JP2004015128A - Camera head for inspection in conduit with top and bottom discriminating function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a simplified and miniaturized structure of a camera head for inspection in a conduit having top and bottom discriminating function. <P>SOLUTION: A top and bottom discriminating unit 27 has a structure, wherein a discriminating element such as a sphere is received freely movably, in a circular cross-section hollow part of a housing 32. The top and bottom discriminator 27 is provided at a position in front of a camera 28 so that the discriminator 27 comes into sight of a camera at the corner part thereof. The discriminating unit 27 is displayed on a monitor screen, for displaying images shot by the camera, at a fixed position (corner part) thereof at all times. The top and bottom of the camera head 20 can be discriminated by the position of the discriminating sphere in the housing 32 of the discriminator 27. Because the discriminator 27 is not built into, but is provided externally to the main camera head body 21, a simplified and miniaturized structure of the camera head can be achieved and degradation of the passability of the camera head inside the conduit can be avoided, and the camera head can be economically manufactured at a low cost. The degree of narrowing of the sight is also reduced. The discriminating sphere will not be displayed with blurring, and the monitor screen is easy to view. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-pipe inspection camera head for projecting an image in a pipe on a monitor to check the inside of a pipe, and more particularly, to a top / bottom discrimination function for discriminating the top and bottom of the camera head in the pipe. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, when inspecting a pipeline for laying a power cable, as shown in FIG. 8, a camera head for inspection in a pipeline (hereinafter simply referred to as a camera head) is attached to the tip of a flexible rod 2 wound around a reel 3. 1), and the camera head 1 is inserted from the manhole 4 into the conduit 5, the rod 2 is pushed into the conduit 5, and the camera head 1 is advanced in the conduit 5, and is connected to the camera head 1. A method of displaying an image captured by a built-in camera on a monitor 6 is generally used. The camera control / signal cable is built in the rod 2 or attached to the rod 2.
[0003]
Representative types of this kind of camera head 1 are shown in FIGS. FIG. 9A shows a triangular camera head 1a, and FIG. 9B shows a cylindrical camera head 1b.
[0004]
Conventionally, when this type of camera head 1 is provided with a top and bottom discrimination function for discriminating the top and bottom (posture) of the camera head 1 in a pipeline, the top and bottom discrimination method shown in FIG. 10 or the top and bottom discrimination method shown in FIG. Etc. are adopted.
The top / bottom discrimination method of the camera head 11 shown in FIG. 10 is based on the output signal of the top / bottom discrimination device 15 having a built-in top / bottom discrimination sensor added to the image signal processed by the image processing circuit 14 based on the light receiving output of the imaging device 13 such as a CCD. This is a method of mixing and displaying the image on the monitor 6 (referred to as an image signal method). The top and bottom of the camera head 1 are determined based on the image displayed on the monitor 6. Reference numeral 11 denotes a camera head, and 12 denotes a lens.
As shown in FIG. 11A, the camera head 11 ′ of FIG. 11 uses a transparent head having a circular hollow section 17a (circular when viewed from the left side in the figure) between the lens 12 and the image sensor 13, as shown in FIG. The top and bottom discriminator 16 accommodates, for example, a ball (referred to as a discrimination ball) 18 as a discriminator in a housing 17 so as to be freely movable. This is a projection method (referred to as a discriminator method). The discriminating sphere 18 settles to the lowest part in the vertical direction due to gravity. If the discriminating sphere 18 is located at the lower left corner of the screen as shown in the monitor screen 6a shown in FIG. It can be determined that it is on the ground (below).
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Since the conventional camera heads 11 and 11 'both incorporate the top and bottom discrimination function unit inside the camera head, there is a problem that the size of the camera head is increased and the passage property in a pipeline is reduced. In addition, there is a problem that the cost of the camera head is increased due to the complicated structure of the camera head.
Further, in the case of the image signal system shown in FIG. 10, since an electronic circuit is required, the image signal system becomes more complicated and costs higher.
