JP2020031504A - Cable protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a safe and reliable cable protection device that enhances strength of a cable used for a self-traveling vehicle with a camera, against traction so that the cable is durable even if the cable is used for carrying a brush, a bobbin, and a wire for leading an electric wire when retracted.SOLUTION: In a cable protection device in a coupling part of a coupling connector used for a pipe inspection by a self-traveling and a cable, a first container comprises: a first open part; a peripheral wall; an opening part; a first guide part; and a second guide part. A clamp ring has a space, is housed in the first container with a gap between an inner surface of the peripheral wall and itself; and allowing the cable to be passed through the gap and to be wound. A lid closes the opening part of the first container. A coupling wire is passed through the first open part, the space, and the second open part, and both ends of the coupling wire are extended to the side of the coupling connector. Thereafter, a shackle is coupled to both ends of the coupling wire.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3B

Description

  The present embodiment relates to a cable protection device used for, for example, an in-pipe inspection device for inspecting a gas pipe, a water pipe, an electric conduit, and the like.

  Conventionally, there is a so-called in-pipe inspection apparatus for inspecting a gas pipe, a water pipe, an electric conduit, and the like. This in-pipe inspection device has a camera mounted at the head of the self-propelled vehicle. Hereinafter, this type of self-propelled vehicle is referred to as a camera-equipped self-propelled vehicle. An image signal picked up by the camera is transmitted via a cable whose tip is attached to a self-propelled vehicle with a camera. The cable also includes a power supply line for supplying the vehicle. The end of this cable is wound around the drum of the drum device. When the camera-equipped vehicle enters the pipe, the camera-equipped vehicle pulls the cable, and the cable is released from the drum.

  The self-propelled vehicle with a camera is inserted into, for example, one of the tubes from the first manhole, further enters the inside of the tube while imaging the inside of the tube, and travels to the next second manhole where the other side of the tube is located. In the second manhole, the self-propelled vehicle with a camera is detached from the cable by a worker's hand.

Here, the cable that has penetrated a distance of about 400 m from the first manhole to the second manhole is taken up by the drum device on the first manhole side.
At this time, in order to improve work efficiency, as a role of the cable, for example, a brush for cleaning the inside of the pipe or a wire for drawing in the electric wire while passing through a metal bobbin for checking the soundness of the pipe line. There may be a role of drawing from the second manhole to the first manhole. Thereafter, the electric wire is connected to a wire for drawing in the electric wire, and the electric wire is laid in the pipe from the first manhole to the second manhole.

  In such a case, the cable is pulled in from the first manhole to the second manhole by the self-propelled vehicle with a camera in the first step, and in this case, the role of transmitting an imaging signal and the role of supplying power to the self-propelled vehicle with a camera. Then, when the cable is pulled back from the second manhole to the first manhole in the second step, it has a role of drawing a brush, a bobbin, and a wire for drawing in the wire (wire drawing wire) into the pipe. Become.

JP 2002-262424 A JP 2001-349844 A

  However, the above-described cable originally has a main role of supplying power to a self-propelled vehicle with a camera and transmitting an image signal captured by the camera. For this reason, as described above, when the cable that is wound and collected by the drum device has a role of drawing the brush, bobbin, and wire for drawing in the wire into the pipe, it can withstand the tensile strength. May not be possible.

Even if the strength of the cable body is sufficient, there may be a case where sufficient traction resistance cannot be obtained, especially at the portion of the connection connector between the cable and the self-propelled vehicle with a camera. In some cases, the cable may be damaged and detached.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if the cable used for the camera-equipped vehicle is used for pulling in the brush, bobbin, and wire for drawing in the electric wire at the time of retraction (at the time of collection), the traction resistance is enhanced. It is another object of the present invention to provide a cable protection device capable of obtaining high reliability and safety of work.

