Side-View Camera Inspection Tool with Curved Sapphire Window
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing downhole inspection tools face issues with distorted images, slow 360° view capture, and uneven illumination, particularly when dealing with varying pipe diameters and limited memory capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An inspection assembly with a cylindrical housing, side-view cameras, and angled light sources, utilizing a sapphire window element with a concave external surface to ensure even illumination of the field of view, allowing for efficient 360° imaging in pipes with varying diameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a wide angle camera is positioned at the end of the tool to capture 360° view, then the field of view covers a region ahead of the tool, but the image becomes highly distorted especially at the periphery with optical compression increasing near the edges
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the camera at the end of the tool pointing forward, the invention positions the camera on the side of the tool pointing radially outward. This inverted arrangement eliminates the need for extreme wide-angle lenses and their associated peripheral distortion, while still achieving 360° coverage through rotation or multiple cameras.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single forward-pointing camera (one-dimensional viewing) to side-view cameras that can rotate or be arranged circumferentially (adding rotational or circumferential dimension). This dimensional change enables 360° coverage without the distortion problems of extreme wide-angle lenses.
2Area of stationary object
If a single sideview camera is rotated to capture 360° view, then the full circumference can be imaged, but the process is slow and requires motor rotation which may fail
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single rotating camera, the invention segments the imaging function into multiple fixed cameras arranged circumferentially around the tool. Each camera captures a portion of the 360° view simultaneously, eliminating the need for rotation and enabling immediate full-circumference imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The cameras are pre-positioned at specific circumferential locations before deployment. This preliminary arrangement ensures that all required viewing angles are covered simultaneously upon activation, eliminating the time required for rotational movement and enabling immediate 360° imaging.
3Productivity
If multiple cameras are located around the circumference to cover 360° view, then the full view can be captured simultaneously, but achieving even distribution of light over the full field of view becomes difficult when pipe diameter varies
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a curved or spherical diffusing element positioned around the light source. This curved geometry naturally distributes light in a radially symmetric pattern, ensuring uniform illumination across all circumferential cameras regardless of the pipe's internal diameter, thereby solving the light distribution problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffusing element's curved geometry changes the light propagation parameters, transforming the light distribution from a directional pattern to a radially symmetric pattern. This parameter change ensures that light intensity remains uniform across all camera fields of view, independent of pipe diameter variations.
4Illumination intensity
If high-intensity light sources are used to illuminate the field of view, then adequate lighting is achieved, but the tool diameter and length increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a diffusing element as an intermediary between the light source and the field of view. This mediator distributes the light from a compact source uniformly across all camera fields of view, achieving adequate illumination without requiring high-intensity sources that would increase tool size.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved diffusing element efficiently distributes light from a compact source in all radial directions, maximizing illumination coverage within a minimal volume. This curved geometry allows adequate lighting to be achieved without increasing tool diameter or length significantly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides clear, even illumination and efficient 360° imaging, reducing the need for high-intensity light sources and minimizing tool diameter and length, while being practical for deployment on slickline or e-line cables.
Implementation Method 1
a window element mounted in the housing, the element comprising a light transmitting material and being located such that light emitted by the light source passes through the window before illuminating the field of view
Implementation Method 2
the window has an internal surface, closer to the light source, and an external surface, further from the light source, and wherein the external surface comprises a concave region
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
This invention relates to the field of inspection assemblies and in particular to inspection assemblies that include light sources for illuminating a field of view of a camera. An inspection assembly for imaging the internal surface of a pipe or conduit comprises an elongate housing having a longitudinal axis, a camera mounted in the housing and arranged to capture an image of a region within a field of view external to the housing, a light source mounted in the housing and arranged to illuminate the field of view, and a window element mounted in the housing, the window element comprising a light transmitting material and being located such that light emitted by the light source passes through the window element before illuminating the field of view. The window element has an internal surface, closer to the light source, and an external surface, further from the light source, and the external surface comprises a concave region.