Imaging device and system for inspecting cables and cable joints

1 . A portable cable and joint inspection system, comprising:

a support structure comprising a set of support arms;

an x-ray cabinet coupled to the support structure, the x-ray cabinet containing an x-ray camera and positioning equipment, wherein the x-ray camera is mounted on a gimbal, the positioning equipment is coupled to the gimbal and operable to position the x-ray camera to obtain an x-ray image of a cable or a cable joint fed through a set of openings in opposite sidewalls of the x-ray cabinet, wherein the cable or the cable joint is further fed through an opening of each support arm of the set of support arms, and wherein the opening of each support arm of the set of support arms is aligned with the set of openings in opposite sidewalls of the x-ray cabinet, and wherein the x-ray cabinet is rotatable relative to the set of support arms;

a processor communicatively coupled to the x-ray camera and the positioning equipment; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory operable to store programming code to control the x-ray camera and the positioning equipment, wherein the processor when executing the programming code is operable to:

actuate the positioning equipment to position the x-ray camera to obtain an x-ray image of a number of selected portions of the cable or cable joint;

obtain an x-ray image at each selected portion of the number of selected portions of the cable or cable joint, the x-ray image of each selected portion including a number of pixels having predetermined dimensions and each pixel of the number of pixels having a pixel intensity value and coordinates within the x-ray image;

processing pixel intensity values of the number of pixels of the x-ray image to identify a bounded area within the x-ray image;

measure a size of the bounded area in the x-ray image based on a number of pixels forming the identified bounded area;

in response to the size of the identified bounded area being greater than an inclusion or void allowance threshold, flag a pixel location within the x-ray image for detailed inspection, wherein the flagged pixel location corresponds to a physical location within the selected portions of the cable or the cable joint, wherein the inclusion or void allowance threshold varies along a length of the cable or cable joint, between a first zone and a second zone; and

present on a display device coupled to the processor, the flagged pixel location.

2 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the processor, when processing the pixel intensity values of the number of pixels of the x-ray image to identify the bounded area within the x-ray image, is operable to:

determine a gradient of pixel intensity values exceeding a gradient threshold is present between sets of pixels in the x-ray image; and

mark locations of pixels of the number of pixels in the x-ray image where the determined gradient of the pixel intensity values exceeds the gradient threshold as an edge of the bounded area within the x-ray image.

3 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 2 , wherein the processor, when determining the gradient of pixel intensity values exceeding the gradient threshold is present between the sets of pixels in the x-ray image, is operable to:

compare an intensity value of a first pixel in a first set of pixels of the sets of pixels to an intensity value of a second pixel in the first set of pixels; and

based on a result of the comparing indicating a difference in respective intensity values, determine a presence of a gradient between a location of the first pixel and a location of the second pixel.

4 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the processor, when measuring the size of the identified bounded area, is operable to:

use multi-axial measurements to determine a size of an area bounded by the flagged pixel location;

compare the determined size of the bounded area to an inclusion or void allowance threshold; and

in response to a result of the comparing indicating that the inclusion or void allowance threshold has been exceeded, flagging the bounded area as an inclusion or void.

5 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to:

present on the display device, an indication of a location of an inclusion or void and a size of the inclusion or void; and

in response to more than one inclusion or void detected provide another indication when a distance between any two of the more than one inclusion or void are closer to one another than a predetermined allowance.

6 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the processor, when measuring the size of the identified bounded area in the x-ray image, is further operable to:

use coordinates of a first pixel that corresponds to a first marked location of the marked locations within the x-ray image where a gradient exceeds a gradient threshold as a first measurement position;

use coordinates of a second pixel that corresponds to a second marked location of the marked locations within the x-ray image where the gradient exceeds the gradient threshold as a second measurement position; and

measure a distance between the first measurement position to the second measurement position, wherein the measured distance between the first measurement position to the second measurement position is a first axial measurement.

7 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 6 , wherein the processor, when measuring the size of the identified bounded area in the x-ray image based on the number of pixels forming the identified inclusion or void, is further operable to:

select coordinates of a third pixel that corresponds to a third marked location of the marked locations within the x-ray image, where the gradient exceeds the gradient threshold as a third measurement position;

select coordinates of a fourth pixel that corresponds to a fourth marked location of the marked locations within the x-ray image, where the gradient exceeds the gradient threshold as a fourth measurement position; and

measure a distance between the third measurement position to the fourth measurement position, wherein the measured distance between the third measurement position to the fourth measurement position is a second axial measurement.

8 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 7 , wherein the processor, when measuring the size of the of the identified bounded area or void in the x-ray image based on the number of pixels forming the of the identified bounded area or void, is further operable to:

select coordinates of a fifth pixel that corresponds to a fifth marked location of the marked locations within the x-ray image, where the gradient exceeds the gradient threshold as a fifth measurement position;

select coordinates of a sixth pixel that corresponds to a sixth marked location of the marked locations within the x-ray image, where the gradient exceeds the gradient threshold as a sixth measurement position; and

measure a distance between the fifth measurement position to the sixth measurement position, wherein the measured distance between the fifth measurement position to the sixth measurement position is a third axial measurement along a third axis and is non-coplanar with an axis of the first axial measurement and an axis of the second axial measurement.

9 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to identify the bounded area by:

determining a change in a gradient of the pixel intensity values of the number of pixels of the x-ray image, where the change is determined when the gradient of the pixel intensity value exceeds a gradient threshold value; and

identifying a pixel corresponding to the change in the gradient of pixel values as an edge of the bounded area.

10 . The portable cable and joint inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to:

determine the x-ray image includes two or more identified bounded areas;

measure a distance between each respective pair of the two or more identified bounded areas;

evaluate the measured distance between each pair with respect to a minimum allowance; and

in response to the measured distance being less than the minimum allowance, flag the x-ray image for the detailed inspection.