Nuclear plant manipulator system

{
  "publication_number": "US9793017B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Nuclear plant manipulator system",
  "abstract": "A nuclear plant manipulator system, including a manipulator with an image acquisition device and a remotely-controlled drive, wherein the image acquisition device is configured to capture image data, a remote-operating device is configured to remotely control the manipulator, an object counter is configured to be incremented or decremented, and an analysis device is configured to receive the image data captured by the image acquisition device and evaluate the received image data. The analysis device is configured to automatically identify respective known objects that are found along a path while the manipulator moves along the path. When a respective known object along the path is passed by the manipulator, the object counter is incremented or decremented depending on the direction of the manipulator along the path. A current value of the object counter is provided to the remote-operating device.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A nuclear plant manipulator system, comprising: a manipulator with an image acquisition device and a remotely-controlled drive, wherein the image acquisition device is configured to capture image data; a remote-operating device configured to remotely control the manipulator; an object counter configured to be incremented or decremented; and an analysis device configured to: receive the image data captured by the image acquisition device; evaluate the received image data; and automatically identify respective known objects that are found along a path while the manipulator moves along the path, wherein when a respective known object along the path is passed by the manipulator, the object counter is incremented or decremented depending on a direction of the manipulator along the path, and a current value of the object counter is provided to the remote-operating device.",
    "2. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein the manipulator is configured to operate under water.",
    "3. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition device is configured to pivot relative to the manipulator, such that its image acquisition area can be oriented both crosswise to a feeding direction of the drive and to an identified object.",
    "4. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein the remote-operating device comprises: a display device for depicting the current value of the object counter.",
    "5. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 4, wherein the remote-operating device is configured to cause the display to depict a position of the manipulator based on known distances between the objects passed and based on the current value of the object counter, in place of the current value of the object counter.",
    "6. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 4, wherein the remote-operating device is configured to show the acquired image data on the display device.",
    "7. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein the manipulator comprises: an interaction device for performing mechanical procedures.",
    "8. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis device is configured to generate, based on the image data provided by the image acquisition device, control signals for the drive and to convert the control signals for automatic positioning of the manipulator in an interaction position relative to an identified object.",
    "9. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 2, wherein the image acquisition device is configured to pivot relative to the manipulator, such that its image acquisition area can be oriented both crosswise to a feeding direction of the remotely-controlled drive and to an identified object.",
    "10. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 9, wherein the remote-operating device comprises: a display device for depicting the current value of the object counter.",
    "11. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 10, wherein the remote-operating device is configured to cause the display to depict a position of the manipulator based on known distances between the objects passed and based on the current value of the object counter, in place of the current value of the object counter.",
    "12. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 11, wherein the manipulator comprises: an interaction device for performing mechanical procedures.",
    "13. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 12, wherein the analysis device is configured to generate, based on the image data provided by the image acquisition device, control signals for the remotely-controlled drive and to convert the control signals for automatic positioning of the manipulator in an interaction position relative to an identified object.",
    "14. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 4, wherein the remote-operating device is configured to cause the display to depict a position of the manipulator based on known distances between the objects passed and based on the current value of the object counter, together with the current value of the object counter.",
    "15. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 10, wherein the remote-operating device is configured to cause the display to depict a position of the manipulator based on known distances between the objects passed and based on the current value of the object counter, together with the current value of the object counter.",
    "16. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 1, wherein the manipulator comprises: an interaction device for recording measurement values.",
    "17. The nuclear plant manipulator system according to claim 11, wherein the manipulator comprises: an interaction device for recording measurement values.",
    "18. A method for controlling a manipulator of a nuclear plant manipulator system including a manipulator with an image acquisition device and a remotely-controlled drive, wherein the image acquisition device is configured to capture image data, a remote-operating device configured to remotely control the manipulator, an object counter configured to be incremented or decremented, and an analysis device configured to receive the image data captured by the image acquisition device, and evaluate the received image data, wherein the method comprises: positioning the manipulator at a defined starting position in an area of use of a nuclear plant; manually controlling the manipulator along a path by the remote-operating device; acquiring continuously the image data by the image acquisition device; analyzing continuously the image data of the data acquisition device such that respective objects located along the path are automatically identified by the analysis device, and depending on a direction the manipulator moves along the path to pass an object, the object counter is incremented or decremented; and providing a current value of the object counter to the remote-operating device, so that for the manual control of the manipulator, a reference on the manipulator's current position in an area of use of the nuclear plant is given to the operator.",
    "19. The method according to claim 18, comprising: Interrupting the movement of the manipulator close to an identified object; orienting the image acquisition system to the identified object; and generating and automatically converting control signals for the drive based on the image data, so that the manipulator is automatically positioned into an interaction position relative to the identified object.",
    "20. The method according to claim 19, comprising: performing a mechanical procedure or a measurement by an interaction device after reaching the interaction position."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present disclosure relates to a nuclear plant manipulator system, having, for example, a manipulator with an image acquisition device and remote-control drive, a remote-operating device as well as an analysis device for analyzing image data of the image acquisition device. The disclosure also relates to a method for controlling a manipulator of a nuclear plant manipulator system.\n\nIt is known that in nuclear plants, for minimizing any operating risks, significant costs as regards maintenance and testing of the plant components or their individual parts is desirable. Thus, for example, the screws in the inner walls of a nuclear pressure vessel are to undergo routine testing and are to be replaced as appropriate.\n\nHighly radioactive areas of use in which corresponding maintenance or repair work is carried out are involved, such that safety precautions are used to protect the personnel. Manipulators are used that are remote-controlled through the corresponding area of use, whereby the components to be tested are approached and examined sequentially. A manipulator can be defined as a device that can move independently via a drive, and that is remote-controlled. This is, for example, done by operating personnel who are stationed away from the manipulator, based on an image that is recorded by a camera on the manipulator. To be able to implement testing or maintenance work, corresponding manipulators are equipped with measuring devices - for example an ultrasonic testing system or a device for replacing screws or the like.",
  "cpc": [
    "G21C 17/013",
    "B25J 13/00",
    "B25J 9/10",
    "G21C 19/02",
    "G21C 19/20",
    "G21C 19/32",
    "Y02E 30/30"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B25J 13/00",
    "B25J 9/10",
    "G21C 17/013",
    "G21C 19/02",
    "G21C 19/20",
    "G21C 19/32"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Westinghouse Electric Germany GmbH"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Marko Eckert",
    "David KISJUHASZ"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-06-03",
  "publication_date": "2017-10-17",
  "grant_date": "2017-10-17",
  "priority_date": "2013-06-03",
  "application_number": "US-201414294563-A",
  "family_id": "50897323",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
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}