KR20140133969A - Moving apparatus for pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

A moving device for a pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a device body; multiple adhesion members formed on the device body to be extended toward the pipe or shrunk; and a wheel member formed on the adhesion members to adhere to the pipe and including multiple roller units attached on the outer diameter of a rotation unit, which rotates while being connected to a driving unit providing a driving force, to be inclined. The roller unit can be formed to be inclined in a direction different from the direction where the roller unit, which is formed on the wheel member adjoining to the wheel member, is inclined.

Description

[0001] Moving apparatus for pipe [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a moving apparatus for piping, and more particularly, to an invention capable of driving in all directions in a pipe by providing roller portions provided in respective wheel means adjacent to each other in an inclined manner.

The piping robot is a system that is isolated from the outside environment and can move inside the piping in place of a person in an environment of piping where access by persons or communication with the outside is extremely restricted after installation. Recently, The importance of the task of inspecting and maintaining pipelines is emphasized.

In particular, in the case of a steel plant corresponding to a heavy chemical plant, a device such as the above-mentioned piping robot can be provided in various gas pipes for various factory operations and piping of fuel or raw material.

This is to solve the problem that the inspection and maintenance of the piping is performed depending on the manpower for the stable operation of the plant, maintenance and improvement of the production efficiency, and the investment of considerable time and effort.

On the other hand, there are various technologies required to complete such a robot system, but among them, the driving mechanism is a basic and difficult to implement. Although a mechanism for performing a desired driving operation in the piping has been proposed through various studies, there is a disadvantage that a robot system for obtaining a desired operation at a time is complicated and difficult to control.

Specifically, as a moving mechanism used for a robot moving inside a pipe, a wheel-shaped or caterpillar-shaped driving device is often used. These driving modes are, in the same way as in the ground, There is a limit that can not be moved.

In other words, in order to move in the driving axis direction by the previously proposed moving mechanism, it is necessary to rotate the two driving parts in different directions to rotate the whole system. Although this method is not a problem in a mobile robot moving in a wide space on the ground, In the case of a robot moving inside a pipeline, the robot must have joints for rotation and a movement mechanism including joints for moving in all directions. Therefore, the robot becomes complicated in structure, and the degree of difficulty of control It will have problems.

Therefore, it is necessary to study a piping moving device capable of freely moving forward in a piping while making the configuration relatively simple.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a moving device for piping capable of forward movement such as forward, backward, and bidirectional rotation for operation in a pipe by relatively simplifying the structure and control.

The moving device for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a device body to be inserted into a pipe, a contact means in which a plurality of the device body are extended or contracted in the pipe direction, The roller unit is provided with a plurality of roller units sloped with respect to the outer diameter of the rotary unit and provided to the tightening unit and brought into close contact with the pipe. It can be provided obliquely.

The first roller portion provided on the first wheel means on one side of the moving device for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided to be inclined at an angle of 45 degrees clockwise with respect to the rotational axis of the rotating portion of the first wheel means And the second roller portion provided to the second wheel means on the other side adjacent to the first wheel means may be provided inclined at an angle of 45 degrees in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the rotational axis of the rotating portion of the second wheel means.

Further, the wheel means of the moving device for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided with an even number so that the first wheel means and the second wheel means are paired.

The roller unit of the moving apparatus for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a pillar member connected to the rotating unit, a support member connected to the pillar member in a direction perpendicular to the pivot member, And a roller provided to be free to rotate at both ends of the support member.

In addition, the supporting member of the moving apparatus for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a link member having both end portions provided with the roller separated from each other and linked to the column member, and an elastic member for pressing the link member in the outward direction .

Further, the tight fitting means of the mobile device for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a rigid frame, one end of which is linked to the apparatus body and the other end of which is fixed to the wheel unit, and the rigid frame, And the other end is linked to the other end of the rigid frame to which the wheel means is fixed to extend or retract, thereby providing a flexible frame.

The piping moving device of the present invention has the effect of enabling forward movement or operation in the piping by providing different inclination directions of the roller portions provided to the neighboring wheel means.

That is, since at least two modular wheel means can be provided to provide a plurality of forward, backward, rotation, and combination operations in the pipe, it is possible to provide a structure that is simpler than the conventional mobile device structure There are advantages.

Further, forward, backward, rotation, and combination operations can be performed only by the rotational direction and the speed of the wheel means, and control can be simplified while operating in all directions.

