Pipeline internal inspection device and method

An optical inspection apparatus (1) for internal surveying of a pipeline (2) for transporting fluid (3), said apparatus comprising;

• an energy supply unit (1);
• a light source means (4) adapted to form one or more fan shaped beams of light (5) illuminating a line (L) of an interior surface part (9) of said pipeline (2);
• optical receiving means (6) positioned outside a plane formed by said fan shaped beams (5) and arranged to have in its field of view (7) the line (L) formed on the internal wall of the pipeline (2) by said fan shaped beam (5);
• said optical receiving means (6) adapted to form a plurality of two-dimensional indexed images (20k), said index k representing a running image number, each of said images (20) comprising intensity data for a predetermined number of pixels in each of a predetermined number of lines (M) of said image (20);
• a data processing unit (100) including an image analyzer module (110) with a surface depth profile analyzer module (120), said depth profile analyzer module (120) adapted for extracting a depth profile of said surface (9) from said recorded images (20) by analysing maxima (m) along said lines (M) for obtaining curves (N) representing said line (L) by positions p(x) of said maxima (m) for each image (20) whereby the positions p(x) of said maxima (m) in the image represents a surface profile (N);
• a first storage means (160) for storing of said curves/surface profiles (N).