Inspection Equipment

Abstract

An inspection device (1) designed for inspecting inaccessible areas of machines and / or equipment components and / or pipeline systems, comprising at least one driven carriage (2) and at least one further carriage (3) carrying an inspection device (4) and connectable to the driven carriage (2) via a coupling device (20, 50), the driven carriage (2) comprising a housing (5) and two wheels (11) held on the housing (5) rotatably about two mutually aligned rotation axes (56, 57), a first electric motor (9) having a first motor shaft (43) and rotating the first wheel (11), and a second electric motor (9) having a second motor shaft (43) and rotating the second wheel (11), characterized in that the electric motor (9) rotates each wheel (9) via a gear, the rotation axes (56, 57) extending between the axes (43) of the electric motor (9).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device designed to inspect areas that are inaccessible to humans, such as machines and / or equipment components and / or conduit systems, the device comprising at least one driven bogie and at least one further bogie carrying the inspection device and connectable to the driven bogie via a coupling device, the driven bogie comprising a housing, two wheels rotatably held on the housing about two rotation axes aligned with each other, a first electric motor having a first motor shaft for rotating the first wheel, and a second electric motor having a second motor shaft for rotating the second wheel. [Background technology]

[0002] Inspection devices for inspecting inaccessible areas of machines and / or equipment components and / or pipeline systems are known in the prior art in various embodiments, for example in the form of video endoscopic inspection devices, in which a video lens is pushed into the pipeline to be inspected or other difficult-to-access locations by means of a sliding rod reinforced with glass fibers. However, the use of such video endoscopic inspection devices is only possible in configurations or pipeline systems that do not branch many times. Furthermore, direction changes are only possible to a limited extent when traveling through pipelines or the like. For example, longitudinal and lateral changes can hardly be realized. The usability of such video endoscopic inspection devices is therefore significantly limited.

[0003] Also known are inspection devices in the form of remotely controlled inspection drones, which have powered wheels, chains or the like, which may be wired or wireless. Such an inspection device in the form of an inspection drone is known, for example, from US Pat. No. 5,399,433. This inspection drone has at least three carriages, each of which may be equipped with two wheels, which are connected to each other via joint devices. By dividing the inspection device into several articulated carriages, a caterpillar-like inspection drone is formed, which is very flexible depending on the type of joint device and can also cope with vertical and horizontal changes. Two of the carriages are formed as drive carriages. The drive carriages are equipped with drives which rotate the respective wheels. According to one embodiment, the drives can be formed as electric hub drives which directly drive the wheels. The hub drives are arranged next to each other in the longitudinal direction of the drive carriage, such that their electric motor axes are aligned with each other. One problem with this construction is that the width of the drive carriage becomes very large due to the length of the electric motors available on the market, which limits the usability of the inspection device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Application Publication No. 102020203453A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Starting from this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an inspection device which has an alternative design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve this object, the present invention provides an inspection device of the type mentioned at the beginning, characterized in that each electric motor drives a respective wheel in rotation via a gear wheel, the rotation axis extending between the axes of the electric motors. The electric motors are therefore arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction of the drive carriage, so that the width of the drive carriage is significantly smaller than the width of the known inspection drone, in particular the width of the inspection drone described in DE 101 14 33 33 54 A1 having the construction mentioned at the beginning. The inspection device according to the invention can therefore be used very flexibly. A further advantage of the inspection device according to the invention is that the torque that can be transmitted to the wheels due to the gear wheel can be adjusted, so that the electric motors can be selected much more flexibly, not only with respect to their length but also with respect to their rotational torque.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the gears are formed identically, resulting in a structure that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

[0008] The gears are preferably arranged to have a plurality of gears, in particular exactly two gears each.

[0009] The gear shape of each gear is advantageously selected so that the drive speed is lower than the speed of the electric motor, so that a relatively high rotational torque is achieved.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the gears are respectively mounted via shaft-hub connections, in particular mating shaft-hub connections, on the axle which is rotatably mounted on the housing and aligned with the axis of rotation, on which the wheels are held against rotation, and on the shaft of the electric motor, thus achieving a very simple and easy-to-assemble structure.

