Real-time automatic crack detection method based on drone

Real-time automated drone-based crack detection can be used for efficient building damage assessment. This paper proposes an automated real-time crack detection method based on a drone. Using a lightweight classification algorithm, a lightweight segmentation algorithm, a high-precision segmentation algorithm, and a crack width measurement algorithm, the cracks are classified, roughly segmented, finely segmented, and the maximum width is extracted. A crack information-assisted drone flight automatic control algorithm for automatic crack detection guides the drone toward the crack position. The effectiveness of the crack detection algorithm and the crack information-assisted drone flight automatic control algorithm was tested on two different datasets, a two-story building, and a 16-m-high shaking table test building. The results show that crack detection can be finished in real-time during the flight. Using the proposed method can significantly improve the MIoU of crack edge detection and the accuracy of maximum crack width measurement under the non-ideal shooting conditions of the actual inspection situation by automatically approaching the vicinity of the crack.