KR20200020282A - Pipeline driving robot enhanced supporting force of pipe wall surface - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a pipe running robot with an improved wall support capacity which synchronizes running links by a bevel gear and includes an independent driving unit for each running link to allow a roller of the independent driving unit for each running link to come contact with the inner surface of a short curved pipe even while running in the short curved pipe. The pipe running robot comprises: a body unit having a hollow pipe cross section; a main joint unit inserted into the body unit to be arranged at the center of the body unit based on an extension direction of the body unit, and provided with a plurality of support protrusions arranged at equal intervals in a circumferential direction; a plurality of sub joint units maintaining separation distances in a front or a rear direction with respect to the main joint unit; a plurality of running links hinge-coupled to the support protrusions of the main joint unit; independent driving units installed on the respective running links to generate driving power; and elastic support units connected between the running links and the sub joint units to elastically support the running links to change arrangement angles of the running links in a spread state with a large angle or a narrowed state with a small angle to correspond to the shape of the inner surface of an object to be inspected.

Description

Pipe running robot with improved wall support {PIPELINE DRIVING ROBOT ENHANCED SUPPORTING FORCE OF PIPE WALL SURFACE}

The present invention relates to a pipe running robot with improved wall bearing capacity used in ship building.

In general, the chairman of the ship is made in the construction of ships, offshore structures.

The chairman has a hull chair, a cabin chairman, an engine chairman and an electric chairman for each chairman.

In addition, the method of the chairman of the ship has an existing chairman who performs the design work after completion of the hull construction or block mounting, and the preceding chairman means that the design of the chairman should be pulled in advance.

In the preceding chair, the construction of the hull block assembly is carried out in parallel, which corresponds to a kind of or basic plumbing work. Of course, the construction may continue even after the block is mounted and launched.

Piping may refer to a pipe, a tube, a connecting pipe, a curved pipe, or the like, or may refer to a technology of jointly installing a pipe and a device for the purpose of transferring a fluid.

In addition, the preceding chairman may be a key factor in increasing dock turnover, the competitiveness of shipbuilding.

The preceding chairman is to install all possible equipments before the block painting, such as the installation and inspection of pipes, the installation of steel structures in ships, electrical work, and the control of the operation of mechanical equipment. Can be.

Pipes such as pipes are similar to vessels of ships, and very strict inspections are performed by robots to prevent foreign substances such as pieces of iron from entering the pipes during the work of the preceding design.

For example, the pipe quality managers for the preceding chairman check the inflow of foreign materials inside the pipe by using the robot after the step-by-step design work is completed so that there is no error in the design quality.

However, the pipe inspection target to be installed on the ship is very large quantities and has various shapes and structures.

In particular, since the pipe has a short elbow coupled to the pipe for rerouting the pipeline, the supporting force may be reduced while the robot passes the short pipe.

The pipe inspection robot of the prior art has a suspension device and a leg length control device are separately configured, and because of this, a bias occurs due to its own weight, which makes it very difficult to maintain a center in the pipe.

In addition, in the prior art, the robot having a trapezoidal link structure has a structure in which the link and the suspension structure are partially in contact with the inner surface of the bend when driving the curvature, thereby weakening the supporting force, or the link and the suspension are in contact with the inner surface of the bend, thereby preventing the device from operating. Interference may be caused by the inner surface of the curved tube, so that some of the driving rollers may not come into contact with the inner surface of the curved tube, and thus have disadvantages of weakening bearing capacity and deteriorating curved driving performance.

In other words, the mechanism of the robot of the prior art does not correspond to the geometric shape of the short pipe, the phenomenon generated by this acts as a load of the robot affects the durability of the robot, if such a phenomenon occurs, The driving force is reduced due to the contact deterioration of the driving roller of the robot.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for development of a light commercial robot technology capable of miniaturizing the structure of the mechanism so that the inside of the piping member including the short pipe can be stably run.

