Obstacle-surmountable inspection robot and obstacle-surmounting method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses an obstacle-crossing inspection robot, which is composed of at least a fuselage, two sets of driving devices, two sets of arms connected to the driving devices, and a tail support rod. The arms adopt a planetary gear structure composed of an outer gear, a transmission gear set, and a driven gear. The arms can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the fuselage to drive the fuselage to lift, thereby realizing the robot's obstacle-crossing action. The robot has the advantages of simple control, simplified mechanism, light weight, and easy maintenance. The present invention also provides a robot obstacle-crossing method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of inspection robots, and in particular to an obstacle-surmounting inspection robot and an obstacle-surmounting method thereof. Background Art

[0002] When inspecting small cargo ships, frontline customs officers often have to go deep into the air cabin for inspection. The cabin is small (cabin height is less than 1.2m), hot (cabin temperature is above 60℃), slippery ground, and thin air. The inspection environment is very bad, threatening the safety and health of inspectors. If robots can replace customs officers to complete ship inspections, it will greatly reduce the difficulty of inspections and improve inspection safety and work efficiency.

[0003] The existing obstacle-crossing robots have a complex structure, and the linear walking and obstacle-crossing movements are driven by different power devices, which are complex to control. As a result, the power motor, battery and other components are heavy, which makes it inconvenient for front-line inspectors to carry them with them for boarding operations. This situation puts forward the requirement for the development of a robot suitable for cabin inspection. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide an obstacle-crossing inspection robot; a second object of the present invention is to provide an obstacle-crossing inspection robot to solve the shortcomings of traditional obstacle-crossing robots such as complex structure, heavy weight and high maintenance cost.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the following technical solutions are provided:

[0006] A robot capable of overcoming obstacles, characterized in that it comprises a body, an arm and a support rod, wherein the support rod is arranged at the rear end of the body, the arms are two, and the two arms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the forward direction of the body.

[0007] The fuselage has a shell, and two independent driving devices are installed in the fuselage shell.

[0008] The machine arm comprises an machine arm housing, an outer gear, a first gear shaft, a transmission gear set, a driven gear, a third gear shaft and a wheel, the transmission gear set comprises at least one transmission gear, the outer gear, the transmission gear set and the driven gear are arranged in the machine arm housing, the wheel is arranged on the outer side of the machine arm housing, the middle part of the first gear shaft passes through the machine body housing and the machine arm housing, the outer gear is arranged on the first gear shaft, the transmission gear set, the driven gear, the third gear shaft and the wheel are arranged on both symmetrical sides of the outer gear, and the driven gear is arranged on the third gear shaft,

[0009] The two driving devices are respectively connected to the first gear shafts of the two arms to provide torque for the first gear shaft and the outer gear, and the symmetrical two side edges of the outer gear are respectively meshed with the input end of the transmission gear set, and the output end of the transmission gear set is meshed with the driven gear, and the driven gear is fixedly connected to the wheel through the third gear shaft to drive the wheel to rotate.

[0010] Optionally, the two driving devices include two independent driving motors, and the first gear shaft is also provided with an inner gear, the inner gear is located in the fuselage shell, and the output gears on the two driving motors are respectively meshed and connected with the inner gears on the first gear shafts of the two arms.

[0011] Optionally, the transmission gear set includes a first transmission gear, a second transmission gear and a third transmission gear meshing with each other, one side of the outer gear is meshed and connected with the first transmission gear, and the third transmission gear is meshed and connected with the driven gear.

[0012] Optionally, the transmission gear is arranged on a second gear shaft; both ends of the second gear shaft are supported by two bearings respectively, and the bearings are embedded in the arm housing.

[0013] Optionally, both ends of the first gear shaft are supported by two bearings respectively, one end of the third gear shaft is fixedly connected to the wheel, and the other end of the third gear shaft is supported by a bearing, and the bearing is embedded in the arm housing.

[0014] Optionally, an annular boss is provided on a side of the arm shell facing the body shell, a position limiting mounting hole is correspondingly provided on the body shell, and the annular boss is embedded in the position limiting mounting hole.

