JPH08159978A - Method and apparatus for inspecting inside of pipeline - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a method and an apparatus for inspecting by locally removing stored water in a pipeline with a simple facility. CONSTITUTION: A camera 1 in which a transparent elastic rubber expandable and contractible bag 4 is so mounted as to enclose the objective optical system 3 of a front end is introduced into a pipeline. Pressurized fluid is supplied to the bag 4 to expand the bag 4 to bring its transparent film to the inner surface of the pipeline P, and the interior of the pipeline P is inspected by the camera 1 in the state that the stored water in front of the camera 1 is temporarily removed in the front and rear of the bag 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for inspecting an inner surface of a pipe with a camera,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a suitable inspection method and apparatus using a camera when polluted accumulated water is present in a pipeline such as an underground buried pipeline.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a cable for power transmission or communication is laid in the ground, a protective pipe is buried and the cable is inserted into the pipe. It is necessary to replace it or to immediately replace it if any damage is found.First, pull out the existing cable using a winch, and then inspect the buried pipeline from the inside with a TV camera. After that, repair the cable if necessary, and then insert a new cable by the usual means to lay it.When burying the protection tube, prepare a spare pipeline for future cable expansion, etc. Is regularly inspected to maintain a prompt response system.

As a means for inspecting the inside of the pipe, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
Various attempts have been made as described in JP-A-253428.

The method using the self-propelled waterproof camera described in the above-mentioned publication as the prior art cannot monitor with a television camera when the accumulated water in the pipeline is polluted. Therefore, it is necessary to drain the polluted accumulated water in advance or monitor it while draining.

As a means for draining the polluted accumulated water in the pipeline, there is firstly a method of draining the accumulated water in advance by a water absorption type pump, and secondly, a water stopper is provided in front of and behind the television camera. There is a method of draining the accumulated water between both water stoppers, that is, near the TV camera with pressurized air. Thirdly, the accumulated water near the TV camera is strongly drained by an injector-type water absorption pump while the TV is being monitored. There is a method to keep the proximity part of the camera free of water.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In the first method, it takes time and labor to drain the water, and in the second method, not only is it necessary to strongly pull the TV camera and the water stop, but also a step or If there are irregularities, there is a drawback that the water stopping by the water stopping tool becomes incomplete and the drainage is hindered. In addition, the third method requires an injector-type water absorption pump that uses high-pressure water, and a high-pressure hose and a drain hose must be introduced in the pipeline, which makes the drainage facility large and expensive.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for locally removing and checking the accumulated water in the pipeline with simple equipment, and another object is to provide the pipeline. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus that can be inspected without any residual water at the bottom of the inside.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a camera equipped with an expansion / contraction bag made of an elastic rubber having a transparent cylindrical portion so that the objective optical system at the front end is covered. The expandable and retractable bag can be supplied with a pressurized fluid from an external fluid supply / drainage device through a hose, and the camera can be introduced into the pipe line in a retractable manner. By connecting a camera or a television device and moving the expansion / contraction bag in an appropriately contracted state in the conduit, and supplying sufficient pressurized fluid to the expansion / contraction bag if necessary, The transparent membrane is attached to the inner surface of the duct, so that the accumulated water in a certain part in front of the camera is temporarily removed before and after the inflation bag. Point by camera The main part that you have to be able to.

[0009]

[Function] When the expansion / contraction bag is moved together with the camera in the pipe line while being appropriately contracted, the gap between the expansion / contraction bag and the inner surface of the pipe line is kept narrow, and the outline inside the pipe line can be monitored. At the position where the pressure is required, the expansion / contraction bag expands by supplying sufficient pressurized fluid to the expansion / contraction bag, and the transparent membrane thereof adheres to the inner surface of the conduit to expand the accumulated water in a certain part in front of the camera. Temporarily excluded before and after the shrink bag,
Through the transparent membrane of the expansion / contraction bag, the inside of the conduit can be inspected and inspected with a camera.

[0010]

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In general, the self-propelled television camera 1 is introduced from a manhole, and the cable 2 for the television camera 1 is installed on the ground in an inspection vehicle. Connect to the CRT display and control device (not shown) of
While operating the TV camera 1 inside the inspection work vehicle to drive the TV camera 1 inside the pipe P, a video image of the inside surface of the pipe P captured by the TV camera 1 is displayed on the CRT inside the inspection work car.
The TV bag 1 is liquid-tightly sealed with a cylindrical bag-shaped expansion / contraction bag 4 made of elastic rubber, at least the cylindrical part of which is colorless and transparent, so that the objective optical system 3 at the front end thereof is covered by the TV camera 1. The expansion / contraction bag 4 is provided with a hose 5 for supplying / discharging and is connected to a pressurized fluid supply / discharging device (not shown) such as a compressor on the ground.

