Sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit with energy management

Abstract

Sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) with an electrical consumer (10), wherein the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) can be or is coupled via a cable (20) to an external energy supply unit (21) for supplying the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) with electrical energy, characterized in that the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) has an internal energy supply unit (30) which - is coupled or can be coupled to the electrical consumer (10) in order to supply the electrical consumer (10) with electrical energy, - is coupled or can be coupled to the external power supply unit (21), and - is adapted to store electrical energy and to be charged by means of the external energy supply unit (21).

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to a sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit with an electrical consumer, wherein the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit can be or is coupled to an external power supply unit. Background of the invention

[0002] Sewer inspection and / or maintenance units with one or more electrical consumers are known from the prior art. For example, trolleys with cameras (or other electrical consumers) are known. In these cases, both the trolley and the camera require electrical power. The entire system (sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit with the electrical consumers) is supplied with electrical power via an external power supply connected to the trolley via a power cable. The power cable is pulled behind the trolley in the sewer, so the aim is to keep the cable weight as low as possible.

[0003] The power consumption of the entire system should be kept as low as possible. However, this has the disadvantage that power-intensive functions cannot be used, or the sewer inspection and / or maintenance units cannot be expanded with power-intensive functions. For more power-intensive functions, such as operating a milling head, it is therefore known to provide an additional external power supply connected to the crawler via additional power cables. However, this has the negative effect that the crawler requires additional power to pull the additional cable. Object of the invention

[0004] The object of the invention is therefore to provide alternative solutions that allow performance-intensive functions to be provided in sewer inspection and / or maintenance units. Inventive solution

[0005] According to the invention, this object is achieved with a sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit with an electrical consumer, wherein the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit can be or is coupled via a cable to an external power supply unit for supplying the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit with electrical energy, wherein the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit has an internal power supply unit which - is coupled or can be coupled to the electrical consumer in order to supply the electrical consumer with electrical energy, - is coupled or can be coupled to the external power supply unit, and - is adapted to store electrical energy and to be charged by means of the external power supply unit.

[0006] The internal power supply unit can thus provide electrical energy to an electrical consumer without having to rely on the external power supply unit.

[0007] The internal energy supply unit may comprise an accumulator, a capacitor, in particular a supercapacitor, or a combination of an accumulator and a capacitor, in particular a supercapacitor.

[0008] Although the energy density of supercapacitors is significantly lower than that of rechargeable batteries, it can be advantageous to use supercapacitors instead of or in addition to rechargeable batteries. This is because the power density of supercapacitors is significantly higher than that of rechargeable batteries. This allows significantly more energy to be delivered to a load within a unit of time than from a rechargeable battery. Furthermore, supercapacitors can be charged significantly faster than rechargeable batteries.

[0009] When combining a rechargeable battery with a supercapacitor, it can therefore be advantageous to use the rechargeable battery at a largely constant high power consumption and to use the supercapacitor during (short) load peaks that significantly exceed the already high power consumption. Furthermore, the supercapacitor can be used when a large amount of electrical energy needs to be provided very quickly and at short notice.

[0010] In one embodiment, it may be advantageous if - the electrical consumer can be coupled or is coupled additionally to the external energy supply unit for supplying the electrical consumer with electrical energy, and - the internal power supply unit is adapted to provide the electrical consumer with additional electrical energy if the electrical energy provided by the external power supply unit is not sufficient for the power consumption required by the electrical consumer.

[0011] This has the advantage that electrical consumers are supplied with electrical energy from the external power supply unit during "normal operation". The internal power supply unit can thus be protected and is not discharged, making it available for longer for high power consumption. For example, a milling head can be supplied with electrical energy from the external power supply unit during normal operation (when it is milling at a constant speed). If the speed reduces during the milling process (e.g. due to the material being milled), more energy is required to bring the speed to the desired value and maintain it there. In this case, the internal power supply unit can provide the electrical energy for the milling head, or the internal electrical energy can provide additional electrical energy for the milling head.

[0012] It may be advantageous if the internal power supply unit is adapted to be charged via the external power supply unit when the electrical consumer does not draw electrical energy from the internal power supply unit.

[0013] Because the internal power supply unit is coupled or can be coupled with the external power supply unit, the internal power supply unit can be charged by the entire system during periods of low power consumption.

[0014] The sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit may comprise a control and / or regulating device which is connected to - the electrical consumer, - the external power supply unit, and - is coupled to the internal power supply unit, wherein the control and / or regulating device is adapted - to monitor the power consumption of the electrical consumer, - to cause the internal power supply unit to provide electrical energy to the electrical consumer if the electrical energy provided by the external power supply unit is not or no longer sufficient for the power consumption required by the electrical consumer, and - to initiate charging of the internal power supply unit when the electrical consumer is not drawing electrical energy from the internal power supply unit.

