JPH06127374A - In-pipe moving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To cope with a sharp corner and enable a deep entry into a pipe by providing a pipe like frame, formed of flexible material containing magnetic material, with plural driving wheels, then providing a pipe like yoke, formed of the same material and provided in the pipe, with a driving coil, and filling a magnetic fluid in the yoke and frame. CONSTITUTION:A frame 1 is formed of flexible material containing magnetic material into pipe shape. The frame 1 is closed at both ends and provided with six driving wheels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 linearly along the longitudinal direction, at four places every angle of 90 deg. viewing from one end side of the frame 1. A yoke 2 formed of flexible material containing magnetic material is provided in the frame l-A magnetic fluid is filled in the yoke 2 and frame l1 and a coil is wound around the outer periphery of the yoke 2. When a commutation switch 6 is connected to an A-terminal, the magneti fluid in the yoke 2 flows to gather around the A-phase coil 4. With the changeover to a B- terminal or a C-terminal, the magnetic fluid flows toward the periphery of the B-phase or C-phase coil. As a result, each driving wheel is rotated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-tube moving device for driving the inside of a thin tube.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for the inspection of the inside of a thin tube, a flexible support rod such as a wire is used to push an inspection device or the like from the end of the thin tube, or the inside of an endoscope is used. There has been a method of inserting a device whose tip can be bent by providing a wire into the tube.

[0003]

However, in the conventional device having the above-mentioned structure, the method of inserting the rod-shaped one from the end portion of the thin tube cannot cope with the sharp bending angle of the thin tube. It was In addition, it was not possible to cope with the case where the working position was located far away from the end and the device had to be inserted deeply.

[0004]

The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and is a pipe-shaped frame made of a flexible material containing a magnetic material and having both ends closed. A plurality of drive wheels provided at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the frame, a pipe-shaped yoke made of a flexible material containing a magnetic material material provided in the frame, and a plurality of locations on the yoke. A drive coil wound separately, a magnetic shield made of a flexible material provided on the outer peripheral surface of the yoke wound with the drive coil, and a magnetic fluid filled in the yoke and the frame. And a commutation switch for sequentially energizing the drive coil, which supplies power to the drive coil, to the drive coil separately provided at the plurality of locations. There is provided a tube mobile device to.

[0005]

The pipe moving device of the present invention is capable of self-propelling in the pipe due to the above-mentioned structure, so that it is possible to easily cope with a sharp bending angle of a thin pipe and insert it to a deeper working position. Will be able to.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing a model of the in-pipe moving device of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a frame.
The frame 1 is formed of a flexible material containing a magnetic material (iron, nickel, cobalt, etc.) into a pipe shape, and has a structure in which openings at both ends are closed, for example, in a hemispherical shape. The inclusion of the magnetic material in the frame 1 is to effectively use the magnetic flux. And when viewed from one end side of the frame 1, 0 degree, 90 degree, 180 degree,
On the side surface corresponding to 270 degrees, six holes 1a are bored linearly along the longitudinal direction at equal intervals.
The disk-shaped drive wheels A are provided in the total of 24 holes 1a.
1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 are rotatably provided. The outer peripheral surfaces of the drive wheels A1 and C2 are provided with non-slip projections.

In frame 1, like frame 1,
A yoke 2 formed in a pipe shape is provided by a flexible material containing a magnetic material in order to effectively use the magnetic flux. Further, six sets of coils 4 connected in three phases are wound around the outer periphery of the yoke 2. That is, in the drawing, the A phase in which the first coil 4 and the fourth coil 4 from the left are connected, and the B phase in which the second and fifth coils are connected,
The third and sixth C-phases are connected to form three phases. When the coil 4 is energized, it converts the electric energy into a magnetic force. The outer peripheral side of the yoke 2 around which the coil 4 is wound is surrounded by a pipe-shaped magnetic shield 3 made of a flexible material containing a magnetic material. That is, the pipe-shaped yoke 2 is located inside the pipe-shaped magnetic shield 3.

In the figure, reference numeral 6 is a commutation switch, which is a phase A, B
One ends of the phase 4 and C phase coils 4 are connected to terminals A, B, and C, respectively. In this commutation switch 6, a current supplied from the power supply unit 5 is applied in the order of, for example, terminal A → terminal B → terminal C to control the power supply to the three phases. The other ends of the A-phase, B-phase, and C-phase coils 4 are connected and connected to the power supply unit 5.

