RU2480799C2 - Optical television device for remote visual monitoring and measurement of linear dimensions - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: device has an illuminator, a lens, a forming unit, transmitting units, a T-shaped unit and a sighting telescope. The device includes a power supply and control unit to provide electric power and communication with a controller, and an electric drive controller. The illuminator used is in form of side and front optical caps, the lens used is a four-lens objective lens with focal distance f'=20 mm or a lens made from radiation-resistant glass with focal distance f' equal to 40, 70 or 130 mm to implement microscopic and telescopic observation modes. The forming unit and the transmitting units transfer the intermediate image formed by the lens through the T-shaped unit to the photodetector of the video unit. A mirror is removed from the light beam or through the sighting telescope to the retina of the observer. The T-shaped unit is an optical-mechanical unit with a swivel mirror which is mounted on an axis of rotation at the centre of unit with an angle between the axis of rotation of the mirror and the optical axis of an endoscope which is equal to 45 degrees, with possibility of fixing two positions which are set manually using a lever.

EFFECT: enabling remote visual monitoring of process equipment in liquid and air media, in strong radiation fields, and remote contactless measurement of linear dimensions.

5 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to measuring instruments for non-destructive testing of technological equipment of nuclear power plants in difficult access conditions, in strong radiation fields, in liquid and air environments, namely for remote visual inspection of the reactor space, the inner surface of technological channels, graphite masonry elements, underwater metal structures of transport and technological tanks, pipelines, vessels, tanks, cavities, etc. for remote non-contact measurements of the linear dimensions of the observed defects and structural elements, for remote non-contact measurements of the distance to the measured defects and structural elements, as well as for monitoring technological operations in fuel storage pools, technological mines, and radioactive waste storage facilities.

Known television device for determining the range (RF patent 2081440, G01S 17/46, published 10.06.1997). The device for determining the range contains two television sensors that are rigidly connected and spaced apart at the base distance, a clock generator, two selectors in duration and amplitude, and a device for determining a temporary mismatch. The signals from each of the sensors arrive at the control selectors for the duration, matching elements, a comparison circuit, and then through the delay line to the trigger input, the second input of which is connected to the synchronizer through the counter and line decoder. The trigger output signal is supplied to two electronic switches, which also receive signals from television sensors via selectors in amplitude and duration. The outputs of the electronic switches are connected to the input of the device for determining the temporal mismatch, which determines the range. Effect: increase the reliability of measurements and the accuracy of determining the range.

The specified device has some disadvantages. The accuracy of the range measurement depends on the alignment accuracy of the television sensors: the axes of the sensors must be parallel. The procedure for aligning the sensors is quite complicated, in addition, during operation, the device is misaligned. Structurally, the specified device cannot be used for measuring range in difficult access conditions, in strong radiation fields, inside containers, cavities, vessels, etc. In addition, the specified device does not allow to measure the linear dimensions of the observed object.

A known device for measuring the radial clearance between the ends of the blades of a rotating rotor and the turbine housing of a gas turbine engine (RF patent No. 2415379, G01B 11/14, published 03/27/2011), related to measuring technique. The device can be used to determine the radial clearances between the ends of the blades of a rotating rotor and the turbine casing during experimental studies and fine-tuning of gas turbine engines (GTE). A device for measuring the radial clearance between the ends of the blades of a rotating rotor and the turbine housing of a gas turbine engine comprises a side view endoscope and a gap image recorder. The side view endoscope is made in the form of two periscopic observation and lighting probes installed in two spaced openings on the turbine body. In this case, the optical axis of the probes intersect in the region of the measured gap and form angles of specular incidence and reflection with the tangent plane to the surface of the back of the turbine blade at the exit edge. Moreover, the lighting probe is equipped with a light source of the blue-violet region of the spectrum, and the observation probe contains a television camera with a band-pass optical filter having transmission in the same spectral range. Optical systems of probes form parallel beams of light rays and observation. EFFECT: increased accuracy of measurement in high-temperature turbines of a gas turbine engine.

The specified device has some disadvantages. Accurate measurement of the clearance is made at a specified distance between the endoscope and the shoulder blades. In this case, the accuracy of measurements will depend on the quality of the collimation of the beam of rays by the lighting probe: the smaller the divergence of the beam of rays, the higher the accuracy. This places high demands on the design and alignment of the lighting probe. The same considerations apply to the observation probe, since a projection of the gap in reflected light is formed on the photodetector.

A known viewing device, selected as a prototype, designed to inspect the walls and determine the angular size and position of the defect of dry vertical wells of stepped construction: viewing device RVP-489, technical description and operating instructions G. 38.82.047 TO; manufacturer - KOMZ (Kazan Optical and Mechanical Plant).

