Wire inspection device

Abstract

To provide an electric wire inspection device with which it is possible to improve the accuracy of measurement of an electric wire having fins.SOLUTION: An electric wire inspection device 1 comprises: a roller which is placed on an electric wire 100; a cylindrical housing 2 which is supported by the roller and covers the electric wire; a motor for moving the housing along the electric wire; and a sensor unit 5 having a contactless sensor 9 that detects the degradation of the electric wire and capable of rotating relatively to the housing around the electric wire. The sensor unit includes an accommodation part 50 which comes into contact with an outer circumferential surface 110a of the electric wire and causes the sensor to face the electric wire, and a following mechanism 51 which is guided by a fin 120 protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire and causes the accommodation part to rotate relatively to the housing, the following mechanism including a pair of contact members 52, 53 which come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire so as to sandwich the electric wire, an adjustment part for positioning the pair of contact members symmetrically at centers 91a, 92a of the sensor, and a spring 55 for giving an urging force to bring the pair of contact members closer to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire inspection device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is a wire inspection device. Patent Document 1 discloses a wire inspection device including a case movable in the longitudinal direction of a wire, an inspection unit rotatably supported inside the case, rotating along the outer circumference of the wire to inspect the state of the wire, and inspection unit driving means.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a wire inspection device, it is desired to improve the measurement accuracy by a sensor. For example, when inspecting a wire having fins, the fins may contact the sensor unit, changing the distance between the wire and the sensor or shifting the central axis of the sensor with respect to the wire. As a result, the measurement accuracy by the sensor may be reduced.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a wire inspection device capable of improving the measurement accuracy for a wire having fins.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The wire inspection device of the present invention includes a roller placed on the wire, a cylindrical housing supported by the roller and covering the wire, a motor for moving the housing along the wire, a non-contact sensor housed in the housing for detecting deterioration of the wire, and a sensor unit rotatable relative to the housing around the wire. The sensor unit has a housing portion for housing the sensor and facing the sensor against the outer peripheral surface of the wire in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the wire, and a follower mechanism guided by fins protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the wire to relatively rotate the housing portion with respect to the housing. The follower mechanism has a pair of contact members contacting the outer peripheral surface of the wire so as to sandwich the wire, an adjustment portion positioning the pair of contact members symmetrically with respect to the center of the sensor, and a spring applying a biasing force to bring the pair of contact members closer to each other.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] In the wire inspection device according to the present invention, the sensor unit has a housing portion for housing the sensor and a follower mechanism guided by fins to relatively rotate the housing portion with respect to the housing. The follower mechanism has a pair of contact members contacting the outer peripheral surface of the wire so as to sandwich the wire, an adjustment portion positioning the pair of contact members symmetrically with respect to the center of the sensor, and a spring applying a biasing force to bring the pair of contact members closer to each other. The wire inspection device according to the present invention can suppress fluctuations in the distance between the wire and the sensor and misalignment of the sensor with respect to the wire, and has the effect of improving the measurement accuracy for wires having fins.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

Figure 9

[0009] Hereinafter, the wire inspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Further, the constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] An embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. This embodiment relates to a wire inspection apparatus. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wire inspection apparatus according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a view for explaining an inspection by the wire inspection apparatus of the embodiment, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the wire inspection apparatus according to the embodiment, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sensor unit according to the embodiment, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the sensor unit according to the embodiment, FIG. 6 is a side view of the sensor unit according to the embodiment, FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the sensor unit according to the embodiment, FIG. 8 is a view showing the sensor unit guided by the fin, and FIG. 9 is a view showing the sensor unit guided by the fin.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the wire inspection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 2, a roller 3, a motor 4, a sensor unit 5, a rotating body 6, and a control unit 7. The wire inspection device 1 of the present embodiment is a device for inspecting the deterioration of a so-called finned wire. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the wire 100 to be inspected has fins 120. The fins 120 can suppress the adhesion of snow to the wire 100. The wire 100 is, for example, an SN-OC wire (anti-snow adhesion type outdoor cross-linked polyethylene insulated wire).

[0012] The fins 120 protrude from the outer peripheral surface 110a of the insulation coating 110 of the wire 100. The fins 120 extend along the axial direction of the wire 100. The illustrated wire 100 has two fins 120 with a phase difference of 180°. That is, the two fins 120 protrude in opposite directions. The cross-sectional shape of the fins 120 is, for example, rectangular or trapezoidal. The wire 100 is a wire spanned from a distribution substation to a utility pole, a wire spanned between utility poles, or the like. In the following description, the axial direction of the wire 100 is referred to as the "axial direction X".

