JPH0343031B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a walking wall moving device, and in particular,
The present invention relates to a walking wall moving device suitable for walking along a curved surface such as a spherical or cylindrical wall surface.

[Background of the invention]

Maintenance work such as inspections and inspections of various tanks and structures is carried out regularly, but currently this work is only done manually, and the application of robots to these tasks has become an essential need. ing.

To deal with this, various wall moving devices have been proposed, but all of them are walking means for flat walls, and there are various difficulties in applying them to curved surfaces. There are many.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show an example of a wall surface moving device that moves on a planar wall surface.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a walking guide, and outer walking frames 2 are fixed to both ends of the walking guide. Each outer walking frame 2 has a built-in adsorbent such as an electromagnet, and is perpendicular to the wall surface 3. A wall suction leg 4 is attached which can be slid in any direction. on the other hand,
The walking guide 1 is provided with a central wall suction leg 5 which is movable horizontally with respect to the wall 3 and has a built-in suction member such as an electromagnet and is slidable vertically. An inner frame 6 for walking is attached. 7 is a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power for moving the outer frame 2 for walking and the inner frame 6 for walking in the horizontal direction with respect to the wall surface 3 to each of the inner and outer frames 2 and 6 for walking; 8 is a power transmission mechanism; This is a drive actuator that drives the mechanism 7.

Next, the moving operation of the moving device having the above configuration will be explained.

First, as shown in FIG. 7a, the wall suction legs 4 fixed to the outer frame 2 for walking are lowered to suction the wall surface 3, and in this state, the central wall suction legs 5 that are not suctioned to the wall surface 3 are The attached walking inner frame 6 is moved in the direction of the arrow. Next, as shown in FIG. 7b, the central wall suction leg 5 is attached to the wall surface 3, the other wall suction legs 4 are raised and separated from the wall surface 3, and the wall suction leg 4 is attached to the wall surface 3. The outer frame 2 is moved together with the walking guide 1 in the direction of the arrow. By repeating such operations, the planar wall surface 3 is moved.
Incidentally, a device that moves on a planar wall surface is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-59789.

However, the above-mentioned moving device poses a problem when moving on a spherical wall surface. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, the inner frame for walking 6
When moving in the direction of the arrow in the figure, if the wall surface has a spherical shape, a gap G will occur between the central wall suction leg 5 and the wall surface compared to a flat surface, as shown in the figure. , an imbalance occurs in the gap between the front and rear in the direction of travel, and at the same time, the center of the inner frame 6 for walking becomes deviated from the center of the curved surface. Therefore, if the wall suction legs try to suction to the curved surface in this state, suction may not be possible on the forward side due to insufficient suction stroke, and on the reverse side, the wall suction legs will come into contact with the curved surface and the resistance force will increase. arise.
Furthermore, conventional locomotive devices have various drawbacks, such as the inner frame being inclined with respect to the outer frame for walking, and a moment acting around the contact point between the inner frame and the outer frame.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and its first object is to be able to adhere to and absorb even curved walls; The purpose of
In addition to the above objects, it is an object of the present invention to provide a walking type wall surface moving device which can eliminate the unbalanced moment of the frame caused by riding on uneven portions on a curved surface.

[Summary of the invention]

