JPS6161593B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a monitoring and inspection system, and particularly to a monitoring and inspection system suitable for remotely monitoring plant field equipment from a central control room.

Conventionally, monitoring and inspection of plant equipment and the like is mainly carried out by plant operators who directly inspect the equipment at the site. Some major equipment is equipped with temperature, vibration, pressure, flow rate, etc. detectors so that they can be centrally monitored, but the number of such equipment is extremely small. Therefore, in order to operate plant equipment safely, it is essential for operators and the like to conduct on-site equipment inspections. Therefore, it is difficult for operators to avoid the possibility of damage caused by hazardous materials at chemical plants and the like, and the possibility of radiation exposure at nuclear power plants and the like.

On the other hand, with today's rapid increase in the number of plants,
As plants become larger, it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure operators with extensive plant operation experience, forcing operators with limited experience to carry out monitoring and inspections. However, it is difficult to fully grasp the operational status of field equipment through monitoring and inspection by inexperienced operators. In addition, as plants grow larger, the number of on-site equipment increases, and the scope of monitoring and inspection expands, making it difficult to carry out monitoring and inspection in a short period of time.
Opportunities for operators to be damaged by hazardous materials and exposed to radiation will increase. Furthermore, most of the conventional monitoring and inspection of field equipment depends on the operator's experience and five senses, and the results of the monitoring and inspection are not uniform. As described above, conventional monitoring and inspection of equipment has several drawbacks.

An object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring and inspection system in which the movement of a mobile station is not restricted by signal transmission paths, enabling monitoring and inspection over a wide range, and in which signal transmission is less likely to be obstructed by obstacles. There is a particular thing.

In order to achieve the above object, the monitoring and inspection system of the present invention includes a television camera that monitors the state of the object to be monitored and inspected, which is placed in the monitoring and inspection area, and a detector that inspects the condition of the object. The mobile station is placed in the monitoring and inspection area, and the central control unit, which has the function of remotely controlling the TV camera and the mobile station and the function of displaying information from the TV camera and the detector, is placed at a location away from the monitoring and inspection area. The central control unit is a system in which a plurality of fixed stations are distributed to each other and are connected to a central control unit by a signal transmission path (for example, a cable). The optical signal transmitting means and the optical signal receiving means provided in the mobile station are configured to be rotatable and movable up and down.

Therefore, a mobile station is remotely controlled to approach the object to be monitored and inspected, and while it is being brought close, the condition of the object to be monitored and inspected is captured by a television camera, and a detector (for example, temperature, vibration,
Detect the condition of the object to be monitored and inspected using a detector that detects sound, radiation, etc. (bring the detector close,
or contact). The output signals of the television camera and detector are transmitted as optical signals such as infrared rays to a fixed station, and further transmitted to a central control unit through a signal transmission line. Therefore, by using the monitoring and inspection system of the present invention, objects to be monitored and inspected can be monitored and inspected remotely, reducing radiation exposure and the burden on operators of nuclear power plants, for example, and making monitoring and inspection work easier. This makes it possible to improve the safety of plant operation.

The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to Examples.
FIG. 1 is an example of a mobile monitoring and inspection device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus of this embodiment includes a mobile station 1 having a function of remotely monitoring and inspecting plant equipment, etc., a remote control function of the mobile station, and a function of remotely monitoring the monitoring and inspection results at the mobile station. The mobile station 1 comprises a central control unit 11 having a central control unit 11 and at least one fixed station 2 having a function of communicating between the central control unit 11 and the mobile station 1 by means of spatially propagating light.

As shown in FIG. 1, the central control device 11 includes a control panel 30, a control computer 7, and a typewriter 9.
Consists of. The control panel 30 includes a television camera 22
(Fig. 2); a manual operating device 6 for manually controlling the mobile station 1; and a plurality of operating buttons 6a _{to 6g} arranged on the manual operating device 6; An indicator 5 and a speaker _5a that transmit information from the instrument 21 (Fig. 2) to the operator, a guide for monitoring and inspection work, and the detector 2
A CRT 8 that displays information from 1 and a CRT screen position designator 10 such as a light pen, etc.
, data input key 66 , and mobile station 1
and a controller 3 that drives and controls the. The control computer 7 has a function of remotely controlling the mobile station 1 and the television camera 22 (FIG. 3), a function of editing information from the detector 21, and a function of controlling the mobile station 1 and the television camera 22 (FIG. 3).
It has the function of controlling the CRT 8, CRT screen position designator 10, and typewriter 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile station 1 includes an optical receiver 27 and an optical transmitter 28 for communicating between the fixed station 2 and the mobile station 1 by means of spatially propagating light, and the optical transmitter/receiver can be rotated and moved up and down. A drive machine 25 for swinging and raising/lowering the movement station 1, and a drive machine 2 for running and steering the moving station 1.
3, a television camera 22, and a drive machine 2 that rotates, swings up and down, and raises and lowers the television camera.
4, a detector 21, and a controller 26 for driving and controlling the mobile station 1 and the television camera 22.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of the mobile station, in which 22 is a television camera, 24 is a drive unit that rotates, swings up and down, and raises and lowers the television camera, 21 is a detector, and 27 and 28 are optical transmitters and receivers. Machine, 2
Reference numeral 5 designates a drive device that rotates, swings up and down, and raises and lowers the optical transmitter/receiver, 50 a four-wheeled truck, 70 a microphone, and 80 a radiation measuring device.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of the control panel.
0 is the control panel, 4 is the monitor TV, 5 is the indicator, 6
_A to _6g are a plurality of operation buttons, 66 is a data input key, _5a is a speaker, 10 is a CRT screen position designator, and 8 is a CRT.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of the present invention will be explained. First, a case in which the mobile station 1 approaches a target device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The moving station 1 presses the start button _6a among the operation buttons 6a to 6b provided on the manual operation device 6.
A running command signal is sent via a signal line S1 and a controller 3 to a fixed station 2 by wire S2. The traveling command signal is transmitted from one of the fixed stations 2 to the mobile station 1 as an optical signal S3 that propagates in space. The transmission signal is received by the optical receiver 27 shown in FIG. 2, and the travel command signal is transmitted via the signal line S4 and the controller 26 to the drive unit 23 that causes the mobile station 1 to travel. After sending out, the mobile station 1 starts traveling. When moving the mobile station 1, the user operates the steering button _6b of the operation buttons provided on the manual operating device 6 shown in FIG. 1 to bring the mobile station 1 close to target plant equipment or the like. The operation command from the steering button _6b remotely controls the steering mechanism provided in the drive machine 23 shown in FIG. 2 through the signal route S1→S2→S3→S4→S5. On the other hand, in order to determine where the mobile station 1 is traveling, the television camera 22 mounted on the mobile station 1 captures the situation around the mobile station, and the operator monitors the monitor television 4 shown in FIG. Judging by monitoring.

The television camera 22 includes a drive device 2 that rotates, swings up and down, and raises and lowers the television camera.
4 and a manual operating device 6 shown in FIG.
By operating the camera control button 6 among the operation buttons provided in the TV camera 22, it is possible to capture the situation at any location around the mobile station 1. The control signal from the camera control button 6 is a signal route, S1→S2→S3→S4→S5
and is transmitted to the television camera driver 24. In addition, the image captured by the TV camera 22 is the signal route, S8
→ S9 → S10 and the data is sent to the monitor television 4. In this way, the monitor TV 4 indicates that the mobile station 1 approaches the target plant equipment, etc.
If you have confirmed this, the manual operation device 6 shown in
Press the stop button _6d among the operation buttons provided on the screen to stop the moving station 1. The stop command from the stop button 6 _d is the signal route, S1 → S2 → S3 →
It is sent to the drive machine 23 which makes the mobile station 1 travel in S4→S5. In addition, mobile station 1
If communication between the mobile station 1 and a certain fixed station 2 becomes impossible due to obstructions such as field equipment or water vapor, the driver 25 that controls the direction of the optical transceiver installed on the mobile station 1 Therefore, communication with another fixed station 2 can be performed. In this way, by distributing a plurality of fixed stations and arranging them at a large number of sites, it becomes possible to move the mobile station over a wide range.

Next, a method for monitoring and inspecting the target equipment will be explained. As mentioned above, the appearance of the above equipment, the readings of indicators such as pressure gauges and flow meters attached to the above equipment, leakage from piping, etc., and the open/close status of valves etc. are installed on the mobile station 1 as described above. The television camera 22 is remotely controlled and monitored on a monitor television 4. In addition, among the detectors 21 installed in the mobile station 1, the temperature, vibration, radiation level, sound, etc. of the above-mentioned equipment are measured by a thermistor thermometer, piezoelectric vibration meter, etc. that measure temperature and vibration, and A signal from a radiation measuring device that measures the radiation dose on the surface of the device and the radiation dose around the device is transmitted to the indicator 5, and a microphone that measures the noise around the device and abnormal noises such as the bearings of the device are transmitted to the indicator 5. The acoustic signal from the echocardiogram rod that detects the sound is transmitted to the speaker _5a for remote monitoring. In addition, the detector 21
Of these, a radiation measuring device 80 that measures the radiation dose at a fixed point and a microphone 70 that measures noise as shown in FIG. Measuring radiation levels and noise levels in a location.

