The K2 Base Station from CUES Inc. approaches CCTV pipe inspection from the perspective of deployment flexibility. The unit is built with the ability to deploy to a wide range of field locations, each with their unique access or navigational challenges.
The system is designed to provide compactness, versatility and affordable cost. The K2 is in essence a deployment and control system. It can be a relatively inexpensive first step into CCTV, or a complement to an existing inspection technology toolbox.
The system is a two-component control and data-capture system. It requires a transporter and camera, yet even with those two components it can be configured for one-man transport to an inspection access port or manhole.
Installed in a dedicated vehicle, configured as a single stacked unit with its own wheels and handle bars in the manner of a hand truck, or mounted in a weatherproof, vandal-resistant steel box, the system’s deliverability is only limited by its mode of transport. The box can be fork-lifted into a pickup truck’s bed, into a box truck, onto a boat or barge, or onto an ATV. On site, it can send a transporter and camera up to 1,200 feet down the line.
The system, mounted in azero-emission electric vehicle, was demonstrated in Orlando, Fla., by CUES personnel in sewers owned by the Orange County Utilities Wastewater Division in a light commercial neighborhood. German Martinez and Matt Spears, engineering technicians, and Paul Stenzler, vice president of sales, put the system through inspections of more than 1,000 feet of 6- and8-inch lines.
Walk-around
The K2 control box is a cube of roughly 30 inches that houses a computer and keyboard, a display screen, an image/data recorder and a behind-the-scenes control connection to the other system component, the cable reel assembly. The reel assembly (about 30 by 30 by 36 inches), manages up to 1,200 feet of multipurpose CCTV and retrieval cable that links a transporter and camera to the control box. (The camera and transporter are not part of the K2 system.)
Mounted in the control box is a computer designed and built by CUES with impact and shock resistance. An external laptop or rack-mounted computer captures visual data, which can be formatted in PACP or WRc files. Using Granite XP software from CUES, the files can be exported to the ESRI ArcGIS mapping software. Files are also exported to asset management applications from Infor Public Sector (formerly Hansen Information Technologies), Azteca Systems (CityWorks), and GBA Master Series. All visual, verbal and alpha-numeric data is recorded digitally and can be copied to a CD, DVD or memory stick. It can be sent by direct connection (ethernet) to another computer or other network device, or by e-mail.
When the transporter, cable reel or the base station itself encounters difficulty, the unit has an internal diagnostic program that helps the operator solve the problem in the field. This menu-driven application is keyboard-accessible on-screen.
The mechanical cable reel assembly controls are accessible at the top front of the unit. Some aspects of the reel’s behavior can be controlled through the base station. A tension-sensing bar is in constant contact with the cable in the payout or retrieval modes. The cable jacketing materials and underlying layered synthetic wrappings of the conductors and connectors help prevent abrasive wear.
Operation
After the inspection vehicle was parked and cones positioned for traffic control, the CUES demonstrators used a single electrical connector to join the transporter, with camera already mounted, to the tethering/control cable. Once connected, they used a hook on the end of a telescoping rod to lower the transporter into position in the manhole and move it a few feet into the pipe.
Once secured, the operator began the traverse. The rate of travel is determined in part by the pipe diameter and material, the work assignment and the transporter’s wheels or treads. This demonstration captured data at forward speeds ranging 30 to 50 feet per minute. During the demonstration, the transporter moved through an intervening, straight-through manhole without difficulty. If a steerable transporter is used, it can be maneuvered through a Y intersection manhole during traverse and retrieval.
The team demonstrated how operators interface with the computer using a keyboard, joystick or wireless game-type controller. A microphone and sound-capture capability enabled them to add verbal comments.
The transporter and camera are controlled through the base station. Customary functions for direction, speed, retrieval and pan/tilt are accessed through a wired or wireless handheld remote.
The transporter was retrieved with minimal operator intervention since retrieval was not dependent upon the operator’s skill at matching the transporter’s backing movement with cable uptake. The demonstrators showed how the tension-sensing bar enables even and trouble-free take-up. Its range of motion was electronically monitored and, based on the bar’s position, reel rotation was controlled.
When it was time to bring it home, the transporter was put into neutral, and the reel whisked it home at a 110 feet per minute.
All these activities were managed using the wireless controller. When the work site and conditions allow, the operator can sit in an included folding chair under a vehicle access door or under the steel cube’s lid.
The CUES team showed how video cable connectors can be repaired or replaced in the field without the need for ScotchCast curing material. This and the on-board diagnostics diminish the likelihood of significant downtime. All inspection data was saved to a laptop computer for later transfer and subsequent evaluation.
Observer comments
The system is flexible enough to get to remote infrastructure locations. Unless configured in a built-in mode, the components can be demounted and transported individually with a minimum of effort. For this demonstration, the base station was mounted in an all-electric vehicle that has a smaller footprint than a Sprinter van.
The unit was powered by the vehicle’s on-board batteries. The DC current was routed through an inverter to deliver 110V AC power. In other configurations, an external AC power source is needed: a gas or diesel generator, an engine-driven AC generator, or a wall outlet.
Whether in the electric vehicle or in a steel box in the bed of a pickup, there is limited shelter for the operator or for equipment protection. Sheltered under the truck’s rear hatch, screen glare was minimal and the picture was bright enough to let the operator recognize pipe defects and displayed data.
The hand truck model can be fitted with an antiglare hood. This configuration offers no weather protection, but it can reach remote access points even inside buildings, where a vehicle cannot go. The multiple control methods can suit any site conditions and operator preferences.
Manufacturer comments
The K2 Base Station resulted from years of municipal and private sector operator experience and feedback. “The market said, ‘We want a compact, versatile control center, mountable in a variety of delivery vehicles that will enable inspection of wastewater or storm-water pipes with diameters from 3 to 200 inches,’” says Stenzler.
“The integrated wireless controller is designed to ease transporter insertion in challenging or isolated field environments,” he says. “Once inserted, the operator turns his attention to the base station for the traverse and data collection.”
