JP2023154688A - Inspection device and inspection method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an inspection device and an inspection method with which it is possible to shorten an inspection time while suppressing a decrease in inspection accuracy.SOLUTION: By being preliminarily provided with a camera 2 for capturing an image of a surrounding landscape together with a surface 6a of an inspection object and a processing mechanism for acquiring image data from the camera 2, an inspection method includes: an imaging step in which the camera 2 captures an inspection area image including the surface 6a and an auxiliary area image including a surrounding landscape; and an estimation step in which the processing mechanism estimates the position of the camera 2 on the basis of the auxiliary area image of the image data acquired from the camera 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an inspection device and an inspection method for inspecting the surface of an object to be inspected such as an aircraft, and more particularly to an inspection device and an inspection method that can shorten inspection time while suppressing deterioration in inspection accuracy.

Various inspection devices for inspecting the exterior of an aircraft have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the three-dimensional coordinates of the camera are acquired using an arm extending from the ground, and the position of the image acquired by the camera is grasped by detecting the tilt of the camera with a distance sensor.

Since the inspection equipment is large and takes time to move, there was a problem in that the inspection took a lot of time. Even if an attempt was made to shorten the inspection time by introducing a plurality of inspection devices, it was difficult to realize this because the inspection devices interfere with each other. In the first place, since inspection devices are relatively expensive, it has been difficult to introduce multiple inspection devices.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-219378

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an inspection apparatus and an inspection method that can shorten inspection time while suppressing a decrease in inspection accuracy.

An inspection device for achieving the above purpose is an inspection device that inspects the surface condition of an object to be inspected, and includes a camera that photographs the surface of the object to be inspected as well as surrounding scenery, and image data that is acquired from the camera. a processing mechanism for estimating the position of the camera based on the surrounding scenery, and the camera has a configuration for acquiring an inspection area image including the surface and an auxiliary area image including the surrounding scenery. It is characterized by

An inspection method for achieving the above purpose is an inspection method for inspecting the surface condition of an object to be inspected, which includes: a camera that photographs the surface of the object to be inspected as well as surrounding scenery; and image data is acquired from the camera. a processing mechanism; a photographing step in which the camera photographs an inspection area image including the surface and an auxiliary area image including the surrounding scenery; and the image obtained by the processing mechanism from the camera. and an estimating step of estimating the position of the camera based on the auxiliary area image of data.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an inspection area image including scratches and the like on the surface of the object to be inspected, which is advantageous for improving the inspection accuracy of the surface condition. Since the auxiliary area image including the surrounding scenery can be obtained, it is advantageous for improving the accuracy when estimating the camera position from the auxiliary area image.

It is an explanatory view illustrating the outline of an inspection device. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cross section of a lens. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the AA arrow view in FIG. 2; 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modification of the lens in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an aircraft in plan view. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which an inspection is performed by the inspection apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating image data acquired by the inspection device. It is an explanatory view illustrating a modification of an inspection device. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating image data acquired by the inspection device of FIG. 8. FIG.

Hereinafter, an inspection apparatus and an inspection method will be described based on the embodiment shown in the drawings. In the figure, the optical axis direction of the camera is shown by an arrow z, the first direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction z is shown by an arrow x, and the second direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction z and the first direction x is shown by an arrow y.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the inspection device 1 includes a camera 2, a processing mechanism 3 that acquires image data from the camera 2, and a leg structure 4 fixed to the camera 2. The camera 2 has a lens 5. In the figure, a part of the surface of the lens 5 is shown by a broken line for explanation.

The camera 2 is composed of, for example, a hemispherical camera capable of photographing 360° in the horizontal direction. The camera 2 may be configured as a spherical camera capable of photographing 360 degrees in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The configuration of the camera 2 is not limited to this. It is only necessary to have a configuration that can photograph flaws on the surface of the aircraft body or wing, which are the objects to be inspected, as well as the surrounding scenery. The camera 2 may be configured with a camera having a fisheye lens, for example, or may have a configuration in which a plurality of cameras are combined. In this specification, the surrounding scenery refers to the wings, windows, engines, etc. of an aircraft. In other words, the surrounding scenery refers to other structures existing around the surface of the object to be inspected. The surrounding scenery may include the colors and patterns of the aircraft.

The camera 2 has a configuration for acquiring an inspection area image including the surface of the inspection object and an auxiliary area image including the surrounding scenery. The inspection area image only needs to include at least scratches on the surface of the inspection object, and may include a part of the surrounding scenery. The auxiliary area image only needs to include at least a part of the surrounding scenery, and may include the surface of the object to be inspected. The inspection area image is an image in which, for example, a flaw on the surface of the inspection object is in focus. The auxiliary area image is, for example, an image in which the surrounding scenery is in focus.

