KR102740015B1 - Pressing module and pipe joining robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The pressurizing module of the present invention is a pressurizing module for pressurizing a fiber-reinforced mat for joining pipes, comprising: a plurality of driving wheels mounted on the lower sides of a support frame; a first pressurizing roller having a plurality of grooves formed in a longitudinal direction on an outer surface and a plurality of small rollers arranged in rows and columns; and a second pressurizing roller having a plurality of grooves formed in a circumferential direction on an outer surface and a plurality of small rollers arranged in rows and columns.

Description

{PRESSING MODULE AND PIPE JOINING ROBOT}

The present invention relates to a pressurizing module and a pipe joining robot including the same.

Pipes provide a closed passage for the movement of fluids or powders. These pipes are sometimes buried underground and are installed in various places in plants, factories, buildings and facilities for the production of liquid and powder products.

In particular, pipes made of fiber-reinforced plastic composites are widely used to construct chemical storage tanks, piping systems, devices, and other types of industrial process equipment, and are used for chemical resistance and corrosion resistance. Fiber-reinforced pipes have the advantages of being easier to maintain and having a longer product life than metal pipes, and products made of glass fibers in various combinations with thermosetting resins are distributed in various ways on the market.

When joining these fiber-reinforced pipes, a lot of manpower is required, and as the length of the pipe installation increases, there is a risk of suffocation and gas poisoning. In addition, when the diameter of the pipe is large, there are various problems such as excessive loads on the inside of the pipe due to the installation of the workbench, increased incidental costs, and the burden of work on safety managers.

Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0046240 filed by the present applicant discloses a pressurizing module and a pipe joining robot including the same.

According to the prior art, there were problems such as the pressure roller being formed as a single body, which could not respond to the steps of the pipe and could not induce impregnation of the mat.

Publication of Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0046240

The present invention aims to provide a pressurizing module capable of uniformly pressurizing a fiber-reinforced mat adhered to a pipe by improving a pressurizing module having a pair of pressurizing rollers in the form of a conventional single roller, and combining a spring and a variable pneumatic cylinder with a plurality of small rollers having a circumferential groove portion and a longitudinal groove portion, and a pipe joining robot including the same.

In order to achieve the above object, the pressurizing module of the present invention is a pressurizing module for pressing a fiber-reinforced mat for joining pipes, comprising: a plurality of driving wheels mounted on the lower sides of a support frame; a first pressurizing roller having a plurality of grooves formed in a longitudinal direction on an outer surface and a plurality of small rollers arranged in rows and columns; and a second pressurizing roller having a plurality of grooves formed in a circumferential direction on an outer surface and a plurality of small rollers arranged in rows and columns.

The above first pressure roller can be elastically supported with respect to the first support plate by having a pair of first springs mounted on both ends of each of the plurality of small rollers.

The above first support plate can be raised and lowered by a pair of first pneumatic cylinders connected to the support frame at both ends.

The above second pressure roller can be elastically supported with respect to the second support plate by having a pair of second springs mounted on both ends of each of the plurality of small rollers.

The above second support plate can be raised and lowered by a pair of second pneumatic cylinders connected to the support frame at both ends.

The first pressure roller and the second pressure roller may have Teflon coating on their surfaces.

The above support frame may further include a heater that is installed to generate high-temperature air, and a heater hood that is connected to the heater through a duct to blow high-temperature air into the inside of the pipe.

The pipe joining robot of the present invention includes the pressurizing module described above.

According to the pressurizing module of the present invention and the pipe joining robot including the same, the pressurizing module having a pair of pressurizing rollers in the form of a conventional single roller is improved, and a plurality of small rollers having circumferential grooves and longitudinal grooves are configured by combining springs and variable pneumatic cylinders, thereby enabling uniform pressurization of a fiber-reinforced mat adhered to a pipe.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pipe joining robot according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a state in which a pipe joining robot according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed inside a pipe.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a center frame according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a pressurizing module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a bottom view showing the pressurization module of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the first pressure roller.
Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a second pressure roller.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a putty application module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a downward perspective view showing the putty application module of Figure 8.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a mat adhesive module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a mat adhesive module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a mat adhesive module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention can be modified in various ways and has various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "comprise" or "have" and the like are intended to specify that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification is present, but do not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. At this time, it should be noted that the same components in the attached drawings are indicated by the same symbols as much as possible. In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted. For the same reason, some components in the attached drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pipe joining robot according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a state where a pipe joining robot according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed inside a pipe, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a center frame according to one embodiment of the present invention.

