JPH0731167B2 - Structure inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an inspection work device for structurally difficult places, such as bridges and other iron structures, and is used for ultrasonic flaw detection, magnetic flaw detection, and the like. Detection device (probe) for nondestructive inspection
It can also be applied to the approach and installation of such tools, and the monitoring of the work status of various remote-controlled tools during repairs.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, for visually inspecting places that are difficult to approach using a portable device, for example, an object as shown in FIG. 14 or FIG. 15 has been used.

First, as shown in FIG. 14, a tube 2 (for example, a spiral tube) that can be repeatedly plastically deformed is provided at the tip of a rod-shaped rigid body 1.
And a mirror 3 is provided. (In some cases, the auxiliary lighting 4 is provided in the mirror part.) The inspection vehicle uses the reflection of the mirror surface for the small narrow part that is difficult to access and the shadow of the structure part 30 (inspector and reflection side). Can be inspected.
(There is also a case where a TV camera is installed at the tip.) Next, in the one shown in FIG. 15, an optical fiber bundle 6 is passed through a flexible protection tube 5, and a protection tube is locally provided at the tip. There is a bending section 11 that bends the fiber bundle to change the direction of the fiber bundle. This bend is usually operated by wires 9,10 extending from the manual knob. Reference numeral 7 is a handle, 8 is a bending operation handle, and 31 is an inspection object.

Due to their characteristics, these are often used for inspecting the inside of pipes and the inside of grooves and other relatively simple structures.

On the other hand, when using a large inspection device, there are methods such as fixing the articulated robot or manipulator to the floor surface or mounting it on a mobile vehicle and installing a square or nondestructive inspection probe at the tip of the robot. , You can get a relatively long reach. However, there are many places where it is difficult to approach and inspect large equipment, and there is a strong demand in the industry for an inspection equipment that allows detailed inspection and is portable.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

For example, it is necessary to inspect the S part of a complex structure composed of the members 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 shown in FIG.
If the worker is inaccessible (the worker's scaffold 38 is located slightly away from this structure. There is no support member between the scaffold and the structure.), The conventional method solves the following problems. There was a task to be done.

(I) In the case of the apparatus shown in FIG. Since there is no remote control / driving unit at the tip, the inspection range is extremely limited, making it practically unusable. (It is necessary to return the tube 2 frequently and preset the bending angle according to the part to be inspected.) B. Considering portability, the length of the rod 1 cannot be increased.
(There is no folding structure.) C. Even if the portability is ignored, if the length of the rod is increased, the weight of the visual device at the tip, the weight of the rod, and the like momentarily add to the operator, making it impossible to perform hand-held operation. (If you hold the end of the rod by hand, the span of grip is lm, the distance from the end of the rod to the center of gravity is lw, and the weight of the inspection device is W (kg), the momentary load Wm felt by the operator is , Wm ＝ lw × W / lm (kg), which makes it impossible to operate by hand if the rod is lengthened.) D. Also, if the rod is made longer, the vibration of the scaffold is magnified at the tip and the image shakes, making inspection difficult.

(The same applies when the wind blows.) (Ii) In the case of the device shown in Fig. 15. Since the whole structure is flexible, it is impossible to reach the opponent in this case.

G. Even when using it by fixing it to a rod-shaped rigid rod,
Since the portion beyond the curved portion 11 must be free, the fiber tip portion (the portion that captures the target information for observation) hangs down. This dripping is difficult to correct by wire operation, and if the entire device is twisted in _one direction, the point of action of the extension force and the balance of gravity are lost, and the tip end hangs in an unexpected direction, making the inspection operation extremely difficult.

Ku. Also, the weight burden felt by the operator, the influence of vibration, the wind, and the like cause the same problems as those of the above-mentioned items c and d.

K. Since it is a wire operation, the rotation angle of the tip, the degree of freedom, and the bending curvature are limited, so it is not possible to take an arbitrary inspection posture with a complicated structure as shown in Fig. 16, which makes it practically difficult to use. is there.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a rod portion, a suction portion attached to a part of the rod portion, and an end portion of the rod portion, which is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the axial direction of the rod. An inspection device for a structure, comprising at least a triaxial joint part having a degree of freedom and an inspection sensor provided at a tip part of the rod part. In addition to the above, there is proposed a structure inspection device characterized by comprising a monitor device for monitoring the inspection state of the inspection sensor, and a recording device for recording a monitor signal from the monitor device. is there.

[Action]

The operator can reduce the gravity load (vertical component and gravity moment load) of the entire manipulator at all or significantly, and the inspection work becomes easy. At the same time, the vibration of the advanced TV camera is greatly suppressed and a clear image can be obtained.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram. In the figure, reference numeral 40 is a grounding unit portion, reference numeral 50 is a rod portion, reference numeral 60 is a joint portion, reference numeral 70 is an inspection sensor portion, reference numeral 80. The number indicates the control unit.

