3D-Measurement of the Pipe Geometry with Geo-Sensors
Version: 1.3.8
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Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64 bit), all updates included.
Software: WinCanVX; version 1.2023.15.X or higher
Module MapVX: real time drawing of the section geometry, based on the coordinate values (X/Y/Z).
Module WinCan 3D: drawing and 3D-visualization of the whole pipeline network, based on the coordinate values (X/Y/Z) recorded for each section.
Settings in WinCan VXWinCanVX
Prior to pipe geometry measurement the operator has to check all the required settings in WinCanVX as well as in the software module Map.
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The corresponding measuring system has to be configured under Home > Settings. The configurations described below refer to the systems which are currently available and supported by WinCanVX.
Equipment from IBAK:
Run the command Home > Settings, go to the category OSD and select the device EDE 7 as well as the corresponding COM-port (1):
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Next switch to the systems which are currently available and supported by WinCanVX.
Equipment from IBAK:
Run the command Home > Settings, go to the category OSD and select the device EDE 7 as well as the corresponding COM-port (1):
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Next switch to the category 3D-Measurement, reselect the same device and activate the option Select start direction. Select compellingly another COM-port (e.g. COM2 or COM3).
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Important: in case the virtual device IBAK-SoftControl has been installed, you must select this one in the categories Live-Video, Textgenerator as well as 3D-Measurement. |
The option Show button for hydrostatic measurement is only used in case you are asked to provide accurate measurements of the manhole altitudes (i.e. altitude above sea level of the manhole bottom).the category 3D-Measurement, reselect the same device and activate the option Select start direction. Select compellingly another COM-port (e.g. COM2 or COM3).
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| Note |
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Important: in case the virtual device IBAK-SoftControl has been installed, you must select this one in the categories Live-Video, Textgenerator as well as 3D-Measurement. |
The option Show button for hydrostatic measurement is only used in case you are asked to provide accurate measurements of the manhole altitudes (i.e. altitude above sea level of the manhole bottom).
Finally confirm all settings and restart WinCanVX.
Equipment from iPEK
Run the command Home > Settings, go to the category OSD and select the device DCX/VisionControl as well as the corresponding COM-port:
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Next switch to the category 3D-Measurement and reselect the same device. The equipment from iPEK works without activation of any additional option (1)
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Finally confirm all settings and restart WinCanVX.
Equipment from
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Rausch:
Run the command Home > Settings, go to the category OSD and select the device DCX/VisionControl Visatec-WKI as well as the corresponding COM-port:
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Next switch to the category 3D-Measurement and reselect the same device. The equipment from iPEK Rausch works without activation of any additional option (1)
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A built-in compass gadget allows the user to get the camera crawler precisely orientated to the north.
Finally confirm all settings and restart WinCanVX.
User profile settings
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Equipment from Rausch:
Run the command Home > Settings, go to the category OSD and select the device Visatec-WKI as well as the corresponding COM-port:
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Next switch to the category 3D-Measurement and reselect the same device. The equipment from Rausch works without activation of any additional option (1).
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A built-in compass gadget allows the user to get the camera crawler precisely orientated to the north.
Finally confirm all settings and restart WinCanVX.
User profile settings
Once text generator and geosensor have been properly configured and recognized by the system, WinCan VX automatically launches the 3D measurement wizard in a separate panel.
You may select and modify the pre-configured user profile under Views > Profile > Measurement 3D and save it under a new name:
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If either the hardware configuration or the the hardware itself is faulty the measurement wizard will return a corresponding feed-back.
Check again the program settings, restart the equipment and hit the refresh button (1) in the wizard.
Data entry settings
The software WinCanVX also provides some settings which need to be checked before you run any 3D-measurement.
Go to Home > Settings > General > General Settings and make sure the option highlighted below is unchecked:
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Next go to Home > Settings > General > Auto-naming (Section/Lateral) and make sure the option highlighted below is activated.
