JP2023183427A - Underwater building inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an underwater building inspection device that automatically inspects deterioration or damage of an underwater part and an above-water part in an underwater building.SOLUTION: An underwater building inspection device of the present invention comprises a seaplane that is navigable on water, an underwater camera that can be placed in water from the seaplane, a control unit that controls the seaplane and the underwater camera, an underwater camera position measurement unit that measures the position of the underwater camera, and an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormality of an underwater building.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an underwater structure inspection device that inspects underwater structures built underwater or on water to find deficiencies and malfunctions.

There are many underwater structures in the world that are partially or completely underwater. Although it is described as an underwater structure, it is not intended to be limited to structures that are completely underwater, but includes structures that are partially or completely underwater.

For example, bridges over rivers, lakes, and oceans have their piers underwater. Alternatively, dams and breakwaters are structures that are partially underwater. In addition to these, there are many other structures that are partially or completely submerged underwater, such as underwater observatories, power transmission equipment, communication equipment, and submarine cables. In addition, there are various underwater locations such as underwater, rivers, lakes, and artificial ponds.

Because these underwater structures exist underwater, various substances may adhere to them, corrode, or deteriorate. Since it is continuously immersed in seawater or fresh water, aquatic organisms may adhere to it. Alternatively, because they are immersed in seawater or fresh water, underwater structures deteriorate, causing damage or cracks. In addition, loads, pressures, and collisions are often applied underwater, such as water pressure and collisions of objects flowing underwater. For example, loads and pressures caused by ocean currents and water currents are applied to underwater structures. Alternatively, solid objects flowing in rivers or underwater may collide with underwater structures.

Such loads and collisions may cause damage to underwater structures.

For example, bridge piers that are partially submerged in water are subject to loads from ocean currents and water currents, collisions with floating objects, and adhesion of aquatic organisms. A combination of these may cause deterioration or damage.

Of course, various underwater structures other than bridge piers are subject to deterioration and damage due to loads, collisions, and aquatic organisms.

In addition, deterioration and damage occur not only in the submerged parts but also in the parts that are above the water. In the case of a bridge, the parts of the bridge that extend above the water, such as piers, are also subject to loads and pressures due to the difference between water pressure and air pressure. Additionally, they may deteriorate or be damaged due to environmental impacts from the natural world, such as wind and rain.

Even if there are parts that are not submerged in water, if there are parts that are submerged in water, water may enter the interior due to osmotic pressure, or a pressure difference may occur, making it difficult for other structures that are completely above ground. more likely to cause deterioration and damage. This is because being immersed in water and being subjected to its pressure is very different from structures on land.

In this way, underwater structures that are partially or completely immersed in water have the possibility of deterioration or damage in the parts that are submerged in the water or the parts that are exposed above the water. expensive. That is, in underwater structures, deterioration and damage occur in both the submerged parts and the exposed parts.

On the other hand, it is very difficult to inspect underwater structures for deterioration or damage due to the characteristics of the location where they are installed (under the sea, lakes, rivers, etc.) and structural characteristics (parts are underwater or above water, etc.). It's difficult. This is because it is difficult and excessively burdensome for workers to approach the location of underwater structures on a boat or other vehicle and perform visual inspections, imaging inspections, and percussion inspections. be. Naturally, there is also a danger to the workers.

In addition, it is not possible to inspect the underwater parts of underwater structures simply by having workers onboard a boat or the like perform the inspection. For example, inspection work by a diver or the like or an underwater work boat is required. These methods have problems such as extremely high work difficulty, cost, and work burden.

In such a situation, a corresponding technique has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP2020-105726A

Patent Document 1 is configured to include an inspection ship 2 and a deposit removal device 3. The inspection ship 2 is an unmanned ship that navigates automatically or by remote control, and has a hull 10 equipped with a navigation device 11 as an inspection device, an aerial camera 13, a laser measuring device 15, an acoustic surveying device 16, an underwater camera 17, and members. A waterfront structure inspection system including a thickness measuring device 18 is disclosed.

Patent Document 1 is equipped with an unmanned boat that can be operated remotely and a deposit removal device that can work underwater, and can grasp the deposits by capturing an image of the underwater state using an underwater camera.

However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 merely includes an underwater camera on a ship that navigates on water, and the underwater camera can only image a range approximately below the water surface (an area at a slight depth below the water surface). For this reason, only the area near the water's edge can be inspected. For example, only a small portion of submerged parts such as the piers of bridges on the sea or rivers can be inspected.

