Self-propelled overhead line running machine

Abstract

To provide a self-propelled overhead line running machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead lines.SOLUTION: An overhead line running machine 1 includes a housing 2 and a drive traveling unit 3 including a motor and a rotating body. When an axis along the overhead line is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to front-rear and up-down as left-right, the housing has a cross section that is roughly U-shaped with the top and bottom reversed. The cross section is a cross section defined by the top and bottom and the left and right. The motor applies rotational power to the rotating body. The rotating body rotates in contact with the overhead line, causing the overhead line running machine to travel on the overhead line.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-propelled overhead wire traveling machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, various technologies have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an overhead electric wire inspection device that can recognize the type and size of obstacles and travel while avoiding the obstacles.

[0003] This overhead power line inspection device inspects overhead power lines while traveling over them, and is characterized by having one sensor for detecting the condition of the overhead power lines along the overhead power lines, and another sensor for scanning and detecting the area ahead in the direction of travel of the overhead power line inspection device, and when a discontinuous displacement is detected in the output from one sensor, the other sensor scans the area ahead in the direction of travel of the overhead power line inspection device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-177727 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, maintenance or inspection of overhead electric wires is often carried out at high altitudes, and therefore an overhead electric wire traveling machine that is easy to operate and allows work to be carried out quickly and safely is required. In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a more useful technology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines. The overhead electric line traveling machine includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body. If an axis along the overhead electric line is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to front-rear and up-down as left-right, the housing has a substantially upside-down U-shaped cross section. The cross section is defined by the up-down and left-right. The motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body. The rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric line, thereby allowing the overhead electric line traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric line.

[0007] According to this aspect, a more beneficial technique can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is an overall perspective view of an overhead wire running machine 1 as seen from above. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the overhead wire traveling machine 1 as seen from below. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a view of the overhead wire running machine 1 as seen from below. [Figure 5] 5A is a view of the overhead electric wire running machine 1 from the right side, and FIG. 5B is a view of the housing 2 in a state shown in the AA cross section of FIG. 5A from the front side. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram illustrating the drop cover 6 in the first position P1 and the drop cover 6 in the second position P2, as viewed from the front side of the overhead wire running machine 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 5C is an exploded view showing the configurations of first drop cover 61 and second drop cover 62 in an enlarged state of area B shown in FIG. 5B. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram illustrating a drop cover 6 as seen from below the overhead electric wire running machine 1. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram for explaining a tapered portion Tp of the overhead electric wire running machine 1. FIG. [Figure 10]1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a state in which the overhead wire traveling machine 1 is in use. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a state in which the overhead wire traveling machine 1 is in use. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram illustrating a drop cover 6 as seen from below the overhead electric wire running machine 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0010] Incidentally, the program for realizing the software appearing in this embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, or may be provided so that it can be downloaded from an external server, or may be provided so that the program is started on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] In addition, in this embodiment, the term "unit" may include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented by a circuit in the broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. Furthermore, in this embodiment, various types of information are handled, and this information may be represented by, for example, physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltage and current, high and low signal values ​​as a binary bit set consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculations may be performed on a circuit in the broad sense.

[0012] In addition, a circuit in the broad sense is a circuit realized by at least an appropriate combination of a circuit, circuitry, processor, memory, etc. That is, it includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), etc.

[0013] 1. Hardware Configuration This section describes the hardware configuration of an overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 as viewed from above. FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 as viewed from below. FIG. 4 is a view of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 as viewed from below. FIG. 5 is a view of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 as viewed from the right side in FIG. 5A and a view of the housing 2 as viewed from the front side in a state represented by the cross section AA in FIG. 5A. FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the drop cover 6 in the first position P1 and the drop cover 6 in the second position P2 as viewed from the front side of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. FIG. 7 is an exploded view illustrating the configuration of the first drop cover 61 and the second drop cover 62 in an enlarged state of area B shown in FIG. 5B. FIG. 8 is a view illustrating the drop cover 6 as viewed from the bottom of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. In the following description, the directions of the overhead electric wire running machine 1 and the components constituting the overhead electric wire running machine 1 are defined based on the terms "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" shown in Figures 2 to 8 (as well as Figures 9, 11, and 12). Furthermore, in the following description, "up" is also referred to as "upper side" or "upward," and "down" is also referred to as "lower side" or "downward." The direction formed by "up" and "down" is also referred to as "upper" or "upper-lower direction." This also applies to "down," "left," "right," "front," and "rear." In this definition, the axis along the overhead electric wire Ln is defined as "upper-lower," the axis along the top and bottom is defined as "upper-lower," and the axis perpendicular to "upper-lower" and "upper-lower" is defined as "left and right."

