06_WinCanVX_PipeScan_EN

Owned by Beat Schneuwly (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Jun 04, 2024 by Daniel Steiner
33 min read
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Scanning Pipelines with
DigiSewer
Panoramo



Version: 1.2
Date: 07.06.2023

 



Introduction

Damage assessment of pipeline systems is mainly based on video clips recorded with a standard camera crawler: the video signal is transmitted to the computer where it is going to be digitized and compressed whereas the observations are entered directly during the recording of the video clip.

As an alternative sewer inspection companies may also use technologies that allow them to scan the pipeline and to do the damage reporting later on in the office. So the image data can be obtained much quicker. This is an advantage especially when doing a survey on spots where there's heavy traffic and little space available to park a TV truck for a long time.

The following pipe scan technologies are currently supported by WinCan:

DigiSewer from iPEK

Crawler with exchangeable camera head that takes 10 pictures/sec in forward direction.

Panoramo from IBAK

Crawler with integrated camera head that takes 5 pictures/sec in forward and backward direction.

RPP from RICO

 

Crawler with default camera head that records a video clip in forward and picture series in backward direction.

Scanning with a DigiSewer Camera from iPEK

The issues below focus on the most important steps which allow the operator to successfully launch a pipe scan from WinCanVX using the DigiSewer camera from iPEK.

1.) Check whether all the devices illustrated below are communicating correctly via the appropriate cable connection before you start scanning:

2.) Install the software packages WinCanSETUP and WinCanDriverSETUP; the latter one is needed to install the video capture card from VITEC.

3.) Launch WinCanVX and check the availablity of the licence slot DigiSewer under Home > Program Information.

4.) Check the settings under Home > Settings > OSD and select the type of text generator which is currently connected to your computer:

DigiSewer Scanner Application

Run the scan procedure with the command Additional Moduls>Scanner and select the system DigiSewer. The corresponding scanner application opens and WinCanVX switches into the sleep mode. The basic functionalities that are implemented in the DigiSewer scanner application are explained below:

  1. The name of the scan data package corresponds to the combination of the fields SectionN° >InspectionN°> ObservationN°.

  2. On the top-right you see the LiveVideo signal provided by the DigiSewer camera.

  3. This part will show you the continuously unfolded pipe wall during the scan from left to right.

  4. Speed meter showing the current speed in [m/min.] as well as the current distance.

  5. Inclinometer showing the current inclination and roll of the iPEK crawler if the required sensors are available. The vertical scale is subdivided into 5% units whereas the radial scale shows units of 5°.

  6. The camera button opens the video settings dialog.

  7. The ring button opens the DigiSewer properties dialog.

  8. The recording button starts a new side scan recording

  9. The stop button stops the side scan recording but doesn't delete the scanned files.

  10. The reset button stops the side scan recording and deletes the scanned files.

  11. The cancel button closes the application without saving the scan.

  12. The OK button saves the scan and closes the application.

  13. Adjustment of the video image quality. These sliders can also be used during the scan procedure. It's recommended to adjust the brightness directly via the iPEK control unit.

DigiSewer Properties Dialog

The user must open and check this dialog and its settings before each scan.
The following pages describe the most important DigiSewer settings in order to get a perfect quality of the scanned image series.

Match the circumference of the circle

  • With the set of adjustment buttons you can match the yellow circle to the pipe circumference displayed on the video image:

    You may also use the button Auto to do this automatically. This works fine only if there is no video information displayed in the black area out of the pipe circumference AND if the whole circumference is visible on the video screen.

  • As long as the camera head is not changed, these settings need be done only once. But it can happen, that the image sensor of the camera gets slightly shifted due to strikes on the camera crawler.

  • Most image sensors do not have square image pixels, so the pipe circumference is shown as an ellipse rather than a circle. This does not affect a correct scan.

DigiSewer Properties Dialog showing a correct circle position. With the Fujinon180 NOVO5 lens the view circle doesn't fit entirely into the video image.

Scan Ring Calibration

These are the most important settings and must be checked and set before each scan.

The red ring corresponds to the area, which is shown on the SideScan images.

The green rings are used for the matching process. The corresponding unfolded ring (with the green rings) is displayed right to the video image as rectangular stripe.

The blue lines shows the position at the circumference where the scan ring is cut. The corresponding clock position (1-12) can be set in the field Ring cut at.

Scan ring Size

  • The buttons below allow you to change the radius of the scan ring:

    The bigger the ring the more pixel information you will get on the unfolded image stripe. The thickness of the ring is set by the software in the background and must not be modified by the user.

