JP2022171041A - Piping washing device and piping washing system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a piping washing device which can wash a bent part of piping.SOLUTION: A piping washing device D comprises: an external unit 1 movably installed outside piping 9; and an internal unit 2 movably installed inside the piping 9 and attracted to the external unit 1 by magnetic force across the piping 9. The internal unit 2 has a first internal unit (21) and a second internal unit (22). The internal unit 2 preferably has a first spherical type spherical part 21 as the first internal unit, a second spherical type spherical part 22 as the second internal unit, and a connection part 23 connecting the first spherical part 21 with the second spherical part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe cleaning apparatus for cleaning pipes used in semiconductor manufacturing or the like through which exhaust gas or the like flows.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in semiconductor manufacturing, exhaust gas and the like used in an etching apparatus or the like are disposed of after being rendered harmless by a detoxification apparatus. At this time, the exhaust gas or the like is conveyed from the etching device or the like to the abatement device through the piping.

However, it is known that the reaction product of the exhaust gas adheres to the inner wall of the pipe while the exhaust gas is being transported, thereby hindering the flow of the exhaust gas. Therefore, a technique has been developed in which the inside of the pipe is heated to a predetermined temperature or higher to prevent the reaction product of the exhaust gas from adhering to the inner wall of the pipe.

As another method, for example, in Patent Document 1, an outer body to be mounted on the outside of a pipe and an inner body to be disposed inside the pipe are configured, the outer body has a moving mounting means, and the inner body has a hollow structure. A pipe cleaner is disclosed which has a portion so that when the outer body is moved in the lengthwise direction of the pipe, the inner body is also moved in the same direction.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-138180

However, in the configuration of the pipe cleaning tool of Patent Document 1, since the inner body is formed in a cylindrical shape, although the straight portion of the pipe can be cleaned, the curved portion of the pipe cannot be cleaned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a pipe cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning a bent portion of a pipe.

To achieve the above object, the pipe cleaning apparatus of the present invention comprises an external unit movably installed outside a pipe and an internal unit movably installed inside the pipe, wherein the pipe is An internal unit that sandwiches and attracts the external unit by magnetic force is provided, the internal unit having a first internal unit and a second internal unit.

As described above, the pipe cleaning apparatus of the present invention includes an external unit movably installed outside the pipe and an internal unit movably installed inside the pipe. an internal unit attracted by the internal unit, the internal unit having a first internal unit and a second internal unit. With such a configuration in which the internal unit is divided into two parts, even a curved portion of the pipe can be washed following the curved portion. Furthermore, if the external unit is also divided into two, even if there is a flange on the pipe, it is possible to get over the flange and clean it.

It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which cut|disconnected the pipe cleaning apparatus along the axial direction of piping. It is the cross-sectional view which cut|disconnected the pipe cleaning apparatus perpendicular|vertically to the axial direction of piping. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an entire pipe cleaning system including a pipe cleaning device; FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the whole pipe washing system of a modification. It is an explanatory view explaining the operation of the pipe cleaning system. (a) is before recovery of the pipe cleaning device, and (b) is during recovery of the pipe cleaning device. It is explanatory drawing of the internal unit of a modification. (a) is an overall view, (b) is an exploded view of the first (second) spherical portion, and (c) is a sectional view.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the constituent elements described in the following examples are examples, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention only to them.

(Constitution)
First, the configuration of a pipe cleaning apparatus D of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. The pipe cleaning device D includes an external unit 1 movably installed outside the pipe 9 and an internal unit 2 movably installed inside the pipe 9. The pipe 9 is sandwiched between the external unit 1 and the magnetic force. and an internal unit 2 attracted by.

The external unit 1 has a square frame shape as a whole and is installed so as to surround the outside of the pipe 9 . The external unit 1 is composed of a square frame portion 11 and magnet portions 12 arranged at the corner portions of the frame portion 11 . The magnet part 12 may be a permanent magnet or an electromagnet.

The external unit 1 includes two frame portions 11 and 11 and two magnet portions 12 and 12, as shown in FIG. These two frame portions 11, 11 (and magnet portions 12, 12) may be connected to each other, or may be separated so that they can move independently. In this embodiment, the magnet part 12 is installed with the S pole facing inward (toward the pipe 9).

Furthermore, four wheels 32, . . . These wheels 32, . . . run on rails 31 installed along the extension direction of the pipe 9. In addition, although not shown, driving means for moving the external unit 1 includes, for example, forward and reverse rotation (reciprocating movement) of the wheels 32 by an electric motor, and manual movement (moving the external unit 1 by hand). I can think of moving in.

