JP3406431B2 - In-tube self-propelled small X-ray irradiator - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention inspects a defect in a pipe inner surface such as corrosion of various pipes such as gas pipes, water pipes, and oil plants, and welding defects of newly installed pipes. And a self-propelled small-size X-ray irradiating apparatus. 2. Description of the Related Art A self-propelled X-ray irradiator (hereinafter referred to as an X-ray irradiator) for traveling in a pipe as described above is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-6-130001 (hereinafter referred to as prior art). 1) discloses the technique shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the X-ray irradiation device 1 includes an X-ray generator 2, a traveling unit 3, a rotation mechanism unit 4, a position detection unit 5, and a light-emitting unit 6. The X-ray generator 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an irradiation unit 8 for emitting X-rays from an outer peripheral surface is provided at a rear portion of a cooling fan 7 at a front end, and is provided outside the tube. Not connected to the X-ray controller via a cable wound around the drum. The traveling means 3 comprises a driven wheel 11 provided at a front end of the X-ray generator 2 and a driving wheel 1 provided at a rear end of the X-ray generator 2.
2 and the driven wheel 11 and the drive wheel 12
The X-ray generator 2 is attached to a center position holder (not shown) in three directions equally divided with respect to the center line of the X-ray generator 2. The rotating mechanism 4 includes a fixed gear 13 fixed along the outer peripheral surface of the X-ray generator 2, a rotating cylinder 14 rotatably mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the X-ray generator 2, and a rotating cylinder. A rotation motor 15 fixed to
And a drive gear 16 meshed with the fixed gear 13. The position detecting means 5 comprises a light source 1 for illuminating a video camera 17, a reflector 18 and an inner wall of a pipe 9a to be inspected.
The video camera 17 is mounted so that the optical axis is parallel to the center line of the rotating cylinder 14. The light emitting means 6 irradiates the inside of the tube with slit light inclined at a certain angle with respect to the center line of the rotating cylinder 14. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-181098 (hereinafter referred to as “prior art 2”) discloses a small-sized X-ray irradiator having an iron core of a high-voltage transformer for increasing magnetic flux density and reducing iron loss. There is disclosed an apparatus in which the X-ray tube and the high-voltage transformer are housed in the same casing to improve the size of the high-voltage transformer. [0008] In recent years, the use of X-ray irradiators for inspecting defects on the inner surface of a tube has been increasing.
At the same time, the diameter of the pipe to be inspected is gradually increasing to a smaller one. However, the X-ray irradiation apparatus of the above-mentioned prior art 1 has a tube diameter of 550 mm or more (550 to
The X-ray inspection is performed with high accuracy, efficiency, and safety by running along the inner surface of a 900 mm pipe. As a result, when the method is directly applied to the inspection of the inner surface of a pipe having a length of less than 550 mm, the following problem occurs. Simply reducing the scale of the X-ray generator 2 or the like used here cannot sufficiently exert the function of X-ray irradiation due to a rise in temperature due to a high voltage, discharge, or the like. Inspection is difficult. In the prior art 1, there is a problem as described below because no consideration is given to a pipe having a length of less than 550 mm. The rotating mechanism 4 has a structure in which the fixed gear 13, the rotating cylinder 14, the rotating motor 15, and the like protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the X-ray generator 2. When the X-ray irradiator is inserted, it becomes an obstacle. The position detecting means 5 includes a photographing means (video camera) 1
7. Since the reflector 18 and the like are mounted on the outer surface of the rotary cylinder 14, when the X-ray irradiator is inserted into a small-diameter pipe, it becomes a hindrance when the size is reduced. . Since the traveling means 3 has a drive motor structure for independently rotating the three wheels 12 at the rear end of the X-ray generator 2, the weight is added by installing these drive motors. On the other hand, in the prior art 2, in order to reduce the size of the X-ray irradiator, the iron core of the high-voltage transformer is improved, the size of the high-voltage transformer is reduced, the temperature rise in the casing is suppressed, and the discharge is prevented. Improvements such as prevention have been made.
