JPS61241282A - Travelling device within pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a device to travel automatically inside a curved pipe by allowing the device to repeat a looper like motion where the device includes a rotor which changes over a driving power source, numbers of feet which expand and contract to the circumferential direction of a pipe, and an expansion body which expands and contracts to the axial direction of the pipe. CONSTITUTION:A rotor 4 of a change-over valve 103 is rotated as a result of rotation of a motor 101 through a reduction gear 102 allowing air from an air line 19 to be switched over. This causes a rubber bag 8 to be inflated allowing it to contact closely to the inner surface of a pipe 499. Then, a bellows 110 is expanded permitting its foot 105 to move to the position of a foot 105A. Then, a rubber 6 of the foot 105A is inflated allowing it to contact closely to the inner surface of the pipe 499, then, air is discharged from both the rubber bag 8 and the bellows 110. In this case, the bellows 110 is contracted by a force of a coiled spring contained allowing a group of foot 107, the change-over valve 103 and the motor 101 to be advanced. As this configuration enables this device to travel automatically inside a long pipe of a small diameter, even if it is curved, by repeating a looper like motion. Thus, this device enables operations such as inspection and the like to be easily performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a traveling device that autonomously travels inside a small-diameter heat exchanger tube or the like for inspection.

[Background of the invention]

The conventional device uses a fluid pressure cylinder to alternately press the front and rear legs against the inner surface of the pipe and expand and contract in the axial direction of the pipe, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 52-134489.
It moves into the pipe using a so-called saku-tori main action. but,
Since the front and rear legs are moved using the same fluid line, the order in which the legs move is not determined, and there is a possibility that one leg may be released before another leg is pressed, and if this happens, it will not be possible to move in the case of a vertical pipe.

Furthermore, since four fluid tubes are required, the size becomes large.

Such points were not taken into consideration.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a traveling device that can reliably move by itself inside a curved and long pipe with a small diameter (1 inch or less).

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention connects each block of the traveling unit with a bent structure and is equipped with a switching valve rotated by a small motor, so that the traveling unit can perform the main automatic length-taking operation by itself. In addition, by using this rotation to send a signal with a constant period to other traveling units, multiple traveling units arranged at regular intervals of the fluid tube and cable can be run in conjunction with each other, and the traveling units before and after the fluid This traveling device is characterized by moving tubes, etc., and is capable of downsizing the traveling unit, reducing the number of fluid tubes, and ensuring reliable movement.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of one traveling unit 100, which includes front and rear legs 107, 105 (two or more of each are arranged in the inner circumferential direction of the pipe and make the same movement), a bellows 11
0 and a switching valve 103 equipped with a motor 101. The method of moving the traveling unit 1oO into the pipe 499 is to rotate the rotor 4 of the switching valve 103 using the rotational force from the motor 101 and the speed reducer 102, and alternately extend and contract the rubber bag 6.8 and the bellows 110. The vehicle is run using the so-called shaku-take method. This principle of operation is such that if the rotor 4 of the switching valve 103 is rotated by the motor 101 and the reducer 102, the path 15 of the rotor 4 rotates the path 1.
6 and the path 112 pass together, and air enters from the airline 19 to inflate the rubber bag 8 and bring it into close contact with the inner surface of the pipe 499.

FIG. 2 shows the state of the switching valve 103 in a cross section in the axial direction of the pipe 499. When the rotor 4 further rotates from this state, the path 112 in FIG. 1 becomes closed.
Another path 15B provided at a different position in the axial direction of the rotor 4 passes through the same path as the path 111, takes in air from the header 17 of the air line 19, and extends the bellows 110.
is moved to the position of foot 105A. When the rotor 4 rotates from this state, the path 111 is closed, and at the same time another path (not shown) placed at a different position in the axial direction of the rotor 4 is opened.
The passage 114 passes through the rubber bag 6 of the leg 105A, and the rubber bag 6 of the leg 105A is inflated and brought into close contact with the inner surface of the pipe 499. When the rotor 4 is further rotated, the path 112 passing through the rubber bag 8 becomes as shown in FIG. It is discharged to the outside via the path 13. This causes the rubber bag 8 to contract and separate from the inner surface of the pipe 499. From this state, the rotor 4 further rotates, and the air inside the bellows 110 is discharged to the outside using the same principle.