[0011] The axle is preferably arranged in a mating manner between a housing shoulder protruding upwardly on the inside of the housing and at least one axle holder that is placed on top of and connected to this housing shoulder, in particular detachably connected thereto.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the wheels each have a rim and a magnetic ring held on the rim and forming the running surface of the wheel, the magnetic ring being especially designed as a neodymium magnetic ring. The magnetic ring ensures that the driving carriage can also easily move overhead on metal surfaces. The wheels of the other carriages are preferably provided with corresponding magnetic rings.

[0013] At least one driving bogie has at least one annular anchor on its housing forming part of the coupling device and projecting forwards and rearwards, all other bogies advantageously have two outwardly projecting annular anchors, one projecting forwards and the other projecting rearwards.

[0014] Advantageously, the coupling device has an elongated connecting member with parallel through-holes in its opposite end regions, each designed to receive an anchor, thereby achieving a very simple and inexpensive construction that allows the carriages to be pivoted horizontally and vertically relative to one another.

[0015] Preferably, the connecting element comprises two connecting element halves which can be detachably connected to one another, the dividing line between the connecting element halves passing through the through hole in its extending direction. The detachable connection is in particular achieved by using at least one fixing bolt.

[0016] The connecting member halves may have at least one connecting pin which engages in a corresponding recess in the other connecting member half when both connecting member halves are assembled. Advantageously, a plurality of such connecting pins with corresponding recesses are provided, whereby a highly reliable connection is achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0018] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic side view of an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a more detailed perspective view of a drive carriage of the inspection device shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the driving bogie shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a front view of the driving bogie shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower housing shell. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper housing shell. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rim of the driving bogie shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the rim shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an axle of the driving bogie shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 10] FIG. 7 is a side view of the axle shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first gear of the driving carriage shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 12] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second gear of the driving carriage shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the axle shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 with a second gear mounted thereon that mates with the first gear. [Figure 14] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an axle holder of the driving bogie shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 15] 3 is a perspective view of a cable introduction portion of the driving carriage shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 16] 16 is a cross-sectional view of the cable introduction part shown in FIG. 15. [Figure 17] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an anchor of the driving carriage shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 18] 2 is a perspective view of a first connecting member half of the connecting member of the inspection device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a side view of the connecting member half shown in FIG. 18. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second connecting member half of the connecting member. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a side view of the connecting member half shown in FIG. 20. [Figure 22] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a stopper of the driving carriage shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a side view of the stopper shown in FIG. 22.

[0019] In the following, the same reference numbers denote identical or similarly designed components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] FIG. 1 shows an inspection device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention, designed to inspect inaccessible areas of machines and / or installation components and / or pipeline systems. The inspection device 1 comprises a number of successive carriages 2, 3, of which only two carriages are shown in FIG. 1. The carriages 2, 3 are respectively detachably attached to one another via coupling devices. In this embodiment, the two outermost carriages are formed as driven carriages 2, but at least one driven carriage 2 must always be present. At least one of the other carriages 3 is equipped with an inspection device 4, which is shown only diagrammatically in FIG. 1, for example in the form of a camera, a microscope, an ultrasonic measuring head, an eddy current measuring head, etc. It is clear that the other carriages 3 can also be equipped with a number of different inspection devices 4 depending on the inspection to be performed. It is also basically possible to equip the driven carriage 2 with the inspection device 4.

[0021] 2 to 23 show the driving bogie 2 and its components. The driving bogie 2 includes a housing 5 divided into a lower housing shell 6 and an upper housing shell 7, an annular seal 8 inserted between the lower housing shell 6 and the upper housing shell 7, two electric motors 9, two axles 10, two wheels 11 each having a rim 12 and a magnetic ring 13 held on the rim 12 and forming the running surface of the wheels 11, two plain bearings 14, two O-rings 15, two first gears 16 and two second gears 17, an axle holder 18, a cable introduction portion 19, an anchor 20, a stopper 21, and a plurality of fixing bolts 22.

