KR101671200B1 - Robot for cleaning dust in pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

A pipe cleaning robot according to the present invention for almost completely removing foreign matter accumulated on the inner wall of a pipe from a pipe inner wall is provided with a main body inserted into the pipe, a driving part for driving the main body from the inside of the pipe, A rotation part for supporting the injection part from the main body such that the injection part is rotated by the pressure at which the air is injected, and a suction part for sucking foreign matter separated from the inner wall of the pipe, so that the foreign matter accumulated inside the pipe can be pneumatically So that the reliability of cleaning the inside of the pipe can be improved.

Description

[0001] Robot for cleaning dust in pipe [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a pipe cleaning robot, and more particularly, to a pipe cleaning robot which is inserted into a pipe and travels inside a pipe to suck foreign matter accumulated inside the pipe and discharge the foreign substance to the outside of the pipe.

Various types of process gases are used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Toxic gases harmful to the human body may be used as the process gas, and it is necessary to maintain the process gas temperature at a high temperature in accordance with the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The pipe used for supplying or discharging the process gas is too small for the operator to input, and the pipe is separated and replaced in order to ensure the safety of the operator.

However, since the method of replacing the piping does not allow the equipment to be used while the piping is being replaced, not only the production efficiency is lowered but also the equipment cost and labor cost for replacing the piping are increased.

Therefore, recently, a device for cleaning the inside of a pipe has been developed. Such a pipe cleaning apparatus has already been disclosed in "Korea Registration Office 20-0412324; Inspection and Cleaning Robot for Piping". The patent is constructed to remove foreign matter accumulated inside the piping by using a brush.

If the inside of the piping is physically cleaned by using the brush, there is a problem that the inside of the piping can not be properly cleaned because a gap is formed where the brush does not contact the inner wall of the piping.

Also, as described above, when cleaning the inside of a pipe maintained at a high temperature, the cleaning robot is exposed to a high temperature, so that the durability of the apparatus is remarkably lowered.

Korean Registration Practice No. 20-0412324

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe cleaning robot for almost completely removing foreign matter accumulated on an inner wall of a pipe from an inner wall of a pipe.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a piping cleaning robot that can perform pipeline cleaning safely even when it is put into a high-temperature piping.

The pipe cleaning robot according to the present invention is characterized in that the pipe cleaning robot includes a main body to be inserted into a pipe, a driving unit to drive the main body in the pipe, a jetting unit to jet air toward the inner wall of the pipe, And a suction unit for sucking foreign substances separated from the inner wall of the pipe.

The sprayer may include at least one nozzle disposed in a radial direction of the pipe to form a spiral vortex inside the pipe that rotates about a central axis of the pipe.

The driving unit includes a cylinder supported by the main body and driven by air pressure, a driving module supporting the driving wheel and rotating the driving wheel, a slider connected to the output end of the cylinder, And a link connecting the slider and the driving module so as to be in close contact with the inner wall of the slider.

The pipe cleaning robot includes a first pneumatic line connected to the cylinder, a second pneumatic line in which a pneumatic pressure is formed separately from the first pneumatic line, and a second pneumatic line connected to the second pneumatic line, And a distributor for distributing the electric power.

A portion of the air distributed from the second pneumatic line through the distributor may be injected toward the inner wall of the pipe by the jetting portion.

Wherein the pipe cleaning robot further comprises a camera module installed at a front end of the main body for photographing a front of the main body, wherein a part of the air branched from the second air- So that the camera module can be prevented from being contaminated by the foreign matter.

The air supplied to the camera module is supplied to the camera module through the control unit installed in the main body and the driving module so as to cool the control unit and the driving module, and foreign substances penetrate into the control unit and the driving module Can be prevented.

The pipe cleaning robot may further include a brush supported by the rotation part and rotated together with the injection part.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The piping cleaning robot according to the present invention separates and accumulates foreign substances accumulated in piping by pneumatic pressure and sucks and discharges the piping.

Further, since the pipe cleaning robot according to the present invention air-cools the pipe cleaning robot using pneumatic pressure, the pipe cleaning can be safely performed even if the pipe is put into a high-temperature pipe.

1 is a conceptual view briefly showing a piping cleaning system constituted by a piping cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.
2 is a perspective view showing a pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.
3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a driving unit of the pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.
4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of a pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.
5 is a perspective view showing a control unit of the pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment being opened.
6 is a sectional view for explaining the flow path of the pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.
7 is an operation diagram showing a camera module cleaning operation of the pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.

The terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of the term in order to best describe its invention It should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only examples of the present invention, and are not intended to represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, so that various equivalents and modifications may be made thereto .

Hereinafter, a piping cleaning robot according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a conceptual view briefly showing a piping cleaning system constituted by a piping cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.

1, the pipe cleaning robot 100 according to the present embodiment can be operated together with a robot controller 200, an image storage unit 300, a pneumatic pressure generator 401 and a vacuum suction unit 402 .

The robot controller 200 controls the driving of the pipe cleaning robot 100. The robot controller 200 may be connected to a power cable 210 for supplying electric power to the pipe cleaning robot 100 and a signal cable 220 for transmitting and receiving signals between the pipe cleaning robot 100 and the pipe cleaning robot 100. The image storage unit 300 may be embedded in the robot controller 200. The video storage unit 300 may store an image acquired by a camera module installed in the pipe cleaning robot 100, which will be described later.

Here, the pipe cleaning robot 100 inserted in the pipe extends the traveling wheel toward the inner wall of the pipe by using air pressure, and can clean the inside of the pipe.

Accordingly, the pneumatic pressure generator 401 may be connected to supply lines for supplying the pneumatic pressure required for the pipe cleaning robot 100. The supply lines are divided into a first pneumatic line 410 connected to the pipe cleaning robot 100 for expanding the traveling wheel and a second pneumatic line 420 connected to the pipe cleaning robot 100 for cleaning the pipe .

In FIG. 1, the first pneumatic line 410 and the second pneumatic line 420 are shown as being connected to the pipe cleaning robot 100 from the pneumatic pressure generator 401 as a separate line. In another embodiment, the first pneumatic line 410 and the second pneumatic line 420 are taken out from the pneumatic pressure generator 401 in the form of a single line, branched from the pipeline cleaning robot 100, A valve may be provided to control the air pressure individually.

The vacuum suction device 402 discharges the foreign substance sucked by the pipe cleaning robot 100 to the outside of the pipe. The vacuum suction device 402 and the pipe cleaning robot 100 may be connected by a vacuum suction pipe 430. The vacuum suction device 402 may be provided as a vacuum pump.

1, the pneumatic pressure-generating device 401 and the vacuum suction device 402 are shown as separate components, but the pneumatic pressure-generating device 401 and the vacuum suction device 402 are integrally formed, The air may be filtered, and the filtered air may be compressed and circulated.

The power cable 210, the signal cable 220, the first and second supply lines 410 and 420, and the vacuum suction pipe 430 are connected to each other by a single cable installed in a pipe made of a flexible material. Can be connected to the robot.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing a driving unit of the pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.

2 and 3, the pipe cleaning robot 100 may include a main body 110, a driving unit 120, a rotation unit 130, a jetting unit 140, and a suction unit 150.

The main body 110 together with the driving part 120 forms the skeleton of the pipe cleaning robot 100. The main body 110 may include first and second bases 111 and 112 spaced in the longitudinal direction of the pipe T. [

The driving unit 120 may be disposed between the first base 111 and the second base 112. The driving unit 120 includes a cylinder 121, a guide 122, a slider 123, a link 124, a return spring 125, a driving module 126, a traveling wheel 127, can do.

The plurality of cylinders 121 may be arranged radially with respect to the center of the first base 111 and the second base 112. A first pneumatic line 410 is connected to the cylinder 121 and is driven by pneumatic pressure. The guide 122 may be connected to the center of the first base 111 and the second base 112. The slider 123 includes a transfer block 123a having a through hole formed at the center thereof and a plurality of connecting bars 123b extending radially from the transfer block 123a and connected to respective output ends of the plurality of cylinders 121 can do. A plurality of links 124 are provided and one end and the other end of the plurality of links 124 are rotatably connected to the plurality of connecting bars 123b and the driving module 126, respectively.

The return spring 125 is disposed between the slider 123 and the first base 111 to elastically support the slider 123 from the first base 111. The traveling wheel 127 and the supporting wheel 128 are rotatably installed in a driving module 126 supported by the link 124. [ The driving module 126 may be connected to the power cable 210 and the signal cable 220. Although not shown, the driving module 126 may include a case, a motor, a reducer, and a motor controller installed inside the case. Since such a driving module 126 is a technology well known in the art, a detailed description will be omitted.

