Patent Application
20130293699
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Patent Application DE 10 2012 009 046.3 filed May 4, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention pertains to a device for inspecting and/or rehabilitating pipelines, with at least one camera and/or with at least one tool, which is arranged on a carrier that can be passed through the pipeline.
Such devices are known and are widely used especially during the inspection and/or rehabilitation of pipelines, wherein reference shall be made, for example, to DE 10 2009 017 829 B4 or DE 203 18 292 U1. The carrier, which is provided, as a rule, with one or more cameras as well as optionally with a light source, is inserted to this end into the pipeline to be inspected by means of a guide bar, the so-called sliding eel, and the pipeline is inspected for deposits, leaks or the like. If the carrier is equipped, furthermore, with a tool, for example, a milling tool, rehabilitation of the pipeline can be carried out immediately by removing, e.g., deposits in the interior of the pipeline, such as lime, biofilm, etc., by means of the milling tool.
The carrier of prior-art devices is usually of a more or less cylindrical or cuboid shape, and its axial ends as viewed in the axial direction of the pipeline may be rounded in order to facilitate the advancing motion of the carrier in the interior of the pipeline. It is, nevertheless, problematic to pass the carrier of a device of this class through pipe bends, as they are extensively installed especially in house service connections. When passing through such bends, there is a risk that the carrier will be blocked and stuck either at the outer radius of such a pipe bend if the carrier is pushed through the pipeline “from behind” or at the inner radius of the pipe bend if the carrier is pulled through the pipeline “from the front.” This risk is present especially if more or less sharp-edged tools project from the carrier and/or if the free cross section of the pipeline is narrowed at least locally due to deposits on the inner wall precisely in the area of a pipe bend.
DE 100 35 221 C2 describes a device of this class for rehabilitating pipelines, which seeks to eliminate the problem of moving through narrow pipe bends by a section of the carrier carrying the tool being articulated by means of two hinges to an elongated, rotationally symmetrical, essentially cylindrical section of the carrier, wherein one hinge guarantees rotatability of the two carrier sections relative to one another about the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline, while the other hinge guarantees pivotability of the two carrier sections relative to one another about a pivot axis extending at right angles hereto. Both hinges are actuated by a drive unit each, which is arranged in a respective carrier section and with which they are in connection via hollow shaft transmissions. One drawback is the highly complicated design of the carrier including the two motor-actuated hinges, which do, moreover, require additional space for their installation and counteract the most compact design possible, which would be favorable for passing through narrow pipe bends. On the other hand, the design of the carrier, which is, on the whole, very elongated, does not make passage through narrow pipe bends possible despite the pivotability of the tool-carrying section of the carrier.
A basic object of the present invention is therefore to improve a device of the type mentioned in the introduction in a simple and cost-effective manner such that it is capable of reliably passing through pipe bends while avoiding the above-mentioned drawbacks at least extensively.
This object is accomplished according to the present invention in a device of the type mentioned in the introduction by a first cross section of the carrier having an essentially straight or concave underside and having end-side sections of a top side extending upwardly in an arc-shaped and convex manner from the outer ends of said underside and extending from the respective outer end of the underside in the direction of the opposite end of said underside. The first cross section of the carrier is taken in a first plane, which plane includes a central longitudinal carrier axis that extends, during use, more or less parallel to a longitudinal axis of a straight section of the pipeline or axially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the straight section the pipeline. The radius of curvature or the radii of curvature of the end-side sections of the top side of the first cross section, which said sections extend upwardly and away from the respective outer ends of the underside in an arc-shaped and convex manner, equals/equal more than 50% of the maximum distance between the underside and the top side.
