Robot for non-destructive testing of main cables of suspension bridges

Abstract

The present invention discloses a robot for non-destructive testing of main cables of suspension bridges, comprising a testing mechanism and a walking mechanism; the testing mechanism comprises a testing arm and a testing system, the testing system comprises testing elements, at least some of which are arranged on the testing arm; the testing arm conformably surrounds the outer circle of the main cable of the suspension bridge and is used for the testing elements to obtain testing parameters of the main cable of the suspension bridge, and the testing arm can swing with a single degree of freedom in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable of the suspension bridge and is used for avoiding the hanger (cable) connecting mechanism and the hanger (cable) on the main cable of the suspension bridge during movement; the present invention obtains the testing parameters of the suspension cable during the climbing process, and when encountering the hanger (cable) connecting mechanism and the hanger (cable) on the main cable of the suspension bridge, the robot can swing away from the main cable of the suspension bridge and avoid the hanger (cable) connecting mechanism and the hanger (cable), thereby being able to quickly cross obstacles on the suspension cable, solving the problem of the contradiction between the obstacle crossing ability and movement speed of the existing robot, improving the testing efficiency, and at the same time, having a low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot for non-destructive testing of bridges, in particular to a robot for non-destructive testing of main cables of suspension bridges. Background Art

[0002] Industrial robots have been widely used in various fields including industrial manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, housekeeping and cleaning, detection and testing, etc. In the field of bridge engineering, the use of robots in inspection is also quite common.

[0003] For the inspection of the main cable of a suspension bridge, a robot that can climb on the main cable and perform inspections is needed. Since the main cable of a suspension bridge is located in an environment at high altitude and there are many obstacles (mostly connecting structures), the inspection robot needs to avoid obstacles during the climbing process, so some relatively special designs are required. In the existing technology, there is a climbing robot that uses a telescopic arm to avoid obstacles. Since the inspection arm is relatively long, the telescopic process is relatively slow. In addition, there are many inspection units installed on the inspection arm. In order to avoid interference during the telescopic process, the overall size of the robot is large, the structure is also relatively complex, and the cost of the robot is also high. The main thing is that due to the frequent telescopic obstacle avoidance, the efficiency of the entire inspection process is low, time and cost are wasted, and the passage time of the bridge is also longer.

[0004] Therefore, a robot for cable detection is needed, which can obtain the detection parameters of the cable during the climbing process and quickly cross the obstacles on the cable, solve the contradiction between the obstacle crossing ability and movement speed of the existing robot, improve the detection efficiency, and at the same time, have a simple overall structure and low cost. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a robot for non-destructive testing of the main cable of a suspension bridge, which obtains the detection parameters of the suspension cable during the climbing process and can quickly cross obstacles on the suspension cable, solving the problem of the contradiction between the obstacle crossing ability and movement speed of existing robots, and improving the detection efficiency. At the same time, the overall structure is simple and the cost is low.

[0006] The robot for nondestructive testing of the main cable of a suspension bridge of the present invention comprises a testing mechanism and a walking mechanism for driving the testing mechanism to move along the main cable of the suspension bridge;

[0007] The detection mechanism includes a detection arm and a detection system, wherein the detection system includes detection elements for obtaining detection parameters of the main cable of the suspension bridge, and at least part of the detection elements are arranged on the detection arm;

[0008] The detection arm conformally wraps around the outer circle of the main cable of the suspension bridge and is used for detecting elements to obtain detection parameters of the main cable of the suspension bridge. The detection arm can swing with a single degree of freedom in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable of the suspension bridge to avoid the hanger (cable) connection mechanism and hanger (cable) on the main cable of the suspension bridge during movement.

[0009] Furthermore, the two detection arms are arranged on both lateral sides of the main cable of the suspension bridge. When in use, the two detection arms respectively form a conformal ring around the corresponding side of the outer circle of the main cable of the suspension bridge.

