003] Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for automatically estimating buried objects using a buried object learning model based on underground exploration images acquired by a ground-penetrating radar device, as one measurement method for investigating buried objects. The buried object learning model is an artificial intelligence (AI) model configured by a neural network that has learned underground exploration data of the detection target.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a support system for correcting design information based on actual measurement data and design information. The support system discloses a method for automatically correcting design data when a discrepancy occurs between the design data and the actual measurement data so that the design data approaches the actual measurement data.

[0005] JP 2022-1203327 A JP 2020-149386 A

[0006] The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses underground exploration images as measurement data. Various types of measurements, not limited to underground exploration methods, can only obtain partial information about the location of buried pipelines. Therefore, for a given survey area, discrepancies arise between the management data and the measurement data, or between estimated data estimated from the measurement data alone.

[0007] The invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 calculates the discrepancy between design data and measured data, and then performs a correction process based on the calculated discrepancy. However, this method cannot be applied to design and measured data that include multiple objects not anticipated by this invention. Furthermore, depending on the method for acquiring the measured data, there may be areas that cannot be measured due to the measurement principle, for example, due to the presence of obstructions, or depending on when the management data was created, new pipelines may exist in the area. Therefore, the correspondence between the management data and measured data, or between data estimated from the measured data, cannot be determined by calculating the difference between the entire data.

[0008] Therefore, there is an efficiency problem in that it is necessary to manually check the consistency of the estimation results based on the actual measurement data with the management data and reflect the results in the design and construction of the area.In other words, there is a need for a highly reliable technology for estimating the actual location of buried pipelines while maintaining the consistency between the management data and the estimation data based on the actual measurement data.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a pipeline estimation system, a pipeline estimation method, and a pipeline estimation program that can accurately match management data and estimated data based on actual measurement data regarding the actual location of buried pipelines, and estimate the actual location of the pipelines with high reliability.

[0010] The pipeline estimation system according to the present invention is configured as a pipeline estimation system characterized by having: a distance data calculation unit that inputs estimated partial pipeline data having estimated partial pipelines estimated based on actual measurement data for pipelines buried underground, and pipeline management data including the positions of multiple pipelines recorded as management data, and designates at least one pipeline included in the pipeline management data as a candidate pipeline, and calculates the distance from each estimated partial pipeline included in the estimated partial pipeline data to the position of the candidate pipeline and outputs corresponding distance data; a first process that inputs the estimated partial pipeline data and the distance data and extracts the estimated partial pipeline data that satisfies a predetermined distance for each candidate pipeline; a second process that estimates the actual position of the pipeline based on the extracted estimated partial pipeline data; and a pipeline estimation unit that outputs the actual position of the pipeline estimated by the second process as estimated pipeline data.

[0011] According to the present invention, the actual location of a buried pipeline can be estimated with high reliability by accurately matching management data with estimated data based on actual measurement data.

[0012] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of a pipeline estimation system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the pipeline estimation system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic diagram of a calculation target in a pipeline estimation unit. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of estimated partial pipeline data. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of pipeline management data. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of distance data. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of estimated pipeline data. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart of a pipeline estimation method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flag list. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen on which a flag list is displayed on a screen. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart of processing by a pipeline estimation unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a block diagram of a pipeline estimation system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of data example of estimated partial pipeline data in a third embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of actual measurement data in the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of a pipeline estimation system according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart of processing by a pipeline estimation unit according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic diagram of a calculation target in a pipeline estimation unit according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of an example of a flag list in a pipeline estimation unit according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of a pipeline estimation system according to a sixth embodiment. 10 is a diagram showing an example of object management data in Example 7. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of processing by the correction unit in Example 7. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic diagram of a calculation target of the correction unit in Example 7. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a pipeline estimation system in Example 8. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a pipeline estimation system in Example 8. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a buried object management screen display on a display device (pipe information screen). FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a buried object management screen display on a display device (estimated partial pipeline information screen). FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a buried object management screen display on a display device (estimated pipeline information screen). FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a buried object management screen display on a display device (pipe management screen). FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a flag list in Example 3.

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description and drawings are examples for explaining the present invention, and some omissions and simplifications have been made as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0014] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0015] In the following explanation, various types of information may be described using expressions such as "database," "table," and "list," but the various types of information may also be expressed using data structures other than these. To indicate that the information is not dependent on the data structure, "XX table," "XX list," and the like may be referred to as "XX information." When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, and these are interchangeable.

[0016] When there are multiple components with the same or similar functions, they may be described using the same reference numeral with different subscripts. However, when there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0017] Furthermore, in the following description, processing performed by executing a program may be described, but the program is executed by a processor (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)) to perform the specified processing while appropriately using storage resources (e.g., memory) and / or interface devices (e.g., communication ports), etc., so the processor may be the subject of the processing. Similarly, the subject of the processing performed by executing a program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The subject of the processing performed by executing a program may be a calculation unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0018] A program may be installed on a device such as a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. Also, in the following description, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0019] In addition, in the following explanation, the system may be described as being composed of a single computer, but similar functions may also be realized by distributing all or part of the functions of the computer across one or more computers, such as a cloud, and communicating with each other via a network.

[0020] (1-1) Configuration of the Pipeline Estimation System According to the Present Embodiment In Fig. 1, S1 indicates the entire pipeline estimation system according to the present embodiment. This pipeline estimation system S1 is configured with a distance data calculation unit P2 and a pipeline estimation unit P3.

[0021] The pipeline estimation system S1 may be executed by a server H1 having the hardware configuration shown in Fig. 2. The server H1 is configured from a general-purpose computer having a processor A01 such as a CPU, and information processing resources such as a memory A02, a storage A03, and a communication I / F (Interface) A04. The storage A03 stores a pipeline estimation program M1 that causes a computer to execute a pipeline estimation method, and the program is executed by the information processing resources.

[0022] The pipeline estimation system S1 inputs estimated partial pipeline data D2 estimated based on actual measurement data (not shown) and pipeline management data D3 including the positions of multiple pipelines recorded as management data such as design information, and estimates the actual position of the pipeline based on the estimated partial pipeline data D2 and the pipeline management data D3, and outputs it as estimated pipeline data D5.

[0023] The measured data is data obtained by excavating the area to expose a portion of the buried pipeline, and then obtaining point clouds using distance measuring devices such as laser range finders, or by non-destructive measurement that does not require excavation using electromagnetic induction, radio waves in various bands, or elastic waves. The signals recorded in the data include information about the location of the portion of the buried pipeline.

[0024] The estimated partial pipeline data D2 is data obtained by estimating the partial position of a buried pipeline manually or by a predetermined estimation device (not shown) based on actual measurement data. As an example, the estimated partial pipeline data D2 is shown in FIG. 4 . Here, for each estimated partial pipeline (EstPipeSeg A, EstPipeSeg B, etc.), the position is recorded as three-dimensional coordinates of the start point (Start) and end point (End) of each estimated partial pipeline (EstPipeSeg A, EstPipeSeg B, etc.), respectively, as Start X position, Start Y position, Start Z position, End X position, End Y position, and End Z position. The horizontal position, i.e., the X and Y coordinates, may be recorded as geographical coordinates based on latitude and longitude or various coordinate systems, or may be recorded as an offset from a reference point. The vertical position, i.e., the Z coordinate, may be recorded as a depth from the ground surface or as an elevation. Also, although the partial position is recorded as the coordinates of the start and end points of a line segment, it may also be recorded as a point cloud, a curve, a curved surface, or a three-dimensional structure.

