Non-stop water endoscopic device equipped with bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle

Abstract

To provide an endoscopic device to be inserted into a pipe by a non-stop water method for imaging, such that an endoscopic cable is pushed farther into the pipe.SOLUTION: An endoscopic device comprises: a saddle assembly including a lower saddle, an upper saddle, a main block that is open at the bottom and airtightly fixed while enclosing the upper surface of the upper saddle, the main block having an upper portion with two inclined surfaces formed to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of a pipe and joined at upper ends, and two coupling blocks each having a through hole formed in the longitudinal direction, a lower portion fixed to the inclined surface, an upper portion formed with a threaded section having threads formed on an outer periphery thereof, and a ball valve formed in an intermediate portion to open and close the upper and lower portions; a bushing body having a through hole formed at the center and provided at a lower end thereof with a saddle coupling section that rotatably engages with the threaded section; an insertion pipe passing through the bushing body and provided at its upper end with a handle extending laterally; a camera head; and a cable connected to the camera head and passing through the insertion pipe.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an endoscopic device equipped with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle that can be used without interrupting water supply. More specifically, the present invention relates to an endoscopic device that can insert an endoscopic camera into a waterworks pipe, which is under high pressure of up to 10 bar, without interrupting water supply (water supply interruption), to observe internal slime (deposits), rust scale, cracks, water leaks, etc. The endoscopic camera is attached to the end of a semi-rigid cable and is inserted diagonally (at an obtuse angle) into the pipe, but can be inserted in both directions, making it possible to perform endoscopic inspections over long distances. The present invention relates to an endoscopic device equipped with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle that can be used without interrupting water supply (water supply interruption). [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, after 21 years or more, the inside of a water supply pipeline will age and the pipe will peel off and water leaks will occur. In particular, if the coating material (lining material) attached to the surface of the pipe peels off or falls off, a rust mass (scale) will form on the surface of the cast iron pipe due to oxidation. If this causes a water leak or damage to the pipe, it will be necessary to carry out work to rehabilitate the pipeline without excavation or replace it with a new pipe.

[0003] The method for determining whether there is an abnormality in such a pipeline is to measure the flow of fluid (flow velocity, volume, etc.) through the pipeline, determine the amount of loss or noise due to water leakage, and infer the location of the damage. If necessary, the water supply is stopped in a planned manner, and then the pipe is cut off and the internal condition is visually identified, so that maintenance measures and the appropriate replacement time can be determined according to the condition.

[0004] However, the inspection method of collecting specimens after the water supply is cut (visual inspection of the cut pipe) as described above requires the water supply to be cut off in the case of water pipes, which inevitably causes damage to water consumers due to the water supply being cut off for a certain period of time.To avoid this, correlation-based pipeline leak detection methods and acoustic leak detection methods, which are indirect investigation methods that do not require the water supply to be cut off, are also used.However, although these methods can check for water leaks, they have the problem of being difficult to accurately diagnose the degree of deterioration of the inner surface of the pipe (rust scale, lining material separation and damage, missing pipe connections, water flow obstructions, defective valves, etc.).

[0005] Therefore, while visual inspection is essential today, the most practical alternative to resolve the damage caused by water outages and the cost and time lost due to pipeline transmission is water-less endoscopy technology, which allows for inspection of the inside of the pipe by drilling a hole in the surface of the pipe without interrupting the flow of fluid, similar to the principle of laparoscopy, and inserting an endoscope into the hole. With this water-less endoscopy technology, for small and medium-sized pipes with diameters of 80 to 300 mm or less, the inside of the pipe is inspected using a camera similar in shape to an endoscope.

[0006] As is clear from various prior art documents such as Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1850627, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1035687, and Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1171289, a wide variety of methods have been developed for such water-resistant endoscope devices, and the basic mechanism involves attaching a camera to the end of a cable and moving it along the pipe to photograph the inside of the pipe for inspection.