[0010] Furthermore, the detection arm consists of an upper detection arm and a lower detection arm, which are connected end to end by a driving joint. The driving joint is used to drive the lower detection arm to swing with a single degree of freedom relative to the upper detection arm in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable of the suspension bridge.

[0011] Furthermore, the walking mechanism includes a walking wheel assembly that can be driven to travel along the chord of the inspection track of the main cable of the suspension bridge, and a walking bracket supported on the walking wheel assembly. A connecting arm is connected to the walking bracket and extends downward. The upper detection arm is hinged to the connecting arm and can swing with a single degree of freedom in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable of the suspension bridge.

[0012] Furthermore, the running wheel assembly includes two sets of running wheels arranged corresponding to the chords on the two maintenance roads, and each set of running wheels includes one running wheel or a plurality of running wheels arranged along the traveling direction;

[0013] The outer circle of the walking wheel is provided with an annular groove to form a pulley structure, and the walking wheel is matched with the chord on the maintenance road through the annular groove.

[0014] Furthermore, the outer circle of the walking wheel is set as an obstacle crossing structure, and the obstacle crossing structure is used to climb over the maintenance road vertical rod connecting mechanism on the maintenance road upper chord when the walking wheel moves along the maintenance road upper chord; the walking wheel is provided with a limiting wing plate on the axial outside or / and axial inside, and the limiting wing plate is used to prevent the walking wheel from escaping laterally when the walking wheel climbs over the maintenance road vertical rod connecting mechanism; the annular groove of the walking wheel is a V-shaped groove and the bottom of the groove is an inwardly concave arc shape.

[0015] Furthermore, the walking mechanism further includes a support assembly for supporting the detection arm so that it remains substantially perpendicular to the main cable of the suspension bridge. The support assembly includes two supporting walking wheels corresponding to the two upper chords of the maintenance road and a supporting crossbeam supported between the two supporting walking wheels. The outer circumference of the supporting walking wheel is provided with an annular groove to form a pulley structure, and the annular groove forms a walking cooperation with the upper chord of the maintenance road.

[0016] The supporting walking wheel is located at the front side of the walking wheel assembly, and the transverse ends of the supporting beam are respectively connected to the detection arm on the corresponding side through a vertical support rod, and are respectively connected to the walking bracket through a longitudinal support rod;

[0017] The lengths of the longitudinal support rod and the vertical support rod are adjustable.

[0018] Furthermore, the outer circle of the supporting walking wheel is set as an obstacle crossing structure, and the obstacle crossing structure is used to climb over the inspection road vertical rod connecting mechanism on the inspection road upper chord when the supporting walking wheel moves along the inspection road upper chord; the supporting walking wheel is provided with a limiting wing plate on the axial outside or / and axial inside, and the limiting wing plate is used to prevent the supporting walking wheel from escaping laterally when the supporting walking wheel climbs over the inspection road vertical rod connecting mechanism; the annular groove of the supporting walking wheel is a V-shaped groove and the bottom of the groove is an inwardly concave arc shape.

[0019] Furthermore, an obstacle overcoming wheel group is provided on the radial inner side of the upper detection arm, and the obstacle overcoming wheel group includes an obstacle overcoming wheel axle and three obstacle overcoming wheels. The three obstacle overcoming wheels are arranged in a triangular shape on a wheel frame and are arranged on the obstacle overcoming wheel axle through the wheel frame in a planetary manner around the axis of the obstacle overcoming wheel axle, and the obstacle overcoming wheel axle is provided on the upper detection arm; when the detection arm travels along the main cable of the suspension bridge, the obstacle overcoming wheel rotates planetarily around the axis of the obstacle overcoming wheel axle at the hanger (cable) connecting mechanism on the main cable of the suspension bridge; the connecting arm is set on the walking bracket in a manner of setting a downward elastic preload.