[0025] The pipeline management data D3 is data including the positions of multiple pipelines recorded as management data such as design information. As an example, the pipeline management data D3 is shown in FIG. 5 . Here, similar to the estimated partial pipeline data D2, the position of each pipeline (Pipe A, Pipe B, etc.) is input as three-dimensional coordinates of the start point (Start) and end point (End), respectively, recorded as Start X position, Start Y position, Start Z position, End X position, End Y position, and End Z position. The horizontal position, i.e., the X and Y coordinates, may be recorded as geographical coordinates based on latitude and longitude or various coordinate systems, or may be recorded as an offset from a reference point. The vertical position, i.e., the Z coordinate, may be recorded as the depth from the ground surface or as the elevation. Also, although the example in which the position of the pipeline is recorded as the coordinates of the start and end points of a line segment has been described, it may also be recorded as a point cloud, a curve, a curved surface, or a three-dimensional structure.

[0026] Next, a pipeline estimation method in the pipeline estimation system S1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the pipeline estimation method. First, in a data input step F101, the pipeline estimation system S1 inputs estimated pipeline portion data D2 and pipeline management data D3. Next, in a distance calculation step F102, a distance data calculation unit P2 calculates the distance between the position of a candidate pipeline in the pipeline management data D3 and the estimated pipeline portion, and outputs distance data D4 to the pipeline estimation unit P3. The pipeline estimation unit P3 then executes a pipeline position estimation step F103. The pipeline position estimation step F103 includes a first step F105 of extracting an estimated pipeline portion that satisfies a predetermined distance for each candidate pipeline, and a second step F106 of estimating the actual position of the pipeline. The pipeline position estimated in the pipeline position estimation step F103 is output from the pipeline estimation system S1 in a data output step F104. Pipeline estimation is performed through the above steps.

[0027] The distance calculation step F102 will now be described in detail. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between the positions of candidate pipelines in the pipeline management data D3 input to the distance data calculation unit P2, the estimated pipeline segments, and the distance between them. Here, each start point and end point is indicated by a black circle, and the estimated pipeline segments (EstPipeSeg A, EstPipeSeg B) are connected by a solid line, and the candidate pipelines (PipeA, PipeB) in the pipeline management data are connected by a dashed line, with the distance d between them indicated by a double-headed arrow. The distance d is the distance between the estimated pipeline segment p and the candidate pipeline q, and is written as d(p, q).

[0028] The distance d(p, q) is calculated using Equation (1) when the estimated partial pipeline p and the candidate pipeline q are expressed as n-dimensional points. Even when the estimated partial pipeline p and the candidate pipeline q are line segments, the distance between their start and end points, or the distance between their midpoints or between their internal division points at a predetermined ratio, may be calculated using Equation (1). Furthermore, when the estimated partial pipeline p and the candidate pipeline q are three-dimensional objects such as cylinders or curved surfaces, representative points such as the center, center of gravity, or end points of each object are calculated in advance, and the distance is calculated by calculating Equation (1) between the representative points. Alternatively, multiple internal division points may be set within a line segment, or multiple representative points may be set within an object. Then, the distance calculated for each point using Equation (1) may be averaged, median, integrated, or other predetermined calculations may be performed to calculate a representative value, which is then used as the distance.

[0029]

[0030] Here, equation (1) represents the so-called Euclidean distance, but the distance may be calculated based on the definition of the Mahalanobis distance, the Chebyshev distance, the Manhattan distance, or the like.

[0031] The distance data calculation unit P2 outputs each calculated distance as distance data D4 as shown in Fig. 6. The distance data D4 has a header containing a candidate pipeline and an index containing a label specifying an estimated partial pipeline, with the distance between the two recorded in the corresponding cell.

[0032] Next, the pipeline position estimation step F103 will be described in detail. FIG. 10 shows a detailed flowchart of the pipeline position estimation step. First, the pipeline estimation unit P3 receives the estimated pipeline segment data D2 input to the pipeline estimation system S1 and the distance data D4 output from the distance data calculation unit P2 (F301). Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3 extracts a list of candidate pipelines included in the distance data D4 as Pipe_list (F302). This is equivalent to obtaining the list of headers of the distance data D4 shown in FIG. 6. Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3 sequentially obtains candidate pipelines q from pipe_list (F303, F304). Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3 extracts a list of estimated pipeline segments as EstPipeSeg_List (F305). This is equivalent to obtaining the list of indexes of the distance data D4 shown in FIG. 6.

[0033] Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3 sequentially acquires the estimated pipeline segments p in the EstPipeSeg_List (F306, F307). Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3 references the distance data D4 to determine whether the distance between the candidate pipeline q and the estimated pipeline segment p is less than a predetermined distance threshold (F308). If the pipeline estimation unit P3 obtains a positive result for this determination (F308; Yes, F309), it stores True at the [p, q] position in the flag list. If the pipeline estimation unit P3 obtains a negative result for this determination (F308; No, F310), it stores False at the [p, q] position in the flag list (F311). When this process is completed for all estimated pipeline segments stored in the EstPipeSeg_List (F312, F313) (F313; No), the flag list becomes, for example, table data such as that shown in FIG. 9A . If the result of F313 is Yes, the process returns to F307 and the subsequent processes are repeated.

[0034] The flag list is a table that stores the results of determining whether the distance between the candidate pipeline q and the estimated partial pipeline p satisfies a predetermined distance threshold. The flag list may be displayed on an information display device (not shown), for example, as shown in FIG. 9B . The displayed flag list screen may be displayed together with the screens shown in FIGS. 25A to 25D (described later) by switching tabs, or may be displayed as a separate screen. In FIG. 9B , True is set for candidate pipelines q and estimated partial pipelines p that satisfy the predetermined distance threshold, while False is set for candidate pipelines q and estimated partial pipelines p that do not satisfy the predetermined distance threshold, and the two are displayed in different ways on the screen. At a glance at the screen displaying such a flag list, the user can easily identify combinations of candidate pipelines q and estimated partial pipelines p that satisfy the condition of being less than the predetermined distance threshold.

[0035] Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3 determines whether the distance threshold determination results for all estimated pipeline segments in the column direction of the flag list, i.e., for candidate pipeline q, are False (F314). If the pipeline estimation unit P3 obtains a positive result for this determination (F314; Yes), it determines that there is no estimated pipeline segment that is close to candidate pipeline q in terms of distance. Therefore, the pipeline estimation unit P3 selects the next candidate pipeline q in accordance with the candidate pipeline list Pipe_list (F315, F316) and repeats the same steps (F304-F314) again. If the pipeline estimation unit P3 obtains a negative result for this determination (F314; No), it determines that there is an estimated pipeline segment that is close to candidate pipeline q in terms of distance. Therefore, the pipeline estimation unit P3 extracts the corresponding estimated pipeline segments whose flag list is True (F317) and calculates the data range of the extracted estimated pipeline segments (F318). The data range is defined as the area occupied in position space by the group of extracted estimated pipeline segments. For example, in the schematic diagram of FIG. 3, assume that d(B, A) and d(A, A) satisfy the distance threshold value for candidate pipeline Pipe A. In this case, EstPipeSeg A and EstPipeSeg B are extracted as estimated pipeline segments. The data range is then set to the smallest range that can encompass a total of four points indicated by black circles.

