Unmanned dredging device

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle equipped with caterpillar tracks is used to inject a high-pressure fluid into the sediment to pulverize it, and then the suction port of a pipe is guided in a planar manner to suck it up. [Solution] An unmanned vehicle having caterpillar tracks 4 is equipped with a crushed material suction pipe 5 that extends from the rear of the vehicle, supported on the upper surface of the vehicle body 3, and further overhangs to the front of the vehicle with a suction port at its tip, and a high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 that extends to one side of the crushed material suction pipe 5 with an injection nozzle at its tip. The boom 10 that extends to the front of the vehicle body 3 and is pivotally supported at its base end by a movable bracket 8 that can rotate in the horizontal plane has a first hydraulic cylinder device 11 and a second hydraulic cylinder device 12 that extend and retract to swing up and down and left and right. The suction port of the crushed material suction pipe 5 and the injection port 6a of the high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6, which are supported from below by the boom 10, are swingable up and down and left and right, and are injected into the accumulated material D to crush it, and then sucked out through the suction port 5a of the crushed material suction pipe 5 and discharged to the rear.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a dredging device, and more particularly to an unmanned traveling dredging device.

Background Art

[0002] The dredging device and the dredging method using the same in Patent Document 1 disclose a device and method for introducing an underwater backhoe by manual operation into water and dredging the sediment on the bottom surface of the water. On the other hand, there is no proposal for the unmanned removal of sediment in a nuclear reactor contaminated with radioactivity, sediment in an area where toxic gas can accumulate, sediment in other restricted areas, and harmful sediment.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The inventors of the present invention have found that for the unmanned removal of sediment in a restricted area or harmful sediment, the sediment can be sucked and removed by a pipe by spraying high-pressure water or high-pressure air onto the sediment to pulverize it. Therefore, they came up with the idea of mounting this dredging device on an unmanned vehicle having caterpillars. In addition, regarding the removal of sediment near a dangerous device, if the operation of the dangerous device is stopped and the sediment is removed by manual work, the workers will be exposed to danger and the operation rate of the device will decrease. Therefore, even in this case, they came up with the need to mount the above-described dredging device that sprays high-pressure water or high-pressure air onto the sediment to pulverize it and sucks and removes the sediment by a pipe on an unmanned vehicle having caterpillars.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an unmanned traveling dredging device capable of remotely operating to suck and remove pulverized matter.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In addressing the above-mentioned problems, the inventor conceived of a fundamental technical concept for the present invention: to pulverize lumpy sediment by spraying it with high-pressure water or air, and then remove the pulverized sediment by negative-pressure suction through a pipe. More specifically, the inventor developed a technical concept in which a caterpillar-type vehicle capable of moving across a dredged area by remote control is equipped with a pulverized material suction pipe and a high-pressure fluid supply pipe supported by a boom, and the vehicle is guided in a planar manner by remote control, high-pressure fluid is sprayed from a nozzle to pulverize the sediment, and the pulverized material is suctioned and removed through the suction port of the pulverized material suction pipe.

[0007] Therefore, in order to achieve the above objective, the unmanned dredging device according to the first aspect of the present application is provided on an unmanned vehicle having a pair of caterpillars on both sides of the vehicle body, and is equipped with a crushed material suction pipe that extends from the rear of the vehicle to be supported on the upper surface of the vehicle body and further overhangs to the front of the vehicle with a suction port at its tip, and a high-pressure fluid supply pipe that extends along one side of the crushed material suction pipe with an injection nozzle at its tip, and is supported from below by a boom whose base end is pivotally supported to a movable bracket that is linked to the front end of the vehicle body and is swingable in the horizontal plane, The vehicle comprises a first hydraulic cylinder device linked to the lower front end of the vehicle body and the lower tip of the boom, which swings the boom up and down by extension and retraction, and a second hydraulic cylinder device linked to the upper rear end of the vehicle body and the lateral projection at the base end of the boom, which swings the boom left and right by extension and retraction, and is characterized in that high-pressure fluid is injected from the injection nozzle at the tip of the high-pressure fluid supply pipe onto the deposits in front of the vehicle to pulverize the deposits, and the pulverized material is sucked up from the suction port at the tip of the suction pipe and discharged to the rear of the vehicle.