[0015] Optionally, a support block is provided at one end of the support rod away from the fuselage, and the rod body of the support rod includes a first sleeve and a second sleeve, the second sleeve is sleeved outside the first sleeve, and adjustment holes are provided on the overlapping parts of the first sleeve and the second sleeve, and a clip and a compression spring are provided inside the first sleeve, the lower end of the clip is connected to the compression spring, and the upper end of the clip can be inserted into the adjustment holes of the first sleeve and the second sleeve to limit the first sleeve and the second sleeve, thereby adjusting the length of the support rod.

[0016] Optionally, a visual sensor is also included, which is arranged at the front end of the fuselage. The fuselage shell contains a main control board, which is used to receive image information from the visual sensor and independently control the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the two drive motors, thereby controlling the robot to complete forward, backward and turning movements.

[0017] Optionally, a control terminal is further included, and the control terminal is wirelessly connected to the main control board.

[0018] Optionally, the wheel is an off-road tire, or the wheel is a special-shaped tire, the special-shaped tire is made of rubber material, the special-shaped tire includes a cylindrical core, at least one circular ring concentric with the core, and a plurality of radial spokes connecting the core and the circular ring, and the centrifugal end cross-section of the radial spoke is T-shaped.

[0019] An obstacle surmounting method for an obstacle surmountable inspection robot, characterized in that the above-mentioned obstacle surmountable inspection robot is used, comprising the following steps:

[0020] Before the robot touches an obstacle, the arm does not rotate around the body, and the driving device drives the four wheels to roll through the first gear shaft, the outer gear, the transmission gear set, and the driven gear to complete the forward, backward, and turning movements;

[0021] After encountering an obstacle, the robot cannot move forward. The front wheel contacts the obstacle before the body, the rolling resistance of the wheel increases, the wheel is blocked, and the transmission gear set and driven gear in the arm begin to revolve around the outer gear, causing the arm to rotate clockwise with the front wheel as the fulcrum. The arm drives the body to lift while rotating, and the support rod at the tail of the body contacts the ground to provide support to prevent the body from flipping over.

[0022] When the arm rotates to 90°, the front wheels are at the bottom and the rear wheels are at the top;

[0023] When the arm rotates more than 90°, the rear wheel of the robot contacts the upper part of the obstacle, and the force exerted by the contact surface on the rear wheel drives the robot to continue to lift and move forward.

[0024] When the fuselage is lifted to the upper plane of the obstacle, the resistance between the wheels and the ground decreases, the arms gradually stop rotating, and the fuselage moves in the new plane.

[0025] After adopting the above structure, the advantages of the present invention compared with the prior art are: the planetary gear structure composed of the outer gear, the transmission gear set and the driven gear of the present invention can simultaneously realize walking and obstacle crossing actions, simplify the mechanism, and have a lighter weight under the same obstacle crossing ability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the body shell of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the arm of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the arm of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the support rod of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 The obstacle-crossing diagram of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 ;

[0032] Figure 7 The obstacle-crossing diagram of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ;

[0033] Figure 8 The obstacle-crossing diagram of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 3 ;

[0034] Fig. 9 The obstacle-crossing diagram of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 4 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Reference Figures 1 to 6 The obstacle-surmounting inspection robot provided by the present invention comprises a body 1, an arm 3, a tail support rod 4 and a visual sensor 5. The visual sensor 5 is arranged at the front end of the body 1, the support rod 4 is arranged at the rear end of the body 1, and there are two arms 3, which are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the forward direction of the body 1. Two independent driving devices are installed in the body shell 10.

[0037] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the arm 3 includes an arm housing 30, an outer gear 312, a first gear shaft 31, a transmission gear set 32, a driven gear 33, a third gear shaft 331 and a wheel. The inner gear 311 is arranged in the body housing 10, the outer gear 312, the transmission gear set 32 ​​and the driven gear 33 are arranged in the arm housing 30, and the wheel 35 is arranged on the outside of the arm housing. The middle part of the first gear shaft 31 passes through the body housing 10 and the arm housing 30, the outer gear 312 is arranged on the first gear shaft 31, and the transmission gear set 32, the driven gear 33, the third gear shaft 331 and the wheel 35 are arranged on both symmetrical sides of the outer gear 312, and the driven gear 33 is arranged on the third gear shaft 331.