Thus, it is possible to stably and freely operate the inspection robot or the cleaning robot to which the piping moving apparatus of the present invention is applied, and the advantage of improving the control quality and efficiency can be anticipated.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a side view showing a moving apparatus for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention being driven in a piping.
2 is a perspective view illustrating a piping moving device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views illustrating wheel means of a moving apparatus for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
4 is a front view of a piping moving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a view showing the driving force when the piping moving apparatus of the present invention advances in Fig.
6 is a front view showing another embodiment of the roller portion in the moving apparatus for piping according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventive concept. Other embodiments falling within the scope of the inventive concept may readily be suggested, but are also considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The same reference numerals are used to designate the same components in the same reference numerals in the drawings of the embodiments.

The moving device 1 for piping according to the present invention is provided with roller portions 330 provided to each of the neighboring wheel means 300 so as to be inclined in different directions, will be.

In other words, since at least two modular wheel means 300 can be provided to provide a plurality of forward, backward, rotation, and combination operations in the piping 2, It can be provided simply.

Further, forward, backward, rotation, and combination operations can be performed by controlling only the rotational direction or speed of the wheel means 300, so that the forward operation can be made simple.

As a result, it is possible to restore the original state by driving various operations even when a cable or the like, which can be additionally provided, is twisted and its own operation is not possible. Thus, the piping inspection robot The cleaning robot or the cleaning robot can be operated stably and freely to improve the control quality and efficiency.

1A and 1B are a perspective view and a side view showing a piping moving apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention as being driven in a piping 2. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a piping moving device 1 according to an embodiment.

1A and 2B, a moving device 1 for a pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a device body 100 that is inserted into a pipe 2, a pipe that extends or contracts in the direction of the pipe 2 There is provided a roller unit 330 having a plurality of rollers 330 obliquely attached to the outer circumference of a rotating unit 320 rotating in conjunction with a driving unit 310 providing a driving force and a contact unit 200 provided with a plurality of units in the apparatus body 100 And a wheel unit 300 provided in the tightening unit 200 and closely attached to the pipe 2 and the roller unit 330 includes a roller unit 330 provided to the adjacent wheel unit 300 It may be provided inclined in a direction different from the inclined direction.

The tightening means 200 of the mobile device 1 for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured such that one end is linked to the apparatus body 100 and the wheel means 300 is fixed to the other end One end of the linkage is connected to the apparatus body 100 by being separated from the rigid frame 210 and the rigid frame 210 and the other end is connected to the other end of the rigid frame 210 to which the wheel means 300 is fixed And can provide a flexible frame 220 that is linked and elongated or contracted.

The apparatus body 100 serves to provide the basic structure of the piping moving apparatus 1 of the present invention provided in the piping 2. [ That is, the apparatus body 100 supports the tightening means 200 to the wheel means 300, which will be described later, and can be a basic frame that can move the pipe 2.

In addition, the apparatus body 100 may be provided in a hollow form, and may further include additional components for exploring or cleaning the piping 2 inside and outside the apparatus body 100.

That is, the apparatus body 100 may be provided with a camera, illumination, sensor, or the like for exploration, or may be provided with a suction mechanism, a discharge mechanism, and the like for cleaning.

Meanwhile, the apparatus body 100 may be provided with a structure for assisting driving of the contact means 200 to the wheel means 300, which will be described later. That is, the configuration of the controller, the battery, and the like can be provided.

The apparatus body 100 is preferably made of a light material in view of the efficiency of the apparatus, but a suitable material can be used in terms of ease of fabrication or cost.

The tightening means 200 can play a role of facilitating the driving in the pipe 2 by bringing the wheel means 300, which will be described later, into close contact with the pipe 2 to improve the gripping force.

To this end, the tightening means 200 may be provided so as to extend or retract toward the piping 2. That is, the tightening means 200 can provide the rigid frame 210 and the flexible frame 220.

The rigid frame 210 serves to fix and provide a wheel unit 300 which will be described later. One end of the rigid frame 210 is linked to the apparatus body 100, and the wheel unit 300 is linked with the flexible frame 220, Can be brought into close contact with the pipe (2).

In other words, the rigid frame 210 is connected to the tab body protruding from the apparatus body 100 by a pin, etc. so that one end of the rigid frame 210 is coupled to be rotatable in a predetermined direction, May be provided to be fixed.

The flexible frame 220 may provide a driving force to extend or contract the wheel unit 300 in the direction of the pipe 2. That is, the flexible frame 220 can be provided as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or an actuator connected to a motor.

