JPH0624333A - Walking device inside remote control tube - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To pass a walking device smoothly in accordance with curvature of a tube body by disposing a pair of leg bodies provided with a fixed abutting body to slidingly abut against an inner wall of the tube body, and a movable abutting body on the other side, before and after a relay drive body to feed forward and rearward drive force by using a piston expanded/contracted in the axial direction, and connecting them to a remotely operated power control part. CONSTITUTION:Compressed air is introduced into a power introducing part IN-1 of a front leg 31 first, and a piston 51 is retracted to separate an abutting body 62 from an inner wall. Next, a piston 52 is protruded by compressed air to the power introducing part IN-1 of a relay drive body 33, and the front leg 31 moves forward. At this time, the front leg is contacted with and fixed to the inner wall of a tube body, as compressed air is supplied to a power introducing part IN-2 to push up the piston 51. Next, the piston 51 is retracted by air pressure from the power introducing part IN-1 of a leg part 32, and the abutting body 62 is separated from the inner wall. Air pressure is then supplied from the power introducing part IN-2 of the relay drive body 33 where the piston 52 is protruded, and simultaneously as the piston is retracted, the leg part 32 is pulled forward. These procedures are thereafter repeated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is for maintenance and inspection such as removal and cleaning of slugs, rust or clogged foreign substances adhered to the inner wall of pipes such as water supply and drainage pipes, gas pipes and other powder fluid supply pipes that have been laid for many years. In addition, regarding the walking mechanism of the in-pipe walking device equipped with a work implement such as a detachable cutter, a crushing tool, and an endoscopic imaging means at the head, especially for a bent pipe and a different diameter pipe, the safety against the laying environment is required. It is intended to be adapted to the usage in consideration of.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been generally troublesome to carry out maintenance and inspection of thermal power supply, heat exchanger supply in nuclear power plants, drainage pipes, hot water supply pipes for hot springs, etc. In order to perform an internal inspection to the extent that it can reach the inside of the pipe by attaching it to the end of the rod, and to remove water and scale that has adhered to the pipe wall, attach a coiled blade or a metal brush for polishing to the tip of the flexible wire. The work was carried out by inserting it into the pipe while rotating it using the working equipment. On the other hand, in view of such workability and safety in maintenance and management, the present inventor has previously proposed a method and system for remotely operating a device running inside a pipe while monitoring the device from outside the pipe. .

[0003]

However, as long as the conventional manual operation is relied upon, there is a limit to the length of the tool that can be inserted into the pipe relative to the length of the pipe, and there is a drawback that a proper work purpose cannot be achieved. Even though it is an in-pipe walking device that is remotely controlled from the outside, the conventional drawbacks such as the bending of the laying pipe, the laying environment, the technique considering the horizontal or vertical pipe body posture have not been known, and the laying work is eliminated. It was difficult to respond according to the installation situation of the pipe.

[0004]

Thus, in view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention is capable of performing in-pipe inspection, maintenance or repair work even with a single continuous pipe having different diameters or a straight pipe. In order to ensure efficient and safe implementation, the work equipment is surely moved forward and backward in the pipe from this rear,
When compressed fluid that is controlled from outside the pipe is introduced through two flow paths, the piston that separates from and comes into contact with the inner wall of the pipe is controlled to appear and disappear in the pipe radial direction. Different caliber pipes, straight pipes, laying environment, regardless of the horizontal or vertical arrangement of the pipes, due to the expansion and contraction cylinders that are connected by universal joints and expand and contract in the pipe length direction when the compressed fluid is introduced from each of the two flow paths. There is a walking mechanism that moves forward and backward in response to.

[0005]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a remote control in-pipe walking mechanism according to the present invention as a walking unit 3, and an image pickup means is used for the work implement 1 mounted at the top, and an external power source 41 (an air compressor in this embodiment) arranged at the rear, It is an embodiment figure applied to the system which consists of the power control part 4 controlled and monitored by the walk part controller 31 and the monitor 22.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the front leg 31 or the rear leg 32 constituting the walking part. FIG. 2A shows the power introducing part IN-1.
When compressed air is fed to the air chamber 3, air pressure is applied to the air chamber 3-3, and a pressing force acts on the piston 3-1 so that the leg 3-2 is pulled into the cylinder. Same figure (B)
When compressed air is fed to the power inlet IN-2, air pressure is applied to the air chamber in the cylinder, and the piston 3-
1 is pushed up and the leg 3-2 travels to a position where it abuts and pressurizes the inner wall of the pipe. Here, the front and rear legs 31 and 32 have the same configuration as shown in FIG. 2, and the lower leg 3-2 is fixed to the cylinder frame and is always in contact with the inner wall of the pipe, so that the piston introduces power on one side. Depending on whether it is fed to the part IN-1 or IN-2, it appears and disappears in the pipe radial direction.

