Gauge photographing-type gauge level identification device

Abstract

A gauge photographing-type gauge level identification device according to the present invention comprises: an installation member attached to the center of a display gauge surface which displays the amount of content remaining in a container or the internal state of the container, thereby enabling installation of another member; and a photographing member coupled to the installation member and installed on the display gauge such that same photographs a needle which displays the amount of remaining content or the internal state of the container, analyzes the photographed needle image, and calculate the position indicated by the needle such that the amount of content remaining in a container or a parameter corresponding to the internal state of the container is identified. Advantageously, the amount of content remaining in a gas tank can be easily identified at low costs.

Description

Gauge level checking device using a gauge shooting method

[0001] The present invention relates to a gauge level verification device using a gauge imaging method, wherein an imaging member is installed on a gauge that displays the remaining amount of contents contained in a container (e.g., remaining amount of petroleum, kerosene, gas, etc.) or state parameters such as pressure or temperature inside the container using a gauge method, and the contents or state parameters inside the container can be verified by analyzing the gauge image captured by the imaging member and estimating the position indicated by the needle.

[0002] To explain using a high-pressure gas tank as an example, conventional methods for monitoring the remaining amount in a high-pressure gas tank involve directly checking the tank's indicator gauge or installing a differential pressure sensor on the tank and connecting it via a wire with a current output (4-20mA) to check the amount.

[0003] Since the installation of gas differential pressure sensors is permitted only by licensed personnel, there is a problem in that checking the remaining gas tank level through the sensor is somewhat limited.

[0004] As shown in FIG. 1, a differential pressure sensor (3) is installed at the bottom of the gauge (2) of the gas tank (1) and connected via a wire, or transmitted to a monitoring terminal (4) through a wireless terminal (4).

[0005] The above differential pressure sensor (3) displays the remaining amount on the gauge based on the difference in gas pressure between the lower and upper parts of the gas tank on the left and right sides, but there is a problem in that only a person holding a construction license can perform the work, and above all, the construction cost is high.

[0006] (Patent Document 1) Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-1995-0001896 (January 4, 1995)

[0007] To solve the problems described above, the present invention aims to provide a gauge level checking device using a gauge shooting method, which installs a camera at the center of a display gauge to take a picture and analyzes the captured image to check a gauge displaying the remaining amount or state parameters within the container.

[0008] In particular, the present invention aims to provide a gauge level checking device using a gauge imaging method, which allows anyone to easily attach and install it on an existing display gauge, thereby enabling easy checking of the gauge and wirelessly verifying the remaining amount of contents or state parameters within the container.

[0009] A gauge level verification device of a gauge shooting method according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose is characterized by comprising: an installation member attached to the center of a display gauge surface that displays the remaining amount of contents or the state inside a container, enabling the installation of other members; and a shooting member that is coupled with the installation member and installed on the display gauge to photograph a needle that displays the remaining amount of contents or state parameters inside the container, and after analyzing the photographed needle image, calculates the position indicated by the needle to verify the remaining amount of contents or the state inside the container.

[0010] In addition, the mounting member of the gauge level verification device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose is characterized by comprising: a mounting block that is attached to the front of the display gauge in a transparent cylindrical shape; an adhesive layer formed on one side of the mounting block with a structure corresponding to the cross-section of the mounting block to allow the mounting block to be attached to the display gauge; and a fixed attachment guide jig attached to the other side of the mounting block to guide the mounting block to be attached to the exact center of the display gauge.

[0011] In addition, the shooting member of the gauge level checking device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose comprises: a cylindrical transparent case larger than the radius of the installation member; a receiving groove formed on the outer side of one side of the transparent case to accommodate the installation member; a mirror formed inside the transparent case to mirror a needle indicating the scale of the display gauge; a camera that photographs the needle mirrored in the mirror; a camera PCB having a donut structure with a perforated hole formed in the center, and having power lines and control lines printed thereon for supplying power and transmitting control signals required for the camera; an infrared LED that adjusts the brightness inside the display gauge; and a control module that calculates the intersection point between the equation of a straight line for the upper line or the equation of a straight line for the lower line of the needle in the image of the needle captured by the camera and the equation of a circle with a radius r centered on the rotation axis of the needle and displaying the scale value indicated at the intersection point as the remaining gas tank amount.

[0012] In addition, the control module of the gauge level verification device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose comprises two points a (a) where the intersection point of the diagonals in the image of the display gauge captured by the camera passes through the center of an arbitrary rectangle and the upper line of the needle intersect. x , a y ), b(b x , b y ) and the two points A(A that intersect the bottom line x , A y ), B(B x , B y Extract ) and the two points a(a x , a y ), b(b x , b y Calculate the equation of the straight line for the upper line using ), and the two points A(A x , A y ), B(B x , By It is characterized by calculating the equation of the straight line for the lower line using ).