A pipe joining robot (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a center frame (100), a plurality of multi-stage cylinders (200), a mat adhesion module (400), a putty application module (500), and a pressurization module (600).

The center frame (100) is made of a long bar and is placed in the center of the pipe joining robot (1000). A sensor unit (120) is installed in the center frame (100). The sensor unit (120) may be equipped with a sensor that measures the inner diameter of a pipe using a laser and a camera for process monitoring.

Additionally, a plurality of tubing connecting members (150) for the introduction of air, resin, fluid, etc. may be installed in the center frame (100). A distance measuring sensor (140) for measuring the moving distance may be installed on one side of the center frame.

In addition, a rotary unit (130) that rotates the center frame (100) is installed in the center frame to prevent cable tangling. The rotary unit (130) rotates to prevent cable tangling when the pipe joining robot (1000) rotates. An inertial measurement sensor that measures the degree of rotation of the pipe joining robot (1000) is installed in the center frame (100), and based on information measured by the inertial measurement sensor, the rotary unit (130) rotates through a motor and a planetary gear reducer installed inside the rotary unit to prevent cable tangling.

A plurality of multi-stage cylinders (200) supporting the driving modules are connected and installed in the center frame (100). One driving module is supported by two multi-stage cylinders (200), and six multi-stage cylinders (200) can be connected and installed in the center frame (100). The multi-stage cylinder (200) is configured as a structure that can be expanded by hydraulic pressure and can be expanded in three stages. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the multi-stage cylinder can be expanded in two or four stages.

The multi-stage cylinder (200) supporting the mat adhesive module (400) and the multi-stage cylinder (200) supporting the putty application module (500) can be arranged at an angle of 120 degrees. In addition, the multi-stage cylinder (200) supporting the pressurizing module (600) can be arranged at an angle of 120 degrees with respect to the multi-stage cylinder (200) supporting the mat adhesive module (400) and the putty application module (500). The length of the multi-stage cylinder (200) can be increased or decreased by hydraulic pressure.

A sub-control module (310) that controls the expansion and contraction of a multi-stage cylinder (200) is installed in the center frame (100). The sub-control module (310) not only controls the movement of the working fluid supplied to the multi-stage cylinder (200), but can also measure the length of the multi-stage cylinder (200) using a wire sensor.

When the pipe joining robot (1000) is inserted into the pipe (10), the multi-stage cylinder (200) expands to match the diameter measured by the sensor. At this time, each multi-stage cylinder (200) expands at the same speed and length, and the multi-stage cylinder (200) can expand to an appropriate length through the pressure measured by the pressure sensor.

The pipe (10) is made of fiber-reinforced plastic, and the pipe joining robot (1000) of the present invention is inserted inside to join two pipes (10) to each other.

The mat bonding module (400) can bond a fiber reinforced mat (20) to the inner surface of the connecting portion of two pipes (10) by laminating it approximately three times.

The putty application module (500) can fill the grooves in the connecting portions of two pipes (10) by applying putty.

The pressurizing module (600) can press the attached fiber-reinforced mat (20) to strengthen its adhesion to the pipe (10).

The configuration of the pressurizing module (600) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

The pressurizing module (600) of the present invention includes a plurality of driving wheels (710) mounted on the lower sides of a support frame (610), a first pressurizing roller (730) having a plurality of grooves formed in a longitudinal direction on an outer surface and a plurality of small rollers arranged in rows and columns, and a second pressurizing roller (740) having a plurality of grooves formed in a circumferential direction on an outer surface and a plurality of small rollers arranged in rows and columns.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pressurizing module (600) has a support frame (610) to which a pair of multi-stage cylinders (200) are connected. A pair of drive wheels (710) are mounted on the lower sides of both sides of the support frame (610) so as to perform rolling motion within the inner surface of the pipe (10). A driving motor and a steering motor can be connected to each drive wheel (710). Accordingly, the pipe joining robot (1000) can move in the circumferential direction, longitudinal direction, and spiral direction of the pipe by the steering motor.