In the discriminator method shown in FIG. 11, while the discriminating sphere 18 moves substantially along the circumference of the housing 17 as shown in FIGS. Since 6a is rectangular, the discriminating sphere 18 needs to have a certain size, and the field of view becomes narrow. Further, since the discriminating sphere 18 is blurred, the field of view is further narrowed, and the existence of the blurred portion is bothersome, making it difficult to see as a monitor screen. In addition, since the size of the discriminating sphere 18 shown on the screen differs depending on the place, it is difficult to see in that respect.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional disadvantages, and can be easily reduced in size and simplified in structure.Also, the degree of narrowing of the field of view is small, and some parts are invisible. It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-pipe inspection camera head having a top-and-bottom discrimination function that does not become a monitor screen.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The camera head for in-pipe inspection with the function of discriminating the top and bottom of the present invention which solves the above-mentioned problem is capable of freely moving a discriminator such as a sphere or the like into the circular cross-section hollow portion of the housing having the circular cross-section hollow portion visible from the outside. The top and bottom discriminator housed is provided at a position in front of the camera so that at least the entire hollow portion of the circular cross section enters the corner of the camera field of view.
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the camera head for in-pipe inspection according to the first aspect, an adapter for improving the transmissibility in the pipe is mounted on the camera head body, and a discriminator support is provided on a front portion of the adapter. A member is attached, and the top / bottom discriminator is attached to a front end of the discriminator support member.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the camera head for in-pipe inspection according to the second aspect, the adapter includes an adapter main body fixed to the camera head main body and adapter extension portions fixed to left and right sides thereof, respectively. A front extension is formed integrally with the extension, and the discriminator support member is attached to the front extension.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
1 is a perspective view of an in-pipe inspection camera head 20 with a top-bottom discrimination function according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. It is a perspective view.
The camera head for inspection in a pipeline (hereinafter, referred to as a camera head) 20 according to the embodiment can pass through a camera head main body 21 having a substantially flat shape in accordance with the size and the situation of the pipeline 5 (whether it is empty or an existing cable or the like). Is mounted. The camera head body 21 has a built-in camera 28 having a lens portion 28a disposed on the front surface, and is provided with an illuminating light 29 composed of, for example, a plurality of LEDs on both sides.
[0011]
The adapter 22 includes an adapter main body 23 fixed to the camera head main body 21, an adapter extension 24 above the adapter main body 23, and left and right adapter extensions 25 and 26. 5, one of the left and right adapter extensions 25, 26 has a front extension for receiving a discriminator support member 30 having a top and bottom discriminator 27 attached to the tip thereof, as also shown in FIG. 25a is formed integrally with the front part.
The discriminator support member 30 has a substantially cylindrical shape, has a recess 30a for mounting the top and bottom discriminator 27 near the front end, and has a mounting shaft 30b at the rear end. Further, the discriminator support member 30 is placed on the arcuate concave surface 25b of the front extension portion 25a so that the angle around the center line can be adjusted, and the mounting shaft 30b at the rear end is inserted into the mounting hole 25c of the adapter extension portion 25. , Are fixed by set bolts 31.
[0012]
As shown in detail in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the top and bottom discriminator 27 includes a spherical discriminator, that is, a discriminator, in the circular cross-section hollow portion 32a of the housing 32 forming the circular cross-section hollow portion 32a having a small depth. The configuration is such that the sphere 33 is freely movably accommodated, and the camera-side surface of the circular cross-section hollow portion 32a is a transparent glass plate 32b. The top and bottom discriminator 27 is housed in the recess 30 a of the discriminator support member 30 and is fixed by bolts 34.
When the discriminator support member 30 is fixed to the adapter extension 25 with the set bolt 31, the angle of the discriminator support member 30 around the center line is adjusted so that the top / bottom discriminator 27 is positioned at the lower right corner of the camera field of view. The orientation of the top / bottom discriminator 27 is adjusted so as to correctly enter. Thus, when the inside of the pipeline is inspected by the camera head 20, the top / bottom discriminator 27 is always at the lower right corner of the camera field of view. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the top / bottom discriminator 27 always appears in the lower right corner of the monitor screen 6a.
