JP3011583B2 - Swimming type underwater visual inspection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a swimming-type underwater visual inspection apparatus applicable to visual inspection of internal structures and equipment of pressure vessels and pools in nuclear power plants and the like, or various underwater inspections other than nuclear facilities. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when performing underwater visual observation by remote control, such as in a nuclear facility, a fixed camera or a camera provided on a moving body along a track is generally used.

[0003] However, these devices have a drawback that only a certain portion can be viewed and the inspection range is restricted. In recent years, an inspection device equipped with a camera and capable of freely moving underwater has been developed. . For example, a propulsion mechanism and an attitude control means are provided in a pressure-resistant casing equipped with a camera and a lighting device for visual observation to constitute an underwater vehicle, and a visual inspection is performed while the underwater vehicle swims underwater by remote control. It is like that.

[0004]

However, while there are many narrow parts inside the nuclear reactor and the like, the structure of the conventional inspection apparatus cannot always sufficiently reduce the size. In addition, when trying to improve the degree of freedom of swimming, enlarge the viewing range, and the like, the configuration becomes complicated, and various problems are likely to occur in production and use.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has a simple structure, can be miniaturized, can easily access various parts such as a nuclear reactor, and can effectively increase the degree of freedom of swimming and the visual range. It is an object of the present invention to provide a swimming-type underwater visual inspection apparatus that can easily perform a detailed visual inspection by freely changing the direction of a camera up and down, for example.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an underwater vehicle is provided by providing a propulsion mechanism and an attitude control means in a pressure-resistant casing on which a camera for visual observation and an illumination device are mounted. In a swimming type underwater visual inspection device that performs visual inspection while swimming underwater by remote control, the underwater vehicle is formed in a spherical shape, and as a propulsion mechanism, a forward and backward propulsion mechanism capable of forward and reverse propulsion to the casing and The vertical propulsion mechanisms are provided in such a manner that the propulsion axes are orthogonal to each other, and the attitude control means is supported on a support shaft along the direction orthogonal to the propulsion axes of the two propulsion mechanisms on the outer surface of the casing, and is provided by a drive mechanism. A plate-shaped balance weight rotatable around the axis of the support shaft is provided.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the invention, as the propulsion mechanism, a forward-reverse propulsion mechanism and a vertical propulsion mechanism capable of forward and reverse propulsion are provided on the casing in such a manner that the propulsion axes are orthogonal to each other. Can be easily moved by the operation of each propulsion mechanism. Also,
As a posture control means, a plate-shaped balance weight that can be rotated by a drive mechanism on an axis along a direction orthogonal to the propulsion axes of both propulsion mechanisms is provided on the outer surface of the casing, so that rotation of the balance weight is achieved. By moving the center of gravity
The attitude of the casing can be changed in a reactive manner. Therefore, since the driving mechanism is relatively simple, the configuration is simple and the size can be reduced, and each part such as the nuclear reactor can be easily accessed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the front-rear direction propulsion mechanism and the vertical direction propulsion mechanism are arranged in parallel with each other along the axial direction of the balance weight. By differentiating
By changing the propulsion direction, the steering state can be stabilized by the plate-shaped balance weight. Therefore,
A steering mechanism or the like is not required, so that the degree of freedom of swimming can be increased, and the casing can be made spherical, which contributes to downsizing.

[0008]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

This embodiment relates to a swimming type underwater visual inspection apparatus for inspection inside a nuclear reactor. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus is roughly divided into an underwater vehicle 1 and a controller 2 for remotely controlling the underwater vehicle 1. , Are connected by a cable 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the underwater vehicle 1 has a substantially spherical and partially transparent pressure-resistant casing 4, a longitudinal propulsion mechanism 5, a vertical propulsion mechanism 6, and a balance weight as attitude control means. 7. A movable television camera 8 for visual observation and a lighting device 9 are mounted.

In order to facilitate the explanation, FIG.
Is a basic posture, a portion where the television camera 8 is disposed (the left portion in FIG. 1) is a front portion, a portion where the front-rear propulsion mechanism 6 is disposed (a right portion in FIG. 1) is a rear portion, and further from the rear portion. It is assumed that the description of the up, down, right and left directions will be given while looking at the section.

The pressure-resistant casing 4 includes a plurality of vertically split elements, for example, a center frame 4a located at the center,
A television camera 8 is mounted on the center frame 4a, and a front-rear propulsion mechanism 5, a vertical propulsion mechanism 6, and a balance propulsion mechanism 6 are mounted on each side frame 4b. The weight 7 and the lighting device 9 are attached. TV camera 8
The front part of the casing 4 covering the lighting device 9 is made of a transparent pressure-resistant glass.