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 includes a housing 2, a drive traveling unit 3, a control unit 4, a battery 5, a drop cover 6, an imaging device 7, and a remote control 8. The overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is configured to be able to travel on an already installed overhead electric wire Ln, thereby allowing a user to perform maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln. In other words, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is a self-propelled overhead electric wire traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0015] (Case 2) The housing 2 is a box that houses the machinery and electrical equipment that runs the overhead power line traveling machine 1. The housing 2 houses all or part of the drive traveling unit 3, control unit 4, battery 5, drop cover 6, and imaging device 7. The housing 2 has a roughly upside-down U-shape when viewed from the front and rear. That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, the housing 2 has a roughly upside-down U-shape when viewed from the front along the AA cross section. In this case, the AA cross section is a cross section defined by the top, bottom, and left and right at the approximate center of the housing 2 in the front-to-back direction, as shown in FIG. 5A. The housing 2 has a shape that widens from bottom to top when viewed from the left and right sides, and a roughly octagonal shape when viewed from the top and bottom. The housing 2 has a tapered portion Tp, consisting of a first tapered portion Tp1 and a third tapered portion Tp3, on its outer periphery. The tapered portion Tp will be described in detail later.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2 , the housing 2 includes a window plate 21 and a pulling unit 22. The window plate 21 is a plate for covering a working window (not shown) of the housing 2, and is fixed to the housing 2 with screws or the like. By removing the window plate 21 from the housing 2, a user can access the inside of the housing 2 through the working window and install, remove, or replace the battery 5. The pulling unit 22 is configured so that an object to be pulled can be attached. That is, the housing 2 includes the pulling unit 22 to which a replacement overhead electric wire Ln, a pilot rope PR, or the like can be attached. According to this embodiment, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can pull the replacement overhead electric wire Ln, the pilot rope PR, or the like, thereby enabling efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0017] (Drive running unit 3) As shown in Fig. 1, the driving and traveling unit 3 includes a motor 31, a power transmission unit 32, and a rotating body 33. That is, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 includes the motor 31 and the rotating body 33 as the driving and traveling unit 3. The motor 31, the power transmission unit 32, and the rotating body 33 are mechanically connected, and the motor 31 is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body 33 via the power transmission unit 32. The power transmission unit 32 is configured to transmit power, and may be, for example, a combination of a V-belt and a pulley, a combination of a timing belt and a timing pulley, or a combination of multiple gears.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the rotor 33 is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire Ln, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 to travel on the overhead electric wire Ln. According to this configuration, the motor 31 can be used to drive the traveling machine 1 on the overhead electric wire Ln, thereby enabling efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the rotor 33 is disposed on the upper interior side of the substantially U-shaped housing 2. According to this configuration, the traveling machine 1 can more stably drive on the overhead electric wire Ln. Specifically, for example, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has two rotors 33 disposed therein. Specifically, a front rotor 33f is disposed on the front side as the first rotor 33, and a rear rotor 33r is disposed on the rear side as the second rotor 33, on the upper interior side of the substantially U-shaped housing 2. The number of rotors 33 is not limited to two. That is, one or more rotating bodies 33 may be arranged on the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 so that the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can travel on the overhead electric wire Ln. For example, 1 to 12 rotating bodies 33 may be arranged, preferably 2 to 8 rotating bodies 33, and more preferably 2 to 4 rotating bodies 33. Specifically, for example, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 may be arranged with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 rotating bodies 33, and the number may be within a range between any two of the numerical values ​​exemplified here.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the front rotor 33f and the rear rotor 33r, which are rotors 33, are configured with pulleys 331 having a generally V-shaped groove along the rotational direction. In this case, the pulleys 331 preferably have an opening angle θp of 45 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less of the generally V-shaped groove. For example, in the rotor 33 shown in FIG. 5B, the opening angle θp is 90 degrees. The opening angle θp is preferably 60 degrees or more and 110 degrees or less, and more preferably 80 degrees or more and 100 degrees or less. Specifically, the opening angle θp may be 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, or 120 degrees, and may be within a range between any two of the values ​​shown here. According to this embodiment, even if the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 tilts left and right or front and rear while traveling, it can travel stably on the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0020] The pulley 331 also includes a wheel 331w and an elastic body 331e. The wheel 331w has a substantially V-shaped groove along the rotational direction, and the elastic body 331e covers the surface of the groove. In other words, the rotating body 33 includes the elastic body 331e on the surface that contacts the overhead electric wire Ln. The elastic body 331e is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of norbornene rubber (NB), chloroprene rubber (CR), acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), urethane rubber, fluororubber, silicone rubber, natural rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM), butadiene rubber (BR), and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). Furthermore, the elastic body 331e preferably has a hardness of 20 to 40 Shore A. The hardness is preferably 20 to 35 Shore A, more preferably 30 Shore A. Specifically, for example, the hardness is Shore A 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40, and may be within a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here. According to such an embodiment, it is possible to mitigate the impact that occurs between the overhead electric wire Ln and the rotating body 33 and prevent the rotating body 33 from spinning freely relative to the overhead electric wire Ln, and the rotating body 33 can move more stably on the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0021] (Control Unit 4) As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 4 includes a control unit 41 and a transceiver unit 42. The control unit 41 is a control device that controls at least the motor 31, and is configured to electrically control at least the rotation of the motor 31. In other words, the control unit 4 is configured to electrically control the rotation of the motor 31. The transceiver unit 42 is electrically connected to the control unit 41 via a communication bus 40. The transceiver unit 42 also has a wireless communication function and is configured to be able to communicate wirelessly with the remote control 8. The remote control 8 will be described in detail later.

[0022] The transceiver 42 is configured to receive operation instructions OI via wireless communication. When the transceiver 42 receives the operation instructions OI, the received operation instructions OI are transmitted to the control unit 41 via the communication bus 40. The control unit 41 controls the operation of the motor 31 based on the transmitted operation instructions OI. That is, the control unit 4 is configured to control the traveling of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 by receiving the user's operation instructions OI via wireless communication. This embodiment allows the user to control the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 from a remote location, thereby enabling efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln. The control unit 41 may generate status information indicating the operating status of each unit, convert the generated status information into a signal, and transmit the signal to the remote control 8 via the transceiver 42. In this case, the status information may be information such as traveling speed, traveling direction, traveling distance, remaining battery power of the battery 5, on / off status of the imaging device 7, image data captured by the imaging device 7, etc. The battery 5, imaging device 7, and remote control 8 will be described in detail later.

[0023] (Battery 5) As shown in Fig. 1, the battery 5 is configured to be able to supply power to at least the motor 31 through control by the control unit 41. The battery 5 is housed inside the housing 2 and is attached so as to be freely detachable. The battery 5 may also be attached outside the housing 2 as long as it does not interfere with maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln in the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. As the battery 5, for example, a dry cell, a primary battery such as a solar cell, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, or the like may be appropriately used.

[0024] (Falling cover 6) As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the drop cover 6 is disposed to cover at least a portion of the gap in the generally U-shaped portion of the housing 2, thereby forming a through-hole TH surrounded by the inside of the generally U-shaped portion and the drop cover 6. Specifically, for example, the drop cover 6 shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 is disposed at the bottom, approximately in the center of the housing 2 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions, thereby covering the lower portion of the gap in the generally U-shaped portion of the housing 2. The drop cover 6 also includes a first drop cover 61 and a second drop cover 62. The drop cover 6 is configured such that at least one of the first drop cover 61 and the second drop cover 62 is displaceable. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the first drop cover 61 and the second drop cover 62 are disposed at a first position P1 that opposes each other on the left and right. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the second drop cover 62 is configured to displace to a second position P2 that is located above the first position P1. This forms a gap in the through hole TH that allows the overhead electric wire Ln to pass through. According to this embodiment, the user can easily attach and detach the second drop cover 62 to and from the overhead electric wire Ln. The second drop cover 62 also has a slider member (not shown) as a displacement mechanism. The slider member is configured to allow the second drop cover 62 to be displaced between the first position P1 and the second position P2. The second drop cover 62 also has a biasing member (not shown) that biases the second drop cover 62 to the first position P1. The second drop cover 62 also has a locking mechanism (not shown) that limits displacement so that the second drop cover 62 remains in the first position P1. According to this embodiment, the user can even more easily attach the second drop cover 62 to the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0025] The outer shape of the drop cover 6 has a second tapered portion Tp2 as the tapered portion Tp. The tapered portion Tp will be described in detail later.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 7, first drop cover 61 includes guide 611, screw 612, and guide 613. Guide 611 is configured in a block shape and has a screw hole 611a. Guide 613 is configured as a substantially circular plate piece and has a through hole 613a. Screw 612 is inserted into through hole 613a of guide 613, and the portion protruding from through hole 613a is screwed into screw hole 611a of guide 611. In this way, guide 613 is fixed to guide 611.