[0022] The housing 5 is made of plastic, here consisting of PA12. The lower housing shell 6 shown in FIG. 5 is provided along its upper edge region, which engages with the upper housing shell 7, with a seal receiving groove or seal receiving surface 23 for receiving the seal 8. A number of fixing flanges 25, which are provided with threaded holes 24 in their upper region, are arranged opposite one another. Starting from these fixing flanges 25, run centrally arranged receiving grooves 26 below the side walls, the shape of which is selected such that the anchor 20 on the one hand and the stopper 21 on the other hand can be snap-fitted into them from above. Through holes 27 are formed in the other two side surfaces of the housing aligned with one another, the shape of which is selected such that the plain bearing 14 with the O-ring 15 attached thereto can be snap-fittedly inserted from the outside. An upwardly projecting housing step 28 is formed centrally inside the lower housing shell 6 and is designed to snap-fit ​​from above on the shaft 10, which will be described in more detail later. Another threaded hole 24 is arranged in the central region of the housing step 28. Recesses 29 are formed in the interior of the lower housing shell 6 adjacent to the respective housing steps 28 and are adapted to receive two electric motors 9 in a mating manner. Figure 6 shows the upper housing shell 7, which also has two fastening flanges 31 with through-holes 30 on opposite sides of its lower area, which are arranged to complement the threaded holes 24 and the fastening flanges 25 of the lower housing shell 6, so that the upper housing shell 7 can be detachably connected to the lower housing shell 6 with the seal 8 arranged on it. Starting from the fastening flanges 31, a recess 32 runs upwards, which leads into the receiving groove 26 of the lower housing shell 6 and serves to receive the cable lead-in 19 on the one hand and the stop 21 on the other hand.

[0023] Figures 7 and 8 show the rim 12, preferably made of plastic, in this case PA 12. The rim 12 has a through hole 33 for receiving the shaft 10, which opens out on the outside into a rectangular recess 34. Furthermore, the rim 12 has on its circumferential side a mounting shoulder 35, the diameter of which is selected so that one of the magnetic rings 13 can be pressed against it. The mounting of the magnetic ring 13 to the rim 12 can be done by frictional bonding or by using an adhesive.

[0024] The shaft 10 shown in Figures 9 and 10 is stepped and is preferably made of a metal alloy, here X5CrNi1810. From outside to inside, the shaft comprises a rectangular head 36 whose dimensions are selected to correspond to the rectangular recess 34 of the rim 12, a rim recess 37 whose diameter is selected to correspond to the through hole 33 of the rim 12, a bearing recess 38 whose diameter is selected to correspond to the inner diameter of the plain bearing 14, a non-circular gear recess 39 and a mounting part 40 which is received by the upwardly projecting housing shoulder 28 of the lower housing shell 6. The shape of the upper surface of the housing shoulder 28 and of the mounting part 40 of the shaft 10 are selected so that the mounting part 40 can be placed matingly on the housing shoulder 28. For this purpose, a circumferential groove 41 is formed at the end of the mounting part 40 to prevent axial displacement of the shaft 10 in the assembled state.

[0025] Figures 11 and 12 show on the one hand a first gear wheel 16 and on the other hand a second gear wheel 17, both preferably made of a metal alloy, in this example CuZn39Pb3. In the embodiment shown, the first gear wheel 16 is smaller than the second gear wheel 17 in terms of outside diameter and includes 13 teeth, whereas the second gear wheel 17 has 17 teeth. Both gear wheels 16, 17 are provided with a central through hole 42 with a non-circular cross section, the shape of which is adapted on the one hand to the outside shape of the gear receptacle 39 of the axle 10 and on the other hand to the shaft 43 (not shown in detail) of the electric motor 9, such that the first gear wheel 16 is fitted on the motor shaft 43 and the second gear wheel 17 is fitted on the axle 10. Figure 13 shows an example of an axle wheel 10 with the second gear wheel 17 arranged thereon, which is adapted to mesh with the first gear wheel 16 fitted on the motor shaft 43, shown in dashed lines in this figure.

[0026] 14 shows the axle holder 18, the underside of which is complementary to the upper side of the housing shoulder 28 formed in the lower housing shell 6 and is provided with a through hole 44 aligned with the screw hole 24 of the housing shoulder 28. The upper side of the axle holder 18 has two outwardly protruding presser holders 45 arranged opposite each other, which when mounted press from above the electric motors 9 inserted in the receiving recesses 29 of the lower housing shell 6 and fix them in their position. The axle holder 18 is preferably made of plastic, in this case PA12.

[0027] 15 shows a cable entry 19, preferably made of a thermoplastic material, in this case TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). It is formed with a cylindrical through hole 46 through which a cable can be passed. The outer shape of the cable entry 19 is selected so that it fits into one of the lateral recesses 32 of the upper housing shell 7 and can rest sealingly on an anchor 20 inserted in a receiving groove 26 of the lower housing shell 6 arranged below it.

