JP6436331B2 - Tubular moving body - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tubular structure configured to be movable in a tube.

Conventionally, the sewer has played an important role as environmental protection and sanitation maintenance as urban infrastructure. In recent years, the facilities have become aging, and accidents such as road collapse due to damage have occurred. Despite the fact that aging pipes have been increasing year by year, the maintenance budget to prevent breakage has been flat, and the internal conditions of pipes have been inspected efficiently to determine whether pipe repair is necessary. There is a need for an in-pipe inspection robot that can be known. In such sewer pipes, there is a natural flow system that allows the sewage pipes to have a height difference and transports the sewage naturally by this height difference, and a pumping system that transports the sewage by pressurizing the sewage with a pump. And are adopted. Since the former uses gravity to generate a flow in the sewage, the piping depends on the topographic shape and a simple piping design is made. The latter uses a pump to generate a flow in the sewage, and thus is not limited by the topographic shape. For this reason, since free piping design becomes possible, it becomes easy to become complicated piping like a maze as a result.
In order to inspect the inside of such a pipe, it is conceivable to use the tubular moving body disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2013-52188 A

  However, the tubular moving body disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured such that a plurality of expansion and contraction units are connected by a bellows-like tubular connecting body (connect tube). Therefore, when the tubular moving body moves in the pipe, The tubular connecting body expands and contracts in the direction along the central axis, and the expansion and contraction operation in the direction along the central axis of the tubular connecting body causes a decrease in moving speed when the tubular moving body moves.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the conventional problem, and it aims at providing the tubular mobile body which can suppress a moving speed fall.

According to the tubular moving body according to the present invention, an air chamber having an inner cylinder and an elastic expansion body disposed on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylinder and formed between the inner cylinder and the elastic expansion body. A plurality of expansion / contraction components that can expand and contract in a direction along the central axis of the inner cylinder by supplying and discharging air, and an end of the other expansion / contraction component that opposes an end of one of the expansion / contraction components adjacent to each other A tubular moving body configured to be movable by expansion and contraction of the expansion / contraction component, wherein the connection portion is configured by connecting a plurality of tubes and extends along the central axis And an air supply means arranged outside the tubular moving body in the air chamber, the tubular body having a hollow portion that does not expand and contract in a direction along the central axis and can be bent. Air is supplied by a supply pipe that is connected and extends through the inside of the inner cylinder and the hollow of the connecting portion. Since constructed is, it is possible to suppress the reduction of the moving speed, at the time of moving the curved path of the tube can provide a tubular moving body can bend to follow the curved path.
A tubular head member having an imaging means is provided in front of the expansion / contraction component located at the head among the plurality of expansion / contraction components, and an elastic body provided with the head member protruding outward from the outer peripheral surface of the head member is provided. The elastic body may have a curved surface that is given a predetermined elasticity by curving the plate-like member or the thin wire-like member and projects forward from the front end of the head member.
In addition, the tubular body constituting the tubular connecting portion is formed such that an outer peripheral surface on one end side of the tubular body is a curved surface curved along the central axis of the tubular body, and the other end side The inner peripheral surface of the tubular body is formed as a curved surface that is curved along the central axis of the tubular body, and a boundary is formed between the outer circumferential surface on one end side and the outer circumferential surface on the other end side of the tubular body. Are connected to each other so that the inner peripheral surface on the end side of one of the adjacent tubular bodies contacts the outer peripheral surface of the other tubular body and can slide on each other. The straight state where the central axis of the tubular body and the central axis of the other tubular body are positioned in a straight line, and the boundary portion of the other tubular body facing the end surface of the one tubular body approach each other, and the one tubular body The other tube body is configured to be able to be set in a bent state where the center axis of the other tube body intersects with the center axis of the other tube body, and is opposed to the end surface of one tube body May be set to the maximum bending state intersection angle is minimized to the central axis of the other pipe of the one pipe body is crossed by the said boundary is in contact, suppressing a decrease in movement speed In addition, when moving along a curved path in a pipe, it is possible to provide a tubular moving body that can bend following the curved path and that can adjust the maximum bending angle by changing the number of pipes connected. .

It is a schematic block diagram of a tubular body exploration device. The perspective view which shows an exploration unit. The figure which looked at the exploration unit from the front. It is sectional drawing of a unit coupling body and an expansion-contraction unit. It is sectional drawing of an elastic expansion body. The perspective view and exploded perspective view which show the relationship between a tubular coupling body and a connector. The figure which shows the inner side of the tubular body which comprises a tubular connection body. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of a tubular coupling body. It is a figure which shows piping of an air supply pipe. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement pattern of an expansion-contraction unit. It is a figure which shows the control action of a switching valve. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement pattern of an expansion-contraction unit. It is a figure which shows the control action of a switching valve. It is a figure which shows the advancing state in the bending part of a tubular mobile body. It is another block diagram of the tubular body exploration device.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are included in the invention. It is not necessarily essential to the solution, but includes a configuration that is selectively adopted.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a tubular body exploration device 10 for exploring a state inside a tube 1 includes a tubular moving body 13 that moves in the tube 1 and compressed air as a fluid that is a driving source of the tubular moving body 13. The compressed air supply means 16 to supply and the progress control means 17 which controls the advancing operation | movement of the tubular moving body 13 are provided as main structures. In the following description, the direction along the arrow X1 is defined as the traveling direction of the tubular moving body 13, and the front-rear direction is specified with the traveling direction as the front side and the direction opposite to the traveling direction as the rear side.

The tubular mobile body 13 includes the exploration unit 11, a plurality of expansion / contraction units 20 (extension / contraction component), and a plurality of unit connection bodies (connection portions).
That is, the tubular mobile body 13 is connected to the exploration unit 11 provided at the front end and the first telescopic unit 20 counted from the front side via the front end unit coupling body 34, and the first telescopic unit counted from the front side. 20 and the second telescopic unit 20 counted from the front side are connected via a unit connecting body 35. Similarly, the front side telescopic unit 20 and the rear side telescopic unit 20 are sequentially connected via the unit connecting body 35. It is a connected configuration.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the exploration unit 11 and the four telescopic units 20 are connected to each other via a front end side unit connecting body 34 and a plurality of unit connecting bodies 35; 35. When the position of the expansion / contraction unit 20 is specified as the mobile body 13 is specified, the expansion unit 20A, the expansion / contraction unit 20B, the expansion / contraction unit 20C, and the expansion / contraction unit 20D are shown in order from the front side to the rear side. explain.

The exploration unit 11 is provided around, for example, the imaging means 11M and the illumination means 11N as exploration means, a tubular accommodating portion 11A as a head member for accommodating the exploration means in a predetermined mounting state, and the tubular accommodating portion. The elastic body 51 is provided.
The front end opening 11d of the tubular accommodating portion 11A is closed with a light-transmitting closing plate 11f (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
The illumination means 11N is attached in a predetermined state in the tube of the tubular housing 11A so that the front can be irradiated through the block 11f, and the tubular housing 11A so that the imaging unit 11M can image the front through the block 11f. When the tubular moving body 13 moves in the traveling direction in the tube 1 to be searched in a predetermined state, the tube in front of the searching unit 11 is irradiated by the light irradiated by the illumination means 11N. 1 is configured such that the inside of the tube 1 in front of the exploration unit 11 can be imaged by the imaging means 11M.
A flexible cable 12 is connected to the imaging unit 11M and the illumination unit 11N.
The rear end portion of the tubular housing portion 11A is connected to the front end portion of the front end unit connecting body 34.