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the wire inspection device 1 inspects the deterioration of the wire 100 while moving in the axial direction X. The illustrated wire 100 is spanned between utility poles 140. The wire inspection device 1 is operated, for example, by an operator 200. The illustrated wire inspection device 1 is connected to an operation unit 12 via a cable 11. The cable 11 has wires for power supply and communication. The operation unit 12 is a device that supplies power to the wire inspection device 1 and controls the wire inspection device 1. The operation unit 12 has a function of acquiring and storing data of the detection results by the wire inspection device 1.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the housing 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape capable of covering the electric wire 100. The illustrated shape of the housing 2 is a cylindrical shape. The housing 2 has a cylindrical tubular portion 20 and a pair of side walls 21. The tubular portion 20 has a slit 20s through which the electric wire 100 passes. The slit 20s extends from one end to the other end of the tubular portion 20 along the axial direction X. The side wall 21 closes the end portion of the housing 2 in the axial direction X. The side wall 21 has a slit 21a through which the electric wire 100 passes. The slit 21a extends radially from the outer edge of the side wall 21 to the central portion of the side wall 21. The slit 21a is continuous with the slit 20s of the tubular portion 20.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, inside the housing 2, two partition walls 22 are provided. The partition walls 22 are orthogonal to the axial direction X and partition the internal space of the tubular portion 20. More specifically, the internal space of the tubular portion 20 is partitioned into a first space 20a, a second space 20b, and a third space 20c. The second space 20b is the central space portion in the axial direction X. The first space 20a is located on one side of the axial direction X with respect to the second space 20b, and the third space 20c is located on the other side of the axial direction X with respect to the second space 20b. The partition wall 22 has a slit 22a through which the electric wire 100 passes. The slit 22a faces the slit 21a in the axial direction X. Also, the slit 22a is continuous with the slit 20s of the tubular portion 20.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, the electric wire inspection device 1 has two rollers 3. The two rollers 3 are respectively placed on the electric wire 100 and roll on the electric wire 100. One of the two rollers 3 is a driving roller 3A, and the other is a driven roller 3B. The driving roller 3A is arranged in the first space 20a, and the driven roller 3B is arranged in the third space 20c. Taper portions 31 are provided at both ends of the rolling surface of the roller 3. The taper portions 31 position the roller 3 in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction X and align the center of the rolling surface of the roller 3 with respect to the central axis C1 of the electric wire 100.

[0017] The rolling surface of the roller 3 has an elastically deformable coating. The coating elastically deforms when the roller 3 crosses over the fin 120 of the electric wire 100 to prevent the up-and-down movement of the roller 3. The thickness of the coating is larger than the height of the fin 120. The coating has a softness that can deform according to the shape of the fin 120 and contact the outer peripheral surface 110a of the electric wire 100.

[0018] The housing 2 has a shaft support portion 23 supported by the roller 3. The shaft support portion 23 is connected to the partition wall 22 and rotatably supports the roller 3. The motor 4 is a rotary motor that moves the housing 2 along the electric wire 100. The motor 4 is driven by the electric power supplied from the operation unit 12. The output shaft of the motor 4 is connected to the drive roller 3A by a belt 41. The motor 4 can rotate the drive roller 3A at an arbitrary speed in an arbitrary rotation direction. The drive roller 3A rotates by the torque transmitted from the motor 4 and moves the housing 2 along the axial direction X.

[0019] The electric wire inspection device 1 has two rotators 6. The two rotators 6 are arranged in the second space 20b. One rotator 6 is arranged on the partition wall 22 on the side of the first space 20a, and the other rotator 6 is arranged on the partition wall 22 on the side of the third space 20c. The partition wall 22 rotatably supports the rotator 6 by a plurality of bearings 24. The rotator 6 can rotate infinitely around the electric wire 100. That is, the rotator 6 is supported so that it can rotate a plurality of times with respect to the housing 2 in any rotation direction.

[0020] The rotator 6 has a slit 6a through which the electric wire 100 passes. The slits 6a of the two rotators 6 face each other in the axial direction X. The rotator 6 is fixed to the sensor unit 5. The two rotators 6 are connected via the sensor unit 5.

