Description:Form 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
AND
Patent Rules 2003
Complete Specification
(Sec 10 and Rule 13)

Title A System for Remote Collaborative Civil Construction Site Inspection, Supervision and Management
Applicant(s) EXPONENTIALISTS LLP
Nationality India
Address 2003, 20th floor, Tower T6, Clarian Emerald Isle, Saki Vihar Road, Powai, Mumbai- 400072, Maharashtra, India.

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.s

DESCRIPTION
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to civil and mechanical engineering works and more specifically managing the civil engineering works remotely using cloud technology.
RELATED ART
[0002] Civil engineering works include construction of buildings, bridges, roads, decks/docks (generally referred to as Civil Infrastructure) and any and all constructional activities known in the field of art. Generally, several materials are used in building a civil infrastructure, for example concrete and steel.
[0003] Concrete is a mixture of coarse (stone or brick chips) and fine (generally sand and/or crushed stone) aggregates with a paste of binder material (cement) and water. The concrete mixtures have high resistance to compressive stresses. However, any appreciable tension (e.g., due to bending) breaks the microscopic rigid lattice, resulting in cracking and separation of the concrete. For this reason, typical non-reinforced concrete must be well supported to prevent the development of tension. Reinforced concrete is a composite material in which the concrete is embedded with reinforcement to compensate for the concrete’s relatively low tensile strength and ductility. The purpose of reinforcement is to provide additional strength for concrete where it is needed. Often a material with high strength in tension (tensile strength), such as steel is placed in concrete to form reinforced concrete. The reinforced concrete resists not only compression but also bending and other direct tensile actions. That is, concrete resists compression and reinforcement (also referred to as "rebar(s)") resists tension. The reinforced concrete sections may be made in almost any shape and size for use in the construction industry. In that, Rebar(s) is the material that is used in concrete to enhance the flexural strength of the concrete element. In certain embodiments, Rebar(s) is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used in reinforced concrete and masonry structures to strengthen and hold the concrete in tension and to improve the quality of the bond with the concrete, the surface of rebar(s) is often patterned as is well known in the art. The rebar(s) increase the tensile strength of the concrete, helping it resist cracking and breaking.
[0004] Civil infrastructure contains various elements such as slabs, beams, columns, footings etc. The Slab is an important structural element which is constructed to create flat and useful surfaces such as floors, roofs, and ceilings. Columns are vertical load-bearing members supporting axial compressive loads chiefly and this structural member is used to transmit the load of the structure to the foundation. The Footings are structural elements that transmit load of entire superstructure to the underlying soil below the structure. Footings are designed to transmit these loads to the soil without exceeding its safe bearing capacity. Thus, prevent excessive settlement of the structure to a tolerable limit, to minimize differential settlement, and to prevent sliding and overturning. The slabs are supported by beams, columns, walls, or the ground. The beam is a horizontal structural element that withstands vertical loads, shear forces and bending moments. The loads applied to the beam result in reaction forces at the support points of the beam.
[0005] Every civil infrastructure construction projects begin with plan and the plan is executed by/with human resource, (people with corresponding skills, expertise) material and tools (Human resource, material, tools and every other paraphernalia required to execute elements of building/civil infrastructure is referred to as “service(s)”). Thus, elements of building are executed by corresponding one or more services. Civil infrastructure project requires to be executed meticulous and precisely as per the plan. Conventionally, the execution of the project is managed and monitored manually by experts physically visiting the site of construction and verifying the details at every stage of construction. To certain extent the manual verification/inspection is aided with computers to record the data that is verified by the expert at the site.
[0006] FIG. 1 is an example of conventional civil construction inspection flowchart 100. The flowchart is described with the known terminology in the field of art. Thus, specific terms are not detailed for brevity and carry the meaning that is generally attached the terms in the field of art. In step 101, the structural drawings is prepared by the structural engineer which shows details of reinforcement and all other information needed for detailing the reinforcement. The drawings shall also indicate, by separate notes, live loads, concrete strength, quality and grade of steel, number of bars to be lapped and lengths of the laps, and if necessary special instructions regarding erection of formwork, fabrication and placing of steel. The drawings include detail of the reinforcement by units which generally consist of footings, walls, columns, each floor and roof.
[0007] In step 102, a formwork is initiated. The formwork is a temporary structure made of wood, metal, or plastic, and it is constructed to form the final shape of a concrete member. Formwork, mould used to form concrete into structural shapes (beams, columns, slabs, shells) for building.