The shape according to the present invention of the geometry of the carrier makes it possible to pass through pipe bends in a simple manner by the carrier being arranged in relation to the pipe bend such that the underside of the first cross section is positioned at the inner radius of the pipe bend, and the top side of the first cross section is positioned at the outer radius of the pipe bend. With this construction, the sections of the top side of the first cross section, which said sections extend upwardly from the underside of the first cross section in an arc-shaped and convex manner and in the direction of the opposite end of the underside from the respective outer end of the underside, can slide along the outer radius of the pipe bend without the carrier becoming blocked in the interior of the pipe bend. These sections of the top side of the first cross section, which extend in an arc-shaped and convex manner, are also capable of passing through local deposits that may possibly be present in the pipe bend, because the arc-shaped design prevents getting caught at such deposits. The underside of the first cross section of the carrier in the first plane, which may include the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline, i.e., in the plane of curvature of a pipe bend, may be either essentially straight, so that the cross-sectional shape can assume a more or less crescent shape, or it may be bent slightly concavely inwardly, especially with a radius that is more than double, and especially more than three times the radius or the radii of the sections of the top side of the cross section extending in an arc-shaped and convex manner, so that the first cross section of the carrier may have a more or less crescent shape or sickle shape in order to be able to be passed by the inner radius of a pipe bend even better.
The radius of curvature or the radii of curvature of the end-side sections of the top side of the first cross section, which said sections extend upwardly in an arc-shaped and convex manner and away from the respective outer ends of the underside, equals/equal at least 60%, especially at least 70%, preferably at least 80%, of the maximum distance from the underside to the top side in an advantageous embodiment, and this radius of curvature (these radii of curvature) may equal more than 90%, especially about 100% or even somewhat more than 100% of the maximum distance of the underside from the top side of the first cross section according to especially preferred embodiments in order to ensure a more or less crescent-shaped design of the first cross section, which has proved to be ideal for passing the carrier through pipe bends.
Provisions may be made in an advantageous embodiment for a convex transition area with a radius smaller than the radius or radii of the end-side sections of the top side, which extend upwardly in an arc-shaped and convex manner and away from the respective outer end of the underside, being arranged between the outer ends of the essentially straight or concave underside of the first cross section of the carrier in the first plane, which includes the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline axis (the central longitudinal axis lies in the first plane), and the end-side sections of the top side, which said latter sections extend upwardly in an arc-shaped and convex manner and away from the respective outer end of the underside. The transition area of the straight or slightly concave underside of the first cross section of the carrier in the first plane and the sections of the top side extending in an arc-shaped and convex manner is consequently preferably rounded, and the radius of curvature of these convex transition areas is preferably at most half and preferably at most one third of the radius or the radii of the sections of the top side of the first cross section extending in an arc-shaped and convex manner.
Provisions may be made in another advantageous embodiment for the end-side sections of the top side of the first cross section of the carrier, which said sections extend upwardly in an arc-shaped and convex manner and away from the respective outer end of the underside, to be essentially circular arc-shaped in the first plane, which includes the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline, wherein the radius of such a circular arc equals, as was mentioned above, at least 80%, preferably at least 90%, especially at least 100% of the maximum distance between the top side and the underside of the first cross section of the carrier in the first plane. The length of the circular arc-shaped sections should be preferably between 60° and 90°, especially between 70° and 90°.
Provisions may be made according to one embodiment variant for a central section, which extends essentially straight or concavely, more or less in parallel to the underside of the first cross section, i.e., more or less in the axial direction of the pipeline, being arranged between the end-side sections of the top side of the first cross section of the carrier, which said sections extend upwardly in an arc-shaped and convex manner and away from the respective outer end of the underside, in the first plane, which includes the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline. The axial length of the central section of the first cross section of the carrier in the first plane should, at any rate, be smaller than the axial length of the end-side sections of the sections of the first cross section extending in an arc-shaped and convex manner in order to guarantee satisfactory passage through pipe bends. Such a central section of the first cross section is especially advantageous when the carrier of the device is passing through essentially linear pipeline sections by the central section of the cross section ensuring better sliding of the carrier on the inner wall of the pipe.
