JPH01247264A - Balance wheel device of intra-pipe running vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To have smooth turning by supporting the two ends of an axle for balance wheels by No.1 spherical bearings, equipping each No.1 spherical bearing with a No.2 spherical bearing consolidated in a single piece, wherein the No.2 bearing has its center in a position different from the axis of the axle, and supporting each No.2 spherical bearing at the tip of arm divergence. CONSTITUTION:A divergence is formed at the end of an arm 4, and at the end of each divergence, a bearing member 10 is rotatably borne through a joint pin 9. This bearing member 10 is formed by consolidating the No.1 spherical bearing 11 and No.2 spherical bearing 12. The car axle 13 is rotatably supported between the No.1 spherical bearings 11 and borne at the joint pin 9 by No.2 spherical bearing. The center of each No.2 spherical bearing 12 shall be positioned differently from the axis of the axle 13 to be borne between the No.1 spherical bearings 11. In turning, the bearing members 10 on both sides are serviceable freely due to the No.1, No.2 spherical bearings 11, 12, which allows free inclination of the balance wheels 15 in a considerably wide range to lead to accomplishment of smooth running.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention provides a vehicle for maintaining the balance of the vehicle body in a tube moving vehicle that inspects or cleans the inner surface of the tube by traveling on the inner surface of the tube. This relates to a balance wheel device installed on the side opposite to the running wheels.

(Prior art) Pipe inner moving vehicles are used to automatically and remotely inspect and clean the inside of various types of piping, such as circulating water piping that cools condensers in nuclear power plants, etc. . In this case, there is no problem if the pipe has only horizontal parts, but it usually has steeply sloped parts, vertical parts, etc., and curved parts between these parts, so when the pipe is moving inside the pipe, there is no problem. In addition to running wheels for traveling on flat areas, balance wheels are required to keep the balance of the vehicle body by rotating in the same direction with the vehicle body while pressing against the inner surface of the tube on the opposite side of the traveling wheels.

FIG. 7 shows a general example of such a tube running vehicle. In the same figure, 31 is a pipe, 32 is a tube running vehicle, and running wheels 33 are installed on both sides of the tube running vehicle 32 via a shaft on the floor side of the tube running vehicle 32. 33 is inclined outward with respect to the main body of the vehicle 32. Further, one balancing wheel 34 is provided vertically on the ceiling side of the tube inner traveling vehicle 32, and is crimped onto the inner surface of the tube 31 on the side of the tendon bowl. That is, while traveling on the inner surface of the tube 32, the radial position within the tube 31 is maintained by being pressed in the radial direction 33 by the running wheels 33 on both sides and one balance wheel 34. There is.

By the way, in order to rotate and move the balance wheel 34 in the same direction as the tube inner traveling vehicle 33, it is possible to drive the balance wheel 34 by steering, but in this case, there is a problem that the balance wheel device becomes complicated. Therefore, there has been a tendency in the past to adopt a caster mechanism, which has a simpler configuration than a steering device, as a balance wheel device.

FIG. 8 shows a general example of a balanced wheel device employing such a caster mechanism.

In the figure, the caster 35 includes a wheel 36 and a wheel 36.
The mounting shaft 38 consists of a support frame 37 that rotatably supports the support frame 37, and a mounting shaft 38 that rotatably supports the support frame 37.
It is attached to the arm 39 of the main body of the tube inner traveling vehicle 32 via.

Then, the tube inner traveling vehicle 32 passes through the arm 39 to the wheel 3.
6 to the inner surface of the tube, moving forward in the right direction in the figure shown by the arrow 40, the intersection point 01 of the vertical line passing through the center of the wheel 36 to the inner surface of the tube and the inner surface of the tube, that is, the intersection 01 of the wheel 36 and the inner surface of the tube is , is always at the rear (on the left side in the figure) of the intersection point of the extension of the axis of the mounting shaft 38 and the inner surface of the tube, that is, the extension point O of the axis of the mounting shaft 38. Therefore, while the tube inner traveling vehicle 32 is moving forward, the casters 35
The wheels 36 of are constantly pulled backwards by rolling resistance,
When the wheel 36 deviates from the center line in the running direction, the wheel 3
Since a restoring moment acts to return the wheel 6 to the center line in the traveling direction, the wheel 36 smoothly moves forward in the direction of the arrow 40 together with the tube inner traveling vehicle 33. Smooth running due to such a restoring moment is also achieved when the traveling vehicle 33 changes its traveling direction at a bend, etc., but when the traveling vehicle 33 changes its direction by 18 degrees, the problem described below will occur. are doing.