[0027] The second drop cover 62 also includes a guide 621, a shoulder screw 622, and a disk 623. The guide 621 is block-shaped and has a screw hole 621a. The disk 623 is a plate piece and has a through-hole 623a. A cylindrical portion 622b of the shoulder screw 622 is inserted into the through-hole 623a of the disk 623, and a screw head 622c abuts against the lower surface of the disk 623. The threaded portion 622a of the shoulder screw 622 is configured so that the portion protruding from the through-hole 623a of the disk 623 is screwed into the screw hole 621a of the guide 621. This allows the disk 623 to be rotatable relative to the guide 621. In other words, the second drop cover 62 includes the disk 623 that can rotate around an axis extending vertically. Furthermore, disk 623 has a substantially circular outer periphery 623b and a plurality of protrusions 623c located on the outer periphery side of outer periphery 623b. In other words, disk 623 is configured in a gear-like shape.

[0028] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , when the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels over the overhead electric wire Ln, the first drop cover 61 and the second drop cover 62 are provided at a first position P1, facing each other on the left and right. That is, a through hole TH is formed by the housing 2 and the drop cover 6, and the overhead electric wire Ln passes through the through hole TH when the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8 , the drop cover 6 has a gap having a first width W1 along the left and right sides at the first position P1. More specifically, the gap of the first width W1 is formed by the first drop cover 61 and the second drop cover 62. More specifically, the first width W1 is formed by the guide 611 of the first drop cover 61 and the guide 621 of the second drop cover 62. In this case, the first width W1 is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire Ln to be maintained or inspected. These configurations ensure that the overhead electric wire Ln remains inside the through-hole TH even if the housing 2 rotates around the front-to-rear axis. This configuration prevents the overhead electric wire running machine 1 from falling off the overhead electric wire Ln. Specifically, the first width W1 may be, for example, 5 mm or more and 9 mm or less, preferably 6 mm or more and 8 mm or less, and more preferably 6.5 mm or more and 7.5 mm or less. For example, the first width W1 may be 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, or 9 mm, or may be within a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 8 , the outer periphery 623b of the second drop cover 62 forms a gap of a second width W2 with the first drop cover 61, and the protrusion 623c of the second drop cover 62 forms a gap of a third width W3 with the first drop cover 61. The gaps of the second width W2 and the third width W3 formed in the drop cover 6 allow the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 to travel on the overhead electric wire Ln even when a fall prevention wire SE is attached to the overhead electric wire Ln. The fall prevention wire SE will be described in detail later. Specifically, for example, the second width W2 is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire Ln to be maintained or inspected and wider than the diameter of the wire of the fall prevention wire SE attached to the overhead electric wire Ln. The third width W3 is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire Ln to be maintained or inspected and narrower than the diameter of the wire of the fall prevention wire SE attached to the overhead electric wire. The first width W1 is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric conductor Ln to be maintained or inspected, and wider than the diameter of the wire of the fall prevention wire SE attached to the overhead electric conductor Ln. In other words, the first width W1, the second width W2, and the third width W3 have the largest sizes, followed by the second width W2 and the third width W3. According to this embodiment, even when a fall prevention wire SE is attached to the overhead electric conductor Ln, the overhead electric conductor running machine 1 can travel and furthermore, the overhead electric conductor running machine 1 can be prevented from falling from the overhead electric conductor Ln.

[0030] (Imaging device 7) As shown in FIG. 1 , the imaging device 7 includes an imaging unit 71 and a storage unit 72. The imaging unit 71 and the storage unit 72 are electrically connected to the control unit 41 via the communication bus 40. The imaging unit 71 is a digital camera having a lens, an image sensor, etc., and captures an image represented by light reaching the image sensor. That is, the imaging unit 71 is configured to acquire image data. The imaging unit 71 is attached to the housing 2 and configured to capture images of the overhead electric wire Ln, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 itself, the surroundings around which the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is traveling, etc. That is, the housing 2 includes the imaging device 7. Furthermore, the storage unit 72 is configured to store image data captured by the imaging unit 71. According to this embodiment, images captured by the imaging device 7 can be acquired during the traveling of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1, thereby enabling efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln. Furthermore, the imaging device 7 is configured to start and stop capturing images by the imaging unit 71 by receiving an operation instruction OI from the remote control 8 via the communication bus 40 and the transceiver unit 42. Preferably, the imaging device 7 is configured to be able to transmit image data to the remote control 8 via the communication bus 40 and the transceiver 42. Even more preferably, the image data is associated with the travel distance of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. This makes it possible to view the image data and the position information of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 at a glance, allowing the user to easily understand the travel status of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. Furthermore, since it is possible to view the image data and the position information of the overhead electric wire Ln at a glance, the user can easily obtain information such as whether the overhead electric wire Ln is damaged and its position, i.e., information used to determine the need for maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0031] (Remote Control 8) As shown in Fig. 1, the remote control 8 includes a transmitter / receiver 81 and an operation unit 82. The transmitter / receiver 81 and the operation unit 82 are electrically connected via a communication bus 80. The remote control 8 is a controller with wireless communication capabilities, and is configured to be able to remotely control the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 based on operations from a user. By using the remote control 8, the user can control the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 from a location away from the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1.

[0032] The transmitting / receiving unit 81 transmits operation instructions OI, which are signals generated by the operating unit 82, to the transmitting / receiving unit 42 of the control unit 4 via wireless communication. As a result, the overhead power line traveling machine 1 travels in accordance with the operation instructions OI remotely transmitted via the remote controller 8. The transmitting / receiving unit 81 is preferably configured to be able to receive status information transmitted from the transmitting / receiving unit 42. In this case, it is preferable to provide a display unit (not shown) on the remote controller 8 so that the user can visually recognize the status information. The status information may be, for example, information such as traveling speed, traveling direction, traveling distance, remaining battery power of the battery 5, imaging status of the imaging device 7, image data captured by the imaging device 7, etc.

