JPS63162175A - Working robot in piping - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a robot for working inside piping that moves by itself inside piping and performs various tasks, and is particularly suitable for piping that has branch pipes. Regarding internal work robots.

(Conventional technology) Pipelines that transport substances are used for long periods of time1, and deposits corresponding to the substances being transported are generated inside the pipes, increasing pipe resistance and deteriorating transport efficiency. Various works such as cleaning, inspection, and repainting are being carried out on a regular basis.

Conventionally, when the diameter of the pipe is large, this work has to be done manually by people entering the pipe, and when the diameter of the pipe is small, the pipe system is divided into workable units according to the various work. It was.

Recently, various types of automated piping work robots have been developed in consideration of worker safety, depending on the type of piping.

These robots for working inside pipes basically have a main body equipped with a working part and a traveling part. Various types of working units suitable for various types of work have been proposed and put into practical use.

In addition, the running part generally runs horizontally with wheels or crawlers, but there is also a spiral running where the inner wall of the pipe is attracted by magnetic force and rotates in a spiral, and where the front and rear feet are stuck inside the pipe. Intermittent running, in which the tension is connected by a link mechanism or the like, and the front and rear legs are alternately pushed, has been proposed and put into practical use.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in either traveling system, as shown in FIG. In the pipe 1 to which the branch pipe 1d is connected through the pipe 1, the work robot 2 transfers to the branch pipe 1d and cannot work inside the branch pipe ld.Furthermore, in the spiral running and intermittent running, the main If the tee tb was connected to the piping 1a, it was also impossible to pass through the tee 1b.

For this reason, the working robot was brought in again from the other end of the branch pipe 1d and the main pipe 1a.

However, as shown in FIG. 4, if a valve 18 or the like is installed at the other end of the plumber, it is necessary to cut the pipe 1 and divide it into sections for various operations. When decomposed like this,
There were many problems such as leaks may occur due to defective reassembly, and a large amount of time was spent on disassembling and reassembling.

Furthermore, for underground or underwater pipes, it is difficult to cut and disassemble the pipes, so it is not possible to bring the work robot back in. Therefore, if the pipe is large in diameter, workers may have to enter inside the pipe to perform various tasks. However, this was not desirable because it required work under adverse conditions such as oxygen deficiency, danger of harmful gases, and dark and slippery conditions. In addition, if workers cannot enter the pipe, various operations cannot be performed, and the pipe must be used with deposits on it, resulting in loss in material transportation and equipment that the end of the pipe is connected to. This will result in significant damage to the species.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a robot that can work on pipes such as branch pipes connected to main pipes.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a main body equipped with a traveling device that self-propels within a pipe, an attitude control device installed in this main body, and an attitude control device installed in this main body. A robot for working inside piping, characterized in that it is equipped with a traveling device connected to and capable of self-propelled, and a working device for working inside the piping, and a working part whose working posture is changed by the posture control device. provide.

(Function) In the device configured as described above, by being carried into the piping, the main piping is self-propelled by the traveling device provided in the main body, and the work inside the piping can be performed by the working device. In the branch pipe connected to the main pipe, by operating the attitude control device,
The working posture of the working device can be made to match the connection direction of this branch pipe, and after that, it becomes possible to perform work within this branch pipe while self-propelled by a running device provided in the working section. .

(Example) Regarding an example of the robot working inside piping according to the present invention,
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a main body of a robot for working inside pipes, and the lower part of this main body 3 is equipped with an axle 4 for self-propulsion, a distance meter, etc. that can measure the position of the main body 3 within the pipe. Further, an attitude control device 5 is mounted on the upper part of the main body 3. This posture control device 5 includes a tilting plate 6C connected to a base 6a via a hinge 6b, and a telescopic bag consisting of a piston cylinder or the like provided between the base 6a and the tilting plate 6c to tilt the tilting plate 6c. 6d, and a lifter mechanism 7 consisting of an expandable and retractable multiple link 7a connected to the tilting mechanism 6.

Further, a working section 8 is detachably connected to the attitude control device 5. This working section 8 has a running bag that can be moved intermittently by a link mechanism consisting of a working device 9 that works on the pipes, and a link 10c that connects front legs 10a and hind legs 10b and t. It consists of 10. Note that this traveling device 10 can change the opening and closing angles of the front and rear legs 10a and 10b by adjusting the lever ratio of the link 10c.

