JP2009121994A - Self-propelled in-tube inspection robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a self-propelled in-tube inspection robot that can easily and reliably switch the stop, forward rotation, and/or reverse rotation of a drive motor for traveling by a simple configuration, dispenses with a full-service operator and large-scale facilities, has improved mass productivity and operability, can photograph the surface of the inner wall of a sewer quickly and efficiently, and has improved efficiency in inspection work. <P>SOLUTION: The self-propelled in-tube inspection robot has the drive motor for traveling, and an acoustic switch for controlling the switching of the stop, forward rotation, and/or reverse rotation of the drive motor for traveling by receiving acoustic signals from the outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot that travels in a sewer pipe and inspects the surface of the inner wall of the sewer pipe.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot that travels in a sewer pipe and photographs and measures the inner wall surface has been proposed in order to confirm the occurrence of cracks and cracks on the inner wall surface of the sewer pipe.
For example, (Patent Document 1) states that “a movement command from an operator and a movement command generated by the robot itself according to the surrounding situation of the robot itself are coordinated to enable stable remote control by the operator and autonomous movement of the robot itself. A remote-controlled robot apparatus that can perform such movement is disclosed.
(Patent Document 2) states that “a frame, left and right endless track portions disposed in a C shape at the bottom of the frame, a camera disposed at the front end portion on the traveling direction side of the frame, and the traveling direction” And a storage unit that stores an image captured by the camera, a driving motor that drives the endless track unit, and a battery that supplies electric power to the driving motor. A self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot "is disclosed.
JP-A-6-155350 Utility Model Registration No. 3133667

However, the above conventional technique has the following problems.
(1) (Patent Document 1) requires not only a large amount of capital investment but also a dedicated and skilled operator who has to travel to the site by a car equipped with large-scale equipment for remote operation. This requires a lot of work, increases labor costs, requires a parking space at the time of work, and blocks roads, resulting in poor handling.
(2) The applicant of the present application made an intensive study in order to solve the above-described problem of (Patent Document 1), and applied for (Patent Document 2).
The self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot of (Patent Document 2) overcomes them even when there are irregularities, depressions, seam misalignment, branch pipe openings, tree roots and other obstacles in the pipe. It can run, has excellent running stability, and even when the pipe is tilted or bent, it can run reliably along the pipe toward the exit, and there is no need to operate from the outside. Although no large-scale equipment was required and it was excellent in labor-saving and handling properties, countermeasures for cases where it was impossible to move forward due to obstacles or other problems have not been fully studied and improved Has been strongly desired.
(3) Also, when the diameter of the sewer pipe is small or when toxic gas is generated inside, the worker cannot enter the sewer pipe, and the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot can be recovered. It had the problem of being difficult and lacking in workability.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and can simply and surely stop the driving motor for traveling and switch between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation with a simple configuration, and can be a dedicated operator or large-scale equipment. The purpose is to provide a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot that is excellent in mass production and operability, can shoot the inner wall surface of a sewer pipe efficiently in a short time, and is excellent in inspection work efficiency. .

In order to solve the above conventional problems, the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot of the present invention has the following configuration.
A self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to claim 1 of the present invention is a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot that travels in a sewage pipe and inspects the surface of the inner wall of the sewage pipe. And an acoustic switch that receives an acoustic signal from the outside and controls the stop of the driving motor for traveling and switching between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation.
With this configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the sewer pipe can be used in place of the voice pipe by having an acoustic switch that receives an external acoustic signal and controls the stop of the driving motor for driving and switching between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation, the sewer pipe Even if you are traveling in a place where radio waves, infrared rays, lasers, or other light does not reach, such as when the pipe is bent or branched, the sound signal generated by the buzzer or speaker The driving motor for driving can be stopped and switched between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation easily and reliably, and the operation reliability is excellent.
(2) When it becomes impossible to move forward due to obstacles, etc., simply by generating an acoustic signal toward the sewage pipe, the traveling drive motor is reversely rotated and retracted by itself and collected. It is possible to pull the lifeline while the drive motor is stopped and drag it back to the entrance side, and once reversely reverse the travel drive motor and then rotate it forward again to make a retry run. Excellent in operability and handling. In particular, it is possible to prevent the wheels of the traveling means and the endless track from being worn by reversely rotating the driving motor for traveling so that the service life is excellent.

