Inner drum module with push-cable interface for pipe inspection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12368944-B2
Application number	US-202418747912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2024
Priority date	Jun 23, 2023
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

A pipe inspection system includes a cable storage drum and a housing configured to removably receive and rotatably support the cable storage drum. A push-cable with a plurality of conductors is stored in the drum. An inspection camera may be attached to a distal end of the push-cable. The drum includes a hollow core outer cone configured to accept an inner core removable module. The removable module may include electrical, mechanical, wireless, satellite, and power/battery interfaces. The module mates with a contact plate sealed inside the inner cone. The inner core components, including the battery module, are stationary relative to the inner core. The inner core is free to rotate bidirectionally inside the outer cone as the camera is being fed into, and out of a pipe or conduit for inspection. Slip-rings are not required to maintain connectivity because the electronics and battery module are stationary relative to each other.

First claim

We claim:

1. A cable storage drum for a pipe inspection system, the cable storage drum comprising;
a cable storage drum;
a push-cable with a plurality of conductors, the push-cable being stored in the cable storage drum in a plurality of coils;
a housing for removably receiving and rotatably supporting the cable storage drum, the housing comprising:
an inner hub around which the cable storage drum may rotate bidirectionally;
a substantially hollow core outer cone removably attachable to the cable storage drum, the hollow core outer cone including a removable inner core module, wherein the inner core module includes a plurality of component interfaces for electrical or mechanical components, or both; and
a battery module interface attached inside the inner core module, wherein the outer cone and the inner core module including the battery module interface and the plurality of component interfaces rotate simultaneously with the cable storage drum.

2. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of component interfaces include one or more of electrical interfaces, mechanical interface, reel-counters, wireless communication equipment, and satellite positioning equipment.

3. The cable storage drum of claim 2 , wherein satellite positioning equipment includes GNSS equipment.

4. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein the battery module interface provides connectivity for multiple battery types and brands.

5. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein the battery module interface mates with a contact plate sealed inside the inner cone.

6. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , further comprising a camera head operatively connected to a distal end of the push-cable.

7. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein the inner hub includes a rotation module.

8. The cable storage drum of claim 7 , wherein the rotation module comprises a set of front bearings, and a set of rear bearings.

9. The cable storage drum of claim 8 , wherein the set of rear bearings is physically larger than the set of front bearings providing removable access of the battery module interface.

10. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein the outer cone includes an aperture for providing front-side access to the inner cone.

11. The cable storage drum of claim 7 , wherein the set of front and set of rear bearings are at least partially enclosed by a clamshell assembly housing comprising a first half clamshell enclosure and a second half clamshell enclosure which are removably attachable to each other.

12. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein the inner cone includes a battery mounting pocket including an exposed heatsink comprising an exposed thermally conductive surface for dissipating heat away from the battery module.

13. The cable storage drum of claim 3 , wherein the wireless communication equipment and the satellite positioning equipment include antennas, and wherein the antennas are positioned in a front side of the inner core module near a central axis of rotation of the cable storage drum.

14. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , further comprising one or more retractable kickstands for holding the cable storage drum in one or more upright or tilt-back positions.

15. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , further comprising one or more cable guides.

16. The cable storage drum of claim 15 , wherein the one or more cable guides comprise a split, two point cable exit guide including two feed-in/feed-out support apertures, wherein the support apertures are separated from each other by a distance of at least 4 times an inside aperture diameter.

17. The cable storage drum of claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of electrical contacts between the inner core module and the outer cone which mate when the inner core module is installed into the outer cone, and wherein the plurality of electrical contacts provide connections for one or more of power, data, or electrical signals between the component interfaces and the camera.

18. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , further comprising at least one latch for securing the inner core module to the outer cone.

19. The cable storage drum of claim 1 further comprising one or more operator controls exposed on an outside face of the inner core module.

20. The cable storage drum of claim 1 further comprising one or more interface indicators visible on an outside face of the inner core module.

21. The cable storage drum of claim 20 , wherein one or more of the interface indicators is a wireless connection status LED.

22. The cable storage drum of claim 20 , wherein one or more of the interface indicators is a power on status LED.

23. The cable storage drum of claim 11 , further comprising a handle attached to a top of the clamshell assembly housing.

24. The cable storage drum of claim 15 , wherein at least one of the one or more cable guides includes a camera spring locking mechanism.

25. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , further comprising a variable drag drum brake for slowing down or stopping rotation of the cable storage drum.

26. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , further comprising an internally powered drum drive module.

27. The cable storage drum of claim 3 , wherein the GNSS equipment includes a GNSS receiver.

28. The cable storage drum of claim 2 , wherein the wireless communication equipment includes a orientation sensing module.

29. The cable storage drum of claim 28 , wherein the orientation sensing module comprises at least one of a compass and an Inertial Navigation System (INS) sensor.

30. The cable storage drum of claim 2 , wherein the wireless communication equipment includes a rotation sensor for sensing rotations between the cable storage drum and the clamshell assembly.

31. The cable storage drum of claim 6 , further comprising a camera cable including a spring-loaded removable electrical interface which is mechanically secured to the cable storage drum and the outer cone assembly.

32. The cable storage drum of claim 31 , wherein the removable electrical interface is a three part stack assembly with a middle component connect via spring loaded contacts to an inside of the inner core module and the camera cable on an outside of the inner core module.

33. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein the inner core module includes one or more handles.

34. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein a NFT (Near Field Tag) is permanently or removably attached to a front exposed face of the inner core module.

35. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , further comprising a dry cable termination cable capture attached on an inside of the cable storage drum, and a spring contact interface attached on a reverse side of the cable storage drum that contacts at least one electronic interface inside the inner core module.

36. The cable storage drum of claim 1 , wherein the cable storage drum is substantially-round shaped.

37. The cable storage drum of claim 36 , wherein the enclosure is substantially-round shaped.

Assignees

• Seescan Inc

Inventors

• Parsons David C
• Olsson Mark S
• Martin Michael J
• Warren Alexander L
• Corvin Andrew P

Classifications

• B65H75/4471

  Housing enclosing the reel · CPC title

• B65H75/4442

  acting on the reel · CPC title

• B65H75/4449

  Arrangements or adaptations to avoid movable contacts or rotary couplings, e.g. by the use of an expansion chamber for a lenght of the cord or hose · CPC title

• B65H75/364

  the stored material being coiled · CPC title

• H04N23/555 Primary

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title