JPH01103101A - Monorail type inspection robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable miniaturization and reduction of weight of a monorail by providing a rail with V-section. CONSTITUTION:A rail 10 is provided with a V-section having an apex angle of 90 deg. and is laid so as to face the apex thereof downward. An electrically conductive gear rack 12 is attached to the inner surface of one side wall of the rail 10 through an insulating plate 11 along the lengthwise direction of the rail 10. On the other hand, a hanging plate 15 is attached to the upper surface of the body of a running car 13 through an insulating plate 15a and an electrically conductive driving pinion 16 is attached to the tip end of the hanging plate 15 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 16a, orthogonal to the surface of the hanging plate, and engageably with the gear rack 12. Electrically conductive supporting rollers 17, abutted against the outer surfaces of both side walls of the rail 10, are attached to the upper surface of the body through an insulating plate 17a. According to this method, the miniaturization as well as the reduction of weight of the rail can be effected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an inspection system, and particularly to a monorail inspection robot system that can automatically inspect the inside of a nuclear power plant.

(Conventional technology) In general, automation of various inspection tasks in nuclear couplers is being promoted with the aim of reducing radiation exposure and improving plant availability, and monorail inspection is one of the types of automatic inspection systems. A robotic system is being developed.

FIG. 5A is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional monorail inspection robot system, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view thereof. In these figures, a trolley wire 2 is installed on the inner surface of the top plate of a rail 1, and a traveling vehicle 3 receives power from a fixed station through contact current collection between a collector 4 and the trolley wire 2, and is connected to the fixed station. shall send and receive various signals. The traveling vehicle 3 is supported on the rail 1 via wheels 5, and travels along the rail 1 through cooperation between a drive pinion 6 of the traveling vehicle 3 and a gear rack 7 stretched over the inner surface of the rail top plate. Also, running car 3
is equipped with a pan head 8 and an ITV camera 9.

Even in the conventional monorail inspection robot system with the above configuration, cables for power supply and signal transmission are not required, and only the traveling vehicle 3 moves along the rail 1. Figure B: Width W x Height H) can be made small, and inspections can be carried out by traveling along complicated and narrow inspection routes inside nuclear power plants.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional inspection robot system having the above configuration, a gear rack 7 that meshes with a drive pinion 6 on the traveling vehicle 3 side is embedded in the rail 1. Furthermore, in order to engage and support the wheels 5 of the traveling vehicle 3, the rail 1 needs to be shaped to hold from the lower surface of the wheels 5 to the gear rack 7.

For these reasons, the cross section of the rail 1 has become relatively large.

If the cross section of the rail 1 becomes large, large-scale construction work will be required for its installation and removal. In addition, in a narrow inspection route, there is no suitable structure near the route to attach the rail 1, so the rail 1 may have to be laid for a considerable distance without support, and the rail 1 itself must be made lighter. However, there are restrictions on the weight reduction due to the strength of the rail.

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a monorail inspection robot system that is free from strength restrictions and can reduce the weight of the rail.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The monorail inspection robot system of the present invention includes a conductive rail with a V-shaped cross section that supports the load of a traveling vehicle, and an inner surface of the rail. a conductive running surface that is stretched and electrically insulated from the rail; a conductive driving wheel that is attached to the body of the traveling vehicle and cooperates with the running surface; and a fixing device that is connected to the rail and the driving wheel. A station is provided in the vehicle body, a circuit section (fit source/signal switching circuit, various signal transmission circuits, control circuit, battery charging circuit), a drive section that drives the drive wheels, and power is provided to the circuit section and the drive section. It is equipped with a battery that supplies the camera, various inspection sensors (such as an rTV camera), and a pan head to point these items in any direction.

The fixed station is equipped with a power supply device, various signal transmission devices, a power supply/signal switching device, a control device 5 display device, and an operation panel,
The transmission path formed by the rail and the running surface is connected to the power source and
It is characterized in that it can be used by switching between power transmission and signal transmission using a signal switching device and a power/signal switching circuit.

