Borescope for drilled shaft inspection

• US 7,187,784 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aver Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Florida State University Research Foundation, Inc. (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Turner, Dan, Putcha, Sastry, Mallory, Edward J., Tawfiq, Kamal
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Jingge
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, CHONG R
• Application Number:
  US10/776,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20040160514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/109
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/002 by visual inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/954 Inspecting the inner surface of hollow bodies, e.g. bores

Abstract

Visual inspection of an interior surface of a borehole. A housing adapted to be lowered in the borehole supports a portable camera for generating images of a portion of the interior surface of the borehole and a light source for illuminating an area adjacent the camera. A monitor receives signals from the camera and, in response thereto, displays the images generated by the camera. A viewing envelope positioned adjacent the camera defines a viewing area adjacent the camera, particularly for use in visually inspecting slurry-filled boreholes.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting a borehole containing a slurry, said method comprising:

lowering a camera assembly into the slurry, said camera assembly having a reference weight in air;

determining a velocity at which the camera assembly is lowered;

measuring a buoyant weight of the camera assembly in the slurry;

determining a density of the slurry as a function of a comparison between the measured buoyant weight of the camera assembly in the slurry and the reference weight of the camera assembly in air.

2. A system for visually inspecting an interior surface of a construction borehole containing a slurry, said system comprising:

a camera assembly, said camera assembly comprising;

a portable camera for generating images of a portion of the interior surface of the borehole and for generating signals representative of the generated images;

a light source for illuminating an area adjacent the camera thereby enabling the images of the interior surface of the borehole to be generated by the camera;

a housing for the camera and the light source, said housing providing the camera with viewing access and adapted to be lowered into the borehole;

a viewing envelope positioned adjacent the camera and external to the housing, said viewing envelope comprising a transparent shell defining a fluid chamber and defining a viewing area adjacent the camera, said light source illuminating the viewing area, and said viewing envelope having a width less than a width of the construction borehole; and

a load cell for measuring a buoyant weight of the camera assembly in the slurry relative to a reference weight of the camera assembly in air; and

a computer receiving and responsive to the measured buoyant weight for determining a density of the slurry in the borehole.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a video recorder for recording the images generated by the camera.

4. The system of claim 2 farther comprising a monitor receiving and responsive to the signals from the camera for displaying the images generated by the camera.

5. The system of claim 2 farther comprising an image processor for acquiring an image of the interior surface of the borehole from the images generated by the camera and for processing the acquired image.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the images generated by the camera each include a plurality of pixels, said pixels each having a value representative of an optical characteristic of the images, and wherein the image processor processes the acquired image of the interior surface of the borehole as a function of the pixel values.

7. The system of claim 2 further comprising a rechargeable power supply for supplying power to the camera and/or the monitor.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein the fluid chamber of the viewing envelope is filled with water.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein the transparent shell comprises a rigid plastic.

10. The system of claim 2 wherein the transparent shell comprises a flexible plastic.

11. The system of claim 2 further comprising a rotational motion stage for tilting the camera in a plane relative to an axis of the housing.

12. The system of claim 2 further comprising a rotational motion stage for rotating the camera about an axis of the housing.

13. The system of claim 2 further comprising a probe for use with the housing for measuring penetration on a bottom of the borehole and determining an amount of a deposit at the bottom of the borehole and wherein at least one of the images generated by the camera displays the probe.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the probe comprises a graduated bar protruding from the housing and connected to the housing by a spring, said graduated bar being in the viewing area of the camera.

15. The system of claim 2 wherein the housing includes a transparent dome through which the camera has viewing access.

16. The system of claim 2 wherein an outer width of the housing is less than the width of the construction borehole.

17. The system of claim 2 wherein the fluid chamber of the viewing envelope is filled with air.

18. A system for visually inspecting an interior surface of a construction borehole, said system comprising:

a portable camera for generating images of a portion of the interior surface of the borehole and for generating signals representative of the generated images, said camera defining a viewing area adjacent the camera in which the images are generated;

a light source for illuminating at least a portion of the viewing area adjacent the camera thereby enabling the images of the interior surface of the borehole to be generated by the camera;

a housing for the camera and the light source, said housing adapted to be lowered into the borehole;

a probe for use with the housing for measuring a penetration resistance of the probe on a bottom of the borehole and determining an amount of a deposit at the bottom of the borehole as a function of the measured penetration resistance and wherein at least one of the images generated by the camera displays the probe; and

a monitor receiving and responsive to signals from the camera for displaying the images generated by the camera.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a video recorder for recording the images generated by the camera.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the monitor comprises a computer having a display, said computer receiving the images generated by the camera and displaying the images on its display.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising an image processor for acquiring an image of the interior surface of the borehole from the images generated by the camera and for processing the acquired image.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the images generated by the camera each include a plurality of pixels, said pixels each having a value representative of an optical characteristic of the images, and wherein the image processor processes the acquired image of the interior surface of the borehole as a function of the pixel values.

23. The system of claim 18 further comprising a rechargeable power supply for supplying power to the camera and/or the monitor.

24. The system of claim 18 further comprising a viewing envelope positioned adjacent the camera, said viewing envelope defining a viewing area adjacent the camera, and wherein the light source illuminates the viewing area.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the viewing envelope comprises a transparent shell defining a fluid chamber.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the fluid chamber of the viewing envelope is filled with water.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the transparent shell comprises a rigid plastic.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the transparent shell comprises a flexible plastic.

29. The system of claim 18 further comprising a motion control mechanism connected to the portable camera for controlling a viewing angle of the portable camera relative to an axis of the housing and comprising a rotational motion stage for tilting the viewing angle in a plane relative to the axis of the housing.

30. The system of claim 18 further comprising a motion control mechanism connected to the portable camera for controlling a viewing angle of the portable camera relative to an axis of the housing and comprising a rotational motion stage for rotating the viewing angle about the axis of the housing.

31. A system for visually inspecting an interior surface of a construction borehole, said system comprising:

a portable camera for generating images of a portion of the interior surface of the borehole and for generating signals representative of the generated images, said camera defining a viewing area adjacent the camera in which the images are generated;

a light source for illuminating at least a portion of the viewing area adjacent the camera thereby enabling the images of the interior surface of the borehole to be generated by the camera;

a housing for the camera and the light source, said housing adapted to be lowered into the borehole;

a probe for use with the housing for measuring a penetration of the probe on a bottom of the borehole and determining an amount of a deposit at the bottom of the borehole and wherein at least one of the images generated by the camera displays the probe, and wherein the probe comprises a graduated bar protruding from the housing and connected to the housing by a spring, said graduated bar being in the viewing area of the camera.; and

a monitor receiving and responsive to signals from the camera for displaying the images generated by the camera.