Unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system and method based on array ultrasonic and infrared camera fusion

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of fusion reactor vacuum leak detection, in particular to an unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system and method based on array ultrasonic and infrared camera fusion. According to the technical scheme, the system comprises an upper computer and further comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle used for executing a flight task, an infrared camera and an array type ultrasonic detector, and the infrared camera is arranged at the end of the unmanned aerial vehicle and used for obtaining real-time environment information, controlling the flight path and detecting leakage points. According to the invention, non-contact and large-area rapid detection of vacuum chamber negative pressure leakage and fuel gas positive pressure leakage of the fusion device is realized through fusion and complementation of the infrared camera and the array ultrasonic detector in combination with high maneuverability of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the multi-scale ultrasonic array dynamic expansion design improves the detection efficiency and precision, the shielding shell guarantees the equipment stability in a strong radiation environment, the remote wireless control avoids the personnel exposure risk, finally, the safety is ensured, the leakage detection time is remarkably shortened, and the labor cost and the radiation hazard are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vacuum leak detection for fusion reactors, and particularly to an unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system and method based on the fusion of array ultrasonic and infrared cameras. Background Art

[0002] Fusion energy has the advantages of abundant fuel (deuterium exists in large quantities in seawater, and tritium can be produced through lithium in the reaction), high energy density, and environmental friendliness. It is considered to be one of the ideal energy sources for solving the human energy problem. The operation of a fusion device requires a plasma with a relatively high purity because impurities will cause radiation power loss, thus preventing the achievement of the plasma parameters required for thermonuclear fusion. Impurities generally come from the desorption and corrosion of the vessel wall under plasma irradiation, as well as vacuum leakage, etc. Vacuum leakage in a fusion device has serious hazards. Once leakage occurs, impurity gases will enter the vacuum chamber, destroying the vacuum condition and resulting in serious consequences such as a decrease in plasma quality and plasma rupture. At the same time, it will also damage cryopumps, molecular pumps, and other system components on the device.

[0003] However, existing leak detection methods often require experimental personnel to perform helium spraying operations on the components to be detected. Due to the large volume and complex internal structure of the Tokamak vacuum chamber, manual operation takes a large amount of time and has low efficiency. For leak detection of future deuterium-tritium operating fusion reactors, the radiation dose in the reaction chamber is far higher than the normal level. Once a vacuum leak occurs, the staff cannot enter the site for leak detection. Tritium fuel is expensive and radioactive. Once leaked, it will not only pollute the surrounding environment but also cause incalculable economic losses. If the discharge operation of the fusion reactor is interrupted for manual leak detection, there are problems such as low efficiency, high difficulty, and exposure to radiation hazards. Therefore, existing leak detection methods cannot meet the requirement of remote and rapid detection of leaks in the Tokamak vacuum chamber under the deuterium-tritium operating conditions of the fusion reactor. Therefore, the present application proposes an unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system and method based on the fusion of array ultrasonic and infrared cameras. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to address the problem in the background art that existing leak detection methods often require experimental personnel to perform helium spraying operations on the components to be detected, which takes a large amount of time and has low efficiency, and to propose the theme of an unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system and method based on the fusion of array ultrasonic and infrared cameras.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides an unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system based on the fusion of array ultrasonic and infrared cameras, including a host computer, which is connected to a switch, and further includes:

[0006] An unmanned aerial vehicle for performing flight tasks;

[0007] An infrared camera, disposed at the end of the unmanned aerial vehicle, for obtaining real-time environmental information, controlling the flight trajectory, and detecting leak points;

[0008] An array-type ultrasonic detector is fixedly installed on the UAV, and comprises a rotary arm base, a detector rotary arm and an ultrasonic detector. The detector rotary arm is arranged in a circular array on the rotary arm base, and a plurality of ultrasonic detectors are equidistantly arranged along the length direction of the detector rotary arm.

[0009] Optionally, excitation light sources are installed on both sides of the infrared camera.

[0010] Optionally, the infrared camera is a medium- and long-wave infrared camera, and a filter is installed in front of the lens of the infrared camera to detect the radiation energy of the target object and identify the type of leaked gas.

[0011] Optionally, the drone is equipped with:

[0012] Wireless communication module, used for command transmission and data interaction with the host computer;

[0013] The control module is connected to the wireless communication module and is used to receive instructions from the host computer and control the operation of the drone, infrared camera and ultrasonic detector.

[0014] Optionally, a shielding shell for covering the control module and the wireless communication module is installed on the drone.

[0015] Optionally, the ultrasonic detector is a MEMS device, used to capture quadrupole and dipole sound source signals generated by gas leakage.

[0016] Optionally, the control module has a built-in stabilized power supply to provide independent power supply for each component, and transmits the drone location information to the host computer in real time through the wireless communication module, and constructs a visual leakage point model in combination with three-dimensional imaging.

[0017] Optionally, the detector arm dynamically adjusts its unfolded size according to the shape and size of the area to be measured fed back by the infrared camera, so as to achieve multi-scale and wide-range rapid imaging.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present application provides a UAV leak detection method based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion, which is applied to the UAV leak detection system based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion described in the first aspect, comprising the following steps:

[0019] The host computer sends instructions to the control module through the wireless communication module to control the drone to fly to the detection area;

[0020] The infrared camera collects light-heat signals in real time and adjusts the focal length, and the array ultrasonic detector unfolds the detector arm to collect acoustic signals;

[0021] Optical and acoustic signals are transmitted to the host computer through a wireless communication module, noise is eliminated through complementary verification, and the leakage point is located and the leakage flow rate is estimated by combining with a 3D model.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0023] 1. By means of the fusion of infrared and ultrasonic, the present invention can achieve non-contact, large-area and pollution-free rapid detection of the fusion reactor, and can detect both positive-pressure fuel gas leakage and negative-pressure vacuum chamber leakage.

[0024] 2. The combination of the two with the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can achieve remote detection of leakage under the operating / stopped conditions of the fusion reactor, solve the problem that the staff cannot perform on-site real-time leakage detection due to high-intensity radiation, and effectively avoid the radiation hazard to the leakage detection staff.

[0025] 3. The combination of the fast flight speed and strong controllability of the UAV with ultrasonic and infrared cameras can quickly achieve the detection and positioning of vacuum / fuel leakage in the whole area of the giant fusion reactor, solve the drawback of long time-consuming for manual leakage detection, effectively improve the work efficiency, and avoid the economic losses and safety problems caused by the long time consumption.

[0026] 4. Replacing the camera of the UAV itself with an infrared camera can not only realize the functions of route and obstacle recognition, but also meet the requirements of leakage detection by the infrared camera; at the same time, the ultrasonic array detector adopts a deployable and telescopic method; the fusion design in various forms makes the whole leakage detection device more compact.

[0027] 5. The periphery of the control and communication module is designed with a radiation shielding body, and these materials can effectively shield X-rays, gamma rays and neutrons, providing guarantee for the safe operation and data transmission of the leakage detection equipment.

[0028] Through the fusion and complementarity of the infrared camera and the array ultrasonic detector, and combined with the high mobility of the UAV, the present invention realizes non-contact and large-area rapid detection of negative-pressure leakage of the vacuum chamber and positive-pressure leakage of fuel gas in the fusion device; its multi-scale ultrasonic array dynamic deployment design improves the detection efficiency and accuracy, the shielding shell ensures the equipment stability in a strong radiation environment, and the remote wireless control avoids the risk of personnel exposure. Finally, while ensuring safety, the leakage detection time is significantly shortened, and the labor cost and radiation hazard are reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a UAV leakage detection system based on the fusion of array ultrasonic and infrared;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic layout diagram of the array ultrasonic detector;

[0031] Figure 3It is a flowchart of an unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection method based on the fusion of array ultrasound and infrared camera.

