JPH01110242A - Internal tube traveller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an internal tube traveller which is light and highly resistant to effect of irregularities of an internal surface, by retaining a retaining member on a tube material with the supply of a pressure fluid to be driven by an elastic compression body of an air bag type. CONSTITUTION:A retaining member 14 is fed with a pressure fluid ahead in the direction of travelling and expanded to fix a front frame 1 retaining it on an inner surface of a tube material. Then, when the pressure fluid is applied to elastic compression bodies, each compression body is deformed in an expanded diameter and compressed along the axis line of the elastic compression body 4 so that a rear frame 1 is drawn forward. Then, the pressure fluid is supplied to a rear retaining member 14 to fix the rear frame 1 on the tube material retaining it on the inner surface thereof and then, the pressure fluid is discharged from the front retaining member 14 and the elastic compression body 4. In this manner, by an elastic return force of a compression spring 18, the front frame 1 is pushed forward in the direction of travelling. According to the same procedure, the apparatus can advance along the inner wall of the tube material.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention alternately supplies and discharges pressurized fluid to and from an elastic contractile body that expands and deforms in diameter when supplied with pressurized fluid and generates a contractile force in the axial direction. The present invention relates to an in-pipe running device that performs forward or backward movement.

(Prior art and its problems) Chemical plants, atomic couplants, etc. have a large number of organically connected pipes arranged according to the chemical reaction or energy conversion process, and it is difficult to operate these plants safely and efficiently. In order to do this, it is important to regularly maintain and inspect the piping, and in some cases, it is also necessary to inspect the inside of the piping.

However, there are cases where an operator cannot directly inspect the inside of these pipes due to the diameter of the pipe material or the atmosphere inside and outside the pipe.

In such cases, conventionally, a traveling device equipped with wheels or pawls and driven by an electric motor or a hydraulic motor is equipped with a monitoring means such as a small television camera or a fiber scope, and is run inside the pipe to check for damage to the pipe. The presence or absence of deposits and their extent were inspected.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in conventional traveling devices, an electric motor or a hydraulic motor is used as the drive source, which increases the weight and shape of the traveling device itself. There was a problem that the scope of application was limited. Specifically, the applicable pipe diameter of the traveling device is limited to large pipe diameters of about 101' to 40", and the weight of the main unit is large compared to the driving force, so the traveling area is limited to horizontal portions of pipes or those with a degree of inclination or curvature. In addition, when an electric motor or hydraulic motor is used as a drive source, it generates sparks and generates heat, and is flammable as in chemical plants such as oil refining. Another problem is that it cannot be used for piping in plants that handle explosive substances.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pipe traveling device that is small, lightweight, has excellent explosion-proof properties, and has a wide range of applications.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve this object, the in-pipe running device of the present invention has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the pipes to be run, and the pipes are spaced apart from each other in the extending direction of the pipes. a pair of frames arranged in the same direction, at least one elastic contractile body whose one end is attached to each of the frames and expands and deforms in diameter when supplied with pressurized fluid to generate a contractile force in the axial direction; It comprises an elastic member that can be deformed in response to a contraction movement, and a locking member that can expand at least outwardly of the frame and be held against the inner surface of the tube by supplying pressurized fluid.

(Function) By supplying pressurized fluid to the locking member located at the front in the traveling direction of the pipe running device to inflate it and press it against the inner surface of the pipe to be run, the locking member is locked to the pipe material. make it stop At this time, pressurized fluid is not supplied to the other locking member located at the rear in the direction of movement of the device, so that it is not inflated.

Next, when a pressurized fluid is supplied to the elastic contracting body, the elastic contracting body expands in diameter and performs a contraction movement in the axial direction against the elastic means. However, since the locking member located at the front in the direction of travel is locked to the inner surface of the tube, the elastic contracting body cannot pull the rear frame to which one end is attached forward in the direction of travel as it contracts. becomes.

When the forward movement of the rear frame is completed, pressurized fluid is supplied to the locking member located at the rear in the direction of movement to inflate the locking member, and the locking member is pressed against the inner surface of the tube member to lock the locking member. Then, the pressurized fluid is discharged from the locking member located forward in the traveling direction to release the engagement with the inner surface of the tube, and the pressurized fluid is also discharged from the inside of the elastic contractile body. Then, the frame at the front in the traveling direction is pushed forward and moves forward as the energy of the elastic member that has been elastically deformed by the contraction movement of the elastic contracting body is released.

