A Thermal Imaging Model for Roads Cracks Width Detection

Abstract

Many roads have a punch of defects that negatively affect driving safety. The most popular defects on the roads are the cracks which need to be detected and estimated to determine the proper required action in order to provide safer road conditions. This paper aims to provide an algorithm to improve the Inspection process of roads which has difficulties in how to detect cracks and estimate their widths and therefore evaluate their effects on roads. In this paper, a novel algorithm has been developed to detect cracks on the roads and to estimate their width. The developed algorithm is based on locating cracks via horizontal and vertical pixels scan and then estimating the width of the cracks based on the real dimensions of the tested area. A thermal imaging tool was used in order to get an appropriate inspection process, where the Canny Edge Detector is applied to detect the cracks accurately. Such a model would be used by authorities that care about roads and transportation. The results show a promising detection and estimation of road cracks in real measurements which gives an indication of the effect of the cracks on the whole of the tested area.