[0013] In addition, the control module of the gauge level verification device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose is characterized by averaging the intersection point of the equation of a straight line for the upper line and the equation of a circle, and the intersection point of the equation of a straight line for the lower line and the equation of a circle, to display the remaining amount of the gas tank.

[0014] In addition, the control module of the gauge level verification device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose is characterized by selecting only one intersection point among the two intersection points where the equation of the circle and the equation of the straight line for the upper line meet, taking into consideration the date the gas was filled in the gas tank and the period of use after gas filling.

[0015] The control module of the gauge level verification device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose is characterized by selecting only one intersection point among the two intersection points where the equation of the circle and the equation of the straight line for the bottom line meet, taking into consideration the date the gas was filled in the gas tank and the period of use after gas filling.

[0016] The gauge level verification device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention has the effect of allowing anyone to easily install it on existing display gauges without a license.

[0017] In addition, the gauge level checking device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention has the effect of being able to be installed at a low cost by attaching a camera module to the center of the display gauge to photograph the gauge needle of the display gauge and confirming the position of the gauge needle using the captured image to check the gauge level.

[0018] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for checking the remaining amount of a gas tank using a conventional differential pressure sensor.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a gauge level verification device of a gauge shooting method according to the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing the state in which a gauge level checking device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention is installed on a display gauge (G).

[0021] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining the structure for accurately installing the shooting member of the gauge level checking device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention on the installation member.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the internal detailed configuration of the shooting member of a gauge level checking device of a gauge shooting method according to the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the process of a control module of a gauge level verification device of a gauge shooting method according to the present invention extracting two points from an image captured by a shooting member.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the process of calculating the remaining amount of gas in a gas tank by calculating the intersection point through the equation of a straight line and the equation of a circle in a control module of a gauge level checking device of a gauge shooting method according to the present invention.

[0025] *Explanation of major symbols in the drawings*

[0026] G: Display gauge

[0027] 10 : Needle

[0028] 11 : Top line

[0029] 12 : Bottom line

[0030] 100 : Installation component

[0031] 110 : Installation Block

[0032] 111 : Protrusion

[0033] 120: Adhesive layer

[0034] 130 : Government attachment guide jig

[0035] 200 : No filming

[0036] 210 : Accommodation Home

[0037] 211 : Protrusion groove

[0038] 220 : Transparent case

[0039] 230 : Mirror

[0040] 240 : Camera

[0041] 250 : Camera PCB

[0042] 260 : Infrared LED

[0043] 270 : Control Module

[0044] Terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of use to best describe his invention.

[0045] Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention; thus, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0046] Hereinafter, a gauge level verification device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0047] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a gauge level verification device of a gauge shooting method according to the present invention.

[0048] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the gauge level checking device of the gauge shooting method according to the present invention includes an installation member (100) and a shooting member (200).

[0049] The above-mentioned installation member (100) is attached to the center of the surface of a display gauge that indicates the remaining amount of contents or the state inside the container, thereby enabling the installation of other members.

[0050] For reference, the above-mentioned display gauge indicates the remaining amount of contents in a specific container (e.g., remaining amount of petroleum, kerosene, gas, etc.) in a gauge manner, or indicates state parameters inside the container, such as internal pressure or temperature, in a gauge manner.

[0051] Specifically, the above-mentioned installation member (100) includes an installation block (110), an adhesive layer (120), and an adhesive guiding jig (130).

[0052] The above-mentioned installation block (110) is a transparent cylindrical shape and, as shown in FIG. 3a, is attached to a display gauge (G) and functions as a block on which the above-mentioned imaging member (200) can be installed.

[0053] The adhesive layer (120) is formed on one side of the installation block (110) with a structure corresponding to the cross-section of the installation block (110) so that the installation block can be attached to the display gauge (G).

[0054] At this time, it is preferable that the adhesive layer (120) be made of a transparent material so that the transparency of the installation block (110) is ensured.

[0055] The above-mentioned government attachment guide jig (130) is attached to the other side of the installation block (110) in the form of a transparent film to guide the installation block (110) to be attached to the center of the display gauge (G).

[0056] That is, the above-mentioned government-attached guide jig (130) is made of a transparent material that ensures the transparency of the above-mentioned installation block (110), and has a horizontal solid line and a vertical solid line intersecting to form an intersection point in the center.

