JP2015224447A - Device and method for inspecting inside of chimney - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the size and the weight of a camera head for imaging an inside of a chimney, and to facilitate inspection of the inside of the chimney.SOLUTION: A camera 12 capable of imaging at least the side and the lower side and capable of varying an imaging direction is mounted on a camera head 10. The camera head 10 is hung down to an inside from a top of a chimney 9L, and the inside of the chimney 9L is imaged by the camera 12. A controller 20 including a remote control section 23 and a monitor 29 are installed on the outside of the chimney 9L. An image taken by the camera 12 is displayed on the monitor 29, and the imaging direction of the camera 12 is remotely controlled by the remote control section 23.

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for inspecting the inside of a chimney.

  The inspection of the inner wall of the chimney has been performed by visual inspection from the top of the chimney and the inspection port. However, there are places that cannot be visually confirmed by the inner diameter and height of the chimney. Moreover, since it is visual, the reliability of recording is low. As a countermeasure, for example, in Patent Document 1, four television cameras are installed in a heat-resistant container, and the inner wall of the chimney is photographed from four directions and recorded.

Japanese Patent No. 5306019

  The device of Patent Document 1 is large and heavy. For this reason, it was impossible to lift it manually, and it was necessary to lift it up to the top of the chimney with a large crane and hang it inside the chimney. Therefore, it cannot be used in a place where a large crane cannot be installed nearby. Also, because of its large size, it could not be inserted into a small chimney.

In order to solve the above problems, the device of the present invention is a chimney inspection device for inspecting the inside of a chimney,
A camera head capable of being suspended in the chimney;
A controller disposed outside the chimney and wired to the camera head;
With
The camera head includes a head main body having a suspension receiving portion, a camera that is supported by the head main body and capable of photographing at least a side and a lower side and has a variable photographing direction, and a camera driving unit that changes a photographing direction of the camera. Including
The controller includes a display processing unit that displays a photographed image from the camera on a monitor, and a remote operation unit that remotely operates the camera driving unit.

According to this chimney inspection device, the number of cameras can be reduced and the camera head can be made compact and lightweight compared to the conventional chimney inspection device of Patent Document 1 or the like. Therefore, it can be surely inserted into a small-diameter chimney. On the other hand, by making the photographing direction variable, even if the number of cameras is small, it is possible to surely observe the direction or place to be observed in the chimney, and to ensure the reliability of the inspection.
In addition, by connecting the camera head and the controller in a wired manner, signal transmission failures (communication failures) can be reliably prevented, and observation in the chimney and control of the camera head can be performed without any trouble. Therefore, it is not necessary to load a wireless transceiver on the camera head, and the camera head can be further reduced in size and weight.
Therefore, handling such as raising the camera head by the operator to the chimney can be facilitated, and the inspection inside the chimney can be easily performed. As a result, the construction period can be shortened and the construction cost can be reduced.

It is preferable that the camera is rotatable about at least the vertical axis of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis with respect to the head body. This makes it possible to reliably change the shooting direction of the camera head. Further, the inner wall of the chimney on the side of the camera head can be photographed in the circumferential direction, and the reliability of the inspection can be improved.
Here, the vertical axis is an axis that faces substantially vertical when the suspended camera head is in the neutral position (the position when the camera is not shaken or the position of the center of the shake). It may be slightly inclined (for example, within about 20 °). Further, the horizontal axis is an axis that faces substantially horizontal at the neutral position, and is not limited to strict horizontal, but may be slightly inclined (for example, within about 20 °) with respect to the horizontal.

A depth meter for measuring the insertion depth of the camera head in the chimney;
It is preferable that the display processing unit displays the measured insertion depth on the monitor together with the captured image.
Thereby, it is possible to easily determine the height of the image displayed on the monitor in the chimney, and the efficiency of the inspection can be increased.