The processing mechanism 3 is connected to the camera 2 by wire or wirelessly, and has a configuration for acquiring image data from the camera 2. The processing mechanism 3 has a configuration that estimates the position of the camera 2 from the surrounding scenery of the acquired image data. In this embodiment, the processing mechanism 3 is incorporated into the camera 2. In FIG. 1, the processing mechanism 3 is shown by a broken line for explanation. The processing mechanism 3 may be arranged outside the camera 2.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the leg structure 4 has four legs 4a whose one end is fixed to the camera 2, and a contact part 4b connected to the other end of the legs 4a. . This contact portion 4b comes into contact with the surface of the object to be inspected. The contact portion 4b is composed of a pair of rod-shaped bodies, and the pair of rod-shaped bodies have a positional relationship in which they are parallel to each other. The rod-shaped body extends along the second direction y, and has a configuration that connects the upper ends of a pair of leg portions 4a facing each other in the second direction y.

The leg structure 4 is not limited to the above configuration. It is only necessary to have a configuration in which one side is fixed to the camera 2 and the other side can be brought into contact with the surface of the object to be inspected at at least three points. The leg structure 4 is not an essential component of the inspection device 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, even if the camera 2 has an inspection lens 5a that acquires an inspection area image including the surface of the object to be inspected, and an auxiliary lens 5b that acquires an auxiliary area image including the surrounding scenery. good. The inspection area image can be composed of an image focused on a relatively close position from the camera 2, for example. The auxiliary area image can be composed of an image focused on a position relatively far from the camera 2, for example. In this case, the focus of the auxiliary lens 5b is at least more distant than the focus of the inspection lens 5a. The inspection lens 5a and the auxiliary lens 5b are arranged in one camera 2. The inspection lens 5a is composed of, for example, a standard lens or a macro lens used for close-up photography. The auxiliary lens 5b is composed of, for example, a wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens.

The inspection area image may be composed of an image taken through a lens with a relatively long focal length, for example. The auxiliary area image may be composed of, for example, an image photographed through a lens with a relatively short focal length. In this case, the inspection lens 5a is configured with a lens having a longer focal length than the auxiliary lens 5b.

Since the camera 2 includes the inspection lens 5a and the auxiliary lens 5b, it is possible to independently adjust the imaging conditions for each of the inspection area image and the auxiliary area image. The photographing conditions refer to, for example, the focusing position and the focal length of the lens 5. In each of the inspection area image and the auxiliary area image, it becomes possible to optimize the focusing distance and the size of the angle of view.

In this embodiment, the inspection lens 5a is composed of one lens. The configuration of the inspection lens 5a is not limited to this, and may be configured by combining a plurality of lenses. In this embodiment, the auxiliary lens 5b is composed of a plurality of lenses. The configuration of the auxiliary lens 5b is not limited to this, and may be configured with a single lens.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in this embodiment, a through hole 5c is formed along the optical axis direction of the auxiliary lens 5b. The through hole 5c is formed, for example, in the shape of a truncated cone whose diameter decreases from the outside to the inside of the lens 5. The inspection lens 5a is arranged in the through hole 5c. In FIG. 2, the optical axis P of the lens 5 (inspection lens 5a and auxiliary lens 5b) is shown by a chain line for explanation. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the inspection lens 5a and the through hole 5c are arranged at the center of the lens 5 in plan view. The present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration may be adopted in which the through hole 5c is formed at a position other than the center of the lens 5 in plan view, and the inspection lens 5a is disposed.

The light passing through the inspection lens 5a is not affected by the auxiliary lens 5b because it passes through the through hole 5c. This is advantageous in obtaining an inspection area image with less distortion. Furthermore, since the inspection lens 5a can be incorporated into the auxiliary lens 5b, it becomes easier to make the lens 5 smaller. This is advantageous for downsizing the inspection device 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the inspection lens 5a and the auxiliary lens 5b may be arranged side by side along the direction of the optical axis P of the inspection lens 5a. In this embodiment, since the through hole 5c is not formed in the auxiliary lens 5b, the lens 5 can be manufactured relatively easily. This is advantageous in reducing the manufacturing cost of the lens 5.

Next, an inspection method using the inspection device 1 will be explained. An example will be described in which the inspection object 6 is an aircraft wing, as illustrated in FIG. The inspection object 6 is not limited to an aircraft. The inspection object 6 also includes windmill blades, rockets, ships, and the like. Furthermore, the object to be inspected 6 is not limited to the exterior of an aircraft or the like, but also the interior. The inspection object 6 also includes, for example, piping in a factory. When a flaw 7 is formed on the surface of the inspection object 6 as illustrated in FIG. 5, the inspection device 1 is installed near the flaw 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the inspection device 1 is first installed on the surface 6a of an aircraft wing, which is the object to be inspected 6 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an installation step). This inspection device 1 has a leg structure 4 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. In the installation process, the inspection device 1 is installed at a position facing the flaw 7 formed on the surface 6a, for example. At this time, the inspection device 1 is installed with at least three points of the leg structure 4 in contact with the surface 6a. The leg structure 4 has such strength that it does not deform even when the inspection device 1 is pressed against the surface 6a.