  • Mind that the scan ring does not overlap with any black image areas on the bottom of the front view as these black pixels would also appear on the side scan:

  • The number of samples taken out of the ring corresponds to the height of the resulting SideScan image. It is constant and should correspond to the number of pixels on the circular surface within the scan ring (app. 1400 pixel).

Inner Pipe Diameter and Camera Height

Only pipes with a circular profile can be scanned. An accurate value for the inner diameter of the pipe is crucial for the correct calculation of the side scan resolution. In case you are not sure whether a given value corresponds to the inner or outer pipe diameter you must measure the inner diameter.

The height of the camera above pipe ground is always a little bit higher than the camera height above a flat ground. It can also get smaller for the same type of wheels due to smoothed out rubber.

Always use the standard wheel kit to achieve the correct camera height in relation to the pipe center.

Use the buttons highlighted below to precisely adjust the height of the camera in relation to the pipe axis: hit the upper or lower button to increase or decrease the camera height on 1 mm:

The ratio between the inner pipe diameter and the camera height is set correctly if a joint appears as a straight vertical line in the unfolded stripe (1) right to the video preview:

Always verify the values of the inner diameter and the camera height. In the example below diameter and camera height have got wrong values (200 & 114) but the ratio is correct: so the joint is shown as a straight vertical line though:

Incorrect ratios between diameter and camera height are easily recognizable on the distorted area of the joint on the SideScan stripes:

The same distortion on the unfolded stripe may also result from a vertical displacement of the yellow circle line.

An S-shaped distortion on the other hand results from a horizontal displacement of the yellow circle line:

Storing the Ring Calibration Settings

Type a sensible name into the field Stored Settings and push the diskette button to save the current calibration.

Select an existing calibration via the combo box and delete it hitting the Delete button (right to the Save button):

Adjustment of Light Intensity and Horizontal Brighthness Difference

There are two ways to adjust the intensity of the 4 light rings via the IPEK Vario control unit:

  • Adjustment of the light intensity within one intensity level via the main light control buttons (3)

  • Adjustment of one of 4 intensity levels via the focus buttons (1 and 2). The left focus button (1) increases whereas the right focus button (2) decreases the light level.

During a scan adjust the light intensity ONLY and very smoothly via the main light control buttons (3).

Vario control unit (left) and the IPEK DigiSewer probe with 4 LED light rings.

 

The Horizontal Brightness Difference in the properties dialog shows the brightness difference in percent from the left to the right border of the unfolded stripe. A value of 10% means that the right border is 10% darker than the left border.

This inequality is due to a weak light intensity when the distance to the camera increases. The software can compensate a brightness difference up to 20%.

Inclination

The inclination field shows the current inclination in %. To have the inclination values correctly calculated you need to calibrate the USB-interface prior to scanning: place the crawler in upward direction onto a ramp with 10% inclination and press the [+10%] button; after that place the crawler in downward direction on the same ramp and press the [-10%] button.

If the inclination sensor is missing on the camera crawler, simply uncheck the option Has Inclination.

 Scanning

When you prepare the iPEK-crawler for scanning, mind that the lens must be absolutely clean and that the crawler cable unrolls as smoothly as possible. Switch off the auto feed on the motorized cable reel and set it to manual. Slide the camera cable through the manhole using a guide pulley:

Open WinCan, create a first observation to a new section and run the scan procedure hitting the tab command Extended Modules > Scanner:

Select the scan system DigiSewer in the dialogue box that follows:

The DigiSewer scanner application is launched while WinCanVX keeps activated in the background:

Scan Speed

A speed of 6m (~20 ft) per minute is recommended. Mind the computer's work load, which should not exceed 60 to 70%. If the workload exceeds over 80% the speed meter lies within the red area; a workload of 100% generates a short beep on the computer.

Driving too fast will record side scan images with missing parts.

Besides the scan speed the following parameters may also affect the computer's workload.

  • Height of the side scan images in pixels. Value between 1000 and 1500 pixels are recommended.

  • Matching of the stripe images: Use the post process controlled by the software for precise matching of the stripe images after the scan procedure. Set the value to 3, if you want to have the stripe images matched during the scan; this also increases the computer's workload.

  • Black&White mode: If set to 0 the SideScan preview shows a black & white image during the scan. The value is set to 1 per default, which is producing a coloured image in the preview.

