Imaging device

Abstract

An imaging device (10) according to the present disclosure is capable of traveling inside a pipeline (1) and captures images of the inner wall of the pipeline. The imaging device (10) comprises: a front camera (121a) provided facing the travel direction of the imaging device (10); and a plurality of lateral cameras (121b) in which the elevation angle of the lenses is inclined by 90° with respect to the imaging direction of the front camera (121a).

Description

Imaging device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an imaging device.

[0002] One method for inspecting underground pipelines involves visually inspecting the inner walls of the pipelines using a pipe camera (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Kunizane et al. "Analysis of factors related to deterioration of the inner surface of pipes using diagnostic results from an in-pipe camera for water supply"

[0004] Current pipe cameras are equipped with a single lens, limiting the viewing angle. For example, as shown in Figure 8, if a protrusion 1a, such as a rust bump or mud stain, is present on the inner wall of the pipe 1 in the imaging direction of the pipe camera 2 inserted into the pipe 1, the protrusion 1a may block the field of view of the pipe camera 2, creating a blind spot (unimageable area 2a) beyond the protrusion 1a. If the unimageable area 2a is included in the image captured by the pipe camera 2, it may be impossible to determine whether repairs are required in that area, potentially affecting safe facility management.

[0005] In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an imaging device that can reduce blind spots and capture images of the inner wall of a pipe over a wider range.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the imaging device of the present disclosure is an imaging device that is capable of traveling inside a pipeline and captures images of the inner wall of the pipeline, and is equipped with a first camera that is arranged facing the direction of travel of the imaging device, and a plurality of second cameras whose lenses have an elevation angle of 90 degrees relative to the imaging direction of the first camera.

[0007] The imaging device according to the present disclosure can reduce blind spots and capture images of the inner wall of a pipe over a wider range.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the main body shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the front, and is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a plurality of side cameras. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the camera shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the front. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of imaging of the inner wall of a pipeline by the imaging device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the attitude of the imaging device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for imaging the inner wall of a pipeline by the imaging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of imaging of the inner wall of a pipeline by a pipe camera.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an imaging device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and is a side view of the imaging device 10. The imaging device 10 according to the present disclosure is inserted into a pipeline 1 and captures an image of the inner wall of the pipeline 1.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, an imaging device 10 according to this embodiment includes a base 11, a main body 12, and a connection portion 13.

[0012] The base 11 includes wheels 11 a. The wheels 11 a allow the base 11 to move inside the pipeline 1 into which the imaging device 10 is inserted. In other words, the imaging device 10 can move inside the pipeline 1.

[0013] The main body 12 is provided with a front camera 121a as a first camera and a plurality of side cameras 121b as second cameras. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the front camera 121a and the side cameras 121b, they will be referred to as cameras 121.

[0014] The front camera 121a is provided facing the traveling direction (forward) of the imaging device 10 inserted inside the pipeline 1, and is a camera that captures images in the traveling direction (forward) of the imaging device 10. The front camera 121a is a camera that employs a wide-angle lens with a wide viewing angle. This allows the front camera 121a to capture images of the entire inner wall of the pipeline 1 in front of the imaging device 10 in the circumferential direction. The front camera 121a preferably has a zoom function.

[0015] The side camera 121b is provided on the main body 12 with its lens tilted at an elevation angle of 90 degrees with respect to the imaging direction of the front camera 121a. That is, the imaging direction of the side camera 121b is perpendicular to the imaging direction of the front camera 121a (the extension direction of the pipeline). Therefore, the side camera 121b captures images toward the wall surface direction of the pipeline 1. The main body 12 is provided with a plurality of side cameras 121b.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a front view of the main body 12 and illustrates an example of the arrangement of multiple side cameras 121b. FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which four side cameras 121b-1 to 121b-4 are arranged above, below, left, and right of the front camera 121a. As shown in FIG. 2, the four side cameras 121b-1 to 121b-4 are designed and arranged so that the imaging ranges P1 to P4 of each of the side cameras 121b-1 to 121b-4 cover the entire circumferential surface of the inner wall of the pipeline 1. That is, the multiple side cameras 121b are designed and arranged so that the entire circumferential surface of the inner wall of the pipeline 1 can be imaged. In this way, simultaneous imaging by the multiple side cameras 121b allows the entire circumferential surface of the inner wall of the pipeline 1 to be imaged. Note that the number of side cameras 121b is not limited to four, and may be two, three, five, or more. In short, as long as the multiple side cameras 121b can capture images of the entire inner wall of the pipeline 1 in the circumferential direction, any number of side cameras 121b may be used.