That is, in FIG. 8, when the tube inner surface traveling vehicle 32 moving forward in the direction of arrow 40 (to the right in the figure) changes direction in the direction of arrow 41 (to the left in the figure), if the inner surface of the tube is flat, then For example, since the wheels 36 of the caster 35 can be easily rotated around the axis of the single shaft 38 via the support frame 37,
The wheels 36 can easily change direction in the direction of the arrow 41 together with the main body of the vehicle 2. At this time, the contact point of the wheel 36 with the tube inner surface moves from 01 to 02.

However, since the inner surface of the tube is normally curved in an arc shape as shown in FIG. 7, when the traveling vehicle 32 changes direction,
Mounting shaft 3 via wheels 36 of casters 35 or support frame 37
Even if it is used to rotate around 8, it will interfere with the inner surface of the tube and be locked at an angle of less than 180°, and the vehicle 32 will remain rigid while it is in this tilted state. You will have to move it. Therefore, an unnecessary load is placed on the wheels 36, which adversely affects the running of the tube inner traveling vehicle 32 as a whole.

In addition, in the case of the tube inner traveling vehicle 32, it has been a problem to attach a traveling distance detection mechanism to the balanced wheels, but when using casters 35 as shown in FIG. 36 (As mentioned above, when the tube inner traveling vehicle 32 changes its traveling direction, it rotates around the axis of the mounting shaft 38, so it is difficult to install the traveling distance detection mechanism. Even if the distance detection mechanism is successfully installed on the wheel 36, the rotation speed of the wheel 36 includes the rotation speed due to direction change, so the detected value of the travel distance based on the rotation speed of the wheel 36 will not be accurate. will result in a large error.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, in the conventional method, when traveling on the inner surface of a tube, a caster mechanism was adopted as a balance wheel device, so the balance wheel did not rotate completely when changing direction. It is difficult to drive after changing direction, and it is difficult to provide a distance detection mechanism, and even if a detection mechanism is installed, a large error will occur in the detected value.

The present invention was proposed to solve these problems, and its purpose is to enable smooth direction changes with a simple configuration, and to easily install a distance detection mechanism. It is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent balance wheel device for a vehicle running on a tube surface, which enables accurate detection of traveling distance.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In the present invention, a balance wheel device for a tube running vehicle according to the first invention supports both ends of the axle of the balance wheel by first spherical bearings, Each first spherical bearing is integrally provided with a second spherical bearing whose center is at a different position with respect to the axis of the axle, and each second spherical bearing is attached to the frame of the vehicle body and rotated by an actuator. It is characterized by being supported at the tips of the three-pronged branches of the arms.

Next, in the second invention, in the configuration of the first invention, a measurement roller that is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the balance wheel and a rotation detection means such as a proximity switch that detects the rotation speed of this measurement roller are provided. It is characterized by the addition of a mileage detection mechanism.

(Function) The function of the present invention having the above configuration is as follows.

First, in the first invention, considerable flexibility is provided in the movement of the balance wheel relative to the arm through the first spherical bearing and the second spherical bearing, and in particular, the direction change of the traveling vehicle on the inner surface of the arc-shaped tube is achieved. Sometimes, without rotating the arm,
By simply reversing the front-to-back relationship between the first spherical surface 1 bearing and the second spherical surface bearing, the balanced wheel can be provided with a caster mechanism in the opposite direction, so that the direction can be changed smoothly. Furthermore, since the balance wheel does not rotate around the arm during direction change, a travel distance detection mechanism can be easily attached.

In view of the effects of the first invention as described above, the second invention adds a travel distance detection mechanism to the balance wheel, and the measurement roller rotates as the balance wheel rotates. ,
By detecting the number of rotations of this measuring roller, the distance traveled can be accurately detected.

(Example) An example of the balance wheel device for a tube-surface traveling vehicle according to the present invention as described above will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the present invention, since the second invention includes the entire configuration of the first invention, only the embodiment of the second invention will be described here.

