Inspection robot

Abstract

This invention provides an inspection robot that enables efficient inspection of buildings and structures by smoothly overcoming obstacles in its travel path. [Solution] The system comprises a main body 10, a driving unit 20 that moves the main body 10 forward, backward, or turns via remote control from a remote device 60, a power supply unit 30 mounted on the main body 10, a camera unit 40 provided at the front of the main body 10, and a control unit 50 provided on the main body 10. The driving unit 20 comprises a pair of left and right front wheels 21L, 21R supported near the front of the main body 10 and independently driveable, a pair of left and right intermediate wheels 22L, 22R supported in front of a pair of left and right support arms 27 that are rotatably supported around a support shaft 27b near the rear of the main body 10 and independently driveable, and a pair of left and right rear wheels 23L, 23R supported behind the support arms 27 and independently driveable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection robot for inspecting the underfloor space, piping, equipment, structures, etc. of a building.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when inspecting a building, for example, inspecting for water damage or termite damage in the underfloor space, inspecting the inside of piping, inspecting equipment, or inspecting for rain leakage in the ceiling space, workers enter the underfloor or ceiling space through a narrow inspection opening and visually perform the inspection work, which places a very heavy burden on the workers.

[0003] From such a background, in order to reduce the burden on workers, inspection robots (Patent Documents 1 to 2) equipped with cameras and capable of traveling by remote operation of an operator, inspection robots (Patent Document 3) with a variable zoom ratio of the mounted camera, inspection devices (Patent Document 4) movable along rails attached to structural members above the underfloor or in a shed, and further inspection robots (Patent Document 5) equipped with sub - crawlers front and rear are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the inspection robots described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 may be unable to perform inspections if pipes or structural materials are installed under the floor or in the ceiling, as these can become obstacles that hinder their movement. The inspection device in Patent Document 4 moves along a rail suspended from above, but this requires the installation of the rail and has the problem of not being able to move freely. The inspection robot in Patent Document 5 is said to be able to overcome obstacles by operating front and rear sub-crawlers, but it is difficult to say that it can overcome obstacles smoothly, making it difficult to perform efficient inspections.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an inspection robot that can efficiently perform inspections of buildings and structures by smoothly overcoming obstacles in its travel path, even if there are obstacles along the path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the inspection robot according to the present invention is The first feature is that the device comprises a main body, a driving unit that moves the main body forward, backward, or turns via remote control, a power supply unit mounted on the main body, an inspection camera unit provided on the front of the main body, and a control unit provided on the main body, and the driving unit comprises a pair of left and right front wheels supported near the front of the main body and independently driveable, a pair of left and right intermediate wheels supported in front of a pair of left and right support arms that are rotatably supported around a support axis near the rear of the main body and independently driveable, and a pair of left and right rear wheels supported behind the support arms and independently driveable.

[0008] The inspection robot according to the present invention is A second feature is that the pair of left and right support arms are each equipped with stopper sections that contact the rear surface of the main body when the running section overcomes an obstacle, thereby restricting the main body from tilting backward.

[0009] The inspection robot according to the present invention is A third feature is that the front wheel, middle wheel, and rear wheel each have a flexible rubber tire with a hollow structure that includes a circumferentially continuous cavity inside.

[0010] The inspection robot according to the present invention is A fourth feature is that the front wheels, intermediate wheels, and rear wheels are each equipped with independently driven motors, and the main body can be moved forward, backward, or turned by independently driving each motor through operation from a remote device.

[0011] The inspection robot according to the present invention is A fifth feature is that, upon operation from a remote device, the control unit displays the video or image captured by the camera unit on the monitor screen of the remote device, or transmits it to a remote computer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As explained above, the inspection robot of the present invention has the effect of being able to efficiently inspect buildings and structures by smoothly overcoming obstacles in the travel path, even if there are obstacles in the way. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is an overall perspective view of the inspection robot of the present invention, taken from a diagonal front view. [Figure 2] This is an overall perspective view of the inspection robot, taken from a diagonal rearward angle. [Figure 3] The diagram shows the inspection robot, with (A) being a top view and (B) being a bottom view. [Figure 4] This is a disassembled perspective view of the inspection robot. [Figure 5] The diagram shows the remote control device, with (A) being a front view and (B) being the monitor screen. [Figure 6] This is a side view showing the inspection process performed by the inspection robot. [Figure 7]A diagram showing an inspection robot during travel, where (A) is an explanatory diagram before crossing an obstacle and (B) is an explanatory diagram during crossing of the obstacle. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an inspection robot during travel, where (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams during crossing of an obstacle. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an inspection robot during travel, which is an explanatory diagram after crossing an obstacle. [Figure 10] A diagram showing another inspection state by the inspection robot of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an overall perspective view of the inspection robot.

