JPS60219170A - Active body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To select the moving function automatically with correspondence to the environment by constructing a moving body with a body, more than three multi-function wheels, an auxiliary mechanism for supporting the body, a rack section mounted with working machineries and an eye confirming section. CONSTITUTION:When moving from flat land to a ladder 32, an auxiliary wheel 33 is deployed downward to support the body at three points together with a wheel 7 fixed to the frame body 4. Then the wheel 7 fixed to the free multi- joint arm 8 is hooked to the ladder 32 and grasped to pull the body to the ladder 32 while controlling said arm 8. Then a hook 11 is hooked to the step of ladder 32 thus to support the body 1a by means of the hook 11 and the wheel 7 of the frame body 4 while simultaneously contain the auxiliary wheel 33 and to hook said arm 8 to the upper step of ladder. Thereafter, the frame body 4 is pulled and hooked to the step of ladder 32.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention is applicable not only to flat areas but also to stairs, vertical ladders, piping,
It relates to active objects that move stably and efficiently through narrow spaces, ceilings, etc.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Generally, in nuclear power plants, patrols and periodic inspections of various equipment are carried out to ensure safe operation.

Inspection work that is necessary for such patrol inspections and periodic inspections is
It must not be carried out under high I)J radiation doses.

Further, there is no means for dealing with abnormal events without stopping plant operation in the event of an abnormality that affects the safe operation of the plant.

Therefore, unmanned automatic inspection devices have been proposed to reduce radiation exposure of workers and deal with abnormal events.

This type of automatic inspection device is formed by mounting various devices for performing inspection work on a moving body that moves within a nuclear reactor building.

These moving objects include those that move along tracks, those that move by crawlers, those that move by wheels, those that move by arm bodies or arm wheels, and those that move by multipedal walking. □There are things like that.

However, in the above-mentioned track method, since the movable body can only move along the track, the locations to be inspected are limited and cannot provide sufficient measures.

In the crawler system, the weight of the running part is heavy and the moving speed is slow, and it is necessary to devise measures such as moving the center of gravity to overcome obstacles.

In addition, although the wheel system has a high movement speed, it has a low ability to overcome obstacles, such as stairs and vertical ladders (hereinafter referred to as ladders).
The usable range at nuclear power plants, where there are many nuclear power plants, was extremely limited.

Arm-type or arm-wheel-type mobile units have good ability to overcome obstacles, but they are heavy and occupy a relatively large space, making them inefficient in terms of space.Furthermore, the arm rotates when overcoming obstacles, making it difficult to move up and down. The movement becomes a big one.

Multi-legged walking is complicated to control, the moving speeds of obstacles and stairs (approximately 45 degrees or less) are close, the structure is complex, and because there are many legs, the center of gravity moves a large amount, so it is difficult to keep the center of gravity constant. I needed to.

In this way, conventional mobile bodies have their own problems, but in addition, each mobile body has steep stairs (45 degrees or more) and ladders on the access route for patrol inspection and inspection work. Because there is nothing that can move along the route, this becomes a major obstacle in replacing and overcoming manual patrol inspection and inspection work, and as a result, automation is not achieved in some parts, resulting in high labor costs for humans. There was an inconvenience in that it was not possible to completely relieve oneself from working under radiation doses.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and is capable of running and walking, and can be used not only on flat ground but also on stairs,
The purpose is to provide an active body that can be freely moved on ladders, walls, ceilings, wells, piping, etc. and is equipped with various types of equipment.

(Part 1 of the Invention) The active body of the present invention includes a main body, three or more multifunctional wheels that are movable relative to the main body, an auxiliary mechanism that supports the main body, and an inspection mechanism. It is made up of a rack section equipped with work equipment and an external world recognition section, and automatically selects the movement function according to the external environment such as floors, grading, stairs, ladders, walls, large moons, piping, etc. It is characterized by the ability to change the shape of the body and move.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11.

Figure 1 shows the active body of this example.

Main unit 1 (actuator, power supply, information processing unit (all shown)
The signal transmitting/receiving device @3, the rack 2, the mounting seat 12a, the connector 12b, etc. are on the right side. The rack section 2 has a structure in which necessary equipment can be mounted from the hatch section 9 depending on the inspection and work contents.

Further, a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 46 are installed in front of the main body 1.

The mounting seats 12a and connector 12b have a structure that allows addition of an arm, a manipulator, etc.

A frame 4 (41) is attached to one end of the main body 1 so as to be able to expand and contract in the front and back direction (in the AB force direction).
Wheels 7 are attached to both left and right ends of the wheel via middle wheel support fittings 5. Furthermore, the frame body 4 is formed to be expandable and contractible in the left-right direction (c-d direction). The wheel is attached to the frame 4 so as to be freely bendable around the e-axis by an actuator 6 made of a shape memory alloy.

