JPH0515115B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to an automatic inspection device for buildings placed in severe environments such as nuclear reactor containment vessels.
The present invention relates to an automatic building inspection device suitable for intuitively grasping the inspection position and direction of an object to be inspected.

[Background of the invention]

Conventionally, for automatic inspection of the reactor containment system, an inspection vehicle with a camera and a communication vehicle connected was run on an inspection track set inside the reactor containment vessel, and the camera was operated at various angles and magnifications. A technology has been developed in which images captured by a camera are transmitted to a console via a communication vehicle, and the images are displayed on the console's CRT for inspection.

However, in the conventional technology, the console
The image displayed on the CRT is displayed against the object to be inspected.
It is unclear in what position and direction the camera took the image. Therefore, there is a drawback that even an expert cannot easily understand what the object to be inspected is for complex images.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art and to provide an automatic inspection device for buildings that can intuitively grasp the position and direction currently detected by a camera. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic building inspection device that can more clearly grasp the relationship between the entire image of a building and the position and direction currently being inspected with a camera.

[Summary of the invention]

A first aspect of the present invention provides means for detecting the position of a camera of a camera vehicle on an inspection track, means for detecting the direction of the camera with respect to the inspection track, and processing of detection signals transmitted from these detection means. A means for inputting into the device, and calculating by combining the input signal with three-dimensional information of the inspection object and the inspection trajectory stored in advance in the processing device, and creating a simulated image seen from a viewpoint farther than the camera. This device is characterized by having a means for displaying the simulated image, and a means for displaying the simulated image. With this configuration, it is possible to intuitively grasp the position and direction currently being inspected by the camera. .

Furthermore, in the second invention of the present invention, in the first invention, on the entire image of the object to be inspected,
The feature is that it is equipped with a means to display the current position and direction of the camera, and with this configuration, the relationship between the overall image of the inspection target and the position and direction currently being inspected by the camera can be further improved. This was something that I was able to clearly understand.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

The embodiments shown in these figures are applied to a reactor containment vessel, and the reactor containment vessel as an object to be inspected includes a containment vessel 1 and a pressure vessel 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, an inspection track 3 is laid out inside the containment vessel 1, and an inspection vehicle 11 is movably supported on the inspection track 3.

The inspection track 3 includes a chain drive section 4, as shown in FIG. 3, and the chain drive section 4 is connected to a control section 39 via a cable 8. The chain drive section 4 has a motor 5 and a sprocket 6 connected to the motor.
The sprocket 6 has, as shown in FIG.
A chain 7 is stretched across the vehicle, and when the motor 5 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the chain 7 causes the inspection vehicle 11 to travel forward or backward via the sprocket 6. The motor 5 is provided with a position detector 9 as a means for detecting the position of the camera 15 of the inspection vehicle 11 on the inspection track 3, as shown in FIG.

The position detector 9 detects the running direction and running distance of the chain 7 from the rotation direction and rotation speed of the motor 5, and converts the detection signal into a position signal 40 of the camera 15.
The information is transmitted to the information processing section 48 through the cable 10 shown in FIG. 3 (see FIG. 6).

The inspection vehicle 11 is constructed by connecting a camera vehicle 12 and a communication vehicle 13, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The camera car 12 includes, as shown in FIG.
a camera 15 supported by a pan head 14; first and second operating means 16 for changing the angle of the camera 15;
17. The camera 15 includes:
ITV cameras are used. The first operating means 16 includes a rotation drive unit 18 , a worm 20 connected to the rotation drive unit 18 , and a worm gear 22 that is engaged with the worm 20 and attached to the pan head 14 . As the camera 15 is rotated in the forward or reverse direction, the camera 15 is operated vertically in FIG. 4 through the worm and worm gears 20 and 22 to change the angle. The second operating means 17 is a rotary drive unit 1
9, a worm 21 connected to the worm 21, and a worm gear 23 engaged with the worm gear 23 and attached to the pan head 14. When the rotation drive unit 18 is rotated in the forward or reverse direction, the worm, the worm gear 21, 23, the camera 15 can be operated left and right in FIG. 4 to change its angle. Furthermore, the first and second operating means 1
As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation drive units 18 and 19 of 6 and 17 are provided with first and second potentiometers 24 as means for detecting the viewpoint of the camera 15, that is, the vertical and horizontal directions of the camera 15. , 25 are provided.