The rod portion is supported by an operator and is composed of two rods 51 and 52 and a collet joint 53. The rod 52 has a slightly smaller diameter than the rod 51,
Collet fitting 53 that is inserted into the rod 51 and clamped and fixed
By this, it can be fixed at any position. In this way, the rod part can be expanded and contracted.

The grounding unit 40 is attached near the tip of the rod 52 and
As shown in the enlarged view of the figure, it comprises an adsorbing part 41 (electromagnet or vacuum pad) for adsorbing to an object, a universal joint 42 supporting this, a rod supporting frame 43, and an air bag 49 for fixing. The air bag 49 is housed in the notch of the support frame 43, and the air pump 46 (installed at the foot of the worker)
The air supplied from the air hose 45 expands to fix the rod 52 and the grounding unit 40. In this way, the relative movement / rotation of the support frame 43 and the rod 52 is restricted. When the rod and the grounding unit are moved relative to each other (rotation around the shaft, sliding in the axial direction), the air bag 49 is operated by the valve 44.
Reduce the air pressure inside. Reference numeral 48 in FIG. 2 denotes an electromagnet wire or a vacuuming hose.

Next, the joint part 60 is provided at the tip of the rod 52, and the details are described in the third section.
Shown in FIGS. FIG. 3 is a side view and FIG. 4 is a plan view. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the stored state including the rod portion, and the scale is smaller than that in FIGS. 3 and 4. This joint part 60 includes three joint parts θ ₁ part, θ ₂ part, and θ ₃ part that rotate around three axes orthogonal to each other, and a bending joint 61, a spiral tube 62 and an L-shaped metal fitting 63 that connect these parts. Have.

theta ₁ parts drive motor M _1, the worm gear W _1, is composed of the worm wheel H _1, the central axis of the worm wheel H ₁ is eccentric or the radius of Supuiraru tube 62 relative to rod. The rotation axis of the θ ₁ section is orthogonal to the rod 51.

The relay support part between the θ ₁ part and the θ ₂ part is composed of a curved joint 61 and a spiral tube 62 (a commercial product having two degrees of freedom) which is an assembly of micro joint structures. The bending joint 61 is U-shaped, the open end is concentric with the worm wheel H ₁ and is rotatably attached to the tip of the rod 51, and the other end is initially set to be coaxial with the rod 51.

The axis of rotation of the θ ₂ section coincides with the center of the spiral tube 62 in the axial direction, and passes through the center of gravity G of the television camera 71 as an inspection sensor. (If the θ ₃ part is manufactured to be lightweight, the center of gravity position G of the television camera substantially coincides with the position of the center of gravity of the television camera and the θ ₃ part.) The θ ₂ part and the θ ₃ part are L-shaped metal fittings 63. Are connected together. The rotation axis of the θ ₃ section is set so as to pass through the center of gravity G orthogonal to the rotation axes of the θ ₂ section and the θ ₁ section.

The θ ₂ part and the θ ₃ part respectively include drive motors M ₂ and M ₃ and a speed reduction / drive transmission mechanism.

Next, FIG. 6 (a) shows how to use the above device.
This will be described with reference to (b) and (c).

The worker stands on the scaffold 38 and inspects the inside (S part) of the complex structure which is located away from the scaffold 38 and is composed of the members 32, 33, 34, 35, 36. (The operator is in a blind state.) First, the operator pulls out the rods 51 and 52 from the stored state and fixes them to a desired length with a collet joint 53. After this, the motor M _{1 of the} joint is rotated to rotate it to a roughly set angle. (Although substantially commensurate angle to the target portion, if not known after grounding unit fixed or may be set while viewing the image on the monitor receiver. This theta _2, theta ₃ as well) after the theta ₂ joint , Θ ₃ joints are also roughly set. Spiral tube
Bend 62 by hand if necessary. (For very complicated inspection target) When these preparations are completed, the operator holds the root of the rod 51 while the airbag 46 is inflated (fixing the rod 52 and the grounding unit 40), and the inspection target Then, the grounding unit 40 is brought to a proper position on the structure to be in contact therewith, and then the suction unit 41 is turned on. This reduces the weight burden on the operator, so that the base of the rod portion is lightly supported with one hand, and the buttons of the operation panel 89 are operated with the remaining one hand, while viewing the image on the monitor receiver 81, θ ₁ , θ ₂ , θ ₃ Finely adjust and drive the motor of each joint to check the desired location. After this, if necessary, record the inspection results in the VTR82.

When the inspection location is changed drastically and at the end of the inspection, the suction unit 41 is turned off and the grounding unit 40 is detached from the inspection object, and a predetermined operation is performed.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the overall structure, FIG. 8 is a side view showing the stored state, and FIG. 9 is a plan view thereof.

