3D-Measurement of the Pipe Geometry with Geo-Sensors

Version: 1.3.8

Introduction

A new generation of pipe inspection cameras allow the operator to record the exact position, situation and the course of a pipeline directly during a standard survey: der camera crawler thus drives through the pipe whereas a built-in geo-sensor is recording the current coordinate position of the camera head in predefined short distance steps. The corresponding X-, Y- and Z-values then are sent directly to the computer, processed by WinCanVX and drawn by the VX modules Map und WinCan 3D.

The result of such a measurement finally provides the pipe course of a section with all the left/right deviations and altitude changes as it would look like in reality. It thus completes sensibly the classic pipe inspection report.

Prerequisites

Mind the following recommendations for hard- and software in order to get the 3D measurement done smootly within WinCanVX:

Hardware:

• Processor: INTEL Core i5 or higher

• Graphic board: NVIDIA GeForce 9 series or higher, with at least two graphic ports (DVI or Display Port) allowing the connection of two monitors

• RAM: 8 GB or more.

• Video capture board: VITEC board (PCI or PCI-Express), MobileCap124 (USB) or other WDM based recording devices

• Camera equipment: Crawler with built-in geo-sensor (IBAK 3D GS, Rausch Latras or iPEK 3D)

Software:

• 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 VX

Prior to pipe geometry measurement the operator has to check all the required settings in WinCanVX as well as in the software module Map.

This makes sure that both software parts (i.e. WinCanVX and Map) provide reliable and clearly interpretable results at any time during data entry and measurement of the section and lateral geometry. The following sub-chapters first describe all settings needed in WinCanVX.

Hardware configuration

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):

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).

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:

Next switch to the category 3D-Measurement and reselect the same device. The equipment from iPEK works without activation of any additional option (1)

Finally confirm all settings and restart WinCanVX.

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:

Next switch to the category 3D-Measurement and reselect the same device. The equipment from Rausch works without activation of any additional option (1).

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:

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:

Next go to Home > Settings > General > Auto-naming (Section/Lateral) and make sure the option highlighted below is activated.

Next go to Home > Settings > PlugIns, select the PlugIn AutoCreateConnections and activate the options highlighted below (1 to 4):

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:

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:

Preparing measurement

The geo-sensor always provides relative coordinate values, which are based on a point zero (0/0/0).

If the start and endpoints (manholes, connection points or buildings (e.g. pumping stations)) have been set manually via a map with an integrated coordinate system (e.g. DXF plot) or a GIS point layer (manhole layer in the SHP format), they automatically get the corresponding coordinate positions.

Use the module WinCan-Map (2D-visualization of pipe courses) to quickly set manholes and connection points at the desired location. The module WinCan 3D (3D-visualization of pipe courses) will be used later on to get an additional three dimensional view of the pipe course as it would look like in reality.

Setting manholes in WinCan Map

Launch WinCanVX, create the sections to be inspected and fill out all mandatory (yellow) fields. Next run WinCan Map: you will then automatically be asked for the corresponding projection system (e.g. Switzerland = EPSG:21781 or EPSG:2056; Germany = EPSG:4839 or EPSG:5243 etc.) as well as a DXF plot used as a reference layer. The latter one is needed to precisely localize the manholes:

As soon as the DXF-plot appears in the map panel you must proceed as follows to set the manholes on the map layer:

Go to the legend panel, select the layer WinCan_Manholes and hit the command Tools > Draw (1). This is going to display the drawing panel at the right part of the Map interface (2).

Highlight the desired object from the group of available manholes, activate the function Tools > Snap to nodes and select the DXF-plot as the snapping layer (3):

Next activate the drawing tool Draw point (4), move the mouse pointer at the desired location on the plot and finally click to draw the manhole position. Mind the crosshair icon that clearly indicates which reference line of the plot the manhole is going to snap to.

The manholes now appear on the map and the corresponding coordinate values are saved in the database.

