Apparatus and method for inspecting defects in ropeway wheels applicable to ropeway facilities

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device and method for inspecting the cable wheel of a cableway facility. The invention comprises: a manipulator unit having a multi-joint manipulator having at least one vision camera and a 3D scanner located at an end; a control unit that controls the operation of the multi-joint manipulator so that the end approaches a cautery ring based on an image captured by the vision camera; and a determination unit that determines the state of the cautery ring by applying shape data of the inner part of the cautery ring generated by the 3D scanner to a pre-learned cautery ring inspection model when the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped by the control unit.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for inspecting cable wheels of a cableway facility, and more specifically, to an apparatus and method for inspecting cable wheels of a cableway facility configured to inspect cable wheels arranged at regular intervals to support wires in a cableway facility installed in mountainous areas or at sea, without the direct input of a large number of personnel. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, ropeway facilities are transportation facilities that transport passengers or cargo by installing carriers such as cable cars on wires installed in the air, and are installed and operated in rugged mountainous areas or offshore areas where it is difficult to install roads or railways due to low traffic demand.

[0003] According to an announcement by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority in February 2022, there are only 172 cable car facilities currently in operation in Korea, but cable car installation projects are continuously increasing, led by local governments, in order to revitalize the local economy by attracting tourists.

[0004] However, due to the aging of existing facilities and insufficient safety inspections, safety accidents such as carrier falls are also increasing to an average of about 4 to 5 times per year, so measures for periodic and precise safety inspections of cable car facilities are becoming important.

[0005] Safety inspections for such cable car facilities are currently classified into completion inspections by inspection agencies after installation, periodic inspections (annually) during the usage phase, periodic inspections (every 3 months), and emergency inspections.

[0006] Since this inspection method is carried out entirely by inspectors being directly deployed to high altitudes, it is practically difficult to fully verify and address defects in the entire wire (support cable) installed over a long distance, as well as defects in the multiple cable wheels provided at regular intervals on supports or stations to support the wire, and there is a problem in that it is difficult to guarantee the safety of the inspectors.

[0007] However, in the case of conventional technology, there was a problem in that it was difficult to inspect the wear of the skewer or defects in the wire because there was no technology for an unmanned inspection device to recognize and approach the skewer.

[0008] In addition, in the case of conventional technology, there was a problem in that it was difficult to detect whether there was a defect in the shaving ring because there was no technology to determine the condition of the shaving ring and the wire according to the degree of wear or alignment of the shaving ring. Prior art literature

[0009] Republic of Korea Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2537594 The problem to be solved

[0010] The present invention was devised to solve the problems described above, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a device and method for inspecting a cable car wheel of a cable car facility that recognizes and can access the cable car wheel.

[0011] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a device and method for inspecting a cable ring of a cableway facility that can determine the condition of the cable ring and the wire according to the degree of wear or alignment of the cable ring.

[0012] The objectives of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other objectives and advantages of the present invention not mentioned may be understood from the following description and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be understood that the objectives and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims. means of solving the problem

[0013] A cable wheel inspection device for a cableway facility according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a manipulator part having a multi-joint manipulator having at least one vision camera and a 3D scanner located at an end; and a control part that controls the operation of the multi-joint manipulator so that the end approaches the cable wheel based on an image captured by the vision camera. The control unit includes a determination unit that determines the state of the cautery ring by applying the inner shape data of the cautery ring generated by the 3D scanner to a pre-learned cautery ring inspection model when the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped by the control unit, and the control unit recognizes the cautery ring in the image to check the distance between the end and the cautery ring, and if the distance exceeds a preset distance, calculates the error between the center of the image and the center of the recognized cautery ring in the image, and if the error exceeds a preset error, the control unit controls the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to move the end towards the center of the recognized cautery ring from the center of the image to perform the visual servoing, and if the error is less than or equal to the preset error, the control unit controls the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to move the end forward in the direction of the recognized cautery ring to perform the visual servoing, and if the distance is less than or equal to the preset distance, stops the operation of the multi-joint manipulator.