In the present invention, a suction means facing a suction wall having a curved shape is fixed to both ends, and
An inner frame for walking that is located inside the central part of the outer frame for walking that can be raised and lowered, or has a configuration substantially similar to the outer frame for walking, and that moves alternately with the outer frame for walking along the suction wall surface and that can be raised and lowered. A curved guide having a shape substantially similar to the shape of the suction wall surface is formed on one of the outer sides of the central part of the frame, and a walking frame not provided with the curved guide moves by following the curved guide. The first objective is achieved by providing a moving mechanism, and the second objective is achieved by including an elastic body that swingably supports the walking frame in addition to the above configuration. It is something.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The present invention will be described below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the walking wall moving device of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the walking type wall moving device of this embodiment has wall suction legs 11 facing a suction wall surface 10 having a curved shape fixed to both ends of the suction legs 11.
Walking outer frame 12 formed in a substantially U-shape
It is arranged inside this walking outer frame 12, forming a substantially U-shape, and has wall suction legs 1 at both ends thereof.
3, a walking guide 15 that guides the outer frame 12 and the inner frame 14 as they move alternately, and a walking guide 15 that transmits power for movement. It is generally composed of a power transmission mechanism 16 and a drive actuator 17 that drives this power transmission mechanism 16, and in the above configuration, the inner side of the center part of the outer frame 12 for walking is curved in substantially the same manner as the suction wall surface 10. On the other hand, on the outside of the central part of the inner walking frame 14, there is a roller 18 that rotates and moves while following the curved guide 12a.
A moving mechanism section 18 is provided which includes a roller 18a and a support member 18b that supports the roller 18a. Furthermore, a support member 18b of the moving mechanism section 18,
The inner walking frame 14 is connected to a substantially T-shaped member 19 movably attached to the power transmission mechanism 16 via an elastic body 20 . Further, the support member 18b is provided with a stopper 21, and this stopper 21 is connected to the T-shaped member 19.
By engaging with the hole, displacement of the elastic body 20 in the traveling direction is prevented. Wall suction legs 11 and 13 are attached to the tips of the outer walking frame 12 and the inner walking frame 14.
are arranged in advance toward the center of the curved surface.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. First, the wall suction legs 11 fixed to the tip of the outer frame 12 for walking stick to the wall surface 10, and on the other hand,
When the walking inner frame 14 has finished its upward movement (indicated by arrow 22) and is about to move on to its moving movement (indicated by arrow 23), the walking inner frame 14
The moving mechanism part 18 supported by the T-shaped member 19 of It is pulled by an elastic body 20 on a curved guide 12a formed inside the frame 12 and is in a slidable state. here,
Drive actuator 17 and power transmission mechanism 16
is driven, the inner frame 14 for walking starts to move in the direction of arrow 23 with respect to the outer frame 12 for walking (the state at this time is shown in FIG. 2). At this time, the wall suction legs 13 of the walking inner frame 14, which are integrated with the moving mechanism section 18, always face the center of the curved surface as the roller 18a moves along the curved surface guide 12a, and the wall surface 14 The wall leg 13 moves while keeping the gap constant. When the walking inner frame 14 moves a predetermined distance along the wall surface 10, the wall suction legs 13 are lowered,
The wall surface 10 is adsorbed. Next, the outer frame for walking 1
2, and then moved along the wall 10 along with the outer frame 12 for a predetermined distance in the same manner as the inner frame 14 for walking,
It is lowered to adsorb the wall surface 10. By sequentially repeating this operation, the curved wall surface 10 is moved. In this embodiment, the wall adsorption legs 11 and 13 attached to the tips of the outer walking frame 12 and the inner walking frame 14 are set in advance toward the center of the curved surface, so The angle to is always a right angle.

With the configuration of this embodiment described above, the outer frame 12 for walking and the inner frame 14 for walking can move while following the curved wall surface 10, so that they can be attached to the wall surface as shown in FIG. leg 1
1 and 13 can always maintain a constant gap with the wall surface 10, and the suction gap can be small. Therefore, cases where adsorption is not possible almost never occur. In addition, there is no gap imbalance between the forward and reverse sides, and unbalance moments of the inner and outer walking frames 12 and 14 are less likely to occur when they come into contact with a curved surface during movement or when they are attracted. Therefore, it is possible to adsorb and move on curved surfaces, and it is also possible to run smoothly and with good balance. Further, by providing a stopper 21 to prevent the elastic body 20 from shifting in the traveling direction, it can be used for traveling in all postures.

Next, FIG. 4 shows the elastic body 20 being simply moved by the moving mechanism 18 of the inner frame 14 for walking and the T-shaped member 19
In addition to being used for connecting the inner frame 14 for walking, as shown in FIG. This is an example. Furthermore, Figures a and c are examples in which the elastic body 20 has a cushioning action not only in the direction of travel, but also in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel, so that it can absorb unbalance against unevenness on a curved surface. By performing this two-dimensionally, it is possible to prevent abnormal loads from being applied to the device. Furthermore, by making the spans of the inner and outer walking frames 12 and 14 larger than that of the power transmission mechanism, it is possible to mount working equipment therein, and it also has the effect of enabling balanced running. be. In the embodiments described so far, the curved guide 12a is provided inside the outer frame 12 for walking, and the inner frame 14 for walking is
Although the explanation has been given on the structure in which the moving mechanism section 18 is provided on the outside of the walking inner frame 14, even if the curved surface guide is provided on the outside of the inner walking frame 14 and the moving mechanism section is provided on the inside of the outer walking frame, the effect will be the same as described above. It is similar to