[0015] The inspection robot S is a device that travels through the underfloor space, ceiling space, inside of pipes, inside of structures K, etc. of a building T as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10 by remote control and is used for various inspections. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, it includes a main body part 10, a traveling part 20, a power supply part 30, a camera part 40, and a control part 50. By remote control from the remote device 60 shown in FIG. 5, the control part 50 can control the traveling part 20, control the camera part 40, and control the transmission and storage of videos or images from the camera part 40.

[0016] The main body part 10 is made of a lightweight and flat housing such as synthetic resin or aluminum, and has a power supply mounting part 11 for mounting the power supply part 30 at the center, a camera mounting part 12 for mounting the camera part 40 at the front, a front wheel support part 13, and a rear wheel side unit support part 14 at the rear. In addition, LED lighting parts 15A and 15B for illuminating the front and upward are provided on the front surface and upper surface of the main body part 10.

[0017] The running section 20 is remotely controlled from a remote device 60 to move the main body 10 forward, backward, or turn (right turn, left turn), and is equipped with a pair of independently driveable left and right front wheels 21L, 21R, a pair of independently driveable left and right intermediate wheels 22L, 22R, and a pair of independently driveable left and right rear wheels 23L, 23R.

[0018] The front wheels 21L and 21R are supported by the drive shafts of drive motors 24, 24 which are mounted on both sides of the front wheel support section 13 of the main body 20. The intermediate wheels 22L and 22R are supported by the drive shafts of drive motors 25, 25 which are mounted towards the front of the left and right support arm sections 27, 27. The rear wheels 23L and 23R are supported by the drive shafts of drive motors 26, 26 which are mounted towards the rear of the left and right support arm sections 27, 27.

[0019] Each support arm section 27 comprises a pair of left and right support arms 27a, 27a that extend forward and backward and have a hanger shape when viewed from the side. These pairs of support arms 27a, 27a are connected at a predetermined distance apart by a support shaft 27b at the top of the central section, and are supported on both sides of the rear wheel side unit support section 14 of the main body section 10 via the support shaft 27b so as to be rotatable and swingable around the support shaft 27b.

[0020] Each support arm section 27 has the main bodies of the drive motors 25 and 26 attached to the front and rear ends of the inner support arm 27a, and the drive shafts of the drive motors 25 and 26 supported to the front and rear ends of the outer support arm 27a. The intermediate wheels 22L and 22R near the front are supported by the drive shafts of the respective drive motors 25, and the rear wheels 23L and 23R near the rear are supported by the drive shafts of the respective drive motors 26, in a manner that they are housed between the inner and outer support arms 27a, 27a.

[0021] On the inner surface of the inner support arm 27a of each support arm portion 27, a stopper portion 28 is provided to prevent the main body portion 10 from tilting backward when the main body portion 10 crosses an obstacle M during travel by contacting the rear of the main body portion 10, specifically the rear surface of the rear wheel side unit support portion 14 of the main body portion 10. This stopper portion 28 is provided on the inner surface of the inner support arm 27a, slightly towards the rear of the central top of the support arm 27a. When the main body portion 10 crosses an obstacle M, the angle at which the tip of the stopper portion 28 contacts the rear of the main body portion 10, that is, the inclination angle of the main body portion 10 with respect to the ground G when the tip of the stopper portion 28 contacts the rear of the main body portion 10, is approximately 25 degrees in this embodiment. This angle can be up to 45 degrees, but it is desirable to set it to a maximum of 30 degrees.

[0022] The front wheels 21L and 21R, the intermediate wheels 22L and 22R, and the rear wheels 23L and 23R each consist of a wheel 29A and a rubber tire 29B, with the drive shafts of the drive motors 24-26 directly connected to the wheel 29A. The rubber tire 29B has a hollow structure with a circumferentially continuous cavity inside, providing flexibility, excellent adhesion to the ground, and excellent adhesion to obstacles when overcoming obstacles (high coefficient of friction). The surface of the tire 29B may have numerous protrusions formed circumferentially to increase the coefficient of friction.

