JP2024085061A - Well camera equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a camera device for a well that enables omnidirectional shooting for a well pipe installed inside a well without the need for correction of an acquired image.SOLUTION: A camera device 100 for a well includes: a camera installation member 2 in which a direct vision camera 6 is provided at a lowermost end; multiple side vision cameras 5 which are installed on a peripheral side surface part of the camera installation member 2 so that the longitudinal height coincides with each other; an LED illumination part 7 which is provided in the periphery of the direct vision camera 6 and the multiple side vision cameras 5; and a camera housing part 3 connected to the camera installation member 2 in which a split unit communicating with the multiple side vision cameras 5 and a camera controller communicating with the split unit and the direct vision camera 6 are installed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a well camera device that enables omnidirectional imaging of well pipes installed inside a well without the need to correct the captured images.

Conventionally, a well camera device has been proposed in which side-viewing cameras are installed in four vertical directions on the circumferential side of a camera installation member as a means of installing a well pipe in a well spanning 300 to 500 m and monitoring and photographing the condition inside the well pipe (for example, Patent Document 1). This well camera device is installed inside the well pipe installed in the well, and can monitor and inspect the condition of the entire circumferential surface of the well pipe in a 360° full range, reliably recording images in all directions without overlooking any adhesions or damage to the well pipe.

It has also been proposed to use a spherical camera capable of capturing images of the inside of a well in a 360-degree horizontal direction around the camera unit (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2011-119986 A JP 2019-27142 A

However, in Patent Document 1, the side-view cameras are arranged vertically (in the depth direction), which results in depth deviations between the cameras, and this depth deviation must be corrected to create images with the same depth using separately developed image analysis software.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, unlike images from monocular cameras, spherical cameras generally have distortion at the edges of the images, so in order to perform an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to correct the distortion of the images.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and provides a well camera device that enables omnidirectional imaging of a well pipe installed inside a well without the need to correct the captured image.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a well camera device that includes a camera installation member with a direct-view camera at the bottom end, multiple side-view cameras installed on the peripheral side of the camera installation member so that their vertical heights are the same, an LED lighting unit provided around the direct-view camera and the multiple side-view cameras, a split unit that communicates with the multiple side-view cameras, and a camera housing unit connected to the camera installation member, which has a camera controller that communicates with the split unit and the direct-view camera installed therein, and which is connected to a connector that is connected to the camera housing unit and communicates with the camera controller via a camera cable to a TV monitor on the ground, thereby displaying images from the direct-view camera and the multiple side-view cameras on the TV monitor.

In the well camera device, the multiple side-view cameras may be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

In the well camera device, the multiple side-view cameras may be positioned so that there is an overlap in the viewing angle between adjacent side-view cameras.

The well camera device may be configured so that the multiple side-view cameras are mounted so that they can rotate 360° left and right.

The number of the multiple side-view cameras in the well camera device may be two, three, or four.

The well camera device may display depth on the direct-view image captured by the direct-view camera and/or the side-view image captured by the side-view camera, which are displayed on the TV monitor.

In the well camera device, the LED lighting unit may be installed so that the lighting hits the surface photographed by the side-view camera at approximately a right angle.

The LED lighting unit may have multiple LED lamps arranged in the vertical and/or circumferential direction, and the multiple LED lamps may be individually controlled to be partially lit.

The well camera device of the present invention eliminates the need to correct the captured image, simplifying the analysis software and enabling more accurate real-time monitoring using images with the same height.

1 is an explanatory diagram of an entire well monitoring system including a well camera device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view of a well camera device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the main parts of a well camera device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the AA cross section of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the AA cross section of FIG. 3. 4 is a bottom view taken along line BB in FIG. 3. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the internal circuitry of a well camera device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

The following describes a preferred embodiment of the well camera device of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following description, and various modifications and changes are possible for those skilled in the art based on the gist of the invention described in the claims or disclosed in the description for carrying out the invention. Such modifications and changes are also included in the scope of the present invention.