In addition, the method of the present invention is a chimney inspection method for inspecting the inside of a chimney,
A camera head equipped with a camera capable of photographing at least the side and below and having a variable photographing direction is suspended from the top of the chimney,
Photograph the inside of the chimney with the camera,
A photographed image of the camera is displayed on a monitor outside the chimney, and a photographing direction of the camera is remotely controlled by a controller connected by wire to the camera head.
As a result, the camera head can be reduced in size and weight, and can be reliably inserted into a small-diameter chimney. In addition, handling can be facilitated such that the operator can hold the camera head and go up to the chimney. Thereby, the inspection in the chimney can be easily performed. As a result, the construction period can be shortened and the construction cost can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to reliably observe the direction or location in the chimney that is desired to be observed, and to ensure the reliability of the inspection.

The camera head is intermittently lowered while photographing the lower part with the camera in the chimney, and the camera is rotated sideways while rotating about the vertical axis with respect to the camera head every time the lowering is stopped. It is preferable to shoot.
As a result, the inside of the chimney can be observed without hesitation. Further, by photographing the lower part when descending, it is possible to grasp the outline inside the chimney below the camera head, and when there is an obstacle in the chimney, the camera head can be prevented from hitting the obstacle.

  According to the present invention, the camera head for photographing the inside of the chimney can be made compact and lightweight, and the inspection inside the chimney can be easily performed. In addition, it is possible to reliably observe the direction or location in the chimney to be observed, and to ensure the reliability of the inspection.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a state in which a relatively low chimney interior is inspected by the in-chimney inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a front view of the camera head of the chimney inspection apparatus. FIG. 2B is a side view illustratively showing the internal structure of the camera head. FIG. 2C is a bottom view of the camera head. FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention and is a side view schematically showing a state in which the inside of a relatively high chimney is inspected by the in-chimney inspection device. FIG. 4: is a side view which shows 3rd Embodiment of this invention and shows a mode that the inside of the chimney for buildings is test | inspected by the inspection apparatus in a chimney. FIG. 5 is a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 (a) is a side view showing a modification of the internal structure of the camera. FIG. 4B is a side view showing another modification of the internal structure of the camera. FIG. 6 is a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6A is a front view showing a modification of the camera head. FIG. 4B is a side view taken along the line VIb-VIb in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in the first embodiment, a relatively low chimney 9 </ b> L is inspected by the in-chimney inspection device 1. The height of the chimney 9L is, for example, several tens of meters or less. The chimney inspection apparatus 1 includes a camera head 10 and a controller 20. The camera head 10 is inserted into the chimney 9L. The controller 20 is disposed outside the chimney 9L.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the camera head 10 includes a head body 11, a camera 12, and a camera driving unit 13, and has a cylindrical shape with the axis L ₁ directed vertically. The diameter of the camera head 10 is, for example, about 100 mm to 200 mm, and preferably about 150 mm. Therefore, the camera head 10 can be sufficiently inserted if the chimney 9L has an inner diameter of about 200 mm or more. The axial length of the camera head 10 is, for example, about 300 mm to 500 mm, and preferably about 350 mm to 400 mm. The weight of the camera head 10 is several kg, for example, about 3 kg to 5 kg.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the head main body 11 has a cylindrical shape. On the upper surface of the head body 11, an eye bolt 11b (a suspension force receiving portion) and a cable connector 11c are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the tip of a suspension cable 30 is locked to the eyebolt 11b via a swivel hook 32 (rotational force edge cutting means). The suspension cable 30 is fed out from a winch 31 installed on the ground F. The camera head 10 is suspended by the suspension cable 30 and inserted into the chimney 9L.