[0057] The user fixes the installation block (110) to the display gauge (G) by contacting the surface on which the adhesive layer (120) is formed so that the intersection point of the above-mentioned government-attached guide jig (130) is located at the center of the display gauge (G).

[0058] Afterward, the user removes the attachment guide jig (130) so that the shooting member (200) does not interfere with the shooting of the display gauge (G).

[0059] As described above, when the installation block (110) of the installation member (100) is fixed to the center of the display gauge (G), the above-described shooting member (200) can be installed by being coupled to the installation block (110) from which the guide jig (130) has been removed, as shown in FIG. 3b.

[0060] The above-mentioned shooting member (200) has a receiving groove (210) of a size corresponding to the installation block (110) formed therein so that the installation block (110) can be inserted, as shown in FIG. 2b.

[0061] At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, a projection (111) is formed on the outer surface of the installation block (110) of the installation member (100), and a projection groove (211) having a structure corresponding to the projection (111) is formed on the inner circumference of the receiving groove (210) of the imaging member (200) so that the projection (111) can be received.

[0062] As described above, the protrusion (111) and the protrusion groove (211) in which the protrusion (111) can be received are formed so that the imaging member (200) can be accurately installed on the installation member (100).

[0063] In addition, the protrusion (111) and the protrusion groove (211) in which the protrusion (111) can be received are formed to prevent the shooting member (200) from moving during the shooting process even after being installed on the installation member (100).

[0064] Meanwhile, the above-mentioned shooting member (200) is installed on the installation block (110) and the part that contacts the display gauge (G) is made transparent so that high-quality shooting of the display gauge can be performed.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 5, the above-mentioned imaging member (200) will be described in more detail.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 5, the imaging member (200) includes a transparent case (220), a mirror (230), a camera (240), a camera PCB (250), an infrared LED (260), and a control module (270).

[0067] The above transparent case (220) is cylindrical, and as described above, the receiving groove (210) is formed on one side, and a mirror (230), a camera (240), a camera PCB (250), an infrared LED (260), and a control module (270) are built inside.

[0068] The above mirror (230) mirrors the needle (10) that indicates the scale of the above indicator gauge (G).

[0069] The camera (240) captures the needle (10) reflected in the mirror (230).

[0070] The above camera PCB (250) is equipped with the camera (240) and has power lines and control lines printed on it to supply power required for the camera (240) and transmit control signals.

[0071] As described above, the camera PCB (250) has a center perforated to form a perforated hole, and the mirror (230) is formed inside the perforated hole.

[0072] The above camera PCB (250) has a donut structure as a circular perforated hole is formed in the center.

[0073] The mirror (230) serves to reflect the image entering the perforated hole, that is, the needle (10) indicating the scale of the indicator gauge (G), so that the image is formed on the camera (240).

[0074] The above infrared LED (260) can prevent the clarity of the captured image from decreasing by adjusting the brightness inside the display gauge (G) because the inside of the gauge may be dark when the shooting member (200) is installed in the display gauge (G).

[0075] The control module (270) is formed on the camera PCB (250) and can calculate the position pointed to by the needle (10) by analyzing a partial image of the needle (10) captured by the camera (240).

[0076] More specifically, the control module (270) has two points a (a) where the intersection of the diagonals in the partial image of the display gauge (G) captured by the camera (240) as shown in FIG. 6a meets the upper line (11) of the needle (10) and an arbitrary rectangle passing through the center (C). x , a y ), b(b x , b y ) and two points A(A that meet the bottom line (12) x , A y ), B(B x , B y Extracts ).

[0077] The control module (270) coordinates the background of the display gauge (G) with the center point (0,0) and the intersection points of the horizontal and vertical axes to extract the intersection points, as shown in FIG. 6b, with the rotation axis of the needle (10) rotatably formed in the display gauge (G).

[0078] The above control module (270) can set the spacing between the horizontal axis and the vertical axis to be narrow or wide depending on the precision.

[0079] The control module (270) above is two points a (a) as shown in FIG. 7. x , a y ), b(b x , b y The equation of a straight line (L1) for the upper line (11) passing through ) and two points A (A x , A y ), B(B x , B y Calculate the equation of the straight line (L2) for the lower line (12) passing through ).

[0080] In addition, the control module (270) has the equation of a circle (x) with radius r and center (0,0) the rotation axis of the needle (10) on which the scale of the display gauge (G) is marked. 2 +y 2 =r 2 Calculate the intersection point between the equation of a straight line (L1) for the upper line (11) and the equation of a straight line (L2) for the lower line (12), and display the scale value marked at the intersection point as the remaining amount of gas tank.