Further, a multi-joint arm 8 having multiple degrees of freedom is attached to the other end of the main body 1, and a wheel 7 is provided at the tip. The multi-joint arm 8 has a structure for driving the wheels 7, and is also bendable and steerable. A stereoscopic image sensor 10 is installed in the bubble window 10a of the rack 2 via a three-dimensional pan head. A knock 11 is attached to the lower surface of the main body 1.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the hook 11.

This hook 11 is attached to the main body 1 by a shaft 13 so as to be rotatable in directions (f to q), and a shape memory alloy hook spring 16 that drives this hook 11 is fixed by a stopper 15.

Then, an electric current is applied to this shape memory alloy hook spring 16.
! It is driven by applying current through j117. The rubber 14 forming a part of the hook 11 is for stabilizing the hook by greatly reducing the frictional force with the object to be used as the boat during movement.

FIG. 3 shows a wheel 7 supported by a frame and a wheel support fitting 5.
It shows.

The actuator 6 supports a shape memory alloy bending actuator 20 via a stopper 19 and a terminal portion (electric wire). The duct 18 connects the air duct 1-, which connects the suction plate 25 to the suction control part 21, and the wheel 7 by m! Consists of electrical wiring and covering material.

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the wheel 7 attached to the tip of the multi-jointed arm.

This wheel 7 has exactly the same structure as the wheel 7 attached to the wheel support fitting 5. The wheel 23 is an articulated arm 8
is fixed to the tip of the drive shaft 30 of. This drive shaft 30
The wheel 23 is rotatably mounted by a bearing 22.

The suction plate 25 is attached to the wheel 28 by a ring 28 and bolts 24 so as to be sandwiched therebetween. As shown in FIG. 5, the wheel 7 is attached to the wheel 27 by a bolt (not shown) inserted into the attachment hole 7e. The electric wire for power supply and control to this wheel 7 is the in-shaft wiring 29
, are wired through the holes of the current collector 26 and the ring 28. This wheel 7 is formed by a contact sensor 43a, a contact sensor coating +443b, a grasping actuator 44, and a grasping unit 45.

This grasping unit 45 receives pressure from the contact sensor 43,
The grasping actuators 44 are driven based on the presence or absence of contact and a command signal from the main body 1, and are arranged radially around the wheel as shown in FIG. 11.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, the hook 11 and wheels 33 are attached to the lower surface of the main body 1.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the wheels 7 are in a running mode.

(Movement on the Ladder) FIG. 7 shows a state in which the robot is climbing the ladder 32.

In any case, move with at least three points supporting the main body.

Now, as an example, a case will be described in which the main body 1 is moved from step 31d to step 31C. The main body 1 has three wheels 7
It is fixed to the ladder 32 by. That is, the two wheels 7 on the step 31f are fixed by the pressing force in the c-d direction and the a direction due to their own weight, and the gripping force of the wheels 7, and the one wheel 7 on the step 31b is fixed on the step 31b. It is fixed by a force saw and a gripping force in the j direction from . Then, by extending the main body 1 from a to b while controlling the multi-joint arm 8, the hook 11 of the main body 1 moves from step 31d to step 31G.

The shape memory alloy 16 has only a certain amount of spring force against the force in the h direction in FIG. It is bent in the C direction, and when it passes through, it is expanded in the q to f directions by the spring force of the shape memory alloy hook spring 16. After that,
The main body 1 is contracted in the direction a and fixed to the step 31. After this hook 11 is fixed, the two wheels 7 are bent by the actuator 6 of the wheel support fitting 5 and removed from the step 31f, and each wheel 7 is moved upward to the step 31e while avoiding the movement of the frame 4. The body 4 is extended from d to direction C, and seven wheels are rolled out and fixed on step 31e in the same way as on step 31f. At this time, considering that the wheel 7 on step 31b will be moved next, the main body 1 is pressed from b to a direction with such force that the wheel 7 grasped on step 31e does not come off.

Next, the wheel 7 on the step 31b is moved to the step 31a by the multi-pAm arm 8, and the wheel 7 is again pushed in the direction of i to j while gripping with the wheel 7.

Note that it is also possible to move two steps in - times of operation.

FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) show a state in which the steps 31, which have different diameters depending on the wheels 7, are grasped.

At a3 in FIG. 8, one body 1a is transitioning from the flat running surface 34 to the rudder 32, while the other body 1b is at step 35.
” is shown moving.

(Moving from flat land to ladder) When moving from flat land 34 to ladder 32, first deploy the auxiliary wheels 33 downward and support the main body 1a at three points together with the wheels 7 attached to the frame body 4.

Next, the wheel 7 attached to the now free multi-joint arm 8 is hooked onto and grasped by the ladder 32, and the main body 1a is pulled toward the ladder 32 while controlling the multi-joint arm 8.

Next, the hook 11 is pulled to the step of the ladder 32.

While the main body 1a is supported by the knock 11 and the wheels 7 of the frame 4, the auxiliary wheels 33 are stored at the same time, and the multi-joint arm 8 is fixed by being hooked to the step of the ladder above it.

The frame body 4 is pulled while being fixed by the wheels 7 of the multi-joint arm 8 and the hook 11, and is pulled onto the steps of the ladder 32. In this way, the state shown in FIG. 7 is reached.