One end of the flexible frame 220 may be linked to the apparatus body 100 to be rotatable in a predetermined direction and the other end of the flexible frame 220 may be linked to the rigid frame 210 to provide a driving force. The other end of the rigid frame 210 to which the wheel means 300 is fixed may be provided to extend or contract in the direction of the pipe 2. [

The tab portion provided on the apparatus body 100 to which the flexible frame 220 is connected is detachably attached to the apparatus body 100 so as to adjust a separation distance from the tab portion to which the rigid frame 210 is coupled. May be provided.

The wheel means 300 is provided in the pipe 2 so as to be able to be driven in all directions so as to move the device body 100 and the like. For this purpose, the wheel unit 300 may include a driving unit 310, a rotating unit 320, and a roller unit 330.

The driving unit 310 may provide a driving force for rotating the rotation unit 320. That is, the driving unit 310 may be provided with a structure that provides a rotational force of a stepping motor or the like.

The driving unit 310 may be provided with a coupling surface that can be connected to the rigid frame 210 of the tightening means 200. When the tightening means 200 is operated by extension or contraction, A friction preventing roller or the like may be combined to reduce the friction with the roller 2.

The rotation unit 320 is connected to a roller unit 330 to be described later and receives rotational force from the driving unit 310 to perform an operation in the forward direction by friction between the roller unit 330 and the pipe 2 .

A groove may be formed in the rotation part 320 to connect the roller part 330. A stopper may be provided to fix the roller part 330 after the roller part 330 is inclined at a predetermined angle A It is possible.

The roller part 330 is provided at an inclined angle with respect to the outer diameter of the rotation part 320 so as to be capable of advancing, retracting, rotating, and combining operations of the moving device 1 for a pipe according to the present invention.

That is, a plurality of roller portions 330 are provided on the outer diameter of the rotating portion 320 rotated by the driving portion 310, so that when the rotating portion 320 rotates, . A detailed description of the operating state will be given later with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. Fig.

The inclined angle A of the roller portion 330 may be provided to be inclined at an angle of 45 degrees in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction about the rotational axis O of the rotation portion 320, Will be described later with reference to Figs. 3A and 3B.

In addition, the roller unit 330 may provide an elastic member 332b to increase the adhesion to the pipe 2. A detailed description thereof will be given later with reference to FIG.

3A and 3B are perspective views illustrating a wheel unit 300 of a moving apparatus 1 for a pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. And FIG. 3B shows that the roller unit 330 is inclined counterclockwise about the rotation axis O of the rotation unit 320. As shown in FIG.

3A and 3B, a first roller portion 330a provided on a first wheel means 300a on one side of a moving device 1 for a pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first roller portion 330a, The second wheel means 300b on the other side adjacent to the first wheel means 300a is provided at an angle of 45 degrees in the clockwise direction with respect to the rotational axis O of the rotation portion 320 of the first wheel means 300a, The second roller portion 330b provided at the second wheel means 300b may be provided to be inclined at an angle of 45 degrees in the counterclockwise direction with reference to the rotation axis O of the rotation portion 320 of the second wheel means 300b.

3A and 3B show an imaginary axis W 'parallel to the wheel means axis W on the rotation axis O in order to easily show the angle forming relationship with the axis of rotation O. [

The roller unit 330 of the moving apparatus 1 for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pillar member 331 connected to the rotation unit 320 and a pillar member 331 perpendicularly connected to the pillar member 331 A support member 332 provided at an inclination of a predetermined angle A with respect to the rotation axis O of the rotation unit 320 and a roller 333 provided at both ends of the support member 332 to rotate freely .

That is, the roller portion 330 is provided at a predetermined angle (A) so as to be capable of forward driving. Particularly when the roller portion 330 is provided at a 45 degree angle (A), the driving force supplied to the roller portion 330 It is possible to equally divide the force removed by free rolling and the force of the effective moving direction for controlling the driving direction, thereby facilitating the control.

However, the angle A at which the roller unit 330 is presented is not limited to 45 degrees. For example, when the roller unit 330 is provided at 30 degrees or 60 degrees, In a case where a large amount of pre-charge driving is performed, the rotation axis O of the rotation unit 320 may be provided at an angle (A) of 60 degrees or more, which is larger than 45 degrees.

