KR102133323B1 - Checking piping system using piping inspection robot and mr technology - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, an image captured by a robot for inspecting a pipe that can be moved in a state surrounding a pipe and configured to be incomplete with a certain distance between one end portion and the other end portion spaced apart from each other by a pipe is realized as a virtual reality. It is related to a pipe inspection robot that can check the condition of a pipe and a pipe inspection system using MR technology.
In the robot for pipe inspection according to the present invention, a plurality of wheels are provided at regular intervals along the inner periphery, and a pair of curved portions that are formed with one or more curved grooves along the outer periphery are hinged to each other, but one end portion and the other end portion are spaced apart. It is characterized in that it comprises a body unit that is an incomplete circular shape, and a moving unit that is inserted into a curved groove and is movable along a curved groove and a photographing device mounted on the moving unit to photograph the surface of the pipe.
In addition, the pipe inspection system using the robot and MR technology for pipe inspection according to the present invention is characterized by inspecting the pipe using the robot and MR technology for pipe inspection.

Description

Checking piping system using piping inspection robot and mr technology

The present invention relates to a system that moves along a pipe and checks the pipe using MR technology and a robot that checks the condition of the pipe, and more specifically, consists of an incomplete circular shape in which one end portion and the other end portion are separated by a certain distance. It is possible to move around the piping, and to avoid the structure of fixing the piping, etc., using the robot inspection robot and MR technology to implement the image taken by the robot for evaluating piping to be implemented in virtual reality to check the condition of the piping. It is related to the pipe inspection system.

Generally, bridges for passage of people, vehicles, etc. may be installed on the terrain that cuts down the passageways such as rivers and valleys, and piping that functions as a water passage may be installed on the bridges, if necessary. The piping installed on these bridges is called bridge addition piping.

Such bridge addition piping should be periodically inspected and repaired accordingly, and such periodic inspection is common to all piping installed in buildings as well as bridge addition piping, or where bridges are installed, buildings or It is a reality that workers are difficult to access due to various reasons such as the height of the bridge and the length of the bridge.

Accordingly, the invention of a pipe inspection robot capable of mounting inspection equipment and inspecting a pipe on behalf of an operator has been proposed, and according to the invention for a pipe inspection robot, the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1281255 “Moving robot for external inspection of piping” and “Pipe inspection robot” of Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1292999, “Control method of pipe climbing robot” of Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1323452 and Korean Patent Registration No. 10- 1430251 “Robot for checking pipe condition” has been proposed and released.

The Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1281255 "mobile robot for external inspection of piping" is attached to the outer surface of the pipe through an adhesive force, the first module and the second module that can be moved or rotated in the longitudinal direction along the outer surface of the pipe through the propulsion force An invention relating to a mobile robot configured to include a module and an articulated connecting member that connects the two to move a curved tube or a branch tube has been proposed, and the “pipe inspection robot” of Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1292999 discloses A first gripper and a second gripper capable of holding the pipe, a first link coupled with the first gripper, a second link rotatably coupled with the first link, and a third link rotatably coupled with the second link, An invention has been proposed for an inspection robot capable of inspection and driving even for a pipe having an obstacle such as a branch pipe, including a fourth link that is rotatably coupled with a 3 link and also coupled with a second gripper.

In addition, the Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1323452 "control method of the pipe climbing robot" is composed of a plurality of links that can be rotated with each other, the body part is provided at both ends of the robot hand and the robot to grip the pipe, The invention of a control method of a pipe climbing robot including a camera provided in a hand has been proposed, and the "Robot for Inspecting Pipe Status" of the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1430251 includes a plurality of body parts having a robot arm. And, the sensor unit for inspecting the state of the pipe, and a control unit for controlling any one of the body portion away from the pipe, and a control unit for controlling the connection is configured to pass through the obstacle and move or rotate along the pipe for inspection The invention of the robot has been proposed.

However, the prior arts described above have a complicated structure of a robot for moving and inspecting along the pipe, and thus the cost of provision, maintenance, and repair is excessive, so it is possible to move along the pipe and check the condition of the pipe, but the structure is simple. It is a situation in which an invention related to a device such as a robot that is configured, provided, and has a low maintenance and repair cost is required.

In addition, there is a problem in that it is difficult to freely and closely inspect the piping with only the images being photographed.

