Laser Rut Measurement System (LRMS)

In Quebec, summer is the season for road work. To prioritize the work being planned, we have worked jointly with Ministère des Transports to develop a 3D laser system to characterize and measure pavement rutting. This technology has proven effective, and dozens of these systems are used around the world.

This system can measure transverse profiles 4 m wide at inspection speeds of up to 100 km/h. It uses two laser profilometers that digitize the shape of the pavement. A customized optical configuration and high-power pulsed laser projectors allow the system we have specially designed to operate day or night. Road profile data is collected and processed in the vehicle and can then be compressed and stored with a GPS time stamp. This system makes it possible to optimize management of road maintenance budgets and improve safety through better road surface maintenance.

In addition to rut computation algorithm, the software we developed can be used to verify the calibration of the system, record 3D data, and extract marking line position. Image processing algorithms detect line distortion based on the shape of the pavement in order to determine the depth and width of ruts. This software also classifies short and wide radius ruts according to their severity.

For the domain of inspection of transportation's infrastructures, our exclusive client for the LRMS is Pavemetrics Systems inc.