JP2014093890A - Intra-pipe insertion device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To move a device body of an intra-pipe insertion device which is inserted into a pipe and moved by traction from the outside of the pipe, in one direction or oppositely while holding the device body along a central axis of the pipe.SOLUTION: An intra-pipe insertion device 1 comprises: a device body 10 which is inserted into a pipe and moved by traction from the outside of the pipe; and three or more centering holding sections 20 which are provided at equal intervals in a circumferential direction of the device body 10 for holding the device body 10 along a central axis of the pipe. Each of the centering holding sections 20 includes: a moving wheel 21 which is provided with a wheel axle 21A crossing a moving direction of the device body 10 and is brought into contact with an inner surface of the pipe; a pair of holding arms 22 of which the distal ends are pivoted by the wheel axle 21A and the proximal ends are supported by the device body 10 so as to freely slide along the moving direction and are disposed while being tilted oppositely to the front and the back of the device body 10 in the moving direction; and elastic energizing means 24 for elastically energizing the holding arms 22 in such a manner that the proximal ends of the holding arms 22 are made proximate to each other.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tube insertion device that is inserted into a tube and moves by pulling from outside the tube.

  An in-pipe insertion device that is inserted into a tube to perform inspection of the inner surface of the tube, various processes on the inner surface of the tube, etc. is applied to the wire that is inserted into the tube from the other end of the tube that is open at both ends and pulled out to one end. By being connected and inserted into the tube, and pulling the wire from the outside of the tube, inspection and various processes are performed while moving from one end side to the other end side of the tube. Such a tube insertion device is required to move the device body along the central axis of the tube. For this reason, the intra-pipe insertion device includes a holding arm around the device main body, and holds the device main body at the center of the tube by bringing the tip of the holding arm into contact with the inner surface of the tube (for example, the following patent document). 1).

JP 2007-263579 A

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a holding arm in a conventional in-pipe insertion device. Conventionally, the holding arm J2 provided in the apparatus main body J1 of the in-pipe insertion device has a wheel J3 pivotally supported at the distal end and a proximal end side pivotally supported by the apparatus main body J1. The holding arm J2 is inclined toward the rear side of the apparatus main body J1 moving in the direction of the arrow a, and the wheel J3 is always kept in the pipe inner surface by urging the holding arm J2 toward the pipe inner surface P1 by the spring J4. It is in contact with P1.

  When the in-pipe insertion device having such a holding arm J2 moves in a pipe having irregularities, it can move in one direction, but cannot move in the opposite direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the apparatus main body J1 moves in one direction (the direction of arrow a), the holding arm J2 is applied by the reaction force f1 received by the wheel J3 from the unevenness P1a existing on the pipe inner surface P1. Swings so as to approach the apparatus main body J1, so that the apparatus main body J1 can be moved over the unevenness P1a. However, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the apparatus main body J1 is moved in the reverse direction (arrow b direction), the holding arm J2 is caused by the reaction force f2 received by the wheel J3 from the unevenness P1a existing on the pipe inner surface P1. Oscillates in a direction away from the apparatus main body J1, the wheel J3 cannot get over the unevenness P1a, and the apparatus main body J1 becomes immovable.

  As described above, the conventional tube insertion device including the holding arm can be moved in one direction when the inner surface of the tube is uneven, but cannot be moved in the opposite direction. For this reason, in a tube insertion device equipped with a conventional holding arm, when the tube inner surface is uneven, the tube inner surface is inspected in detail while moving the device main body back and forth, or the device main body is moved back and forth. After performing the position adjustment in the pipe, it is not possible to perform an operation such as performing a predetermined process. In particular, when inspecting or treating the vicinity of the joint part of the pipe, the device main body cannot be moved in the reverse direction due to the irregularities of the pipe inner surface existing in the joint part. There was a problem that later processing could not be performed.

  This invention makes it an example of a subject to cope with such a problem. That is, in an in-pipe insertion device that is inserted into a tube and moved by pulling from the outside of the tube, the device main body can be moved in one direction and the opposite direction while being held along the central axis of the tube, near the joint portion of the tube It is an object of the present invention to be able to perform detailed inspection and processing after position adjustment while moving the apparatus main body back and forth, for example, when inspecting or processing.