Next, pressurized fluid is supplied to the front locking member to inflate it, the locking member is locked to the inner surface of the tube material again, and pressurized fluid is supplied to each locking member and the elastic contraction body according to the above-mentioned procedure. By discharging, the device performs a forward movement.

Furthermore, as is clear from the above, when it is desired to move the device backward, it is sufficient to simply change the order in which the pressurized fluid is supplied to and discharged from each locking member.

(Example) The apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are a front view and a partially cutaway side view showing a preferred embodiment of the pipe running device of the present invention. A pair of frames 1 arranged apart from each other in the axial direction are ring-shaped and have a smaller inner diameter than the tube material indicated by the imaginary line A. In this embodiment, four elastic contracting bodies 4, which will be described in detail below, are arranged parallel to the axial direction between these pairs of frames at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the frames.

As shown in FIG. 2, the elastic contractile body 4 covers a tubular body 5 made of rubber or a rubber-like elastic material with a braided reinforcement structure 6 preferably made of high-tensile fibers, and has openings at both ends thereof. It is of a so-called air bag type, which is sealed and joined by a closing member 7, and at least one side of the closing member 7 is provided with a connecting hole 9 that communicates with the internal cavity 8 of the tubular body 5.

When an operating pressure source (not shown), such as an air compressor, is connected to this connection hole 9 via a pipe line including a three-way valve, and pressurized fluid, such as compressed air, is supplied into the internal cavity 8, the elastic contractile body 4 expands. It undergoes radial deformation and contracts in the axial direction. Further, when compressed air is discharged from the internal cavity, the tubular body 5 is restored and expanded due to its elastic force. In addition, the reference numeral 10a is a female part into which a nipple is screwed to facilitate the connection between the connection hole 9 and the pipe line from the operating pressure source, and 10b is a retaining ring used to fix one end of the elastic contractile body 4. 10c is a female threaded portion into which a fixing screw used to fix the other end of the elastic contracting body 4 is screwed.

At each end of these elastic contracting bodies, a
Attach the connecting blocks lla and llb whose cross sections are shown in b), respectively. The connecting block Ila is provided with a housing hole 12a provided in the axial direction for accommodating one closing member 7 of the elastic contractile body 4, and a set screw 13a shown by a phantom line is screwed into the female threaded portion 10c of the closing member from the end face of the block. is connected to one end of the elastic contractile body. Similarly, the connecting block llb shown in FIG.
The end face of the block is integrally connected to the other end of the elastic contracting body by fitting a retaining ring 13b shown in phantom into the annular slot 10b of the closing member which projects outward.

The connecting blocks lla and llb also each include a locking member 14 on its outer periphery, which is inflated by supply of pressurized fluid. In this embodiment, these locking members are provided by attaching a part of a tubular body 15 made of rubber or a rubber-like elastic material to the outer periphery of each of the connecting blocks Ila and Ilb, and caulking a caulking ring 16a to secure one end of the tubular body. It is formed by fixing it to a block, then folding the remaining part of the tubular body, inverting it, and crimping the other caulking ring 16b to the end thereof and fixing it to the block. The pressurized fluid is supplied to the interior of the locking member through supply and discharge passages 17a and 17b formed in each of the connecting blocks lla and llb. In this embodiment, two supply and discharge passages are formed diametrically opposed to each connection block so that a large amount of pressurized fluid can be supplied and discharged to and from the locking member I4 in a relatively short time. The number can be increased or decreased as needed. In addition, the locking member is formed of a tubular body made of rubber or a rubber-like elastic material, but as described later, the locking member is reinforced with abrasion resistance because it is held on the inner surface of the tube under internal pressure. Preferably, a tubular body provided with layers is used. Alternatively, a tubular body may be used in which a cord layer is embedded in a direction that does not affect expansion and diameter deformation, specifically, parallel to the axial direction. Furthermore, in order to prevent the locking member from being damaged by relatively sharp protrusions on the inner surface of the pipe material, plastics or rubber elastic materials with cutout grooves that can be deformed without damaging the expansion of the locking member are used. A protective cover made of the following may be provided on the outer surface of the locking member.