[0017] Furthermore, it is desirable to design and position the multiple side cameras 121b so that their imaging ranges (in the example shown in FIG. 2, the imaging ranges P1 to P4 of the side cameras 121b-1 to 121b-4) do not overlap. This makes it possible to prevent overlapping of the images captured by the multiple side cameras 121b.

[0018] The design and arrangement of the multiple side cameras 121b as described above is determined taking into consideration the inner diameter of the pipeline 1 to be inspected.

[0019] Each of the side cameras 121b preferably has a zoom function. It is also preferable that the zoom magnification of each of the side cameras 121b can be adjusted independently. This allows minute cracks or rust areas that have occurred on the inner wall of the pipeline 1 to be photographed in detail regardless of their location.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a front view of the camera 121 (front camera 121a and side camera 121b). The camera 121 has a lens 122 with a zoom function and captures images through the lens 122. A light source 123 with adjustable brightness is provided around the camera 121. The light source 123 is, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light, but is not limited to this. A light source 123 with adjustable brightness may be provided around each of the multiple side cameras 121b. Alternatively, a light source 123 with independently adjustable brightness may be provided around each of the multiple side cameras 121b. This can prevent backlighting due to glare when capturing images with each camera 121.

[0021] 1 , the imaging device 10 is connected to a control device 14, such as a personal computer, via a cable or the like, and is capable of communicating with the control device 14 via wired communication. The zoom magnification of the camera 121 and the brightness of the light source 123 around the camera 121 may be adjusted in accordance with input from the control device 14. The image quality and aspect ratio of the image captured by the camera 121 may also be adjusted in accordance with input from the control device 14. The image captured by the camera 121 may be transmitted to the control device 14 and displayed on a display device included in the control device 14 or connected to the control device 14. The image captured by the camera 121 may also be transmitted to the control device 14 and stored in a storage device included in the control device 14 or connected to the control device 14.

[0022] As described above, the imaging device 10 according to this embodiment includes a front camera 121a that faces the direction of travel of the imaging device 10, and multiple side cameras 121b whose lenses are tilted at an elevation angle of 90 degrees relative to the front camera 121a. With this configuration, the side cameras 121b can capture images of an unimageable area 2a that cannot be captured by a conventional pipe camera 2 due to a protrusion 1a present on the inner wall of the pipeline 1, as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, the imaging device 10 according to the present disclosure can reduce blind spots and capture images of a wider area of ​​the inner wall of the pipeline 1.

[0023] Referring again to FIG. 1 , the connection unit 13 is connected to the base 11 and supports the main body 12 so that the position of the main body 12 relative to the base 11 can be adjusted. For example, the connection unit 13 is rotatably connected to the base 11 near one end thereof via a rotation shaft 13a extending in a direction perpendicular to the imaging direction of the front camera 121a in a side view (in FIG. 1 , the depth direction of the page). The connection unit 13 is rotatably connected to the main body 12 near the other end thereof via a rotation shaft 13b extending in a direction perpendicular to the imaging direction of the front camera 121a in a side view (in FIG. 1 , the depth direction of the page). Therefore, in the imaging device 10 according to this embodiment, the position of the main body 12 relative to the base 11 can be adjusted, as shown in FIG. 5 . The connection portion 13 is provided with an operating mechanism that operates a movable portion between the base portion 11 and the connection portion 13 and a movable portion between the main body portion 12 and the connection portion 13, and the position of the main body portion 12 may be adjusted, for example, by control of the operating mechanism by the control device 14. Note that while Fig. 5 shows an example in which the position of the main body portion 12 relative to the base portion 11 is adjustable in the up-down direction, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the position of the main body portion 12 relative to the base portion 11 may also be adjustable in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the position of the main body portion 12 relative to the base portion 11 may also be adjustable in the up-down direction and the left-right direction.

[0024] Because the position of the main body 12 relative to the base 11 can be adjusted, the inner wall of the pipeline 1 can be imaged with the distance between each of the multiple side cameras 121b (in the example shown in Figure 5, the side camera 121b that images the upper part of the inner wall of the pipeline 1 and the side camera 121b that images the lower part of the inner wall of the pipeline 1) and the inner wall of the pipeline 1 being equal.