Changing Properties during a Scan

During a scan you can open the properties dialog only if the crawler stops (i.e. speed = 0m/min).
It’s only possible to adjust the geometry of the scan ring and the camera height:

The following picture series shows the effect of the speed on the sharpness of the SideScan images:

Left: 3 m/min (= 0.05 m/s); Center: 6 m/min (= 0.1 m/s); Right: 12 m/min (= 0.2 m/s)

Finishing a Scan

Push the OK button to finish a scan. All temporarily (uncompressed) saved front view and side scan images are thus saved with the JPEG compression format.

The disk space needed for the storage of scan data depends on the JPEG quality settings for the front views and side scan images. The following tests have been done at a speed of 6m/min., with a front view taken every 10cm and a side scan image height of 1400 pixels:

Compared to the values above the file size of a MPEG-2 video clip of the same test pipe at the same speed with medium compression and without pauses is reaching a value of 8 MByte/m.

The enlarged details of the sample front view images below clearly show the difference between the JPEG quality levels 90 and 50:

Scanning with the Panoramo camera from IBAK

The issues below focus on the most important steps which allow the operator to successfully launch a pipe scan from WinCanVX using the Panoramo camera from IBAK.

1.) Check whether the Panoramo camera is connected tot he OSD device from IBAK (EDE7).

2.) Install the Panoramo scanner application, which you usually get from your IBAK reseller:

3.) Install the sofware package WinCanVXSETUP

Both software packages must be installed with the same WINDOWS user account.

4.) Run WinCanVX and check under Home>Program Information whether the licence slot IBAK Panoramo is available.

5.) Check the entries in the fields pipe diameter and inspection direction.

6.) Make sure the folder path for saving the raw data has been written correctly into the file WinCanVX.ini:

The raw data are uncompressed original data taken directly by the Panoramo camera (1) and saved on the defined drive. After finishing the scan procedure the scanner application compresses the raw data automatically as an IPF-file (2), which the software WinCanVX then copies into the corresponding project subfolder. Scan data provided by a Panoramo system thus are always available as duplicates:

You also may scan a group of sections and close the scanner application yet after you have scanned the last section. So all IPF-files are created from their specific raw data package and assigned to the corresponding sections in WinCanVX in one single step.

Open WinCan, create a first observation to a new section and run the scan procedure hitting the tab command Extended Modules > Scanner:

Select the scan system Panoramo in the dialogue box that follows:

The Panoramo scanner application is launched while WinCanVX keeps activated in the background:

Refer to the user manual from the software manufacturer IBAK that contains all the information about the settings needed to reach the best picture quality when scanning the pipe line with the Panoramo camera.
Scanning always must run in forward direction for pipe lines and downward direction for manholes.

The same application may also be used for manhole scans in vertical direction, if a PanoramoSI-Scanner is connected to your computer. This equipment is produced and delivered by the company IBAK and is fully integrated into the TV-van.

The main part of this device consists of a cylindrical sonde connected to the cable reel in the TV-van. This device allows the operator to scan the wall of deep manholes from cover to ground. The resulting scan data can be analyzed in the ScanExplorer the same way as a pipeline scan.

Open a Scan in ScanExplorer

The scan results provided by different scan technologies can all be opened in WinCanVX using the ScanExplorer software. This module allows the user to view, describe and measure a damage extent for all sections after the survey. Scan data are assigned to the 1st observation of the current section or the current manhole.

Double-clicking on an existing scan icon in the column Scan opens the scan result to the currently selected section:

Scan results can also be imported manually into WinCanVX and assigned to the desired section: click on the grey bullet in the column Scan to open a Windows dialogue and to browse for the drive and folder where the scan data have been stored.

Depending on the scan system being used each scan contains a specific folder structure as well as a header file, that you finally have to select:

  • HEADER_DS2.txt (header file for DigiSewer2 scans)

  • HEADER_IPF.txt (header file for Panoramo scans)

  • *.ipf (IBAK Panoramo scan data): Selecting this file is going to import directly the scan data for pipe lines and manholes and also creates the appropriate header file named as HEADER_IPF.txt:

  • HEADER_RPP.txt (header file for RPP scans)

  • HEADER_R3D.txt (header file for PanCam scans (company RAUSCH)

  • *.R3D (PanCam scan data from RAUSCH equipments): Selecting this file is going to import directly the scan data for pipe lines and also creates the appropriate header file named as HEADER_R3D.txt.

The import process can last up to several minutes depending on the size of the scan. Afterwards the ScanExplorer is launched automatically and the scan icon appears in the column Scan.