*Configuration of Example In FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 1 of the traveling vehicle includes:
An arm support 2 and a cylinder support 3 are fixed. One end of an arm 4 is rotatably attached to the arm support 2 via a shaft 5, and the arm 4 is rotatably attached to the cylinder support 3.
A cylinder 6, which is an actuator for driving, is rotatably attached to one end via a joint pin 7.

The narrow end of the cylinder 6 is rotatably attached to the middle of the arm 4 via a joint pin 8.

A bifurcated branch is formed at the end of the arm 4 opposite to the arm support 2, and a bearing member 10 is rotatably supported at the end of each branch via a joint pin 9. . This bearing member 10, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG.
The first spherical bearing 11 and the second spherical bearing 12 are integrally molded, and the axle 13 is rotatably supported between the first spherical bearing 11 and the joint pin 9 is supported by the second spherical bearing 12. is supported by Further, the center of the second spherical bearing 12 is arranged at a different position from the axis of the wheel N13 supported between the first spherical bearings 11.

car! Bearing 1, which is a bearing, is located in the center of 1I113.
A balance wheel 15 is rotatably attached via 4. A measuring roller 16 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the balance wheel 15, and a shaft 17 of the measuring roller 16 is rotatably supported at the tip of a support member 18 attached to the width shaft 13. . Further, the tip of the support member 18 is connected to the spring 1
The measuring roller 16 is connected to the first spherical bearing 11 side of the bearing member 10 by the spring 19, and the measuring roller 16 is pressed against the parallel wheel 15 by the biasing force of the spring 19. Further, a proximity switch 20 is provided at a position adjacent to the end of the support member 18, that is, at a position facing one side of the measuring roller 16. It is inserted into any part of the side surface of 16 and transmits a pulse in response to the 11 member 21.

Functions of this embodiment The functions of this embodiment having the above-described configuration are as follows.

First, when the vehicle moves forward to the left in the figure from the state shown in FIG. The connected second spherical bearing 12 is pulled to the left in the figure, and the bearing member 10 rotates to the left about the first spherical bearing 11.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the intersection point 01 of the vertical line 1 extending from the second spherical bearing 12 and the tube inner surface S is the intersection point 01 of the vertical line 1 extending from the first spherical bearing 11 and the tube inner surface S. The intersection with (
That is, since the point of contact between the parallel wheels 15 and the tube inner surface S is located to the left of point 0, a caster effect can be obtained in the left direction, which is the forward direction of the vehicle, and smooth running can be achieved.

Next, when the vehicle moves backward to the right in the figure from the state shown in FIG. 5<A), the arm 4 also moves to the right in the figure as the frame of the vehicle moves, and the arm The second spherical bearing 12 connected to is pulled to the right in the figure, and the bearing member 10 rotates to the right about the first spherical bearing 11.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the intersection point 02 of the vertical line length 2 extended from the second spherical bearing 12 and the tube inner surface S is the intersection point 02 of the vertical line length 2 extended from the first spherical bearing 11 and the tube inner surface S. 4 (A>(B) As in the case of moving forward as shown in , smooth running can be achieved.

Further, when the vehicle changes direction by 180 degrees from the forward state as shown in FIG. 4(B), the arm 4 moves rightward in the figure as the vehicle moves backward, and is the first
After rotating in the right direction in the figure around the spherical bearing 11 and passing through the state shown in FIG. 5(A), the state of backward movement as shown in FIG. to move to. Fifth
The direction change from the backward state shown in FIG. <8> is also performed in the same manner by following the reverse route.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, inconveniences such as fixation in a tilted state when changing direction, which were caused by adopting the caster g1 structure in the conventional balanced wheel device, are eliminated.
Want a smooth and effortless change of direction? I can see it.

Also, when turning around a curved section, the bearings (Δ10) on both sides can move freely by the first and second spherical bearings 11 and 12, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B). Therefore, the balance wheels 15 can also be tilted freely over a fairly wide range, so smooth running is possible.

By the way, in the present invention, as explained in the above (effect) section, the balance wheel 15 does not rotate around the arm 4 during direction change, so the balance wheel 15 can easily detect the travel distance. Mechanism can be installed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the measuring roller 16 pressed against the balance wheel 15 is
A simple traveling distance detection mechanism is provided in which the rotation speed of the vehicle is detected by a proximity switch 20. That is, during running, the inspection roller 16 rotates as the balance wheel 15 rotates, and the reference member 21 attached to any location on the roller 16 on the same day rotates.
Depending on the position of the vehicle, a pulse signal is detected by the proximity switch 20, the rotational speed is detected, and as a result, the distance traveled by the vehicle is detected. Moreover, since there is no extra movement such as the rotation of the balance wheel 15 around the arm 4 when changing direction, the error that occurs in the detected value is significantly reduced compared to the conventional method, and the distance traveled can be calculated with extremely high accuracy. Can perform detection.

