Identification of Manholes Beneath Pavements Using RFID and AR Technologies

Abstract

Abstract To reduce the danger due to uneven surfaces because of manholes, lowering manholes into road structures is a good approach to maintain the serviceability of the pavement. However, the vast expanse of road systems quite increases the complexity of manhole identifications when implementing maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) activities. Hence, an emerging method for finding manholes beneath pavements is needed. In this study, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is used to identify manholes beneath pavements. RFID tags with cement blocks were buried in dense-grade asphalt concrete at different depths in a metal mold and then were identified using RFID in the laboratory. This study developed an easy-to-use program on an RFID reader to identify RFID tags on-site. The RFID tags attached to covers of manholes beneath pavements can be easily monitored by the program. Augmented reality (AR) technology can aid users in manipulating virtual objects in real environments. This study developed a mobile manhole monitoring system (MMS) and a web-based MMS. The location and information of manholes can be transmitted from the web-based MMS through the Internet and be shown on the mobile MMS based on the AR technology. The time and costs of manhole identification can be significantly decreased and pavement maintenance activities may be implemented in a more timely fashion by using RFID and AR technologies.