JPH0840261A - In-pipe traveling truck device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve the attitude holding of a device in a pipe and the adjustment of the traveling direction by the simple and compact constitution. CONSTITUTION:As for an in-pipe traveling truck device which is constituted so that the proper working members 18 and 19 are mounted on a traveling truck 1 which travels along the pipe center axis direction inside a pipe body P having a circular section, the steering-enabled main wheels 8 and 9 which are installed at both the end parts in the traveling direction of the traveling truck 1 and are at the center part in the truck width direction provided. Further, at both the end parts of the swing members 3 and 4 which extend on both the sides along the axial direction of the main wheels 8, and 9, and swing integrally, interlocked with the steering of the main whees 8 and 9, auxiliary wheels 6, 6,... which are rotatable for the positions separated properly in the peripheral direction of the pipe body from the grounded positions of the main wheels 8 and 9 on the inner surface of the pipe body P, and the support of the dead weight of the device, attitude holding in the longitudinal direction, and the adjustment of the traveling direction are carried out by the main shafts 8 and 9, and the attitude holding in the lateral direction of the device is carried out by the auxiliary wheels 6, 6,....

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 carriage device used for traveling in a pipe having a relatively large diameter and for performing various operations such as inspection and cleaning of the pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a large-scale plant such as a nuclear power plant, a large number of pipes such as a water conduit having a relatively large diameter are installed. It is necessary to check and clean the
When working inside such a pipe body, it is customary to use an in-pipe traveling carriage device including a traveling carriage that travels in the pipe body in the direction of the central axis of the pipe.

As a prior art relating to such an in-pipe traveling carriage device, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-293267, a link having a scissor mechanism for a wheel abutting on an upper surface side and a wheel abutting on a lower surface side of the tube is provided. , And urging the link in the expansion direction by a spring force presses the wheels to the upper and lower surfaces in the pipe to bring them into a tensioned state to maintain the posture of the carriage in the pipe. It is known that a wheel is provided with a drive mechanism and a steering mechanism, and the drive mechanism causes the carriage to travel and the steering mechanism adjusts the traveling direction.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional in-pipe traveling carriage apparatus, since the wheels disposed at the two upper and lower positions are used to stretch the upper and lower surfaces of the inside of the pipe to maintain the posture thereof, this pipe is particularly useful. When the body is a large-diameter tube, the height dimension of the device is inevitably large, and there is a problem in that the device becomes large and the weight and cost increase. In addition, there is a problem in that a biasing means for stretching between the upper and lower surfaces in the pipe is required, and the structure of the device is complicated accordingly.

Further, as to the adjustment of the traveling direction, since the structure is such that the upper and lower surfaces of the pipe are stretched as described above, in order to adjust the traveling direction against the traveling resistance, each wheel has a steering mechanism. There is also a problem in that the structure of the device and the steering control thereof are both complicated.

Therefore, the present invention has been made as an attempt to provide an in-pipe traveling carriage device capable of maintaining the posture of the device in the pipe and adjusting the traveling direction with a simpler and more compact structure.

[0007]

According to the present invention, as a concrete means for solving such a problem, an appropriate work equipment is mounted on a traveling carriage that travels inside a tubular body having a circular cross section in the direction of the central axis of the tubular body. In the in-pipe traveling bogie device, the main wheels that can be steered are provided at both ends in the traveling direction of the traveling bogie and in the central portion in the bogie width direction, and both sides of the main wheels are axially arranged. To the both ends of the oscillating member that extends in the direction of the main wheel and integrally oscillates in conjunction with the turning of each of the main wheels, and is appropriately separated from the grounding position of the main wheel on the inner surface of the tube in the circumferential direction of the tube. It is characterized in that it is equipped with auxiliary wheels that can be rolled depending on the position.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the following actions and effects can be obtained with such a configuration. That is, the traveling carriage supports the entire weight including its own weight by the steerable main wheels arranged at both ends in the traveling direction and in the center in the carriage width direction, and the main wheels themselves are driven to rotate. Alternatively, the traveling carriage is driven by push and pull to travel by the respective main wheels, and the traveling direction is adjusted by steering the respective main wheels. Further, tilting in the left-right direction of each of the main wheels of the traveling cart as a fulcrum extends to both sides along the axial direction of each main wheel and swings integrally with the steering of each main wheel. Each auxiliary wheel provided at both ends of the moving rocking member is prevented by rolling on the inner surface of the pipe at a position appropriately separated from the grounding position of the main wheel in the circumferential direction of the pipe. The horizontal posture of the entire traveling carriage device is maintained.

