JPH059309B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an intra-pipe (including conduit) running device and its use.

Inspection of cracks, damage, wear, corrosion, dirt, adhesion of foreign matter, deterioration of materials, etc. inside pipes, understanding the condition of pipe joints, laying cables inside pipes, transporting materials inside pipes, etc. The ability to use robots to perform these tasks without relying on humans is a great hope for the future. In particular, when working inside pipes where there is no space for manual work, or when working inside pipes related to nuclear reactors where manual work is dangerous, this is an essential requirement that goes beyond simply streamlining the work and saving labor.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, only a traveling method was considered that utilized the wear of wheels and tube walls due to gravity. This is thought to be a direct application of the land-based travel system within the area. With such a method, it is impossible to move inside a pipe that is not horizontal, a pipe that is bent, or a pipe that has an uneven diameter.

The present invention was developed in the patent application filed in 1983 as a solution to this problem.
220717 ``Wheel'', patent application No. 57-220719 ``Intra-pipe moving device'', and Japanese Patent Application No. 58-211344 ``Intra-pipe self-propelled device'' were developed and patent applications are pending.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) The purpose of the above-pending invention is to solve the problem that a device running inside a pipe whose diameter and axis direction are undefined has not yet been developed. The invention of the invention also provides a further improvement for the same purpose.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The outline of the present invention is the following devices A and B and their usage C and D.

A. A main body with a pair of telescoping arms urged to protrude in opposite directions, a wheel with a drive device fixed to the tip of each arm, and a line between the moving direction surface of the pipe wall where the two wheels touch and the axis of the arm. Each detection device detects the angle formed or its corresponding amount, and the detection values of these detection devices are made equal.
An in-pipe traveling device comprising: a control device that controls the speed of each drive device of the two wheels;

B. A main body with a pair of telescoping arms urged to protrude in opposite directions, a wheel with a drive device fixed to the tip of each of the arms, and one or both of the telescoping arms capable of moving up and down in the same direction as the wheels. a probe rod provided with its tip directed toward the lower side of the tube wall; and respective detection devices for detecting the angle formed between the traveling direction surface of the tube wall that the two-wheeled vehicle contacts and the arm axis, or the corresponding amount thereof; so that the detection values of the detection device are equal.
An in-pipe traveling device comprising: a control device that controls the speed of each drive device of the two wheels;

C. A main body having a pair of telescoping arms urged to protrude in opposite directions, a wheel with a drive device fixed to the tip of each arm, a mechanism for directing the wheels in the direction of the tube axis, and a tube in which the two wheels touch. Each of the detection devices detects the angle between the surface of the wall in the direction of movement and the arm axis, or its corresponding amount, and the detection values of these detection devices are made equal.
A control device for controlling the speed of each of the drive devices of the two wheels; When the pipe running device is moved in the pipe, the direction of the wheels directed toward the pipe axis is changed to the side by a certain amount by adjusting the angle of the rotary joint. 1. A method of using an intra-pipe traveling device, which is characterized by shifting the wheels and moving the pipe wall surface in a spiral manner.

D. A main body having a pair of retractable arms urged to protrude in opposite directions, a wheel with a drive device fixed to the tip of each arm, and a surface in the direction of travel of the tube wall where the two wheels contact and the axis of the arm. Each detection device detects the angle formed by the angle or its corresponding amount, and the detection values of these detection devices are made equal.
A control device for controlling the speed of each drive device of the two wheels; A plurality of pipe traveling devices are arranged, each main body is connected by a connecting member that can be expanded/contracted, bent, and torsionally rotated, and an expansion/contraction amount detection device is attached. A method of using an in-pipe traveling device, characterized in that the speed of each of the traveling device wheels is controlled so that the detected amount of expansion and contraction falls within a certain range.

(Function) Previous pipe traveling devices developed by the present inventor had bipods that stretched out against the pipe wall like a compass, or had two-wheeled vehicle frames attached to the ends of both arms protruding from the main body. The invention consists of one driving wheel attached to each end of a single telescoping rod, and it is also possible to use ordinary wheels as driving wheels. In other words, it is a transformation similar to turning a two-wheeled vehicle on the ground into a unicycle, but it is fully functional.

The main parts of device invention A are a reverse telescoping arm that presses wheels against both side wall surfaces in a pipe, and a main body that supports and biases these arms, and the rest includes an angle detection device formed by the arm and the wall surface of the pipe in the traveling direction, and a wheel. A drive speed control device is added. If the conduit is easy to navigate, no guide is required, or a simple guide can be attached to the main body. If not, device invention B that includes a probe rod for route guidance
There is.