In the present embodiment, the rod portion has three rods 50, 51, 52. A pin joint joint 64 is used instead of the spiral tube 62 of the first embodiment.

Further, in this embodiment, the television camera 71 is provided with the light 72.

Further, as shown in the side view of FIG. 10 and the front view of FIG. 11, the grounding unit 40 'of the present embodiment includes an electromagnet 41' serving as an attracting part, a plastic rod supporting part 43a 'and an aluminum part. A bracket 43 'consisting of a foot 43b' made of steel is fixedly attached, and the rod 52 is inserted into the rod supporting portion 43 'and is supported by a push pawl 43c' with a built-in spring. When f _{1 is} the sliding force due to the weight of the electromagnet, f _{2 is} the frictional force due to the pressing force of the spring, and f ₃ is the attraction force of the electromagnet, that is, the operating force of the rod part, f ₁ <f ₂ <f ₃ Have a relationship. Accordingly, 'if it is not already adsorbed grounding unit 40 by the force f _2' electromagnet 41 is locked to the rod 51, when the operator presses during adsorption, will move with little resistance. Thus, also in this embodiment, the rod support portion
The relative movement / rotation of 43a ′ and the rod 52 is restricted.

FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are a side view and a front sectional view of a grounding unit portion according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The operating principle of this embodiment is as follows.

Lock the electromagnet Mg on the rod 52 and bring it to a predetermined part. The operation wire rope R is pulled by the weight of the electromagnet Mg, and the members A and B are rotated and fixed so as to be closed.

When the electromagnet Mg is attracted to the attraction target and the operator no longer has the weight of the rod portion (the weight of the rod portion is applied to the members A and B),
The holding portion E slides and moves with respect to the electromagnet Mg and pulls and locks the wire rope R.

When the rod is moved with respect to the grounding unit, if the rod is lifted a little, the members A and B will return to the neutral state due to the drag force of the springs C and D, and the sliding and rotation will be free.

〔The invention's effect〕

 According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Since it is fixed to the object and slidable / rotatable with the rod or lockable, a large load burden (vertical load, moment load) for the operator to hold and operate the long inspection device At the same time, the shaking of the visual part at the tip and the vibration from the outside can be greatly reduced, and a clear image can be obtained.

(It is possible to inspect relatively remote points, which was difficult with conventional manual support and operation.) (2) The axes of the three joints are arranged orthogonally, and the degree of freedom of the grounding unit (grounding) By selecting the mounting position of the unit, 2 degrees of freedom + 4 degrees of relative freedom between the grounding unit and the rod), you can remotely set any inspection posture and position for any complicated object.

(3) Since the first joint shaft is eccentric and the rod portion has a retractable / foldable structure, the entire manipulator can be compactly stored and easily carried to an inspection point.

(4) By making the center of gravity positions of the second and third joint shafts substantially coincident with each other, the load of the joint shafts on the rotary drive motor can be significantly reduced, and the overall size and weight of the device can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 13 are views showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 14 to 16 are views showing conventional inspection work situations. 40,40 ′ …… Grounding unit; 41,41 ′ …… Suction part; 42 …… Universal joint; 43,43 ′ …… Sand support part; 49 …… Airbag; 50,5
1,52 …… Span; 53 …… Collet joint; 60 …… Joint part; 61 ……
Bent joint; 62 …… Spiral tube; 63 …… L-shaped fitting; 64
...... Pin joint joint; 71 ...... TV camera; 72 ...... light; 80 ...... control device; 89 …… operation panel; M ₁ , M ₂ , M ₃ …… drive motor; Mg …… electromagnet; R… … Wire rope.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Koichi Wada 4-6-22 Kannon Shinmachi, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. Hiroshima Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Yukio Manabe 4-chome, Kannon Shinmachi, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture No. 6-22 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Hiroshima Research Institute (72) Inventor Shigeo Inoue 4-6-22 Kannon Shinmachi, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima Prefecture Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. Hiroshima Research Institute (72) Inventor Takasumi Ushihara Nishi-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima Prefecture 4-6-22 Kannon Shinmachi Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. Hiroshima Works (56) Reference JP-A-59-134187 (JP, A) JP-A-55-59331 (JP, A)

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claims: 1. An expandable telescopic rod portion, a support frame having the rod portion inserted therein, and a regulation means for regulating movement and rotation of the rod portion, and an object to be inspected attached to the support frame. A suction part that can be sucked and released, and a joint part that has a base end part attached to the tip part of the rod part and that is rotatable around three mutually orthogonal axes, and a tip part of the joint part. An inspection device for a structure, comprising: an attached inspection sensor. 2. The regulating means is a spring which gives a frictional force larger than the sliding force due to the weight of the support frame and the suction portion and smaller than the suction force of the suction portion. Inspecting device for a structure according to claim 1.