The expansion and contraction bag 4 has a tip portion and a base portion formed to be relatively thick and a cylindrical portion formed to be relatively thin so that a pressurized fluid is supplied to the expansion and contraction bag 4 when the television camera 1 is moved. Under an appropriately limited state, the diameter is kept appropriately smaller than the inner diameter of the conduit P as shown by the chain line in the figure, while the pressurized fluid is supplied to the expansion / contraction bag 4 to a sufficient degree. By supplying it, the transparent film of the cylindrical portion of the expansion / contraction bag 4 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the conduit P as indicated by the solid line in the figure, so that the pressurized fluid is appropriately supplied to the expansion / contraction bag 4 during movement. Under the condition that
While the gap between the expansion / contraction bag 4 and the inner surface of the conduit P is kept small, the inside of the conduit P is monitored while moving the television camera 1 together with the expansion / contraction bag 4, and scrutiny is required. At the position, the inflation bag 4 is inflated by sufficiently supplying pressurized fluid to the inflation bag 4,
The transparent film of the expansion / contraction bag 4 is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the conduit P, and at the same time, the accumulated water in a certain portion in front of the television camera 1 is temporarily removed before and after the expansion / contraction bag 4. An image of the inside of the conduit P is displayed by the TV camera 1 and the cable 2 on the CRT display in the inspection work vehicle on the ground.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the television camera 1 is not a self-propelled type, but the television camera 1 is pulled by a wire rope.
A flanged mounting board 6 is provided at the front end of the
From the front, a supporting arm 7 is projected and a mounting board 8 is provided at the end of the arm, and a colorless transparent elastic rubber cylindrical expansion / contraction bag 4 is liquid-tightly mounted on both of the mounting boards 6 and 8. , The expansion / contraction bag 4 has a hose 5 for supplying / discharging via a mounting board 6.
Is connected to a pressurized fluid supply / discharge device (not shown) such as a compressor on the ground, and the television camera 1 and the mounting board 8 are sled type guides that are in pressure contact with the inner surface of the conduit P. 9, 9 and 10, 10 are further provided, and the rear end of the television camera 1 and the front end of the mounting board 8 are connected with pulling members 11 and 12 such as wire ropes, respectively, and towed by a winch (not shown) installed on the ground. Then, the TV camera 1 is moved back and forth.

In use, the operation of the winch for the movement of the television camera 1 is different from that of the embodiment shown in FIG.

As the supporting arm 7 provided in front of the mounting board 6, a plurality of relatively thin metal rods may be provided so as to project so as to have little influence on the photographing by the television camera 1.
By adopting a transparent cylindrical body as shown in the figure, it is possible to eliminate obstacles in photographing. Further, the guides 9, 9 and 10, 10 are not limited to the sled type, but may be a wheel type that presses against the inner surface of the conduit P.

Pressurized water may be adopted as the fluid to be supplied to the expansion / contraction bag 4, so that the opaque phenomenon due to condensation of water vapor, which is likely to occur on the inner surface of the expansion / contraction bag 4 in the case of air supply, is not considered. Of.

It goes without saying that a fiberscope may be adopted instead of the television camera 1.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The following effects can be obtained. (A) A camera 1 equipped with a transparent elastic rubber expansion / contraction bag 4 so as to cover the objective optical system at the front end is introduced into the conduit P so as to be able to move forward and backward, and the expansion / contraction bag is also expanded. 4, the pressurized fluid is supplied to the transparent film of the expansion / contraction bag 4, and the conduit P
Since the inner surface is closely contacted with the inner surface of the inflatable bag 4, the accumulated water in a certain portion in front of the camera is temporarily removed before and after the inflatable bag 4 without performing a large-scale drainage work using a pump or the like. The inside of the conduit P can be clearly observed by the camera 1 through the transparent film of the shrink bag 4, and in particular, the transparent film of the expansion / contraction bag 4 can be brought into close contact with the inner surface of the conduit P at the bottom of the conduit P. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent an inspection error due to residual muddy water that tends to occur when performing draining as in the conventional technique. (B) The mounting board 8 is provided in front of the camera 1 with the supporting arm 7 interposed, and the cylindrical expansion / contraction bag 4 made of elastic rubber is liquid-tight across the mounting board 8 and the camera 1. Of the camera 1 and the mounting board 8 are provided with guides 9, 9 and 10, 10 which are in pressure contact with the inner surface of the conduit P, respectively. It is possible to stably move the device forward and backward by connecting the respective towing bodies. (C) When the mounting board 8 is provided in front of the camera 1, since a transparent cylindrical body is adopted as the support arm 7, it is possible to eliminate an obstacle in photographing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing an apparatus for carrying out a method for inspecting an inside of a pipeline according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of an apparatus for carrying out a method for inspecting an inside of a pipe according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Camera 3 Objective Optical System 4 Expansion / contraction Bag 5 Hose 6 Mounting Board 7 Support Arm 8 Mounting Board 9 Guide 10 Guide 11 Traction Body 12 Traction Body P Pipeline