As a result, the bellows 110 is contracted by the force of a built-in coil spring (not shown), and the leg 107 and the switching valve 1
03 and the motor 101 are moved forward.

Furthermore, after rotating the rotor 4 and inflating the rubber bag 8,
The air in the rubber bag 6 is discharged to the outside and contracted according to the principle shown in FIG. By rotating the rotor 4 once in this manner, one cycle of inchworm operation can be performed. That is, foot 105,
107 and the bellows 110, the route groups shown in FIGS.
03 and the rotor 4 is continuously rotated, the traveling unit 100 moves in an inchworm motion.

In this case, the rotational speed of the rotor 4 must be set to a time that allows the rubber bags 6, 8 and the bellows 110 to sufficiently expand or contract.

When self-propelled within a pipe, if the vehicle travels a long distance or there are bends along the way, the cables used to pull it will act as resistance to the vehicle's travel. Therefore, this problem can be solved by connecting a plurality of travel units as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows an example in which two traveling units 100 and 200- are arranged side by side. If the bellows 210 of the second running unit 200 is expanded when the bellows 110 of the previous running unit 100 is contracted, the intermediate cable 131 and the air line 1
The movement of 9 is the pulling of the previous traveling unit 100.

It is easy to move by pushing the rear traveling unit 200 back and forth. Furthermore, a cable 131 in the middle,
By making the length of the air line 19 appropriate, the traveling resistance can be reduced, so that even a traveling unit with a relatively small force can easily move within the pipe.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of FIG. 4. The traveling unit 100 is connected to a subsequent traveling unit 200 via an air line 19 and a cable 131. In particular, each traveling unit 100, 200, etc. is connected to the air line 19 and the power line 131A of the motor 1o1゜201, so even if the number of traveling units increases, one air line 19 and one system (2 Cable 131A from this book is sufficient.

Cable 131 from power supply 20 via switch circuit 21
By the rotation of the motor 101 connected to A, the switching valve 103
The rotor (actually the rotor) rotates continuously, thereby sequentially delivering or exhausting air from the path 123 passing through the air line 19 to the paths 112, 114 connected to the legs and the path 111 connected to the bellows. Further, in order to start up the later traveling unit 200 at a predetermined timing, the switch 120 is operated via the cable 131B.

As a result, the motor 201 of the traveling unit 200 rotates, and the rotor of the switching valve 203 rotates. As a result, the paths 212 and 21 connected to the legs and the bellows via the path 223 branched from the air line 19.
4,211 in sequence, and travel unit 200
make the inchworm motion. In this case, similarly to the previous traveling unit 100, a traveling signal is sent to the next traveling unit (not shown) using the switch 220. It is sent out via the cable 231B and operated at a predetermined timing. In addition, switch 12
The motor 201 driven by 0 rotates even after the switch 120 is turned off, depending on the ON state of the switch 221. However, when the rotor of the switching valve 203 rotates once, the switch 221 is turned off and the motor 201 is stopped.

That is, it stops until an operation command signal is sent from the primary switch 120. This kind of operation is the same for the second and subsequent traveling units, which are activated by a command from the previous traveling unit. On the other hand, the motor 101 of the leading traveling unit 100 always rotates continuously.

When going backwards, by changing the polarity of the power supply 2° using the switch circuit 21, the inchworm operation will be performed in the completely reverse order. The reference traveling unit in this case is the same traveling unit 100 used when moving forward.

