JPH0724751A - Inspection work robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a robot which can be used in a wide range from 'on the earth' upto 'in the air' without the contact and collision with an inspection objective and obstacle and the drop onto them by providing with a controller for controlling an inspection device, a running device, a flying device and a protection device and carrying out the communication to outside and the remote control. CONSTITUTION:An inspection work robot can prevent the contact and collision with an inspection objective and an obstacle due to providing with a protection device 14 and also the drop to the inspection objective by the access from downward or a side surface to the inspection objective due to having the inspection device 10 on the upper part of a robot main body 11. The inspection work can be carried out by moving across a wide range on the earth and on a floor surface or in the air due to providing with a running device 12 and a flying device 13. The robot can approach to the inspection objective easily even in an emergency due to provision of an operation device 17 for carrying out the remote control of each device provided on the robot main body 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Object of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an inspection work robot for inspecting equipment in a substation, a transmission line facility, and a nuclear power plant.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, patrol inspections at substations have been performed manually, so floor-based robots and monorail robots have been introduced due to the danger of high places and high-voltage current and the need for power saving. Is being considered.

 In addition, since there are many places in the transmission line equipment that are difficult to access from the ground or at high places, it is difficult to inspect them. However, since many personnel such as mechanics and expensive aircraft are required, there is a movement to act on behalf of radio control helicopters.

 Furthermore, at a nuclear power plant, a normal inspection / repair work robot is being developed, but since high accessibility is required, a type that walks or runs on the floor is being considered. . However, no robot has been developed for inspections and repairs, which cannot cope with abnormalities in the entire building or in high places, and which is difficult to access from the ground, and is designed for emergency situations.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) In a substation, it is necessary to inspect the floor surface and heights of several tens of meters, so there are two types of robots, floor-running type and monorail type robots for high places. The introduction of is being considered. However, if two types of robots are introduced and each is operated, the labor saving and cost reduction, which are the merits of introducing robots, will diminish.

 In addition, for inspection of power transmission lines, etc., it is possible to introduce a monorail system because it is difficult to access by floor running, but it is not realistic in terms of cost to lay a track along the line of the power transmission line. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a radio control helicopter (hereinafter referred to as RC helicopter) 1 with an inspection function 2 is considered.

 However, since this RC helicopter 1 is also inspected from the contact of the rotor (rotary blade) 3 and the machine body 4 with the object to be inspected or from above, there is concern that the RC helicopter may be damaged by falling and the ground part of the tower 5 Since it is difficult to apply it to other inspection targets (inspection of the building, etc.), it is an expensive system for operation.

 On the other hand, at the nuclear power plant, no robot has been developed that can cope with the situation where it is difficult to monitor the entire site and secure an access route from the ground in an emergency.

 Therefore, it is highly desirable to realize an inspection work robot that can be inspected and moved from the ground and air, and that does not come into contact with inspection objects or obstacles or drop and cause damage when moving on the ground or in the air. ing.

 The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and can be operated in a wide range from the ground to the air without coming into contact with or colliding with an object to be inspected or an obstacle or dropping onto them. , It is an object of the present invention to provide an inspection work robot that can access an inspection object even in an emergency and can further save energy and reduce costs.

[Structure of Invention]

 (Means for Solving the Problem) An inspection work robot according to the present invention comprises a robot main body having an inspection device for inspecting an inspection object at an upper part, a traveling device for moving the robot main body on the ground, and the robot main body. A flying device that flies in the air, a protective device that prevents the robot body from contacting or colliding with an object to be inspected or an obstacle, and a control device that controls these inspection device, traveling device, flight device, and protective device. And a communication device for communicating with the control device and the outside, and also with an operation device for remotely controlling each device provided in the robot body by communicating with the communication device. Is.

(Operation) Since the present invention is provided with the protection device, it is possible to prevent contact and collision with the inspection object or the obstacle, and since the inspection device is provided on the upper part of the robot main body, the inspection device is located below or on the side surface. It is possible to prevent it from falling on the inspection object by accessing it.

 Also, since it is equipped with a traveling device and a flight device, it is possible to perform inspection work by moving over a wide range on the ground, floor surface, or in the air. Since the robot is provided with an operating device that remotely controls each device, the inspection target can be easily accessed by performing a remote operation from the operating device even in an emergency.

