JPH04140010A - Cable feeding apparatus for self-propelled work robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce tractive force and winding force by controlling the feeding speed and feedback speed according to the traveling speed of a work robot and the tensile forces of a remote control cable and a work hose. CONSTITUTION:A cable feed controller comprises a tensile force detecting means 13 disposed between coupling sections between a work robot 1 and a remote control cable 12 and a work hose 3, means 15 for controlling the feeding speed and feedback speed of the cable 2 and the hose 3, and the like. The cable 2 and the hose 3, to be hauled by the work robot 1 through pipe inlet and outlet and a conduit, are independently fed out or fed back according to the traveling speed of the work robot 1 and the tensile forces of the cable 2 and the hose 3 while being gripped by means of a gripper arranged in the rear of the work robot 1. According to the constitution, tractive force of the work robot 1 can be reduced and overtension of the cable 2 or the hose 3 or damage thereof due to hooking can be prevented.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is useful for towing cables for remote control, water hoses for work, etc. by a self-propelled work robot that works inside piping. This invention relates to a cable delivery device for a self-propelled working robot that pays out or rewinds a cable or the like by following the tension applied to the cable or the like at the rear of the robot and the running speed of the robot.

(Prior technology) Self-propelled work robots that perform tasks such as cleaning, inspecting, and painting the inside of pipes move while pulling cables for remote control, water hoses for work, etc. inside the pipes from the pipe entrance. There is.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a cable 2 for remote control from the ground, a water hose 3, etc. are individually connected to the working robot 1 inside the pipe via a winder 4 installed on the ground at the outlet of the pipe. It is running while towing the cable 2 and hose 3.

Piping includes not only horizontal pipes, but also inclined pipes, vertical pipes, and curved pipes, and work robots pull cables and hoses along the length of the pipes.

Since the cable 2 and the hose 3 are pulled by the working robot body 1 by sliding directly on the pipe wall, if the frictional resistance becomes large due to catching of weld beads at the bent pipe elbow or pipe joint, etc., the working robot 1 requires a large traction force.

In particular, when the work robot 1 travels inside a vertical pipe and beyond, the frictional resistance between the cable 2 and the water hose 3 against the pipe wall is large, and the movement is easily hindered, so a large traction force is required. Moreover, when the working robot 1 returns (retreats) from the vertical pipe, the cable 2 and hose 2 become obstacles to the robot's movement.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) In this way, the self-propelled robot that carries out tasks such as cleaning, inspecting, and painting the inside of the pipe while towing the cable 2 for remote control, the water hose 3, etc., is capable of cleaning, inspecting, painting, etc. Inclined pipe, vertical pipe,
When towing a pipe with curved pipe elbows or a long pipe route, towing becomes difficult due to the effects of frictional resistance, etc., which hinders the movement and work of the work robot.

Furthermore, the cable 2 for remote control, the water hose 3 for work, etc. have a permissible tensile force, and will be damaged if the bow is towed forcibly.

Therefore, the traction force of the work robot and the winding force of the winding machine installed on the ground at the outlet of the pipe cannot be increased, and the traction force and winding force are limited.

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to control the feeding and retracting speeds according to the running speed of the working robot and the tension of the remote control cable, etc., thereby increasing the traction force. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cable delivery device for a self-propelled working robot that can reduce winding force.

[Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems)] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a system that runs within the piping and performs a predetermined work without towing a remote control cable and a work hose from the ground. a gripping device provided between a self-propelled work robot to perform the work and the piping entrance and exit, and gripping the cable and the hose so as to be able to independently feed and retract the cable and the hose; A driving means for independently feeding and retracting, a tension detecting means provided between the connection portion between the working robot and the cable and the hose, the tension of the cable and hose detected by the tension detecting means, and the work. The robot is configured to include a control means for applying a control signal to the drive means in accordance with the running speed of the robot to control the speed at which the cable and hose are fed out or retracted.

Note that among the above configurations, desirable aspects are as follows.

A cable delivery device is installed on a self-propelled auxiliary robot that follows behind a working robot so that it can be moved to any position within the pipe.

(Function) In the cable delivery device of the self-propelled work robot configured as described above, the remote control cable and work hose towed by the work robot from the piping entrance and exit through the piping route are routed to the rear of the work robot. While being held by the gripping device, the cables and hoses are independently extended or retracted depending on the tension of the cables and hoses and the running speed of the work robot, which reduces the pulling force of the work robot and prevents excessive tension on the cables and hoses. It becomes possible to prevent damage caused by bow hooks and the like.

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

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a cable delivery device for a self-propelled working robot. In Fig. 1, 1 is a self-propelled work robot that performs work such as cleaning, inspection, and painting inside the pipes. A remote control cable 2 and a working water hose 3 are connected to each other, and each of them is pulled while traveling inside the piping. 5 is an auxiliary robot that follows and runs behind the work robot 1;
The lower abdomen of this auxiliary robot 5 is shown in FIGS.
) A cable sending device 6 having a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, this cable sending device 6 has a pair of upper and lower rotating rollers 8 attached to the front and rear sides of both sides of the lower abdomen of the auxiliary robot 5, and the outer shape of the cable and water hose is connected between the rotating rollers 8 corresponding to the front and rear portions. A rubber caterpillar 7 with a shape that matches the shape is hung.

Mutually meshed gears 9a are connected to the 8 axes of these pair of upper and lower front or rear rotating rollers, forming a gear mechanism 9. A servo motor 10 for rotationally driving the gear 9a is connected to the gear mechanism 9. Therefore, by driving the gear mechanism 9 with the servo motor 10, the pair of upper and lower caterpillars 7 travel.