[0015] In one embodiment, the control and / or regulating device can additionally be adapted to decide whether the electrical energy required by the electrical consumer or the additional electrical energy required is provided by the accumulator or by the capacitor, in particular the supercapacitor.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit is a carriage with an electrical load. The electrical load can be, for example, a milling module or a milling head.

[0017] According to a further aspect of the invention, a milling module for a sewer inspection and / or maintenance system is provided, wherein the milling module comprises a milling head and a power supply module, wherein the milling head is arranged on the power supply module, and wherein the power supply module has an internal power supply unit which is coupled or can be coupled to the milling head in order to supply the milling head with electrical energy.

[0018] The milling module can be mounted on a carriage of a sewer inspection and / or maintenance system. Because the milling module includes a power supply module that can supply electrical power to the milling head, the milling module can be used independently of the power supply on / with a carriage.

[0019] The power supply module may comprise a control and / or regulating device coupled to the internal power supply unit and to the milling head.

[0020] It is advantageous if the power supply module can be coupled to an external power supply unit, whereby the internal power supply unit can be charged with the external power supply unit.

[0021] In one embodiment, the milling head can be rotatable and / or pivotable relative to the energy supply module, and / or wherein the energy supply module can be arranged on a carriage so as to be pivotable relative to a carriage. Short description of the characters

[0022] Further details and features of the invention, as well as concrete, particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention, will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the drawing. It shows: Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the invention in more detail; Fig. 2 a concrete embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 another concrete embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 4 shows a milling head as a channel inspection and / or maintenance unit with an internal power supply unit Detailed description of the invention

[0023] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram with which the invention is described in more detail.

[0024] A sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit 1, for example a trolley with a power supply unit, is supplied with electrical energy from an external power supply unit 21 via a power cable 20.

[0025] The sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit 1 comprises an internal power supply unit 30, which includes a rechargeable battery and / or a capacitor, for example, a supercapacitor. The internal power supply unit 30 is coupled to a control and / or regulating device 40. The external power supply unit 21 and an electrical load 10 are also coupled to the control and / or regulating device 40. Multiple electrical loads can also be provided, which are coupled to the control and / or regulating device 40.

[0026] The internal energy supply unit 30 can be charged with the external energy supply unit 21. The charging process can be controlled by the control and / or regulating device 40. For example, the control and / or regulating device 40 can be adapted such that a charging process of the internal energy supply unit 30 is only carried out when the internal energy supply unit 30 is not loaded, i.e., when the internal energy supply unit 30 is not being used to supply the electrical consumer 10 with electrical energy.

[0027] The trolley can be supplied with electrical energy directly from the external power supply unit 21, i.e. without the integration of the control and / or regulating device 40.

[0028] The control and / or regulating device 40 is further adapted to control or regulate the provision of electrical energy to the electrical consumer 10. If the electrical consumer requires electrical energy, the energy supply to the electrical consumer is controlled by the control and / or regulating device 40.

[0029] The electrical energy for the electrical consumer 10 can be provided by the external energy supply unit 21 and / or by the internal energy supply unit 30, wherein the provision of the electrical energy solely by the external energy supply unit 21 is known from the prior art.

[0030] The control and / or regulating device 40 can monitor the power consumption by the electrical load 10 (preferably continuously). If the power consumption is below a threshold value, the control and / or regulating device 40 is designed to supply the electrical load 10 with electrical energy from the external power supply unit 21. If the power consumption exceeds this threshold value, the control and / or regulating device 40 is designed to supply the electrical load 10 with electrical energy from the internal power supply unit 30 or to supply it additionally.

[0031] Alternatively, it can be provided that the electrical consumer 10 is always (i.e., regardless of the power consumption) supplied with electrical energy by the internal energy supply unit 30.

[0032] An advantage of the system according to the invention is that power-intensive functions can be provided in sewer inspection and / or maintenance units without the need for additional external power supply units; the internal power supply unit 30 can be used for such power-intensive functions or for power peaks.

[0033] Fig. 2 shows a concrete embodiment of the invention.

[0034] A carriage is coupled to an electrical load 10, which in this example is a milling head. The carriage is connected to an external power supply unit 21 via a power cable. The external power supply unit 21 provides electrical energy for the operation of the carriage, which is illustrated here by block 50, which is directly connected to the external power supply unit 21.

[0035] The external power supply unit 21 is also connected to the control and / or regulating device, which in turn is connected to the internal power supply unit 30 and to the electrical consumer 10. The functioning of the system corresponds to that described with reference to Fig. 1 described.

[0036] The control and / or regulating device 40 and the internal energy supply unit 30 are arranged here in the carriage.

[0037] Fig. 3 shows another concrete embodiment of the invention.

[0038] A carriage is coupled to an electrical consumer 10, which here is, for example, a milling head.