The slider 123 is advanced by the control of the air pressure supplied to the cylinder 121 and the link 124 is rotationally driven as the slider 123 is advanced, (128) can be expanded toward the inner wall of the pipe (T). The slider 123 is moved backward by the control of the air pressure supplied to the cylinder 121 and the link 124 is rotationally driven to rotate the drive wheel 127 and the support The wheel 128 can be compressed toward the pipe cleaning robot 100.

On the other hand, when the pipe cleaning robot 100 stops the air in the cylinder 121 from outside due to a failure or the like in the pipe T, the slider 123 can be moved backward by the return spring 125 . Accordingly, the traveling wheel 127 and the supporting wheel 128 can be compressed toward the pipe cleaning robot 100. Thus, the return spring 125 allows the tubular cleaning robot 100 to be pulled freely in the interior of the pipe T in an emergency.

At this time, the return spring 125 may be provided as a coil spring whose diameter gradually decreases forward. That is, the return spring 125 is preferably provided as a non-linear spring. This is because when the slider 123 returns due to the sudden elastic force when the slider 123 returned by the elastic force of the return spring 125 returns to the home position, the slider 123 collides with the second base 112, The return spring 125 is rapidly deformed when the slider 123 is advanced and the return spring 125 is slowly deformed when the slider 123 is returned because the load may be applied to other components connected to the slider 123, So that the slider 123 can be restored more stably.

As the traveling wheel 127 and the support wheel 128 are extended toward the inner wall of the pipe T as described above, the main body 110 maintains a state of being in close contact with the inner wall of the pipe T, . Therefore, as the length of the pipe T becomes long, a high traction force and an adhesion force can be secured against the load applied to the pipe cleaning robot 100.

4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of a pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first base 111 may be provided with a rotation unit 130. The rotating part 130 includes a moving body 131 supported on one surface of the first base 111 and a rotating body 132 coupled to the moving body 131 so as to be rotatable about the moving body 131 . The rotation unit 130 is provided with a flow path for supplying compressed air smoothly to the jetting unit 140 even if the rotating body 132 rotates when the compressed air is jetted by the jetting unit 140, The flow path will be described in detail later.

The jetting section 140 may include at least one nozzle 141 coupled to the outer surface of the rotating body 132. Preferably, a plurality of nozzles 141 are provided, and the plurality of nozzles 141 may be radially arranged around the rotating body 132.

The nozzle 141 communicates with the second pneumatic line 420 and injects the compressed air toward the inner wall of the pipe T. [ At this time, the rotating body 132 can be rotated by the jetting force of the compressed air injected from the nozzle 141.

Here, it is preferable that the nozzle 141 is disposed in the radial direction of the pipe T. The air injected from the nozzle 141 is sprayed toward the inner wall of the pipe T and the air striking the inner wall of the pipe T is discharged to the inside of the pipe cleaning robot It is possible to move forward and backward in both directions.

At this time, since the nozzle 141 supported by the rotating body 132 is rotated, a spiral vortex can be formed in both forward and backward directions of the pipe cleaning robot 100. The vortex formed in front of the pipe cleaning robot 100 separates the foreign substances located in front of the pipe cleaning robot 100 from the inner wall of the pipe T. The vortex formed behind the pipe cleaning robot 100 Foreign matter separated from the inner wall of the pipe T is transported toward the suction unit 150 so that the foreign substance can be smoothly sucked into the suction unit 150. [

Also, the vortex formed in front of the pipe cleaning robot 100 serves to cool the piping T at a high temperature in advance, and the vortex formed in the rear of the pipe cleaning robot 100 cools the pipe cleaning robot 100 The pipe cleaning robot 100 can be protected from the high temperature environment.

The nozzle 141 is disposed in the radial direction of the pipe T. However, the shape of the pipe T, the use of the pipe T, the components of the foreign substances accumulated in the pipe T, The nozzle 141 is arranged in the radial direction of the pipe T so that the angle of the nozzle 141 is inclined toward the front of the pipe cleaning robot 100 or inclined toward the rear of the pipe cleaning robot 100, Can be adjusted.

A plurality of brushes 133 may be provided on the outer surface of the rotating body 132. The brush 133 can be rotated together with the rotating body 132. The brush 133 is attached to the inner wall of the pipe T so as to physically separate the foreign matter that is not separated by the jetting force of the air. The brush 133 can be selectively detached depending on the shape, purpose, and the like of the pipe T.