(Function) In the monorail type inspection robot system of the present invention having the above configuration, as is clear from the above, since the rail has a V-shaped cross section, the difference in section modulus.

Since it exhibits sufficient strength even though it is thin, it is possible to make the rail smaller and lighter, and the labor and time required for its installation and removal can be reduced.

Furthermore, since power and signal transmission are switched and carried out through one transmission line, a multifunctional inspection robot system can be achieved even with a minimum number of transmission lines.

(Embodiment) The same parts as in FIG. The figure is a system diagram of the entire system of the book and invention. In these figures, rail 10
has a V-shaped cross section with an apex angle of 90'', and is laid with the apex angle facing downward.

A conductive gear rack 12 is attached to the inner surface of one side wall of the rail 10 along the longitudinal direction of the rail 10 via an insulating plate 11. The traveling vehicle 13 includes a vehicle body 14 that includes a driving portion 14a, a circuit portion 14b, and a battery 14c, a portion protruding from the upper surface of the vehicle body 14, a portion parallel to the upper surface of the vehicle body 14, a portion perpendicular to the upper surface of the vehicle body 14, and a portion extending therefrom and an inner surface of the one side wall of the rail 10. It consists of two suspension plates 15 attached to the upper surface of the vehicle body via an insulating plate 15a, and a movable part at the tip of the suspension plate 15 about an axis 16a perpendicular to the plate surface. It has a conductive drive pinion 16 which is attached to the gear rack 12 and meshes with the gear rack 12, and a conductive support roller 17 which is attached to the upper surface of the vehicle body via an insulating plate 17a and comes into contact with the outer surface of both side walls of the rail 10. Note that 18 in the figure indicates a rail installation tool for suspending and supporting the rail 10 from a structure (not shown) via an insulating plate 18a. moreover.

The rail 10 and the conductive gear rack 12 are connected by a cable 19 to a fixed station 20, which will be described later.

The drive system of the vehicle 13 is shown in FIG.

That is, on the outer surface of the base of the suspension plate 15 on the driving part 14a side, a pulley 22 is provided which is connected to a pulley (not shown in the figure) of a drive source in the driving part 14a via a belt 21. Also, a bevel gear 23 coaxially integrated with the pulley 22 is provided on the inner surface. Furthermore, suspension plate 1
5, a bevel gear 24 that meshes with the bevel gear, a pulley 25 that is located outside the suspension plate and is coaxial with the bevel gear 24, and a pulley 25 that is located on the upper part that connects the pulley 25 and the belt 26. A drive pinion 16 and a coaxially integrated pulley 27 are provided, which are connected through the drive pinion 16 . A support shaft is fitted to the shaft of the drive pinion 16 so that it can rotate freely, and a support roller 16a that is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the conductive drive pinion 16 is attached to the tip of this support shaft. It is being

FIG. 3, in which the same parts as in each of the above-mentioned times are given the same reference numerals, is a block diagram of a system related to signal transmission and power supply of the system of the present invention. The fixed station 20 includes a control device 21, a power/signal switching device 22, a sensor signal receiving device 23 connected to the power/signal switching device 22 and the control device 21, a control signal transmitter/receiver 24 similarly connected to both, A power source 25 is provided. In addition, 26.26 in Figure 1 is CR.
T-display, 27 indicates an operation panel. The power supply
The signal switching device 22 is connected to the rail 1 by cable 19.19.
0, connected to the conductive gear rack 12.

On the other hand, the circuit section 14b of the traveling vehicle 13 includes a power supply/signal switching circuit 31, a sensor 32, and a sensor signal transmitting circuit 3 connected to the power supply/signal switching circuit 31 to receive the output of this sensor.
3. A control signal transmitting/receiving circuit 34 connected to the power supply/signal switching circuit 31, a control circuit 35 connected to the control signal transmitting/receiving circuit, a charging circuit 36 for timely charging the battery 14a, and an illustration of the inside of the drive unit 1.4a. A motor drive circuit 37 is provided to drive the motor that does not operate. The signal power switching circuit 31 is connected to the conductive drive pinion 16 and the conductive support roller 17 by cables 38 and 38.