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Next go to Home > Settings > PlugIns, select the PlugIn AutoCreateConnections and activate the options highlighted below (1 to 4):
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WinCanVX thus will automatically create records for the laterals and name them accordingly as soon as you have finished the inspection of the main pipe.
Creation of laterals is based on observations with specific OP-Codes that refer to laterals.
Settings in Map
The module Map allows to display the 3D measurement process in real time. The software therefore requires that the user checks and adjusts the settings described in this chapter.
Go to File > Settings > General and activate the option highlighted below (2). You may also hit the button Change and set the default projection system which is valid for your country or your region (1):
Go to File > Settings > NodeTemplates and select one or more predefined templates that will have a dialog popped up showing you the most important country-specific data entry fields as soon as you draw a new object in the manhole layer:
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Once text generator and geosensor have been properly configured and recognized by the system, WinCan VX automatically launches the 3D measurement wizard in a separate panel.
You may select and modify the pre-configured user profile under Views > Profile > Measurement 3D and save it under a new name:
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If either the hardware configuration or the the hardware itself is faulty the measurement wizard will return a corresponding feed-back.
Check again the program settings, restart the equipment and hit the refresh button (1) in the wizard.
Data entry settings
The software WinCanVX also provides some settings which need to be checked before you run any 3D-measurement.
Go to Home > Settings > General > General Settings and make sure the option highlighted below is unchecked:
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Next go to Home > Settings > General > Auto-naming (Section/Lateral) and make sure the option highlighted below is activated.
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Next go to Home > Settings > PlugIns, select the PlugIn AutoCreateConnections and activate the options highlighted below (1 to 4):
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WinCanVX thus will automatically create records for the laterals and name them accordingly as soon as you have finished the inspection of the main pipe.
Creation of laterals is based on observations with specific OP-Codes that refer to laterals.
Settings in Map
The module Map allows to display the 3D measurement process in real time. The software therefore requires that the user checks and adjusts the settings described in this chapter.
Go to File > Settings > General and activate the option highlighted below (2). You may also hit the button Change and set the default projection system which is valid for your country or your region (1):
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Go to File > Settings > NodeTemplates and select one or more predefined templates that will have a dialog popped up showing you the most important country-specific data entry fields as soon as you draw a new object in the manhole layer:
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Make sure you have activated the tab 3D Measurement which provides a limited set of commands you can call up easily and quickly in case you use them for preparing or controlling the 3D recording process in Map:
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After creating or opening a Map project you may select the way how layer objects (i.e. sections, laterals, manholes, inspections, observations points etc.) should appear on the screen. This will get your geographic data much better readable.
Use the corresponding context menu command as shown below to load a list of preconfigured Map themes and select a design that fits best for customers in your country:
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The context menu command Load Themes For All applies a theme (object design) for all layers.
The context menu command Show properties allows you to modify the object design for each layer.
The context menu command Save Themes For All saves all modified layer properties under a new or the same theme name.
Preparing measurement
The geo-sensor always provides relative coordinate values, which are based on a point zero (0/0/0).
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In both cases the manhole coordinates are automatically taken from the projection system the DXF-plot is based on.
Make sure you placed the camera into the manhole where you want to start the 3D-measurement and switch back to WinCanVX.
Keep the Map interface open as it is going to show you the measurement progress in real time.
Running measurement
The following steps describe the procedure of the 3D measurement in detail. The camera must be properly connected to the computer and placed into the start manhole.
1.) Open WinCanCaVX, create a new project and a first section.
2.) Mind that you filled out at least the following section and inspection fields:
Section name (i.e. Asset ID, PLR-Suffix etc.)
Upstream manhole (e.g. T10)
Downstream manhole (e.g. T11)
Pipe shape (circular, rectangular, oval…)
Pipe diameter
Inspection direction
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3.) Switch on the camera and hit the red recording button. Besides the video clip recording the software can also do a stepwise recording of the current camera position (X/Y/Z) during the whole inspection.
