JPH07232639A - In-pipe traveling device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To smoothly run in a pipe having a radius of curvature and to reduce the eccentricity and inclination of a connecting carriage on which a camera or the like is mounted with respect to the central axis of the pipe. [Structure] A connector 3 for connecting a drive carriage 2 having a drive mechanism that travels in a pipe 21 and a connection carriage 4 having a sensor and a camera 11 mounted thereon is connected in series to the connection spring 12 and the connection spring 12. It is composed of a universal joint 13. As a result, it is possible to improve the passage of the pipe including the curved pipe 21b and prevent the connecting carriage 4 from largely tilting from the center of the pipe, so that the sensor or camera 11 mounted on the connecting carriage 4 can be used. The work efficiency of inspection and inspection can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-pipe traveling device applied to maintenance inspections and in-pipe repair work of pipe structures of all plants, and more particularly to an in-pipe traveling device suitable for traveling in a curved pipe. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the maintenance of pipes used in plants for electric power, gas, chemicals, etc., an in-pipe traveling device equipped with a camera or the like is inspected for inspection of inner wall cracks, damage, deterioration of material, etc. Visual inspection is carried out by running the inside of the pipe by remote control from outside the pipe.

An in-pipe traveling device is, for example, as shown in FIG.
Drive cart 51 equipped with drive mechanism and this drive cart 51
And a connecting carriage 52 connected to the front of the driving carriage 51 in the traveling direction by a connecting spring 54. The drive carriage 51 has drive wheels 55a and 55b traveling on the same bus.
And a drive wheel 55c located on the bus bar facing the drive wheels 55a and 55b. On the other hand, the connecting carriage 52
Are front wheels 56a, 5 in front of and behind the vehicle body 53 on which a camera and the like are mounted.
6b and rear wheels 57a, 57b are connected via springs 58a, 58b and 59a, 59b. This front wheel 56
a, 56b and the rear wheels 57a, 57b are connected to the connecting carriage 52.
A skid wheel is used to center the in the tube.

In order to drive the in-pipe traveling device 50 constructed as above in the pipe 60, the driving wheels 55a, 55b, 55c of the drive carriage 52 are pressed against the inner wall of the pipe by a remote operation from the outside of the pipe. The vehicle was driven by the drive mechanism provided in the truck 51.

[0005]

However, when such a traveling device is remotely operated to pass through a curved pipe called an elbow, as shown in FIG.
By bending 4 in a shape substantially along the curved pipe 60b, the reaction force of the connecting spring 54 is applied to the front wheel 56a and the rear wheel 57b from the front wheel 56b and the rear wheel 57a, and the vehicle body 53 moves from the central axis 60a of the pipe 60 by θ. I was inclined. As a result, since the photographing range of, for example, a camera mounted on the vehicle body 53 does not extend in the circumferential direction perpendicular to the tube axis, the entire inspection location (circumferential direction perpendicular to the tube axis).
In order to observe, the traveling device had to be repeatedly moved forward, backward, and rotated, and a complicated operation had to be performed. Therefore, work efficiency is also reduced,
Moreover, it was difficult to judge whether it was possible to observe completely.

Further, in the case where the drive carriage 51 and the connecting carriage 52 are connected to each other by using a plurality of universal joints, there is a problem that the structure is complicated and the cost is increased.

[0007]

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is a connecting trolley that smoothly travels in a pipe having a radius of curvature and has a camera or the like mounted on the central axis of the pipe. It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-pipe traveling device capable of reducing the eccentricity and inclination of the.

[0008]

The in-pipe traveling device of the present invention which achieves the above object is connected to a drive carriage having a drive mechanism for traveling in the pipe, and a connector in front of the traveling direction of the drive carriage. In the in-pipe traveling device including a connecting carriage, the connecting device includes a bendable elastic member and a bending unit connected in series to the elastic member and bending in at least two directions.

