Patent ID: 6123027
Filing Date: 2000-09-26
Classification: F16L

Abstract:
A self-propelled vehicle for running within a pipe comprising:a main body of a running apparatus;two pairs of wheel supporting arms arranged on an outer periphery of the main body of said running apparatus in a perpendicular state and having an end rotatably fixed to an end portion of said main body of the running apparatus;a wheel for driving the vehicle fixed to each of the other ends of said two pairs of wheel supporting arms and rotated by a drive mechanism;an interlocking mechanism provided with a spring for urging said two pairs of wheel supporting arms to which said wheels for driving the vehicle are fixed in such a manner as to open around said one end of said main body of the running apparatus;an angle measuring mechanism for measuring an angle of incline of each of said two pairs of wheel supporting arms opened by said interlocking mechanism so as to output a data of an angle of incline; andan attitude control portion for returning an attitude of said main body of the running apparatus to a normal attitude state by controlling said drive mechanism for rotating said wheel for driving the vehicle on the basis of said data of the angle of incline with respect to each of said two pairs of wheel supporting arms output from said angle measuring mechanism.