[0021] The control unit 7 is connected to the operation unit 12 by the cable 11. The control unit 7 operates, for example, by the power supplied from the operation unit 12. The control unit 7 controls each device mounted on the wire inspection device 1. For example, the control unit 7 controls the rotation direction and rotation speed of the motor 4 according to a command sent from the operation unit 12. Further, the control unit 7 controls the sensor unit 5 to acquire data of the measurement result for the wire 100. The control unit 7 transmits the acquired data to the operation unit 12.

[0022] The cable reel 8 is interposed between the control unit 7 and the sensor unit 5. The cable 81 of the cable reel 8 connects the sensor unit 5 and the control unit 7. The cable 81 has power supply and communication wires. The rotating body 6 has a cylindrical portion around which the cable 81 is wound. When the cable 81 is pulled out by the rotation of the rotating body 6, the pulled-out cable 81 is wound around the rotating body 6. The cable reel 8 can wind up the cable 81 by a spring or the like. The cable reel 8 has a stopper that regulates the winding of the cable 81. The stopper can be manually released.

[0023] The sensor unit 5 is disposed in the second space 20b. The sensor unit 5 is located between the two rotating bodies 6 in the axial direction X and is held by the two rotating bodies 6. The sensor unit 5 is non-rotatable relative to the rotating body 6 and rotates integrally with the rotating body 6.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor unit 5 has a housing portion 50 and a following mechanism 51. The following mechanism 51 is a mechanism that is guided by the fin 120 to relatively rotate the housing portion 50 with respect to the housing 2. The illustrated following mechanism 51 has a first following mechanism 51A and a second following mechanism 51B. In the sensor unit 5 of the present embodiment, the first following mechanism 51A and the second following mechanism 51B have the same configuration. The first following mechanism 51A is disposed on one side of the housing portion 50 in the axial direction X, and the second following mechanism 51B is disposed on the other side of the housing portion 50 in the axial direction X. That is, the two following mechanisms 51A and 51B are disposed before and after the housing portion 50 in the traveling direction.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the housing portion 50 houses a non-contact sensor 9. The shape of the housing portion 50 of the present embodiment is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing portion 50 is formed of a non-magnetic material having insulating properties. The housing portion 50 has a housing chamber 50a for housing the sensor 9. The sensor 9 is installed on the support surface 50b at the inner part of the housing chamber 50a. The support surface 50b is a flat surface. As shown in FIG. 6, the housing portion 50 has a contact surface 50f that contacts the outer peripheral surface 110a of the electric wire 100. The contact surface 50f is a surface on the side opposite to the support surface 50b and is a flat surface. By the contact surface 50f contacting the outer peripheral surface 110a of the electric wire 100, the sensor 9 is positioned parallel to the outer peripheral surface 110a. As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the housing portion 50 opposes the sensor 9 to the outer peripheral surface 110a of the electric wire 100. The housing chamber 50a is closed by a lid 50c.

[0026] In the description of the sensor unit 5, the width direction of the housing portion 50 is referred to as the "width direction Y". The width direction Y is orthogonal to the axial direction X. Also, the direction orthogonal to both the axial direction X and the width direction Y is referred to as the "height direction Z".

[0027] The illustrated sensor 9 detects degradation of the conductor 130 of the electric wire 100 by eddy current testing (ECT). The sensor 9 has an exciting coil 91 and a detecting coil 92. The exciting coil 91 and the detecting coil 92 are formed by concentrically winding a conductive metal wire (for example, a copper wire). The exciting coil 91 and the detecting coil 92 are arranged side by side along the axial direction X. The central axis 91a of the exciting coil 91 and the central axis 92a of the detecting coil 92 are arranged parallel to the axial direction X. Also, a part of the exciting coil 91 and a part of the detecting coil 92 overlap.

[0028] The tracking mechanism 51 of the sensor unit 5 is configured to align the sensor 9 with respect to the central axis C1 of the electric wire 100. More specifically, the tracking mechanism 51 is configured to intersect the central axes 91a and 92a of the coils 91 and 92 with respect to the central axis C1 of the electric wire 100.

