Optics: measuring and testing – Angle measuring or angular axial alignment – Alignment of axes nominally coaxial
Patent
1996-07-30
1998-04-28
Font, Frank G.
Optics: measuring and testing
Angle measuring or angular axial alignment
Alignment of axes nominally coaxial
G01B 1126
Patent
active
057452326
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an inspection apparatus for inspecting deformation of a pipe such as a sewer or the like.
BACKGROUND ART
In general, a sewer is laid under the ground at a suitable gradient in view of topography, geology, a size or diameter of the sewer and a material for the sewer. Unfortunately, vibration applied from a vehicle traveling on the ground to the sewer, earthquake, a variation in ground or the like causes differential or uneven settlement of the sewer, leading to deformation or meandering of the sewer, vertical deviation of the sewer from a horizontal plane or the like. Such deformation of the sewer fails to permit sewage to smoothly flow toward a downstream side in the sewer or causes deposition of earth or sand in the deformed portion of the sewer. Thus, it is required to inspect deformation of the sewer at a suitable timing or time interval.
Inspection of deformation of a pipe is conventionally carried out in such a manner as shown in FIG. 4. More particularly, a laser beam emitting unit A which is provided thereon with a beam source F is fixedly arranged in the pipe so as to be positioned on one end side of the pipe and a target vehicle B is arranged so as to travel from the other end side of the pipe toward the laser beam emitting unit A in the pipe. The target vehicle B is provided thereon with a target board C and the laser beam emitting unit A is adjusted so as to permit a laser beam to be irradiated to or impinged on the target board C. When a height of a bottom F of a portion of the pipe at which the laser beam emitting unit A is positioned, a vertical distance between the pipe bottom E and the beam source E of the laser beam emitting unit A, a vertical distance between a bottom of a portion of the pipe at which the target board C is positioned and a center G of the target board C, a vertical distance between the center G of the target board C and an irradiated position I on the target board C to which the laser beam D is irradiated, and a vertical deviation between the irradiated position I and a virtual irradiated position on the target board C supposed when the laser beam D is horizontally emitted toward the target board C are indicated at H, H', R, R1 and J, respectively; a height L of a bottom K of a portion of the pipe at which the target vehicle B is positioned is represented by the following expression: the deviation J is obtained by an angle of emission of the laser beam D and a distance between the beam source F and the target board C.
Continuous or intermittent recording of the height L of the pipe bottom K with movement of the target vehicle B permits vertical deformation of the pipe to be recognized.
Detection of the irradiated position I on the target board C which is irradiated with the laser beam D may be visually carried out through recording of an image of the target board C by a TV mounted on the target vehicle B after the inspection.
Deformation of the pipe in a lateral direction thereof may be recognized by continuously or intermittently recording a position of a lateral portion M of the pipe.
Actually, it is highly difficult or troublesome to accurately recognize the irradiated position I on the target board C which is irradiated with the laser beam D depending on recording of the image by the TV, so that detection of the irradiated position I with time is carried out with reduced or deteriorated accuracy. A deterioration in accuracy at which the irradiated position I is detected causes detection of deformation of the pipe to be necessarily carried out with accuracy deteriorated correspondingly.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus which is capable of permitting an irradiated position on a target board to which a beam is irradiated to be accurately and instantaneously detected.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus which is capable of detecting an irradiated position on a target board to which a beam is irradiated with increas
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patent: 5347136 (1994-09-01), Ammann
Font Frank G.
Kansei Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Smith Zandra V.
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