The first and second potentiometers 24 and 25
are the first and second operating means 16, 1 of the camera 15.
7, the rotation direction and rotation angle of the rotation drive units 18 and 19, that is, the swing angle of the camera 15, are detected, and the detection signals are used as the vertical and horizontal direction signals 2 of the camera 15.
8 and 29, an A/D converter 30 for the direction signal system of the camera 15 provided inside the communication vehicle 13;
31.

As shown in FIG. 5, the communication vehicle 13 includes a video signal system, a direction signal system for the camera 15, and a mixer 35 for signals transmitted from these signal systems. The video signal system includes a modulator 27
A video signal 26 transmitted from the camera 15
is modulated by the modulator 27 and sent to the mixer 35. on the other hand,
The direction signal system of the camera 15 includes A/D converters 30 and 31 connected to the first and second potentiometers 24 and 25, respectively, and these A/D
P/S commonly connected to converters 30 and 31
It is equipped with a converter 32 and an FSK modulator (frequency shift modulator) 33 connected to the converter 32, and receives vertical and horizontal direction signals 2 of the camera 15 transmitted from the first and second potentiometers 24 and 25.
8 and 29 are A/D converted by A/D converters 30 and 31, and P/S converter 32 converts them into P/S.
The signal is S-converted, then modulated by an FSK modulator 33, and sent to the mixer 35 as a direction signal 34 for the camera 15.
The mixer 35 combines the video signal 26 and the direction signal 34 of the camera 15, and sends the composite signal 36 of the video and the direction signal of the camera 15 to the cable 3.
7 to the distributor 42.

In addition, in FIGS. 1 and 2, 38 indicates a containment vessel penetration portion through which cables are inserted.

The distributor 42 is installed within the operation room 41. A direction signal system and a video signal system of the camera 15 are connected to this distributor 42, as shown in FIG. The direction signal system of the camera 15 includes an FSK day modulator (frequency shift demodulator) 43 connected to a distributor 42 and an S/P converter 44 connected to this and also connected to an information processing section 48. There is. And this camera 1
In the direction signal system 5, the signal distributed from the distributor 42 is demodulated by the FSK day modulator 43, subjected to S/P conversion by the S/P converter 44, and then sent to the information processing section 48 as the direction signal 45 of the camera 15. The process input device 50 of FIG. On the other hand, the video signal system is connected to the day modulator 4 connected to the distributor 42.
6, the signal distributed from the distributor 42 is demodulated by a demodulator 46 and sent to a TV monitor 57 as a video signal.

The information processing section 48, as shown in FIG.
It is installed inside the operation room 41. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, this information processing section 48
process input/output devices 49 and 50, a CPU 51 as a processing device, and a memory interface 52.
, a memory 53 , and a CPT controller 54 . Said first process input/output device 49
The system takes in the position signal 40 of the camera 15 transmitted from the position detector 9 provided on the motor 5 of the chain drive section 4, and stores this position signal 40 in the memory 53 through the memory interface 52. There is. The second process input/output device 50 receives a direction signal 45 of the camera 15 from a direction signal system of the camera 15 connected to the distributor 42.
The direction signal 45 of the camera 15 is stored in a memory 53 through a memory interface 52. Furthermore, the memory 5
3, an entire image of the object to be inspected and the inspection trajectory 3 is stored in advance as three-dimensional data such as a wire frame or a collection of surfaces of a polyhedron. Said
The CPU 51 receives the position signal 40 of the camera 15 and the direction signal 45 of the camera 15 from the memory 53.
Three-dimensional configuration information of the inspection target and the inspection track 3 is taken in, and these signals and information are combined and calculated to create a simulated image viewed from a viewpoint farther away than the camera 15. moreover,
The CPU 51 displays the entire image of the object to be inspected and the camera 1.
5's current location and orientation. The CPT controller 54 selects and retrieves a simulated image viewed from a viewpoint further away than the camera 15, the entire image of the object to be inspected, and information regarding the current position and direction of the camera 15 through the memory interface 52, and outputs the information to the console. It is designed to be sent to the three-dimensional CPT 56 of 55.