Next, the expansion block 33 connected between the front leg 31 and the rear leg 32 via universal joints UJ-2 and UJ-3 will be described with reference to FIG. Compressed air from IN-2 is air chamber 3-5
When the piston is introduced into the air chamber 3-5, the piston 3-4 protrudes in the axial direction and pushes the front leg forward. In the same figure (B), compressed air is introduced from the power introducing part IN-1 to the air chamber 3-5. Then, the piston 3-4 is pulled into the cylinder, and the front leg is pulled rearward.

Further, the walking mechanism 3 in which the remote control in-pipe walking mechanism is inserted into the laid pipe 100 and the front leg 31, the telescopic block 33, and the rear leg 32 are connected via universal joints UJ-2 and UJ-3. Aspects will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the same figure (a), the piston 3-4 of the telescopic block 33 remains contracted, and the front and rear legs 31 and 32 are in a state in which each leg 3-2 is in contact with the inner wall of the pipe and is bulging. (B)
First, compressed air is introduced into the power introducing portion IN-1 of the front leg so that the leg 3-2 is retracted by the piston 3-1 being retracted, separated from the pipe wall, and the power of the telescopic block 33 is moved in the next step (c). Compressed air is fed to the introduction portion IN-1, and the piston 3-4 is pushed out and protrudes, so that the front leg moves forward. In this state, the front leg is in the (d) step and the power introducing portion I
When the compressed air is fed to N-2, the piston is pushed up and becomes strongly thrust to the inner wall of the pipe, and in the next step (e), the air pressure is applied from the power introduction part IN-1 of the rear leg. The leg is separated from the tube wall to pull in the piston. Then, when the air pressure is fed from the power introduction portion IN-2 of the telescopic block that has continued to project at the end, the piston retracts and at the same time the rear leg is pulled forward (f). Therefore, after that, by repeating the steps from (a) to (f) in the same manner as described above, when walking forward and conversely retreating, the rear leg precedes and repeats the same operation as described above. . Therefore, the power source may be appropriately selected and used depending on the installation environment of the laying pipe, for example, the fire-prohibited area, the soil, the water, the pipe along the wall surface, or the like.

[0009]

As described above, according to the remote-controlled in-pipe walking mechanism of the present invention, the front and rear legs can firmly push the pipe wall to control the separation and contact with the inner wall of the pipe. The expansion / contraction block intervening via the universal joint can be freely advanced or retracted by expansion / contraction in the pipe length direction, so that it is possible to walk in the pipe surely step by step, and also for the curved pipe by the universal joint. Since they are connected, they can smoothly pass through the pipe. For curved pipes with a small radius of curvature, the dimensions of the front, rear legs, and expansion / contraction block in the pipe length direction can be reduced, and it can be applied to horizontal and vertical pipes and pipes of different diameters without any hindrance. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a remote control system in which a remote control in-pipe walking mechanism of the present invention is equipped with a working tool at the head, and is connected to a power control unit from the rear side so that the inside of the pipe can be inserted.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the piston of the front or rear leg is retracted (A),
The vertical side view of a projecting state (B).

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of a retractable block piston in a protruding state (A) and a retracted state (B).

