JP2014005853A - In-pipe moving device and moving method of movable body of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-pipe moving device which suppresses friction resistance occurring in a cable connected with a movable body to a low level even if the movable body passes through a bending part and moves in a pipeline.SOLUTION: An in-pipe moving device 1 is used in a pipeline 20 having a bending part 21 and in which a fluid flows. The in-pipe moving device 1 includes: a movable body 2 which moves in the pipeline; an operation device 3 which is disposed in the movable body and conducts the operation in the pipeline; and a cable 4 which is connected with the movable body to supply electric power or transmit an electric signal to the operation device. The cable has a belt like outer shape.

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-pipe moving apparatus used in a pipe having a bent portion and a fluid flowing therein, and a method of moving a moving body of the in-pipe moving apparatus in such a pipe.

  Pipes for transferring fluids such as liquids and gases need to be regularly inspected for their maintenance. Further, in such a pipe, as a result of the inspection, repair may be required, and it may be necessary to clean the pipe. However, in piping with a small diameter, people cannot enter the piping directly for internal inspection. For this reason, with respect to such piping, a moving body equipped with a working device such as an inspection device, a repair device, or a cleaning device is inserted into the piping, and various operations are performed while moving in the piping (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In many cases, a pipe having a bent portion, such as a Y-shaped tube, a T-shaped tube, or an L-shaped tube, is used as a piping for transferring a fluid such as liquid or gas. For this reason, it is necessary that the moving body on which the working device is mounted is configured to be able to move through these bent portions. For this reason, in the moving body described in Patent Document 1, the drive unit includes a plurality of drive units, a plurality of connection units, two control cables passing through the drive unit and the connection units, and the tension of the control cable. And a tension adjusting unit for adjusting the angle. The drive unit of the moving body configured as described above refracts the drive unit in a zigzag shape by pulling the two control cables with different tensions, and thereby each of the drive units is in contact with the inner wall of the pipe It becomes possible to proceed straight or spirally, and as a result, the movable body can be moved in a desired direction at the bent portion.

  Moreover, in the mobile body described in Patent Document 1, a cable such as a signal line for transmitting a signal and a power line for supplying power is connected to a drive unit of the mobile body. Such a cable extends from the moving body to the insertion opening where the moving body is inserted into the pipe, and extends to the outside of the pipe through the insertion opening, and is disposed outside the pipe. Or connected to a power source.

  On the other hand, as an in-pipe cleaning device provided in a moving body, for example, a device in which a plurality of sponge-like wipers are provided at the end of a cable is known (see Patent Document 2). In the in-pipe cleaning device described in Patent Document 2, the inside of the pipe is cleaned by pulling a wiper arranged in the pipe with a cable.

  Moreover, although the apparatus provided with such a moving body is not used, as a repair method in the pipe, for example, a cable connected to the bellows pipe is inserted into the pipe, and the cable is pulled into the pipe by pulling the cable. A method of arranging another bellows tube is known (see Patent Document 3). In particular, in the method described in Patent Document 3, an adhesive that can act as a lubricant is applied around the bellows tube to facilitate the movement of the bellows tube in the pipe.

JP 2012-76475 A JP 2003-136031 A JP 2012-76475 A

  By the way, the wired in-pipe moving apparatus having a cable as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc. is configured such that the moving body located at the tip of the cable draws the cable that follows the cable, or the cable that follows the cable. It is configured to be drawn around. For this reason, the longer the cable arranged in the pipe, the greater the frictional resistance between the cable and the inner wall surface of the pipe. When the frictional resistance increases in this way, the moving speed of the moving body in the pipe decreases.

  A major factor that increases the frictional resistance between the cable and the inner wall surface of the pipe is a bent portion (elbow) provided in the pipe. In the bent portion of the pipe, the cable is pressed against the inner wall surface of the pipe inside the bent portion, so that the frictional resistance of the cable becomes extremely large compared to other portions. For this reason, when the moving body moves through a plurality of bent portions, the moving body cannot be moved any more due to the frictional resistance of the cable. In order to reduce such frictional resistance, it is conceivable to apply a lubricant around the cable as described in Patent Document 3, but in this case, lubricating oil as an impurity is mixed in the pipe. Moreover, it is necessary to apply lubricating oil every time the in-pipe moving device is used.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-pipe moving device that can suppress frictional resistance generated in a cable connected to a moving body to a low level even when moving in a pipe through a bent portion, and propulsion of the moving body It is to provide a method.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the first invention, in the in-pipe moving apparatus having a bent portion and used in a pipe through which a fluid flows, a moving body that moves in the pipe, and a moving body that is arranged in the moving body A working device that performs work in the pipe and a cable connected to the movable body are provided, and the cable has a belt-like outer shape.