[0007] However, existing water supply pipe endoscopes generally use a semi-rigid cable (hard but bendable enough to be manually pushed) connected to the camera endoscope, which is approximately 4 mm thick. This cable has a drawback: its thrust force is weak, resulting in a short distance of approximately 30 meters. The reason why thicker cables cannot be used is that the minimum diameter of a water supply pipe is 80 mm. When inserting an endoscope into such a small pipe with a T-shaped branch saddle, if the cable has a diameter greater than 4 mm, the cable's bending ability is insufficient, making it impossible to bend it at a right angle. For this reason, all water supply pipe endoscopes for small water supply pipes worldwide have a maximum thrust length of approximately 30 meters, limiting their usefulness for inspection.

[0008] In addition, the structure of existing endoscopes has an endoscope insertion port (a T-shaped branch saddle) that is installed at a right angle to the pipe, which means that when inserting the endoscope into the pipe, it is only inserted in one direction, in the direction of the fluid flow, for smooth insertion. This further limits the distance the endoscope can be advanced, making it less efficient and economical for imaging inside the pipe. As a result, there is a growing demand from maintenance workers for the development of technology that allows an endoscope to be smoothly inserted in both directions without interrupting the water supply, while also being able to be advanced a long distance of at least 100 meters. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1550674 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent No. 10-1968943 [Patent Document 3] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0061664 [Patent Document 4] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1850627 [Patent Document 5] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1035687 [Patent Document 6] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1171289 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention was created to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an endoscope device that can be inserted into a pipe without water supply interruption to take photographs, and that can easily enter both the direction of fluid flow (forward and backward), while having a much longer thrust distance. This solves the problem of the cable being bent at a right angle when it is first inserted into the pipe and breaking or disconnecting during the process, and furthermore, it uses a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle with a gentle insertion angle so that a thick and strong endoscope cable can be inserted far.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope device that can be advanced over longer distances without water interruption by attaching a large number of protrusion structures to the outer sheath of the semi-rigid cable of the endoscopic camera at regular intervals on elastic pieces that expand radially inside the piping so that the endoscope can be easily advanced over longer extension distances. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an endoscope device comprising: a saddle assembly including: a lower saddle that surrounds a lower portion of a pipe and has both sides bent in a normal direction and extending; an upper saddle that surrounds an upper portion of the pipe and has both sides bent in a normal direction and is connected to the lower saddle with a plurality of bolts and nuts; a main block that has an open lower portion that is sealed and fixed around an upper surface of the upper saddle while enclosing it, and an upper portion that has two slopes that are inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the pipe and is connected to the upper end; and two connecting blocks that have a hole penetrating in the longitudinal direction and whose lower portion is fixed to the sloped portion, and whose upper outer periphery has a threaded portion and whose intermediate portion has a ball valve that opens and closes the upper and lower portions; a bushing body that has a hole penetrating in the center and has a saddle connecting portion at its lower end that rotates to connect with the threaded portion; an insertion pipe that penetrates the bushing body and has a handle at its upper end that extends laterally; a camera head; and a cable that is connected to the camera head and penetrates the insertion pipe.

[0013] In addition, one side of the main block is further provided with a bypass pipe which is connected to the inside and has a valve and functions to discharge iron powder generated during drilling without water supply interruption to the outside.

[0014] Furthermore, the joining block is characterized by comprising a lower block joined to the main block, and an upper block rotatably joined to an upper portion of the lower block.

[0015] Furthermore, the bushing body is characterized by being provided at its middle with a bypass valve mounted laterally and a water pressure measuring unit.

[0016] Furthermore, the bushing body may be provided at its upper end with a pipe fixing member that is engaged with a thread formed on the outer periphery and presses and fixes the inserted pipe as the bushing body rotates.

[0017] Furthermore, the lower end of the insertion pipe is provided with a camera mounting portion that is cut in the longitudinal direction and into which a camera head is inserted.

