Title of Invention

SELF - DRIVING MACHINE

Abstract

Disclosed is a self-driving machine, which includes a pair of upper rollers positioned above a conventional or substitute line and a lower roller positioned below the conventional or substitute line, wherein the self-driving machine is provided with a tension regulating unit for moving the lower roller contacted with the conventional or substitute line so as to control tension of the conventional or substitute line at a position between the pair of upper rollers.

Full Text

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-driving machine for advancing a pulling rope and a guide rope when a conventional line or a substitute line is exchanged with the new line by means of a construction method using supporting rollers, and more particularly to a self-driving machine capable of regulating a tension of a conventional line or a substitute line and easily changing its direction without danger of fall. Description of the Related Art Generally, a self-driving machine installs a new line according to the following procedures. A guide rope and a pulling rope are connected to the self-driving machine, and a new line is connected to one end of the pulling rope. The self-driving machine connected to the guide rope and the pulling rope is controlled in a wireless manner and advances forward. When the self-driving machine is running, supporting rollers are arranged at regular intervals by means of the guide rope connected to the self-driving machine. These supporting rollers prevent the new line from being drooped excessively. If the self-driving machine runs from one power transmission tower to the next power transmission tower, the pulling rope is pulled by a tensioning machine, thereby completing installation of the new line. However, the conventional self-driving machine is not provided with a device for controlling tension of a conventional line and a substitute line while it is running. Thus, once a worker manually controls tension of a wire (i.e., the conventional line and the substitute line) before the self-driving machine runs, there was no measures to control the tension. As mentioned above, the tension of the wire applied to upper and lower rollers is kept constant regardless of an angle at which the self-driving machine is running. As a result, the tension of the wire is not changed according to circumstances, thereby causing loss in a driving force of motor and abrasion of the upper and lower rollers. In addition, at a region suffered from strong wind such as river, cliff and hill, the self-driving machine is apt to depart from the wire and fall down due to the strong wind. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is designed to solve the problems of the prior art, and therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-driving machine provided with a tension regulating unit so as to control tension of a wire supported by upper and lower rollers. Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-driving machine capable of easily changing its direction by installing a direction-changing unit thereto. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a self-driving machine provided with an anti-separation member so as to prevent a conventional line or a substitute line from departing from the upper roller to make the self-driving machine fallen. In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a self-driving machine, which includes a pair of upper rollers positioned above a conventional or substitute line and a lower roller positioned below the conventional or substitute line, wherein the self-driving machine is provided with a tension regulating unit for moving the lower roller contacted with the conventional or substitute line so as to control tension of the conventional or substitute line at a position between the pair of upper rollers. Preferably, the self-driving machine further includes a support member for rotatably supporting the lower roller, wherein the tension regulating unit includes a cylinder coupled to the support member to move the support member; and a motor for driving the cylinder. More preferably, the self-driving machine further includes a microprocessor for automatically controlling the tension of the conventional or substitute line. In addition, a force applied to the conventional or substitute line by the lower roller is preferably in the range of 2 to 10 kgf. In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a self-driving machine, which includes a pair of upper rollers positioned above a conventional or substitute line, a lower roller positioned below the conventional or substitute line, and a timing belt connecting the pair of upper rollers, the self-driving machine including: an actuator; a driving bar having one end connected to the actuator; first and second sprockets respectively positioned above and below the timing belt and rotating in a predetermined direction; and first and second movable rollers combined to both of the other ends of the driving bar respectively, wherein the first and second movable rollers are selectively contacted with the first and second sprockets to move the timing belt in a selected direction. In still another aspect of the invention, there is also provided a self-driving machine, which includes a pair of upper rollers positioned above a conventional or substitute line and a lower roller positioned below the conventional or substitute line, the self-driving machine including: a plurality of anti-separation bars having one ends coupled to a frame of the self-driving machine to surround the pair of upper rollers installed to the frame; and an anti-separation plate coupled to the other ends of the plurality of anti-separation bars. A self-driving machine, which includes a pair of upper rollers positioned above a conventional or substitute line and a lower roller positioned below the conventional or substitute line, wherein the self-driving machine is provided with a tension regulating unit for moving the lower roller contacted with the conventional or substitute line so as to control tension of the conventional or substitute line at a position between the pair of upper rollers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a front portion of a self-driving machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a rear portion of the self-driving machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing an automatic tension regulating unit of the self-driving machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Figs. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams illustrating operation of a direction-changing unit of a self-driving machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail referring to the accompanying drawings. Prior to the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present invention on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation. Therefore, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the invention, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing a self-driving machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the self-driving machine of the present invention includes a frame 10, a roller unit 20, a tension regulating unit 40, a direction-changing unit 80 and a self-charging battery 60. The roller unit 20 is positioned above the frame 10, and includes a pair of upper rollers 21 having driven sprockets 22, a driving sprocket for giving a driving force to the upper rollers 21, a timing belt 26 connecting the driven sprockets 22 of the upper rollers 21 to the driving sprocket, a lower roller 28 for giving tension to a conventional line or a substitute line together with the upper rollers 21, and a support member 29 for rotatably supporting the lower roller 28. The pair of upper rollers 21 are installed above the frame 10 with an interval between them, and the driven sprockets 22 are formed on their rear sides respectively. The driving sprocket is installed between the upper rollers 21 and connected to the driven sprockets 22 of the upper rollers 21 by means of the timing belt 26 to work together. The driving sprocket includes a first sprocket 24 and a second sprocket 25 that rotate clockwise and counterclockwise respectively to ensure bidirectional operation of the timing belt 26. The first and second sprockets 24, 25 are respectively positioned above and below the timing belt 26. The lower roller 28 is disposed at a lower position between the upper rollers 21 and gives tension to a conventional line or a substitute line together with the upper rollers 21. The lower roller 28 is rotatably supported by the support member 29 whose one end is pivotally mounted to the frame 10. Referring to Fig. 3, the tension regulating unit 40 includes a tension motor 44, a reduction gear 46 for reducing a speed of the tension motor 44, and a cylinder 48 for