  Here, the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot performs photographing by a camera, ultrasonic measurement, or other means while traveling inside a sewage pipe such as a circle or an inverted egg shape. The traveling means may be a wheel or an endless track having a belt-like track or chain. In particular, the arrangement of endless tracks in a square shape avoids water and foreign matter collected at the lower center of the sewer pipe, or the opening of a branch pipe that is generally connected to the lower or side of the sewer pipe. It is possible to prevent the contact between the frame and the obstacle, and it is possible to stably drive with less vibration and to take a high-quality image and to have excellent image quality reliability. Even if there are irregularities, depressions, steps, tree roots or other unavoidable obstacles in the sewer pipe, one of the left and right endless tracks touches the inner wall surface, so that it runs over them by its power. It has excellent running power and can travel reliably along the pipeline toward the exit.

As an acoustic switch, the driving motor is stopped and switched between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation depending on the number of generated acoustic signals received within a predetermined time and the type of acoustic signal (sound length, pitch, tone, etc.). Those that control are preferably used. If the travel drive motor can rotate in at least one direction, it can be switched between stop and forward rotation, but if a DC motor is used, it can be switched between forward and reverse rotation, and advance as needed. Can be switched back and forth, and excellent versatility.
A sound generator that emits an acoustic signal may be any one that can emit an acoustic signal that can be received by an acoustic switch, and a buzzer, a speaker, or the like is preferably used.
The frequency of the acoustic signal is preferably selected in an audible range where the operator can listen with his / her ears and within a range where he / she does not feel uncomfortable. This is because when an operator operates a buzzer, a speaker, or the like to generate an acoustic signal, the acoustic signal can be confirmed with an ear, and erroneous operation can be prevented.
The sewer pipe can transmit sound reliably even when the distance is long, the pipe is bent or branched, and the reliability of the operation of the acoustic switch is improved. Excellent.

The invention according to claim 2 is the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic switch is configured to drive the traveling drive motor according to the number of times the acoustic signal is received within a predetermined time. And stopping and switching between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation obtained in the first aspect, the following operation can be obtained.
(1) Since the acoustic switch stops the driving motor for driving and switches between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation according to the number of received acoustic signals within a certain period of time, the operator operates a buzzer, speaker, etc. The operation of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot can be easily switched between the stop operation, the advance operation and / or the retreat operation by simply selecting the number of generation of the acoustic signal to be generated.

Here, the acoustic switch may directly stop the traveling drive motor and switch between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation according to the number of times the acoustic signal is received within a certain time. What transmits a control signal with respect to the control part which controls a motor is used suitably.
By increasing the types of control signals transmitted from the acoustic switch, the control unit controls each mounted device such as the camera unit, illumination unit, and measurement unit that performs measurements using ultrasound and other means mounted on the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot. This is because it is possible to do so and is excellent in versatility. In this case, the acoustic switch generates a different number or type of control signal according to the number of receptions of the acoustic signal received within a certain time, or the type of received acoustic signal (sound length, height, tone, etc.) Different types of control signals (control signals having different lengths and levels) are generated depending on the situation. In addition to stopping the driving motor and switching between normal rotation and / or reverse rotation, the control unit turns on / off the camera unit and illumination unit according to the number or type of control signals received from the acoustic switch. Switching, switching on / off of the measurement unit, or control of various operations can be performed.
In addition, it is preferable to start the measurement for a certain period of time after receiving the first acoustic signal. This is because it is possible to reliably count the number of receptions of the acoustic signal received within a certain time and prevent malfunction.