When an attempt is made to bring at least three points of the contact portion 4b composed of a pair of rod-shaped bodies into contact with the surface 6a, the pair of rod-shaped bodies will move in the first direction x, which is perpendicular to the first direction It will be in a state where it extends in two directions y. At this time, the contact portion 4b comes into contact with the surface 6a along a line extending in the second direction y. In other words, the contact portion 4b comes into contact with the surface 6a at three or more points.

By bringing the leg structure 4 into contact with the surface 6a at three or more points, the surface of the leg structure 4 is determined. Therefore, the attitude (direction and inclination) of the camera 2 with respect to the curved surface 6a and the distance from the surface 6a to the lens 5 of the camera 2 are uniquely determined. In this specification, the attitude of the camera 2 refers to the orientation and inclination of the camera 2 with respect to the surface 6a. For example, when photographing the flaw 7 illustrated in FIG. 6, the attitude and distance of the camera 2 relative to the flaw 7 remain approximately constant no matter how many times the flaw 7 is photographed.

The leg structure 4 only needs to have a configuration in which it contacts the surface 6a via a predetermined virtual surface. The leg structure 4 may be composed of three or more rod-shaped bodies that protrude from the camera 2, for example. The attitude of the camera 2 is uniquely determined if the other end of the rod-shaped body is in contact with the surface 6a.

With the inspection device 1 pressed against the surface 6a, the camera 2 takes a picture (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a photographing process). The camera 2 photographs the surrounding scenery along with the surface 6a having the scratch 7. An example of image data obtained by photographing with the camera 2 is illustrated in FIG. The image data includes an inspection area image 8 located at the center and an auxiliary area image 9 located at the periphery of this inspection area image 8. The inspection area image 8 shows scratches 7 formed on the surface 6a. The auxiliary area image 9 shows the surrounding scenery. The surrounding scenery includes the boundary between the aircraft's main body and wings, as well as the engines installed on the wings.

The inspection area image 8 can be brought into a state where the flaw 7 is in focus. Therefore, it is possible to accurately grasp the condition and depth of the flaw 7 from the inspection area image 8. In the inspection area image 8, relatively small scratches 7, corrosion, etc. are also displayed as clear images. This is advantageous for improving the accuracy of inspecting the condition of the surface 6a. The auxiliary area image 9 can be brought into focus on the surrounding scenery. Further, the auxiliary area image 9 can be an image with a relatively wide angle of view. It becomes possible to accurately grasp the situation of the surrounding scenery from the auxiliary area image 9. In this embodiment, the inspection area image 8 and the auxiliary area image 9 are acquired simultaneously as one image data.

The processing mechanism 3 that has acquired the image data illustrated in FIG. 7 estimates the position of the camera 2 based on the surrounding scenery of the auxiliary area image 9 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an estimation process). The position of the camera 2 when acquiring image data can be estimated from the relative position with respect to the wings and windows of the aircraft. Drawing data such as 3D CAD data of the aircraft may be stored in the processing mechanism 3 in advance, and the position of the camera 2 may be estimated from the surrounding scenery using this drawing data. Alternatively, the surface 6a of the inspection object 6 may be photographed in advance at a plurality of locations, and the positional relationship between the camera 2 and the surrounding scenery may be stored in the processing mechanism 3 as basic information. Based on this basic information, the processing mechanism 3 can be configured to estimate the position of the camera 2 in newly acquired image data. In FIG. 7, parts other than the inspection object 6 are colored gray for explanation.

In the auxiliary area image 9, the surrounding scenery is in focus, so that the aircraft engine, the seams and colors of the surfaces of the wings, etc. can be obtained as clear surrounding scenery. The processing mechanism 3 can accurately estimate the position of the camera 2 based on this surrounding scenery.

Since the camera 2 photographs the surrounding scenery along with the surface 6a including the flaws 7, etc., which is the object of inspection, the processing mechanism 3 can estimate the position of the surface 6a including the flaws 7, etc. from the surrounding scenery. The inspection device 1 can obtain position information of image data. By accumulating image data including position information, maintenance of the inspection object 6 such as an aircraft can be performed efficiently.

Since the image is acquired by bringing the leg structure 4 into contact with the surface 6a, the image is acquired while the distance between the camera 2 and the surface 6a is constant. When a predetermined range of the surface 6a is photographed, almost the same surrounding scenery will be included in the image data. This is advantageous for improving the accuracy of position information of image data.

