Methods, apparatus and systems for surface type detection in connection with locate and marking operations

摘要

Systems, methods, and apparatus for performing surface type detection in connection with locate and marking operations. In some embodiments, one or more sensors may be employed to collect information regarding a ground surface on which marking material is to be dispensed which is then analyzed to provide an estimate of a type of the surface. For example, a still-image or video camera may be used as a sensor that detects visible light reflecting from a surface. One or more images captured by the camera may be analyzed using analysis software to identify one or more characteristics indicative of a surface type. As another example, one or more radiation sensors may be employed to measure an amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected by the sensed surface one or more selected wavelengths or ranges of wavelengths to identify a spectral signature that may also be indicative of a surface type.

主权项

1. An apparatus for determining a surface type of a surface on which marking material is to be dispensed by a marking device to mark a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the apparatus comprising:
at least one communication interface; at least one memory to store processor-executable instructions; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one communication interface, wherein, upon execution of the processor-executable instructions, the at least one processor:
A) obtains sensor data relating to the surface on which the marking material is to be dispensed by the marking device to mark the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area, the sensor data being collected by one or more sensors attached to the marking device for dispensing the marking material, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one camera and the sensor data of A) comprises image data representing at least one image of the surface on which the marking material is to be dispensed by the marking device to mark the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area captured by the camera;B) retrieves reference data associated with a plurality of surface types of the surface on which the marking material is to be dispensed by the marking device to mark the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area; andC) generates surface type information based at least in part on the sensor data of A) and the reference data of B),wherein in C), the at least one processor:C1) identifies, based at least in part on the sensor data of A) and the reference data of B), at least one of the plurality of surface types as a candidate surface type for the surface on which the marking material is to be dispensed by the marking device to mark the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area;C2) determines a surface signature associated with the surface on which the marking material is to be dispensed by the marking device to mark the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area, based at least in part on at least one of:
i) a frequency at which edges are detected in the at least one image;ii) a luminance distribution associated with the image data;iii) color information associated with the image data;iv) an entropy value derived based on the image data;v) a presence or an absence of one or more line patterns in the at least one image; andvi) a compression operation on at least a portion of the image data to determine a surface compression ratio;C3) compares the surface signature with a plurality of reference signatures in the reference data of B) to identify the candidate surface type, wherein each reference signature is indicative of at least one of:
i) a characteristic frequency of edges for at least one corresponding surface type in the plurality of surface types;ii) a characteristic luminance distribution for at least one corresponding surface type in the plurality of surface types;iii) a color characteristic for at least one corresponding surface type in the plurality of surface types;iv) a characteristic entropy value for at least one corresponding surface type in the plurality of surface types;v) one or more characteristic line patterns for at least one corresponding surface type in the plurality of surface types; andvi) a reference compression ratio associated with at least one corresponding surface type in the plurality of surface types.