  To achieve the above object, according to one embodiment, in a cable protection device at a connection portion between a connector and a cable used in an in-pipe inspection by a motor vehicle, a first container includes a first opening, a peripheral wall, , An opening part, a first guide part and a second guide part. The clamp ring has a space, is accommodated with a gap between the clamp ring and the inner surface of the first container, and allows the cable to be wound through the gap. The lid closes the opening of the first container. The connection wire is passed through the first opening, the space, and the second opening, and both ends of the connection wire extend toward the connection connector. Further, the shackle is connected to both ends of the wire after extending to the connector side. A cable protection device can be provided.

FIG. 1A is a plan view illustrating an outline of an in-pipe inspection apparatus to which an embodiment is applied. FIG. 1B is a side view showing the outline of the in-pipe inspection apparatus to which one embodiment is applied. FIG. 1C is a perspective view illustrating an outline of the in-pipe inspection apparatus to which the embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the in-pipe inspection apparatus has entered the inside of the pipe to be inspected. FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the cable protection device 1000 according to one embodiment. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the cable protection device 1000 according to the embodiment, which is a cross-section taken along line A1-A2 in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view illustrating a part of the cable protection device 1000 according to the embodiment, which is cut along a line B1-B2 in FIG. 3B. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the first protection container is mounted in the cable protection device 1000 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the connecting wire 1100 for traction is mounted in the cable protection device 1000 according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which second and third protection containers 921 and 922 for further protecting the camera connection connector are attached to the cable protection device 1000 according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance state when the cable protection device 1000 according to the present embodiment is utilized when the cable is pulled back. FIG. 8 is a perspective view shown to explain a main part of the protection function of the cable protection device 1000.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the drawings may schematically represent the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part as compared with the real thing in order to make the configuration easy to understand, but this is an example and the interpretation of the present invention is limited. It does not do.
FIG. 1A is a plan view showing an outline of an in-pipe inspection apparatus to which one embodiment is applied, FIG. 1B is a side view showing an outline of an in-pipe inspection apparatus to which one embodiment is applied, and FIG. It is a perspective view showing the outline of the in-pipe inspection device applied.

The in-pipe inspection apparatus 200 includes a camera unit 10, a waterproof first connecting unit 20, a first self-propelled vehicle 30, a waterproof second connecting unit 40, a waterproof third connecting unit 70, a second self-propelled vehicle 80, from the top. A waterproof fourth connecting portion 90 is provided.
The first connecting part 20 connects the connector of the rear terminal of the camera unit 10 and the connector of the front terminal of the first self-propelled vehicle 30. The second connecting portion 40 includes a relay connector 50 and a connecting device 60. The coupling device 60 includes a first motor vehicle-side connector and a second motor vehicle-side connector. The first motor vehicle-side connector of the coupling device 60 is connected to the connector at the rear terminal of the first motor vehicle 30 via the relay connector 50. Further, the second motor vehicle-side connector of the connecting device 60 is connected to the connector of the front terminal of the second motor vehicle 80 via the third connecting portion 70.

  The fourth connecting portion 90 connects the connector of the rear terminal of the second motor vehicle 80 to the connector of the cable 100 (motor vehicle connecting connector with camera). A first in-vehicle cable (not shown) for connecting between the electrical terminal of the connector of the front terminal and the electrical terminal of the connector of the rear terminal of the first motor vehicle 30 exists inside the first motor vehicle 30. A second in-vehicle cable (not shown) for connecting between the electrical terminals of the connector of the front terminal and the connector of the rear terminal of the second motor vehicle 80 is provided inside the second motor vehicle 80. ) Exists.

  The camera device 10 includes a plurality of illuminators 11 in front and above, and an imaging camera appears through an opening / closing door 12, and can change its imaging direction to a front direction, an obliquely upward direction, and an upward direction. A camera control signal line for a control signal for controlling the imaging camera; an imaging signal line for extracting a video signal captured by the imaging camera; an illumination control signal line for a control signal for controlling the illuminator 11; The motor control signal lines of the control signals for controlling the drive motors in the traveling vehicle 30 and the second motor vehicle 80 include the electrical connection terminals in each connection portion, the first in-vehicle cable, the second in-vehicle cable, and the cable 100. Through an external control device (not shown). Further, the imaging signal from the imaging signal line is supplied to an external monitor via the control device and processed. The cable 100 also includes a power supply line for supplying power from the outside.