[0033] The operation unit 82 has operation buttons, and when a user inputs via the operation buttons, it generates an operation instruction OI corresponding to the input. This allows the user to operate the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. In this case, the operation instruction OI may include starting the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 to move forward, starting reverse, stopping traveling, changing the traveling speed, and turning the imaging device 7 on and off. Note that when the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 receives an operation instruction OI that instructs it to start traveling, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 may continue traveling regardless of the status of the wireless communication connection between the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 and the remote control 8. According to this embodiment, the user can control the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 over an overhead electric wire Ln over a distance longer than the distance available for wireless communication, thereby enabling efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0034] 2. Details of the tapered section Tp In this section, the tapered portion Tp of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 according to one embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the tapered portion Tp of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. The tapered portion Tp is a taper that is an external shape of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1, and this allows the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 to continue traveling without being restricted by the fall prevention wire SE even when a fall prevention wire SE is attached to the overhead electric wire Ln. The fall prevention wire SE and the traveling of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 when a fall prevention wire SE is attached to the overhead electric wire Ln will be described in detail later.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 4, 9A, and 9B, the housing 2 has a first tapered portion Tp1 and a second tapered portion Tp2 as the tapered portion Tp. The first tapered portion Tp1 is provided in the through hole TH. That is, the through hole TH has the first tapered portion Tp1. Specifically, the first tapered portion Tp1 is configured so that the lateral width of the through hole TH narrows from one of the front and rear sides toward the other in a cross section defined by the front-rear and left-right directions. Furthermore, the first tapered portion Tp1 has a first front tapered portion Tp1f and a first rear tapered portion Tp1r. Specifically, the first front tapered portion Tp1f is configured so that the lateral width of the through hole TH narrows from the front toward an approximate center position in a cross section defined by the front-rear and left-right directions. The first rear tapered portion Tp1r is configured so that the lateral width of the through hole TH widens from an approximate center position toward the rear.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9C, the drop cover 6 has a second tapered portion Tp2 as the tapered portion Tp. Specifically, the second tapered portion Tp2 is configured so that the left-right width of the drop cover 6 increases from one of the front and rear ends toward the other end when viewed from below. Furthermore, the second tapered portion Tp2 has a second front tapered portion Tp2f and a second rear tapered portion Tp2r. Specifically, the second front tapered portion Tp2f is configured so that the left-right width of the drop cover 6 increases from the front toward an approximate center position when viewed from below. The second rear tapered portion Tp2r is configured so that the left-right width of the drop cover 6 decreases from an approximate center position toward the rear.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the housing 2 has a third tapered portion Tp3 on its outer periphery as the tapered portion Tp. Specifically, the third tapered portion Tp3 is configured to increase in width from bottom to top. Furthermore, the third tapered portion Tp3 has a front-to-rear tapered portion Tp3fr and a left-to-right tapered portion Tp3lr. Specifically, the front-to-rear tapered portion Tp3fr is configured to increase in width from bottom to top when viewed from either the left or right. The left-to-right tapered portion Tp3lr is configured to increase in width from bottom to top when viewed from either the front or the back.

[0038] 3.How to use the overhead line running machine 1 Next, a method of using the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 will be described with reference to other figures. FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams illustrating an example of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 in use. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the drop cover 6, seen from below the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. Specifically, FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels between two utility poles Po on which an overhead electric wire Ln to be maintained or inspected is installed. FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which, when a fall prevention wire SE is attached to the overhead electric wire Ln, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 continues traveling without being restricted by the fall prevention wire SE. FIG. 12 illustrates the positional relationship between the fall cover 6 and the fall prevention wire SE when the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 continues traveling without being restricted by the fall prevention wire SE. The following describes an example in which the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels between two utility poles Po on which an overhead electric wire Ln to be maintained or inspected is installed.

[0039] [1] First, in preparation for running the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1, the window plate 21 of the housing 2 is removed, and a battery 5 with sufficient power is attached to the housing 2. Thereafter, the window plate 21 is attached to the housing 2.

[0040] [2] Next, the pilot rope PR is attached to the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. Specifically, one end of the pilot rope PR is fixed to the traction unit 22 of the housing 2. As a result, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels on the overhead electric wire Ln, thereby towing the pilot rope PR.

[0041] [3] Next, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is placed on the overhead electric wire Ln. Specifically, first, it is moved to the overhead electric wire Ln near one of the two utility poles Po. Next, the locking mechanism of the second drop cover 62 is unlocked to allow the second drop cover 62 to move to the second position P2. Next, the overhead electric wire Ln is passed through the through hole TH using the gap created by the second drop cover 62 moving to the second position P2. Furthermore, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is placed on the overhead electric wire Ln so that the overhead electric wire Ln fits into two grooves: the approximately V-shaped groove in the front rotor 33f and the approximately V-shaped groove in the rear rotor 33r. Then, the locking mechanism of the second drop cover 62 is locked.

[0042] [4] Next, the user uses the remote control 8 to start the overhead wire traveling machine 1 traveling from one utility pole Po toward the other utility pole Po. Specifically, the user first operates the operation unit 82 of the remote control 8 to send an operation instruction OI to the overhead wire traveling machine 1 to start traveling. As a result, the transceiver unit 42 of the control unit 4 receives the operation instruction OI, and the control unit 41 of the control unit 4 controls the drive traveling unit 3, causing the overhead wire traveling machine 1 to start traveling. When the overhead wire traveling machine 1 starts traveling, as shown in FIG. 10 , the overhead wire traveling machine 1 travels from one utility pole Po toward the other utility pole Po. As the overhead wire traveling machine 1 travels, the pilot rope PR is pulled by the overhead wire traveling machine 1 from the user's position to the position of the overhead wire traveling machine 1. In this case, it is advisable to check the status information via the remote control 8, and the status information may include, for example, the running speed, running direction and running distance of the overhead power line running machine 1, the remaining battery charge of the battery 5, the imaging status of the imaging device 7, image data captured by the imaging device 7, etc.

[0043] [5] When a fall prevention wire SE is attached to the overhead electric wire Ln on which the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is traveling, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 continues traveling without being restricted by the fall prevention wire SE. Below, the fall prevention wire SE will be explained, and then an example in which the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 continues traveling without being restricted by the fall prevention wire SE will be explained.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 11 , when multiple overhead electric wires Ln are installed in parallel, fall prevention wires SE may be attached to the overhead electric wires Ln. The fall prevention wires SE are intended to prevent the broken overhead electric wire Ln from falling to the ground or the like if a break occurs in the overhead electric wire Ln. Specifically, for example, if one of the multiple overhead electric wires Ln breaks, the other overhead electric wires Ln support the broken overhead electric wire Ln via the fall prevention wires SE, thereby preventing the broken overhead electric wire Ln from falling to the ground or the like, i.e., preventing the broken overhead electric wire Ln from coming into contact with the ground or the like.