Next, the effect will be explained. First, connect tee 1 to main pipe 1a.
A case in which work is performed on the branch pipe 1d connected vertically upward through the pipe b will be described with reference to FIG. The main body 3 travels within the main pipe la using wheels 4, and using a distance meter or the like capable of measuring the traveling distance based on the number of revolutions of the wheels 4, the main body 3 is automatically stopped at a predetermined position below the branch pipe 1a. In order to confirm and correct this stop position, it is also possible to monitor the inside of the piping with a TV camera or the like, and adjust the position of the main body 3 by remote control from the outside.

After the main body 3 is stopped at a predetermined position in this manner, the attitude control device 5 is activated. In the case of a vertically upward branch pipe 1d, the tilting mechanism 6 is not operated, and the lifter mechanism 7 is extended to insert the working part 8 into the branch pipe ld.

The working part 8 inserted into the branch pipe ld has front and rear legs 10a, 1
It is fixed within the branch pipe ld by stretching 0b.

After that, this working part 8 and the attitude control bag f! 5 and the clamper 11 is released so that the 1 working part 8 can run independently. When the work unit 8 is recovered after completing one work in which various works are performed by the work device 9 in the branch pipe 1d while intermittently traveling by the traveling device 110 using the link mechanism of the work unit 8, the work unit 8 is recovered in the reverse order.

Next, a case where a pipe 1e having a center axis shifted from the center axis of the main pipe 1a is connected to the main pipe 1a will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As in the case of the vertically upper branch pipe 1d, the main body 3 is automatically stopped at a predetermined position immediately before the piping 1e whose center axis is shifted.

After stopping, the tilt mechanism 6 is operated to rotate the working part 8 about 90 degrees about the hinge 6b, and the lifter mechanism 7 is extended to insert the working part 8 into the pipe le. Thereafter, the clamper is released and the first working part 8 is allowed to run independently, in the same manner as in the case of the branch pipe 1d.As shown in FIG. When connected to a different pipe 1e.

The traveling bag of the working part 8 [10 (link mechanism) and the traveling device of the main body 3] without releasing the clamper! It is also possible to use (wheels 4) to pass a reducer that becomes an obstacle to running.

As described above, various operations can be performed not only on the main pipe 1a but also on the branch pipe 1d connected to the main pipe 1a.

In the above embodiment, wheels 4 are used as a traveling device for the main body 3.
Although we have described an example in which a link mechanism is adopted as a traveling device for the working section 8, the present invention is not limited to these traveling methods. Even in this case, the same operation and effect as in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, the installation position of the working part 8 is not limited to the upper part of the main body 3, but may be at the front, etc. Furthermore, the direction of the connected branch pipe to which the piping work robot according to the above implementation can be applied is limited to the upward and forward directions. It is possible to deal with almost any direction, such as downward direction or diagonal direction, without being affected.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, a working unit equipped with a traveling device is mounted on a main body equipped with a traveling device via an attitude control device,
Since the attitude of the working section can be changed by this attitude control device, various operations can be performed even on the branch pipe in a pipe in which the branch pipe is connected to the main pipe.

Therefore, the scope of robot work inside the piping is greatly expanded, and the automation rate and safety of various operations inside the piping can be increased.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the robot for working inside pipes according to the present invention, FIGS. The figure is a schematic diagram of a conventional piping work robot and piping. 3...Main body, 4 wheels (traveling device), 5...
- Attitude control device, 6... Tilt mechanism, 7... Lifter mechanism, 8... Working section. 9... Working device, lO... Traveling device. Agent Patent Attorney Noriyuki Chika Yudo Hirofumi Mitsumata Figure 1 Figure 3 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A main body equipped with a traveling device that is self-propelled within the piping, an attitude control device installed in this main body, a traveling device that is connected to the attitude control device and can be self-propelled, and the interior of the piping. 1. A robot for working inside piping, comprising: a working device for performing work, and a working part whose working posture is changed by the posture control device. 2) The posture control device is a device having a lifter mechanism that adjusts the distance between the main body and the working section, and a tilting mechanism that tilts the working section. A robot that works inside piping. 3) The robot for working in piping according to claim 1, wherein the working section is detachably connected to the attitude control device. 4) The robot for working in piping according to claim 1, wherein the working section is mounted and connected to the upper part of the main body via the attitude control device. 5) The robot for working in piping according to claim 1, wherein the working part is connected to the front part of the main body via the posture control device.