  According to a second invention, in the first invention, there is further provided a winding reel that is arranged outside the pipe and can wind the cable.

  According to a third invention, in the first or second invention, the cable supplies power or transmits an electric signal to the working device, and surrounds the plurality of conductive wires and the conductive wires apart from each other. And the plurality of conductive wires are arranged side by side in the width direction of the cable.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method of moving a moving body of the in-pipe moving device according to any one of the first to third in a pipe having a bent portion and in which a fluid flows, an opening provided in the pipe A step of inserting the moving body into a pipe through a section, and a state where an end of a cable not connected to the moving body is outside the pipe through the opening. Moving through the bend in the pipe.

  According to a fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the width and flexibility of the cable are such that when the fluid flows in the pipe through the bent portion at a steady flow rate, The cable is set to rise from the inner wall surface.

  In a sixth invention, in the fourth or fifth invention, the fluid is a liquid.

  According to the present invention, even if the pipe moves through the bent portion, the frictional resistance generated in the cable connected to the moving body can be kept low.

FIG. 1 is an overall view schematically showing the in-pipe moving apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cable. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pipe at the bent portion viewed along line III-III in FIGS. 1 and 4. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the piping in the vicinity of the bent portion. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the apparatus used in the examples.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to similar components.

  FIG. 1 is an overall view schematically showing an in-pipe movement apparatus 1 of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 1 shows a state in which the in-pipe moving device 1 is used in a pipe 20 having a bent portion 21 and having a circular cross section through which a liquid flows. The pipe 20 shown in FIG. 1 has only one bent portion 21 that bends in a horizontal plane, but actually the pipe 20 has a plurality of bent portions that bend in various planes.

  As can be seen from FIG. 1, the in-pipe moving device 1 of the present invention includes a moving body 2 that moves in a pipe 20, a working device 3 that is disposed on the moving body 2, a cable 4 that is connected to the moving body 2, A winding reel 5 capable of winding the cable 4 and a power supply / control device 6 for supplying power to the working device 3 and controlling the working device 3 are provided.

  The moving body 2 has a substantially circular cross section having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe 20 and is formed to have an outer shape that can move through the bent portion 21. In particular, in this embodiment, the moving body 2 has a certain large outer diameter so that it can move downstream by being pushed downstream by the liquid flowing in the pipe 20. .

  In the present embodiment, the moving body 2 does not have wheels or the like, and therefore the moving body 2 itself cannot actively move in the pipe 20. However, the moving body 2 is configured to have a driving member such as a wheel and a driving device such as a motor for driving the wheel so that the moving body 2 itself can actively move in the pipe 20. May be.

  The working device 3 disposed on the moving body 2 is a device that performs at least one of inspection in the pipe 20, repair of the pipe 20, cleaning in the pipe 20, and the like. For example, when the working device 3 inspects the inside of the pipe 20, a sensor that detects the state of the pipe 20 or a camera that photographs the inner wall surface of the pipe 20 is used as the working device 3.

  The cable 4 has one end connected to the moving body 2 and the other end connected to the power source / control device 6. When the work device 3 is a camera or the like for photographing the inner wall surface of the pipe 20, the cable 4 supplies power from the power source / control device 6 to the work device 3 and also the video photographed by the work device 3. Is transmitted to the power source / control device 6. When the working device 3 is a sensor or the like that detects the state of the pipe 20, the cable 4 transmits an electrical signal from the sensor to the power source / control device 6.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cable 4 cut in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable 4. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D show examples of different cables 4. As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D, the cable 4 includes a plurality of conductive wires 10 and an insulator 11 that surrounds the conductive wires 10 so as to be separated from each other. The conductive wire 10 is finally connected to the work device 3 to supply power and transmit electric signals.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D, the cable 4 has the maximum width W in the cross section (the maximum thickness when the thickness varies in the width direction). The cable 4 is formed so as to have a belt-like outline as a whole. Specifically, the cable 4 is formed so that the width in the cross section is at least five times the maximum thickness.

