A pipe joint device capable of realizing multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment of butt joint

Abstract

The present invention provides a pipe joint device capable of realizing multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment and docking, wherein pipe supports and support adjustment devices are installed on both sides of the upper surface of the base, a straight pipe connecting pipe is installed on the top of the pipe support, and an outer sleeve is installed on the top of the support adjustment device; the straight pipe connecting pipe is connected to an inner pipe at one end close to the outer sleeve through a radial compensator and is sealed and slidably connected; the radial compensator is composed of a connecting pipe and a bellows at both ends, and at least two sets of universal joint adjusters are connected between the flanges at both ends of the radial compensator. The pipe support of the present invention is a fixed end support, and the support adjustment device based on the 4-PSS parallel mechanism is a movable end support, which can drive the outer sleeve to move axially and rotate circumferentially relative to the inner pipe, and at the same time, with the flexibility of the radial compensator, the outer sleeve and the inner pipe can also be driven to move radially, finally realizing the axial, radial movement and circumferential rotation of the outer sleeve and the joint device, and facilitating the docking connection of the outer sleeve with joints at different relative positions on the outside.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of pipeline connection joints, and in particular relates to a pipeline joint device capable of realizing active adjustment and docking with multiple degrees of freedom. Background Art

[0002] Pipeline is the main carrier for transporting fluid medium. In some engineering pipelines, due to the displacement of pipeline ends caused by external factors, or in some test pipelines, different pipeline components need to be replaced. It is required that different pipeline components can be quickly connected end to end. This requires the necessary pipeline compensation joints to be set in the pipeline.

[0003] Pipeline compensators are connectors that compensate for the displacement of the pipe ends caused by thermal expansion and contraction in pipeline connections. Existing pipeline compensators are all passively adjusted, and the compensation amount is limited. There are two most commonly used pipeline compensators, one is rubber pipe compensator and the other is metal pipe compensator. Rubber pipe compensators are light in weight, good in elasticity, can reduce vibration and noise, but their compensation amount is small and their pressure bearing capacity is poor. Metal pipe compensators mainly include bellows type and sleeve type. Bellows compensators are flexible structures that can be bent, but their axial compensation amount is small relative to their own size. Bellows compensators with very long axial dimensions can only compensate for a relatively small displacement. Sleeve compensators rely on the relative movement of the inner pipe and the outer sleeve for compensation, which can achieve a large axial compensation amount, but when the pipeline has a slight radial displacement, it is easy to cause the sleeve to get stuck. Existing pipeline compensators have their own application limitations, and there are many inconveniences in installation and construction. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of existing pipeline compensators, the present invention proposes a pipeline joint device that can realize multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment and docking. The device is characterized in that it can actively realize active multi-degree-of-freedom adjustment through a support adjustment device based on a 4-PSS parallel mechanism, has a large axial expansion and contraction amount, can perform radial and circumferential fine-tuning at the same time, and has a strong bearing capacity, and can quickly and reliably realize the docking of pipelines in various situations. In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0005] A pipe joint device capable of realizing multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment and docking, comprising:

[0006] Base;

[0007] The pipe support is erected on the base, and a straight pipe connecting pipe is installed on the top of the pipe support;

[0008] The support adjustment device is installed on the base and located on one side of the straight pipe connecting pipe. The support adjustment device is a multi-axis driving device based on a 4-PSS parallel mechanism. The support adjustment device is configured with 4 connecting rods. The top ends of the 4 connecting rods are all connected to the outer sleeve. An inner tube is sealed and slidably connected to one end of the outer sleeve close to the straight pipe connecting pipe. The outer sleeve is driven by the support adjustment device to perform axial displacement, radial displacement and / or rotational movement.

[0009] A radial compensator is installed between a straight tube connecting tube and an inner tube. A connecting tube is arranged in the middle of the radial compensator. The two axial ends of the connecting tube are connected with bellows. The bellows at the two ends are fixedly connected to the straight tube connecting tube and the inner tube through flanges respectively. At least two groups of universal joint adjusters are connected between the two flanges. Each universal joint adjuster is axially connected between the two flanges. Each universal joint adjuster is provided with at least two universal joints. Adjacent universal joints are connected by a first pull rod, and the two universal joints close to the straight tube connecting tube and the inner tube are connected to the connecting tube and the inner tube through a second pull rod.