[0008] As an unmanned dredging device according to the second aspect of the present application, in the first aspect described above, the movable bracket has a first hinge portion, a second hinge portion provided on the back of the first hinge portion, and a third hinge portion provided below the second hinge portion, the first hinge portion is connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the front frame of the vehicle body by a first connecting shaft which is a vertical axis, so that it can swing in the horizontal plane, the second hinge portion is connected to the base end of the boom by a second connecting shaft which is a horizontal axis so that the tip of the boom can swing up and down, and the third hinge portion is connected to the base of the cylinder of the first hydraulic cylinder device by a third connecting shaft which is a horizontal axis so that the tip of the piston rod can swing up and down.

[0009] In the unmanned dredging device according to the third aspect of the present application, in the first aspect described above, a camera that photographs the area around the sediment from which high-pressure fluid is injected from the injection nozzle and the area around the suction port at the tip of the crushed material suction pipe that sucks up the crushed sediment may be attached to the crushed material suction pipe at a lateral position substantially corresponding to the injection nozzle.

[0010] As an unmanned dredging device according to the third aspect of the present application, in the first aspect described above, when the sediment sucked up from the tip opening of the crushed material suction pipe is taken into the crushed material suction pipe and then only the water flows relatively, making it difficult for the sediment to flow within the crushed material suction pipe, a water supply pipe is provided along the middle of the crushed material suction pipe to supply water from the outside to the inside to increase the fluidity. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a vehicle having caterpillar tracks that can move across a dredged area by remote control is equipped with a crushed material suction pipe and a high-pressure fluid supply pipe supported by a boom. The vehicle is guided in a planar manner by remote control, and high-pressure fluid is injected from a spray nozzle to crush the sediment, and the crushed material can be sucked out and removed from the suction port of the crushed material suction pipe. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is an overall perspective view of an unmanned dredging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an overall perspective view of an unmanned dredging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from below. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the main parts of the vehicle body and other components of an unmanned dredging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] This is a perspective view of a movable bracket of an unmanned dredging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from opposite directions. [Figure 4B] This is a perspective view of a movable bracket of an unmanned dredging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from opposite directions. [Figure 5A] This is a plan view of an unmanned, mobile dredging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] This is a front view of an unmanned, mobile dredging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the unmanned dredging device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [First Embodiment] The following describes an unmanned dredging device according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the unmanned dredging device 1 includes an unmanned vehicle 2 having a pair of caterpillars 4 on both sides of a vehicle body 3, and a crushed material suction pipe 5 that extends from the rear of the vehicle and is supported on the upper surface of the vehicle body 3 and further overhangs in front of the vehicle with its tip being a suction port 5a, and a high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 that extends along one side of the crushed material suction pipe 5 and has its tip being an injection nozzle 6a. The base ends of the pipes are provided so as to be supported from below by a boom 10 whose base end is linked to the upper part of the front end of the vehicle body 3. A first hydraulic cylinder device 11 is linked so as to connect the lower part of the front end of the vehicle body 3 and the lower part of the tip of the boom 10, and swings the boom 10 up and down by telescopic operation. A second hydraulic cylinder device 12 is linked so as to connect the upper part of the rear end of the vehicle body 3 and the lateral overhang part 13 (the overhanging end of an arm 13 described later) of the base end of the boom 10, and swings the boom 10 left and right by telescopic operation. The configuration is such that high-pressure fluid is injected from the injection nozzle 6a at the tip of the high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 against the sediment D in front of the vehicle, and the crushed sediment D is sucked from the suction port 5a at the tip of the crushed material suction pipe 5 and discharged to the rear of the vehicle. The high-pressure fluid flowing through the high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 is high-pressure water or high-pressure air.

[0016] The details are described below. The unmanned dredging device 1 includes an unmanned vehicle 2 having a pair of caterpillars 4. The unmanned vehicle 2 has a vehicle body 3 and a pair of caterpillars 4 provided on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body 3 and driven by servo motors 4e, and is configured such that each caterpillar 4 automatically travels by remotely driving each servo motor 4e simultaneously or only one of them.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle body 3 is composed of, for example, a pair of side frames 3a, a rear frame 3b, a front frame 3c, and caterpillar support brackets 3d protruding from the lower surfaces of the respective side frames 3a.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5A, and 5B, the caterpillar 4 includes a drive wheel 4a, a track wheel 4b, a plurality of idler wheels (not shown) between the drive wheel and the track wheel, a support frame 4c that supports these, a servo motor 4e that drives the drive wheel to rotate, and a track shoe ring 4d that is connected in a band so as to surround the drive wheel, the track wheel, and the idler wheels. The support frame 4c of the caterpillar 4 is overlapped with the caterpillar support bracket 3d and connected by bolts. The unmanned traveling vehicle 2 can move forward, backward, turn right, and turn left by remotely controlling the left and right pair of servo motors 4e to rotate forward and backward.