[0009]

The connecting carriage is moved forward by being pushed from the rear by the driving carriage having the driving mechanism connected by the coupler, and when the connecting carriage enters the curved pipe of the pipe, the elastic member of the coupler is bent and the connecting carriage is connected. The trolley smoothly runs along the shape of a curved pipe. At this time, the connecting carriage tends to incline from the central axis of the pipe due to the reaction force of the elastic member, but the bending force of the bending means absorbs the reaction force of the elastic member. Thereby, the passage property of the pipe including the curved pipe portion can be improved. Also,
Since it is possible to prevent the connecting carriage from tilting significantly from the center of the pipe, check with cameras etc. mounted on the connecting carriage,
The work efficiency of inspection can be improved.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the in-pipe traveling apparatus of the present invention comprises a drive carriage 2 equipped with a drive mechanism, and a connecting carriage 4 connected to the front of the drive carriage 2 in a traveling direction by a coupler 3.

The drive carriage 2 has three drive wheels 5a, 5b, which are respectively connected to the shafts of a variable speed motor as a drive mechanism.
5c. The drive mechanism is a flexible cable tube 16
It can be controlled by a signal from the operation unit outside the tube via the cable inside. The drive wheels 5a and 5b run on the same bus bar, and the drive wheel 5c is located on the bus bar that faces the drive wheels 5a and 5b, and presses the inner wall of the pipe 21 by a spring (not shown). There is. The spring is
When the drive carriage 2 travels in the pipe by operating the drive wheels 5a, 5b, 5c, even if it is a vertical pipe, it has a repulsive force that stably holds the drive carriage 2 on the central axis of the pipe 21. is there.

The connecting carriage 4 is provided with a vehicle body 6 on which a sensor (not shown) for inspection or inspection and a camera 11 are mounted, and front and rear wheels 7a, 7b and a rear wheel 8a are provided in front of and behind the vehicle body 6.
8b is connected via springs 9a, 9b and 10a, 10b. The springs 9a, 9b and 10a, 10b adjust the distance to the point where the vehicle body 6 and the front wheels 7a, 7b and the rear wheels 8a, 8b contact the pipe inner wall, and the front wheels 7a, 7b and the rear wheels 8a, 8b fix the pipe inner wall. A pipe 2 that presses against the gravity received by the connecting carriage 4 and enables the position of the connecting carriage 4 to be held.
1 has a force of pressing the inner wall. Side-slip wheels are used for the front wheels 7a, 7b and the rear wheels 8a, 8b in order to centrally hold the connecting carriage 4 in the pipe. The skid wheels are covered with rubber or the like, and rollers that rotate in the pipe circumferential direction are provided at a predetermined angle pitch.

The camera 11 mounted on the connecting carriage 4 has a geared motor (not shown) for adjusting the focal length, which is connected to the cable in the cable tube 16, and a geared motor for inclining the camera shaft. Further, the camera 11 is configured so as to secure the amount of light necessary for capturing an image. The connector 3 includes a connection spring 12 that is an elastic member, and a universal joint 13 that is a bending unit that is connected to the connection spring 12 in series. The connection spring 12 is fixed to the connection carriage 4, and the universal joint 13 is fixed to the drive carriage 2. Since both ends of the universal joint 13 are fork-shaped and are connected to the cross-shaped arms 14A and 14B by the pins 15A and 15B, the cross-shaped arms 14A can be fixed to the drive carriage 2. , 15B inserted into and fixed to the drive carriage 2 are aligned with the axis Y direction of the drive carriage 2.

In order to inspect and inspect the inner wall of the pipe using the in-pipe traveling device 1 having such a structure, a sensor or a camera is connected to the front of the drive carriage 2 by a connector 3 in which a universal joint 13 and a connecting spring 12 are connected in series. The connecting carriage 4 carrying 11 is connected and inserted into the pipe 21. The variable speed motor and the steering motor of the drive carriage 2 are operated via the cable in the cable pipe 16 to drive the drive wheels 5a, 5b of the drive carriage 2,
5c is pressed against the inner wall of the pipe 21 with a desired pressing force to hold the drive carriage 2 at the center of the pipe and at the same time to allow the propulsive force of the drive mechanism to advance the traveling device. The connecting carriage 4 is pushed by the driving carriage 2, and the springs 9a, 9b and 10a, 10b are pushed.
Front wheels 7a, 7b and rear wheels 8a, 8 respectively connected to
When b presses the inner wall of the pipe, the vehicle body is held at the center of the pipe and advances in the pipe.