[0010] Furthermore, three sets of universal joint adjusters are connected between the two flanges, and each set of universal joint adjusters are arranged at intervals of 120° around the axial direction, and each universal joint adjuster is provided with two cross-axis universal joints.

[0011] Furthermore, the support and adjustment device is composed of 4 groups of motion branches, and each group of 4 motion branches includes a screw guide, a drive motor, a slider and a connecting rod. The length direction of the screw guide is consistent with the axial direction of the outer sleeve. The drive motor is rotatably connected to one end of the screw guide, and the slider is configured on the screw guide through a thread. The upper and lower ends of the connecting rod are respectively connected to the outer sleeve and the slider through a universal ball seat.

[0012] Furthermore, the four screw guide rails are arranged parallel to each other and at equal intervals, the four connecting rods have the same length, and four ball seat bases distributed in a rectangular shape are arranged at the bottom of the outer sleeve to be connected to the connecting rods of the four sets of motion branches.

[0013] Furthermore, the upper and lower ends of the connecting rod are connected to the outer sleeve and the sliding block through ball seat hinges.

[0014] Furthermore, a flange is welded on one end of the inner tube for sealing and fixing connection with the bellows of the radial compensator, and a plurality of annular grooves are arranged on the outer diameter of the other end for installing a dust ring and a sealing ring.

[0015] Furthermore, the outer sleeve and the inner tube are tightly fitted via a sealing ring, and the outer sleeve can move axially and rotate circumferentially relative to the inner tube;

[0016] The number of sealing rings is at least two.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the pipe joint provided by the present invention that can achieve multi-degree-of-freedom adjustment has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] (1) The pipe support in the present invention serves as a fixed end support, and the support adjustment device based on the 4-PSS parallel mechanism serves as a movable end support. By taking advantage of the parallel mechanism, the multi-degree-of-freedom pipe joint has the characteristics of high rigidity, strong anti-overturning ability, strong bearing capacity, high movement accuracy, and stable structure.

[0019] (2) The 4-PSS parallel mechanism in the present invention can realize active adjustment of multiple degrees of freedom of the outer sleeve, that is, the outer sleeve can be displaced in the axial / radial direction and rotated in the circumferential direction, which can quickly and reliably achieve the docking of pipelines, improve work efficiency, and save time and materials.

[0020] (3) The radial compensator in the present invention can achieve displacement in the radial plane by bending two bellows at the same time, and prevent it from exceeding the axial compensation amount by the universal joint adjuster. Then the present invention connects the radial compensator and the metal sleeve structure in series, which can achieve a large radial, circumferential and axial compensation amount at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a general schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a radial compensator;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the inner tube and the outer tube;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a motion branch chain in the 4-PSS parallel mechanism;

[0026] Figure 5a-5c This is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention driving the outer sleeve to move axially in the first embodiment;

[0027] Figure 6a-6c This is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention driving the outer sleeve to move radially (vertically) in Embodiment 2;

[0028] Figure 7a-7cThis is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention driving the outer sleeve to move radially (horizontally) in Example 3;

[0029] Figure 8a-8c This is a schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment in which the device of the present invention drives the outer sleeve to rotate circumferentially;

[0030] Figure 9a-9c This is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention driving the outer sleeve to move vertically, horizontally, axially, and rotate in the fifth embodiment;

[0031] Figures 10a-10e This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the device of the present invention applied to a valve under test in a valve testing system in Example 6.

[0032] Description of reference numerals:

[0033] 1-base; 2-pipe support; 3-straight pipe section; 4-radial compensator; 5-inner pipe; 6-outer pipe; 7-support adjustment device; 8-universal joint adjuster; 8a-first connecting rod; 8b-second connecting rod; 8c-cross shaft universal joint; 9-bellows; 10-dustproof ring; 11-sealing ring; 12-drive motor; 13-upper ball joint; 14-connecting rod; 15-lower ball joint; 16-slider; 17-optical axis guide rod; 18-screw; 19-upstream pipeline of test pipeline; 20-downstream pipeline of test pipeline; 21-filter; 22-gate valve; 23-butterfly valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In the following description, a large number of specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present invention, some technical features well known in the art are not described.