The internal unit 2 is constructed as two spheres connected to each other as a whole, and the spheres are installed so as to cover the full width of the inner diameter of the pipe 9 . Since the internal unit 2 is magnetically attracted to the external unit 1 across the pipe 9, the internal unit 2 also moves as the external unit 1 is moved by the driving means.

The internal unit 2 has a first internal unit (21) and a second internal unit (22) that are freely swingable relative to each other. More specifically, the internal unit 2 includes a spherical first spherical body portion 21 as a first internal unit, a spherical second spherical body portion 22 as a second internal unit, and the first spherical body portion 21 and the second spherical body portion 22 as a second internal unit. and a connection portion 23 that freely swingably connects the spherical body portion 22 .

Of these, the connecting portion 23 has two connecting rings 231 and 232 and is connected to both the first spherical portion 21 and the second spherical portion 22 . The connecting rings 231 and 232 are rotatable relative to each other. Therefore, the first spherical body part 21 and the second spherical body part 22 can freely change their relative positions with each other through the connecting part 23 .

The first spherical body portion 21 is composed of a substantially hemispherical shell-shaped metal portion 21a and a spherical mesh portion 21b fitted inside the metal portion 21a. That is, the first spherical body portion 21 has a double (shell) structure composed of an outer metal portion 21a and an inner mesh portion 21b.

Of these, the metal portion 21a has a magnet portion 21d having a polarity opposite to that of the magnet portion 12 of the external unit 1. As shown in FIG. The magnet portion 21 d is attracted to the magnet portion 12 of the external unit 1 by magnetic force, so that the entire internal unit 2 is held at a position corresponding to the external unit 1 . Furthermore, since the metal portion 21a has a hemispherical shell shape with a central angle of more than 180 degrees, the net portion 21b is rotatably accommodated therein, but the net portion 21b does not come off.

The mesh portion 21b has a mesh (gap) of a predetermined size, and is formed in a spherical shape having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the substantially hemispherical shell-shaped metal portion 21a. Therefore, the mesh portion 21b can freely rotate inside the metal portion 21a. If the mesh portion 21b itself can be elastically deformed from a spherical shape, the mesh portion 21b can be taken out from the metal portion 21a by, for example, crushing the mesh portion 21b by hand.

Similarly, the second spherical body portion 22 is composed of a substantially hemispherical shell-shaped metal portion 22a and a spherical mesh portion 22b fitted inside the metal portion 22a. The configurations of the metal portion 22a and the mesh portion 22b are the same as those of the first spherical body portion 21, and thus the description thereof is omitted. In addition, it is possible to inspect the inside of the pipe 9 by installing a small camera inside the spherical parts (21, 22) of the internal unit 2.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, by the pipe cleaning device D described above, the pipe 9 on which the pipe cleaning device D is installed, and the moving means 3 for moving the pipe cleaning device D along the pipe 9 A pipe cleaning system S is configured. Among them, the structure of the pipe cleaning device D and the moving means 3 is as described above.

The pipe 9 of the pipe cleaning system S is mainly composed of a straight portion 91 , a curved portion 92 (elbow), and a branch port 93 . That is, in general, the pipe 9 has a straight portion 91 and a curved portion 92, but in this embodiment, a branch port 93 branching off at right angles is installed in the middle of the straight portion 91. As shown in FIG.

The branch port 93 has a first valve v1 installed near the branch position (base end) of the branch port 93 and a second valve v2 installed near the terminal position (tip) of the branch port 93. and are placed. Both the first valve v1 and the second valve v2 are gate valves. The first valve v1 and the second valve v2 are opened and closed in conjunction with each other to recover the internal unit 2, as will be described later.

(Action)
Next, the operation of the pipe cleaning device D of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b). First, as shown in FIG. 5A, when passing through the straight portion 91, by moving the external unit 1 along the extension direction (axial direction) of the straight portion 91, the internal unit 2 follows this movement. Moving. At this time, the internal unit 2 contacts the inner surface of the straight portion 91, so that the adhered matter (dirt) on the inner surface of the straight portion 91 can be removed. If there is a flange 94, two external units 1 can be placed across the flange 94 to move over it. The removed adherents are accommodated in the branch port 93 together with the internal unit 2 .