A pair of guide wheels (720) may be mounted on both sides of each driving wheel (710) in the support frame (610). The two pairs of guide wheels (720) may have a plurality of auxiliary wheels installed on the outer surface thereof that rotate in a direction intersecting with the guide wheels (720). Accordingly, the guide wheels (720) can stably support the pipe joining robot (1000) moving in various directions.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the first pressure roller (730) may be composed of a plurality of small rollers rather than a single roller. Specifically, the first pressure roller (730) may be composed of two relatively long small rollers and one relatively short small roller forming one row, and such small rollers may be arranged in three rows in an alternating manner.

The first pressure roller (730) may have a plurality of grooves formed in the longitudinal direction on the outer surface. The first pressure roller (730) may have a plurality of small rollers arranged in a plurality of rows and columns and have longitudinal grooves formed on the outer surface, thereby uniformly pressurizing the fiber-reinforced mat (20) adhered to the pipe (10).

As shown in Fig. 7, the second pressure roller (740) may also be composed of a plurality of small rollers. Specifically, the second pressure roller (740) may be composed of two relatively long small rollers and one relatively short small roller forming one row, and such small rollers may be arranged in three rows in an alternating manner.

The second pressure roller (740) may have a plurality of grooves formed in a circumferential direction on the outer surface. The second pressure roller (740) may have a plurality of small rollers arranged in a plurality of rows and columns and have circumferential grooves formed on the outer surface, thereby uniformly pressurizing the fiber-reinforced mat (20) adhered to the pipe (10).

As shown in FIG. 6, the first pressure roller (730) is provided with a pair of first springs (732) at both ends of each of the plurality of small rollers so that the first pressure roller can be elastically supported against the first support plate (738).

The first support plate (738) is formed in a rectangular plate shape and can be mounted on the lower part of the support frame (610). A first spring (732) is mounted between each end of a plurality of small rollers and the lower surface of the first support plate (738), so as to elastically support the pressing force of each small roller.

The first support plate (738) can be raised and lowered by a pair of first pneumatic cylinders (734) connected to the support frame (610) at both ends. The pair of first pneumatic cylinders (734) can be rotatably connected to the first support plate (738) by a pair of first roller hinges (736). Therefore, even when the strokes of the pair of first pneumatic cylinders (734) are different from each other or the reaction force applied to the plurality of small rollers is different depending on the position, the first support plate (738) is allowed to tilt, thereby preventing damage to the parts.

As shown in Fig. 7, the second pressure roller (740) is provided with a pair of second springs (742) at both ends of each of the plurality of small rollers so that the second pressure roller can be elastically supported against the second support plate (748).

The second support plate (748) is formed in a rectangular plate shape and can be mounted on the lower part of the support frame (610). A second spring (742) is mounted between each end of a plurality of small rollers and the lower surface of the second support plate (748), so as to elastically support the pressing force of each small roller.

The second support plate (748) can be raised and lowered by a pair of second pneumatic cylinders (744) connected to the support frame (610) at both ends. The pair of second pneumatic cylinders (744) can be rotatably connected to the second support plate (748) by a pair of second roller hinges (746). Therefore, even when the strokes of the pair of second pneumatic cylinders (744) are different from each other or the reaction force applied to the plurality of small rollers is different depending on the position, the second support plate (748) is allowed to tilt, thereby preventing damage to the parts.

According to the pressurizing module of the present invention, a pair of pressurizing rollers is composed of a plurality of small rollers, each of which is elastically supported on a support plate by a pair of springs, and the support plate is supported movably by a pair of pneumatic cylinders, so that a mat adhered to a pipe can be uniformly pressed and strongly adhered.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the pressurization module (600) of the present invention may further include a heater (620) installed on a support frame (610) to generate high-temperature air, and a heater hood (624) connected from the heater to a duct (622) to blow high-temperature air into the inner surface of the pipe (10).