  In addition, the cable 4 may have any cross-sectional shape as long as the overall outer shape is a band shape. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2A, the cable 4 has a rectangular cross section, and a plurality of conductive wires 10 are arranged in the width direction of the cable 4 in accordance with such a cross-sectional shape. In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the surface 4a extending in the width direction of the cable 4 is curved in a concave shape, and in the example shown in FIG. 2C, the surface 4a extending in the width direction of the cable 4. Is curved in a convex shape.

  Alternatively, the insulator 11 may be hollow as shown in FIG. In this case, each conductive wire 10 is arranged in the insulator 11 side by side in the width direction of the cable 4 while being covered with another insulator 12.

  The winding reel 5 is formed so that it can be attached to an opening 22 provided in the pipe 20, and the cable 4 can be wound up manually or automatically. For this reason, the moving body 2 that has traveled through the pipe 20 from the opening 22 can be returned to the opening 22 by winding up the cable 4.

  Next, a moving method of the moving body 2 in the in-pipe moving apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

  Usually, the opening 22 is closed by a closing member (not shown). Further, a shutoff valve (not shown) for shutting off the flow of the liquid in the pipe 20 is provided on the upstream side of the opening 22. In order to insert the moving body 2 into the pipe 20, first, the flow of the liquid in the pipe 20 is blocked by the cutoff valve. Thereafter, the closing member is removed from the opening 22, and the winding reel 5 is attached to the opening 22. When attaching the winding reel 5 to the opening 22, the moving body 2 is inserted into the pipe 20 through the opening 22.

  When the winding reel 5 is attached to the opening 22, the shutoff valve is opened and the liquid in the pipe 20 starts to flow again. Due to the flow of the liquid in the pipe 20, the moving body 2 is pushed in the direction toward the downstream of the pipe 20. For this reason, the movable body 2 can be moved downstream in the pipe 20 by rotating the winding reel 5 in the unwinding direction.

  When moving the mobile body 2 to the downstream side in the pipe 20, work by the work device 3 is performed. For example, when the working device 3 is a camera that captures an inner wall surface of the pipe 20, the inner wall surface of the pipe 20 is photographed at each point while the moving body 2 is moving downstream in the pipe 20. Done.

  In particular, in the present invention, since a plurality of bent portions 21 are provided in the pipe 20, the moving body 2 passes through the plurality of bent portions 21 when moving in the pipe 20 to the downstream side. For this reason, the cable 4 pulled by the moving body 2 also extends through the plurality of bent portions 21.

  Thereafter, when the work by the work device 3 is finished, the movable body 2 is returned to the opening 22 by winding the cable 4 by the take-up reel 5. Thereafter, the flow of the liquid in the pipe 20 is blocked by a shut-off valve provided on the upstream side of the opening 22. The winding reel 5 is removed from the opening 22 while being blocked by the shut-off valve, and accordingly, the moving body 2 is also taken out of the pipe 20. Thereafter, the opening 22 is closed by the closing member, the shutoff valve is opened, and the liquid in the pipe 20 starts to flow again.

  Next, with reference to FIG.3 and FIG.4, the effect | action and effect in the movement apparatus and moving body moving method of this invention are demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pipe 20 at the bent portion 21 viewed along line III-III in FIGS. 1 and 4, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pipe 20 in the vicinity of the bent portion 21.

  As described above, in the present invention, the cable 4 has a strip-shaped outer shape. For this reason, when the cable 4 passes through the bent portion 21, the cable 4 naturally takes a posture, that is, a posture in which the surface 4 a extending in the width direction of the cable 4 faces the curvature radius direction.

  On the other hand, the liquid flows in the pipe 20 as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4. In the bent portion 21, the velocity component (indicated by the white arrow in FIGS. 3 and 4) is directed from the inside to the outside of the bent portion 21 due to inertia. A flow having a directional component).

  Here, as described above, the cable 4 has a posture in which the surface 4a extending in the width direction at the bent portion 21 faces the radius of curvature, so that the liquid 4 having a velocity component from the inner side to the outer side of the bent portion 21 is used. A force in a direction toward the outside of the bent portion 21 is received by the flow. As a result, the cable 4 floats from the inner wall surface of the pipe 20 at the bent portion 21 as shown in FIGS. At this time, the outward force applied to the cable 4 is caused by the tension applied to the cable 4 (that is, the tension generated in the cable 4 when the moving body 2 receives a downstream force from the liquid). It can be said that the bending portion 21 is balanced with the force to be pressed against the inner wall surface of the pipe 20.

