Panoramic pipe inspector

Abstract

A system for securing image data of an environment including a camera having a panoramic lens mounted on a cart. In one embodiment, the motor mounted on the cart is battery operated so that the cart is self contained. In one embodiment, the cart is mounted on a pair of caterpillar treads, each tread having its own motor controlled to drive the motor forward, backward or to turn. For inline inspection, such as the inside of a pipe, the camera is mounted on the cart by cantilevered legs that permit adjusting the height of the camera above the surface supporting the cart (the interior surface of the pipe and maintains the axis of the panoramic lens parallel with the pipe. In other versions, the cart is equipped to form images of pipe whose interior surface has been penetrated by phospohescent laced water that weeps from outside the pipe into the pipe interior. In another embodiment, the inside surface of pipe is sprayed with a laccquer containing phosphorescent-ferromagnetic particles that coalesce along the edges of discontinuities in the pipe surface. In yet another embodiment, the cart and camera are encased in a water tight seal and with only the caterpilar treads mounted on wheels protrucint from the housing and the camera is encased in a water tight container. The caterpillar tread is equipped with flippers that lay down when the wheels supporting the tread turn in one direction but which are free to stand up when the tread is movved in the opposite direction. The flippers are lockable in either direction.