[0028] 17 shows a ring-shaped anchor 20 having a plate-shaped mounting part 47, the dimensions of which are selected so that it can be matingly inserted from above into one of the receiving grooves 26 of the lower housing shell 6. The anchor 20 is preferably made of plastic, in this case PA12.

[0029] 18 to 21 show the two connecting member halves 48 and 49 of the connecting member 50 shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, which are preferably made of plastic, in this case PA12. The connecting member 50 is made elongate and has two through holes 51 running parallel to one another in its opposite end regions, each of which is designed to receive an anchor 20. The dividing line between the two connecting member halves 48, 49 is selected to pass through the through holes 51 in the direction in which they extend. The first connecting member half 48 is provided with a central through hole 52 pointing towards the second connecting member half 49. The second connecting member half 49 is provided with a threaded hole 53 aligned with the through hole 52, by means of which both connecting member halves 48, 49 can be connected with a fixing bolt 22. Furthermore, the first connecting member half 48 has two connecting pins 54 protruding towards the second connecting member half 49, which engage in corresponding recesses 55 of the second connecting member half 49 when both connecting member halves 48, 49 are in the assembled state.

[0030] 22 and 23 show a stopper 21 which can be sealingly inserted into the receiving groove 26 in the lower housing shell 6 and into the associated recess 32 in the upper housing shell 7, and which, when inserted, prevents moisture from entering the interior of the housing 5. The stopper 21 is preferably made of a thermoplastic material, in this case TPU.

[0031] With reference to FIG. 3, the method of assembling the driving carriage 2 will be described as follows: first, the first gear 16 is attached to its motor shaft 43, and the electric motor 9 forming a mating shaft hub connection is first inserted from above into the accommodating recess 29 of the lower housing shell 6, so that the electric motor 9 is matingly accommodated in the accommodating recess 29 and the first gear 16 is positioned on the opposite side.

[0032] In a second step, the magnetic ring 13 is slid onto the associated mounting shoulder 35 of the rim 12. The axle 10 is then inserted through the corresponding through hole 33 of the rim 12 until the rectangular head 36 of the axle 10 fits into the rectangular recess 34 of the rim 12. The plain bearing 14 with the O-ring 15 attached is then pressed from the other side into the bearing recess 38 of the axle 10. In the next step, the axle 10 is inserted from the outside into the through hole 27 of the lower housing shell 6, and the second gear 17 is positioned on the respective gear recess 39 of the axle 6, forming a mating shaft-hub connection. The second gear 17 is engaged with the first gear 16 inside the housing 5, and the mounting portion 40 of the axle 10 is matingly housed on the upper side of the upwardly projecting housing step 28 of the lower housing shell 6.

[0033] The axle holder 18 is now placed on the upwardly projecting housing step 28 of the lower housing shell 6 and screwed thereto using the fixing bolts 22. In this state, the axle 10 is firmly held between the housing step 28 and the axle holder 18. Furthermore, the pressing holder 45 presses the electric motor 9 from above to ensure that they are securely positioned.

[0034] Next, the seal 8 is placed on the lower housing shell 6. Also, the anchor 20 and the stopper 21 are inserted into the respective receiving grooves 26 of the lower housing shell 6 from above.

[0035] In a further step, the cable entry 19 is inserted into the recess 32 of the upper housing shell 7 which is to be placed above the anchor 20. The upper housing shell 7 is then placed on the lower housing shell 6, the cable entry 19 sealingly presses against the mounting part 47 of the anchor 20 and the stop 21 is sealingly received in the opposite recess 32 of the upper housing shell 7. In a final step, the upper housing shell 7 is screwed to the lower housing shell 6 by means of the fixing bolt 22.

[0036] In the assembled state, the wheels 11 can now be driven using the electric motor 9 to rotate about their rotation axes 56, 57 arranged in alignment with one another, via the gears formed by the first gear wheel 16 and the second gear wheel 17, respectively. The rotation axes 56, 57 extend between the shafts 43 of the electric motors 9.

[0037] To connect a driving bogie 2 to another bogie 3, the two connecting member halves 48, 49 are pressed against each other so that the ring-shaped anchors 20 of the two bogies 2, 3 to be connected are received in the through-holes of the connecting member. The connecting member halves 48, 49 are then screwed together. The bogies 2, 3 can now swivel both horizontally and vertically relative to each other.