[0045] FIG. 11 shows an example in which three overhead electric wires Ln are installed: overhead electric wire Ln1, overhead electric wire Ln2, and overhead electric wire Ln3. The overhead electric wires Ln1 to Ln3 are installed parallel to one another, with overhead electric wire Ln1 installed in the center, overhead electric wire Ln2 installed to the left of overhead electric wire Ln1, and overhead electric wire Ln3 installed to the right of overhead electric wire Ln1. The fall prevention wire SE includes gripping members SE1 to SE3 and a rope SEL. Each of the gripping members SE1 to SE3 includes a member SEh and a member SEv, and the rope SEL is made up of a rope SELa and a rope SELb. The member SEh is rod-shaped and configured to be able to grip the overhead electric wire Ln by aligning the longitudinal direction of the member SEh along the overhead electric wire Ln. When the member SEh grips the overhead electric wire Ln, the gripping force fixes the member SEh to the overhead electric wire Ln. This restricts the relative movement and rotation of the member SEh with respect to the overhead electric wire Ln. The member SEv is rod-shaped and extends perpendicular to the overhead electric wire Ln from approximately the center of the member SEh in the longitudinal direction. That is, the gripping members SE1 to SE3 have a substantially T-shape. A rope SEL is attached to the end of the member SEv, i.e., to the portion of the member SEv away from the member SEh. More specifically, the rope SELa of the rope SEL is attached between the member SEv of the gripping member SE1 attached to the overhead electric wire Ln1 and the member SEv of the gripping member SE2 attached to the overhead electric wire Ln2. The rope SELb of the rope SEL is attached between the member SEv of the gripping member SE1 attached to the overhead electric wire Ln1 and the member SEv of the gripping member SE3 attached to the overhead electric wire Ln3.

[0046] Furthermore, since the relative rotation between the member SEh and the overhead electric wire Ln is restricted, the orientation of the member SEv can vary depending on the installation status of the fall prevention wire SE. Specifically, for example, the member SEv of the gripping member SE1 shown in Fig. 11A is oriented substantially downward and to the right at an angle θse1 with respect to the downward direction. The following describes the case where the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels on the overhead electric wire Ln1 in this situation.

[0047] 11B and 11C, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels from the back to the front of the figure. FIG. 11B shows that as the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels over the overhead electric wire Ln, the gripping member SE1 comes into contact with the housing 2 near the through-hole TH of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. FIG. 11C shows a state in which the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 has traveled further over the overhead electric wire Ln than the state shown in FIG. 11B. As the gripping member SE1 comes into contact with the housing 2 and the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 further travels over the overhead electric wire Ln, the angle θse1 that had been generated in the gripping member SE1 disappears, and the member SEv of the gripping member SE1 faces substantially downward. Specifically, as the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels over the overhead electric wire Ln, a force that rotates the gripping member SE1 and the overhead electric wire Ln is generated due to the weight of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 and the shape of the first tapered portion Tp1 and the gripping member SE1. Then, due to the force that rotates the gripping member SE1 and the overhead electric wire Ln, the angle θse1 generated in the gripping member SE1 becomes smaller or disappears, and the member SEv of the gripping member SE1 faces substantially downward. This allows the gripping member SE1 to pass through the through hole TH of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. In this way, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can continue traveling without being restricted by the gripping members SE1-SE3 of the fall prevention wire SE. As described above, the first tapered portion Tp1 has a first front tapered portion Tp1f and a first rear tapered portion Tp1r. Therefore, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can continuously travel on the overhead electric wire Ln not only when traveling forward but also when traveling backward, without being restricted by the gripping members SE1 to SE3 of the fall prevention wire SE.

[0048] 11C shows that the member SEv of the gripping member SE1 is facing substantially downward, and that the ropes SELa and SELb have moved to the vicinity of the drop cover 6. Specifically, as the overhead power line traveling machine 1 travels on the overhead power line Ln, the ropes SELa and SELb come into contact with the third tapered portion Tp3 of the housing 2, and the ropes SELa and SELb are guided to the vicinity of the drop cover 6. As described above, the third tapered portion Tp3 has front and rear tapered portions Tp3fr and left and right tapered portions Tp3lr. Therefore, the ropes SELa and SELb are guided to the vicinity of the drop cover 6 not only when traveling forward but also when traveling backward.

[0049] Furthermore, the positional relationship between the fall cover 6 and the rope SEL of the fall prevention wire SE will be explained below with reference to Figure 12. Figure 12 shows the positional relationship between the fall cover 6 and the rope SEL of the fall prevention wire SE as viewed from the underside of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. In Figure 12, the ropes SELa and SELb are shown in cross section. Also, Figure 12 shows, in the order of Figures 12A to 12C, that the ropes SELa and SELb move sequentially from front to rear.

[0050] FIG. 12A shows that the ropes SELa and SELb move from the top to the center of the figure, i.e., along the dashed arrows in the figure. Specifically, the ropes SELa and SELb are guided by the second front tapered portion Tp2f of the second tapered portion Tp2 of the drop cover 6 and move along the second front tapered portion Tp2f. In other words, the ropes SELa and SELb move toward the gap between the guide 613 of the first drop cover 61 and the circular plate 623 of the second drop cover 62. As a result, the ropes SELa and SELb are positioned in a gap of a second width W2 formed between the guide 613 and the outer circumferential portion 623b. As described above, the second width W2 is wider than the diameter of the rope SEL, which is a wire included in the fall prevention wire SE attached to the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0051] FIG. 12B shows a state in which the ropes SELa and SELb have moved as the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels on the overhead electric wire Ln from the state shown in FIG. 12A . As the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels on the overhead electric wire Ln, the ropes SELa and SELb move from a forward position toward a rearward position in accordance with the relative positions of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 and the fall prevention wire SE attached to the overhead electric wire Ln. Also, in FIG. 12B , as the ropes SELa and SELb move and the disc 623 of the second fall cover 62 rotates, the ropes SELa and SELb are positioned between the guide 613, the outer circumferential portion 623b, and the two protrusions 623c. As described above, the third width W3 formed between the guide 613 and the protrusions 623c is narrower than the diameter of the ropes SEL, which are the wires of the fall prevention wire SE attached to the overhead electric wire.

[0052] Figure 12C shows a state in which the ropes SELa and SELb have moved further from the state in Figure 12B as the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 travels on the overhead electric wire Ln. In Figure 12C, the ropes SELa and SELb have moved further and the disc 623 has rotated further, causing the ropes SELa and SELb to move away from the vicinity of the drop cover 6. Specifically, the ropes SELa and SELb have moved downward from the center of the figure, i.e., along the dashed arrows shown in the figure.

[0053] As described above, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can continuously travel on the overhead electric wire Ln without being restricted by the ropes SELa and SELb of the fall prevention wire SE. As described above, the second tapered portion Tp2 has the second front tapered portion Tp2f and the second rear tapered portion Tp2r. The disc 623 is also configured to be rotatable without being limited in its rotation direction. Therefore, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can continuously travel on the overhead electric wire Ln without being restricted by the gripping members SE1-3 of the fall prevention wire SE, not only when traveling forward but also when traveling backward.