Since the position information of image data can be acquired with high precision, there is no need for an arm extending from the ground. It becomes possible for a worker to carry around the inspection device 1 and conduct an inspection. This is advantageous for shortening inspection time. Since the inspection device 1 is portable, it is also possible to inspect wind turbine blades for wind power generation, rockets, etc. at high places. Since the inspection device 1 can be downsized, multiple inspection devices 1 can be used to perform inspections at the same time. Inspection time can be significantly shortened.

The processing mechanism 3 may previously have map information that divides the surface 6a of the inspection object 6 into a plurality of ranges. Map information can be created using drawing data representing the shape of an aircraft, etc. At this time, the processing mechanism 3 has a configuration that estimates the range in which the camera 2 is arranged among the plurality of ranges based on the surrounding scenery. As long as the cameras 2 are arranged in the same range, even if the installation positions of the cameras 2 are slightly different, the processing mechanism 3 can process the image data as image data obtained in the same range. It becomes easier to determine whether the flaw 7 or the like included in the image data is newly generated or the same flaw 7 already found in a past inspection.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the inspection apparatus 1 may be configured to include an inspection camera 2a that acquires an inspection area image 8 and an auxiliary camera 2b that acquires an auxiliary area image 9 as the cameras 2. That is, the inspection device 1 has a plurality of cameras 2a and 2b. The number of auxiliary cameras 2b is not limited to one, and may be composed of a plurality of auxiliary cameras. Further, the optical axis Pb of the auxiliary camera 2b may be inclined with respect to the optical axis P of the inspection camera 2a. In this case, since the auxiliary camera 2b photographs in a different direction from the inspection camera 2a, it becomes easier to photograph the surrounding scenery. The optical axis P of the inspection camera 2a and the optical axis Pb of the auxiliary camera 2b may be parallel. In FIG. 8, for the sake of explanation, the optical axis P of the inspection camera 2a and the optical axis Pb of the auxiliary camera 2b are shown by dashed lines.

The inspection device 1 of this embodiment does not include the leg structure 4. The inspection device 1 may include a leg structure 4. The inspection camera 2a has, for example, a standard lens or a macro lens. The auxiliary camera 2b has, for example, a wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens.

An example of image data obtained by the camera 2 illustrated in FIG. 8 is illustrated in FIG. The inspection area image 8 and the auxiliary area image 9 are each acquired as independent image data. The inspection area image 8 and the auxiliary area image 9 may be photographed at the same time or may not be photographed at the same time. However, the inspection area image 8 and the auxiliary area image 9 need to be acquired while the position and orientation of the camera 2 are fixed.

In order to acquire the inspection area image 8 and the auxiliary area image 9, it is possible to use a combination of cameras 2a and 2b that are suitable for each, making it easier to acquire more appropriate image data. On the other hand, a configuration in which the inspection lens 5a and the auxiliary lens 5b are installed in one camera 2 as in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3 is more advantageous for downsizing the inspection device 1. .

1 Inspection device 2 Camera 2a Inspection camera 2b Auxiliary camera 3 Processing mechanism 4 Leg structure 4a Leg part 4b Contact part 5 Lens 5a Inspection lens 5b Auxiliary lens 5c Through hole 6 Inspection object 6a Surface 7 Scratch 8 Inspection area image 9 Auxiliary area image x First direction y Second direction z Optical axis direction P, Pb Optical axis

Claims (8)

In an inspection device that inspects the surface condition of an object to be inspected,
comprising a camera that photographs the surface of the inspection object as well as surrounding scenery, and a processing mechanism that acquires image data from the camera and estimates the position of the camera based on the surrounding scenery,
An inspection apparatus characterized in that the camera has a configuration for acquiring an inspection area image including the surface and an auxiliary area image including the surrounding scenery. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the camera includes a single camera equipped with an inspection lens for acquiring the inspection area image and an auxiliary lens for acquiring the auxiliary area image. The inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary lens has a through hole formed along the optical axis direction, and the inspection lens is disposed in the through hole. The inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the inspection lens and the auxiliary lens are arranged side by side along the optical axis direction of the inspection lens. The inspection device according to claim 1, comprising, as the camera, an inspection camera that acquires the inspection area image, and an auxiliary camera that acquires the auxiliary area image. The processing mechanism has a configuration in which the processing mechanism has in advance map information that divides the surface into a plurality of ranges, and estimates the range in which the camera is arranged among the plurality of ranges based on the surrounding scenery. Inspection device according to any one of Items 1 to 5. In an inspection method for inspecting the surface condition of an object to be inspected,
Pre-equipped with a camera that photographs the surface of the object to be inspected as well as surrounding scenery, and a processing mechanism that acquires image data from the camera,
a photographing step in which the camera photographs an inspection area image including the surface and an auxiliary area image including the surrounding scenery; An inspection method comprising: an estimation step of estimating the position of a camera. The inspection method according to claim 7, wherein the inspection area image and the auxiliary area image are captured simultaneously.

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