As described above, the in-pipe traveling carriage apparatus according to the present invention is arranged at the respective main wheels grounding the lower surface side of the pipe body to hold the posture of the in-pipe traveling carriage apparatus in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. It is realized by each auxiliary wheel, and it is not realized by striking the lower surface side and the upper surface side of the tubular body as in the above-mentioned known example, so that compared with the case of the known example. The height of the entire device can be set lower, and the device can be made compact and the cost can be reduced accordingly. The compactness of the device is particularly remarkable when the entire device is carried in and out of the pipe through a limited space such as a manhole provided in the pipe.

Furthermore, the total weight of the device is supported by each main wheel,
Since each auxiliary wheel simply supports the tilting force of the traveling carriage in the left-right direction with the main wheel as a fulcrum, the wheels are urged to the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the pipe body as in the above-mentioned known example. There is also an advantage in that the structure of the apparatus can be simplified and the weight thereof can be achieved without the need of a biasing means for doing so.

On the other hand, when the ground contact position of each of the main wheels deviates from the vertical line passing through the pipe center in the left-right direction as the traveling vehicle travels, tilting of the traveling vehicle in the left-right direction with the main wheel as a fulcrum is restricted. The ground contact position of each of the above auxiliary wheels with respect to the inner surface of the pipe is also displaced in the circumferential direction, and as a result, the entire traveling carriage device in the pipe is tilted in the left-right direction. The floor surface that should be maintained at will tilt to the left and right. In this case, the workbench can be easily and quickly brought into a horizontal state by turning the main wheels to return the main wheels to the vertical line. In other words, by operating the main wheels so that the positions of the main wheels coincide with the vertical line, the workbench can be kept in a horizontal state at all times. The in-pipe traveling carriage device provided with the workbench is particularly effective in improving workability and work safety.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 to 3 show an in-pipe traveling carriage device Z according to an embodiment of the present invention. The in-pipe traveling carriage device Z is a device used for inspecting or cleaning the inside of a pipe body P such as a large diameter water pipe in a large-scale plant such as a nuclear power plant, and is a self-propelled type described below. The two work platforms 18 and 19 are attached to the traveling trolley 1 of the above, and each of the above work pedestals 1 is formed while the traveling trolley 1 is traveling.
Workers on board 8 and 19 perform predetermined inspection and cleaning work.

The traveling trolley 1 includes a base material 2 made of a girder material having a predetermined length, a first oscillating material 3 and a second oscillating material 4 both made of a girder material of a predetermined length. I have it. The first oscillating member 3 and the second oscillating member 4 are oriented with their axial directions orthogonal to the axial direction of the base material 2 so as to form a substantially H-shaped frame together with the base material 2. In a state where the central portion in the axial direction is attached to the both end portions 2a and 2b of the base material 2 by the pivot pin 1
It is pivotably attached by 0 and 10.

Further, the first rocking member 3 and the second rocking member 4 described above.
Main wheels 8 and 9 are attached via a main wheel support bracket 7 to the lower surface side of the central portion in the axial direction and to the position coaxial with the pivot pin 10. Therefore, when the first rocking member 3 and the second rocking member 4 are steered in the rocking direction by the steering cylinders 11 and 12, which will be described later, the first main wheel 8 and the second main wheel 9 are Will be steered together with. The main wheels 8 and 9 are rotationally driven by the traveling motor 13, respectively.

On the other hand, auxiliary wheels 6 are attached to both ends of the first rocking member 3 and the second rocking member 4 via arm members 5, respectively. As for the mounting position and direction of the auxiliary wheel 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the extending direction of the rocking members 3 and 4 is orthogonal to the tube central axis L ₀ of the tube body P (see FIGS. 5 and 6). In a direction in which the main wheels 8 and 9 are in contact with the inner surface Pa of the pipe P, the pair of left and right auxiliary wheels 6 and 6 provided on the rockers 3 and 4 respectively It is appropriately set so that it can approach or contact the inner surface Pa of the body P as much as possible to hold the respective swing members 3 and 4 in a horizontal posture.