The monorail inspection system of the present invention having the above configuration operates as follows.

The traveling vehicle 13 travels as follows.

That is, the traveling vehicle 13 brings the support roller 17 into contact with the lower surface of the rail 10, and engages the conductive drive pinion 16 with the conductive gear rack 12 on the upper surface of the rail 10.

The support roller 16a is brought into contact with the insulating plate 11 on the inner surface of the rail 10, so that the rail 1O is placed between the conductive drive pinion 16 and one conductive support roller 17, and between the support roller 16a and the other conductive support roller 17. It is mounted on the rail 10 in a sandwiched manner.

Here, due to the rotation of a motor (not shown) in the drive unit 14a of the vehicle body 14, the belt 21, pulley 22, bevel gear 2
3.24. If the conductive drive pinion 16 is rotated via the pulley 25, belt 26, and pulley 27, the traveling vehicle 13 will travel along the rail 10. This traveling can be performed in either direction by forward or reverse rotation of the conductive drive pinion 16. As mentioned above, since the traveling vehicle 13 is mounted on the rails 10 with the rails 10 sandwiched between them, not only is there no risk of derailment while traveling, but there is also no vertical rise or upside down portion in the traveling route. It is possible to run smoothly even when running. The conductive drive pinion 16 and the conductive support roller 17 have sufficient mechanical strength to support the traveling vehicle 13, and have a shape and number of cylinders that provide a sufficient electrical contact area.

Next, the traveling vehicle 13 and its control of inspection and the like will be explained. It is assumed that the traveling vehicle 13 is now stopped at the inspection starting point. Even in this state, the control circuit 35 and the like within the vehicle 13 are kept in constant operation by the mounted battery 14c.

Note that since the battery capacity is known, the rail 10 and the conductive gear rack 12 are controlled by time management on the fixed station 20 side.
The charging circuit 36 supplies power to the battery 14.
Charge c. At this time, the charging circuit 36
Charging is performed while detecting the amount of charge of the battery 14c. This prevents the battery 14c from being discharged, and the control circuit 3
5 etc. from becoming inoperable. Note that the charging circuit 36 is configured to detect the voltage between the rail 10 and the conductive gear rack 12 and start charging.

When moving from the above inspection starting point to perform inspection at another arbitrary point, use the operation panel 2 of the fixed station 20.
7 is operated by the operator and an instruction is given for inspection 1. This instruction causes the control device of the fixed station 20! ! 21 is a power supply/signal switching device [22 is a power supply device 25] and a rail 10. It is connected to the conductive gear rack 12 and supplies power to the traveling vehicle 13. The battery charging circuit 36 of the traveling vehicle 13 detects this power supply, and the control circuit 35 switches the circuit to a state where the power supply/signal switching circuit 31 can receive the power supply. Further, the control circuit 35 of the traveling vehicle 13 transmits a control signal, in this case, a communication start signal, on the power supply signal using the control signal transmitting/receiving circuit 34 .

The control signal transceiver 24 of the fixed station 20 receives this and inputs it to the control device 121. After that, control equipment! ! 21 sends data such as the traveling distance and the type of pan head angle 1 inspection in the form of a simple command to the circuit section 14b of the traveling vehicle 13. Upon receiving this, the control circuit 35 causes the motor drive circuit 37 to send data such as the traveling distance and the type of pan head angle 1 inspection to the circuit section 14b.
, operate the pan head 8. As described above, control signals are transmitted to the power supply line, that is, the rail 10, by the signal transmitter/receiver 24 of the fixed station 20 and the control signal transmitter/receiver circuit 34 of the traveling vehicle 13.
Bidirectional communication is performed via the conductive gear rack 12.