Further, in Patent Document 1, the final purpose of the work is to remove deposits such as shellfish in the deposit removal device. In other words, it is not assumed that it will be possible to ascertain the deterioration or damage of underwater structures. Coupled with this point, only a small range as described above is imaged.

In addition, it is necessary for the operator to visually check the captured image to determine the presence or absence of deposits. Deterioration and damage cannot be detected or even automatically detected. Since the work is completed once the deposits are removed, there is a problem in that the next inspection is not anticipated. Even if the location of the deposit is confirmed by visual inspection of the captured image, the location is not marked and recorded in the history, so it is not easy to understand changes over time in the same location in the next inspection.

That is, in the conventional technology as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that it is not possible to sufficiently inspect the deterioration and damage of the underwater part and the above-water part of an underwater structure. Furthermore, it requires the operator to visually check the image, which poses a problem of inefficiency. Of course, there is also the concern that damage may be overlooked due to human error. Another problem is that deterioration and damage over time cannot be converted into data, making it difficult to predict deterioration.

In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an underwater structure inspection device that automatically inspects the deterioration and damage of the underwater part and the above-water part of an underwater structure.

In view of the above problems, the underwater structure inspection device of the present invention includes a watercraft capable of navigating on water;
an underwater imaging device that can be thrown into the water from the seaplane;
a control unit that controls the seaplane and the underwater imaging device;
an underwater imager position measuring unit that measures the position of the underwater imager;
An abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in an underwater structure,
The seaplane is:
an above-water imaging unit capable of capturing an above-water image of an above-water portion of the underwater structure;
a GPS function unit capable of detecting the position of the seaplane;
a charging control unit that throws the underwater imager into water;
a falling distance measuring section that measures the falling distance of the underwater imaging section;
The underwater imager includes:
an underwater imaging unit capable of capturing an underwater image of the underwater part of the underwater structure;
a position control unit that controls a relative position with the seaplane;
The underwater imager position measuring unit measures the position of the underwater imager based on the detection result of the GPS function unit and the falling distance,
The abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the imaged location of the underwater structure based on the image processing results of the underwater upper image and the underwater image.

In the underwater structure inspection device of the present invention, each of the above-water device and the underwater device can take images of the above-water portion and the underwater portion of the underwater structure. This makes it possible to inspect both the above-water part and the underwater part of the underwater structure.

Additionally, deterioration and damage can be automatically detected based on changes in color, brightness, temperature, contrast, etc. of the captured image. This reduces the human burden of visual inspection work and reduces problems such as human error.

It is also possible to create a data history by marking problem locations on underwater structures, 3D maps, etc. This makes it easy to understand changes at the same location over time and predict the timing of repairs. As a result, the safety and service life of underwater structures can be improved.

It is a photograph showing an example of an underwater structure. It is a photograph showing an example of an underwater structure. It is a photograph showing an example of an underwater structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram of the underwater structure inspection apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 1 is an internal block diagram of a seaplane according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 is an internal block diagram of an underwater imaging device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 3 is an internal block diagram of an abnormality detection section in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of the underwater structure inspection device in Embodiment 2 of this invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing storage of an abnormal location in a three-dimensional map in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of the underwater structure inspection device in Embodiment 2 of this invention.

An underwater structure inspection device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a watercraft capable of navigating on water;
an underwater imaging device that can be thrown into the water from the seaplane;
a control unit that controls the seaplane and the underwater imaging device;
an underwater imager position measuring unit that measures the position of the underwater imager;
An abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in an underwater structure,
The seaplane is:
an above-water imaging unit capable of capturing an above-water image of an above-water portion of the underwater structure;
a GPS function unit capable of detecting the position of the seaplane;
a charging control unit that throws the underwater imager into water;
a falling distance measuring section that measures the falling distance of the underwater imaging section;
The underwater imager includes:
an underwater imaging unit capable of capturing an underwater image of the underwater part of the underwater structure;
a position control unit that controls a relative position with the seaplane;
The underwater imager position measuring unit measures the position of the underwater imager based on the detection result of the GPS function unit and the falling distance,
The abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the imaged location of the underwater structure based on the image processing results of the underwater upper image and the underwater image.

With this configuration, it is possible to accurately grasp the underwater imaging position and automatically detect abnormalities in the underwater and above-water areas.

In the underwater structure inspection device according to the second invention of the present invention, in addition to the first invention, the watercraft and the underwater imaging device are connected by a wire,
The falling distance measuring unit measures the falling distance based on the release distance of the wire,
The position control unit controls the position of the underwater imager so that the wire connecting the watercraft and the underwater imager is substantially vertical.

With this configuration, the geographical position of the underwater imager determined by GPS can be matched with that of the seaplane.

