Development of an Automatic Pavement Surface Distress Inspection System

This paper presents a newly developed image-processing algorithm that was customized for high-speed, real-time inspection of pavement cracking. The algorithm was based on the "grid cell" analysis, in which a pavement image is divided into grid cells of 8x8 pixels and each cell is classified as a non-crack cell or a crack cell based on the statistics of the grayscales of the cell pixels. Whether a crack cell can be regarded as a basic element (or seed) depends on its contrast to the neighboring cells. A number of crack seeds can be called a crack cluster if they can form a linear string. A crack cluster should correspond to a dark strip in the original pavement image that may or may not be a section of a real crack. Additional conditions to verify a crack cluster include the requirements in the contrast, width and length of the strip. If verified crack clusters are oriented in similar directions, they can be joined to become one crack. Because many operations are performed on crack seeds rather than on the original image, crack detection can be done simultaneously when the frame grabber is forming a new image from the linescan camera. This high-speed process algorithm permits real-time, highway speed pavement survey. The trial test results show a good repeatability and accuracy when the system conducts multiple surveys and runs at different speeds and different weather conditions.

• Record URL:
  http://www.utexas.edu/research/ctr/pdf_reports/7_4975_1.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Texas, Austin

  Center for Transportation Research, 3208 Red River Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78705

  Texas Department of Transportation

  Research and Technology Implementation Office, P.O. Box 5080
  Austin, TX  United States  78763-5080

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Xu, Bugao
  • Huang, Yaxiong (Robin)
• Publication Date: 2003-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Technical Report
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 27p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Algorithms; Automation; Cracking; Detection and identification; Image processing; Inspection; Pavement distress; Pavement performance; Real time information; Surface course (Pavements)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Repeatability
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01016472
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/TX-05/7-4975-1, 7-4975-1
• Contract Numbers: 7-4975
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 2006 10:18AM