The front-rear propulsion mechanism 5 includes a pair of right and left propellers 10 disposed at the same height at the rear of the casing 4.
And a drive mechanism 11 for rotating them forward and backward. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the motor as the drive mechanism 11 is mounted in each of the left and right side frames 4b, and the connection between the output shaft 12 and the propeller 10 has a watertight magnet type connection structure. That is, the output shaft 12 and the propeller 10 are separated by the cylindrical partition 13, and the output shaft 12 and the propeller 10 are magnetically connected via the magnets 14 and 15 disposed inside and outside the partition 13, The propeller 10 is driven to rotate.

The pair of longitudinal propulsion mechanisms 5
The jets can be driven independently of each other, and control the jet by making the rotation speed or the rotation direction different, so that left and right turning can be performed when moving forward or backward or in a stopped state.

The vertical propulsion mechanism 6 is arranged such that the front-rear propulsion mechanism 5 and the propulsion axis are orthogonal to each other.
It is provided in. That is, the vertical propulsion mechanism 6
A water passage hole 16 which is located at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of each side frame 4b and penetrates vertically, and a cylindrical screw 17 spirally formed in each water passage hole 16 respectively.
And a drive mechanism 18 for rotating them forward and backward. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the motor as the drive mechanism 18 is mounted in each of the left and right side frames 4b, and the output shaft 19 is connected to the hollow shaft 23 via the belt 20 and the pulleys 21 and 22. I have. The connection between the hollow shaft 23 and the screw 17 is a watertight magnet type connection structure. That is, the hollow shaft 23
And the screw 17 are separated by a cylindrical partition wall 24, and magnets 25, 2 disposed inside and outside the partition wall 24.
6, the hollow shaft 23 and the screw 17 are magnetically connected, and the screw 17 is driven to rotate. The pair of vertical propulsion mechanisms 4 can also be driven independently of each other, and control the jet by changing the rotation speed or the rotation direction so that the casing 4 can be inclined left and right at an arbitrary inclination angle. It has become.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the balance weight 7 is a flat plate having a substantially triangular shape with a swelled lower portion, and a pair of the balance weights 7 are arranged on the left and right outer surfaces of the casing 4 in parallel with each other. . The position above the center of gravity of each balance weight 7 is connected via a bolt 28 to a support shaft 27 along a direction (left-right direction) orthogonal to the propulsion axes of both propulsion mechanisms 5 and 6. It is rotatable around the axis. The support shaft 27 is supported by the side frame 4b, and is connected to a motor 29 provided on the center frame 4a via gears 30 and 31 so as to be rotatable forward and backward. When the balance weight 7 rotates with the rotation of the support shaft 27, the position of the center of gravity of the balance weight 7 changes forward and backward relative to the casing 4, but the center of gravity of the balance weight 7 always goes vertically downward. Thus, the reaction causes the posture to change so that the casing 4 tilts in the front-rear direction.

The movable television camera 8 for visual observation is mounted on a disk 32 which rotates within the center frame 4a, and is capable of changing its direction in the vertical direction at the front of the casing 4. That is, the disk 32 is supported by a shaft 33 extending in the left-right direction at the center of the center frame 4a. The disk 32 is connected to a motor 36 via a gear 34 provided on the peripheral edge and a gear 35 meshing with the gear 34. ing. The disk 3 is driven by the motor 36.
When the camera 2 rotates forward and backward, the television camera 8 turns up and down. This TV camera 8
Of the motor 37 attached to the disk 32
Are rotatably connected via a belt 38 and pulleys 39 and 40, thereby enabling focus adjustment.
The turning position of the television camera 8 is determined by the potentiometer 4.
7 to be detected.

The illuminating device 9 is constructed by arranging a plurality of, for example, three, lamps 41 on the side frame 4a at right and left sides of the television camera 8 at intervals. Reflector plates 42 are arranged on the side and back side of each lamp 41,
A predetermined range in front of the casing 4 is irradiated. Each of the lamps 41 is turned on at a position corresponding to the direction of the television camera 8 by a control means provided in the controller 2, thereby irradiating the target object efficiently.

The orientation of each lamp 41 may be generally set in a state of rising from the casing 4 as shown in FIG. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 to 9, they are mounted horizontally or vertically according to the lamp position. This effectively improves the reflectivity according to the lamp arrangement, simplifies the mounting structure, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cable 3 has a terminal portion 43 in the casing 4, and the above-mentioned motors, a television camera, a lamp and the like are connected to the terminal portion 43.