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of steps (a) to (f) of advancing the walking mechanism of the present invention in a pipe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Working Equipment 3 Walking Part 31 Front Leg 32 Rear Leg 33 Telescopic Block 3-1 3-4 Piston 3-2 Leg 3-3, 3-5 Air Chamber IN-1, IN-2 Power Introducing Unit UJ-1 UJ-8 universal joint 44 power control unit 31 walking unit controller 41 power source

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] July 16, 1993

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Full text

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Document name] Statement

Title: Remote control in-pipe walking device

[Claims]

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-pipe walking mechanism in which a working tool for maintaining and inspecting a laid pipe body for many years has been mounted at the head, and which is capable of smoothly self-propelling in the pipe body. The present invention relates to a remote control in-pipe walking device capable of ensuring safety for pipes, connecting pipes of different diameters, and laying environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Laying pipes such as thermal power supply, heat exchanger heat exchangers in nuclear power plants, drainage pipes, hot springs, hot water supply pipes for bath water, gas pipes, etc., may have slugs and rust on the inner wall due to aging. Although foreign matter will be clogged, since there are various pipe materials, straight bends, and pipe diameters, removal of these foreign substances, maintenance such as cleaning, etc.
Inspection is a cumbersome task, and the working environment must ensure operational safety. Conventionally, when inspecting the inside of the tube, a method is used in which, for example, a fiberscope is attached to a tip of a certain length, the fiberscope is inserted to a reachable area within the tube, the manual operation is performed, and an image is taken and observed on a monitor outside the tube. .
In addition, in order to remove the scale of water adhered to the pipe wall, a working tool such as a coiled blade or a metal brush for polishing is attached to the tip of the flexible wire and inserted into the pipe while rotating to advance the manual work. Was common. On the other hand, in order to mechanize such maintenance and management workability and safety, the work equipment is attached to the device that runs inside the pipe, and the in-pipe moving device is remotely operated while monitoring from outside the pipe. There is only the technique previously proposed by the applicant (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2-279456).

[0003]

However, in the prior art by the former manual operation, there is naturally a limit to the overall length of the working tool that can be reached by inserting it into the pipe with respect to the axial length of the pipe body, and it reaches the inner part of the pipe. There is an obstacle that can not reach the purpose of work properly, the walking device for running the working tool self-propelled like the latter prior art, the inner wall of the pipe and the contact and disconnection are repeated alternately. Since it is composed of a plurality of piston mechanisms that expand and contract the support arm to be moved in the radial direction of the tubular body in a radial manner, the whole becomes complicated and there is a limit to reducing the size, It was difficult to react to a curved pipe with a small diameter, and it was difficult to walk smoothly and stably in the pipe.

In view of the obstacles of the prior art, therefore, the present invention is a continuous connecting pipe having a different diameter, regardless of whether it is a straight pipe or a curved pipe, and the maintenance, inspection or repair work is performed for the laying environment. (EN) A remote-controlled walking device having a simple structure for carrying and controlling operations for smoothly and forwardly moving inside a pipe from the rear of a work implement in order to efficiently and safely and reliably progress the above.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention comprises a fixed abutting body which is always in contact with the inner wall of the pipe in one of the radial directions of the pipe. When it is introduced, a pair of legs having a movable contact body that appears and separates on the other side to separate from and contact the inner wall of the pipe is used as front and rear legs, and the pair of legs is interposed between them to separate from the inner wall of the pipe. A walking device is configured by arranging relay drive units that are moved forward and backward in the pipe length direction in a column by a motion of a piston that expands and contracts along the axis after a contact operation to form a walking device, and a power control unit is connected to the subsequent stage. .

[0006]

According to the present invention, the fixed abutment body, one of which in the radial direction of the pipe slides along the inner wall of the pipe, is slidable while always abutting, and the other is brought into and out of contact with the inner wall of the pipe according to the power conductor. A mechanism including a movable contact body is used as front and rear legs, and before this,
The movement in the axial direction of the tube intervening between the rear legs is driven forward and backward by the relay drive body that expands and contracts in the axial direction after the connecting / disconnecting operation of the legs, so that it can be adjusted depending on the size of the tube. It can be reduced to an arbitrary size, and the wall surface can be brought into stable and reliable contact with strong pedal tension, and the axial dimension is also a relay drive that is responsible for the axial movement of the leg that separates from and contacts the inner wall of the pipe. Since it can be divided into a body and each of which can be shortened, it is possible to smoothly and continuously pass through the pipe in accordance with the curvature of the curved pipe body. Depending on the laying environment of the pipe, electricity,
Since a fluid or the like can be arbitrarily selected, maintenance work can be safely achieved by automatic control from outside the pipe body by remote control.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the constituent parts described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto, but merely an explanation. It is only an example.