Multiple scans per inspection:
There's usually created one scan per section. However you can have several scans assigned to the same section, especially under the following conditions:

  • If the size of a scan data package exceeds a maximum, you may create a new one and assign it to another observation.

  • In case of abandoned surveys, both survey parts must be assigned a scan; especially mind that you do not scan overlapping areas. Merging abandoned surveys with assigned scans is not possible.

ScanExplorer Main Screen

Effectively working with WinCan and ScanExplorer definitely requires two separate screens, running in the dual view mode. The ScanExplorer main screen appears as shown below when launching it for the first time. Certain panels are minimized to tab size (1):

All panels can be moved with the mouse via the cursor buttons to a blue target area keeping the left mouse key pressed. Release the left mouse key at the preferred position and save your new panel layout.

ScanExplorer Panels

We recommend the panel layout as shown below, as it provides all synchronized views to the current object (i.e. pipe or manhole) that the user will need for an efficient damage assessment:

The ScanExplorer panels and their purpose are described below in detail:

1.) Main panel / SideScan detail panel:

This panel shows the unfolded SideScan image in full resolution with a distance ruler at the top and a clock position bar on the left edge.

2.) SideScan overview panel:

This panel shows the full length of the SideScan as a series of minimized images. The SideScan height can be adjusted via the context menu. The images therefore will be regenerated and saved, so this resizing option is only available if the data are stored on a hard drive and not on a DVD.

3.) Pipe graph panel:

This panel shows a section graph in vertical orientation together with the manholes and lateral symbols as well as the positions of the observations and their OP-Code. All graphic symbols are scaled to their sizes and the scan direction is always top-down.

The section length is measured between the manholes per default. If you want to have it measured between the manhole centers, just click on the corresponding context menu command.

WinCan transfers the section length as soon as you launch the ScanExplorer. If there are no observations recorded in WinCan the section length is often not set. The ScanExplorer thus calculates the difference between scan end distance and scan start distance and sets this value to the section graph.

As soon as observations are recorded in WinCan the section length is automatically calculated from WinCan and transferred to the ScanExplorer. The grey shaded part of the pipe in the section window indicates the scanned part of the section.

Always open the ScanExplorer at least once, before you create a Viewer project; this is going to write the section length you entered in WinCan into the corresponding file header.txt.

4.) Front view panels

The results provided by the different scan systems mainly differ by various types of front views. The ScanExplorer software provides 3 different front view panels:

  • 3D View (available for all systems): This panel shows a virtual 3D view created from the SideScan images. It always provides a straight forward view and also displays a real pipe deformation as a perfect circle line.

  • Front view:
    In case of a DigiSewer scan the panel shows the current frontview image that has been created and saved after every 10cm during the scan. A video clip is missing.
    In case of a Panoramo scan the panel shows the current front- and backview image that have been created and saved after every 5 cm during the scan. A video clip is missing.
    In case of a RPP scan the panel shows the video clip that has been recorded while driving forward.

  • Panoramo panel: This virtual look around view panel only runs with a component from the company IBAK. It allows the user to move forward and backward smoothly with the mouse and to pan the view direction on 360 degrees; this continuous virtual movement is realized by calculating additional images in fisheye perspective. Compared to the 3D-View panel the Panoramo panel always provides real views in ALL directions.

Panoramo (from left to right): 3D view panel, front view panel; IBAK Panoramo panel.

DigiSewer (from left to right) 3D view panel; front view panel in fisheye perspective

RPP (from left to right): 3D view panel; front view panel with RPP video clip.

Displaying Manhole Scans

Open WinCanVX, create a first observation to a new manhole and launch the scan procedure hitting the tab command Additional Modules > Scanner. Select the Panoramo system to run the manhole scan.

Manhole scans on the other hand can also be imported manually into WinCanVX and assigned to the desired manhole: click on the grey bullet in the column Scan to open a Windows dialogue and to browse for the drive and folder where the scan data have been stored. Finally select the file Header_IPF.txt representing the scan data you want to import:

Double-clicking on the Scan icon opens the ScanExplorer and shows the imported data to the selected manhole:

The panel layout mainly corresponds to the one applied for pipe scans. However the main panel shows the unfolded manhole wall (SideScan) in full resolution with a clock position bar at the top (1) and a vertical depth ruler on the right edge (2):

Navigation inside ScanExplorer Panels

All the views shown in the different panels are synchronized per default: clicking with the left mouse key on a specific spot inside the SideScan panel the ScanExplorer automatically shows that specific area also in the detail- and the Front view panel as well as on the pipe graph.

