A pipeline inspection robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a pipeline inspection robot, which includes a pipeline inspection device and a traveling device. The pipeline inspection device is horizontally arranged, and at least one buoyancy chamber is provided at the lower end of the pipeline inspection device. The traveling device is arranged at the lower end of the buoyancy chamber and is used to drive the buoyancy chamber to move. The present invention provides a pipeline inspection robot that can simultaneously adapt to complex environments other than conventional land surfaces (dry and wet land surfaces).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pipeline inspection equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pipeline inspection robot. Background Art

[0002] During the actual operation of pipeline inspection robots, when there is silt in the pipeline, the crawler vehicle cannot pass normally on the silt; when the pipeline is filled with water, the crawler vehicle does not have the ability to detect underwater. Currently, the land and water walking motion drive devices are designed in different styles according to different usage environments. According to different usage environments, traditional drive devices include wheel type, caterpillar type, and blade type (such as propellers). Specifically, the land walking drive method mainly relies on driving wheels, the muddy ground walking drive method mainly relies on driving caterpillars, and the underwater walking drive method mainly relies on driving blades. In addition, in the research of amphibious equipment, the power drive forms adopted are mostly combinations of the above drive forms.

[0003] The invention patent "A Propeller" (201910351807.2) proposes a propeller-type drive suitable for aircraft and ship designs, including a drive shaft, a propeller shaft, and a propeller rod. Its feature is that the propeller rod with spiral grooves and spiral protrusions rotates automatically when encountering air flow, and uses the Magnus effect to generate thrust.

[0004] The utility model patent "The Body of an Amphibious Vehicle" (201920424170.0) mainly provides buoyancy through airbags to drive the blade device to rotate to provide forward thrust in water. When walking on land, the walking mechanism with wheels is adjusted to contact the land surface through a hydraulic system, and then the machine's movement on land is achieved by driving the wheels.

[0005] The invention patent "An Amphibious Boat with a New Type of Drive Device" (201810748401.3) sets wheels on the hull, and the hub of the wheel has a structure with a propeller-type blade feature. When walking on land, it is the same as the conventional driving wheel walking form. When moving in water, the hydraulic disk group is driven to rotate relatively, so that the wheel twists 90°, and the propeller-type hub is used as the power for underwater navigation.

[0006] The conventional designs of current drives have always revolved around wheeled, tracked, and blade-type structures, and it is very difficult to meet the use in various environments with one drive method. In particular, there is little research on a drive that can simultaneously adapt to dry land, wet land, sandy land, rocky land, muddy land, and water environments. Disadvantages of the prior art: Currently, conventional drive devices are single in terms of environmental adaptability; in the research of amphibious devices, most are combinations of conventional designs, with relatively complex structures, and although they can adapt to land and water in terms of environmental adaptability, the use in specific complex land environments has not been studied and discussed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a pipeline inspection robot that can simultaneously adapt to complex environments other than conventional land (dry and wet land).

[0008] To achieve these and other advantages in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a pipeline inspection robot, including a pipeline inspection device and a traveling device. The pipeline inspection device is horizontally arranged, and at least one buoyancy chamber is provided at the lower end of the pipeline inspection device. The traveling device is arranged at the lower end of the buoyancy chamber and is used to drive the buoyancy chamber to move.

[0009] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot, the traveling device includes a plurality of traveling systems that are equal in number to and correspond one by one with the buoyancy chambers, and the traveling systems are arranged at the lower ends of the corresponding buoyancy chambers.

[0010] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot, two of the buoyancy chambers are spaced apart at the lower end of the pipeline inspection device. The buoyancy chamber includes a housing, a bottom plate, and an arc-shaped plate. The bottom plate is horizontally arranged, and the traveling system is provided at its lower end. The interior of the housing is hollow and both the upper and lower ends are open, and it covers the upper end of the bottom plate. A connecting framework is provided inside the housing, and the upper and lower ends of the connecting framework are respectively connected to the lower end of the pipeline inspection device and the upper end of the bottom plate. The housing is filled with buoyancy foam, and the arc-shaped plate is arranged at the front end of the lower end of the bottom plate.

[0011] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot, the traveling system includes a traveling mechanism, a transmission mechanism, and a driving mechanism. The traveling mechanism is arranged at the lower end of the corresponding bottom plate, and the driving mechanism is in transmission connection with the traveling mechanism through the transmission mechanism.

[0012] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot, the transmission mechanism is a gearbox, which is arranged at the rear end of the corresponding housing. Its input shaft is in transmission connection with the output end of the driving mechanism, and its output shaft is in transmission connection with the input end of the corresponding traveling mechanism.