The temporal operations of a plurality of traveling units and the timing of signals will be explained with reference to FIG. The operation sequence (IS) of the leading traveling unit 100 advances by repeating six operations t1 to t6. In this case, the legs 105, 107 and the bellows 110 operate to supply and exhaust air at timings shown at 105T, 107T, and 110T. Here, the 0 level is the exhaust state, and in the operation diagram, it is contracted, so it is indicated by a small circle or a short bar. Also, in the operation diagram, the Lebel expands or expands when air is supplied, so it is shown with a large circle or a long bar. Furthermore, when the bellows 110 operates, it is indicated by adding an arrow to the bar. Signal 101T indicates the operation of the motor, and once it is turned ON at startup, this state continues until the power 11i is turned OFF.Signal 120T indicates the operation timing of switch 120 in Fig. 5. , now drives the next traveling unit 200. In other words, the traveling unit 200 is started at the time of operation t4. This traveling unit 2
The operation sequence (2S) of 00 is exactly the same as that of the traveling unit 100, and moves forward by repeating operations t4 to t9. However, the difference between the traveling unit 200 and the traveling unit 100 is that the motor (201) is stopped in each sequence, and the signal in this case is 201T, and the motor (201) is started again with the signal 120T from the previous traveling unit 100. Operate. The motor (2017) started in operation t4 turns on the switch 221 shown in FIG. 5 so that it continues to operate even if the signal 120T becomes O level. The timing in this case is as shown by signal 221T. That is, the motor (201) (7) operation signal 201T is the signal 1
When either signal 20T or signal 221T is at the level, the motor (201) is turned on.

The third and subsequent traveling units are also the second traveling unit 20
Operates the same as 0. In this case, the timing for starting the second to third traveling units is signal 220T.

Even if a large number of traveling units are connected in this way, they operate in exactly the same way and can move forward.

Next, the relationship between forward movement and reverse movement will be explained with reference to FIG.

The forward motion (in the direction of arrow P) is from t7 to t12, and at t8, the traveling units 100 and 300 extend, and the traveling unit 200 contracts. The cable 231 is moved forward by the traveling unit 200 and the traveling unit 300. Furthermore, the cable 131 moves forward as the traveling unit 100 contracts and the traveling unit 200 expands due to the operation of tll. In this case, the cable 331 also moves. In this way, the odd-numbered and even-numbered cables move separately.

When the command to move backward (in the direction of arrow R) enters the operation at t12, t
The operations from 7 to t12 are reversed.

That is, the running unit of R11 is 100, 200°30
The operation pattern for 0 is the same as for tll. However, the difference is that the cables 131 and 331 do not move. This movement of the cable 131° 331 is performed in the next RIO, and the cable 231 is moved in R7. In this way, the operation sequence in the case of reversing only requires a simple reverse operation, so the motors 101 and 2 shown in FIG.
If 01 is switched by a switch circuit, the desired operation will be achieved.

According to this embodiment, there is a first-order effect.

(1) Since the motor torque required to rotate the switching valve is sufficient, a very small motor can be used and the traveling unit can be downsized. As a result, not only the inner diameter of the pipe is 1 inch, but also
It can move by itself inside small-diameter pipes.

(2) Since the switching valve has a simple structure, it not only can be made smaller, but also operates reliably, improving reliability.

(3) Even if the number of traveling units increases, only one air line is required.
Since only two cable systems are required, the size can be reduced in this respect as well.

(4) Air lines and cables between traveling units can be moved easily by pushing and pulling the front and rear traveling units. Also.

If this traveling unit is placed at a predetermined distance between the airline and the cable, it can be moved even with a small traction force. moreover,
Even if the pipe is bent, it can be easily moved by pushing and pulling the cable and the bending structure of the traveling unit.

(5) Air lines and cables between traveling units can be moved in an orderly manner in odd-numbered and even-numbered units.

(6) You can freely move not only forward but also backward. Furthermore, the timing of this switching can be determined from any operating state.

(7) Traveling units are arranged at predetermined intervals.

A modified example or applied example in which there is no problem even if the length of the pipe becomes longer is shown in Fig. 8.This example is for each traveling unit)-50
It moves sequentially in steps of 0,600.

By turning on the switch 740 for a short time, the power supply 741 is turned on.
motor 50 connected to cables 751, 752 with a voltage of
Rotate 1. This allows the air path 523 of the switching valve 503 to pass through, turning the pressure switch 530 on. As a result, even if the switch 740 is turned off, the motor 501 is rotated by the voltage applied through the cables 750 and 752.