[0008] In step 103, expert inspects and check forms to confirm that the dimensions and the location of the concrete members conform to the structural plans. The inspection may be done prior to the placement of reinforcement for concrete. In step 104, expert inspects and checks placement of reinforcement steel bars in their positions with the specified spacing and size. In step 105, engineer inspects, after the completion of assembly, if any modification is needed the engineer provides the comments and issues. In step 106, the project manager rectifies the issues reported by the engineer and ensures the structure is in sync with drawing. In step 107, a proper amount of concrete is placed/poured (hereafter referred to as Pour) such that the slab thickness, beam sizes, and wall and column dimensions are in accordance with the structural drawings. After pour structural engineer again inspects. As may be appreciated, any error prior to the Pour remains permanent error in the civil structure. .
[0009] Thus conventional techniques of manual examination, inspection and monitoring of constructional activity may result in impregnation of several errors in the structure resulting in structural failure at some time point. It lacks proper management, requires manual inspection and considered inefficient for constructing and/or for implementation.
[0010] In order to minimize the inefficiencies of the conventional process, there is a need for a system to remotely monitor, inspect supervise and Manage the civil construction site at least from formwork to till reinforcement concrete that reduces the some of the disadvantages noted above. The proposed invention helps to resolves at least some of the issues noted above.
SUMMARY
[0011] According to an aspect of present invention, a system is provided for managing and controlling construction a civil structure, the system comprises a set of onsite devices, a set of data capturing devices, a set of monitoring devices, an External servers, a Central server, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine, a Database and a data server all coupled to a Communication network, Characterised in that, the central server comprising a Plan and Layout (P & L) analyser, Photocap pointer, Event trigger generator, image processor, virtual structure generator, fault detector, rule engine, report and statistics and user interface controller, the Photocap pointer generating the plurality of point on the layout to capture a first data, the image processor generating a 360 degree view of the construction site from the first data and the user interface controller presenting the 360 degree view of the construction site to remote device for examination and approval.
[0012] According to another aspect, the virtual structure generator generating a virtual structure diagram from the layout and plan and the fault detector comparing with the 360 degree view with virtual structure diagram and the event trigger generator generating an event when the difference is in excess of a threshold in an auto inspection mode and event generator generating an event trigger when the 360 degree view matches with the image reference representing a completion of a stage.
[0013] According to another aspect, the user interface controller displaying the 360 degree view on the set of remote devices on receiving the trigger and the user interface receiving the inputs on the remote device representing one of an approval or correction on the displayed 360 degree view.
[0014] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a system for cloud based remote collaborative site inspection supervision platform automates the inspection of the construction activity from formwork to preparation of reinforcement, pouring of concrete and manages the works at site remotely. The proposed invention helps to solves all the issues remotely. In one embodiment of the invention, cloud based remote collaborative site inspection supervision platform reconstructs the 3600 image from multiple images that are uploaded by the onsite tem/project manager or any device deployed for the purpose. The (approval team) operative to approve (any manpower deployed) checks/inspect assembly remotely for any issues (placement of rebar(s), beam, spacing etc). The approval team working remotely sends comments indicating the issues and the commented issues are recorded in the database. The onsite team, correct the issues on the site and corrected issues are captured again and uploaded for inspection. The Approval team inspects and on compliance, approval is provided carry out next operation.
[0015] Several aspects are described below, with reference to diagrams. It should be understood that numerous specific details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. One who skilled in the relevant art, however, will readily recognize that the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, etc. In other instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the features of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is an example of conventional civil construction inspection flowchart 100. The flowchart is described with the known terminology in the field of art.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a system operative in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 3 is an example central server operative in an embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating operation of system 200/300 that incorporates remote inspection and management in one embodiment.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the auto examination by the system in one embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates the selection of the camera positions or Photocap points. .
[0022] FIG. 7A and 7B are the example images captured on the site.
[0023] FIG. 7C is an example reverse digital twin image.
[0024] The FIG. 8A- 8D illustrates the manner in which the plan and layout analyser generates units and subunits
[0025] In the FIG. 9A and 9B illustrates the manner in which the system 200 provides for remote inspection and approval by the structural engineer in an embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 10A and 10B illustrates the user interface on the handheld devices corresponding to generated Query.
