Inspection systems and methods

• US 10,162,796 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Coombs, Kevin Andrew, Domke, Michael Christopher, Ward, Thomas Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Haque, Md N
• Application Number:
  US13/732,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,185 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/954 Inspecting the inner surface of hollow bodies, e.g. bores
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2694 Wings or other aircraft parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/90 using eddy currents
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/04 Analysing solids using acoustic emission techniques G01N29/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2461 Illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Systems and methods provided herein. In one embodiment, a system includes a mobile device comprising a display screen. The system further includes a non-destructive testing (NDT) device comprising a camera configured to capture image data, video data, or a combination thereof, and a wireless system configured to communicate the image data, the video data, an overlay data or a combination thereof, to the mobile device; wherein the mobile device is configured to visually display the image data, the video data, the overlay data, or the combination thereof, on the display screen.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first handheld non-destructive testing (NDT) device comprising a borescope, the borescope comprising;

a camera included in the first handheld NDT device and configured to capture image data, video data, or a combination thereof;

a first display screen configured to display the image data, the video data, and overlay data, or combination thereof; and

a wireless system configured to communicate the image data, the video data, an overlay data or a combination thereof, to a second handheld NDT device comprising a second display screen configured to display the image data, the video data, the overlay data, or combination thereof, and to a mobile device comprising a third display screen configured to display the image data, the video data, the overlay data, or combination thereof, wherein the wireless system is configured to communicate the image data, the video data, the overlay data or the combination thereof in realtime when a user is carrying the first handheld NDT device, and wherein the overlay data comprises text to be overlaid on top of the image data, the video data, or the combination thereof.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first handheld NDT device is configured to include the image data, the video data, or a combination thereof, in a first data stream, and the overlay data on a second data stream, the wireless system is configured to communicate the first and the second data streams, and the mobile device is configured to visually merge the first and the second data streams to visually display the data, the video data, the overlay data, or the combination thereof, on a display screen.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile device is configured to use a synchronization signal to visually merge the first and the second data streams.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the overlay data comprises a tip map, a measurement, a menu, an annotation, or a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first handheld NDT device comprises a sensor configured to sense a measurement, and the wireless system is configured to use the wireless system to communicate sensor data sensed by the sensor.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor, a flow rate sensor, a pressure sensor, a fuel utilization sensor, a chemical analysis sensor, a speed sensor, a clearance sensor, or a combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the borescope comprises a head end section, an articulating section, and a conduit section, and wherein the camera is disposed in the head end section, and wherein the articulating section is configured to be remotely controllable.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second handheld NDT device comprises a transportable pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera configured to rotate about an axis, to tilt with respect to the axis, and to optically zoom a camera, or a second borescope.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the PTZ camera is configured to be remotely controlled to rotate, to tilt, and to optically zoom.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless system is configured to communicate the image data, the video data, an overlay data or the combination thereof, to a cloud, and the cloud is configured to communicate the image data, the video data, an overlay data or the combination thereof, to the mobile device.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions configured to:

capture image data, video data, or a combination thereof, by using a first handheld non-destructive testing (NDT) device comprising a borescope, the borescope comprising a camera included in the first handheld NDT device and a first display screen configured to display the image data, the video data, an overlay data, or combination thereof;

wirelessly communicate the image data, the video data, or the combination thereof; and

wirelessly communicate an overlay data, wherein the instructions configured to wirelessly communicate the image data, the video data, and the overlay data comprise instructions configured to instructions configured to wirelessly communicate the image data, the video data, and the overlay data in realtime during handheld operations of the first handheld NDT device to a second handheld NDT device comprising a second display screen configured to display the image data, the video data, the overlay data, or combination thereof, and to a mobile device comprising a third display screen configured to display the image data, the video data, the overlay data, or combination thereof, and wherein the overlay data comprises text to be overlaid on top of the image data, the video data, or combination thereof.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions configured to wirelessly communicate the image data, the video data, or the combination thereof, comprise instructions to use a first data stream to communicate the image data, the video data, or the combination thereof, and wherein the instructions configured to wirelessly communicate the overlay data comprise instructions configured to use a second data stream to wirelessly communicate an overlay data, and the instructions configured to visually display the image data, the video data, the overlay data, or the combination thereof, comprise instructions configured to visually merge the first and the second data streams to visually display the data, the video data, the overlay data, or the combination thereof.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the overlay data comprises a tip map, a measurement, a menu, an annotation, or a combination thereof.

14. A system comprising:

a mobile device comprising a first display screen; and

a first handheld non-destructive testing (NDT) device comprising a borescope, the borescope comprising;

a camera included in the first handheld NDT device having a sensor configured to sense data;

a second display screen configured to display the data, an overlay data;

or combination thereof, and

a wireless system configured to communicate the data to a second handheld NDT device comprising a third display screen configured to display the data the overlay data, or combination thereof, and to the mobile device;

wherein the mobile device is configured to visually display the data on the display screen device, wherein the wireless system is configured to communicate the image data, the video data, the overlay data or the combination thereof in realtime when a user is carrying the first handheld NDT device, and wherein the overlay data comprises text to be overlaid on top of the image data, the video data, or combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second handheld NDT device comprises;

a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera, an ultrasonic inspection device, an x-ray inspection device, or a combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the wireless system is configured to communicate an overlay data, and wherein the mobile device is configured to visually display the overlay data on the first display screen.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first handheld NDT device is configured to include the data in a first data stream, and the overlay data on a second data stream, the wireless system is configured to communicate the first and the second data streams, and the mobile device is configured to visually merge the first and the second data streams to visually display the data, the overlay data, or the combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the mobile device is configured to use a synchronization signal to visually merge the first and the second data streams.