KR20000032678A - Mobile robot for inspection of interior of pipe arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mobile robot for inspect of interior of pipe arrangement is provided to achieve an enhanced travel performance of robot while permitting the robot to be contractible in accordance with the inner diameter of the pipe. CONSTITUTION: A mobile robot comprises a main boy(20), fixed guide portions(22a,22b) extended from left and right sides of the main body(20), a driving unit arranged at an inner center of the main body(20) and the guide portions(22a,22b), a moving unit to which the rotation force of the driving unit is transmitted via a driving belt(8), the moving unit having a pair of arms(4a,4b) so as to be fixed to the main body(20) and to have a turning movement, the moving unit having arms(4a,4b) of which one ends being caught at the driving belt(8) for a movement of the moving unit, and pushing units(18a, 18b) connected to an end of arms(4a,4b) and which elastically support arms(4a,4b) toward the inner surface of pipe.

Description

Mobile robot for internal inspection of piping

The present invention relates to a mobile robot for the internal inspection of the pipe, and more particularly, it is possible to inspect the safety of the facility while running smoothly inside the pipes that are piped on the ground and above the ground, regardless of the size of the pipe It relates to a mobile robot for the internal inspection of the pipe that can be moved without.

In general, city gas pipes, water and sewage pipes, petrochemical plant pipes, and steam pipes used in cogeneration plants are closely related to our lives, and are commonly used. In particular, pipes in which dangerous substances such as flammable gases flow inside In addition, disasters caused by their damage can result in the loss of many lives and property and the destruction of the natural environment.

Therefore, plumbing facilities should not only be designed, constructed and operated, but also to ensure the safety of the facility by always inspecting and diagnosing deterioration of performance due to changes in time and environment.

In order to ensure the safety of the above-mentioned piping equipment, robots for moving the inspection systems in pipes recently used have been largely used as walking type, wheel type, caterpillar type, and telescopic type according to the moving method. .

However, the walking type has a question of practicality because the speed and time of moving in the pipe are delayed, and it cannot be used for vertically arranged pipes, and the wheel type shows easy movement and shows very efficient movement in the straight pipe. However, there are many difficulties in moving in vertical pipes and curved pipes.

In addition, the endless track type can realize satisfactory mobility and robustness in the direction change, but it requires a lot of energy when driving, and there is a problem that causes trouble by trapping foreign matters on the track. Although it has the advantage of being able to move straight pipes and curved pipes, it has a complicated mechanism for crimping on the wall inside the pipe and it is difficult to realize a constant wall compression force because it is difficult to adapt to the change in the inner diameter of the pipe. .

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and specifically, it is stretched and contracted according to the inner diameter of the pipe to enable long distance travel as well as smooth movement in horizontal and vertical curved pipes. It is to provide a mobile robot for the internal inspection of the pipe to maintain the center of the moving body when moving.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a mobile robot for the internal inspection of the pipe of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view showing the angle at which the movement means of the mobile robot for internal inspection of the pipe of the present invention is formed.

3 is a view showing that the mobile robot for internal inspection of the pipe of the present invention passes through a pipe that is a straight pipe.

4 is a view showing a state in which the mobile robot for the internal inspection of the small diameter pipe of the present invention passes through the curved tube.

<Description of the code | symbol about the principal part of drawing>

2a, 2b: Drive wheels 4a, 4b: Arm part

6: belt hanger part 8: drive belt

12: first spring 14: second spring

16: link 18a, 18b: push ring

20: main body 22a, 22b: fixed guide portion

24: worm gear 30: drive motor

32: worm wheel

In order to achieve the object of the present invention as described above, the mobile robot for the internal inspection of the pipe, the main body, the fixed guide portion formed long on the left and right sides of the main body, and the drive means installed in the inner center of the main body and the fixed guide portion; , A rotational force of the driving means is transmitted by the driving belt, and a pair of arm parts are installed to be fixed to the main body to enable the pivoting movement, the moving means installed to be caught by the driving belt at one end of the arm part, and one side part of the arm part. It is connected to, and is configured to consist of the push means for always elastically supporting the arm portion outward.

