Underwater welding robot

Abstract

The invention provides an underwater welding robot which comprises two clamping mechanisms arranged in a spaced mode. The adjusting mechanisms are used for adjusting the distance between the two adjusting mechanisms; the water retaining mechanism is used for moving the annular water retaining cavity to a welding position so as to reduce the influence of water flow on welding equipment; and a vision controller. According to the underwater welding robot, the two clamping mechanisms are arranged, one clamping mechanism can be clamped on a pipeline needing to be connected and convey the pipeline to the water along with the pipeline, and the other clamping mechanism is clamped on the underwater pipeline after conveying the pipeline to the water along with the pipeline; the adjusting mechanism is arranged, so that the distance between the two clamping mechanisms can be adjusted; a water retaining mechanism is arranged, so that an annular water retaining cavity can be moved to a welding position to reduce the influence of water flow on welding equipment; and the visual controller is arranged, the pipeline connecting position can be determined underwater, the influence of water flow on welding is avoided through the water retaining mechanism, and the welding precision is high, adaptability is good, and practicability is good.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of underwater welding, and particularly relates to an underwater welding robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] Underwater welding is a technology for connecting metals underwater, which is widely used in the fields of ocean engineering, shipbuilding and maintenance, underwater facility construction, etc. Underwater welding needs to be carried out in a high-pressure, humid and possibly water-flowing environment, which will affect the stability of the welding arc and the welding quality. Underwater pipeline welding is a technology for connecting and repairing pipelines in underwater environments.

[0003] In the prior art, when welding a pipeline underwater, the pipeline to be connected needs to be transported to the underwater environment and aligned with the connected pipeline before welding. However, due to the special underwater environment, the water flow will exert a mechanical force on the welding equipment, causing the welding equipment to swing. Especially at a high water flow speed, the unstable water flow will change the shape and size of the welding pool, affecting the forming quality of the weld, resulting in uneven width and uneven height of the weld, and causing the welding to be unable to proceed normally, poor adaptability and poor practicality. SUMMARY

[0004] The embodiment of the application provides an underwater welding robot, which aims to solve the problem that the existing underwater pipeline welding cannot proceed normally due to the special underwater environment.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the application is as follows: an underwater welding robot is provided, comprising: Clamping mechanisms, two of which are provided and spaced apart, one of which clamps the pipeline to be connected and is transported to the underwater environment with the pipeline, and the other clamps the pipeline in the underwater environment after being transported to the underwater environment with the pipeline; Adjusting mechanisms, multiple of which are provided, each of which is connected to the two clamping mechanisms, and the adjusting mechanisms are used to adjust the distance between the two adjusting mechanisms; A water blocking mechanism is slidably arranged on the two clamping mechanisms in the spacing direction of the two clamping mechanisms, the water blocking mechanism has a ring-shaped water blocking cavity for placing the welding equipment, and the water blocking mechanism is used to move the ring-shaped water blocking cavity to a welding position to reduce the influence of the water flow on the welding equipment; A visual controller is electrically connected to each of the clamping mechanisms, the adjusting mechanisms and the water blocking mechanism.

[0006] In a possible implementation, the underwater welding robot further comprises a lifting mechanism, a bottom end of the lifting mechanism is provided with a connecting block, a bottom end of the connecting block is provided with a connecting groove for sliding connection of the two clamping mechanisms, and the lifting mechanism is used for conveying the two clamping mechanisms in a vertical direction to underwater.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the interval direction of the two clamping mechanisms is a first direction, and a direction perpendicular to the first direction and arranged horizontally is a second direction. Each of the clamping mechanisms comprises: a connecting arm, a top end of the connecting arm is slidingly arranged in the connecting groove at the bottom end of the connecting block in the first direction; two semi-ring-shaped cantilevers, both of the semi-ring-shaped cantilevers are hingedly connected to the bottom end of the connecting arm, a hinging axis is arranged in the first direction, and the two semi-ring-shaped cantilevers are clamped to form a ring-shaped clamping part; two first telescopic rods, both of the first telescopic rods are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the two semi-ring-shaped cantilevers, one end of each of the first telescopic rods is hingedly connected to the connecting arm, the other end of each of the first telescopic rods is hingedly connected to the corresponding semi-ring-shaped cantilever, and the two first telescopic rods are used for driving the two semi-ring-shaped cantilevers to open or close relative to or away from each other to be sleeved on the pipeline; a plurality of second telescopic rods, each of the second telescopic rods is annularly and intervally arranged on the ring-shaped clamping part along an axis of the pipeline, and each of the second telescopic rods is used for moving a telescopic end in a radial direction of the pipeline to clamp an outer wall of the pipeline.

