Pipe cutting device

Abstract

To prevent a cutting unit from falling even if a cutting means such as a band saw breaks when the cutting unit descends under its own weight in a pipe halving device. [Solution] The device body 10 of the pipe halving device 1 is provided with a pipe holding section 20 that holds the pipe 9 facing up and down, a cutting unit 30, and a receiving member 97. The cutting unit 30 is lowered by its own weight while the cutting means 32 of the cutting unit 30 cuts the pipe 9 in the transverse direction. The receiving member 97 can receive the receiving portion 87 of the cutting unit 30 from below. The receiving member 97 is lowered by a receiving drive section 92 in accordance with the descent of the cutting unit 30.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pipe cutting device, and more particularly to a pipe halving device suitable for cutting in half pipes such as waste generated from nuclear facilities. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of pipe cutting devices have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that cuts a pipe in half using an endless circular band saw. The pipe to be cut is set facing up and down into the cutting device. As the band saw rotates, the cutting unit including the band saw descends under its own weight, thereby cutting the pipe in half.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a device that can adjust the feed speed according to the material and diameter of the pipe while forcibly feeding the cutting unit using a feed mechanism rather than by gravity. The device in Patent Document 2 also has a plurality of pipe receiving plates for holding the pipe, one of which is selected and used according to the diameter of the pipe to be cut. Each pipe receiving plate has a pipe receiving recess into which the corresponding pipe fits. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-090499 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-205839 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the case of a system in which the cutting unit descends under its own weight, the weight of the cutting unit is supported by the pipe to be cut via the band saw. Therefore, if the band saw breaks, the cutting unit loses its support and falls, which may damage the device (problem 1). Furthermore, as the blade of the band saw in this type of pipe halving device deteriorates and becomes damaged, it can become deformed, such as being drawn (a phenomenon in which the blade curves in an arc when viewed from above), making it impossible to cut the pipe in half in a straight line.The band saw may also come off the pipe and scrape the device (a second problem). Furthermore, it is troublesome to change the pipe receiving plate every time the diameter of the pipe to be cut changes (third problem). In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has as its main object the solution to the first problem by preventing the cutting unit from falling in a pipe halving device even if the cutting means, such as a band saw, breaks when the cutting unit descends under its own weight. Furthermore, a secondary object of the present invention is to solve the second problem by quickly detecting the progression of deterioration and damage in cutting means such as a band saw and encouraging appropriate measures to be taken. A secondary object of the present invention is to solve the third problem by eliminating the need to prepare and replace multiple tube receiving plates for each diameter of the pipe to be cut. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the first problem, the present invention provides a pipe halving device for cutting a pipe into halves, comprising: A device body, a tube holder provided in the device body and configured to hold the tube with the tube axis facing up and down; a cutting unit having a cutting means for cutting the pipe in a transverse direction along the pipe diameter and a receiving portion, the cutting unit being capable of descending under its own weight; a receiving member supported on the device body so as to be vertically movable and capable of receiving the received portion from below; a receiving drive unit that lowers the receiving member in accordance with the lowering of the cutting unit; The present invention is characterized by the following.

[0007] According to the pipe halving device, the cutting means is pressed against the pipe to be cut to cut the pipe, while the cutting unit is lowered by its own weight, thereby cutting the pipe in half. As the cutting unit and thus the received portion are lowered, the receiving member is lowered by the receiving drive portion. When the pipe can no longer support the load of the cutting unit due to breakage of the cutting means or other reasons, the load of the cutting unit is transmitted from the receiving portion to the receiving member, and then from the receiving member to the receiving drive portion. This allows the load of the cutting unit to be supported by the receiving drive portion. Therefore, the cutting unit will not lose support and fall, and it is possible to avoid the cutting unit colliding with the bottom of the pipe halving device and damaging the pipe halving device.

[0008] Preferably, a position sensor is provided for detecting the relative position of the received portion and the receiving member in the up-down direction, and the receiving drive portion is driven in accordance with the detection result of the position sensor. This allows the receiving member to be lowered in accordance with the lowering of the cutting unit and therefore the received portion, and the receiving member can be maintained in a state where it can receive the received portion from below. As a result, the first problem can be solved.

[0009] Preferably, a biasing means is interposed between the received portion and the receiving member, capable of biasing the received portion upward. This makes it possible to cushion the impact between the received portion and the receiving member.

[0010] Preferably, the receiving member has a receiving base portion and a pin member protruding upward from the receiving base portion, the biasing means has a spring provided on the outer periphery of the pin member, and a lower end of the spring abuts against the receiving base portion, The receiving portion has a cylindrical insertion portion through which the pin member passes so as to be able to move up and down, and the upper end of the spring can abut against the bottom of the cylindrical insertion portion. This allows the received portion and the receiving member to be reliably engaged with each other so as to be relatively displaceable up and down with the spring sandwiched therebetween.

[0011] Preferably, the receiver drive portion is driven intermittently in accordance with the relative position of the received portion with respect to the receiving member in the up-down direction. For example, when the received portion and the receiving member approach each other and the spring (biasing means) contracts, the receiving drive unit is driven to move the receiving member away from the received portion. When the received portion and the receiving member move away from each other and the spring expands, the drive of the receiving drive unit is stopped. When the spring contracts, the spring force increases and the cutting means tends to float away from the pipe, thereby reducing the load applied to the cutting means, reducing the amount of frictional heat generated during cutting, and promoting the scattering of chips, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the cutting means blade. When the spring expands, the spring force decreases and the pressing load of the cutting means against the pipe increases, thereby progressing the cutting.

[0012] Preferably, a restraining member is provided detachably to restrain the received portion and the receiving member so as to restrict relative displacement between them, When the cutting unit descends under its own weight, the restraint by the restraining member is released, When the restraining member is used to restrain the cutting unit, the receiving drive section is driven to lower the cutting unit. This allows the user to select either a gravity lowering mode in which the cutting unit is lowered by its own weight or a drive lowering mode in which the cutting unit is lowered by the drive force of the receiving drive section by attaching or detaching the restraining member.

[0013] Preferably, the tube halving device comprises: a unit-side endless member provided on the device body so as to be circumferentially movable with its major axis directed upward and downward; a unit-side connecting and fixing portion that connects and fixes one location in the circumferential direction of the unit-side endless strip body to the cutting unit; a counterweight provided at a position offset from the unit-side connecting and fixing portion in the circumferential direction of the unit-side endless strip body by approximately half a circumference; It further comprises: As the cutting unit is lowered by its own weight, the unit-side endless body rotates in its own circumferential direction, and the counterweight is raised. This configuration reduces the pressure load from the cutting unit to the pipe by the weight of the counterweight, preventing excessive pressure from being applied to the pipe and allowing the pressure load to be adjusted to an appropriate level.

[0014] Preferably, the receiving portion is provided integrally with the unit side connecting and fixing portion. The receiving portion is provided on the unit side connecting and fixing portion. This allows the unit side connecting and fixing portion and the receiving portion to be integrated into one member. The receiving portion may be provided separately from the unit-side connecting and fixing portion, away from the unit-side connecting and fixing portion.

[0015] Preferably, the tube halving device comprises: a driving side endless member provided on the device body so as to be rotatable with its major axis directed up and down; a drive-side connecting and fixing portion that connects and fixes one circumferential position of the drive-side endless strip body to the receiving member; a transmission mechanism that drives the driving side endless member in an orbital direction by the driving force of the receiving driving part; It further comprises: The driving force of the receiving drive unit is transmitted to the driving endless member via the transmission mechanism, causing the driving endless member to rotate in its circumferential direction, thereby raising and lowering the receiving member connected to the driving endless member. Preferably, the unit-side endless member and the drive-side endless member are arranged parallel to each other.

[0016] Preferably, a part of the cutting means constitutes a transverse blade portion along the transverse direction, Furthermore, the pipe halving device a deformation detection means for detecting deformation of the lateral blade portion; a safety means for executing a safety operation in accordance with the detected deformation amount; It is equipped with: When the cross blade portion is deformed due to deterioration or damage, the deformation detection means detects this and safety action is taken by the safety means. Such safety action may include stopping the operation of the cutting unit, turning on a warning light, sounding an alarm, or displaying a message on a monitor. In response, the operator can take appropriate action, such as replacing the cutting means. This solves the second problem. From the viewpoint of solving the second problem, the present invention provides a pipe halving device for cutting a pipe into halves, comprising: a pipe holding portion for holding the pipe; a cutting unit having cutting means for cutting the pipe in a transverse direction along the pipe diameter, the cutting unit being movable relative to the pipe holding portion along the pipe axis; a deformation detection means for detecting deformation of a traverse blade portion of the cutting means that traverses the pipe; a safety means for executing a safety operation in accordance with the detected deformation amount; The second feature is that it has the following.

[0017] Preferably, the deformation detection means includes a laser projection unit provided above the transverse blade portion at one end of the cutting unit in the transverse direction or upstream in the cutting direction along the tube axis, and a light receiving unit provided opposite the laser projection unit above the transverse blade portion at the other end of the cutting unit in the transverse direction or upstream in the cutting direction. When the cutting means is normal, the laser passes straight through the inside of the cutting groove in the pipe along the upper or upstream edge of the transverse blade portion and is received by the light receiving portion. On the other hand, if the cutting means is damaged or deteriorated, for example, and the transverse blade section is bent (curved in an arc when viewed in the cutting direction), the cutting groove of the pipe, located particularly in the center of the longitudinal direction of the transverse blade section, will shift from the half-split position toward the bent section. As a result, the laser is blocked by the pipe wall and is no longer received by the light-receiving unit. In response, the safety means will shut down the cutting unit, turn on a warning light, sound an alarm, display a warning on the monitor, and perform other safety operations.