  The first self-propelled vehicle 30 has four tires 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D made of rubber, for example, and can move forward by driving the tires by an internal motor. The second self-propelled vehicle 80 also has four rubber tires 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D, respectively, and can move forward by driving the tires by an internal motor. Further, the tire can be set to a free rotation state by control.

  It is desirable that the first self-propelled vehicle 30 and the second self-propelled vehicle 80 be integrally driven and operated with the same traction force in order to efficiently exert the traction force. For this purpose, various measures have been taken for the connecting device 60. In the in-pipe inspection apparatus 200, the connecting device 60 has a characteristic configuration, and will be described in more detail later.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the in-pipe inspection apparatus 200 has entered the inside of the pipe 300 to be inspected. The state of FIG. 2 shows a state where the inspected tube 300 is straight and has no bending. on the other hand,
FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the cable protection device 1000 according to one embodiment. 3B shows a cross section of a part of the cable protection device along lines A1 and A2 in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C shows a cross section along lines B1 and B2 in FIG. 3B.

  3A, 3B and 3C, the first container 400 is made of metal, and has a first opening 401 formed in the bottom 402. In addition, the first container 400 includes a peripheral wall 404 that rises from the periphery of the bottom 402 and forms a predetermined depth (or height). The peripheral wall 404 forms an opening 403 facing the bottom 402.

  Further, the peripheral wall 404 has a first guide portion 405 and a second guide portion 406 formed so as to cut from the opening portion 403 side. The first guide portion 405 and the second guide portion 406 are formed so as to face a part of a peripheral wall intersecting the radial direction of the opening 403. The arrangement direction of the first guide portion 405 and the second guide portion 406 matches the longitudinal direction of the cable 100, and guides the cable 100.

A clamp ring 460 having a ring shape along the inner periphery of the peripheral wall 404 and housed with a gap between the inner periphery of the peripheral wall 404 is inserted into the first container 400. This clamp ring 460 is also made of metal.
The clamp ring 460 has notches 461a and 461b (461b does not appear in the drawing in FIG. 3A) in a part of the outer periphery thereof, and when inserted into the internal space of the first container 400, the first container 400 And 407a and 407b (407a does not appear in FIG. 3A) formed on the bottom portion 402 of the base plate. Thereby, the rotation of the clamp ring 460 inside the first container 400 is suppressed (see FIG. 3C). As described above, the notches 461a and 461b and the locking portions 407a and 407b constitute a locking mechanism, and move so that the clamp ring 460 does not rotate carelessly.

  However, the clamp ring 460 is large enough to rattle in the space inside the first container 400. In other words, the outer circumference of the clamp ring 460 forms a third gap 469 between the inner circumference of the first container 400 and the third gap 469, in which a cable is wound around the clamp ring 460 itself. It is designed to have a small gap and a gap in the direction of the guides 405 and 406. Further, the third gap 469 allows the clamp ring 460 to rattle and move in the directions of the first guide portion 405 and the second guide portion 406 (see arrows C1-C2 in FIG. 3C). . Furthermore, the cable 100 is wound at least once in the third gap 469.

  Returning to FIG. 3A, screw holes h1a-h4a are formed on the thick wall forming the opening 403 in the peripheral wall 404 of the first container 400. The opening 403 is closed by a metal lid 432. A second opening 431 corresponding to the first opening 401 is also formed in the lid 432. The lid 432 also has holes h1b, h2b, h3b, h4b corresponding to the screw holes h1a, h2a, h3a, h4a, and the lid 432 is fixed to the opening 403 of the first container 400 by screwing. You. At this time, the part previously wound around the clamp ring 460 and the clamp ring 460 of the cable 100 is also accommodated in the first container 400.