[0036] Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3 performs regression analysis based on the extracted estimated pipeline group within the data range to determine a regression line segment (F319). One method for determining a regression line segment is to use the least squares method (LSM). The pipeline estimation unit P3 determines a line segment so that the sum of the distances between the coordinates of the four points that make up EstPipeSeg A and EstPipeSeg B and the line segment to be determined is minimized. For example, if the line segment to be determined is a line segment on the xy plane, a straight line passing through the line segment is modeled using equation (2).

[0037]

[0038] where a and b are regression coefficients. Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3 calculates the sum of the squares of the differences between the coordinates (xi, yi) of point n and the straight line modeled by equation (2) as Error. This operation is generalized and shown in equation (3).

[0039]

[0040] The pipeline estimation unit P3 calculates the regression coefficients a and b that minimize the error expressed by equation (3) and substitutes them into equation (2) to obtain a reasonable straight line. Examples of methods for calculating the regression coefficients a and b that minimize the error include analytical methods using partial differentials or matrix operations, and numerical calculations that search by changing the values ​​of the regression coefficients a and b from their initial values ​​and calculating the error each time. Alternatively, a regression line in three-dimensional space may be obtained by modeling a linear equation on the zx and zy planes, as with equation (2), and calculating each regression coefficient based on the three-dimensional coordinates (xi, yi, zi) of n points. The aforementioned data range is applied to the line segment area of ​​the straight line. While the calculation method for line segments is illustrated here, objects other than line segments, including curves, cylinders, and curved surfaces, can also be estimated by modeling the target using a specified method and optimizing it based on a specified error (error) between the model and the extracted estimated pipeline segment. As an optimization method, Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) or the like may be used.

[0041] As an example, the line segment determined by this process is shown as EstPipe A in the dashed line in Figure 3. The estimated pipeline is recorded in estimated pipeline data D5 (F320), and then the same process (F304-F316) is performed for the next candidate pipeline. Once this process has been performed for all candidate pipelines in the list Pipe_list (if a negative result is obtained in F316, F316; No), the pipeline estimation unit P3 outputs estimated pipeline data D5 (F321) and ends the process. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in F316 (F316; Yes), the process returns to F304, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

[0042] As an example, the estimated pipeline data D5 is shown in Fig. 7. Here, similar to the estimated partial pipeline data D2, for each estimated pipeline (EstPipe A, ...), the position is recorded as three-dimensional coordinates of the start point (Start) and end point (End) as Start X position, Start Y position, Start Z position, End X position, End Y position, and End Z position, respectively.

[0043] The estimated pipeline data output from the pipeline estimation system S1 is displayed on an information display device (not shown), allowing a user to confirm the estimated pipeline data D5. The information display device is configured, for example, with a display device having a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The information display device generates a predetermined screen showing the position of the estimated pipeline based on the estimated pipeline data D5 provided from the pipeline estimation system S1, and displays the generated screen. As an example of the generated screen, an estimated pipeline information screen 25CM is shown in FIG. 25C. Within the screen, a pipeline 25CP in the estimated pipeline data is displayed as a line segment object in two-dimensional space.

[0044] According to the pipeline estimation system S1 and method of this embodiment, it is possible to realize a pipeline estimation system and method that can reliably estimate the actual position of a pipeline while ensuring maximum consistency between the pipeline management data D3 and the estimated partial pipeline data D2 based on actual measurement data regarding the actual position of a buried pipeline.

[0045] Figure 11 shows a pipeline estimation system S2 according to Example 2. In Figure 11, parts corresponding to those in Figure 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. This pipeline estimation system S2 is configured in the same manner as the pipeline estimation system S1 of Example 1, except that the input data to the system is actual measurement data D1 instead of estimated partial pipeline data D2, and that it includes a partial pipeline estimation unit P1 that outputs estimated partial pipeline data D2 from the input actual measurement data D1.

[0046] The measured data D1 input to the partial pipeline estimation unit P1 is generated by irradiating a pipeline buried underground with radio waves from above ground and acquiring the reflected signal. FIG. 13 shows an example of the measured data D1. The vertical axis represents the delay time (t) from when the radio waves are irradiated to when they are reflected underground and then received again on the ground, while the horizontal axis represents the distance (x) from the direction of travel of the irradiated point. Furthermore, brightness represents signal strength. The signal strength may be a positive or negative value, or even an imaginary number. Furthermore, three-dimensional measured data may be obtained by shifting the radio waves along the axis (y) perpendicular to the x-axis. In FIG. 13, the position of the underground pipeline is simulated by a dotted line on the delay time axis. When radio waves are reflected at the interface between the material constituting the buried pipeline and the underground medium, measured data D1 with strong signal strength is acquired around the top end of the underground pipeline, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0047] The partial pipeline estimation unit P1 detects reflected signals from a buried pipeline included in the input actual measurement data D1, estimates a portion of the position of the buried pipeline, and outputs the estimated partial pipeline data to the distance data calculation unit P2 and the pipeline estimation unit P3. As a method for estimating a portion of the position of a buried pipeline from reflected signals from the buried pipeline, the method described in Patent Document 1 may be used, or in addition to this method, various techniques for detecting the position of an object by irradiating an ultrasonic wave, a laser, or the like may be used.

[0048] In the third embodiment, the pipeline management data D3" input to the pipeline estimation system S1 records, as pipe information, at least one piece of information from among the pipe type, pipe diameter, and pipe material for each of the recorded multiple pipelines. Then, the pipeline estimation unit P3 estimates the actual position of the pipeline using the pipe information as well. Except for these points, the system is carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0049] An example of pipeline management data D3" including pipe information is shown in FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 12, pipe information such as pipe type, pipe diameter, and pipe material is recorded for each pipeline (Pipe A, Pipe B, etc.) recorded in the pipeline management data D3".

[0050] A method for estimating the actual location of a pipeline using pipe information in the pipeline estimation unit P3 will be described in detail. FIG. 26 shows an example of a flag list in Example 3. In Example 1, because pipe information is not necessarily included, the known distance determination results were stored in the flag list, and an estimated pipeline segment was extracted for each pipeline in the pipeline management data D3. In the flag list shown in FIG. 26 , for two estimated pipeline segments, EstPipeSeg A and EstPipeSeg B, the flags for two pipelines, Pipe A and Pipe B, are set to True. Here, while it is possible to evaluate the appropriateness of which pipeline a particular data should be associated with based on the distance, the actual measurement data D1, which is the source data for the estimated pipeline segment data D2, contains measurement errors resulting from the actual measurement method.