Similarly, when passing through the curved portion 92, by moving the external unit 1 along the curve of the curved portion 92, the internal unit 2 also moves accordingly. In this way, the two spherical parts 21 and 22 can pass through the curved part 92 by changing their relative positions. At this time, the internal unit 2 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the curved portion 92, so that the adhered matter on the inner surface of the curved portion 92 can be removed. In particular, if the internal unit 2 is composed of two spherical parts 21 and 22, it can smoothly pass through without being caught by the curved part 92. - 特許庁The removed adherents are accommodated in the branch port 93 together with the internal unit 2 .

On the other hand, when collecting the internal unit 2, as shown in FIG. 5A, the first valve v1 near the proximal end of the branch port 93 is opened and the second valve v2 near the distal end is closed. After that, the internal unit 2 is introduced (accommodated) in the branch port 93 by moving the external unit 1 from the proximal end to the distal end of the branch port 93 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the first valve v1 near the proximal end of the branch port 93 is closed, and the second valve v2 near the distal end is opened. This allows the branch port 93 to be separated from the pipe 9 . After that, the internal unit 2 is recovered by taking out the internal unit 2 from inside the branch port 93 through the second valve v2. At this time, the dirt in the pipe 9 accumulated in the mesh portion 21b of the internal unit 2 can be collected at the same time. Then, the internal unit 2 can be replaced or washed and reused.

(Linear drive system)
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to arrange a plurality of electromagnets 1L along the extending direction of the pipe 9 as driving means (and the external unit 1) constituting the moving means 3. FIG. In this way, by arranging a plurality of electromagnets 1L, . In this case, even if the flange 94 protrudes in the middle of the pipe 9, the internal unit 2 can be moved by getting over it without difficulty.

(Modified example of internal unit)
Here, the configuration of the internal unit 2A of the modification will be described with reference to FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c). The internal unit 2A of this modified example includes a spherical first spherical body portion 21 as the first internal unit, a spherical second spherical body portion 22 as the second internal unit, and the first spherical body portion 21 and the second spherical body portion 22. and a connecting portion 23 that freely swingably connects the . In this variant, the connecting portion 23 is configured as a single ring.

Of these, the first spherical body portion 21 (and the second spherical body portion 22) is composed of a substantially hemispherical shell-shaped metal portion 21a and a spherical frame portion 21c fitted inside the metal portion 21a. be. That is, the spheres 21 and 22 of this modified example have a double structure like the embodiment, but differ from the embodiment in that they are frame portions 21c instead of mesh portions 21b. More specifically, the frame portion 21c has a shape in which two rings are perpendicularly intersected and combined, and the connecting portion 23 is connected near the intersection.

The metal portion 21a is formed to be slightly larger than the hemispherical shell shape, so that the internal frame portion 21c does not come off. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the frame portion 21c can be freely rotated within a range that does not interfere with the magnet portion 21d.

(effect)
Next, the effects of the pipe cleaning device D of this embodiment will be listed and described.

(1) As described above, the pipe cleaning apparatus D of this embodiment includes the external unit 1 movably installed outside the pipe 9 and the internal unit 2 movably installed inside the pipe 9. and an internal unit 2 that is attracted to the external unit 1 by magnetic force with the piping 9 interposed therebetween, and the internal unit 2 has a first internal unit (21) and a second internal unit (22). ing. With such a configuration in which the internal unit 2 is divided into two parts, even the curved portion 92 of the pipe 9 can be washed following the curved portion 92 . Furthermore, if the external unit 1 is also divided into two parts, even if the pipe 9 has a flange 94, it is possible to get over the flange 94 and clean it.

That is, by dividing the internal unit 2 into two, by changing the relative positional relationship between the first internal unit (21) and the second internal unit (22), the internal unit 2 (21, 22) can be connected to the pipe 9. can be deformed following the shape of the curved portion 92 of . Furthermore, by dividing the external unit 1 into two, the flange 94 can be overcome by arranging two external units 1 at positions straddling the flange 94 .

(2) The internal unit 2 includes a spherical first spherical body portion 21 as a first internal unit, a spherical second spherical body portion 22 as a second internal unit, and the first spherical body portion 21 and the second spherical body portion. It is preferable to have a connection portion 23 that connects 22 . By connecting the two spherical parts 21 and 22 with the connecting part 23 in this way, the inside of the pipe 9 can be smoothly passed, and the inner surface can be cleaned by contacting the inner surface without damaging the inner surface.

