KR102832200B1 - Connection structure, manipulator, and hot cell including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a connecting structure, a manipulator, and a hot cell including the same. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure for solving the above technical problem, the connecting structure may include: a connecting structure in which a manipulator is mounted on a wall tube installed in one of shielding walls in a hot cell and opened to allow a slave of the manipulator to pass into the interior of the hot cell; a ring-shaped body coupled to an outer periphery of the body; a plurality of insertion rollers at least partially exposed toward the outer periphery of the body; and a plurality of rotation rollers at least partially exposed toward the inner periphery of the body.

Description

CONNECTION STRUCTURE, MANIPULATOR, AND HOT CELL INCLUDING THE SAME

The present disclosure relates to a connecting structure, a manipulator and a hot cell including the same.

In general, a hot cell is a shielded workspace designed to safely handle, analyze, and store radioactive materials or radioactive waste in a radiation work environment. It is mainly used in nuclear power plants, radioisotope production facilities, and research institutes, and uses high-density shielding materials to minimize external radiation exposure, and prevents leakage of radioactive materials through a completely sealed structure. A manipulator is installed inside the hot cell for remote operation, and a system for controlling the internal environment such as temperature, humidity, and pressure can be equipped with cameras and sensors for real-time monitoring. This design allows high-risk tasks such as fuel rod replacement, radioactive sample analysis, and waste separation and packaging to be performed safely.

Manipulators used in hot cells must have various functions to safely and efficiently manipulate radioactive materials. First, they must provide high precision to enable fine manipulation and be able to perform tasks such as radioactive sampling, purification, and assembly. In addition, they must be manufactured with highly durable materials so that they can operate for long periods of time in radiation, high temperature, and corrosive environments. Manipulators must be capable of multiple degrees of freedom movement to perform complex tasks such as rotation, bending, and picking, and they must be able to be remotely controlled via an external control device. Through this, operators can visually check the working situation inside the hot cell and operate safely.

In addition, the manipulator must have a load-bearing capacity that can safely lift radioactive waste or heavy objects, and must be modularly designed to facilitate maintenance and replacement in the event of a breakdown. The design of the manipulator plays a critical role in maximizing the stability and efficiency of hot cell operations.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the purpose is to enable a rotational motion of the manipulator while the manipulator is connected to a wall tube coupled with a hot cell.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure for solving the above technical problem, a connecting structure may include a ring-shaped body coupled to an outer periphery of the connecting structure, wherein a manipulator is mounted on a wall tube installed in one of the shielding walls in a hot cell and opened to allow a slave of the manipulator to pass through the interior of the hot cell; a plurality of insertion rollers at least partially exposed toward the outer periphery of the body; and a plurality of rotation rollers at least partially exposed toward the inner periphery of the body.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of insertion rollers may be spaced apart at equal intervals around the central axis of the body.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, four insertion rollers are provided spaced apart from each other by 90 degrees at equal intervals, and can be provided to be rotatable so as to guide the insertion of the thread into the opening of the tube.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotary roller may include a first rotary roller coupled to one side of the body and a second rotary roller coupled to the other side.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, four first rotation rollers are provided spaced apart from each other at equal intervals of 90 degrees, and four second rotation rollers are provided spaced apart from each other at equal intervals of 90 degrees, and the first rotation roller and the second rotation roller can be non-coaxially coupled to the body.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotary roller may be provided to be rotatable in a direction that guides the body to rotate around a central axis within the tube.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, it can be formed in a direction tangentially perpendicular to the rotational direction of the rotary roller and the rotational direction of the insertion roller.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a manipulator is provided, which is connected to a wall tube by the connecting structure described above.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a hot cell is provided, comprising a manipulator as described above.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a connection structure can be provided that enables rotational motion of the manipulator while the manipulator and the wall tube combined with the hot cell are connected.

The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs (hereinafter referred to as “ordinary technician”) from the description of the claims.

The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention described below, serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention; therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to matters described in such drawings.
FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a manipulator installed in a hot cell through a wall tube according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a manipulator connected to a wall tube through a connection structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3 is a drawing showing a wall tube to which a connecting structure is connected.
FIG. 4 is a drawing showing that a part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is rotatable within a tube by a connecting structure.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a connection structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a connection structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a front view of a connection structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the insertion roller side according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a side of a rotary roller according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that conform to the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his own invention in the best way. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only some of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, and it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

Additionally, when used herein, the words "comprise", "include" and/or "comprising", "including" specify the presence of stated features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, elements and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, operations, elements, elements and/or groups thereof.