A camera 12 is supported on the lower side of the head body 11. The camera 12 has a cylindrical shape slightly smaller in diameter than the head body 11 and protrudes downward from the head body 11. The camera 12 can rotate 360 ° around the axis L ₁ with respect to the head body 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the camera 12 includes two objective lenses 12a and 12b, a switching unit 12c, and an image sensor 12d. As shown in FIG. 2A, the side view objective lens 12 a is provided at one place on the outer peripheral surface of the camera 12. As shown in FIG. 2C, the downward-viewing objective lens 12 b is provided on the lower end surface of the camera 12. Therefore, the camera 12 can photograph the side and the bottom. Moreover, by being rotated about the axis L _1, the side can be taken over the entire circumference. In short, the camera 12 is variable in shooting direction.
Around the objective lenses 12a and 12b, an illumination 14 made of LEDs is provided.

  The switching means 12c shown in FIG. 2 (b) is composed of an optical element such as a reflecting mirror, or a mechanical element such as a moving mechanism or a circuit breaker that moves the optical element or the imaging element 12d. The switching means 12c selects incident light from either the side-view objective lens 12a or the downward-view objective lens 12b, and blocks the incident light from the other. The selected incident light is imaged on the image sensor 12d. The imaging element 12d is configured by a CCD, for example, and converts the imaged light into an electrical signal.

2B, the camera driving unit 13 includes an optical system driving unit 13a, a switching driving unit 13c, a rotation driving unit 13f, and the like. Various camera functions such as focus, zoom, and iris of the camera 12 are adjusted by driving the optical system driving unit 13a. In addition, the switching unit 12c is operated by driving the switching drive unit 13c, and the incident light imaged on the imaging element 12d is switched, so that the side view and the downward view are switched. The rotational drive unit 13f includes a motor and a rotational force transmission mechanism. The rotational force transmission mechanism includes gears, chains, belts, pulleys, and the like, and transmits the rotational torque of the motor to the camera 12. Thus the camera 12 can be rotationally driven in a vertical axis L around _1.

  Further, the camera 12 stores an azimuth meter 15. The compass 15 is composed of a magnetic sensor, detects geomagnetism, and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the orientation (azimuth) of the camera 12 with respect to the geomagnetism.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 20 is installed on the ground F. The controller 20 stores a display processing unit 22, a remote operation unit 23, a power supply circuit 26, and the like. In addition, a monitor 29 is attached to the controller 20. A display processing unit 22 is connected to the monitor 29. The remote operation unit 23 includes various operation knobs 23a, 23c, and 23f provided on the operation panel of the controller 20 in addition to a processing circuit including a microcomputer and the like. The optical system operation knob 23a is used for remote operation of the optical system driving unit 13a. The switching operation knob 23c is used for remote operation of the switching drive unit 13c. The rotation operation knob 23f is used for remote operation of the rotation drive unit 13f. The power supply circuit 26 is connected to an external power supply (not shown), receives power from the external power supply, and supplies power to each electrical element of the chimney inspection apparatus 1.

  The camera head 10 and the controller 20 are connected by wire via a signal cable 40. A tip connector 41 is provided at the end of the signal cable 40 on the chimney 9L side, and the tip connector 41 is detachably connected to the cable connector 11c of the camera head 10. A proximal connector 42 is provided at the end of the signal cable 40 on the ground F side, and the proximal connector 42 is detachably connected to the controller 20. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the signal cable 40 transmits an image signal line from the image sensor 12d to the display processing unit 22, and transmits an operation signal from the remote operation unit 23 to the camera drive unit 13 and the like. An operation signal line, an azimuth signal line for transmitting an azimuth measurement signal from the azimuth meter 15 to the controller 20, a power line for supplying power from the power supply circuit 26 to the camera drive unit 13, the illumination 14, and the like are accommodated.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, a depth meter 50 is installed on the ground F (outside the chimney 9L). The depth meter 50 includes a pulley 51 and a rotation amount measuring unit 52. A midway portion of the signal cable 40 is wound around the pulley 51. The pulley 51 is rotated according to the feeding of the signal cable 40. The rotation amount measuring unit 52 measures the rotation amount of the pulley 51 and inputs the measured value to the controller 20. The amount of rotation of the pulley 51 correlates with the insertion depth of the camera head 10 in the chimney 9L (the distance from the top of the chimney 9L to the camera head 10).