[0051] That is, when the distance threshold shown in FIG. 10 is equal to or less than the measurement error resulting from the actual measurement method, the pipeline estimation unit P3 determines which pipeline the estimated pipeline portion corresponds to based on other information. Here, the explanation will be given using pipe material as an example of pipe information. Assume that information indicates that the pipe material of pipeline PipeA is ductile iron (DI) and the pipe material of pipeline PipeB is polyethylene (PE), and that the actual measurement data D1 was obtained using an electrical method for the pipelines. In this case, it is clear that the detection rate for pipeline PipeA, which is made of metal, is higher than that for pipeline PipeB, which is made of non-metal.

[0052] Therefore, as an example, the pipeline estimation unit P3 updates the flag list of estimated pipeline portions classified within the distance threshold for multiple pipelines based on whether the pipe material in the pipe information is metallic or non-metallic. Here, the pipeline estimation unit P3 leaves the column for Pipe A, which is metallic, set to True, and updates the column 2601 for Pipe B, which is non-metallic, from True to False. In addition to this example, if a wavy signal is used to acquire the actual measurement data D1, the pipeline estimation unit P3 may update the flag list for pipelines that are unlikely to be measured based on the relationship between the pipe diameter and wavelength, or may update the flag list based on the curvature or inclination of the pipe type. The above-mentioned updating process may be performed, for example, after it is determined in step (F314) shown in FIG. 10 that all candidate pipelines in the flag list are not set to False (F314; No), and before the extraction of estimated pipeline portions in step (F317). By performing the above-described update process at this timing, pipelines that are unlikely to be correct can be removed in advance, making it possible to efficiently perform extraction in step (F317).

[0053] This pipe information is usually determined at the time of construction planning, and is therefore often recorded together with the pipe management data. In Example 3, the pipe estimation system S1 outputs estimated pipe data D5 corresponding to the pipe information recorded in the pipe management data D3". In other words, each estimated pipe is recorded with its pipe information. Therefore, by displaying the estimated pipe D5 on a display device (not shown), the user can display not only the position of the estimated pipe, but also the pipe information (25CST) corresponding to the pipe management data D3" on the supplementary information screen (25CST), as shown in Figure 25C.

[0054] Example 4 is carried out in the same manner as the pipeline estimation using the pipeline estimation system S1 described in Example 1, except that in the second process (step) F106, the pipeline estimation unit P3 calculates a weight based on the distance data D4 and performs weighted regression analysis using the weight and the estimated partial pipeline data D2.

[0055] In the weighted regression analysis, the pipeline estimation unit P3 performs regression analysis using a weighted error as explained in equation (4) instead of the error explained in equation (3).

[0056]

[0057] Here, wi is the weight at each point i. From equation (4), the weight is multiplied by each error, and the sum of these weights becomes Error. Therefore, by calculating and using the importance of each point i as a weight, more appropriate regression results can be obtained.

[0058] One method of calculating the weight is to take the reciprocal of the distance d(p, q) recorded in the corresponding distance data D4. The distance d(p, q) is the distance from the estimated partial pipeline p to the pipeline q recorded in the pipeline management data D3, and represents the degree of deviation from the management data based on the distance. In other words, the reciprocal of the distance represents the degree of agreement with the management data, and therefore is set to a higher importance. In addition to the reciprocal of the distance, a linear or nonlinear gradient may be intentionally applied to the importance by calculating the difference from a predetermined value or the power of the reciprocal.

[0059] The actual measurement data D1 has a position error due to the measurement means. Therefore, even if the pipeline management data D3 contains highly accurate information about the pipeline position, the estimated partial pipeline data D2 estimated from the actual measurement data D1 may be misaligned. It is not realistic in terms of the amount of work required for a user to manually match the vast amount of pipelines contained in each data set and evaluate their validity regarding this positional misalignment. In the pipeline estimation system S1 of Example 4, when the estimated partial pipeline meets a predetermined distance with respect to multiple pipelines recorded in the pipeline management data, the system automatically calculates the estimated pipeline by taking into account the likelihood of the estimated partial pipeline corresponding to each pipeline based on the distance.

[0060] Furthermore, because estimated pipeline segments based on actual measurement data contain position errors due to actual measurement, even if the positions of actual pipelines in the area match the positions recorded in the pipeline management data, the positions may vary. In such cases, the pipeline estimation system S1 of Example 4 performs estimation by relatively increasing the weight of estimated pipeline segments that are closer to the true value, i.e., the position recorded in the pipeline management data, in terms of distance. In other words, the pipeline estimation system S1 of Example 4 determines that estimated pipeline segments closer to the positions recorded in the pipeline management data from the above-mentioned perspective are more valid and important. Therefore, estimation can be achieved that automatically reflects the influence of highly valid data. From the above, the pipeline estimation system S1 of Example 4 has the effect of maximizing the accuracy of the estimated pipeline position based on the distance between the estimated pipeline segment and the pipeline recorded in the pipeline management data.

[0061] FIG. 14 shows a pipeline estimation system S3 according to a fifth embodiment. In FIG. 14, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. This pipeline estimation system S3 further includes an alignment unit P4, which aligns the geographical spatial position of the estimated partial pipeline data D2, the pipeline management data D3, or both. When the geographical space of the estimated partial pipeline data D2 is transformed as a result of this alignment, the alignment unit P4 outputs aligned estimated partial pipeline data D2′ to the distance data calculation unit P2 and the pipeline estimation unit P3. Similarly, when the geographical space of the pipeline management data D3 is transformed, the alignment unit P4 outputs aligned estimated partial pipeline data D3′ to the distance data calculation unit P2. In addition, when both data are converted into a predetermined reference geographical space, the alignment unit P4 outputs position matching estimation partial pipeline data D2' to the distance data calculation unit P2 and the pipeline estimation unit P3, and outputs position matching estimation partial pipeline data D3' to the distance data calculation unit P2.

[0062] The alignment is achieved by processing the data using a predetermined method selected from at least one of the following: scaling, adding or subtracting a position offset, rotation, and coordinate reference system transformation.

[0063] (1) Scale Conversion The pipeline management data D2 may have a scale appropriate for management. Therefore, the alignment unit P4 refers to the scale and performs processing to align the ranges of the horizontal and vertical axes of the estimated partial pipeline data. Specifically, the alignment unit P4 calculates a conversion ratio ScaleB / ScaleA between the scale ScaleA of the pipeline management data D2 and the scale ScaleB of the estimated partial pipeline data D3. Furthermore, the alignment unit P4 multiplies the position (coordinates) of the pipeline management data D2 by the conversion ratio. The reciprocal of the conversion ratio may be multiplied by the estimated partial pipeline data D3.

[0064] (2) Addition and Subtraction of Position Offset When a reference point (Ground Control Point, GCP) for aligning the position is recorded in the pipeline management data D2 and the estimated partial pipeline data D3, the alignment unit P4 reads it, calculates the difference between the respective reference points, and subtracts it from either data to align the coordinates of the data. When multiple GCPs are recorded, processing may be performed using a statistical value such as the average value of the differences calculated for the multiple points.

[0065] (3) Rotation For example, the pipeline management data D2 is processed so that north is oriented upward for management purposes. On the other hand, the estimated partial pipeline data D3 is processed so that, for example, the traveling direction of the measuring instrument is oriented upward for the convenience of actual measurement data. The alignment unit P4 performs a rotation calculation in the opposite direction to account for the difference in orientation between the two pieces of data, thereby aligning the orientations of both pieces of data.

