KR20120111796A - Inspecting apparatus for pipelines - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A probing device for inspecting the inside of a water passing pipe is provided to analyze the thickness of scale or rust using a movement detection sensor. CONSTITUTION: A probing device for inspecting the inside of a water passing pipe comprises a body(100), first and second sliders(111,121), first and second springs, a movement detection sensor, and a control unit. Three first slider receiving cylinders(110) are radially arranged at one side of the body, and three second slider receiving cylinders(120) are radially arranged at the other side of the body. First and second cylinder sliding portions of the first and second sliders are linearly moved along the first and second slider receiving cylinders. First and second wheel supporters of the first and second sliders are exposed to the outside the first and second slider receiving cylinders, and first and second wheels are rotatably installed therein. The first and second springs elastically support the first and second cylinder sliding portions outward. The movement detection sensor detects the movement of the second cylinder sliding portion. The control unit stores the detected movement information in a memory.

Description

Exploration device for internal inspection of water pipes {INSPECTING APPARATUS FOR PIPELINES}

The present invention relates to an exploration device for inspecting the interior of a water pipe, that is, a pipe in which fluid flows in the pipe.

In general, a lot of water pipes are installed in the basement, and these pipes cause scale and rust or cracks over time, which may obstruct the flow of fluid or cause leakage. Since water pipes are installed nationwide and are installed over a very long length, it is very difficult to inspect such water pipes.

In other words, in the case of underground pipelines, the cost of investing to find the location where defects such as scale, rust and cracks are generated is not only very expensive but also difficult to find. Since the entire pipeline is replaced after a certain time, the economic loss is huge.

Even if the entire pipe line is replaced, if this is not done in a short time, the water passage pipe partially bursts and water leaks, resulting in inconvenience and economic loss.

On the other hand, various devices are known for inspecting the inside of a pipe.

Domestic Patent No. 10-0392816 "Mobile Robot Steering Device for Internal Inspection of Pipes", Domestic Patent No. 10-0467792 "Mobile Robot for Internal Inspection of Pipes", Domestic Patent No. 10-2007-0027430 "Inside Pipes Diagnostic micro-robots "and the like have been proposed.

The prior art as described above is basically for inspecting a pipe without a fluid, and also for inspecting a pipe of a relatively short length.

Conventional techniques as described above are used to drive wheels by a motor and move inside the pipe, but in order to inspect very long lengths, the capacity of a battery required for driving a motor must be large, so it is not suitable for the inspection of long length pipes. not.

In addition, it is not easy to measure the thickness of the scale, etc. due to the weight of the device in the pipe without the fluid.

On the other hand, in the water supply pipe such as a water supply pipe, the fluid flows with a pressure of about 5 atm or more inside, and the length thereof is very long by several tens of kilometers or more, so that the inspection interval is very long, and internal communication is difficult. In addition, due to scale and rust in the pipe has a difficult condition that can reduce the diameter.

By detecting and repairing scale, rust, and cracks formed in the water pipe under such difficult conditions, many economic losses will be prevented.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, while developing a device that moves while swimming with the fluid along the inside of the water pipe, proposes a device for inspecting defects such as rust or scale inside the water pipe. I would like to.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention, in the water pipe internal inspection probe for inspecting the inside of the water pipe while swimming: at least three or more first slider receiving portion is disposed in a radial form on one side in the longitudinal direction, A body in which at least three or more second slider receivers are disposed in a radial shape on the other side in the longitudinal direction; One end is a first accommodating part sliding part provided to be movable in a straight line along the first slider accommodating part inside the first slider accommodating part, the other end is exposed to the outside of the first slider accommodating part and the first end at the end. A plurality of first sliders comprising: a first wheel support on which a wheel is rotatably mounted, and an intermediate part comprising a first connection bar connecting the first accommodating part sliding part and the first wheel support; One end is a second accommodating part sliding part provided to be movable in a straight line along the second slider accommodating part inside the second slider accommodating part, and the other end is exposed to the outside of the second slider accommodating part and the second end is at the end. A plurality of second sliders comprising: a second wheel support on which the wheel is rotatably mounted, and a second connection bar having a middle portion connecting the second accommodating side sliding portion and the second wheel support; First springs respectively provided inside the first slider accommodation part to elastically support the first accommodation part side sliding part outward; Second springs respectively provided in the second slider accommodation parts to elastically support the second accommodation part side sliding parts to the outside; A movement amount detection sensor provided inside the second slider accommodation portion to detect a movement amount of the sliding portion of the second accommodation portion; A memory embedded in the body; A control unit which is embedded in the body and stores movement amount information detected by each movement amount detection sensor in the memory as time passes; A battery embedded in the body to supply power to the controller; And a control unit.