[0025] It is preferable to adjust the lengths of the base portion 11 and the connection portion 13 so that the base portion 11 and the connection portion 13 are not included in the imaging range of the side camera 121b, which images the lower part of the inner wall of the pipeline 1.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of the imaging device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the main body 12 may be provided with a plurality of measuring devices 124. The measuring devices 124 are provided near the lateral camera 121b. The measuring devices 124 emit laser light toward the inner wall of the pipeline 1 and measure the distance to the inner wall of the pipeline 1 based on the time (propagation time) it takes for the laser light to be reflected by the inner wall of the pipeline and then received. FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which a measuring device 124 that emits laser light toward a lower portion of the inner wall of the pipeline 1 and a measuring device 124 that emits laser light toward an upper portion of the inner wall of the pipeline 1 are provided. Therefore, in this example, the two measuring devices 124 measure the distance to the lower portion of the inner wall of the pipeline 1 and the distance to the upper portion of the inner wall of the pipeline 1.

[0027] Based on the measurement results of the measuring device 124, for example, the control device 14 adjusts the position of the main body 12 so that the distance from the side camera 121b, which captures an image of the lower part of the inner wall of the pipeline 1, to the opposing inner wall of the pipeline 1 is equal to the distance from the side camera 121b, which captures an image of the upper part of the inner wall of the pipeline 1, to the opposing inner wall of the pipeline 1. As shown in FIG. 6 , the imaging device 10 may include a control circuit 131, which is made up of a processor or the like, that adjusts the position of the main body 12 by controlling an operating mechanism that operates the movable parts between the base 11 and the connection part 13 and the movable parts between the main body 12 and the connection part 13. The control circuit 131 adjusts the position of the main body 12 based on the measurement results of the multiple measuring devices 124 so that the distance from each of the multiple side cameras 121b to the opposing inner wall of the pipeline 1 is equal.

[0028] In this way, by measuring the distance to the inner wall of the pipeline 1 and adjusting the position of the main body 12 so that the distance from each of the multiple side cameras 121b to the inner wall of the opposing pipeline 1 is equal, it is possible to obtain images with uniform pixel resolution using the multiple side cameras 121b.

[0029] Next, a procedure for capturing an image of the inner wall of the pipeline 1 using the imaging device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0030] First, the imaging device 10 is inserted into the inside of the pipeline 1 (step S11). The imaging device 10 is inserted into the inside of the pipeline 1, for example, through a manhole to which the pipeline 1 is connected.

[0031] Next, the images captured by the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b of the imaging device 10 are displayed on a display device or the like provided in the control device 14 located on the ground. Then, it is determined whether the images captured by the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b are in good condition and free of out-of-focus images (step S12). The condition of the captured images is determined, for example, by an operator inspecting the pipeline 1.

[0032] If it is determined that the image captured by either the front camera 121 a or the side cameras 121 b is not in a good state (step S12: No), at least one of the zoom magnification and the illumination intensity of the camera 121 determined to be not in a good state is adjusted (step S13). The zoom magnification and the illumination intensity are adjusted, for example, in response to an input from the operator via the control device 14.

[0033] As described above, the front camera 121a has a zoom function, and each of the multiple side cameras 121b also has an independently controllable zoom function, so that the zoom magnification of the camera 121 determined to be capturing images in a poor quality can be individually adjusted.

[0034] Furthermore, a light source 123 is provided around the front camera 121a, and a light source 123 capable of independently adjusting brightness is also provided around each of the multiple side cameras 121b. Therefore, it is possible to individually adjust the illumination intensity for each camera 121 whose captured image is determined to be in a poor condition.

[0035] For the camera 121 determined to be capturing images that are not in a good condition, at least one of the zoom magnification and the illumination intensity is adjusted, and then the process of step S12 is repeated.

[0036] If it is determined that the images captured by the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b are in a good state (step S12: Yes), it is determined whether the imaging conditions of the images captured by the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b are appropriate (step S14). The imaging conditions include, for example, whether the image quality is such that rust areas on the inner wall of the pipeline 1 can be visually recognized, whether a predetermined aspect ratio is satisfied, etc. Whether the imaging conditions of the captured images are appropriate is determined, for example, by an operator inspecting the pipeline 1.

[0037] If it is determined that the imaging conditions of the images captured by the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b are inappropriate (step S14: No), at least one of the image quality and the aspect ratio of the camera 121 determined to have inappropriate imaging conditions is adjusted (step S15). The image quality and the aspect ratio are adjusted, for example, in response to an input from the operator via the control device 14.

[0038] For the camera 121 determined to have inappropriate imaging conditions, at least one of the image quality and the aspect ratio is adjusted, and then the process of step S14 is repeated.

[0039] If it is determined that the imaging conditions for the images captured by the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b are appropriate (step S14: Yes), the imaging device 10 is caused to move inside the pipeline 1 while capturing images of the inside of the pipeline 1 using the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b (step S16). The images captured by the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b are transmitted to the control device 14, where they are displayed and stored. The worker can inspect the inside of the pipeline 1 by visually checking the displayed images captured by the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b.

