This invention relates to a method of imaging a downhole region of interest. In particular this invention relates to a method of processing images captured downhole to remove or reduce distortions due to the optical system as a function of the temperature experienced by the optical system in the downhole environment. A method of imaging a downhole region of interest comprises contemporaneously capturing an image of a region of interest and recording a temperature associated with the region of interest; selecting a pre-defined set of distortion data from a plurality of pre-defined sets of distortion data based on the recorded temperature; and applying the selected set of distortion data to the captured image to create an un-distorted image, wherein the pre-defined set of distortion data comprises distortion values associated with a range of field angles at a specified temperature.

Push-cables and associated apparatus for pipe inspection systems are disclosed. In one embodiment a pipe inspection system includes a camera head, a push-cable including an outer covering enclosing a plurality of electrical conductors for transmitting signals and/or power between the camera head and an electronic device operatively coupled to the push-cable, and a spring assembly disposed about the push-cable near the distal end where the spring assembly comprises a spring with a tapered flex section having a varying cross-sectional area and/or a varying cross-sectional shape.

The group of inventions relates to measuring technology, in particular to methods for inspection of the shape of hard-to-reach parts, and can be used in power engineering, transport, mechanical engineering and other fields of technology to measure the geometric parameters of a part. The technical result of the invention as claimed is to increase the accuracy, reliability and performance of measurements related to determining the shape and defects of parts installed in cavities, as well as the shape of the internal cavities of products and surface discontinuities. The method for controlling the shape of hard-to-reach parts, including the stages of delivery inside the controlling equipment of the executive part of the control system equipped with a miniature stereo camera, for navigation across the path of which white light illumination is used, the white light illumination is transmitted through an optical fiber, after leaving which the given indicatrix of intensity is formed by means of the first lens. This is followed by the stage of turning off or dimming the white light, followed by turning on the laser, which, by means of an optical fiber transmitting a laser stream passing through the second lens, forms a beam of rays, which, passing through a diffraction optical element, forms an image with small laser spots of intensity on the hard-to-reach surface of the part to obtain a stereo image of the hard-to-reach surface of the part. A three-dimensional hard-to-reach surface is restored, while laser intensity spots on a pair of flat images are used to automatically identify the same points of object on stereo images with a given degree of confidence. The inspection system consists of a miniature digital camera that forms a stereo image of the object under control, a white light illumination unit, a laser illuminator operating in pulsed or continuous mode, a handle placed on the articulation control panel, a PC for processing and displaying information, articulation cables, two lenses, DOE, a laser fiber, lighting fiber, power line and a video signal transmission line.

A pipeline inspection device including a housing, an antenna, an imaging device having one or more lenses, two diaphragms extending from the housing and distal to one another along the length of the housing, the two diaphragms sharing a longitudinal axis with the housing, a processor, a storage device in communication with the processor, and a memory in communication with the processor, storing a machine learning algorithm and instructions to be executed by the processor, wherein the antenna is operable to communicate with a remote transceiver, the remote transceiver being located on a pipeline through which the pipeline inspection device travels. Also disclosed herein are systems and methods for using the same.

The present disclosure relates to a robot traveling device including a body part, a moving part that slidably moves in a longitudinal direction of the body part, a front end traveling part that is rotatably mounted on the body part and the moving part and is rotatable by contact friction, and a rear end traveling part that is rotatably mounted on the body part and the moving part and is rotatable by contact friction.

In one embodiment, a method for mapping pipes under inspection includes generating, from a video inspection camera inserted into a pipe, one or more images of the interior of the pipe, generating video camera velocity data, and determining, based at least in part on the one or more images and the velocity data, an estimation of the interior size of the pipe.

In one embodiment, a method for mapping pipes under inspection includes generating, from a video inspection camera inserted into a pipe, one or more images of the interior of the pipe, generating video camera velocity data, and determining, based at least in part on the one or more images and the velocity data, an estimation of the interior size of the pipe.

The field of inspection assemblies and in particular to inspection assemblies that include light sources for illuminating a field of view of a camera including an elongate housing having a longitudinal axis, a camera mounted in the housing and arranged to capture an image of a region within a field of view external to the housing, a light source mounted in the housing and arranged to illuminate the field of view, and a window element mounted in the housing, the window element comprising a light transmitting material and being located such that light emitted by the light source passes through the window element before illuminating the field of view. The window element has an internal surface, closer to the light source, and an external surface, further from the light source, and the external surface comprises a concave region.

Compact camera heads as used in inspection systems having improved thermal extraction architectures are disclosed. Methods for assembling a camera head and associated components having improved thermal extraction architectures are also disclosed.

Inspection assemblies that include one or more sideview cameras for capturing images of an interior surface of a pipe or conduit include an elongate housing, a sideview camera within the housing and arranged to capture an image of a region within a field of view external to the housing, and a viewport element mounted in the housing and located such that light is transmitted through the viewport element and into said sideview camera, wherein the viewport element has a concave internal surface, closer to the camera, and a convex external surface, further from the camera, and wherein the centre of the radius of curvature of the internal surface is closer to the viewport element than the centre of the radius of curvature of the external surface.