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 27, 1995

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 3

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0008

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a camera equipped with an expansion / contraction bag in which at least a cylindrical portion is transparent so as to cover the objective optical system at the front end in a conduit. The expansion / contraction bag can be introduced and retracted, and pressurized fluid from an external fluid supply / discharge device can be supplied to and discharged from the expansion / contraction bag, and the camera is provided with a camera or a television. John device,
By moving the expansion / contraction bag in an appropriately contracted state in the conduit, and supplying sufficient pressurized fluid to the expansion / contraction bag as necessary, the transparent film of the expansion / contraction bag is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the conduit. , This allows the camera to inspect the inside of the conduit through the transparent membrane of the expansion / contraction bag, while temporarily retaining the accumulated water in front of the camera before and after the expansion / contraction bag. What you did is the main part.

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (A) A camera 1 equipped with a transparent expansion / contraction bag 4 so as to cover the objective optical system at the front end is introduced into the conduit P so as to be able to advance and retract, and the expansion / contraction bag Since a pressurized fluid is supplied to 4 to bring the transparent film of the expansion / contraction bag 4 into close contact with the inner surface of the conduit P, accumulated water of a certain portion in front of the camera can be collected without performing a large-scale drainage work by a pump or the like. Under the condition that the bag is temporarily removed before and after the expansion bag 4, the inside of the conduit P can be clearly observed by the camera 1 through the transparent film of the expansion bag 4, and in particular, Since the transparent film of the expansion / contraction bag 4 can be brought into close contact with the inner surface of the conduit P at the bottom portion, it is possible to reliably prevent an inspection error due to residual muddy water that is likely to occur when draining as in the prior art. (B) the mounting panel 8 provided a bearing arm 7 in front of the camera 1 to the original state which is interposed, to a mounting plate 8 and the camera 1 of what
Or a transparent cylindrical expansion / contraction bag 4 is mounted in a liquid-tight manner, and the camera 1 and the mounting board 8 are provided with guides 9, 9 and 10, 10 which are brought into pressure contact with the inner surface of the conduit P, respectively. The retractor can be connected to the rear end of the camera 1 and the front end of the mounting board 8 to stably move the device back and forth. (C) When the mounting board 8 is provided in front of the camera 1, since the transparent cylindrical body is adopted as the support arm 7, it is possible to eliminate the obstacle in photographing.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A camera (1) equipped with a transparent elastic rubber expansion / contraction bag (4) so as to cover the front end objective optical system (3), can be moved back and forth into a conduit (P). The expansion / contraction bag (4) can be supplied with and discharged with pressurized fluid from an external fluid supply / drainage device via a hose (5), and the camera (1) is provided. A photographing device or a television device is connected to the camera, and while the camera (1) is moved together with the expansion / contraction bag (4) in the conduit (P), pressurized fluid is supplied to the expansion / contraction bag (4) as necessary. Sufficiently supplying the water, the expansion membrane (4) expands to bring the transparent film into close contact with the inner surface of the conduit (P), and a certain portion of the accumulated water in front of the camera is temporarily provided before and after the inflation bag (4). Under the excluded condition, through the transparent membrane of the expansion / contraction bag (4), the conduit (P)
A method for inspecting the inside of a pipeline, characterized by observing the inside of the camera with a camera (1). 2. A camera (1) capable of advancing and retracting in a pipe (P).
A transparent elastic rubber expansion / contraction bag (4) is attached so that the objective optical system (3) at the front end thereof is covered, and a hose (5) is attached to the expansion / contraction bag (4). Is connected to supply and discharge pressurized fluid from an external fluid supply / drainage device, and a camera or a television device is connected to the camera (1) to provide an expansion / contraction bag (4). The inspection device in the pipeline, characterized in that the inside of the pipeline (P) is observed by the camera (1) through the transparent film of (1). 3. A mounting board (6) is provided at the front end of the camera (1), and a supporting arm (7) is provided forward from the mounting board (6).
And a mounting board (8) is provided at the end of the arm, and a cylindrical expansion / contraction bag (4) made of elastic rubber is liquid-tightly mounted on both of the mounting boards (6) and (8). A hose (5) for supply and discharge is connected to the expansion and contraction bag (4) for connection to a pressurized fluid supply and discharge device on the ground, and a conduit is provided for the camera (1) and the mounting board (8), respectively. Guides (9), (9) and (10), (10) that are pressed against the inner surface of (P) are provided, and a tractor (11) is provided at the rear end of the camera (1) and the front end of the mounting board (8). ) And (12) are connected to each other so as to move back and forth. 4. The in-pipe inspection device according to claim 3, wherein a transparent cylindrical body is adopted as the support arm (7).