  Further, the first container 400 is formed with screw holes h1c, h2c, h3c, h4c. Screw holes h1d, h2d, h3d, and h4d are also formed in the lid 432. The screw holes h1c-h4c of the first container 400 and the screw holes h1d-h4d of the lid 432 are used when the first protection container 600 described later is fixed. That is, when the first container 400, the cable 100, and the lid 432 are integrated, the first protective container 600 wraps around the unit (the first protective container 600 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5). .

  Next, the periphery of the fourth connecting portion 90 will be described. The camera-equipped vehicle-connecting connector 90 </ b> A of the fourth connecting portion 90 includes a cable-side connector 911 and a camera-side connector 912. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the camera-side connector 912 of the fourth connecting portion 90 is detached, and thus the camera-side connector 912 is omitted. In the vicinity of the connecting portion 90, the spring 920 is wound around the cable 100 to protect the cable 100 because the cable 100 is bent many times.

  Further, a second protective container (skid) 921 (see FIGS. 3A and 6) is attached around the connection between the cable-side connector 911 and the cable 100 in order to protect the cable-side connector 911. The material of the second protective container 921 is the same as that of the first protective container 600. The outer shape of the second protective container 921 is substantially spherical, and the first cover of one hemisphere and the second cover of the other hemisphere are united to form a part of the cable-side connector 911 and a part of the cable 100. It is a structure to sandwich.

  In FIG. 3A, the structure in which the lid 432 is attached to the first container 400 and the internal clamp ring 460 is arranged with a margin to slide in the cable direction has been described. However, this configuration can be modified in various ways, and a structure in which a similar container having the same surface as the second opening of the first container 400 is replaced with a lid 432 may be used. Also, the clamp ring 460 need not necessarily be a perfect circle, but may be an elliptical or polygonal one.

As shown in FIG. 4, a cap 913 is attached to the cable-side connector 911 of the fourth connecting portion 90 to be waterproof.
4 and 5 are views showing a state before the first protection container 600 is attached around the integrated first container 400, the cable 100, and the lid 432. FIG.

  The first protective container 600 is, for example, a rugby ball type in appearance, and has a shell-type first cover 602 and a second cover 612. The first cover 602 and the second cover 612 are formed of a synthetic resin. The first cover 602 and the second cover 612 are formed with an opening of the integrated clamp ring 460, an opening of the lid 432, and openings 601 and 611 communicating with the first opening 401 of the first container 400.

  When the openings of the first cover 602 and the second cover 612 face each other and are closed, as shown in FIG. 5 (see also FIG. 3B), the first container 401 and the like can be wrapped. Thus, the first container 401 and the like are tightly integrated with the inner wall of the first protection container 600.

Further, a groove for guiding the cable 100 is formed in a part of the first cover 602 and a part of the second cover 612. This groove corresponds to the position of the first guide portion 405 and the second guide portion 406 of the first container 400.
When the first cover 602 and the second cover 612 are integrated and fixed, the first cover 602 is screwed to the bottom side of the first container 400 and the second cover 612 is screwed to the lid 432 side. Is done.

  The screws s11, s12, s13, and s14 are inserted into the respective screw holes of the first cover 602 from the outside, and screwed into the screw holes (not shown) of the first container 400. The screws s21, s22, s23, and s24 are respectively inserted from the outside into the screw holes of the second cover 612, and are screwed into the screw holes h1d to h4d of the lid 432, respectively. In addition, a packing for waterproofing may be disposed at a contact portion between the first cover 602 and the second cover 612.

  From the cable protection device 1000 described above, the length of the cable 100 in the drum side (not shown) is, for example, 400 m or more. On the other hand, the length of the cable 100 from the cable protection device to the camera-equipped vehicle-connecting connector of the fourth connecting portion 90 is, for example, about 0.5 m to 1.0 m.

