JP3392814B2 - Self-propelled cable snow removal robot - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-propelled cable snow removing robot for removing snow accumulated on a structural cable such as a diagonal cable of a cable-stayed bridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Damage such as accidents caused by snowfall and icefall in cold regions has become a major social problem, and there are many examples of bridge structures in which passing vehicles have been damaged by snowfall ice. In particular, structural problems such as arch bridges, suspension bridges and cable-stayed bridges are urgent problems. When condensed snow or icicles fall, not only serious damage to passing vehicles and pedestrians but also soft snow falls. Even if you do, the risk of an accident due to unexpected poor visibility cannot be denied. In addition, it is uncomfortable for the user to generate snow and icing and leave it unattended.
Not only does it cause distrust, but it also becomes a serious problem to stop the function as a bridge in the situation where measures such as road closure in winter are forced.

In cable-stayed bridges in cold regions, the parts subject to snow and ice prevention work are the main tower cross beam and the diagonal cable, and in the diagonal cable, the cable protection tube generally has a circular cross section and is very smooth. Despite the surface finish, there are cases where considerable snowfall occurs depending on the weather and other conditions.

As a measure for preventing snow accretion of such a diagonal cable, a method of reciprocating a self-propelled snow removing robot, a method of reciprocating a snow removing ring with a pulley and a wire, and a method of vibrating a snow removing wire stretched along the cable. , Or snow removal measures such as a method of vibrating the cable with a shaker, a method of pasting a planar heater on the surface of the cable protection tube, a method of burying a linear heater inside the cable protection tube, etc. Snow protection measures such as a method of applying snow-accumulating paint and a method of attaching a dorsal fin-shaped snow-cutting plate to the upper part of the cable protection tube can be considered, but each method has advantages and disadvantages.

The self-propelled snow-removing robot system among these slanting snow-and-ice prevention works does not require permanent installation of the bridge body, and there is no concern that the bridge body may be adversely affected or its appearance may be impaired. In addition, there is an advantage that maintenance, repair, improvement, etc. can be performed independently of the main body structure. Conventionally, a self-propelled snow removal robot using rubber tires has been considered, and in JP-A-5-33311, there is a trolley system. A cable snow removing device has been proposed.

In the cable snow removing device described in the latter Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-33311, a wheel rolling on the surface of the cable is provided inside the cylindrical bogie surrounding the cable with a declination with respect to the cable axial direction. The cutting blade is attached to the tip of the carriage so that the blade edge parallel to the cable axis direction contacts the cable surface, and the wheel is driven by the power supply and DC motor mounted on the carriage while rotating the carriage. By self-propelled and moving the cutting edge of the trolley tip spirally along the cable, the snow on the cable is scraped off.

[0007]

However, a self-propelled snow-removing robot using rubber tires cannot obtain sufficient grip performance, and when a cable has a large inclination angle such as a cable-stayed bridge or the surface of a cable protection tube is When using a material that is slippery, there is a problem that the vehicle cannot be driven reliably and snow cannot be reliably removed. The spiral traveling method has problems such as slow lifting speed and inability to propel when the rotational balance becomes poor.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a cable even when a cable protection tube having a large inclination angle of a structural cable and a slippery surface is used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-propelled cable snow removal robot capable of reliably traveling along the road and reliably and quickly removing snow accumulated on the cable.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a snow removing robot for removing snow accumulated on a cable such as a cable of a cable-stayed bridge .
To extend the al surrounding shape of the frame in the cable axis direction
A robot main body formed by connecting a connecting member, the robot together Ke <br/> Buru circumferentially cable side that is disposed in the body as the running surface of the endless belt along the cable axis direction is in contact with the cable surface It is arranged at a predetermined angle with a space between
An endless belt that moves the bot body straight in the cable axis direction.
A crawler type traveling device whose longitudinal direction extends along the axial direction of the cable, a drive device incorporated in the traveling device to drive the traveling device , and a cable provided at the front of the robot body.
It is a self-propelled cable snow removal robot characterized by having a snow removal plate for cutting into the above snow . Claims of the invention
2 is the self-propelled cable snow removal robot according to claim 1.
The surface of the endless belt has a projection running in the direction perpendicular to the running direction.
A large number are provided with intervals in the row direction and
A circle whose contact area with the cable surface corresponds to the cable outline
Self-propelled cable removal characterized by arc shape
It is a snow robot.

