In-wall brush cleaning mechanism

Abstract

This utility model relates to a pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism, which includes a platform support, a flexible shaft, a brush cylinder, a brush, and a pipe connection drive device. One end of the brush cylinder has a flexible shaft inlet / outlet hole, and the other end has a brush inlet / outlet hole. The pipe connection drive device clamps the pipe and drives it to rotate. A pipe sealing joint is connected to the end of the brush inlet / outlet hole of the brush cylinder. The pipe sealing joint cooperates with the pipe end of the pipe clamped by the pipe connection drive device to form a rotational movable seal. The brush of the brush cylinder is driven by the flexible shaft and reciprocates along the entire length of the pipe to clean the inner wall. During cleaning, the pipe connection drive device drives the pipe to rotate. The reciprocating motion of the flexible shaft driving the brush to rotate in conjunction with the pipe achieves pipe inner wall cleaning with high efficiency and good results.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of pipe cleaning equipment, and is a pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Existing pipe cleaning devices commonly include cleaning fluid cleaning, high-pressure blowing, ball-fluid cleaning, abrasive cleaning, and brush cleaning, among which brush cleaning is a relatively common cleaning method in the current pipe cleaning field. For example, Chinese patent application publication number CN107931279A, published on April 20, 2018, entitled "An Automatic Cleaning Device for Internal Pipelines of Building Steel Structures," discloses a cleaning scheme in which a brush rotates and conveys the material inside the pipe. The advantage of brush cleaning lies in its simple structure, but its disadvantage is that it is often limited by the length of small-diameter steel pipes with an aspect ratio greater than 1000 (e.g., a steel pipe with an inner diameter of 20mm and a length of 10m). This is mainly because when the aspect ratio is greater than 1000, the diameter of the rotating shaft driving the brush is limited, and the torque that the small-diameter rotating shaft can withstand is limited. Existing brush cleaning equipment for pipe walls, when dealing with small-diameter ultra-long pipes with an aspect ratio greater than 1000, struggles to meet the high torque requirements of high-speed rotation for brushing the inner wall while overcoming the frictional resistance of the brush. When removing hard contaminants such as carbonized grease, oxides, and cement, it is necessary to increase the hardness and diameter of the bristles, as well as the interference fit of the brush, to improve the brush's ability to remove contaminants. This also increases the frictional resistance of the brush inside the pipe. Automated cleaning also requires axial reciprocating conveying capability. Therefore, the equipment structure is complex and it is difficult to achieve the high torque requirements of the brush shaft when brushing the inner wall of small-diameter ultra-long pipes with an aspect ratio greater than 1000. Therefore, existing flexible shaft cleaning solutions need to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the above shortcomings, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism, thereby solving the technical problems of existing similar pipe inner wall brush cleaning equipment being difficult to apply to the cleaning of small-diameter long pipes, resulting in high cleaning difficulty, complex structure, and low efficiency. This objective is achieved through the following technical solution.

[0004] A pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism includes a platform support, a flexible shaft, a brush cylinder, brushes, and a pipe connection drive device. The brush cylinder contains brushes fixedly connected to the flexible shaft. One end of the brush cylinder has a flexible shaft inlet / outlet hole, and the other end has a brush inlet / outlet hole adapted for brush movement. The key structural feature is that the pipe connection drive device clamps the pipe and drives it to rotate. A pipe sealing joint is connected to the end of the brush inlet / outlet hole of the brush cylinder. The pipe sealing joint mates with the end of the pipe clamped by the pipe connection drive device to form a rotary movable seal. The brushes in the brush cylinder are driven by the flexible shaft and reciprocate along the entire length of the pipe to clean the inner wall. During cleaning, the pipe connection drive device drives the pipe to rotate. This structure primarily changes the rotation of the flexible shaft to the active rotation of the pipe, reducing the design requirements of the flexible shaft. Furthermore, the flexible shaft mainly handles the reciprocating motion, meeting the requirements of high-speed reciprocating motion and improving the efficiency of cleaning the inner wall of the pipe. In addition, by rotating the tube, the brush can make more even contact with the inner wall of the tube for cleaning, and it is less likely to cause uneven wear due to the weight of the brush or flexible shaft.