[0040] When the front camera 121a and the multiple side cameras 121b have finished capturing images of the area requiring inspection, the imaging device 10 is withdrawn from inside the pipeline 1 (step S17).

[0041] As described above, the imaging device 10 according to this embodiment includes a front camera 121a as a first camera arranged facing the direction of travel of the imaging device 10, and a plurality of side cameras 121b as second cameras whose lenses are tilted at an elevation angle of 90 degrees relative to the imaging direction of the front camera 121a.

[0042] The side cameras 121b, whose lenses are tilted at an elevation angle of 90 degrees relative to the imaging direction of the front camera 121a, which is provided facing the traveling direction of the imaging device 10, are arranged facing the inner wall of the pipeline 1. By arranging multiple side cameras 121b facing the inner wall of the pipeline 1, even when a protrusion 1a exists inside the pipeline 1 and an area 2a cannot be imaged by the front camera 121a alone, as described with reference to Fig. 4, the side cameras 121b can image that area. Therefore, the imaging device 10 according to the present disclosure can reduce blind spots and image a wider range of the inner wall of the pipeline 1.

[0043] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments.

[0044] [Supplementary Item 1] An imaging device capable of traveling inside a pipeline and capturing images of the inner wall of the pipeline, the imaging device comprising: a first camera provided facing the traveling direction of the imaging device; and a plurality of second cameras whose lenses have an elevation angle of 90 degrees with respect to the imaging direction of the first camera.

[0045] [Supplementary Item 1] The imaging device according to Supplementary Item 1, wherein a light source with adjustable brightness is provided around the first camera.

[0046] [Supplementary Item 3] In the imaging scenario described in Supplementary Item 1 or 2, the imaging device further includes a light source around each of the second cameras, the light source having an independently adjustable brightness.

[0047] [Supplementary Item 4] The imaging device according to any one of Supplementary Items 1 to 4, wherein the zoom magnification of each of the second cameras is independently adjustable.

[0048] [Supplementary Item 5] The imaging device according to any one of Supplementary Items 1 to 4, comprising: a main body in which the first camera and the second camera are provided; a base that can move inside the pipeline; and a connection that is connected to the base and supports the main body so that the position of the main body relative to the base can be adjusted.

[0049] [Supplementary Item 6] In the imaging device described in Supplementary Item 5, the main body is provided with a plurality of measuring devices that emit laser light toward an inner wall of the pipeline and measure the distance to the inner wall of the pipeline based on the time it takes for the laser light to receive the reflected light reflected by the inner wall of the pipeline, and the imaging device further includes a control circuit that adjusts the position of the main body based on the measurement results of the plurality of measuring devices so that the distance from each of the plurality of second cameras to the opposing inner wall of the pipeline is equal.

[0050] Although the above-described embodiments have been described as typical examples, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and substitutions can be made within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and alterations are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, multiple building blocks shown in the block diagrams of the embodiments can be combined into one, or one building block can be divided.

[0051] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Pipe 1a Projection 2 Pipe camera 10 Imaging device 11 Base 12 Main body 13 Connection 13a, 13b Rotation shaft 121a Front camera (first camera) 121b Side camera (second camera) 122 Lens 123 Light source 131 Control circuit

Claims

1. An imaging device capable of traveling inside a pipeline and capturing images of the inner wall of the pipeline, comprising: a first camera arranged facing the traveling direction of the imaging device; and a plurality of second cameras whose lenses are tilted at an elevation angle of 90 degrees relative to the imaging direction of the first camera.

2. An imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a light source with adjustable brightness is provided around the first camera.

3. An imaging device according to claim 1, wherein light sources whose brightness can be adjusted independently are provided around each of the plurality of second cameras.

4. An imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the zoom magnification of each of the plurality of second cameras is independently adjustable.

5. An imaging device according to claim 1, comprising: a main body on which the first camera and the second camera are mounted; a base capable of moving inside the pipeline; and a connection connected to the base and supporting the main body so that the position of the main body relative to the base can be adjusted.

6. An imaging device according to claim 5, wherein the main body is provided with a plurality of measuring devices that emit laser light toward the inner wall of the pipeline and measure the distance to the inner wall of the pipeline based on the time it takes for the laser light to receive the reflected light from the inner wall of the pipeline, and the imaging device further comprises a control circuit that adjusts the position of the main body based on the measurement results of the plurality of measuring devices so that the distance from each of the plurality of second cameras to the opposing inner wall of the pipeline is equal.

Images