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the above-described walking wall moving device of the present invention, the suction means facing the suction wall surface having a curved surface shape are fixed to both tip portions, and the central portion of the external frame for walking that can be raised and lowered is Either on the inside or on the outside of the central part of the inner frame for walking, which has a configuration similar to that of the outer frame for walking, moves alternately with the outer frame for walking along the suction wall surface, and can be raised and lowered; A walking frame that is provided with a curved guide having a shape substantially similar to the shape of the suction wall surface and is not provided with the curved guide is provided with a moving mechanism that moves by following the curved guide. Even if the wall surface has a shape, it can follow and be attracted to the wall surface, and in addition to the above structure, the moving mechanism is equipped with an elastic body that swingably supports the walking frame. In addition to the above-mentioned effects, there are uneven parts on the curved surface, and it is possible to eliminate the unbalanced moment of the frame caused by riding on the uneven parts, which is very effective for this type of walking wall moving device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the walking type wall moving device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the moving state of the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. A schematic diagram showing the gap state that occurs in
Fig. 4 shows the case where the above device has an uneven part formed on the wall surface, Fig. 4 a and c show the operating state of the elastic body in that case, and Fig. 4 b shows the suction leg of the above device on the convex part. 5 is a front view showing a conventional walking type wall moving device, FIG. 6 is a view taken in the direction of arrow P in FIG. 5, and FIGS. 7 a and b show the operation of the conventional device. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a gap state that occurs between a wall surface and a suction leg when a conventional device is employed on a curved wall surface. 10... Curved wall surface, 11, 13... Wall suction legs, 12... Outer frame for walking, 12a... Curved guide, 14... Inner frame for walking, 15... Guide for walking, 16... Power transmission Mechanism, 17... Drive actuator, 18... Moving mechanism section, 18a
...Roller, 18b...Support member, 19...T-shaped member, 20...Elastic body, 21...Stopper.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A walking outer frame which has suction means facing a curved suction wall surface fixed at both ends and is movable up and down, and which is substantially similar to the walking outer frame. an inner frame for walking which is configured to move alternately with the outer frame for walking along the suction wall surface and can be raised and lowered; In a walking wall moving device comprising a power transmission mechanism for transmitting power and a drive actuator for driving the power transmission mechanism, either one of the inner side of the center part of the outer frame for walking or the outer side of the center part of the inner frame for walking. A curved guide having a shape substantially similar to the shape of the suction wall surface is formed, and a walking frame that is not provided with the curved guide is provided with a moving mechanism that moves to follow the curved guide, facing the curved guide. A walking-type wall moving device characterized by the fact that it was installed in the same direction. 2. The outer frame for walking is formed into a substantially U-shape, and the inner side of the central portion thereof is formed into a curved shape almost similar to the suction wall surface to serve as a curved guide, and the inner frame for walking is also formed into a substantially U-shape. A moving mechanism comprising a roller that is formed and arranged inside the outer frame for walking, and that rotates and moves while following the curved guide is provided outside the center of the inner frame for walking. The walking wall moving device according to item 1. 3. The outside of the central part of the walking inner frame is comprised of a moving mechanism section made of the rollers and a section connected to the power transmission mechanism, and these are fastened together via an elastic body. A walking wall moving device according to claim 2. 4. The leg portions of the outer frame for walking and the inner frame for walking, to which the adsorption means are fixed, are arranged toward substantially the center of the curved surface, as claimed in claim 1. , or the walking wall moving device according to item 2. 5. A walking outer frame which has a suction means facing a curved suction wall surface fixed to both ends thereof and which can be raised and lowered, and which has a structure substantially similar to that of the walking outer frame, an inner frame for walking that moves alternately with the outer frame for walking along a wall surface and can be raised and lowered; and a power transmission mechanism that transmits power to each of the inner frame for walking and the outer frame when the inner frame for walking and the outer frame move alternately. , and a drive actuator for driving the power transmission mechanism, in which the suction wall surface is attached to either the inner side of the center of the outer frame for walking or the outer side of the center of the inner frame for walking. A curved guide having substantially the same shape as the curved guide is formed, and a walking frame not provided with the curved guide is provided with a moving mechanism facing the curved guide to follow the curved guide, and A walking wall moving device, wherein the moving mechanism includes an elastic body that swingably supports the walking frame. 6. The outer frame for walking is formed into a substantially U-shape, and the inner side of the center portion thereof is formed into a curved surface substantially similar to the suction wall surface to serve as a curved guide, and the inner frame for walking is also formed into a substantially U-shape. A moving mechanism comprising a roller that is formed and arranged inside the outer frame for walking, and that rotates and moves while following the curved guide is provided outside the center of the inner frame for walking. The walking wall moving device according to item 5. 7. The outside of the central part of the inner frame for walking is composed of a moving mechanism section consisting of the rollers and a section connected to the power transmission mechanism, which are fastened together via the elastic body. A walking wall moving device according to claim 6, characterized in that: 8. The leg portions of the outer frame for walking and the inner frame for walking to which the suction means are fixed are arranged toward substantially the center of the curved surface. , or the walking wall moving device according to item 6.