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[0017] And, a method for inspecting a tidal ring of a cableway facility, performed by a device for inspecting a tidal ring of a cableway facility according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a step of controlling the operation of a multi-joint manipulator equipped with the device so that the end of the device for inspecting the tidal ring approaches the tidal ring based on an image captured by a vision camera; and a step of determining the state of the tidal ring by applying shape data of the inner part of the tidal ring generated by a 3D scanner to a pre-learned tidal ring inspection model when the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped, wherein the controlling step comprises: a process of recognizing the tidal ring in the image and confirming the distance between the end and the tidal ring; a process of calculating the error between the center of the image and the center of the recognized tidal ring in the image when the distance exceeds a preset distance; and a process of performing the visual servoing by controlling the operation of the multi-joint manipulator so that the end approaches from the center of the image toward the center of the recognized tidal ring when the error exceeds a preset error. The process includes: a process of performing visual servoing by controlling the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to advance the end portion in the direction of the recognized ring when the above error is less than or equal to the above preset error; and a process of stopping the operation of the multi-joint manipulator when the distance is less than or equal to the above preset distance.

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[0020] delete Effects of the invention

[0021] According to the present invention, a device for inspecting a shaving ring recognizes the shaving ring from a distance and approaches it, and has the effect of being able to inspect the degree of shaving ring wear from a distance without the input of a worker.

[0022] In addition, according to the present invention, by determining the degree of wear of the cable ring or the alignment of the cable ring with respect to the wire, it has the effect of maintaining and repairing the cableway facility more safely. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0023] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a cable wheel inspection device for a cableway facility according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for inspecting a cable wheel of a cableway facility according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating visual servoing that controls the operation of a manipulator by comparing the center of an image and the center of an object according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the spacing according to the components of a skewer according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing wear interval data for each component of a wear ring according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a drawing showing (a) a normal rupture ring and (b) a worn rupture ring being inspected using a 3D scanner according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing random wear extracted from measured normal wear ring data and wear ring data according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Identical or similar components regardless of drawing symbols are assigned the same reference number, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably solely for the ease of drafting the specification and do not inherently possess distinct meanings or roles. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of related prior art could obscure the essence of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, such detailed description will be omitted. Additionally, the attached drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification; the technical concept disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings, and it should be understood that they include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the invention.

[0025] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0026] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0028] Hereinafter, an apparatus and method for inspecting a cable wheel of a cableway facility according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a cable wheel inspection device for a cableway facility according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a cable wheel inspection method for a cableway facility according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, a device (100) for inspecting a skewer according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a manipulator unit (110), a control unit (120), a judgment unit (130), etc.

[0031] For example, the wire wheel inspection device (100) is implemented as a multi-joint robot so that the wire wheel, which is related to the safe operation of a cableway facility that transports passengers or cargo along a wire installed in the air, can be inspected without time constraints or the input of a large number of personnel.

[0032] In addition, the stencil inspection device (100) is equipped with a stencil and can be securely and easily attached to the wire surrounding the stencil to be inspected.

[0033] The manipulator unit (110) is equipped with a multi-joint manipulator having at least one vision camera and a 3D scanner located at the end.

[0034] For example, the manipulator may be implemented as a structure such as a multi-joint movable robot arm by the operation control of the control unit (120) described later, and is not specifically limited thereto.

[0035] The manipulator unit (110) allows the end of the manipulator to face the inner part (any one of the upper surface, lower surface, and side surface) of the shaving ring, which is worn out by continuous friction with the wire, in at least one direction according to the operation control of the control unit (120).

[0036] Accordingly, when the end of the manipulator is positioned on the inner side of the cauterizing ring, the vision camera can generate an image including the cauterizing ring and the wire, and the 3D scanner can generate shape data of the inner side of the cauterizing ring, so that the judgment unit (130) described later can check or inspect the condition of the cauterizing ring more precisely.

[0037] In addition, the control unit (120), which will be described later, can perform visual servoing by checking the position and distance between the end of the manipulator and the target object, the shovel, and controlling the movement of the end of the manipulator to face the front or inner part of the shovel.