Provisions are, furthermore, made in a preferred embodiment for a second cross section of the carrier to be essentially circular in a second plane, which second plane is arranged at right angles to the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline
The carrier may be preferably essentially mirror-symmetrical in relation to
Provisions may be made in another advantageous embodiment for a third cross section of the carrier to be essential rectangular in a third plane arranged at right angles both in relation to the first plane and in relation to the second plane, wherein the corners of this rectangular third cross section are rounded, especially in a circular arc-shaped manner, in order to come into contact during passage through a pipe bend at the wall sections that are outer wall sections in relation to the pipe bend. The width, i.e., the short side of the more or less rectangular third cross section with rounded corners may in turn be adapted to the usually standardized diameters of common pipelines, for example, such as are used especially in house service connections.
As was indicated in the introduction, provisions are made in an advantageous embodiment of a device according to the present invention for the carrier to carry at least one tool, especially a milling tool. To reliably prevent damage to such a tool during the passage of the carrier through a pipeline as well as especially to prevent the tool from becoming jammed or getting caught in the interior of the pipe, especially at a pipe bend, provisions are preferably made by the present invention for the tool to be able to be moved to and fro between an inoperative position, in which it is located within the carrier, and an operating position, in which it projects from the surface of the carrier. The carrier consequently acts for the tool as a housing in the inoperative position thereof, from which the tool can be brought, when necessary, e.g., when a site that requires rehabilitation in the pipeline has been recognized, into its operating position, in which it projects from the carrier up to the inner wall of the pipe. The geometry according to the present invention of the carrier now offers the tool a maximum possible space while satisfactory passage through pipe bends is guaranteed at the same time. It may, of course, be possible, besides, to accommodate in the housing one or more cameras, whose lens is inserted essentially flush into the outer contour of the carrier and is consequently aligned with said outer contour, and at least one light source, which is used to light the interior space of a pipeline to be inspected in order to identify sites that need to be rehabilitated, may, furthermore, be provided in this case.
The tool may, furthermore, be preferably pivoted about a pivot axis, which is especially essentially at right angles in relation to the first cross section of the carrier in the first plane, which includes the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline, so that it can be arranged, at least in its operating position, in which it projects from the carrier, on the one hand, obliquely at a finite angle in relation to the central longitudinal axis of a pipeline to be inspected in order to process the pipe wall, while, on the other hand, it can be arranged more or less in parallel to the central longitudinal axis of a pipeline to be inspected in order to be able to eliminate, for example, more or less complete clogging of the pipeline.
The tool may be able to be moved to and fro between its inoperative position and its operating position in this connection, in principle, in any desired and manner, for example, by means of an (electric) motor, and the tool can be moved to and fro between its inoperative position and its operating position preferably by means of at least one hydraulically, pneumatically or hydropneumatically actuatable piston-and-cylinder unit. The drive of the tool itself may correspondingly be advantageously a hydraulic, pneumatic or hydropneumatic drive.
The tool may be advantageously arranged at at least one of the end-side sections of the top side of the first cross section of the carrier, which said section extends upwardly in an arc-shaped and convex manner and away from the respective outer end of the underside, wherein said first cross section includes the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline, so that the tool projects from the carrier—when viewed in the axial direction of the pipeline, obliquely in the direction of the pipe wall when it has been brought into its operating position.
Especially if the carrier is equipped with a tool, it may, furthermore, be advantageous if the carrier has a fixing means, which is used to fix the carrier in the interior of the pipeline. Such fixing means are known as such and may have, for example, balloons or “air bags,” which can be filled with fluid pressure and are arranged on the outer side of the carrier, and which press the carrier radially against the inner wall of the pipe in their fluid pressure-filled state. For example, blocking means, which can be folded radially out, or telescoping blocking means are likewise known, which are likewise capable of pressing the carrier radially against the inner wall of the pipe and fix the carrier thereby when necessary.