[0029] The sensor 9 is connected to the control unit 7 and is controlled by the control unit 7. The control unit 7 applies an alternating current to the exciting coil 91 to generate a magnetic field by the exciting coil 91. An eddy current is generated in the conductor 130 of the electric wire 100 by this magnetic field. The detecting coil 92 detects a magnetic field (magnetic flux) corresponding to the eddy current generated in the conductor 130. The control unit 7 acquires and records information on the detection result by the detecting coil 92. The control unit 7 can transmit the acquired information on the detection result to the operation unit 12.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the tracking mechanism 51 has a first contact member 52, a second contact member 53, a gear 54, a spring 55, a first groove 56, and a second groove 57. The first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 are members that contact the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire 100 so as to sandwich the electric wire 100. The first contact member 52 has a base portion 52a and a contact piece 52b. The second contact member 53 has a base portion 53a and a contact piece 53b.

[0031] The bases 52a and 53a are slidably supported by a plate portion 50d protruding from the housing portion 50. The plate portion 50d protrudes along the axial direction X from the side wall of the housing portion 50 and has a flat plate shape. The plate portion 50d has an opposing surface 50e facing the electric wire 100. A first groove 56 and a second groove 57 are formed in the opposing surface 50e. The first groove 56 and the second groove 57 extend from one end to the other end of the opposing surface 50e along the width direction Y. The cross-sectional shapes of the first groove 56 and the second groove 57 are substantially T-shaped, with the width of the bottom being wider. The illustrated first groove 56 and second groove 57 extend in parallel.

[0032] The bases 52a and 53a have a rectangular parallelepiped shape and have protruding portions 52c and 53c extending linearly. The cross-sectional shapes of the protruding portions 52c and 53c are substantially T-shaped. The protruding portion 52c of the first contact member 52 is inserted into the first groove 56 and is guided in the width direction Y by the first groove 56. The protruding portion 53c of the second contact member 53 is inserted into the second groove 57 and is guided in the width direction Y by the second groove 57.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 7, the gear 54 is disposed between the base 52a of the first contact member 52 and the base 53a of the second contact member 53. The gear 54 is rotatably supported by the plate portion 50d. The illustrated gear 54 is a spur gear. A plurality of teeth 52d and 53d that mesh with the gear 54 are formed on the side surfaces of the bases 52a and 53a. Accordingly, the gear 54 interlocks the movement of the first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 along the width direction Y. The first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 move in opposite directions along the width direction Y. The follower mechanism 51 is configured to position the contact pieces 52b of the first contact member 52 and the contact pieces 53b of the second contact member 53 symmetrically with respect to the central axes 91a and 92a of the sensors 9. The bases 52a and 53a mesh with the gear 54 such that the contact pieces 52b and 53b are equidistant from a virtual line CL2 connecting the central axes 91a and 92a.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, the contact piece 52b of the first contact member 52 protrudes in the height direction Z from the base 52a. Similarly, the contact piece 53b of the second contact member 53 protrudes in the height direction Z from the base 53a. The contact pieces 52b and 53b have a flat plate shape orthogonal to the width direction Y. The contact pieces 52b and 53b face each other in the width direction Y.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 7, the contact piece 52b of the first contact member 52 extends from the base 52a toward the side of the second contact member 53. The end of the contact piece 52b overlaps with the base 53a of the second contact member 53. The contact piece 53b of the second contact member 53 extends from the base 53a toward the side of the first contact member 52. The end of the contact piece 53b overlaps with the base 52a of the first contact member 52.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the tip portions of the contact pieces 52b and 53b have contact portions 52e and 53e. The contact portions 52e and 53e are portions that contact the side surface of the fin 120 while contacting the outer peripheral surface 110a of the electric wire 100. The shape of the contact portions 52e and 53e when viewed from the axial direction X is a tapered shape whose width becomes narrower toward the tips of the contact portions 52e and 53e. The contact portion 52e of the first contact member 52 has an opposing surface 52f and an inclined surface 52g. The contact portion 53e of the second contact member 53 has an opposing surface 53f and an inclined surface 53g.

[0037] The opposing surface 52f of the first contact member 52 is a surface that opposes the contact portion 53e of the second contact member 53. The opposing surface 53f of the second contact member 53 is a surface that opposes the contact portion 52e of the first contact member 52. The two opposing surfaces 52f and 53f are parallel and face each other in the width direction Y. The inclined surfaces 52g and 53g are inclined with respect to the height direction Z. The inclined surface 52g of the first contact member 52 is inclined so as to approach the opposing surface 52f toward the tip of the contact portion 52e. The inclined surface 53g of the second contact member 53 is inclined so as to approach the opposing surface 53f toward the tip of the contact portion 53e.