  One end of the cable 12 is connected to the imaging unit 11M and the illumination unit 11N, and the other end is connected to a control unit 17A provided inside the tubular moving body 13. The imaging unit 11M and the illumination unit 11N are supplied with power from the outside of the tube 1 via the control unit 17A and the cable 12, and an image obtained by receiving light from the imaging unit 11M passes through the cable 12 and the control unit 17A. To the display means 18 such as a monitor installed outside the pipe 1.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the elastic body 51 includes a plate spring 52 formed with a plate-like member having a predetermined elasticity, along the outer circumferential surface 11 y of the tubular housing portion 11 </ b> A along the circumference of the outer circumferential surface 11 y. It is the structure provided with two or more predetermined intervals along the direction (henceforth the circumferential direction).
The plate spring 52 is, for example, after fixing one plate surface of one end portion 52a in the longitudinal direction of a long thin flat plate material to the outer peripheral surface 11y on the front end side of the tubular housing portion 11A, and then in the longitudinal direction of the flat plate material. The other end side is extended forward from the front end 11t of the tubular accommodating portion 11A, and the one end side of the flat plate member is curved at the position in front of the front end 11t of the tubular accommodating portion 11A, and then the plate surface of the flat plate member is removed. The end side of the other end portion 52b is turned back after the end side is folded back and the plate surface near the other end on the other end side of the flat plate is bent, and then the rear end of the tubular housing portion 11A. By being fixed to the outer peripheral surface 11y on the 11e side, a predetermined elasticity is provided.
In other words, for example, the plate spring 52 is formed by deforming the flat plate material so that both ends of the flat plate material face each other by curving the plate surfaces on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the long thin flat plate material. The plate surface of one end portion 52a of the plate member is fixed to the outer peripheral surface 11y on the front end 11t side of the tubular housing portion 11A so that the surface 52t is positioned in front of the front end 11t of the tubular housing portion 11A, and the other curved surface The plate surface of the other end 52b of the plate member is fixed to the outer peripheral surface 11y on the rear end 11e side of the tubular housing portion 11A such that the predetermined elasticity is obtained. It is a given configuration.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, six leaf springs 52 are arranged on the outer peripheral surface 11y of the tubular housing portion 11A at predetermined equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 11y.
Note that a friction reducing means such as a friction reducing sheet for reducing friction with the inner wall of the tube 1 is provided on the surface of each leaf spring 52.
In this way, the curved surface 52t formed by the leaf spring 52 is configured to be positioned in front of the front end 11t of the tubular housing portion 11A, so that the tubular moving body 13 passes through the bending path in the tube 1. At this time, since the curved surface 52t collides with the inner wall of the bending path before the front end 11t of the tubular housing part 11A, the leading side connecting part 34A of the front end side unit connecting body 34 is bent and the exploration unit 11 can easily change the course. Thus, the tubular moving body 13 can smoothly pass through the bending path in the tube 1.
Even when there are obstacles in the tube 1 (projections protruding from the inner wall of the tube 1, foreign matter remaining in the tube 1, etc.), the curved surface 52t formed by the leaf spring 52 collides with the obstacle. In this case, since the tubular moving body 13 can be moved toward the central axis in the tube 1 by the elastic force of the leaf spring 52, the tubular moving body 13 can move smoothly in the tube 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the telescopic unit 20 includes an inner cylinder 21, an elastic expansion body 22, and a pair of flanges 23; 23.
The inner cylinder 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a space through which the cable 12 can be inserted.
The elastic expansion body 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape provided coaxially with the inner cylinder 21 outside the inner cylinder 21.

The flange 23 is an annular body made of, for example, resin, metal, or the like, and is provided on one end side of the outer peripheral surface and is provided with one end-side annular groove 29a where the end portion 21a of the inner cylinder 21 is positioned, and the outer peripheral surface. A central annular groove 29b provided on the center side of the elastic expansion body 22 and positioned on the other end side of the outer peripheral surface, or an end portion of the unit connection body 35 or the front end side unit connection body 34. The other end side annular groove 29c where the connection portion of the connector 35B provided at the rear end is located, the annular thick part 29d between the one end side annular groove 29a and the center side annular groove 29b, An annular thick portion 29e is provided between the side annular groove 29b and the other end side annular groove 29c.
The annular thick portion 29d of one flange 23 is provided with an air circulation hole 31 penetrating from the inner peripheral surface of the annular thick portion 29d to the outer peripheral surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cylindrical inner cylinder 21 is formed of a flexible member, and is formed in a bellows shape that can expand and contract in a direction along the axis of the cylinder. The inner cylinder 21 contracts in the direction along the axis following the contraction operation of the elastic expansion body 22, and extends in the direction along the axis following the extension operation.
Both end portions 21a; 21a of the inner cylinder 21 are respectively positioned in one end-side annular grooves 29a; 29a of the flanges 23; 23 facing each other, and are firmly fixed by a fastening member 29A such as a piano wire or an adhesive. And it fixes to the outer peripheral surface of the one end side of flange 23; 23 liquid-tightly. The both end portions 21a; 21a of the inner cylinder 21 may be firmly and liquid-tightly fixed to one end side inner peripheral surface of the flanges 23; 23 facing each other by a fixing means such as an adhesive.

  The elastic expansion body 22 is a member formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction of the inner cylinder 21, and is disposed so as to surround and cover the entire outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 21. As exaggeratedly shown in FIG. 5, the elastic expansion body 22 includes a cylindrical tube body 22A formed of an elastic body and a plurality of restriction fibers 22B that are densely inserted inside the tube body 22A. Composed. The material of the cylinder main body 22A is preferably a synthetic rubber such as silicone rubber or a natural rubber such as natural latex rubber, but the shape of the cylinder main body 22A can be changed by supplying and discharging compressed air to the air chamber S described later. Any material may be used, and the thickness and the arrangement of the regulating fibers described later are determined in consideration of the extending force when the elastic expansion body 22 is discharged with air. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the regulating fiber 22B is disposed within the wall thickness of the cylinder main body 22A in consideration of the extending force of the cylinder main body 22A. However, although it shows what extends along the axial direction of the cylinder body 22A, it may be a single layer. As the material of the regulation fiber 22B, a material with little elongation in the axial direction, such as a glass roving fiber and a carbon roving fiber, is preferable.

Both end portions of the elastic expansion body 22 are respectively positioned in the center-side annular grooves 29b; 29b of the flanges 23; 23 facing each other, and are firmly and liquid-tight by a fastening member 29A such as a piano wire or an adhesive. Are fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the center side of the flange 23;
Thus, an air chamber S is formed as a sealed space surrounded by the flange 23, the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 21, and the inner peripheral surface of the elastic expansion body 22. Compressed air is supplied into the air chamber S.

As shown in FIG. 6, the unit connecting body 35 includes a tubular connecting body 35X configured by connecting a plurality of circular tubes 35A; 35A... Along the front-rear direction, and a central axis 35C of the tubular connecting body 35X. Connector 35B; 35B respectively provided at both ends along the tube, and is configured by a tubular coupling portion that does not expand and contract in the direction along the central axis of the tube body 35A and can be bent.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the tubular body 35A constituting the tubular coupling body 35X is on one end side of the tubular body 35A (one end portion in the direction along the central axis 35Y of the tubular body 35A). The outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface are formed in a curved surface that is curved along the central axis 35Y of the tubular body 35A, and the other end side of the tubular body 35A (the direction along the central axis 35Y of the tubular body 35A). The outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the other end portion of the tube body 35A are formed in a curved surface that is curved along the central axis 35Y of the tube body 35A, and the outer surface on one end side of the tube body 35A and the other A boundary portion with the outer peripheral surface on the end side is formed on the step surface 35c. The step surface 35c is formed by an annular step surface extending in the direction along the diameter of the tube body 35A and in the direction along the circumference of the tube body 35A. Further, the boundary portion between the inner peripheral surface on one end side and the inner peripheral surface on the other end side of the tubular body 35A is formed on a surface having no step or a step surface.
Then, the tubular coupling body 35X is slid on the surface by contact with the outer peripheral surface 35e of the other tubular body 35A facing the inner peripheral surface 35d on the end side of one tubular body 35A adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction. One tubular body 35A and the other tubular body 35A are connected to each other via connection means 36 provided inside the tubular body 35A so as to be movable.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the connecting means 36 has both ends 36e; 36e extending in a direction orthogonal to the central axis 35Y of the pipe 35A; the pipe 35A at positions where the inner circumferential surfaces of the pipe 35A are 180 ° apart from each other. 8 and has an engagement body receiving portion 36a on one end side along the central axis 35Y of the tubular body 35A, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, and on the other end portion side. The engagement body 36b is engaged with the engagement body receiving portion 36a.
The engagement between the engagement body 36b and the engagement body receiving portion 36a is configured like a universal joint.
In addition, 33c; 36c is an opening part, A cable etc. can be passed through this opening part 36c.

