Soft pneumatic robot for working on inner wall of pipeline

Abstract

The present invention provides a soft pneumatic robot for working on the inner wall of a pipeline. It can climb within the pipeline and perform tasks such as spraying or cleaning within the pipeline. The robot comprises a front-end expansion and fixing structure, a vacuum contraction structure, a terminal expansion and fixing structure, and a rear spraying structure. The vacuum contraction structure is located between the front-end expansion and fixing structure and the terminal expansion and fixing structure. The two ends of the vacuum contraction structure are connected to the front-end expansion and fixing structure and the terminal expansion and fixing structure, respectively. The front-end expansion and fixing structure is connected to an air source via a first pipe, the terminal expansion and fixing structure is connected to an air source via a second pipe, the vacuum contraction structure is connected to a vacuum pump via a third pipe, and the rear spraying structure is connected to a fourth pipe. Spraying holes are provided on the sidewalls of the rear spraying structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of pipe-climbing robots, in particular to a soft pneumatic robot used for working on the inner wall of a pipeline. Background Art

[0002] Pipeline transportation plays an increasingly important role in both industry and daily life. Due to their narrow and long interiors, tasks such as cleaning and painting within pipelines are not only difficult but also costly. Using pipeline robots can reduce pipeline maintenance costs. The narrow and long interior of pipelines requires pipeline robots to possess high flexibility and adaptability. Compared to rigid robots, pneumatic soft robots made of soft materials are more suitable for this type of work. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the problem of difficult maintenance inside pipelines, the present invention provides a soft pneumatic robot for working on the inner wall of pipelines, which can climb inside the pipeline and perform tasks such as spraying or cleaning inside the pipeline.

[0004] Its technical solution is as follows: a soft pneumatic robot used for working on the inner wall of a pipe, characterized in that it includes a front-end expansion and fixing structure, a vacuum contraction structure, a terminal expansion and fixing structure and a tail spraying structure, the vacuum contraction structure is located between the front-end expansion and fixing structure and the terminal expansion and fixing structure, the two ends of the vacuum contraction structure are respectively connected to the front-end expansion and fixing structure and the terminal expansion and fixing structure, the front-end expansion and fixing structure is connected to the air source through pipe one, the terminal expansion and fixing structure is connected to the air source through pipe two, the vacuum contraction structure is connected to the vacuum extraction device through pipe three, the tail spraying structure is connected to pipe four, and a spraying hole is opened on the side wall of the tail spraying structure.

[0005] It is further characterized by:

[0006] The front end expansion and fixing structure includes a front end support member and a front end annular expansion device, the front end support member is cylindrical, and the front end annular expansion device is located on the side wall of the front end support member; the terminal expansion and fixing structure includes a terminal support member and a terminal annular expansion device, the terminal support member is cylindrical, and the terminal annular expansion device is located on the side wall of the terminal support member;

[0007] One end of the vacuum contraction structure is connected to the bottom of the front support member, and the other end is connected to the top of the terminal support member;

[0008] The vacuum shrinkage structure includes a shrinkage frame and a film wrapped around the outside of the shrinkage frame, wherein the film is used to wrap the shrinkage frame and form a closed space for the vacuum shrinkage structure; a cavity is provided inside the shrinkage frame, and the pipe 3 is connected to the cavity;

[0009] The cavities in the shrinkage frame are arranged layer by layer along the Z-axis direction, each layer contains more than one cavity, and the spacing between cavities in the same layer is greater than the spacing between cavities in adjacent layers;

[0010] The distance between the cavity located on the odd-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame is greater than the distance between the cavity located on the even-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame;

[0011] The distance between the cavity located on the even-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame is greater than the distance between the cavity located on the odd-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame;

[0012] The cavities in adjacent layers are arranged in an upper and lower spaced relationship.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the device is fixed by the front-end expansion fixing structure and the rear-end expansion fixing structure, the device is prompted to move by the vacuum contraction structure to adjust its position in the pipeline, and the inner wall of the pipeline can be sprayed or cleaned by the tail spraying structure during the movement. At the same time, the structure is simple, easy to assemble, and the production cost is low. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the overall structure;

[0016] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the front end annular expansion device;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the tail spraying structure;