[0013]
When the camera head 20 inserted in the conduit 5 is in the position shown in FIG. 7A in the conduit 5, the image on the monitor screen 6a is as shown in FIG. By looking at the position of the discrimination sphere 33 in the top and bottom discriminator 27 in the lower corner, the top and bottom can be discriminated. In the case shown in the figure, since the discriminating sphere 33 is located below the top and bottom discriminator 27 on the monitor screen 6a, the lower part of the screen 6a (in the direction of the arrow) is the ground (lower) as it is, ie, in the pipeline. It can be seen that the attitude of the camera head 20 is as shown in FIG.
When the camera head 20 is in the posture shown in FIG. 7C, the image on the monitor screen 6a is as shown in FIG. In this case, since the discriminating sphere 33 is located on the left side of the top and bottom discriminator 27 on the monitor screen 6a, the left side (in the direction of the arrow) of the screen 6a is the ground (downward), that is, It can be seen that the attitude of the camera head 20 is as shown in FIG.
In this manner, on the monitor screen 6a, the position of the discrimination sphere 33 in the top and bottom discrimination device 27 indicates the downward direction (ground) in the vertical direction, so that the top and bottom (posture) of the camera head 20 can be determined based on the position of the discrimination sphere 33.
[0014]
As described above, since the top and bottom discriminator 27 is not built into the camera head 20 but is attached to the adapter extension 25 via the discriminator support member 30, that is, it is externally attached to the camera head 20. In addition, the structure of the camera head 20 can be simplified and downsized. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the deterioration of the passage property of the camera head 20 in the pipeline as much as possible, and it is possible to manufacture the camera head 20 at low cost.
[0015]
Also, since the top / bottom discriminator 27 is always reflected at a fixed position (corner) on the monitor screen and does not move, the discriminating ball has a certain size as in the conventional discriminator method in which the discriminating ball moves on the monitor screen. However, the problem that the field of view is narrowed due to the necessity is not caused.
In addition, since the top and bottom discriminator 27 and its discriminating sphere 33 are clearly displayed on the monitor screen, there is no problem that the discrimination ball is blurred as in the related art.
In addition, since the top / bottom discriminator 27 is always viewed in the same manner on the monitor screen, the monitor screen is easy to see, unlike the conventional method in which the size of the discrimination sphere shown on the screen differs depending on the location.
[0016]
In the above embodiment, the top / bottom discriminator 27 is attached to the front extension 25a of the adapter extension 25 via the discriminator support member 30, but may be directly attached to the front extension 25a. Further, it may be attached to a normal adapter extension portion 26 having no front extension portion via a discriminator support member or the like. Further, the discriminator support member 30 can be attached to the camera head main body 21.
Further, it is naturally possible to apply the present invention to the cylindrical camera head 1b shown in FIG.
Since there are various structures of the camera head main body and the structure of the adapter, it is preferable to mount the top and bottom discriminator with an appropriate mounting structure according to the structure.
[0017]
In the above-described embodiment, the discriminator has a spherical shape. However, the discriminator is not limited to this, and may have a star shape or any other appropriate shape. In short, any material can be used as long as it can freely move in the hollow section 32a of the circular cross section of the housing 32.
Also, the design of the housing structure can be changed as appropriate.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
According to the camera head for inspecting a pipeline of the present invention, a top-and-bottom discriminator configured by housing a discriminator such as a ball so as to be freely movable in the circular cross-section hollow portion of a housing having a circular cross-section hollow portion visible from the outside. Since the entire top / bottom discriminator is provided at a position in front of the camera so as to enter the corner of the camera field of view, the following effects are obtained.