[0038] In addition, the vision camera of the manipulator unit (110) can provide 2D or 3D image information, which is used to determine whether the ring is aligned with the wire, to the control unit (120) and the judgment unit (130) in real time.

[0039] However, the vision camera of the manipulator unit (110) according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as a two-dimensional image camera for image-based visual servoing purposes so that camera calibration work that must be performed for each of the slicing wheels installed at different positions is simple and the amount of computation of the control unit (120) described later is small, enabling rapid operation control.

[0040] In addition, the 3D scanner of the manipulator unit (110) may be configured to be operated in a connected state with the control unit (120) to be described later, and to transmit real-time measured or generated three-dimensional shape data to the judgment unit (130).

[0041] The control unit (120) controls the operation of the multi-joint manipulator so that the end approaches the ring based on an image captured by the vision camera (see step S210).

[0042] For example, the control unit (120) is electrically connected to the above-described handcuff and manipulator of the manipulator unit (110) to control their respective operations, while also performing visual servoing by analyzing and processing information acquired or measured from the vision camera of the manipulator unit (110) in real time to bring the end of the manipulator closer to the handcuff. This control unit (120) may basically include a computing device equipped with a vision-based YOLO V5 deep learning model for visual servoing.

[0043] And the control unit (120) can perform visual servoing by individually controlling the actuators of the main link and joint link of the manipulator, respectively, so that the end of the manipulator is directed toward the inner side of the ring, based on image information acquired in real time from the vision camera of the manipulator unit (110) described above.

[0044] The control unit (120) recognizes the diaphragm in an image captured by the vision camera of the manipulator unit (110) and checks the distance between the end of the manipulator and the diaphragm.

[0045] Accordingly, as a method for the control unit (120) to recognize a ring in an image, it can classify ring objects in an image using a deep learning-based learning model, such as an object detection model based on YOLOv5. In addition, the object detection model can perform dataset classification using the 5-FOLD technique.

[0046] The control unit (120) measures the end distance of the manipulator based on the detected ring.

[0047] The control unit (120) checks the distance between the recognized ring object and the end of the manipulator, and if the distance exceeds a preset distance, performs visual servoing for the multi-joint manipulator, and if the distance is less than or equal to a preset distance, performs control to stop the operation of the multi-joint manipulator.

[0048] This is a control in which the control unit (110) brings the manipulator end closer to the shaving ring to inspect the degree of wear of the shaving ring.

[0049] The control unit (110) calculates the error between the center point of the image and the center of the detected ring.

[0050] If the error exceeds a preset error, the control unit (110) controls the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to move the end towards the center of the recognized diaphragm from the center of the measured image to perform the visual servoing, and if the error is less than or equal to a preset error, the control unit (110) controls the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to move the end forward in the direction of the recognized diaphragm to perform the visual servoing.

[0051] In this regard, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating visual servoing in which a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a ring object and controls the operation of a manipulator by comparing the center of an image with the center of the object.

[0052] For example, referring to FIG. 3, the control unit (120) detects an object through the aforementioned learning model and sets the center of the object.

[0053] If the difference between the image center (image center) and the object center pixel is calculated and an error greater than a preset pixel occurs, the control unit (120) controls the manipulator's end to move by the error pixel in the direction of the object center, and then compares the image again to perform visual servoing.

[0054] Alternatively, if an error of less than a preset pixel occurs, the control unit (120) determines that the direction of the end of the manipulator and the shovel ring are aligned, advances the end of the manipulator, and performs visual servoing again.

[0055] Next, referring to FIG. 1, when there is operation of the manipulator end facing the inner side on any one of the upper, lower, and side surfaces of the stenosis ring, the control unit (120) performs control to operate the 3D scanner of the manipulator unit (110) so that the three-dimensional shape of the inner side of the stenosis ring being inspected can be measured in a direct manner.

[0056] When the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped by the control unit, the determination unit (130) determines the condition of the diaphragm by applying the inner shape data of the diaphragm generated by the 3D scanner to a pre-learned diaphragm inspection model (see step S220).

[0057] That is, the judgment unit (130) is a component that determines the condition of the ring and wire based on data generated from the vision camera and 3D scanner of the manipulator unit (110).