[0023] The power supply unit 30 consists of a rechargeable battery and is detachably mounted on a concave power supply mounting section 11 on the central upper surface of the main body unit 10. The power supply unit 30 is used to power the drive motors 24-26 that independently drive the front wheels 21L, 21R, intermediate wheels 22L, 22R, and rear wheels 23L, 23R, as well as for controlling imaging and operation in the camera unit 40, for lighting the illumination units 15A-15B, and for controlling the control unit 50.

[0024] The camera unit 40 captures video or still images of inspection locations during inspections of spaces such as under the floor, above the ceiling, inside pipes, and inside structures of buildings. Before or during the capture process, the camera unit 40 can be controlled from the remote device 60 to perform actions such as horizontal panning, vertical tilting, and zooming in or out of the video or image.

[0025] The video or images captured by the camera unit 40 can be transmitted directly to the remote device 60, transmitted to a computer in a remote location via operation from the remote device 60, or saved to the attached memory or card.

[0026] The control unit 50 controls the drive motors 24-26, camera unit 40, and lighting units 15A-15B according to the operation signals from the remote device 60.

[0027] The remote control device 60 remotely operates the movement of the inspection robot S, the imaging and operation of the camera unit 40, and the lighting units 15A to 15B. As shown in Figure 5, the main unit 61 has a monitor 62, an operating stick 63, and switches 64A to 64E on its front, and an antenna 65 on its front.

[0028] Next, we will explain how to perform an inspection using the inspection robot S configured as described above, using the underfloor space of the building shown in Figure 6 as an example.

[0029] First, the inspection robot S is positioned on the ground in the underfloor space 3 through the inspection hatch 2 of the foundation 1 of building T, at the inspection start position. To begin the inspection, the main power switch 64A of the remote device 60 shown in Figure 5(A) is pressed (ON), which activates the camera unit 40 and the monitor 62 (monitor ON), and the image from the camera unit 40 is displayed on the monitor 62. Pressing the front light switch 64B and the upper light switch 64C (ON) turns on the two front lighting units 15A and the upper lighting unit 15B.

[0030] To control the orientation of the camera unit 40, as shown in Figure 5(B), touching the screen of the monitor 62 of the remote device 60 and sliding in the direction of arrow 66A (up) or arrow 66B (down) will cause the camera unit 40 to tilt upwards or downwards. Also, touching the screen of the monitor 62 and sliding in the direction of arrow 66C (right) or arrow 66D (left) will cause the camera unit 40 to pan to the right or left. Releasing your touch from the monitor 62 screen will stop each operation.

[0031] To begin the inspection, touching the recording button 67A displayed on the monitor 62 of the remote device 60 starts recording video from the camera unit 40. Touching it again during the inspection stops the recording. Touching the still image button 67B takes a still image and saves it to memory or a card. Continuously touching the zoom-in button 67C magnifies the video or image from the camera unit 40, and continuously touching the zoom-out button 67D magnifies the video or image from the camera unit 40.

[0032] To move the inspection robot S, the operator operates the control stick 63 of the remote control device 60. When the control stick 63 is tilted forward (in the direction of arrow F), the drive motors 24-26 are controlled by a signal from the control unit 50, causing the six wheels (front wheels, middle wheels, and rear wheels) to rotate independently in the forward direction, and the inspection robot S moves forward. During this time, the video from the camera unit 40 is transmitted to the remote control device 60 and displayed on the monitor 62.

[0033] When the control stick 63 is tilted backward (in the direction of arrow B), the drive motors 24-26 are controlled by a signal from the control unit 50, causing the six wheels (front wheels, middle wheels, and rear wheels) to independently reverse direction and the inspection robot S to move backward.

[0034] To turn the inspection robot S to the right while it is moving, tilting the control stick 63 to the right relative to the direction of travel (arrow R direction) will cause the drive motors 24-26 to be controlled by a signal from the control unit 50. The three wheels on the left side (front wheel, middle wheel, rear wheel) will rotate independently in the forward direction, and the three wheels on the right side (front wheel, middle wheel, rear wheel) will rotate independently in the reverse direction, causing the inspection robot S to rotate clockwise around the main body 10. To make a right turn, return the control stick 63 to its original position when it has turned 90 degrees to the right.