[0018] Preferably, the deformation detection means includes a displacement meter provided in the cutting unit for detecting displacement of the transverse blade portion in a front-rear direction perpendicular to both the transverse direction and the tube axis. When the cutting means is normal, the traverse blade portion hardly bends or tilts, and the displacement of the traverse blade portion detected by the displacement meter is kept within the threshold value. On the other hand, if the cutting means is deteriorated or damaged, causing the cross blade to bend or tilt, the displacement of the cross blade detected by the displacement meter will exceed a threshold value. In response, the safety means will shut down the cutting unit, turn on a warning light, sound an alarm, display a warning on the monitor, and perform other safety operations.

[0019] Preferably, the displacement meter is a displacement meter body fixed to the cutting unit; a contactor protruding from the displacement gauge body toward the transverse blade portion; a contact advance / retract mechanism for advancing and retracting the contact in the forward / backward direction between a detection position where the contact abuts against the traverse blade portion and a detection retreat position away from the traverse blade portion toward the displacement meter body; a detection element provided in the deformation gauge body, which detects the position of the contact at the detection position in the front-rear direction with respect to a detection reference position; a reset unit that resets the detection reference position to zero; Includes. When deterioration or damage to the cutting means is detected, the cutting means is replaced. When replacing the cutting means, the contactor advance / retract mechanism retracts the contactor to the detection retract position, which prevents the displacement meter from moving if an operator or object hits the contactor, eliminating the need to readjust the displacement meter's position. Preferably, after replacing the cutting means and before restarting operation, the detection reference position of the displacement meter is reset to zero. That is, by placing the contactor in the detection position, the contactor is brought into contact with the new cutting means after replacement, and then the detection reference position is reset to zero by the reset unit. This allows the detection position of the contactor relative to the new cutting means after replacement or before restarting operation to be set as the new detection reference position. This allows the displacement of the new cutting means to be accurately detected after restarting operation.

[0020] Preferably, the tube halving device comprises: an insertion member provided on an upper side (upstream side in the cutting direction) of the pipe holding portion of the device body; an insertion drive unit that moves the insertion member between an insertion retraction position where the insertion member is retracted from the pipe before cutting begins in the pipe holding unit and an insertion position where the insertion member is inserted into a cutting groove formed at the upper end (cutting start end) of the pipe after cutting begins; It further comprises: When the cutting of the pipe has progressed at least as far as the width of the traverse blade portion, the insertion member is brought to the insertion position by the insertion drive unit, and the tip of the insertion member is inserted into the cutting groove formed at the cutting start end of the pipe. This prevents the cutting groove from narrowing due to thermal stress during cutting of the pipe. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the traverse blade portion from being tightly pinched between both edges of the cutting groove, which would cause large frictional resistance, and to perform the cutting smoothly.

[0021] Preferably, the tube holding portion is a receiving surface member having a receiving surface along which the pipe is placed; a pressing surface member having a pressing surface facing the receiving surface in parallel, the pressing surface member cooperating with the receiving surface member to clamp the pipe between the receiving surface and the pressing surface; a gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts the opposing gap between the receiving surface member and the pressing surface member in accordance with the diameter of the pipe; Includes. This allows the pipe to be cut to be clamped and held between the receiving surface member and the pressing surface member. One receiving surface member and one pressing surface member can accommodate multiple pipe diameters. The receiving surface and pressing surface do not need to have grooves formed to fit and hold the pipe. Therefore, there is no need to prepare multiple receiving surface members and pressing surface members with grooves corresponding to the pipe diameter, and there is no need to replace the receiving surface member and pressing surface member for each pipe to be cut. This solves the third problem mentioned above. From the viewpoint of solving the third problem, the present invention provides a pipe halving device for cutting a pipe into halves, comprising: a pipe holding portion for holding the pipe; a cutting unit having cutting means for cutting the pipe along its diameter, the cutting unit being movable relative to the pipe holding portion along the pipe axis of the pipe; The pipe holding portion is a receiving surface member having a receiving surface along which the pipe is placed; a pressing surface member having a pressing surface facing the receiving surface in parallel, the pressing surface member cooperating with the receiving surface member to clamp the pipe between the receiving surface and the pressing surface; a gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts the opposing gap between the receiving surface member and the pressing surface member in accordance with the diameter of the pipe; The third feature is that it includes:

[0022] Preferably, the gap adjustment mechanism comprises: a plurality of receiving surface position adjustment members rotatably provided at a plurality of locations on the receiving surface member, the receiving surface position adjustment members rotating to adjust the position of the receiving surface member in a direction facing the pressing surface member; an endless receiving surface actuating member wound around the plurality of receiving surface position adjusting members so as to connect them together; a rotation operating unit that rotates the plurality of receiving surface position adjusting members simultaneously by rotating the receiving surface actuation endless strip along the circumferential direction of the receiving surface actuation endless strip; Includes. By operating the rotation operating part, the receiving surface actuation endless beam is rotated, and the receiving surface actuation endless beam rotates the receiving surface position adjustment members at multiple locations at the same rotational speed. This adjusts the position of the receiving surface member so that it moves forward and backward in the direction facing the pressing surface member. The same magnitude of forward and backward force can be applied simultaneously to multiple locations on the receiving surface member, allowing the receiving surface member to be reliably moved forward and backward in a parallel manner in the front-to-rear direction.

[0023] Preferably, an elastic plate is attached to the opposing surface of at least one of the receiving surface member and the pressing surface member. Therefore, the surface of the elastic plate constitutes the receiving surface or the pressing surface. By bringing the tube into contact with the elastic plate, the frictional resistance between the tube and the tube holding portion can be increased, and the tube can be held stably.

[0024] Preferably, the tube halving device comprises: a locking means for releasably locking the pressing surface member at the facing position; a lock safety mechanism that allows operation of the pipe halving device when locked by the locking means and disables operation of the pipe halving device when unlocked; It further comprises: After the pipe to be cut is held by the pipe holder, the holding member is locked by the locking means, which prevents the holding member from opening and allows the pipe to be cut safely. If the holding member is not locked, the operation of the pipe half-splitting device is refused, thereby ensuring safety. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, even if the cutting means breaks when the cutting unit of the pipe halving device descends under its own weight, the cutting unit can be supported by the support member, preventing the cutting unit from losing all support and falling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a pipe halving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view, partly in cross section, of the pipe halving device. [Figure 3] 3 is a plan cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, showing the pipe holding portion of the pipe halving device in a state where it holds a small-diameter pipe. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the tube holding portion in a state where it holds a smaller number of tubes than in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the pipe holding portion of the pipe halving device in a state where it holds a large diameter pipe. [Figure 6] Fig. 6(a) is a plan sectional view showing the locking means of the opening and closing door of the pipe halving device in an unlocked state, and Fig. 6(b) is a plan sectional view taken along line VIb-VIb in Fig. 1, showing the locking means of the opening and closing door in a locked state. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the receiving surface member of the pipe holding portion. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a rear view of the tube-holding base frame of the tube halving device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view of the pressing surface member of the tube holding portion. [Figure 10] Figure 10(a) is a side view showing the insertion mechanism of the pipe half-splitting device in the insertion retracted position, Figure 10(b) is a side view showing the insertion mechanism in the insertion retracted position being moved to the insertion position, and Figure 10(c) is a side view showing the insertion mechanism in the insertion position. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front view of the cutting unit of the pipe halving device. [Figure 12] Fig. 12(a) is a side view taken along line XIIa-XIIa in Fig. 11, showing the displacement meter of the deformation detection means of the tube halving device in the detection position, and Fig. 12(b) is a side view showing the displacement meter of the deformation detection means in the detection retraction position. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the rear structure of the cutting unit of the pipe halving device. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a front view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13, showing the balance mechanism in the back structure. [Figure 15] 15 is a front view taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 13, showing the receiving mechanism in the back structure. [Figure 16] 16 is a side view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 14, showing the receiving mechanism with its received portion disposed near the upper end of its range of relative movement with respect to the receiving member. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a side view showing the receiving mechanism in a state where it is disposed midway within the range of relative movement. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a side view showing the receiving mechanism with the received portion disposed near the lower end of the relative movement range. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a side view of the receiving mechanism of the tube half-splitting device in a drive-down mode. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a restraining member used in the drive lowering mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. <Pipe to be cut 9> As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the pipe 9 to be cut in this embodiment is, for example, various types of piping discarded in the controlled area of ​​a nuclear power plant. The pipes 9 (9A, 9B) have different diameters. Preferably, the pipe 9 is a straight pipe with a straight pipe axis. Examples of materials for the pipe 9 include stainless steel (SUS), carbon steel, copper, and aluminum.

[0028] <Pipe halving device 1> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a pipe 9 is cut into halves by a pipe halving device 1. The pipe halving device 1 can handle both small-diameter pipes 9A (Figures 3 and 4) and large-diameter pipes 9B (Figure 5). The pipe halving device 1 includes a control panel 2, a device main body 10, a pipe holding section 20, and a cutting unit 30. As shown in Figure 1, the control panel 2 is disposed outside the device main body 10. The control panel 2 is provided with a control section consisting of an operation button 2a and a programmable logic controller (PLC, hereinafter referred to as "controller 2b"). The pipe halving device 1 is controlled by the controller 2b in response to operation of the operation button 2a.