Further, the controller 2 includes a control device 44,
It comprises a monitor television 45, a joystick 46 and the like.

When the apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above is used for inspection inside a nuclear reactor or the like, for example, as shown in FIG.
, The underwater vehicle 1 is introduced into the furnace. Then, the front-rear direction propulsion mechanism 5 and the vertical direction propulsion mechanism 6 are operated by remote control, and the underwater vehicle 1 is moved to a target position by levitating, dive, advance, retreat, turn, or the like. After that, the television camera 8 and the illumination device 9 irradiate and view the object. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the balance weight 7 is rotated rearward of the casing 4 so that the television camera 8 faces upward.

According to the apparatus of this embodiment, the front-rear propulsion mechanism 5 and the vertical propulsion mechanism 6 capable of forward and reverse propulsion are provided on the casing 4 so that the propulsion axes are orthogonal to each other. Underwater movement in the direction can be easily performed by the operation of each propulsion mechanism 5, 6.

Also, as the attitude control means, the casing 4
The balance weight 7 rotatable on the axis perpendicular to the propulsion axes of the two propulsion mechanisms is provided on the outer surface of the propulsion mechanism. Can be changed. Therefore, the drive mechanism for attitude control is relatively simple, so that the configuration is simple and compact, and each part of the reactor can be easily accessed.

Further, since the front-rear direction propulsion mechanism 5 and the vertical direction propulsion mechanism 6 are arranged in parallel with each other along the axial direction of the balance weight 7, the propulsion force and direction are different for each propulsion mechanism. Thus, the propulsion direction can be changed, and at this time, the steering state can be stabilized by the plate-shaped balance weight. Therefore, a steering mechanism or the like becomes unnecessary, the degree of freedom of swimming can be expanded, and the shape of the casing 4 is made spherical as in the embodiment, so that the size can be further reduced.

Further, since the television camera 8 is provided so as to be able to change its direction with respect to the casing 4, a detailed visual inspection can be performed by freely changing the direction of the television camera 8 up and down independently. Therefore, the range of visual observation can be expanded as compared with the conventional device,
Since the viewing direction can be changed while the casing 4 is kept in a fixed posture, the inspection speed can be improved.

Further, the lighting device 9 is connected to the television camera 8.
Along with the direction of the change in the direction of the television camera 8 and can be turned on corresponding to the direction of the TV camera 8, the required visual target efficiently using a limited power supply, Observation can be performed with clear irradiation.

[0028]

As described above, according to the swimming type underwater visual inspection device according to the present invention, the configuration is simple, the size can be reduced, the various parts such as the nuclear reactor can be easily accessed, and the narrow part can be used. Excellent exercise performance can be obtained stably, and the freedom of swimming and the expansion of the visual range can be effectively improved, and detailed visual inspection with a camera or the like can be more easily performed. The effect is achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an embodiment of a swimming type underwater visual inspection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the underwater vehicle of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the underwater vehicle of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a camera unit of the underwater vehicle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a ramp portion of the underwater vehicle according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a main part of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a use state of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the direction of the underwater vehicle changes in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Underwater vehicle 4 Casing 5 Front-back propulsion mechanism 6 Vertical propulsion mechanism 7 Balance weight 8 TV camera 9 Lighting device

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-63993 (JP, A) JP-A-2-216389 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B63C 11/00 B63C 11/48 B63G 8/42 G21C 17/003 H04H 5/225

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An underwater vehicle is provided by providing a propulsion mechanism and an attitude control means in a pressure-resistant casing on which a camera for visual observation and an illuminating device are mounted, and visually inspects the underwater vehicle while swimming underwater by remote control. In the swimming type underwater visual inspection device, the underwater vehicle is formed in a spherical shape, and as a propulsion mechanism, a front-rear direction propulsion mechanism and a vertical direction propulsion mechanism capable of forward and reverse propulsion to the casing are orthogonal to each other with respect to the propulsion axes. In addition, as the attitude control means, it is supported on a support shaft along a direction orthogonal to the propulsion axes of the two propulsion mechanisms on the outer surface of the casing, and is rotated around the axis of the support shaft by a drive mechanism. A swimming-type underwater visual inspection device, comprising a possible plate-shaped balance weight. 2. The swimming type underwater visual inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the front-rear direction propulsion mechanism and the vertical direction propulsion mechanism are respectively arranged in parallel in a pair along the axial direction of the balance weight support shaft. A swimming-type underwater visual inspection device, characterized in that: