SBIR Phase I: A Novel Video-Based Software Application For Automatic And Accurate Roof Surveying

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将调查设计一个基于视频的屋顶测量软件的技术和商业可行性。屋面测量是钣金屋面工程中必不可少的一项工作。为此目的，多年来已经发展了几种技术；然而，没有一种能同时做到安全、廉价、自动和足够准确。因此，尽管卷尺测量有明显的局限性，但它仍然是标准的测量方法。该项目将通过自动生成包括必要测量在内的准确的屋顶三维线图来解决这一需求。如果成功了，会是世界吗？美国第一个基于视频的屋顶测量软件，满足所有行业要求（准确性，简单性，成本，安全性和效率）。当使用它时，屋顶承包商只需从屋顶收集立体视频并将其发送到服务器进行处理。与现有的仅使用点级信息的基于视觉的软件不同，该软件使用了结合点、线和面的混合配方。这种更高级别的信息将输出精度提高到所需的级别。一旦测量数据被自动提取并发送回来，承包商就会将它们上传到现场的滚压成型机上，以滚压成型并切割成精确的金属板卷，准备安装面板。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是解决当前屋顶测量技术的固有缺陷，并使金属板屋顶行业达到许多其他行业使用的CAD/CAM的现代标准。与卷尺测量相比，该项目将大大降低测量成本，也消除了员工面临坠落危险的风险，从而减少了屋顶行业中极高的职业伤害和坠落死亡人数（2009年私人建筑死亡人数的7%）。应用程序的简单性将消除对全站仪测量所需的训练有素的测量师的需求。与卫星成像技术相比，它还可以提供更精确的测量，从而满足工业要求。除了目标行业（即金属板屋顶）之外，该解决方案几乎可以被全球任何屋顶承包商使用。它也可以适用于许多其他建筑行业，其中建造组件需要竣工文件，包括金属幕墙制造商/安装商和暖通空调承包商。这反过来又会节省时间和成本，从而提高建筑行业的效率。测量设备制造商和测量公司是该应用程序目标市场的其他关键参与者。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate the technical and commercial feasibility of designing a video-based roof surveying software. Roof surveying is an essential activity in sheet metal roofing projects. Several technologies have been evolved over the years for this purpose; however, none of them are safe, inexpensive, automatic, and accurate enough at the same time. Tape measurement is therefore still the standard practice despite its apparent limitations. This project will address this need by automatically generating an accurate 3Dwirediagram of a roof which includes necessary measurements. If successful, it will be the world?s first videobased roof surveying software that fulfills all industry requirements (accuracy, simplicity, cost, safety, and efficiency). When using it, a roofing contractor simply collects stereo video from a roof and sends it to a server for processing. Unlike existing vision-based software that only use point level information, the software uses a hybrid formulation that combines points, lines, and planes. This higher level information enhances the output accuracy to the required level. Once measurements are automatically extracted and sent back, the contractor uploads them to an on-site roll forming machine to roll form and cut sheet metal coil into precise, ready to install panels.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to address inherent deficiencies of current technologies for roof surveying and bring the sheet metal roofing trade up to the modern standards of CAD/CAM used in many other industries. Compared to tape measuring, this project will significantly reduce measuring costs and also eliminate the exposure of employees to fall hazards, thereby decreasing the very high number of occupational injuries and fall deaths which occur in the roofing industry (7% of private construction fatalities in 2009). The simplicity of the application will remove the need for trained surveyors which are required for surveying with a total station. It could also provide more accurate measurements compared to satellite imaging technology and hence satisfy industry requirements.Beyond the target industry (i.e., sheet metal roofing), this solution could be used by virtually any roofing contractors worldwide. It could also be adapted to many of the other building trades where as-built documentation is required to build components, including metal façade manufacturers/installers and HVAC contractors. This, in turn, will result in time and cost savings, which can improve the efficiency of the construction industry. Surveying equipment manufacturers and surveying companies are the other key players in the target market of this application.