JP3645763B2 - Twist prevention device for connecting shaft between in-pipe work carts - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for preventing twisting of a connecting shaft between in-pipe work carts, and more particularly to prevention of twisting of a connecting portion when a plurality of work carts are connected to travel in a pipe such as a gas pipe or a water pipe.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, in-pipe investigation robots have been developed for inspection and diagnosis of piping and conduits such as gas and water. In-pipe investigation robots connect multiple trolleys equipped with cameras and drive mechanisms to run in the pipes and check for corrosion and deformation in the pipes. is necessary. Therefore, the connecting part of each carriage must have a large bending angle when passing through the curved pipe, and it is also necessary not to cut the conductive wire along the connecting part. Is used.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the connected cart travels in a straight pipe or bends to the left or right, the connecting portion between the preceding cart and the following cart is twisted due to rolling, and the connecting portion is adversely affected or the driving force is reduced.
[0004]
The present invention improves such disadvantages, prevents the connecting portion from being twisted during traveling of the preceding carriage and the succeeding carriage, and allows the plurality of connected working carriages to travel stably. An object of the present invention is to provide a twisting prevention device for the connecting shaft .
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An apparatus for preventing torsion of a connecting shaft between in-pipe work carts according to the present invention includes a fixed shaft, a rotation suppression piece, a connecting shaft and a fixing flange, and connects a plurality of work carts traveling in a pipe. The shaft has a connecting shaft holding portion formed in a cylindrical shape, a window of a fixed size is provided on the side surface of the end of the connecting shaft holding portion, and the rotation suppression piece is fixed with respect to the axis of the connecting shaft holding portion. Rotating with a locking surface protruding at an angle, fixed to the window of the connecting shaft holding portion with the locking surface being on the axial center side of the connecting shaft holding portion, and the connecting shaft cut in a D shape at the tip It has a contact portion with the restraining piece, is rotatably inserted into the connecting shaft holding portion via a bearing, and is attached to the connecting shaft holding portion by a fixed flange.
[0006]
Another torsion prevention device for a connecting shaft between pipe work carts according to the present invention includes a fixed shaft, a connecting shaft, and a fixing flange, and connects a plurality of work carts traveling in a pipe. It has a connecting shaft holding part formed in a cylindrical shape, and a cylindrical bottom part of the connecting shaft holding part has a locking surface whose inner peripheral surface is formed in a D-shape, and the connecting shaft has a cross section substantially at the tip part. It has a rotation suppression part that is formed in a fan shape and abuts against the locking surface of the connecting shaft holding part, is rotatably inserted into the connecting shaft holding part via a bearing, and is attached to the connecting shaft holding part by a fixed flange It is characterized by.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An apparatus for preventing twisting of a connecting shaft between in-pipe work carriages of the present invention includes a fixed shaft, a rotation restraining piece, and a fixed flange. The fixed shaft is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a connecting shaft holding portion that connects the connecting shafts of one work carriage and a shaft that is connected to a universal joint attached to the connecting shaft of the other work carriage. A window portion of a certain size is provided on the side surface of the end portion on the shaft side of the connecting shaft holding portion. The rotation suppression piece has a locking surface protruding at a certain angle with respect to the axis of the connecting shaft holding portion, and is attached to the window portion of the connecting shaft holding portion. The end portion of the connecting shaft connected to the connecting shaft holding portion is enlarged in accordance with the inner diameter of the connecting shaft holding portion, and the upper surface of the portion in contact with the rotation suppression piece at the tip portion is cut and formed in a D shape. The connecting shaft is rotatably inserted into the connecting shaft holding portion through a bearing, and is fixed by a fixing flange through a thrust washer.
[0008]
When the preceding work carriage and the following work carriage are connected to each other by the anti-twisting device and traveling in the pipe, even if rolling occurs in the preceding work carriage and the following work carriage and the connecting shaft rotates, Since one of the connecting shafts is rotatably attached to the connecting shaft holding portion of the fixed shaft of the torsion preventing device, the connecting shaft can be prevented from being twisted, and the work carriage can be smoothly run. .
[0009]
【Example】
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a connecting device between work carriages according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the connecting device 1 has a torsion preventing device 2 and a turning device 3, and as shown in the sectional view of FIG. Are connected, and the connecting shaft 6a of the preceding working cart 5a and the connecting shaft 6b of the following working cart 5b are connected. The torsion preventing device 2 includes a fixed shaft 7, a rotation restraining piece 8, and a fixed flange 9. The fixed shaft 7 has a connecting shaft holding portion 10 formed in a cylindrical shape and a shaft 11 connected to the rotating device 3. A window portion 12 having a certain size is provided on the side surface of the end portion of the connecting shaft holding portion 10 on the shaft 11 side. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the rotation suppression piece 8 has a locking surface 13 that protrudes at a certain angle α, for example, 90 degrees with respect to the axis of the connecting shaft holding portion 10, and It is attached to the window portion 12 of the connecting shaft holding portion 10. The end portion of the connecting shaft 6a connected to the connecting shaft holding portion 10 is enlarged in accordance with the inner diameter of the connecting shaft holding portion 10, and the upper surface of the portion that contacts the rotation restraining piece 8 at the tip portion is cut to form a D shape. Has been. The connecting shaft 6 a is rotatably inserted into the connecting shaft holding portion 10 through a bearing 15 and is fixed by a fixing flange 9 through a thrust washer 16.
[0010]
The rotating device 3 includes a universal joint 17, a joint cover 18, and a stopper disk 19. The universal joint 17 connects the fixed shaft 7 of the torsion preventing device 2 and the connecting shaft 6b of the work carriage 5b. The joint cover 18 is formed in a bellows-like stretchable manner, such as a bellows, and covers the universal joint 17. The stopper disk 19 comprises a flange having an outer diameter larger than that of the universal joint 17, and is freely movable together with the joint cover 18 by a bolt 20 that connects the universal joint 17 to the fixed shaft 7 of the torsion prevention device 2 and the connection shaft 6b of the work carriage 5b. It is attached before and after the joint 17.
[0011]
When the preceding working cart 5a and the following working cart 5b are connected by the connecting device 1 configured as described above and traveling in the pipe 4, the preceding working cart 5a and the following working cart 5b are rolled. Even when the connecting shaft 6a rotates, the connecting shaft 6a is rotatably attached to the connecting shaft holding portion 10 of the fixed shaft 7 of the torsion preventing device 1, so that the connecting shaft 6a is twisted. Can be prevented. Further, the rotation restraining piece 8 attached to the connecting shaft holding part 10 has a locking surface 13 that is, for example, 90 degrees with respect to the axial center of the connecting shaft holding part 10, and the tip end of the connecting shaft 6 a is D-shaped. Therefore, the connecting shaft 6a has a rotational relief of ± 45 degrees in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions with respect to the fixed shaft 7, and the work carts 5a and 5b can be connected without causing any twisting phenomenon in any pipe shape. It can run smoothly.
[0012]
When the preceding work carriage 5a reaches the curved pipe portion of the pipe 6 and the work carriages 5a and 5b pass through the curved pipe section, the universal joint 17 of the rotating device 3 rotates according to the curvature of the curved pipe section. Since the joint cover 18 is bent, the work carts 5a and 5b can smoothly pass through the bent pipe portion. Further, when the universal joint 17 rotates greatly when the work carriages 5a and 5b pass through the curved pipe portion, as shown in FIG. 4, the end portions of the stopper disks 19 provided before and after the universal joint 17 come into contact with each other. Thus, the rotation angle of the universal joint 17 is suppressed to a constant angle β to prevent over-bending. Therefore, the connected work carts 5a and 5b can smoothly run without a drop in traction force at the curved pipe portion.
[0013]
Although the said Example demonstrated the case where the rotation suppression piece 8 was provided in the connection shaft holding | maintenance part 10, as shown in the fragmentary sectional view of FIG. 5, and the sectional view of FIG. A locking surface 21 having an inner peripheral surface formed in a D-shape is provided, and a rotation restraining portion 22 that has a substantially fan-shaped cross section at the tip of the connecting shaft 6a and abuts on the locking surface 21 of the connecting shaft holding portion 10 is provided. The connecting shaft 6a may be rotatably attached to the connecting shaft holding part 10 by providing.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention, as described above, even if rolling occurs while the connected work cart is traveling in the pipe and the connection shaft of the work cart rotates, the connection shaft is connected to the connection shaft holding portion of the fixed shaft of the torsion prevention device. Since it is rotatably attached, it is possible to prevent the connecting shaft from being twisted, and the connected work cart can be stably driven.
[0015]
Further, the rotation restraining piece attached to the connecting shaft holding portion has a locking surface having a fixed angle with respect to the shaft center of the connecting shaft holding portion, and the tip end portion of the connecting shaft that engages with the locking surface is D-shaped. Since the connecting shaft has a rotation relief according to the angle of the locking surface of the rotation restraining piece, the connected work cart can be smoothly run without any twisting phenomenon in any piping shape. it can.
[0016]
Further, a locking surface having an inner peripheral surface formed in a D shape is provided at the bottom of the cylinder of the connecting shaft holding portion, and the cross section is formed in a substantially fan shape at the tip of the connecting shaft so as to contact the locking surface of the connecting shaft holding portion. By providing a rotation depressing part that comes in contact and rotatably attaching the connecting shaft to the connecting shaft holding part, it is possible to prevent the connecting shaft from being twisted with a simple configuration, and to make the connected work cart run stably. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a work carriage that travels in a pipe.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a rotation suppression piece.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing the bending limit of the coupling device of the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a rotation suppression unit of a second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connection apparatus 2 Torsion prevention apparatus 3 Rotation apparatus 4 Piping 5 Work carriage 6 Connection shaft 7 Fixed shaft 8 Rotation suppression piece 9 Fixed flange 10 Connection shaft holding part 11 Axis