The invention according to claim 3 is the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to claim 2, wherein the acoustic switch receives the control unit that controls the driving motor for traveling within a predetermined time. Different types of control signals are transmitted according to the number of times the acoustic signal is received.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation obtained in the second aspect, the following operation can be obtained.
(1) The control received by the control unit by transmitting a different type of control signal according to the number of times the acoustic switch receives the acoustic signal received within a predetermined time to the control unit that controls the driving motor for traveling. The stop and forward rotation and / or reverse rotation of the driving motor can be reliably controlled depending on the type of signal, and the operation is stable and reliable.
Here, the acoustic switch transmits control signals having different lengths and levels (control signals having different waveforms) according to the number of receptions of the acoustic signals received within a certain time. In addition, the control unit performs stoppage of the traveling drive motor and switching between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation according to the type of the control signal received from the acoustic switch.

The invention according to claim 4 is the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to claim 3, wherein when the acoustic switch receives the acoustic signal for the first time, the control section It has the structure which transmits the control signal which stops a drive motor.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation obtained in the second aspect, the following operation can be obtained.
(1) When the acoustic switch receives an acoustic signal for the first time, the traveling of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot is immediately stopped by transmitting a control signal for stopping the traveling drive motor to the control unit. The self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot moves forward or backward while the traveling drive motor continues to rotate forward or backward for a certain period of time to determine whether or not the second and subsequent acoustic signals are input. It is possible to prevent this, and the driving control reliability is excellent.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to the first aspect, wherein the acoustic switch stops and forwardly rotates the traveling drive motor according to the type of the received acoustic signal. And / or reverse rotation switching.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation obtained in the first aspect, the following operation can be obtained.
(1) Since the acoustic switch stops the driving motor for traveling and switches between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation according to the type of the acoustic signal, the acoustic signal generated by the operator operating the buzzer, the speaker, etc. By simply selecting the type, the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot can be easily and surely switched between stopping and moving forward and / or backward, and is excellent in operability and operational reliability.

Here, the acoustic switch may directly stop the traveling drive motor and switch between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation according to the type of the received acoustic signal. However, the control for controlling the traveling drive motor is possible. What transmits a control signal with respect to a part is used suitably.
As the type of the acoustic signal, the length, height, tone color, etc. of the sound may be changed independently, or these may be combined. In particular, when the sound length, pitch, timbre, etc. are combined, it is easy to distinguish the types of acoustic signals, prevent malfunctions, and easily increase the types of acoustic signals. It is possible to easily control each mounted device such as a camera unit, an illumination unit, and a measurement unit. By providing multiple switches for sound generators such as buzzers and speakers that generate acoustic signals, and assigning different types of acoustic signals to each switch, you can reliably select a specific type of acoustic signal simply by selecting the switch. It can be generated and has excellent operability and reliability of operation.

The invention according to claim 6 is the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to claim 5, wherein the acoustic switch receives the type of the acoustic signal received from the control unit that controls the driving motor for traveling. Depending on the situation, different types of control signals are transmitted.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation obtained in the first aspect, the following operation can be obtained.
(1) The acoustic switch transmits a control signal of a different type according to the type of the received acoustic signal to the control unit that controls the driving motor for traveling, and thus travels according to the type of the control signal received by the control unit. It is possible to reliably control the stop and forward rotation and / or reverse rotation of the drive motor, and it is excellent in operational stability and reliability.
Here, the acoustic switch transmits control signals having different lengths and levels (control signals having different waveforms) according to the type of the received acoustic signal. In addition, the control unit performs stoppage of the traveling drive motor and switching between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation according to the type of the control signal received from the acoustic switch.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the acoustic switch receives the number of times the acoustic signal is received within a predetermined time. Depending on the type of the acoustic signal, the operation of each mounted device such as a camera unit, an illumination unit, and a measuring instrument is controlled.
With this configuration, in addition to the action obtained in any one of claims 1 to 6, the following action is obtained.
(1) The operation of each mounted device such as a camera unit, illumination unit, measuring instrument, etc. can be controlled by the acoustic switch according to the number of received acoustic signals and the type of acoustic signal received within a certain period of time. It is excellent in the simplicity, stability of operation, and certainty.