The robot body is preferably constructed by connecting hexagonal, quadrangular, circular, and other frames surrounding the cable with a connecting member in the cable axial direction to reduce the weight.
Further, the robot body is divided into upper and lower halves, and the upper and lower halves are connected by hinges and connecting fittings so that they can be easily attached to and detached from the cable. It is preferable that the number of crawler-type traveling devices is three and stable three-point support is provided.

When the power is of the engine type, maintenance is poor, and when power is supplied by wire, a long power cable is required, which causes problems in weight and storage. It is preferable to use a motor and battery power supply. Further, it is preferable that the remote control of the drive device is also wireless.

The crawler type traveling device uses an endless belt (crawler belt) made of rubber, and a large number of projections perpendicular to the traveling direction are provided on the surface of the endless belt at intervals in the traveling direction. It is preferable that the contact portion has an arc shape corresponding to the outer shape of the cable.

The snow-discharging plate is composed of, for example, a plate that cuts into the snow on the cable at the front and a plate that removes the snow to the side at the rear. Further, the snow removal plate may be provided at the front portion in the traveling direction of the robot body, but may be provided at both the front portion and the rear portion.

In the above structure, the snow removing robot is attached to the cable, each crawler type traveling device is driven, and the snow removing robot is moved straight along the cable. The snow plate installed on the snow removing robot removes the snow accumulated on the cable. By using multiple crawler type traveling devices, the grip performance is significantly improved compared to rubber tires, and the gripping force is increased due to the projections of the endless belt and its arc shape, the inclination angle of the structural cable is large, and the surface Even if a slippery cable protection tube is used, it is possible to reliably travel along the cable and to reliably remove snow on the cable. Also, because it is a straight type with a crawler, the traveling speed is relatively high,
The work time can be shortened, and even if there is unevenness due to freezing of snow on the cable, or if there are steps, unevenness, gaps, etc. on the cable surface, you can run without trouble, and it is quick and reliable. Snow removal work is possible.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on illustrated embodiments. This embodiment is an example applied to a diagonal cable of a cable-stayed bridge. FIG. 1 is a perspective view and a side view showing an outline of a self-propelled cable snow removing robot of the present invention and a cable of a cable-stayed bridge. 2 and 3 show a specific example of the self-propelled cable snow removing robot of the present invention. FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are side views, bottom views, and FIG. 3 (a), (b) is each sectional drawing of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a self-propelled cable snow removing robot 1 of the present invention mainly comprises a robot main body 2 having a shape surrounding a diagonal cable C of a cable-stayed bridge, and an endless belt 10 extending in the cable axial direction. Of the crawler type traveling device 3 disposed inside the robot body 2 so that the traveling surface of the crawler type traveling device 3 is in contact with the cable surface, the drive device 4 incorporated in the crawler type traveling device 3, and the drive device 4 is supplied with electric power. It is composed of a battery power supply 5 for supplying the power, a snow discharge plate 6 provided in the front part of the robot body 2, a forced recovery rope 7 in an emergency, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the robot body 2 uses a hexagonal frame 2a formed by assembling angle members so as to surround the cable C with a margin,
A pair of frames 2a, 2a arranged at a predetermined interval
Are connected by a connecting rod 2b, a lightweight connecting plate 2c, or a case 3a of the crawler type traveling device 3 (see FIG. 2).
(See), the weight has been reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the crawler type traveling device 3 is disposed inside every other side of the hexagonal frame 2a, and the crawler type traveling device 3 is arranged as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 3 (b). As shown in FIG. 2, the crawler type traveling device 3 is attached to each of the frames 2a, 2 with a fixing device 20 including a mounting piece 20a, a bolt 20b, a nut 20c and the like.
Fix to a. The fixing device 20 can adjust the grip force by adjusting the position of the crawler type traveling device 3 in the radial direction of the diagonal cable C. Further, by providing the fixing device 20 with a spring, the crawler type traveling device 3 can be pressed against the diagonal cable C with a predetermined force, and irregularities on the cable surface can be absorbed. Further, although the device becomes large, the fixing device 20
It is also possible to provide a large position adjusting function to the cable to accommodate diagonal cable C having various diameters.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, three crawler type traveling devices 3 sandwich the upper portion of the diagonal cable C from the left and right sides, and the other one is in contact with the lower surface of the diagonal cable C. The diagonal cable C is arranged so as to be in contact with the robot body 2 so that the diagonal cable C can be easily attached and detached. That is, as shown in FIG. 3 (b),
The robot body 2 is vertically divided into a pair of left and right sides of the lower portion of the hexagonal frame 2a, the divided pieces on one side are rotatably connected by a hinge member 21, and the divided pieces on the other side are one-touch connecting metal fittings 22. Is connected detachably. As shown in FIG. 2 (b) and FIG. 3 (b), this one-touch connecting metal fitting 22 is a general attaching / detaching metal fitting consisting of a hook 22a, a ring 22b and a lever 22c. By pressing down 22c, connection and fixing can be easily performed.