The console 55, as shown in FIG.
It is installed inside the operation room 41. In addition, this console 55 has three-dimensional CPT as shown in FIG.
56 and a TV monitor 57. Then, in accordance with the selection of the CPT controller 54, the three-dimensional CPT 56 displays a simulated image seen from a viewpoint further away than the camera 15, and the current position and direction of the camera 15 on the overall image of the object to be inspected. It is designed to display images. on the other hand,
The TV monitor 57 is adapted to display images taken by the camera 15.

The automatic inspection device of the above embodiment operates as follows.

That is, as the motor 5 of the chain drive section 4 is driven by a control signal from the control section 39 and the chain 7 is run via the sprocket 6,
An inspection vehicle 11 travels along an inspection track 3.

Next, check the inspection vehicle 1 at any position on the inspection track 3.
1 is held still, and at this stationary position, the control unit 39 controls the first and second operation means 16 and 17 of the camera 15 mounted on the camera vehicle 12, the viewpoint of the camera 15 is determined, and the camera 15 is Capture images of the inspection target from various viewpoints.

During this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the position of the camera 15 is detected by the position detector 9 provided on the motor 5 of the chain drive section 4, and the position of the camera 15 is detected as a position signal 40 of the camera 15 installed in the operation room 41. The information is transmitted to the information processing section 48. On the other hand, the image taken by the camera 15 is transmitted as a video signal 26 to a video signal system modulator 27 provided in the communication vehicle 13, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. The swing angle of the camera 15 is detected, and the detected signals are transmitted as vertical and horizontal direction signals 28 and 29 of the camera 15 to A/D converters 30 and 31 of the direction signal system of the camera 15, as shown in FIG.

Next, the video signal system of the communication vehicle 13 modulates the video signal 26 sent to the modulator 27 and sends it to the mixer 35 as shown in FIG. 5, and the direction signal system of the camera 15 modulates the video signal 26 as shown in FIG. , vertical and horizontal direction signals 28 of the camera 15 sent to the A/D converters 30 and 31,
29 is A/D converted, then P/S converter 3
2, and further modulated by an FSK modulator 33, and sent to a mixer 35 as a direction signal 34 of the camera 15. The mixer 35 combines the video signal 26 and the direction signal 34 of the camera 15, and sends the composite signal 36 of the video signal and the direction signal of the camera 15 through a cable 37 to a distributor 42 installed in the operation room 41. to be transmitted.

Subsequently, the distributor 42 distributes the composite signal 36 to the direction signal system and video signal system of the camera 15, as shown in FIG. Then, in the direction signal system of the camera 15, the distributed signal is demodulated by the FSK day modulator 43, and the S/P converter 44 demodulates the distributed signal.
The direction signal 45 of the camera 15 is
The information processing unit 4 installed in the operation room 41
In the video signal system, the distributed signal is sent to the second process input/output device 50 of the day modulator 4.
6 and sent as a video signal 47 to a TV monitor 57 of a console 55 installed in the operation room 41.

Therefore, as can be seen from FIG. 6 and FIG. is camera 1
5 direction signal 45 is sent.

Next, the position signal 40 of the camera 15 sent to the first process input/output device 49 of the information processing section 48 and the direction signal 45 of the camera 15 sent to the second process input/output device 50 are transferred to the memory interface. The data is stored in the memory 53 through the ace 52. Moreover, the entire image of the object to be inspected and the inspection trajectory 3 is stored in advance in this memory 53.

Next, details of information processing by the CPU 51 of the information processing section 48 will be explained based on FIGS. 8 and 9.