The heater (620) is composed of a heating wire or heating pad and a blower fan and can blow heated air to a heater hood (624) connected through an air duct (622).

The heater hood (624) is connected to the air duct (622) and may be formed to be elongated in the longitudinal direction of the pipe (10). Hot air may be directly sprayed onto the fiber-reinforced mat bonded to the inner surface of the pipe through the heater hood (624). Thus, the mixture of adhesive resin and hardener sprayed onto the mat by the mat bonding module (400) may be hardened by the high-temperature air.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are drawings showing a putty application module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The putty application module (500) may include a putty tank (510), a putty supply pipe (520), a putty nozzle (530), a putty pocket (540), a scraper (550), a transfer unit (560), a driving wheel (710), a guide wheel (720), and a plurality of pressure rollers (730, 740).

The putty application module (500) can apply putty to the groove of the two pipes (10), pressurize it with a pressure roller, and heat it with a heater.

FIGS. 10 to 12 are drawings showing a mat adhesive module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The mat bonding module (400) includes a plurality of driving wheels (710), a bobbin (480) on which a fiber-reinforced mat (20) is wound, a plurality of transport rollers (420, 430) for moving the fiber-reinforced mat, a spraying device for spraying a mixture of adhesive resin and hardener toward the fiber-reinforced mat, and a plurality of pressure rollers (443, 445) for pressurizing the fiber-reinforced mat onto which the mixture has been sprayed against the inside of a pipe (10).

The mat bonding module (400) has a support frame (405) to which a pair of multi-stage cylinders (200) are connected. The support frame (405) can be equipped with an automatic stacking case (410) having a plurality of transfer rollers (420, 430) provided therein.

The mat adhesive module (400) is connected to the sub-control module (310) through the link assembly (320), and various wires and supply lines can be installed inside the link assembly (320). The link assembly (320) can include a plurality of rotatably coupled tubes.

A plurality of driving wheels (710) are mounted in pairs on both sides of the support frame (405) to perform rolling motion inside the pipe (10). A driving motor and a steering motor can be connected to each driving wheel (710). Accordingly, the pipe joining robot (1000) can move in the circumferential direction, longitudinal direction, and spiral direction of the pipe by the steering motor.

A pair of guide wheels (720) may be mounted on both sides of each driving wheel (710) in the support frame (405). The two pairs of guide wheels (720) may have a plurality of auxiliary wheels installed on the outer surface thereof that rotate in a direction intersecting with the guide wheels (720). Accordingly, the guide wheels (720) can stably support the pipe joining robot (1000) moving in various directions.

The bobbin (480) can be rotatably mounted by a pair of brackets (485) coupled to the automatic stacking case (410). A fiber-reinforced mat (20) can be wound on the bobbin (480) and unwound into the automatic stacking case (410).

The fiber-reinforced mat (20) may include glass fibers, and may be formed by a structure in which a surface mat and a chopped strand mat are combined. The fiber-reinforced mat (20) may be formed by a structure in which the surface mat and the chopped strand mat are laminated, and may also be formed by a structure in which the chopped strand mat is fixed by a tape, a stitch, or the like. Here, the chopped strand mat is discharged so as to face the inner surface of the pipe. In this way, if the fiber-reinforced mat (20) includes the surface mat and the chopped strand mat, the pipe (10) can be fixed more firmly.

A plurality of transport rollers (420, 430) are installed inside the automatic stacking case (410) to transport the fiber-reinforced mat (20) unwound from the bobbin (480) toward the inner surface of the pipe (10).

The spray device sprays a mixture of adhesive resin and hardener toward the fiber-reinforced mat (20). The spray device can spray the mixture toward the outer surface and inner surface of the fiber-reinforced mat (20).

A plurality of pressure rollers (443, 445) can press and adhere the fiber-reinforced mat (20) onto which the mixture has been sprayed against the inside of the pipe (10).

The plurality of pressure rollers may include a first pressure roller (443) having a plurality of grooves formed in a longitudinal direction on an outer surface and the plurality of rollers arranged in rows and columns, and a second pressure roller (445) having a plurality of grooves formed in a circumferential direction on an outer surface and the plurality of rollers arranged in rows and columns.

