JPH0419432B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an observation device for observing the inside of a tank such as a low-temperature liquefied gas tank such as LNG or LPG.

(Prior art) In low-temperature liquefied gas tanks such as LNG and LPG, it is desirable to be able to observe the inside of the tanks both during normal times and during abnormal situations such as earthquakes, in order to understand the behavior of the liquid level and the status of internal structures. .

Conventional devices for the purpose of such observation include:
For example, there are those shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b. 6th
The device shown in Figure a is equipped with a short observation cylinder c on the top wall b of a tank a, and transparent glasses d are attached to both ends of the cylinder c. The interior is observed by looking into the observation cylinder c using a television set. The apparatus shown in FIG. 6b is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 187198/1987, and comprises a relatively long observation cylinder c' extending downward from the upper wall b of the tank a. A transparent glass part d' for observation is formed at a suitable position on the side, and an illumination lamp e and an observation prism f are arranged inside the observation cylinder c'.
and an observation endoscope g are installed to observe in the lateral direction.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the former device, the observable range is the range shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, and although the lower part of tank a can be observed, the side surface cannot be observed. be. The latter device also has a problem in that it is not possible to freely observe the entire area inside the tank a.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems of the conventional apparatus described above and to enable observation of the entire interior of a tank.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 corresponding to the embodiments. an observation cylinder 2 whose lower end is open at the upper part of the tank 1;
The observation device main body 3 is configured to be movable up and down inside the observation cylinder 2, and the observation device main body 3 is attached to the upper part of the observation cylinder 2 outside the tank 1 via a partition means 4. The observation device main body 3 includes an upper base 6 and a support 7 projecting below the upper base 6 so as to be rotatable about the axis l of the observation cylinder 2. , and a container body 8 rotatably supported on the support body 7 about a horizontal axis m, and an imaging means 10 is built in the container body 8, and a suitable position of the observation device main body 3 includes a container body 8. , constitutes a drive means 11 for rotating the support body 7 and a drive means 12 for rotating the vessel body 8, and further includes a drive means 11 for rotating the support body 7 and a drive unit 12 for rotating the vessel body 8.
is a support means 13 that supports the upper base body 6 in a state in which it protrudes below the lower end of the observation cylinder 2.

Further, the second invention includes, in addition to the configuration of the first invention,
A lighting means 9 is built into the container body 8.

(Function) In the above configuration, normally the observation device main body 3
is raised to the storage section 5 above the observation cylinder 2, and the partition means 4 is kept closed.

However, when starting up after tank construction,
If it becomes necessary to observe the inside of the tank 1 during normal times or during abnormalities such as earthquakes, etc., after using a nitrogen gas barge, etc., the partition means 4 is opened and the observation device main body 3 is lowered. , and the support means 13 allows the vessel 8 to be attached to the observation cylinder 2.
The upper base body 6 is supported in a state in which it protrudes downward from the lower end of the base body 6.

In this state, when the drive means 12 is driven, the container body 8 rotates around the horizontal axis m with respect to the support body 7, and therefore the object range of the imaging means 10 is moved in the vertical direction of the tank 1. can be moved to Furthermore, when the driving means 11 is driven, the vessel body 8, together with the support body 7, pivots around the axis l of the observation cylinder 2, for example, around the vertical axis, and thus the imaging means 10
The target range can be moved toward the inner circumference of the tank 1. According to the present invention, by driving the driving means 11 and 12, the target range of the imaging means 10 can be appropriately moved to the entire area inside the tank 1, and in this way, by driving the driving means 11 and 12, it is possible to move the target range of the imaging means 10 to the entire area inside the tank 1. The entire interior of the illuminated tank 1 can be observed. The interior of the tank 1 may be illuminated by lighting or natural light through a suitable tube (not shown) other than the observation tube 2, but the illumination means 9 may be used inside the vessel 8. In the case of the second invention configured to be built in and illuminated, the illumination range of the illumination means 9 can be moved in correspondence with the target range of the imaging means 10, so that the illumination can be performed well and effectively. In addition, even a lamp with a small output can provide sufficient illumination.

When the vessel 8 is rotated around the axis m during the above observation, the upper and lower sides of the vessel 8 become wider toward the left and right sides, and if this continues, the observation cylinder 8
cannot be inserted again. When the observation is completed, the vessel 8 is rotated around the axis m and returned to its original position before observation.
can be inserted into the observation tube 2 again. In this state, by raising the observation device main body 3 to the storage section 5 and closing the partition means 4, the observation device main body 3 can be isolated from the tank 1 and stored in the storage section 5. can.