[0054] [6] Then, when the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 arrives at the other utility pole Po, the traveling of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is stopped.

[0055] [7] The overhead electric wire running machine 1 is used in the manner described above. After that, the overhead electric wire Ln is maintained or inspected by checking the image data and replacing the overhead electric wire Ln using the pilot rope PR.

[0056] [others] The overhead wire traveling machine 1 according to one embodiment can also be implemented in the following manner.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the drive traveling unit 3 is configured with one motor 31, one power transmission unit 32, and two rotating bodies 33 (front rotating body 33f and rear rotating body 33r). However, this is not limiting. For example, the drive traveling unit 3 may be configured with one or more motors 31, one or more power transmission units 32, and one or more rotating bodies 33. Specifically, for example, the drive traveling unit 3 may include one motor 31, and the motor 31 may be configured to apply rotational power to one rotating body 33 via the power transmission unit 32. Preferably, for example, the drive traveling unit 3 may include one motor 31, and the motor 31 may be configured to apply rotational power to two rotating bodies 33 via the power transmission unit 32. More preferably, for example, the drive traveling unit 3 may be configured to include two motors 31, one motor 31 imparting rotational power to one of the two rotating bodies 33, and the other motor 31 imparting rotational power to the other of the two rotating bodies 33. According to this configuration, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can travel on the overhead electric wire Ln more stably.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the case where the drive traveling unit 3 includes the power transmission unit 32 has been described, but this is not limiting, and for example, the drive traveling unit 3 may not include the power transmission unit 32. In this case, the rotating body 33 is connected to the motor 31 without the power transmission unit 32, and the motor 31 is configured to directly apply rotational power to the rotating body 33. According to this aspect, the configuration of the overhead wire traveling machine 1 can be simplified and made lighter.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the second drop cover 62 of the drop cover 6 is configured to be displaced between the first position P1 and the second position P2 by a slider member, but this is not limited to this. For example, at least one of the first drop cover 61 and the second drop cover 62 of the drop cover 6 may be configured to be detachable from the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 by being fastened with screws or the like. This configuration simplifies the configuration of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 and makes it lighter.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is described as being equipped with the imaging device 7, but this is not limiting, and for example, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 may not be equipped with the imaging device 7. According to this aspect, the configuration of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can be simplified and further reduced in weight.

[0061] In the above embodiment, a case where one remote control 8 is used to control the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 has been described, but this is not limiting. For example, it is preferable that control via wireless communication can be performed at one location and multiple locations. Specifically, for example, one overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 may be controlled by using multiple remote controls 8 to receive operation instructions OI from multiple users, respectively. According to this aspect, one overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can be controlled by multiple users. Also, it is possible to configure only one specific remote control 8 to correspond to the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. According to this aspect, work can be performed using multiple overhead electric wire traveling machines 1 simultaneously, allowing for efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire Ln.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 is controlled using the remote control 8, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 may be provided with an input unit such as a button, and the user may press the button to start traveling of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1. According to this embodiment, the configuration of the overhead electric wire traveling machine 1 can be simplified.

[0063] Furthermore, it may be provided in the following aspects.

[0064] (1) A self-propelled overhead electric wire traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric wires, comprising a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, wherein an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-to-back, an axis along the top and bottom as up-and-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-to-back and up-and-down as left-to-right, the housing has a cross section that is roughly U-shaped with the top and bottom reversed, wherein the cross section is a cross section defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, and the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire.

[0065] According to this aspect, the vehicle can move on the overhead electric wires by using the power of the motor, which enables efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wires.

[0066] (2) In the overhead electric wire traveling machine described in (1) above, the rotating body is arranged inside and above the approximately U-shaped housing.

[0067] According to this aspect, the vehicle can travel independently on the overhead power line more stably.

[0068] (3) In the overhead electric wire traveling machine described in (1) or (2) above, the rotating body is composed of a pulley having a substantially V-shaped groove along the rotation direction.

[0069] According to this aspect, even if the overhead electric wire traveling machine is tilted left and right or forward and backward while traveling, it can travel stably on the overhead electric wire.

[0070] (4) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (3) above, the pulley has an opening angle of the approximately V-shaped groove of 45 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less.

[0071] (5) In the overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of (1) to (4) above, the rotating body has an elastic body on a surface that comes into contact with the overhead electric wire.

[0072] According to this aspect, the vehicle can travel independently on the overhead power line more stably.

[0073] (6) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (5) above, the elastic body is at least one selected from the group consisting of norbornene rubber (NB), chloroprene rubber (CR), acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), urethane rubber, fluororubber, and silicone rubber.

[0074] (7) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (5) or (6) above, the elastic body has a hardness of Shore A20 or more and 40 or less.

[0075] (8) The overhead electric wire running machine according to any one of (1) to (7) above, further comprising a drop cover, the drop cover being arranged to cover at least a portion of the gap in the approximately U-shaped portion of the housing, thereby forming a through hole surrounded by the inside of the approximately U-shaped portion and the drop cover, and configured such that when the overhead electric wire running machine runs with the overhead electric wire passing through the through hole and the housing rotates around the front-to-rear axis, the overhead electric wire remains inside the through hole.

[0076] According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent the overhead electric wire traveling machine from falling off the overhead electric wire.

[0077] (9) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (8) above, the drop cover has a first drop cover and a second drop cover, wherein the first drop cover and the second drop cover are provided at a first position opposite each other on the left and right, and the second drop cover is configured to be shifted to a second position located higher than the first position.

[0078] According to this aspect, the user can easily attach the device to the overhead electric wire.

[0079] (10) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (8) or (9) above, the drop cover has a gap having a first width along the left and right sides, and the first width is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected.

[0080] (11) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (10) above, the drop cover has a first drop cover and a second drop cover, wherein the first drop cover and the second drop cover are arranged at a first position opposite each other on the left and right, and the gap of the first width is formed by the first drop cover and the second drop cover.

[0081] (12) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (10) or (11) above, the first width is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected, and wider than the diameter of a fall prevention wire attached to the overhead electric wire.

[0082] According to this aspect, even when a fall prevention wire is attached to the overhead electric wire, the overhead electric wire traveling machine can travel.

[0083] (13) In the overhead electric wire running machine according to any one of (10) to (12) above, the first width is 5 mm or more and 9 mm or less.

[0084] (14) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in any one of (10) to (13) above, the drop cover has a first drop cover and a second drop cover, wherein the first drop cover and the second drop cover are provided at first positions facing each other on the left and right, the second drop cover has a disk that can rotate around an axis along the top and bottom, the disk has a substantially circular outer periphery and a plurality of protrusions located outer than the outer periphery, the outer periphery forms a gap of a second width with the first drop cover, wherein the second width is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected and wider than the diameter of a fall prevention wire attached to the overhead electric wire, and the protrusions form a gap of a third width with the first drop cover, wherein the third width is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected and narrower than the diameter of a wire of the fall prevention wire attached to the overhead electric wire.