[0019] The unmanned dredging device 1 is equipped with dredging equipment for the unmanned traveling vehicle 2. The dredging equipment includes a pulverized material suction pipe 5, a high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6, and a swinging means that supports both pipes and swings left and right, up and down. High-pressure fluid is jetted from the injection nozzle 6a at the tip of the high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 against the sediment D in front of the vehicle, and the pulverized sediment D is sucked from the suction port 5a at the tip of the pulverized material suction pipe 5 and discharged to the rear of the vehicle.

[0020] The pulverized material suction pipe 5 is connected to a vacuum device (not shown) and a sediment recovery tank (not shown) installed at the rear of the vehicle, extends from there to the upper surface of the vehicle body 3, is placed thereon, and further extends in an overhanging state in front of the vehicle. The pulverized material suction pipe 5 is made of a material that does not collapse even under the action of the suction negative pressure and the external atmospheric pressure when the inside of the pipe becomes vacuum, and the connection part between the straight pipes is configured to be bendable. The connection part of the pulverized material suction pipe 5 is configured such that there is no step in the inner diameter, similar to the connection of a sewage pipe.

[0021] The high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 is connected to a high-pressure fluid supply source (not shown) installed at the rear of the vehicle and extends along one side of the crushed material suction pipe 5, secured by bands at required intervals. The suction port 5a at the tip of the crushed material suction pipe 5 is preferably configured to be replaceable by insertion, thereby allowing it to be replaced with a suction port that is wider laterally or a rake-shaped suction port that can knead the sediment. The high-pressure fluid supply source (not shown) may be equipment (including a vehicle) equipped with a high-pressure water pump and water tank that generate high-pressure water when the high-pressure fluid is high-pressure water, or equipment (including a vehicle) equipped with an air compressor when the high-pressure fluid is high-pressure air.

[0022] The crushed material suction pipe 5 is equipped with a water supply pipe 7 that is connected to a water source. An electromagnetic gate valve is installed between the water source and the water supply pipe 7, allowing for remote and automatic water replenishment. The water supply pipe 7 is made of, for example, a rubber hose and is secured to the outer surface of the crushed material suction pipe 5 with multiple bands. The tip of the pipe is connected to an inlet provided in the middle of the crushed material suction pipe 5, and water is supplied to the pipe from the inlet as needed. The timing for water replenishment by the water supply pipe 7 is when the sediment D sucked up from the tip opening of the crushed material suction pipe 5 has been taken into the crushed material suction pipe 5, and only the water has flowed relatively, making it difficult for the sediment D to flow within the crushed material suction pipe 5. This is to give the sediment D inside the pipe fluidity.

[0023] The swinging mechanism includes a movable bracket 8 shown in Figures 4A and 4B, which is linked to clamp the front frame 3c of the vehicle body 3; a boom 10 supported by the movable bracket 8 as shown in Figures 1 and 3; a first hydraulic cylinder device 11; and a second hydraulic cylinder device 12. The boom 10 supports the overhang portion of the crushed material suction pipe 5, the boom 10 swings up and down by the extension and retraction operation of the first hydraulic cylinder device 11, and the boom 10 swings left and right by the extension and retraction operation of the second hydraulic cylinder device 12.

[0024] Figures 4A and 4B show detailed perspective views of the movable bracket 8. The movable bracket 8 has a first hinge portion 8a, a second hinge portion 8b located on the back of the first hinge portion 8a, and a third hinge portion 8c located below the second hinge portion 8b.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the first hinge portion 8a is clamped to the front frame 3c of the vehicle body 3 from the front side of the vehicle, so as to be in close contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the front frame 3c while being spaced a required distance from the front surface of the front frame 3c, and the movable bracket 8 is connected to the front frame 3c of the vehicle body 3 by the first connecting shaft 8d, which is a vertical axis, and is able to swing in the horizontal plane.

[0026] The second hinge portion 8b is connected to the base end of the boom 10 by a second connecting shaft 8e, which is a horizontal axis, while sandwiching both sides of the base end of the boom 10, so that the tip of the boom 10 can swing up and down.