As a result, air passes through the switching valve 503 to the air path 5.
Air from 23 connects legs 514, 512 and bellows 511
It is sequentially supplied to the robot and runs on its own with an inchworm action. When the rotor of the switching valve 503 rotates once, the pressure switch 530 is turned to O.
The traveling unit 500 is brought into the FF state and stopped. Immediately before this stop, air is supplied to the path 531 and the pressure switch 620 is turned on. As a result, the motor 601 of the travel unit 600 is rotated, and the switching valve 603 sequentially switches the air from the path 623 to the legs 612, 614, and the bellows 611 to perform the inchworm action. In this case, the pressure switch 620 is turned on when the pressure switch 630 is turned on.
When it is in the OFF state, it becomes the OFF state. In addition, if there is no primary traveling unit that simultaneously turns off the pressure switch 630 and stops the next traveling unit through the path 531, the pressure switch 730 is activated by the air through the path 631.
When 0 is turned ON, the traveling unit 500 starts moving again. When it starts moving, the pressure switch 530 turns ON, so the pressure switch 730tt is turned OFF. Since this method consumes less air, it has the effect of allowing the air line 509 to be made thinner.

As an application example, an example using a memory shape alloy will be explained from FIG. 9. The motor 50 is rotated from a power source 90 via a cable 92. This rotation is transmitted to the rotary switch 52 via the decelerator 51. A power source 91 for heating the shape memory alloys 61, 71, 81 is connected to the rotary switch 52 via a cable 93. When this rotary switch 52 rotates, the cable 93 is rotated.

For example, when the cable 55 passes, it heats the shape memory alloy 61, so the shape memory alloy 61 expands while stretching the spring 62. As a result, the angle of the link 65 rotatably connected to the ring 60 changes, and the foot 64 is moved to the inner surface of the pipe.
Keep it away from 99. Conversely, since no voltage is applied to the cable 57, the shape memory alloy 81 is not heated and is in a contracted state due to the force of the spring 82. As a result.

Ring 80 slides along shaft 83 and links 85
The foot 84 is pressed against the inner surface 499 of the pipe. Movement in this case is limited by a stop 87.67. Furthermore, there is a memory shape alloy 71 for moving the legs 84, 64, and when a voltage is applied to this, a spring 72
The distance between the stoppers 87 and 66 is increased by increasing the distance between the stoppers 87 and 66. Conversely, if no voltage is applied to the shape memory alloy 71, the spacing will be shortened by the spring 72. These actions are the sixth
The traveling unit connected to the 6th order (not shown) is connected to the rotary switch 52 by a cable 59 which is a branch of the cable 92, so that the inchworm operation can be easily performed at the same timing as shown in the figure. A voltage is applied through the cable 54 to cause the movement. In this way, there is an advantage that it can be used without being limited to fluids such as air.

Needless to say, if the rubber bag or bellows of the embodiment is replaced by an air cylinder or other device that operates in the same way, the same effect can be obtained.

In the embodiment, it has been explained that all connected traveling units are moved, but for example, it is pointless to move traveling units that are not inside the pipe, and only increases the consumption of air and the like.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a switch that does not drive the traveling unit that does not enter the pipe. In particular, this switch is effective if it is in the OFF state when outside the pipe and automatically turned into the ○N state on the inside of the pipe when the user enters the pipe.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, since it is possible to move by itself in a curved and long pipe of small diameter, it is possible to easily perform inspections on small diameter pipes, which were conventionally considered impossible. In particular, the present invention is effective in being applicable to very small diameter pipes with an inner diameter of 1 inch or less.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of the side surface of a traveling unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of the switching valve, FIG. 4 is a side view showing the external shape of the traveling unit, and FIG. 5 6 is a block diagram showing the system of the traveling unit, FIG. 6 is a timing chart explaining the operation, and FIG. 7 is an operation diagram explaining the movement of the traveling unit. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing another modification, and 911 is a side view showing another driving method. 4...Rotor, 17...Header, 19...Air line, 100...Travel unit, 107...Legs,
110... Bellows, 200... Traveling unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A driving body that provides rotation, a rotating body that is rotated by the driving body and switches the driving source, a plurality of legs that extend and contract in the inner circumferential direction of the tube by the driving source, and an extensible and contractible body that expands and contracts in the axial direction of the tube by the driving source. 1. A traveling device in a pipe, comprising a body and a line that supplies a driving source to the rotating body.