[0085] (15) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in any one of (8) to (14) above, the through hole has a first tapered portion, and the first tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the through hole narrows from one of the front and rear to the other in a cross section defined by the front and rear and the left and right.

[0086] (16) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (15) above, the first tapered portion has a first front tapered portion and a first rear tapered portion, and the first front tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the through hole narrows from the front toward an approximately center position in a cross section defined by the front-to-back and the left and right, and the first rear tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the through hole widens from the approximately center position toward the rear.

[0087] (17) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in any one of (8) to (16) above, the drop cover has a second tapered portion, and the second tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the drop cover increases from one of the front and rear to the other when viewed from below.

[0088] (18) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (17) above, the second tapered portion has a second front tapered portion and a second rear tapered portion, and the second front tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the drop cover becomes wider as it moves from the front to an approximately center position when viewed from below, and the second rear tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the drop cover becomes narrower as it moves from the approximately center position to the rear.

[0089] (19) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in any one of (1) to (18) above, the housing has a third tapered portion on its outer periphery, and the third tapered portion is configured so that its width increases as it goes from bottom to top.

[0090] (20) In the overhead electric wire running machine described in (19) above, the third tapered portion has a front-to-rear tapered portion and a left-to-right tapered portion, and the front-to-rear tapered portion is configured so that the front-to-rear width increases from bottom to top when viewed from either the front or the left, and the left-to-right tapered portion is configured so that the left-to-right width increases from bottom to top when viewed from either the front or the left.

[0091] (21) In the overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of (1) to (20) above, the housing includes a traction section to which a pilot rope can be attached.

[0092] According to this aspect, the overhead electric wire, rope, etc. to be replaced can be pulled by the overhead electric wire running machine, thereby enabling efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire.

[0093] (22) In the overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of (1) to (21) above, the housing includes an imaging device.

[0094] According to this aspect, since images captured by the imaging device can be acquired while the overhead electric wire traveling machine is traveling, efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire becomes possible.

[0095] (23) The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of (1) to (22) above, further comprising a control unit, the control unit being configured to electrically control the rotation of the motor.

[0096] (24) In the overhead electric wire traveling machine described in (23) above, the control unit is configured to control the traveling of the overhead electric wire traveling machine by receiving operation instructions from a user via wireless communication.

[0097] According to this aspect, the user can control the overhead power line running machine from a remote location, thereby enabling efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead power line.

[0098] (25) In the overhead power line running machine described in (24) above, the operation instruction is an instruction to start the running, and when the operation instruction is received, the running continues regardless of the connection status of the wireless communication.

[0099] According to this aspect, the user can control the overhead electric wire running machine on an overhead electric wire over a distance longer than the distance over which communication is possible, thereby enabling efficient maintenance or inspection of the overhead electric wire. Of course, this is not the case.

[0100] Finally, while various embodiments of the present invention have been described, they are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such embodiments and modifications are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the accompanying claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1: Overhead line running machine 2: Housing 21: Window board 22: Traction part 3: Drive and running unit 31: Motor 32: Power transmission section 33: Rotating body 33f: Front rotating body 33r: Rear rotating body 331: Pulley 331e: Elastic body 331w: Wheel 4: Control unit 40: Communication bus 41: Control unit 42: Transmitter / receiver 5: Battery 6: Drop cover 61: First drop cover 611: Guide 611a: screw hole 612: Screw 613: Guide 613a: Through hole 62: Second drop cover 621: Guide 621a: screw hole 622: Shoulder screw 622a: Threaded part 622b: Cylindrical part 622c: screw head 623: Disk 623a: Through hole 623b: Outer periphery 623c:Protrusion 7: Imaging device 71: Imaging unit 72: Storage section 8: Remote control 80: Communication bus 81: Transmitter / receiver 82: Operation section Ln: Overhead wire Ln1: Overhead wire Ln2: Overhead wire Ln3: Overhead wire OI: Operation instructions P1: First position P2: Second position PR: Pilot Rope Po: Utility pole SE: Fall prevention line SE1: Gripping member SE2: Gripping member SE3: Gripping member SEL: Rope SELa: Rope SELb: Rope SEh: Material SEv: Materials TH:Through hole Tp: Tapered section Tp1: First tapered section Tp1f: First front tapered section Tp1r: First rear tapered section Tp2: Second tapered section Tp2f: Second front tapered section Tp2r: Second rear tapered section Tp3: Third tapered section Tp3fr: Tapered section Tp3lr: Left and right tapered section W1: First width W2: Second width W3: Third width θp: Opening angle θse1 :Angle

Claims

1. A self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines, The device includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, If an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom is defined as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down is defined as left-right, the housing has a cross section of a substantially upside-down U-shape, the cross section being defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire, In addition, it is equipped with a drop cover, the drop cover is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the gap in the approximately U-shape of the housing, thereby forming a through hole surrounded by the inside of the approximately U-shape and the drop cover; The overhead electric wire traveling machine travels in a manner in which the overhead electric wire passes through the through hole, When the housing rotates around the front-rear axis, the overhead electric wire is configured to remain inside the through hole, The drop cover includes a first drop cover and a second drop cover, the first drop cover and the second drop cover are provided at first positions facing each other on the left and right, The second drop cover is configured to be biased to a second position located higher than the first position.

2. A self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines, The device includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, If an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom is defined as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down is defined as left-right, the housing has a cross section of a substantially upside-down U-shape, the cross section being defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire, In addition, it is equipped with a drop cover, the drop cover is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the gap in the approximately U-shape of the housing, thereby forming a through hole surrounded by the inside of the approximately U-shape and the drop cover; The overhead electric wire traveling machine travels in a manner in which the overhead electric wire passes through the through hole, When the housing rotates around the front-rear axis, the overhead electric wire is configured to remain inside the through hole, the drop cover has a gap having a first width along the left and right sides, and is provided at a position spaced apart from the rotating body by a width greater than a diameter of the overhead electric wire, The overhead electric line running machine, wherein the first width is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric line to be maintained or inspected.

3. A self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines, The device includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, If an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom is defined as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down is defined as left-right, the housing has a cross section of a substantially upside-down U-shape, the cross section being defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire, In addition, it is equipped with a drop cover, the drop cover is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the gap in the approximately U-shape of the housing, thereby forming a through hole surrounded by the inside of the approximately U-shape and the drop cover; The overhead electric wire traveling machine travels in a manner in which the overhead electric wire passes through the through hole, When the housing rotates around the front-rear axis, the overhead electric wire is configured to remain inside the through hole, The drop cover has a gap having a first width along the left and right sides, the first width is narrower than a diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected; The drop cover includes a first drop cover and a second drop cover, the first drop cover and the second drop cover are provided at first positions facing each other on the left and right, The gap of the first width is formed by the first drop cover and the second drop cover.