However, in Prior Art 2, although small-diameter pipes are targeted, means for inspecting small-diameter pipes with different pipe diameters using a single X-ray irradiator in an appropriate state corresponding to each pipe diameter are not described. Nothing is disclosed. Therefore, even if an X-ray irradiator can be inserted to inspect a defective portion on the inner surface of a pipe having a different pipe diameter, it is difficult to position the X-ray irradiator, and the circumferential direction of the inner surface of the pipe is difficult. In some cases, accurate X-ray irradiation cannot be performed. [0013] Further, even in the prior art 1, there is no disclosure about an inspection means which is inserted into a pipe using one X-ray irradiator and is in an appropriate state corresponding to a small-diameter pipe having a different pipe diameter. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and to inspect the inner surface of small-diameter pipes having various diameters of less than 550 mm with a single X-ray irradiator in a simple and easy manner with a compact structure. An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized self-propelled X-ray irradiator that can be operated at a high cost. According to the present invention, there is provided a self-propelled X-ray irradiator for inspecting a defective portion on an inner surface of a tube, wherein the X-ray irradiator has an inner surface mirror-finished within an outer diameter of 150 mm or less. And a casing in which a high-voltage transformer, an X-ray tube, and a cooling fan having a radiator in front of the X-ray tube are mounted, and position detecting means provided at the front and rear ends thereof. A replaceable wheel diameter-adjustable wheel support member having a wheel mounted as a front wheel portion between the casing and the front end portion, and a turntable to which the wheel support member is mounted; and the casing and the rear end portion. Two wheel support members having wheels attached thereto as rear wheel portions, and an opening plate for adjusting a pipe diameter provided between the two wheel support members, and one of the wheel support members. Provided And a driving mechanism with a clutch for driving the wheels. In the present invention, since the upper limit of the outer diameter of the X-ray generator in which the high-voltage transformer and the X-ray tube are integrated is limited to about 200 mm, it is assumed that the outer diameter is much lower than that. Taking advantage of Prior Art 2, the maximum outer diameter of the casing of the X-ray generator was set to 150 mm. At the same time, the inspection of small-diameter pipes with different pipe diameters can be performed in a wide range with one X-ray irradiation device not disclosed in Prior Art 2, and the inner surface of the pipe can be inspected accurately. Since the inner diameter of the pipe to be applied is regulated by the casing, a casing which can be inserted into a pipe having an inner diameter of 150 mm or less is determined, and thereafter, various components of the X-ray irradiator are incorporated so as to be adapted to the above casing. I did it. According to the present invention, an X-ray tube and a high-voltage transformer are integrally disposed in the casing as devices required for X-ray irradiation. In a portable X-ray irradiation apparatus such as the present invention, when the X-ray tube and the high-voltage transformer are arranged separately,
A large insulated wire is required between the X-ray tube and the high-voltage transformer, which is not practical. Even if the X-ray tube and the high-voltage transformer are scaled down and housed in the casing, if the functions are to be maintained at a high performance, the casing is likely to generate a discharge when X-rays are generated. Therefore, the inner surface of the casing is mirror-finished to prevent discharge when X-rays are generated. A radiator is provided in front of the X-ray tube and a cooling fan is provided in front of the radiator, and forced convection is generated in a plurality of fluid passages of the cooling fan and the radiator, thereby enhancing the cooling effect in the casing. , Preventing the temperature inside the casing from rising. In the present invention, an X-ray tube and a high-pressure transformer are arranged in a casing having a maximum outer diameter of 150 mm or less.
To maintain high performance, the above measures are minimally required. In the X-ray irradiator according to the present invention, position detecting means is provided at the front end and the rear end of the casing to detect the position of a weld or the like in the pipe. These are installed in a size that fits within the outer diameter of the casing. In addition, a wheel as a front wheel portion is mounted on a turntable via a wheel support member, and the wheel support member is exchangeable for adjusting a pipe diameter. Replace with a new member. The reason for using the rotary disk is that when the X-ray irradiator is run, the smaller the inside diameter of the pipe, the more the torsion between the front wheel and the rear wheel having the drive mechanism occurs.