[0018] Figure 5 This is the inflation and deflation sequence diagram. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] like Figure 1-Figure 4The soft pneumatic robot shown is used for working on the inner wall of a pipeline, and includes a front-end expansion and fixing structure 100, a vacuum contraction structure 3, a terminal expansion and fixing structure 101 and a tail spraying structure 6. The vacuum contraction structure 3 is located between the front-end expansion and fixing structure 100 and the terminal expansion and fixing structure 101. The two ends of the vacuum contraction structure 3 are respectively connected to the front-end expansion and fixing structure 100 and the terminal expansion and fixing structure 101 (by bonding or other fixed connection methods). The front-end expansion and fixing structure 100 is connected to the air source through pipe 10, and the terminal expansion and fixing structure 101 is connected to the air source through pipe 2 7. The vacuum contraction structure 3 is connected to the vacuum pumping device through pipe 3 8. The tail spraying structure 6 is connected to pipe 4 9, and pipe 4 9 is used to connect to a pressurized container for storing spraying liquid. A spraying hole is opened on the side wall of the tail spraying structure 6 (not shown in the figure).

[0020] Specifically, the front-end expansion and fixing structure 100 includes a front-end support member 1 and a front-end annular expansion device 2. The front-end support member 1 is cylindrical and is sleeved on the sidewall of the front-end support member 1 with an interference fit. The front-end annular expansion device 2 has a built-in cavity that is injected with gas through a pipeline to expand and increase its volume. Similarly, the terminal expansion and fixing structure 101 includes a terminal support member 4 and a terminal annular expansion device 5. The terminal support member 4 is cylindrical and is located on the sidewall of the terminal support member 4. One end of the vacuum contraction structure 3 is glued to the bottom of the front-end support member 1, and the other end is glued to the top of the terminal support member 4.

[0021] The vacuum contraction structure 3 shortens the distance between the front-end expansion fixed structure 100 and the terminal expansion fixed structure 101 by contraction. In this way, when one end (the front-end expansion fixed structure 100 or the terminal expansion fixed structure 101) is fixed, the other end is moved by contraction of the vacuum contraction structure 3, and then the original fixed end of the other end is released, and the expansion of the vacuum contraction structure 3 causes it to move, thereby achieving climbing or descending in the pipe. In order to achieve this purpose, the vacuum contraction structure 3 can directly adopt an airbag or other soft elastic closed structure. In this embodiment, the vacuum contraction structure 3 includes a contraction frame 31 and a film wrapped around the outside of the contraction frame 31. The film is used to wrap the contraction frame 31 and form a closed space for the vacuum contraction structure 3; a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped cavity 32 is provided inside the contraction frame 31, and a pipe 38 extends into the film and is connected to the cavity. The air in the vacuum contraction structure 3 is evacuated by a vacuum device, so that the cavity 32 is reduced to achieve contraction. Preferably, the cavity in the contraction frame 31 is arranged layer by layer along the Z-axis direction, wherein the Z-axis direction is Figure 2 The Z-axis coordinate in is the reference. Figure 2There are 7 layers in the structure, each layer contains more than one cavity 32, and the spacing D between the cavities 32 in the same layer is greater than the spacing d between the cavities 32 in adjacent layers. Here, the structure between the cavities 32 in the same layer is called a vertical thick beam, and the structure between the cavities 32 in adjacent layers is called a horizontal thin beam. With such a structure, when vacuuming, the horizontal thin beam will first deform and sink into the cavity 32, so that the vacuum shrinkage structure 3 will shrink first along the Z axis. At the same time, in order to reduce the interference between the cavities 32 in different layers during shrinkage, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the cavities 32 of adjacent layers are arranged in an upper and lower interval. In addition, the distance between the cavities 32 located in the odd-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame 31 is greater than the distance between the cavities 32 located in the even-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame 31, or the distance between the cavities 32 located in the even-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame 31 is greater than the distance between the cavities 32 located in the odd-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame 31; Figure 2 There are 7 layers of frames in the figure. The distance A from the cavity 32 on the odd-numbered layers to the side wall of the shrinkage frame 31 is greater than the distance a from the cavity 32 on the even-numbered layers to the side wall of the shrinkage frame 31. In this way, when vacuuming, the side walls of the cavities 32 on the even-numbered layers will shrink first, and the degree of shrinkage is greater than that of the side walls of the cavities 32 on the odd-numbered layers. In this way, the side walls of the vacuum shrinkage structure 3 can produce a wavy shape or a concave-convex shape during shrinkage. With the above structure, compared with the structure that adopts the airbag as the whole, since the contraction is achieved by extracting the gas in the cavity 32, the whole contraction process is faster than extracting the air in the entire structure. At the same time, the use of horizontal thin beams and vertical thick beams can make the whole structure preferentially shrink and deform in the Z-axis direction, and the Z-direction contraction is faster. If all the air is extracted like the whole airbag, the lateral and Z directions will gradually and evenly shrink, and this process will be longer. In addition, the side walls of the odd and even layers are of different thicknesses. Such a design can automatically and evenly produce a wavy contraction shape during contraction, similar to a crease, which further accelerates the contraction speed. At the same time, since the shape is automatically generated and no additional process is required to produce it, the production process is simpler.