[0066] (4) Coordinate Reference System Conversion Depending on the settings of the positioning device during actual measurement, the coordinate reference systems (Coordinate Reference Systems, CRS) may differ. To make the coordinate reference systems coincide, there are methods to align both to a standard default coordinate reference system, or to align one coordinate reference system with the coordinate reference system recorded in the other. Affine transformation or the like is used to convert each coordinate reference system. The positioning unit P4 may perform the conversion by using an operation module defined in a geographic information system (GIS) (not shown) or the like via an API (Application Programming Interface).

[0067] With this configuration, the estimated partial pipeline data D2 and the pipeline management data D3 input to the pipeline estimation system S3 of Example 5 do not need to be consistent with each other in terms of their positions. In other words, there are no restrictions on the method of acquiring the actual measurement data D1 or the method of recording the positions of the sources of the pipeline management data D3, which has the effect of expanding the range of data that can be used. Furthermore, data managed by other parties, not managed by the system user, can also be input to the system, which has the effect of enabling businesses to make maximum use of the data acquired and managed by each business and improving the accuracy of information about the actual location of pipelines.

[0068] FIG. 18 shows the configuration of a pipeline estimation system S7 of Example 6. In FIG. 18, the same reference numerals as those in the pipeline estimation system S1 of FIG. 1 are used. The pipeline estimation system S7 has the same configuration as the pipeline estimation system S1 of Example 1, except that unknown portion pipeline data D8 is added to the output of the pipeline estimation unit P3'. FIG. 15, in which the same reference numerals are used to indicate parts corresponding to those in FIG. 10, is a flowchart of the pipeline estimation unit P3' in the pipeline estimation system S8. Except for the addition of the processes F401-404 shown in FIG. 15, the same processes as those of the pipeline estimation unit P3 of Example 1 are performed.

[0069] The pipeline estimation unit P3' references the flag list of FIG. 9 generated based on the distance data D4 to determine whether the distance between the estimated pipeline segment and each candidate pipeline is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The pipeline estimation unit P3' then extracts a set B of all estimated pipeline segments containing "True" from the flag list of a predetermined range (F401). For example, the pipeline estimation unit P3' extracts a set B of all estimated pipeline segments containing "True" (e.g., EstPipeSeg A to EstPipeSeg D) from estimated pipeline segments p corresponding to candidate pipelines within a range specified by the user (e.g., Pipe A to Pipe D) for candidate pipeline q included in the flag list of FIG. 9.

[0070] Next, the pipeline estimation unit P3' extracts a difference set C = A - B from the set A of estimated partial pipelines in a predetermined range (F402). For example, the pipeline estimation unit P3' extracts a set A of estimated partial pipelines (e.g., EstPipeSeg A, EstPipeSeg B) in a range designated by the user as an output target from among the estimated partial pipelines extracted in (F401). The range designated by the user as an output target is, for example, a range of estimated partial pipelines for which all flags are True. Set A of estimated partial pipelines for which all flags in the predetermined range in the flag list are True means pipelines that are recognized as being linked to pipelines recorded in the pipeline management data D3 in terms of distance. Therefore, set C means pipelines that are not recognized as being linked to pipelines recorded in the pipeline management data D3 in terms of distance. The pipeline estimation unit P3' determines whether these pipelines exist, i.e., whether the set C is an empty set (F403), and if a negative result is obtained (F403; No), it outputs the included estimated partial pipelines as unknown pipeline data D8 (F404).

[0071] 16 and 17 show a schematic diagram of the calculation target and an example of a flag list serving as intermediate data when unknown pipeline data D8 is output in Example 6. In FIG. 16, the estimated partial pipelines EstPipeSeg C and EstPipeSeg D indicate that the distances to the candidate pipelines Pipe A and Pipe B, d(C,A), d(C,B), d(D,A), and d(D,B), are all False in the corresponding rows of the flag list, indicating that the distances to each candidate pipeline are greater than or equal to a predetermined value. Therefore, the estimated partial pipelines EstPipeSeg C and EstPipeSeg D are classified as unknown pipelines, recorded in the unknown pipeline data D8, and output from the pipeline estimation system S7.

[0072] The unknown pipeline data D8 can be displayed, for example, as shown in 25CP' in Fig. 25C by using a display device (not shown). The unknown pipeline portion can be intuitively grasped from the pipeline management data as shown in Fig. 25A.

[0073] The pipeline management data D2 is data recorded for management purposes and does not necessarily include all information about buried pipes at the time of designing new plans or construction for the area. Furthermore, the estimated partial pipeline data D2 is partial pipeline data estimated based on actual measurement data, as described in Example 1, and therefore may include data about actual pipelines that are not managed in the pipeline management data D2. By using the pipeline estimation system S7 of Example 6, a buried pipeline not listed in the management data can be identified as an unknown pipe, allowing the user to identify the estimated pipeline, thereby reducing construction errors.

[0074] Fig. 19 shows the configuration of a pipeline estimation system S4 according to Example 7. In Fig. 19, the same reference numerals as those used in the pipeline estimation system S1 in Fig. 1 are used. The pipeline estimation system S4 has the same configuration as the pipeline estimation system S1 according to Example 1, except that it further inputs object management data D6 including position information of surrounding objects, and that it additionally includes a correction unit P5 that inputs estimated pipeline data D5 output by the pipeline estimation unit P3 and the object management data D6, corrects the estimated pipeline data D5 based on the distance between the object position and the estimated pipeline, and outputs corrected estimated pipeline data D5'.

[0075] FIG. 20 shows an example of object management data D6 input to the pipeline estimation system S7. As shown in FIG. 20, the management position of an object (here, a potted plant) is recorded as three-dimensional coordinates. The correction unit P5 calculates the distance between the estimated pipeline recorded in the estimated pipeline data D5 and the object recorded in the object management data D6. If this distance is below a certain value, the correction unit P5 considers the object and the estimated pipeline to be in contact. However, the area where the potted plant is located and the area where the estimated pipeline is located should not actually be in contact. Therefore, the correction unit P5 performs a calculation to shift the position of the estimated pipeline so that the distance between the object and the estimated pipeline is equal to or greater than a certain value, thereby correcting the position of the estimated pipeline. The correction unit P5 outputs the corrected estimated pipeline as corrected estimated pipeline data D5'. When correcting the position of the estimated pipeline, the correction unit P5 may calculate and output multiple patterns for the estimated pipeline that avoid the object. The correction method may be to shift either the start or end point of the pipeline, or to translate the entire pipeline. Alternatively, only the interfering portion may be recorded as partial data extracted from the estimated pipeline.

[0076] Users who do not use the pipeline estimation system S4 must manually associate the pipeline management data D3 with the estimated partial pipeline data D2, overlay the object management data D6, and interpret the pipeline interference and connections to make sense, which is time-consuming. The correction process in the pipeline estimation system S4 of Example 7 automates this interpretation, reducing the user's workload. Furthermore, by retaining partially extracted data for areas that interfere with surrounding objects, the user can perform primary screening for inconsistencies between the management data and the actual measurement data D1 using the corrected estimated pipeline data D5'. This has the effect of enabling decisions to be made for secondary investigations, such as re-measurements, test drilling, or referencing other management data, based on the inconsistencies.