[0005] The brush cylinder has a liquid inlet on its bottom circumference and a liquid outlet on its top circumference. The outlet connects to a vertical overflow pipe, which is equipped with a valve. This structure allows cleaning fluid to be introduced into the brush cylinder. The cleaning fluid, in conjunction with the brush, increases lubrication, reducing damage to the inner wall of the pipe. Furthermore, the cleaning fluid enhances the cleaning effect of the inner wall. The vertical overflow pipe serves both as a storage and replenishment point, addressing the high and negative pressure conditions generated inside the pipe during high-speed reciprocating motion of the brush. This eliminates the need for a large, continuous flow of fluid from the brush cylinder inlet, effectively saving energy and cleaning fluid costs. The valve regulates the overflow flow rate.

[0006] The cleaning mechanism includes a pipe support platform, on which a pipe support frame is fixedly mounted to support pipe fittings. The pipe support frame is equipped with a roller assembly for rolling the pipe fittings. A flow guide channel is provided on the platform surface, with one end of the channel guiding the flow to a circulating liquid tank below the platform. The circulating liquid tank is connected to the liquid inlet of the brush cylinder via a pump and pipeline. This structure enables the circulation of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning mechanism.

[0007] The flexible shaft of the brush cylinder is provided with a flexible shaft guide wheel assembly at its inlet / outlet end, which provides axial rolling guidance for the flexible shaft. Under the guidance of the flexible shaft guide wheel assembly, the flexible shaft and the sealing sleeve inside the flexible shaft inlet / outlet of the brush cylinder remain coaxial. This structure utilizes the flexible shaft guide wheel assembly to guide the flexible shaft, resulting in better coaxiality during axial movement. This allows the gap between the flexible shaft and the sealing sleeve to be designed to be as small as possible, reducing leakage at the gap and minimizing friction between the flexible shaft and the sealing sleeve, thus improving the service life of the sealing sleeve.

[0008] The flexible shaft guide wheel assembly includes a roller support cylinder, within which at least two sets of clamping rollers are arranged side-by-side. One end of the roller support cylinder is sealed to the end of the flexible shaft inlet / outlet hole of the brush cylinder. The bottom of the roller support cylinder has a liquid outlet connected to a liquid outlet pipe. This structure is a specific implementation of the flexible shaft guide wheel assembly. The roller support cylinder guides the cleaning fluid leaking between the flexible shaft and the flexible shaft inlet / outlet hole to the liquid outlet, where it is recovered by the liquid outlet pipe. This not only recovers the cleaning fluid but also prevents splashing, reducing adverse working conditions. The brush cylinder is equipped with an inner guide sleeve that axially guides the brush as it extends into and out of the brush cylinder. This structure ensures reliable brush insertion and withdrawal from the brush cylinder, and when used with the aforementioned flexible shaft guide wheel assembly, it provides better axial guidance for the flexible shaft, further improving the coaxiality of the flexible shaft during operation.

[0009] The brush cylinder is equipped with a sensor switch A on its circumference to detect when the brush has fully extended into the brush cylinder, and a sensor switch B to detect when the pipe fitting is properly inserted into the pipe sealing joint. This structure allows for effective monitoring of the positions of the brush and pipe fitting, facilitating automated control.

[0010] The pipe connection drive device includes a support, a drive motor, and a pneumatic rotary clamp. The drive motor is fixed to the support and its output end is connected to a drive gear. One end of the rotating chuck of the pneumatic rotary clamp is rotatably positioned with respect to the support, and this end of the rotating chuck is integrated with a transmission gear that meshes with the drive gear. This structure is a specific implementation scheme of the pipe connection drive device.