The tubular connector 35X is configured to be settable in a straight state and a bent state.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the straight state is a state where the central axis 35Y of one tubular body 35A and the central axis 35Y of the other tubular body 35A are positioned on a straight line.
In the bent state, the inner peripheral surface 35d on the end portion side of one tubular body 35A and the outer peripheral surface 35e on the end portion side of the other tubular body 35A slide against each other, and one of the one tubular body 35A is slid. The end surface 35t and the step surface 35c of the other tubular body 35A approach each other, and the central axis 35Y of one tubular body 35A and the central axis 35Y of the other tubular body 35A intersect each other.
Then, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), one end face 35t of one tubular body 35A and the stepped surface 35c of the other tubular body 35A come into contact with each other so that the central axis 35Y of one tubular body 35A and the other The tube 35A is configured to be in a maximum bending state in which an intersecting angle (angle formed) intersecting with the central axis 35Y of the tubular body 35A is minimized. The minimum crossing angle α is a minimum angle based on a maximum angle of 180 ° in a straight state. In other words, it is configured to be in the maximum bending state in which the bending angle β (= 180−α) from the straight state becomes maximum.
For example, when the minimum crossing angle α = 150 °, the maximum bending angle β = 30.
The number of the tubular bodies 35A constituting the tubular connecting body 35X may be two or more. However, when the maximum bending angle of the tubular moving body 13 is increased, the number of the tubular bodies 35A constituting the tubular connecting body 35X is increased. Just increase the number.

  One end of the connector 35B is fixedly connected to the end of the tubular connector 35X, and the other end is connected to the flange. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the connector 35B and the flange 23 are formed with insertion holes 35a; 23a through which screws such as bolts (not shown) are passed, and the connector 35B and the flange 23 are attached and detached by screwing. Connected as possible.

Thus, the tubular movable body 13 of the embodiment is configured such that the front and rear expansion / contraction units 20; 20 do not expand and contract in the direction along the central axis 35Y of the tube 35A and can be bent. Since the unit connecting body 35 is connected by the unit connecting body 35 having 35X and the tubular connecting body 13 moves, the unit connecting body 35 is configured not to linearly expand and contract in the direction along the central axis 35Y of the tubular body 35A. A tubular moving body 13 that can suppress a decrease in moving speed and can bend following the curved path when moving along the curved path in the tube 1 can be provided.
When a bellows structure tubular body is used as a unit connection body, such as the tubular moving body of Patent Document 1, the bellows structure tubular body contracts in the direction along the central axis as the telescopic unit expands and contracts. Since the elastic force is stored in the tubular body, and the elastic force stored in the tubular body is released so that the tubular body is stretched so as to return to its original state, the elasticity of the tubular body is repeated. The expansion / contraction operation causes a decrease in the moving speed of the tubular moving body. That is, in the tubular moving body of Patent Document 1, when the elastic force stored in the bellows-like tubular body is released and the tubular body is elastically restored to the original state in accordance with the expansion / contraction operation of the expansion / contraction unit, the tubular body The body and the subsequent portion of the tubular body are displaced rearward, which causes a decrease in the moving speed of the tubular moving body.
On the other hand, in the tubular mobile body 13 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as a connecting portion that connects the front and rear expansion / contraction units 20; Since the tubular coupling body 35X that does not linearly expand and contract in the direction along the line is used, the tubular coupling body 35X is tubular compared to the case where a plurality of expansion and contraction units are coupled with a bellows-shaped tubular coupling body as in Patent Document 1. The moving speed of the moving body can be increased. That is, in the case of the tubular moving body 13 of the embodiment, the tubular connecting body 35X performs an expansion and contraction motion that repeats elastic force accumulation and elastic force recovery as the tubular moving body of Patent Document 1 with the expansion and contraction operation of the expansion and contraction unit 20. Since it is not necessarily performed, the moving speed reduction factor like the tubular moving body of Patent Document 1 is eliminated, and the tubular moving body 13 having a higher moving speed than the tubular moving body of Patent Document 1 can be provided.
Furthermore, in the tubular moving body 13 of the embodiment, the tubular connecting body 35X that can be bent is used as a connecting portion, and the tubular moving body 13 is adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction when passing through the curved path in the tube 1. When an external force larger than the frictional force with the outer peripheral surface 35e of the other tubular body 35A that opposes the inner peripheral surface 35d on the end side of the tubular body 35A is applied to the tubular connected body 35X, the tubular connected body 35X When the tubular moving body 13 passes through the straight path in the tube 1, the tubular connecting body 35X moves in a state along the straight path. To come.
That is, the tubular moving body 13 according to the embodiment includes the tubular coupling body 35X that is bent when an external force is applied and that does not linearly expand and contract in the direction along the central axis 35Y of the tubular body 35A. The tubular moving body 13 can be bent following the bending of the curved path in 1 and has a high moving speed.
In addition, since the maximum bending angle can be adjusted by changing the number of pipes 35A constituting the tubular connecting body 35X, the tubular movement provided with the optimal tubular connecting body 35X corresponding to the bending angle of the pipe 1 The body 13 can be formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front-end-side unit connection body 34 that connects the expansion unit 20 </ b> A located on the foremost side and the tubular housing part 11 </ b> A of the exploration unit 11 includes Is provided.
The front end connecting portion 34A is connected to the rear end side of the tubular housing portion 11A at the front end side.
The expansion unit side connecting portion 34B is connected at the front end side to the rear end side of the leading side connecting portion 34A, and the rear end side is connected to the flange 23 on the front end side of the expansion unit 20A positioned closest to the leading side.
The leading side connecting portion 34A is configured by, for example, a bellows-like tubular body that can be expanded and contracted in a direction along the central axis of the tube and bends.
The expansion / contraction unit side connection part 34B is configured by, for example, the above-described tubular connection body 35X that does not expand and contract in a direction along the central axis of the tube and can be bent.
As described above, the front end side unit connection body 34 is configured such that the leading side connection portion 34A on the exploration unit 11 side can be expanded and contracted, and the expansion unit side connection portion 34B bends without expansion and contraction. Therefore, it is possible to provide the tubular moving body 13 in which the exploration unit can easily follow the curved path in the tube 1 and bend easily, and can suppress a decrease in moving speed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a switching valve 14 that allows air supplied from a compressor 16 </ b> A (described later) to flow to the air chamber S or discharges air from the air chamber S is provided in the air circulation hole 31 of the flange 23. It is attached.
The switching valve 14 is an electromagnetic valve whose operation is controlled by the input of an electrical signal, and is connected to a later-described progress control means 17. The switching valve 14 includes an inlet 14a through which compressed air flows, a supply / exhaust port 14b that supplies / discharges air to / from the air chamber S, and a discharge port 14c that discharges air from the air chamber S. It is attached to the air circulation hole 31 so that air can communicate with the air circulation hole 31. When the signal is input, the switching valve 14 closes the discharge port 14c, connects the inflow port 14a and the supply / discharge port 14b, and allows the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply means 16 to flow into the air chamber S. In the state where no signal is input, the inlet 14a is closed, the supply / discharge port 14b and the discharge port 14c are communicated, the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply means 16 is shut off, and the air in the air chamber S is discharged. The air flow is switched by discharging from the outlet 14c.