As described above, according to the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot of the present invention, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) By providing an acoustic switch, you can travel in places where radio waves, infrared rays, lasers, or other light does not reach, such as when the travel distance is long, when the pipeline is bent or when it is branched, etc. Self-propelled in-pipe inspection with excellent operation reliability that can easily and surely stop the drive motor and switch between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation reliably according to the acoustic signal received from the outside Robots can be provided.
(2) Stopping the driving motor by simply operating a buzzer, a speaker, etc. from outside to stop the driving motor for driving, reversely rotating the driving motor for driving, and collecting it once. It is possible to reverse the rotation of the drive motor for traveling, and then rotate it again to rotate it forward, so that it is not necessary for the operator to enter the sewer pipe, and the diameter of the sewer pipe is small. It is possible to provide a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot excellent in operability, handleability, and safety that can be preferably used even when toxic gas or the like is generated inside.

According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect described in claim 1, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) Excellent operability that allows the operator to switch between stop and forward rotation and / or reverse rotation of the driving motor simply by selecting the number of times the acoustic signal is generated by operating the buzzer or speaker. A self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot can be provided.

According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect described in claim 2, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) Depending on the number of receptions of the acoustic signal received within a certain time, a different type of control signal is transmitted from the acoustic switch to the control unit, so that the control unit stops and forwardly rotates and / or rotates forward. It is possible to provide a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot that is capable of reliably controlling reverse rotation and is excellent in operational stability and reliability.

According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect described in claim 3, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) By transmitting a control signal for stopping the traveling drive motor from the acoustic switch to the control unit according to the first received acoustic signal, the traveling drive motor can be immediately stopped by the control unit. A self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot excellent in traveling safety can be provided.

According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect described in claim 1, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) Operability that allows an operator to easily and reliably switch between stopping and forward rotation and / or reverse rotation of a driving motor according to the type of acoustic signal generated by operating a buzzer or a speaker. It is possible to provide a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot excellent in operation reliability.

According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effect described in claim 5, the following advantageous effect is obtained.
(1) Depending on the type of received acoustic signal, a different type of control signal is transmitted from the acoustic switch to the control unit, so that the drive unit can be stopped and rotated forward and / or reversely reliably. It is possible to provide a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot excellent in stability and certainty of controllable operation.

According to the invention described in claim 7, in addition to the effect described in any one of claims 1 to 6, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) Control not only the driving motor for driving but also the operation of each mounted device such as camera unit, lighting unit, measuring instrument, etc. according to the number of received acoustic signals and the type of acoustic signal received within a certain period of time. Self-propelled that is easy to operate, stable and reliable, and can be operated by anyone without the need for operation wiring, large-scale equipment, or a dedicated operator An in-pipe inspection robot can be provided.

Hereinafter, a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
1 is a schematic side view of a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to Embodiment 1. FIG.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to the first embodiment that travels in a sewer pipe and images the surface of the inner wall with a camera or measures by various measuring means. The frame of the in-pipe inspection robot 1, 3 is a moving means of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 having left and right endless tracks arranged in a C shape so as to form approximately 150 degrees below the frame 2, and 4 is a frame The camera unit 4a of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 disposed at the distal end of the traveling direction 2 is self-propelled in-pipe inspection by a plurality of light emitting diodes 4b disposed on the outer periphery of the lens of the camera unit 4. Illumination unit 5 for illuminating the traveling direction of the robot 1, 5 is a driving motor for the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 that drives the moving means 3, and 6 is a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 that supplies power to the driving motor 5 for traveling. Rechargeable battery, 7 is external The acoustic switch of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 that controls the stop of the traveling drive motor 5 and switching between forward rotation and reverse rotation by receiving the acoustic signal from the microphone 7a, 8 is a control signal from the acoustic switch 7. It is a control part of self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 which controls drive motor 5 for a run based on.