In order to achieve such an object, the intra-pipe insertion device according to the present invention includes at least the following configuration.
An apparatus main body that is inserted into the tube and moves by pulling from the outside of the tube, and a centering holding unit that is provided at three or more locations at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the apparatus main body and holds the apparatus main body along the central axis of the tube. The centering holding portion has a wheel shaft that intersects with the moving direction of the apparatus main body, a moving wheel that contacts the inner surface of the pipe, a tip end pivotally supported by the wheel shaft, and a base end that is slidable along the moving direction. A pair of holding arms that are supported by the apparatus main body and are inclined to oppose each other in the moving direction of the apparatus main body, and elastically bias the holding arms so that the base ends of the holding arms are close to each other An in-pipe insertion device comprising: an elastic urging unit that performs

  The tube insertion device having such a feature includes a pair of holding arms in which the centering holding portions are arranged symmetrically in the front-rear direction, and the device main body side of each holding arm is supported slidably along the moving direction. Even when the apparatus main body is moved in any of the front and rear directions with respect to the unevenness on the inner surface of the tube, the moving wheel supported on one end of the holding arm can get over the unevenness. As a result, even if there are irregularities on the inner surface of the tube, the in-pipe insertion device can be moved back and forth to smoothly perform detailed inspection, post-position adjustment processing, and the like.

It is explanatory drawing of a prior art. It is explanatory drawing which showed the principal part structure of the pipe insertion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the function of the centering holding | maintenance part in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the usage example of the in-pipe insertion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the specific structure of the process part and drive part in the intra-pipe insertion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the example of the form of the process part in the in-pipe insertion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the main configuration of the intra-pipe insertion device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The tube insertion device 1 is provided at three or more locations in the circumferential direction of the device main body 10 that is inserted into the tube and moves by pulling from the outside of the tube, and holds the device main body 10 along the central axis of the tube. And a centering holding portion 20 for performing the above operation.

  The apparatus main body 10 is provided with a wire connecting portion 11 for connecting a pulling wire to the distal end portion 12 thereof. Further, the apparatus main body 10 is provided with a processing unit 13 that performs necessary processing on the inner surface of the pipe according to the application. In the illustrated example, a cutter blade 13 </ b> A is provided as a processing unit 13 for cutting an exposed object (hemp skin) exposed from a pipe joint or the like into the pipe. Further, the apparatus main body 10 is provided with a drive unit 14 that drives the processing unit 13. In the illustrated example, an air motor that is driven by pressure air supplied by an air hose 15 (15A, 15B) extending outside the pipe is provided as the driving unit 14.

  The centering holding unit 20 includes a moving wheel 21 and a pair of holding arms 22 (a first holding arm 22A and a second holding arm 22B). The moving wheel 21 includes a wheel shaft 21A that intersects the moving direction (the direction of arrow a or b) of the apparatus main body 10 and rolls or slides in contact with the inner surface of the pipe. One end of the pair of holding arms 22 (first holding arm 22A and second holding arm 22B) is supported by the wheel shaft 21A, and the other end is slidably supported along the moving direction of the apparatus body 10. . The base ends of the first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B are slidably supported by elongated holes 23 (23A, 23B) provided in the apparatus main body 10, and the elongated holes 23 extend in the moving direction of the apparatus main body. Extending along.

  In the example shown in the figure, the centering holding portions 20 are provided around the apparatus main body 10 at four equal intervals, and are further arranged in two rows along the moving direction of the apparatus main body 10. The arrangement or the like of the centering holding part 20 is not limited to this, and may be provided around the apparatus main body 10 at three equal intervals, and the arrangement of the centering holding part 20 is only one row along the moving direction of the apparatus main body 10. Alternatively, three or more rows may be arranged.

  The first holding arm 22 </ b> A and the second holding arm 22 </ b> B are disposed to be inclined so as to oppose each other in the moving direction of the apparatus main body 10. The first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B are equal in length and form a link supported in a triangular shape with the moving wheel 21 as a vertex, and the first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B By sliding the base end side along the long hole 23, the triangular base angle formed by the first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B changes, and the moving wheel 21 moves relative to the apparatus main body 10. It has a structure that is close or separated.

  The centering holding unit 20 includes elastic urging means that elastically urges the holding arm 22 so that the base ends of the holding arms 22 (first holding arm 22A and second holding arm 22B) are close to each other. Yes. Although not shown, this elastic biasing means can be constituted by a torsion coil spring or the like provided on the proximal end side of the first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B. According to this elastic urging means, both the first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B are urged in the rising direction, and in the state where no load is applied to the moving wheel 21, the inner ends of the elongated holes 23A, 23B are The base ends of the first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B abut.