[0032] Reference numerals: 1, infrared camera; 2, excitation light source; 3-1, swivel base; 3-2, detector swivel arm; 3-3, ultrasonic detector; 4, shielding housing; 5, control module; 6, wireless communication module; 7, unmanned aerial vehicle; 8, switch; 9, host computer. Detailed implementation mode

[0033] Next, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0034] Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installation", "connection", and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0036] Embodiment

[0037] As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 , this application provides an unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system based on the fusion of array ultrasound and infrared camera, including a host computer 9, a switch 8 connected to the host computer 9, an unmanned aerial vehicle 7 for performing flight tasks, an infrared camera 1, and an array ultrasonic detector 3. The system will be described in detail below;

[0038] In this embodiment, an infrared camera 1 is installed at the front end of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7, which is used to obtain real-time environmental information, control the flight trajectory, and detect leakage points; the infrared camera 1 replaces the original camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7 and serves as the "eyes" of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7 to obtain the real-time position information and environmental information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7, control the flight trajectory of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7, and avoid obstacles. The infrared camera 1 adopts a medium and long wave infrared camera, which can more accurately detect the radiation energy of the target object, has higher sensitivity and accuracy, and can quickly identify small leakage points and quickly estimate the leakage flow rate.

[0039] It should be noted that a filter is configured in front of the camera lens of the infrared camera 1, which is used to detect the radiation energy of the target object and identify the types of leaked gases. Excitation light sources 2 are installed on both sides of the infrared camera 1. The excitation light sources 2 radiate infrared light outward, making up for the defect that the imaging of the infrared camera is unclear under low illumination conditions. At the same time, combined with the infrared camera, spectral imaging of the leaked gas is carried out to judge the types of leaked gases and quickly estimate the leakage flow rate.

[0040] For example Figure 2 , wherein, the array ultrasonic detector 3 is fixedly installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle 7. The array ultrasonic detector 3 includes a swivel base 3-1, a detector swivel arm 3-2 and an ultrasonic detector 3-3. The detector swivel arms 3-2 are arranged in a circular array on the swivel base 3-1, and a plurality of ultrasonic detectors 3-3 are equidistantly arranged along the length direction of the detector swivel arm 3-2.

[0041] Specifically, the swivel base 3-1 of the array ultrasonic detector 3 has four groups of detector swivel arms 3-2. Each group of detector swivel arms 3-2 can rotate and contract around the center of the swivel base 3-1. The ultrasonic detectors 3-3 are arranged in a "sunflower"-shaped spiral as the detector swivel arms 3-2 unfold. The detector swivel arms 3-2 unfold to different sizes according to the detection position, which can achieve multi-scale wide-range rapid imaging. At the same time, the size of the leak detection device is reduced, making the structure more compact. The ultrasonic detector 3-3 uses a MEMS detector, which can provide high-sensitivity detection and can quickly identify the quadrupole sound source and dipole sound source generated by the gas medium passing through the micro-holes.

[0042] It should be noted that the infrared camera 1 and the ultrasonic detector 3-3 complement each other and verify during operation. The ultrasonic detector 3-3 assists the infrared camera 1 to adjust the focal length according to the accurate ranging data to achieve more accurate target capture. The infrared camera 1 provides information such as the size and shape of the area to be measured, and controls the detector swivel arms 3-2 of the ultrasonic detector 3-3 to unfold to different sizes to achieve multi-scale wide-range rapid imaging. At the same time, the information collected by the two complements each other, which can effectively eliminate the influence brought by environmental noise.

[0043] In this embodiment, a wireless communication module 6 and a control module 5 are installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle 7. The wireless communication module 6 is used for transmitting commands and data interaction with the upper computer. The control module 5 is connected to the wireless communication module 6 and is used for receiving the upper computer commands and controlling the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7, the infrared camera 1 and the ultrasonic detector 3-3. The working commands issued by the upper computer 9 are transmitted to the wireless communication module 6 through the switch 8, and the wireless communication module 6 transmits the commands to the control module 5; the control module 5 controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7. At the same time, the real-time position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7 is transmitted to the upper computer 9 through wireless communication, and the upper computer 9 constructs a three-dimensional visualization model through three-dimensional imaging.

[0044] A shielding housing 4 for covering the control module 5 and the wireless communication module 6 is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle 7. The shielding housing 4 has a double-layer structure. The outer layer is made of lead and is used to shield X-rays and gamma rays. The inner layer is made of boron-containing polyethylene and is used to shield neutrons. This prevents signal interference and damage to electronic components caused by the radiation generated during the operation of the fusion device. The control module 5 is built-in with a regulated power supply to provide independent power supply for each component, and transmits the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 7 to the host computer in real time through the wireless communication module 6, and constructs a visual leakage point model by combining three-dimensional imaging.