When the traveling device 1 in the pipe passes through the curved pipe portion, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, the springs 9b and 10 of the connecting carriage 4 are used.
so that the front wheels 7b, 8b connected to b are on the inner ring side,
The drive wheels 5a, 5b, 5c of the drive carriage 2 are operated. When the connecting carriage 4 is advanced to the curved pipe 21b in this state, the connecting spring 12 bends in the shape of the curved pipe 21b as the connecting carriage 4 moves, so that the connecting carriage 4 travels smoothly in the curved pipe 21b. Can be made. Further, the connecting carriage 4 is a curved pipe 21.
When traveling b, the reaction force of the connecting spring 12 is applied to the front wheels 7b and the rear wheels 8a from the front wheels 7a and the rear wheels 8b, and the vehicle body 6 moves to the pipe 21.
Although it tends to incline from the central axis 21a of the connecting spring 12, the universal joint 13 connected in series to the connecting spring 12 causes the connecting spring 1 to move.
Since it rotates in the direction (A direction) that softens the reaction force of 2,
The reaction force of the connecting spring 12 is weakened, the inclination of the vehicle body 6 with respect to the central axis 21a of the pipe 21 is reduced, and at the same time, the passability at the welded portion 22 can be improved.

Therefore, even when the in-pipe traveling device 1 passes through the curved pipe 21b, the vehicle body 6 does not come off from the central axis 21a of the pipe 21. Therefore, if the sensor or the camera 11 mounted on the connecting carriage 4 is rotated at the position of the inspection point, it is possible to capture an image over the entire circumference of the inspection point (the circumferential direction perpendicular to the tube axis) with one rotation. The received signal from the sensor or the camera 11 is sent out via the cable in the cable pipe 16 and can be externally monitored.

Further, although the universal joint 13 is used as the bending means in the present embodiment, the bending means is not limited to this, and any bending joint such as a ball / socket (ball joint) joint is not limited. Bending means may be used.
As a result, it is possible to surely bend the curved tube regardless of the tubular shape. The above description is one example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the driving carriage is not limited to the three-wheeled one, and may be any one as long as it can travel in the pipe. Further, it is not limited to detecting the state of the inner wall of the pipe, and can be suitably used because it can travel on the central axis of the curved pipe even when cleaning or the like.

[0018]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the in-pipe traveling apparatus of the present invention, the drive carriage having the drive mechanism for traveling in the circular pipe is connected to the front of the traveling direction of the drive carriage by the coupler. In the in-pipe traveling device including the connected cart, the connector includes a bendable elastic member and a bending unit that is connected in series to the elastic member and bends in at least two directions. It can be driven to improve the passage of pipes including curved pipes, and since it is possible to suppress the tilting of the connecting carriage from the center of the circular pipe, it is possible to inspect and inspect with a camera mounted on the connecting carriage. The work efficiency of can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a pipe traveling device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a traveling state in a pipe by the in-pipe traveling device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional example.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a traveling state in a pipe according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of reference numerals] 1 ... In-pipe traveling device 2 ... Drive carriage 3 ... Coupler 4 ... Connection carriage 5a, 5b, 5c ... Drive wheels 6 ... Car body 7a, 7b ... Front wheels 8a, 8b ... Rear wheels 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b ... Spring 11 ... Camera 12 ... Connection spring 13 ... Universal joints 14a, 14b ... Cross arm 15a, 15b ... Pin 16 ... Cable tube

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Tokuni Shiraishi 2-4-10 Sanjo, Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture CXR Co., Ltd. (72) Ryoji Kanehara 2-4-10 Sanjo, Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture CX R Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An in-pipe traveling apparatus comprising: a drive carriage having a drive mechanism for traveling in a pipe; and a connecting carriage connected to a front portion of the drive carriage in a traveling direction by a coupler.
The in-pipe traveling device, wherein the connector includes a bendable elastic member and a bending unit connected in series to the elastic member and bending in at least two directions.