A first steering cylinder 11 and a second steering cylinder 12 are arranged between the base material 2 and the rocking members 3 and 4, respectively. The main wheels 8 and 9 are appropriately steered within the range of the angle α around the base material axis L ₃ as shown in FIG. 2 by the expansion and contraction of the steering cylinders 11 and 12. It is like this. In addition, each of the main wheels 8,
The steering operation of the steering wheel 9 is performed by a manual operation by a worker who sits on a workbench 18 or 19 described later, and the steering modes thereof include the steering of the main wheels 8 and 9 in the same direction and the reverse operation. There is steering in the direction.

The first workbench 18 is composed of a rectangular frame body having a predetermined size, and is vertically movable to a position near the first main wheel 8 of the traveling carriage 1. It is arranged. That is, on the upper surface side of the base material 2, a pair of left and right columns 15, 15 are erected in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the columns 15 and 15 lift up and down while supporting the first work table 18. A table 16 is attached so as to be slidable in the vertical direction along each of the columns 15 and 15. The lift table 16 is supported by lift cylinders 17 arranged on the columns 15 and 15 and is lifted integrally with the first work table 18 as the lift cylinders 17 expand and contract. The first workbench 18 is mainly used for inspection work on the upper side of the pipe body P and the like, and is set in a raised position (shown by a chain line in FIGS. 1 and 3 (reference numeral 18 ')). ) Position) is located above the pipe P.

The second workbench 19 is the first workbench 1
Although it is composed of a rectangular frame body of a predetermined size similarly to 8, it is mainly used for inspection work of the lower side of the pipe body P and the like, and is different from the first work table 18 described above. , Is fixedly arranged at a position near the second main wheel 9 of the traveling carriage 1 by bolting.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 23 is an illumination lamp provided on the first work table 18 and the second work table 19, and 21 is a control unit 21. Further, the in-pipe traveling carriage device Z carries in and out of the pipe body P through the manhole. Therefore, in this embodiment, the base material 2 of the traveling carriage 1 and the first rocking member 3 are provided. The second swing member 4 can be disassembled by inserting / removing the pivot pins 10 and 10, and the auxiliary wheels 6 and 6 provided on the swing members 3 and 4, respectively.
Also, each of the main wheels 8 and 9 has a bolt tightening structure. Further, the lower ends of the pillars 15 and 15 have a fitting structure with the base material 2 and are bolted. The control unit 21 is also bolted to the base material 2.

Subsequently, the in-pipe traveling carriage apparatus Z having such a structure
The operating state and the like in the case of performing in-pipe work by using the above will be described. When performing in-pipe work, first, the in-pipe traveling carriage device Z is disassembled into each member and sequentially carried into the pipe body P from the manhole. Then, this is assembled in the tubular body P, and at that time, desirably, the substrate axis L _{3 of the} substrate 2
Assemble with the tube center axis L ₀ of the tube body P aligned in the vertical direction. Therefore, after the assembly is completed, as shown in FIG. 3, the vertical axis L ₄ of the in-pipe traveling carriage device Z extending vertically from the main wheels 8 and 9 through the centers of the columns 15 and 15 is The first work table 18 and the second work table 19 are in a horizontal state in which the vertical line L ₂ passing through the center is substantially matched.

In this state, a worker mounts on each of the worktables 18 and 19, and each of the traveling motors 13 and 13 rotatably drives each of the main wheels 8 and 9 to drive the in-pipe traveling carriage device Z.
Perform a predetermined pipe work while traveling at a predetermined speed. In this pipe work, for the safety of work, each workbench 1
It is desirable that 8 and 19 are held horizontally. However, in actuality, even if the horizontal state is initially set as described above, the main wheel 8 as shown by the solid line in FIG. , 9 may shift in the left-right direction. When the displacement in the left-right direction occurs in this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the longitudinal axis L ₄ of the in-pipe traveling carriage device Z has a predetermined inclination angle (θ) with respect to the vertical line L ₂ , and each of the worktables described above. 18, 19 will be inclined to the left-right direction. In this case, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 4, the steering cylinders 11,
12 is operated to steer the main wheel direction lines L ₅ and L _{6 of} the respective main wheels 8 and 9 so as to be directed toward the pipe central axis L ₀ toward the front in the traveling direction, and the pipe center of the base material axis L ₃ Aim to return to the axis L ₀ side. As a result, the in-pipe traveling carriage apparatus Z is quickly improved in its inclined state, and the respective worktables 18 and 19 are brought into the horizontal state. That is, in this embodiment, the main wheels 8 and 9 are appropriately steered to operate so that the base material axis L ₃ always coincides with the pipe central axis L ₀ , so that each workbench 1 is always operated.
By holding 8 and 19 horizontally, the work in the pipe can be performed more safely.