[0077] Furthermore, the correction method of the correction unit P5 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 21 and FIG. 22. First, the correction unit P5 reads the input estimated pipeline EstPipe and the extrapolation range range (F201). The extrapolation range is a parameter that defines the surrounding area for extrapolating the estimated pipeline. Next, the correction unit P5 calculates the extrapolated estimated pipeline ext_seg by extrapolating the estimated pipeline EstPipe (y = ax + b, xs < x < xe) from the end within the range range (y = ax + b, xs - range < x < xe + range) (F202). Here, the description is of an estimated pipeline represented by two-dimensional line segments arranged on the y-x plane, but this does not depend on the number of dimensions or the plane on which it is arranged. Although the recalculation method for the surrounding area has been described in this embodiment as being based on extrapolation of line segments, the present invention is not limited to this, and recalculation may be performed by shifting, rotating, interpolating, estimating, or interpolating a position based on the surrounding area. Furthermore, the recalculation method is not limited to the above-described two-dimensional line segment (y = ax + b), and may be based on a three-dimensional line segment, a point cloud, a curve, a curved surface, or other three-dimensional structure.

[0078] Next, the correction unit P5 reads the position of object i from the object management data D6 (F203). Here, the correction unit P5 may read only objects that exist in an area obtained by expanding the extrapolation range (range) relative to the area inscribed in the estimated pipeline. Next, the correction unit P5 calculates the distance d(i, ext_seg) between object i and the extrapolated estimated pipeline (F204).

[0079] Next, the correction unit P5 determines whether the calculated distance is less than a predetermined distance threshold (F205). If the determination is negative (F205; No), the correction unit P5 reads the next object and performs the same process (F209-F204). If the determination is positive (F205; Yes), the correction unit P5 reads the estimated pipeline segment EstPipeSeg that constitutes the estimated pipeline (F206). Here, the estimated pipeline data D5 is previously recorded in association with the estimated pipeline segment data D2 used by the pipeline estimation unit P3.

[0080] Next, the correction unit P5 instructs the pipeline estimation unit P3 to re-estimate the estimated pipeline EstPipe based on the estimated partial pipeline and the position of object i. The pipeline estimation unit P3 re-estimates the estimated pipeline EstPipe in accordance with the instruction (F207). The aforementioned regression analysis method can be used for the estimation. At this time, if an area is recorded for the position of object i, a representative point within the area, such as the center of gravity or center point, may be used. Alternatively, the area may be divided into several segments, and multiple constituent points of each segment may be used. Furthermore, re-estimation may be performed with constraints to ensure that the pipeline passes through object i. Next, the correction unit P5 adds the estimated pipeline obtained by the re-estimation to the corrected estimated pipeline data D5'. The correction unit P5 then reads the next object and performs the same process (F209-F204). When it is determined that calculations have been completed for all objects recorded in the object management data (if a negative result is obtained in F209, F209; No), the process ends.

[0081] Buried pipelines are used to transport water, sewage, electricity, gas, and other commodities. In the process, they generally have connection points for various processes, branching, and management. These connection points may house separately managed objects. The locations of these objects can sometimes be managed with greater accuracy than buried pipelines. For example, utility poles can serve as routes for electrical wiring from underground to aboveground, but their locations can be determined because they are exposed aboveground. Therefore, their locations can be managed with greater accuracy than buried pipelines. By correcting the estimated results of buried pipelines based on this information, more accurate estimates can be obtained. This ultimately reduces rework when users use the information to plan construction, resulting in greater efficiency.

[0082] Fig. 23 shows the configuration of a pipeline estimation system S6 of Example 8. In Fig. 23, the same reference numerals are used as in the pipeline estimation system S1 of Fig. 1. The pipeline estimation system S6 has the same configuration as the pipeline estimation system S1 of Example 1, except that it includes a drawing generation unit P6 that receives as input the estimated pipeline data D5 and pipeline management data D3 output from the pipeline estimation unit P3, generates and outputs the pipeline data to be recorded as drawing data D7.

[0083] The drawing generation unit P6 references the estimated pipeline data D5 (shown in FIG. 7) and the pipeline management data D3 (shown in FIG. 5) stored in the system's memory to generate drawing data D7 in a predetermined format. As an example, we will explain DXF (Drawing Exchange Format), which is commonly used for data exchange between different CAD software. When recording the pipelines, i.e., line segments, of the estimated pipeline data D5 (shown in FIG. 7) in DXF, the drawing generation unit P6 records the information as LINE entities. At this time, the information of each entity is recorded with an integer value called a group code. Furthermore, the drawing generation unit P6 uses the group code to specify layer names in order to classify and record the estimated pipeline data D5 and the pipeline management data D3 in a single DXF file.

[0084] Although the generation of drawing data in the DXF format has been described as an example here, the data format is not limited to this. In addition, the drawing generation unit P6 may record the data in entities other than LINE, such as polylines, rectangles, cylinders, etc., depending on the shape of the pipeline recorded in the estimated pipeline data D5 and the pipeline management data D3.

[0085] This has the effect that, by utilizing the drawing data D7 output from the pipeline estimation system S6, the user can easily handle the estimated pipeline data D3 estimated by the pipeline estimation system D6 and the pipeline management data managed by the user himself / herself directly, i.e., by superimposing them, using CAD software (not shown) and a computer that runs it.

[0086] Furthermore, as in Example 3, when the pipeline management data D3 input to the pipeline estimation system S6 includes at least one of pipe type, pipe diameter, and pipe material information for each of the recorded pipelines, the pipeline estimation unit P3 also uses the pipe information to estimate the actual location of the pipeline. At this time, the estimated pipeline data D5 input to the drawing generation unit P6 includes pipe information corresponding to each estimated pipeline. Therefore, when recording the estimated pipeline as an entity, the drawing generation unit P6 acquires the corresponding pipe information and adds it as a comment or explanation using a predetermined group code. Alternatively, a predetermined group code may be used as layer information, and the pipe information may be recorded in the layer name. Alternatively, a predetermined group code may be used, and the thickness calculated based on the pipe diameter from the pipe information may be recorded in the line thickness information. While the method of generating the drawing data D7 as a DXF file has been exemplified here, the data format is not limited to this, and the pipe information may be recorded and output according to the method of adding supplemental information in each format.

[0087] This pipe information is usually recorded together with the pipeline management data, as it is determined at the time of construction planning. Using the drawing data D7 output by the pipeline estimation system S6, a user can use CAD software (not shown) and a computer that runs it to handle the estimated pipeline data D3 estimated by the pipeline estimation system D6, along with the pipe information. The pipe information can be displayed on a display device (not shown) in addition to the estimated pipeline location, as shown in Figure 25C, and the corresponding pipe information (25CST) can be displayed on a supplemental information screen (25CST).

[0088] Furthermore, Fig. 24 is a diagram showing another example of a pipeline estimation system S6. In Fig. 24, the same reference numerals as those in the pipeline estimation system S2 in Fig. 11 are used. In this example, the pipeline estimation system S6 is implemented as described in Example 2, and generates and outputs drawing data D7 by a drawing generation unit P6 not shown in Fig. 11.

