Development of Semi-Submersible Remotely Operated Vehicle for Inspection of Pier Superstructures
By T. Tanaka
Concrete Journal, Vol.53, No.8, Aug. 2015
- Synopsis
- The general inspection of pier superstructure concrete is done by visual inspection of the appearance of the beams and superstructure underside by workers on boats. However, such work is often made difficult by sea conditions such as tides and waves, and facility access restrictions due to mooring and cargo handling operations. To enable the safe and efficient inspection of pier superstructures, the authors developed a test model of a semi-submersible remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with upward facing cameras. The ROV is designed for superior usability with operational support features such as an inspection position information management function and tele-operation assistance features that allow vehicle positioning and motion measurement under pier superstructures, where direct use of GPS signals is not possible. This paper introduces the work done by the authors on this invention.
- Keywords:
- pier superstructure concrete underside, general inspection and assessment, ROV, positioning under pier superstructure, management of inspection position information, operational support features