All panels (except Panoramo panel and RPP video panel) show a fine red line that indicates the current distance in the pipe whereas the small red circle on this line marks the current clock position on the pipe wall. Information about flow direction and current position ([m] or [ft]) can be obtained from the status bar available on all panels.

Navigation shortcuts

The ScanExplorer is providing various shortcut commands you can call up via mouse or keyboard in order to navigate through the pipe scan inside a specific panel.
Hit the tab command Help > Quick Help Window to open the dialogue boxes below and get a short description to each mouse or keyboard shortcut:

Changing the View Direction in the front window (Panoramo)

In case you navigate through a Panoramo scan the front view panel allows you to view forward and backward as image series have been taken in both directions. In addition a Total View can be activated, which allows 3D-viewing of the pipe as in the Panoramo Viewer. This fisheye view is a combination of the front and the back view:

Left: front- and back view images merged to a Total view. Right: Standard Frontview

Enabling the Total view

Use the context menu commands Front view or Back view to load the Total view or push the SPACE key to get back to the Standard Front view.

The Total view doesn't show the flow arrow icon in the status bar and the background color of the panel is set to grey.

Navigation in the Total view

Keep the CTRL and the left mouse key pressed and move the mouse to the LEFT/RIGHT in order to pan continuously at the current spot.

Keeping the CTRL-key pressed and hitting the LEFT/RIGHT cursor keys allows you to pan by 15 degrees per key strike.

For performance reasons it is strongly recommended to quit the Total view in case you need to navigate the through a long scan.

Front- and Backview Correction (DigiSewer & Panoramo)

Sometimes the DigiSewer & Panoramo fisheye lenses are insufficiently calibrated which results in black borders around the front or back view. You can correct the centre of the front/back view keeping the ALT-key pressed and hitting the corresponding cursor keys. The view radius can be adjusted with the left/right cursor keys and keeping the CTRL and ALT-key pressed.

Shifting along the distance ruler

The side scan starts at the distance you have set at the beginning of the scan procedure. The corresponding value then is stored within the side scan filename and cannot be changed. If the start distance is not correct you can move the distance ruler in the main window via Drag & Drop and adjust the beginning of the scan accordingly. A double click resets the original start distance.

Scrolling with the vertical scrollbar

By moving the vertical scroll bar you can change the cutting position of the side scan image which is also applied to the overview window. You can shift the side scan this way to +/- 6 hours and draw a graphic object over the cutting position. A double click on the vertical ruler resets the scroll bar to its default position.

Left: Main window with default vertical scrollbar position. Right: The same sidescan scrolled down to 6 hours. Note the selected graphic across the cut hour of the SideScan.

Zooming

Hitting the zoom lens button (DigiSewer, Panoramo, RPP) enables the zooming functionality: The zoomed area is hightlighted by a red rectangle around the current mouse position and shows the SidScan in a 100% resolution.

Scan data provided by a DigiSewer- or a RPP-system allow the user to change the ZOOM-factor within a range of 50-150% keeping the CTRL-key pressed while scrolling with the mouse wheel.

The current zoom factor is always displayed in the status bar.

You can move the current SideScan forward or backward with the mouse wheel while the ZOOM-mode is enabled. Pressing the left mouse key activates the measurement mode within the zoomed area:

Hitting the ESC-key or clicking on the pointer icon in the toolbar disables the zooming functionality.

Inclination and Altitude Chart

The inclination and the altitude curve are generated from the inclination values measured during a DigiSewer or Panoramo scan. So they can be shown in the ScanExplorer as soon as the scan procedure has terminated.

Enable the chart icon on the toolbar or in the tab View in order to display the red inclination curve below the SideScan main panel. The curve is smoothed by a continuous calculation of an average value which is based on a given range of values. A value of 0 disables this calculation and shows the real values captured from the camera's inclination sensor.

Enable the chart icon on the toolbar or in the tab View in order to display the blue altitude chart below the SideScan main panel.

The calculation of the altitude chart is based on the inclination values. Due to a certain measurement error of the inclination sensors the total error at the end of the altitude chart can become quite high. If start and end altitude are set to 0, the curve will not be corrected. If the user has set accurate values for the start and end altitude, this curve will be adjusted according to the given altitude range.

The values for the altitudes of the upstream and the downstream manhole are taken from the WinCan fields OBJ_FromNodeInvert and OBJ_ToNodeInvert respectively.

SideScan main panel showing inclination and altitude curve. Scanning has been done against the flow, so the red inclination curve shows mainly positive values, whereas the values of the altitude curve are increasing from left to right.

Creating observations with the ScanExplorer

In order to do a survey based on a scanned pipe, WinCan supports two working methods:

  • Creating observation in WinCanVX and taking photos without graphics automatically from the current position shown in the ScanExplorer.

  • Creating observation / damage graphics in the ScanEplorer und completing the observation in WinCanVX.

Observations in WinCan

Open WinCan and highlight the section to be inspected: the corresponding scan data are always assigned to the first observation. Double-click on the scan icon (1) to open the pipe scan with the ScanExplorer:

Make sure the sources for automatic pictures have been defined in the ScanExplorer settings dialogue. Navigate directly to the desired position (2) in the ScanExplorer and describe the observation again in WinCan. After confirming the observation, its position as well as the pictures without graphics are automatically transferred from the ScanExplorer into WinCan and assigned correctly (3).

Observations in the ScanExplorer

This work flow has the observation entry in WinCan mainly controlled by the ScanExplorer. Open WinCan, highlight the section to be inspected and load the corresponding scan data with the ScanExplorer.

Next choose the appropriate measurement tool (e.g. 2D-line) from the toolbar at the left edge of the ScanExplorer main screen and draw a measurement line over the desired area shown in the SideScan detail panel (1).

The graphic properties dialogue then opens automatically and allows you to set whether photos from the corresponding view panels should be taken with or without observation text and measurement value (2).

After confirming these options, the observation catalogue is automatically loaded in WinCan and shows the clock position of the damage extent on the pipe wall as well as the distance within the section. Both parameters are transferred directly from the ScanExplorer. You may complete the current observation if ever needed and finally confirm all data entries (3).

Observation text and measurement values appear on the photos as previously configured.

Setting Graphic Properties

If you want to link a graphic to an observation created in WinCan, you will have to check the corresponding options in the graphic properties dialogue (5). After you have drawn the damage extent on the SideScan panel the dialogue box below pops up:

The most important configuration settings are explained below:

  1. Add or change observation code and text. If the graphic will be linked to WinCan a predefined observation code will automatically fill out all fields inside the damage catalogue of WinCan.

  2. Click on the pen icon to change the graphic style.

  3. Apply a layer to a graphic.

  4. Check this option if the graphic should describe a lateral connection. This is going to draw a lateral icon at the current position in the section view panel.

  5. Define whether the graphic should be linked to a WinCan observation.

  6. Check the options Copy Photo 1 / Photo 2 a picture from the selected source is copied into the columns Photo 1 and Photo 2 in WinCan. Checking the option With Graphic draws graphic and text into the image. You will not be able to remove graphics that have been merged into an image. Graphics are always transferred to WinCan from the SideScan main panel. Pictures from other view panel are only copied into WinCan, if these panels are displayed.

After closing the damage catalogue in WinCan the following information are transferred back into the ScanExplorer:

  • Observation text and code (OP-Code)

  • Availability of laterals, that are shown as an icon at the corresponding position in the section panel.

Graphics linked to WinCan observations can be managed as follows:

  • Selecting a graphic in the ScanExplorer automatically activates the observation in WinCan and vice versa.

  • Moving a graphic in ScanExplorer automatically updates the position of the observation in WinCan.

  • Changing a position in WinCan does NOT move a linked graphic in the ScanExplorer

  • Deleting a graphic in ScanExplorer asks you whether you want to delete a linked observation also in WinCan.

  • Deleting an observation in WinCan asks you whether you want to delete the linked graphic also in the ScanExplorer.

  • Checking again the Copy options in the graphic properties dialogue transfers the photos of the same position again to WinCan.

Create Graphics in the Sidescan Drawing Mode

Push the toolbar button as highlighted below in order to activate the mode:

  • In this mode all graphics will be drawn on the unfolded pipe surface. Use the line icon or the surface drawing icons (Ellipse, Rectangle, Polygon) from the toolbar to measure the length or the surface of a damage extent.

  • Pressing the ESC-key or selecting the pointer icon you can deselect the current drawing tool or abort a new drawing.

  • The 2D-measurement is always done on the unfolded 2D pipe surface shown in the SideScan main panel whereas a 3D-measurement is done within the pipe space. You can identify a 2D-measurement line on its squared and a 3D-measurement line on its circular marking points.

  • Graphics are usually drawn in the SideScan main panel. In case of scan data provided by the DigiSewer or Panoramo system you may also draw a measurement graphic in the front view panel.

  • The drawing starts with the first click of the left mouse key. The program then draws lines and polygons a as a continuous series of clicks represented by new marking points along the damage site. Either double-click with the left mouse key or select the context menu command Finish graphic to quit the drawing mode.