The optical circuit of the RVP-489 device consists of a rotary mirror; a lens consisting of three lenses and designed for lateral and circular observation; a dual-lens bonded lens; eleven telescopic systems alternating sequentially one after another and consisting of each of two two-lens glued lenses; protective glass; swivel mirror; the ocular part, including a two-lens bonded lens and an eyepiece. As a light source, a lamp K10.5080 GOST 4019-74 is used.

Structurally, the device consists of a illuminator; pipes with one two-lens glued lens; ten telescopic tubes; one telescopic L-shaped pipe; ocular device.

The illuminator, telescopic tubes and the ocular device are fixed to each other by a threaded connection and cylindrical guides.

The sharpness of the image of the surface under consideration is achieved by moving the eyepiece along the axis. The eyepiece device can rotate relative to the lens grid with a crosshair 360 degrees.

The lighting system consists of the following elements: illuminator with a lamp; current conductors, one of which is the device body, the second is the wire laid inside the device. When connecting pipes and the illuminator, electrical contact is provided by slip rings pressed into the ends of the connecting sleeves; cord with switch; transformer. On the device there is a contact coupling on which the pharynx of the switch with a cord is put on. The plug is connected to the lighting network via a transformer. The eyebolt on the L-shaped link is designed to remove the device from the well.

The disadvantages of the prototype are: leaks of the device; the ability to measure only the angular dimensions of defects; all-round surveillance with central shielding; restriction of the field of view ("burying") when bending the endoscope; the possibility of disruption of electrical contact when bending the endoscope; lack of video documentation and television images; the need to dismantle the device when monitoring wells at different heights.

The objective of the present invention is to develop an optical television device for remote visual inspection of technological equipment in liquid and air environments, in strong radiation fields, for non-contact remote measurements of the linear dimensions of observed defects and structural elements, for non-contact remote measurements of the distance to measured defects and structural elements .

The problem is solved in that the optical-television device for remote visual control (Fig. 1) contains a illuminator, lenses, a forming link, transmitting links, a T-shaped link, a compensator, an telescope, a video module, a controller, a power and control unit, a personal a computer. Unlike the prototype, the claimed invention uses:

- side 1 and end 2 optical as a illuminator; nozzles do not have central shielding;

- a four-lens forming lens 3 with a focal length f '= 20 mm and interchangeable forming lenses 4, 5 and 6, respectively, with focal lengths f' = 40, 70 and 130 mm, made of radiation-resistant glass; a set of interchangeable lenses allows you to implement both microscopic and telescopic observation modes;

- forming and transmitting links; for transferring voltage between the endoscope links between the links of the illuminator, spring-loaded contact rings are used in the connecting bushes of the links providing reliable electrical contact when the endoscope is bent; for connecting the links between themselves and with optical nozzles, use connecting sleeves with o-rings made of radiation-resistant rubber, providing a tight connection of the links with each other and the ability to work in radiation fields.

- T-shaped link 9 for docking the endoscope simultaneously with the video module 12, the compensator 10 and the telescope 11; represents an optical-mechanical unit with a rotary mirror mounted on the axis of rotation in the center of the link with an angle between the axis of rotation of the mirror and the optical axis of the endoscope equal to 45 degrees; it is possible to fix two mirror positions manually set using the lever to transfer the image either to the photodetector of the video module (the mirror is output from the light beam) or through the telescope to the observer’s retina. This allows either visual observation through the telescope or television on the TV screen or PC monitor without dismantling the device;

- the telescope 11 and the compensator 10, installed in front of the telescope and containing two optical wedges with the possibility of rotation around the optical axis to eliminate the limitations of the field of view arising from the bending of the endoscope;

- video module 12, including: two optical wedges, a projection lens with micrometer movement and a small-sized television camera as a photodetector, equipped with electric drives and a controller.

- a controller that performs: the conversion of the supply voltage to the levels necessary for the operation of electric motors, a video camera and control electronics; conversion of the control code into direct control signals of electric motors; output of the video module lens to its initial position at system startup; fixing the lens shift relative to the initial position; the issuance of information about the offset of the lens of the video module on the power supply and control;

- a power and control unit 15, performing: converting the network power to the level required by the video module controller and control electronics, receiving a video signal from the video module and transmitting it to an external display and / or recording device — a monitor, a video recorder, a personal computer (PC). Control electronics provides: conversion of signals for sharpening, wedge rotation and camera rotation into a control serial code; issuing a control code to the video module; receiving feedback signals from the video module and transferring them to a PC;

- personal computer 17; PC application software captures video images, receives information about the displacement of the lens of the video module from the power supply and control unit and measures the magnitude of the image of the defect (structural element, etc.) between the points selected by the user in the image of the defect. Based on the information on the lens displacement and the magnitude of the image of the defect, the magnitude of the defect at the object of study is calculated and the distance to the measured defect is calculated.