A method for inspecting the inner wall of the chimney 9L by the in-chimney inspection apparatus 1 will be described.
<Preparation process>
First, a scaffold (not shown) is assembled outside the chimney 9L. A work table 93 is installed on the top of the scaffold. A suspension base 91 is assembled on the work table 93 and is suspended on the top of the chimney 9L. The work table 93 may be a gondola that can be raised and lowered. Further, when a deck is integrally provided on the outer peripheral portion near the top of the chimney 9L, this deck can be used as the work table 93.
Inside the chimney 9L, four (plural) mark cables 4 are stretched substantially vertically with a circumferential interval. The four mark cables 4 have different colors from each other, and serve as marks in the direction (orientation) in the chimney 9L.

  Next, the camera head 10 is raised from the ground F to the top of the chimney 9L. Since the camera head 10 is light and small, it can be sufficiently transported by a gondola or the like. Alternatively, the worker can raise the scaffold with the camera head 10. Therefore, there is no need to use a crane. Therefore, the chimney inspection apparatus 1 can be applied to the chimney 9L in a place where it is difficult to install a crane.

  Further, the tip end of the signal cable 40 is raised to the top of the chimney 9L, and the tip connector 41 is connected to the cable connector 11c of the camera head 10. A controller 20 is installed on the ground F, and a proximal connector 42 is connected to the controller 20. Further, the suspension cable 30 is fed out from the winch 31. The tip of the suspension cable 30 is raised to the top of the chimney 9L and is hung around the pulley 92 of the suspension base 91, and is connected to the eyebolt 11b of the camera head 10 via the swivel hook 32. Thereby, the camera head 10 is suspended.

<Inspection process>
The inspection in the chimney 9L is performed by a plurality of workers A1 to A5 and the like. In FIG. 1, the worker A1 is a member who inserts the signal cable 40 into the chimney 9L as the camera head 10 is lowered, the worker A2 is a contact member, and the worker A3 is a winch 31. The operator A4 is an operator who remotely operates the camera 12 by the controller 20, and the operator A5 is an assistant.

  With the cooperation of these workers A1 to A5 and the like, the winch 31 is moved and the suspension cable 30 is drawn out, so that the camera head 10 is lowered and inserted into the chimney 9L from the top of the chimney 9L. Since the camera head 10 has a small diameter and is compact, it can be reliably inserted into a small chimney 9L having a small inner diameter.

Then, the camera 12 images the inner wall of the chimney 9L. The side wall of the chimney on the side of the camera head 10 can be photographed by the side-view objective lens 12a. At this time, by remotely operating the rotational driving unit 13f by rotating knob 23f, it can change the shooting direction by rotating the camera 12 around the axis L ₁ in the circumferential direction. Thereby, the side can be imaged over a wide range in the circumferential direction, and further, the image can be imaged over the entire circumference.

  Further, the inside of the chimney below the camera head 10 can be photographed by the downward-view objective lens 12b. The camera 12 can change the photographing direction between the side view and the downward view. When switching between the lateral view and the downward view, the switching means 12c is remotely operated by the switching operation knob 23c via the switching drive unit 13c. Accordingly, a lens that captures incident light is selected from the side-view objective lens 12a and the downward-view objective lens 12b. The selected incident light is converted into an electrical signal (imaging signal) by the imaging element 12d. Therefore, both the side view and the downward view can be handled by one image pickup device 12d.

The imaging signal is input to the display processing unit 22 of the controller 20 through the signal cable 40. The display processing unit 22 converts this imaging signal into a video signal and outputs it to the monitor 29. Thereby, the captured image (video) in the chimney 9L by the camera 12 can be observed in real time by the monitor 29. The focus, zoom, iris and the like of the camera 12 can be adjusted by remotely operating the optical system drive unit 13a with the optical system operation knob 23a while viewing the image on the monitor 29. Therefore, an image of a portion to be observed in the chimney 9L can be taken surely and clearly, and the inspection accuracy can be improved.
Even if the inside of the chimney 9L is dark, it can be reliably photographed by turning on the illumination 14. In addition, since the illumination 14 which consists of LED has high directivity, you may provide an auxiliary lamp and an irradiation light scattering material, and may extend the illumination range.