[0013] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot described above, the walking mechanism includes a screw shaft, a positioning member, a power input shaft, a front connecting member, a rear connecting member, two chains and a plurality of rotating drums, the screw shaft is arranged below the base plate along the front-to-back direction, and its front and rear ends are respectively provided with a front horizontal section and a rear horizontal section arranged along the front-to-back direction, the front horizontal section and the screw shaft are coaxially arranged, and the rear horizontal section is eccentrically arranged with the screw shaft, the front connecting member and the rear connecting member are both horizontally arranged and are respectively arranged on the front and rear sides of the screw shaft, the front end of the front horizontal section passes through the front connecting member and is rotatably connected to the positioning member arranged at the lower end of the base plate, the power input shaft is arranged parallel to the rear horizontal section, and its front end passes through After passing through the rear connecting member, it is transmission connected to the rear horizontal section through a vertically arranged eccentric wheel. The two chains are arranged along the length direction of the spiral shaft, and their front and rear ends are respectively movably connected to the two ends of the front connecting member and the two ends of the rear connecting member. Multiple rotating drums are arranged along the left and right directions, and are arranged between the two chains at intervals front and back. The left and right ends of the rotating drum are respectively rotatably connected to the two chains. A notch is provided on the rotating drum along its radial direction, and the spiral shaft passes through the notches of the multiple rotating drums in turn. The lower ends of the rotating drums are provided with moving bars along the left and right directions, and a soft plate is provided between any two adjacent rotating drums, and the front and rear ends of the soft plate are respectively connected to the lower ends of the corresponding two rotating drums.

[0014] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot, the rotating drum includes two end covers and two optical axes, the two end covers are spaced apart on the left and right, and are connected by two positioning plates spaced apart on the top and bottom, the lower end of the positioning plate located below is provided with the moving bar, and the front and rear ends of the lower end of the positioning plate located below are respectively connected to the two soft plates adjacent thereto, the two end covers are respectively rotatably connected to the two chains, the two optical axes are both arranged between the two end covers along the front-to-back direction, and the left and right ends are respectively connected to the end covers, and the gap is formed between the two optical axes.

[0015] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot, a pin is provided at each end of the two end covers that are away from each other along the left and right directions, and the pin passes through the corresponding chain and is transmission-connected thereto.

[0016] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot, the chain includes a plurality of vertically arranged connecting plates, each of the left and right ends of the connecting plates is provided with a waist circular hole, and the pin shaft passes through two adjacent waist circular holes of the corresponding two connecting plates in sequence and is slidably arranged in the two.

[0017] Preferably, in the pipeline inspection robot, a plurality of anti-slip strips are provided at intervals at the lower end of the moving strip.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0019] 1. The pipeline inspection robot of the present invention is provided with two buoyancy chambers at the lower end of the pipeline inspection device, and a walking device is provided under each buoyancy chamber. The two walking devices provide power for the movement of the pipeline inspection robot, and the buoyancy chamber filled with foam provides buoyancy for the pipeline inspection robot.

[0020] 2. After the walking mechanism of the present invention is connected to the external power source through the power input shaft, the external power source drives the power input shaft and the spiral shaft to rotate, thereby driving multiple rotating drums and multiple soft plates to move. When working on land (dry or wet land, stone ground), after the rotating drum moves to the lowest point, the moving bar thereon contacts with the land surface, and friction is generated due to the relative motion, so that the drive obtains a forward or backward driving force; when working on the land of sand or mud, before the moving bar on the rotating drum is completely pressed into the sand or mud, the driving force is obtained by relying on the friction between the moving bar and the land surface. When the moving bar is pressed into the sand or mud, the soft plate between the rotating drum and the moving bar will contact with the sand or mud, generating friction to obtain a forward or backward thrust; when working in water, the waveform motion of the soft plate is driven by the rotation of the spiral shaft, thereby generating a driving force in the water.

[0021] Other advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be embodied in part through the following description, and in part will be understood by those skilled in the art through study and practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the pipeline inspection robot according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 A top view of the pipeline inspection robot according to the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 A bottom view of the pipeline inspection robot according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a front view of the pipeline inspection robot according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the walking mechanism of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the threaded rod of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of the chain described in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the rotating drum of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 9 Schematic connection diagram of the connecting plate and the shaft pin according to the present invention;

[0031] Figure 10 Schematic structure diagram of the moving bar according to the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0032] The following further describes the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can implement it according to the description in the specification.