[0039] A power supply module M is arranged on the carriage, which is preferably detachably mounted on the carriage. The power supply module M is coupled to an external power supply unit 21 via a power cable. Although the power supply module M is arranged on the outside of the carriage, the power supply unit 30 is an internal power supply unit, since the module is moved with the carriage in the channel.

[0040] The control and / or regulating device 40 and the internal energy supply unit 30 are arranged here in the energy supply module M, the functioning of the system corresponding to that described with reference to Fig. 1 described.

[0041] The advantage of such a power supply module M is that the trolley can be operated with or without such a power supply module M. If no electrical consumers are arranged on the trolley that have or can have a high power consumption, the power supply module M is not required and the trolley can be coupled directly to the external power supply unit 21.

[0042] Fig. 4 shows a milling head as a channel inspection and / or maintenance unit with an internal power supply unit.

[0043] A power supply module M is arranged on the milling head, which in turn is arranged on a carriage. Preferably, the power supply module M is pivotable relative to the carriage, so that the milling head 10 arranged on the power supply module M is also pivotable relative to the carriage. It is advantageous if the power supply module M can be detachably arranged on the carriage.

[0044] The milling head, in turn, can be pivoted and rotated relative to the power supply module M.

[0045] The Fig. 4 shown power supply module M can be designed as described with reference to Fig. 3 explained.

[0046] In one embodiment, the power supply module M can be designed such that it does not need to be coupled to the external power supply unit 21. In this case, the power supply module M, together with the milling head 10 arranged thereon, can be operated independently with regard to the supply of electrical energy. This has the advantage that the entire milling module (power supply module M with milling head arranged thereon) can be used on any carriage – only appropriate interfaces for control / data lines for controlling the milling head must be provided. Reference symbol: 1 sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit, e.g. trolley with electrical consumer 10 10 electrical consumers, e.g. milling head 20 cables, power cables 21 external power supply unit 30 internal power supply unit 40 Control and / or regulating device 50 Carriage control M Power supply module

Claims

[1] Sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) with an electrical consumer (10), wherein the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) can be or is coupled via a cable (20) to an external power supply unit (21) for supplying the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) with electrical energy, characterized by that the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) has an internal power supply unit (30) which - is coupled or can be coupled to the electrical consumer (10) in order to supply the electrical consumer (10) with electrical energy, - is coupled or can be coupled to the external power supply unit (21), and - is adapted to store electrical energy and to be charged by means of the external energy supply unit (21). [2] Sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit according to the preceding claim, wherein the internal energy supply unit (30) comprises an accumulator, a capacitor, in particular a supercapacitor, or a combination of an accumulator and a capacitor, in particular a supercapacitor. [3] Sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the electrical consumer (10) can be coupled or is coupled additionally to the external energy supply unit (21) for supplying the electrical consumer (10) with electrical energy, and - the internal energy supply unit (30) is adapted to provide the electrical consumer (10) with additional electrical energy if the electrical energy provided by the external energy supply unit (21) is insufficient for the power consumption required by the electrical consumer (10). [4] Sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the internal power supply unit (30) is adapted to be charged via the external power supply unit (21) when the electrical consumer (10) does not draw electrical energy from the internal power supply unit (30). [5] Sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit according to one of the preceding claims, wherein it comprises a control and / or regulating device (40) which is connected to - the electrical consumer (10), - the external power supply unit (21), and - is coupled to the internal energy supply unit (30), wherein the control and / or regulating device (40) is adapted - to monitor the power consumption of the electrical consumer (10), - to cause the internal energy supply unit (30) to provide electrical energy to the electrical consumer (10) if the electrical energy provided by the external energy supply unit (21) is not sufficient for the power consumption required by the electrical consumer (10), and - to initiate charging of the internal energy supply unit (30) when the electrical consumer (10) is not receiving any electrical energy from the internal energy supply unit (30). [6] Sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sewer inspection and / or maintenance unit is a trolley with the electrical consumer (10). [7] Milling module for a sewer inspection and / or maintenance system, wherein the milling module comprises a milling head (10) and a power supply module (M), wherein the milling head (10) is arranged on the power supply module (M), and wherein the power supply module (M) has an internal power supply unit (30) which is coupled or can be coupled to the milling head (10) in order to supply the milling head (10) with electrical energy. [8] Milling module according to the preceding claim, wherein the energy supply module (M) has a control and / or regulating device (40) which is coupled to the internal energy supply unit (30) and to the milling head (10). [9] Milling module according to one of the two preceding claims, wherein the energy supply module (M) can be coupled to an external energy supply unit (21), wherein the internal energy supply unit (30) can be charged with the external energy supply unit (21). [10] Milling module according to one of the preceding claims 7 to 9, wherein the milling head (10) is rotatable and / or pivotable relative to the energy supply module (M), and / or wherein the energy supply module (M) can be arranged on a carriage so as to be pivotable relative to a carriage.

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