[0035] In order to fully understand the present invention, detailed steps and detailed structures will be proposed in the following description to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, but in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention may also have other implementations.

[0036] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a pipe joint device capable of realizing multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment of docking, comprising:

[0037] Base 1;

[0038] The pipe support 2 is erected on one side of the upper surface of the base 1, and a straight pipe connecting pipe 3 is installed on the top of the pipe support 2;

[0039] The support and adjustment device 7 is installed on the upper surface of the base 1 on the other side of the pipe support 2. The support and adjustment device 7 is a multi-axis driving device based on a 4-PSS parallel mechanism. The support and adjustment device 7 is equipped with four connecting rods 14. The four connecting rods 14 are all fixed on an outer sleeve 6. The outer sleeve 6 is driven by the support and adjustment device 7 to perform axial displacement, radial displacement and / or rotational movement. An inner tube 5 is sealingly and slidably connected to one end of the outer sleeve 6 close to the straight pipe connecting pipe 3;

[0040] The radial compensator 4 is installed between the straight tube connecting tube 3 and the outer sleeve 6. A connecting tube 4a is arranged in the middle of the radial compensator 4. The two axial ends of the connecting tube 4a are connected with bellows 9. The bellows 9 at the two ends are respectively fixedly connected to the straight tube connecting tube 3 and the inner tube 5 through flanges. At least two groups of universal joint adjusters 8 are connected between the two flanges. Each universal joint adjuster 8 is axially connected between the two flanges. The universal joint adjuster 8 is provided with at least two universal joints. Adjacent universal joints are connected by a first pull rod 8a, and the two universal joints close to the straight tube connecting tube 3 and the inner tube 5 are connected to the connecting tube 3 and the inner tube 5 through a second pull rod 8b.

[0041] In an optional embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown. Three sets of universal joint adjusters 8 are connected between the two flanges, and each set of universal joint adjusters 8 is arranged at 120° intervals around the axial direction, so that the force is more balanced, making the structure of the radial compensator 4 more stable when deformed. Among them, the universal joints in the universal joint adjusters 8 are common cross-axis universal joints in the art. As a preferred option, each universal joint adjuster 8 is provided with two cross-axis universal joints 8c.

[0042] In an optional embodiment, a flange is welded at one end of the inner tube 5 for sealing and fixing with the bellows 9, and a plurality of annular grooves are arranged on the outer diameter of the other end for installing the dust ring 10 and the sealing ring 11. Figure 3 The outer sleeve 6 and the inner tube 5 are tightly fitted with a sealing ring 11, and the outer sleeve 6 can move axially and rotate circumferentially relative to the inner tube 5; preferably, the number of the sealing rings 11 is at least two.

[0043] The present invention can realize four-degree-of-freedom movement of the outer sleeve 6 and its inner tube 5 with the help of the support adjustment device 7, namely: the outer sleeve 6 moves axially relative to the inner tube 5 and rotates circumferentially around the axis, and can drive the outer sleeve 6 and the inner tube 5 to move radially, wherein the radial movement includes vertical displacement and horizontal displacement.

[0044] In an optional embodiment, if Figure 4As shown, the support adjustment device 7 is composed of 4 groups of motion branches, each of which includes a screw guide rail 18, a drive motor 12, a slider 16 and a connecting rod 14. The length direction of the screw guide rail 18 is consistent with the axial direction of the outer sleeve 6. The drive motor 12 is rotatably connected to one end of the screw guide rail 18. The slider 16 is configured on the screw guide rail 18 through a thread. The upper and lower ends of the connecting rod 14 are respectively connected to the outer sleeve 6 and the slider 16 through a universal ball seat. Optical axis guide rods 17 are also provided on both sides of the screw guide rail 18 to provide a guiding function for the slider 16.

[0045] In an optional embodiment, the four screw guide rails 18 are arranged parallel to each other and at equal intervals, the four connecting rods 14 have the same length, and the bottom of the outer sleeve 6 is provided with four rectangularly distributed ball seat bases to connect with the connecting rods 14 of the four sets of motion branches. The upper and lower ends of the connecting rod 14 are connected to the outer sleeve 6 and the slider 16 through ball seat hinges.