[0029] <Device body 10> As shown in Figure 2, the device main body 10 includes an outer housing frame 11, a pipe holding base frame 12, and a pipe cutting base frame 13. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outer housing frame 11 is formed in the shape of, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped frame. This allows the device main body 10 to be lightweight. A transparent window plate 11b, preferably made of an acrylic plate or the like, is fitted within the frame of the outer housing frame 11. The interior of the device main body 10 can be seen through the window plate 11b. The window frame 11b also serves to prevent chips from scattering.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a hinged door 14 is provided on the front surface (left side in Figure 2) of the outer housing frame 11. A hinge portion 14c (Figure 1) of the door 14, and therefore the door 14 when closed, is tilted rearward (right side in Figure 2) as it extends upward. As shown in Figure 1, the door 14 is provided with a damper 15 to prevent it from closing forcefully.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, a pipe holding base frame 12 and a pipe cutting base frame 13 are provided inside the outer casing frame 11. The pipe holding base frame 12 is erected immediately rearward (to the right in FIG. 2) of the opening / closing door 14. The pipe cutting base frame 13 is erected at a distance rearward from the pipe holding base frame 12. The pipe cutting base frame 13 is formed in the shape of a vertical box that is open to the front (to the left in FIG. 2). The base frames 12, 13 are inclined rearward (to the right in FIG. 2) as they extend upward so as to be parallel to the opening / closing door 14 when closed. The inclination angle of the opening / closing door 14 and the base frames 12, 13 relative to the vertical when closed is preferably several degrees to several tens of degrees, and more preferably about 10 degrees.

[0032] <Pipe holding part 20> As shown in Figure 2, the pipe-holding base frame 12 and the opening / closing door 14 are provided with pipe holding sections 20. The pipe holding sections 20 hold the pipes 9 with their axes facing up and down. Specifically, the pipes 9 held by the pipe holding sections 20 are tilted rearward (to the right in Figure 2) as they move upward so as to be parallel to the opening / closing door 14 and base frames 12, 13 when closed. Note that the pipes 9 may also be held vertically by the pipe holding sections 20.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the pipe holding unit 20 includes a receiving surface member 21, a pressing surface member 22, and a gap adjustment mechanism 23. As shown in FIG. 7, the receiving surface member 21 is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate with its long sides facing up and down and its short sides facing left and right. As shown in FIG. 2, the receiving surface member 21 is tilted so that its long sides face upward and backward so as to be parallel to the pipe holding base frame 12. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the receiving surface member 21 is supported by the pipe holding base frame 12 so that its position can be adjusted in the front-to-rear direction (the up-and-down direction in FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 3, a flat rubber plate 21b is attached to the front side (the surface facing the pressing surface member 22) of the metal main plate 21a of the receiving surface member 21, which faces the front side (the bottom side in FIG. 3). The surface of the rubber plate 21b forms a receiving surface 21f that receives the pipe 9. The pipe 9 contacts the rubber plate 21b along the receiving surface 21f.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, a fixed block 24 (fixed stopper) is provided along the edge of one long side (the right side in Figure 3) of the pipe-holding base frame 12. The fixed block 24 is fixed to the pipe-holding base frame 12 and protrudes forward from the receiving surface member 21 through a through-hole 21c in the receiving surface member 21. A movable block 25 (movable stopper) is provided on the side of the pipe-holding base frame 12 opposite the fixed block 24 (the left side in Figure 3). As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the movable block 25 is engaged with the pipe-holding base frame 12 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction and protrudes forward from the receiving surface member 21 through an elongated through-hole 21d in the receiving surface member 21. The portion between the fixed block 24 and the movable block 25 in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 3) of the tube holding portion 20 is a tube setting region R9.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, the ends of the tubes 9 on one side (the right side in Figure 3) of the multiple tubes 9 lined up in the tube setting area R9 are abutted against the fixed block 24. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the movable block 25 slides left and right depending on the number of tubes 9, and is assigned to the end of the tubes 9 on the opposite side (the left side in Figures 3 and 4) in the tube setting area R9.

[0036] 2 and 3, the pressing surface member 22 is attached to the opening / closing door 14 of the outer casing frame 11 so that its position can be adjusted forward and backward (up and down in FIG. 3). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the pressing surface member 22 is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate with its long sides facing up and down and parallel to the opening / closing door 14. As shown in FIG. 3, a flat rubber plate 22b (elastic plate) is attached to the back surface (the surface facing the receiving surface member 21, the upper surface in FIG. 3) of the metal main body plate 22a of the pressing surface member 22. The surface of the rubber plate 22b facing the receiving surface member 21 forms a pressing surface 22f that presses the tube 9.

[0037] 3, when the door 14 is closed, the pressing surface 22f of the door 14 faces the receiving surface 21f in parallel. The pressing surface member 22 and the receiving surface member 21 cooperate with each other to sandwich the pipe 9 between the pressing surface 22f and the receiving surface 21f. It is sufficient that a rubber plate (elastic plate) is attached to the opposing surface of at least one of the receiving surface member 21 and the pressing surface member 22. Alternatively, the rubber plate (elastic plate) may be omitted.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 3, a fixed block 17 (fixed stopper) is provided along the edge of one long side (the right side in Fig. 3) of the opening / closing door 14. The fixed block 17 is fixed to the opening / closing door 14, and protrudes rearward from the pressing surface member 22 through a through-hole 22c of the pressing surface member 22. A movable block 18 (movable stopper) is provided on the side of the opening 14 opposite the fixed block 17 (the left side in Fig. 3). The movable block 18 is engaged with the opening / closing door 14 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction, and protrudes rearward from the pressing surface member 22 (upward in Fig. 3) through an elongated through-hole 22d of the pressing surface member 22.

[0039] As shown in Figure 3, the ends of the tubes 9 on one side (the right side in Figure 3) of the multiple tubes 9 arranged in parallel in the tube setting area R9 are abutted against the fixed block 17. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the movable block 18 slides left and right depending on the number of tubes 9, and is assigned to the end of the tubes 9 on the opposite side (the left side in Figures 3 and 4) in the tube setting area R9.

[0040] As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the pipe halving device 1 is provided with a locking means 16 that locks the pressing surface member 22 in a position facing the receiving surface member 21, and a lock safety mechanism 3 that operates depending on the state of the locking means 16. The locking means 16 includes a locking plate 16a and a locking engagement portion 16b. The locking plate 16a is provided on the opening / closing side edge of the opening / closing door 14 opposite the hinge 14c side. The locking plate 16a can be slid in the width direction of the opening / closing door 14 to appear and disappear from the opening / closing door 14. The locking engagement portion 16b is provided on the inner surface of the opening / closing door side wall of the outer housing frame 11.

[0041] 3 and 6(b), when the door 14 is closed and the pressing surface member 22 is positioned facing the receiving surface member 21, and the lock plate 16a is protruded, the lock plate 16a is locked by the lock engaging portion 16b. This locks the door 14 so that it cannot be opened, and in turn locks the pressing surface member 22 in the facing position. As shown in FIG. 6(a), by retracting the lock plate 16, the door 14 is unlocked and can be opened or closed. The lock plate 16a may be provided on the outer casing frame 11, and the lock engaging portion 16b may be provided on the opening and closing door .

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6(a), the lock safety mechanism 3 is composed of a lock sensor 3a provided in the lock engaging portion 16b and a controller 2b of the control panel 2. The lock sensor 3a detects whether the lock plate 16a is engaged with the lock engaging portion 16b. The lock sensor 3a is composed of a non-contact proximity sensor such as an optical sensor, but is not limited to this and may also be a contact sensor. Detection information from the lock sensor 3a is input to the controller 2b. When the lock plate 16a is detected by the lock sensor 3a (i.e., when locked), the controller 2b allows operation of the pipe halving device 1, and when the lock plate 16a is not detected (i.e., when unlocked), the controller 2b disables operation of the pipe halving device 1.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a chip receiving container 4 is provided at the bottom of the pipe holding portion 20 of the device main body 10 so as to be removable.

[0044] <Space adjustment mechanism 23> As shown in Fig. 2, pipe holding part 20 is provided with a gap adjustment mechanism 23. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, gap adjustment mechanism 23 adjusts the opposing gap between receiving surface member 21 and pressing surface member 22 to match the pipe diameter of pipe 9 to be cut. Gap adjustment mechanism 23 includes a receiving-side gap adjustment mechanism 40 provided on receiving surface member 21 and a pressing-side gap adjustment mechanism 50 provided on pressing surface member 22.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 3, the receiving-side gap adjustment mechanism 40 includes a plurality of receiving surface position adjustment members 41, an endless receiving surface actuation member 42, and a rotation operation unit 43. As shown in Fig. 7, the plurality of receiving surface position adjustment members 41 are arranged apart from one another within the surface of the receiving surface member 21, preferably at intervals along the periphery of the receiving surface member 21. As shown in Fig. 3, the receiving surface position adjustment members 41 are formed by bolts (shaft members) whose axes are oriented in a direction perpendicular to the receiving surface 21f. Each receiving surface position adjustment member 41 is attached to the pipe holding base frame 12 via a bearing 41c so as to be rotatable about its own axis.

[0046] 3, a nut 44 is provided on the receiving surface member 21. A male screw 41b on the outer periphery of the receiving surface position adjustment member 41 is screwed into the nut 44. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the rear end (upper end in FIG. 3) of the receiving surface position adjustment member 41 protrudes from the rear surface of the pipe holding base frame 12, and a sprocket 45 is provided thereon.

