Pipeline-traveling robot

Abstract

To provide a pipeline-traveling robot that can travel inside a pipeline and image the inner wall surface regardless of the presence or absence of water inside the pipeline, and that can also simplify the configuration. [Solution] A pipe-traveling robot 1 that can travel on water and land inside a pipe 2 and photographs the inner wall surface of the pipe 2 comprises a hull 4 that obtains propulsion by blowing air backward by driving a propeller 3 located on the upper side of the stern, a camera 5 and an illumination unit 6 provided on the upper part of the hull 4 for photographing the inner wall surface of the pipe 2, a storage unit for storing images taken by the camera 5, and four wheels 7 provided on both the left and right sides of the front and rear of the hull 4, protruding outward and downward from the hull 4.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a technique for screening deterioration of pipe lines such as sewage pipes, and particularly relates to an in-pipe traveling robot suitably used for photographing the inner wall surface of a pipe line. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, for the purpose of screening deterioration of pipe lines such as sewage pipes, in-pipe traveling robots that travel inside the pipe line and photograph the inner wall surface of the pipe line have been used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a small self-propelled vehicle for in-pipe inspection equipped with an image pickup device (television camera) is caused to travel in a sewage pipe facility so that the condition inside the pipe can be monitored. [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Utility Model Registration No. 3133667 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] A majority of sewage pipes may be filled with water, but the technique described in Patent Document 1 is difficult to use in water. That is, when photographing the inner wall surface of a sewage pipe from water with low transparency, it is impossible to obtain an image that allows determination of the presence or absence of cracks or fissures on the inner wall surface, and it is necessary to move to near the upper part of the sewage pipe to perform imaging. However, the self-propelled vehicle described in Patent Document 1 requires wheels to be in contact with the pipe bottom, and thus has the problem that such movement cannot be performed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the foregoing, and an object of the present invention is to provide an in-pipe traveling robot which can travel in a pipe line to image the inner wall surface regardless of the presence or absence of water in the pipe line, and can also achieve simplification of the configuration. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the pipeline-traveling robot according to the present invention is capable of traveling on water and on land within a pipeline and photographing the inner wall surface of the pipeline, comprising a hull that obtains propulsion by blowing air backward by driving a propeller located on the upper side of the stern, a camera and lighting unit provided on the upper part of the hull for photographing the inner wall surface of the pipeline, a storage unit for storing images taken by the camera, and four wheels provided on both the left and right sides of the front and rear of the hull, protruding outward and downward from the hull in the left-right direction (Claim 1).

[0007] In the above-mentioned pipeline-traveling robot, a cylindrical duct surrounding the propeller and extending in the front-rear direction may be provided, extending beyond the stern of the ship (Claim 2). [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention provides a pipeline-traveling robot that can travel inside a pipeline and image the inner wall surface regardless of whether there is water inside the pipeline, and also simplifies the configuration.

[0009] In other words, in the pipeline-traveling robot according to each claim of this application, if the water level in the pipeline is relatively high, the inner wall surface can be imaged while the hull is floating on the water, and if the water level in the pipeline is not so high, the inner wall surface can be imaged while the wheels are in contact with the inner wall surface of the pipeline, in a land-traveling state. Furthermore, in both the case of water-traveling and land-traveling, forward thrust is obtained by the propeller, and by making the mechanism for obtaining thrust a single unit, the configuration can be simplified.

[0010] In the pipeline-traveling robot according to claim 2, by extending the duct surrounding the propeller to aft of the stern, the impact on filming can be reduced when traveling on water, as the wind generated by the propeller causes waves, which in turn cause the hull to rock. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] (A) and (B) are a front view and a right side view of a pipeline travel robot according to one embodiment of the present invention, with (B) showing the pipeline travel robot inside the pipeline. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to use the aforementioned pipeline-traveling robot. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] The pipeline-traveling robot (hereinafter referred to as "robot") 1 shown in Figures 1(A) and (B) is capable of traveling on both water and land (the illustrated example shows the land-traveling state) inside pipelines 2 such as sewer pipes (see also Figure 2), as shown in Figure 2, and is designed to photograph the inner wall surface of pipeline 2 while traveling.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1(A) and (B), the robot 1 comprises a hull 4 that obtains thrust by blowing air backward through the drive of a propeller 3 located on the upper side of the stern; a camera 5 and an illumination unit 6 located on the upper part of the hull 4 (the part in front of the propeller 3) for photographing the inner wall surface of the pipe 2; a storage unit (not shown) for storing images taken by the camera 5; and four wheels 7 located on both the left and right sides of the hull 4, both forward and backward, so as to protrude outward and downward from the hull 4.

[0015] Pipeline 2 is, for example, a small-diameter pipe with an inner diameter of 200-300 mm.

[0016] The propeller 3 only needs to be capable of generating thrust by blowing air backward through rotational drive around its axis, and the number and shape of the blades can be selected as appropriate. Although not shown in the diagram, the motor that drives the propeller 3 and the battery that supplies power to the motor can be mounted at an appropriate location on the hull 4, and it goes without saying that they just need to be electrically connected.

[0017] The hull 4 only needs to be configured to have buoyancy and the like so that it can travel on the water without capsizing when the water level in the pipe 2 is within a certain range (for example, one-third to two-thirds of the inner diameter of the pipe 2), and its structure and the like are not particularly limited.

[0018] The cameras 5 and lighting units 6 are not particularly limited as long as they are suitable for photographing the inner wall surface of the pipeline 2, and their number and arrangement can be changed as appropriate. For example, a 360-degree camera with a fisheye lens can be used as camera 5. In addition, the cameras 5, lighting units 6, a memory unit that stores the images taken by camera 5, and batteries for operating them can be mounted or stored in appropriate locations (such as the main body of camera 5 or the hull 4).