{Circle around (1)} Since the top / bottom discriminator is external to the camera head instead of being built in, the structure of the camera head can be simplified and its size can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the passage property of the camera head in the pipeline as much as possible, and it is possible to manufacture the camera head at low cost.
{Circle around (2)} Since the top / bottom discriminator is projected at a fixed position (corner) on the monitor screen, the discriminating ball needs to have a certain size as in the conventional discriminator method in which the discriminating ball moves on the monitor screen, and the field of view is narrow. Problem does not occur.
{Circle over (3)} Since the top and bottom discriminator and its discriminating ball are clearly displayed on the monitor screen, there is no problem that the discrimination ball is blurred as in the related art.
{Circle over (4)} Since the top / bottom discriminator always looks in the same manner on the monitor screen, the monitor screen is easy to see, unlike the conventional method in which the size of the discrimination sphere shown on the screen differs depending on the location.
(5) The top-and-bottom discriminator of the present invention is a discriminator system, and is less likely to break down than the conventional image signal system. Even in the event of a breakdown, the top-and-bottom discriminator is external to the camera head. , Can be replaced easily and inexpensively.
{Circle around (6)} Since the top and bottom discriminator is externally attached to the camera head, when the top and bottom discrimination is unnecessary and not used, it can be easily removed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an in-pipe inspection camera head (camera head) having a top / bottom discrimination function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the camera head of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the camera head.
FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing only an adapter piece of the camera head to which a top / bottom discriminator is attached.
6A is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the top and bottom discriminator in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are views for explaining a top / bottom discriminating function of the camera head, wherein FIGS. (C) is a diagram showing a monitor screen corresponding to the posture of the camera head.
FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the state of a general pipeline inspection operation using a camera head for inspection in a pipeline.
9A and 9B show typical types of camera heads for in-pipe inspection used in the pipe inspection work of FIG. 8, wherein (a) is a triangular camera head and (b) is a cylindrical camera head.
FIG. 10 shows a conventional example, and is a view schematically showing a camera head for inspection in a pipeline provided with an image signal type top / bottom discriminator.
FIG. 11 shows another conventional example, and is a diagram schematically showing an in-pipe inspection camera head provided with a discriminator type top / bottom discriminator.
12 is a diagram for explaining a problem of the top / bottom discrimination method of FIG. 11, wherein (a), (b), and (c) show a discrimination sphere reflected on a monitor screen when the camera head is in different postures. It is a figure showing an aspect.
[Explanation of symbols]
20 Camera head (camera head for inspection in pipeline)
21 Camera Head Body 22 Adapter 23 Adapter Body 24, 25, 26 Adapter Extension 25a Forward Extension 25b (of Adapter Extension 25) Circular Concave Surface 25c Mounting Hole 27 Top and Bottom Discriminator 28 Camera 28a Lens Section 30 Discriminator Support Member 30b Mounting shaft 31 Set bolt 32 Housing 32a Hollow portion with circular cross section 32b Glass plate 33 Discriminating ball (discriminator)
34 volts

Claims (3)

A top / bottom discriminator configured by housing a discriminator such as a ball in the circular cross-section hollow portion of a housing having a circular cross-section hollow portion that can be seen from the outside, and at least the whole of the circular cross-section hollow portion is a corner of a camera view. A camera head for inspection in a pipe with a function of distinguishing the top and bottom, which is provided at a position in front of the camera so as to enter the section. The camera head body is equipped with an adapter for improving the transmissibility in the pipeline, and a discriminator support member is attached to a front portion of the adapter. 2. The camera head for inspection in a pipe with a top and bottom discrimination function according to claim 1, wherein the camera head is attached. The adapter includes an adapter body fixed to the camera head body and adapter extensions fixed respectively to the left and right sides thereof, and a front extension is integrally formed with one of the adapter extensions, and the front extension is formed. 3. The camera head for inspection in a pipe with an upside-down discriminating function according to claim 2, wherein said discriminator supporting member is attached to a portion.

Images