In addition, as an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to omit the mileage detection mechanism in the above embodiment. Further, the shape of each member used in the present invention can be selected as appropriate, and for example, a configuration in which a motor is used as an actuator for driving the arm is also possible.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the balanced wheel device running on the inner surface of a tube according to the present invention, the axle of the balanced wheel is supported by the arm via the first and second spherical bearings. This simple configuration expands the flexibility of the balance wheel's operation and eliminates unnecessary movements when changing direction, making it possible to change direction smoothly and also making it possible to install a travel distance detection device. , and the accuracy of the detected value can also be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing an embodiment of a balance wheel device for a tube-surface traveling vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a sectional view taken along the arrow A in Figure 2, and Figure 4 (A>(B)).
Figures 6 to 6 (A>(B) are schematic diagrams explaining the operation of the same embodiment, Figure 7 is a front view showing a tube running vehicle equipped with a conventional balanced wheel device, and Figure 8 is a conventional It is a side view showing a balance wheel device. 1... Frame of a traveling vehicle, 2... Arm support, 3.
...Cylinder support, 4...Arm, 5...Shaft, 6...Cylinder, 7-9...Joint pin, 1
0... Bearing member, 11... First spherical bearing, 12...
・Second spherical bearing, 13... Width axis, 14... Bearing, 15... Balance wheel, 16... Inspection roller, 17
... shaft, 18 ... support member, 19 ... spring, 20 ... proximity switch, 21 ... reference member. Figure 3 Figure 4 (A) Figure 5 (A) /15 Figure 6 (A) Figure 411i1Q (B) Figure 5 (B-n Question 6 (8)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a tube inner surface traveling vehicle that inspects or cleans the inner surface of the tube by traveling on the inner surface of the tube with running wheels, the outer circumferential surface is crimped to the inner surface of the tube on the opposite side to the running wheels as necessary, and the inner surface of the tube is moved. It is equipped with a balance wheel that rotates together with this tube inner moving vehicle while maintaining the balance of the vehicle, and this balance wheel is rotatably supported by an axle via a bearing. each first spherical bearing is integrally provided with a second spherical bearing having a center at a different position with respect to the axis of the axle, and each second spherical bearing is supported by two prongs formed at one end of the arm. Each end of the arm is supported by each end of the branch, the other end of the arm is rotatably attached to the frame of the intra-pipe moving vehicle, and in the middle of the arm, the balance wheel is crimped to the inner surface of the pipe via this arm. A balance wheel device for a tube traveling vehicle, characterized in that one end of an actuator for releasing the crimp is rotatably attached, and the other end of the actuator is rotatably attached to a frame of the tube traveling vehicle. (2) In a tube inner surface traveling vehicle that inspects or cleans the inner surface of the tube by traveling on the inner surface of the tube with running wheels, the outer circumferential surface is crimped to the inner surface of the tube on the opposite side to the running wheels as necessary, and the inner surface of the tube is moved. It is equipped with a balance wheel that rotates together with this tube inner moving vehicle while maintaining the balance of the vehicle, and this balance wheel is rotatably supported by an axle via a bearing. each first spherical bearing is integrally provided with a second spherical bearing having a center at a different position with respect to the axis of the axle, and each second spherical bearing is supported by two prongs formed at one end of the arm. Each end of the arm is supported by each end of the branch, the other end of the arm is rotatably attached to the frame of the intra-pipe moving vehicle, and in the middle of the arm, the balance wheel is crimped to the inner surface of the pipe via this arm. One end of an actuator for releasing the crimp is rotatably attached, and the other end of the actuator is rotatably attached to the frame of the intra-tube moving vehicle. A travel distance detection system consisting of a measuring roller attached to the balance wheel and crimped to its outer circumferential surface so as to rotate with the rotation of the balance wheel, and rotation detecting means such as a proximity switch for detecting the number of rotations of this measuring roller. A balance wheel device for a vehicle traveling on a tube surface, characterized in that a mechanism is provided.