In addition, the remote control cable 2 and the working water hose 3 are inserted between the upper and lower caterpillars 7, and the cylinder 1
1, the cable 2 and water hose 3 can be gripped by moving the presser plate 12 in the vertical direction.

On the other hand, a load cell 1B detects these tension values between the joints between the work robot 1, the cable 2, and the water hose 3.
The tension value detected by this load cell 13 is transmitted to the aforementioned servo motor 10 via a strain amplifier 14.
is input to a control device 15 that controls the. This control device]
5 compares the tension value input from the strain amplifier 14 via the analog input circuit 16 with the tension setting value, and adds the deviation to the detected speed value of the working robot 1 detected by a speed detector (not shown). The servo motor 10 is controlled by inputting the output as a control command value to an AC servo driver 18 that operates the servo motor 10 via an analog output circuit 17. In this case, the tension setting value includes a setting value when the working robot moves forward and a setting value when retracting, and the switch 19 is used to switch between them. In addition, in case there is a problem such as not being able to follow the speed of the work robot 1, switch 2
0 allows switching from the work robot following side to the independent control side. In this case, the switch 2 receives a selection command from the selection circuit 21 to select one of high speed setting, medium speed setting, and low speed setting as the speed of the cable feeding device.
2 to switch and select, and switch 23 to move forward.
It is possible to select either the backward or forward direction.

Next, the operation of the cable feeding device for the self-propelled working robot constructed as described above will be described. Assuming that the work robot 1 is moving forward while towing the cable 2 and water hose 3, the tension values of the cable 2 and water hose 3 at this time are detected by the load cell 13 and input to the control device 15. Ru. This control device compares the tension value with the tension setting value during forward movement, adds the difference to the traveling speed of the working robot 1, sets it as a speed command for the servo motor 10, and inputs it to the AC servo driver 18. The servo motor 10 drives the gear mechanism 9 at a rotational speed corresponding to the speed command at that time, and the pair of upper and lower caterpillars 7 travel.

In this case, by moving the holding plate 12 in the direction closer to each other using the cylinder 1], the pair of upper and lower caterpillars 7 come into contact with the cable 2 and the water hose 3, and the cable 2 and the water hose 3 are gripped by the frictional force. move in a state where

Therefore, the cable 2 and the water hose 3 are sequentially paid out at a speed corresponding to the traveling speed of the working robot 1 and the tension value detected by the load cell 13.

The above is the case when the work robot 1 is moving forward, but when it is going backwards, it is almost the same as above except that the servo motor 10 reverses, and it depends on the tension values of the cable 2 and water hose 3 and the speed of the work robot 1. The loaf-pull 2 and water hose 3 are repeated in sequence.

In this way, in this embodiment, the cable 2 and water hose 3 are automatically fed out or returned to green while being gripped, depending on the running speed of the work robot 1 and the tension values of the cable 2 and water hose 3 detected by the load cell 13. Since the speed is controlled, the traction force of the work robot 1 can be reduced even when the work robot 1 is working on a long path from the pipe entrance/exit through horizontal pipes, inclined pipes, vertical pipes, curved pipes, etc. At the same time, it is possible to prevent damage to the cable 2 and water hose 3 due to excessive tension or catching.

In the above embodiment, the auxiliary robot 5 that follows the work robot 1 traveling in a horizontal pipe has been described, but when the work robot 1 or the work robot 1 works in a pipe connected to a horizontal pipe or a vertical pipe as shown in FIG. The robot 5 follows the working robot until it reaches the vertical pipe 24, and from then on, the working robot 1 is supported via the lifting rope 25 sent out from the stand attached to the auxiliary robot 5, and the cable sending device 6 By letting out the cable 2 and water hose 3, the working robot 1 is not affected by the pulling force of the cable 2 and water hose 3, and can work and run smoothly. In addition, by rewinding the cable 2 and water hose 3 during upward travel, it is possible to prevent interference with the work robot 1's travel.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the cable sending device 6 is mounted on the auxiliary robot 5 that follows the working robot 1, or the cable sending device 6 is installed at an appropriate location in the piping.
The cable 2 and the water hose 3 may be fed out or fed back by installing a cable 2 and a water hose 3.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to control the respective feeding and edge return speeds according to the running speed of the working robot and the tension of the remote control cable and the working hose. Therefore, it is possible to provide a cable delivery device for a self-propelled working robot that can reduce the pulling force and winding force and prevent damage to the cable and hose.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a cable delivery device for a self-propelled work robot/soto according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the mechanism of the same embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a diagram perpendicular to a horizontal pipe. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the present invention device is applied to a working robot working inside a pipe connected to a pipe, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a cable towing state by a conventional working robot. 1... Working robot, 2... Remote control cable, 3... Working water hose, 4... Ground winding machine,
5 Auxiliary robot, 6... Cable sending device, 7... Caterpillar, 8... Rotating roller, 9...
・Gear mechanism, 10... Servo motor, 11...
.. cylinder, 12.. holding plate, 13.. load cell, 15.. control device. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue

Claims (1)

[Claims] A self-propelled work robot that runs inside the pipe and performs a predetermined work while towing a remote control cable and a work hose from the ground, and is installed between the pipe entrance and exit, and independently feeds out the cable and hose. and a gripping device that grips the cable and the hose in a reversible manner, a driving means provided on the gripping device and driving the cable and the hose to be independently fed out and retracted, and provided between a connecting portion between the work robot and the cable and the hose. and a control signal to the drive means to control the payout or return speed of the cable and hose according to the tension detection means detected by the tension detection means, the tension of the cable and hose detected by the tension detection means, and the traveling speed of the work robot. 1. A device for sending out cables, etc. for a self-propelled working robot, characterized in that it is equipped with a control means for controlling a cable, etc. of a self-propelled working robot.