In addition, to facilitate understanding of the invention, the attached drawings are not drawn to scale and some components may be exaggerated in size. In addition, the same reference numbers may be given to the same components in different embodiments.

The reference to two compared objects being 'identical' means 'substantially identical'. Substantially identical may therefore include a deviation that is considered low in the art, for example, a deviation of less than 5%. In addition, uniformity of a parameter over a given region may mean uniformity in terms of averages.

Although the terms first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another, and unless otherwise specifically stated, a first component may also be a second component.

Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specifically stated, each element may be singular or plural.

Any configuration being placed "on (or below)" a component or "above (or below)" a component may mean not only that any configuration is placed in contact with the upper surface (or lower surface) of said component, but also that other configurations may be interposed between said component and any configuration placed on (or below) said component.

In addition, when it is described that a component is "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the components may be directly connected or connected to each other, but that other components may also be "interposed" between each component, or that each component may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" through another component. In addition, when it is said that a part is electrically coupled to another part, this includes not only cases where they are directly connected, but also cases where they are connected with another element in between.

When reference is made throughout the specification to "A and/or B," this means A, B, or A and B, unless otherwise stated. In other words, "and/or" includes any or all combinations of the listed items. When reference is made to "C through D," this means C or more and D or less, unless otherwise stated.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a manipulator (1) installed in a hot cell (HS) through a wall tube (400) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, contaminants transferred into the hot cell (HS) can be subjected to a predetermined treatment, such as a decontamination treatment, by a manipulator. Here, a wall tube (400) can be combined in advance in order for the manipulator to be installed in the hot cell (HS). After the hot cell (HS), a through hole is formed in at least one surface of a shielding wall (W), and a wall tube (400) is inserted and fixed into the through hole, so that the wall tube (400) allows the manipulator (1) to be introduced into and fixed inside the hot cell (HS).

Specifically, the manipulator (1) can be configured such that a slave (10) is introduced into a hot cell (HS), a real part (20) is fixed to a wall tube (400) on the shielding wall (W) side, and a master (30) is positioned outside the cell (A1). Through this, a user can control the slave (10) by manipulating the master (30).

FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a manipulator (1) connected to a wall tube (400) through a connecting structure (500) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2, a connecting structure (500) may be provided to fix the wall tube (400) and the manipulator (1). The connecting structure (500) may be positioned between the actual part (20) of the manipulator (1) and the wall tube (400) to assist insertion into the fixed wall tube (400), and may be configured to allow manipulation such as rotation after insertion. Here, rotation may mean rotation centered on the central axis of the actual part (20).

FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a wall tube (400) to which a connecting structure (500) is connected. Referring to FIG. 3, the wall tube (400) includes a tube (410) positioned to correspond to the thickness of a shielding wall (W), and a first flange (420) and a second flange (430) positioned at each end of the tube (410). The first flange (420) may be joined to one of the inner and outer walls of the shielding wall (W), and the second flange (430) may be joined to the remaining wall portion. Here, the joining may be by welding, and the fixing to the shielding wall (W) may be accomplished by joining.

FIG. 4 is a drawing showing that a part (20) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can rotate within a wall tube (400) by a connecting structure (500). Here, rotation means rotation centered on the central axis of the part (20). Referring to FIG. 4, a connecting structure (500) may be provided between the part (20) and the wall tube (400) for the rotation of the part (20). Two connecting structures (500) are provided within a section where the thickness of the shielding wall (W) is formed, and each connecting structure (500) may include a plurality of rollers. The rollers may include an insertion roller (530) that assists insertion into the wall tube (400) and a rotation roller (520) that assists rotation so that the manipulator (1) rotates during the process of controlling the manipulator (1) in the inserted state. The illustrated connection structure (500) may have a rotating roller (520) that can assist the insertion direction into the ring-shaped body (510). Specifically, the connection structure (500) will be described with reference to FIG. 5 below.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a connection structure (500) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, a connection structure (500) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be installed in one of the shielding walls (W) in a hot cell (HS) so that a manipulator (1) may be mounted on a wall tube (400) that is opened to allow a slave (10) of the manipulator (1) to pass through the interior of the hot cell (HS). Specifically, the connection structure may include a ring-shaped body (510) coupled to an outer periphery of the body (20), a plurality of insertion rollers (530) at least partially exposed toward the outer periphery of the body (510), and a plurality of rotation rollers (520) at least partially exposed toward the inner periphery of the body (510).