  The switching valves 14 (14A to 14D (see FIG. 9)) provided in the respective expansion units 20A to 20D are individually connected to the progress control means 17 via the control unit 17A, and are output from the progress control means 17. The operation is controlled as follows by the input of a general signal. When the expansion / contraction unit 20 is contracted, the inflow of air from the inflow port 14a is allowed, and the supply / discharge port 14b is opened to allow the compressed air to flow into the air chamber S. At this time, the discharge port 14c is kept closed. In this embodiment, this state is referred to as opening of the switching valve 14. When the telescopic unit 20 is extended, the inflow of compressed air from the inflow port 14a is blocked, the supply / discharge port 14b and the discharge port 14c are opened, and the air chamber S communicates with the inner space of the inner cylinder 21. By doing so, the air in the air chamber S is discharged into the inner space of the inner cylinder 21. In this embodiment, this state is called closing of the switching valve 14. The air is discharged from the air chamber S into the inner cylinder 21 from the air chamber S using the tension of the elastic expansion body 22 as a driving source. An air supply pipe 24 (24A to 24D), which will be described later, for supplying compressed air to the air chamber S is connected to the inlet 14a of the switching valve 14 (14A to 14D).

As shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of air supply pipes 24 (24A to 24D) constitute a flow path for supplying compressed air independently to the plurality of expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D. A flexible hose such as vinyl chloride is applied. It is preferable to use a pressure-resistant hose that does not crush or bulge due to a change in the pressure of the air flowing inside.
Each of the air supply pipes 24A to 24D branches the compressed air flowing through the air supply pipe 16C extending from the compressed air supply means 16 to the tubular moving body 13 by the branch pipes 41A to 41C, and switches the expansion units 20A to 20D. Each is supplied to a valve 14. As shown in the example of FIG. 9, each of the branch pipes 41 </ b> A to 41 </ b> C is composed of a Y-shaped bifurcated branch pipe that branches the inflowed air into two branches, and air supply that reaches the tubular moving body 13 from the compressed air supply means 16. A branch pipe 41A for bifurcating the flow path of the compressed air is attached to the end of the pipe 16C. The branch pipe 41A is connected to an air supply pipe 24D connected to the switching valve 14 of the rearmost expansion / contraction unit 20D and an air supply pipe 42A serving as a flow path of air supplied to the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20C. .

A branch pipe 41B is further attached to the tip of the air supply pipe 42A. The branch end of the branch pipe 41B is connected to an air supply pipe 24C and an air supply pipe 42B serving as a flow path for air supplied to the expansion and contraction units 20A and 20B.
A branch pipe 41C is further attached to the tip of the air supply pipe 42B. An air supply pipe 24B and an air supply pipe 24A are connected to the branch end of the branch pipe 41C. Needless to say, the air supply pipes 24 </ b> A to 24 </ b> D and the air supply pipes 42 </ b> A and 42 </ b> B described above extend inside the tubular moving body 13.
The lengths of the air supply pipes 24A to 24D and the air supply pipes 42A and 42B may be set so that the lengths are as short as possible in consideration of the expansion and contraction operations of the expansion and contraction units 20A to 20D.
In this manner, one air supply pipe 16C is extended from the compressed air supply means 16 to the tubular moving body 13, and compressed toward the switching valves 14A to 14D of the expansion units 20A to 20C by the plurality of branch pipes 41A to 41C. By forming the flow path for supplying air, the compressed air pressurized by the compressed air supply means 16 is always supplied to the switching valves 14A to 14D, so high pressure air is supplied to the air chamber S without delay. can do. Therefore, even if the distance from the compressed air supply means 16 to the tubular moving body 13 becomes long, the compressed air pressurized by the compressor 16A is always supplied without loss, so that a decrease in the traveling speed of the tubular moving body 13 can be prevented. . In addition, the flow path formed by the air supply pipes 24A to 24D, the air supply pipes 42A and 42D, and the branch pipes 41A to 41C can be formed integrally.

  As another method for branching the air supplied from the air supply pipe 16C to the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D, four branch pipes are used so as to branch directly from the air supply pipe 16C to the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D. May be. Further, bifurcated pipes are provided at the ends of the flow branches from the air supply pipe 16C to the expansion / contraction units 20A; 20B and the expansion / contraction units 20C; 20C; You may make it form the flow path which goes to 20D.

As described above, compressed air is supplied to the switching valves 14A to 14D attached to the flanges 23, and the opening and closing operations of the switching valves 14A to 14D are controlled to supply the air chambers S of the expansion units 20A to 20D. By controlling the supply of compressed air or the exhaust of air from the air chamber S, it is possible to cause each of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D to perform an independent contraction operation or extension operation.
Specifically, when compressed air is supplied into the air chamber S of the expansion / contraction unit 20 having the above-described configuration, the restriction fiber 22B restricts the expansion of the elastic expansion body 22 in the axial direction, while the radial expansion in the radial direction. In order to allow the expansion, as a result, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the entire telescopic unit 20 contracts in the axial direction. On the other hand, if the compressed air supplied into the air chamber S is discharged, the entire expansion / contraction unit 20 extends in the axial direction.
That is, the telescopic unit 20 constituting the tubular moving body 13 according to the present embodiment contracts in the axial direction by supplying compressed air, and extends in the axial direction by discharging compressed air.

As shown in FIG. 1, the compressed air supply means 16 includes a compressor 16A and a regulator 16B. The regulator 16B regulates the compressed air pressurized by the compressor 16A to a predetermined pressure and sends it to the air supply pipe 16C. For example, the regulator 16 </ b> B is adjusted to the maximum pressure allowed for the above-described opening / closing control of the switching valve 14.
The air supply pipe 16C is a flexible hose that is detachably connected to the regulator 16B and the tubular moving body 13. The air supply pipe 16C is detachably fixed at its end reaching the tubular moving body 13 by a fixing means (not shown) inside the telescopic unit 20D located at the tail end of the tubular moving body 13. The air supply pipe 16C is connected to the air supply pipes 24A to 24D independent of the switching valves 14A to 14D from the branch pipes 41A to 41C via the plurality of branch pipes 41A to 41C as described above. In addition, the switching valves 14A to 14D perform a predetermined operation in accordance with a control signal from the progress control means 17, so that compressed air can be supplied independently to each of the expansion and contraction units 20A to 20D.