  In the present embodiment, the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 provided with the moving means 3 having an endless track will be described, but the moving means 3 of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 is not limited to this, and is infinite. It may have wheels instead of the track. Also, regarding the number and arrangement of the moving means 3, in addition to arranging two places on the left and right sides of the frame 2 at an opening angle of 90 to 180 degrees, three or four places are arranged radially on the outer periphery of the frame 2. Also good. In addition, what was arrange | positioned in a square shape so that the left and right endless track | orbits of the moving means 3 may form about 150 degree | times can be used especially suitably for an oval tube.

Next, the acoustic switch of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot in Embodiment 1 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating acoustic signals and control signals when the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to the first embodiment is stopped. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an acoustic signal and a control signal during forward rotation of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3C is a self-propelled according to the first embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the acoustic signal and control signal at the time of reverse rotation of a type | formula in-pipe inspection robot.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a sound generator such as a buzzer or a speaker that emits an acoustic signal.
As shown in FIG. 2, the acoustic switch 7 receives the acoustic signal emitted from the sound generator 10 through the microphone 7a, and the control unit 8 that controls the driving motor 5 for traveling as shown in FIG. Different types of control signals can be transmitted according to the number of receptions of the acoustic signal received within a certain time T, and the driving unit 5 is stopped and switched between forward rotation and reverse rotation by the control unit 8. Can do.

The controller 8 stops the traveling drive motor 5 and switches between forward rotation and reverse rotation according to the number of control signals received within a predetermined time T.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the acoustic switch 7 receives the first acoustic signal, a control signal for stopping the driving motor 5 for traveling is transmitted to the control unit 8. Then, the traveling drive motor 5 was stopped.
As shown in FIG. 3B, when only the second acoustic signal is received while the predetermined time T has elapsed since the first acoustic signal is received, the drive motor for traveling is supplied to the control unit 8. When the control signal for rotating the motor 5 forward is transmitted and the second and third acoustic signals are received as shown in FIG. 3C, the driving motor 5 for traveling is reversely rotated with respect to the control unit 8. The control signal to be transmitted was transmitted to switch to forward rotation or reverse rotation.