[0038] The two driving devices are respectively connected to the first gear shafts 31 of the two arms to provide torque for the first gear shafts 31 and the outer gears 312. The symmetrical two sides of the outer gears 312 are respectively meshed with the input ends of the transmission gear set 32. The output end of the transmission gear set 32 ​​is meshed with the driven gear 33. The driven gear 33 is fixedly connected to the wheel 35 through the third gear shaft 331, thereby driving the wheel to rotate.

[0039] The two driving devices include two independent driving motors 2. The first gear shaft 31 is also provided with an inner gear 311. The inner gear 311 is located in the fuselage shell 10. The output gears 21 on the two driving motors 2 are respectively meshed and connected with the inner gears 311 on the first gear shafts of the two arms.

[0040] Preferably, the driving motor 2 is a micro reduction motor.

[0041] Both ends of the first gear shaft 31 are supported by two bearings, one of which is embedded in the arm housing 30 and the other is installed inside the fuselage housing 10. One end of the third gear shaft 331 is fixedly connected to the wheel 35, and the other end of the third gear shaft 331 is supported by a bearing, which is embedded in the arm housing 30.

[0042] The arm housing 30 is provided with an annular boss 300 on one side facing the body housing 10, and the body housing 10 is provided with a corresponding position-limiting mounting hole 100, and the annular boss 300 is embedded in the position-limiting mounting hole 100. The arm housing 30 is rotatably connected to the body through the annular boss 300, and the arm can rotate 360° around the body 1.

[0043] The transmission gear set 32 ​​includes at least one transmission gear, which is arranged on the second gear shaft 321. The two ends of the second gear shaft 321 are respectively supported by two bearings, which are embedded in the machine arm housing 30. The two ends of the second gear shaft 321 may not be provided with bearings, and the two ends of the second gear shaft 321 are arranged to be rotatably connected to the machine arm housing 30.

[0044] When the number of gears in the transmission gear set 32 ​​is an odd number, it can be ensured that the rolling direction of the tire 35 is consistent with the rotation direction of the machine arm 3 during the travel process. The number of gears in the transmission gear set 32 ​​is at least one. In this embodiment, the number of transmission gears in the transmission gear set 32 ​​is three. The transmission gear set includes a first transmission gear, a second transmission gear, and a third transmission gear that mesh with each other. One side of the outer gear 312 is meshed with the first transmission gear, and the third transmission gear is meshed with the driven gear 33.

[0045] The transmission gear in the transmission gear set 32 ​​can rotate around the second gear shaft 321 or revolve around the outer gear 312, and the driven gear 33 can rotate around the third gear shaft or revolve around the outer gear 312, forming a planetary gear structure.

[0046] like Figure 5 As shown, a support block 43 is provided at one end of the support rod 4 away from the fuselage. The support block 43 can increase the support area and increase the stability of the robot. The rod body of the support rod 4 is a telescopic structure, and the rod body includes a first sleeve 41 and a second sleeve 42. The second sleeve 42 is sleeved outside the first sleeve 41. The overlapping part of the first sleeve 41 and the second sleeve 42 is provided with an adjustment hole 40. The first sleeve 41 is provided with a buckle 44 and a compression spring (not shown in the figure). The lower end of the buckle is connected to the compression spring. The upper end of the buckle 44 can be clamped into the adjustment hole 40 of the first sleeve 41 and the second sleeve 42 to limit the first sleeve 41 and the second sleeve 42. When the buckle 44 is pressed, the first sleeve 41 and the second sleeve 42 can slide relative to each other, thereby adjusting the length of the support rod 4. The length of the support rod 4 is manually adjusted in advance by the inspector. When the obstacle height is too high, the support rod and the left and right swing arms may not form a stable support when the robot crosses the obstacle, and the support rod should be lengthened. When the support rod is too long and affects the robot's steering in a narrow space, the support rod should be shortened.