In the present invention, the driving link through the bevel gear is synchronized, and by having independent driving units for each driving link, the rollers of the independent driving units for all driving links can contact the inner surface of the curved tube even while driving the curved tube which is the inspection target. In order to provide a pipe running robot with improved wall support.

Technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. Could be.

The present invention in order to solve the above problems, the body portion having a hollow pipe cross section; A main joint part inserted into the body part and disposed in the middle of the body part based on an extension direction of the body part, the main joint part having a plurality of support protrusions arranged in the same circumferential direction; A plurality of sub-joints each maintaining a separation distance along the front or the rear with respect to the main joint part; A plurality of driving links hinged to the support protrusions of the main joint part; Independent driving units respectively installed in the driving link to generate driving force; And the driving link connected to the driving link and the sub joint part to support the driving link with an elastic force, so that the traveling link is in an expanded state having a large angle or a narrowed state having a small angle corresponding to the inner surface shape of the inspection object. An elastic support for changing the placement angle of the; can provide a pipe traveling robot including improved wall support.

The main joint part may include a joint ring part integrally formed with the support protrusion and fitted to the body part; And a fixing ring part fitted into the body part to be in close contact with the side of the joint ring part, the fixing ring part having a plurality of fastening holes arranged along the circumferential direction, wherein the fixing ring part includes a plurality of fixing ring parts. In close contact with the rear side, the joint ring can be fixed to the body portion.

The support protrusion of the main joint part may be integrally protruded from the outer circumferential surface of the joint ring part while maintaining an interval of 120 degrees along the circumferential direction of the joint ring part, and the support protrusion may be hinged to the driving link. It is spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the, and has a plurality of pivot holes penetrated in the width direction of the support projections, the jointing portion of the main joint portion, the respective corner position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the support projection and the jointing portion; It may include a plurality of grooves formed along the longitudinal direction of the joint ring.

The driving link may further include: a split bushing inserted into one hole and the other hole of the pivot hole of the support protrusion; A first hinge support piece and a second hinge support piece respectively protruding on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the groove for accommodating the support protrusion are integrally formed at one end of the travel link, and a roller support piece is formed on the travel link. A link frame formed integrally with the other end and having an opening configured to receive or couple the elastic support part between one end of the traveling link and the other end; A shaft fitted to the bushing such that the inner surface of the first hinge support piece of the link frame or the inner surface of the second hinge support piece is in close contact with the flange of the bushing; A first bevel gear formed integrally with one end of the shaft to be in close contact with an outer surface of the first hinge support piece; A second bevel gear inserted into the other end of the shaft and disposed on an outer surface of the second hinge support piece; And a fastener fixed to the other end of the shaft to press the second bevel gear toward the outer surface of the second hinge support piece.

The driving link may include a first driving link, a second driving link, and a third driving link provided for each of the supporting protrusions, and the first bevel gear of the first driving link may be a second bevel of the second driving link. The first bevel gear of the second travel link is engaged with the gear, the first bevel gear of the third travel link is engaged with the first bevel gear of the third travel link, and the second bevel of the first travel link is engaged. Engaged in the gear, the rotation of the bevel gears may be synchronized or interlocked by the front shaft system or the rear shaft system around the support protrusion.

In addition, the independent drive unit, a drive gear motor disposed in parallel to the outside of the link frame; A drive bevel gear coupled to the drive shaft of the drive gear motor; A driven bevel gear meshed with the drive bevel gear and disposed perpendicular to the axial installation direction of the drive bevel gear; A roller shaft formed integrally with the driven bevel gear and coupled to a bearing of the roller support piece; And a roller coupled to the roller shaft such that the roller is rotatably disposed in the groove between the roller support pieces.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a pipe traveling robot having improved wall bearing capacity includes an independent driving unit and a suspension provided for each driving link while synchronizing driving links using a bevel gear, and passing all rollers when passing through a short pipe. Is supported on the inner surface of the curved tube, the outer surface of each running link except the roller does not contact the inner surface or the inner curved surface of the curved tube, there is an advantage that can run in the interior of the curved tube without lowering the bearing capacity.