The probe rod detects the height of the pipe wall near the wheel (with the wheel tread as the standard), and by directing the wheel to the lowest point, in the case of a cylindrical road, the wheel is advanced in the direction of the pipe axis. It turns out. Also, if the cross section of the pipe is not a perfect circle, the wheels will choose the large diameter part to move forward.

The angle detection device and the speed control device of both axles ensure that both telescopic arms remain essentially at right angles to the tube wall. Whether the tube tapers at the end or widens at the end, it will move stably if the angles between each arm and the tube wall are equal. Therefore, the angles that both wheels make with the surface of the tube wall in the traveling direction are constantly detected, and the wheel on the arm with the smaller angle in the traveling direction is controlled to be faster than the other wheels so that both angles are equal.

The power source for urging the main body to protrude the extendable arm is the fifth one.
As shown in the embodiments shown in Figures 6 and 7, it is possible to use a simple coil spring, or electric power, electromagnetic force, air pressure, etc. The wheel drive device is usually an electric motor, and in special conditions a hydraulic motor.

Usage Invention C is one in which the device moves spirally inside the tube. It is easy to do this simply by intentionally shifting the direction of the wheel, which should be directed toward the tube axis, to the side. This opened a new intratubular strategy. Usage D of the invention can be made into a traveling body suitable for transporting articles by connecting a plurality of devices of this invention and controlling the wheel drive device by the expansion/contraction value of the connecting member.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of device invention A, in which 1 is the above-mentioned telescopic arm, 1a and 1b are wheel drive devices,
2 is a main body, and 3a and 3b are wheels. tube wall
Wa, Wb, the angle between the direction of movement of the tube wall and the arm axis is θa,
It is assumed to be θb.

The main body 2 is provided with a motor, a spring, etc. as a power source for urging the extendable arm 1, but their illustrations are omitted. If the urging force, that is, the pushing force of the arm 1 toward the tube wall is made weak when extending and strong when contracting, so that both arms are equal, the main body 2 can always be placed at the center of the tube and the pushing force can be kept at the center of the tube. It becomes possible to keep the tension constant.

If the speeds of both wheels 3a and 3b are controlled so that the angles θa and θb formed by the arm 1 and the tube walls Wa and Wb are equal, the vehicle will move in the correct posture as shown in the figure. In other words, when moving in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, when the angles θa and θb are detected and compared as described later, θa
If >θb, accelerate the lower wheel 3b (or decelerate 3a)
If θa<θb, the upper wheel 3a is accelerated (or 3b
This is a simple control that slows down the speed. As a result, even if the inclination of the tube walls Wa, Wb in the traveling direction changes, the device of the present invention always advances in a stable posture.

Two embodiments of the probe rod of device invention B are shown in Sections 2a and 2b.
As shown in the figure. In this example, the probe 5 is a spherical body that can move in all directions, and is attached to the tip of a probe rod 5a. In the case of FIG. 2a, the front and rear probe rods 5a are fixed to the telescopic arm 1 at right angles to the vertical cylindrical portions 1 at both ends of the beam 16.
7 so that it faces the same direction as the wheel 3, and the probe rod 5
The probe 5 at the rod end is pressed against the tube wall W by a coil spring S connecting the rear end a and the cylindrical portion 17.

In this case, the pressed front and rear probes 5, 5 try to roll toward the lower side of the tube wall W due to the pressing force, but because they can only move around the arm 1, they fall to positions lined up in the tube axis direction. Attached. Therefore, the wheels 3 are also oriented in the direction of the tube axis. A torsional rotation joint 4 attached to the arm 1 allows this movement to be made freely. In this embodiment, the probe rod 5a is provided at the front and rear of the wheel 3 in order to be used as a device for detecting the angle θ. This allows the wheels 3 to follow the lowest part of the tube wall W, making it more reliable to guide the wheels in the tube axis direction.