Particularly, a plurality of the wheel means 300 may be provided. One wheel means 300 is referred to as a first wheel means 300a, and the other wheel means 300a adjacent to the first wheel means 300a 300 may be classified as a second wheel unit 300b and the roller unit 330 provided to the first wheel unit 300a may be referred to as a first roller unit 330a and the second wheel unit 300b The second roller portion 330b may be divided into the roller portion 330 and the second roller portion 330b.

When the first roller portion 330a is provided at an angle of 45 degrees in the clockwise direction to the rotation axis O of the rotation portion 320 provided to the first wheel means 300a, May be provided at an angle of 45 degrees in a counterclockwise direction to the rotation axis O of the rotation part 320 provided to the second wheel means 300b.

This is because the piping moving device 1 of the present invention can be driven in all directions by the resultant force of the first wheel means 300a and the second wheel means 300b, 4 and Fig.

When four wheel means 300 are provided, each of the wheel means 300 may include a first wheel means 300a, a second wheel means 300b, a third wheel means 300c, And the roller unit 330 provided to each wheel unit 300 may be divided into a first roller unit 330a, a second roller unit 330b, a third roller unit 330c, And a four-roller portion 330d.

Here, the first roller portion 330a and the third roller portion 330c are provided so as to be inclined in the clockwise direction about the rotation axis O of the rotation unit 320, The second roller portion 330b and the fourth roller portion 330d.

Accordingly, the resultant force of the first wheel means 300a and the second wheel means 300b can be taken into consideration, and the resultant force of the third wheel means 300c and the fourth wheel means 300d can be taken into consideration.

The roller unit 330 may be provided as a pillar member 331, a support member 332 and a roller 333 so as to be inclined to the rotation unit 320.

The column member 331 is connected to the rotation unit 320 and can provide the roller 333 to the rotation unit 320 at a desired angle A. [

The support member 332 may be vertically connected to the pillar member 331, and a roller 333 to be described later may be provided at both ends. That is, in order for the column member 331 to provide the roller 333 at an inclined angle A, both ends of the support member may be provided by rotating the column member 331 by a predetermined angle (A) will be.

The roller 333 can make contact with the pipe 2 and can dynamically change the direction of the force so as to be able to be driven in all directions. That is, the roller 333 is inclined at a predetermined angle A to the rotation axis O of the rotation unit 320 by the pillar member 331 and the support member 332, In a tilted direction.

This is because force acts only in the axial direction W of the roller 333 to enable forward driving because the rolling direction of the roller 333 can not act in a free rotation.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a piping moving device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a view showing a driving force when the piping moving device 1 of the present invention advances in Fig.

4 and 5, the wheel unit 300 of the mobile device 1 for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the first wheel unit 300a and the second wheel unit 300b, An even number may be provided so as to be paired.

That is, the wheel means 300 are provided with a pair of wheel means 300 that provide the roller portions 330 inclined in different directions so that the force in the effective moving direction provided by each wheel means 300 Thereby making it possible to drive the pipe moving apparatus 1 of the present invention in all directions.

4, the first roller portion 330a and the third roller portion 330c are connected to the rotation axis O of the rotation unit 320, The second roller portion 330b and the fourth roller portion 330d may be provided at an angle of 45 degrees in the counterclockwise direction about the rotation axis O of the rotation portion 320, Can be provided at an angle.

Here, in order to explain the operating state in the case where the piping moving apparatus 1 of the present invention advances, the force in the effective moving direction as shown in Fig. 5 can be distinguished. 5 shows a case in which all the roller parts 330 shown in FIG. 5 are viewed from the contact surface of the pipe 2 toward the roller part 330. FIG. 5A shows the first roller part 330a, FIG. 5B shows the second roller portion 330b, FIG. 5C shows the third roller portion 330c, and FIG. 5D shows the fourth roller portion 330d.

The coordinate axes shown in Fig. 4 will be described first for unification with the directions shown in Fig. That is, the direction from the drawing, which is the direction of advancement toward the front of the piping moving apparatus 1 of the present invention, is denoted by U (UP), the direction into the drawing which is the backward direction is denoted by D (Down) Let R (Right) be the right direction, L (left) the front direction, T (Top) the upper direction from the front, and B (Botton) from the front direction.

5, the first roller portion 330a rotates in a clockwise direction, and the first roller portion 330a rotates clockwise by a frictional force. As a result, When the force F is applied, the rotational direction of the roller 333 does not act as a force E with a free rotation, but a force acts in the axial direction W of the roller 333, UR direction.