[0011] The brush cylinder and the pipe connection drive device are both fixed to the same base. The base slides horizontally relative to the platform support, and the sliding direction is consistent with the pipe direction. The platform support is equipped with a push-pull cylinder to slide the base. When the push-pull cylinder pushes the base into place, one end of the corresponding pipe in the platform support passes through the rotating clamp of the pipe connection drive device and cooperates with the pipe sealing joint at the end of the brush cylinder to form a seal. When the push-pull cylinder pulls the base into place, the pipe separates from the pipe sealing joint and the rotating clamp of the pipe connection drive device. This structure realizes automated sealing and clamping operation between the pipe sealing joint, the pipe connection drive device, and the pipe.

[0012] The platform support is fixedly equipped with a pipe clamping mechanism, which includes a lifting cylinder, a clamping cylinder, a gripper bracket, and grippers. The lifting cylinder is fixed to both sides of the platform support. The lifting cylinder's push rod is connected to the gripper bracket. The gripper bracket is fixedly equipped with two parallel vertical rods. The two rods are equipped with pairs of grippers. One gripper in each pair is fixed relative to the two rods, while the other gripper slides relative to the two rods. All sliding grippers are fixedly connected to the same movable plate, which is fixed to the clamping cylinder. The push rod end of the clamping cylinder is fixed to one of the fixed grippers. When the clamping cylinder pushes or pulls the push rod, the paired grippers clamp or release. This structure allows the pipe to be fixed relative to the platform support, facilitating the insertion and sealing of the pipe end with the pipe sealing joint.

[0013] This invention utilizes a flexible shaft to drive a brush at high speed for reciprocating motion, which, in conjunction with the active rotation of the pipe fitting, effectively cleans the inner wall of the pipe. It boasts high cleaning efficiency, excellent cleaning results, a high degree of overall automation, and reduces the torsional resistance requirements of the flexible shaft. The system is also relatively stable and reliable, with a long service life. It is suitable for use as a brush cleaning device for various pipe fittings, especially small-diameter long pipe fittings, or as a structural improvement of similar cleaning equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention, with part A defined in the diagram.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram.

[0016] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A partial structural cross-sectional diagram.

[0017] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A magnified structural diagram of part A.

[0018] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the pipe clamping mechanism.

[0019] The numbers and names in the diagram are as follows: 1. Pipe support platform; 101. Guide channel; 102. Circulating liquid tank; 2. Pipe support frame; 201. Roller assembly; 3. Brush cylinder; 301. Liquid inlet; 302. Liquid outlet; 303. Overflow pipe; 304. Flexible shaft guide tube; 305. Inner guide sleeve; 306. Inductive switch A; 307. Inductive switch B; 4. Pipe connection drive device; 401. Drive motor; 402. Drive gear; 403. Transmission gear; 404. Rotary... 405. Chuck, 5. Support, 6. Flexible shaft drive device, 7. Flexible shaft guide wheel assembly, 8. Roller support cylinder, 9. Clamping roller, 10. Liquid outlet pipe, 11. Base, 2. Push-pull cylinder, 3. Pipe clamping mechanism, 401. Lifting cylinder, 902. Claw support, 903. Clamping cylinder, 14. Double rod, 905. Claw, 906. Movable plate, 15. Pipe fitting, 16. Brush, 17. Pipe sealing joint, 18. Sealing sleeve, 19. Flexible shaft. Implementation