According to the pipe traveling robot with improved wall support according to an embodiment of the present invention, since all the driving links are hinged based on the main joint part, there is an advantage of simplifying the robot structure.

According to the pipe running robot with improved wall support according to an embodiment of the present invention, a total of six running links are arranged to be rotated three by the front and rear ends of the body portion, the image recording device is based on the center line on the body portion of the body portion Located at the end, there is an advantage that the inside of the pipe can be stably taken while driving the robot.

Effects obtained in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned above may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. will be.

1 is a perspective view of a pipe traveling robot with improved wall support according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pipe traveling robot having improved wall support shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a side view of the robot in FIG. 1.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 3.
5 is an exploded perspective view of the main joint illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the driving link shown in FIG. 2.
8 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the robot shown in FIG.
9 is a cross-sectional view showing the driving of a short pipe of the robot shown in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The detailed description, which will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, is intended to explain exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced.

In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description may be omitted, and the same reference numerals may be used for the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

In addition, in embodiments of the present invention, the wall surface of the inspection object such as a short pipe or a pipe may mean an inner surface formed inside the inspection object.

1 is a perspective view of a pipe driving robot with improved wall support according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pipe driving robot with improved wall support shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is FIG. 1. On the side view of the robot.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the pipe driving robot 10 having improved wall support force is injected into an internal space of a hollow tube member or an inspection object that forms a pipe, such as a pipe, a tube, a short pipe, and the like, and then moves. It may be a means for inspecting the inner surface.

For example, the pipe running robot 10 having improved wall support force may have the short pipe 1 even though the cross-sectional shape of the inner surface of the short pipe 1 as shown in FIG. Both of the inner surface of the roller 550 may be a device that can move while supporting the stable.

To this end, the robot 10 may include a body part 100, a main joint part 200, a sub joint part 300, a traveling link 400, an independent driving part 500, and an elastic support part 600. .

The roller 550 may refer to a wheel that generates a driving force by the independent driving unit 500.

Body portion 100 has a hollow pipe cross section.

The body part 100 has a length determined by a design and a main joint part 200, a sub joint part 300, and an image photographing device 110 fitted in advance so as to be a support base of components or mounting devices to be described later. It may have an outer diameter that can be lost.

As such, the body portion 100 is formed in a hollow pipe shape and has a size that can be inserted into the internal space of the aforementioned short curved tube 1.

The control system (not shown) disposed outside the inspection object may provide a wire or a cable for supplying power or a control signal to the body 100 and a connection target device coupled to the body 100.

The body part 100 may include an image capturing apparatus 110 for capturing the inside of the inspection object.

Body portion 100 may be equipped with a self-mounted controller using its internal space, or may receive a cable extending from the image pickup device 110.

The image capturing apparatus 110 may be a photographing means such as a camera or a charge-coupled device (CCD). The image capturing apparatus 110 may include an illumination device disposed around the photographing device, a photographing device, and a lens to protect the illumination.

The image capturing apparatus 110 may be installed at the end of the body portion 100 based on the traveling direction of the body portion 100 through the coupler 111 provided at the opposite end of the lens.

In the following description, the front of the body portion 100 refers to the position at which the image activating apparatus 100 is installed or its peripheral position, and the rear of the body portion 100 simply refers to the open end position and its peripheral position. The middle of the body portion 100 may refer to a position between the front and rear yarns of the body portion 100.

The main joint part 200 may be inserted into the body part 100 and disposed in the middle of the body part 100 based on the extending direction of the body part 100.

The main joint part 200 may have a plurality of support protrusions 210 (for example, three) forming the same arrangement interval in the circumferential direction thereof.

The support protrusion 210 serves as a hinge or pivot for the driving link 400.

The plurality of sub joint parts 300 may be inserted into the body part 100 so as to maintain a separation distance along the front or the rear with respect to the main joint part 100.