[0022] This device can be manufactured using 3D printing. The deformable structures (e.g., the front annular expansion device 2, the end annular expansion device 5, and the vacuum contraction structure 3) can be made of superelastic silicone. The remaining rigid structures (e.g., the front support 1 and the end support 4) can be made of harder materials such as stainless steel or plastic. After the vacuum contraction structure 3 is fabricated, it is wrapped and sealed with a film (leaving a small hole at the bottom for connection to the vacuum pump). The rear spraying structure 6 is bonded to the end support 4. The sidewalls of this structure are covered with pinpoint-sized holes. When the pressurized liquid switch is turned on, it sprays out fine droplets of liquid, thereby spraying or cleaning the inner wall of the pipe. The robot can crawl through pipes with turns, inclinations, and diameters within a certain range. Its rear end is connected to an external pressurized liquid via a hose, allowing it to clean or spray the inner wall of the pipe in all directions while moving.

[0023] Combined with attachment Figure 5 , is a sequential diagram of a cycle of inflation and deflation of the robot. The numbers represent the corresponding structures, the solid line represents the driving state, and the dotted line represents the pressure relief state. The driving mode of the front annular expansion device 2 and the terminal annular expansion device 5 is pressurization, and the driving mode of the vacuum contraction structure 3 is vacuuming. The tail spraying structure 6 is connected to the high-pressure liquid and is always in the driving state during the movement of the robot. In the first stage, the front annular expansion device 2 is inflated and fixed. In the second stage, the vacuum contraction structure 3 is vacuumed, driving the terminal annular expansion device 5 to move. In the third stage, the terminal annular expansion device 5 is fixed. In the fourth stage, the front annular expansion device 2 is depressurized, and the vacuum contraction structure 3 is depressurized to return to its original shape, causing the front annular expansion device 2 to move. In the fifth stage, the front annular expansion device 2 is fixed, thereby realizing the movement of the robot.

[0024] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by anyone familiar with the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A soft pneumatic robot for working on the inner wall of a pipeline, characterized by: It includes a front-end expansion and fixing structure, a vacuum contraction structure, a terminal expansion and fixing structure, and a tail spraying structure. The vacuum contraction structure is located between the front-end expansion and fixing structure and the terminal expansion and fixing structure. Both ends of the vacuum contraction structure are connected to the front-end expansion and fixing structure and the terminal expansion and fixing structure respectively. The front-end expansion and fixing structure is connected to the air source through a first pipe, the terminal expansion and fixing structure is connected to the air source through a second pipe, the vacuum contraction structure is connected to a vacuum pump through a third pipe, the tail spraying structure is connected to a fourth pipe, and a spraying hole is opened on the side wall of the tail spraying structure. The vacuum shrinkage structure includes a shrinkage frame and a film wrapped around the outside of the shrinkage frame, wherein the film is used to wrap the shrinkage frame and form a closed space for the vacuum shrinkage structure; a cavity is provided inside the shrinkage frame, and the pipe 3 is connected to the cavity; The cavities in the shrinkage frame are arranged layer by layer along the Z-axis direction, each layer contains more than one cavity, and the spacing between cavities in the same layer is greater than the spacing between cavities in adjacent layers; The distance between the cavity located on the odd-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame is greater than the distance between the cavity located on the even-numbered layers and the side wall of the shrinking frame; or the distance between the cavity located on the even-numbered floors and the side wall of the shrinking frame is greater than the distance between the cavity located on the odd-numbered floors and the side wall of the shrinking frame; The cavities in adjacent layers are arranged in an upper and lower interval respectively; The shrinkage frame in the vacuum shrinkage structure is made of super elastic silicone.

2. The soft pneumatic robot for working on the inner wall of a pipeline according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end expansion and fixing structure includes a front end support member and a front end annular expansion device, the front end support member is cylindrical, and the front end annular expansion device is located on the side wall of the front end support member; the end end expansion and fixing structure includes an end support member and an end annular expansion device, the end support member is cylindrical, and the end annular expansion device is located on the side wall of the end support member.

3. The soft pneumatic robot for working on the inner wall of a pipeline according to claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the vacuum contraction structure is connected to the bottom of the front end support member, and the other end is connected to the top of the terminal support member.

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