(Stair climbing) When climbing stairs, use the shape memory alloy hook spring 16.
energized, the hook 11 is moved in the q direction, and is stored inside the main body.At the same time, the auxiliary wheels 33 are deployed so that the step and the main body 1b can move smoothly on the stairs. do.

Next, the wheel 7 at the tip of the multi-joint arm 8 is used as a stabilizer by leaning so that the suction plate 25 is in contact with the stairs. The movement is performed by pulling the main body 1b while moving the wheels 7 at the tip of the multi-joint arm 8 step by step. At this time, the wheels 7 and auxiliary wheels 3 attached to the frame body 4
3 uses the brakes when necessary for stability.

(During suction walking) When suction walking, the hook 11 is housed in the main body 1, and the hook 11 is moved by the three wheels 7 and the auxiliary wheels 33. The working order is first the wheel 7 at the tip of the multi-joint arm 8, second the auxiliary wheel 33, and finally the wheel 7 of the frame 4. The same applies to the movement of ceilings and walls.

(Regarding the grasping function) As shown in FIG. Then, the grasping actuator 44 is driven and grasped by a command signal from the main body 1 or the like.

The grasping units 1 to 45 are arranged radially around the axis of the wheel 7, and the contact sensors 43 are similarly arranged in a circle around the heel. The contact sensor 43 has one above the oil
When the contact sensor is N, the contact sensor around the contact sensor does not turn ON.

This is to prevent unnecessary grasping actuator 44 from operating and interfering with the operation of the grasping actuator.

Also, if there is contact between the rudder and the rudder step, 2
The point contact sensor turns on, but in this case the angle is about 9
Since it is shifted by 0°, it does not interfere. In this way, the structure is such that in remote locations, up to two can be turned on at the same time.

(Movement inside and outside the pipe) Movement within the pipe is possible by similar movements such as running and sucking. Outside the pipe, the frame expands and contracts according to the diameter of the pipe, and the multi-joint arm 8 is controlled to move while traveling or adsorbing.

(Recognition of the external world) The external world is recognized mainly by processing information from the stereoscopic image sensor 10 and the ultrasonic sensor 46 in an information processing section. The positions, shapes, dimensions, etc. of the stairs and ladder steps are recognized by processing information from a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, and also by the contact sensors 43 of the wheels 7.

In addition, when selecting a driving mode that matches the route situation, the image information from the 3D image sensor is processed and compared with basic patterns (memorized in advance) such as stairs, ladders, ceilings, and piping. Selected. This is part of the information processing section.

In this way, the active body of this embodiment can move, walk, and adsorb, and can move freely not only on flat ground, but also inside and outside stairs, ladder ceilings, and piping, and can be equipped with various devices. It has the following effects:

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment in which a sensor arm 37 and an operating manipulator 38 are mounted on the mounting seat 12.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment in which an arm wheel 39 is attached to the mounting seat 12 and a hand 41 is provided in place of the multi-joint arm 8.

In addition, the ability to move on a ladder may be improved by replacing the frame body 4 with a multi-jointed arm.

In addition, - the position of the knock 11 and the auxiliary wheel 33;
The number, structure, etc. may be changed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In this way, the active body of the present invention can be used on floors, on gratings, on stairs, on ladders, etc., by means of a bendable and telescoping frame, multifunctional wheels and hooks attached to the ends of multi-jointed arms, wheels, and an external world recognition device. It is possible to improve accessibility by automatically selecting the movement function according to the external environment such as walls, ceilings, piping, etc. It is also possible to perform inspection work automatically and unattended, and it is possible to In this way, it is possible to reduce exposure to workers, improve the work environment and safety, improve work reliability and reduce inspection work time, and improve plant operation rate. This has the effect of allowing for early detection and treatment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the active body of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the IJ footer, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wheel, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wheel. Sectional side view, 5th
The figure is an enlarged sectional view of the wheel, FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are sectional views showing the state in which the step is gripped by the wheel, and FIGS. 7 and 8 show the moving state of the active body. The perspective view, FIGS. 9 and 10 show other implementations, and the perspective view and the 11th side view are diagrams for explaining the grasping function. 1...Body, 7...Car, ring, 11...Hook, 3
2... Vertical ladder (ladder) 33... Auxiliary wheels. Applicant's agent Kiyoshi Inomata #1 Zubo 2 section l Figure 5 #Otsu Urido anotq diagram/θ diagram

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rack equipped with a main body, three or more multifunctional wheels movable relative to the main body, an auxiliary mechanism for supporting the main body, and equipment for inspection and work. An active body having a part and an external world recognition part. 2. The active body according to claim 1, wherein the multifunctional wheels are formed to be capable of running, walking, suction, grasping ladder steps, handrails, or supports. 3 Auxiliary functions can be installed one or more on a part of the main body [
2. The active body according to claim 1, wherein the active body is formed by a hook or a wheel that stabilizes, stops, and fixes during movement in coordination with multifunctional wheels.