This is because the above-mentioned torsion is reduced by the rotation of the turntable so that the X-ray irradiation device can easily travel in the pipe. In the X-ray irradiation apparatus according to the present invention, two wheel supporting members each having a wheel mounted as a rear wheel portion, and an opening plate for adjusting a pipe diameter between the two wheel supporting members are provided. When it changes, the opening plate is adjusted so that the wheel comes into close contact with the inner surface of the pipe, so that the axis of the X-ray irradiator matches the axis of the pipe diameter. In this way, the tube is run in a state suitable for inspecting a circumferentially defective portion on the inner surface of the tube. In this case, the front wheels adapt to the adjustment of the pipe diameter of the rear wheels,
Similarly, in order to make the contact with the inner surface of the pipe, the wheel supporting member is replaced as necessary. In the present invention, since the small-diameter pipe is used as a target, if the X-ray irradiator interferes with self-propulsion, the pipe can be immediately pulled out of the pipe so that safety and smooth operation can be performed. The wheel drive mechanism can be disconnected by the clutch. In the present invention, with the above-described configuration, one X-ray irradiator can be inserted into a small-diameter pipe having a different pipe diameter to inspect the inner surface of the pipe. Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are side views showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a rear wheel portion is closed corresponding to the pipe inner diameter, and FIG. 2 shows a rear view corresponding to the pipe inner diameter. This shows a state where the wheel unit is opened. In FIG. 1, a casing 20a of the X-ray irradiator 20 has an outer diameter of 120 mm and a mirror-finished inner surface, and includes therein a high-voltage transformer 35, an X-ray tube 36, and a front side of the X-ray tube 36. Radiator 37
Is provided. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a casing 20a having an outer diameter of 120 mm is inserted into a pipe 9b to inspect a defective portion on the inner surface of the pipe. Cameras 21a and 21b are attached to the front and side surfaces of a board 22a attached to the tip of the casing 20a as position inspection means. In addition, a camera 21c is attached as a position inspection unit on the rear surface of the substrate 22b attached to the rear end.
These cameras are monoport cameras with C.I.
C. D (charge-coupled device). These cameras are connected to the control device 34 by one line (not shown). The X-ray irradiator 20 is inserted into the tube and run, and the welding position on the inner surface of the tube is detected by the cameras 21a, 21b and 21c. The state of the inner surface of the pipe 9b is
It is displayed on a monitor outside the system by the camera. As soon as the welding position on the inner surface of the pipe 9b is detected, the X-ray irradiator 20 is self-propelled by the encoder 28 and stopped at a predetermined position so that X-ray irradiation can be performed at the welded portion. The front wheels have wheels 24a, 24b, 24c.
(Hidden and invisible) are respectively wheel supporting members 23a, 23
b, 23c. Wheel support member 23
Since b and 23c are described in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 described later, they are omitted here because the drawing becomes complicated. Turntable 2 with wheel support members 23a to 23c attached
5 is joined to the casing 20a between the cooling fan 38 and the front substrate 22a. On the other hand, jackets 30a and 30b are provided on the rear wheel portion, and two wheel support members 27a and 27b are provided therein.
b is stored. An opening plate 29a for adjusting the pipe diameter is provided between the wheel supporting members 27a and 27b in the outer jackets 30a and 30b.
And a drive mechanism 31 with a clutch for driving the wheels 26a and 26b is provided. Opening plate 29a
A plurality of pipes having a length corresponding to the pipe inner diameter are prepared, and the pipe diameter is adjusted by exchanging them. FIG. 2 shows a state in which a defect on the inner surface of the pipe 9c having an inner diameter of, for example, 450 mm is inspected by the X-ray irradiator 20. The X-ray irradiation device 20 includes an opening plate 29b.
As a result, the two wheel support members 27a and 27b are opened, and the wheels 26a and 26b are in contact with the pipe inner wall 9c. The wheel support member 27b presses the wheel 26b against the pipe inner wall 9c by the leaf spring 32. In the front wheel portion, wheel support members 23a, 23
b and 23c are wheel supporting members 23 having a length suitable for the pipe 9c.