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal side view of a leg body and a relay drive body which form a walking part 3 of a remote control in-pipe walking device according to the present invention. In FIG. When the air chamber 71 of the cylinder 60 is pressurized by introducing a fixed abutment body 61 having an arcuate outer shape that is in sliding contact with the other and a power introduction portion IN-1 to the other, for example, by introducing compressed air as a power, it projects in the pipe radial direction. A leg body 31 is provided that includes a movable contact body 62 having an arcuate outer shape that is integral with the piston 51. Now, in (B), IN- is applied to the air chamber 71.
When compressed air is introduced from 2, the piston 51 is pushed out in the radial direction of the pipe until the movable contact body 62 at the tip comes into contact with the wall of the pipe body.

Next, in (C), the power introducing section IN-1
When compressed air is introduced into the chamber 72 of the cylinder 80 from above, the piston 52 is provided between the front leg body 31 and the rear leg body 32 and provides a driving force for advancing or moving backward in the axial direction of the pipe body.
When the compressed air is introduced into the chamber 72 from the power introducing portion IN-2 in (D), the piston 52
The relay drive body 33 is configured such that the submersible body is immersed in the axial accumulating cylinder 80. Therefore, the relay drive body 33 inserted between the front and rear legs 31 and 32 is the movable contact body 6 of the front leg 31.
2 is fixed to the inner wall of the pipe by the protrusion of the piston 51, and when the movable abutment body 62 of the rear leg 32 is retracted to be free in the pipe, negative power is introduced into the cylinder 80 thereof. As a result, the rear leg 32 is pulled as the piston 52 is retracted into the cylinder 80 and the whole body moves forward along the axis, and the piston 52 can be moved forward by the stroke length.

In the cylinders 60 and 80 of the leg bodies 31 and 32 and the relay drive body 33, electromagnetic coils for inserting and retracting the respective pistons 51 and 52 against the elastic force of the coil spring are inserted, and If the introduction parts IN-1 and IN-2 are configured to be connected to the electromagnetic loop by inserting a current-carrying line, both the leg body and the relay drive body can perform walking control by an electric drive system.

Next, in the laying pipe 100, the front leg 3 is attached to the in-pipe walking device according to the present invention through universal joints UJ-2 and UJ-3.
1, a description will be given of a walking motion mode in a pipe of the walking unit 3 in which the relay driving body 33 and the rear leg 32 are connected in this order.
In (a), the piston 52 of the relay drive body 33 is contracted and remains retracted in the cylinder, and the contact bodies 62 of both the front and rear legs 31, 32 project and are fixed in a trampled state in which they contact the inner wall of the pipe. In the next step (b), the front leg 31
The compressed air is introduced into the power introduction part IN-1 of the piston 51, the piston 51 is retracted and retracted, the contact body 62 is separated from the inner wall of the pipe, and the power introduction part IN of the relay drive body 33 is formed in the next step (c). Compressed air is fed to -1, the piston 52 thereof projects forward and is pushed out, and the front leg 31 moves forward. In this state, the front leg is abutted and fixed in a state where the piston 51 is pushed up by the compressed air being fed to the power introduction portion IN-2 in the step (d) and firmly pressed against the inner wall of the pipe. (E)
At the step, since the air pressure is applied from the power introducing portion IN-1 of the rear leg 32 and the piston 51 is retracted, the contact body 62
Moves away from the inner wall of the tube. Then, in step (f), the relay drive body 3 in which the piston 52 keeps holding the protruding state
By supplying the atmospheric pressure from the power introduction unit IN-2 of No. 3, the piston is retracted and the rear leg 32 is pulled forward at the same time. Therefore, the operation thereafter is as described in (a) above.
In the case of walking forward and repeating backward by repeating the steps from (f) to (f), the rear leg 32 is moved forward and backward, and the front leg is moved backward by retracting the piston 52 of the relay drive body 33. The same operation as pulling to can be repeated. Therefore, depending on whether the power source is the installation environment of the laying pipe, such as a fire-prohibited area, soil, water, pipes along the wall surface, etc., electricity, gas, or fluid can be appropriately selected and used. Good.