[0058] In addition, the three-dimensional shape data generated in real time by the aforementioned 3D scanner and transmitted to the judgment unit (130) can be used to determine the degree of wear on the inner part of the shaving ring during inspection by comparing it with the inner part shape data of the normal shaving ring that has been measured in advance and stored in the judgment unit (130), as well as the inner part shape data obtained from the shaving ring that has been replaced or discarded for wear characteristic analysis.

[0059] Accordingly, the judgment unit (130) determines the degree of wear of the shaving ring by utilizing a shaving ring inspection model. For example, the shaving ring inspection model is a model trained to receive shape data for the inner part of the shaving ring to be learned and to determine the degree of wear of the inner part of the shaving ring to be learned.

[0060] In this regard, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the spacing according to the components of a shaving ring according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the wear spacing for each component of a shaving ring according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing (a) a normal shaving ring and (b) a worn shaving ring being inspected through a 3D scanner according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing random wear extracted from measured normal shaving ring data and worn shaving ring data according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] Referring to Fig. 4, the sheathing ring can be largely separated into a sheathing frame, a wire contact surface, and an arbitrary wear gap.

[0062] Accordingly, the judgment unit separates the shape data of the wear ring into the shape data of the shebriner frame responsible for the wheel, the wire contact surface, and the arbitrary wear interval, and extracts only the wear data of the arbitrary wear interval.

[0063] For example, referring to Fig. 5, the arbitrary wear gap has a lower depth value compared to the shee breiner frame or wire contact surface, and the width is also shorter compared to other gaps.

[0064] Therefore, utilizing these characteristics, the judgment unit extracts only the data of arbitrary wear intervals from the shape data and uses this as training data for the wear ring inspection model described later.

[0065] In addition, referring to FIG. 6, the judgment unit measures the learning target (a) normal wear ring and (b) wear ring using a 3D scanner and extracts only the data of an arbitrary wear interval from the shape data.

[0066] Accordingly, referring to Fig. 7, the measured acquired shape data is input into a ring inspection model to learn information about the depth.

[0067] In addition, the shaving wheel inspection model calculates the mean error, variance, and standard deviation of the normal shaving wheel and the worn shaving wheel on the measured shape data, and subsequently determines the wear state of the shaving wheel input by the judgment unit.

[0068] For example, when the judgment unit inputs shape data of the shaving ring being inspected into the shaving ring inspection model, the shaving ring inspection model utilizes data learned through the normal shaving ring and the worn shaving ring being trained to calculate the mean error, variance, and standard deviation of the shaving ring being inspected relative to the normal shaving ring, and the judgment unit determines the degree of wear determined through the shaving ring inspection model and can determine whether it is a worn shaving ring or a normal shaving ring.

[0069] Next, referring to FIG. 1, the judgment unit (140) can determine the state of the severing ring being inspected through the aforementioned severing ring inspection and provide the judgment data to the user.

[0070] Meanwhile, shape data of the inner part of the shaving ring that has been replaced or discarded along with its usage history is accumulated in large quantities in advance through a 3D scanner and stored in the judgment unit (130), and the data can be usefully utilized to predict or estimate the replacement time or maintenance time for the shaving ring currently undergoing inspection.

[0071] Additionally, when the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped, the judgment unit (130) determines whether the skewer is aligned with the wire based on an image taken by the vision camera while it is stopped.

[0072] For example, the judgment unit (130) determines whether the ring is aligned with the wire (deviation or alignment) based on an image obtained from the vision camera of the manipulator unit (110).

[0073] Accordingly, the user can check the alignment data of the wire and the shaving ring of the judgment unit (130), and in addition to inspecting the degree of wear of the shaving ring, it is also possible to detect alignment defects of the wire.

[0074] Additionally, the judgment unit (130) may further include a storage device for storing shape data of the inner part of a normal ring measured in advance, shape data of the inner part of a discarded ring, shape data of the inner part of a ring being inspected in real time, and a communication module for communicating with an external manager or management system.