The sub joint part 300 may be a means for connecting the elastic support part 600, which will be described later, to the body part 100 in a hinged manner.

The main joint part 200 or the sub joint part 300 which is simply inserted into the main joint part 200 or the sub joint part 300 may be fixed to the body part 100 by fixing rings 220, 230, 320, and 330, which will be described later. When separating the 230, 320, 330 from the body portion 100, there is an effect that can be adjusted freely the installation position along the extending direction of the body portion (100).

In particular, the jointing part 240 of the main joint part 200 is an important part to be loaded by the traveling link 400 which will be described later, and is fixed by the plurality of fixing ring parts 220 and 230, and thus, deformation according to the load. Since no bolting part that can cause cracking, cracking, or the like is not formed or formed in the jointing part 240 itself, the durability and strength of the jointing part 240 are relatively increased compared to a conventional component having the bolting part. It is possible to improve the reliability as a connecting means.

The driving links 400 may be hinged to the support protrusions 210 of the main joint part 200 as a plurality (eg, six).

Two driving links 400 may be installed per support protrusion 210.

Since the support protrusions 210 are three in total, the six driving links 400 may be mounted on the body portion 100 through the main joint part 200 including the support protrusions 210.

At this time, the running link 400 is inclined toward the rear of the body portion 100 to form a mutually symmetrical structure with respect to the front and rear of the body portion 100 and three that are respectively inclined toward the front of the body portion 100. A total of six can be made, including three arranged.

The driving link 400 is formed by pairing each of the front or rear of the body portion 100, respectively, the rotation or the body portion 100 is closer to the body portion 100 based on the support protrusion 210 through the hinge coupling, respectively. Rotation away from may be possible.

At this time, the robot 10 is bevel gear 450, 460 provided for each of the traveling link 400, as will be described later, so that three traveling links 400 of the front or rear of the body portion 100 can be rotated at the same time. By having a synchronized or interlocked operation structure.

Independent driving unit 500 may be installed in the driving link 400, respectively.

The independent driving unit 500 may play a role of generating driving force for moving along the inside of the inspection object (eg, pipe, short pipe, etc.).

The elastic support part 600 may be connected between the driving link 400 and the sub joint part 300, respectively.

As the elastic support unit 600 supports the traveling link 400 with an elastic force, the elastic support unit 600 is disposed according to the rotation of the traveling link 400 in an expanded state having a large angle or a narrowed state having a small angle corresponding to the inner surface shape of the inspection object. It can play the role of changing the angle.

That is, during the operation or autonomous driving of the robot 10, the traveling link 400 may have an unfolded or changed shape through the elastic force or the restoring force of the elastic support 600, wherein the elastic support 600 is a short pipe. By elastically supporting the inner surface of the inspection object such as (1), all the rollers 550 installed based on the respective driving links 400 can be always in close contact with the inner surface of the bent pipe (1).

The elastic support 600 may play a role of buffering a shock that may occur when the robot 10 moves, and generating a force for bringing the driving link 400 into close contact with an inner surface of a work object.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the main joint shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B shown in FIG. 5.

4 to 6, the main joint part 200 may include a joint ring part 240 and fixing rings 220 and 230.

The fixing ring parts 220 and 230 and the joint ring part 240 may be manufactured separately, and may be separately assembled to the body part 100.

The inner diameter of each of the fixing ring parts 220 and 230 and the joint ring part 240 may be determined in consideration of assembly tolerances within a range in which a simple fitting can be combined with each other to correspond to the outer diameter size of the body part 100.

The joint ring 240 is integrally formed with the three support protrusions 210 mentioned above.

The joint ring part 240 may be a component that is detachably fitted to the body part 100.

The fixing ring parts 220 and 230 may be fitted to the body part 100 so as to be in close contact with side surfaces (eg, front side or rear side) respectively provided in the longitudinal direction of the jointing part 240.