  Preferably, the camera head 10 is lowered while photographing the lower part by the downward-view objective lens 12b, and when the camera head 10 is lowered by a certain height, the lowering is stopped there. Then, the side is photographed by the side-view objective lens 12a while the camera 12 is rotated. Repeat this operation. As a result, the inside of the chimney 9L can be reliably observed. The descending pitch is, for example, about 1 m to 10 m, and preferably about 5 m. By photographing the lower part when descending, if there is an obstacle in the chimney 9L, the camera head 10 can be prevented from hitting the obstacle. Further, since the entire image of the inner wall of the chimney 9L below the camera head 10 is included in the image viewed from below, an outline of the inside of the chimney 9L can be grasped.

  As the camera head 10 is lowered, the signal cable 40 is fed out and the pulley 51 rotates. The rotation amount is measured by the rotation amount measuring unit 52 and input to the controller 20. Based on this measured rotation amount, the controller 20 calculates the insertion depth of the camera head 10 into the chimney 9L (the distance from the top of the chimney 9L to the camera head 10). The calculated insertion depth can be displayed on the monitor 29 together with the captured image. Accordingly, it is possible to easily determine the height of the captured image in the chimney 9L, and the inspection efficiency can be increased.

  Further, the direction of the camera 12 is detected by the azimuth meter 15. This azimuth detection signal is input to the controller 20 via the signal cable 40. The controller 20 also displays the detected orientation on the monitor 29 together with the captured image. As a result, the orientation (azimuth) of the captured image can be easily determined. In the side view, it is possible to easily determine which circumferential position in the chimney 9L is taken. Thereby, the inspection efficiency can be further increased.

  Preferably, the captured image is stored in a storage medium such as a DVD. Thereby, the reliability of the inspection can be ensured. More preferably, the insertion depth and direction are stored together with the photographed image.

According to the chimney inspection apparatus 1, the camera head 10 can be made compact and lightweight by reducing the number of cameras 12 as compared with the conventional chimney inspection apparatus of Patent Document 1 or the like.
On the other hand, by making the camera 12 variable in the shooting direction, it is possible to surely observe the direction or the place to be observed in the chimney 9L even if the number of the cameras 12 is small. Furthermore, by making the photographing direction of the camera 12 variable over 360 °, an arbitrary direction in the chimney 9L can be observed even if the number of the cameras 12 is only one. Thereby, the reliability of the inspection can be improved.
Further, the swivel hook 32 can block transmission of rotational force or torsional force between the suspension cable 30 and the head body 11. Thereby, the direction of the head body 11 can be stabilized. Therefore, the camera 12 can be easily pointed in a desired direction, and observation of a desired portion can be reliably performed.