Next, a description will be given below with reference to FIG. 3 showing an embodiment for remotely controlling the in-pipe walking device according to the present invention. A cable buffer block 42 is provided from the rear of the work implement 1 displaced in the pipe radial direction by the axial center holding spring 2 slidingly contacting the inner wall of the pipe to the walking portion 3 including the front leg 31, the relay drive body 33, and the rear leg 32 from the rear side. , Front leg power control unit 43, relay driver power control unit 44, rear leg power control unit 45, and cable connection block 4
A power source 41 having a power control unit 4 composed of 6 in each stage is formed by inserting universal joints UJ-1 to UJ-8 and is installed on the cable connection block 46 outside the tubular body for remote control. Via the power supply line or pipe 50 from
Illumination adjuster 11 for an in-pipe illumination lamp, controller 34 of walking unit 3, TV camera controller 21, and monitor imaging C
RT22 is connected.

As the working tool, a CC for intraluminal viewing is used.
The D camera, the cutter for grinding and cleaning the inner wall, and the jet jet nozzle for painting and the jet jet nozzle are replaced according to the work purpose, so that power and materials can be remotely controlled from the rear of the working tool. By doing so, it becomes possible to reliably fulfill the work purpose regardless of whether it is a pipe material, a straight pipe, a curved pipe body, or a joint pipe body having a different diameter, while the walking portion moves steadily and smoothly.

[0014]

As described above, according to the remote-controlled in-pipe walking device of the present invention, the power in the radial direction of the front and rear legs controlling the separation and contact with the inner wall of the pipe and the force between the front and rear legs are provided. As a result of the simple structure in which the power for driving the movement of the pipe body along the axis is introduced separately through the interposition, as a result, the pipe inner wall is maintained by the stable and strong stepping tension while always keeping the position in the pipe radial direction constant. The relay drive body interposed between the front and rear legs can be smoothly and steadily advanced or retracted by the expansion and contraction operation of the tube body in the axial direction, and the curved tube body Since the dimensions in the pipe radial direction and the axial direction can be shortened, the pipes can be smoothly passed according to the curvature of the pipe body by connecting them through the universal joint.
Further, by appropriately controlling the strength of the power in the pipe radial direction and the forward and backward movements also for the different diameter joint pipe, the abutting body on the side that comes in contact with and separates from the inner wall of the pipe at all times while keeping the inner position of the pipe stable. As a result of being able to adapt to the pipe diameter and to appear and disappear, it is possible to achieve a remarkable effect such that the seam can be continuously and smoothly passed.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B respectively show longitudinal side views of a leg body and a relay drive body of a remote-controlled in-pipe walking device according to the present invention. FIG. 1A is a state in which a piston of the leg body is depressed, and FIG. 6C shows a state where the piston of the relay drive body is extended, and FIG. 7D shows a state where the piston is contracted.

2 (a) to 2 (f) are operation explanatory views for moving a connecting body in which the leg body of FIG. 1 is used as a front leg and a rear leg and a relay drive body is inserted into the straight pipe body.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a connected columnar body including a working implement equipped at a leading portion that enters into a pipe, a walking unit, and a power control unit that is remotely operated from outside the pipe.

[Explanation of Codes] 3 Walking part 31, 32 Leg body 33 Relay driver 4 Power control part 51, 52 Piston 61, 62 Abutment body 71, 72 Air chamber 60, 80 Cylinder IN-1, IN-2 Power introduction Department

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Figure 3]

[Fig. 2]

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An in-pipe walking apparatus, which is inserted into a laying pipe for maintenance and inspection and is remotely controlled by means for detaching and contacting with an inner wall of the pipe from outside of the pipe, and is equipped with a working implement at the head, which is coaxial with the working implement. When a compressed fluid that is arranged above and is fed from outside the pipe is introduced through two flow paths, a front leg that causes the piston that separates from and contacts the inner wall of the pipe to project and retract in the pipe radial direction, and a universal joint that is coaxial behind the front leg. 2 through which the squeezing fluid is placed through
An expansion block that is introduced from the flow path and moves forward and backward by expansion and contraction of the piston in the pipe length direction is arranged coaxially behind the expansion cylinder via a universal joint, and the compression fluid
When it is introduced through the flow path, it is composed of a rear leg that connects and retracts the piston that separates from and contacts the inner wall of the pipe in the pipe diameter direction so that it can walk while adapting to the bend in the pipe diameter and pipe length direction. The feature is a remote-controlled in-pipe walking mechanism.