In the underwater structure inspection apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, the abnormality detection section includes an image processing section that performs image processing on each of the underwater upper part image and the underwater part image. death,
The image processing unit converts the upper water image and the underwater image into at least one of a chromaticity image, a luminance image, a frequency conversion image, and an infrared image,
The abnormality detection unit detects, as an abnormality, a portion where the difference from the surrounding area is more than a predetermined value based on at least one of the chromaticity image, the luminance image, the frequency conversion image, and the infrared image. .

With this configuration, it is possible to automatically detect an abnormality using the characteristics of the processed image without requiring the operator to check the visible image. In addition, since the abnormality judgment is based on the characteristics of the processed image, it is possible to judge the abnormality with higher accuracy than visual detection by manual operation.

In the underwater structure inspection apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the third aspect, the chromaticity image, the brightness image, the frequency converted image, and the infrared image of a certain location included in the converted image are provided. If at least one of the points differs by more than a predetermined value compared to the surrounding area, the area is determined to be an abnormal area.

With this configuration, abnormality detection can be performed with high accuracy.

In the underwater structure inspection apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the third aspect, the abnormality detection section detects a point in the infrared image where the temperature difference from the surrounding area is more than a predetermined value. Determine as.

With this configuration, it is possible to detect abnormalities such as foreign matter adhesion and chemical deterioration based on temperature differences.

In the underwater structure inspection device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the fourth aspect, the abnormality detection section detects deterioration, damage, foreign matter adhesion, etc. occurring in the underwater structure. It is determined that there is at least one crack.

With this configuration, in addition to being able to detect an abnormality, it is also possible to understand the details of the abnormality.

In the underwater structure inspection device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the sixth aspect, the abnormality detection section detects the deterioration, the damage, and the Estimate the extent of cracks.

With this configuration, the degree of abnormality can be estimated, and maintenance and repair estimates and plans can be made.

The underwater structure inspection device according to the eighth aspect of the present invention further includes, in addition to the fourth aspect, a storage unit that stores a three-dimensional map of the underwater structure,
The image forming apparatus further includes a map updating section that stores the abnormal location detected by the abnormality detection section in the three-dimensional map together with a detection time.

With this configuration, it is possible to visually capture the underwater structure and to obtain a bird's-eye view of abnormalities occurring in the underwater structure.

In the underwater structure inspection apparatus according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the eighth aspect, the map updating section can cumulatively update the abnormal locations detected at different times.

With this configuration, data on abnormal locations is updated, making it possible to grasp the latest problem status of a certain floating structure.

In the underwater structure inspection device according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the ninth aspect, based on at least one of the number, amount, position, and content of the abnormal locations updated by the map updating unit, The apparatus further includes a repair time estimating unit that estimates the repair time of the underwater structure.

With this configuration, maintenance and management of the underwater structure can be performed reliably. In addition, it can be done in a labor-saving manner.

In the underwater structure inspection apparatus according to the eleventh invention of the present invention, in addition to the ninth invention, each of the above-mentioned above-water imaging unit and the above-mentioned underwater imaging unit is configured to locate the abnormal location recorded on the three-dimensional map. A water upper part image and an underwater part image are respectively captured in accordance with the above.

With this configuration, it is also possible to understand changes over time in the same abnormal location.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Underwater structures)
Underwater structures will be explained using an example. 1 to 3 are photographs showing examples of underwater structures. Figures 1 and 2 are photographs focusing on the piers of an offshore bridge. Part of the pier is underwater, and the rest of the pier and the rest of the bridge are above sea.

Figure 3 is a photograph showing a submarine cable. Most submarine cables are basically submerged underwater. As shown by the bridges and submarine cables in Figures 1 to 3, underwater structures are structures that are partially or completely submerged underwater (in the ocean, lakes, rivers, etc.). In this specification, structures that are partially submerged in water, such as bridges, and structures that are completely submerged in water, such as submarine cables, are defined as "underwater structures." Of course, even if the part that is submerged in water changes due to changes in the water level of the ocean, lakes, marshes, rivers, etc., it is still an underwater structure.

In any case, a structure is an underwater structure if at least a portion thereof is in a state or has the possibility of being submerged underwater.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, underwater structures such as bridge piers are subject to the load of seawater (waves and water pressure) and the impact of waves. It is also subject to erosion by deposits such as shellfish. Alternatively, in the case of stormy weather, floating objects may collide in addition to the impact pressure.

Alternatively, being submerged in water can cause corrosion and deterioration due to salt. This also applies to the submarine cable shown in FIG.