[0038] The spring 55 applies a biasing force that brings the first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 closer to each other. The illustrated spring 55 is a coil spring extending in the width direction Y and is connected to the contact piece 52b and the contact piece 53b in an extended state.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 8, the wire inspection device 1 is installed on the wire 100 so that the fin 120 is not located between the two contact portions 52e, 53e. That is, the operator 200 installs the wire inspection device 1 on the wire 100 while bringing the contact portions 52e, 53e into contact with the portion between the two fins 120 on the outer peripheral surface 110a.

[0040] The contact surface 50f of the sensor unit 5 contacts the outer peripheral surface 110a of the wire 100. By positioning the fin 120 outside the two contact portions 52e, 53e, a deviation in the relative position of the sensor 9 with respect to the wire 100 is suppressed. If the fin 120 contacts the contact surface 50f, the contact surface 50f may move away from the outer peripheral surface 110a, or the central axes 91a, 92a of the sensors 9 may deviate from the central axis C1 of the wire 100. As a result, the measurement accuracy by the sensor 9 may decrease. On the other hand, the wire inspection device 1 of the present embodiment can keep the distance between the sensor 9 and the wire 100 constant and prevent the deviation of the sensor 9 with respect to the central axis C1 of the wire 100.

[0041] The rotating body 6 of the present embodiment holds the sensor unit 5 so that the contact surface 50f contacts the outer peripheral surface 110a. The rotating body 6 holds the sensor unit 5 such that, for example, the rolling surfaces of the two rollers 3 and the contact surface 50f are located on the same plane. When the wire inspection device 1 is installed on the wire 100, the two contact portions 52e, 53e move in the width direction Y while extending the spring 55 so that the contact surface 50f contacts the outer peripheral surface 110a of the wire 100. Note that the rotating body 6 may be configured to press the sensor unit 5 toward the wire 100. For example, the rotating body 6 may have a pressing member such as a spring that presses the sensor unit 5 toward the wire 100.

[0042] The follower mechanism 51 is guided by the fin 120 of the wire 100 to relatively rotate the accommodating portion 50 with respect to the housing 2. The contact portion 53e shown in FIG. 8 is in contact with the fin 120. The contact portion 53e is in contact with the side surface of the fin 120 while contacting the outer peripheral surface 110a of the wire 100. The contact portion 53e is guided by the fin 120 to relatively rotate the accommodating portion 50 and the rotating body 6 with respect to the housing 2. The accommodating portion 50 relatively rotates with respect to the housing 2 while sliding the contact surface 50f with respect to the outer peripheral surface 110a. The follower mechanism 51 can rotate the accommodating portion 50 and incline the height direction Z of the sensor unit 5 with respect to the vertical direction V.

[0043] In the suspended wire 100, the fin 120 may extend spirally. In this case, when the wire inspection device 1 advances along the axial direction X, the contact portions 52e and 53e are guided by the fin 120 to rotate the accommodating portion 50. That is, the wire inspection device 1 of the present embodiment rotates the accommodating portion 50 following the fin 120. Thereby, the central axes 91a and 92a of the sensors 9 can be made to intersect the central axis C1 of the wire 100. Further, since the fin 120 does not contact the contact surface 50f, the distance between the sensor 9 and the wire 100 is kept constant. Therefore, the wire inspection device 1 of the present embodiment can improve the measurement accuracy by the sensor 9.

[0044] The rotation speed of the rotating body 6 of the present embodiment with respect to the relative rotation with respect to the housing 2 is not limited. Therefore, the sensor unit 5 can relatively rotate with respect to the housing 2 without limitation. Therefore, the wire inspection device 1 can continue to make the sensor unit 5 follow the fin 120 while moving from the start point to the end point of the target section in the wire 100.

[0045] FIG. 9 shows the smallest-diameter wire 100 among the wires 100 to which the wire inspection apparatus 1 is applicable. In this case, the contact surface 50f of the sensor unit 5 contacts the outer peripheral surface 110a of the wire 100, and the two contact portions 52e, 53e contact the fins 120, respectively. The spring 55 contacts the two contact portions 52e, 53e with the outer peripheral surface 110a by the biasing force. The protruding lengths of the contact portions 52e, 53e with respect to the contact surface 50f are determined according to the minimum diameter of the target wire 100. The contact portions 52e, 53e are guided by the fins 120 to rotate the housing portion 50.