Republic of Korea Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1281255 (2013. 06. 26) Republic of Korea Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1292999 (2013. 07. 29) Republic of Korea Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1323452 (2013. 10. 23) Republic of Korea Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1430251 (2014. 08. 07)

The robot for pipe inspection according to the present invention and the pipe inspection system using MR technology are proposed techniques for solving problems occurring during pipe inspection and problems of the prior invention,

Pipes installed in bridges or buildings may cause aging and damage due to external shock, so periodic inspection is necessary, but there is a problem that workers cannot access depending on the installed location.

Conventional robots for inspecting the piping have a problem in that the structure is complicatedly formed, resulting in excessive cost due to provision, maintenance, and repair.

Since there was a problem that it was difficult to freely and closely inspect only the limited images collected by shooting, I would like to present a solution to this.

The robot for pipe inspection according to the present invention and the pipe inspection system using MR technology are intended to realize the above object,

An incomplete circular body unit in which a plurality of wheels are provided at regular intervals along the inner periphery, and a pair of curved portions, which are formed with one or more curved grooves along the outer periphery, are hinged to each other, but spaced apart from one end and the other end; A moving unit inserted into the curved groove and movable along the curved groove; And a photographing device mounted on the mobile unit to photograph the surface of the pipe. Presenting a robot for inspecting the pipe characterized in that it comprises a.

In addition, the present invention proposes a pipe inspection system for inspecting pipes using the robot for pipe inspection and MR technology.

Pipe inspection system using the robot and MR technology for pipe inspection according to the present invention,

Using the robot for pipe inspection instead of workers, the effect of inspecting the pipe occurs.

By simply constructing the robot for pipe inspection in an incomplete circle, the effect of reducing the cost of installation, maintenance, and repair occurs.

By using the MR technology to implement the actual shape and state of the piping as a virtual reality, the effect of improving the inspection efficiency of the piping occurs.

1 is an exemplary view showing an embodiment in which the robot for pipe inspection according to the present invention checks the state of the pipe.
Figure 2 (a) to Figure 2 (c) is an exemplary view showing a state that the mobile unit of the pipe inspection robot according to the invention moves along the curved groove.
Figure 3 (a) and Figure 3 (b) is an exemplary view showing a process for injecting the pipe into the inner hollow pipe inspection robot according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a configuration of a pipe inspection system using the robot and MR technology for pipe inspection according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is a further configuration of a pipe inspection system using the robot and MR technology for pipe inspection according to the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, the present invention relates to a robot that moves along a pipe and checks the condition of the pipe,

A plurality of wheels 101 are provided at regular intervals along the inner periphery, and a pair of curved portions 103 that are formed with one or more curved grooves 102 along the outer periphery are hinged to each other, but one end portion and the other end portion Is an incomplete circularly spaced body unit 100; A moving unit 110 inserted into the curved groove 102 and movable along the curved groove 102; And a photographing device 120 mounted on the mobile unit 110 to photograph the surface of the pipe. It relates to a pipe inspection robot characterized in that it comprises a.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, as shown in Figures 2 (a) to 2 (c), the robot for pipe inspection according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of wheels 101 at regular intervals along the inner periphery, one along the outer periphery The pair of curved portions 103 in which the curved grooves 102 are formed is hinged to each other, but one end portion and the other end portion are configured to include an incomplete circular body unit 100 spaced apart.

The main body unit 100 is a unit designed to be movable along the piping, and is composed of a circular shape that can correspond to a piping having a circular cross section, and more specifically, a cylinder having a hollow formed therein. The structure has a shape in which one end portion and the other end portion are spaced apart so as to be avoidable.

In addition, the main body unit 100 is not formed in a cylindrical shape, and a pair of curved portions 103 are formed separately, but are hinged to each other, thereby being spaced apart as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b). It is possible to extend the distance between the one end portion and the other end portion, and accordingly, it is a configuration capable of introducing a pipe into the inner hollow.

The plurality of wheels 101 provided along the inner periphery of the main body unit 100 can be moved in a state where the main body unit 100 wraps the pipe by being in close contact with the surface of the pipe inserted into the hollow inside of the main body unit 100. It is configured to extend a certain length toward the center of the hollow so as to correspond to the pipe having various diameters.

In particular, since the pipe may be deformed in shape, the diameter of some sections may be extended, and foreign matter may be adsorbed on the surface, so the wheel 101 is the body unit 100 by an elastic member such as a coil spring. By being connected to, it can be configured to respond to these problems.