Create Graphics in the Cross Section Mode

Push the toolbar button as highlighted below in order to activate the mode:

  • This mode makes most sense for graphics drawn in the front view panel as it generates them on the cross section layer in the pipe space.

  • The 3D-measurement tool is disabled in this mode but on the other hand you can use the drawing tool for the measurement of the water level height.

  • The first click will define the cross section plane with a point that is on the pipe surface. The cross section plane will be indicated with a dotted circle line.

It is recommended to set the cross section plane not too close to the view point. The front view images of DigiSewer and Panoramo systems where taken via a fisheye lens, so straight lines on a close cross section appear curved:

Editing Graphics

  • The marking points of a selected graphic appear as small white squares whereas the marking points of the whole drawing layer have got a small white cross in addition.

  • Damage description, damage code as well as the measurement value are written into a text field whose extent can be modified via two marking points.

  • When highlighted the drawing layer shows a frame that defines the edge of the picture to be either transferred into WinCan or printed directly.

Selecting or deselecting a graphic

  • Select a graphic in the main or front view panel, enabling the mouse pointer icon and right-clicking on the drawing layer. You may also use the navigation buttons in the toolbar to jump to the previous or next graphic especially in case they are layed over each other.
    If the graphic is linked to WinCan, select the desired observation line and the ScanExplorer jumps to the corresponding spot in the pipe.
    In the SideScan overview panel you can click with the left mouse key directly into the graphic to select the drawing layer.

  • Deselect a graphic in the main or front view panel right-clicking outside the highlighted drawing layer or pressing the ESC-key.
    In the SideScan overview panel, you just need to click outside the graphic with the left mouse key in order to deselect the corresponding drawing layer.

Moving, Editing and Deleting a Graphic

You can move the whole drawing layer or a single point of the selected graphic enabling the mouse pointer icon and keeping the left mouse key pressed.
Right click on the selected graphic or hit the ENTER-key in order to either open the graphic properties dialogue or to delete the highlighted drawing element:

Clicking on the command icon under the tab Edit is going to delete ALL graphics in the ScanExplorer.

Changing the Graphics Pen & Frame

Hitting the command icon under the tab Edit opens the dialogue box to modify the appearance of the damage graphics. All modifications are going to be applied for future graphics.

If you open this panel from the graphic properties dialogue all changes apply for the selected graphic only.

You can freely modify the aspect ratio of the graphic layer using the marking points at the corner of the graphic or select a predefined aspect ratio such as 4:3, 3:2 or 5:4.

The same command group under the tab Edit provides the command button that allows the user to change type, style and size of the font applied for text fields inside the graphic layer. The settings below are valid for all graphics in the ScanExplorer:

The size correspond to the maximum allowed font size in dots which is able to have the text shown completely inside the text field if this one is resized. In case the text doesn't fit into the text field it is automatically reduced in size.

Graphic Offset in the Front View

It can happen that a graphic object in the side scan and in the front view is not shown precisely at the same position. This is mostly due to irregular driving causing jerky movements of the cable. Such errors should not increase over the entire scan distance.

Select the graphic and correct small displacements keeping the keys SHIFT & CTRL pressed while scrolling with the mouse wheel. The offset distance is shown in the status bar of the front view window in the 4th field from the left:

Because the Rico RPP system doesn't show any graphics in the video front view, the offset distance is applied to the video time. But this only with a selected graphic.

Accuracy of Measurement

The accuracy of length and surface measurements mainly depends on the pipe diameter. With a good scan quality you can expect an accuracy of ±3% of the pipe diameter.
The scan quality is depending on the following issues:

  • Inner pipe diameter setting: The value set for the inner pipe diameter in the software must correspond to the real inner pipe diameter.

  • Camera height setting: The camera height settings in the software must correspond to the real camera height.

  • Pipe sediments: Make sure the pipe has been cleaned prior to scanning; sediments inside the pipe can change the camera height during the scan, which lowers the scan quality.

  • Axial direction of the camera: Mind that the camera head is located precisely on the horizontal and the vertical pipe axis to get the joints displayed as straight lines in the SideScan view (case a). If curvy joints appear instead (cases b and c) you must adjust the position of the crawler and the camera head accordingly:

  • Distance measurement: The distance obtained from the cable drum must correspond to the real distance measured by the camera in the pipe.