Now, as shown in Fig. 8, the absolute coordinate system XYZ fixed to the object to be inspected (containment vessel) and the arbitrarily set inspection vehicle position are set as the origin 58, and the tangential direction 59 of the inspection track 3 and the normal line An inspection vehicle coordinate system X′Y′Z′ with direction 60 as two orthogonal axes (X′ axis, Z′ axis),
Camera coordinate system with the camera's viewpoint as the origin and the camera's line of sight and the upward direction as orthogonal axes (U-axis, W-axis)
Consider UVW and viewpoint coordinates U'V'W' whose origin 61 is a viewpoint further away from the camera.

From the above absolute coordinate system XYZ to the inspection vehicle coordinate system
Conversion to X′Y′Z′ is parallel movement (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ)
is calculated by coordinate axis rotation (superposition of Y-axis rotation Δθ _y and Z-axis rotation Δθ _z ).

From the inspection vehicle coordinate system X′Y′Z′ to the camera coordinate system
To UVW, there is a transformation with the Y′ axis as the rotation axis (Δθ′ _y ) and
This is a coordinate axis rotation transformation by superimposing transformations (Δθ' _z ) with the Z' axis as the rotation axis.

Furthermore, the viewpoint coordinate system U′V′W′ is the camera coordinate system
It can be obtained by moving UVW in parallel by ΔU in the negative direction of the U axis.

Among the data necessary for the above coordinate transformation, ΔX,
A series of data of ΔY, ΔZ, Δθ _y and Δθ _z is stored in the memory 53 of the information processing unit 48 as inspection route three-dimensional data uniquely corresponding to the camera position signal 40.

Δθ′ _y and Δθ′ _z are the vertical swing angle and the horizontal swing angle of the camera, respectively, and are taken into the CPU 51 of the information processing unit 48 as a camera direction signal 45.

ΔU is an arbitrary constant indicating the viewpoint retreat distance.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the camera position (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ) on the absolute coordinate system XYZ is determined based on the camera position signal 40 and the inspection trajectory three-dimensional data. Furthermore, the up and down of the direction signal 45 of the camera,
Horizontal swing angle (Δθ′ _y , Δθ′ _z ) and inspection trajectory 3
By superimposing the rotation angles of the coordinate axes (Δθ _y , Δθ _z ) of the dimensional data, the absolute coordinate system of the camera coordinate system UVW is
Calculate the rotation angle (Δθ _v and Δθ _w ) with respect to XYZ.

On the other hand, the shape of the object to be inspected is stored in advance in the memory 53 of the information processing unit 48 as three-dimensional data such as a wire frame or a collection of surfaces of a polyhedron.

From each of the above data, as shown in FIG. 9, the entire image 62 of the inspection object and inspection trajectory 3 in the absolute coordinate system ) and direction (Δθ _v ,
A camera image 63 simulating Δθ _w ) is superimposed. Thereby, it is possible to clearly understand where the camera is located in the object to be inspected (containment vessel) and in which direction it is photographing.

Also, the position of the camera mentioned above (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ)
, direction (Δθ _v , Δθ _w ), and viewpoint retreat distance ΔU, data of the inspection object in the absolute coordinate system XYZ can be converted to data in the viewpoint coordinate system U′V′W′. In other words, it is possible to create a three-dimensional image 64 of the inspection object seen from a viewpoint 61 that is a distance ΔU backward from the camera viewpoint, and this can be used as a three-dimensional CPT.
56. This 3D image 64 is an enlarged display of the imaged object on the 3D image 62 of the entire inspection target (containment vessel) captured by the camera, and simulates a wider area than the actual TV image. It is something to do. As a result, the overall image 62, which is a three-dimensional image, allows you to see what kind of pipes and structures the camera is projecting on the TV monitor 57.
A wide area image 64 around the TV image simulated in
It can be intuitively understood from