[0047] As shown in Figure 8, the receiving surface actuation endless wire 42 is composed of an endless roller chain. The receiving surface actuation endless wire 42 is looped around multiple receiving surface position adjustment members 41 and engages with a sprocket 45 of each receiving surface position adjustment member 41. A tensioning mechanism 46 is provided on one side of the back surface of the pipe holding base frame 12. The tensioning mechanism 46 includes a variable-position sprocket 47 and an adjustment screw 48. The receiving surface actuation endless wire 42 is looped around the variable-position sprocket 47. By adjusting the position of the variable-position sprocket 47 in the inward / outward direction of the pipe holding base frame 12 using the adjustment screw 48, tension can be applied to the receiving surface actuation endless wire 42 to prevent it from loosening.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, of the plurality of receiving surface position adjustment members 41, one receiving surface position adjustment member 41A is provided with, for example, a hexagonal rotation operation part 43 at the front end (lower side in FIG. 3) thereof. 3 and 8, when the receiving surface position adjustment member 41A is rotated by rotating the rotation operation unit 43, the sprocket 45 of the receiving surface position adjustment member 41A rotates, causing the receiving surface actuation endless member 42 to rotate in its own circumferential direction, thereby rotating the sprockets 45 of the other receiving surface position adjustment members 41. This causes the multiple receiving surface position adjustment members 41 to rotate simultaneously. As a result, the interaction between the male threads 41b and the nuts 44 of each receiving surface position adjustment member 41 causes the receiving surface member 21 to move in parallel so as to advance and retreat in the direction facing the pressing surface member 22, thereby adjusting its position (FIGS. 3 and 5).

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3, the pressing-side gap adjustment mechanism 50 includes a pressing surface position adjustment member 51 and a plurality of slide support shafts 52. As shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of slide support shafts 52 are attached spaced apart from one another within the surface of the opening / closing door 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the axes of the slide support shafts 52 are oriented in a direction perpendicular to the pressing surface 22f. Support cylinders 53 are formed on the pressing surface member 22 at positions facing each slide support shaft 52. The slide support shafts 52 are slidably inserted into the support cylinders 53. As a result, the pressing surface member 22 is slidably supported on the opening / closing door 14 via the plurality of slide support shafts 52.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 9, the pressing surface position adjustment member 51 is disposed, for example, near the center of the opening and closing door 14. As shown in Fig. 3, the pressing surface position adjustment member 51 is configured by a shaft member that is perpendicular to the pressing surface 22f. A male screw 51b is formed on the outer periphery of the pressing surface position adjustment member 51. The pressing surface position adjustment member 51 is attached to the pressing surface member 22 via a bearing 54 so as to be rotatable about its own axis.

[0051] 3, the opening and closing door 14 is provided with a nut 55. The male screw 51b of the pressing surface position adjustment member 51 is screwed into the nut 55. The front end of the pressing surface position adjustment member 51 protrudes from the opening and closing door 14, and a handle 51h (rotation operation part) is provided thereon.

[0052] When the pressing surface position adjustment member 51 is rotated by rotating the handle 51h, the interaction between the male screw 51b and the nut 55 adjusts the position of the pressing surface member 22 in the front-to-rear direction perpendicular to the pressing surface 22f relative to the opening / closing door 14 (FIGS. 3 and 5). At this time, the pressing surface member 22 is guided by the slide support shaft 52 so as to maintain parallelism with the opening / closing door 14.

[0053] <Insertion mechanism 27> As shown in Fig. 2, an insertion mechanism 27 is provided on the upper side (upstream side in the direction in which the cutting unit 30 advances during cutting) of the pipe holding section 20 in the device body 10. As shown in Fig. 10(a), the insertion mechanism 27 includes an insertion member 28 and an insertion drive section 29. The insertion member 28 is formed in a wedge shape that is pointed downward.

[0054] An insertion drive unit 29 is connected to the insertion member 28. The insertion drive unit 29 is configured with an air cylinder (fluid pressure actuator) and includes a cylinder 29a and a rod 29b. The cylinder 29a is fixed to the pipe holding base frame 12. The rod 29b extends upward from the cylinder 29a so as to be movable forward and backward. The insertion member 28 is supported at the tip of the rod 29b via a generally L-shaped bracket 29c.

[0055] As shown in Figures 10(a) to 10(c), the insertion member 28 is moved up and down by the insertion drive unit 29 between the insertion retraction position (Figures 10(a) and 10(b)) and the insertion position (Figure 10(c)). As shown in Figure 10(a), before cutting of the tube 9 begins, the rod 29b is advanced upward, so that the insertion member 28 is positioned in the insertion retraction position. In the insertion retraction position, the insertion member 28 is spaced above the upper end of the tube 9 placed in the tube setting area R9. As shown in Figure 10(c), after cutting begins, the rod 29b is lowered, so that the insertion member 28 is positioned in the insertion position. In the insertion position, the insertion member 28 is inserted into the cutting groove 9c formed in the upper end of the tube 9 after cutting begins.

[0056] <Cutting Unit 30> 2, a cutting unit 30 (band saw unit) is provided in a manner that allows it to move up and down between the pipe holding portion 20 in the outer casing frame 11 and the pipe cutting base frame 13. The cutting unit 30 includes a unit housing 31, a band saw 32 (cutting means), and a cutting motor 33.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 11, the unit housing 31 extends left and right. As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the unit housing 31 is tilted vertically so that the lower end protrudes further forward (to the left in FIG. 2) than the upper end. A back plate 31b is provided via an arm 31a on the rear side (right side in FIG. 2) of the unit housing 31. Both longitudinal ends of the back plate 31b extending left and right (directions perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2) are engaged with the pipe cutting base frame 13 via a slide mechanism 31s so as to be slidable up and down. Therefore, the cutting unit 30 is movable relative to the pipe holding part 10 along the pipe axis of the pipe 9. Furthermore, the cutting unit 30 can descend along the pipe cutting base frame 13 under its own weight.

[0058] As shown in Figure 11, a driven pulley 35 and a drive pulley 36 are housed in the unit housing 31, spaced apart from each other on the left and right. A cutting motor 33 is connected to the rotation shaft of the drive pulley 36. An endless band saw 32 is stretched between the driven pulley 35 and the drive pulley 36. When the cutting motor 33 is driven, the drive pulley 36 is rotated, causing the band saw 32 to rotate in its own circumferential direction, and the driven pulley 35 to rotate accordingly.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 11 , a pair of left and right torsion rollers 37 are provided in the unit housing 31 between the driven roller 35 and the drive roller 36. These torsion rollers 37 twist and apply tension to the portion of the band saw 32 that is stretched between the lower ends of the driven pulley 35 and the drive pulley 36. The portion (part) of the band saw 32 that is stretched between the left and right torsion rollers 37 constitutes the transverse blade portion 32a. The longitudinal direction of the transverse blade portion 32a is aligned straight in the transverse direction (left-right direction) along the diameter of the pipe 9 to be cut. As shown in FIG. 2 , the width direction of the transverse blade portion 32a is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pipe holding base frame 12. As shown in FIGS. 10( a) and 11 , the blade portion 32e of the band saw 32 faces downward in the transverse blade portion 32a.

[0060] 11, a tube setting region R9 is disposed between the left and right twist rollers 37. This allows the longitudinal middle portion of the crossing blade portion 32a to cross the tube 9.

[0061] <Deformation detection means 34> 11, a deformation detection means 34 is provided near the twist roller 37 in the cutting unit 30. The deformation detection means 34 detects the deformation of the transverse blade portion 32a.

[0062] The deformation detection means 34 includes a non-contact optical sensor 60 and a contact displacement meter 70. The optical sensor 60 includes a laser projector 61 and a light receiver 62. The laser projector 61 is disposed at one end (the right end in FIG. 11) of the cutting unit 30 in the longitudinal direction (transverse direction). The laser projector 61 is also disposed outside the pipe setting area R9 of the pipe holding unit 20 in the width direction (the right side in FIG. 11). The laser projector 61 is also disposed several millimeters to several centimeters above the transverse blade portion 32a (upstream in the direction of advancement of the cutting unit 30 during cutting). The projection surface 61a of the laser projector 61 is directed straight toward the other end (the left side in FIG. 11) along the transverse direction. The laser projector 61 projects a laser 63 from the projection surface 61a toward the other end in the transverse direction.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 11, the light receiving unit 62 is provided above the transverse blade portion 32a at the other end (left end in FIG. 11) in the longitudinal direction (transverse direction) of the cutting unit 30. The light receiving unit 62 is disposed outside the tube setting area R9 in the width direction (left side in FIG. 11). The light receiving surface 62a of the light receiving unit 62 faces directly opposite the light projecting surface 61a of the laser projecting unit 61 along the longitudinal direction of the cutting unit 30. The light receiving unit 62 receives the laser 63 and further inputs a photoelectrically converted light receiving signal to the control panel 2.

[0064] 11, the cutting unit 30 including the deformation detection means 34 is connected to the control panel 2. The controller 2b (safety means) of the control panel 2 executes a safety operation depending on whether or not there is a light receiving signal (detected amount of deformation) in the light receiving section 62. Examples of the safety operation include stopping the cutting motor 33, turning on a warning light (not shown), sounding an alarm, and displaying on a monitor.

[0065] 11, a displacement meter 70 is provided below the optical sensor 60 in the cutting unit 30. The displacement meter 70 detects the displacement of the transverse blade portion 32a in the front-to-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to both the transverse direction and the axis of the pipe 9), thereby detecting deformation such as bending or tilt of the transverse blade portion 32a.

[0066] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the displacement meter 70 includes a displacement meter main body 71 and a contact 72. The displacement meter main body 71 is disposed behind the cross-sectional blade portion 32a (upper side in FIG. 12(a)) and below the light-receiving unit 62, outside the width direction of the tube setting area R9. The displacement meter main body 71 is fixed in position relative to the unit housing 31 of the cutting unit 30. Inside the displacement meter main body 71, a contact advance / retract mechanism 73 and a detection element 74 are provided. Although not shown in detail, the contact advance / retract mechanism 73 is configured by an air cylinder (pneumatic drive unit). An advance / retract rod 73b of the contact advance / retract mechanism 73 protrudes from the displacement meter main body 71 toward the cross-sectional blade portion 32a in the forward direction (left side in FIG. 12(a)). The contact 72 is attached to the tip of the advance / retract rod 73b via a holder 75. The contact 72 is formed, for example, in a spherical shape. The contactor 72 is held by a holder 75 so as to be rotatable in all directions. The contactor 72 is not limited to a spherical shape, but may be disk-shaped or pin-shaped.