[0027] FIG. 10C and 10D illustrates the user interface on the handheld devices corresponding to generated issue.
[0028] FIG. 10E represents the summary of the issues corresponding to a given pour.
[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0030] The present invention provides a system, method and apparatus for cloud based remote collaborative site inspection supervision and management. It automates the inspection from formwork till placement of reinforcement, at least. Thus reducing the number of errors impregnated in the structure. In an embodiment, the system updates the structural design (as per the changes made during the inspection and supervision). The updated structural design helps in detecting and correcting (servicing) any issues/errors even after many years. For example, detection of error like formwork installation errors include misalignment, movement, loss of support, failure of forms cracking and structural failure, Concrete Dimensional Errors, Finishing Errors, Shrinkage Cracks and Bugholes etc.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a system operative in an embodiment of the present invention. The system is shown comprising onsite devices 210A-210K, data capturing devices 220A-220L, Monitoring devices 230A-230K, External servers 240, Central server 250, Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine 260, Database 270, data server 280, Communication network 290. Each element is further described below.
[0032] The onsite devices 210A-210K receive data from user operating onsite and display the data received from the central server. The onsite devices may be a mobile device, a handheld device etc., that is connected to communication network 290. In one embodiment, a dedicated set of computer readable instructions may be loaded in the mobile device to operatively interact with the central server 150 to provide user interface (display of data and receiving user input). The user interface may present/display several instructions received from the central server and enable the user onsite to enter data (information) to be sent to the central server. The set of computer readable instructions may control sensors and other data capturing devices built within the onsite devices (like camera, microphone, audio devices, geo location identifier, navigational devices, gyroscopes, accelerometer etc.,) to provide desired operations and functionality. The operation of the onsite devices 210A-210K is further described in the section below.
[0033] The data capturing devices 220A-220L are configured to capture the data of construction site at different point in time. The data capturing devices 220A-220L may operate under direct control from central server and/or in conjunction with the onsite devices 210A-210K. The data capturing devices 220A-220L may comprise any image capturing devices like cameras, video cameras, infra-red cameras, thermal cameras, radar, Lidar and other two dimensional and 3 dimensional image capturing and/or generating devices. In one embodiment, the data capturing devices 220A-220L comprises, unmanned aerial vehicle (Drones) that are configured and Geo-synchronised with the construction site to captures the images in multiple directions and distances.
[0034] The monitoring devices 230A-230K are configured to monitor the data received from the central server, onsite devices 210A-210K, data capturing devices 220A-220L and other devices. The monitoring devices 230A-230K may operate as user interfaces to the central server for analysis and viewing of the data in the system 100. In one embodiment the monitoring devices 230A-230K may be deployed onsite during the construction phase and also may be located at multiple geographical location corresponding to the respective services.
[0035] The external servers 240 provide services such as geographical positioning, data analytics, construction standards and its compliances, portals of approval and authentications, etc. accordingly the central server 150 may be operative to interface and interact with the external server 240 for data processing and compliance. For example, external server may comprise a computer system operated by compliance authority that updates several compliance requirements time to time. Accordingly, the central server applies the compliance to the project being monitored during construction.
[0036] The Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine 260 provides several recommendations that may be applied to resolve problems or in finding an optimal solution. The AI engine may apply several machine learning algorithms on the current and past data to provide recommendation. In one embodiment, the recommendation may be provided as service to the central server. The AI 260 may access the data bases 270 and interact with data servers 280 for providing the recommendations.
[0037] The database 270 stores data received from the elements 210-290 of the system and provides access to the data stored. The access may be provided based on the role and rule defined and stored in the central server 150. The data server 280 provides legacy and historic data for analysis. In addition the data server 280 may provide data from related resources and services. For example, the data server 280 may comprise geographical data, material data, scientific data etc.
[0038] The communication network 290 provides connectivity to the elements of the system 210-280 over one or more of wireless, wired, optical communication Channel. In one embodiment, the communication network may comprise 5G network, mobile network, Bluetooth network, Wi-Fi network and any other well known network adaptable in the system.