[0046] When the inspection of the wire 100 is completed, the operator 200 removes the wire inspection apparatus 1 from the wire 100. At this time, the operator 200 releases the stopper of the cable reel 8. The cable reel 8 winds up the cable 81 and rotates the rotating body 6 and the sensor unit 5 to the initial rotational position. That is, the cable 81 wound around the rotating body 6 is accommodated in the cable reel 8. Thereby, the wire 100 can pass through the slit 6a of the rotating body 6, and it becomes possible to remove the wire inspection apparatus 1 from the wire 100.

[0047] As described above, the wire inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a roller 3 placed on the wire 100, a cylindrical housing 2, a motor 4, and a sensor unit 5. The housing 2 is supported by the roller 3 and covers the wire 100. The motor 4 moves the housing 2 along the wire 100. The sensor unit 5 is accommodated in the housing 2 and has a non-contact sensor 9 for detecting deterioration of the wire 100. The sensor unit 5 is relatively rotatable with respect to the housing 2 around the wire 100.

[0048] The sensor unit 5 includes a housing portion 50 and a following mechanism 51. The housing portion 50 houses the sensor 9 and contacts the outer peripheral surface 110a of the wire 100 to oppose the sensor 9 to the wire 100. The following mechanism 51 is guided by the fins 120 protruding from the outer peripheral surface 110a of the wire 100 to relatively rotate the housing portion 50 with respect to the housing 2.

[0049] The follower mechanism 51 includes a pair of contact members 52 and 53, a gear 54, and a spring 55. The first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 are members that contact the outer peripheral surface 110a of the electric wire 100 so as to sandwich the electric wire 100. The gear 54 is an example of an adjustment part that positions the first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 symmetrically with respect to the center of the sensor 9. The center of the illustrated sensor 9 is the central axis 91a of the excitation coil 91 and the central axis 92a of the detection coil 92. The spring 55 applies a biasing force that causes the first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 to approach each other.

[0050] The wire inspection device 1 of the present embodiment suppresses the housing portion 50 from riding up on the fin 120 by being guided by the fin 120 and rotating the housing portion 50. Therefore, the distance between the sensor 9 and the electric wire 100 is maintained constant. Further, the gear 54 as an adjustment part positions the first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 symmetrically with respect to the center of the sensor 9. Therefore, displacement of the sensor 9 with respect to the central axis C1 of the electric wire 100 is suppressed. Therefore, the wire inspection device 1 of the present embodiment can improve the measurement accuracy with respect to the electric wire 100 having the fin 120.

[0051] The first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 of the present embodiment have contact portions 52e and 53e that contact the outer peripheral surface 110a of the electric wire 100 and abut against the side surface of the fin 120. The shape of the contact portions 52e and 53e when viewed from the axial direction X of the electric wire 100 is a tapered shape in which the width becomes narrower toward the tips of the contact portions 52e and 53e. The contact portions 52e and 53e have opposing surfaces 52f and 53f that face the opposing contact portions 52e and 53e, and inclined surfaces 52g and 53g that are surfaces on the side opposite to the opposing surfaces 52f and 53f. The opposing surfaces 52f and 53f are parallel to the opposing surfaces 52f and 53f of the other party. The inclined surfaces 52g and 53g are inclined so as to approach the opposing surfaces 52f and 53f toward the tips of the contact portions 52e and 53e. The contact members 52 and 53 having such contact portions 52e and 53e can easily maintain the state of abutting against the fin 120.

[0052] The wire inspection device 1 of this embodiment has a rotating body 6 disposed between a housing 2 and a sensor unit 5. The rotating body 6 is rotatable around the wire 100 without limitation with respect to the housing 2. The sensor unit 5 is held by this rotating body 6. Therefore, the sensor unit 5 of this embodiment can continue to rotate beyond one rotation while being guided by the fin 120.

[0053] The rotating body 6 of this embodiment rotates around the wire 100. The first contact member 52 and the second contact member 53 protrude toward the wire 100 with respect to the housing portion 50. The rotating body 6 holds the sensor unit 5 so that the wire 100 enters between the pair of contact members 52 and 53 and the housing portion 50 contacts the outer peripheral surface 110a of the wire 100. Therefore, the rotating body 6 can rotate the housing portion 50 while bringing the housing portion 50 into contact with the outer peripheral surface 110a.

