In-cell maintenance by manipulator arm with 3D workspace information recreated by laser rangefinder

We developed a remote control system for maintenance of in-cell type fuel fabrication equipment. The system display recreated three-dimensional information of the workspace from data obtained by laser rangefinder and conventional cameras. It has allowed us to operate a manipulator arm remotely with several control modes. In order to evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of developed system, we implemented remote handling experiments using mock up equipment. Performance was compared for remote operation conducted using several different display and operation modes. We confirmed that the system is able to maintain in-cell fuel fabrication equipment in each display and operation mode. Times required to complete the remote operations were collected and compared in each mode. It was observed that integration of 3D information from the laser rangefinder reduced operation time and reinforced visual information during remote operation.