On the other hand, the camera module 160 may be disposed in front of the moving body 131. The camera module 160 may include a lens 161, an image sensor 162, and an illumination 163. The lens 161 allows the image of the inside of the pipe T to be picked up by the image sensor and the illumination 163 ensures the illuminance inside the pipe T so that the inside of the pipe T can be easily picked up. The image sensor 162 may be a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), a charge-coupled device (CCD), or the like.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the suction unit 150 may be disposed behind the second base 112. The suction unit 150 may be connected to the vacuum suction pipe 430. The suction unit 150 may include a suction pipe 151 that is opened in the form of a fall pipe that gradually expands toward the front. The suction unit 150 separates from the inner wall of the pipe T and sucks foreign matter that is scattered.

Hereinafter, a flow path of air supplied to the pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a control unit of a pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow path of the pipe cleaning robot according to the present embodiment.

5, the control unit 101 is for connecting the signal lines connected to the driving module 126 and the camera module 160 to the signal cable 220, May be provided in the chamber.

On the other hand, the pipe cleaning robot 100 can expand the traveling wheel 127 toward the inner wall of the pipe T by using the air pressure formed through the first pneumatic line 410. The first pneumatic line 410 may be connected to the cylinder 121 for this purpose. That is, the first pneumatic line 410 may be introduced into the control unit 101 through one side wall of the second base 112 facing the suction unit 150. A plurality of connection ports 411, such as nipples, connected to the plurality of cylinders 121 may be disposed in the control unit 101. The first pneumatic line 410 may be branched into a plurality of connection ports 411, respectively. Thus, the air supplied to the cylinder 121 through the first pneumatic line 410 forms the pneumatic pressure necessary for the extension of the traveling wheel 127.

On the other hand, the pipe cleaning robot 100 can clean the pipe T by using the air pressure formed through the second pneumatic line 420, thereby preventing contamination of the camera module 610. Accordingly, the pipe cleaning robot 100 may include a distributor 170 for efficient distribution of air pressure formed through the second pneumatic line 420.

That is, the second pneumatic line 420 can be inserted into the control unit 101 through one side wall of the second base 112. The distributor 170 may be disposed inside the control unit 101 and the second pneumatic line 420 may be connected to the distributor 170. Each of the cylinders 121 may have a through hole 121a penetrating in the longitudinal direction. The second pneumatic line 420 may be connected to the respective through holes 121a by passing through the other side wall of the second base 112 which is diverged and directed to the cylinder 121.

The first base 111 may have a communication hole 111a communicating with the through hole 121a. The outer circumferential surface of the moving body 131 is formed with an opening groove 131a which opens in the circumferential direction and the opening groove 131a is communicated with the communication hole 111a. The rotating body 132 may be provided with a spray hole 132a communicating with the opening groove 131a and communicating with the nozzle 141. [ The air supplied through the second pneumatic line 420 is distributed through the distributor 170 even though the rotating body 132 is rotated and is discharged through the through hole 121a, the communication hole 111a, the opening groove 131a, It can be smoothly supplied to the nozzle 141 through the injection hole 132a.

The pipe cleaning robot 100 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the power cable 210 and the signal cable 220 are led into the inside of the control unit 101 for power supply and signal transmission and reception of the traveling wheel 127 And the cables 210 and 220 may be inserted into the driving module 126 through the second base 112. The second base 112 and the driving module 126 may be connected to each other by a connecting pipe 113 made of a flexible material for connecting the cables 210 and 220. The cables 210 and 220 can be connected from the control unit 101 to the inside of the case of the driving module 126 through the inside of the connection pipe 113. [

Therefore, the pipe cleaning robot 100 according to the present embodiment can form an air curtain for preventing contamination of the pipe cleaning robot 100 by using air supplied through the second pneumatic line 420, For example, the control unit 101, the driving module 126, the camera module 160, and the like.

That is, a branch hole 171 may be formed in one side wall of the distributor 170. The air supplied to the distributor 170 through the second pneumatic line 420 can be supplied to the inside of the control unit 101 through the branch hole 171. [ The air supplied into the control unit 101 can be supplied into the case of the driving module 126 through the connection pipe 113. [ The air supplied to the inside of the case of the driving module 126 serves as an air curtain for preventing foreign substances in the piping T from penetrating into the case of the driving module 126 and air is cooled by the driving module 126 .