The configuration of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of the mobile robot for the internal inspection of the small diameter pipe of the present invention, Figure 2 is a view showing the angle at which the movement means of the mobile robot for the internal inspection of the small diameter pipe of the present invention is formed, Figure 3 It is a figure which shows the mobile robot for internal inspection of the small diameter piping of this invention passing through the pipe which is a straight pipe | tube, and FIG. 4 is a figure which shows the state which the mobile robot for internal inspection of the small diameter piping of this invention passes through a curved tube.

In the mobile robot of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, fixing guide portions 22a and 22b are formed long to the left and right sides of the main body 20.

The drive motor 30 which has the worm gear 24 in the main body 20 in the longitudinal direction of the fixed guide part 22a, 22b in the inner side of the said main body 20 and the fixed guide part 22a, 22b. ) Is located.

The worm gear 24 is positioned to rotate at the center of the inner body 20, and the worm wheel 32 is installed on the outer circumferential surface of the worm gear 24 so as to rotate in engagement with the worm gear 24. do.

The drive belt is connected to the belt hanger part 6 of the drive wheels 2a and 2b provided at the ends of the arm parts 4a and 4b shown in FIG. 1 using the rotational force of the worm wheel 32 as described above. (8) to rotate.

By the rotation of the drive belt 8, the drive wheels 2a, 2b are rotated at the ends of the arm parts 4a, 4b, and are brought into contact with the inner surface of the pipe 40 to be compressed. .

That is, the driving wheels 2a and 2b are in contact with the inner surface of the pipe 40 at the ends of the arm parts 4a and 4b so that the pair of arm parts 4a and (b) are conveyed without slipping. The pressing means is engaged by the link 16 so that 4b) is always pushed outward from the central axis of the main body 20.

The pusher ring 18a on the left and right sides of the fixing guides 22a and 22b to push the arm parts 4a and 4b coupled by the link 16 to the outside of the main body 20 as described above. The first spring 12 and the second spring 14 are fitted to fix the 18b to the inner side of the main body 20.

The first spring 12 and the second spring 14 fitted into the fixing guides 22a and 22b are connected to the fasteners 36a and 36b formed at the ends of the fixing guides 22a and 22b. It is fitted so that the elastic tension can be increased or decreased by adjusting the fasteners 36a and 36b of the first and second springs 12 and 14, as well as being pushed outward. .

Since the first spring 14 and the second spring 12 are fitted in the fixing guide portions 22a and 22b, the first spring 14 and the second spring 12 are always pressed to the main body 20 side by pressing the push pins 18a and 18b. Since the link 16 connected to the push ring 18a, 18b is pushed, the link 16 is the first spring 12 and the second spring 14 is the arm portion (4a), (4b) by the elastic force ) Is pushed to the outside of the main body 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the moving means and the driving means of the present invention configured as described above are installed in three places at intervals of 120 ° with respect to the center of the pipe, so as to be located on the outer circumferential surface of the main body 20, respectively. The pair of driving wheels 2a, 2b is evenly distributed in three places with the elastic loads applied by the first spring 12 and the second spring 14, and the driving wheels 2a, 2b and the pipe (40) Since the surface in contact with the inner surface is ideally in contact with the inner surface of the pipe 40, the inner surface of the pipe 40 smoothly moves without slipping.

Further, only by the drive by the drive motor 30, the respective moving means located in three places are operated, so that the rotational force of the pair of drive wheels 2a and 2b is applied in the same manner and always has straightness.

The pair of driving wheels 2a and 2b driven as described above are located at three positions on the outer circumferential surface side of the main body 20 by worm gears 24 formed at one end of the driving motor 30. Since power is transmitted to each of the worm wheels 32 installed, the three worm wheels 32 rotate at the same time.

In the worm wheel 32, which is engaged with the worm gear 24 and rotates as described above, the driving belt 8 is caught by the belt hanger 6 of the driving wheels 2a and 2b, so that power is transmitted. 2a) and 2b can be driven by rotation of the worm wheel 32.

The mobile robot of the present invention configured as described above includes the arm portions 4a and 4b which hold respective moving means on the outer circumferential surface of the main body 20 when moving into the pipe 40. The pair of drive wheels 2a provided in the mobile robot passing through the pipe 40 are always configured to be pushed by the pushing means fitted to the fixed guide portions 22a and 22b formed on the left and right sides of the pipe 40. (2b) is in close contact with the inner surface of the pipe 40 in three places, and is moved.