Further, according to the chimney inspection apparatus 1, the camera head 10 and the controller 20 are connected by the signal cable 40, so that the photographing signal and the operation signal can be reliably transmitted between the camera head 10 and the controller 20, and the communication is performed. It is possible to reliably prevent defects from occurring. Therefore, observation in the chimney 9L and control of the camera head 10 can be reliably performed without any trouble. In addition, the wired connection eliminates the need to load a wireless transmitter / receiver into the camera head 10, further reducing the size and weight of the camera head 10 and reducing equipment costs.
Furthermore, since it is possible to supply power to the camera head 10 from the outside via the signal cable 40, it is not necessary to load a battery in the camera head 10, and it is possible to further reduce the size and weight. In addition, by using the LED as the illumination 14, it is possible to further reduce the size and weight.
Therefore, as described above, handling can be facilitated such that the operator can easily carry the camera head 10 to the top of the chimney 9L by holding it on the gondola, etc., and the inspection inside the chimney can be performed easily. As a result, the construction period can be shortened and the construction cost can be reduced.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings for the same configurations as those already described, and the description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a relatively high chimney 9H is inspected by the in-stack inspection device 1. The height of the chimney 9H is, for example, more than 100 m to several hundred m. A plurality of mast-like scaffolds 94 are vertically assembled outside the chimney 9H. On these mast-like scaffolds 94, an elevating work table 95 (work platform) is installed so as to be able to be raised and lowered. The controller 20 and the winch 31 are mounted on the lifting work table 95. The controller 20 and the winch 31 have a size and a weight that can be mounted on the lifting work table 95 with a margin. Then, by raising and lowering the lifting platform 95, the lifting platform 95 and thus the controller 20 and the winch 31 are arranged near the top of the chimney 9H. Thereby, even if it is the high chimney 9H, the required length of the suspension cable 30 and the signal cable 40 can be made shorter than the case where the suspension cable 30 and the signal cable 40 are extended from the ground F.
The depth meter 50 is provided at the edge of the top of the chimney 9H, but may be provided on the work table 93 or 95.

  Also in the second embodiment, the camera head 10 is intermittently lowered while photographing the lower side by the downward-view objective lens 12b, and the side-view objective lens 12a is rotated while the camera 12 is rotated every time the lowering is stopped. It is preferable to photograph the side. The descending pitch is, for example, about 1 m to 10 m, preferably about 5 m. Further, the descending pitch may be changed according to the insertion depth in the chimney 9H.

  FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the chimney 9B attached to the building 96 (building) is inspected by the in-chimney inspection apparatus 1. The chimney 9B rises from the inside of the building 96 or stands along the outer wall and protrudes upward from the rooftop 96a. In this case, the scaffold 97 is constructed along the chimney 9B on the rooftop 96a. Using this scaffold 97, a horizontal guide 98 is installed at the top of the chimney 9B.

  Further, the camera head 10, the controller 20, the depth meter 50, and the like are conveyed to the roof 96a. The conveyance can be easily performed using the elevator of the building 96. Further, the camera head 10 is raised to near the top of the chimney 9 </ b> B using the scaffold 97. Since the camera head 10 is lightweight and small, it can be easily carried by hand.

  Then, the tip of the signal cable 40 is hung from the horizontal guide 98 toward the chimney 9B, and the cable connector 11c of the camera head 10 is connected to the tip connector 41. The signal cable 40 supports the camera head 10 in a suspended state. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the cable connector 11c serves as a suspension force receiving portion. The signal cable 40 has a tensile strength wire built therein, and has a tensile strength that can sufficiently bear the load (several kg) of the camera head 10. Therefore, the hanging cable 30 is not necessary. Further, instead of the swivel hook 32, a plurality of detent ropes 5 are fixed to the eyebolts 11b, and these detent ropes 5 are stretched toward different circumferential positions on the top of the chimney 9B. As a result, the head body 11 can be prevented from rotating.

  Thereafter, the inside of the chimney 9 </ b> B is imaged while the camera cable 10 is lowered by extending the signal cable 40. Usually, the diameter of the chimney 9B for buildings is about 200 mm, but the camera head 10 can be made sufficiently smaller in diameter. Therefore, the camera head 10 can be inserted into the chimney 9B without any trouble.

  The fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 5 relates to a modification of the internal structure of the camera 12. In the modification shown in FIG. 5A, two imaging elements 12 d and 12 d corresponding to the objective lenses 12 a and 12 b and a signal switching unit 12 e are provided inside the camera 12. Either one of the imaging signals from the two imaging elements 12d and 12d is selected by the signal switching means 12e. The selected imaging signal is transmitted to the controller 20 through the signal cable 40 shown in FIG. As a result, the monitor 29 can switch and display the side view and the downward view. By switching the signal switching means 12e remotely by means of the switching operation knob 23c of the controller 20 via the switching drive unit 13c, the lateral view and the downward view can be switched.