  As described above, when the cable 4 floats from the inner wall surface of the pipe 20 at the bent portion 21, the cable 4 hardly receives frictional resistance from the inner wall surface of the pipe 20 at the bent portion 21. For this reason, even if there are a large number of bent portions 21, the moving body can be moved over a long distance.

  In the present embodiment, the width, flexibility (rigidity), etc. of the cable 4 are bent at a flow rate when the liquid is steady in the pipe (that is, when the moving body 2 is not inserted into the pipe 20). The cable 4 is set to float from the inner wall surface of the pipe 20 at the bent portion 21 when flowing through the portion. For example, if the width of the cable 4 is too small, the force in the direction from the liquid flow toward the outside of the bent portion 21 cannot be sufficiently received. Interference with the pipe 20 causes frictional resistance. For this reason, it is preferable that the width of the cable 4 is, for example, about 0.3 to 0.8 times the inner diameter of the pipe 20, more preferably about 0.65 times.

  In the above embodiment, the conductive wire 10 is provided in the cable 4, but the conductive wire 10 does not necessarily have to be provided in the cable 4. In this case, the cable 4 is used to control the movement of the moving body 2 to the downstream side and to return the moving body 2 to the opening 22. In this case, since there is no conductive wire 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 2E, the thickness T of the cable 4 can be made extremely small. Further, in this case, since the conductive wire 10 is not provided in the cable 4, the cable 4 does not need to be formed of an insulator, and can be formed of a conductive material such as metal.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the piping 20 has a circular cross section, the piping 20 may have other cross-sectional shapes, such as an elliptical cross section and a rectangular cross section. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it is supposed that the liquid flows in the piping 20, it does not necessarily need to be a liquid and the said effect can be acquired even if it is gas. Therefore, when these are put together, it can be said that the fluid flows in the pipe 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a tank 30 storing 80 l of water was connected to the upper end of a pipe 20 having an inner diameter of 78 mm having bent portions 21 a and 21 b, and a shut-off valve 31 was provided at the connecting portion. In the pipe 20, a steel metal sheet 4 ′ (used as an alternative to the cable 4) was disposed along the pipe 20, the upper end thereof was fixed, and a 140 g weight was attached to the lower end. Two types of metal sheets 4 'were prepared. The width of the metal sheet 4 ′ was 45 mm. Both metal sheets 4 'had a thickness of 0.2 mm.

  In such a state, the shut-off valve 31 is opened and water flows from the tank 30 to the pipe 20, and the behavior of the metal sheet 4 'in the flow, particularly, the metal sheet 4' floats from the pipe wall surface at the bent portions 21a and 21b. Observed whether or not. As a result, it was confirmed that the metal sheet 4 ′ was lifted from the inner wall surface of the pipe 20 and maintained in both the bent portions 21 a and 21 b. The time until the water in the tank 30 completely flows was 7.5 seconds. Therefore, the average flow velocity of the water flowing in the pipe 20 is estimated to be 2.2 m / s from the amount of water in the tank 30 and the inner diameter of the pipe 20.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-pipe moving apparatus 2 Moving body 3 Working apparatus 4 Cable 5 Winding reel 6 Power supply / control apparatus 10 Conductive wire 11 Insulator 12 Insulator 20 Piping 21 Bending part 22 Opening part

Claims (6)

In an in-pipe moving device used in a pipe having a bent portion and a fluid flowing therein,
A moving body that moves in the pipe;
A working device disposed on the movable body and performing work in the pipe;
A cable connected to the mobile body,
The in-pipe moving device, wherein the cable has a belt-like outer shape.   The in-pipe movement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a winding reel that is disposed outside the pipe and capable of winding the cable.   The cable supplies power or transmits an electrical signal to the working device, and includes a plurality of conductive wires and an insulator that surrounds the conductive wires so as to be separated from each other, and the plurality of conductive wires are The in-pipe movement device according to claim 1 or 2, which is arranged side by side in the width direction of the cable. In the method of moving the moving body of the in-pipe moving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in a pipe having a bent portion and in which a fluid flows.
Inserting the movable body into the pipe through an opening provided in the pipe;
Moving the movable body through the bent portion in the pipe while the end of the cable not connected to the movable body is outside the pipe through the opening. How to move your body.   The width and flexibility of the cable are set so that when the fluid flows through the pipe through the bent portion at a steady flow rate, the cable floats from the inner wall surface of the pipe at the bent portion. The moving method of the moving body according to claim 4.   The moving method of the moving body according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the fluid is a liquid.

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