d, 23e, 23f, and the wheels 24a, 24
b and 24c are in contact with the inner wall of the pipe 9c. Since the wheel supporting members 23b and 23c are described in FIGS. 4 and 5 described later, they are omitted here because the drawing becomes complicated. On the other hand, in the rear wheel portion, a jacket 30a,
30b is omitted and the two wheel support members 27a, 27b
Is exposed. The description of the parts common to FIG. 1 is omitted. Here, an opening plate 29b for adjusting the pipe diameter is provided between the wheel support members 27a and 27b, and the wheel support members 27a
Is provided with a drive mechanism 31 with a clutch. The drive mechanism 31 with a clutch is configured so that the wheels 26a can be separated by the clutch 31a. 31b is a drive motor. In the rear wheel portion, a plurality of opening plates having an appropriate length corresponding to the inner diameter of the pipe are prepared, and the pipe diameter is adjusted by replacement. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the rear wheels have been replaced. In FIG. 3, the opening degree of the pipe 9b is 0, and the pair of wheels 26a and 26b are in contact with the inner wall of the pipe 9b. From the pipe 9b, the pipe 9c and the pipe 9
As the inner diameter of the pipe becomes larger at d, the opening degree plate is replaced to increase the opening degree. Depending on the replacement of the opening plate, a pair of wheels 2
The wheel shaft 43a of 6a is replaced with a wheel shaft 43b, and further replaced with a wheel shaft 43c. Actually, it is replaced with the wheels attached in advance. These exchanges can be performed in a short time. A pair of wheels 26a having a wheel diameter larger than the wheel diameter of the wheel 26b is used so as not to be replaced. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a main part of the front wheel structure of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the front wheel portion as viewed from the direction of arrows AA in FIG. In FIG. 4, wheels 24a, 24b,
24c (hidden and invisible) are mounting plates 42a, 42b,
It is attached to the wheel support members 23a, 23b, 23c via 42c. Wheel support members 23a, 23b, 2
3c has a length corresponding to the opening and closing of the opening plate of the rear wheel portion. Here, the wheel 24a will be described as a representative. The wheel 24a is mounted on the rotating plate 25 via a triangular mounting plate 42a and a wheel support member 23a. The wheel support member 23a is, as shown in FIG.
It is detachably attached to a mounting plate 25a of the turntable 25 by bolts 40. The wheel 24a can be finely adjusted by an adjusting tool 39a. The adjusting tool 39a uses the long groove 41a provided on the mounting plate 42a and changes its position to finely adjust the wheel 24a mounted on the mounting plate 42a. Although the wheels 24b and 24c are omitted, they have the same structure as the front wheels 24a. The wheels 24a, 24b, 24c are
5, wheel support members 23a, 23b, 23
c, and integrally rotates around the shaft 25b via the mounting plate 41a, the mounting plate 41b, and the mounting plate 41c. 21a, 21b
Is a camera attached to the substrate 22a. As shown in FIG. 5, wheels 24a, 24b,
24c is the rotating disk 2 via the mounting plates 42a, 42b, 42c and the wheel supporting members 23a, 23b, 23c.
5 is removably attached to the symmetrical position of the mounting plate 25a by a bolt 40. Wheel support member 23a,
23b and 23c have a length corresponding to the closed state of the rear wheel portion. In the shaft 25b of the turntable 25,
A conducting wire for transmitting a detection signal from a camera or the like is provided. FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a main part of the front wheel portion of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a front view of the front wheel portion as viewed from the direction of arrows BB in FIG. FIG. 6 shows, for example, a pipe 9c having an inner diameter of 450 mm.
2 shows a state of the front wheel portion corresponding to FIG. Here, the wheel 24a will be described as a representative. The wheel 24a includes the mounting plate 42a, the wheel support member 2
It is mounted on the rotating plate 25 via 3d. The wheel support member 23d is detachably attached to an attachment plate 25a of the turntable 25 by bolts 40, as shown in FIG. As in the case of FIG. 4, the wheel 24a can be finely adjusted using the adjusting tool 39a. Although the wheels 24b and 24c are omitted, the wheels 24b and 24c are omitted.
It has the same mechanism as a. The wheels 24a, 24b, 24c are
5, wheel support members 23d, 23e, 23
f, rotates around the shaft 25b integrally via the mounting plate 41a, the mounting plate 41b, and the mounting plate 41c. In FIG. 7, wheels 24a, 24b, 24
c is mounting plates 42a, 42b, 42c, wheel support member 2
3d, 23e, 23f, the mounting plate 2 of the turntable 25
It is detachably attached to the symmetrical position of 5a by a bolt 40. Wheel support members 23d, 23e, 23
f has a length corresponding to the open state of the rear wheel portion. In the shaft 25a of the turntable 25, a lead wire for transmitting a detection signal from a camera or the like is arranged. FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which a welded portion of a new pipe to be inspected is inspected using the X-ray irradiation apparatus 20 of the present invention. The X-ray irradiator 20 travels in the pipe 9d by driving a drive mechanism 31 with a clutch attached to the wheel support member 27a. At this time, the front wheels 24a, 24b, 24c and the rear wheels 26a, 26 of the X-ray irradiation device 20
b contacts the inner wall of the pipe 9d, and the X-ray irradiation device 20
It is held at the center of the pipe. From the rear of the X-ray irradiator 20,
Is connected to an external control device 34 and the camera 21
Position signals at the traveling position of the X-ray irradiation device 20 are input from a, 21b, and 21c. Cameras 21a, 21b,
After the position of the welded portion of the new pipe is confirmed by 21c, the X-ray irradiating device 20 is immediately controlled by the control device 34 so that the inspection by X-ray irradiation at a predetermined position of the welded portion comes.