The rotating roller (520) exposed to the inner circumference of the body (510) can contact the outer diameter of the solid part (20) from the inner side to allow the solid part (20) to rotate, and the insertion roller (530) exposed to the outer circumference of the body (510) can be applied in the process of inserting the connecting structure (500) into the wall tube (400).

The connection structure (500) can be inserted into the wall tube (400) while being connected to the actual part (20) of the manipulator (1). For example, the slave (10) of the manipulator (1) can be inserted from the outside of the cell (A1) to the inside of the cell (A2), and the actual part (20) can be inserted into the wall tube (400). At this time, the insertion of the actual part (20) can be guided by the insertion roller (530). Since the insertion rollers (530) protrude in multiple numbers toward the outer circumference of the connection structure (500), they can rotate while in contact with the inner diameter of the wall tube (400) and assist the insertion of the actual part (20). When the insertion is completed, the manipulator (1) can be fixed in one direction to the wall tube (400) fixed to the shielding wall (W) through welding or a fastening means. For example, the one direction can be the Y direction illustrated in FIG. 1 above.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a connecting structure (500) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of rollers may be coupled to a body (510). The rollers may include a rotation roller (520) exposed to an inner diameter and an insertion roller (530) exposed to an outer diameter. Here, a plurality of rotation rollers (520) may be provided on each of both sides of the body (510) as illustrated, and the rotation rollers (520) provided on one side may be arranged with a predetermined angular spacing. The angular spacing may be equal, and the center of the angular spacing may be the central axis of the solid portion (20).

The rotary roller may include a first rotary roller (521) including a plurality of rollers provided on one side of the body (510) and a second rotary roller (522) including a plurality of rollers provided on the other side. Here, four first rotary rollers (521) may be provided spaced apart from each other at equal intervals of 90 degrees, and four second rotary rollers (522) may be provided spaced apart from each other at equal intervals of 90 degrees. The first rotary roller (521) and the second rotary roller (522) may be non-coaxially coupled to the body (510).

This non-coaxial coupling can be a structure that increases stability during rotation by distributing the load applied to the shaft (20) over a large area. This can be expected to have the effect of improving the durability of the part by effectively distributing the torsional load (due to the weight generated by the slave (10), etc.) and the rotational load that occurs during rotation.

In addition, the non-coaxial coupling is a design advantageous in reducing the shaking and vibration of the shaft. In the coaxial coupling, there is a possibility of shaking (vibration) occurring during rotation based on the central axis, but the non-coaxial structure can suppress this and increase the stability of rotation. In addition, the non-coaxial coupling is a flexible structure that can tolerate alignment errors, and while the coaxial coupling requires precise installation, the non-coaxial coupling can improve the rotational properties of the real part (20) within the wall tube (400) by having the other roller accommodate the errors of each roller that may occur during installation and operation.

Therefore, the non-coaxial coupling structure of the insertion roller (530) and the rotation roller (520) can provide load distribution, vibration suppression, alignment error tolerance, and ease of maintenance.

Meanwhile, a plurality of insertion rollers (530) may be spaced apart at equal intervals around the central axis of the sealing member (20). For example, four insertion rollers (530) may be provided spaced apart at equal intervals of 90 degrees from each other, and may be provided to be rotatable so as to guide the sealing member (20) to be inserted into the opening of the wall tube (400).

The rotation roller (520) may include a first rotation roller (521) coupled to one side of the body (510) and a second rotation roller (522) coupled to the other side. The rotation roller (520) may be provided to be rotatable in a direction that guides the rotation of the seal part (20) around a central axis within the wall tube (400). The rotation direction of the rotation roller (520) and the rotation direction of the insertion roller (530) may be formed in a direction tangentially perpendicular to each other. That is, the rotation axis of the rotation roller (520) may be arranged parallel to the central axis of the seal part (20).