To detect the angles θa and θb, the inclination of the tube wall W with respect to the arm 1 can be calculated by comparing or changing the spring lengths h ₁ and h ₂ shown in FIG. 2a.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 2b is also a probe rod for course guidance and an angle θ detection device, and the product is shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. Place the equal length probe rods 5a, 5a at one point 6 on arm 1.
It is pivoted to be able to swing up and down in the same plane as the wheels 3, and the tube wall W is pushed by being pulled by a spring S between the rods. Therefore, similarly to FIG. 2a, the wheels 3 can be oriented in the direction of the tube axis. The potentiometer _P1 in FIG. 2b is one for each probe rod 5a, that is, two potentiometers are stacked one on top of the other. Arm 1 and both probe rods 5a,
If we know the angle between this and arm 1 using potentiometer P ₁ , then 1/2 of the sum of both angles will be in the direction of the perpendicular of the isosceles triangle standing on the tube wall W.
The angle θ with can be easily calculated.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, a differential gear mechanism (three bevel gears) 18 is used, and one potentiometer is used to adjust the scissor angles of the probe rods 5a, 5a in FIG. 2b. I am looking for the direction of the equal dividing line. It goes without saying that the angles θa and θb in FIG. 1 may be detected by corresponding amounts of the angles. For example, the probe rod 5a in FIG. 2b may be used only on the front side, and only the angle formed between it and the telescopic arm 1 may be detected by the potentiometer _P1 and used for comparative control.

FIG. 3 shows the running state of the embodiment device equipped with the probe rod 5a of FIG. 2b. The vehicle travels stably due to the course guiding action of the probe rod 5a, the detection of the angle θ, and the speed control of each wheel thereby.

In a device in which probe rods 5a are installed in front and behind the wheel 3 as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, for example, in the case of a tube with a cross section as shown in FIG. I don't know if it will move forward (both have the same point that they move in the direction of the tube axis). The one on the right is more stable than the one on the left because it travels along the large diameter part of the pipe, but in the above embodiment, the wheel 3 is mainly directed toward the axis of the pipe, so the lower one is more stable. to wheel 3
It lacks the ability to transfer. It simply moves to a lower position little by little due to the wheels 3 skidding.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-7 solves the above problem. That is, in this embodiment, the shaft of the wheel 3 is made hollow, and a U-shaped probe rod 7 is added, which is a round rod passed through the shaft and short probe rods attached at right angles to both ends of the rod. A spherical probe 5 is attached to the tip of the U-shaped probe 7. In this embodiment, the probe 5 hits the tube wall W both forward and backward, so the left and right ends of the probe 7 are A sphere is attached to the top and bottom of each. In other words, the upper and lower spheres are used differently depending on the direction of travel.

The force that presses these spherical probes 5, 5 against the tube wall W is caused by the shaft of the wheel 3 and the U-shaped probe rod 7 inserted into it.
This is due to friction with the horizontal part. As shown in FIG.
When the device deviates to the side from the large diameter portion of the tube as in the device on the left side of the figure, one side of the probe 5 of the U-shaped probe rod 7 floats up. Then, only the probe 5 on the other side pushes against the inclined surface of the tube wall W, causing the vehicle to skid to a lower position, so that the wheels 3 are also directed in that direction. However, since the wheel 3 is equipped with angle detection probe arms 5a, the above effect is somewhat weakened.

The above-mentioned U-shaped probe rod 7 is used especially to improve steering performance, and generally the probe rod 5a shown in Figs. 2a and 2b also serves as an angle detection device, allowing stable movement by simply pointing the wheels 3 in the axial direction. There are many pipes.

P ₁ in Figures 5 to 7 is the same as potentiometer P ₁ in Figure 2b, and uses a differential gear mechanism to detect the angle at which the bisector of the probe rods 5a and 5a shifts from the arm axis. do. _P2 is used to detect the amount of rotation of the wheel 3, that is, the distance traveled. Although potentiometers were used for both P ₁ and P ₂ , the invention is not limited to this. M is a wheel speed control device including a drive device,
Probe rod 5 detected by potentiometer P ₁
From the angle of a, 5a with respect to arm 1, θ in Fig. 2b,
Alternatively, θa and θb in FIG. 1 are determined, and the speeds of both wheels 3a and 3b are controlled so that the angles on both sides are equal. This cooperative control of the speeds of both wheels allows the machine to move stably even with one wheel on each side, as shown in FIG.

Figure 8 shows a case where the main body 2 does not need to be located at the center of the pipe diameter, so the pair of telescoping arms 1, 1, which are urged to protrude in opposite directions, symmetrically extend from the main body 2 in both directions. First, this is an example in which only the upper arm 1 in the figure is expanded and contracted. However, when both arms expand and contract symmetrically, the center point of the tube is always at one point on the main body 2, and if this is traced from behind, the center line of the tube can be continuously measured.