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the crawler type traveling device 3 has a drive wheel 11 and a driven wheel 12 at both ends around which the endless belt 10 is wound endlessly, and a guide wheel 13 arranged in the middle. And a front drive wheel 11 is a so-called crawler (crawler belt) driven by the drive device 4. Drive wheel 11
Is a sprocket, and its claw meshes with a driving hole formed in the center of the endless belt 10 in the width direction (see FIG. 2).

On the surface of such an endless belt 10, as shown in FIG. 1 (b) and the like, a large number of rubber protrusions (claws) 14 parallel to the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction are provided at intervals in the traveling direction. Further, a circular arc 14a corresponding to the curved surface of the diagonal cable C is formed by performing R processing on the contact portion of the projection 14 with the diagonal cable C.

As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 3 (a), the drive unit 4 is connected to the reduction gear unit 16 connected to the drive shaft 15 of the drive wheel 11, and to this reduction gear unit 16. Motor 1
It consists of 7 etc. The motor 17 is a DC motor, which is supplied with power from the battery power source 5 mounted therein and is controlled by wireless remote control (radio control operation). The battery power source 5 is fixed to the lower part of the robot body 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 2 (b), the snow removing plate 6 is a plate made of plastic or the like attached to the front portion of the robot body 2, and is, for example, of the diagonal cable C. It is composed of a plate 6a having a V-shape in plan view, which is cut into the snow S piled up, and a plate-like plate 6b which removes the snow S from the side. The flat plate 6b has a semicircular cutout formed in the lower part thereof so as to be parallel to the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, and the diagonal cable C
It is fixed to the front part of the robot body 2 so as to straddle the upper part of the. The plate of the V-shaped plate 6a in plan view is the diagonal cable C
It is fixed to the front surface of the flat plate 6b so as to ride on it.

When the emergency recovery rope 7 uses, for example, a reel winding tex, one end is connected to the robot main body 2 and the other end is wound around the reel installed on the bridge girder, and a failure occurs on the way. , Forcibly collected by winding the Tegus. The emergency recovery device is not limited to this, and other recovery devices can be used.

In the self-propelled cable snow removal robot 1 having the above-described configuration, the diagonal cable C is removed by the following procedure.

(1) Mount the snow removal robot 1 on the sidewalk of the cable-stayed bridge and near the lower end fixing portion of the diagonal cable C. The robot main body 2 is of a vertically divided two-part type, and can be easily attached by placing the upper part on the diagonal cable C, closing the lower part, and connecting and fixing with the one-touch connecting fitting 22. Further, since the size and weight are reduced, it can be easily handled by human power and can be easily attached from the sidewalk to over the balustrade.

(2) Each crawler type traveling device 3 is driven by a radio control operation, and the snow removing robot 1 is caused to travel toward above the diagonal cable C (main tower). The snow removing robot 1 goes straight along the diagonal cable C, and the snow removal plate 6 scrapes off the snow accumulation S on the cable. The endless belt 10 of the crawler type traveling device 3 has better grip performance than rubber tires, and the contact area and grip force are increased due to the large number of protrusions 14 and the shape of the arc 14a thereof, and the surface of the cable is made of FRP and is coated with a resin coating to protect the cable Even in the case of a pipe, it can travel reliably without slipping. In addition, even if the snow is frozen and the surface of the diagonal cable protection tube is uneven, or there are steps, unevenness, gaps, etc. on the cable protection tube,
Since it is a crawler type, it is possible to travel without difficulty. In addition, climbing performance is excellent, and even the lowest diagonal cable with the largest angle can travel without any problems.