And, a plurality of first rotation rollers (521) can be arranged at equal intervals from each other. As illustrated, four first rotation rollers (521) spaced 90 degrees apart can be arranged. The second rotation rollers (522) can also be arranged at equal intervals from each other. As illustrated, four second rotation rollers (522) spaced 90 degrees apart can be arranged. As described above, the rotation rollers (520) are arranged such that the rotation axes are parallel to the central axis of the body (20), but the rotation axes of the first rotation rollers (521) and the second rotation rollers (522) can be arranged non-coaxially.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a connection structure (500) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to Fig. 7, the insertion roller (530) may protrude outwardly from the outer periphery based on the ring-shaped body (510). And, the rotation roller (520) may protrude inwardly from the inner periphery based on the body (510). The rotation roller (520) may contact the outer diameter of the seal tube (25) of the seal portion (20) by the height of each protrusion, thereby allowing the seal portion (20) to rotate around the central axis. When the seal portion (20) is inserted into the wall tube (400), the insertion roller (530) may guide the insertion by contacting the wall tube (400) and rotating in the insertion direction. Here, the rotation in the insertion direction may mean that the inner surface of the wall tube (400) contacting the outer periphery of the insertion roller (530) extends in the tangential direction.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the insertion roller (530) side according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the rotation roller (520) side according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the insertion roller (530) can be protruded by the first protrusion distance (D1) as described above. The insertion roller (530) protruding by the first protrusion distance (D1) can contact the thread tube (400) and guide the manipulator (1) in the direction in which the thread part (20) is inserted by rotation. The rotation roller (520) can be protruded by the second protrusion distance (D2). The rotation roller (520) protruding by the second protrusion distance (D2) can contact the thread tube (25) and assist in the rotation of the thread tube (25) (the thread part (20)). This can enable a rotational movement in the operation of the manipulator (1).

Although the present invention has been described above by means of limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and variations are possible by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the patent claims to be described below.

1: Manipulator
10 : Slave
20 : Real
21 : Shield
25 : Siltube
30 : Master
400 : Wall Tube
410 : Tube
420: Flange 1
430: 2nd flange
500 : Connection structure
510 : Body
520 : Rotating roller
521: 1st rotary roller
522: 2nd rotary roller
530 : Insertion roller
HS: Hassel
W: shield wall
A1: Outside the cell
A2: Inside the cell
H: Insertion hole
D1: First projection distance
D2: Second protrusion distance

Claims (9)

In a connection structure in which the actual part of the manipulator is mounted on a wall tube that is installed on one of the shielding walls in the hot cell and is opened to allow the slave of the manipulator to pass into the interior of the hot cell,
A ring-shaped body coupled to the outer periphery of the above-mentioned part;
A plurality of insertion rollers at least partially exposed toward the outer periphery of the body; and
A connecting structure comprising a plurality of rotating rollers, at least partially exposed toward the inner circumference of the body.
In paragraph 1,
The above insertion roller is a connection structure in which a plurality of insertion rollers are spaced at equal intervals around the central axis of the above-mentioned part.
In the second paragraph,
The above insertion rollers are provided in four pieces spaced equidistantly at 90 degrees from each other, and are provided in a connecting structure that is rotatable to guide the insertion of the threaded portion into the opening of the wall tube.
In paragraph 1,
The above-mentioned rotary roller is a connecting structure including a first rotary roller coupled to one side of the body and a second rotary roller coupled to the other side.
In paragraph 4,
The above first rotation rollers are provided in four pieces spaced equidistantly at 90 degrees from each other, and the above second rotation rollers are provided in four pieces spaced equidistantly at 90 degrees from each other.
A connecting structure in which the first rotary roller and the second rotary roller are non-coaxially connected to the body.
In paragraph 5,
The above-mentioned rotary roller is a connecting structure that is provided so as to be rotatable in a direction that guides the above-mentioned part to rotate around a central axis within the above-mentioned wall tube.
In clause 3 or clause 6,
A connecting structure formed in a direction tangentially perpendicular to the rotational direction of the above-mentioned rotary roller and the rotational direction of the above-mentioned insertion roller.
A manipulator connected to a wall tube by the connecting structure described in claim 1.
A hot cell comprising a manipulator as described in claim 8.