In the case of the second roller portion 330b, the third roller portion 330c is in the UL direction from P3, and the fourth roller portion 330d is in the UB direction from P4 in the P2 direction to the UT direction.

Also, considering the resultant force of the first roller portion 330a and the second roller portion 330b, a force acts in the direction of 2U + RT from the action point P12. That is, the force acts in the combined direction of the force acting in the RT direction and the force acting in the forward direction (U) twice.

On the other hand, considering the resultant force of the third roller portion 330c and the fourth roller portion 330d, a force acts in the direction of 2U + LB from the point P34 which is the action point. That is, the force acts in the combined direction of the force acting in the LB direction and the force acting in the forward direction (U) twice.

Considering the sum of the combined force of the first roller portion 330a and the second roller portion 330b and the combined force of the third roller portion 330c and the fourth roller portion 330d, The direction is canceled in the opposite direction to each other, and only the force acting as the front (U) becomes four times as the first, and acts as a net force. That is, only the forwarding force exists so that the piping moving apparatus 1 of the present invention can be operated forward.

Considering the force of backward, clockwise rotation and counterclockwise rotation operation in the same manner as the piping moving apparatus 1 of the present invention advances, the following can be summarized as shown in Table 1 below.

4, the first wheel means 300a, the second wheel means 300b, the third wheel means 300c, and the fourth wheel means 300d, P12, the third wheel means 300c, and the fourth wheel means 300c, which are the points of action of the force of the first wheel means 300a and the second wheel means 300b, 300d) is represented by P34.

In order to indicate the rotating direction of the piping moving apparatus of the present invention, the clockwise rotation is denoted by CW and the counterclockwise rotation is denoted by CC.

6 is a front view showing another embodiment of the roller unit 330 in the mobile device 1 for piping according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, The support member 332 of the support member 1 includes a link member 332a having both end portions provided with the roller 333 separated and linked with the pillar member 331 and the link member 332a pressing the link member 332a in the outward direction It is possible to provide the elastic member 332b.

That is, by providing the roller 333 in close contact with the pipe 2 to improve the folding force, the acting force in the pipe 2 can be effectively applied. To this end, the support member 332 may provide a link member 332a and an elastic member 332b.

The link member 332a may be linked to the column member 331 to be rotatable in a predetermined direction, and the roller 333 may be engaged.

The elastic member 332b may provide an elastic force to closely contact the link member 332a in the direction of the pipe 2, thereby improving the grounding force. To this end, the elastic member 332b may be provided as a plate-like spring or a coiled spring, providing a link member 332a on both sides, and bringing each link member 332a in close contact with the pipe 2 It is preferable to provide a spring using a compressive force.

1: Moving device for piping 2: Piping
100: Device body 200:
210: Rigid frame 220: Flexible frame
300: wheel means 310:
320: rotation part 330: roller part
331: Column member 332: Support member
333: Rollers

Claims (6)

A device body inserted into the piping;
A plurality of contact members provided in the apparatus body to extend or contract in the pipe direction; And
Wheel means provided with a roller portion having a plurality of slanting portions attached to an outer diameter of a rotating portion rotated in association with a driving portion that provides a driving force, and provided to the tightening means and brought into close contact with the pipe;
/ RTI >
Wherein the roller portion is provided so as to be inclined in a direction different from an inclined direction of the roller portion provided to the adjacent wheel means. The method according to claim 1,
The first roller portion provided on one side of the first wheel means is provided to be inclined at an angle of 45 degrees in the clockwise direction with respect to the rotational axis of the rotating portion of the first wheel means and the second roller means provided on the other side of the first wheel means, Wherein the second roller portion is provided to be inclined at an angle of 45 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the rotation axis of the rotating portion of the second wheel means. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the wheel means is provided with an even number so that the first wheel means and the second wheel means are paired. The method according to claim 1,
The roller unit
A pillar member connected to the rotating portion;
A support member vertically connected to the pillar member and provided to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a rotation axis of the rotation unit; And
A roller provided to be free to rotate at both ends of the support member;
And a piping system for piping. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the support member comprises:
A link member having both ends provided with the rollers separated from each other and linked with the column member; And
An elastic member for pressing the link member in an outward direction;
Wherein the piping system comprises: The method according to claim 1,
The tightening means
A rigid frame whose one end is linked to the device body and the wheel means is fixed to the other end; And
A flexible frame which is spaced apart from the rigid frame and one end is linked to the apparatus body and the other end is linked or extended to the other end of the rigid frame to which the wheel means is fixed;
To the piping.

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