Printing Scan Overview Report

Besides the classic inspection report pages the user may select an additional report type in case of sections that have been scanned:

This ScanExplorer Overview Report shows the unfolded pipe wall of the whole section similar to the overview panel of the ScanExplorer with a distance ruler along the SideScan and an observation legend at the end of the report.

ScanExplorer Post Processing (DigiSewer)

The DigiSewer Scanner application produces SideScan raw data in real-time. Because the encoder wheel on the cable drum is triggering the moment the next scan ring is being unfolded, the single scan stripes often do not perfectly match together.

The matching process requires a lot of additional calculation power and cannot be done efficiently during the scan process.

The ScanExplorer therefore starts the Post Process after opening the scan, which is a separate application running in the background. So you can continue working in the ScanExplorer using the raw data, while the post process creates a scan with perfectly matched scan stripes in the background.

Enable both additional tasks in the dialogue above to sharpen the SideScan images and to correct an axial rotation of the crawler camera, that might show a bended waterline.

As soon as the post process has been finished, the ScanExplorer automatically reloads the new sidescan.

When you are closing a post processed scan you will be asked if you want to delete the raw data files. Confirm with the button Yes if the post processed scan is better than the original raw scan.

Matching quality before (left) and after the post process (right).

Matching quality detail before (above) and after the post process (below).

 

The illustrations below show a SideScan overview before (above) and after (below) the post process if the correction of the axial rotation has been enabled. The yellow line shows the six o'clock bottom line:

After the correction of the axial rotation the front view panel provides an additional context menu command that automatically rotates the front view and thus resets the waterline at 6 o'clock:

The frontview without (left) and with (right) axial rotation correction shown at the same position inside the pipe.

Automatic detection of pipeline structures

There is a additional utility called ScanAnalyzer that allows the user to detect joints and laterals automatically by image processing. You can launch this tool under the tab Analysis > ScanAnalyzer:

After the analysis the Scan Explorer shows a dialog where you can define how the detected objects should be highlighted on the scan. All the laterals detected have a probability assigned. The number of laterals, that might be detected with a specific probability, is written in brackets behind the probability value:

All detected graphics are put into a separate layer. You can delete them all together hitting the command button unter the tab Edit:

Straightening Joints

In case of scan data provided by DigiSewer and RPP systems the Scan Analyzer can run a straightening process for all detected joints . The corresponding checkbox (1) must therefore be enabled in the corresponding dialogue:

Curvy joints are generated whenever the camera crawler didn't keep centered during the scan. The Scan Analyzer is modifying the SidScan images, so the scan has to be reloaded once with the ScanExplorer.

The image series below shows the same joint in a SideScan before (left) and after (center) the post process and finally after applying the joint straightening process via Scan Analyzer (right):

Command tabs

This chapter is giving a summary of the tabs in the ScanExplorer ribbon bar as well as the most important commands they contain.
Tab File
The most important command of this tab opens the settings dialogue of the ScanExplorer software:

Tab Analysis
This tab contains commands for the automatical analysis and post processing of the currently loaded scan data.

Tab Edit
Inside this tab you can find the bulk of tools that are also accessible directly from the toolbar located at the left edge of the ScanExplorer main screen.

Tab View
Inside this tab you are able to hide or unhide the different panels and measurement graphics, to rotate the view inside the SideScan detail panel or to reset its measurement rulers.

Tab Navigation
This tab contains the classic navigations buttons, which you may also access directly from the toolbar.

Tab Window
The commands of this tab allow you to hide or unhide the preferred view panels and drawing tools as well as to save the desired panel layout.

Tab Help
This tab provides a quick help to the navigation shortcuts available in the ScanExplorer as well as a quick access to this documentation.

Tab Panoramo
This tab is only available, if the Panoramo Viewer panel (internal) is open:

Below you can find a short description of the available commands. Refer to the Viewer documentation provided by the company IBAK for more details:

Panoramo Viewer Settings
Hit this command to open the Panoramo settings dialog (1).
Open Pointcloud:
This command launches the the Panoramo point cloud application in an additional panel: the structure of a manhole can thus be displayed as a mass of points that are densely and regularly spread over the surface of the manhole parts (cover, taper, cone, chamber, bench, gutter).
Show / Edit 3D-Measurements
This command is only enabled if the scan (e.g. Panoramo SI scan) contains point cloud information. It allows you to run a 3D measurement of the manhole structure within the Panoramo Viewer. The measurement results obtained in the Panoramo Viewer are not taken over into WinCan.
Panoramo Viewer Help:
Hit this command to access all the topics provided by the help file to the Panoramo Viewer.