[0067] As shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b), the contactor advancing / retracting mechanism 73 advances and retracts the contactor 72 in the front-to-rear direction (left-to-right direction in Figure 12(a)) between the detection position (Figure 12(a)) and the detection retraction position (Figure 12(b)). As shown in Figure 12(a), the contactor 72 at the detection position is urged forward or its position is adjusted forward or backward by the contactor advancing / retracting mechanism 73 so that it abuts against the transverse blade portion 32a. As shown in Figure 12(b), the contactor 72 at the detection retraction position is separated rearward (toward the displacement meter body) from the transverse blade portion 32a.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 12(a), the detection element 74 in the displacement meter body 71 is configured, for example, by a linear gauge sensor. The detection element 74 detects the front-rear position (left-right direction in FIG. 12(a)) of the advancing / retracting rod 73b and thus the contactor 72. Specifically, the detection element 74 detects the front-rear position of the contactor 72 at the detection position relative to the detection reference position. The detection position varies depending on deformation (displacement), such as bending or tilting, of the traverse blade portion 32a. In contrast, the detection reference position is fixed relative to the displacement meter body 71 and thus the unit housing 31. In other words, the detection reference position does not vary due to deformation, such as bending or tilting, of the traverse blade portion 32a. Preferably, the detection reference position is the detection position of the contactor 72 before starting to cut the pipe 9. When the band saw 32 is replaced, the detection position of the contactor 72 relative to a new band saw 32 after replacement may be used as the detection reference position.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 12(a), a relay unit 76 is attached to the displacement meter 70. The relay unit 76 is attached to the unit housing 31. The relay unit 76 is provided with a display unit 77, a reset button 78 (reset unit), and a contact advance / retract operation knob 79.

[0070] The display unit 77 displays the amount of displacement detected by the detector element 74, that is, the distance between the detection position and the detection reference position, in numerical value. By manually operating the reset button 78, the detection reference position is reset to zero. By manually operating the operation knob 79, air pressure is supplied to and discharged from the contact advance / retract mechanism 73, and the contact 72 advances and retracts between the detection position and the detection retract position.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 12(a), a relay unit 76 is connected to the control panel 2. A detection signal (detected displacement amount information) from the displacement meter 70 is input to the control panel 2 via the relay unit 76. A controller 2b (safety means) of the control panel 2 executes safety operations according to the detected displacement amount information. Specifically, it is determined whether the detected displacement amount exceeds a predetermined threshold, and if it does exceed the threshold, safety operations such as stopping the cutting motor 33, turning on a warning light (not shown), and sounding an alarm are executed. The predetermined threshold is set, for example, in the range of ±0.5 mm to several mm.

[0072] <Balance mechanism 80> As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical box-shaped pipe cutting base frame 13 houses a balancing mechanism 80 and a receiving mechanism 90 for the cutting unit 30. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the balancing mechanism 80 includes a unit-side endless member 81 and a counterweight 82. The unit-side endless member 81 is formed of an endless roller chain. As shown in FIG. 14, the unit-side endless member 81 is attached to the device body 10 with its major axis facing up and down and its minor axis facing left and right. An upper sprocket 83 and a lower sprocket 84 are provided on the pipe cutting base frame 13 of the device body 10, spaced apart from each other and capable of freely rotating. The unit-side endless member 81 is looped around these upper and lower sprockets 83, 84 so as to be able to freely rotate around its own circumferential direction.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 14, a supported block 85 is provided at one circumferential position of the unit-side endless beam 81. More specifically, of the two left and right long axis strip portions 81a, 81b extending vertically on the unit-side endless beam 81, the supported block 85 is provided on one of the long axis strip portions 81a (on the left in FIG. 14). The supported block 85 is composed of a pair of left and right plates 85a sandwiching the long axis strip portion 81a. As shown in FIG. 16, the supported block 85 integrally includes a unit-side connecting and fixing portion 86 on the front side (on the left in FIG. 16), a central supported portion 87, and a drive-side strip insertion portion 88 on the rear side (on the right in FIG. 16). The front end portion (on the left in FIG. 16) of the unit-side connecting and fixing portion 86 of the supported block 85 abuts against the back plate 31b of the cutting unit 30 and is fixed by bolts. The unit-side endless beam 81 passes vertically through the inside of the unit-side connecting and fixing part 86. The unit-side connecting and fixing part 86 and the unit-side endless beam 81 are engaged with each other via an engaging bolt 86b. As a result, the unit-side endless beam 81 and the cutting unit 30 are connected and fixed by the unit-side connecting and fixing part 86.

[0074] As shown in Figure 16, a receiving portion 87 is integrally connected to the rear (right side in Figure 16) of the unit side connecting and fixing portion 86. The receiving portion 87 is structurally integrated with the unit housing 31 of the cutting unit 30 via the unit side connecting and fixing portion 86. In other words, the cutting unit 30 includes the receiving portion 87.

[0075] An accommodation chamber 87a is formed inside the received portion 87. A cylindrical insertion tube portion 89 is integrally formed at the upper end of the received portion 87. The lower end of the center hole of the insertion tube portion 89 is connected to the accommodation chamber 87a. A drive-side rib insertion portion 88 is integrally connected to the rear of the received portion 87 (to the right in FIG. 16).

[0076] As shown in Figure 14, a counterweight 82 is provided at a location approximately halfway around the unit-side endless beam body 81 in the circumferential direction from the unit-side connecting and fixing portion 86. That is, a support block 85 is provided on one long axis portion 81a of the unit endless beam body 81, and a counterweight 82 is provided on the other long axis portion 81b. The counterweight 82 is formed by stacking multiple weight plates 82a. By adjusting the number of weight plates 82a, the total weight of the counterweight 82 can be adjusted, so that the blade load applied from the band saw 32 to the pipe 9 can be set to a load that corresponds to the material of the pipe 9 (the object to be cut).

[0077] <Receiving mechanism 90> As shown in Fig. 2, a receiving mechanism 90 is provided behind the balance mechanism 80 (to the right in Fig. 2) within the pipe cutting base frame 13. As shown in Figs. 13 and 15, the receiving mechanism 90 includes a driving endless member 91, a receiving drive unit 92, and a receiving member 97. As shown in Fig. 15, the driving endless member 91 is formed of an endless roller chain. The driving endless member 91 is attached to the device main body 10 with its major axis facing up and down and its minor axis facing left and right.

[0078] As shown in Figure 15, an upper driven sprocket 93 and a lower driving sprocket 94 are provided vertically spaced apart on the pipe cutting base frame 13 of the device body 10. A driving endless member 91 is wound around these upper and lower sprockets 93, 94 so as to be able to rotate in its circumferential direction. As shown in Figure 13, a receiving drive unit 92 is connected to the driving sprocket 94 (transmission mechanism). The receiving drive unit 92 is preferably configured by a servo motor with a brake mechanism. The driving sprocket 94 is rotated by the driving of the receiving drive unit 92, and the driving endless member 91 is driven to rotate. The upper sprocket 83 of the balance mechanism 80 and the upper driven sprocket 93 of the receiving mechanism 90 are arranged coaxially with each other but are disconnected so that torque cannot be transmitted between them. Similarly, the lower sprocket 84 of the balance mechanism 80 and the lower drive sprocket 94 of the receiving mechanism 90 are arranged coaxially with each other but are disconnected so that torque cannot be transmitted between them.

[0079] As shown in Fig. 13, the unit-side endless beam 81 and the drive-side endless beam 91 are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined distance in the front-to-rear direction (left-to-right direction in Fig. 13). The drive-side endless beam 91 is arranged rearward (to the right in Fig. 13) of the unit-side endless beam 81. As shown in Fig. 16, the drive-side endless beam 91 is passed through the drive-side beam insertion portion 88 of the receiving portion 87 so as to be movable up and down relative to the drive-side endless beam 91.

[0080] 15 and 16, a receiving member 97 is connected and fixed to one circumferential location of the drive-side endless beam body 91 via a drive-side connecting and fixing portion 96. The receiving member 97 is supported on the device body 10 via the drive-side endless beam body 91 so as to be movable up and down. The receiving member 97 is also designed to be able to receive the received portion 87 from below.

[0081] More specifically, as shown in Figure 16, the receiving member 97 has a receiving base portion 97b and a pin member 97p. The receiving base portion 97b is connected to the drive-side connecting and fixing portion 96. The pin member 97p protrudes upward from the receiving base portion 97b. A compression coil spring 98 is provided as a biasing means on the outer periphery of the lower portion of the pin member 97p. The compression coil spring 98 is interposed between the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97. The lower end of the spring 98 abuts against the upper surface of the receiving base portion 97b.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 16, at least the upper portion of the spring 98 is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 87a of the received portion 87 together with the pin member 97p. As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the upper end of the spring 98 is spaced apart from the bottom of the insertion tube portion 89 or abuts against the bottom of the insertion tube portion 89 directly or via the top plate of the accommodation chamber 87a, depending on the vertical distance between the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, when the upper end of the spring 98 is in the abutting state, the receiving member 97 receives the received portion 87 from below via the spring 98, and the spring force of the spring 98 acts on the received portion 87. This allows the spring 98 to urge the received portion 87 upward. 16 to 18, the upper portion of the pin member 97p is passed through the center hole of the insertion tube portion 89 so as to be able to move up and down. The upper end portion of the pin member 97p is able to protrude upward from the insertion tube portion 89.