(3) The snow removing robot 1 climbs up to the vicinity of the main tower,
When snow removal is completed, each crawler type traveling device 3 is reversely operated by a radio control operation, and is lowered along the diagonal cable C to be collected. The snow removal time is several minutes even with the longest diagonal cable at the uppermost stage, and the snow removal robot 1 is attached to the next diagonal cable C to remove snow, or a plurality of snow removal robots 1 use a plurality of diagonal cables C. The snow removal is done at the same time.

(4) When the snow removing robot 1 cannot run due to a failure during snow removal or descent, it can be forcibly recovered by the forced recovery rope 7 in an emergency.

Although the snow removal of the cable of the cable-stayed bridge has been described above, the present invention can be applied to the snow removal of other structural cables.

[0031]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Since the snow removing robot is driven by a plurality of crawler type traveling devices, the grip performance is significantly improved as compared with rubber tires, and further the grip force is increased by the projections of the endless belt and its arc shape, Even if a cable protection tube having a large inclination angle and a slippery surface is used, it is possible to reliably travel along the cable and to reliably remove snow accumulated on the cable.

(2) Since it is a straight traveling type using crawlers, the traveling speed is relatively fast, the working time can be shortened, and even if there is unevenness due to freezing of snow on the cable, there is no step on the cable surface. Even if there is a land or a gap, you can run without any problems, and you will not be stopped on the way, and you will be able to perform swift and reliable snow removal work.

(3) The simple robot body and crawler type traveling device make it possible to reduce the size and weight of the device.
It is easy to handle and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an outline of a self-propelled cable snow removing robot of the present invention and a cable-stayed bridge. (A) is a perspective view of the snow removing robot in use, and (b) is a perspective view of the crawler type traveling device. Figure (c) is a partial side view of the cable-stayed bridge.

FIG. 2 shows a specific example of a self-propelled cable snow removing robot of the present invention, in which (a) is a side view and (b) is a bottom view.

3A is a sectional view of a front portion of the self-propelled cable snow removing robot shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view of a rear portion thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

C ... Cable with diagonal cable for cable-stayed bridge S: Snow 1 ... Self-propelled cable snow removal robot 2 ... Robot body 2a ... frame 2b ... connecting rod 2c ... connecting plate 3 ... Crawler type traveling device 3a ... Case 4 ... Drive device 5: Battery power 6 ... Snow plate 6a ... V-shaped plate in plan view 6b ... a flat plate 7 ... Forced recovery rope in an emergency 10: Endless belt 11 ... Drive wheel 12: driven wheel 13 …… Guide wheel 14 ... Protrusion 14a ... Arc 20 ... Fixing device 20a ... Mounting piece 20b ... bolt 20c ... nut 21 ... Hinge member 22 ... One-touch connecting bracket 22a ... hook 22b ... Ring 22c ... lever

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masayuki Iwahashi 1-2-7 Moto-Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo Kashima Construction Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hironao Sato 1-2-7 Moto-Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo No. Kashima Construction Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Seichi Kawagishi 1-3-2-2 Honmachi, Nakano-ku, Tokyo Harmony Tower Oriental Construction Co., Ltd., Tokyo Branch (56) Reference JP-A-5-33311 (JP, A) JP-A-4-281317 (JP, A) JP-A-2000-80622 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) E01D 11/00-11/04 E01D 1/00 E01H 5/00 H02G 7/16

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A snow removing robot for removing snow accumulated on a cable, the connecting member extending a frame in a shape surrounding a cable in a circumferential direction in an axial direction of the cable.
A robot main body formed by connecting in the running surface of the endless belt along the cable axis direction at intervals in the robot predetermined angle both in the cable circumferential direction cable side that is disposed in the main body to be in contact with the cable surface Arranged and robot books
The longitudinal direction of the endless belt that moves the body straight in the cable axis direction
Is a crawler type traveling device along the axial direction of the cable, a drive device incorporated in the traveling device to drive the traveling device, and a product on the cable provided at the front of the robot body.
A self-propelled cable snow removal robot that is equipped with a snow removal plate that cuts into snow. 2. The self-propelled cable snow removing roll according to claim 1.
In the bot, the surface of the endless belt is
A large number of protrusions are provided at intervals in the running direction and
The contact area of the protrusion of the
It is a self-propelled case characterized by an arc shape corresponding to
-Able snow removal robot.