[0081] At this time, the control module (270) preferably selects only one intersection point among the two intersection points calculated by calculating the equation of the circle with the scale of the display gauge (G) and the equation of the straight line (L1) for the upper line (11), taking into consideration the date the gas was filled in the gas tank, the period of use after filling the gas, etc.

[0082] Meanwhile, the control module (270) is the equation of the circle (x 2 +y 2 =r 2 The intersection point of the equation of the straight line (L1) for ) and the upper line (11), and the equation of the circle (x 2 +y 2 =r 2 The remaining amount of the container (gas tank) can be displayed more accurately by calculating the average value of the intersection points of the straight line equation (L2) for the lower line (12).

[0083] The above-mentioned shooting member (200) further includes a communication module to enable easy monitoring by a manager from a distance, and transmits the remaining amount of contents in the container or the status parameters in the container, confirmed through calculation, to the manager terminal.

[0084] Although the technical concept of the present invention has been described above together with the accompanying drawings, this is merely an illustrative explanation of preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, it is evident that anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and imitations within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention without departing from its scope.

Claims

1. An installation member attached to the center of the surface of a display gauge that indicates the remaining amount of contents in the container or state parameters in the container, enabling the installation of other members; and A shooting member that combines with the above-mentioned installation member to photograph a needle installed on the above-mentioned display gauge to indicate the remaining amount of contents or the state of the container, analyzes the photographed needle image, calculates the position indicated by the needle, and verifies the remaining amount of contents or state parameters within the container; The above installation member is An installation block attached to the front of the above-mentioned indicator gauge in the form of a transparent cylinder; An adhesive layer made of a transparent material formed on one side of the installation block with a structure corresponding to the cross-section of the installation block, so that the installation block can be attached to the display gauge, and ensuring transparency; and A fixed attachment guiding jig that is attached to the other side of the installation block in the form of a transparent film in which horizontal solid lines and vertical solid lines intersect to form an intersection point in the center, thereby guiding the installation block to be attached to the exact center of the display gauge, and is removed after the installation block is attached; A gauge level checking device of a gauge imaging method, characterized in that a protrusion is formed on the outer surface of the above-mentioned installation block, and a protrusion groove having a structure corresponding to the protrusion is formed on the inner circumference of the receiving groove of the above-mentioned imaging member so that the protrusion can be received.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned shooting member is A cylindrical transparent case larger than the radius of the above-mentioned installation member; A receiving groove formed on the outer side of one side of the transparent case to accommodate the above-mentioned installation member; A mirror formed inside the above transparent case that mirrors the needle pointing to the scale of the above indicator gauge; A camera that photographs the needle mirrored on the above mirror; A camera PCB having a donut structure with a perforated hole formed in the center, and having power lines and control lines printed thereon for supplying power required for the camera and transmitting control signals; Infrared LED for adjusting brightness inside the above-mentioned display gauge; and A gauge level checking device of a gauge shooting method, characterized by including a control module that calculates the intersection point between the equation of a straight line for the upper line or the equation of a straight line for the lower line of the needle in an image of the needle captured by the camera and the equation of a circle with a scale marked on the indicator gauge centered on the rotation axis of the needle and radius r, and displays the scale value marked at the intersection point as the remaining amount of the gas tank.

3. In Paragraph 2, The above control module is In the image of the display gauge captured by the above camera, the two points a(a) where the intersection of the diagonals meets the upper line of the needle and an arbitrary rectangle passing through the center. x , a y ), b(b x , b y ) and the two points A(A that intersect the bottom line x , A y ), B(B x , B y Extract ) and the two points a(a x , a y ), b(b x , b y Calculate the equation of the straight line for the upper line using ), and the two points A(A x , A y ), B(B x , B y A gauge level checking device of a gauge shooting method characterized by calculating the equation of a straight line for the lower line using ).

4. In Paragraph 3, The above control module is A gauge level checking device of a gauge shooting method characterized by averaging the intersection point of the equation of a straight line for the upper line and the equation of a circle, and the intersection point of the equation of a straight line for the lower line and the equation of a circle, to display the remaining amount of gas in the gas tank.

5. In Paragraph 4, The above control module is A gauge level checking device of a gauge shooting method, characterized by selecting only one intersection point among the two intersection points where the equation of the circle and the equation of the straight line for the upper line meet, considering the date the gas was filled in the gas tank and the period of use after filling the gas.

6. In Paragraph 4, The above control module is A gauge level checking device of a gauge shooting method, characterized by selecting only one intersection point among the two intersection points where the equation of the circle and the equation of the straight line for the lower line meet, considering the date the gas was filled in the gas tank and the period of use after filling the gas.

Images