[0083] <Restraint member 95> As shown in FIG. 19, a restraining member 95 can be detachably attached to a portion of the pin member 97p that protrudes upward from the insertion tube portion 89. As shown in FIG. 20, the restraining member 95 includes an annular connector 95a and a tightening screw 95b. The annular connector 95a is C-shaped with a slit 95c formed therein. The slit 95c penetrates the annular connector 95a radially from the outer periphery to the inner periphery at one circumferential location and extends from the inner periphery to the midpoint in the radial direction at a location 180 degrees opposite in the circumferential direction. The tightening screw 95b spans the slit 95c at one circumferential location of the annular connector 95a and connects both sides of the annular connector 95a.

[0084] As shown in Fig. 19, a pin member 97p can be inserted into the center hole of the annular connecting body 95a. This allows the restraining member 95 to fit onto the outer periphery of the pin member 97p. Preferably, the restraining member 95 is abutted against the upper end surface of the insertion tube portion 89. Furthermore, the fastening screw 95b is tightened, thereby fixing the restraining member 95 to the pin member 97p. This prevents the insertion tube portion 89 from displacing upward relative to the pin member 97p. This restrains the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97 so that their relative displacement is restricted.

[0085] By loosening the fastening screw 95b and preferably removing the restraining member 95 from the pin member 97p (FIGS. 16 to 18), the restraining of the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97 by the restraining member 95, and hence the restriction on relative displacement, is released. This allows the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97 to be displaced relative to each other up and down.

[0086] <Descent mode> When cutting a pipe, the pipe halving device 1 can select either a gravity descent mode or a drive descent mode. As shown in Figures 16 to 18, in gravity descent mode, the restraining member 95 is removed, thereby releasing the restraint between the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97. As a result, the cutting unit 30 is lowered by its own weight to cut the pipe 9 in half.

[0087] 19, in the drive lowering mode, the restraining member 95 is attached to restrain the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97. As a result, the cutting unit 30 is lowered by the driving force of the receiving driving part 92, and cuts the pipe 9 in half. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the pipe half-splitting device 1 is in the gravity lowering mode.

[0088] <Position sensor 100> As shown in Figure 16, the pipe halving device 1 further includes a position sensor 100 that detects the relative vertical positions of the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97. Preferably, the position sensor 100 is configured as an optical non-contact sensor. The position sensor 100 is attached, for example, to the back panel 31b of the cutting unit 30. Therefore, the position sensor 100 is fixed in position with respect to the received portion 87 and moves integrally with the received portion 87.

[0089] 16, a sensor dog 101 is provided on the receiving member 97 so as to protrude downward and forward. A front end surface 101f of the sensor dog 101 can face the position sensor 100 in close proximity. The position sensor 100 may be provided on the receiving member 97 , and the sensor dog 101 may be fixed in position relative to the receiving portion 87 .

[0090] As shown in FIG. 13, the position sensor 100 and the receiver driver 92 are connected to the control panel 2. The controller 2b of the control panel 2 outputs a drive signal to the receiver driver 92 in accordance with the detection result of the position sensor 100 (i.e., the vertical position of the received portion 87 relative to the receiving member 97). This drives the receiver driver 92 to lower the receiving member 93 in accordance with the lowering of the cutting unit 30. Preferably, the receiver driver 92 is intermittently driven at a predetermined output (rotational speed) for a predetermined time in accordance with the vertical position of the received portion 87 relative to the receiving member 97. The predetermined time is, for example, several seconds to a dozen seconds.

[0091] <Operation of pipe half-splitting device 1> The tube splitting device 1 operates as follows. First, the door 14 is opened, and the pipes 9 to be cut are set in the pipe setting area R9 of the pipe holding unit 20. The pipes 9 are arranged side by side on the receiving surface 21f, facing up and down. The pipes 9 at one end of the pipe setting area R9 (the right end in FIG. 3) are placed on the fixed block 24. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the movable block 25 is slid depending on the number of pipes 9, etc., to be placed on the pipes 9 at the opposite end of the pipe setting area R9 (the left end in FIG. 3).

[0092] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 , when setting the pipe 9, the distance between the receiving surface member 21 and the pressing surface member 22 is adjusted by the distance adjustment mechanism 23 to match the diameter of the pipe 9. First, the position of the receiving surface member 21 in the front-to-rear direction is adjusted by the receiving-side distance adjustment mechanism 40. More specifically, the rotation operation unit 43 is rotated by a rotary tool (not shown). Then, the rotation of the receiving surface actuation endless member 42 rotates the multiple receiving surface position adjustment members 41 arranged at various locations on the surface of the receiving surface member 21 simultaneously and at the same rotational speed. This adjusts the position of the receiving surface member 21 so that it moves forward and backward in the front-to-rear direction, i.e., in the direction facing the pressing surface member 22. The receiving-side distance adjustment mechanism 40 can simultaneously apply the same magnitude of forward and backward forces to multiple locations on the receiving surface member 21, thereby allowing the receiving surface member 21 to move forward and backward so as to reliably move parallel in the front-to-rear direction.

[0093] As shown in Figure 5, the larger the diameter of pipe 9B, the further rearward (higher in Figure 5) receiving surface member 21 should be positioned. As shown in Figure 3, the smaller the diameter of pipe 9A, the further forward (lower in Figure 3) receiving surface member 21 should be positioned. A gauge (not shown) according to the pipe diameter may be prepared to measure the position of receiving surface member 21.

[0094] Furthermore, by rotating the handle 51h of the holding-side gap adjustment mechanism 50, the position of the holding surface member 22 is adjusted in the front-to-rear direction to match the pipe diameter of the pipe 9 to be cut. The larger the pipe diameter of the pipe 9, the further forward the holding surface member 22 should be positioned. The smaller the pipe diameter, the further rearward the holding surface member 22 should be positioned. This allows the exact center of the pipe 9 in the front-to-rear direction to be positioned on the path of the transverse blade portion 32a of the band saw 32. Therefore, the pipe 9 can be reliably cut in half.

[0095] Next, the open / close door 14 is closed. As a result, the tubes 9 in the tube setting region R9 are sandwiched between the receiving surface member 21 and the pressing surface member 22. The tubes 9 at one end of the tube setting region R9 (the right end in FIG. 3) are placed against the fixed block 17. The movable block 18 is then slid to place it against the tube 9 at the opposite end of the tube setting region R9 (the left end in FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0096] As shown in FIG. 3, the circumferential surface of the back side (upper side in FIG. 3) of the pipe 9 is pressed against the rubber plate 21b that constitutes the receiving surface 21f. The circumferential surface of the front side (lower side in FIG. 3) of the pipe 9 is pressed against the rubber plate 22b that constitutes the pressing surface 22f. The coefficient of friction between the rubber and the steel pipe is large. Additionally, the rubber plates 21b, 22b are elastically deformable so as to be concave along the cylindrical shape of the outer circumferential surface of the pipe 9. This increases the contact area between the pipe 9 and the pipe holding portion 20. This increases the frictional resistance between the pipe 9 and the pipe holding portion 20, enabling the pipe 9 to be held firmly and stably. Therefore, one receiving surface member 21 and one pressing surface member 22 can accommodate a variety of pipe diameters. There is no need to form grooves on the receiving surface 21f and the pressing surface 22f to fit and hold the pipe 9, there is no need to prepare multiple receiving surface members and pressing surface members having grooves according to the pipe diameter, and there is no need to replace the receiving surface member and pressing surface member for each pipe to be cut.

[0097] After the door 14 is closed, as shown in Figure 6(b), the lock plate 16a of the locking means 16 is slid toward the protruding side and engaged with the lock engaging portion 16b. This locks the door 14 so that it cannot be opened. Furthermore, when the lock sensor 3a detects the lock plate 16a, the controller 2b allows the pipe halving device 1 to operate. If the lock plate 16a is not securely locked in the locking portion 16b and the opening / closing door 14 is not locked, the lock sensor 3a will not react and the controller 2b will refuse to operate the pipe halving device 1. This ensures safety.

[0098] 2, before starting operation, the cutting unit 30 is positioned above the pipe setting area R9, with the cross blade portion 32a of the band saw 32 facing the upper end of the pipe 9. The insertion member 28 is retracted to the insertion retraction position above the pipe 9. The restraining member 95 (FIGS. 19 and 20) is removed, and the device is in gravity descent mode.

[0099] By operating the control panel 2 to start operation, the cutting motor 33 is started, driving the band saw 32 to rotate, and the crossing blade portion 32a crosses the pipe setting area R9, thereby starting cutting of the pipe 9. Preferably, the initial descent speed up to about 10 mm before the start of cutting is set to a slow speed by the controller 2b. After that, the mode switches to normal gravity descent mode.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 10(b), when the cutting has progressed beyond the distance (e.g., several centimeters) from the lower end (tip of the blade) of the transverse blade portion 32a to the laser beam path of the optical sensor 60, the insertion drive unit 29 lowers the insertion member 28 to the insertion position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the downward-facing tip of the insertion member 28 is inserted into the cutting groove 9c formed at the upper end (the cutting start end) of the tube 9. This prevents the cutting groove 9c from narrowing due to thermal stress during cutting of the tube 9. This prevents the transverse blade portion 32a from being tightly pinched between both edges of the cutting groove 9c, which would otherwise cause significant frictional resistance. This allows for smooth cutting.

[0101] As the cutting progresses, the cutting unit 30 is lowered by its own weight. During cutting, a pressing load (blade load) is applied from the transverse blade portion 32a to the bottom end 9cd of the cutting groove 9c of the pipe 9. As shown in FIG. 16 , while the upper end of the spring 98 is separated from the bottom of the insertion tube portion 89 and the spring 98 is in an unloaded state, the pressing load from the transverse blade portion 32a to the pipe 9 becomes a set load whose magnitude is the weight of the cutting unit 30 minus the weight of the counterweight 82. The counterweight 82 prevents excessive pressing load from being applied to the pipe 9 and also allows the pressing load to be adjusted to an appropriate magnitude.

