Imaging device and system for inspecting cables and cable joints

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.