Self-leveling inspection systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12235221-B2
Application number	US-202318203029-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2023
Priority date	Jan 26, 2011
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

Self-leveling inspection system methods and devices for use in inspecting buried pipes or other cavities are disclosed. The system includes a camera head with an image sensor, an orientation sensor, and a signal processing module including a processing programmed to receive an image from the image sensor, and an orientation signal from the orientation sensor, generate a second image based at least in part on information provided from the orientation sensor, and store the second image in a non-transitory memory.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of generating an image in a pipe inspection system, comprising:
generating, at an image sensor in a camera head, a first image comprising a first plurality of pixel values at a first pixel size of n horizontal pixels by m vertical pixels;
generating, at an orientation sensing module in the camera head, an orientation signal corresponding to a vertical orientation of the image sensor relative to Earth-normal, wherein the orientation signal is an accelerometer signal;
generating, at an image processing module in the camera head, a second image corresponding to a subset of the first plurality of pixel values of the first image corresponding to a rotation of the first image, wherein the subset of pixels are generated based at least in part on the orientation signal;
converting the second image from a first color space to a second color space; and
saving the second image in the converted color space in a non-transitory memory.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including sending the second image from the camera head to a camera control module external to the camera head.

3. A system for generating an image in a pipe inspection system, comprising:
a camera head including an image sensor and electronics to generate a first image comprising a first plurality of pixel values at a first pixel size of n horizontal pixels by m vertical pixels;
the camera head further including an orientation sensor for generating an orientation signal corresponding to a vertical orientation of the image sensor relative to Earth-normal, and signal processing electronics operatively coupled to the image sensor and orientation sensor to receive the orientation signal and the first plurality of pixel values and generate a second image, corresponding to a subset of the first plurality of pixel values of the first image, wherein the subset of pixels are generated based at least in part on the orientation signal;
wherein the signal processing electronics convert the second image from a first color space to a second color space; and
a non-transitory memory operatively coupled to the signal processing electronics to store the second image in the converted color space.

4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a push cable including conductors communicatively coupled to an output of the line driver to send the second image as a frame of an output video signal to an electronic device external for rendering, in an angular orientation theta relative to a reference orientation, on a display module.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory memory is in the camera head.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising sending the second image in the converted color space from the camera head via a transmission medium to a communicatively coupled camera control unit (CCU).

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the transmission medium is a wired conductor.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the transmission medium is a wireless medium.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the CCU includes a cellular wireless communication module and the second image in the converted color space is sent via the wireless communications module to a cellular data communication module.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the CCU includes a WiFi wireless communication module and the second image in the converted color spent is sent via the wireless communications module to a WiFi communications module.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the CCU includes a USB module and the second image in the converted color spent is sent from the USB module to another device.

12. The system of claim 3 further comprising a line driver, wherein the camera head further comprises a line driver coupled to an output of the signal processing electronics to provide the second image in the converted color space as a frame of an output video signal to a line driver.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the non-transitory memory is in the camera head.

14. The system of claim 3 , further including a cellular wireless communications module, wherein the second image in the converted color space is sent via the cellular wireless communications module to another cellular data communication module.

15. The system of claim 3 , further including a WiFi wireless communications module, wherein the second image in the converted color space is sent via the WiFi communications module to another WiFi data communication module.

16. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a USB communications module, wherein the second image in the converted color space is sent via the USB communications module to another device.

Assignees

• Seescan Inc

Inventors

• Olsson Mark S
• Shaffer Roger B
• Bench Stephanie M
• Merewether Ray
• Martin Michael J
• Cox David A

Classifications

• H04N23/60

  Control of cameras or camera modules · CPC title

• H04N23/6812

  based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/683

  performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory · CPC title

• H04N23/58

  Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors · CPC title

• G01N2021/8896

  Circuits specially adapted for system specific signal conditioning · CPC title