[0045] In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle 7 is a small load-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle, which can integrate the infrared camera 1, the array ultrasonic detector 2, the shielding housing 4, the control module 5 and the wireless communication module 6 onto the unmanned aerial vehicle 7.

[0046] On the other hand, the present application provides an unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection method based on the fusion of array ultrasonic and infrared cameras. As Figure 3 shown, it is applied to the above-mentioned unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system based on the fusion of array ultrasonic and infrared cameras, and includes the following steps:

[0047] A work instruction is sent from the host computer 9 and transmitted to the wireless communication module 6 through the switch 8; the wireless communication system transmits the instruction to the control module; the control module controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle and sends an instruction to the control module 5 through the wireless communication module 6 to control the unmanned aerial vehicle 7 to fly to the detection area;

[0048] The infrared camera 1 collects light-thermal signals in real time and adjusts the focal length, and the array ultrasonic detector 3 unfolds the detector arm 3-2 to collect acoustic signals;

[0049] The optical and acoustic signals are transmitted to the host computer through the wireless communication module 6, the noise is eliminated through complementary verification, and the leakage point is located and the leakage flow rate is estimated by combining the three-dimensional model.

[0050] The above specific embodiments are only several alternative embodiments of the present invention. Based on the technical solution of the present invention and the relevant revelations of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various alternative improvements and combinations to the above specific embodiments.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle leak detection system based on the fusion of array ultrasound and infrared camera, comprising a host computer (9), wherein the host computer (9) is connected to a switch (8), and is characterized in that: Also includes: Unmanned aerial vehicles used to perform flight missions (7); An infrared camera (1) is arranged at the end of the drone (7) and is used to obtain real-time environmental information, control the flight trajectory and detect leakage points; An array-type ultrasonic detector (3) is fixedly mounted on the drone (7), the array-type ultrasonic detector (3) comprising a rotary arm base (3-1), a detector rotary arm (3-2) and an ultrasonic detector (3-3), the detector rotary arm (3-2) being arranged in a circular array on the rotary arm base (3-1), and a plurality of ultrasonic detectors (3-3) being equidistantly arranged along the length direction of the detector rotary arm (3-2).

2. The UAV leak detection system based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion according to claim 1 is characterized in that: Excitation light sources (2) are installed on both sides of the infrared camera (1).

3. The UAV leak detection system based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The infrared camera (1) is a medium- and long-wave infrared camera. A filter is installed in front of the lens of the infrared camera (1) for detecting the radiation energy of the target object and identifying the type of leaked gas.

4. The UAV leak detection system based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The drone (7) is equipped with: A wireless communication module (6), used for transmitting instructions and exchanging data with a host computer; The control module (5) is connected to the wireless communication module (6) and is used to receive instructions from the host computer and control the operation of the drone (7), the infrared camera (1) and the ultrasonic detector (3-3).

5. The UAV leak detection system based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The drone (7) is provided with a shielding shell (4) for covering the control module (5) and the wireless communication module (6).

6. The UAV leak detection system based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The ultrasonic detector (3-3) is a MEMS device, which is used to capture the quadrupole and dipole sound source signals generated by gas leakage.

7. The UAV leak detection system based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The control module (5) has a built-in voltage-stabilized power supply to provide independent power supply for each component, and transmits the position information of the drone to the host computer in real time through the wireless communication module (6), and constructs a visual leakage point model in combination with three-dimensional imaging.

8. The UAV leak detection system based on array ultrasound and infrared camera fusion according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The detector rotary arm (3-2) dynamically adjusts its unfolding size according to the shape and size of the area to be measured fed back by the infrared camera (1).

9. A UAV leak detection method based on the fusion of array ultrasound and infrared camera, applied to the UAV leak detection system based on the fusion of array ultrasound and infrared camera according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The host computer sends instructions to the control module (5) via the wireless communication module (6) to control the drone (7) to fly to the detection area; The infrared camera (1) collects light-heat signals in real time and adjusts the focal length, and the array ultrasonic detector (3) unfolds the detector arm (3-2) to collect acoustic signals; The optical and acoustic signals are transmitted to the host computer via the wireless communication module (6), noise is eliminated through complementary verification, and the leakage point is located and the leakage flow is estimated in combination with the three-dimensional model.

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