When the traveling vehicle 13 travels and the pan head 8 changes its angle so that an object to be inspected (not shown) is captured in the field of view of the ITV camera 9, the control circuit 35 transmits an inspection start signal. At the same time, the power supply/signal switching circuit 31 disconnects the power line, the control device 21 of the fixed station 20 receives the inspection start signal, further detects that the load on the power supply device 25 has become 0, and confirms the start of inspection, Power/signal switching device i! 22 switches the circuit so that the sensor signal receiver 23 receives a sensor signal (video signal, microphone signal, infrared camera signal, etc.).

The control circuit 35 of the traveling vehicle 13 detects the switching by detecting the voltage of the battery charging circuit 36, and thereby the power/signal switching circuit 31 switches the circuit so that the sensor signal transmitting circuit 33 transmits the sensor signal. In this way, the output signals of the ITV camera 9 and various sensors 32 can be transmitted toward the fixed station 20. The fixed station 2o displays the transmitted signal on a CRT display 26.

Also, this display is displayed on the control device a! The results of the data analysis in step 21 may be displayed.As described above, the operator can automatically and remotely perform various inspections while remaining at the fixed station. Note that it is also possible to incorporate a program into the control device 21 to sequentially perform the above-mentioned inspections at a plurality of locations and issue an alarm only when an abnormality is discovered.

A control circuit 35 for the vehicle 13 connects the fixed station 2 to the fixed station 2, which disconnects the sensor signal line by means of the power supply/signal switching circuit 31 after a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of transmission of the sensor signal.
When the control bag 5!21 of 0 detects that the transmission of the sensor signal has stopped, it switches the circuit to perform power supply and communication by the power/signal switching bag [22]. The control circuit 35 of the traveling vehicle 13 detects that power is being supplied by detecting the voltage of the battery charging circuit 36, and receives the power supply from the power supply/signal switching circuit 31.

Switch the circuit to communicate. As a result, power transfer and control signal communication are possible between the traveling vehicle 13 and the fixed station 20 via the rail 10 and the conductive gear rack 12. When the sensor signal is received, the traveling vehicle 1 is sent from the fixed station 20 side.
3 cannot be freely controlled, but pseudo two-way communication can be performed by switching at fixed time intervals as described above. This switching time interval may be determined by a timer installed on the traveling vehicle 13 as described above, or by a control device! In addition, even if the above-mentioned switching is performed before the inspection is completed, it is possible to easily switch to start and continue the inspection again. Therefore, the function of the inspection robot system according to the present invention is not impaired.

In addition, if control data is transmitted from the fixed station 20 to the control circuit 35 and stored in the control circuit 35 to the traveling vehicle 13, and the traveling vehicle 13 is made to travel by the battery 14c, the traveling vehicle 13 can be fixed while the traveling vehicle 13 is traveling. It is also possible to transmit sensor signals to the station 20.

FIG. 4, in which the same parts as in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, is a diagram similar to FIG. 2 of the second embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the S suspension plate 15 is L-shaped, and the conductive gear rack 12 is installed at the bottom of the valley of the conductive rail IO. Further, the conductive drive pinion 16 meshes with the conductive gear rack 12.

It has an axis perpendicular to the bisector of the apex angle of the rail 10, and is driven by a motor in the drive unit 14a via a belt 26 and a pulley 27. Also.

The conductive drive pinion 1 is attached to the shaft of the conductive drive pinion 16.
6, drive rollers 40 each having a truncated conical shape with a large diameter end having an arcuate cross section are attached. In this embodiment as well, the traveling vehicle 13 can travel in the same manner as in the previous embodiment, and various inspections can be performed.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, the rail 10 only supplies power for running vehicles.
and conductive gear rack 12, and various signal transmission may be performed by wireless communication.

Further, it is also possible to provide a branch on the rail 10 and switch the branch to move the traveling vehicle 13 to an arbitrary location.

Furthermore, a plurality of traveling vehicles 13 may be made to travel on the rail 10 in a connected or uncoupled manner, and various functions may be distributed and mounted on each traveling vehicle.