[0047] The visual sensor 5 uses a network camera with night vision function. The fuselage shell contains a main control board (not shown in the figure), which is used to receive image information from the visual sensor and independently control the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the left and right drive motors, thereby controlling the robot to complete forward, backward and turning movements. There is also a control terminal (not shown in the figure), which has an image display module, a command input module and a wireless communication module; the control terminal establishes a communication connection with the main control board through the wireless communication module, thereby displaying the robot's surrounding environment information in real time and controlling the robot to move. The control terminal is carried on board by the inspector. The control terminal can be a mobile phone, PC, tablet, handheld remote control, etc.

[0048] The arm 3 is installed at the front of the fuselage 1 so that during the travel, the front wheel 351 contacts the obstacle before the fuselage 1.

[0049] The wheel 35 uses a special-shaped tire or an off-road tire to increase the friction between the wheel 35 and the contact surface. In this embodiment, the wheel 35 uses a special-shaped tire. The special-shaped tire is made of rubber material, and includes a cylindrical core 351, at least one circular ring 352 concentric with the core 351, and a plurality of radial spokes 353 connecting the core 351 and the circular ring 351, and the cross-section of the centrifugal end 3521 of the radial spoke 353 is T-shaped. In this embodiment, the number of the circular ring 352 is 1, and it can also be 2, 3 or other suitable numbers.

[0050] The obstacle crossing method of the obstacle-crossing inspection robot of the present invention, wherein the obstacle crossing method refers to an obstacle crossing method for the inspection robot when encountering obstacles during its movement, the width of the obstacle is greater than the width of the robot body, and the height of the obstacle is less than 1 / 2 of the length of the robot arm;

[0051] The steps to overcome the obstacle are as follows:

[0052] Before the robot contacts an obstacle, the arm 3 does not rotate around the body 1, and the driving motor 2 drives the four wheels 35 to roll through the first gear shaft 31, the outer gear 312, the transmission gear set 32, and the driven gear 33 to complete the actions of moving forward, backward, turning, etc.

[0053] like Figure 6 As shown, after encountering an obstacle, the robot cannot move forward, the front wheel 3501 contacts the obstacle before the body 1, the rolling resistance of the wheel increases, the wheel 35 is blocked, and the transmission gear set 32 ​​and the driven gear 33 in the arm 3 begin to revolve around the outer gear 312, so that the arm 3 rotates clockwise with the front wheel 3501 as the fulcrum. While rotating, the arm 3 drives the body 1 to rise, and the support rod 4 at the tail of the body 1 contacts the ground to provide support to prevent the body 1 from flipping over;

[0054] like Figure 7 As shown, when the machine arm 3 rotates to 90°, the front wheel 3501 is at the bottom and the rear wheel 3502 is at the top.

[0055] like Figure 8 As shown, when the rotation angle of the robot arm 3 exceeds 90°, the rear wheel 3502 of the robot contacts the upper part of the obstacle, and the force of the contact surface on the rear wheel 3502 drives the body 1 to continue to lift and move forward;

[0056] like Fig. 9 As shown, when the fuselage 1 is lifted to the upper plane of the obstacle, the resistance between the wheel 35 and the ground decreases, and the arm 3 gradually stops rotating. At this time, the arm rotates 180°, the rear wheel 3502 is in front, and the front wheel 3501 is in the back, and the fuselage 1 moves in the new plane.