Claims (2)

It has a fixed shaft, a rotation suppression piece, a connecting shaft and a fixed flange, and connects a plurality of work carts traveling in the pipe.
The fixed shaft has a connecting shaft holding portion formed in a cylindrical shape, a window of a certain size is provided on the side surface of the end of the connecting shaft holding portion, and the rotation suppression piece is located with respect to the axis of the connecting shaft holding portion. It has a locking surface protruding at a certain angle, and is fixed to the window of the connecting shaft holding portion with the locking surface being the axial center side of the connecting shaft holding portion, and the connecting shaft is cut into a D shape at the tip. Connection between in-pipe work carriages having a contact portion with a rotation restraining piece, rotatably inserted into the connecting shaft holding portion via a bearing, and attached to the connecting shaft holding portion by a fixed flange Shaft prevention device. It has a fixed shaft, a connecting shaft and a fixed flange, and connects a plurality of work carts that travel in the pipe,
The fixed shaft has a connecting shaft holding portion formed in a tubular shape, and the bottom of the connecting shaft holding portion has a locking surface whose inner peripheral surface is formed in a D shape, and the connecting shaft is at the tip portion. The cross section is formed in a fan shape and has a rotation restraining part that abuts against the locking surface of the connecting shaft holding part, and is rotatably inserted into the connecting shaft holding part via a bearing, and is attached to the connecting shaft holding part by a fixed flange. An apparatus for preventing twisting of a connecting shaft between in-pipe work carriages.

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