An elastic member 18 is disposed between the connecting blocks lla and llb connected to each end of the elastic contracting body 4. This elastic member is elastically deformed by the connecting blocks lla and llb, which approach each other as the elastic contracting body 4 contracts in the axial direction due to the supply of pressurized fluid. It functions to separate both connecting blocks from each other by elastically returning as the contractile force of the elastic contracting body decreases due to ejection, and a compression spring is used in this embodiment. In order to ensure the placement of the compression spring 18 between the connecting blocks, in this embodiment a rim 30 is provided at the end of the connecting block, but the elastic contraction body limits the separation between the two connecting blocks. Because of the structure, the end of the compression spring may simply be fitted onto the outer periphery of the connecting block.

In this way, each end of the elastic contracting body provided with the locking member 14 and the elastic member 18 is fixed to the outer wall of the ring-shaped frame described above. The approximately U-shaped mounting having a concave portion corresponding to the shape of the caulking ring 16b is held by the bracket 19, and as shown in FIG. Secure using the fixing screw. In addition, in order to securely fix the bracket 19 and the connecting block provided with the caulking ring 16b, screw holes (not shown) are provided at a distance from each other in the recessed part of the bracket 19, and a tightening screw is screwed into the recessed part of the bracket 19. This prevents relative movement.

As shown in FIG. 1, support brackets 20 are fixed to the inner wall of the frame 1 in a manner that protrudes outward in the axial direction of the frame at positions corresponding to the respective locking members 14. The restraining plate 21 is attached with its opening facing outward in the radial direction of the ring-shaped frame. Thereby, when the locking member 14 expands, it can be guided to expand and deform at least toward the outside of the frame, and can be reliably pressed and engaged with the inner surface of the pipe material to be run.

In addition, in this embodiment, in order to make it easier to move the device forward or backward, although it is not necessarily necessary,
As shown in Figure 1(a), rolling elements 2 are mounted on the outer wall of the frame.
2 can be provided so that they can be transferred freely. It is preferable that the outer diameter of the device including these rolling elements is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the device including the locking member 14 expanded by the supply of pressurized fluid or the inner diameter of the pipe to be run. The number of installations shall be determined based on the usage status of the equipment.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. The supply/discharge passages 17a provided in one of the connecting blocks lla communicate with each other via a connecting pipe 23, and the other connecting block llb includes, for example, a three-way valve for controlling the supply and discharge of pressurized fluid. A supply/discharge pipe 24 connected to an operating pressure source (not shown) is connected. Then, one end of a connecting pipe 25 extending parallel to and spaced apart from the elastic contracting body is connected to one supply/discharge path 17a of the connecting block lla, and the other end is connected to a through hole (not shown) provided in the connecting block llb. .

A supply/discharge pipe 26 including a control valve for controlling supply/discharge of pressurized fluid is also connected to the other end of this through hole.

FIG. 4(a) shows a running device arranged inside the pipe to be run.

When moving in the direction indicated by the arrow, pressurized fluid is supplied to the locking member 14 located at the front in the direction of movement to inflate it;
By engaging with the inner surface of the tube material indicated by the imaginary line A, the frame 1 located forward in the direction of travel is fixed to the tube material.

As shown in FIG. 4B, when pressurized fluid is applied to each elastic contractile body 4, the elastic contractile body 4 expands in diameter and contracts in the axial direction, causing the frame 1 located at the rear in the traveling direction to move forward. Attract. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3(c), pressurized fluid is supplied to the other locking member 14 located at the rear in the direction of travel to inflate it so that it engages with the inner surface of the pipe material, so that the frame 1 located at the rear also becomes a pipe material. Fixed against.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4(d), the pressurized fluid is discharged from the locking member located at the front in the traveling direction to release the engagement with the pipe material, and the pressurized fluid is discharged from the elastic contracting body 4 in the same manner. When it is ejected, the elastic restoring force of the compression spring 18 pushes out the frame 1, which was located forward in the direction of travel, in the direction of travel.

Then, the pressurized fluid is again applied to the locking member located at the front in the direction of travel, and the pressurized fluid is discharged from the locking member located at the rear, and the elastic contractile body and each locking member are removed according to the above-mentioned procedure. Application of pressurized fluid to the member allows it to be advanced along the inner wall of the tubing.