The mat bonding module (400) can bond the fiber-reinforced mat (20) to the inner surface of the joint of two pipes (10) by laminating it approximately three times.

Above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes to the present invention can be made by adding, changing, deleting or adding components, without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims, and this is also included within the scope of the present invention.

10: Pipe 20: Fiber reinforced mat
1000: Pipe Joining Robot
100: Center Frame 120: Sensor Unit
130: Rotary unit 140: Distance measuring sensor
150: Tubing connector
200: Multi-stage cylinder
310: Sub control module 320: Link assembly
400: Matt adhesive module 405: Support frame
410: Automatic stacking case 411: Guide roller
414: Solenoid valve 415: Air actuator
416: Mixture tank
420: 1st transfer roller 421: 1st transfer motor
422: Motor drive 423: First feed pulley
425: Pneumatic fitting 427: First pneumatic cylinder
430: Second transfer roller 431: Second transfer motor
433: Second transfer pulley 437: Second pneumatic cylinder
440: Mixing hood 441: Impregnation roller
443: First pressure roller 445: Second pressure roller
446: Spring 447: Pneumatic cylinder
448: Roller Hinge
450: Heater 455: Heater Hood
460: Mixing chamber 462: On/off switch
465: Injection nozzle absence 466: Mixture inlet
467: Pneumatic cylinder 468: Guide wheel
470: Controller cover 471: Feeding switch
472: Power connector 475: Motor drive cover
480: Bobbin 485: Bracket
486: Removal pin
490: Cutter 491: Cutting Base
492: Cutting Guide 495: Mat Guide
496: Proximity sensor
500: Putty application module 505: Support frame
510: Putty tank 520: Putty supply pipe
530: Putty Nozzle 540: Putty Pocket
542: Tilt base 546: Training wheels
550: Scraper 552: Front Scraper
554: Rear scraper 555: Home
560: Transfer unit 562: Rotation unit
564: Pneumatic cylinder 565: Pneumatic cylinder guide
570: Home Tracking Camera 572: LED
580: Heater 582: Air Duct
584: Heater Hood
600: Pressurized module 610: Support frame
620: Heater 622: Air Duct
624: Heater Hood
710: Drive wheel 720: Guide wheel
730: First pressure roller 732: First spring
734: First pneumatic cylinder 736: First roller hinge
738: 1st support plate
740: Second pressure roller 742: Second spring
744: Second pneumatic cylinder 746: Second roller hinge
748: Second support plate

Claims (8)

In a pressurizing module that pressurizes fiber-reinforced mats for joining pipes,
A plurality of driving wheels mounted on the lower sides of the support frame;
A first pressure roller having a plurality of grooves formed in the longitudinal direction on the outer surface and a plurality of small rollers having different lengths arranged in a plurality of rows and columns in an alternating manner; and
It includes a second pressure roller having a plurality of grooves formed in a circumferential direction on the outer surface and a plurality of small rollers having different lengths arranged in a staggered manner in a plurality of rows and columns,
The first pressure roller includes a pair of first pneumatic cylinders coupled to the support frame, a first support plate having both ends rotatably connected to the pair of first pneumatic cylinders, and a plurality of first springs mounted between the first support plate and both ends of the plurality of small rollers to elastically support the plurality of small rollers.
A pressurizing module characterized in that the second pressure roller includes a pair of second pneumatic cylinders coupled to the support frame, a second support plate having both ends rotatably connected to the pair of second pneumatic cylinders, and a plurality of second springs mounted between the second support plate and both ends of the plurality of small rollers to elastically support the plurality of small rollers. delete delete delete delete In the first paragraph,
A pressurizing module, characterized in that the first pressurizing roller and the second pressurizing roller have Teflon coating on their surfaces. In the first paragraph,
A heater installed on the above support frame to generate high temperature air,
A pressurization module further comprising a heater hood connected to the duct from the above heater and blowing high temperature air into the inside of the pipe. A pipe joining robot comprising a pressurizing module according to any one of claims 1, 6, and 7.

Images