4. A self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines, The device includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, If an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom is defined as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down is defined as left-right, the housing has a cross section of a substantially upside-down U-shape, the cross section being defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire, In addition, it is equipped with a drop cover, the drop cover is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the gap in the approximately U-shape of the housing, thereby forming a through hole surrounded by the inside of the approximately U-shape and the drop cover; The overhead electric wire traveling machine travels in a manner in which the overhead electric wire passes through the through hole, When the housing rotates around the front-rear axis, the overhead electric wire is configured to remain inside the through hole, The drop cover has a gap having a first width along the left and right sides, The first width is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected, and wider than the diameter of the wire of a fall prevention wire attached to the overhead electric wire.

5. A self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines, The device includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, If an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom is defined as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down is defined as left-right, the housing has a cross section of a substantially upside-down U-shape, the cross section being defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire, In addition, it is equipped with a drop cover, the drop cover is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the gap in the approximately U-shape of the housing, thereby forming a through hole surrounded by the inside of the approximately U-shape and the drop cover; The overhead electric wire traveling machine travels in a manner in which the overhead electric wire passes through the through hole, When the housing rotates around the front-rear axis, the overhead electric wire is configured to remain inside the through hole, The drop cover has a gap having a first width along the left and right sides, the first width is narrower than a diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected; The drop cover includes a first drop cover and a second drop cover, the first drop cover and the second drop cover are provided at first positions facing each other on the left and right, The second drop cover includes a disk that can rotate around an axis along the top and bottom, the disk has a substantially circular outer periphery and a plurality of protrusions located on the outer periphery side of the outer periphery, the outer periphery forms a gap of a second width between the first fall cover and the outer periphery, wherein the second width is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected and wider than the diameter of a wire of a fall prevention wire attached to the overhead electric wire; The protrusion forms a gap of a third width between itself and the first fall cover, wherein the third width is narrower than the diameter of the overhead electric wire to be maintained or inspected, and also narrower than the diameter of the wire of a fall prevention wire attached to the overhead electric wire.

6. A self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines, The device includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, If an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom is defined as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down is defined as left-right, the housing has a cross section of a substantially upside-down U-shape, the cross section being defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire, In addition, it is equipped with a drop cover, the drop cover is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the gap in the approximately U-shape of the housing, thereby forming a through hole surrounded by the inside of the approximately U-shape and the drop cover; The overhead electric wire traveling machine travels in a manner in which the overhead electric wire passes through the through hole, When the housing rotates around the front-rear axis, the overhead electric wire is configured to remain inside the through hole, the through hole has a first tapered portion, The first tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the through hole narrows from one of the front and rear to the other in a cross section defined by the front and rear and the left and right.

7. A self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines, The device includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, If an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom is defined as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down is defined as left-right, the housing has a cross section of a substantially upside-down U-shape, the cross section being defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire, In addition, it is equipped with a drop cover, the drop cover is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the gap in the approximately U-shape of the housing, thereby forming a through hole surrounded by the inside of the approximately U-shape and the drop cover; The overhead electric wire traveling machine travels in a manner in which the overhead electric wire passes through the through hole, When the housing rotates around the front-rear axis, the overhead electric wire is configured to remain inside the through hole, the drop cover has a second tapered portion; The second tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the drop cover increases from one of the front and rear sides toward the other side when viewed from below.

8. A self-propelled overhead electric line traveling machine for maintaining or inspecting overhead electric lines, The device includes a housing, a motor, and a rotating body, If an axis along the overhead electric wire is defined as front-rear, an axis along the top and bottom is defined as up-down, and an axis perpendicular to the front-rear and up-down is defined as left-right, the housing has a cross section of a substantially upside-down U-shape, the cross section being defined by the top and bottom and the left and right, the motor is configured to apply rotational power to the rotating body, the rotating body is configured to rotate in contact with the overhead electric wire, thereby allowing the overhead electric wire traveling machine to travel on the overhead electric wire, the housing has a third tapered portion on its outer periphery, the third tapered portion is configured so that its width increases from the bottom to the top, the third tapered portion has a front-rear tapered portion and a left-right tapered portion, The front-rear tapered portion is configured such that the front-rear width increases from bottom to top when viewed from either the left or right side, The left and right tapered portions are configured such that the left and right widths increase from bottom to top when viewed from either the front or back.

9. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The rotating body is arranged inside and above the approximately U-shaped housing, and is a running machine for overhead electric wires.

10. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The rotating body is a running machine for overhead electric wires, which is composed of a pulley having a substantially V-shaped groove along the rotation direction.

11. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to claim 10, The pulley has an opening angle of the approximately V-shaped groove of 45 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less.

12. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The rotating body is provided with an elastic body on the surface that comes into contact with the overhead electric wire.

13. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to claim 12, The elastic body is at least one selected from the group consisting of norbornene rubber (NB), chloroprene rubber (CR), acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), urethane rubber, fluororubber, and silicone rubber.

14. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to claim 12, The elastic body has a hardness of Shore A20 or more and 40 or less.

15. The overhead wire running machine according to any one of claims 2 to 5, The overhead electric wire running machine, wherein the first width is 5 mm or more and 9 mm or less.

16. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to claim 6, the first tapered portion has a first front tapered portion and a first rear tapered portion; the first front tapered portion is configured such that the left-right width of the through hole narrows from the front toward an approximate center position in a cross section defined by the front-rear and left-right directions, The first rear tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the through hole increases as the portion moves rearward from the approximate center position.

17. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to claim 7, the second tapered portion has a second front tapered portion and a second rear tapered portion; the second front tapered portion is configured such that the left and right width of the drop cover increases from the front toward an approximate center position when viewed from below, The second rear tapered portion is configured so that the left and right width of the drop cover narrows as it moves rearward from the approximate center position.

18. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The housing is a running machine for overhead electric wires, and is equipped with a traction section to which a pilot rope can be attached.

19. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The housing is provided with an imaging device.

20. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, Further, a control unit is provided, The control unit is configured to electrically control the rotation of the motor.

21. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to claim 20, The control unit is configured to receive an operation instruction from a user via wireless communication to control the traveling of the overhead electric wire traveling machine.

22. The overhead electric wire traveling machine according to claim 21, the operation instruction is an instruction to start the traveling; When the operation instruction is received, the traveling continues regardless of the connection status of the wireless communication.

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