In fact, as can be seen in the photographs in Figure 1, bridge piers have discoloration (a form of deterioration), deposits, and damage such as cracks.

On the other hand, it is difficult to inspect the underwater and above-water parts of both submarine cables and floating bridges. This is because it is difficult for workers to approach the area and perform visual inspection or hammering inspection. Of course, it's also dangerous.

As described above, underwater structures are susceptible to deterioration and damage, and it is difficult to inspect them.

(Overall overview)
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an underwater structure inspection apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. An underwater structure 100 installed in the ocean has an underwater part 120 and an above-water part 110. Of course, it is also possible that there is only the underwater portion 120. The underwater structure 100 in FIG. 4 is, for example, a bridge over water, and a portion of the piers 130 are submerged in water.

The above-water portion 110 above the water surface and the underwater portion 120 below the water surface each suffer from deterioration or damage due to being immersed in water or due to not being immersed in water, as shown in FIG. . The above-water portion 110 and the underwater portion 120 are located at different locations, and therefore require different inspection methods. The underwater structure inspection apparatus 1 of the present invention can inspect both the above-water section 110 and the underwater section 120 using an optimal method.

The underwater structure inspection device 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as “inspection device 1” as necessary) includes a watercraft 2, an underwater imaging device 3, a remote working section 7, a control section 4, an underwater imaging device position measurement section 5, and an abnormality detection section 6. The inspection device 1 is mainly composed of three units: a watercraft 2, an underwater imager 3, and a remote operation section 7. Moreover, as described later, each of the watercraft 2 and the underwater imaging device 3 further includes internal elements.

The seaplane 2 is capable of navigating on water. As shown in FIG. 4, a certain position of the underwater structure 100 can be approached by sailing on water. Due to this proximity, the seaplane 2 can capture an above-water image of the above-water portion 110 of the underwater structure 100 using the above-water imaging unit 21 provided therein.

The underwater imaging unit 3 can be thrown into the water from the watercraft 2. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the underwater imaging unit 3 is dropped into the water from the seaplane 2. The underwater imager 3 is connected to the watercraft 2 by a wire or the like. The underwater imager 3 is placed into the water so that the wire is substantially vertical. Thereby, the underwater imaging device 3 is located directly below the seaplane 2.

The underwater imaging device 3 can capture an underwater image of the underwater portion 120 of the underwater structure 100 using the underwater imaging unit 31 while being inserted into the water at a position directly below the watercraft 2 .

The above-water image and the underwater image can be used to detect deterioration or damage to the underwater structure 100.

The remote working unit 7 is an element operated by an operator or the like. The seaplane 2 may navigate on water autonomously (for example, based on programming) or may navigate under control from this remote working unit 7.

The remote working unit 7 includes elements for executing an inspection by the inspection device 1 to detect abnormalities in the underwater structure 100. The control unit 4 controls the watercraft 2 and the underwater imaging device 3. It controls the navigation of the seaplane 2 on the water, the insertion of the underwater imaging device 3 into the water, and the like. Alternatively, imaging by the above-water imaging unit 21, imaging by the underwater imaging unit 31, etc. are also controlled as necessary.

The underwater imager position measurement unit 5 measures the position of the underwater imager 3. The underwater imager 3 images the underwater portion 120 of the underwater structure 100. At this time, it is necessary to specify the imaging position. This is because it is necessary to identify the position of the abnormal location from the correlation between the imaging position and the captured underwater image.

The abnormality detection unit 6 detects abnormalities in the underwater structure 100. Based on each of the underwater upper image and the underwater image, the abnormality detection unit 6 detects an abnormality such as deterioration or damage of the underwater structure 100. At this time, it is possible to detect abnormalities including the positions of abnormalities in each of the above-water portion 110 and the underwater portion 120 of the underwater structure 100. By being able to detect each abnormality, it is possible to accurately grasp the deterioration and damage of the underwater structure 100 along with its position.

The inspection device 1 can detect deterioration or damage at a certain part of the underwater structure 100 by detecting an abnormality by the abnormality detection unit 6. In particular, abnormalities including the location of the underwater portion 120 can be detected. Furthermore, since the position of the underwater imager 3 can be accurately determined based on the seaplane 2, it is also possible to specify the position of an abnormality.

By navigating the seaplane 3 and accompanying underwater imaging device 3, it is possible to image even underwater structures 100 that are difficult for workers to approach. Coupled with the accuracy of position identification, it is possible to reliably detect abnormalities such as deterioration or damage in the underwater structure 100, which have been difficult to ascertain, leading to early maintenance.

As a result, the safety of the underwater structure 100 can also be improved.