  In the modification shown in FIG. 5B, two imaging elements 12d and 12d corresponding to the objective lenses 12a and 12b are provided inside the camera 12, while the switching means 12c and 12e and the switching drive unit 13c are omitted. Has been. As a result, the image signals from the two image pickup devices 12 d and 12 d are transmitted simultaneously to the controller 20 through the signal cable 40. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the signal cable 40 accommodates two image signal lines corresponding to the two image pickup devices 12d and 12d. As a result, both the side-viewed image and the downward-viewed image can be displayed on the monitor 29 simultaneously. In addition, by providing an image switching unit in the controller 20, either the side view image or the downward view image may be selected and displayed on the monitor 29.

  The fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 6 relates to a modification of the camera head. The camera head 60 includes a head main body 61 and a camera 62. An eye bolt 11 b and a cable connector 11 c are provided on the upper end portion of the head body 61. A camera drive unit 13 is stored inside the head body 61. Auxiliary illumination 64 </ b> A is provided on the peripheral side portion of the head body 61. The auxiliary illumination 64A is composed of, for example, a halogen lamp.

  A camera 62 is provided below the head body 61 via a coupling mechanism 63. An objective lens 62 a is provided on the tip surface of the camera 62. A plurality of illuminations 64 are provided around the objective lens 62a. The illumination 64 is configured by a halogen lamp or LED. The number of objective lenses 62a in the fifth embodiment is one. Accordingly, the camera 62 is not provided with the switching unit 12c. Further, the camera drive unit 13 is not provided with the switching drive unit 13c. Furthermore, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the switching operation knob 23c of the controller 20 is unnecessary.

The connection mechanism 63 includes a turntable 63a and a pair of support legs 63b and 63b. Turntable 63a is arranged at the bottom of the head body 61, and is 360 ° rotatable vertical axis L around _1. A pair of support legs 63b and 63b are suspended from the rotating disk 63a. Support legs 63 b, 63 b faces along the horizontal axis _{L 2} orthogonal to the axis _{L 1.} A camera 62 is sandwiched between the support legs 63b and 63b. When the rotating disk 63a is rotated about the axis L _1, the camera 62 is integral therewith is also rotated about the axis L _1. Moreover, the camera 62 is adapted to 180 ° rotatable around (the two-dot chain line FIG. 6 (a)) of the axis L ₂ around a position where the front end face is oriented directly below. Therefore, the camera 62 is connected to the head body 61 via the connecting mechanism 63 so as to be rotatable around _two orthogonal axes L ₁ and L ₂ .

Is not shown in detail, the rotary drive portion 13f of the camera driving unit 13, the rotational torque of the internal motor, a rotational torque about the axis L ₁ of the rotating disk 63a, and the rotation torque about the axis L ₂ of the camera 62 A conversion mechanism for selectively converting to one of the above. The camera drive unit 13 including the conversion mechanism is remotely operated by a remote operation unit 23 (see FIG. 1 and the like). This allows or rotate the turntable 63a and hence the camera 62 or is rotated around the axis L _1, the camera 62 around the axis L _2. Therefore, according to the camera head 60 of the fifth embodiment, the shooting direction is variable by one objective lens 62a and one image sensor 12d. In addition, an arbitrary direction in the hemispherical region below the camera head 60 can be photographed. That is, it is possible to observe not only laterally and downward but also obliquely downward.
The rotation drive unit 13f includes a motor for rotating the turntable 63a about the axis L _1, the camera 62 may be a have a motor for rotating about the axis L ₂ separately.