[0020] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism includes a platform support, a brush cylinder 3, a pipe connection drive device 4, and a pipe support platform 1. The brush cylinder and pipe connection drive device form a cleaning unit, and multiple such units are installed on the platform support to achieve batch or multi-station processing of pipe fittings. One end of the brush cylinder has a flexible shaft inlet / outlet hole corresponding to the axial sliding movement of the flexible shaft 14, and a sealing sleeve 13 is installed inside the flexible shaft inlet / outlet hole. The other end of the brush cylinder has a brush inlet / outlet hole adapted for the entry and exit of the brush 11. An inner guide sleeve 305 is provided inside the brush cylinder to axially guide the brush as it enters and exits the brush cylinder. The brush inlet / outlet end is connected to a pipe sealing joint 12 via a flange and a clamp ring. The bottom side of the circumferential surface of the brush cylinder has a liquid inlet 301, and the top side has a liquid outlet 302. The liquid outlet is connected to a vertical overflow pipe 303, which is equipped with a valve. The brush cylinder is equipped with a sensor switch A306 on its circumference to indicate when the brush has reached the correct position, and a sensor switch B307 to indicate when the pipe fitting 10 has been inserted into the pipe sealing joint 12. The aforementioned pipe support platform includes evenly distributed pipe support frames 2 for supporting the pipe fittings. The top of the pipe support frames is equipped with a roller assembly 201 that provides rolling support to the pipe fittings, adapting to their rotation. The platform surface of the pipe support platform is provided with a guide channel 102, one end of which guides the flow to a circulating liquid tank 103 below the pipe support platform. The circulating liquid tank is connected to the inlet of the brush cylinder via a pump and pipelines to achieve the circulation of the cleaning liquid.

[0022] To improve the stability of the flexible shaft 14 during operation, reduce cleaning fluid leakage at the flexible shaft inlet and outlet, and extend the service life of the sealing sleeve 13 inside the flexible shaft inlet and outlet, the brush cylinder is provided with a flexible shaft guide wheel assembly 6 at the end of the flexible shaft inlet and outlet to provide axial rolling guidance for the flexible shaft. Under the guidance of the flexible shaft guide wheel assembly, the flexible shaft and the flexible shaft inlet and outlet of the brush cylinder remain coaxial. The flexible shaft guide wheel assembly includes a roller support cylinder 601, inside which are two sets of clamping rollers 602 arranged side by side. One end of the roller support cylinder is sealed to the end of the brush cylinder where the flexible shaft inlet and outlet are located, and the bottom of the roller support cylinder is provided with a liquid outlet and connected to a liquid outlet pipe 603. Cleaning fluid leaking from the flexible shaft inlet and outlet is guided through the roller support cylinder to the liquid outlet and recovered by the liquid outlet pipe.

[0023] The aforementioned pipe connection drive device 4 includes a support 405, a drive motor 401, and a pneumatic rotary clamp. The drive motor is fixed to the support and its output end is connected to a drive gear 402. The pneumatic rotary clamp is a known existing device. The rotating chuck 404 of the pneumatic rotary clamp is used to clamp the pipe and drive the pipe to rotate. One end of the rotating chuck is positioned and rotates movably with the support, and this end of the rotating chuck is integrated with a transmission gear 403 that meshes with the aforementioned drive gear. That is, when the motor rotates, it drives the rotating chuck to rotate. The pipe sealing joint 12 at the brush inlet / outlet end of the aforementioned brush cylinder has a built-in rotating seal, and the rotating seal is inserted and engaged with the pipe end of the pipe to form a rotating movable seal. The brush 11 of the aforementioned brush cylinder is driven by a flexible shaft 14. The flexible shaft is driven by an external flexible shaft drive device 5 to reciprocate along the entire length of the pipe to be cleaned to form the inner wall for brushing. During brushing, the pipe connection drive device drives the pipe to rotate, realizing a highly efficient cleaning condition in which the brush and the inner wall of the pipe are brushed and rotated simultaneously. The main structural principle of the flexible shaft drive device is as follows: the motor drives two sets of upper and lower sprockets, which clamp the flexible shaft to form a high-speed axial reciprocating conveyor.

[0024] The support 405 of the aforementioned pipe connection drive device 4 and the brush cylinder 3 are fixed to the same base 7. The base slides horizontally relative to the aforementioned platform support, and the sliding direction is consistent with the direction of the pipe fitting 10. The platform support is equipped with a push-pull cylinder 8 for sliding the base. When the push-pull cylinder pushes the base into place, one end of the corresponding pipe fitting in the platform support passes through the rotating clamp 404 of the pipe connection drive device and is inserted into the pipe sealing joint 12 at the end of the brush cylinder to form a seal. When the push-pull cylinder pulls the base into place, the pipe fitting separates from the pipe sealing joint and the rotating clamp of the pipe connection drive device. This achieves automatic docking and sealing of the pipe fitting and the pipe sealing joint at the end of the brush cylinder, as well as automatic clamping of the pipe connection drive device and the pipe fitting.