(Example) Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

Reference numeral 1 is a tank, and 2 is an observation cylinder constructed in the tank 1. This observation tube 2 can be newly installed to configure the device of the present invention, or an existing one can be used for other purposes. In addition to the configuration,
It is also possible to have a structure tilted at an appropriate angle. Reference numeral 3 indicates an observation device main body, and this observation device main body 3 is configured to be movable up and down by a wire lifting mechanism 14. In addition, the observation cylinder 2 has a partition means 4 which is configured to allow the observation device main body 3 to pass freely when opened and is configured to be closed airtight.
The upper part of this partitioning means 4 is configured as a storage section 5 of the observation device main body 3. This storage section 5 is provided with a door 15, and the observation device main body 3 inside the storage section 5 is taken out to the outside as necessary through this door 15 for inspection, replacement of the imaging means 10, etc. described later. be able to. Further, the storage section 5 is provided with a nitrogen gas purge device 16 to enable nitrogen gas purge as necessary. In addition, the storage part 5 and the partition means 4 may not be connected to the upper part of the observation cylinder 2 at all times, but may be connected when necessary.

The observation device main body 3 includes an upper base body 6, a support body 7 protruding below the base body 6 so as to be rotatable around the axis l of the observation cylinder 2, and a support body 7 having a horizontal axis m. The support body 7 is supported by a drive means 11 consisting of a motor 20 and a gear 21, and the vessel body 8 is constituted by a motor 22 and a gear 23. They are each rotated by a drive means 12. The container body 8 incorporates an imaging means 10 and an illumination means 9, and at least their corresponding parts are transparent. If there is a possibility that the inside of the tank 1 will be in a flammable atmosphere, the container body 8 may have an explosion-proof structure, such as a nitrogen gas pressurized internal pressure explosion-proof structure or a pressure-resistant explosion-proof structure, as necessary. In addition, if it is necessary to heat the inside of the vessel 8 or cool the illumination means 9 etc. due to the temperature conditions outside the vessel 8 during the above-mentioned observation or at rest, appropriate measures may be taken. Heating or cooling means may be provided. The heating means can be configured using a heat insulating material, an electric heater, etc., and the cooling means can be configured as appropriate, such as installing cooling fins or exposing the heating element to the inside of the tank 1 for cooling. be able to.

The imaging means 10 includes a zoom lens section 17, a CCD
It consists of a section 18 and an ITV camera section 19,
The structure is such that a desired position inside the tank 1 can be observed at optimal magnification. In addition, the imaging means 10 may be configured to appropriately install a camera or the like that takes high-resolution still photographs.

Reference numeral 13 indicates a support means for supporting the upper base body 6 in a state in which the vessel body 8 protrudes below the lower end of the observation cylinder 2, and is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. What is shown in the figure is the observation cylinder 2.
A support seat 24 is protruded from the inner periphery of the lower end of the support seat 24, and the lower outer periphery of the upper base 6 is engaged with the support seat 24 as shown by the solid line, or the upper base 6 is engaged with the support seat 24 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. A projection 25 provided on the lower outer periphery of the support seat 24 is configured to engage with the support seat 24,
It has a configuration in which a pressure roller 26 is provided at the top. Also, what is shown in Fig. 3 is the hanging wire 2.
In this configuration, a suitable number of wedge-shaped locking pieces 29 connected to the upper base body 7 and urged downward by a spring 28 are installed at appropriate positions on the outer periphery of the upper base body 6. In this way, the support means 13 is attached to the observation cylinder 2 or the upper base 6.
The support means 13 may be provided on either (or both), and the latter configuration, in which the support means 13 is not installed on the observation tube 2, is effective when using an existing observation tube 2. It is.

In the illustrated example, the reference numeral 30 is a conduit provided to take out the power supply lines to the drive means 11, 12, the illumination means 9, the image pickup means 10, etc. and the signal lines of the image pickup means 10, etc. to the outside. .

In the above configuration, when observing the inside of the tank 1 using the imaging means 10 as described above, this observation is performed at a suitable location outside the tank 1 on a monitor TV, etc. Detailed observations can also be made by taking high-resolution still photographs. To take such a still photograph, the observation device main body 3 is first raised to the storage section 5, the camera and film are attached, and then lowered again to a predetermined position. It is also possible to set the camera at a suitable location and to take pictures as needed while observing as described above using the ITV camera unit 19. Incidentally, in the above-mentioned observation, if a rotation angle detection device such as a potentiometer is provided at an appropriate position of the drive means 11, 12, etc., the position being observed can be easily and accurately determined.