[0018] Furthermore, the cable has a narrow entrance and a wide inside cutout, and three or more guide grooves arranged radially on the outer surface and extending longitudinally at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction, and is fitted into the guide grooves, and at the end in the direction in which the camera head is positioned, fixed protrusions are formed which protrude on both sides and are embedded and fixed inside the guide grooves, and at the other end, guide protrusions are formed which protrude on both sides and move along the guide grooves, and is characterized in that it has a plurality of elastic pieces which protrude in a parabolic curve when no external force is applied, and the protruding parts when subjected to an external force have an elastic restoring force and are fitted into the guide grooves.

[0019] In addition, the elastic pieces are arranged at intervals that are shorter than twice the maximum bending radius of the cable. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] As described above, the present invention provides an endoscope device that can be inserted into a pipe by easily attaching a saddle having branch ports on both diagonal sides, and then drilling holes to insert the endoscope. The endoscope cable can be bent at the maximum obtuse angle when inserted, allowing for the insertion of a thick cable with a large bending radius. This allows for insertion over a longer distance to take photographs, and the endoscope can be inserted in the opposite direction of the fluid flow, allowing for the interior of a longer pipe to be observed.

[0021] Furthermore, even if the cable is deployed spirally along the surface of the pipe due to the elastic pieces expanding radially inside the pipe, the frictional resistance with the inner surface is reduced while minimizing contact with the inner surface of the pipe, thereby enabling the cable to be inserted over a longer distance and photographed even with a cable of the same length or the same bending radius. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a saddle assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a saddle assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a front view showing an endoscope device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a front view showing an insertion process of an endoscopic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an inserted state of the insertion pipe according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a camera head according to an embodiment of the present invention is inserted. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a cable according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of use according to still another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Therefore, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily understand and reproduce the configuration.

[0024] 1 is a perspective view showing a saddle assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing a saddle assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a front view showing an endoscopic device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a front view showing an insertion process of an endoscopic device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an insertion pipe insertion state according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a camera head insertion state according to one embodiment of the present invention, and includes a lower saddle 11 that surrounds the lower part of the pipe 100 and extends with both sides bent in the normal direction, an upper saddle 12 that surrounds the upper part of the pipe 100 and extends with both sides bent in the normal direction and is connected and fixed to the lower saddle 11 by a plurality of bolts and nuts, and a lower part that is open and is sealed and fixed while enclosing the upper surface of the upper saddle 12, and an upper part that is inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the pipe 100. The figure shows an endoscope device with a water-repellent bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle, characterized in that it includes: a saddle assembly 1 composed of a main block 13 having two inclined slopes 131 formed and connected at the upper ends; and two connecting blocks 14 having a hole penetrating in the longitudinal direction, a lower part fixed to the slopes 131, a threaded engagement part 141 formed on the outer periphery of the upper part, and a ball valve 142 formed in the middle for opening and closing the upper and lower parts; an endoscope device 2 composed of a bushing body 21 having a hole penetrating in the center and a saddle engagement part 211 at the lower end that rotates and engages with the threaded engagement part 141; an insertion pipe 22 that penetrates the bushing body 21 and has a handle 221 extending laterally at the upper end; a camera head 23; and a cable 24 that is connected to the camera head 23 and penetrates the insertion pipe 22.

[0025] In the present invention, an endoscope device that was previously inserted in one direction, i.e., in the direction of normal fluid flow, can be selectively inserted in either the direction of fluid flow or the opposite direction, allowing it to be inserted over a longer distance for inspection. Preparation for use of the endoscope device 2 is accomplished by attaching a saddle assembly 1 to an existing pipe 100.

[0026] That is, the lower saddle 11 and the upper saddle 12 are connected and fixed to the pipe 100 by several pairs of bolts and nuts, and the ball valve 142 is opened to perform drilling work on the pipe 100. At this time, in the present invention, one side of the main block 13 is provided with a valved bypass pipe 132 that is linked to the interior, so that iron powder, burrs, etc. that may be generated by the drilling work can be discharged through the opened ball valve 142 and bypass pipe 132 together with the fluid discharged by the pressure of the pipe 100.