[0033] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "transverse", "longitudinal", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0034] As Figures 1-4 shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a pipeline inspection robot, including a pipeline inspection device 1 and a traveling device. The pipeline inspection device 1 is horizontally arranged, and at least one buoyancy chamber is provided at the lower end of the pipeline inspection device 1. The traveling device is arranged at the lower end of the buoyancy chamber and is used to drive the buoyancy chamber to move.

[0035] In this embodiment, the pipeline inspection device 1 adopts the existing technology and will not be elaborated here. In this embodiment, by providing at least one buoyancy chamber at the lower end of the pipeline inspection device 1, the buoyancy chamber filled with foam provides buoyancy for the pipeline inspection robot, so that when there is accumulated water in the pipeline, the pipeline inspection device 1 can float on the water surface. At the same time, in this embodiment, a traveling device is also provided below the buoyancy chamber, and the traveling device provides the driving force for the pipeline inspection device 1 and the buoyancy chamber to move on the ground or in the water.

[0036] Preferably, in a pipeline inspection robot, the traveling device includes a plurality of traveling systems that are equal in number to and correspond one by one with the buoyancy chambers, and the traveling systems are arranged at the lower ends of the corresponding buoyancy chambers.

[0037] In this embodiment, by arranging a traveling device at the lower end of each buoyancy chamber, the power distribution can be made more uniform when the pipeline inspection robot is traveling.

[0038] Preferably, in a pipeline inspection robot, two buoyancy chambers are provided at intervals at the lower end of the pipeline inspection device 1. The buoyancy chamber includes a housing 2, a bottom plate 3, and an arc plate 4. The bottom plate 3 is horizontally arranged, and a walking system is provided at its lower end. The interior of the housing 2 is hollow and both the upper and lower ends are open, and it covers the upper end of the bottom plate 3. A connecting skeleton 5 is provided inside the housing 2. The upper and lower ends of the connecting skeleton 5 are respectively connected to the lower end of the pipeline inspection device 1 and the upper end of the bottom plate 3. The housing 2 is filled with buoyancy foam, and the arc plate 4 is arranged at the front end of the lower end of the bottom plate 3.

[0039] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the housing 2 of the buoyancy chamber is connected to the lower end of the pipeline inspection device 1 through the connecting skeleton 5, and the buoyancy chamber is filled with foam, so that the buoyancy chamber can float on the water surface. At the same time, as Figure 3 shown, an arc plate 4 is arranged on the front side of the lower end of the housing 2 to enhance the obstacle-crossing ability of the buoyancy chamber and facilitate the movement of the buoyancy chamber.

[0040] Preferably, in a pipeline inspection robot, the walking system includes a walking mechanism, a transmission mechanism 6, and a driving mechanism 7. The walking mechanism is arranged at the lower end of the corresponding bottom plate 3, and the driving mechanism 7 is in transmission connection with the walking mechanism through the transmission mechanism 6. Among them, the transmission mechanism 6 is a gearbox, which is arranged at the rear end of the corresponding housing 2. Its input shaft is in transmission connection with the output end of the driving mechanism 7, and its output shaft is in transmission connection with the input end of the corresponding walking mechanism. In addition, as Figure 1 shown, wheels can be arranged at the lower end of the gearbox as auxiliary supports. The function of these wheels is to provide additional support for the pipeline inspection robot, making the pipeline inspection robot more stable during travel. In addition, when the pipeline inspection robot retreats, it provides a certain obstacle-crossing ability.

[0041] In this embodiment, the driving mechanism 7 can adopt a motor. By arranging a box body for placing the motor in the housing 2 of the corresponding buoyancy chamber, the output shaft of the motor sequentially passes through the box body and the corresponding housing 2 and is coaxially connected to the input shaft of the gearbox. As Figure 1 shown, the output shaft of the gearbox is located below its output shaft and is in transmission connection with the input end of the walking mechanism, so that the walking mechanism can be driven by the motor. In this embodiment, both the motor and the gearbox adopt existing technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0042] Preferably, as another embodiment of the present invention, as Figures 1-10As shown, the walking mechanism includes a screw shaft 8, a positioning member 9, a power input shaft 10, a front connecting member 11, a rear connecting member 12, two chains and a plurality of rotating drums. The screw shaft 8 is arranged below the base plate 3 along the front-to-back direction, and a front horizontal section 13 and a rear horizontal section 14 arranged along the front-to-back direction are respectively provided at its front and rear ends. The front horizontal section 13 and the screw shaft 8 are coaxially arranged, and the rear horizontal section 14 is eccentrically arranged with the screw shaft 8. The front connecting member 11 and the rear connecting member 12 are both horizontally arranged and are respectively arranged on the front and rear sides of the screw shaft 8. The front end of the front horizontal section 13 passes through the front connecting member 11 and is rotatably connected to the positioning member 9 arranged at the lower end of the base plate 3. The power input shaft 10 is arranged parallel to the rear horizontal section 14, and its front end passes through After passing through the rear connecting member 12, it is transmission connected to the rear horizontal section 14 through a vertically arranged eccentric wheel. The two chains are arranged along the length direction of the spiral shaft 8, and the front and rear ends thereof are respectively movably connected to the two ends of the front connecting member 11 and the two ends of the rear connecting member 12. A plurality of rotating drums are arranged along the left and right directions, and are arranged between the two chains at intervals front and back. The left and right ends of the rotating drum are respectively rotatably connected to the two chains. A notch 15 is provided on the rotating drum along its radial direction, and the spiral shaft 8 passes through the notches 15 of the plurality of rotating drums in turn. The lower ends of the rotating drums are provided with moving bars 16 along the left and right directions, and a soft plate 17 is provided between any two adjacent rotating drums, and the front and rear ends of the soft plate 17 are respectively connected to the lower ends of the corresponding two rotating drums.

[0043] In this embodiment, the power input shaft 10 is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the gear box, so that the transmission connection between the driving mechanism 7 and the power output shaft is realized. The driving mechanism 7 drives the power output shaft to rotate through the transmission mechanism 6, and the power output shaft drives the screw shaft 8 to rotate synchronously through the eccentric wheel. When the screw shaft rotates, the side wall of the notch 15 of each rotating drum will conflict with the screw shaft, which will drive the rotation to move accordingly. Since the left and right ends of the rotating drum are coaxially connected to the two chains, and the two ends of the two chains are respectively rotatably connected to the fixed front connecting member 11 and the rear connecting member 12, the positions of the front and rear ends of the chain remain unchanged. Figures 1-2 As shown, when the spiral shaft rotates, multiple rotations will also form a simple harmonic wave driven by the spiral shaft, that is, the moving bars 16 under the multiple rotating drums will contact the contact surface and drive the pipeline detection device 1 to move.

[0044] Preferably, as another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4As shown, the rotating drum includes two end covers 18 and two optical axes 19. The two end covers 18 are arranged at intervals left and right, and are connected by two positioning plates 20 arranged at intervals up and down. The lower end of the lower positioning plate 20 is provided with the moving strip 16, and the front and rear ends of the lower end of the lower positioning plate 20 are respectively connected to two adjacent flexible plates 17. The two end covers 18 are respectively rotatably connected to the two chains. The two optical axes 19 are both arranged between the two end covers 18 in the front-rear direction, and their left and right ends are respectively connected to the end covers 18. A notch 15 is formed between the two optical axes 19.

[0045] In this embodiment, a flexible plate 17 is arranged between two adjacent rotating drums, and the flexible plate 17 can be made of a rubber pad.

[0046] Preferably, as another embodiment of the present invention, one end of each of the two end covers 18 away from each other is provided with a pin shaft 21 in the left-right direction. The pin shaft 21 passes through the corresponding chain and is in transmission connection with it. The chain includes a plurality of vertically arranged connecting plates 22. A waist-shaped hole 23 is respectively provided at the left and right ends of the connecting plate 22. The pin shaft 21 sequentially passes through two adjacent waist-shaped holes 23 of the corresponding two connecting plates 22 and is slidably arranged in the two.

[0047] In this embodiment, the chain is formed by splicing a plurality of connecting members, and adjacent two connecting members are movably connected through corresponding shaft pins, so that the connecting members can move along with the corresponding rotating drum. As an extension, as Figure 8 shown, two weight-reducing holes can also be opened on the connecting plate 22 to reduce the weight of the connecting plate 22 and the chain.

[0048] Preferably, as another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of anti-slip strips 24 are arranged at intervals at the lower end of the moving strip 16.

[0049] In this embodiment, a plurality of anti-slip strips 24 are arranged at intervals at the lower end of the moving strip 16 to increase the friction between the moving strip 16 and the contact surface.

[0050] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed as above, they are not limited to only the applications listed in the specification and embodiments. It can be fully applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. For those familiar with the field, other modifications can be easily made. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and the equivalent scope, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and the embodiments shown and described here.