[0038] The inspection device 1 according to the invention is characterized in particular by a very compact design and a modular construction of the driving bogie 2. Due to the detachable connection of the individual bogies 2, 3, they can be combined with one another in any arrangement and number. The inspection device 1 can also be assembled as required with respect to the inspection device 4, depending on the inspection to be performed. If a bogie 2, 3 or the inspection device 4 breaks down during an inspection, the corresponding bogie 2, 3 can be easily replaced on site with a new intact bogie 2, 3. Preferably, the bogie 3 has essentially the same construction as the bogie 2, but the bogie 3 does not have an electric motor 9 and a gear. This allows the manufacturing costs of the inspection device 1 to be significantly reduced.

[0039] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail by means of preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited to the disclosed examples, other variations can be derived by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Inspection equipment 2 Drive bogie 3 Inspection trolley 4 Inspection equipment 5. Housing 6 Lower housing shell 7 Upper housing shell 8. Seal 9 Electric motor 10 Axis 11 wheels 12 Rims 13 Magnetic Ring 14 Plain bearings 15 O-ring 16 Gears 17 Gears 18 Axle holder 19 Cable entry section 20. Anchor 21 Stopper 22 Fixing bolt 23 Seal receiving surface 24 screw holes 25 Fixed flange 26 Storage Groove 27 Through hole 28 Housing Shell 29 Recess 30 Through hole 31 Fixed flange 32 Recess 33 Through hole 34 Recess 35 Mounting shoulder 36 Rectangular head 37 Rim storage section 38 Bearing storage section 39 Gear storage section 40 Mounting part 41 Circumferential groove 42 Center through hole 43 Motor shaft 44 Through hole 45 Presser holder 46 Through hole 47 Mounting part 48 Connection member half 49 Connection member half 50 Connection member 51 Through hole 52 Through hole

Claims

1. An inspection device (1) designed for inspecting areas that are inaccessible to humans, such as machines and / or installation components and / or pipeline systems, comprising at least one driven bogie (2) and at least one further bogie (3) carrying an inspection device (4) and capable of being connected to said driven bogie (2) via a coupling device (20, 50), The driving carriage (2), A housing (5); a first and a second wheel (11) held in the housing (5) so as to be rotatable about two rotation axes (56, 57) aligned with each other; a first electric motor (9) having a first motor shaft (43) and rotating the first wheel (11); a second motor (9) having a second motor shaft (43) for rotating the second wheel (11); In an inspection device comprising: The electric motor (9) rotates and drives the wheels (11) via gears, The rotating shafts (56, 57) extend between the shafts (43) of the electric motors (9). An inspection device (1).

2. 2. An inspection device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the gears are identically formed.

3. 3. An inspection device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gearwheel comprises a plurality of gearwheels (16, 17), in particular two gearwheels (16, 17) each.

4. 4. Inspection device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the shape of each of said gears (16, 17) is selected so that the drive speed is lower than the electric motor speed.

5. The gears (16, 17) each of which is rotatably mounted to said housing (5) via a shaft hub connection, in particular via a mating shaft hub connection, and aligned with said rotation axes (56, 57); The wheel (11) is fixed to an axle (10) that is rotationally fixed, and is fixed to a shaft (43) of the electric motor (9).

5. An inspection device (1) according to claim 3 or 4.

6. 6. An inspection device (1) as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the axle (10) is fitted between a housing step (28) protruding upwardly on the inside of the housing (5) and at least one axle holder (18) arranged on and connected to the housing step (28), in particular detachably connected.

7. An inspection device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the wheels (11) each have a rim (12) and a magnetic ring (13) held on the rim (12) and forming the running surface of the wheel.

8. The housing (5) is provided with at least one annular anchor (20) projecting forward or rearward; The annular anchor (20) forms part of the coupling device. Inspection device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The coupling device has an elongated connecting member (50); the coupling members (50) extend parallel to one another in opposite end regions of the connecting member (50) and each have a through hole (51) designed to receive an anchor (20); 9. The inspection device according to claim 8.

10. the connecting member (50) has two connecting member halves (48, 49) that are removably connectable to each other; A dividing line between the connecting member halves (48, 49) passes through the through hole (51) in its extending direction.

10. The inspection device according to claim 9.

11. One of the connection member halves (48, 49) (48) has at least one connection pin (54); said connecting pin (54) engages in a corresponding recess (55) of the other connecting member half (49) when both connecting member halves (48, 49) are assembled; 11. The inspection device according to claim 10.

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