[0035] To make the inspection robot S turn left while it is moving, tilting the control stick 63 to the left relative to the direction of travel (arrow L direction) will cause the drive motors 24-26 to be controlled by a signal from the control unit 50. The three wheels on the right side (front wheel, middle wheel, and rear wheel) will rotate independently in the forward direction, and the three wheels on the left side (front wheel, middle wheel, and rear wheel) will rotate independently in the reverse direction, causing the inspection robot S to turn left counterclockwise around the main body 10. To make a left turn, return the control stick 63 to its original position when it has turned 90 degrees to the left.

[0036] When changing direction of travel to the right while moving forward, tilting the control stick 63 diagonally to the right and forward relative to the direction of travel causes the drive motors 24-26 to be controlled by a signal from the control unit 50. This causes the rotation speed of the three wheels on the right side (front wheel, middle wheel, and rear wheel) to become lower than that of the three wheels on the left side (front wheel, middle wheel, and rear wheel). Due to the difference in rotation speeds between the left and right sides, the front of the inspection robot S faces diagonally to the right.

[0037] When the control stick 63 is tilted diagonally to the left and forward relative to the direction of travel while the robot is moving forward, the rotation speed of the three wheels on the left side (front wheel, middle wheel, and rear wheel) becomes lower than the rotation speed of the three wheels on the right side (front wheel, middle wheel, and rear wheel). Due to the difference in rotation speed between the left and right sides, the inspection robot S turns diagonally to the left.

[0038] Similarly, when the control stick 63 is tilted diagonally to the right and rear relative to the direction of travel while the robot is moving backward, the difference in rotational speed between the left and right sides causes the rear of the inspection robot S to face diagonally to the right and rear. When the control stick 63 is tilted diagonally to the left and rear relative to the direction of travel while the robot is moving backward, the difference in rotational speed between the left and right sides causes the rear of the inspection robot S to face diagonally to the left.

[0039] When the robot is moving, increasing the tilt of the control stick 63 causes the inspection robot S to accelerate, and decreasing the tilt of the control stick 63 causes the inspection robot S to decelerate.

[0040] If an obstacle M is in the path of travel while the inspection robot S is moving, it will overcome the obstacle M using its six independently driven wheels (front wheels, middle wheels, and rear wheels) and continue the inspection. Figures 7 to 9 show the inspection robot S moving forward after overcoming the obstacle M.

[0041] When the inspection robot S approaches an obstacle M, as shown in Figures 7 to 9, the left and right front wheels 21L (21R) first go over the obstacle M, then the middle wheels 22L (22R) go over the obstacle M, and finally the rear wheels 23L (23R) go over the obstacle M.

[0042] When the front wheel 21L (21R) overcomes an obstacle M, as shown in Figure 7(B), forward driving force is simultaneously generated in the intermediate wheel 22L (22R) and the rear wheel 23L (23R) that are in contact with the ground G. With the driving force from the intermediate wheel 22L (22R) and the rear wheel 23L (23R), the front wheel 21L (21R) reliably overcomes the obstacle M.

[0043] When the intermediate wheel 22L(22R) overcomes an obstacle M, as shown in Figure 8(A), a driving force for overcoming the obstacle M is simultaneously generated in the front wheel 21L(21R) and a driving force for moving forward on the ground G is generated in the rear wheel 23L(23R). With the driving force from the front wheel 21L(21R) and the rear wheel 23L(23R), the intermediate wheel 22L(22R) reliably overcomes the obstacle M.

[0044] When the rear wheel 23L (23R) overcomes an obstacle M, as shown in Figure 8(B), a driving force to move forward on the ground G is simultaneously generated in the front wheel 21L (21R) and a driving force to overcome the obstacle M is generated in the intermediate wheel 22L (22R). With the driving force from the front wheel 21L (21R) and the intermediate wheel 22L (23R), the rear wheel 23L (23R) reliably overcomes the obstacle M.

[0045] When overcoming an obstacle M, the tires 29B of each wheel (front wheel, middle wheel, rear wheel) have a hollow structure with a circumferentially continuous cavity inside, providing flexibility and excellent adhesion to the ground G and to the obstacle M when overcoming it (high coefficient of friction). The coordinated adhesion action of the tires 29B of each wheel to the ground G and the obstacle M ensures that the vehicle overcomes the obstacle M reliably and smoothly.