[0046] The advantages of the support and adjustment device 7 adopting the above-mentioned structure and connecting it with the outer sleeve 6 are: saving space, better synchronization, avoiding singular positions to the greatest extent, high rigidity of the parallel mechanism, strong anti-overturning ability, etc., and ensuring the stability in the process of driving the outer sleeve 6 and the inner tube 5 to the greatest extent.

[0047] Several working states of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0048] Embodiment 1

[0049] Figure 5a-5c is a schematic diagram of the axial displacement of the device according to the present invention, Figure 5a In the initial state, the four sliders move axially to the right at the same time, thereby driving the outer sleeve 6 to move axially to the right, so as to facilitate the connection between the outer sleeve 6 and the connecting pipe on the right side.

[0050] Embodiment 2

[0051] Figure 6a-6c is a schematic diagram of radial (vertical) displacement of the device according to the present invention, Figure 6a It is the initial state. In some scenarios, it is necessary to raise or lower the height of the outer sleeve 6 and connect it to the connecting pipe. At this time, we control the corresponding slider of the support adjustment device 7 to slide to the corresponding position to raise or lower the height of the outer sleeve 6; in the process of raising / lowering the height of the outer sleeve 6, the bellows 9 at both ends of the radial compensator 4 are deformed and the universal joint adjuster 8 ensures the fixed connection of the flanges on both sides, ensuring that the straight pipe connecting pipe 3 and the inner pipe 5 are always sealed and connected.

[0052] Embodiment 3

[0053] Figure 7a-7cis a schematic diagram of the radial (horizontal) displacement of the device of the present invention, Figure 7a It is the initial state. In some scenarios, the outer sleeve 6 needs to be moved radially forward or backward to be connected to the connecting pipe. At this time, we control the corresponding slider of the support adjustment device 7 to slide to the corresponding position to achieve the radial movement of the outer sleeve 6 forward or backward.

[0054] Embodiment 4

[0055] Figure 8a-8c is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention rotating around the circumference, Figure 8b It is the initial state. In some scenarios, the outer sleeve 6 needs to be connected to the connecting pipe after being rotated along the axis by a certain angle. At this time, we control the corresponding slider of the support adjustment device 7 to slide to the corresponding position to realize the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the outer sleeve 6 around its own axis.

[0056] Embodiment 5

[0057] Figure 9a-9c This is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention in which displacements in multiple directions exist simultaneously. Figure 9b In some cases, the outer sleeve 6 needs to be raised and lowered before being rotated to connect with the connecting pipe. Figure 9b is a schematic diagram of the outer sleeve 6 after the height is lowered, Fig.9c It is a schematic diagram showing that the outer sleeve 6 is rotated to a certain angle after the height is lowered.

[0058] Embodiment 6

[0059] Figure 10a-Figure 10e In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is applied to the installation of a valve to be tested in a valve testing system, such as Fig.10a As shown, the flange on the straight pipe section 3 of the present invention is connected to the upstream pipe 19 of the test pipeline by bolts, and the outer sleeve 6 of the present invention and the downstream straight pipe section 20 of the test pipeline are used to install the valve to be tested.

[0060] like Fig.10b As shown, the flange at one end of the filter 21 is connected to the downstream straight pipe section 20 of the test pipeline with bolts, and then the driving motor of the support adjustment device 7 based on the 4-PSS parallel mechanism is controlled to change the position of the slider, thereby driving the outer sleeve 6 to move until its flange fits tightly with the flange of the valve to be tested, maintaining the thrust, and connecting the flange on the outer sleeve 6 with the flange of the valve to be tested with bolts to complete the installation of the filter 21.

[0061] like Fig.10c and Fig.10dThe schematic diagrams are respectively for installing the gate valve 22 and the butterfly valve 23, and the installation steps are the same as the installation steps of the filter 21, which will not be described in detail here.