FIG. 5 is an internal block diagram of the seaplane according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Elements included in the seaplane 2 are shown. The seaplane 2 includes a water imaging section 21, a GPS function section 22, a loading control section 23, and a falling distance measuring section 24.

The above-water imaging unit 21 is capable of capturing an above-water image of the above-water part 110 of the underwater structure 100 in the above-water part of the seaplane 2 that navigates on the water and approaches the underwater structure. The GPS function unit 22 is capable of measuring geographical position information such as longitude, latitude, and altitude of the seaplane 2 . That is, the position of the seaplane 2 can be detected.

The above-water imaging unit 21 obtains the geographical position of the above-water image to be captured from the GPS function unit 22 . As a result, the above-water imaging unit 21 can capture an above-water image including the geographical position of the above-water image as information. Furthermore, the GPS function unit 22 is used to control the navigation route and position of the seaplane 2 by the control unit 4 and the seaplane 2 itself.

The injection control unit 23 inserts the underwater imaging device 3 from the watercraft 2 into the water. In FIG. 4, the underwater imaging device 3 is thrown into the water from the seaplane 2. The underwater imager 3 is connected to the watercraft 2 by a wire or the like, and the injection control section 23 causes the wire-connected underwater imager 3 to be dropped into the water. By dropping, the underwater imaging device 3 comes to be located vertically below the seaplane 2.

The falling distance measurement unit 24 measures the falling distance of the underwater imaging device 3 thrown into the water from the watercraft 2 . Since the GPS function unit 22 has information on both the geographical position and the falling distance, the geographical position and underwater depth of the underwater imaging device 3 can be measured. With these, the position of the underwater image captured by the underwater imager 3 can be accurately grasped.

The underwater imager position measuring section 5 can accurately measure the position and depth of the underwater imager 3 based on the geographical position and falling distance measured by the GPS function section 22 and the falling distance measuring section 24. Thereby, the position of the captured underwater image can be measured.

The above-water image capturing section 21 can capture an above-water image including information on the geographical position in the GPS function section. The underwater imaging section 31 can capture an underwater image including the position information obtained by the underwater imaging device position measuring section 5.

FIG. 6 is an internal block diagram of the underwater imager according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Internal elements included in the underwater imager 3 are shown. The underwater imaging device 3 includes an underwater imaging section 31 and a position control section 32. The underwater imaging unit 31 captures an underwater image of the underwater portion 120 of the underwater structure 100.

The position control unit 32 controls the relative positions of the seaplane 2 and the underwater imaging device 3. In particular, the position of the underwater imager 3 is controlled so that the underwater imager 3 is vertically below the seaplane 2.

As described above, the seaplane 2 can capture an image above the water that includes position information. The underwater imager 3 can capture an underwater image including position information (geographical position information and depth). The abnormality detection unit 6 obtains information on these upper water images and underwater images. The abnormality detection unit 6 processes each of the underwater upper image and the underwater image using various methods. The abnormality detection unit 6 detects an abnormality at the imaged location of the underwater structure 100 based on the image processing result.

Since there is also positional information of the imaged location, for example, in the case of a bridge where the underwater structure 100 is located, it is possible to determine where the abnormality is located above the water on the pier of the bridge, and where the abnormality is located underwater. I can understand it. By understanding this position as well, abnormalities in the underwater structure 100 can be detected, which can be useful for inspection, maintenance, and repair of the underwater structure 100.

Additionally, abnormalities due to deterioration or damage can be reliably detected based on the image processing results obtained by processing the captured image.

In particular, the seaplane 2 and the underwater imaging device 3 are connected by a wire or the like. The falling distance measurement unit 24 measures the falling distance of the underwater imaging device 3 based on the wire release distance. The position control unit 32 controls the attitude and position of the underwater imager 3 so that the wire connecting the watercraft 2 and the underwater imager 3 is substantially vertical. Thereby, the geographical position of the underwater imaging device 3 is detected by the GPS function section 22 of the seaplane 2, and the depth is measured from the falling distance. Thereby, the accurate position of the underwater imager 3 can be detected even underwater where GPS radio waves cannot reach. That is, the position of the underwater image can be accurately grasped. It is determined to which position of the underwater part 120 of the underwater structure 100 to be imaged the underwater part image corresponds.

Thereby, the location of the abnormality detected by the abnormality detection section 6 can be accurately grasped.

(Abnormality detection using image processing)
FIG. 7 is an internal block diagram of the abnormality detection section in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The abnormality detection section 6 includes an image processing section 61. The image processing unit 61 performs image processing on each of the underwater upper part image and the underwater part image. At this time, each of the upper water image and the underwater image is converted into at least one of a chromaticity image, a luminance image, a frequency conversion image, and an infrared image.