4.) Hit the 3D-button and select the measuring direction (forward or backward). The dialogue below only appears in case the start distance is bigger than 0 m:
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5.) Next the software needs the angle value representing the driving direction. Simply move the clock hand via drag & drop to the desired position in the dialogue box below:
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6.) Camera equipments from the company RAUSCH require a calibration of the north direction of the crawler via the corresponding button (4a)
7.) Create a first observation to define the beginning of the section.
8.) Drive through the pipe and describe the observations and defects as usual.
9.) Enter all observations representing laterals (satellites). The survey of the lateral pipes can be done after you have finished the main pipe survey.
10.) Create a last observation to mark the survey of the section either as finished (completed) or as abandoned: 3D-measurement is finishing automatically after you confirmed the corresponding OP-Code. Hitting the 3D-button does also terminate the measurementthe projection system the DXF-plot is based on.
Make sure you placed the camera into the manhole where you want to start the 3D-measurement and switch back to WinCanVX.
Keep the Map interface open as it is going to show you the measurement progress in real time.
Checking altitude/depth values
It is crucial for a reliable calculation of the 3D pipeline network, that you have entered valid data into all the corresponding altitude/depth fields of the section and node category:
Pipe depth in the upstream manhole (from cover to pipe bottom) (SECTION.OBJ_FromNodeDepth)
Pipe bottom altitude (above sea level) in the upstream manhole (SECTION.OBJ_FromNodeInvert)
Pipe depth in the downstream manhole (from cover to pipe bottom) (SECTION.OBJ_ToNodeDepth)
Pipe bottom altitude (above sea level) in the downstream manhole (SECTION.OBJ_ToNodeInvert)
Manhole cover altitude above sea level (Z-Coordinate) (NODE.OBJ_Shape_WKT_Z)
Depth of the upstream/downstream manhole (from cover to bottom) (NODE.OBJ_DepthToInvert)
Bottom altitude above sea level of the upstream/downstream manhole (NODE.OBJ_NodeInvert)
The sketch below illustrates the meaning of these fields:
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Legend:
Green = values to be provided by engineers/water authorities
Brown = values to be measured by the operator or provided by engineers/water authorities
Blue = values to be measured by the operator
Red = values calculated by WinCanVX hitting the button Tools > Calculate Invert Levels
Running 3D measurement for main pipes
WinCan versions 1.2023.15.X or higher improve the usability of cameras with 3D geo-sensors. The preparation of the camera equipment is strictly guided by a wizard telling the operator stepwise and prior to the measurement all the checks he must do to finally get reliable measurement data, that are shown in Map and in WinCan 3D.
To start the measurement, create a new project and a first section. Make sure you enter valid data into the corresponding section and inspection fields which must be provided by the official country standards (e.g. WRC, PACP, WSA, NZPIM). Especially mind the altitude/depth fields which are highlighted below:
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Switch to the node category and enter valid data into the corresponding manhole fields. Especially mind the altitude/depth fields which are highlighted below:
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You may run the tool WinCan Validator now to check whether the database fields needed for proper 3D measurement have got valid data. Otherwise, the 3D measurement wizard will ask you accordingly.
Measurement in forward or backward direction
After the camera crawler has reached the end of the pipeline, you may hit the 3D-button again to run an additional measurement in backward direction. This one finishes automatically as soon as the camera has reached the position of 0 m. A message finally asks the user, whether the geometry of the pipe course should be based on the backward measurement or not:
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Click on No if you want to keep the measurement in forward direction. The context menu command Show section measurements allows you to toggle between both pipe course measurements and to select that one that better represents the real pipeline geometry:
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During the inspection of the current section WinCan Map automatically draws the pipe course based on the geo-coordinates the sensor is constantly sending to the computer. Keep the Map window open to follow the real time movement of the camera on the map. For that purpose the map/plot must be available in the DXF format:
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Check the distance counter for the satellite camera and set it to 0 m if necessary.
Prior to the 3D measurement you will first have to adjust the view direction of the satellite camera to the main pipe axis. The camera head must not be pushed yet into the lateral pipe.
Move to the position where the lateral is connected to the main pipe and set the view direction of the camera (1) as illustrated below:
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