In the above, it is preferable that a camera for photographing the front and a lighting device for illuminating the front is added to the body, and the controller is configured to store image information photographed by the camera in the memory over time.

In the above description, a magnetic sensor for detecting the magnitude of the magnetic force is built in the body, and the controller is configured to store the magnitude information of the magnetic force detected by the magnetic sensor in the memory over time.

In the above, the second slider receiving portion is preferably provided with a waterproof mechanism to prevent the infiltration of water due to the movement of the second slider.

In the above, the body has a posture sensor for detecting the posture of the body is built in, the control unit is configured to store the posture information of the body detected by the posture sensor in the memory over time.

The present invention as described above is to move while swimming with the fluid along the interior of the water pipe.

In addition, the present invention can be stably moved along the interior of the water supply pipe by the first and second sliders that are elastically supported by the first and second springs, and the first, even if the diameter of the pipe meets the curved pipe or the like, The expansion and expansion of the two sliders is adaptable to the pipeline change of the water pipe.

In addition, the present invention can analyze the scale or the thickness of the rust by the movement detection sensor for detecting the movement amount of the second slider, visually confirms the cracked portion by the camera, can analyze the slope of the pipe by the attitude sensor In addition, it is possible to more accurately estimate the position of the site where a defect such as a crack is generated by the magnetic sensor.

1 is a perspective view of one embodiment according to the present invention;
2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second slider and the second slider receptacle in the device of FIG.
3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the first slider and the first slider receptacle in the apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG.
4 is a view illustrating a posture in which the apparatus of FIG. 1 swims along a water pipe;
FIG. 5 is a state diagram when the apparatus of FIG. 1 encounters a scale or the like in a water pipe. FIG.
6 is a connection block diagram of the main device of FIG.
7 shows a relationship between the device of FIG. 1 and a magnet;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention in the drawings, portions not related to the description are omitted, and like reference numerals are given to similar portions throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

1 is a perspective view of an embodiment according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a second slider and a second slider receiver in the apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a first slider and a first slider in the apparatus of FIG. 1. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the accommodating part, and FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a posture in which the apparatus of FIG. 1 swims along the water supply pipe, and FIG. 5 is a state diagram when the device of FIG. 1 meets a scale or the like in the water supply pipe. 6 is a connection block diagram of the main device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the device and magnet of FIG.

This apparatus is composed of a main body 100, the main device is built, the first slider 111, the second slider 121, the first spring 112, the second spring 122 and the like.

Body 100 has a built-in main device and has a waterproof structure so that water does not penetrate.

Three first slider receptacles 110 are disposed in a radial shape on one longitudinal side (back side in FIG. 1) of the body 100.

In addition, three second slider receivers 120 are disposed in a radial shape on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the body 100 (the front side in FIG. 1).

However, the arrangement of the first slider receiver 110 and the second slider receiver 120 may be modified in various forms. The first slider receptacle 110 may be disposed to the front side, and in some cases, four or more first slider receptacles 110 and the second slider receptacle 120 may be provided.

The first slider 111 is mounted on each of the three first slider accommodation units 110 as shown in FIG. 3.

The first slider 111 is composed of a first accommodating part side sliding part 111a, a first connecting bar 111b, and a first wheel support 111c.

The first accommodating part side sliding part 111a is provided at one end of the first slider 111 to be accommodated in the first slider accommodating part 110 to form a straight line along the first slider accommodating part 110 (as a result, the body ( With respect to 100) is provided to be movable in a radial direction).

In the present exemplary embodiment, the first accommodating part side sliding part 111a is formed in the form of a piston and is configured to slide along the first slider accommodating part 110. However, techniques for guiding such linear movements have already been various. Techniques are well known.

The other end of the first slider 111 is provided with a first wheel support 111c, the first wheel support 111c is exposed to the outside of the first slider receiving portion 110, and at the end of the first wheel (111c) 112 is rotatably mounted.

In the middle of the first slider 111, a first connecting bar 111b connecting the first accommodating part side sliding part 111a and the first wheel support 111c is provided.

In addition, a first spring 113 for elastically supporting the first accommodating part side sliding part 111a to the outside is provided in the first slider accommodating part 110.

That is, one end of the first spring 113 is supported by the first accommodating part side sliding part 111a, and the other end thereof is supported by an additional support 114.

The second slider receiving part 120 is provided with a second slider 121 on which the second wheel 122 is mounted, a second spring 123, and a movement detection sensor 124 is provided as shown in FIG. 2. .