[0027] When the drilling operation is completed in this manner, the endoscope device 2 is fixed in the desired direction by connecting the threaded portion 141 and the saddle connecting portion 211, and the insertion pipe 22 is then pushed in.

[0028] At this time, as means for discharging the remaining fluid and measuring the pressure, it is preferable to provide a bypass valve 212 mounted laterally in the middle of the bushing body 21 and a water pressure measuring unit 213, and it is also preferable to provide a pipe fixing member 214 at the upper end of the bushing body 21, which is coupled with a thread formed on the outer periphery and presses and fixes the inserted pipe 22 as it rotates, so that the inserted pipe 22 is kept fixed in place under normal conditions.

[0029] That is, the lower end of the insertion pipe 22, which is inserted at an angle in this manner, is provided with a camera loading section 222 that is cut longitudinally and into which the camera head 23 is inserted, thereby protecting the camera head 23 during the insertion operation.

[0030] Next, the operator pushes in the cable 24, causing the camera head 23 to move along the pipe 100. The cable 24, which serves as a means for the endoscopic device 2 to measure longer distances, has semi-rigid properties that mean it cannot be bent beyond its maximum bending radius, and as the maximum bending radius increases, i.e., as it has less bending properties, it becomes possible to throw it over longer distances.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the present invention, in which the joining block 14 is characterized by comprising a lower block 143 that joins with the main block 13, and an upper block 144 that is rotatably joined to the top of the lower block 143.

[0032] When the cable 24 is inserted, it is bent according to the resistance and is tightly fitted along the inner wall surface of the pipe 100, and extends like a spring. When the cable 24 is inserted, it is bent first to move along the pipe 100, and as the angle increases, a cable 24 with a larger bending radius can be used, and it can be inserted over a longer distance.

[0033] Therefore, if the upper block 144 and the lower block 143 are formed to have a rotatable structure so that the throwing angle can be adjusted, it becomes possible to observe a longer distance.

[0034] FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a cable according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state of use according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, in which the cable 24 has a shape with a narrow entrance and a wide interior cutout, and three or more guide grooves 241 arranged radially on the outer surface and extending longitudinally at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction, and is fitted into the guide grooves 241, and at the tip of the cable in the direction in which the camera head 23 is positioned, there are formed fixing protrusions 242 that protrude on both sides and are embedded and fixed inside the guide grooves 241, and at the other tip there are formed guide protrusions 243 that protrude on both sides and move along the guide grooves 241, and when no external force is applied, there are formed a plurality of elastic pieces 244 that protrude in a parabolic curve, and when an external force is applied, the protruding portions have elastic restoring force and are fitted into the guide grooves 241.

[0035] As mentioned above, the cable 24 extends in a shape that wraps around the inner wall surface of the pipe 100 depending on the resistance, and this shape is a major reason why the distance that the cable 24 can be inserted into a structure where the resistance force generated by the tight contact between the cable 24 and the pipe 100 increases is limited.

[0036] Therefore, the elastic piece 244 proposed by the present invention prevents the cable 24 from adhering to the inner wall surface of the pipe 100, minimizing contact resistance and enabling the cable to be inserted over a longer distance.

[0037] At this time, if the elastic pieces 244 are arranged at intervals shorter than twice the maximum bending radius of the cable 24, the cable 24 will not come into contact with the pipe 100.

[0038] In this case, it is more advantageous that the elastic piece 244 is not a normal parabola, i.e., a curve realized by a quadratic equation, but rather a curve having a concave shape at the bottom at the rising and falling portions as shown in the figure, so that the guide protrusion 243 can naturally move along the guide groove 241 as it enters the insertion pipe 22 during the process of retrieving the cable 24, allowing the elastic piece 244 to fit in.