Claims

1. A pipeline inspection robot, characterized in that, It includes a pipeline detection device (1) and a traveling device. The pipeline detection device (1) is horizontally arranged, and at least one buoyancy chamber is provided at the lower end of the pipeline detection device (1). The traveling device is arranged at the lower end of the buoyancy chamber and is used to drive the buoyancy chamber to move. The traveling device includes a plurality of traveling systems that are equal in number to and correspond one by one with the buoyancy chambers, and the traveling systems are arranged at the lower ends of the corresponding buoyancy chambers. Two buoyancy chambers are provided at intervals at the lower end of the pipeline detection device (1). The buoyancy chamber includes a housing (2), a bottom plate (3), and an arc plate (4). The bottom plate (3) is horizontally arranged, and the traveling system is provided at its lower end. The interior of the housing (2) is hollow and both the upper and lower ends are open, and it covers the upper end of the bottom plate (3). A connecting framework (5) is provided inside the housing (2), and the upper and lower ends of the connecting framework (5) are respectively connected to the lower end of the pipeline detection device (1) and the upper end of the bottom plate (3). The housing (2) is filled with buoyancy foam. The arc plate (4) is arranged at the front end of the lower end of the bottom plate (3). The traveling system includes a traveling mechanism, a transmission mechanism (6), and a driving mechanism (7). The traveling mechanism is arranged at the lower end of the corresponding bottom plate (3), and the driving mechanism (7) is in transmission connection with the traveling mechanism through the transmission mechanism (6). The transmission mechanism (6) is a gearbox, which is arranged at the rear end of the corresponding housing (2). Its input shaft is in transmission connection with the output end of the driving mechanism (7), and its output shaft is in transmission connection with the input end of the corresponding traveling mechanism.The walking mechanism comprises a screw shaft (8), a positioning member (9), a power input shaft (10), a front connecting member (11), a rear connecting member (12), two chains and a plurality of rotating drums. The screw shaft (8) is arranged below the base plate (3) along the front-to-back direction. The front and rear ends of the screw shaft (8) are respectively provided with a front horizontal section (13) and a rear horizontal section (14) arranged along the front-to-back direction. The front horizontal section (13) and the screw shaft (8) are arranged coaxially. The rear horizontal section (14) is arranged eccentrically with the screw shaft (8). The front connecting member (11) and the rear connecting member (12) are both arranged horizontally and are respectively arranged on the front and rear sides of the screw shaft (8). The front end of the front horizontal section (13) passes through the front connecting member (11) and is rotatably connected to the positioning member (9) arranged at the lower end of the base plate (3). The power input shaft (10) is arranged parallel to the rear horizontal section (14). The front end of the power input shaft (10) passes through the rear horizontal section (14). The rear connecting member (12) is connected to the rear horizontal section (14) through a vertically arranged eccentric wheel. The two chains are arranged along the length direction of the spiral shaft (8). The front and rear ends of the chains are respectively movably connected to the two ends of the front connecting member (11) and the two ends of the rear connecting member (12). A plurality of rotating drums are arranged along the left and right directions and are arranged between the two chains at intervals. The left and right ends of the rotating drums are respectively connected to the two chains for rotation. A notch (15) is provided on the rotating drum along its radial direction. The spiral shaft (8) passes through the notches (15) of the plurality of rotating drums in sequence. The lower ends of the rotating drums are each provided with a moving bar (16) along the left and right directions. A soft plate (17) is provided between any two adjacent rotating drums. The front and rear ends of the soft plate (17) are respectively connected to the lower ends of the corresponding two rotating drums. The lower end of the gear box is provided with a wheel as an auxiliary support. ; 2. The pipeline inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating cylinder includes two end covers (18) and two optical axes (19). The two end covers (18) are arranged at intervals left and right. The two are connected by two positioning plates (20) arranged at intervals up and down. The lower end of the positioning plate (20) located below is provided with the moving strip (16), and the front and rear ends of the lower end of the positioning plate (20) located below are respectively connected to two adjacent flexible plates (17). The two end covers (18) are respectively rotatably connected to the two chains. The two optical axes (19) are both arranged in the front-rear direction between the two end covers (18), and their left and right ends are respectively connected to the end covers (18). A notch (15) is formed between the two optical axes (19).

3. The pipeline inspection robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, One pin shaft (21) is respectively arranged at one end of the two end covers (18) away from each other in the left-right direction. The pin shaft (21) passes through the corresponding chain and is in transmission connection with it.

4. The pipeline inspection robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The chain includes a plurality of vertically arranged connecting plates (22). A waist-shaped hole (23) is respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the connecting plate (22). The pin shaft (21) sequentially passes through two adjacent waist-shaped holes (23) of the corresponding two connecting plates (22) and is slidably arranged in the two.

5. The pipeline inspection robot according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, A plurality of anti-slip strips (24) are arranged at intervals at the lower end of the moving strip (16).

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