The fixing ring portions 220 and 230 are formed to be thicker than the thickness of the joint ring portion 240 except for the support protrusion 210, so that the joint ring portion 240 moves along the extending direction of the body portion 100. It may serve as a stop jaw or a fixed jaw to support not to be.

The fixing ring parts 220 and 230 are coupled to the body part 100 with a plurality of fixing bolts not shown in close contact with the joint ring part 240, and at this time, due to friction of the close contact parts, the joint ring part 240 is also provided. It can play the role of restraining the rotation of).

For this role, the fixing ring parts 220 and 230 have a plurality of fastening holes 221 and 231 arranged along the circumferential direction.

The fastening holes 221 and 231 of the fixing rings 220 and 230 may be screw holes or bolt holes to which a plurality of fixing bolts (not shown) may be coupled, respectively.

By the fixing bolts, the fixing rings 220 and 230 are in close contact with the front side and the rear side of the joint ring 240, respectively, so that the joint ring 240 can be fixed to the body 100.

In addition, the plurality of subjoint portions 300 illustrated in FIG. 2 also include a joint ring portion 310 for the subjoint portion 300.

The joint ring part 310 for the sub joint part 300 is a pivot mechanism similar to the joint ring part 240 for the main joint part 200 described above, and pivots at the end of the independent driving part 500 with respect to the groove spaced 120 degrees apart. It is formed to connect the pin in the form of a pivot.

Here, the joint ring portion 310 for the sub joint portion 300 is also similar to or similar to the fixing method described in the main joint portion 200, the fixing ring portion 320, 330 disposed at the front and rear ends of the joint ring 310 Through the body portion 100 may be fixed or installed respectively.

Meanwhile, the support protrusion 210 of the main joint part 200 is integrally protruded from the outer circumferential surface of the joint ring part 240 while maintaining an interval of 120 degrees along the circumferential direction of the joint ring part 240.

In addition, each of the support protrusions 210 may be spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the support protrusions 210 so as to be hinged to the driving link 400, and the plurality of pivot holes 211 penetrated in the width direction of the support protrusions 210. , 212).

The inner surface of the holes of the pivot holes 211 and 212 may be surface-treated to prevent cracking or the like through precision machining or ultra-precision machining.

In addition, the joint part 240 of the main joint part 200 enlarged in FIG. 6 is formed at each corner position corresponding to each support protrusion 210 and the outer circumferential surface of the joint part 240 of the joint part 240. It may include a plurality of grooves 241 formed along the longitudinal direction.

Here, the groove 241 is provided by the clearance gap so as not to cause contact interference, that is, non-contact with the end of the link frame 430 or the bushings (410, 420) of the driving link 400, the driving link 400 Has the effect of providing reliable rotation.

In addition, the groove 241 operates the link frame 430 of the driving link 400 while realizing a compact arrangement capable of rotating the six driving links 400 using only one main joint part 200. Since reliability can be secured, it may have a superior mechanical effect than a simple groove shape.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the driving link shown in FIG. 2.

4 and 7, each of the driving links 400 may have split bushings 410 and 420 fitted into one side of the hole and the other side of the pivot hole 212 of the support protrusion 210, respectively.

Each driving link 400 can be smooth, precise and quick rotation through the divided bushing (410, 420), through which it can respond very efficiently to the internal shape of the inspection object, while reducing the operating noise, Vibration according to it can be minimized to be transmitted toward the body portion (100).

Split bushings 410 and 420 may exert an effect that facilitates engagement and maintenance.

The divided bushings 410 and 420 may relatively reduce friction, and may have an advantage of penetrating lubricating oil through a bushing gap.

Each driving link 400 includes a link frame 430.

Each link frame 430 has a recess 431 for accommodating the support protrusion 210 of the main joint part 200.

The first hinge support piece 432 and the second hinge support piece 433 which protrude on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the groove 431 are formed at one end of each travel link 400.