[0089] A user can import and display management data for surrounding objects (e.g., buildings, roads, etc.) using CAD software (not shown) and a computer running the software. As shown in FIG. 25D , the drawing generation unit P6 stores each piece of information as a layer and switches the display accordingly (25DSL) or superimposes the data (25DM), thereby enabling efficient comprehension of pipeline management data, estimated pipeline data based on actual measurements, and surrounding object data for the relevant area. Furthermore, by using a display method that allows switching between FIGS. 25A to 25D using tabs, buried object management can be performed by switching between the pipeline information screen 25AM, which displays pipeline management data, the estimated partial pipeline information screen 25BM, which displays estimated partial pipeline data, the estimated pipeline information screen 25CM, which displays the pipelines within the estimated pipeline data, and the pipeline management screen 25DM, which displays the management data for surrounding objects in an overlapping manner, on the buried object management screen 25.

[0090] In Figure 25A, a pipeline 25AP in the pipeline management data is displayed on a pipeline information screen 25AM, and pipeline information 25AST is displayed on a supplementary information screen 25AS. In Figure 25B, an estimated pipeline portion BP in the estimated pipeline portion data is displayed on an estimated pipeline portion information screen 25BM, and an estimation execution button 25BSB is displayed on a supplementary information screen 25BS, which executes processing to realize the pipeline estimation method shown in Figure 8, for example. In Figure 25C, an estimated pipeline information screen 25CM displays a pipeline 25CP and an unknown pipeline 25CP' in the estimated pipeline data, and a supplementary information screen 25CS displays estimated pipeline information 25CST. In Figure 25D, in addition to the pipeline 25AP and pipeline 25CP described above, a surrounding object 25DB is superimposed on a pipeline management screen 25DM, and a supplementary information screen 25DS displays pipeline information 25DST and a layer display switching panel 25DSL. The layer display switching panel 25DSL is an area for displaying or hiding each piece of information shown in Figures 25A to 25C (for example, the above-mentioned pipeline 25AP, pipeline 25CP, or partial pipeline BP). By switching between displaying such information, the user can more easily manage buried objects.

[0091] Each embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings. According to this system, as described in the first embodiment, for a pipeline buried underground, estimated partial pipeline data (e.g., estimated partial pipeline data D2 shown in FIG. 4) having an estimated partial pipeline estimated based on actual measurement data and pipeline management data (e.g., pipeline management data D3 shown in FIG. 5) including the positions of a plurality of pipelines recorded as management data are input, and at least one pipeline included in the pipeline management data is identified as a candidate pipeline (e.g., Pipe The system includes a distance data calculation unit P2 that calculates the distance between each of the estimated partial pipelines contained in the estimated partial pipeline data and the position of the candidate pipeline and outputs corresponding distance data (e.g., distance data D4 shown in FIG. 6 ), a first process (e.g., first step F105 in FIG. 8 ) that inputs the estimated partial pipeline data and the distance data and extracts estimated partial pipeline data that satisfy a predetermined distance for each of the candidate pipelines, a second process (e.g., second step F106 in FIG. 8 ) that estimates the actual location of the pipeline based on the extracted estimated partial pipeline data, and a pipeline estimation unit P3 that outputs the actual location of the pipeline estimated by the second process as estimated pipeline data (e.g., estimated pipeline data D5 shown in FIG. 7 ). With this configuration, the actual location of the buried pipeline can be accurately matched between management data and estimated data based on actual measurement data, and the actual location of the pipeline can be estimated with high reliability.

[0092] 13 and the like, the actual measurement data is generated by irradiating the underground pipeline with radio waves from above ground and acquiring the reflected signals, and the partial pipeline estimation unit P1 inputs the actual measurement data and detects the reflected signals from the actual measurement data to output the estimated partial pipeline data that estimates a portion of the position of the underground pipeline. With this configuration, it becomes possible to estimate the position of the buried pipeline based on the reflected signals from the buried pipeline.

[0093] As explained in Example 3, FIG. 12, etc., the pipeline management data includes at least one piece of pipe information (e.g., pipeline management data D3″ shown in FIG. 12 ) associated with each of the recorded pipelines, including pipe type, pipe diameter, and pipe material, and the pipeline estimation unit also uses the pipe information to estimate the actual position of the pipeline. With this configuration, the position of the buried pipeline can be estimated with even higher accuracy.

[0094] Furthermore, as explained using the formula (4) in Example 4, in the second processing of the pipeline estimation unit, a weight is calculated based on the distance data, and the actual position of the pipeline is estimated by weighted regression analysis using the weight and the estimated pipeline portion data. With this configuration, the position of the buried pipeline can be estimated with even greater accuracy based on the distance between the estimated pipeline portion and the pipeline recorded in the pipeline management data.

[0095] 14 and the like, the system includes a position alignment unit P4 that aligns the geographical spatial positional consistency of the pipeline management data, the estimated partial pipeline data, or both of them using at least one of the following methods: scale conversion, adding / subtracting a position offset, rotation, and coordinate reference system conversion. With this configuration, there are no restrictions on the method of recording positions, and data that do not maintain positional consistency with each other can be accepted, thereby expanding the range of data that can be used with this system.

[0096] 15 to 18, the pipeline estimation unit determines whether the distance between the estimated pipeline segment and each candidate pipeline is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, classifies a set of estimated pipeline segments for which a positive result is obtained in the determination as unknown pipeline segment data (e.g., unknown pipeline segment data D8), and further outputs the unknown pipeline segment data. With this configuration, the user can easily identify buried pipelines that are not listed in the management data as unknown pipes, thereby reducing construction errors.

[0097] 19 and 20, the system further includes a correction unit P5 that inputs object management data including position information of surrounding objects (for example, object management data D6 shown in FIG. 20) and corrects the estimated pipeline data based on the object positions recorded in the object management data and the distance of the estimated pipeline. This configuration makes it possible to obtain highly accurate estimation results that are more in line with reality, allowing the user to efficiently plan construction work.

[0098] 21 and 22, the correction unit recalculates the estimated pipeline for a predetermined surrounding area, calculates the distance between the recalculated estimated pipeline and an object recorded in the object management data (for example, the distance d(i, ext_seg) shown in FIG. 22), and if there is an object whose distance from the recalculated estimated pipeline is less than a predetermined value, re-estimates the estimated pipeline from the position of the object and the partial estimated pipelines that make up the estimated pipeline. With this configuration, it is possible to obtain more accurate estimation results by taking into account the predetermined surrounding area and the positions of objects in the surrounding area.

[0099] 23 and 24, the system includes a drawing generation unit P6 that receives the estimated pipeline data and the pipeline management data, generates pipeline data recorded in the various data as drawing data, and outputs the drawing data. With this configuration, it becomes possible to represent various pipeline data recorded in the various data as drawings.

[0100] 25A to 25D, the system includes a drawing generation unit P6 that receives the estimated pipeline data and the pipeline management data, generates and outputs the pipeline information recorded in the various data as drawing data, and the drawing generation unit associates the pipe information (e.g., pipe information 25CST in FIG. 25C) with each estimated pipeline recorded in the estimated pipeline data and records it in the drawing data. With this configuration, the estimated pipeline data D3, including the pipe information, can be easily understood.