By creating the above two three-dimensional images 62 and 64, it is possible to easily understand which area of the object to be inspected is being imaged by the camera, and what is being imaged at that location.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the reactor containment vessel shown in the drawings, but can be applied to buildings in general that are placed in severe environments.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the first invention of the present invention explained above,
means for detecting the position of the camera of the camera vehicle on the inspection track; means for detecting the direction of the camera with respect to the inspection track; means for inputting detection signals transmitted from these detection means to a processing device; and a processing device. means for calculating by combining the input signal with three-dimensional information of the inspection object and the inspection trajectory stored in advance in the camera to create a simulated image viewed from a viewpoint farther than the camera; and displaying the simulated image. It can display a simulated image seen from a viewpoint further away than the camera, that is, a 3D image that simulates an image of a wide area, so it can be used even when the camera is capturing a complex area. Even in such cases, by observing the three-dimensional image, it is possible to intuitively grasp which area of the object to be inspected and what is being shown in that area.

Moreover, according to the second invention of the present invention, the above-mentioned
In the second invention, the present invention includes means for displaying the current position and direction of the camera on the entire image of the object to be inspected. , the effect can be understood even more clearly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 to 9 show one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a reactor containment vessel and the arrangement of various parts constituting the present invention applied thereto, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view showing details of the inspection track and inspection vehicle.
The figure is a perspective view showing the mounting state of a chain drive unit for an inspection vehicle and a position detector as a means for detecting the position of the camera, and Figure 4 shows the mounting state of the camera and the first and second positions for changing the direction of the camera. A perspective view showing how the upper and lower, left and right potentiometers are installed as means for detecting the direction of the operating means and camera, and Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of equipment installed inside the camera car and communication car of the inspection car. , Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the layout of the communication vehicle, signal transmission system, information processing section, and console, and Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the layout of the three-dimensional CPT installed in the console and the equipment that makes up the information processing section. 8 is a diagram showing a coordinate system related to three-dimensional graphics, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the relationship between information processing and image creation. 1...Containment vessel as an object to be inspected, 3...Inspection track, 9...Position detector as means for detecting the position of a camera, 11...Inspection vehicle, 12...Camera vehicle, 13...Communication vehicle , 15... camera, 16,
17...First and second operating means for changing the direction of the camera, 24, 25...First and second potentiometers as means for detecting the direction of the camera, 40
...Camera position signal sent to the information processing section, 45...
...Also camera direction signal, 47...Same camera video signal, 48...Information processing section, 49, 50
...first and second as means of input to the processing device
process input/output device, 51...CPU as a processing device, 52...memory interface, 53
...Memory, 54...CPT controller, 55
... Console, 56 ... Three-dimensional CPT as a means of displaying a simulated image, 57 ... TV monitor, 58
...Position of the inspection vehicle, 61...A viewpoint farther from the camera, 62...A tertiary image that is a simulated image of the object to be inspected, 63...The shape of the camera as an indication of the position and direction of the camera, 64... ...3D image seen from a point of view away from the camera.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. On an inspection track extending around an object to be inspected,
In an automatic inspection device for buildings, which inspects a building by running an inspection vehicle in which a camera vehicle equipped with a camera and a communication vehicle are connected, means for detecting the position of the camera of the camera vehicle on the inspection track; means for detecting the direction of the camera; means for inputting detection signals transmitted from these detection means into a processing device; and three-dimensional information of an inspection target and an inspection trajectory stored in advance in the processing device and the input signal. 1. An automatic inspection device for a building, comprising: a means for calculating a simulated image viewed from a viewpoint farther than the camera; and a means for displaying the simulated image. 2. On the inspection track that extends around the inspection target,
In an automatic inspection device for buildings, which inspects a building by running an inspection vehicle in which a camera vehicle equipped with a camera and a communication vehicle are connected, means for detecting the position of the camera of the camera vehicle on the inspection track; means for detecting the direction of the camera; means for inputting detection signals transmitted from these detection means into a processing device; and three-dimensional information of an inspection target and an inspection trajectory stored in advance in the processing device and the input signal. means for calculating a simulated image viewed from a viewpoint further away than the camera, means for displaying the simulated image, and displaying the current position of the camera on the entire image of the object to be inspected. and a means for displaying a direction.