Next, the connecting wire 1100 passes through the clamp ring 460 of the cable protection device, and both ends of the connecting wire 1100 are attached to the shackle 1200.
Therefore, when the cable 100 is pulled back in the direction of arrow D, the main force pulling the cable 100 is transmitted to the clamp ring 460 of the cable protection device 1000 and then transmitted to the shackle 1200 via the connecting wire 1100. Is done. That is, in the section E from the cable protection device 1000 to the tip of the cable-side connector 911, the force pulling the cable 100 in the direction of arrow D has almost no effect.

As a result, a connection portion (a portion surrounded by a dotted line E1) between the distal end of the cable 100 and the cable-side connector 911 is prevented from being damaged by the cable pulling force, and is prevented from being detached.
Accordingly, in the operation of winding the cable 100 by the drum device, the brush, the bobbin, and the wire for drawing in the electric wire can be stably and reliably drawn into the pipe, and the operation efficiency, the operation safety, and the operation reliability can be obtained. .

FIG. 6 shows a state in which a third protective container (skid) 922 is further attached around the connection between the cable-side connector 911 and the cable 100 in order to protect the cable-side connector 911. The material of the third protective container 922 is also the same as that of the second protective container 921, and the outer shape of the third protective container 922 is also substantially spherical, and the first cover of one hemisphere and the second cover of the other hemisphere have the same shape. Are combined to sandwich a part of the cable-side connector 911 (that is, the vicinity of the camera-side connector). The diameter of the second protective container 921 and the third protective container 922 is
It is larger than the diameters of the cable side connector 911 and the camera side connector 912, and is designed so that the connectors 911 and 912 do not come into contact with the inner wall of the pipe when the whole moves in the pipe. The first protection container 600 and the second and third protection containers 921 and 922 are made of resin and are formed using a slippery material. A groove is formed in a part of the outer periphery of each of the protective containers 600, 921, and 922 so as to linearly guide the connecting wire 1100 along the cable axis. Thus, the connection wire 1100 is connected to the connection connector 90A by the protective containers 921 and 922.

The first protective container 600, the second protective container 921, and the third protective container 921 are designed so that the outer surface is curved and smooth, and even if there is a slight step at the joint of the pipes, it can be overcome. You.
In FIG. 7, one end of a cylindrical brush 1212 is further connected to the shackle 1200, and the other end of the brush 1212 is further connected to one end of a metal bobbin 1211. Then, one end of an electric wire drawing wire 1300 is connected to the other end of the bobbin 1211. The connecting means of each of the shackle 1200, the brush 1212, the bobbin 1211, and the wire 1300 is not specified.

  The openings at both ends of the bobbin 1211 are tapered, and are designed so as not to be caught at the joint of the pipe during movement. The diameters of the bobbin 1211 and the brush 1212 are about 150 mm and about 600 mm, respectively, depending on the inner diameter of the pipe. The brush 1212 can clean the inside of the pipe when the bobbin 1211 is drawn into the pipe, and the bobbin 1211 can check the soundness of the pipe before drawing in the electric wire. Desirably, the diameter of the brush 1212 is designed to be larger than the bobbin, so that the brush 1212 sufficiently contacts the inner wall of the pipe. Because the brush 1212 is flexible, the protrusions can remain in the tube even after cleaning by the brush 1212. The bobbin 1211 can check the soundness of the pipeline before drawing in the electric wire. That is, it is possible to confirm the presence or absence of a protrusion that causes the bobbin 1211 to be caught.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view shown to explain a main part of the protection function of the cable protection device 1000. When the cable 100 is pulled back in the direction of arrow D, the traction force is transmitted from the clamp ring 460 inside the cable protection device 1000 to the connecting wire 1100, and further transmitted from the connecting wire 1100 to the shackle 1200. Therefore, the pulling force at the time of retraction is not transmitted to the cable portion between the protection device 1000 and the camera-side connector 911, and a strong pulling force is not applied to the joint between the camera-side connector 911 and the cable 100. .