[0062] In the present invention, the present invention controls the driving motor of the support adjustment device 7 based on the 4-PSS parallel mechanism to change the position of the slider, thereby driving the outer sleeve 6 to move until the flange of the outer sleeve 6 is tightly fitted with the flange of the downstream straight pipe section 20 of the test pipeline, maintaining the thrust of the expansion joint, and connecting the flange on the outer sleeve 6 with the flange of the downstream straight pipe section 20 of the test pipeline with bolts. It should be noted that it is common knowledge for those skilled in the art to control the corresponding displacement of the device connected to the end of the connecting rod based on the 4-PSS parallel mechanism, which belongs to the prior art, so the control logic is not repeated in the present invention.

[0063] The above describes the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, and the devices and structures that are not described in detail should be understood to be implemented in a common manner in the art; any technician familiar with the art can use the above-disclosed methods and technical contents to make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes, which does not affect the essential content of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pipe joint device capable of realizing multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment of docking, characterized in that: include: Base (1); A pipe support (2) is erected on the base (1), and a straight pipe connecting pipe (3) is installed on the top of the pipe support (2); A support adjustment device (7) is mounted on the base (1) and is located on one side of the straight tube connecting tube (3). The support adjustment device (7) is a multi-axis drive device based on a 4-PSS parallel mechanism. The support adjustment device (7) is provided with four connecting rods (14). The top ends of the four connecting rods (14) are all connected to the outer sleeve (6). An inner tube (5) is sealingly and slidably connected to one end of the outer sleeve (6) close to the straight tube connecting tube (3). The support adjustment device (7) drives the outer sleeve (6) to perform axial displacement, radial displacement and / or rotational movement. A radial compensator (4) is installed between the straight tube connecting tube (3) and the inner tube (5). A connecting tube (4a) is provided in the middle of the radial compensator (4). The two axial ends of the connecting tube (4a) are connected to bellows (9). The bellows (9) at the two ends are fixedly connected to the straight tube connecting tube (3) and the inner tube (5) through flanges, respectively. At least two sets of universal joint adjusters (8) are connected between the two flanges. Each universal joint adjuster (8) is axially connected between the two flanges. Each universal joint adjuster (8) is provided with at least two universal joints. Adjacent universal joints are connected through a first tie rod (8a), and two universal joints close to the straight tube connecting tube (3) and the inner tube (5) are connected to the straight tube connecting tube (3) and the inner tube (5) through a second tie rod (8b). The support adjustment device (7) is composed of four groups of motion branches, each group of motion branches includes a screw guide rail (18), a drive motor (12), a slider (16) and a connecting rod (14), the length direction of the screw guide rail (18) is consistent with the axial direction of the outer sleeve (6), the drive motor (12) is rotatably connected to one end of the screw guide rail (18), the slider (16) is arranged on the screw guide rail (18) through a thread, and the upper and lower ends of the connecting rod (14) are respectively connected to the outer sleeve (6) and the slider (16) through a universal ball seat; The four screw guide rails (18) are arranged parallel to each other and at equal intervals, the four connecting rods (14) are of the same length, and the bottom of the outer sleeve (6) is provided with four ball seat bases distributed in a rectangular shape to be connected to the connecting rods (14) of the four sets of motion branches; Three groups of universal joint adjusters (8) are connected between the two flanges. The universal joint adjusters (8) of each group are arranged at intervals of 120° around the axial direction. Each universal joint adjuster (8) is provided with two cross-axis universal joints (8c).

2. A pipe joint device capable of realizing multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment of docking as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The upper and lower ends of the connecting rod (14) are connected to the outer sleeve (6) and the slider (16) through ball seat hinges.

3. A pipe joint device capable of realizing multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment of docking as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A flange is welded to one end of the inner tube (5) for sealing and fixing the inner tube (5) with the bellows (9) of the radial compensator (4), and a plurality of annular grooves are arranged on the outer diameter of the other end for mounting a dust ring (10) and a sealing ring (11).

4. A pipe joint device capable of realizing multi-degree-of-freedom active adjustment of docking as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The outer sleeve (6) and the inner tube (5) are tightly fitted together via a sealing ring (11), and the outer sleeve (6) can move in the axial direction and rotate in the circumferential direction relative to the inner tube (5); The number of sealing rings (11) is at least two.

Images