Further, as is clear from the above, when the device is to be moved backward, the order in which the pressurized fluid is supplied to and discharged from each of the locking means may be changed.

In the above explanation, the pressurized fluid was supplied and discharged to each of the locking members at the front and rear of the device, and the pressurized fluid was supplied and discharged to each elastic contraction body in a fixed cycle. By changing the supply and discharge timing of pressurized fluid in the body, the direction of movement of the pressurized fluid can be changed.
As schematically shown in the figure, it can also be sufficiently applied to bent pipes. This is because the locking member, which expands when pressurized fluid is supplied, protrudes greatly in the direction of the pipe material and comes into contact with the pipe material, and the contact area is large, so the gap between the device and the pipe material does not need to be constant. This is due to the fact that the transverse stiffness of the elastic contractile body and the elastic member is relatively smaller than that in the longitudinal direction.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the elastic contracting body, the locking member, and the elastic member may be separately fixed directly to the frame, or the elastic contracting body and the locking member may be fixed directly to the frame. The elastic member may be fixed to the frame as one piece, and the elastic member may be separately placed between the frames.Furthermore, when it is desired to increase only the locking force, such as when mounting a heavy object such as an inspection device, If you only need to increase the number of locking members, or if you only want to increase the propulsive force,
The number of elastic contracting bodies and elastic members may be increased, and the number of locking members, elastic contracting bodies, and elastic members, and the mounting positions thereof may be appropriately changed on the frame as necessary. Furthermore, by changing the planar shape of the frame as shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), pipes with various cross-sectional shapes can be moved forward and backward along recesses in walls. , various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

(Effects of the Invention) As detailed above, according to the present invention, the locking member is inflated by the supply of pressurized fluid, and the locking member is locked to the pipe material from inside, compared to other actuators. Since the structure is such that the device is driven by an extremely lightweight air bag type elastic contracting body, the weight of the device is light, it is less susceptible to the effects of unevenness on the inner surface of the tube material, and it can be used even in an explosive atmosphere. In addition, if an air bag type actuator is used, which can be easily made smaller in size than other actuators, it can be applied to piping with a small diameter of about 2B. It is also possible to move up and down vertically arranged pipes, which was almost impossible with conventional devices.

Furthermore, unlike conventional devices that use wheels or pawls, the locking means, which expands when pressurized fluid is supplied, is pressed against the inner wall of the pipe to hold the traveling device fixed, so the contact area is large. , it is hard to slip, and the pressure acting on the inner wall is reduced, so it does not damage the inner wall of the piping. In addition, the influence of the gap between the equipment frame and the pipe material is small, and it is relatively easy to curve the pipe material in the lateral direction, so even curved pipe materials and even highly flexible members can be run along them. be able to. Moreover, by changing the frame shape, it can be used for pipes with various cross-sectional shapes, so it has an extremely wide range of applications.It is an industrially useful pipe running device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1(a) is a front view showing one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure (b) is a cross-sectional view of a part of the device shown in Figure 1 (a); Figure 2 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view of an elastic contractile body suitable for use in the device of the present invention; Figures (a) and (b) are sectional views each showing an enlarged part of Figure 1 (b); Figures 4 (a) to (e) are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the device of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the traveling state of the device of the present invention in a bent pipe, and FIG. 6 is a front view showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1...Frame 4...Elastic contraction body 5...
- Tubular body 6... Braided reinforcement structure 7...
Closing member 8... Internal cavity 9... Connection hole 11a, flb... Connection block 14... Locking member 15... Tubular body 16a
, 16b... Caulking ring 18... Elastic member 19... Mounted on bracket 20... Support bracket 21... Restriction plate 22.
...Rolling element 24.26...Supply/discharge pipe Figure 3 Figure 2 0c Figure 5 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of frames that have an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe to be run and are arranged facing each other and spaced apart in the extending direction of the pipe, and one end of each frame is attached to a pressurized fluid. at least one elastic member that expands in diameter and generates a contractile force in the axial direction when supplied with pressurized fluid; an elastic member that is deformable in response to the contraction movement of the elastic member; and a locking member that can expand outward and engage with the inner surface of the pipe material, and by supplying and discharging pressurized fluid to the elastic contracting body in accordance with the alternate supply and discharge of pressurized fluid to each of the locking members. An in-pipe traveling device characterized by performing forward or backward movement.