[0057] The above contents are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, according to the concept of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. The content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. An obstacle-crossing inspection robot, characterized in that: The invention comprises a fuselage, an arm and a support rod, wherein the support rod is arranged at the rear end of the fuselage, and the fuselage has two arms, which are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the forward direction of the fuselage. The fuselage has a shell, and two independent driving devices are installed in the fuselage shell. The machine arm comprises an machine arm housing, an outer gear, a first gear shaft, a transmission gear set, a driven gear, a third gear shaft and a wheel, the transmission gear set comprises at least one transmission gear, the outer gear, the transmission gear set and the driven gear are arranged in the machine arm housing, the wheel is arranged on the outer side of the machine arm housing, the middle part of the first gear shaft passes through the machine body housing and the machine arm housing, the outer gear is arranged on the first gear shaft, the transmission gear set, the driven gear, the third gear shaft and the wheel are arranged on both symmetrical sides of the outer gear, and the driven gear is arranged on the third gear shaft, The two driving devices are respectively connected to the first gear shafts of the two machine arms to provide torque for the first gear shafts and the outer gears, the symmetrical two sides of the outer gears are respectively meshed and connected with the input ends of the transmission gear set, the output end of the transmission gear set is meshed and connected with the driven gear, and the driven gear is fixedly connected to the wheel through the third gear shaft to drive the wheel to rotate; The two driving devices include two independent driving motors, the first gear shaft is also provided with an inner gear, the inner gear is located in the fuselage shell, and the output gears on the two driving motors are respectively meshed and connected with the inner gears on the first gear shafts of the two machine arms; A support block is provided at one end of the support rod away from the fuselage, and the rod body of the support rod includes a first sleeve and a second sleeve, the second sleeve is sleeved outside the first sleeve, and the overlapping parts of the first sleeve and the second sleeve are provided with adjustment holes, and a clip and a compression spring are provided inside the first sleeve, the lower end of the clip is connected to the compression spring, and the upper end of the clip can be inserted into the adjustment holes of the first sleeve and the second sleeve to limit the first sleeve and the second sleeve, thereby adjusting the length of the support rod.

2. The obstacle-surmountable inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission gear set includes a first transmission gear, a second transmission gear and a third transmission gear meshing with each other, one side of the outer gear is meshed and connected with the first transmission gear, and the third transmission gear is meshed and connected with the driven gear.

3. The obstacle-surmountable inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission gear is arranged on the second gear shaft; the two ends of the second gear shaft are respectively supported by two bearings, and the bearings are embedded in the arm housing.

4. The obstacle-surmountable inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the first gear shaft are supported by two bearings respectively, one end of the third gear shaft is fixedly connected to the wheel, and the other end of the third gear shaft is supported by a bearing, which is embedded in the arm housing.

5. The obstacle-surmountable inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arm shell is provided with an annular boss on one side facing the body shell, and the body shell is correspondingly provided with a position limiting mounting hole, and the annular boss is embedded in the position limiting mounting hole.

6. The obstacle-surmountable inspection robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: It also includes a visual sensor, which is arranged at the front end of the fuselage. The fuselage shell contains a main control board, which is used to receive image information from the visual sensor and independently control the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the two drive motors, thereby controlling the robot to complete forward, backward and turning movements.

7. The obstacle-surmountable inspection robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a control terminal, which is wirelessly connected to the main control board.

8. The obstacle-surmountable inspection robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The wheels are off-road tires, Alternatively, the wheel is a special-shaped tire, which is made of rubber material and includes a cylindrical core, at least one circular ring concentric with the core, and a plurality of radial spokes connecting the core and the circular ring, wherein the eccentric end cross-section of the radial spoke is T-shaped.

9. An obstacle surmounting method for an obstacle surmounting inspection robot, characterized in that: The obstacle-surmountable inspection robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is used, comprising the following steps: Before the robot touches an obstacle, the arm does not rotate around the body, and the driving device drives the four wheels to roll through the first gear shaft, the outer gear, the transmission gear set, and the driven gear to complete the forward, backward, and turning movements; After encountering an obstacle, the robot cannot move forward. The front wheel contacts the obstacle before the body, the rolling resistance of the wheel increases, the wheel is blocked, and the transmission gear set and driven gear in the arm begin to revolve around the outer gear, causing the arm to rotate clockwise with the front wheel as the fulcrum. The arm drives the body to lift while rotating, and the support rod at the tail of the body contacts the ground to provide support to prevent the body from flipping over. When the arm rotates to 90°, the front wheels are at the bottom and the rear wheels are at the top; When the arm rotates more than 90°, the rear wheel of the robot contacts the upper part of the obstacle, and the force exerted by the contact surface on the rear wheel drives the robot to continue to lift and move forward. When the fuselage is lifted to the upper plane of the obstacle, the resistance between the wheels and the ground decreases, the arms gradually stop rotating, and the fuselage moves in the new plane.

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