Based on at least one of a chromaticity image, a luminance image, a frequency conversion image, and an infrared image, the abnormality detection unit 6 detects a location where the difference from the surrounding area is more than a predetermined value as an abnormal location. That is, if there is a difference greater than a predetermined value compared to the surrounding area, the location is determined to be an abnormal location.

For example, if the processed image is a chromaticity image, there is a high possibility that deterioration or damage has occurred in a location where the chromaticity has changed by a predetermined amount or more compared to the surrounding area. This is because areas with dents, cracks, discoloration, large amounts of deposits, etc. have a large difference in chromaticity from the surrounding areas. In other words, the location is determined to be an abnormal location.

If the image is just a captured image, the operator needs to visually check it and look for abnormalities. In addition, in the case of a normal image, it may be overlooked or difficult to judge even by visual inspection by an operator, but if the chromaticity image is image-processed, automatic detection using software or the like becomes possible. This is because a location where the chromaticity changes by more than a predetermined value may be determined as an abnormal location.

The same applies even if the processed image is a luminance image. In areas where the brightness has changed more than a predetermined amount compared to the surrounding area, there is a high possibility that dents, cracks, discoloration, large amounts of deposits, etc. have occurred. In other words, deterioration or damage has occurred.

The same applies to frequency-converted images. A location where there is a frequency change greater than a predetermined value is determined to be an abnormal location. This is because physical deformations such as dents and cracks cause a large difference in frequency between the location and the surrounding area in the frequency-converted image.

Furthermore, in an infrared image, there is a high possibility that deposits are present in areas where the difference in temperature from the surrounding area is greater than a predetermined value. Alternatively, there is a high possibility that chemical deterioration such as corrosion has occurred. From this, in the infrared image, a location where the difference in temperature from the surrounding area is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is determined to be an abnormal location.

As described above, the abnormality detection unit 6 can automatically detect an abnormal location with high accuracy by performing image processing on the underwater upper part image and the underwater part image by the image processing unit 61.

(Abnormal location)
The abnormality detection unit 6 can determine that the abnormal location is at least one of deterioration, damage, adhesion of foreign matter, and cracks occurring in the underwater structure 100. As mentioned above, if there is a difference in temperature in the infrared images, it can be determined that it is due to foreign matter adhesion or chemical deterioration.

Further, if the chromaticity image, luminance image, or frequency image has a large difference from the surrounding area, it can be determined that the image is damaged or cracked. This is because these differences are thought to be caused by changes in physical shape.

It is also preferable that the abnormality detection unit 6 estimates the degree of deterioration, damage, and cracking based on the amount of difference between the abnormal location and the surrounding area. For example, if the differences in chromaticity, brightness, and frequency are large, it can be determined that the size of damage or cracks is also large. Thereby, the abnormality detection unit 6 can estimate the degree of deterioration, damage, and cracks.

Moreover, it is possible to distinguish whether it is a breakage or a crack based on the size of the difference and the relationship between the size and the area. Alternatively, it is also possible to distinguish between foreign matter adhesion and damage based on chromaticity.

As described above, the abnormality detection unit 6 can detect the presence or absence of an abnormality, the location of the abnormality, and the type and degree of the abnormality. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately link the response to maintenance of the underwater structure 100 and the like.

As described above, the underwater structure inspection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can detect deterioration and damage of the underwater structure 100 in the underwater upper part 110 and the underwater part 120, respectively, based on the underwater upper part image and the underwater part image. can be detected with high accuracy. Furthermore, by using processed images, deterioration, damage, etc. can be detected automatically and with high accuracy. Further, the underwater imager 3 is inserted into the water vertically below the watercraft 2, and can accurately identify the location of deterioration in the underwater part 120 based on the GPS function and depth of the watercraft 2.

These combinations allow for highly safe and efficient inspection of many underwater structures 100 while reducing effort as much as possible. Although there are many underwater structures 100 in various places, there is also a mismatch due to the lack of human resources to conduct inspections. The inspection device 1 can also eliminate this mismatch.

As a result of these inspections, the danger of the underwater structure 100 can be quickly grasped, and plans for repair, maintenance, replacement, etc. can be appropriately formulated and executed.

(Embodiment 2)

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In Embodiment 2, further variations and the like will be explained.

(Recorded on 3D map)
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an underwater structure inspection apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The inspection device 1 in FIG. 8 further includes a storage section 8 and a map update section 9.