In more detail, the first hinge support piece 432 and the second hinge support piece 433 are integrally formed at one end of the link frame 430 of each travel link 400.

The first hinge support piece 432 and the second hinge support piece 433 are formed with shaft holes based on the same punching positions so that the shaft 440 can be fitted.

Each link frame 430 has a U-shaped cross-sectional roller support piece 434 formed at the other end of the running link 400.

More specifically, the roller support piece 434 is integrally formed at the other end of the link frame 430 of each running link 400.

A hole is formed in the roller support piece 434, and a bearing is engaged with the hole.

Each link frame 430 has an opening 435 for accommodating or engaging the elastic support 600, between one end and the other end of each driving link 400, at an intermediate position of each link frame 430. .

Each driving link 400 has an inner surface of the first hinge support piece 432 of the link frame 430 or an inner surface of the second hinge support piece 433 is flanges 411 of the bushings 410 and 420, respectively. In a state in close contact with the 421, the shaft 440 is fitted to the bushings (410, 420) to be the center of rotation of the driving link 400.

Each driving link 400 is integrally formed at one end of the shaft 440 and includes a first bevel gear 450 which is in close contact with an outer surface of the first hinge support piece 432.

Each driving link 400 includes a second bevel gear 460 inserted into the other end of the shaft 440 and disposed on an outer surface of the second hinge support piece 433.

Each driving link 400 is fixed to the other end of the shaft 440 by pressing the second bevel gear 460 toward the outer surface of the second hinge support piece 433, brace 470 is fixed It includes.

Here, the clamp 470 is formed in a wedge tube shape as a whole, and the outer surface of the clamp 470 forms a tapered surface of a cone shape.

The inside of the second bevel gear 460 is formed with a plate-shaped hole having an inclined surface that can face the tapered surface.

Accordingly, due to the inclined treatment relationship between the tapered surface of the fixing clamp 470 and the inclined surface of the second bevel gear 460, the fixing clamp 470 is formed in accordance with the ratio of the second bevel gear (3) entering the extension direction of the shaft 440. 460 has the advantage of being able to further press and close toward the outer side of the second hinge support piece (433).

Referring to FIG. 4, the driving link 400 is installed for each of the support protrusions 210 and arranged along the 120-degree interval between the first driving link 401, the second driving link 402, and the third driving. It may be referred to as link 403.

In this case, the first bevel gear 450 of the first travel link 401 is meshed with the second bevel gear 461 of the second travel link 402, and the first bevel gear of the second travel link 402 ( The 451 is engaged with the second bevel gear 462 of the third travel link 403, and the first bevel gear 452 of the third travel link 403 is the second bevel of the first travel link 401. The bevel gears 450, 451, 452, 460, 461, and 462 may be synchronized with or interlocked with each other by the gear 460 by the front axis or the rear axis around the support protrusion 210.

Here, the synchronizing or interlocking means that any one of the first travel link 401, the second travel link 402 and the third travel link 403 is in an unfolded or narrowed state corresponding to the shape of the work object. In this case, it may mean that the other two are also rotated at the same ratio.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the robot shown in Figure 1, Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a short pipe running of the robot shown in FIG.

8 and 9, the bevel gears 462 of the front shaft system maintain the gear arrangement interval G with respect to the bevel gears 453 of the rear shaft system, respectively, based on the extending direction of the body portion 100. There may be.

Thus, the front three travel links 400a with the bevel gears 462 of the front shaft system are independently extended or narrowed with respect to the three rear travel links 400b with the bevel gears 453 of the rear shaft system. Can be changed to

A triangular free space P is provided between the front three travel links 400a and the rear three travel links 400b, and no mechanical component may be disposed in the free space P. In this way, interference with the inner surface of the curved tube 1 having a very short radius of curvature can be prevented in advance.

Referring to FIG. 9, when the inspection object is the bent tube 1, the robot 10 traveling inside the bent tube 1 may change all the running links according to the change in the cross-sectional shape of the inner surface of the bent tube 1. The rollers 550 of 400a and 400b may be driven in a state of being in close contact with the inner surface of the curved tube 1 or in a state of improving adhesion.