The progress control means 17 includes a control unit 17A, an operation unit 17B, and a cable 17C that connects the control unit 17A and the operation unit 17B. The driving force that the moving body 13 travels is controlled. The control unit 17A is a computer having hardware such as a CPU as a calculation processing means, a storage means such as a RAM and a ROM, and an input / output means such as an input / output port, and the CPU stores a program stored in the ROM. As a result, the control signal written in the program is individually output from the output port (not shown) to the switching valves 14A to 14D of the extension units 20A to 20D. A contraction signal, a contraction maintenance signal, and an expansion signal are output from the controller 17A to the switching valves 14A to 14D, and the opening and closing operations of the switching valves 14A to 14D are controlled based on the signals.
The contraction signal is a signal for controlling the switching valves 14A to 14D so that the compressed air supplied to the switching valves 14A to 14D is supplied to the air chamber S at the maximum pressure. In this embodiment, the switching valve 14A is used. This is a signal for controlling the switching valves 14A to 14D so as to supply compressed air to the air chamber S at the maximum pressure allowed by ˜14D. The contraction maintenance signal is a signal for controlling the switching valves 14A to 14D so that air is supplied to the air chamber S at a pressure lower than the maximum pressure allowed by the switching valves 14A to 14D.
The expansion signal is a signal for convenience with respect to the contraction signal and the contraction maintenance signal, and is a signal for stopping the contraction signal and the contraction maintenance signal output to the switching valves 14A to 14D, and is not substantially output. Signal. In this embodiment, the switching valves 14A to 14D are described by PWM control. However, other control methods may be used, and it is even better if control for changing supply pressure with time is possible as described later. In this embodiment, the switching valves 14A to 14D that can be electrically opened and closed are periodically opened and closed by PWM control, so that the switching valve can be reduced in size and can be accommodated in the extension unit 20. It becomes possible.

The control unit 17A is realized by, for example, a PIC (Peripheral Interface Controller) in which the arithmetic processing unit, the storage unit, and the input / output unit are accommodated in one chip, and is connected to, for example, the tail end of the tubular moving body 13. The telescopic unit 20D is accommodated. The control unit 17A is connected to the cable 12 extending from the exploration unit 11 and the cables extending from the switching valves 14A to 14D. The operation unit 17B is an input unit that is communicably connected to the input port of the control unit 17A, and outputs a command for controlling execution of the program stored in the control unit 17A to the control unit 17A. The cable 17C is detachably connected to the control unit 17A and the operation unit 17B, and transmits to the operation unit 17B a plurality of wires that transmit communication between the control unit 17A and the operation unit 17B, and an image captured by the exploration unit 11. This is a flexible cable in which a plurality of wirings and a power supply line supplied to the control unit 17A and the exploration unit 11 are bundled together. In this way, by using a single cable 17C that extends to the outside of the tube 1, the friction between the cable 17C and the tube 1 when the tubular moving body 13 travels in the tube 1 is reduced, and the tubular moving body 13 is thus reduced. Can proceed smoothly.
The progress control unit 17 may be configured such that the control unit 17A is integrated with the operation unit 17B and provided outside the pipe 1, but the control unit 17A and the operation unit 17B are separated from each other as in this embodiment. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the weight of the cable 17C by reducing the wiring contained in the cable 17C. Thus, the weight of pulling the cable 17C when the tubular moving body 13 moves, the friction between the cable 17C and the tube 1, etc. It is possible to reduce the load and increase the moving speed of the tubular moving body 13. More preferably, since the operation unit 17B and the control unit 17A can communicate with each other by wireless communication, the cable 17C can be eliminated, so that the moving speed of the tubular moving body 13 can be increased.
In addition, the image in the pipe | tube 1 image | photographed with the exploration unit 11 is displayed on the display means 18 connected to the operation part 17B. Further, a storage means such as a hard disk or a non-volatile semiconductor memory may be connected in place of the display means 18 so that the inspection image may be recorded without being displayed on the display means 18 or displayed while being stored in the storage means. It may be displayed on the means 18.

An operation program for advancing the tubular moving body 13 is stored in the storage means of the control unit 17A. For example, a plurality of operation programs for executing two operation patterns of a progression pattern A as shown in FIG. 10 and a progression pattern B as shown in FIG. 12 are stored. In the present embodiment, the contraction time of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D and the expansion time of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D controlled by the progression pattern A and the progression pattern B will be described as being performed at the same predetermined time t1.
In the progression pattern A, as shown in FIGS. 10A to 10D and FIG. 11, the tubular moving body 13 is caused to perform a peristaltic motion by repeating the three strokes so as to advance in the tube 1.
FIG. 10A shows an initial state of the tubular moving body 13, for example, a state in which the tubular moving body 13 is arranged in the tube 1. At this time, all the expansion units 20A to 20D are in the extended state.
When the tubular moving body 13 is advanced, first, as shown in FIG. 10B, a contraction signal is output only to the switching valve 14A of the leading telescopic unit 20A, and the air chamber S of the telescopic unit 20A is moved as the first stroke. Compressed air is supplied to the elastic expansion body 22 until the outer peripheral surface of the elastic expansion body 22 reaches the inner wall surface of the tube 1 to contract.
Next, as shown in FIG. 10C, the process proceeds to the second step, and a contraction maintenance signal is output to the switching valve 14A of the expansion / contraction unit 20A, and the remaining expansion / contraction units are maintained while maintaining the contraction state of the expansion / contraction unit 20A. Contraction signals are output to all of 20B to 20D, compressed air is supplied to the air chambers of the expansion units 20B to 20D, and the outer peripheral surface of the elastic expansion body 22 of each expansion unit 20B to 20D reaches the inner wall surface of the tube 1. The expansion / contraction units 20B to 20D are contracted to the maximum.
Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (d), the process proceeds to the third step, and a contraction maintenance signal is output to the switching valve 14D of the rearmost expansion / contraction unit 20D, and expansion / contraction is performed while maintaining the contraction state of the expansion / contraction unit 20D. An extension signal is output to the switching valves 14A to 14C of the units 20A to 20C, the air is discharged from the air chamber S, and the extension units 20A to 20C are extended. In the progression pattern A, the first to third strokes are defined as one cycle, and the tubular moving body 13 advances by repeating this cycle.

The expansion / contraction operation of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D shown in FIGS. 10 (b) to 10 (d), that is, the supply / discharge of compressed air from the compressed air supply means 16 to the air chambers S of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D is as follows. In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, control is performed by PWM (pulse width modulation) control.
When the contracting unit 20 is contracted, that is, when a contracting signal is output, the control unit 17A outputs a signal having a pulse width of a predetermined time t1 to the switching valve 14, as shown in FIGS. The switching valve 14 is controlled so that the valve 14 is opened and the inlet 14a and the supply / discharge port 14b communicate with each other for a predetermined time t1. At this time, the compressed air supplied from the air supply pipe 16C to the switching valve 14 at the pressure P1 flows into the air chamber S for a predetermined time t1. For example, the predetermined time t <b> 1 is set as the time required for the elastic expansion body 22 of the expansion / contraction unit 20 to be in close contact with the inner wall surface of the tube 1. For example, the predetermined time t1 is set according to the inner diameter of the tube 1 from the experimentally obtained result. In the case where the expansion / contraction unit 20 is contracted, compressed air may be supplied to the air chamber S by periodically opening and closing the switching valve 14 during the predetermined time t1.
When the controller 17A maintains the contracted state of the expansion / contraction unit 20, that is, when a contraction maintaining signal is output, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the control unit 17A has a predetermined time shorter than the predetermined time t1. A signal having a pulse width of time t2 is periodically output at an interval of a predetermined time t3, and after the inlet 14a and the supply / discharge port 14b communicate with each other for a predetermined time t2, the supply / discharge port 14b and the discharge port 14c are connected for a predetermined time. Control is performed so that the switching valve 14 is periodically opened and closed so as to communicate with t3. By outputting a periodic pulse signal to the switching valve 14 and opening and closing the switching valve 14 in this way, air supplied to the switching valve 14 by the air supply pipe 16C at a constant pressure P1 is more than the pressure P1. The pressure can be reduced to a low pressure and supplied to the air chamber S. In this way, the air supplied to the air chamber S is adjusted so as to have a pressure corresponding to the strength of the elastic expansion body 22 of the expansion / contraction unit 20 by adjusting the width of the pulse signal output as the contraction maintenance signal to the switching valve 14. The pressure can be adjusted. Further, by continuing to supply air to the air chamber S of the expansion / contraction unit 20 after contraction, it is possible to suitably obtain a gripping force on the inner peripheral surface of the tube 1 by the elastic expansion body 22, and to efficiently move the tubular moving body. 13 can be advanced.
Further, when the expansion unit 20 is expanded, that is, when an expansion signal is output, the control unit 17A stops outputting the contraction signal and the contraction maintenance signal for a predetermined time t1, as shown in FIG. 14c and the supply / discharge port 14b are communicated with each other for a predetermined time t1, and the air in the air chamber S is discharged.