[0039] The central server 250 is operative to process the data received from the elements 210-240 and 260-290 and control and/or manage the construction operations in accordance with desired plan and specification. The central server 250 is further described below,
[0040] FIG. 3 is an example central server operative in an embodiment. The central server is shown comprising, Plan and Layout (P & L) analyser 310, Photocap pointer 320, Event trigger generator 330, image processor 340, virtual structure generator 350, fault detector 360, rule engine 370, report and statistics 380 and user interface controller 390. The elements 310-390 are souwn coupled to each other through bus 301. The bus 301 may represent any on chip or system bus capable of interfacing the elements over one or more communication protocol. The bus 301 mauy comprise conductive, optical or wireless communication medium or combination thereof. Each element of the server is further described below.
[0041] The Plan and Layout (P & L) analyser 310, receives the plan and layout of the civil structure to be managed/constructed or and creates units subunits of the construction elements of the civil structure. In one embodiment, the plan and layout analyser 310 may divide the large structure into multiple smaller structures to begin with and for each smaller structure, several levels are created based on the desired number of floors (also interchangeably used with term levels not limiting thereto). In each level the analyser 310 may create number of pours for managing the construction activity. The division and subdivision of the project is further illustrated with example in the later sections. In one embodiment, the analyser 310 may create units and subunits with the help of AI engine and/or may provide several user interfaces to receive the user inputs to create such units and sub units of the civil structure.
[0042] The Photocap pointer 320 generates number of points (referred to as data capture points (DCP) on the plan for capturing data onsite such as images, videos, photographs etc. in one embodiment, the Photocap pointer may generate map and layout of the civil structure that are geographically synchronised. Thus, a user may capture the data at the corresponding geographically synchronised DCP at the construction site. In one embodiment, the Photocap pointer may generate DCP corresponding to units and subunits formed by the analyser 310.
[0043] The Event trigger generator (ETG) 330 generates triggers on identifying one or more events at the construction site. Triggers may represent a point in time the construction site (for several parameter) may be examined to avoid error impregnation. The ETG 330 may generate initial set of trigger points based on the layout and plan received at the analyser 310 (and/or in conjunction with analyser 310). Such initial trigger points may be derived from the history information and AI engine outputs. In one embodiment, the ETG 330 generates the trigger using the data captured at the DCP. The data captured at the DCP may be processed and provided to the ETG for determining one or more events. The triggers are communicated to the onsite devices 210A-210K, data capturing devices 220A-220L and Monitoring devices 230A-130K at least.
[0044] The image processor 340 receives the image data captured at the DCP and processes the images to identify the elements of the civil structure and/or to conjoin the images to create a fuller view of the civil structure under construction. In one embodiment, the image processor 340 may process the image to extract the structural elements present in the image/photographs. For example, the image may be a sequence of photographs comprising background, structural elements, objects obscuring the structures etc. The image processor 340 may eliminate the background or to present a neutral background for better understanding of the structural elements and their relative positions. Further, image processor 340 may provide several measurements of the structural elements to determine the accuracy of implementation as per plan and specification. In certain embodiment, the image processor 340 may compare the images with images captured earlier in time to determine the activities and progress. Such comparison result may be provided to the ETG 330 at least. In yet other embodiment, the image processor may compare the images with reference images to determine the variations in the parameters and properties of construction element.
[0045] The virtual structure generator (VSG) 350 generates the virtual structure image from the data captured at DCP. The virtual structure generator may generate a vector image that are scalable to view finer details that otherwise not enabled thorough the images or data captured at DCP. In one embodiment, the virtual structure generator may generate a 3Dimensional (3D) images and simulation view of the construction site based on the images captured at DCP. In certain embodiments, the virtual structure generator may interface with AI engine and history database to create the virtual structure image. In yet other embodiment, the virtual structure may provide user interface to receive and correct the image so created. In certain embodiment the virtual structure generator 350 may employ several material data specifications to create the virtual structure. For example, the details of reinforcement bar may be derived from the data sheet of the corresponding steel provider. Similarly, the diameter of the steel rod, etc. may be obtained through the material database (not shown), also referred to as data sheet provided by the supplier of the corresponding material. In certain embodiment, the virtual structure generator 350 may be interfaced with several product supplier databases to generate the virtual structure.
[0046] The fault detector 360 detects the fault in the structure by comparing the structural plan with the data received from VSG 350 and/or image processor 340. For example, the fault detector may compare the length, diameter and size of the structure in the virtual structure image with the specification in the original plan. Further, fault detector may also determine the distances, and distances between the joints, bends, folding, bindings etc., (nomenclatures as is known in the relevant art) to compare with the specification to detect the error/fault. When the comparison result indicates a difference in excess of a preset threshold, the fault detector may create an image with a marking to highlight the fault location. In certain embodiment, the fault detector 360 may use several digital graphics and the techniques thereof to highlight the fault area. In certain embodiment, the fault may be highlighted through one or more predetermined text messages corresponding to the detected fault. In that, a look up table may be maintained to retrieve a fault indicating text corresponding to detected fault.