Referring to FIG. 7 again, the independent driving unit 500 may include a drive gear motor 510 disposed parallel to the outside of the link frame 430.

Therefore, there is an advantage that the assembly itself consisting of each independent driving unit 500 and the running link 400 can be configured relatively slim, such as a one-shaped legs.

Since the drive gear motor 510 is parallel to the extending direction of the link frame 430 and can move together with the link frame 430, the drive gear motor 510 is also in non-contact with the inner surface of the short pipe 1. It may be an element that does not interfere with the movement of the robot 10.

The drive gear motor 510 may further include a torque sensor or a rotation speed detection sensor.

The drive gear motor 510 is connected to an external control system through a wire or a cable, and may be a driving force generating means capable of feedback control by a torque sensor or a rotation speed sensor.

The independent driving unit 500 may include a driving bevel gear 520 coupled to the driving shaft of the driving gear motor 510.

The drive gear motor 510 for each independent driving unit 500 is disposed on the side of the link frame 430 that does not cause interference with the elastic support 600.

The side surface of the link frame 430 may mean an outer surface parallel to the opening direction of the opening 435.

Therefore, since no drive gear motor 510 is disposed in the free space P of the triangular form between the driving links 400a and 400b shown in FIG. 8, the short pipe 1 shown in FIG. This can have the advantage of moving smoothly.

For example, the short pipe 1 shown in FIG. 9 may have a 6-inch 160S standard.

Referring to FIG. 4 again, the independent driving unit 500 may include a driven bevel gear 530 that is engaged with the driving bevel gear 520 and is disposed perpendicular to the axial installation direction of the driving bevel gear 520.

The independent driving unit 500 may include a roller shaft 540 integrally formed with the driven bevel gear 530.

Here, the roller shaft 540 may be coupled to the bearing of the roller support piece 434.

The independent driving unit 500 may include a roller 550 coupled to the roller shaft 540 to be rotatably disposed in the groove between the roller support pieces 434.

Each independent driving unit 500 is the roller 550 by the rotational force of the drive gear motor 510 mounted for each of the three driving links (400a) and the three driving links (400b) in the front of the body portion 100 The robot 10 can be moved by rotating each of them or by controlling the amount of rotation by an external control system.

In addition, the elastic support 600 may be a shock absorber or a coil spring suspension, and may have a size that may be accommodated in the internal space of the opening 435 of the link frame 430.

As shown in FIG. 9, each of the running links 400a and 400b of the robot 10 is stably elastically supported by the elastic support 600 when it is expanded or narrowed according to the inner surface shape of the bent pipe 1. Can be.

At this time, the elastic support 600 is the connection portion of the elastic support 600 in the inner space of the opening 435 for each driving link (400a, 400b) during the elastic support of each of the running link (400a, 400b) and its surroundings Since the site can be accommodated without interference, it is possible to smoothly generate the unfolding or narrowing of each of the driving links 400a and 400b, and as a result, the wall bearing force can be relatively improved.

In addition, due to the triangular free space P between the driving links 400a and 400b, other parts of the robot 10 except for the roller 550 are not interfered with the inner surface of the short pipe 1, The robot 10 can move freely along the curved tube 1.

As such, since the driving link is linked to each other by using a plurality of bevel gears that can be synchronized with each other, the robot has a running link having a roller corresponding to the inner surface of the inspection object (eg, a short pipe). By narrowing, all the rollers can have the advantage of having an improved bearing capacity that can be supported on the inner surface in the curved tube.

In addition, the robot according to the present embodiment has the effect of running without lowering the bearing capacity inside the curved tube.

In addition, the robot according to the present embodiment is hinged to a plurality of running links in front and rear of the body portion to have a radial structure based on the main joint portion, there is an advantage that can simplify the structure and operation structure of the robot itself.

The embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification and the drawings are only specific examples to easily explain the technical contents of the present invention and aid the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be construed that all changes or modifications derived based on the technical spirit of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

10: robot 100: body
110: video recording device 200: main joint portion
300: sub joint part 400, 400a, 400b: driving link
500: independent drive unit 600: elastic support unit

Claims (6)

A body portion having a hollow pipe cross section;
A main joint part inserted into the body part and disposed in the middle of the body part based on an extension direction of the body part, the main joint part having a plurality of support protrusions arranged in the same circumferential direction;
A plurality of sub-joints each maintaining a separation distance along the front or the rear with respect to the main joint part;
A plurality of driving links hinged to the support protrusions of the main joint part;
Independent driving units respectively installed in the driving link to generate driving force; And
The driving link is connected between the driving link and the sub-joint part to support the driving link with an elastic force, so that the traveling link is in an expanded state having a large angle or a narrowed state having a small angle corresponding to the inner surface shape of the inspection object. An elastic support for changing the placement angle; Pipe running robot with improved wall support. The method of claim 1,
The main joint portion,
A joint ring formed integrally with the support protrusion and fitted into the body; And
And a fixing ring part fitted into the body part to be in close contact with the side surface of the joint ring part and having a plurality of fastening holes disposed along the circumferential direction.
And a plurality of fixing rings, which are in close contact with the front side and the rear side of the joint ring, respectively, so that the wall support force for fixing the joint ring to the body is improved. The method of claim 2,
The support protrusion of the main joint portion,
Is formed to protrude integrally on the outer peripheral surface of the joint ring portion, while maintaining an interval of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction of the joint ring portion,
The hinge is coupled to the driving link so as to be spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the support protrusion, and has a plurality of pivot holes penetrated in the width direction of the support protrusion,
The joint ring portion of the main joint portion,
And a plurality of grooves formed along the longitudinal direction of the joint ring portion at respective corner positions corresponding to the support protrusion and the outer circumferential surface of the joint ring portion. The method of claim 3, wherein
The driving link,
A split bushing fitted into one hole and the other hole of the pivot hole of the support protrusion;
The first hinge support piece and the second hinge support piece respectively protruding on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the groove for accommodating the support protrusion are integrally formed at one end of the travel link, and the roller support piece is formed of the travel link. A link frame formed integrally with the other end and having an opening configured to receive or couple the elastic support part between one end of the traveling link and the other end;
A shaft fitted to the bushing such that the inner surface of the first hinge support piece of the link frame or the inner surface of the second hinge support piece is in close contact with the flange of the bushing;
A first bevel gear formed integrally with one end of the shaft to be in close contact with an outer surface of the first hinge support piece;
A second bevel gear inserted into the other end of the shaft and disposed on an outer surface of the second hinge support piece; And
And a clamp fixed to the other end of the shaft to press the second bevel gear toward an outer surface of the second hinge support piece. The method of claim 4, wherein
The driving link,
A first travel link, a second travel link, and a third travel link provided for each of the support protrusions;
The first bevel gear of the first driving link is meshed with the second bevel gear of the second driving link,
The first bevel gear of the second driving link is meshed with the second bevel gear of the third driving link,
The first bevel gear of the third driving link is meshed with the second bevel gear of the first driving link, thereby improving wall support force in which the rotation of the bevel gears is synchronized or interlocked by the front axis or the rear axis around the support protrusion. Pipeline running robot. The method of claim 4, wherein
The independent drive unit,
A drive gear motor disposed parallel to the outside of the link frame;
A drive bevel gear coupled to the drive shaft of the drive gear motor;
A driven bevel gear meshed with the drive bevel gear and disposed perpendicular to the axial installation direction of the drive bevel gear;
A roller shaft formed integrally with the driven bevel gear and coupled to a bearing of the roller support piece; And
And a roller coupled to the roller shaft such that the roller is rotatably disposed in the groove between the roller support pieces.

Images