In addition, when the inner diameter of the pipe 40 is widened, the push ring 18a, 18b of the 1st spring 14 and the 2nd spring 12 is extended to the outer side by the drive wheel 2a, Since the driving wheels 2a and 2b do not turn away from the inner surface of the pipe 40 because the 2b is pushed, it is possible to move continuously.

In contrast to the above, when the inner diameter of the pipe is narrowed, the drive wheels 2a and 2b are continuously rotated by the drive of the drive motor 30 and pass through the pipe whose inner diameter is narrowed. Since the arm portions 4a and 4b are pressed toward the central portion of the main body 20, the link portions 16a and 4b connected to the arm portions 4a and 4b are pushed, so that the above-mentioned push pins 18a and ( The main body 18b which fixes the outer ends of the fixing guide parts 22a and 22b with the fixtures 36a and 36b, and positions the 1st spring 12 and the 2nd spring 14 inward is 20) to the side.

The pair of arm portions 4a and 4b operated as described above are operated in the same way around the main body 20, so that the mobile robot is always positioned at the center of the pipe, and thus the movement is free.

As described above, since the driving wheels 2a and 2b for movement are located at the ends of the pair of arm portions 4a and 4b on the outer circumferential surface side of the main body 20, the pipe inner diameter is changed. It can be used regardless.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, in the case of the curved pipe 50, the mobile robot passing through the curved line is similarly driven until the curved portion passes through the curved portion. (2b) always pushes the driving wheels 2a, 2b outward by the push ring 18a, 18b in accordance with the curved curve of the curved pipe 50, and the pair of arm portions 4a, 4b is elastically changed by the inner diameter of the curved pipe 50 so that the curved portion of the pipe 50 can be smoothly moved.

In addition, the front part of the mobile robot of the present invention is equipped with a light and a camera, etc., it is possible to check not only the crack of the pipe but also the state inside the pipe through the pipe embedded in the underground light.

The first spring 12 to automatically adjust the heights of the driving wheels 2a, 2b and the arm parts 4a, 4b provided at the ends of the arm parts 4a, 4b as described above. And the push-rings 18a and 18b are pushed or pressed using the elastic force of the second spring 14, so that the mobile robot can travel smoothly even if it is widened or narrowed within a certain limit of the pipe inner diameter.

Therefore, by the mobile robot for internal inspection of the pipe of the present invention, not only the movement in the horizontal and vertical curved pipes is smooth, but also stretched according to the inner diameter of the pipe to allow long distance travel, and the center of the moving object when the curved pipe is moved. There is an effect that can be maintained.

Claims (5)

With the main body 20, Fixed guide portions 22a and 22b formed on the left and right sides of the main body 20; Drive means installed at the inner center of the main body 20 and the fixed guide portions 22a and 22b; The rotational force of the driving means is transmitted by the driving belt 8, and a pair of arm portions 4a and 4b are provided to be fixed to the main body 20 so as to allow the pivoting movement, and the driving belt (1) is provided at one end of the arm portion. 8) a moving means installed to be caught and moved; It is connected to one side of the arm portion (4a), (4b), characterized in that consisting of the pusher means (18a, 18b) for elastically supporting the arm portion (4a), (4b) to the inner surface of the pipe Mobile robot for internal inspection of pipes. The worm wheel according to claim 1, wherein the driving means includes a drive motor (30), a worm gear (24) formed at one end of the drive motor (30), and a worm wheel formed to rotate in engagement with an outer circumferential surface of the worm gear (24). (32) and the mobile robot for the internal inspection of the pipe, characterized in that one end of the pair of arm portions (4a) and (4b) is fixed to allow the pivoting movement about the worm wheel (32). 3. The push pin according to claim 2, wherein the push means includes push pins (18a) and (18b) fitted on the fixing guides (22a) and (22b), and push pins (18a) and (18b) and arm portions. Links 16 and 4b coupled to interlock with each other, and first springs 12 and first formed on one side of the contact ring 18a, 18b and elastically supported toward the main body 20 side. A mobile robot for internal inspection of piping, comprising two springs (14). The belt hanger (6) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving means is provided at one end of each of the pair of arm portions (4a) and (4b) to be rotated by the drive belt (8). And a driving wheel (2a), (2b) having a), wherein the pair of arm portions (4a), (4b) ends are positioned to face each other. The mobile robot of claim 4, wherein the moving unit is installed at three locations on the outer circumferential surface of the main body at an angle of 120 degrees.