Travels by the encoder 28 and stops at that position. A film is previously attached to the welded portion of the pipe 9d irradiated with X-rays so as to be able to respond to the outer surface of the pipe. X-ray irradiation is performed from an X-ray generator incorporated in the casing 20a. Thus, the defective portion of the weld is detected by the film on the outer surface of the tube. As is clear from the above description, by installing the cameras 21a, 21b, and 21c, the position of a predetermined welding point can be confirmed by traveling back and forth in the pipe 9b, and the X-ray irradiating apparatus is immediately moved to the position. Automatically travels and stops, so that X-ray irradiation can be performed accurately. In addition, since the X-ray irradiator is a small X-ray irradiator housed in a casing having an outer diameter of 120 mm, the aperture plate and the like are exchanged by one X-ray irradiator 20 for different small pipes having a pipe diameter of 550 to 150 mm. Only by doing so, it is possible to easily inspect a defective portion in each pipe. In the above description, the outer diameter of the casing is 1
The X-ray irradiator in the case of 20 mm has been described.
Inspection of piping within mm is possible. However, practically, a small X-ray irradiator 21 having an outer diameter of about 100 mm is used from a structural point of view. As described above, according to the present invention,
An inner surface inspection by X-ray irradiation of pipes can be performed easily and accurately with a single X-ray irradiator for small-diameter pipes of various diameters less than 550 mm in a compact structure and simply by changing the opening plate etc. An industrially useful effect can be obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a rear wheel portion is closed corresponding to an inner diameter of a pipe. FIG. 2 is a side view showing one embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state in which a rear wheel portion is opened corresponding to a pipe inner diameter. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a replacement state of a rear wheel corresponding to an open state of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a main part of a front wheel portion of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a view taken along line AA of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a main part of a front wheel portion corresponding to different pipe diameters of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view taken along line BB of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an inspection state in a pipe by the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional self-propelled X-ray irradiation apparatus. [Description of Reference Numerals] 20 In-pipe self-propelled small X-ray irradiation apparatus 20a Casings 21a, 21b, 21c Cameras 22a, 22b Substrates 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, 23e, 23f Front wheel support members 24a, 24b, 24c Wheels (front) 25 Rotating disk 25a Shafts 26a, 26b Wheels (rear) 27a, 27b Rear wheel support members 28 Encoders 29a, 29b Opening plates 30a, 30b Mantle 31 Drive mechanism with clutch 31a Clutch 31b Motor 32 Leaf spring 33 Lead wire 34 control device 35 high-voltage transformer 36 X-ray tube 37 radiator 38 cooling fan 39a, 39b, 39c adjusting tool 40 bolt 41a, 41b, 41c long groove 42a, 42b, 42c mounting plate 43a, 43b, 43c wheel shaft

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01N 23/18 B25J 5/00 H05G 1/02

Claims (1)

(1) A self-propelled X-ray irradiator for inspecting a defect on an inner surface of a tube, wherein the X-ray irradiator has an inner surface mirror-finished with an outer diameter of 150 mm or less. A casing in which a high-voltage transformer, an X-ray tube, and a cooling fan having a radiator in front of the X-ray tube are mounted, and position detecting means provided at a front end and a rear end thereof; A wheel support member for exchangeable pipe diameter in which a wheel is mounted as a front wheel portion between a casing and a front end portion, and a turntable on which the wheel support member is mounted, and between the casing and a rear end portion. Two wheel support members having wheels mounted thereon as rear wheel portions, and an opening plate for adjusting a pipe diameter provided between the two wheel support members, and provided on one of the wheel support members. To drive the wheels A self-propelled miniature X-ray irradiator in a pipe, comprising a driving mechanism with a latch.