On the other hand, when the in-pipe traveling carriage device Z travels in the curved pipe portion of the pipe body P, as shown in FIG. 6, the first oscillating member 3 and the second oscillating member 4 of the traveling dolly 1 are moved. By turning the first main wheel 8 and the second main wheel 9 by angles β ₁ and β _{2 with} respect to the base material axis L _{3 so} that the axis passes through the center of curvature Q of the pipe P, The traveling carriage device Z includes the worktables 18 and 1 described above.
Cornering is performed smoothly while maintaining the horizontal state of No. 9, and the safety of the work inside the pipe at the curved pipe portion is sufficiently ensured.

Further, in the in-pipe traveling carriage device Z of this embodiment, the posture holding in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is arranged on each of the main wheels 8 and 9 which are in contact with the lower surface of the pipe P and on the side thereof. Since it is realized by each auxiliary wheel 6, 6, ..., The height of the device can be set lower than the diameter of the pipe P, and the device can be made compact and low. It can contribute to cost reduction,
Particularly, the compact structure is suitable for carrying the in-pipe traveling carriage device Z into and out of the pipe body P through the manhole as in this embodiment.

Furthermore, the in-pipe traveling carriage apparatus Z of this embodiment
In, the total weight of the device is supported by each main wheel 8,9,
Since the tilting force of the traveling carriage 1 around the main wheels 8 and 9 as a fulcrum in the left-right direction is supported by the auxiliary wheels 6, 6, ... There is also an advantage that the urging means for urging the wheel is not required on the upper surface side and the lower surface side, and the structure of the apparatus can be simplified and the weight can be reduced accordingly.

In the present embodiment, the steering operation of the in-pipe traveling carriage apparatus Z is manually operated by the operator, but the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the automatic control can be performed based on the inclination angle of. In addition, in this embodiment, work benches 18 and 19 are provided as work equipment,
It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, various equipment such as a cleaning water jet nozzle and a cleaning brush can be provided as working equipment.
Furthermore, although the traveling carriage 1 is of a self-propelled type in this embodiment, it may be of a towed type, for example, in another embodiment of the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a traveling vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view on arrow III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a traveling state of a straight pipe portion of the traveling vehicle shown in FIG.

5 is a view taken along the line VV of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a traveling state of a curved pipe portion of the traveling vehicle shown in FIG. 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a traveling carriage, 2 is a base material, 3 is a first swing member, 4 is a second swing member, 5 is an arm member, 6 is an auxiliary wheel, 7 is a main wheel support bracket, 8 is a first main wheel, 9 is the second main wheel, 10 is the pivot pin,
11 is a first steering cylinder, 12 is a second steering cylinder, 13 is a traveling motor, 15 is a column, 16
Is a lifting platform, 17 is a lifting cylinder, 18 is a first workbench,
Reference numeral 19 is a second workbench, 21 is a control unit, 22 is a weight, 23 is an illuminating lamp, P is a pipe, and Z is an in-pipe traveling carriage device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An in-pipe traveling carriage apparatus comprising a traveling carriage that travels inside a pipe body having a circular cross section in the direction of the pipe center axis, with appropriate work equipment mounted thereon, wherein the traveling carriage has a traveling direction. A main wheel that can be steered is provided at both ends of the vehicle and in the center portion in the width direction of the bogie, and the main wheels extend to both sides along the axial direction of the respective main wheels and are interlocked with the steering of the respective main wheels. At both ends of the swinging member that integrally swings, auxiliary wheels that are rollable to positions on the inner surface of the tubular body that are appropriately spaced in the circumferential direction of the tubular body from the grounding position of the main wheels are respectively provided. An in-pipe traveling carriage device characterized by being provided.