Further, instead of the conductive drive pinion 16 and the conductive gear rack 12 for driving, a simple friction drive wheel or a smooth conductive strip may be provided.

Furthermore, the conductive support roller 17 may be a contact current collector.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above, in the monorail type inspection robot system of the present invention, since the rail has a V-shaped cross section, due to the section modulus, thin-walled binding has a strength of tJ (-). , it is possible to make the rail smaller and lighter, and the labor and time required for its installation and removal can be saved.Furthermore, as a result of the above-mentioned weight reduction, an appropriate support structure can be installed near the inspection route. If there is no support, it is safe to lay it over a long distance without support.Also, since the rail and conductive gear rack can serve as a separate transmission line for power and signals, the cross section of the rail can be further miniaturized. This reduces the space required to set up travel routes, making it possible to accommodate narrow inspection routes.Also, since the power supply and signal transmission are switched, The transmission line can also be used as a multifunctional inspection robot system.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the entire system of the embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a summary of another embodiment of the present invention. front view of section, 5th
Figure A is a side view of a conventional monorail type inspection robot system, and Figure 5B is a cross-sectional view of its main parts. 1...Rail 2...Trolley wire 3
・・・・・・Driving vehicle 4・・・・Electronic collector 5・・・
... Wheel 6 ... Drive pinion 7 ...
... Gear rack 8 ... Pan head 9 ...
ITV camera 10...Rail 11.15a
, 17a, 18a... Insulating plate 12...
・Conductive gear rack 13... Traveling vehicle 14...
...Vehicle body 14a...Drive part 14b...
...Circuit part 14c...Battery 15...
...Hanging plate 16 ... Conductive drive pinion 1
7... Conductive support roller 18... Rail installation tool 19... Cable 20...
Fixed station 21... Control table [22... Power/signal switching device v! 123...Sensor signal receiver 24...Control signal transmitter/receiver 25...
・Power supply device 31...Power supply/signal switching circuit 3
2... Sensor 33... Sensor signal transmission circuit 34... Control signal transmission/reception circuit 35.
... Control circuit 36 ... Battery charging circuit 37 ... Motor drive circuit

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A conductive rail that supports the load of a traveling vehicle with a V-shaped cross section, a conductive running surface that is stretched on the inner surface of this rail so as to be electrically insulated from the rail, and a conductive running surface that supports the load of the traveling vehicle. A conductive drive wheel that is attached to the vehicle body and cooperates with the running surface, and a fixed station that is connected to the rail and the drive wheel are provided, and the vehicle body includes a circuit section (power supply/signal switching circuit, various signal transmission circuits). circuit, control circuit, battery charging circuit), a drive unit that drives the drive wheels, a battery that supplies power to the circuit unit and the drive unit, various inspection sensors (ITV camera, etc.), and for directing these in any direction. The fixed station is equipped with a power supply device, various signal transmission devices, a power supply/signal switching device, a control device, a display device, and an operation panel, and the transmission path formed by the rail and running surface is connected to the power source.・A monorail-type inspection robot system that uses a signal switching device and a power supply/signal switching circuit to switch between power transmission and signal transmission. (2) The monorail inspection robot system according to claim 1, wherein the running surface is a conductive gear rack, and the drive wheel is a conductive drive pinion. (3) The conductive gear rack is provided on the inner surface of one side wall of the rail, and the conductive gear rack is supported at the center of the conductive drive pinion by a support shaft that is not restrained in the rotational direction of the pinion, and is brought into contact with the inner surface of the other side wall of the rail. The monorail inspection robot system according to claim 1, further comprising a support roller. (4) The conductive gear rack is installed at the bottom of the rail, and the conductive drive pinion is installed with its axis perpendicular to the bisector of the rail apex angle, and is in contact with the inner surface of each side wall of the rail on both sides. A monorail inspection robot system according to claim 1, further comprising a support roller.