The storage unit 8 stores a three-dimensional map of the underwater structure 100. In the case of FIG. 8, a three-dimensional map of the underwater structure 100, which is a bridge, is stored. The geographical position of the underwater structure 100, its shape, etc. are stored as a three-dimensional map.

The inspection device 1 inspects the underwater structure 100 corresponding to this three-dimensional map. As shown in FIG. 8, the inspection device 1 captures an underwater upper part image and an underwater part image for an underwater structure 100 stored as a three-dimensional map.

From the results of this imaging, as described in the first embodiment, abnormal locations in the underwater structure 100 are detected. An abnormality detection unit 6 detects an abnormality and an abnormal location. At this time, since the abnormality is detected after the position of the abnormal part is also specified, the abnormality detection unit 6 knows in which position of the underwater structure 100 the abnormality is located.

A three-dimensional map of the underwater structure 100 is stored in the storage unit 8. Based on this, the map updating unit 9 stores the abnormal location detected by the abnormality detecting unit 6 together with the detection time in the stored three-dimensional map of the underwater structure 100.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing storage of an abnormal location in a three-dimensional map according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Abnormal locations 1 to 3 detected in the underwater structure 100, which is a bridge, are stored together with the detection time. Additionally, the type and degree of the abnormality are also reflected and updated on the three-dimensional map as necessary. The map update unit 9 stores a three-dimensional map of the underwater structure 100 including updates of abnormal locations.

At this time, the three-dimensional map of the underwater structure 100 with updated abnormal locations may be stored in the storage section 8 or the map updating section 9. In any case, as shown in FIG. 9, the abnormal location and detection time are updated on the three-dimensional map of the underwater structure 100. By being updated, the administrator can continuously grasp the inspection results of the underwater structure 100.

By having abnormal locations reflected on the three-dimensional map and stored, the administrator can continuously grasp problems with the underwater structure 100. Further, even if there is a change in the manager, the updated three-dimensional map is stored, so the problem state of the underwater structure 100 can be immediately grasped. Thereby, it is possible to prevent repairs or renovations of the underwater structure 100 from being overlooked due to human error.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the map updating unit 9 can cumulatively update abnormal locations detected at different times. This makes it possible to understand the inspection results for the underwater structure 100 together with the changes over time. It is also useful for converting underwater structures and parts that are prone to deterioration or damage into data.

In addition, it is also preferable to inspect the same abnormal location again after a period of time and update the three-dimensional map to see if the abnormality level has changed. Different abnormal locations and abnormal locations of the same abnormal location at different times are accumulated and updated. This will provide information for making decisions about repairs and renovations as the abnormality progresses.

For example, if it can be determined that the abnormality is progressing at the same abnormal location, it can be determined that the parts or members including the relevant location should be replaced. This enables early repair before the problem spreads to the entire underwater structure 100.

(Repair period estimation department)
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an underwater structure inspection apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The underwater structure inspection device 1 in FIG. 10 further includes a repair time estimating section 10.

The repair time estimating unit 10 can estimate the repair time of the underwater structure 100 based on at least one of the number, amount, position, and content of abnormalities in the three-dimensional map updated by the map updating unit 9. For example, in a three-dimensional map of a certain underwater structure 100, if the number of abnormalities is more than a predetermined number, the content of the abnormality level is more than a predetermined value, or a composite result of these is more than a predetermined value, It can be assumed that it is time for renovation.

Furthermore, it is possible to estimate whether the current time is a repair time or to estimate the timing of a future repair time. By obtaining such estimation results from the repair time estimating unit 10, the administrator can easily grasp the repair time of the floating structure 100. As a result, deviations from the timing of repairs, replacements, etc. are prevented.

Human error can be reduced and safety management of the underwater structure 100 can be maintained.

In particular, by automatically estimating the repair time, not only can confirmation work such as captured images become unnecessary, but also a repair plan can be easily created. It becomes possible to reduce the human cost required to manage a large number of underwater structures 100 in various regions.

(imaging)
It is also preferable that each of the above-water imaging section 21 and the underwater imaging section 31 take an image of a location corresponding to the position of the abnormal location recorded on the three-dimensional map later in time.

By imaging a location that has already been detected as an abnormal location, the abnormality detection unit 6 can detect the presence or absence of an abnormality and the degree of the abnormality. This makes it possible to grasp the degree of progress of the abnormality at the abnormal location. Even if the number of abnormal parts in a certain underwater structure 100 is small, if the degree of progress of a certain abnormal part is large, it may be better to carry out repairs.

It is also preferable that the repair time estimating unit 10 includes this algorithm to estimate the repair time. This is because the optimal repair timing can be estimated.

