Abstract
The Terracotta Army, an integral part of China's cultural heritage, has suffered physical erosion like cracks and notches over time. Manual inspection methods are inefficient and subjective. This study proposes an automated defect detection system based on computer vision to enhance the efficiency and precision of detecting these defects. The system includes the following core modules: (1) high-resolution image acquisition, which ensures comprehensive and detailed data capture; (2) sophisticated image illumination processing, which compensates for varying lighting conditions and improves image quality; (3) advanced image data augmentation techniques, which enrich the dataset and improve the generalization ability of the detection model; and (4) accurate defect detection, which leverages state-of-the-art algorithms. In the experimental phase, the efficacy of the proposed approach was evaluated. Illumination-enhanced low-light images were used for data augmentation, and the generated images showed high similarity to the original images, as measured by PSNR and SSIM. The YOLOv10 algorithm was employed for defect detection and achieved average detection rates of 91.71% for cracks and 93.04% for abrasions. This research provides a scientific and efficient solution for cultural relic protection and offers a valuable reference for future research in heritage conservation.