selectively lifting up the support member 29, which supports the lower roller 28 to be rotatable, by means of a power passing through the reduction gear 46. One end of the support member 29 is pivotally installed to the frame 10, and the other end is pivotally combined with an end of a cylinder rod 49 of the cylinder 48. In case a weak tension is applied to the conventional line or the substitute line, the tension motor 44 and the reduction gear 46 moves the cylinder rod 49 upward so that the support member 29 that rotatably supports the lower roller 28 is lifted up. The cylinder rod 49 lifts up the support member 29 to make the lower roller 28 contacted with the upper rollers 21, thereby applying tension to the advancing conventional or substitute line. In case a strong tension is applied to the conventional line or the substitute line, the tension motor 44 and the reduction gear 46 moves the cylinder rod 49 downward so that the support member 29 that rotatably supports the lower roller 28 is moved downward. The cylinder rod 49 moves the support member 29 downward, so the lower roller 28 reduces the tension applied to the conventional line or the substitute line advancing in contact with the upper rollers 21. The lower roller 28 presses the conventional or substitute line by force of about 1 to 30 kgf, preferably 2 to 10 kgf. If the lower roller 28 presses the conventional or substitute line by force less than the minimum value, slip is generated not to give sufficient driving force. If the pressure of the lower roller 28 is greater than the maximum value, it may cause abrasion of the upper rollers 21 and the lower roller 28 and damage of the tension motor 44. Preferably, the self-driving machine of the present invention is further provided with a microprocessor 42 for periodically obtaining a tension value of the conventional or substitute line and then controlling the tension regulating unit 40 to automatically control the tension. Since the microprocessor 42 automatically controls the tension, the upper rollers 21 and the lower roller 28 are not slipped with respect to the conventional or substitute line and also not excessively worn away. Figs. 4 and 5 shows a self-driving machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the self-driving machine of this embodiment has a direction-changing unit 80 for changing a rotating direction of the upper rollers 21 from forward to rearward, or vice versa. The direction-changing unit 80 includes an actuator 82, a driving bar 84 having one end connected to the actuator 82, and movable rollers 86, 88 combined to both of the other ends of the driving bar 84. If the actuator 82 operates the driving bar 84 vertically, the first or second movable roller 86, 88 combined to the other ends of the driving bar 84 moves the timing belt 26 vertically. The vertically moving timing belt 26 is selectively contacted with the first sprocket 24 and the second sprocket 25, which rotate in a predetermined direction. If the actuator 82 operates the driving bar 84 downward, the first movable roller 86 pushes down the timing belt 26 to be contacted with the first sprocket 24. If the actuator 82 operates the driving bar 84 upward, the second movable roller 88 lifts up the timing belt 26 to be departed from the first sprocket 24 and contacted with the second sprocket 25. If the first sprocket 24 is contacted with the timing belt 26, the self-driving machine moves forward, while, if the second sprocket 25 is contacted with the timing belt 26, the self-driving machine moves rearward. Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 1, the self-driving machine of the present invention is provided with an anti-separation member 90 so as to prevent the upper roller 21 from departing from the conventional or substitute line to make the self-driving machine fallen down. The anti-separation machine 90 includes a plurality of anti-separation bars 92 having one ends coupled to the frame 10 to surround the pair of upper rollers 21 combined to the frame 10, and an anti-separation plate 94 coupled to the other ends of the plurality of anti-separation bars 92. Thus, the conventional or substitute line departing from the upper rollers 21 due to the strong wind at a region such as river, cliff and hill is hooked to the anti-separation member 90, so the self-driving machine is not fallen down. The self-charging battery 60 is self-charged while the self-driving machine is running, and it is used when starting the self-driving machine or turning on a receiver. That is to say, the self-charging battery 60 enables a worker to start, stop, restart, accelerate or decelerate the self-driving machine by using a wireless transceiver. The receiver is built in the self-driving machine, and at least two transceivers are employed. At a long distance, one worker controls a self-driving machine and then another worker controls the same self-driving machine successively. At this time, a frequency band of 2.4 GHz is used to prevent any confusion with frequencies of the corona discharge that is generated in a high-voltage cable. An electric wave range is 3 km to the maximum in consideration of the worst conditions such as river and cliff. Double heterodyne is used as a receiving manner, which is digitally controlled. The self-charging battery 60 preferably uses DC 12V. The present invention has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. APPLICABILITY TO THE INDUSTRY As described above, the self-driving machine of the present invention gives the following effects. First, since the automatic tension regulating unit equipped with a microprocessor is provided, tension applied to the upper and lower rollers may be automatically controlled, thereby preventing slip or excessive abrasion of the rollers. Second, the direction-changing unit provided to the self-driving machine facilitates easy change of direction of the self-driving machine. Third, the anti-separation member prevents the self-driving machine from falling down when the conventional or substitute line departs from the upper rollers. We claim:- 1. A self-driving machine, which includes a pair of upper rollers positioned above a conventional or substitute line and a lower roller positioned below the conventional or substitute line, characterized in that: the self-driving machine is provided with a tension regulating unit 40 for moving the lower roller contacted with the conventional or substitute line so as to control tension of the conventional or substitute line at a position between the pair of upper rollers; wherein the lower roller is moved by the tension regulation unit to press the conventional or substitute line 2. The self-driving machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising : a support member for rotatably supporting the lower roller 28, wherein the tension regulating unit 40 includes: a cylinder 48 coupled to the support member 29 to move the support member; and a motor 44 for driving the cylinder 48. 3. The self-driving machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tension of the conventional or substitute line is automatically controlled by a microprocessor 42. 4. The self-driving machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a force applied to the conventional or substitute line by the lower roller is in the range of 2 to 10 kgf. 5. The self-driving machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises: a timing belt 26 connecting the pair of upper rollers 21; an actuator 82; a driving bar 84 having one end connected to the actuator 82; first and second sprockets 24,25 respectively positioned above and below the timing belt 26 and rotating in a predetermined direction; and first and second movable rollers 86, 88 combined to both of the other ends of the driving bar 84 respectively which are selectively contacted with the first and second sprockets 24,25 to move the timing belt 26 in a selected direction; wherein the driving bar is increased or decreased by the actuator 82, and when the driving bar 84 is increased or decreased, the first movable roller is closely adhered to the first sprocket to move the timing belt along a rotating direction of the first sprocket or the second movable roller is closely adhered to the second sprocket to move the timing belt along rotation direction of the second sprocket. 6. The self-driving machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises: a plurality of anti-separation bars 92 having one ends coupled to a frame of the self-driving machine to surround the pair of upper rollers installed to the frame 10 ; and an anti-separation plate 94 coupled to the other ends of the plurality of anti-separation bars; wherein the conventional or substitute line departing from the upper roller is held by the anti-separation bars and the anti-separation plate to prevent the self-driving machine from falling down.

Documents:

371-DEL-2006-Abstract (13-11-2009).pdf

371-del-2006-abstract.pdf

371-del-2006-assignment.pdf

371-DEL-2006-Claims (13-11-2009).pdf

371-DEL-2006-Claims-(08-09-2009).pdf

371-DEL-2006-Claims-(22-11-2011).pdf

371-del-2006-claims.pdf

371-DEL-2006-Correspondence Others-(18-11-2011).pdf

371-DEL-2006-Correspondence Others-(22-11-2011).pdf

371-DEL-2006-Correspondence-Others (13-11-2009)---.pdf

371-DEL-2006-Correspondence-Others (13-11-2009)-.pdf

371-DEL-2006-Correspondence-Others (13-11-2009).pdf

371-del-2006-Correspondence-Others-(01-09-2009).pdf

371-DEL-2006-Correspondence-Others-(08-09-2009).pdf

371-del-2006-correspondence-others-1.pdf

371-del-2006-correspondence-others.pdf

371-DEL-2006-Description (Complete) (13-11-2009).pdf

371-del-2006-description (complete).pdf

371-DEL-2006-Drawings (13-11-2009).pdf

371-del-2006-drawings.pdf

371-del-2006-form-1.pdf

371-del-2006-form-18.pdf

371-DEL-2006-Form-2 (13-11-2009).pdf

371-del-2006-form-2.pdf

371-del-2006-Form-3-(01-09-2009).pdf

371-del-2006-form-3.pdf

371-del-2006-form-5.pdf

371-DEL-2006-GPA-(18-11-2011).pdf

371-del-2006-gpa.pdf

371-DEL-2006-Petition-137 (13-11-2009)-.pdf

371-DEL-2006-Petition-137 (13-11-2009).pdf