[0027] The third hinge portion 8c is connected to the base of the cylinder of the first hydraulic cylinder device 11 by a third connecting shaft 8f, which is a horizontal axis, sandwiching both sides of the base of the cylinder, allowing the tip of the piston rod to swing up and down. The connecting portion 9b, which has an axial hole and is the tip of the piston rod of the first hydraulic cylinder device 11, is sandwiched between a fork-shaped fourth hinge portion 9a, which has an axial hole and is projected from the lower surface of the tip of the boom 10, and connected by a fourth connecting shaft 8g, which is a horizontal axis, so that the boom 10 swings up and down when the first hydraulic cylinder device 11 extends. Thus, the overhang portions of the crushed material suction pipe 5 and the high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6, which are supported from below by the boom 10, can swing up and down when the first hydraulic cylinder device 11 extends.

[0028] The second hydraulic cylinder device 12 has a cylinder base connected to a vertical pivot shaft 9c provided on the upper surface of the rear frame 3b of the vehicle body 3, and the tip of the piston rod connected to a vertical pivot shaft 9d provided on the upper surface of the protruding end of the arm 13. The arm 13 is extended and connected to one end of the upper surface portion that constitutes the first hinge portion 8a of the movable bracket 8, and acts as an arm to increase the moment force of the movable bracket 8 around the vertical pivot shaft 9c. Thus, by extending and retracting the piston rod of the second hydraulic cylinder device 12, the movable bracket 8 can swing in the horizontal plane with the first connecting shaft 8d as the center of rotation, the tip of the boom 10 can swing from side to side, and the overhang portions of the crushed material suction pipe 5 and high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6, which are supported from below by the boom 10, can swing from side to side with respect to the centerline in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0029] As shown in Figure 5A, the swing angle of the boom 10 in plan view is, for example, 15° to the left and 15° to the right with respect to the vehicle's centerline. By moving the unmanned vehicle 2 back and forth and side to side while swinging the suction port 5a of the boom 10 from side to side in the horizontal plane, the load can be sucked in with a wide planar area.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5B, the swing angle of the boom 10 in a vehicle side view is, for example, 20° downward and 65° upward with respect to the horizontal. When the boom 10 is at a downward angle of 20°, it is in close proximity to the ground, for example, 20-30 mm. This allows it to suck up sediment that is piled up to a height of several centimeters to tens of centimeters. When the boom 10 is at an upward angle of 65°, the opening surface of the suction port 5a is approximately parallel to the vertical plane, which allows it to suck up sediment that is attached to a wall or sediment that is piled up at a height.

[0031] Camera 14 is mounted on the crushed material suction pipe 5 at a lateral position approximately corresponding to the injection nozzle 6a. Camera 14 allows for remote monitoring of the area around the sediment D from which high-pressure fluid is injected from the injection nozzle 6a, and the area around the suction port 5a at the tip of the crushed material suction pipe 5 that sucks up the crushed sediment D, enabling the determination of the necessary direction of movement for the unmanned vehicle 2.

[0032] According to the self-driving dredging device of this embodiment of the present invention, configured as described above, a vehicle with caterpillar tracks can be remotely operated to move freely within the dredging area. The extension of the piston rod of the first hydraulic cylinder device 11 is fixed to an appropriate length, so that the injection nozzle 6a at the tip of the high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 is at an appropriate height relative to the sediment D. Then, by extending and retracting the second hydraulic cylinder device 12, the boom 10 is swung from side to side, thereby swinging the high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 from side to side. In addition to this, the movement of the self-driving vehicle 2 is added to spread the swing of the injection nozzle 6a in a planar manner, injecting high-pressure fluid onto the sediment over a wide area and crushing it. Next, the extension of the piston rod of the first hydraulic cylinder device 11 is fixed to an appropriate length, so that the suction port 5a at the tip of the crushed material suction pipe 5 penetrates the accumulated material D to the required depth. Then, the boom 10 is swung from side to side by extending and retracting the second hydraulic cylinder device 12, thereby swinging the crushed material suction pipe 5 from side to side. In addition, the movement of the unmanned vehicle 2 is added to guide the swing of the suction port 5a in a planar manner, thereby sucking up the accumulated material D. It is also possible to simultaneously inject high-pressure fluid from the injection nozzle 6a and suck up the accumulated material D from the suction port 5a.