[0054] Note that the communication between the wire inspection device 1 and the operation unit 12 may be wireless communication. In this case, it is desirable that the wire inspection device 1 be equipped with a battery. The motor 4, the control unit 7, and the sensor 9 can operate by the power supplied from the battery. The operation unit 12 performs the scanning control and measurement data collection of the control unit 7 by wireless communication.

[0055] The illustrated sensor unit 5 has two sets of following mechanisms 51A and 51B, but is not limited thereto. The sensor unit 5 may have either one of the first following mechanism 51A or the second following mechanism 51B. The sensor 9 is not limited to one that detects the deterioration of the wire 100 by eddy current.

[0056] The shape of the housing 2 is not limited to the illustrated cylindrical shape. The housing 2 may have, for example, a rectangular tube shape.

[0057] The contents disclosed in the above embodiments can be executed in appropriate combination.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0058] 1 Wire inspection device 2: Housing, 3: Roller, 4: Motor, 5: Sensor unit, 6: Rotating body 7: Control unit, 8: Cable reel, 9: Sensor 11: Cable, 12: Operation unit 20: Cylindrical part, 20a: First space, 20b: Second space, 20c: Third space 21: Side wall, 21a: Slit 22: Partition wall, 22a: Slit, 23: Shaft support, 24: Bearing 50: Accommodation part, 50a: Accommodation chamber, 50b: Support surface, 50c: Lid 50d: Plate part, 50e: Opposite surface, 50f: Contact surface 51: Follow-up mechanism, 51A: First follow-up mechanism, 51B: Second follow-up mechanism 52: First contact member, 52a: Base part, 52b: Contact piece, 52c: Protrusion 52d: Tooth, 52e: Contact part, 52f: Opposite surface, 52g: Inclined surface 53: Second contact member, 53a: Base part, 53b: Contact piece, 53c: Protrusion 53d: Tooth, 53e: Contact part, 53f: Opposite surface, 53g: Inclined surface 54: Gear, 55: Spring, 56: First groove, 57: Second groove 81: Cable 91: Excitation coil, 91a: Central axis, 92: Detection coil, 92a: Central axis 100: Electric wire, 110: Insulation coating, 110a: Outer peripheral surface, 120: Fin 130: Conductor, 140: Utility pole 200: Operator C1: Central axis X: Axial direction, Y: Width direction, Z: Height direction

Claims

1. a roller placed on the wire, a cylindrical housing supported by the roller and covering the wire, a motor for moving the housing along the wire, a sensor unit housed in the housing, having a non-contact sensor for detecting deterioration of the wire, and being relatively rotatable with respect to the housing around the wire, comprising the sensor unit includes a housing portion that houses the sensor and brings the sensor into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the wire to face the wire, and a following mechanism that is guided by fins protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the wire to relatively rotate the housing portion with respect to the housing, the following mechanism includes a pair of contact members that contact the outer peripheral surface of the wire so as to sandwich the wire, an adjustment portion that positions the pair of contact members symmetrically with respect to the center of the sensor, and a spring that applies a biasing force to bring the pair of contact members closer to each other, a wire inspection device characterized by the above.

2. each of the contact members has a contact portion that contacts the side surface of the fin while contacting the outer peripheral surface of the wire, when viewed from the axial direction of the wire, the shape of the contact portion is a tapered shape in which the width becomes narrower toward the tip of the contact portion, the contact portion has an opposing surface that faces the opposing contact portion on the other side, and an inclined surface that is a surface on the side opposite to the opposing surface, the opposing surface is parallel to the opposing surface on the other side, the inclined surface is inclined so as to approach the opposing surface toward the tip of the contact portion the wire inspection device according to Claim 1.

3. comprising a rotating body disposed between the housing and the sensor unit, the rotating body is rotatable without limit with respect to the housing around the wire, the sensor unit is held by the rotating body the wire inspection device according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. the rotating body rotates around the wire, the pair of contact members protrude to the side of the wire with respect to the housing portion, the rotating body holds the sensor unit such that the wire enters between the pair of contact members and the housing portion contacts the outer peripheral surface of the wire the wire inspection device according to Claim 3.

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