 In addition, the inspection target can be automatically inspected by an instruction from the operating device, which saves labor, and can move in a wide range from the ground to the air. It is possible to reduce costs without having to prepare a robot.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the inspection work robot according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

 The inspection robot includes an inspection device 10 for inspecting inspection objects such as the insulator 6 of the steel tower 5, the power transmission line 7, the guide line 8, the pump section 9a and the motor section 9b of the substation, and The traveling device 12 for moving the robot body 11 on the ground, the flight device 13 for flying the robot body 11 in the air, and the robot body 11 are prevented from coming into contact with or colliding with an object to be inspected or an obstacle. The protection device 14 and the control device 15 for controlling the inspection device 10, the traveling device 12, the flight device 13 and the protection device 14 and the communication device 16 for communicating with the control device 15 and the outside are provided. An operating device 17 for remotely operating each of the devices 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 provided in the robot body 11 by communicating with the communication device 16 is provided. It is.

 The inspection device 10 is mounted on a platform 20 mounted on the upper part of the robot body 11 via a vibration isolation mechanism 19, an illumination 21, a microphone 22, an ITV camera 23, and an infrared camera for detecting the position and state of the inspection object. 24 are provided, which are housed in a transparent dome 25.

 In addition, the inspection device 10 is provided with a manipulator 28 that is rotatably attached to the robot main body 11 around the central axis of the robot main body 11 via a counter force canceling mount 27. The manipulator 28 has a tip end portion. Further, a hand 29 for inspecting and repairing the inspection object, a stabilizer 30 for adsorbing the inspection object and the vicinity thereof and an arm portion 31 are provided. The arm portion 31 is provided at a position where it does not hinder the work of the hand 29, and the stabilizer 32 is provided with a vibration detector (not shown) capable of detecting vibration by contacting the inspection object. Note that the stabilizer 30 and the arm portion 31 do not necessarily have to be provided.

 The traveling device 12 includes a traveling drive unit 33 as a drive source, drive wheels 34 that transmit the drive force transmitted from the traveling drive unit 33 to the ground or floor to move the robot body 11, and the drive wheels 34. Steering section 35 for controlling the traveling direction by changing the direction of the vehicle, auxiliary wheels 36 for maintaining stability during traveling, and lifting and lowering these drive wheels 34, steering section 35 and auxiliary wheels 36 downward. And a device 37. The auxiliary wheels 36 are provided around the robot body 11 at angles of 120 degrees around the axis of the robot body 11, respectively, and casters 39 are provided at the lower ends of the protective frames 38 extending radially in three directions. Connected. Since each auxiliary wheel 36 is attached to the protective frame 38 via the caster 39, the direction of the auxiliary wheel 36 can be freely changed without steering.

 The flight device 13 is provided with an automatic flight control unit 41 that controls the flight of the robot body 11 and a flight mechanism 42 that generates propulsive force under the control of the automatic flight control unit 41. The automatic flight control unit 41 includes a gyro 43 for automatically adjusting a shake, a direction, a tilt, etc., and a compact 44 having a function of detecting a direction and a function of detecting a direction from a specific origin. A sideslip angle sensor 45 that detects a position change angle due to wind during flight, an angle of attack sensor 46 that detects the attitude of the robot body 11 in flight, and a speed sensor 47 that detects the flight speed of the robot body 11. Information is obtained from the radio altimeter 48 for detecting the flight altitude of the robot body 11.

 The flying mechanism 42 includes a main rotor 50 rotatably provided on the robot body 11 about its axis, and a lift, an attitude, and a flight direction by changing the pitch, thrust direction, and angle of the main rotor 50. In order to control the variable pitch mechanism 51, the vertical wing (with a ladder) 52 for controlling the flight direction and stabilizing the flight, controlling the rotation around the axis of the robot body 11, and ensuring the flight stability. Tail rotor 53.

 The flight mechanism 42 is of a fuel type or a battery type, and is capable of supplying fuel and electric power at a supply vehicle installed near a vehicle to be inspected, which will be described later. Further, even if the driving of the flying mechanism 42 is stopped due to a malfunction, the main rotor 50 is naturally rotated by the wind force due to the gravity fall, so that the landing can be performed safely. When the manipulator 28 is not used, the manipulator 28 can be stored in a storage portion provided in the holding portion of the vertical blade 52 in order to reduce the resistance during flight. .

 The protective device 14 includes a holding arm 38a extending from the robot body 11 at right angles to the central axis and at an angle of 120 degrees around the central axis and extending radially in three directions, and the front ends of the holding arms 38a. Protective frame 38, which has a ring-shaped protective ring 38b that is fixed to, a bumper 55 that is provided along the outer circumference of the protective ring 38b and that detects contact with inspection objects and obstacles, and the vertical direction of the protective ring 38b. Proximity sensor 56 that detects that an object to be inspected or an obstacle is approaching in the vicinity of the direction such as or in the circumferential direction, and by detecting changes in electromagnetic force due to high-voltage current in the air, transmission lines, transformers, etc. And a high voltage current detector 57 for detecting the position and distance of the.