  Further, according to the present apparatus, the following effects can be exhibited. For example, when the size (diameter) of the connecting wire 1100 is changed, the tensile strength at the time of pulling can be changed. For this reason, for example, as a usage that attaches importance to safety, when a traction force larger than an assumed force is applied when the brush 1212, the bobbin 1211, and the wire 1300 for drawing in the electric wire are applied, the wire is broken before the cable 100. It becomes possible. That is, by selecting the strength of the connection wire 1100, there is also a point that the cable 100 can be protected by breaking the connection wire 1100 first. Specifically, assuming that the breaking load of the cable 100 is 400 kgf, if the wire breaking load is set to 350 kgf, a so-called fuse-like usage can be performed, and the cable 100 can be protected.

  Therefore, the cable has a role of transmitting an imaging signal from a camera when a manhole enters, and a role of supplying power to a self-propelled vehicle with a camera. Even if the cable protection device is used for pulling in a cable, the traction resistance of the entire system can be enhanced, and a safe and reliable cable protection device can be provided.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, in each component of the claims, a case where the component is divided and expressed, a case where a plurality is combined, or a case where these are combined is also included in the scope of the present invention. Further, a plurality of embodiments may be combined, and an embodiment constituted by this combination is also within the scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera part, 20 ... 1st connection part, 30 ... 1st self-propelled vehicle, 40 ... 2nd connection part, 60 ... Connection device, 70 ... 3rd connection part , 80 ... second motor vehicle, 90 ... fourth connecting part, 100 ... cable, 200 ... in-pipe inspection device,
400 ... first container, 401 ... first opening, 402 ... bottom, 403 ... opening, 404 ... peripheral wall, 405 ... first guide, 406 ... first 2 guide portion, 431 second opening portion, 432 lid, 460 clamp ring, 600 first protective container, 920 spring, 921, 922 second, second 3 protection container, 1100 connection wire, 1200 shackle, 1211 bobbin, 1212 brush.

Claims (9)

A cable protection device at a connection portion of a connector and a cable used for in-pipe inspection by a self-propelled vehicle,
A bottom having a first opening, and two portions which are provided upright at a predetermined height from the periphery of the bottom, have an opening at the position of the predetermined height, and intersect the radial direction of the opening. A first container having a peripheral wall provided with a first guide portion and a second guide portion,
It has a ring shape along the inner surface of the peripheral wall and has a space inside, and is accommodated in the first container with a gap between the inner surface of the peripheral wall and at least one or more times through the gap. A clamp ring that enables winding of the cable,
A lid provided in the first container so as to close the opening, and having a second opening facing the first opening;
The connection wire passed through the first opening, the space, and the second opening extends toward the connection connector,
The cable that has passed through the first guide portion after being wound around the clamp ring is connected to the connection connector.
Cable protection device.   2. The cable protection device according to claim 1, wherein the lid is screwed into a plurality of screw holes formed in a thick surface of the opening of the first container to close the opening. 3.   The clamp ring has a space that can move toward the first guide portion and the second guide portion, and a locking mechanism that suppresses rotation of the clamp ring between the clamp ring and the inside of the bottom portion. The cable protection device according to claim 1, further comprising:   A first cover that surrounds the first container from the first opening side and has a fourth opening facing the first opening, and the first container and the lid facing the first cover, 2. The cable protection device according to claim 1, further comprising a first protection container surrounding the first opening and having a second cover having a fifth opening opposed to the second opening. 3. .   One side of a cable-side connector for connecting to a camera-equipped vehicle is connected to a side of the cable that passes through the first guide portion, and covers a periphery of a boundary between the cable-side connector and the cable. The cable protection device according to claim 1, further comprising a second protection container having a larger diameter than the cable-side connector.   The cable protection device according to claim 5, wherein a third protection container corresponding to the second protection container is attached to the other of the cable-side connectors.   The cable protection device according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the connection wire are connected to a shackle at a front end of the connection connector.   The cable protection device according to claim 7, wherein a cylindrical brush for cleaning is further connected to the shackle.   The first container, the clamp ring, and the lid that closes the second opening of the first container are made of metal, and the integrated first container and the first protective container that covers the lid are made of resin. The cable protection device according to claim 1.

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