In order to estimate the repair time using such an algorithm, it is also preferable that each of the above-water imaging unit 21 and the underwater imaging unit 31 performs subsequent imaging of abnormal locations and abnormality detection by the abnormality detection unit 6. be. This makes it possible to estimate the repair time based on the degree of progress of a certain abnormality.

Appropriate maintenance and management of the underwater structure 100 becomes possible by being able to estimate an appropriate repair time based on the degree of progress of the abnormality. In particular, by understanding the aging of the same abnormal location, estimation can be applied to similar underwater structures 100 in similar environments. This also makes it possible to save labor in managing many underwater structures 100.

As described above, the underwater structure inspection apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment can not only detect abnormalities but also estimate the optimal repair time by updating the inspection results. As a result, the underwater structures 100 can be maintained and managed with high accuracy, and many underwater structures 100 can be maintained and managed while saving labor.

Note that the underwater structure inspection apparatus described in Embodiments 1 and 2 is an example for explaining the gist of the present invention, and includes modifications and alterations without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 Underwater structure inspection device 2 Seaplane 21 Water imaging unit 22 GPS function unit 23 Insertion control unit 24 Falling distance measurement unit 3 Underwater imaging device 31 Underwater imaging unit 32 Position control unit 4 Control unit 5 Underwater imaging device position measurement unit 6 Abnormality detection section 8 Storage section 9 Map update section 10 Repair time estimation section 100 Underwater structure 110 Above water section 120 Underwater section

Claims (11)

A seaplane capable of sailing on water,
an underwater imaging device that can be thrown into the water from the seaplane;
a control unit that controls the seaplane and the underwater imaging device;
an underwater imager position measuring unit that measures the position of the underwater imager;
An abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in an underwater structure,
The seaplane is:
an above-water imaging unit capable of capturing an above-water image of an above-water portion of the underwater structure;
a GPS function unit capable of detecting the position of the seaplane;
a charging control unit that throws the underwater imager into water;
a falling distance measuring section that measures the falling distance of the underwater imaging section;
The underwater imager includes:
an underwater imaging unit capable of capturing an underwater image of the underwater part of the underwater structure;
a position control unit that controls a relative position with the seaplane;
The underwater imager position measuring unit measures the position of the underwater imager based on the detection result of the GPS function unit and the falling distance,
The abnormality detection unit is an underwater structure inspection device that detects an abnormality at an imaged location of the underwater structure based on image processing results of the underwater upper part image and the underwater part image. The seaplane and the underwater imager are connected by a wire,
The falling distance measuring unit measures the falling distance based on the release distance of the wire,
2. The underwater structure inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position control unit controls the position of the underwater imager so that the wire connecting the watercraft and the underwater imager is substantially vertical. The abnormality detection unit includes an image processing unit that performs image processing on each of the underwater upper part image and the underwater part image,
The image processing unit converts the upper water image and the underwater image into at least one of a chromaticity image, a luminance image, a frequency conversion image, and an infrared image,
The abnormality detection unit detects, as an abnormality, a portion where the difference from the surrounding area is more than a predetermined value based on at least one of the chromaticity image, the luminance image, the frequency conversion image, and the infrared image. , An underwater structure inspection device according to claim 1. If at least one of the chromaticity image, the luminance image, the frequency-converted image, and the infrared image of a certain location included in the converted image has a difference of more than a predetermined value compared to the surrounding area, the location is The underwater structure inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the underwater structure inspection device is determined as an abnormal location. 4. The underwater structure inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the abnormality detection unit determines, in the infrared image, a location where the difference in temperature from the surrounding area is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as an abnormal location. 5. The underwater structure inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the abnormality detection unit determines that the abnormality is at least one of deterioration, damage, adhesion of foreign matter, and cracks occurring in the underwater structure. 7. The underwater structure inspection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the abnormality detection unit estimates the degree of the deterioration, the damage, and the crack based on the amount of difference between the abnormal location and the surrounding area. further comprising a storage unit that stores a three-dimensional map of the underwater structure,
5. The underwater structure inspection apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a map updating section that stores the abnormal location detected by the abnormality detection section on the three-dimensional map together with a detection time. 9. The underwater structure inspection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the map updating unit is capable of cumulatively updating the abnormal locations detected at different times. The underwater vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising a repair time estimating unit that estimates the repair time of the underwater structure based on at least one of the number, amount, position, and content of the abnormal locations updated by the map update unit. Building inspection equipment. The underwater camera according to claim 9, wherein each of the above-water imaging unit and the underwater imaging unit captures an above-water image and an underwater image, respectively, corresponding to the position of the abnormal location recorded on the three-dimensional map. Building inspection equipment.