Figures 9a and 9b show wheels that can be easily moved laterally, which the inventor previously developed (Japanese Patent Application No. 57-220717).
A small traversing wheel 10 housed in each of a number of notches in the outer periphery of the wheel 3' is held by a common shaft rod 8 passed through an annular hole along the outer periphery of the wheel 3'. Since an annular hole cannot be machined, two wheels 3' are actually assembled, an annular U-groove is cut into each of the mating surfaces, and the wheels are integrated by gluing or tightening. When the small wheel 10 becomes the tread surface of the wheel 3', the small wheel 10 turns lower. rim 8
It can also be divided into straight rod pieces.

Figures 10a-10d summarize four embodiments of the inventive device. Although FIG. 10a shows an example in which both the arms 1 and 1 use the probe/angle detection device 5a shown in FIG. 2b and the U-shaped probe 7, the latter may of course be omitted. .

In Figure 10b, both wheels 3 and 3 are both 9a and 9b.
The transversely moving wheel 3' in the figure does not require any U-shaped probe rod. In this case, the probe rods 5a, 5a are used to control the tracing of the driving wheel in the tube axis direction and to detect the angle.

Figure 10c shows the upper U-shaped probe rod 7 in Figure 10a.
Instead, the direction of the wheel 3 is changed using the front and rear probe rods 5.
A rotation angle adjustment mechanism 9 for forcibly shifting the orientations a and 5a to the side is added.

In FIG. 10d, the U-shaped probe rod 7 of the lower arm 1 in FIG. 10c is also removed, and a laterally moving wheel 3' is used instead.

FIG. 11 shows the running situation of the device having the rotation angle adjustment mechanism 9. The upper wheel 3 in the figure runs deviated from the tube axis direction according to the steering angle of the adjustment mechanism 9, and the ends of both arms spiral around the tube wall surface. Curve C is steering wheel 3
The locus of the contact point between and the pipe wall W is shown. The amount of rotation of the wheel 3 on the side that is forcibly steered in this way is generally larger than that of the wheel 3' that is steered voluntarily.
For this reason, the device _P2 for detecting travel distance can obtain more accurate data by counting the amount of rotation of wheels that are autonomously steered using a probe rod. In other words, the first
In Figures 0c and 10d, the lower wheels 3,
It is preferable to detect the rotation amount of 3'.

When the steering angle of the rotation angle adjustment mechanism 9 is large, the self-steering wheels are strongly required to have the ability to move sideways. Therefore, FIG. 10c is suitable for running when the steering angle is small, and FIG. 10d is suitable for running when the steering angle is large.

FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of the invention in which a plurality of devices are connected and run. The connecting member 14 is an expansion joint 15,
An expansion/contraction amount detection device (not shown) and a rotating joint 4 are attached, and a bending joint 13 is provided at the connection point with each traveling device main body 2.
is included. The connecting member 14 can now expand, contract, bend,
Can be twisted and rotated. In this example, both telescopic arms 1, 1
A rotary joint 4 is attached to both of them so that this and the refracting joint 13 do not affect each other, but if the refracting joint 13 is made into a universal joint, the arm 1
Only one rotary joint 4 is required.

One of the plurality of traveling devices is actively run, and the other devices are run so that the detected value of the expansion/contraction amount of the expansion joint 15 falls within a certain range. For example, when the device on the right side of FIG. 12 is used as the main moving object to run to the right, when it is detected that the expansion joint 15 is extended, a command is given to the wheel drive device of the device on the left side to make it run to the right. As a result, if the expansion joint 15 contracts too much, the left side device is decelerated, and so on.

In order to transport instruments, devices, materials, etc., these may be fixed to the connecting member 14. It is also possible to perform forced steering by connecting multiple devices.

Although the invention has been described above with reference to a small number of embodiments, since the device of the present invention is simple in structure, it can be varied and applied in a variety of ways using the well-known techniques of mechanical engineers.

The angle θa, θb detection device and the probe rod do not necessarily have to be used together. The means for pressing these against the tube wall and the means for urging the extendable arms to protrude may be provided by electromagnetic force, pneumatic force, or other means, in addition to the springs used in the above embodiments.

The probe rod does not need to directly touch the tube wall, as long as it can determine the height, so it is also possible to use optical, electromagnetic, or aerodynamic proximity sensors to direct the wheels toward the lower side.

The same applies to the device that detects the angle between the telescopic arm and the tube wall.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention can provide a device that allows a self-propelled vehicle to freely travel through pipes that have vertical parts, bent parts, uneven diameter parts, twisted parts, etc., which were conventionally considered difficult to run. Ta.

It is simple, with the only main components being telescoping arms extending in both directions from the main body and a wheel with a drive device attached to each arm end. We have been able to provide a new running device that is unimaginable from the conventional concept of running objects.