As shown in FIGS. 12A to 12E and FIG. 13, the progression pattern B advances the inside of the tube 1 by repeatedly operating the tubular moving body 13 through four strokes.
FIG. 12A shows an initial state of the tubular moving body 13, for example, a state in which the tubular moving body 13 is arranged in the tube 1. At this time, all the expansion units 20A to 20D are in the extended state.
First, in the first step, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the switching valves 14A of the leading and trailing telescopic units 20A and 20D without outputting signals to the telescopic units 20B and 20C, A contraction signal is output to 14D, compressed air is supplied to the air chamber S of the expansion / contraction units 20A and 20D, and the expansion / contraction units 20A and 20D contract in the axial direction.
Next, in the second stroke, as shown in FIG. 12C, a contraction maintaining signal is output to the switching valve 14A of the leading telescopic unit 20A without outputting a signal to the telescopic unit 20C. The expansion signal is output to the switching valve 14D of the rearmost expansion / contraction unit 20D and the contraction signal is output to the switching valve 14B of the expansion / contraction unit 20B, and the expansion of the expansion / contraction unit 20D and the expansion of the expansion / contraction unit 20B are performed simultaneously.
Next, in the third step, as shown in FIG. 12 (d), no signal is output to the expansion / contraction unit 20D, the expansion valve is output to the switching valve 14A of the leading expansion / contraction unit 20A, and the switching valve 14B of the expansion / contraction unit 20B. The contraction maintaining signal and the contraction signal are output to the switching valve 14C of the expansion / contraction unit 20C, respectively, and the expansion of the expansion / contraction unit 20A and the expansion / contraction unit 20C are performed simultaneously.
Next, in the fourth stroke, as shown in FIG. 12 (e), no signal is output to the switching valve 14A of the expansion / contraction unit 20A, and an expansion signal is output to the switching valve 14B of the expansion / contraction unit 20B. A contraction maintaining signal is output to the switching valve 14C, and a contraction signal is output to the switching valve 14D of the expansion / contraction unit 20D, and the expansion of the expansion / contraction unit 20B and the contraction of the expansion / contraction unit 20D are performed simultaneously. In the progression pattern B, the cycle from the first stroke to the fourth stroke is defined as one cycle, and this cycle is repeated to generate a peristaltic motion in the tubular movable body 13 so that the tubular movable body 13 proceeds in the direction of the arrow X1. . Note that when the operation is performed by continuously switching the progress pattern A and the progress pattern B, it is not always necessary to go through the initial state as shown in FIG. 10 (a) or FIG. 12 (a).

  The expansion / contraction operation of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D by the traveling pattern B shown in FIGS. 12B to 12E, that is, the compressed air to the air chambers S from the compressed air supply means 16 to the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D. In the present embodiment, the supply and stop are controlled by the switching valves 14A to 14D by PWM (pulse width modulation) control as shown in FIG.

  The switching of the progress patterns A and B is controlled by an input from the operation unit 17B of the progress control means 17 to the control unit 17A. For example, the operation pattern is changed such as a progression pattern A when the tubular moving body 13 advances in the straight pipe portion of the tube 1 and a progression pattern B when the tubular moving body 13 advances in the curved pipe portion. Thus, the tubular moving body 13 can be moved efficiently.

  Next, based on FIG.10 and FIG.12, the advancing operation | movement of the tubular mobile body 13 which consists of the said structure is demonstrated. First, the progression pattern A will be described with reference to FIG. Fig.10 (a) shows the initial state (stop state) of the tubular mobile body 13, and the said tubular mobile body 13 shall advance from the initial state in the direction shown by the arrow. From this state, the compressed air supply means 16 is controlled by the progress control means 17, and first, as shown in FIG. 10 (b) from the state shown in FIG. 10 (a), the telescopic unit 20A located at the head of the tubular moving body 13 is used. Is contracted so that a partial range of the outer peripheral surface of the elastic expansion body 22 of the expansion / contraction unit 20 </ b> A is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the tube 1. Next, as shown in FIG. 10C, the contraction state of the expansion / contraction unit 20A is maintained, and all the expansion / contraction units 20B to 20D are contracted. At this time, since the expansion / contraction units 20B to 20D are merely contracted in the axial direction with the expansion / contraction unit 20A as a reference, the position of the distal end of the tubular moving body 13 does not change.

Next, from the state of FIG. 10 (c), as shown in FIG. 10 (d), the expansion units 20A to 20C are brought into the expanded state and the contracted state of the expansion unit 20D is maintained. At this time, the expansion operation of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20C with reference to the expansion / contraction unit 20D is converted into an operation for moving the entire tubular moving body 13 forward, and the tubular moving body 13 is directed in the direction of the arrow X1 in the tube 1. proceed.
Thereafter, the expansion and contraction unit 20A is contracted and the expansion and contraction unit 20D is expanded to return to the state shown in FIG. At this time, since the expansion / contraction unit 20A contracts in the axial direction simultaneously with the expansion operation of the expansion / contraction unit 20D, the tubular moving body 13 does not advance. As described above, it is possible to rapidly advance the tubular moving body 13 in the tube 1 by repeating the operation of contracting and extending the expansion units 20A to 20D in a predetermined order under the control of the progress control unit 17. Become.

  Next, the progression pattern B will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12A shows an initial state (stopped state) of the tubular moving body 13 in the traveling pattern B, and the tubular moving body 13 travels in the direction indicated by the arrow from the initial state. In the initial state shown in FIG. 12A, all the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D of the tubular moving body 13 are in the extended state. From this state, the progress control means 17 controls the compressed air supply means 16 to contract the expansion units 20A and 20D and maintain the expansion units 20B and 20C in the extended state as shown in FIG. At this time, since the expansion / contraction units 20A and 20D are merely contracted in the axial direction with reference to the expansion / contraction units 20B and 20C, the overall position of the tubular moving body 13 does not change.

Next, from the state of FIG. 12B, as shown in FIG. 12C, the expansion / contraction unit 20B is contracted while maintaining the contraction state of the expansion / contraction unit 20A and the expansion state of the expansion / contraction unit 20C. Elongate. At this point, the contracted state of the telescopic unit 20D is simply replaced with the telescopic unit 20B, and the expanded state of the telescopic unit 20B is simply replaced with the telescopic unit 20D.
Next, from the state of FIG. 12C, as shown in FIG. 12D, the expansion / contraction unit 20C is contracted while maintaining the contraction state of the expansion / contraction unit 20B and the expansion state of the expansion / contraction unit 20D. Elongate. At this time, the entire tubular moving body 13 is moved forward by the contraction of the telescopic unit 20C, and the tubular moving body 13 advances in the direction of the arrow X in the tube 1.

