Two New IPLEX Series Models Featuring Superior Image Quality

BY Editor

Two New IPLEX Series Models Featuring Superior Image Quality – Nov 12, 2013– Tokyo, Japan (Techreleased) – Olympus Corporation  announces the simultaneous worldwide launch on November 12, 2013 of the IPLEX RX and IPLEX RT, two new models in its product portfolio of industrial videoscopes suitable for inspecting confined spaces that are difficult-to-access visually, such as factory piping and aircraft engines.

IPLEX RX Industrial Videoscope

The IPLEX series of industrial videoscopes are part of Olympus’ line-up of non-destructive testing instruments. They feature a high level of maneuverability, superb image quality, and a wide range of functions to support accurate inspections.

The new IPLEX RX and IPLEX RT videoscopes use a newly developed image processor to achieve the highest image quality in the IPLEX series. They also feature image adjustment functions^*1 not available in previous models, enabling inspections to be carried out applying the type of image that best suits the application. The videoscopes are compact, lightweight, and easily portable, yet robust and durable, and ready for use in diverse inspection workplaces.

Launch Overview

Main Features

1. Newly developed image processor achieves the highest image quality in the IPLEX series of videoscopes.
2. Image adjustment functions^*1 provide a choice of images to best suit the type of inspection.
3. Compact and lightweight case designs are durable and suitable for diverse inspection workplaces.

Background of Launch

With growing recognition in recent years of the importance of safety management in areas such as buildings and cargo aircraft, periodic maintenance has become a standard practice at many sites. Industrial videoscopes are used to view inside confined spaces, such as factory piping, aircraft engines, and vehicle components, where they are required to reliably find the tiny defects such as fine cracks in an engine or corrosion in a pipe that can cause serious accidents. Because inspectors may have to carry their videoscopes with them to high places, or to perform their inspection work from locations with unstable footing, videoscopes need to be not only small and light, but also durable enough for outdoor use.

These new models from Olympus are intended to meet these needs, featuring the highest image quality in the IPLEX series and compact yet highly durable design.

Details of Main Features

1. Newly developed image processor achieves the highest image quality in the IPLEX series.
Olympus’ new PulsarPic image processor delivers the highest image quality in the IPLEX Series. Even in dark places like the insides of pipes or aircraft engines, PulsarPic can produce vivid, detailed, and low-noise images for inspection. A new LED light source produces approximately twice the brightness of previous products^*2. The light source system is also equipped with an innovative technology that senses the reflection of light from the object and automatically adjusts the lighting level to provide the appropriate brightness for the image.

Although the videoscopes are very compact, they are equipped with large 6.5 inch monitors. Displaying high-quality images on a large screen helps ensure accurate and reliable inspections that do not miss even tiny defects.

2. Image adjustment functions^*1 provide a choice of images to best suit the type of inspection.
The color and sharpness adjustment functions can adjust the image to suit the application or the object being inspected. When inspecting the weld finish in a pipe, for example, adjusting the color to high saturation and raising sharpness to emphasize edges gives a clear view of weld coloration and condition. Meanwhile, Olympus’ WiDER image processing technique (also available on previous models) optimizes images for inspection by enhancing the brightness in dark areas and suppressing it in areas where excessive light would otherwise cause the image to appear overexposed.

3. Compact and lightweight case designs are durable and suitable for diverse inspection workplaces.
The IPLEX RX and RT weigh just 2.9 kg for easy hand-carry and transport to a wide range of inspection site. They can be slung over a shoulder like a bag, facilitating inspection of objects that can only be accessed by ladder, such as inside a wind turbine. Similarly, the carrying handle has a swing design that can be repurposed as a monitor stand, allowing the inspector to orient the videoscope to their preferred position and angle.

The videoscopes comply with dust- and moisture-proofing standards^*3, allowing their use at sites exposed to sudden rain or windblown dust. To withstand the rigors that videoscopes experience in the diverse situations, they have also been designed to pass a 1.2m drop test.