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the entire well monitoring system including a well camera device 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a front view of the well camera device 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a front view of the main parts of the well camera device 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The well camera device 100 has a cylindrical underwater TV camera unit 1, which is abbreviated as MVP (Multi View Point) camera unit. The MVP camera unit 1 comprises a camera installation member 2 that can rotate 360 degrees, a camera housing unit 3 that is slidably fitted over the upper part of the camera installation member 2, and a connector 4 that connects to the camera housing unit 3.

Then, in the camera housing section 3 connected to the camera installation member 2, a split unit 9 that communicates with each side-view camera 5 and a camera controller 8 that communicates with the split unit 9 and the direct-view camera 6 are installed, and a connector 4 that is connected to the camera housing section 3 and communicates with the camera controller 8 is connected to a TV monitor 23 on the ground via camera cables 17 and 21, so that the images from the direct-view camera 6 and each side-view camera 5 are displayed on the TV monitor 23.

In the well camera device 100 of this embodiment, multiple side-view cameras 5 are installed on the periphery of the camera installation member 2 so that their vertical heights are consistent. By simultaneously capturing images at the same depth, real-time monitoring can be performed without correcting the images.

The side-view camera 5 can be, for example, a camera with a fisheye lens. There is no particular limit to the number of side-view cameras 5, but when four are arranged as shown in FIG. 4, for example, each has a wide viewing angle of, for example, 110°, and is arranged so that adjacent side-view cameras 5 overlap by, for example, 20° each, to prevent blind spots from occurring in the capture of the entire 360° circumference of the well pipe. By having an overlapping portion of the viewing angle between adjacent cameras 5, the effects of distortion at the end of the fisheye lens can be eliminated.

Depending on the viewing angle performance of the side-view camera 5, it is possible to adopt a three-way arrangement as shown in FIG. 5, or a two-way arrangement as shown in FIG. 6.

In addition, each side-view camera 5 may be mounted so that it can rotate 360 degrees in the left-right direction. By rotating each camera 5 in this manner, it is possible to capture images near the boundaries between each camera 5.

It is preferable that the multiple side-view cameras 5 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

A direct-view camera 6 is provided at the bottom end of the camera installation member 2. The direct-view camera 6 is used to check the condition inside the well pipe when the MVP camera unit 1 is moved up and down.

A desiccant or the like may be enclosed within the camera mounting member 2 to prevent the camera from fogging up.

As shown in FIG. 7, LED lighting units 7 are provided around the direct-view camera 6 and each side-view camera 5. By using LED lights to illuminate the area around the cameras, clearer photography is possible. The LED lighting units 7 are installed within the camera installation member 2 so that the lighting hits the image plane captured by the side-view camera 5 at a substantially right angle. This makes it possible to prevent shadows from appearing on the image plane.

The LED illumination unit 7 may have multiple LED lamps. The multiple LED lamps may be arranged in the vertical and/or circumferential direction. The multiple LED lamps may be individually controllable. By partially lighting the LED lamps in the vertical and/or circumferential directions, unevenness imaging is possible due to the shadows on the surface of the subject to be photographed. The LED lamps may be controlled from the ground by an LED controller (not shown) electrically connected to the multiplex unit 11 described later.

The peripheral side of the camera mounting member 2 is made of a transparent plastic material. In addition, the desiccant can be easily inserted and removed from inside the camera mounting member 2.

Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of the internal circuitry of a well camera device 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of explanation, only two side-view cameras 5 are shown in the vertical direction in the figure, but the side-view cameras 5 are positioned at the same height in the vertical direction.

The camera controller 8 is provided inside the camera installation member 2 and is connected to the direct-view camera 6. The camera controller 8 also communicates with the connector 4 via the multiplex unit 11 and the slip ring 14.

The split unit 9 connects to each side-view camera 5 and communicates with the camera controller 8. The split unit 9 allows the split images to be displayed simultaneously on a TV monitor 23 on the ground.

A camera controller 8, which is connected to the direct view camera 6 and to the side view camera 5 via a split unit 9, controls the direct view camera 6 and the side view camera 5 and transmits video signals to a TV monitor 23 on the ground.

The camera controller 8 may also have a function as a recorder. The captured video is recorded on a portable recording medium such as a USB memory, a DVD, or a memory card such as an SD card. Furthermore, the video may be shared with a remote location by connecting to a network such as a LAN. The recorder function may be provided separately from the camera controller 8.