The carrier may advantageously be connected to a sliding eel, which in turn comprises, for example, a plurality of segments connected to one another in an articulated manner, in order to make it possible to move the carrier through a pipeline by means of a motor or manually. Such a sliding eel is advantageously fastened to the carrier pivotably about an axis that is at right angles in relation to the first plane, which includes the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline, in order to pivot the carrier in relation to the sliding eel at right angles to the plane of bending of a pipe bend, through which the carrier is to pass. The pivot axis of the sliding eel is preferably located in the transition area of one of the outer ends of the essentially straight or concave underside of the first cross section of the carrier in a first plane, which includes the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline, and the end-side section of the top side, which said section adjoins said end of the underside and extends upwardly in an arc-shaped and convex manner and away from this end of the underside, i.e., in the area of one of the two, essentially pointed ends of the more or less crescent-shaped first cross section of the carrier in the first plane.
While the carrier may, in principle, also be rotatable, for example, manually, e.g., by means of the sliding eel, about the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline to be inspected in order to make it possible to arrange it with its first cross section in parallel to the plane of curvature of the pipe bend and/or to direct a tool thereof in the direction of a site of the pipeline that needs to be rehabilitated, provisions may, furthermore, be made according to a preferred embodiment for a rotating means designed to rotate said carrier about the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline to be associated with the carrier. Such a rotating means, which may be connected to the carrier, e.g., by means of the sliding eel or a section thereof, may have to this end especially a first part, which—rotating in unison in the axial direction of the pipeline—is connected to the carrier, as well as a second part, which is rotatable in relation to the first part about the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline and which can be fixed on the inner wall of the pipeline. The statements made above concerning an advantageous fixing means of the carrier apply essentially to the fixing means of the second part of the rotating means at the inner wall of the pipeline. Consequently, to rotate the carrier about the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline, the second part of the rotating means can be fixed at the inner wall of the pipe and the second part can be rotated together with the carrier relative to the first part about the longitudinal axis of the pipeline until the carrier assumes the desired alignment in relation to a pipe bend and/or to a site of the pipeline that needs to be rehabilitated and is to be processed by means of the tool thereof.
As far as the drive of a tool of the carrier and/or of the rotating means thereof is concerned, provisions are made in an advantageous embodiment for a drive of a tool of the carrier, especially a hydraulic, pneumatic or hydropneumatic drive, which is used especially both to move the tool between its inoperative position and its operating position and to drive the tool itself and possibly the rotating means, to be arranged outside the carrier. The drive of the tool of the carrier and possibly of the rotating means may be arranged now, for example, in a drive unit, which is connected to the tool of the carrier and possibly to the rotating means by means of lines arranged in the sliding eel.
Further features and advantages of the present invention appear from the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawings. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
In the drawings:
Referring to the drawings in particular,
In the area of its axial end located opposite the tool 2, which is the left-hand end in
Furthermore, a rotating means 5, which is used to rotate the carrier about the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline to be inspected and is connected to the sliding eel 3, is associated with the carrier 1 by means of a section 3a of the sliding eel 3. The rotating means 5 comprises here a first part 5a, which is connected to the carrier 1, rotating in unison via the section 3a of the sliding eel 3, as well as a second part 5b, which is rotatable in relation to the first part 5a about the central longitudinal axis of the pipeline and which can be fixed at the inner wall of the pipeline when needed. The fixing means of the second part 5b of the rotating means 5, which said fixing means is not shown, may correspond, for example to that 6 of carrier 1. A drive of the tool 2 of the carrier 1, which drive may be, as was mentioned already, e.g., a hydraulic drive, the displacing mechanism thereof, ensuring movement between its inoperative position and its operating position, of the fixing means 6 of the carrier 1 and of the rotating means 5 as well as of the parts 5a, 5b of the rotating means for rotation relative to one another may be arranged especially outside the carrier 1 and outside the rotating means 5, and said drive may be provided, e.g., in an external unit (not shown), which cannot be passed through the pipeline to be inspected and which is connected to the carrier 1 and to the rotating means 5 via hydraulic lines arranged in the sliding eel 3.
As can be determined especially in the side view of the carrier 1 shown in
Finally,
The above-described geometry of the carrier 1 imparts to said carrier the ability to pass satisfactorily through a pipeline to be inspected, on the one hand, by the carrier 1 being at first rotated about the longitudinal axis of the pipeline to the extent that its first cross section (
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2012 009 046.3 | May 2012 | DE | national |