 The proximity sensor 56, the bumper 55, and the high-voltage current detector 57 send information to the traveling drive unit 33 via the control unit 59 serving as the control unit 15 to prevent contact or collision with inspection objects or obstacles. At the same time, when they come into contact with each other, they are moved so as to keep a certain distance, and information is directly sent from the bumper 55 and the proximity sensor 56 to the automatic flight control unit 41, while the high voltage current detector 57 is sent via the control unit 59. It is configured to send information to the automatic flight control unit 41 to prevent contact and collision with inspection objects and obstacles, and to fly at a fixed distance when contact occurs. The protection frame 38 is sufficiently aerodynamically designed so that the flow of the air flow by the main rotor 50 is not obstructed.

 The control unit 59 as the control device 15 obtains information from the gyro 43, the compass 44, the proximity sensor 56, the bumper 55, and the high-voltage current detector 57, the reaction force canceling mount 27, the manipulator 28, the traveling drive unit 33. The pan head 20, the lighting 21, the microphone 22, the ITV camera 23, the infrared camera 24, and the automatic flight control unit 41 are controlled.

 The communication device 16 transmits and receives signals to and from the operating device 17 and an antenna 61, and transmits signals between the antenna 61 and the control unit 59, as well as the microphone 22, the ITV camera 23, and the infrared camera. The signal transmission unit 63 is provided outside the dome 25 and the dome 25 to transmit a signal from the IT V camera 62 to the antenna 61.

 The operation device 17 is provided, for example, in the operation room 66 of the transfer vehicle 65. The transfer vehicle 65 transfers, operates and commands the robot body 11 and protects the operator from the external radiation dose and the environment of dangerous substances in an emergency. The departure / arrival platform 67, the signal transmitting station 68 that transmits a guidance signal when the robot body 11 lands, the ground antenna 69 that transmits a control signal to the robot body 11 and receives an information signal, and the robot body 11 A slope 70 for descending from the transfer vehicle 65 to the ground, a cover 71 for covering the robot main body 11 during transfer, and the like are provided.

 An operating section 73 having operating tools such as switches and levers that are actually operated by an operator in the operating room 66, and operating signals from the operating section 73 are used to control the respective devices 10 to 15 of the robot body 11. A control device 74 for converting the control signal, a signal transmitter 75 for transmitting the control signal to the antenna 61 via the ground antenna 69, and information from the respective devices 10 to 15 of the robot body 11 are displayed on a CRT screen or the like. And a display unit 76 for operating.

 Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

 When an operator operates the operation unit 73 in the operation room 66, in some operations, a command passes through the signal transmitter 75, the ground antenna 69, the antenna 61, and the signal transmission unit 63 via the control device 74. It is transmitted to the control unit 59 and the automatic flight control unit 41 to operate each of the devices 10 to 15.

 On the other hand, the operating status and inspection information of each of the devices 10 to 15 are transmitted from the signal transmission unit 63 and the antenna 61 to the ground antenna 69 and the signal transmitter 75, which are displayed on the display screen of the display unit 76, contrary to the operation command. To be done. In addition, operating states from the control unit 59 and the automatic flight control unit 41 are similarly transmitted from the antenna 61 to the ground antenna 69 and input to the control device 74.

 The control unit 59, which has received a command from the operation unit 73, controls each of the devices 10 to 15 based on this command and a control condition given in advance. The control contents of the respective devices 10 to 15 are as follows: offset control of the reaction force canceling mount 27, control of the manipulator 28, control of the traveling drive unit 33, control of the platform 20, ON / OFF of the lighting 21, turning of the microphone 22. These are ON / OFF, control of the ITV camera 23, control of the infrared camera 24, and control of the automatic flight control unit 41. On the other hand, at the time of control, the position / angle information of the manipulator 28, the traveling drive unit 33, the control information of the proximity sensor 56, the bumper 55, the high voltage current detector 57, the gyro 43, the compass 44, and the automatic flight control unit 41 are transmitted. get information.

 The automatic flight control unit 41 commands or controls gyro 43, compass 44, flight mechanism 42, side slip angle sensor 45, angle of attack sensor 46, speed sensor 47, radio altimeter 48, proximity sensor 56, bumper. Based on information from 55.

 There are three possible ways of using this inspection work robot: flight inspection, running inspection, and emergency response (including a combination of flight inspection and running inspection).