[0101] In addition, the pipeline estimation unit may output data (e.g., the flag list shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B ) that stores the determination result of whether the distance between the candidate pipeline and the estimated pipeline portion satisfies a predetermined distance threshold in the first process, and display the data on a display device. With this configuration, the user can easily grasp the combination of the candidate pipeline and the estimated pipeline portion that satisfies the condition that the distance is less than the predetermined distance threshold, and can efficiently and intuitively estimate the location of the buried pipeline.

[0102] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to configurations including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

[0103] D1: Actual measurement data, D2: Estimated partial pipeline data, D3, D3″: Pipeline management data, D2′: Position-matched estimated partial pipeline data, D3′: Position-matched pipeline management data, D4: Distance data, D5: Estimated pipeline data, D5′: Corrected estimated pipeline data, D6: Object management data, D7: Drawing data, D8: Unknown partial pipeline data, P1: Partial pipeline estimation unit, P2: Distance data calculation unit, P3, P3′: Pipeline estimation unit, P4: Positioning unit, P5: Correction unit, P6: Drawing generation unit, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7: Pipeline estimation system, H1: Server, A01: Processor, A03: Storage, A02: Memory, A04: Communication I / F, M1: Pipeline estimation program, F101: Data input step, F10 2...distance calculation step, F103...pipe position estimation step, F104...data output step, F105...first step, F106...second step, 25...buried object management screen, 25AM...pipe information screen, 25AP...pipe in pipe management data, 25AS...supplementary information screen, 25AST...pipe information, 25BM...estimated partial pipe information screen, 25BP...partial pipe in estimated partial pipe data, 25BS...supplementary information screen, 25BSB...estimation execution button, 25CM...estimated pipe information screen, 25CP...pipe in estimated pipe data, 25CS...supplementary information screen, 25CST...estimated pipe information, 25DM...pipe management screen, 25DB...surrounding objects, 25DS...supplementary information screen, 25DST...pipe information, 25DSL...layer display switching panel

Claims

1. A pipeline estimation system comprising: a distance data calculation unit that inputs, for a pipeline buried underground, estimated partial pipeline data having an estimated partial pipeline estimated based on actual measurement data, and pipeline management data including the positions of a plurality of pipelines recorded as management data, and designates at least one pipeline included in the pipeline management data as a candidate pipeline, and calculates the distance to the position of each estimated partial pipeline included in the estimated partial pipeline data and outputs corresponding distance data; a first process that inputs the estimated partial pipeline data and the distance data, and extracts the estimated partial pipeline data that satisfies a predetermined distance for each candidate pipeline; a second process that estimates the actual position of the pipeline based on the extracted estimated partial pipeline data; and a pipeline estimation unit that outputs the actual position of the pipeline estimated by the second process as estimated pipeline data.

2. The pipeline estimation system according to claim 1, wherein the measured data is generated by irradiating radio waves from above ground onto the pipeline buried underground and acquiring the reflected signals, and the system has a partial pipeline estimation unit that inputs the measured data and detects the reflected signals from the measured data to output the estimated partial pipeline data that estimates a portion of the position of the pipeline buried underground.

3. The pipeline estimation system according to claim 1, wherein the pipeline management data associates at least one piece of pipe information from among pipe type, pipe diameter, and pipe material with each of the recorded pipelines, and the pipeline estimation unit also uses the pipe information to estimate the actual position of the pipeline.

4. A pipeline estimation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that in the second processing of the pipeline estimation unit, a weight is calculated based on the distance data, and the actual position of the pipeline is estimated by weighted regression analysis using the weight and the estimated partial pipeline data.

5. The pipeline estimation system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a positioning unit that aligns the geographical spatial positional consistency of the pipeline management data or the estimated partial pipeline data, or both, using at least one method from among scale conversion, adding or subtracting position offsets, rotation, and coordinate reference system conversion.

6. The pipeline estimation system according to claim 1, wherein the pipeline estimation unit determines whether the distance between the estimated partial pipeline and each candidate pipeline is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, classifies a set of estimated partial pipelines for which a positive result is obtained in the determination as unknown partial pipeline data, and further outputs the unknown partial pipeline data.

7. A pipeline estimation system according to claim 1, further comprising a correction unit that inputs object management data including position information of surrounding objects, and corrects the estimated pipeline data based on the distance between the object positions recorded in the object management data and the estimated pipeline.

8. The pipeline estimation system described in claim 7, characterized in that the correction unit recalculates the estimated pipeline for a predetermined surrounding area, calculates the distance between the recalculated estimated pipeline and an object recorded in the object management data, and if there is an object whose distance from the recalculated estimated pipeline is less than a predetermined value, re-estimates the estimated pipeline from the position of the object and the partial estimated pipeline that constitutes the estimated pipeline.

9. A pipeline estimation system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a drawing generation unit that receives the estimated pipeline data and the pipeline management data as input, and generates and outputs the pipeline data recorded in the various data as drawing data.

10. A pipeline estimation system according to claim 2, characterized in that it has a drawing generation unit that inputs the estimated pipeline data and the pipeline management data, and generates and outputs the pipeline information recorded in the various data as drawing data.

11. A pipeline estimation system as described in claim 3, characterized in that it has a drawing generation unit that inputs the estimated pipeline data and the pipeline management data, generates and outputs pipeline information recorded in various data as drawing data, and the drawing generation unit corresponds the pipeline information to each estimated pipeline recorded in the estimated pipeline data and records it in the drawing data.

12. The pipeline estimation system according to claim 1, wherein the pipeline estimation unit, in the first processing, outputs data storing the result of a determination as to whether or not the distance between the candidate pipeline and the estimated partial pipeline satisfies a predetermined distance threshold, and displays the data on a display device.

13. A pipeline estimation method comprising: a data input step of inputting estimated partial pipeline data having estimated partial pipelines estimated based on actual measurement data, and pipeline management data including the positions of multiple pipelines recorded as management data, for a pipeline buried underground; a distance calculation step of designating at least one pipeline included in the pipeline management data as a candidate pipeline, and calculating the distance to the position of each estimated partial pipeline included in the estimated partial pipeline data and outputting corresponding distance data; a pipeline position estimation step comprising: a first step of inputting the estimated partial pipeline data and the distance data and extracting estimated partial pipeline data that satisfies a predetermined distance for each candidate pipeline; and a data output step of outputting the actual position of the pipeline estimated by the pipeline position estimation step as estimated pipeline data.

14. A pipeline estimation program that causes a computer to execute the following steps: a data input step for inputting estimated partial pipeline data having estimated partial pipelines estimated based on actual measurement data and pipeline management data including the positions of multiple pipelines recorded as management data for a pipeline buried underground; a distance calculation step for designating at least one pipeline included in the pipeline management data as a candidate pipeline and calculating the distance to the position of each estimated partial pipeline included in the estimated partial pipeline data and outputting corresponding distance data; a pipeline position estimation step comprising a first step for inputting the estimated partial pipeline data and the distance data and extracting estimated partial pipeline data that satisfies a predetermined distance for each candidate pipeline; and a data output step for outputting the actual position of the pipeline estimated by the pipeline position estimation step as estimated pipeline data.

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