A magnetic fluid is filled in the frame 1 and the yoke 2, and is excited by energizing the coil 4 wound around the yoke 2 and flows in the frame 1 and the yoke 2. At this time, an unsealed portion is formed between the hole 1a and each of the drive wheels A1 and C2, but due to the closed loop property of the magnetic path by the frame 1 and the surface tension of the magnetic fluid, the magnetic fluid leaks to the outside. I will not put it out. The operation and action of this embodiment will be described below.

As shown in the figure, the positive side terminal of the power source section 5 is connected to one end of the A-phase, B-phase, and C-phase coils 4 which are connected, while the negative side terminal of the power source section 5 is rotated. It is connected to the input terminal of the flow switch 6. In the commutation switch 6, since the switch is connected to the A terminal, the A-phase coil 4 is energized to convert electric energy into magnetic force and generate the magnetic force. When the A-phase coil 4 generates a magnetic force, the magnetic fluid in the pipe-shaped yoke 2 gathers around the A-phase coil 4. On the other hand, since the magnetic shield 3 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the yoke 2, the magnetic fluid does not collect at the outer peripheral position of the yoke 2 corresponding to the position of the A-phase coil 4.

Next, when the commutation switch 6 is switched to the B terminal, the B-phase coil 4 is energized to generate electric energy by converting it into magnetic force, so that the magnetic fluid is generated from the periphery of the A-phase coil 4. It flows to the periphery of the B-phase coil 4. Also at this time, similarly, the magnetic fluid does not collect on the outer periphery of the yoke 2 corresponding to the position of the B-phase coil 4.

Further, when the commutation switch 6 is switched to the C terminal, the C-phase coil 4 is energized to convert the electric energy into a magnetic force and is generated, and the magnetic fluid is generated from the periphery of the B-phase coil 4 to the C phase. Flows around the phase coil.

That is, the magnetic fluid filled in the yoke 2 flows in the direction of arrow P in the figure. Then, the magnetic fluid filling the inside of the yoke 2 flows out from one end side of the yoke 2, but flows toward the outer peripheral side of the magnetic shield 3 as indicated by an arrow Q in the figure at the end of the frame 1. Become.

As described above, by switching the switches in the commutation switch 6 in the order of the terminal A, the terminal B, and the terminal C, the magnetic fluid filling the inside of the frame 1 and the yoke 2 is indicated by arrows P and Q. , And flow in the direction of arrow R. Then, the magnetic fluid flowing in the direction of the arrow R on the outer circumferences of the yoke 2 and the magnetic shield 3 first hits the non-slip projections of the drive wheel C2 and drives the drive wheel C2 to rotate in the clockwise direction. Therefore, the magnetic fluids are in the following order drive wheels B2, A2, C1, B1, A1.
To rotate. The magnetic fluid that rotationally drives the drive wheel A1 reaches the other end of the frame 1 and flows into the yoke 2 again.

That is, when the magnetic fluid flows in the directions of arrow P, arrow Q, and arrow R, the drive wheels A1 and C2 are rotated clockwise, and the in-pipe moving device itself is moved to the right in FIG. It can be moved.

When it is desired to move the in-pipe moving device to the left in FIG. 1, that is, to move backward, the commutation switch 6 is switched in the order of the terminal C, the terminal B, and the terminal A, and the C phase, B phase, and A phase coils 4 are switched. This can be achieved by sequentially energizing.

In the above embodiment, three-phase coils and six coils are used.
Although it is configured by combining a set of drive coils, the number of phases and the number of drive coils are not limited to this, and a configuration in which a 4-phase coil and 12 sets of drive coils are combined, etc. It is also possible to use a combination of.

Further, when the frame is viewed from one end side, drive wheels are provided at four places corresponding to 0 °, 90 °, 180 °, and 270 ° in this embodiment, but 0 °, 120 °, 2
Various modifications are possible, such as providing drive wheels at three positions of 40 degrees.

[0020]

According to the present invention, since it is self-propelled and entirely made of a flexible material, it is possible to easily cope with a sharp bending angle, and it is possible to penetrate deep into the pipe. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a pipe moving device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 frame 2 yoke 3 magnetic shield 4 drive coil 5 power supply section 6 commutation switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pipe-shaped frame made of a flexible material containing a magnetic material and closed at both ends, a plurality of drive wheels provided at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the frame, and inside the frame. A pipe-shaped yoke made of a flexible material containing a magnetic material provided, a driving coil wound around the yoke at a plurality of locations, and a surface around the outer periphery of the yoke wound with the driving coil. A magnetic shield made of a flexible material provided, a magnetic fluid filled in the yoke and the frame, a power supply unit for supplying power to the drive coil, and a power supply from the power supply unit to the plurality of locations. An in-pipe moving device, comprising: a commutation switch for sequentially energizing separately provided drive coils.