Next, from the state of FIG. 12D, as shown in FIG. 12E, the expansion / contraction unit 20B is extended while maintaining the expansion state of the expansion / contraction unit 20A and the contraction state of the expansion / contraction unit 20C, and the expansion / contraction unit 20D. Shrink. At this time, the entire tubular moving body 13 is converted forward by the contraction of the expansion / contraction unit 20D, and the tubular moving body 13 advances in the direction of the arrow X1 in the tube 1.
Next, from the state of FIG. 12 (e), the expansion / contraction unit 20D is contracted and the expansion / contraction unit 20C is expanded while maintaining the contraction state of the expansion / contraction unit 20D and the expansion state of the expansion / contraction unit 20B. Return to the beginning of one cycle. As described above, the tubular moving body 13 can be advanced in the tube 1 by repeating the operation of contracting and extending each of the expansion and contraction units 20A to 20D in a predetermined order under the control of the progress control means 17.
Since the progression pattern B has a larger number of strokes than the progression pattern A, the traveling speed per unit time is slow. However, since the tube 1 is always gripped by the two expansion and contraction units 20, the bent portion or the like is bent. The tubular moving body 13 can be reliably advanced in the portion.

Hereinafter, the operation and effect of the unit connector 35 will be described in detail.
FIGS. 14A to 14D are schematic views showing the progress of the bent portion in the tube 1 of the tubular moving body 13. The bent portion is formed of, for example, a member such as a 90-degree elbow pipe 1R (hereinafter simply referred to as an elbow 1R) constituting a part of the pipe 1, and straight pipes 1A and 1B are connected to both ends of the elbow 1R. Has been.

As shown in FIG. 14A, in order for the exploration unit 11 located at the tip to travel from the straight pipe 1A through the elbow 1R into the straight pipe 1B, as shown in FIG. 11 is advanced along the wall surface of the elbow 1R to the straight pipe 1B, and as shown in FIG. 14 (c), it is necessary to exceed the stepped portion V generated at the connecting portion between the elbow 1R and the straight pipe 1B.
The tubular moving body 13 of the present embodiment has six leaf springs 52 (elastic bodies 51) on the outer peripheral surface 11y of the tubular housing portion 11A of the exploration unit 11 at predetermined equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 11y. The leaf spring 52 includes a curved surface 52t positioned forward of the front end 11t of the tubular housing portion 11A, and the telescopic unit 20A positioned on the foremost side with respect to the tubular housing portion 11A of the exploration unit 11 Are connected by the front end side unit connecting body 34, and the leading side connecting portion 34A of the front end side unit connecting body 34 can be expanded and contracted in the direction along the central axis of the tube and can be bent. It is comprised by the tubular body.
Therefore, when the curved surface 52t of the leaf spring 52 positioned in front of the front end 11t of the tubular accommodating portion 11A collides with the wall surface (curved surface) of the elbow 1R as shown in FIG. As shown, since the exploration unit 11 is biased toward the center side in the elbow 1R by the elastic force of the leaf spring 52, the leading side connecting portion 34A is easily contracted and bent. Further, while the exploration unit 11 passes through the wall surface (curved surface) of the elbow 1R, the exploration unit 11 is centered in the elbow 1R by the elastic force of the leaf spring 52 due to the leaf spring 52 coming into contact with the wall surface (curved surface) of the elbow 1R. Friction reducing means is provided on the surface of the leaf spring 52 that is biased to the side (center axis side) and contacts the wall surface of the elbow 1R, so that the exploration unit 11 passes smoothly through the elbow 1R. become.
Further, when the curved surface 52t of the leaf spring 52 positioned in front of the front end 11t of the tubular accommodating portion 11A collides with the stepped portion V as shown in FIG. The plate spring 52 moves over the corner of the stepped portion V by the portion 34A and moves into the straight pipe 1B as shown in FIG.
Further, when the tubular moving body 13 moves in the straight pipes 1A; 1B, the unit connecting body 35 is configured not to expand and contract in the direction along the central axis of the pipe and to bend. Since it is formed by the tubular connecting part, it is possible to suppress a decrease in moving speed. Moreover, when the unit coupling body 35 moves in the elbow 1R (curved path), it can bend following the curved path.
Furthermore, even when there are obstacles (projections protruding from the inner wall of the tube 1, foreign matters remaining in the tube 1) inside the tube 1, the tube 1 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 11 y of the tubular housing portion 11 </ b> A of the exploration unit 11. The exploration unit 11 is urged toward the center of the elbow 1R by the elastic force when the leaf spring 52 collides with an obstacle, and friction reducing means is provided on the surface of the leaf spring 52 that contacts the wall surface of the elbow 1R. As a result, the exploration unit 11 passes through the pipe 1 smoothly.

As described above, according to the tubular moving body 13 of the present embodiment, the straight path and the curved path in the pipe 1 can be moved smoothly.
The telescopic unit 20 has six inner diameters of 56 mm, an outer diameter of 62 mm, and a length of 100 mm. The tubular connecting body 35X is configured by connecting eight tubular bodies 35A, and has an outer diameter of 64 mm and a length. The tubular moving body 13 of the embodiment having a total length of 2 mm is manufactured using the 173 mm tubular coupling body 35X, and instead of the tubular coupling body 35X, along the central axis of the tube, such as the leading side coupling portion 34A described above. A tubular mobile body having a conventional configuration as disclosed in Patent Document 1 using a tubular body having a bellows structure that can be expanded and contracted in a predetermined direction is manufactured, and the tubular mobile body according to the manufactured embodiment is manufactured. Experiments were conducted on the difference in moving speed between the No. 13 and the tubular moving body of the conventional configuration.
As a result of measuring the moving speed when the tubular moving body 13 of the embodiment and the tubular moving body of the conventional configuration were moved in the pressure feeding tube having an inner diameter of 108 mm, the moving speed of the tubular moving body 13 of the embodiment was 30.2 mm / Whereas it was s, the moving speed of the tubular moving body of the conventional configuration was 24.0 mm / s.
As described above, in the tubular moving body 13 of the embodiment using the tubular connecting body 35X as the connecting portion, it is demonstrated that a decrease in the moving speed is suppressed and, for example, the inside of the pressure feeding pipe having an inner diameter of 108 mm can be smoothly moved by 100 m or more. It was done. For example, in the inspection in the sewage pipe, the inspection time in the sewage pipe may be limited because it is necessary to remove the sewage in the sewage pipe. In such a case, if the tubular moving body 13 of the embodiment is used, In this way, inspection in the sewer pipe can be performed in a short time.
In addition, since the tubular connecting body 35X bends in the tubular moving body 13 of the embodiment, the tubular connecting body 35X buckles and moves as a whole when moving in the tube 1, but the contraction operation is performed according to the conventional bellows structure. Compared to the elastic expansion / contraction operation of the tubular body, the above experiment revealed that it is less likely to cause a decrease in the moving speed of the tubular moving body 13.
In the above experiment, when the tubular moving body 13 moves along the straight path in the tube 1, the tubular connecting body 35 </ b> X does not substantially contact the inner wall of the tube 1. From this, if the tubular coupling body 35X that buckles to the extent that it does not contact the inner wall of the tube 1 is used as the tubular coupling body 35X, the movement is at least as compared with the conventional tubular moving body using a bellows structure tubular body. It can be assumed that the tubular moving body 13 has a high speed.
That is, in the embodiment, the tubular moving body 13 that includes a tubular coupling body 35X that is bent when an external force is applied and that does not linearly expand and contract in the direction along the central axis 35Y of the tubular body 35A as a coupling portion. Since it comprised, the tubular moving body 13 which can bend following the curve of the curved path in the pipe | tube 1, etc., and has a quick moving speed came to be provided.
In addition, since each expansion / contraction unit 20 is provided with a switching valve 14 that controls the flow of air into and out of the air chamber S, a single pipe extending from the compressed air supply means 16 provided outside the pipe 1 to the tubular moving body 13 is provided. Air can be supplied through the air supply pipe 16C.
Therefore, even if the length of the air supply pipe 16C is increased, the change in the pressure of the air supplied to the expansion / contraction unit 20 is small, and the expansion / contraction speed of the expansion / contraction unit 20 does not change. Therefore, since the exploration unit 11 can be advanced together with the tubular moving body 13 in the tube 1, the inspection time can be further reduced as compared with the conventional case.