  In the illustrated example, the moving wheel 21 has a wheel structure having corners around it. However, the moving wheel 21 is not limited to this, and any shape can be used as long as it can roll or slide in contact with the inner surface of the pipe. Also good.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the function of the centering holding portion in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the moving wheel 21 of the centering holding portion 20 hits the unevenness P1a of the pipe inner surface P1 when moving the apparatus main body 10 in the direction of arrow a, the reaction force received by the moving wheel 21 from the unevenness P1a. As a result, the base end portion of the second holding arm 22B slides along the elongated hole 23B. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3B, the inclination of the first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B is inclined. Both fall down and move so that the moving wheel 21 approaches the apparatus main body 10 and get over the unevenness P1a. Here, at the base end portions of the first holding arm 22A and the second holding arm 22B, the torsion coil spring 24 (elastic biasing means) is attached to the support shaft 22P that supports the base end portions in the long holes 23 (23A, 23B). ) Is wound, and the moving wheel 21 comes close to the apparatus main body 10 side against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 24.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3C, when the apparatus main body 10 moves in the direction of the arrow b (the direction opposite to the arrow a), the moving wheel 21 of the centering holding portion 20 hits the unevenness P1a of the pipe inner surface P1. The base end of the first holding arm 22A slides along the elongated hole 23A due to the reaction force received by the moving wheel 21 from P1a, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 3 (d), the first holding arm 22A. And the inclination of the second holding arm 22B falls down, and the moving wheel 21 moves so as to approach the apparatus main body 10 to get over the unevenness P1a.

  According to the in-pipe insertion device 1 provided with such a centering holding portion 20, when the pipe inner surface P <b> 1 has the unevenness P <b> 1 a, the movement operation of the moving wheel 21 is performed in the same manner for both forward and backward movements. Thus, the apparatus main body 10 can be moved in both the front and rear directions in the pipe.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a usage example of the intra-pipe insertion device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, an example of use in the case of performing lining pretreatment (exposed hemp skin cutting processing) on the inner surface of the pipe joint portion will be described. In order to uniformly perform the lining process including the joint portion on the inner surface of the existing pipe line having the pipe joint portion, it is necessary to cut and remove the exposed material exposed in the pipe from the pipe joint portion. As shown in FIG. 4, in the pipe joint portion P2 of the gray cast iron pipe, hemp skin as an airtight material is wound around the connected pipe Pa, and this may be exposed inside the pipe joint portion P2. . In order to remove the exposed matter E, a processing unit (hemp cutter) 13 provided in the in-pipe insertion device 1 is used.

  Both ends of the pipe P to be constructed are opened in the shafts T1 and T2 formed on both sides of the construction section, and the in-pipe insertion device 1 is inserted into the pipe. A first wire 30 is connected to the distal end side of the apparatus main body 10 of the intra-pipe insertion device 1, and a second wire 31 is connected to the rear end side of the apparatus main body 10. The first wire 30 and the second wire 31 are connected to winders 32 and 33, respectively. Further, a cable 34 connected to the in-tube camera 40 is ligated to the first wire 30, and this cable 34 is connected to a monitor 35 disposed outside the tube via a shaft T <b> 1. The air hose 15 of the pipe insertion device 1 is connected to an air pump 36 disposed outside the pipe via a shaft T2.

  The apparatus main body 10 is moved in the pulling tube by pulling the first wire 30 or the second wire 31, and the processing unit 13 is installed inside the pipe joint portion P <b> 2 while viewing the tube image captured by the tube camera 40 on the monitor 35. At this time, in order to accurately align the processing unit 13, it is necessary to move the apparatus main body 10 back and forth by alternately pulling the first wires 30 and the second wires 31. The tube insertion device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the centering holding portion 20 described above, so that the device body 10 can be smoothly moved back and forth even when the inner surface of the pipe joint portion P2 is uneven. . After the processing unit 13 of the apparatus main body 10 is arranged in the pipe joint P2 where the exposed object E is exposed, the driving unit is operated by the pressure air supplied by the air pump 36, and the processing unit (hemp cutter) 13 is rotationally driven. Then, the exposed material E is cut and removed.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific structure of the processing unit and the drive unit in the intra-pipe insertion device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the processing unit. The processing unit 13 includes a rotating body 13C that is driven to rotate about the central axis 10X of the apparatus main body 10 and a pair of cutter blade support portions 13B that can be stored and protruded with respect to the rotating body 13C. A cutter blade 13A having a blade in the rotational direction is provided at the tip of 13B.