[0025] like Figure 5As shown, the platform support is fixedly equipped with a pipe clamping mechanism 9 for temporary clamping of pipe fittings. The pipe clamping mechanism includes a lifting cylinder 901, a clamping cylinder 903, a gripper bracket 902, and grippers 905. The lifting cylinder is fixed to both sides of the platform support. The lifting cylinder's push rod is connected to the gripper bracket. The gripper bracket is fixedly equipped with vertically parallel double rods 904. The double rods are equipped with pairs of grippers. One gripper in each pair is fixed relative to the double rods, while the other gripper slides relative to the double rods. All sliding grippers are fixedly connected to the same movable plate 906. The movable plate is fixed to the clamping cylinder. The push rod end of the clamping cylinder is fixed to one of the fixed grippers. When the clamping cylinder pushes or pulls the push rod, the movable gripper in the pair moves relative to the fixed gripper, thereby clamping or releasing the pipe fitting 10. The lifting cylinder mainly controls the clamping height.

[0026] The working method of the inner wall brush cleaning mechanism is as follows: First, the pipe fitting 10 is placed on the pipe support frame 2 of the pipe support platform 1; then, the pipe fitting clamping mechanism 9 temporarily clamps the pipe fitting. Then, the push-pull cylinder 8 pushes the base 7 to drive the brush cylinder 3 and the pipe connection drive device 4 to move towards one end of the pipe fitting until one end of the pipe fitting passes through the pneumatic rotating clamp of the pipe connection drive device and is inserted into the pipe sealing joint 12 at the end of the brush cylinder to form a seal. After sealing, the pneumatically controlled rotating clamp 404 clamps the pipe fitting. Next, the pneumatic rotating clamp of the pipe connection drive device drives the pipe fitting to rotate under the drive of the motor. The liquid inlet 301 of the brush cylinder keeps supplying liquid. The brush 11 and the flexible shaft 14 are driven by the flexible shaft drive device 5 to reciprocate along the entire length of the pipe fitting. This achieves the rotational brushing of the inner wall of the pipe. The cleaning liquid after brushing flows back to the circulating liquid tank 103 through the guide channel 102 of the pipe support platform.

[0027] When this pipe-inner wall brush cleaning mechanism rotates to clean pipe fittings, taking a 5mm diameter, 10m long fiberglass shaft as an example, the maximum permissible rotational torque range within a 20mm diameter steel pipe (effectively constraining bending) is 0.25-1.0 N·m. Furthermore, when reciprocating along the inner wall of the pipe, the maximum permissible tensile force of the 5mm diameter, 10m long fiberglass shaft within a 20mm diameter steel pipe (effectively constraining bending) is 1470-4910 N·m (147-491 kgf), and the maximum permissible thrust with strong constraint (with guide sleeve) is approximately 229-379 N·m (22.9-37.9 kgf). Therefore, this reciprocating brushing flexible shaft can overcome the greater frictional resistance of the brush inside the pipe and can remove dirt with higher hardness.

[0028] The above description is intended to illustrate the technical means of this utility model and is not intended to limit the technical scope of this utility model. Any obvious improvements or substitutions made to this utility model by those skilled in the art based on existing common knowledge also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism, the cleaning mechanism comprising a platform support, a flexible shaft (14), a brush cylinder (3), a brush (11), and a pipe connection drive device (4), wherein the brush cylinder is provided with a brush fixedly connected to the flexible shaft, one end of the brush cylinder is provided with a flexible shaft inlet / outlet hole, and the other end is a brush inlet / outlet hole adapted to the inlet and outlet of the brush; characterized in that The pipe connection drive device (4) clamps the pipe fitting (10) and drives the pipe fitting to rotate. The brush inlet and outlet end of the brush cylinder is connected to a pipe sealing joint (12). The pipe sealing joint cooperates with the pipe end of the pipe fitting clamped by the pipe connection drive device to form a rotating movable seal. The brush of the brush cylinder is driven by a flexible shaft (14) and reciprocates along the entire length of the pipe fitting to form the inner wall. During brushing, the pipe connection drive device drives the pipe fitting to rotate.

2. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that... The brush tube (3) has an inlet (301) on the bottom side of its circumference and an outlet (302) on the top side of its circumference. The outlet is connected to a vertical overflow pipe (303), which is equipped with a valve.

3. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that... The cleaning mechanism includes a pipe support platform (1), a pipe support frame (2) for supporting pipe fittings is fixedly provided on the pipe support platform, a roller group (201) for rolling support pipe fittings is provided on the pipe support frame, a guide channel (101) is provided on the platform surface of the pipe support platform, one end of the guide channel is guided to the circulating liquid tank (102) below the pipe support platform, and the circulating liquid tank is connected to the liquid inlet (301) of the brush cylinder (3) through a pump and pipeline.

4. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that... The flexible shaft inlet and outlet end of the brush tube (3) is provided with a flexible shaft guide wheel group (6) that provides axial rolling guidance for the flexible shaft. Under the guidance of the flexible shaft guide wheel group, the flexible shaft (14) and the sealing sleeve (13) in the flexible shaft inlet and outlet of the brush tube remain coaxial.

5. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that... The flexible shaft guide wheel assembly (6) includes a roller support cylinder (601), and at least two sets of clamping rollers (602) are arranged side by side inside the roller support cylinder. One end of the roller support cylinder is sealed to the end of the flexible shaft inlet and outlet hole of the brush cylinder (3). The bottom of the roller support cylinder is provided with a liquid outlet and connected to a liquid outlet pipe (603).

6. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that... The brush cylinder (3) is provided with an inner guide sleeve (305) for axially guiding the brush (11) to extend into and out of the brush cylinder.

7. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that... The brush tube (3) is provided with a sensor switch A (306) on its circumference to sense when the brush (11) is inserted into the brush tube and a sensor switch B (307) to sense when the pipe fitting (10) is inserted into the pipe sealing joint (12).

8. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that... The pipe drive device (4) includes a support (405), a drive motor (401), and a pneumatic rotary clamp. The drive motor is fixed to the support and its output end is connected to the drive gear (402). One end of the rotary chuck (404) of the pneumatic rotary clamp is rotated and positioned with the support, and the rotary chuck is integrated with a transmission gear (403) that meshes with the drive gear.

9. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that... The brush cylinder (3) and the pipe connection drive device (4) are both fixed on the same base (7). The base slides horizontally relative to the platform support, and the sliding direction is consistent with the direction of the pipe (10). The platform support is provided with a push-pull cylinder (8) for pushing and pulling the base to slide. When the push-pull cylinder pushes the base into place, one end of the corresponding pipe in the platform support passes through the rotating clamp (404) of the pipe connection drive device and cooperates with the pipe sealing joint (12) at the end of the brush cylinder to form a seal. When the push-pull cylinder pulls the base into place, the pipe separates from the pipe sealing joint and the rotating clamp of the pipe connection drive device.

10. The pipe inner wall brush cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that... The platform support is fixedly equipped with a pipe clamping mechanism (9). The pipe clamping mechanism includes a lifting cylinder (901), a clamping cylinder (903), a gripper bracket (902), and a gripper (905). The lifting cylinder is fixed on both sides of the platform support. The top rod of the lifting cylinder is connected to the gripper bracket. The gripper bracket is fixedly equipped with two parallel rods (904). The two rods are equipped with a pair of grippers. One of the grippers in the pair is fixed relative to the two rods, and the other gripper slides relative to the two rods. All the sliding grippers are fixedly connected to the same movable plate (906). The movable plate is fixed to the clamping cylinder. The top rod end of the clamping cylinder is fixed to one of the fixed grippers. When the clamping cylinder pushes and pulls the top rod, the pair of grippers clamps or releases.

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