The second slider 121 includes a second wheel support 121c on which the second accommodating part side sliding part 121a, the second connecting bar 121b, and the second wheel 122 are mounted. It will be replaced with the description of the slider 121.

The second spring 123 also elastically supports the second accommodating part side sliding part 121a to the outside.

Compared with the first slider receiver 110, a movement amount detection sensor 124 is further provided inside the second slider accommodation part 120, and the movement amount detection sensor 124 has an operation bar of the second accommodation part side sliding part ( It is attached to 121a) and detects the movement amount of the 2nd accommodating part side sliding part 121a.

A linear potentiometer may be used as the movement amount detecting sensor 124.

One end of the second spring 123 is supported by the movement amount detecting sensor 124, and the other end thereof is supported by the second accommodation part side sliding part 121a.

For convenience of manufacture, the first spring 113 and the second spring 123 are preferably the same spring. For this purpose, the first slider accommodating part 110 corresponds to the size of the main body of the movement detection sensor 124. The earth 114 is provided, and thus, the first spring 113 and the second spring 123 may use springs having the same size.

On the other hand, the movement detection sensor 124 provided in the second slider receiving portion 120 should be connected to the control unit 130, which will be described later, and thus requires a connection space for this.

However, since the control unit 130 or the like must be protected by a watertight structure, the movement amount detecting sensor 124 must also protect the watertight structure.

To this end, the second slider accommodating part 120 has a waterproof to prevent internal penetration of water due to the movement of the second slider 121 (specifically, the second accommodating part sliding part 121a and the second connecting bar 121b). Preferably, a mechanism (not shown) is provided, as a waterproof mechanism, a lip seal or the like may be adopted.

By the three first slider 111 and the three second slider 121 as described above, the device moves inside the water supply pipe along the flow of the fluid.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the apparatus is stably contacted with the inner circumferential surface of the water supply pipe 10 at six points by the three first sliders 111 and the three second sliders 121. It is maintained, and is moved while swimming along the flow of the fluid by the flow pressure of the fluid.

At this time, the wheels 112 and 122 provided on the sliders 111 and 121 are in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the water supply pipe 10 to allow the device to move smoothly.

In addition, even when the path of the water supply pipe 10 is changed or the diameter thereof is narrowed, each of the sliders 111 and 121 is reduced inward along the respective slider receiving parts 110 and 120 or the first and second springs 113, 123 may be expanded to the outside along each of the slider receiving portions (110, 120) to respond to changes in the diameter.

In particular, the movement amount detecting sensor 124 provided in the second slider receiving portion 120 continuously monitors the inner movement amount and the outer movement amount of the second slider 121 so that the diameter due to rust or scale formed on the inner circumferential surface of the water supply pipe 10. The change can be detected.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, if the second slider 121 is reduced inward by the scale 11 generated on the inner circumferential surface of the water supply pipe 10, the thickness of the scale may be known by the movement amount.

Meanwhile, three cameras 140 for photographing the front and a lighting device 141 for illuminating the front are provided at the front of the body 100. Of course, the camera 140 and the lighting fixture 141 has a waterproof structure. As the waterproof structure here, a transparent cap or the like may be adopted.

As the lighting fixture 141, it is preferable to apply a high-brightness LED so that this apparatus as a whole may be comprised small.

The three cameras 140 are disposed at an angle of 120 degrees from the front of the body 100 to photograph the inside of the water pipe.

In addition, the inside of the body 100 has a posture sensor 133 for detecting the posture of the body 100 is built. As the posture sensor 133, a 2-axis inclination sensor may be used, and the posture of the detected body 100 may correspond to the inclination of the water pipe.

In addition, a magnetic sensor 134 for detecting a magnetic force is built in the body 100.

In addition, a memory 132, a battery 131, and a controller 130 are embedded in the body 100, and a switch 135 having a waterproof structure is provided on the surface of the body 100.

The controller 130 supplies power supplied from the battery 131 to various devices according to the on / off operation of the switch 135, and also provides various sensors (moving amount detecting sensor 124, posture sensor 133, and magnetic field). The information detected by the sensor 134 and the image information captured by the camera 140 are continuously stored in the memory 132 over time.

After the internal inspection of the water pipe, the device is withdrawn from the water pipe 10, and the value and image stored in the memory 132 are analyzed, and the position of the device over time, a leaking part inside the water pipe, scale or The thickness of rust and the slope of the water pipe can be analyzed.

Hereinafter, the function of the magnetic sensor 134 will be described.

First, the magnets 20 are arranged at regular intervals with respect to the water pipe 10. The arrangement interval of the magnet 20 can be set to about 500m to 1000m and can be set narrower if the measurement distance is short.