[0033] Regarding the crushing of sediment, if it is necessary to knead the sediment in addition to injecting high-pressure fluid into it, the extension of the piston rod of the first hydraulic cylinder device 11 is appropriately changed and fixed so that the suction port 5a of the crushed material suction pipe 5 penetrates the sediment to the required depth, and the extension and retraction of the second hydraulic cylinder device 12 is performed to swing the crushed material suction pipe 5 and the high-pressure fluid supply pipe 6 from side to side so that the sediment is kneaded by the suction port 5a of the crushed material suction pipe 5.

[0034] When a blockage occurs in the crushed material suction pipe 5 due to sediment buildup and water needs to be added to the pipe, the piston rod of the first hydraulic cylinder device 11 is extended to its maximum extent to lift the overhang portion of the crushed material suction pipe 5, and water is supplied through the water supply pipe 7 to an inlet located in the middle of the crushed material suction pipe 5. As a result, the added water does not flow out of the suction port 5a of the crushed material suction pipe 5, but participates in the fluidization of the sediment D inside the pipe, thereby clearing the blockage of sediment inside the crushed material suction pipe 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1…Unmanned dredging device 2… Unmanned vehicles 3… Vehicle body 3a…Side frame 3b…Rear frame 3c…front frame 3D... Caterpillar support bracket 4... Catapult 4a...Starting wheel 4b...Road wheels 4c...Support frame 4d... Ring of the shoe sole 4e... Servo motor 5…Suction pipe for crushed material 5a…Suction port 6…High-pressure fluid supply pipe 6a... Spray nozzle 7... Water supply pipe 8…Movable bracket 8a...First hinge section 8b...Second hinge section 8c...Third hinge section 8d...First connecting shaft 8e...Second connecting shaft 8f...Third connecting shaft 9a...Fourth hinge section 9b...Fourth connecting shaft 9c... Vertical pivot axis 9d... Vertical pivot axis 10... Boom 11…First hydraulic cylinder device 12…Second hydraulic cylinder device 13… Lateral protrusions (arms) 14…Camera D...Deposit

Claims

1. An unmanned dredging device comprising: an unmanned vehicle having a pair of caterpillar tracks on both sides of the vehicle body; a crushed material suction pipe extending from the rear of the vehicle to be supported on the upper surface of the vehicle body and further overhanging to the front of the vehicle with a suction port at its tip; and a high-pressure fluid supply pipe extending along one side of the crushed material suction pipe with an injection nozzle at its tip, supported from below by a boom whose base end is pivotally supported at a movable bracket linked to the front end of the vehicle body and swinging in a horizontal plane; a first hydraulic cylinder device linked to connect the lower front end of the vehicle body and the lower tip of the boom, causing the boom to swing up and down by extension and retraction; and a second hydraulic cylinder device linked to connect the upper rear end of the vehicle body and the lateral projection of the base end of the boom, causing the boom to swing left and right by extension and retraction; wherein a high-pressure fluid is injected from the injection nozzle at the tip of the high-pressure fluid supply pipe onto the sediment in front of the vehicle to crush the sediment, and the crushed material is sucked up from the suction port at the tip of the crushed material suction pipe and discharged to the rear of the vehicle.

2. The movable bracket has a first hinge portion, a second hinge portion located on the back of the first hinge portion, and a third hinge portion located below the second hinge portion, and the first hinge portion is connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the front frame of the vehicle body by a first connecting shaft which is a vertical axis, thereby allowing it to swing in the horizontal plane. The second hinge section connects the base end of the boom to a second connecting axis which is a horizontal axis, allowing the tip of the boom to swing up and down. The third hinge is connected to the base of the cylinder of the first hydraulic cylinder device by a third connecting shaft, which is a horizontal axis, allowing the tip of the piston rod to swing up and down. The unmanned dredging device according to claim 1.

3. An unmanned, mobile dredging device according to claim 1, wherein a camera is provided at a lateral position on the pulverized material suction pipe that substantially corresponds to the injection nozzle of the injection nozzle, to photograph the area around the sediment from which high-pressure fluid is injected and the area around the suction port at the tip of the pulverized material suction pipe that sucks up the pulverized sediment.

4. An unmanned, mobile dredging device according to claim 1, wherein when the sediment sucked up from the tip opening of the crushed material suction pipe is taken into the crushed material suction pipe and then, after the water flows relatively freely and the sediment becomes difficult to flow within the crushed material suction pipe, a water supply pipe is provided along the middle of the crushed material suction pipe to supply water from the outside to the inside to increase fluidity.

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