Inspection method and apparatus for tanks and the like
First Claim
1. A device for remotely visually inspecting the interior of an elongated tank comprising a support, a viewing device carried on the support and a unit for displaying images of the interior of the tank scanned by the viewing device exterior of the tank, the support including a rigid member with a lead end capable of entering the tank through an access hole in the side of the tank in a radial direction and thereafter extending its lead end in translation axially from the zone of the access hole along the axis of the tank to a point relatively remote from the access hole and adjacent an end of the tank, the viewing device being carried on the rigid member adjacent its lead end and being capable of scanning the full inner circumference of the tank sidewall while the viewing device is carried by the rigid member axially from the zone of the access hole to a point adjacent an end wall of the tank.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for remotely visually inspecting the interior of an elongated tank. The apparatus includes an articulated arm which extends into the tank through an access opening and is adapted to pivot at successive joints by operation of associated servomotors to enable it to follow a path along the axis of the tank. A TV camera is carried on the lead end of the arm and scans the interior of the tank through 360° rotation about the tank axis. The arm carries the camera to the zones where the tank end walls are joined to the sidewall for viewing the zones from advantageous lines of view.
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Citations
18 Claims
- 1. A device for remotely visually inspecting the interior of an elongated tank comprising a support, a viewing device carried on the support and a unit for displaying images of the interior of the tank scanned by the viewing device exterior of the tank, the support including a rigid member with a lead end capable of entering the tank through an access hole in the side of the tank in a radial direction and thereafter extending its lead end in translation axially from the zone of the access hole along the axis of the tank to a point relatively remote from the access hole and adjacent an end of the tank, the viewing device being carried on the rigid member adjacent its lead end and being capable of scanning the full inner circumference of the tank sidewall while the viewing device is carried by the rigid member axially from the zone of the access hole to a point adjacent an end wall of the tank.
- 9. A system for remotely visually inspecting the interior of an elongated tank comprising a receiver, an elongated articulated arm, the receiver supporting said arm between a retracted vertical position external of the tank and an extended position in the tank, a coupling device for aligning the receiver with an access opening in the top of the sidewall of the tank, the articulated arm having a lead end segment and a series of segments trailing the lead end segment, each of said segments being joined to an adjacent segment by a single axis joint, the axes of the series of joints being parallel to one another and generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tank, a servomotor associated with each joint capable of selectively positioning the associated adjacent arm segments in a desired angular relation about the respective joint, a TV camera on the lead end section, a servomotor for extending and retracting the arm from and to the receiver, and a controller for operating the servomotors for causing the lead end of the arm to descend vertically into the tank through the access hole and then generally follow a path in translation along the longitudinal axis of the tank, the controller causing successive ones of the joint servomotors to be actuated to cause successive segments to each rotate about a trailing joint axis from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation.
- 14. A method of remotely visually inspecting the interior of an elongated tank comprising moving a remote viewing device along a path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tank, rotating a light receiver for the viewing device around an axis defined by the path to visually scan the sidewall of the tank, the light receiver being arranged to transmit light to the image sensor of a TV camera, and displaying and/or recording the image received by the TV camera at a point remote from the tank, the viewing device being supported on a rigid arm that is extended into the tank radially through an access opening and thereafter is caused to extend axially in a first direction to a point spaced from the access opening a distance greater than the diameter of the tank and adjacent an end wall of the tank.
Specification