In addition, one or a pair of curved grooves 102 formed in the circumferential direction along the outer periphery of the main body unit 100 allows the following moving unit 110 to be fastened and moved to the main body unit 100, thereby In addition, one or more connecting grooves connecting the pair of curved grooves 102 along the longitudinal direction are formed in the main body unit 100 so that the following moving unit 110 located in one curved groove 102 has another curved groove 102 ).

In addition, as shown in Figure 2 (a) to 2 (c), the robot for pipe inspection according to the present invention is configured to include a movable unit 110 that is inserted into the curved groove 102 and is movable. Characterized in that, the mobile unit 110, the main unit unit 100 is moved every time a predetermined distance by reciprocating along the curved groove 102, the following inspection device and / or the following non-destructive inspection device can inspect the piping To make.

That is, if the robot for inspecting pipes stops after the body unit 100 moves for a certain distance, the pipes can be checked by repeating the process of moving the moving unit 110 along the curved groove 102. And, by rotating the body unit 100 at a certain angle during the movement of the mobile unit 110, it is possible to eliminate the blind spots according to the shape of the body unit 100 formed in an incomplete circle.

Specifically, the mobile unit 110 is inserted into the curved groove 102, the slide portion 111 is movable along the curved groove 102, and one end is fastened to the slide portion 111, constant Characterized in that it comprises a guide unit 112, the imaging device 120 is mounted on the other end portion spaced apart, the number of the same as the number of curved grooves 102 formed in the body unit 100 is provided It is desirable.

In addition, as shown in Figure 2 (a) to Figure 2 (c), the robot for pipe inspection according to the present invention is mounted on the mobile unit 110 includes a photographing device 120 for photographing the surface of the pipe It is characterized in that the configuration, and the image taken by the imaging device 120 is transmitted to the outside for pipe inspection by the user or the like.

However, there is a limitation in that only the external surface of the pipe can be inspected by only taking an image by the photographing device 120, so the mobile unit 110 replaces the photographing device 120 or adds it to the photographing device 120 to check non-destructively. The device may be mounted, and the data generated by the non-destructive inspection device is configured to be transmitted to the outside, which is the same as in the case of the imaging device 120, and of the curved groove 102 formed in the body unit 100. In the case where a pair of mobile units 110 are provided according to the number, a photographing device 120 is mounted on one mobile unit 110 and a non-destructive checking device is installed on the other mobile unit 110. It is obvious that it may.

In addition, the main body unit 100 controls the whole or part of the plurality of wheels 101 to move the main body unit 100 along a pipe, to control the movement of the mobile unit 110, the inspection device and It characterized in that a control unit for controlling the non-destructive inspection device is provided, the control of the body unit 100, the mobile unit 110, the inspection device and the non-destructive inspection device by the control unit is manually controlled by a controller controlled by the user Both the control method and the automatic control method are applicable.

In addition, the present invention relates to a piping inspection system for inspecting piping using the robot and MR technology for inspecting the piping, as shown in FIG. 4, the piping inspection system is an image photographed by the photographing device 120 Characterized in that it comprises a modeling device 130 for generating a 3D model using.

The modeling device 130 is a device that generates a single 3D model using an image photographed by the photographing device 120, that is, a video or a plurality of still images, and input/output of information using wired and wireless communication methods is It is preferable to be composed of a known computer capable of installing a modeling program, but it may be configured as a dedicated terminal for 3D modeling only.

The 3D model is an image modeled to check the overall shape of the pipe at various angles according to the user's choice, and is modeled to enlarge each part.It is implemented as a virtual reality through the following MR device 140 and installed in buildings, bridges, etc. Compared to the method of visually inspecting the piping or the inspection method using images taken at various angles of the whole and each part of the piping, the inspection efficiency is improved.

In addition, the pipe inspection robot and the pipe inspection system using MR technology are characterized in that it is possible to easily compare and analyze the front and rear states of the pipe by generating a 2D image based on the generated 3D model. The modeling device 130 includes a generator 131 for generating a 2D image using the 3D model generated as illustrated in FIG. 5, a database storing the 3D model and the 2D image, and a plurality of stored 2D images It can be configured to include an analysis unit 132 for analyzing the change in the shape of the pipe by comparing each other, and by this configuration, users related to the piping system can economically and quickly check the shape change of the pipe over a long period of time.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the pipe inspection system for inspecting pipes using the robot for inspecting pipes and MR technology according to the present invention implements the 3D model as a virtual reality to provide the MR device 140 to a user. It is characterized in that it is configured to include, and the user can obtain the effect of checking the pipe in virtual reality by wearing the MR device 140 on the head.