Flight inspection The robot body 11 is housed on a platform 67 of the transfer vehicle 65 with the drive wheels 34 and auxiliary wheels 36 lowered by the lifting device 37 as shown in FIG. Then, after moving to a place near the inspection object where the inspection work can be easily monitored by the transfer vehicle 65, the cover 71 is unfolded as shown in FIG. 4, and a fixing device (not shown) for fixing the robot body 11 is shown. No.) and perform the inspection work according to the following procedure in response to a command from the operation room 66.

 First, the current position, the position of the inspection object, and the weather condition (wind force, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity) are input to the control device 74 from the operation unit 73. Based on this information, the position of the robot body 11, the thrust force of the flying mechanism 42, and the direction control support can be performed in accordance with the situation of the day.

 Next, the automatic flight control unit 41 controls the flight mechanism 42 based on the command to take off the robot main body 11 from the landing table 67. After taking off, the fact that the altitude has reached a certain level is detected by the radio altimeter 48, and the drive wheels 34 and the auxiliary wheels 36 are raised by the elevating device 37 and stored in the robot body 11. When the proximity sensor 56 detects that the object to be inspected flies through the shortest course or the obstacle avoidance course, approaches the obstacle from the side or downward, and reaches a predetermined safety distance. , Start hovering.

 Then, the manipulator 28 is controlled so that the stabilizer 30 provided at the tip of the arm portion 31 is brought into contact with and adsorbed to the inspection object or its vicinity, and the reaction canceling stand 27 is used to connect the robot body 11 and the inspection object. While canceling the reaction force due to hovering, stabilize the three-dimensional position and start inspection work. However, the stabilizer 30 does not necessarily have to be used.

 FIG. 5 shows a state in which the insulator 6 and the power transmission line 7 of the steel tower 5 are inspected. The inspection is performed by adjusting the platform 20 according to the object to be inspected, and using information such as sound from the microphone 22, images from the ITV camera 23, temperature and images from the infrared camera 24.

 After the inspection, the position of the transport vehicle 65 is recognized and returned by the flight course stored in the automatic flight control section 41, the compass 11, and the radio waves from the signal transmitting station 68. At the time of landing, the radio altimeter 48 detects that the altitude is below a certain altitude, and the automatic flight control unit 41 drives the lifting device 37 to lower the drive wheels 34 and the auxiliary wheels 36. If there is an unexpected obstacle in the flight course, it is recognized by the ITV camera 62 or the proximity sensor 56 and switched to the avoidance flight course (set in advance under certain conditions).

 Further, when a contact or a collision is detected on the bumper 55, the automatic flight control unit 41 automatically performs a flight away from the detected side by a certain distance. Further, in the flight in the vicinity of the inspection object, not only the proximity sensor 56 keeps a constant distance, but also the proximity direction and height are set in advance depending on the shape of the inspection object. As shown in FIG. 5, the access direction in this case is that the object to be inspected is flying or approaching from below or to the side, so there is no risk of damaging the object to be inspected due to an abnormal fall or the like.

 On the other hand, in the conventional inspection using a helicopter or RC helicopter 1, since the inspection function 2 is installed below the machine body 4, the inspection target 2 approaches the inspection object from above, and the inspection by the RC helicopter 1 is dropped. The object may be damaged.

Running Inspection In the running inspection, the robot main body 11 goes down from the transfer vehicle 65 shown in FIG. 4 through the slope 70 to the ground and travels on the ground to access the inspection object.

It is also possible to fly partially if obstacles are present during travel to the inspection object and jumping is required. When flying partially, the drive wheels 34 and the auxiliary wheels 36 are left down.

 During traveling, the control unit 59 controls the traveling drive unit 33 to travel. The traveling direction is controlled by changing the direction of the drive wheels 34 by the steering unit 35 controlled by the traveling drive unit 33. Since the auxiliary wheel 36 is attached to the lifting device 37 via the caster 39, the direction of the auxiliary wheel 36 is automatically changed and no steering is necessary. Further, the obstacles on the access route are confirmed and evaded by the proximity sensor 56, the bumper 55 and the ITV camera 62, as in the case of the flight.

 FIG. 6 shows a state in which the robot body 11 has entered a building such as a substation and is inspecting inspection objects such as the pump section 9a and the motor section 9b. In this case, when the bumper 55 of the protective frame 38 contacts or collides with the inspection object or its vicinity, the traveling drive unit 33 separates it to the side opposite to the detection direction and secures a certain distance. For signal transmission inside the building, an existing LCX cable may be used, or a signal transmitter installed may be temporarily placed and the cable may be drawn to the inside of the building. The stabilizer 30 is provided with a vibration detector, and the vibration can be detected by contacting the inspection object.