  A compass support portion 66 is provided on the support leg portion 63b on one side. The compass support portion 66 has a plate shape that extends downward from the support leg 63b and has a lower end bent into an L shape. The compass 65 is supported upward at the lower end of the compass support unit 66. As a result, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6A, when the camera 62 is directed downward, the compass 65 enters the imaging area of the camera 62, and the compass 65 is displayed on the monitor 29. The Thereby, the direction of the camera head 60 can be confirmed. Eventually, it is possible to determine which direction (orientation) of the chimney 9L, 9H, 9B is viewed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the structure of the camera head can be modified as appropriate.
A plurality of side-view objective lenses 12a, 12a,... Are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the camera, and one of the incident lights to the side-view objective lenses 12a, 12a,. Alternatively, the imaging direction may be varied in the circumferential direction by forming an image on the imaging element 12d. In this case, the camera may not be rotatable with respect to the camera head.
In addition, when making it rotatable, it is preferable that the camera is rotatable around at least the vertical axis of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis with respect to the head body (see the first embodiment and the like).
The camera may be able to shoot in the upper direction from the camera, or may be able to shoot in almost all directions in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.
In the camera head 10 such as the first embodiment, the rotational range around the vertical axis L ₁ with respect to the head main body 11 of the camera 12 may be less than 360 °, may be 360 ° greater.

A remote palpation unit for palpating the inner wall of the chimney by remote control may be added to the camera head. Alternatively, an inspection unit that performs nondestructive inspection using ultrasonic waves or the like may be added to the camera head.
In order to cope with a chimney having a bent portion in the middle, a self-propelled mechanism may be added to the camera head.
When the entire camera head rotates due to twisting of the suspension cable 30 or the like, the camera may be rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation of the camera head to observe a fixed position in the circumferential direction.
A plurality of embodiments may be combined with each other. For example, in the chimneys 9L and 9H other than the building chimney 9B, the camera head 10 may be suspended and supported by the signal cable 40, and the hanging cable 30 may be omitted. In addition, the camera head 10 may be suspended and supported by the suspension cable 30 also in the building chimney 9B.
The type of chimney to be inspected is not limited to the chimneys 9L, 9H, and 9B of the embodiment.

  The present invention can be applied to, for example, an inspection system for inspecting the inside of a chimney.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chimney inspection apparatus 9L, 9H, 9B Chimney 10 Camera head 11 Head main body 12 Camera 13 Camera drive part 20 Controller 22 Display processing part 23 Remote operation part 29 Monitor 40 Signal cable 50 Depth meter 60 Camera head 61 Head main body 62 Camera L ₁ vertical axis L ₂ horizontal axis

Claims (5)

A chimney inspection device for inspecting the inside of a chimney,
A camera head capable of being suspended in the chimney;
A controller disposed outside the chimney and wired to the camera head;
With
The camera head includes a head main body having a suspension receiving portion, a camera that is supported by the head main body and capable of photographing at least a side and a lower side and has a variable photographing direction, and a camera driving unit that changes a photographing direction of the camera. Including
The chimney inspection apparatus, wherein the controller includes a display processing unit that displays a captured image from the camera on a monitor, and a remote operation unit that remotely operates the camera driving unit.   The in-chimney inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera is rotatable about at least a vertical axis of a vertical axis and a horizontal axis with respect to the head body. A depth meter for measuring the insertion depth of the camera head in the chimney;
The chimney inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display processing unit displays the measured insertion depth on the monitor together with the captured image. A chimney inspection method for inspecting the inside of a chimney,
A camera head equipped with a camera capable of photographing at least the side and below and having a variable photographing direction is suspended from the top of the chimney,
Photograph the inside of the chimney with the camera,
A method for inspecting a chimney, wherein a photographed image of the camera is displayed on a monitor outside the chimney, and a photographing direction of the camera is remotely controlled by a controller wired to the camera head.   The camera head is intermittently lowered while photographing the lower part with the camera in the chimney, and the camera is rotated sideways while rotating about the vertical axis with respect to the camera head every time the lowering is stopped. The method for inspecting a chimney according to claim 4, wherein:

Images