[0046] Depending on the height of the obstacle M, when overcoming the obstacle M, even if the main body 10 of the inspection robot S gains momentum and is about to tilt backward in the posture shown in Figure 7(B) and Figure 8(A), the stopper parts 28, 28 (see Figures 3 and 4) attached to the inside of the left and right support arm parts 27 will contact the rear surface of the main body 10 (the rear surface of the rear wheel side unit support part 14) and support the main body 10 from behind, preventing the main body 10 from tilting backward. As a result, the inspection robot S can safely and reliably overcome the obstacle M and move forward.

[0047] Even when crossing an obstacle M at an angle, the six wheels (front, middle, and rear) are driven independently. As one or more of the wheels cross the obstacle M at an angle, the remaining wheels make contact with the ground G and exert driving force to move forward. This allows the inspection robot S to reliably overcome obstacles M that are positioned at an angle and move forward.

[0048] After the inspection is complete, pressing the main power switch 64A on the remote device 60 (OFF) will stop the camera unit 40 and the reception of video from the camera unit 40 to the monitor 62 will stop (monitor OFF). Pressing the light switches 64B and 64C (OFF) will turn off the lighting units 15A and 15B.

[0049] In the illustrated example, the obstacle M, in the case of the underfloor space 3 of building T, could be, but is not limited to, hot water pipes, water supply and drainage pipes, cables, or materials. The cross-sectional shape is not limited to a circular shape; it can be square or rectangular.

[0050] The inspection robot S can inspect a wide range of buildings, including private homes, public facilities such as schools and hospitals, commercial buildings, and infrastructure facilities such as power plants. It can also inspect pipes including water and sewage systems, gas lines, factory pipes, and pipelines.

[0051] Figure 10 shows an example of installing an inspection robot S inside a waterway structure K and inspecting the inside of the structure K by moving the inspection robot S. Internal inspection is possible by temporarily stopping the drainage. As such, the inspection robot S has a flat shape and is low in height (in this embodiment, the height from the ground surface to the top surface of the main body is 23-25 ​​cm), so it can also inspect narrow places that workers cannot enter.

[0052] The inspection robot S of the present invention is equipped with six independently driveable wheels, and the rear wheels and intermediate wheels are supported by a support arm that can swing up and down. This enables high mobility even on uneven terrain such as rubble, and allows various inspections to be performed remotely, even in environments where workers cannot approach.

[0053] Thus, the inspection robot according to the present invention makes it possible to reliably, safely, and efficiently perform inspections of buildings and structures using a camera unit. [Industrial applicability]

[0054] The inspection robot according to the present invention can be used as a robot for performing inspection work on buildings and structures. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 Basics 2 Inspection hatches 3 Underfloor space 10,61 Main body 11 Power supply mounting part 12 Camera mounting section 13 Front wheel support part 14 Rear wheel side unit support section 15A,15B Lighting section 20. Running section 21L,21R front wheel 22L,22R Intermediate wheel 23L,23R rear wheel 24, 25, 26 Drive motors 27 Support arm section 27a Support arm 27b Support shaft 28 Stopper part 29A Wheel 29B tires 30 Power supply section 40 Camera Section 50 Control Unit 60 Remote devices 62 monitors 63 Control Stick 64A~64E Switch 65 Antenna S Inspection Robot K structure T Building

Claims

1. An inspection robot comprising a main body, a driving unit that moves the main body forward, backward, or turns via remote control, a power supply unit mounted on the main body, an inspection camera unit provided on the front of the main body, and a control unit provided on the main body, wherein the driving unit comprises a pair of left and right front wheels supported near the front of the main body and capable of being driven independently, a pair of left and right intermediate wheels supported in front of a pair of left and right support arms that are rotatably supported around a support axis near the rear of the main body and capable of being driven independently, and a pair of left and right rear wheels supported behind the support arms and capable of being driven independently.

2. The inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of left and right support arms each have stopper parts that contact the rear surface of the main body when the traveling part overcomes an obstacle, thereby restricting the main body from tilting backward.

3. The inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the front wheels, middle wheels, and rear wheels is equipped with a flexible rubber tire having a hollow structure with a circumferentially continuous cavity inside.

4. The inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the front wheels, intermediate wheels, and rear wheels is equipped with an independently driven motor, and the main body is moved forward, backward, or turned by independently driving each motor through operation from a remote device.

5. The inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, upon operation from a remote device, the control unit displays the video or image captured by the camera unit on the monitor screen of the remote device, or transmits it to a remote computer.

Images