After the above observation is completed, move the observation device main body 3 to the storage section 5.
After the observation device body 3 is raised to a certain level and the partition means 4 is closed, the observation device main body 3 is purged with a predetermined amount of nitrogen gas by the nitrogen gas purge device 16, and then taken out through the door 15 and stored, or stored until the next use. It is stored in section 5. In the latter case, when an abnormality such as an earthquake occurs, automatic control is performed based on the detection signal of the abnormality occurrence, and the above-mentioned observation can be performed automatically, and the image from the ITV camera section 19 is recorded on a video tape. By recording over time on a recorder or the like, it is possible to observe the behavior of the liquid level when an abnormality occurs. The observation device main body 3 may be kept on standby at all times in a state in which it protrudes below the lower end of the observation cylinder 2, that is, in the above-mentioned usable state. If the above-mentioned target range is made to follow the liquid level in the tank 1 detected by an appropriate liquid level detection means, the above-mentioned behavior of the liquid level etc. can be immediately observed when the abnormality occurs. In such usage conditions, the effects of low temperatures on the imaging means 10 and the like can be eliminated by the above-mentioned heating (or cooling) means.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention includes an observation device body configured to be movable up and down in an observation cylinder configured at the upper part of a tank, and an upper base, and a lower part of the observation cylinder below the upper base. It is composed of a support protrudingly provided so as to be rotatable about an axis, and a container supported by the support so as to be rotatable around an axis in the lateral direction, and the upper base is connected to the observation cylinder. While supporting the container body in a state where it protrudes downward from the lower end of the container body, the container body is
The tank is pivoted or rotated around two axes by the respective drive means, and is observed using the imaging means built into the vessel, making it possible to efficiently observe the entire area inside the tank. Moreover, if an illumination means is built into the container in addition to the imaging means, the illumination can be effectively and effectively performed. In particular, if the instrument body can be inserted into the observation cylinder, it can be configured to be long in the axial direction and can therefore have a sufficient volume, so that the imaging means, illumination means, driving means, etc. It is possible to easily install a device with the performance of 1, and therefore the above-mentioned observation can be performed satisfactorily. Furthermore, the present invention has the effect that it can be safely applied to tanks in operation, since the explosion-proof structure of the vessel itself and the purging device for nitrogen gas, etc. in the storage section can be easily constructed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 5 correspond to embodiments of the present invention; Figure 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the overall configuration, and Figures 2a and 2b are schematic side and front views of the configuration of main parts, respectively. Explanatory drawings, FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing another example of the support means, FIGS. Figures a and b are a cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing the operation.
FIGS. 6a and 6b are explanatory diagrams of a conventional example. Reference numerals 1...tank, 2...observation cylinder, 3...observation device main body, 4...partition means, 5...storage section, 6...upper base, 7...support body, 8...vessel body, 9...illumination means, 10
...imaging means, 11, 12...driving means, 13...supporting means, 14...wire lifting mechanism, 15...door, 1
6... Nitrogen gas purge device, 17... Zoom lens section, 18... CCD section, 19... ITV camera section, 20,
22...Motor, 21, 23...Gear, 24...Support seat, 25...Protrusion, 26...Press roller, 27...Hanging wire, 28...Spring, 29...Wedge-shaped locking piece,
30...Electric conduit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An observation cylinder whose lower end is opened at the upper part of the tank is formed in the upper part of the tank, and an observation device main body is configured to be movable up and down inside the observation cylinder, and an observation device is configured to be able to move up and down outside the tank. A storage section for the observation device main body is configured in the upper part of the observation cylinder via a partition means, and the observation device main body includes an upper base and a lower part of the observation cylinder. It is composed of a support protruding so as to be rotatable around an axis, and a container body supported by the support body so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis, and an imaging means is built into the container body, and the observation device Drive means for rotating the support body and drive means for rotating the vessel body are provided at appropriate locations on the main body, and further, the vessel body is provided on the observation tube body or the upper base body. 1. An observation device for the inside of a tank, characterized in that a supporting means is configured to support the upper base body in a state of protruding downward from the lower end of the tank body. 2. An observation cylinder whose lower end is opened at the upper part of the tank is constructed in the upper part of the tank, and the observation device main body is configured to be movable up and down inside the observation cylinder, and the observation cylinder is arranged outside the tank. A storage section for the observation device main body is configured in the upper part of the body via a partition means, and the observation device main body includes an upper base body and a structure below the upper base body that is rotatable around the axis of the observation cylinder. It is composed of a protruding support body and a container body rotatably supported on the support body so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, and an illumination means and an imaging means are built into the container body, and an illumination means and an imaging means are built in the body. comprises a drive means for rotating the support body and a drive means for rotating the vessel body; 1. An observation device for the inside of a tank, characterized in that a supporting means is configured to support the upper base body in a state in which it protrudes further downward.