[0102] During pipe cutting by the cutting unit 30, the receiver drive portion 92 is intermittently driven in the forward direction (the direction in which the receiver member 97 is lowered). That is, a cycle of driving and stopping is repeated. Each time the receiver drive unit 92 is driven, the drive-side endless member 91 rotates via the drive sprocket 94, and the receiver member 97 is lowered. The drive time and output (rotational speed) of the receiver drive unit 92 are constant in each cycle. Therefore, the receiver member 97 is lowered a fixed distance each time the receiver drive unit 92 is driven. The lowering distance of the receiver member 97 per cycle is greater than the stretchable length of the spring 98.

[0103] Furthermore, the descending speed of the receiving member 97 when the receiving driver 92 is driven is greater than the descending speed of the cutting unit 30 and therefore the received portion 87 (the cutting progress speed of the pipe 9). Therefore, the received portion 87 and the receiving base portion 97b of the receiving member 97 are separated in the vertical direction, and the spring 98 is stretched and placed in an unloaded state (FIG. 16). As a result, the pressing load of the transverse blade portion 32a against the cutting groove bottom end 9cd of the pipe 9 becomes the set load, and the cutting of the pipe 9 progresses.

[0104] 16 and 17, from the end of the drive period of the receiving drive unit 92 to the middle of the stop period, the position sensor 100, which is fixed in position with respect to the received portion 87, is located above the front end surface 101f of the sensor dog 101 that is integral with the receiving member 97. Therefore, the position sensor 100 does not react to the sensor dog 101, and this detects that the received portion 87 is at an upper position within the relative movement range with respect to the receiving member 97.

[0105] When the receiving drive portion 92 is stopped, the receiving member 97 is brought to a standstill. Even while the receiver drive part 92 is stopped, the cutting unit 30 continues to cut the pipe, and the cutting unit 30 is lowered by its own weight by the amount of the cut, and the received part 87 is also lowered together with the cutting unit 30. As a result, the received part 87 approaches the receiver base part 97b of the receiving member 97.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 17 , the upper end of the spring 98 eventually hits the ceiling surface of the accommodation chamber 87a or the bottom surface of the insertion tube portion 89, and the spring force begins to take effect. This causes the receiving member 97 to support the receiving portion 87 from below via the spring 98. The spring force acts in a direction pushing up the receiving portion 87 and, ultimately, the cutting unit 30. As a result, the pressing load from the transverse blade portion 32a to the pipe 9 becomes equal to the set load of the counterweight 82 minus the spring force of the spring 98 in the upward direction. As the cutting unit 30 descends, the spring 98 contracts, and the spring force of the spring 98 in the upward direction increases. The pressing load from the transverse blade portion 32a to the bottom end 9cd of the cutting groove of the pipe 9 decreases by the amount of the increased spring force. In other words, the transverse blade portion 32a tends to float above the bottom end 9cd of the cutting groove.

[0107] This reduces the amount of frictional heat generated during cutting. Also, chips accumulated near the bottom end 9cd of the cutting groove can be scattered by the traversing blade portion 32a during the traversing movement. Therefore, chips can be removed from near the bottom end 9cd of the cutting groove, improving cutting efficiency. The scattered chips fall and are collected in the chip container 4. The speed at which the cutting unit 30 descends or the speed at which the tube 9 is cut is slower than when the spring 98 is in the extended state.

[0108] While the receiving drive part 92 is stopped, the sensor dog 101 integral with the receiving member 97 is stationary, while the position sensor 100 is lowered together with the cutting unit 30. As shown in Figure 18, the position sensor 100 soon faces and senses the front end face 101f of the sensor dog 101, and it is detected that the received part 87 is at a lower position within the relative movement range with respect to the receiving member 97.

[0109] When the position sensor 100 responds or after a certain time has elapsed since it started to respond (for example, 0 to several tens of seconds), the receiver drive unit 92 is driven again, and the receiver member 97 is lowered by a certain distance. As a result, the sensor dog 101 is shifted downward from the position sensor 100, and the position sensor 100 stops responding. In this way, by repeatedly driving and stopping the receiving drive unit 92, the receiving member 97 is intermittently lowered so that the receiving member 97 receives from below the receiving portion 87 of the cutting unit 30 as it descends under its own weight.

[0110] If the band saw 32 breaks while cutting the pipe 9, the pipe 9 will no longer be able to bear the weight of the cutting unit 30. Therefore, the load of the cutting unit 30 is transmitted from the receiving portion 87 via the spring 98 to the receiving member 97, and then from the receiving member 97 via the driving endless member 91 and the driving sprocket 94 to the receiving drive portion 92. This allows the load of the cutting unit 30 to be borne by the brake mechanism of the receiving drive portion 92. Ultimately, it can be borne by the device main body 10 via the housing of the receiving drive portion 92. Therefore, the cutting unit 30 will not lose support and fall, and damage to the pipe halving device 1 due to a collision between the bottom of the pipe halving device 1 and the cutting unit 30 can be avoided.

[0111] After the pipe 9 has been cut in half all the way to the bottom end, a cutting completion sensor (not shown) is activated and the pipe halving device 1 is completely stopped. The operator retracts the lock plate 16a to release the lock, opens the opening / closing door 14, and removes the halved pipe 9. After that, the opening / closing door 14 is closed and locked by the locking means 16, and the control panel 2 is operated to return to the origin.

[0112] By the return-to-origin operation, the receiving drive part 92 is continuously rotated in the opposite direction to that during intermittent drive (pulsation) during cutting. This causes the drive sprocket 94 to rotate in the reverse direction, causing the drive-side endless member 91 to rotate in the opposite direction and lifting the receiving member 97. The receiving member 97 pushes up and lifts the received part 87, which in turn lifts the cutting unit 30. This returns the cutting unit 30 to the upper end position in the lifting direction.

[0113] As shown in Figure 19, when the pipe halving device 1 is set to the drive lowering mode to cut the pipe 9, the restraining member 95 is attached to the pin member 97p. This restrains the received portion 87 and the receiving member 97 so that they cannot move relative to each other. In this state, the receiving drive unit 92 is driven in the forward direction at a predetermined rotational speed while the band saw 32 is driven in the orbital direction. This causes the drive sprocket 94 to rotate in the forward direction, causing the drive-side endless member 91 to orbit in the forward direction and lowering the receiving member 97 at a predetermined speed. Accordingly, the received portion 87 is lowered integrally with the receiving member 97. As a result, the cutting of the pipe 9 progresses as the cutting unit 30 is lowered at the predetermined speed.

[0114] In the pipe halving device 1, while the pipe 9 is being cut, two systems of band saw abnormality management are performed by two types of sensors 60, 70 of the deformation detection means 34. In the optical sensor 60, a laser 63 is projected from a laser projector 61. 3, when the band saw 32 is normal, that is, when the blade is not deteriorated or damaged and there is no deformation such as bending of the transverse blade portion 32a (a phenomenon in which the transverse blade portion 32a is curved in an arc shape in plan view), the laser 63 passes straight along the upper edge of the transverse blade portion 32a through the inside of the cutting grooves 9c of the multiple pipes 9 and is received by the light receiving unit 62. The received light signal is input to the controller 2b.

[0115] On the other hand, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3 , if the bending of the transverse blade portion 32a occurs due to deterioration or damage to the band saw 32, the cutting groove 9c of the tube 9, particularly located in the center of the tube setting area R9 in the width direction, shifts forward or backward from the halving position. As a result, the laser 63 is blocked by either the front or rear tube wall sandwiching the cutting groove 9c of the tube 9, and is no longer received by the light receiving unit 62. Therefore, the light receiving signal to the controller 2b is interrupted. In response, the controller 2b stops the cutting motor 33. This prevents the tube 9 from being cut in a position significantly offset forward or backward from the halving position. Furthermore, this prevents the transverse blade portion 32a from further bending, causing it to protrude forward or backward from the tube 9 and scrape the holding surface member 22 or the receiving surface member 21. Furthermore, a warning light (not shown) may be illuminated, an alarm may be sounded, or a monitor (not shown) may be displayed to indicate a band saw abnormality. This allows the operator to take appropriate measures such as replacing the band saw 32.

[0116] During cutting of the pipe 9, the contact 72 is constantly brought into contact with the side of the transverse blade portion 32a by the advancing / retracting mechanism 73 of the displacement meter 70. The position (detection position) of the contact 72 is detected by the detection element 74. If the band saw 32 is normal, the transverse blade portion 32a will not bend or tilt, and the amount of positional deviation of the contact 72 from the detection reference position, that is, the amount of detected displacement, will be kept within the threshold value.

[0117] On the other hand, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 12(a), if the lateral blade portion 32a is bent or tilted due to deterioration or damage of the band saw 32, the point at which the contactor 72 abuts on the lateral blade portion 32a is displaced in the forward / backward direction. This causes the detected displacement amount to exceed the threshold. In response, the controller 2b stops the cutting motor 33. Furthermore, it may also turn on a warning light, sound an alarm, or display an abnormality on a monitor. This allows the operator to take appropriate action, such as replacing the band saw 32.

[0118] 12(b), when replacing the band saw 32, the contact 72 is retracted to the detection retract position by the advance / retract mechanism 73. This prevents the displacement meter 70 from moving when an operator or an object hits the contact 72, and eliminates the need to readjust the position of the displacement meter 70.

[0119] Preferably, after replacing the band saw 32 and before restarting operation, the detection reference position of the displacement meter 70 is reset to zero. Specifically, by setting the contactor 72 in the detection position, the contactor 72 is brought into contact with the side of the new band saw 32 after replacement. Then, the reset button 78 is pressed. This sets the detection position of the contactor 72 for the new band saw 32 before restarting operation as the new detection reference position. This allows the displacement of the new band saw 32 to be accurately detected after restarting operation.