The DC-DC converter 10 connects to the LED lighting unit 7 to supply power and is controlled through the multiplex unit 11.

The multiplexing unit 11 manages control signals to the direct view camera 6, the side view camera 5, and the LED lighting unit 7.

The pan motor 13 communicates with the camera controller 8 and controls the rotation of the side view camera 5.

The slip ring 14 connects to the multiplex unit 11 and to the connector 4.

The center riser 15 is installed between the base end member 16 of the connector 4 and a part of the camera housing part 3. The outer surface part of the center riser 15 slides up and down while contacting the inner wall surface of the well pipe a, and the camera housing part 3 moves up and down on the connector 4.

In FIG. 1, the camera cable 17 connects from the base end member 16 of the connector 4 to the inside of the connector 4, and from the inside of the camera housing part 3 to each camera 5, 6, and is connected to the electric winch 20 on the ground via the upper sheave 18 and the intermediate sheave 19, and from there connects to the TV monitor 23 via the camera cable 21 and the camera controller 22.

The depth counter cable 24 is connected between the camera controller 22 and the upper sheave 18. The depth counter 28 is attached to the shaft of the upper sheave 18 and can be, for example, a pulse encoder type rotary encoder with a resolution of 1 cm. The depth signal measured by the depth counter 28 is transmitted to the camera controller 22 via the depth counter cable 24.

The electric winch 20 is operated by a winch remote control 25, and a power cable 26 is further connected to the electric winch 20. In FIG. 1, the remote control is connected by a cable, but it may also be connected wirelessly. The electric winch 20 may have a traverser function to wind the rope evenly and prevent it from becoming undulating. It may also have a clutch control that allows switching between manual and motor drive.

A power cable 27 is connected to the camera controller 22 to supply power.

Not only can the recorded footage be saved as video, but by processing it with special software, it is possible to inspect the unfolded image of the entire inner surface of the well a.

When an abnormality is found in the image displayed on the TV monitor 23 on the ground, a detailed check can be performed reliably by switching between the images from the direct view camera 6 and each side view camera 5.

Switching between the images from the direct view camera 6 and the side view camera 5 of the MPV camera unit 1, and switching between the images from each side view camera 5 can be easily performed on the ground.

The depth measured by the depth counter 28 may be displayed on the direct view image captured by the direct view camera 6 and/or the side view image captured by the side view camera 5 displayed on the TV monitor 23.

1. Underwater TV camera section (MVP camera section)
2 Camera installation member 3 Camera housing section 4 Connector 5 Side view camera 6 Direct view camera 7 LED lighting section 8 Camera controller 9 Split unit
17 Camera cable
21 Camera cable
23 TV Monitor
28 Depth Counter

Claims (8)

A camera installation member having a direct-view camera at its lowest end;
A plurality of side-view cameras are installed on the peripheral side surface of the camera installation member so that the vertical heights are the same;
an LED illumination unit provided around the direct-view camera and the plurality of side-view cameras;
a camera housing portion connected to the camera installation member and having a split unit communicating with the plurality of side-view cameras and a camera controller communicating with the split unit and the direct-view camera installed therein;
A well camera device that displays images from the direct view camera and the multiple side view cameras on an aboveground TV monitor by connecting a connector connected to the camera housing portion and communicating with the camera controller via a camera cable to the TV monitor on the ground. The well camera device according to claim 1, in which the multiple side-view cameras are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The well camera device according to claim 1, wherein the side-viewing cameras are arranged so that adjacent side-viewing cameras have overlapping viewing angles. The well camera device according to claim 1, in which the multiple side-view cameras are mounted so that they can rotate 360° left and right. The well camera device according to claim 1, wherein the number of the side-view cameras is two, three, or four. The well camera device according to claim 1, which displays depth on the direct-view image captured by the direct-view camera and/or the side-view image captured by the side-view camera, which are displayed on the TV monitor. The well camera device according to claim 1, wherein the LED lighting unit is installed so that the lighting is directed at a substantially right angle to the surface photographed by the side-view camera. The well camera device of claim 1, wherein the LED illumination unit has a plurality of LED lamps arranged vertically and/or circumferentially, and the plurality of LED lamps can be individually controlled to be partially lit.

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