[0047] The report and statistics block 380 generates results of analysis, historical data and the civil structure compliance and progress of construction details. In one embodiment the report and statistics block 380 may generate several graphical representations such as charts and graphs representing the data and analysis result. In certain other embodiment the report and statistics block 380 may provide interactive user interface to enable the deeper query into the data analysis. The user interface controller 390 generates several user interface screens to present the data and receive the data from user on one or more devices listed above meeting the objectives of the elements 310-380. The user interface controller 390 may generate both visual interface and audio interface to alert user of several constructional events. Example user interfaces are described in the sections below. The rule engine 370 generates rules and conditions applied to the other elements 310-360 and 380-390. The rule engine may employ the structural plan and the construction standards as reference to generate several rules applied to the operation of other elements 310-360 and 380-390. For example, the rule engine may receive constructional standards information from database 270 and the structural plan and layout from the block 310. The operations of the system 200 and the central server 300 are further described below.
[0048] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating operation of system 200/300 that incorporates remote inspection and management in one embodiment. In the block 410, the system receives the structural drawings plan and layout of the civil structure. The structural drawing may be received in a digital data format and/or in the form of images, scanned pictures drawn to the scale or any other known and standard means of representing the structure in the field of art. The structural drawing may be prepared with corresponding resources and services. In certain embodiment the structural drawing providing resources and services is directly interfaced with the system as in 200. The structural drawing may comprise details of foundation, dimensions, framing details, details of beams and columns for example.
[0049] In the block 420, the system detects the control points for Photocap. The control points for capturing photo (Photocap) are marked on the received layout/plan or images. As described in the above section the Photocap points may be determined based on one or more criterions. The Photocap pointer 320 may perform the determination and indication of Photocap points in an embodiment.
[0050] In block 430, the server 300 performs geo synchronisation (GeoSync) of Plan/layout to Physical locations. In one embodiment, the plan may be aligned to geographical latitude and longitude such that, the each element of the civil structure and the dimensions are aligned geographical reference. The P and L analyser 310 may perform the geosync with the help of external servers. In certain embodiment, the server may provide geo-synchronised plan and layout to the Photocap pointer.
[0051] In block 440, server provides the geo-synchronised Photocap points for capturing photo/image/video and other data. The Photocap control points may be provided to the data capturing devices 220A-220L. In an alternative embodiment, the Photocap control point may be provided to terminal devices 210A-210K that is capable of capturing data. in certain embodiment the server may provide the direction, angles and altitude at and over which the data or image required to be captured at each Photocap point.
[0052] In block 450, the data capturing devices 220A-220L captures the images/photos/videos etc., (in general data) at each Photocap control points. The data capturing devices 220A-220L control and guide the user of the device to each Photocap point and lock the location when the user/data capturing device is within an allowable range of the Photocap point. The data capturing devices 220A-220L may provide user interface to enable user to capture the data and provide message representing acknowledgement of correct and error in the data captured. In certain embodiment the data capturing devices 220A-220L may interact with central server and other elements of the system in real time to verify the sufficiency and accuracy of the data so captured and my guide the user to recapturing of data.
[0053] In block 460, the image processor 340 may process the images captured at the Photocap to generate 360 degree view of the civil structure at the specific time of construction as captured. The Image processor may generate the views of several objects such as bars, joints etc. In certain embodiment the image processor may generate several views/virtual views etc., as described in the above section. Also the image processor may interface with virtual structure generator to generate the details of the bars, joints and their position, the relative measurements etc. In certain other embodiment, the condition of the structure generated by image processor and the virtual structure generator may be analysed to detect the fault.
[0054] In block 470, the user interface controller 390 presents/displays the 360 degree view and/or virtual structure on the user device 210A-210N and/or on monitoring device 230A-230K at least. In one embodiment, the user interface 390 may provide Planned layout and the constructed layout together side by side or on selection by user. The user interface may receive user input on the displayed layout/structure.