The data measured by the detector 21 is the signal route, S
11→S9→S12, the signal is sent to the indicator 5 or speaker _5a shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, allowing remote monitoring. The information on the indicator 5 is input to the control computer 7 through the signal line S15, and the data editing function built into the control computer 7 determines whether the information is normal or abnormal, and the inspection results are edited and sent to the signal line S16. The information is then printed out as a checklist on a typewriter 9. On the other hand, regarding the items to be monitored using the monitor television 4 and speaker _5a , the operator views the images and listens to the sounds to judge whether the items are normal or abnormal, and inputs the results to the control computer via the signal line S17 using the data input key 66. 7, edited as described above, and printed out as a checklist. In addition, the above inspection table is based on the CPT display command button 6 _f of the operation buttons provided on the manual operation device 6.
By pressing , CRT display command is sent to signal line S.
13 to the control computer 7, and can be displayed on the CRT 8 via the signal line S18 by the CRT control function built into the control computer 7.

The CRT8 also has the function of guiding the monitoring and inspection of the plant equipment mentioned above. That is, by pressing the guide button _6g of the operation buttons provided on the manual operating device 6, a guide command is input to the control computer 7 via the signal line S13, and is incorporated in the control computer 7.
The function that controls the CRT8 and the CRT screen position designator 10 displays the name of the machine to be monitored and inspected on the CRT8 screen, and the CRT screen position designator 10 specifies any device name on the CRT8 screen. Then, the monitoring and inspection items for the specified equipment are displayed on the CRT8. Therefore, the operator can prevent omissions in monitoring and inspection using the above-mentioned guide function.

The manual operation of the device of this embodiment has been described above, but the function of remotely controlling the mobile station 1 and the television camera 22 built into the control computer 7,
A function to edit information from the detector 21 and a CRT
8 and the function of controlling the CRT screen position designator 10 and typewriter 9, it is also possible to automate the monitoring and inspection of the plant equipment and the like. Moreover, although the above-mentioned operations were for monitoring and inspecting any one piece of equipment, it is also possible to monitor and inspect a plurality of pieces of equipment by repeating the same operations as above. Furthermore, although the case has been described in which there is one fixed station and one movable station, it goes without saying that a plurality of these can also be arranged.

According to this embodiment, as described above, an operator can use optical transmission in the space to connect multiple plant equipments, etc. placed at the site, via a fixed station with a centrally installed control panel. By controlling the mobile station using the mobile station, monitoring and inspection can be performed remotely over a wide range of areas. Furthermore, if there is equipment between the mobile station and one fixed station that obstructs the transmission of information by optical signals between the mobile station and that fixed station, the optical transceiver of the mobile station may be rotated. ,
By moving up and down and lowering the head, optical communication is possible between the mobile station and other fixed stations, and signal transmission between the mobile station and the central controller is not inhibited. Therefore, for example, not only can the radiation exposure and burden on operators related to monitoring and inspection of on-site equipment at a nuclear power plant be reduced, but also the monitoring and inspection work can be standardized, improving the safety of plant operation. can.

According to the present invention, the movement of a mobile station is not restricted by a signal transmission path, and monitoring and inspection can be performed over a wide range, even if an obstacle exists between the mobile station and one fixed station. Since one of the optical signal transmitter and optical signal receiver provided in the mobile station can be changed, it is possible to reduce the possibility that signal transmission will be inhibited by the obstacle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are block diagrams showing the configuration of the mobile monitoring and inspection apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an external view of the mobile station, and FIG. 4 is an external view of the control panel. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Mobile station, 2... Fixed station, 3... Controller, 4... Monitor TV, 5... Indicator, 5a... Speaker, 6... Manual operator, 6 _a ~
6 _g ...operation button, 7...control computer, 8...CRT, 9
...typewriter, 10...CRT screen position designator,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Central control device, 21... Detector, 22... Television camera, 23, 24, 25... Drive machine, 26... Controller, 27... Optical receiver, 28... Optical transmitter, 30...
Control panel, 50...four-wheeled trolley, 70...microphone,
80...Radiation measuring device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A first optical signal receiving means for receiving a first optical signal that is an operation command, at least one television camera controlled by the first optical signal, and at least one television camera controlled by the first optical signal. a mobile station driving device controlled by a mobile station; a detector; a first optical signal transmitting means for transmitting an output signal of the television camera and the detector as a second optical signal; a moving station comprising a control means for rotating and vertically moving an optical signal receiving means and the first optical signal transmitting means; a second optical signal transmitting means for transmitting the first optical signal; and a moving station for receiving the second optical signal. a plurality of fixed stations disposed in a distributed manner, the second optical signal receiving means receiving the second optical signal received by the second optical signal receiving means;
a monitor television inputting the video signal included in the optical signal; a display device displaying the output signal of the detector included in the second optical signal received by the second optical signal receiving means; a central control unit having means for commanding the operation of the television camera and the mobile station driving device, and located apart from each of the fixed stations; a first signal transmission path communicating with the second optical signal transmitting means that converts the operation command output from the operation command means into the first optical signal and transmits the first optical signal; and the second optical signal receiving means of the fixed station. and a second signal transmission path that communicates with the monitor television and the display of the central control device.