The magnet 20 may be mounted on the water pipe 10 itself when the water pipe 10 is exposed to the ground, but when the water pipe 10 is buried underground, a path of the water pipe 10 may be provided. Accordingly, it is disposed above the ground as shown in FIG.

When the magnet 20 is disposed as described above, when the apparatus moves and flows along the inside of the water pipe 10, the magnetic sensor 134 embedded in the apparatus detects the magnetic force of each magnet 20. In the case of passing the magnet 20, the largest magnetic force is detected.

Then, after the device is withdrawn from the water pipe 10, by analyzing the change in the magnetic force stored in the memory 132, it is possible to estimate the moment passing through the specific magnet 20, and thereby the position of the device further It can be estimated accurately.

The operation of this embodiment will be described.

This device basically has a waterproof structure to withstand the internal pressure of the water pipe. In other words, when the internal pressure of the water supply pipe is 5 atm, the device has a waterproof structure capable of withstanding a pressure of more than 5 atm.

In particular, the site where water is expected to penetrate in the device is the first and second sliders are mounted, and this part has a waterproof structure by adopting a waterproof mechanism such as a lip seal.

When the device is put into a specific point of the water pipe, the device moves while swimming inside the water pipe while under the pressure of the fluid in the water pipe.

In addition, the device moves while moving inside the water pipe, measuring the change in diameter and the size of scale or rust caused by the movement detection sensor, and visually photographing defects such as cracks by the camera. By measuring the inclination of the water pipe, and also to measure the position of the reference point, that is, the magnet is located by the magnetic sensor.

Then, the device is withdrawn from the water pipe and the data stored in the memory are analyzed to analyze the location of the device over time, the leakage of water inside the water pipe, the scale or rust thickness, and the slope of the water pipe. Can be.

Using this analyzed data, appropriate repairs can be made to the problem areas in the pipeline.

The foregoing description of the present invention is intended for illustration, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be easily modified in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. It is therefore to be understood that the embodiments described above are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, in all respects. For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

100: body 110: first slider receiving portion
111: first slider 112: first wheel
113: first spring
120: second slider receiving portion 121: second slider
122: second wheel 123: second spring
124: moving amount detection sensor
130: control unit 131: battery
132: memory 133: attitude sensor
134: magnetic sensor 140: camera
141: lighting fixtures

Claims (5)

In the exploration device for inspecting the internal flow of the water pipe for swimming while inspecting the inside of the water pipe:
A body in which at least three or more first slider receivers are disposed in a radial form on one side in the longitudinal direction, and at least three or more second slider receivers in a radial form on the other side in the longitudinal direction;
One end is a first accommodating part sliding part provided to be movable in a straight line along the first slider accommodating part inside the first slider accommodating part, the other end is exposed to the outside of the first slider accommodating part and the first end at the end. A plurality of first sliders comprising: a first wheel support on which a wheel is rotatably mounted, and an intermediate part comprising a first connection bar connecting the first accommodating part sliding part and the first wheel support;
One end is a second accommodating part sliding part provided to be movable in a straight line along the second slider accommodating part inside the second slider accommodating part, and the other end is exposed to the outside of the second slider accommodating part and the second end is at the end. A plurality of second sliders comprising: a second wheel support on which the wheel is rotatably mounted, and a second connection bar having a middle portion connecting the second accommodating side sliding portion and the second wheel support;
First springs respectively provided inside the first slider accommodation part to elastically support the first accommodation part side sliding part outward;
Second springs respectively provided in the second slider accommodation parts to elastically support the second accommodation part side sliding parts to the outside;
A movement amount detection sensor provided inside the second slider accommodation portion to detect a movement amount of the sliding portion of the second accommodation portion;
A memory embedded in the body;
A control unit which is embedded in the body and stores movement amount information detected by each movement amount detection sensor in the memory as time passes;
A battery embedded in the body to supply power to the controller;
An exploration device for an internal inspection of a water pipe, characterized in that comprises a.
The method of claim 1,
A camera for photographing the front and a luminaire for illuminating the front are added to the body, and the controller is configured to store the image information photographed by the camera in the memory over time. Exploration device.
The method of claim 1,
A magnetic sensor for detecting the magnitude of the magnetic force is built into the body, and the controller is configured to store the magnitude information of the magnetic force detected by the magnetic sensor in the memory as time passes. .
The method of claim 1,
The second slider receiving portion is provided with a watertight mechanism for preventing the internal penetration of water due to the movement of the second slider, the probe for internal inspection of the water pipe.
The method of claim 1,
The posture sensor for detecting the posture of the body is built into the body, the controller is configured to store the posture information of the body detected by the posture sensor in the memory over time Exploration device.

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