[0055] In block 480, the user interface controller 390 receives comments on the displayed layout/structure. The comments may be received in the graphical form, text and/or audio form. The user interface controller enables user to mark a location and correspondingly insert comments on the selected points or marked points. The comments may represent the error or instruction for correction.
[0056] In block 490 the comments and remarks are received on the user interface is communicated to terminal devices and rectification message provided. The terminal device displays the error along with the marked image of the structure. The user may correspondingly rectify the error based on the remark received on the terminal devices. The process of capturing the image (as in blocks 450) to indicate the rectification as in block 490 may be repeated iteratively. Alternatively the operations of the blocks 480 and 490 may be repeatedly performed until the rectification is in accordance with the desired plan and layout. In block 499, the server provides the permission to pour the concrete. The permission is provided upon receipt of a remark representing the satisfactory rectification of all reported errors. In certain embodiment, the server may interact with AI engine to determine the fault and automatically indicate the fault location. The manner in which the several parameters may be auto checked to reduce the human intervention in the inspection of the site is further described below.
[0057] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the auto examination by the system in one embodiment. In that, the operations of capturing data at the Photocap points are similar to the descriptions provided in the above section, thus not repeated herein for brevity. In the block 510, the server generates the virtual civil structure comprising, rebar(s) details, rebar(s) interconnects, beams, pillars and their positions etc. the virtual civil structure may be constructed as per the plan and layout with the material specification in compliance with the standards. For example, the virtual structure may include rebar(s)(s) of desired diameter/length, joints/ties etc., meeting the requirements of the standard or specification. The virtual structure may be generated from the plan and layout. The virtual structure may be generated corresponding to different stages of construction. In certain embodiment the virtual structure may be generated as reference and stored in the database.
[0058] In block 520, the server compares the virtual structure with the 360 degree view of the civil structure generated from the Photocap in block 460. In certain embodiment the 360 degree view of the civil structure may be generated in a format comparable with the virtual structure. For example, the 360 degree view may be a vector map of the structure. The comparison result of the two digital structures (virtual structure and the 360 view) may be provided to block 530. The comparison result may comprise the size of the rebar(s), diameter, length, alignment, relative position, etc.,
[0059] In block 530, the server applies the rule and checks if the difference between the virtual structure and the 360 view (comparison result) is within the range specified by the rule engine. The rule engine may specify the error margin (allowable) in the construction. The server may set a trigger for inspection in the event of the error exceeding the allowable limit. In block 540, the server displays the structure with marks indicating compliance and error points in the structure. The display may be made on the terminal and monitoring devices for example.
[0060] In certain embodiment the cameras/data capturing devices are positioned at the Photocap points and are configured to capture the data/images/photos continuously/at regular intervals. The sequence of images thus, captured are provided to server for processing. In one embodiment the server monitors the progress and detects time point at which the inspection needs to be performed and approved for pouring the concrete (Pour) is required to avoid/reduce the impregnation of error in the civil structure. Accordingly, the server generates triggers at various stages of construction by monitoring the images captured at the Photocap points. Example trigger points for performing the inspection or approval for pour is exemplified below.
[0061] In one embodiment, the system 200 may be configured to employ layout plan as bedrock to determine the image capture and co-relate with design expectations. Then system may identify discrete structural elements for data capture viz. beams, columns, slabs, etc. The positions of the camera locations on the layout may be determined for Optimum/best capture of data (Referred to as Photocap algorithm). For example, from the layout plan, after identify the structural elements, images are captured to obtain Rebar(s) information for each element. The rebar(s) information may comprise the method of rebar(s) placement, separate rebar(s) layer wise information.
[0062] Placement of cameras is also dependent on the type of elements in the layout plan. For each location determined for capturing the pictures, the system may identify factors that influence cameras such as camera’s Resolution, Range of Capture, Normal/ Wide Angle/ 360 degree capture. With multiple cameras only a set of cameras are selected that give enough information to capture all data for a given element. Thus avoiding the data overload. FIG. 6 illustrates the selection of the camera positions/photocap points. As shown there, the selected SLAB 610 may be captured by only the cameras in the Photocap points 620A-620D are sufficient. Though the cameras 630A-630C may also capture the slab 610, they are not selected for the purpose. A mosaic of selected images may be created. The Mosaic may be created using multiple the images capturing same element. The presentations of element may be made on user interface as plain or 360 degree panorama to give ability to zoom and rotate to view a object/element from various angles and/or to provide images to view in VR (Virtual Reality) headsets
[0063] The system then determines the structural element type or rebar(s) type that define Trigger Events and the corresponding final image to be used for further processing or causing the trigger. For example, as noted above a number of images are generated for each element across the time lapse. System determines and selects an image of these images that represents the final state of the information of a given status. Like when rebar(s) are being created for a Piller/beam, then completion of rebar(s) work needs to be recognised from the set of images. Trigger Event is a concept that defines the next event once that state has been reached. Once the Trigger Event is identified from the captured images, an image that is captured at one time point earlier to image taken at T that represents the completion of the event is forwarded/used for inspection. The Trigger Event and images to be considered will vary from one type of element to another, the method of assembly on site and sequence of assembly.