[0008] In a possible implementation, each of the first telescopic rods and each of the second telescopic rods is a hydraulic cylinder.

[0009] In a possible implementation, an abutting block is arranged on the telescopic end of each of the second telescopic rods.

[0010] In a possible implementation, a plurality of adjusting mechanisms are annularly and intervally arranged on the two ring-shaped clamping parts along the axis of the pipeline, and each of the adjusting mechanisms comprises: a first fixed block, the first fixed block is fixedly arranged on one of the ring-shaped clamping parts; a second fixed block, the second fixed block is fixedly arranged on the other ring-shaped clamping part and is intervally arranged with the first fixed block in the first direction; a screw rod, the screw rod is rotationally arranged on the first fixed block and is threadedly connected with the second fixed block, and a rotation axis of the screw rod is arranged in the first direction; a driver, the driver is arranged on the first fixed block and is used for driving the corresponding screw rod to rotate.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the driver is a servo motor.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the water blocking mechanism comprises: A plurality of connecting sliders are arranged on the two annular clamping portions along the axis of the pipeline in a ring shape and at intervals, each of the connecting sliders is arranged on the annular clamping portion in the first direction, and the connecting slider is provided with a sliding cavity arranged in the first direction. A plurality of positioning blocks are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of connecting sliders, each of the positioning blocks is fixedly arranged in the corresponding sliding cavity and located in the middle of the sliding cavity. A plurality of spring assemblies are arranged in the corresponding sliding cavities, each of the spring assemblies comprises two positioning springs, one end of each of the positioning springs is connected to the positioning block, and the other end of each of the positioning springs is connected to the corresponding annular clamping portion, and the two positioning springs are used to keep the distance between the positioning block and the two annular clamping portions equal. Two semi-annular water blocking rings are fixedly connected with the corresponding connecting sliders, each of the semi-annular water blocking rings rotates with the corresponding semi-annular cantilever, and each of the semi-annular water blocking rings is provided with an annular groove in the inside thereof, and the two semi-annular water blocking rings jointly form the annular water blocking cavity.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, two clamping mechanisms are arranged in the implementation, one of the clamping mechanisms can be clamped on the pipeline to be connected and transported to the underwater pipeline, and the other clamping mechanism is clamped on the underwater pipeline after being transported to the underwater pipeline; the adjusting mechanism is arranged to adjust the distance between the two adjusting mechanisms; the water blocking mechanism is arranged to move the annular water blocking cavity to the welding position to reduce the influence of water flow on the welding equipment; and the visual controller is arranged to determine the position of the pipeline connection underwater. The water blocking mechanism avoids the influence of water flow on welding, has high welding precision, good adaptability and good practicability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 The installation structure schematic diagram of the underwater welding robot is provided for the embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 The structure schematic diagram of the underwater welding robot is provided for the embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 The side view structure schematic diagram of the underwater welding robot is provided for the embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 The side view structure schematic diagram of the semi-annular water blocking ring of the underwater welding robot is provided for the embodiment of the present application; REFERENCE SIGNS: 10, clamping mechanism; 11, connecting arm; 12, semi-annular cantilever; 13, first telescopic rod; 14, second telescopic rod; 141, abutting block; 20, adjusting mechanism; 21, first fixed block; 22, second fixed block; 23, screw rod; 24, driver; 30, water retaining mechanism; 31, connecting sliding block; 32, positioning block; 33, spring assembly; 34, semi-annular water retaining ring; 40, lifting mechanism; 41, connecting block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In order to make the technical problems to be solved by the present application, technical solutions and beneficial effects clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and not intended to limit the present application.

[0016] It should be noted that the terms "length", "width", "height", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "head", "tail" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only used to facilitate the description of the present application and simplify the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0017] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "fixing", "setting" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, can be fixedly connected, or can be detachably connected, or can be integrated. It can be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection. It can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. It can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0018] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In addition, the meaning of "multiple", "several" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0019] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4The underwater welding robot provided by the present application will be described. The underwater welding robot comprises clamping mechanisms 10, adjusting mechanisms 20, water blocking mechanisms 30 and visual controllers. The clamping mechanisms 10 are provided in two and are arranged at intervals, one of the clamping mechanisms 10 is clamped on a pipeline to be connected and is conveyed to underwater along with the pipeline, and the other clamping mechanism 10 is clamped on the pipeline underwater after being conveyed to underwater along with the pipeline. The adjusting mechanisms 20 are provided in multiple, each adjusting mechanism 20 is connected with two clamping mechanisms 10, and the adjusting mechanisms 20 are used for adjusting the interval of the two adjusting mechanisms 20. The water blocking mechanism 30 is arranged on the two clamping mechanisms 10 in the interval direction and slides in the interval direction, the water blocking mechanism 30 has a ring-shaped water blocking cavity for placing welding equipment, and the water blocking mechanism 30 is used for moving the ring-shaped water blocking cavity to a welding position to reduce the influence of water flow on the welding equipment. The visual controller is electrically connected with each clamping mechanism 10, adjusting mechanism 20 and water blocking mechanism 30.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the underwater welding robot provided by the present embodiment is provided with two clamping mechanisms 10, one of which can be clamped on a pipeline to be connected and conveyed to underwater along with the pipeline, and the other clamping mechanism 10 is clamped on the pipeline underwater after being conveyed to underwater along with the pipeline. The adjusting mechanisms 20 are provided, which can adjust the interval of the two adjusting mechanisms 20. The water blocking mechanism 30 is provided, which can move the ring-shaped water blocking cavity to the welding position to reduce the influence of water flow on the welding equipment. The visual controller is provided, which can determine the position of the pipeline connection underwater, the water blocking mechanism 30 avoids the influence of water flow on welding, has high welding precision, good adaptability and good practicability.

[0021] The underwater welding robot provided by the present embodiment can realize reliable clamping of the pipeline through the two clamping mechanisms 10, which is convenient for subsequent welding operation. The adjusting mechanisms 20 can flexibly adjust the interval of the pipeline to adapt to different welding requirements. The water blocking mechanism 30 effectively reduces the influence of water flow on the welding equipment and improves the welding quality. The visual controller realizes automatic control and improves the operation convenience and precision.

[0022] In some embodiments, the underwater welding robot described above can adopt the structure as shown in Figures 1 to 3 . Referring to Figures 1 to 3 , the underwater welding robot further comprises a lifting mechanism 40, the bottom end of the lifting mechanism 40 is provided with a connecting block 41, the bottom end of the connecting block 41 is provided with a connecting groove for sliding connection of the two clamping mechanisms 10, and the lifting mechanism 40 is used for conveying the two clamping mechanisms 10 to underwater in the vertical direction.

[0023] The lifting mechanism 40 can accurately convey the clamping mechanism 10 to the specified position underwater, reduce the difficulty and risk of manual underwater operation, improve the operability and safety of the equipment, and the lifting mechanism 40 can quickly send the welding robot to the appropriate depth, saving construction time.

[0024] In some embodiments, the clamping mechanism 10 may employ, for example... Figures 1 to 3 The structure shown. See also Figures 1 to 3 The direction of the interval between the two clamping mechanisms 10 is set as the first direction, and the direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and set horizontally is set as the second direction.

[0025] Each clamping mechanism 10 includes a connecting arm 11, a semi-annular cantilever 12, a first telescopic rod, and a second telescopic rod 14. The connecting arm 11 has its top end slidably disposed in a connecting groove at the bottom end of the connecting block 41 along a first direction. Two semi-annular cantilever 12s are provided, each hinged to the bottom end of the connecting arm 11 with its hinge axis along the first direction. The two semi-annular cantilever 12s engage to form an annular clamping portion. Two first telescopic rods 13 are provided, each corresponding to one of the two semi-annular cantilever 12s. One end of each first telescopic rod 13 is hinged to the connecting arm 11, and the other end is hinged to the corresponding semi-annular cantilever 12. The two first telescopic rods 13 drive the two semi-annular cantilever 12 to open and close relative to or opposite to each other, so as to be fitted onto the pipe. Multiple second telescopic rods 14 are provided, and each second telescopic rod 14 is arranged circumferentially on the annular clamping part along the axis of the pipe. Each second telescopic rod 14 is used to move its telescopic end radially along the pipe to clamp the outer wall of the pipe.

[0026] The sliding design of the connecting arm 11 facilitates adjustment of the clamping mechanism 10 position. The semi-circular cantilever 12 and the first telescopic rod 13 work together to achieve rapid clamping of pipes of different diameters. The second telescopic rod 14 can be fine-tuned according to the pipe's outer wall condition to ensure clamping stability and reliability. It can quickly adapt to pipes of different diameters, ensuring pipe stability during welding.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first telescopic rod 13 described above can be adopted as follows: Figures 1 to 3 The structure shown. See also Figures 1 to 3 Each of the first telescopic rods 13 and each of the second telescopic rods 14 are hydraulic cylinders.

[0028] The hydraulic cylinder, serving as the first telescopic rod 13 and the second telescopic rod 14, features high output force and smooth operation, ensuring stable clamping action in complex underwater environments and improving the working reliability of the clamping mechanism 10. The hydraulic cylinder can overcome adverse factors such as seawater pressure and stably clamp the pipeline.

[0029] In some embodiments, the second telescopic rod 14 described above can be adopted as follows: Figures 1 to 3 The structure shown. See also Figures 1 to 3 Each of the second telescopic rods 14 has an abutment block 141 on its telescopic end.

[0030] The abutting block 141 increases the contact area between the second telescopic rod 14 and the outer wall of the pipeline, prevents damage to the outer wall of the pipeline, and improves the stability and reliability of clamping. The abutting block 141 can prevent the pipeline from being deformed by clamping and ensure the welding quality.

[0031] In some embodiments, the adjusting mechanism 20 described above can adopt the structure as shown in Figures 1 to 3 . Referring to Figures 1 to 3 , a plurality of adjusting mechanisms 20 are arranged on the two annular clamping portions along the axis of the pipeline in a ring shape, each adjusting mechanism 20 comprising a first fixed block 21, a second fixed block 22, a screw rod 23, and a driver 24. The first fixed block 21 is fixedly arranged on one of the annular clamping portions. The second fixed block 22 is fixedly arranged on the other annular clamping portion and is arranged in a first direction away from the first fixed block 21. The screw rod 23 is rotatably arranged on the first fixed block 21 and is threadedly connected with the second fixed block 22, and the rotation axis of the screw rod 23 is arranged in the first direction. The driver 24 is arranged on the first fixed block 21 and is used to drive the corresponding screw rod 23 to rotate.

[0032] The screw rod 23 and the driver 24 of the adjusting mechanism 20 cooperate to accurately adjust the distance between the two annular clamping portions, ensure the precision of the pipeline butt joint, and improve the welding quality. By accurately adjusting the distance between the pipelines, the quality of the welded joint is ensured.

[0033] In some embodiments, the driver 24 described above can adopt the structure as shown in Figures 1 to 3 . Referring to Figures 1 to 3 , the driver 24 is a servo motor.

[0034] The servo motor as the driver 24 has the characteristics of high precision and high responsiveness, can accurately control the rotation of the screw rod 23, and thus accurately adjust the distance between the pipelines, meeting the requirements of high-precision welding. In underwater precision welding operations, the servo motor can ensure that the pipeline butt joint error is controlled within a very small range.

[0035] In some embodiments, the water blocking mechanism 30 described above can adopt the structure as shown in Figures 1 to 3 . Referring to Figures 1 to 3 Figures 1 to 4 Figures 1 to 4The water blocking mechanism 30 comprises connecting sliding blocks 31, positioning blocks 32, spring assemblies 33 and semi-annular water blocking rings 34. The connecting sliding blocks 31 are provided in plurality and are annularly and spacedly arranged on the two annular clamping portions along the axis of the pipeline, each of the connecting sliding blocks 31 is slidingly arranged on the annular clamping portion in the first direction, and the connecting sliding block 31 is provided with a sliding cavity arranged in the first direction. The positioning blocks 32 are provided in plurality and are correspondingly arranged with the connecting sliding blocks 31, each of the positioning blocks 32 is fixedly arranged in the corresponding sliding cavity and is located in the middle of the sliding cavity. The spring assemblies 33 are provided in plurality, each of the spring assemblies 33 is located in the corresponding sliding cavity, each of the spring assemblies 33 comprises two positioning springs, one end of each of the positioning springs is connected with the positioning block 32, and the other end of each of the positioning springs is connected with the corresponding annular clamping portion, and the two positioning springs are used for keeping the distance between the positioning block 32 and the two annular clamping portions equal. The semi-annular water blocking rings 34 are provided in two, each of the semi-annular water blocking rings 34 is fixedly connected with the corresponding connecting sliding block 31, each of the semi-annular water blocking rings 34 rotates with the corresponding semi-annular cantilever 12, and each of the semi-annular water blocking rings 34 is provided with an annular groove in the inside thereof, and the two semi-annular water blocking rings 34 jointly form an annular water blocking cavity.