If a manhole does not yet exist in WinCanVX you can draw it in Map at the desired location on the DXF-plot as a new point of the layer WinCan_Manholes. Mind that you have selected the DXF-plot as the snapping layer.

Next enter the appropriate manhole name into the dialogue box that pops up and confirm with the green OK button:

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

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:

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:

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 measurement.

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:

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:

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:

Drive backward with the camera as soon as you have entered the end of the section and finished the video recording. Especially focus on the positions of any laterals that may be available.

When reaching a position of a lateral a warning message is going to inform the user accordingly:

Confirm this message and create a new lateral at the current position (1) double clicking on the grey bullet within the SAT column (2):

The dialogue that follows shows all existing but non-linked laterals and allows you to create also new laterals:

Fill out at least the fields for the new lateral as listed below and save the new record:

• Section name (Asset ID, PLR-Suffix)

• Upstream manhole

• Downstream manhole

• Pipe shape

• Pipe diameter

• Inspection direction

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:

Run the 3D-measurement (2) before you push the camera head into the lateral pipe (3).

1.) Click on the recording button (1).

2.) Run the 3D-measurement hitting the 3D-button (2).

3.) Enter the start observation, push the camera through the pipe and continue with the damage survey.

4.) Enter the end observation as soon as the camera has reached the pipe end (4).

5.) Hit the 3D-button (2) again to finish the 3D-measurement.

6.) Drag the satellite camera out of the lateral pipe. A message tells the user when the meter counter has reached the value 0 and the camera head is back at the start position:

7.) Hitting the arrow icon (7) in the symbol bar gets you back to the corresponding main section

Continue driving backward inside the main section until you reach the position of the next lateral and repeat the steps 1 to 7.

Continue driving backward inside the main section. A message tells the user when the meter counter has reached the value 0 and the camera crawler is back at the beginning of the main pipe:

Adjusting positions of pipe sections and manholes

The geo-sensor provides reliable measurement data regarding the pipeline geometry so you can directly transfer them to your end customer (engineer office, local water authorities etc.).

In some specific cases you will probably have to slightly move or rotate the whole geometry of a pipeline network (i.e. main pipe and linked laterals) in WinCan Map according to the background plot. Proceed as follows to do so:

1. Go the legend panel and select the layer WinCan_Sections

2. Highlight the section to be moved or rotated

3. Define the DXF-plot as the snapping layer

4. Activate the tool Home > Move to move the whole section or a manhole to another location on the map.

5. Activate the tool Home > Rotate to move only the end point of a section to the desired location. The start point thus becomes a pivot:

When moving or rotating, the object (i.e. section or manhole) is going to snap to the corresponding reference lines on the DXF-plot.

Geometry and length of the section do never change during this process and are always based on the previously done 3D-measurement.

Post-processing in WinCan 3D:

Digitized objects like sections or manholes are also displayed at the desired location inside the module WinCan 3D. Select the command Map>load map to lay the DXF-plot below the pipeline network.

Say Yes when the software asks you whether you want to take the coordinate system directly from the DXF-plot. You can also do this later activating the menu command Map> use MQ translation:

You may edit the pipeline geometry that you obtained via 3D measurement. Activate the button Select (1), highlight the desired section with the right mouse key (2) and call up the context menu command Edit path (3):

The vertical bar (1) to the left of the 3D interface provides a group of edit tools which are activated as soon as you have selected one or several measurement points. Keep the Ctrl-key pressed to select a series of points:

To restore the original measurement values, hit the button Undo (1), select the preferred measurement direction (forward or backward (2)) and confirm with OK (3):

Data export

The pipeline geometry can also be exported as DXF-file via the command File > DXF export:

Altitude profile (2D)

Select the desired object (i.e. section) and hit the command View > show 2D profile to get a 2D-graphic of the altitude profile (based on the Z-coordinate) of the 3D measurement: