Drone Image Comparison for 3D Deterioration Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior aircraft-utilizing deterioration diagnostic systems rely on manual visual confirmation and are inefficient, requiring significant manpower and time to detect deteriorated portions from aerially-photographed images, and struggle with accurate comparison of current and previous images due to processing difficulties and differences in image conditions.
Innovation Solution
An automated system that uses a drone to photograph a target structure, with a computer system navigating and controlling the drone, acquiring and comparing image data to detect deteriorated areas by associating and converting two-dimensional coordinates to three-dimensional models for visualization, thereby enhancing diagnostic efficiency and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual visual confirmation is used to detect deteriorated portions from aerially-photographed images, then diagnostic accuracy can be maintained through human judgment, but diagnostic efficiency and productivity are significantly reduced due to requiring significant manpower and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical human visual inspection system with an automated computer-based image analysis system. The computer automatically processes aerially-photographed images to detect deteriorated portions, substituting human judgment with algorithmic analysis. This maintains diagnostic accuracy through systematic image processing while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating manual review requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service diagnosis where the computer automatically performs image analysis without requiring human operators to manually examine each image. The automated processing system handles the entire diagnostic workflow independently, from image acquisition to deterioration detection, thereby maintaining accuracy through consistent algorithmic application while significantly enhancing diagnostic efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If current and previous aerially-photographed images are compared to detect deterioration, then diagnostic accuracy is improved through temporal analysis, but processing complexity and difficulty increase due to differences in image conditions and association challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by standardizing image processing parameters across different time points. The computer system normalizes image conditions (such as lighting, angle, and resolution parameters) when comparing current and previous images. This enables accurate temporal analysis for deterioration detection while reducing processing complexity through consistent parameter application, allowing reliable comparison despite varying acquisition conditions.
3Reliability
If a large number of aerially-photographed images are processed to find deteriorated portions, then comprehensive diagnostic coverage is achieved, but loss of time increases due to the volume of images requiring analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the large set of aerially-photographed images into smaller manageable groups or regions. The computer system processes images in segmented batches, analyzing specific areas systematically. This maintains comprehensive diagnostic coverage by ensuring all images are eventually processed while reducing overall processing time through parallel or sequential batch processing, preventing the need to analyze every image simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an aircraft-utilizing deterioration diagnostic system and provides a technique capable of improving diagnostic efficiency and accuracy when comparing the previous and current aerially-photographed images to diagnose a deteriorated state of a target. The diagnostic system includes: a drone 1 (aircraft) configured to be navigated along a route around a target 5 and having a camera 4 configured to photograph the target 5; and a computer (PC 2 and server 3) configured to control navigation of the aircraft and photographing by the camera 4. The computer is configured to: acquire data from the aircraft including an image group obtained by consecutively photographing the target 5 for each predetermined date and time; based on diagnostic data including a diagnostic image group photographed at a current date and time, reference data including a reference image group of a previous date and time, associate, for the same target 5, images including the same portion as comparison target images; compare the previous image and the current image among the comparison target images to detect a deteriorate portion; and provide a screen converted and visualized for the user such that the deteriorated portion in the image is plotted on the three-dimensional model of the target.