[0064] For example, in case of beams, when the reinforcement has started to be lowered into the formwork. Either some part or the entire line of beam rebar(s) would have disappeared into the formwork may represent a trigger event. Alternatively, when the side faces of the formwork have started to appear indicating that the rebar(s) arrangement is final may represent a trigger event. Similarly, in case of a column element, trigger event may be an image in which the side faces of the formwork have started to appear, indicating that the rebar(s) arrangement is final for columns and ready to pour.
[0065] In case of slab element, trigger event is when chairs (as is well known in the field of art) are placed for the top reinforcement to be placed. In an alternative embodiment, the trigger event may be detection of the reinforcement in the top layer starts or an image that detects a top layer vertically separated from the bottom layer. Similarly, the trigger event related to wall element may be detected when the side faces of the formwork have started to appear, indicating that the rebar(s) arrangement is final. While only few examples are provided, the scope of the invention covers all the element of the structure and the stage that may be detected through the images and a specific characteristic in an image.
[0066] The system 200 therefore enables manual inspection & approval, auto inspection & approval and combination thereof. In case of a manual inspection and approval configuration, the structural drawing is made available to the user devices at site so that the team operating onsite understand the structural drawing and start construction on site. The team operating onsite completes the entire assembly by placing rebar(s), slab etc as per drawing. The team operating onsite captures images of the assembly and the captured multiple images from all the direction is received at the central server. For example, the team operating onsite may upload the images to cloud database and the uploaded images are processed in the server and it creates the reconstructed 3D (three dimensional) images for inspection. The structural engineer does remote collaboration with server and inspects the 3D images to check the assembly.
[0067] Further, the structural engineer views and inspects the actual layout 302 remotely and detects issues in assembly by using object detection and conditional analysis. The structural engineer inspects the layout in all angles by zooming the reconstructed 3D images and also measures the length, width and diameter of object. In case, structural engineer find any issues in placement of rebar(s), beam, spacing, objects etc, the structural engineer comments the issues and creates a checklist. The checklist may comprise a timeline, delay, issue images, pouring etc. The commented issues are recorded for the reference purpose.
[0068] In one embodiment, the system makes use of Object detection techniques for detecting issues in the object. The Object detection technique detects or assists in locating instances of objects in images or videos. Object detection algorithms typically leverage machine learning or deep learning to produce required results.
[0069] The structural engineer comments are reflected to the owner/project manager and the user check the issues on the site. The owner/project manager rectifies and resolves the commented issues such as placement of rebar(s), beam, spacing etc. The resolved images are uploaded to the system 306 and it is accessed by structural engineer and checks the resolved issues and reviews the checklist. If the engineer is satisfied with the resolved image then he closes the issues and give instruction to next step 308 for example; concreting.
[0070] Further, the structural engineer gives instruction for concreting when the structural layout is in line with the actual structural drawing. Further, the concrete is poured on the assembly and after concreting, post concreting image of assembly captured and it is uploaded. Thus, the system 200 enable the structural engineer to manage and approve the construction without visiting the site of the construction that may enhance the speed of construction, cost, and saved time of the structural engineer.
[0071] In the another embodiment, the remote Collaborative Site Inspection system 200 helps to inspect the Excavation assessment, Shuttering / formwork, Rebar(s) placement, Concreting and Post-concreting etc. Further, the remote Collaborative Site Inspection helps to control some activities such as Rebar(s) checking, Approval and sign off of any site activity such as plumbing, electrical, digital representation prior to any concealment such as concreting for rebar(s) for plumbing, etc. Legal requirement, accurate material consumption information, automated digital as-built representation etc are controlled during construction.