  In addition, in order to advance the tubular mobile body 13, as long as there are three or more expansion / contraction units 20, any number may be connected. When the moving speed of the tubular moving body 13 is taken into consideration, the moving speed in the pipe 1 can be improved by connecting at least four or more expansion / contraction units 20 via the unit connecting body 35.

As another form of the tubular body exploration device 10 according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of tubular moving bodies 13A to 13D may be provided.
In such a case, when the tubular body is advanced by one tubular moving body, the length of the cable 17C and the air supply pipe 16C connecting the control unit 17A and the operation unit 17B is increased, and the weight, the cable 17C, and the air are increased. The friction between the supply pipe 16C and the pipe 1 may reduce the traveling speed of the tubular moving body 13. Therefore, a length that does not affect the traveling speed of the tubular mobile body 13 is set in the cable 17C and the air supply pipe 16C extending outward from the tubular mobile body 13 to which the exploration unit 11 is attached. Each time the tubular moving body 13 advances by the length of the tube 16C, the other tubular moving bodies 13 may be sequentially connected to advance in the tube 1.

The switching valve 14 is not limited to the above-described electromagnetic valve that opens and closes by input of a signal. For example, a solenoid valve that can adjust the pressure of air flowing through the switching valve by a change in applied voltage or a change in current, such as a proportional solenoid valve, may be used as the switching valve. In this case, when the exhaust valve for exhausting the air in the air chamber S is attached to the flange 23 and the expansion / contraction unit 20 is contracted, the air supplied to the switching valve is supplied to the air chamber S at the maximum pressure. When the switching valve is controlled and the contraction state of the expansion / contraction unit 20 is maintained, the switching valve is controlled so that air having a pressure lower than the above pressure is placed in the air chamber, and when the expansion / contraction unit 20 is extended, What is necessary is just to comprise so that control is possible by the control part 17A so that the distribution | circulation of air may be stopped and air in the air chamber S may be discharged | emitted from an exhaust valve.
By combining such a switching valve and the aforementioned PWM control, the valve can be miniaturized and can be accommodated in the expansion / contraction unit 20. In addition, by controlling the switching valve 14 by PWM control as described above, the tubular moving body 13 can be downsized by using a three-port switching valve that is smaller than a generally proportional solenoid valve. Thus, the contraction and extension time of the tubular moving body 13 can be shortened, and the inside of the tube 1 can be moved quickly.

  In the present embodiment, the contraction time of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D and the expansion time of the expansion / contraction units 20A to 20D controlled by the progress pattern A and the progress pattern B are described as being performed at the same predetermined time t1, If there is a difference between the time for contraction and the time for expansion, the contraction signal and the contraction maintenance signal are appropriately selected so that the operation proceeds to the next step after the operations of the expansion units 20A to 20D in each process described above are completed. The time for outputting the extension signal may be PWM controlled to optimize the traveling operation of the tubular moving body 13.

In addition, the connection part should just be comprised so that the extension direction of a connection part can be changed by bending, without expanding and contracting along the extension direction of the connection part along the central axis of a tubular mobile body. For example, the structure which connects the tubular body (cylinder body) formed with the thin plate, and the front-rear expansion-contraction structural part with the some narrow body arrange | positioned at intervals in the circumferential direction of an expansion-contraction structural part may be sufficient.
Moreover, the structure which suppressed the expansion-contraction operation | movement (elastic return operation | movement) of the direction along an axis | shaft by overlapping a bellows-like tubular body more than double may be sufficient.
The boundary portion of the tubular body 35A may not be the step surface 35c. For example, the curved surface in the vicinity of the boundary line between the curved outer peripheral surface on one end side of one tubular body 35A and the curved outer peripheral surface on the other end side contacts the end surface of the other tubular body 35A, and the maximum bending is achieved. The configuration may be such that the state is set.

The elastic body 51 may be configured to generate an elastic force when it collides with the inner wall of the tube 1 even if the rear end portion of the leaf spring 52 is not fixed to the outer peripheral surface 11y of the tubular housing portion 11A. .
Further, in the case of a tubular moving body that moves a straight pipe line or a curved path having a relatively loose curve, a part of the elastic body 51 does not necessarily protrude forward from the front end 11t of the tubular housing portion 11A. May be. Further, the shape of the elastic body 51 on the front end side may be a shape that is not curved and can overcome a step assumed in the pipeline.
Moreover, in this invention, it is comprised by the structure which remove | excluded the elastic body from the tubular moving body mentioned above, ie, the exploration unit (leading part) except the elastic body, and the tubular body which can be expanded-contracted in the direction along a central axis. A unit connection body that connects a plurality of expansion / contraction units (extension / contraction component) arranged in a line in the front-rear direction and an end of the other expansion / contraction unit facing the end of one expansion / contraction unit arranged in the front-rear direction ( Connecting portion) and a front side connecting portion that connects the rear end portion of the exploration unit and the front end portion of the expansion unit located on the most front side, and is configured to be movable in the pipe by expanding and contracting the expansion unit. In the tubular structural body, a tubular moving body having a configuration in which a predetermined elasticity is given to the outer peripheral surface of the coupling body formed by the unit coupling body and the like, and the elastic body protrudes outside the outer circumferential surface is provided. Good. Even in the tubular moving body having the configuration, the tubular moving body is biased toward the center side (center axis side) in the tube by the elastic force of the elastic body due to the elastic body coming into contact with the obstacle in the tube or the inner wall of the tube. Therefore, the tubular moving body can move smoothly in the tube.
It should be noted that a part of the leaf spring shown in the embodiment is configured to protrude forward from the front end of the tubular housing portion and bend, and the outer peripheral surface of the coupling body formed by the unit coupling body described above. A tubular moving body having a configuration provided with an elastic body is more preferable because it allows a straight path and a curved path in the pipe to move more smoothly.
The elastic body may have a configuration in which a predetermined elasticity is imparted using a thin rod-shaped body, or a configuration in which a predetermined elasticity is imparted by using both a plate material and a rod-shaped body.
In other words, the elastic body may be configured to be elastic at least at the front side of the tubular moving body.

13 Tubular mobile body, 20; 20A-20D Telescopic unit (stretching component),
35 unit connection body (connection part, tubular connection part), 35A tube body,
35c step surface (boundary part), end surface of 35t tube, 35d inner peripheral surface of tube,
35e The outer peripheral surface of the tube, the central axis of the 35Y tube, and the α crossing angle.

Claims (2)

An inner cylinder and an elastic expansion body arranged on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylinder, and the supply and discharge of air to and from the air chamber formed between the inner cylinder and the elastic expansion body A plurality of stretchable components that can stretch in a direction along the central axis;
A connecting portion that connects an end portion of one of the stretchable component portions adjacent to each other and an end portion of the other stretchable component portion facing each other;
A tubular mobile body configured to be movable by expansion and contraction of the expansion and contraction component part,
The connecting portion is formed by connecting a plurality of tubular bodies, is a tubular body having a hollow portion extending along the central axis, does not expand and contract in a direction along the central axis, and bends. Is configured to be possible
The air chamber is connected to air supply means arranged outside the tubular moving body, and is supplied with air by a supply pipe that extends through the inside of the inner cylinder and the hollow of the connecting portion. A tubular moving body. Among the plurality of stretchable components, a tubular head member having an imaging means is provided in front of the stretchable component located at the head,
The head member has an elastic body provided to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the head member;
2. The elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body is provided with predetermined elasticity by curving a plate-like member or a thin wire-like member, and has a curved surface protruding forward from a front end of the head member . Tubular moving body.