[0120] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the pipe halving device 1 is not limited to application to pipes in nuclear power plants, but can also be applied to cutting various types of pipes in half. The cutting means is not limited to the endless circular band saw 32, but may be a linear reciprocating blade.

[0121] From the perspective of solving the second problem of detecting deterioration or damage in the cutting means, such as a band saw, and taking appropriate measures, the pipe halving device only needs to be equipped with at least a deformation detection means and a safety means in addition to the basic components of the pipe holding unit and cutting means, and does not necessarily require a receiving mechanism 90 including a receiving portion and a receiving member. Furthermore, the pipe holding unit does not necessarily need to hold the pipe 9 facing up or down, but may be configured to hold it in a horizontal or approximately horizontal orientation. Furthermore, the cutting unit including the cutting means does not need to be able to descend under its own weight when cutting the pipe, and furthermore, it does not need to be able to move up and down, but may be able to move horizontally or approximately horizontally.

[0122] To solve the third problem of eliminating the need to prepare and replace multiple tube receiving plates for each diameter of the pipe to be cut, the pipe halving device only needs to include the spacing adjustment mechanism 23 for the pipe holding unit 20 in addition to the basic components such as the pipe holding unit and cutting means. The receiving mechanism 90, including the receiving unit and receiving member, is not necessarily required. Furthermore, the pipe holding unit does not necessarily need to hold the pipe 9 vertically, but may hold it horizontally or approximately horizontally. The pressing surface member and receiving surface member may be arranged vertically facing each other and may be moved closer to or farther from each other vertically. Furthermore, the cutting unit is not limited to the endless annular band saw 32, but may also be a circular rotary blade or a linear reciprocating blade. Furthermore, the cutting unit, including the cutting unit, does not necessarily need to be moved vertically, but may be moved horizontally or approximately horizontally. [Industrial Applicability]

[0123] The present invention can be applied to a technique for cutting a pipe in half as waste generated from, for example, a nuclear facility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0124] 1 Pipe halving device 2 Control panel 2b Controller (control unit, safety means) 3 Locking safety mechanism 3a Lock sensor 9 tubes 9c cutting groove 10. Device body 11 Outer frame 12 Pipe holding base frame 13 Pipe cutting base frame 14 Opening and closing doors 14c Hinge part 16 Locking means 16a Locking Plate 16b Locking part 20 Tube holding part 21 Receiving surface member 21f Receiving surface 21b Rubber plate (elastic plate) 22 Pressing surface member 22f Pressing surface 22b Rubber plate (elastic plate) 23 Spacing adjustment mechanism 27 Insertion mechanism 28 Insertion parts 29 Insertion drive unit 30 Cutting unit (band saw unit) 31 Unit Housing 32 Band saw (cutting means) 32a Transverse blade part 33 Cutting motor 34 Deformation detection means 40 Receiving side gap adjustment mechanism (spacing adjustment mechanism) 41 Receiving surface position adjustment member 41A 1 receiving surface position adjustment member 42 Endless strip for actuating the receiving surface 43 Rotation control unit 50 Pressing side spacing adjustment mechanism (spacing adjustment mechanism) 51 Pressing surface position adjustment member 60 Optical Sensor 61 Laser projection unit 62 Light receiving part 63 Laser 70 Displacement meter 71 Displacement meter body 72 Contactor 73 Contact advancement / retraction mechanism 74 Detector element 76 Relay unit 77 Display section 78 Reset button (reset part) 79 Contact advance / retract operation knob 80 Balance mechanism 81 Unit side endless member 82 Counterweight 85 Receiving block 86 Unit side connection fixing part 87 Receiving part 88 Drive side rib insertion part 90 Receiving mechanism 91 Drive side endless member 92 Receiving drive unit 93 Driven sprocket 94 Drive sprocket (transmission mechanism) 95 Restraining member 95a Cyclic Linker 95b Clamping screw 95c Break 96 Drive side connection fixing part 97 Supporting member 97b Receiving base part 97p Pin material 98 Compression coil spring (spring, biasing means) 100 Position Sensor 101 Sensor Dog 101f Front end surface

Claims

1. A pipe halving device for cutting a pipe in half, A device body, a tube holder provided in the device body and configured to hold the tube with the tube axis facing up and down; a cutting unit having a cutting means for cutting the pipe in a transverse direction along the pipe diameter and a receiving portion, the cutting unit being capable of descending under its own weight; a receiving member supported on the device body so as to be vertically movable and capable of receiving the received portion from below; a receiving drive unit that lowers the receiving member in accordance with the lowering of the cutting unit; A pipe halving device comprising:

2. a position sensor that detects the relative position between the received portion and the receiving member in the up-down direction; 2. The pipe halving device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving drive unit is driven in response to a detection result of the position sensor.

3. 2. The pipe halving device according to claim 1, wherein a biasing means is interposed between said received portion and said receiving member, said biasing means being capable of biasing said received portion upward.

4. the receiving member has a receiving base portion and a pin member protruding upward from the receiving base portion, the biasing means has a spring provided on the outer periphery of the pin member, and the lower end of the spring abuts against the receiving base portion, 4. The pipe halving device according to claim 3, wherein the receiving portion has a cylindrical insertion portion through which the pin member passes so as to be able to move up and down, and an upper end of the spring can abut against a bottom of the cylindrical insertion portion.

5. 4. The pipe halving device according to claim 3, wherein the receiving drive portion is intermittently driven in accordance with the relative position of the received portion with respect to the receiving member in the up-down direction.

6. a detachable restraining member that restrains the received portion and the receiving member so as to restrict relative displacement between them, When the cutting unit descends under its own weight, the restraint by the restraining member is released, 2. The pipe halving device according to claim 1, wherein the cutting unit is lowered by the drive of the receiving drive section when the restraining member is used.

7. a unit-side endless member provided on the device body so as to be circumferentially movable with its major axis directed upward and downward; a unit-side connecting and fixing portion that connects and fixes one location in the circumferential direction of the unit-side endless strip body to the cutting unit; a counterweight provided at a position offset from the unit-side connecting and fixing portion in the circumferential direction of the unit-side endless strip body by approximately half a circumference; The tube halving device of claim 1 further comprising:

8. 8. The pipe halving device according to claim 7, wherein the receiving portion is provided integrally with the unit-side connecting and fixing portion.

9. a driving side endless member provided on the device body so as to be rotatable with its major axis directed up and down; a drive-side connecting and fixing portion that connects and fixes one circumferential position of the drive-side endless strip body to the receiving member; a transmission mechanism that drives the driving side endless member in an orbital direction by the driving force of the receiving driving part; The tube halving device of claim 1 further comprising:

10. A part of the cutting means constitutes a transverse blade portion along the transverse direction, Furthermore, a deformation detection means for detecting deformation of the lateral blade portion; a safety means for executing a safety operation in accordance with the detected deformation amount; The tube splitting device according to claim 1 ,

11. 11. The pipe halving device according to claim 10, wherein the deformation detection means includes a laser light projecting unit provided above the transverse blade portion at one end of the cutting unit in the transverse direction, and a light receiving unit provided above the transverse blade portion at the other end of the cutting unit in the transverse direction so as to face the laser light projecting unit.

12. 11. The pipe halving device according to claim 10, wherein the deformation detection means is provided in the cutting unit and includes a displacement meter that detects displacement of the transverse blade portion in a front-to-rear direction perpendicular to both the transverse direction and the pipe axis.

13. The displacement meter is a displacement meter body fixed to the cutting unit; a contactor protruding from the displacement gauge body toward the transverse blade portion; a contact advance / retract mechanism for advancing and retracting the contact in the forward / backward direction between a detection position where the contact abuts against the traverse blade portion and a detection retreat position away from the traverse blade portion toward the displacement meter body; a detection element provided in the deformation gauge body, which detects the position of the contact at the detection position in the front-rear direction with respect to a detection reference position; a reset unit that resets the detection reference position to zero; 13. The tube halving device of claim 12, comprising:

14. an insertion member provided on an upper side of the pipe holding portion of the device body; an insertion drive unit that moves the insertion member between an insertion retracted position where the insertion member is retracted from the pipe before cutting begins in the pipe holding unit and an insertion position where the insertion member is inserted into a cutting groove formed at the upper end of the pipe after cutting begins; The tube halving device of claim 1 further comprising:

15. The pipe holding portion is a receiving surface member having a receiving surface along which the pipe is placed; a pressing surface member having a pressing surface facing the receiving surface in parallel, the pressing surface member cooperating with the receiving surface member to clamp the pipe between the receiving surface and the pressing surface; a gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts the opposing gap between the receiving surface member and the pressing surface member in accordance with the diameter of the pipe; 10. The tube splitting device of claim 1, comprising:

16. The gap adjustment mechanism is a plurality of receiving surface position adjustment members rotatably provided at a plurality of locations on the receiving surface member, the receiving surface position adjustment members rotating to adjust the position of the receiving surface member in a direction facing the pressing surface member; an endless receiving surface actuating member wound around the plurality of receiving surface position adjusting members so as to connect them together; a rotation operating unit that rotates the plurality of receiving surface position adjusting members simultaneously by rotating the receiving surface actuation endless strip along the circumferential direction of the receiving surface actuation endless strip; 16. The tube halving device of claim 15, comprising:

17. The pipe halving device according to claim 15, wherein an elastic plate is attached to the opposing surface of at least one of the receiving surface member and the pressing surface member.

18. a locking means for releasably locking the pressing surface member at the facing position; a lock safety mechanism that allows operation of the pipe halving device when locked by the locking means and disables operation of the pipe halving device when unlocked; 16. The tube halving device of claim 15, further comprising:

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