Not only is it new, but because it has only one wheel on each side, it is easy to measure the angle between the telescopic arm and the direction of movement of the pipe wall, and it is also easy to control the direction of the wheel.

By detecting and comparing the angles between both telescoping arms and the surface of the tube wall in the direction of travel, and controlling the speed of each wheel to make both angles equal, the traveling device, which looks like a single poking rod, is stabilized. I was able to run inside the pipe.

In addition, a probe arm that can move up and down in the same direction as the wheel is attached to the telescoping arm, so it detects the height of the pipe wall near the road surface of the wheel, and provides self-steering ability to direct the wheel toward the pipe axis or the maximum diameter part. Obtained.

In addition, when the device of this invention, whose wheels are oriented in the direction of the pipe axis, is run inside a pipe, by adjusting the direction of the wheels and shifting them to the side, we have developed a new method of running inside the pipe, in which the device travels inside the pipe while turning in a spiral shape.

In addition, by connecting several devices of this invention, such as a unicycle, it was possible to provide a transport vehicle that can carry a load and move smoothly back and forth through conduits of variable size, direction, and cross section.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of one embodiment of this invention device;
Figures a and 2b are explanatory diagrams of two embodiments of the guiding probe and angle detection device, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the running state in the pipe of the embodiment of this invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the pipe, and Figure 5 , 6 and 7 are elevational, side, and bottom views, respectively, of a commercialized embodiment of this invention device, and FIG. 8 is a first
9a and 9b are plan and side views of an example of wheels that can be easily moved in the lateral direction;
Figures 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are explanatory diagrams of four embodiments of this invention device, Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing how this invention device is forcibly steered and moves spirally inside a pipe, and Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram of four embodiments of the invention device. It is an explanatory diagram of an example of the usage of connecting individual pieces. 1... Telescopic arm, 2... Main body, 3, 3', 3a,
3b...wheel, 4...rotary joint, 5a...probe rod (also serves as angle detection device).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A main body having a pair of telescoping arms urged to protrude in opposite directions, a wheel with a drive device fixed to the tip of each arm, and a surface in the traveling direction of a pipe wall where the two wheels contact. and a control device that controls the speed of each drive device of the two wheels so that the detected values of these detection devices become equal. An in-pipe traveling device characterized by: 2. The pipe traveling device according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the wheels are wheels that can be easily moved laterally while facing the direction of travel. 3. A main body with a pair of telescoping arms urged to protrude in opposite directions, a wheel with a drive device fixed to the tip of each arm, and one or both of the telescoping arms capable of moving up and down in the same direction as the wheels. a probe rod installed at the tube wall with its tip pointing toward the lower side of the tube wall; and a respective detection device for detecting the angle formed between the moving direction surface of the tube wall in contact with the two wheels and the arm axis, or the corresponding amount thereof. A control device for controlling the speed of each drive device of the two wheels so that the detection values of these detection devices are equal, and an in-pipe traveling device comprising: 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the probe rods are located at the front and rear of the wheel, and direct the wheel in the direction of the tube axis. 5. The device according to claim 3, wherein the probe rod is located in front of the wheel and directs the wheel toward a lower part of the pipe wall. 6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detection device measures the angle formed between the telescopic arm axis and the probe rod. 7. The device according to claim 3, wherein one or both of the telescoping arms are twistably rotatable. 8 A main body having a pair of telescoping arms biased to protrude in opposite directions, a wheel with a drive device fixed to the tip of each of the arms, a mechanism for directing the wheels in the direction of the tube axis, and a tube with which the two wheels are in contact. Detection devices for detecting the angle formed by the surface of the wall in the traveling direction and the axis of the arm, or a corresponding amount thereof, and control for controlling the speed of each drive device of the two wheels so that the detected values of these detection devices become equal. When the in-pipe traveling device comprising: a device and A method of using an in-pipe running device characterized by turning a wall surface. 9 A main body having a pair of telescoping arms urged to protrude in opposite directions, a wheel with a drive device fixed to the tip of each arm, and a line between the moving direction surface of the tube wall where the two wheels touch and the axis of the arm. a plurality of in-pipe traveling devices each comprising: a respective detection device for detecting the angle formed or its corresponding amount; and a control device for controlling the speed of each drive device of the two wheels so that the detection values of these detection devices are equal; The main bodies are lined up and connected by a connecting member that can be expanded, contracted, bent, and torsionally rotated, an expansion/contraction amount detection device is attached, and the speed of each traveling device wheel is controlled so that the detected expansion/contraction amount is within a certain range. How to use the characteristic pipe running device.