Since the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to Embodiment 1 is configured as described above, the following operation is obtained.
(1) When the sewage pipe is long (travel distance is long) by receiving an acoustic signal from the outside and having an acoustic switch 7 for controlling the stop of the traveling drive motor 5 and switching between forward rotation and reverse rotation, Sound generated from the sound generator 10 such as a buzzer or a speaker even when traveling in a place where radio waves, infrared rays, lasers, or other light does not reach, such as when the pipe is bent or branched Since the sewage pipe acts as a voice pipe and is transmitted clearly, the driving drive motor 5 can be stopped and switched between forward rotation and reverse rotation easily and reliably by an acoustic signal. Excellent.
(2) When it becomes impossible to move forward due to an obstacle or the like, only the acoustic signal is emitted toward the sewer pipe, and the traveling drive motor 5 is reversely rotated by its own power to be recovered. Then, after the traveling drive motor 5 is reversely rotated and moved backward, the traveling drive motor 5 can be rotated forward again and retried, and the operability and handling are excellent.
(3) Since the traveling drive motor 5 is stopped and switched between forward rotation and reverse rotation according to the number of received acoustic signals within a predetermined time T, the operator operates the sound generator 10 such as a buzzer or a speaker. The operation of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 can be easily switched between the stop operation, the advance operation, and / or the retreat operation by simply selecting the number of generations of the acoustic signal to be generated.
(4) When the acoustic switch 7 transmits a control signal of a different type according to the number of receptions of the acoustic signal received within the predetermined time T to the control unit 8 that controls the driving motor 5 for traveling, the control unit The stop, forward rotation and reverse rotation of the traveling drive motor 5 can be reliably controlled according to the type of the control signal received at 8, and the operation stability and reliability are excellent.
(5) When the acoustic switch 7 receives an acoustic signal for the first time, a control signal for stopping the traveling drive motor 5 is transmitted to the control unit 8 to immediately travel the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1. The traveling drive motor 5 continues to rotate forward or backward for a certain period of time to determine whether or not the second and subsequent acoustic signals are input, and the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 moves forward. Or it can prevent going backwards and is excellent in the reliability of traveling control.
(6) Since there is a moving means 3 arranged in a U-shape at the lower part of the frame 2 and abutting against the surface of the inner wall of the sewer pipe, the endless track of the moving means 3 is surely brought into contact with the surface of the inner wall of the sewer pipe. Thus, the frame 2 can be stably supported, and the state of the surface inside the tube can be reliably photographed by the camera unit 4, and the reliability of the in-tube inspection is excellent.
(7) Even if there is water or foreign matter collected in the lower center of the sewage pipe, or an opening of a branch pipe generally connected to the lower or side of the pipe, the moving means arranged in a square shape 3 can be run with the endless track part in contact with the surface of the inner wall of the sewer pipe, so that contact between the frame 2 and the obstacle can be prevented, stable running with less vibration and high quality image taking. The image quality is highly reliable.
(8) Since the moving means 3 is arranged in a C-shape, the entire surface of the left and right endless tracks can be reliably contacted along the shape of the surface of the inner wall of the sewer pipe, In addition to being excellent in straightness, even if the posture is inclined due to irregularities, depressions, steps, etc. in the pipe, one of the left and right moving means 3 can contact the surface of the inner wall and move forward without being caught by them. Even when the sewage pipe is bent, it can run reliably along the pipeline toward the exit, and it has excellent running power. Excellent.
(9) When the moving means 3 is arranged in a square shape and the contact area with the inner wall surface of the sewer pipe is increased, an appropriate grip force can be maintained, and the pipe is inclined up and down. However, it can move forward reliably and has excellent running stability.
(10) Since the traveling drive motor 5 that drives the moving means 3 and the battery 6 that supplies power to the traveling drive motor 5 are provided, wiring for power supply is unnecessary and autonomous traveling is possible. It is possible to take a picture of the inside of the pipe efficiently in a short time while moving to the outlet by itself by simply placing it at the entrance of the pipe to be inspected, and it is excellent in handling.
(11) Since the heavy battery 6 is arranged at the lower center between the left and right endless track portions of the moving means 3, the position of the center of gravity can be made lower than the position of the moving means 3, and when traveling In addition to being excellent in the stability of the posture, even if the vehicle body is tilted during traveling, the vehicle 6 can move forward while correcting the posture due to the weight of the battery 6, and can automatically return to the original horizontal state. Excellent.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing acoustic signals and control signals when the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to the second embodiment is stopped, and FIG. 4B is a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram showing acoustic signals and control signals during reverse rotation of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot in the second embodiment. . In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the thing similar to Embodiment 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted.
In FIG. 4, the acoustic switch of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot in the second embodiment is different from that in the first embodiment in that different types of control signals are transmitted according to the number of times of reception of the acoustic signal received within a predetermined time T. Instead of transmitting, different types of control signals are transmitted according to the types of received acoustic signals.
The self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot in the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the control method using the acoustic switch, and the configuration of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot is the same as in the first embodiment. Description is omitted.

In the present embodiment, three types of acoustic signals having different lengths are used.
As shown in FIG. 4A, when the acoustic switch 7 receives the shortest acoustic signal (short sound), a control signal for stopping the traveling drive motor 5 is transmitted to the control unit 8, and the traveling drive is performed. The motor 5 was stopped.
As shown in FIG. 4B, when the acoustic switch 7 receives an intermediate-length acoustic signal (medium sound), a control signal for causing the control unit 8 to rotate the driving motor 5 forward is sent. When the longest acoustic signal (long sound) is received as shown in FIG. 4 (c), a control signal for reversely rotating the driving motor 5 for traveling is transmitted to the control unit 8 to perform normal rotation. Or it switched to reverse rotation.
Thereby, it is not necessary to transmit an acoustic signal a plurality of times within a certain time T, and it is possible to reliably stop the driving motor 5 for traveling and switch between forward rotation and reverse rotation with a simple operation. Excellent.
In addition, the combination of the kind of acoustic signal and the kind of control signal is not limited to this Embodiment, It can select suitably. As the type of the acoustic signal, in addition to the length of the sound, the pitch of the sound, the tone color, or the like may be changed independently, or these may be combined. In particular, when the sound length, pitch, timbre, etc. are combined, the types of acoustic signals can be easily distinguished, malfunctions can be prevented, and the types of acoustic signals can be easily increased. Each mounted device such as the camera unit 4, the illumination unit 4a, and the measurement unit other than the motor 5 can be easily controlled.