[0019] While it is preferable for all four wheels 7 to be driven wheels to simplify the configuration, some or all of the wheels 7 may be driven wheels. In addition, separate from the wheels 7, for example, wheels extending downward from the underside of the hull 4 may be provided.

[0020] The method of using the robot 1 configured as described above will be explained below with reference to Figure 2. First, the robot 1 is lowered from the ground into the manhole 8 on the upstream side of the pipeline 2 to be investigated (the side that is upstream when water flows through the pipeline 2). Then, for example, a switch (not shown) located at an appropriate position on the robot 1 is pressed to turn on the propeller 3, camera 5, and lighting unit 6, and the robot 1 is started to move from there toward the manhole 9 on the downstream side of the pipeline 2.

[0021] The robot 1 travels along the pipeline 2 while photographing the inner wall surface of the pipeline 2 with the camera 5. When the water level in the pipeline 2 is high to a certain extent, imaging of the inner wall surface can be performed in a water traveling state where the hull 4 floats on water; when the water level in the pipeline 2 is not that high, imaging of the inner wall surface can be performed in a land traveling state where the wheels 7 are in contact with the inner wall surface of the pipeline 2. In both cases of water traveling and land traveling, forward propulsion can be obtained by the propeller 3, and simplification of the configuration can be achieved by using a single mechanism for obtaining propulsion. In the water traveling state, when the water in the pipeline 2 flows toward the downstream side, the flow can be utilized for water traveling.

[0022] Furthermore, since the four wheels 7 are provided so as to protrude left and right from the hull 4, if the cross-section of the inner wall surface of the pipeline 2 is circular and there are no particular deposits or the like in the pipeline 2, the robot 1 travels in the pipeline 2 (water traveling or land traveling) while being guided by the inner wall surface of the pipeline 2. This eliminates the need for a steering mechanism, which is more advantageous for achieving simplification of the configuration.

[0023] Furthermore, in this example, a cylindrical (circular cylindrical) duct 10 that surrounds the propeller 3 and extends in the front-rear direction is provided extending further rearward than the stern (the propeller 3 is configured to form a ducted fan). This reduces the influence that when the robot 1 travels on water, waves generated by the wind produced by the propeller 3 cause the hull 4 to shake, which would otherwise affect the photographing.

[0024] The robot 1 that has reached the downstream manhole 9 is stopped by travel obstacles such as barricades, fences, or nets (not shown) temporarily provided in advance at that location, or picked up by a worker waiting at the manhole 9. After recovering the robot 1 in this manner, for example, the above-mentioned switch may be pressed to turn off the propeller 3, the camera 5, and the illumination unit 6.

[0025] Then, by lifting robot 1 to the ground and examining the photographic records (data) of the inner wall surface of pipeline 2 recorded in the recording unit, it is possible to use this information to determine the deterioration state of the inner wall surface of pipeline 2.

[0026] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various modified forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following modifications can be given.

[0027] The robot 1 may be operated with a sufficiently long linear member, such as a wire-reinforced fishing line (nylon-coated wire), attached to it. In the event that the robot 1 stops inside the conduit 2, the linear member can be pulled to retrieve the robot 1. In this case, if the linear member continues to be pulled out by the moving robot 1, it is possible to immediately determine that the robot 1 is maintaining its movement, and if it stops being pulled out, it can be immediately determined that the robot 1 has stopped.

[0028] The part connecting the hull 4 and the wheels 7 may be made of a length-adjustable rod or the like, in which case it becomes easy to use the robot 1 in pipes 2 of various inner diameters.

[0029] The camera 5 of robot 1 and a monitoring device (not shown) such as a PC installed on the ground may be connected by a cable such as an optical fiber, and image data of the inner wall surface of the conduit 2 may be collected while monitoring with the monitoring device. Alternatively, the blower, which integrates the propeller 3 and duct 10, may be supported by an angle adjustment device so that it can be changed to face not only directly behind the hull 4, but also to face diagonally to the right rear and diagonally to the left rear, and the amount of rotation of the propeller 3 may also be adjusted. The camera 5 of robot 1, the blower, the angle adjustment device, etc. may be connected by a cable such as an optical fiber to a monitor installed on the ground and the operating device of robot 1 (not shown), so that the operator of robot 1 can check the monitor and use the operating device to control the angle adjustment device to change the direction of the blower (i.e., the direction of travel of robot 1) or the amount of rotation of the propeller 3 (i.e., the travel speed of robot 1).

[0030] It goes without saying that the modifications described herein may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1. In-pipe travel robot 2 conduit 3 propellers 4. Hull 5 Cameras 6. Lighting Section 7 wheels 8. Upstream manhole 9. Manhole on the downstream side 10 ducts

Claims

1. A pipeline-traveling robot capable of traveling on water and land within pipelines, and capable of photographing the inner wall surface of the pipeline, A pipeline-traveling robot comprising a hull that obtains thrust by blowing air backward through the drive of a propeller located on the upper part of the stern, a camera and lighting unit located on the upper part of the hull for photographing the inner wall surface of the pipeline, a memory unit for storing images taken by the camera, and four wheels located on both the left and right sides of the hull, both forward and backward, so as to protrude outward and downward from the hull.

2. A pipeline-traveling robot according to claim 1, wherein a cylindrical duct surrounding the propeller and extending in the front-to-back direction is provided, extending further aft than the stern of the ship.

Images