[0036] The spring assemblies 33 of the water blocking mechanism 30 ensure the position stability of the positioning blocks 32, so that the water blocking ring can be accurately moved to the welding position. The annular water blocking cavity formed by the semi-annular water blocking rings 34 effectively blocks the water flow and creates a stable environment for welding. In the underwater pipeline welding of the river with turbulent water flow, the water blocking mechanism 30 can significantly reduce the interference of the water flow on the welding arc.

[0037] The inner wall of the semi-annular water blocking ring 34 is provided with a flexible friction layer, so that the limiting can be avoided when sliding on the pipeline.

[0038] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not used to limit the present application, any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An underwater welding robot, characterized by, The underwater welding robot comprises a clamping mechanism, an adjusting mechanism, a water blocking mechanism, and a visual controller. The adjusting mechanism is provided with a plurality of adjusting mechanisms, each of which is connected to the two clamping mechanisms. The water blocking mechanism is slidably arranged on the two clamping mechanisms along the spacing direction of the two clamping mechanisms. The visual controller is electrically connected to each of the clamping mechanisms, the adjusting mechanism, and the water blocking mechanism. The underwater welding robot further comprises a lifting mechanism, the bottom end of the lifting mechanism is provided with a connecting block, the bottom end of the connecting block is provided with a connecting groove for slidably connecting the two clamping mechanisms, and the lifting mechanism is used to vertically transport the two clamping mechanisms to underwater.

2. The underwater welding robot of claim 1, wherein, The spacing direction of the two clamping mechanisms is the first direction, and the direction perpendicular to the first direction and horizontally arranged is the second direction.

3. The underwater welding robot of claim 2, wherein, Each of the clamping mechanisms comprises a connecting arm, a semi-ring-shaped cantilever, a first telescopic rod, and a second telescopic rod. The connecting arm is slidably arranged in the connecting groove at the bottom end of the connecting block along the first direction. The semi-ring-shaped cantilever is hinged at the bottom end of the connecting arm along the first direction. The first telescopic rod is provided with two first telescopic rods corresponding to the two semi-ring-shaped cantilevers, one end of each first telescopic rod is hinged to the connecting arm, and the other end of each first telescopic rod is hinged to the corresponding semi-ring-shaped cantilever. The second telescopic rod is provided with a plurality of second telescopic rods, each of which is arranged on the ring-shaped clamping part along the axis of the pipeline. Each of the first telescopic rod and the second telescopic rod is a hydraulic cylinder.

4. The underwater welding robot of claim 3, wherein, The telescopic end of each second telescopic rod is provided with an abutting block.

5. The underwater welding robot of claim 3, wherein, The adjusting mechanism is provided with a plurality of adjusting mechanisms, each of which is connected to the two clamping mechanisms.

6. The underwater welding robot of claim 3, wherein, The first fixed block is fixedly arranged on one of the ring-shaped clamping parts. The second fixed block is fixedly arranged on the other ring-shaped clamping part and is spaced apart from the first fixed block along the first direction. The screw rod is rotatably arranged on the first fixed block and is threadedly connected to the second fixed block. The driver is arranged on the first fixed block and is used to drive the corresponding screw rod to rotate. The driver is a servo motor.

7. The underwater welding robot of claim 6, wherein, The water blocking mechanism comprises 8. The underwater welding robot of claim 3, wherein, ​ Connecting sliders are provided in multiple numbers, and the multiple connecting sliders are annularly and spacedly arranged on the two annular clamping portions along the axis of the pipeline, each of the connecting sliders is slidingly arranged on the annular clamping portion along the first direction, and the connecting slider is provided with a sliding cavity arranged along the first direction; Positioning blocks are provided in multiple numbers, and the multiple positioning blocks are arranged one by one corresponding to the multiple connecting sliders, each of the positioning blocks is fixedly arranged in the corresponding sliding cavity and located in the middle of the sliding cavity; Spring assemblies are provided in multiple groups, each of the spring assemblies is located in the corresponding sliding cavity, each of the spring assemblies comprises two positioning springs, one end of each of the positioning springs is connected to the positioning block, and the other end of each of the positioning springs is connected to the corresponding annular clamping portion, and the two positioning springs are used to keep the spacing between the positioning block and the two annular clamping portions equal; Half-ring-shaped water retaining rings are provided in two numbers, each of the half-ring-shaped water retaining rings is fixedly connected to the corresponding connecting slider, each of the half-ring-shaped water retaining rings rotates with the corresponding half-ring-shaped cantilever, and the inside of each of the half-ring-shaped water retaining rings is provided with an annular groove, and the two half-ring-shaped water retaining rings jointly form the annular water retaining cavity.

Images