[0072] In embodiment, Artificial Intelligence (AI) based digital validation performed after online inspection. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) 260 runs in the system 200 and extract the feature and it validates using the reference database which may comprises a plan, a design, an engineering data, spacing, a length, rebar(s), a diameter, a dimension, a shape, a location etc.
[0073] Further, The AI engine 260 runs in the system and checks the sufficiency of design and assists the engineer. The AI engine automatically identify the all the rebar(s) and every single component/objects and creates the reverse digital twin image. An example reverse digital twin image is depicted in the FIG. 7C. In that, the images of the site FIG. 7A and 7B are combined to generate the reverse digital twin image 7C. Several user interface screen that enable the manual and automatic inspection are depicted below.
[0074] The FIG. 8A- 8D illustrates the manner in which the plan and layout analyser generates units and subunits of a civil construction and provide on the user interface for managing the same. As shown there, user interface controller generates the user interface 800 comprising the project identifier 810, first set of units of the project 820, second set of units 830, third set of units 840, fourth set of units 850 and Photocap points 860 (also may operate as pour boundaries). In that the project identifier 810 may provide the name, area, number of levels, number of phases and location details of the civil structures (project) that may be derived from the plan and layout received at the plant and layout analyser. The first set of units of the project 820 may comprise phases of the project. The second set of units 830 may comprise building details in the project, third set of units 840 may comprise sections of the selected buildings, fourth set of units 850 may comprise pours of the selected larger section. In that each pour requiring the approval to prevent impregnation of error at least. The Photocap points 860 represents the details of Photocap points for a selected pour. Accordingly, the photos may be captured from the defined location in the prescribed direction and angle and sent to the server. The manner in which the remote inspection is enabled in an embodiment is further described below.
[0075] In the FIG.9A and 9B illustrates the manner in which the system 200 provides for remote inspection and approval by the structural engineer in an embodiment. That is the FIG. 9A and 9B provides examples of interaction between the device at site (site engineer) and the device at remote location (structural engineer) during the project execution. In particular, the FIG. 9A represents the interaction initiated by the site engineer (marked as Query (910) and the FIG. 9B represents the interaction initiated by the remote device (marked as issue (920). The issue may be created automatically by the server or by the structural engineer based on the 360 view. The issue is shown comprising the 360 degree view with marking of the issue point. The interaction section 940 is shown to indicate the interaction between onsite devices and remote devices. The issue/query may be closed and approval is provided by the remote device.
[0076] Similarly, FIG. 10A and 10B illustrates the user interface on the handheld devices corresponding to generated Query. FIG. 10C and 10D illustrates the user interface on the handheld devices corresponding to generated issue. As may be seen multiple onsite hand held devices are enabled to communicate on the issue and query. FIG. 10E represents the summary of the issues corresponding to a given pour.
[0077] While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-discussed embodiments but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
, Claims:CLAIMS
I/We Claim,
1. A system for managing and controlling construction a civil structure comprising:
a set of onsite devices 210A-210K, a set of data capturing devices 220A-220L, a set of monitoring devices 230A-230K, an External servers 240, a Central server 250, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine 260, a Database 270 and a data server 280 all coupled to a Communication network 290,
Characterised in that, the central server 250 comprising a Plan and Layout (P & L) analyser 310, Photocap pointer 320, Event trigger generator 330, image processor 340, virtual structure generator 350, fault detector 360, rule engine 370, report and statistics 380 and user interface controller 390,
the Photocap pointer generating the plurality of point on the layout to capture a first data, the image processor generating a 360 degree view of the construction site from the first data and the user interface controller presenting the 360 degree view of the construction site to remote device for examination and approval.
2. The system as claimed in the claim 1, wherein the virtual structure generator generating a virtual structure diagram from the layout and plan and the fault detector comparing with the 360 degree view with virtual structure diagram and the event trigger generator generating an event when the difference is in excess of a threshold in an auto inspection mode and event generator generating an event trigger when the 360 degree view matches with the image reference representing a completion of a stage.
3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the user interface controller displaying the 360 degree view on the set of remote devices on receiving the trigger.
4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the user interface receiving the inputs on the remote device representing one of an approval or correction on the displayed 360 degree view
5. A method, system and apparatus providing one or more features as described in the paragraphs of this specification.

Date: 16-12-2022 Signature………………………
OMPRAKASH S.N.
Agent for Applicant, IN/PA- 1095