In addition, the pipe inspection system for inspecting pipes using the robot for pipe inspection and MR technology according to the present invention has a plurality of module parts (not shown) in which the main body unit 100 is modularized in the shape of an arc. It is characterized in that it is configured to be assembled to the liver, and accordingly, it is possible to expand or contract the diameter by adding or removing the module.

That is, the plurality of module parts are formed in an arc shape to form a circle with a collection of a plurality of objects, and accordingly, the diameter of the main body unit 100 is expanded according to the diameter of the pipe to be inspected. Alternatively, it can be reduced, and the plurality of wheels 101 can extend a certain length toward the inner center of the main body unit 100 or reduce the projected length, thereby coping with the problem of adhesion to the pipe due to the expansion or contraction of the diameter. It is possible.

In addition, the plurality of module parts are configured to be closely coupled to each other using electromagnetic force.

That is, since the plurality of module parts frequently engage and separate depending on the diameter of the pipe, they can be tightly coupled to each other using electromagnetic force when coupled to each other, and can be easily separated by removing the electromagnetic force when separated. Thereby, the effect of simplifying the coupling and separation between the plurality of module parts occurs, the effect of securing the stability of the main body unit 100 occurs, and the design cost and the robot manufacturing cost according to the demand for precise tolerance design An effect that can solve the increase of occurs.

The embodiments introduced above are provided as examples to ensure that the technical spirit of the present invention can be sufficiently transmitted to a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, and the present invention is directed to the embodiments described above. It is not limited and may be embodied in other forms.

In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in the drawings, and in the drawings, the width, length, and thickness of components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience.

In addition, the same reference numbers throughout the specification indicate the same components.

100: main unit
101: wheel
102: curved groove
103: curved portion
110: mobile unit
111: slide
112: guide unit
120: shooting device
130: modeling device
131: generation unit 132: analysis unit
140: MR device

Claims (9)

A plurality of wheels 101 are provided at regular intervals along the inner periphery, and a pair of curved portions 103, which are formed with one or more curved grooves 102 along the outer periphery, are hinged to each other, but one end portion and the other end portion Incomplete cylindrical body unit 100 is spaced apart from each other;
A moving unit 110 inserted into the curved groove 102 and movable along the curved groove 102; And,
A photographing device 120 mounted on the mobile unit 110 to photograph the surface of the pipe; Consisting of, including
The plurality of wheels 101,
It is characterized in that it is configured to extend a certain length toward the inner center of the main body unit 100 while connected to the main body unit 100 by the coil spring,
The mobile unit 110,
The slide unit 111 inserted into the curved groove 102 and movable along the curved groove 102, the one end portion is fastened to the slide portion 111, and the imaging device at the other end portion spaced a certain distance ( 120) is characterized in that it comprises a guide portion 112 is mounted,
The robot for pipe inspection, characterized in that the main body unit (100) rotates at a certain angle during movement of the mobile unit (110) and is configured to eliminate the blind spot according to the incomplete shape of the main unit (100).
delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The body unit 100,
Characterized in that the plurality of module parts (not shown) modularized in the shape of an arc are assembled to each other and configured,
A pipe inspection robot characterized in that the diameter can be expanded or reduced by adding or removing the module part (not shown).
The method of claim 5,
The plurality of module units (not shown),
A robot for pipe inspection, characterized in that it is configured to be closely coupled to each other by using electromagnetic force.
A pipe inspection system using a robot for inspecting pipes and MR technology, characterized in that the pipe is inspected using a robot for inspecting pipes of any one of claims 1, 5, or 6 and MR technology.
The method of claim 7,
The pipe inspection robot and the pipe inspection system using MR technology,
A modeling device 130 that generates a 3D model using the image captured by the shooting device 120;
MR device 140 that implements the 3D model as a virtual reality and provides it to a user; A pipe inspection system for inspecting pipes using a robot and MR technology for pipe inspection, characterized in that it comprises a.
The method of claim 8,
The pipe inspection robot and the pipe inspection system using MR technology,
A pipe inspection system that inspects pipes using a robot and MR technology for pipe inspection, characterized in that 2D images are generated based on the generated 3D model to easily compare and analyze the state before and after the pipe.

Images