Emergency response In the case of an emergency response of a nuclear power plant or chemical plant, the transfer vehicle 65 is moved to a safe position near the object to be inspected and where there is no risk of explosion or exposure, and the cover 71 is deployed to allow the robot body 11 to move. The movements of the two approaches by combining flight and running depending on the conditions and information of the access route. For example, in places where access from the ground is difficult, after entering the building by flight, you can travel and perform inspection work, and after the inspection is completed, you can fly back and return. Flight and travel will be performed in the same way as in the above flight and travel inspections.

 After returning, the robot body 11 can be moved to the decontamination work site for decontamination while being mounted on the transfer vehicle 65.

 As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to approach the inspection target from below or to the side and perform the inspection / repair work while maintaining a safe distance. Less likely to cause damage. In addition, because it is free to fly and run, there are no restrictions on access routes, and it is possible to easily perform wide-area inspections over the entire site and inspections of dangerous areas such as high places and walls.

 Furthermore, even if it is difficult to access from the ground in an emergency, it can be accessed from the air by remote control from the operation room 66, and if necessary, enter the building and switch to running on the floor to inspect. Can be inspected and returned. In addition, a single robot body 11 can perform a wide range of inspection and repair work from inspection objects installed on the floor of the substation to inspection objects installed on the upper part of the tower 5. Labor saving and cost reduction can be achieved.

 7 (A) and 7 (B) show another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 (A) is a double reversing rotor type flight system, and FIG. 7 (B) is a twin rotor type flight mechanism 42A, 42B. Indicates.

 Since the double reversing rotor type flying mechanism 42A does not recoil due to the rotation of the main rotor 50A, it is not necessary to provide the tail rotor 53 as in the above embodiment. Further, the stabilizer 30A is independently attached to the robot body 11A via the arm portion 31A.

 On the other hand, the robot body 11B equipped with the twin rotor type flight mechanism 42B is of an airplane type, and the flight mechanism 42B is a type capable of controlling the thrust direction. The flying mechanism is not limited to the double reversing rotor type 42A and the twin rotor type 42B, and may be of any type as long as it has the ability to raise the robot body 11 by several tens of meters.

 Further, contact / non-contact protection may be provided on the inspection target side to detect this and avoid a collision, and the manipulator 28 may be double-armed.

 In addition, the robot body 11 has a built-in function to allow lifting and transportation of materials, and when landing and entering the building, switch the signal transmission method or use the repeater that you carried yourself. It may be installed. The traveling device 12 may be a leg or an arm 80 with a suction plate instead of the wheels such as the drive wheel 34 and the auxiliary wheel 36 (see FIG. 7 (B)).

〔The invention's effect〕

 According to the present invention, a robot main body having an inspection device for inspecting an object to be inspected, a traveling device for moving the robot main body on the ground, a flight device for flying the robot main body in the air, and the robot main body are inspected. Protective devices that prevent contact and collision with objects and obstacles, control devices that control these inspection devices, traveling devices, flight devices and protective devices, and communication devices that communicate with these external devices In addition to the above, as well as an operating device for performing remote control of each device provided in the robot body by communicating with the communication device, there is no contact, drop or collision with an inspection target or an obstacle. It can be operated over a wide range from the ground to the air, and it is possible to access the inspection object by remote control even in an emergency. Since it is possible to operate in the range it is possible to reduce the labor-saving, cost reduction.

[Brief description of drawings]

 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the inspection work robot according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external view showing the above embodiment, FIG. 3 is a side view showing the above embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a transfer vehicle in the above embodiment, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which an inspection target object provided in an upper portion of a steel tower is inspected in the above embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an inspection provided in a building. FIG. 7 (A) and FIG. 7 (B) are external views showing another embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the object is being inspected. 10 ... Inspection device, 11 ... Robot main body, 12 ... Traveling device, 13 ... Flight device, 14 ... Protective device, 15 ... Control device, 16 ... Communication device, 17 ... Operation device.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location B64C 27/20 8211-3D H02G 1/02 S 7161-5G

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A robot main body having an inspection device for inspecting an object to be inspected at the top, a traveling device for moving the robot main body on the ground, a flight device for flying the robot main body in the air, and the robot main body. Protective devices that prevent contact and collision with inspection objects and obstacles, control devices that control these inspection devices, traveling devices, flight devices, and protective devices, and communication between these control devices and the outside An inspection robot equipped with a communication device and an operating device for remotely operating each device provided in the robot body by communicating with the communication device.