The general assembly sequence of the device is shown in Figure 1, the optical diagram of the device is shown in Figure 2. Using an eye bolt 13 and a sling, the video module 12 is suspended on a crane hook. Then, the T-link 9, the compensator 10, the telescope 11, the required number of transmitting links 8 (up to 15), the forming link 7, one of the lenses (3, 4, 5 or 6, are sequentially connected to the video module 12 sequentially by threaded connections, depending on according to the task), optical nozzle 1 or 2. Optical nozzle 1 is used for lateral viewing, nozzle 2 is used for frontal (circular) viewing. The union nuts of the threaded connections are tightened with a special wrench to give the endoscope rigidity and increase the reliability of electrical contact.

The device operates as follows. The glued lens 19 of the forming lens (Fig. 2) through the window 18 of the optical nozzle creates an intermediate image 20 of the object. Next, the intermediate image 20 is glued by the forming element lens 21, the transmission link lenses 22 and 23, the video module wedges 28, and the video module lens 29 are transferred to the photosensitive surface 30 of the photodetector, which uses a small-sized television camera. The light image is converted by the photodetector into a video signal, which is transmitted via cable 14 (Fig. 1) to the power supply and control unit 15 and then via video cable 16 to a personal computer 17. If necessary, a video recorder or video recorder is used for video recording. Wedges 28 (Fig. 2) have the ability to rotate around the optical axis. For this, each of the wedges 28 is equipped with an electric drive, which is controlled from the power supply and control unit 15 (Fig. 1) via cable 14. The wedges rotate until the field of vision is completely eliminated. Image sharpness adjustment is performed by moving the lens 29 (Fig. 2) of the video module along the optical axis. The movement of the lens is carried out using a step electric drive controlled remotely from the power supply and control unit 15 via cable 14 (Fig. 1).

To orient the image on the monitor screen, the camera is provided to rotate around the optical axis with the help of an electric drive remotely controlled from the power supply and control unit 15 via cable 14 (Fig. 1). All electric drives located in the video module, as well as the camera are powered from the power supply and control unit 15 via cable 14 with constant voltage.

The device provides a mode of visual observation of the studied object by the eye through the telescope 11 (Fig. 1), consisting of a glued lens 26 and an eyepiece 27 (Fig. 2). The sharpness of the image is adjusted by moving the eyepiece 27. To implement the visual observation mode, the optical scheme of the device provides a rotary mirror 24 (Fig. 2), structurally located in the T-shaped link 9 (Fig. 1). Between the T-shaped link and the telescope, a compensator 10 (Fig. 1) is installed to eliminate the limitation of the field of view during bending of the endoscope. The rotation of the wedges 25 (Fig. 2) of the compensator is carried out manually. T-piece, compensator and telescope are joined by threaded connections.

The backlight is powered by alternating voltage. As the backlight, two lamps of the KGM-12-100 type are used, connected in series. There is a smooth adjustment of the supply voltage of the lamps to select the most optimal level of illumination of the surface of the investigated object.

Claims (5)

1. Optical television device for remote visual monitoring and measuring linear dimensions, containing a illuminator, a lens with a focal length f '= 20 mm, forming a link, transmitting links, a T-shaped link and a telescope, characterized in that the power supply and control, designed to provide power and exchange information with the controller, and the controller, designed to control electric drives, use stainless steel side and end optical nozzles as a illuminator , a four-lens lens with a focal length f '= 20 mm or a lens made with radiation-resistant glass with a focal length f' equal to 40, 70 or 130 mm is used as a lens to implement microscopic and telescopic observation modes, while forming a link and transmitting links transfer the intermediate image created by the lens through a T-shaped link to the photodetector of the video module, while the mirror is removed from the light beam or through the telescope to the retina of the observer’s eye, and T misc unit is an optical-mechanical assembly with a rotary mirror mounted on the rotation center axis in link with the angle between the axis of rotation of the mirror and the optical axis of the endoscope, equal to 45 °, with the possibility of fixing the two positions established manually by a lever. 2. Optical-television device according to claim 1, characterized in that for the transmission between the links of the endoscope supplying the voltage illuminator, spring-loaded contact rings are used in the connecting bushes of the links, providing reliable electrical contact when the endoscope is bent. 3. The optical television device according to claim 1, characterized in that for connecting the links between themselves and with the optical nozzles, use connecting sleeves with O-rings made of radiation-resistant rubber, providing a tight connection of the links with each other and the ability to work in radiation fields. 4. The optical television device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device comprises a telescope and a compensator mounted in front of the telescope and containing two optical wedges with the possibility of rotation around the optical axis to eliminate the limitation of the field of view of the device that occurs when the endoscope is bent. 5. Optical television device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device contains a video module, which includes two optical wedges, a projection lens with micrometer movement and a small-sized television camera as a photodetector, equipped with electric drives for remote control.

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