The case of the driving module 126 and the first base 111 may be connected to each other by a transfer tube 114 made of a flexible material. The transfer tube 114 may be connected to the hollow 122a of the guide 122 by a transfer hole 111b formed in the first base 111. [ A transfer chamber 111c may be formed between the guide 122 and the transfer hole 111c to form a smooth air pressure of the air to be transferred to the hollow 122a of the guide 122. [ Therefore, the air inside the case of the driving module 126 can be supplied to the hollow 122a formed in the guide 122. [

The guide 122 may be opened through the inside of the camera module 160 through the moving body 131. The air supplied to the interior of the camera module 160 prevents the lens 161, the image sensor 162, and the illumination 163 from being contaminated, and performs a cooling function.

Particularly, around the lens 161, open holes 164 that are open to the outside are formed, and these open holes 164 are communicated with the hollow 122a of the guide 122. Thus, the air supplied to the hollow 122a of the guide 122 is injected through the open holes 164, as shown in FIG. 7, the air injected through the open holes 164 is directed along the surface of the object And serves as an air curtain for protecting the outer surface of the camera module 160 by a flowing coanda effect.

Although the distributor 170 is shown and described as being disposed in the closed interior of the second base 112, that is, inside the control unit 101, the distributor 170 is disposed outside the control unit 101 It may be arranged. The second pneumatic line 420 branched from the distributor 170 may be connected to the nozzle 141 and the air branched through the branch hole 171 may be separately supplied to the inside of the controller 101 Lines may be additionally installed.

As described above, the piping cleaning robot 100 according to the present embodiment forms a spiral vortex in the piping by using pneumatic pressure, so that foreign substances in the piping can be almost completely removed, and air curtains are formed using pneumatic pressure To prevent pollution and air-cooling, it is possible to clean the piping securely even in a high temperature environment.

The embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical idea of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims, and those skilled in the art will be able to modify the technical idea of the present invention in various forms. Accordingly, such improvements and modifications will fall within the scope of the present invention as long as they are obvious to those skilled in the art.

T: Piping 100: Piping cleaning robot
110: main body 120:
130: rotation part 140:
150: suction unit 160: camera module
170: Distributor 200: Robot controller
300: Image storage unit 401: Pneumatic generator
402: vacuum suction device 410: first pneumatic line
420: second pneumatic line 430: vacuum suction pipe

Claims (8)

A main body inserted into the piping;
A driving unit for driving the main body within the piping;
A spraying portion for spraying air toward the inner wall of the pipe;
A rotation part for supporting the injection part from the main body such that the injection part can rotate by the pressure with which the air is injected;
And a suction part spaced rearward from the main body and enlarged toward the front of the main body to form an annular suction port and sucking foreign matter separated from the inner wall of the pipe from the rear of the main body,
The driving unit
A cylinder supported by the body and driven by pneumatic pressure;
A driving module for supporting the traveling wheel and rotating the traveling wheel;
A slider connected to an output end of the cylinder;
A link for connecting the slider and the driving module so that the driving wheel is brought into close contact with the inner wall of the pipe according to driving of the cylinder;
And a return spring disposed between the main body and the slider to elastically support the slider from the main body,
The return spring
Wherein the slider is provided with a non-linear spring whose diameter gradually decreases toward the front side in order to prevent the slider from colliding with the main body due to abrupt elastic force when the slider is returned.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the injection unit includes at least one nozzle arranged in a radial direction of the pipe to form a spiral vortex inside the pipe that rotates about a center axis of the pipe.
delete The method according to claim 1,
A first pneumatic line connected to the cylinder;
A second pneumatic line in which a separate pneumatic pressure is formed from the first pneumatic line;
And a distributor connected to the second pneumatic line for distributing the air supplied through the second pneumatic line.
5. The method of claim 4,
And a part of the air distributed from the second pneumatic line through the distributor is injected toward the inner wall of the pipe by the jetting section.
5. The method of claim 4,
And a camera module installed at a front end of the main body to photograph the front of the main body,
Wherein a portion of the air that branches off from the second pneumatic line through the distributor is injected around the camera module to prevent the camera module from being contaminated by the foreign matter.
The method according to claim 6,
The air supplied to the camera module is supplied to the camera module through the control unit installed in the main body and the driving module so as to cool the control unit and the driving module, and foreign substances penetrate into the control unit and the driving module Wherein the tubular cleaning robot is a tubular cleaning robot.
The method according to claim 1,
And a brush supported by the rotation part and rotating together with the jet part.

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