(3) Further, the first spherical body portion 21 and the second spherical body portion 22 are composed of metal portions 21a and 22a having substantially hemispherical shell shapes and spherical mesh portions 21b and 22b fitted inside the metal portions 21a and 22a. and is preferably composed of. Since the spheres 21 and 22 have a double structure in this way, the metal parts 21a and 22a can catch the dirt while the net parts 21b and 22b collect the dirt in the pipe 9.

(4) The first spherical body portion 21 and the second spherical body portion 22 are composed of substantially hemispherical shell-shaped metal portions 21a and 22a and spherical frame portions 21c and 22c fitted inside the metal portions 21a and 22a. and can be composed of Since the spheres 21 and 22 have a double structure in this way, the metal parts 21a and 22a can catch the dirt while the frame parts 21c and 22c collect the dirt in the pipe 9.

(5) The pipe cleaning system S of this embodiment includes the pipe cleaning device D, the pipe 9, and the moving means 3 for moving the pipe cleaning device D along the pipe 9. , is equipped. With such a configuration, the inside of the pipe 9 can be cleaned without opening the pipe 9 . That is, by moving the external unit 1 of the pipe cleaning apparatus D by the moving means 3, the internal unit 2 can be moved and cleaned within the pipe 9 in conjunction therewith.

(6) Further, the moving means 3 of the pipe cleaning system S includes rails 31 installed outside the pipes 9 along the extension direction of the pipes 9, and rotatably supported by the external unit 1 to travel on the rails 31. It is preferred to have wheels 32 for driving and drive means 33 for the wheels 32 . With such a configuration, it is possible to automate the cleaning operation by appropriately controlling the driving means 33, for example. Furthermore, compared with conventional heaters, the heater needs to be cleaned only when necessary, resulting in a power-saving system.

(7) If the driving means 33 of the pipe cleaning system S further includes a plurality of electromagnets 1L installed along the extension direction of the pipe outside the pipe 9, the pipe 9 Even if there is an obstacle including the flange 94 or the like on the outside of the frame, this can be easily overcome. In other words, the inner unit 2 can be moved by arranging the electromagnet 1L straddling the flange 94 and the like.

(8) Further, the pipe cleaning system S includes a branch port 93 branched in the middle of the pipe 9, a first valve v1 installed near the branch position of the branch port 93, and a terminal position near the branch port 93. and a second valve v2. With such a configuration, the internal unit 2 can be recovered (taken out) to the outside through the branch port 93 by interlocking the first valve v1 and the second valve v2. This branch port 93 can store the removed adherents and can also accommodate the internal unit 2 in a standby state.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes to the extent that they do not depart from the gist of the present invention can be applied to the present invention. included.

S Pipe cleaning system D Pipe cleaning attachment 1 External unit 11 Frame 12 Magnet 2 Internal unit 21 First spherical body (first internal unit)
21a metal portion 21b mesh portion 21c frame portion 21d magnet portion 22 second spherical portion (second internal unit)
22a metal part 22r hemispherical shell part 22b mesh part 22d magnet part 23 connecting part 3 moving means 31 rail 32 wheel 33 driving means 9 pipe 91 pipe (straight line part)
92 Piping (curved part)
93 Branch port v1 First valve v2 Second valve

Claims (8)

an external unit movably installed outside the pipe;
An internal unit movably installed inside the pipe, wherein the internal unit is attracted to the external unit by magnetic force across the pipe,
The pipe cleaning apparatus, wherein the internal unit has a first internal unit and a second internal unit. The internal unit includes a spherical first spherical portion as a first internal unit, a spherical second spherical portion as a second internal unit, and a connecting portion connecting the first spherical portion and the second spherical portion. 2. A pipe cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first spherical body part and the second spherical body part are composed of a substantially hemispherical shell-shaped metal part and a spherical mesh part fitted inside the metal part. and pipe cleaning equipment. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first spherical body portion and the second spherical body portion are composed of a substantially hemispherical shell-shaped metal portion and a spherical frame portion fitted inside the metal portion. and pipe cleaning equipment. A pipe cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4;
the piping;
moving means for moving the pipe cleaning device along the pipe;
Equipped with a pipe cleaning system. The moving means includes a rail installed outside the pipe along the extension direction of the pipe, wheels rotatably supported by the external unit and running on the rail, driving means for the wheels, 6. The pipe cleaning system of claim 5, comprising: 7. The pipe cleaning system according to claim 6, further comprising an electromagnet installed along the extension direction of the pipe outside the pipe as the driving means. a branch port branched in the middle of the pipe;
a first valve installed near a branch position of the branch port;
a second valve installed near a terminal position of the branch port;
A pipe cleaning system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, further comprising:

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