As described above, since the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to the second embodiment of the present invention is configured, the actions obtained in the first embodiment (1), (2) and (6) to (11). In addition, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the traveling drive motor 5 is stopped and switched between forward rotation and reverse rotation according to the type (length) of the acoustic signal, the operator operates the sound generator 10 such as a buzzer or a speaker to generate it. By simply selecting the type (length) of the acoustic signal, the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 1 can be easily and reliably switched between stopping, moving forward and backward, and is excellent in operability and operational reliability.
(2) In the control unit 8, the acoustic switch 7 transmits a control signal of a different type according to the type (length) of the received acoustic signal to the control unit 8 that controls the driving motor 5 for traveling. The stop, forward rotation and reverse rotation of the traveling drive motor 5 can be reliably controlled according to the type of the received control signal, and the operation stability and reliability are excellent.

  The present invention can simply and reliably stop the driving motor for traveling and switch between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation with a simple configuration, does not require a dedicated operator or large-scale equipment, and can be mass-produced and operated. It is possible to provide a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot that can capture the surface of the inner wall of the sewer pipe efficiently and in a short time efficiently, and can provide a self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot that is excellent in inspection work. Therefore, the inspection posture of the sewage pipe can be adjusted, the efficiency of inspection can be improved, and the occurrence of defects can be reliably prevented.

Schematic side view of self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to Embodiment 1 Block diagram of self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to Embodiment 1 (A) Schematic diagram showing acoustic signals and control signals when the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to Embodiment 1 is stopped (b) Acoustic signals and controls during normal rotation of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to Embodiment 1 Schematic diagram showing signals (c) Schematic diagram showing acoustic signals and control signals during reverse rotation of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot in the first embodiment (A) Schematic diagram showing acoustic signals and control signals when the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to Embodiment 2 is stopped (b) Acoustic signals and controls during normal rotation of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to Embodiment 2 Schematic diagram showing signals (c) Schematic diagram showing acoustic signals and control signals during reverse rotation of the self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot in the second embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot 2 Frame 3 Moving means 4 Camera part 4a Illumination part 4b Light emitting diode 5 Driving motor 6 Battery 7 Acoustic switch 7a Microphone 8 Control part 10 Sound generator

Claims (7)

A self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot that travels in a sewer pipe and inspects the surface of the inner wall of the sewer pipe,
A self-propelled motor comprising: a travel drive motor; and an acoustic switch that receives an external acoustic signal and controls the stop of the travel drive motor and switching between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation In-pipe inspection robot. 2. The acoustic switch according to claim 1, wherein the driving switch is stopped and switched between forward rotation and / or reverse rotation according to the number of times the acoustic signal is received within a predetermined time. Self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot. The said acoustic switch transmits a control signal of a different type according to the said frequency | count of the reception of the said acoustic signal with respect to the control part which controls the said drive motor for driving | running | working. The self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot described in 1. 4. The self-propelled pipe according to claim 3, wherein when the acoustic switch receives the acoustic signal for the first time, the acoustic switch transmits a control signal for stopping the driving motor for traveling to the control unit. Inspection robot. 2. The self-propelled in-pipe inspection according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic switch performs stop and forward rotation and / or reverse rotation switching of the traveling drive motor according to the type of the received acoustic signal. robot. The self-propelled type according to claim 5, wherein the acoustic switch transmits a control signal of a different type according to a type of the received acoustic signal to a control unit that controls the driving motor for traveling. In-pipe inspection robot. The operation of each mounted device such as a camera unit, an illumination unit, and a measuring device is controlled by the acoustic switch according to the number of receptions of the acoustic signal received within a predetermined time and the type of the acoustic signal. The self-propelled in-pipe inspection robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images