  As a form of the processing unit 13, when processing the inside of a pipe having a relatively large diameter, as shown in FIG. 6A, the cutter blade support part 13B is arranged in a direction different by 180 °, and the inside of the pipe having a relatively small diameter is arranged. Is processed, as shown in FIG. 6B, the cutter blade support portion 13B is arranged in a different direction of less than 180 °. In the example shown in FIG. 6A, a pair of cutter blades 13A are attached to one cutter blade support portion 13B on both sides along the rotation direction. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the cutter blade 13A attached to one cutter blade support portion 13B is only one of the rotational directions, and the two cutter blade support portions 13B face the cutter blades in different directions. 13A is installed.

  The cutter blade 13A mounted on the cutter blade support portion 13B can be stored along the tube diameter direction so as to be stored in the outer diameter b when inserted into the tube, and is generated by rotating the rotating body 13C during processing. It protrudes along the tube diameter direction by the force, and the processing state is expanded to the outer diameter a corresponding to the inner diameter of the tube.

  The drive unit 14 is configured by an air motor 14M. An air hose 15A for air supply and an air hose 15B for exhaust are connected to the air motor 14M. The air hose 15B for exhaust in the air motor 14M is opened in the pipe, whereby the exhaust of the air motor 14M is diffused in the pipe. By this exhaust, the exposed material cut by the processing unit 13 can be discharged out of the tube.

  The in-pipe insertion device 1 having such a feature moves the device main body 10 back and forth by alternately pulling the device main body 10 from both sides of the opened tube even when the inner surface of the tube is uneven. Can do. As a result, it is possible to smoothly perform the detailed inspection in the pipe and the processing after the position adjustment. The usage pattern of the tube insertion device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the use examples described above, and can be applied to various inspections / observations and processes performed in the tube.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the design can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. Is included in the present invention. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technology as long as there is no particular contradiction or problem in the purpose and configuration.

1: in-pipe insertion device, 10: device main body,
11: Wire connecting part, 12: Tip part,
13: Processing part (hemp cutter), 13A: Cutter blade, 13B: Cutter blade support part, 13C: Rotating body,
14: Drive unit, 14M: Air motor, 15: Air hose,
20: Centering holding part, 21: Moving wheel, 21A: Wheel axle,
22: holding arm,
23: Long hole, 24: Torsion coil spring (elastic biasing means), 40: In-tube camera,
P1: Pipe inner surface, P1a: Concavity and convexity

Claims (6)

A device body that is inserted into the tube and moved by pulling from outside the tube;
Provided with three or more circumferentially equidistant intervals of the device body, and a centering holding portion for holding the device body along the central axis of the pipe,
The centering holding part is
A moving wheel having a wheel axis that intersects the moving direction of the apparatus body and in contact with the inner surface of the pipe;
A pair of holding arms that are pivotally supported by the wheel body, supported by the apparatus main body so that the base end is slidable along the moving direction, and are inclined to face the front and rear of the moving direction of the apparatus main body; ,
An in-pipe insertion device comprising: an elastic urging unit that elastically urges the holding arm so that proximal ends of the holding arms are close to each other.   The in-pipe insertion device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the centering holding portions are arranged along a moving direction of the device main body. The apparatus body is provided with a processing unit that performs processing on the inner surface of the pipe,
The in-pipe insertion device according to claim 1, wherein the device main body includes a drive unit that drives the processing unit.   The in-pipe insertion according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit includes a cutter blade that cuts an exposed material exposed from the joint portion into the pipe, and the driving unit includes an air motor that rotationally drives the cutter blade. apparatus.   The tube insertion device according to claim 4, wherein the cutter blade is retractable along the tube radial direction and protrudes along the tube radial direction by a centrifugal force generated by rotational driving.   The in-pipe insertion device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the exhaust of the air motor is diffused into the pipe, and the exposed material cut by the processing unit is discharged to the outside of the pipe by the exhaust.

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