[0039] This embodiment has the advantage that, in situations where it is difficult to insert an endoscopic device using power during a continuous water supply interruption, the cable 24 moves along the center of the pipe 100 without being bent to the maximum extent, minimizing friction, allowing the device to be inserted over a longer distance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Saddle assembly 11 Lower saddle 12 Upper saddle 13 Main Block 131 Slope 132 Bypass pipe 14 Bonding Blocks 141 Threaded joint 142 Ball valve 143 Lower Block 144 Upper Block 2 Endoscopic devices 21 Bushing body 211 Saddle joint 212 Bypass valve 213 Water pressure measurement unit 214 Pipe fixing member 22 Insertion pipe 221 Handle 222 Camera loading section 23 Camera Head 24 Cable 241 Guide groove 242 Fixed protrusion 243 Guide protrusion 244 Elastic Piece 100 Piping

Claims

1. a lower saddle (11) surrounding the lower part of the pipe (100) and extending with both sides bent in the normal direction; an upper saddle (12) surrounding the upper part of the pipe (100) and extending with both sides bent in the normal direction, and connected to the lower saddle (11) with a plurality of bolts and nuts; a main block (13) having an open lower part, which is sealed and fixed by enclosing the upper surface of the upper saddle (12), and an upper part having two inclined surfaces (131) inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the pipe (100) to connect the upper end; and two connecting blocks (14) having holes penetrating in the longitudinal direction and whose lower parts are fixed to the inclined surfaces (131), and whose upper outer periphery has a threaded portion (141) and whose middle has a ball valve (142) for opening and closing the upper and lower parts; an endoscope device (2) including a bushing body (21) having a through hole formed in the center and a saddle coupling part (211) at the lower end that rotates to couple with the threaded part (141); an insertion pipe (22) that passes through the bushing body (21) and has a handle (221) at the upper end that extends laterally; a camera head (23); and a cable (24) that is connected to the camera head (23) and passes through the insertion pipe (22); A water-repellent endoscope device equipped with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle, characterized by comprising:

2. 2. The waterless endoscope device with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass pipe (132) on one side of the main block (13), which is connected to the interior and has a valve for discharging iron powder generated during waterless drilling to the outside.

3. 2. The endoscope device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting block (14) comprises a lower block (143) connected to the main block (13) and an upper block (144) rotatably connected to an upper portion of the lower block (143).

4. 2. A water-resistant endoscope device equipped with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle as described in claim 1, characterized in that a bypass valve (212) mounted laterally and a water pressure measuring unit (213) are provided in the middle of the bushing body (21).

5. 2. The water-resistant endoscope device with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle according to claim 1, wherein a pipe fixing member (214) is provided at the upper end of the bushing body (21) to engage with a thread formed on the outer periphery and press and fix the insertion pipe (22) as the bushing body rotates.

6. 2. The water-resistant endoscope device with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the insertion pipe (22) is provided with a camera mounting section (222) that is cut in the longitudinal direction and into which a camera head (23) is inserted.

7. The cable (24) has three or more guide grooves (241) arranged radially on the outer circumferential surface, each of which has a narrow entrance and a wide incision on the inside, and which extend longitudinally at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction.

2. A water-resistant endoscope device equipped with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle according to claim 1, characterized in that the end of the saddle, which is fitted into the guide groove (241) and faces the camera head (23), has fixed protrusions (242) protruding on both sides and embedded in the guide groove (241) to be fixed therein, and the other end of the saddle has guide protrusions (243) protruding on both sides and moving along the guide groove (241), and the saddle has a plurality of elastic pieces (244) which protrude in a parabolic (curved) shape when no external force is applied, and which, when subjected to an external force, have elastic restoring force and are fitted into the guide groove (241).

8. 8. A water-repellent endoscope device equipped with a bidirectional diagonal endoscope insertion saddle as described in claim 7, characterized in that the elastic pieces (244) are arranged at intervals that are shorter than twice the maximum bending radius of the cable (24).

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