[0076] In the specification of this disclosure (particularly in the claims), the use of the term "above" and similar descriptive terms may be in both singular and plural. Furthermore, where a range is described in this disclosure, it is to include an invention to which individual values ​​belonging to said range are applied (unless otherwise stated), as is equivalent to describing each individual value constituting said range in the detailed description of the invention.

[0077] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the steps constituting the method according to the present disclosure may be performed in a suitable order. The present disclosure is not necessarily limited by the order in which the steps are described. The use of all examples or exemplary terms (e.g., etc.) in the present disclosure is merely for the purpose of describing the present disclosure in detail, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by such examples or exemplary terms unless limited by the claims. Furthermore, a person skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, combinations, and changes may be made according to design conditions and factors within the scope of the claims or equivalents to which they are added.

[0078] Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the embodiments described above, and all scopes equivalent to or equivalently modified from the claims set forth below, as well as the claims set forth below, shall be considered to fall within the scope of the scope of the present disclosure. Explanation of the symbols

[0079] 100: Dock ring inspection device 110: Manipulator section 120: Control unit 130: Judgment panel

Claims

Claim 1 A device for inspecting a cable ring of a cableway facility, comprising: a manipulator unit having a multi-joint manipulator having at least one vision camera and a 3D scanner located at its end; and a control unit that controls the operation of the multi-joint manipulator so that the end approaches the cable ring based on an image captured by the vision camera. A device for inspecting a caudal ring of a cableway facility, comprising: a determination unit that determines the state of the caudal ring by applying the inner shape data of the caudal ring generated by the 3D scanner to a pre-learned caudal ring inspection model when the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped by the control unit; wherein the control unit recognizes the caudal ring in the image to check the distance between the end and the caudal ring, and if the distance exceeds a preset distance, calculates the error between the center of the image and the center of the recognized caudal ring in the image, and if the error exceeds a preset error, the control unit performs visual servoing by controlling the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to move the end from the center of the image toward the center of the recognized caudal ring, and if the error is less than or equal to the preset error, the control unit performs visual servoing by controlling the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to advance the end toward the direction of the recognized caudal ring, and if the distance is less than or equal to the preset distance, stops the operation of the multi-joint manipulator. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A cable car inspection device for a cable car facility, wherein, in claim 1, the judgment unit determines whether the cable car is aligned with respect to a wire based on an image captured by the vision camera while it is stopped when the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped. Claim 6 A cable car inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the cable car inspection model is trained to determine the degree of wear on the inner part of the cable car to be learned when shape data for the inner part of the cable car to be learned is received. Claim 7 A method for inspecting a cable ring of a cableway facility, performed by a cable ring inspection device of a cableway facility, comprising the step of controlling the operation of a multi-joint manipulator equipped with said device so that the end of the cable ring inspection device approaches the cable ring based on an image captured by a vision camera; A method for inspecting a caudal ring of a cable car facility, comprising the step of determining the state of the caudal ring by applying shape data of the inner part of the caudal ring generated by a 3D scanner to a pre-learned caudal ring inspection model when the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped, wherein the controlling step comprises: a process of recognizing the caudal ring in the image and confirming the distance between the end and the caudal ring; a process of calculating the error between the center of the image and the center of the recognized caudal ring in the image when the distance exceeds a preset distance; a process of performing visual servoing by controlling the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to move the end towards the center of the recognized caudal ring from the center of the image when the error exceeds a preset error; a process of performing visual servoing by controlling the operation of the multi-joint manipulator to advance the end towards the center of the recognized caudal ring when the error is less than or equal to the preset error; and a process of stopping the operation of the multi-joint manipulator when the distance is less than or equal to the preset distance. Claim 8 delete Claim 9 delete Claim 10 delete Claim 11 A method for inspecting a cable ring of a cableway facility, wherein the determining step comprises, when the operation of the multi-joint manipulator is stopped, determining whether the cable ring is aligned with respect to the wire based on an image captured by the vision camera while it is stopped. Claim 12 A method for inspecting a cable car wheel of a cable car facility, wherein the cable car inspection model is trained to determine the degree of wear on the inner part of the cable car to be learned when shape data for the inner part of the cable car to be learned is input.

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