[0020] Furthermore, the lateral dimension of the walking support is adjustable;

[0021] A top detection arm with an arc-shaped structure is provided on the walking bracket in a gap above the main cable of the suspension bridge between the two upper detection arms, and the top detection arm with the arc-shaped structure forms a ring-shaped detection structure with the two detection arms;

[0022] The detection element includes a plurality of magnetic sensors and a plurality of cameras, wherein the plurality of magnetic sensors are distributed in a predetermined array on the detection arm and the top detection arm, and the cameras are distributed in a predetermined array on the detection arm and the top detection arm, and the locations where the cameras are arranged on the detection arm and the top detection arm are hollowed out to provide space for the cameras to take pictures;

[0023] A contact wheel is provided on the radial inner side of the lower detection arm, and when the detection arm moves along the main cable of the suspension bridge, the contact wheel rolls on the main cable of the suspension bridge;

[0024] The upper detection arm and the lower detection arm are respectively formed by a crank arm, or by a plurality of crank arm rods hinged end to end.

[0025] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The robot for detecting the main cable of a suspension bridge of the present invention adopts a detection arm that can swing with a single degree of freedom in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable of the suspension bridge, obtains the detection parameters of the suspension cable during the climbing process, and when encountering the hanger (cable) connecting mechanism and the hanger (cable) on the main cable of the suspension bridge, it can swing away from the main cable of the suspension bridge, avoid the hanger (cable) connecting mechanism and the hanger (cable), so that it can quickly cross the obstacles on the suspension cable, solve the problem of the contradiction between the obstacle crossing ability and movement speed of the existing robot, and improve the detection efficiency. At the same time, the overall structure is simple and the cost is low. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic transverse cross-sectional view of the present invention in use;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a transverse cross-sectional schematic diagram of the present invention in a state of crossing an obstacle;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of point A;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a side view of the traveling wheels crossing an obstacle;

[0031] Figure 5 This is the rear view of the traveling wheels crossing the obstacle;

[0032] Figure 6 A side view schematic diagram of the working principle of the support assembly of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the working principle of the driving joint;

[0034] Figure 8 It is a structural diagram of the longitudinal support rod and the transverse support rod;

[0035] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of the obstacle-crossing wheel set;

[0036] Figure 10 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of point B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] As shown in the figure, the robot used for non-destructive testing of the main cable of the suspension bridge includes a testing mechanism and a walking mechanism for driving the testing mechanism to move along the main cable of the suspension bridge;

[0038] The detection mechanism includes a detection arm and a detection system, wherein the detection system includes detection elements for obtaining detection parameters of the main cable of the suspension bridge, and at least part of the detection elements are arranged on the detection arm;

[0039] The detection arm conformally wraps around the outer circumference of the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge for detecting elements to obtain detection parameters of the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge, and the detection arm can swing with a single degree of freedom in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge to avoid the hanger (cable) connection mechanism 101 and the hanger (cable) 17 on the main cable of the suspension bridge during travel; the hanger (cable) refers to the fact that different bridges use hangers or cables, which belong to the existing technology and will not be described in detail here; the conformal wrapping refers to the fact that the side of the detection arm close to the main cable of the suspension bridge is a structure that conforms to the outer circumference of the main cable, which can form an enclosure to facilitate obtaining the detection parameters of the main cable. Of course, depending on the length and structural setting of the detection arm, it can be a semi-annular enclosure to form a single-sided detection, which can also achieve the purpose of the invention and will not be described in detail here; the single degree of freedom swing can be achieved by an existing drive structure, that is, electric drive or other mechanical drive means to achieve the swing of the detection arm. At the same time, obstacles on the main cable can also be used to form an outward thrust on the detection arm during travel, so that it swings away from the main cable, which will not be described in detail here.

[0040] In this embodiment, the detection arms are two and are arranged on both sides of the main cable of the suspension bridge. When in use, the two detection arms form a conformal ring on the corresponding side of the outer circle of the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge. A relatively complete annular surround of the main cable can be formed through the two detection arms, and relatively comprehensive detection data can be obtained; of course, as shown in the figure, due to the structural setting, the upper parts of the two detection arms have a certain distance, which can be supplemented by setting another arc structure, which will not be repeated here.

[0041] In this embodiment, the detection arm is composed of an upper detection arm 12 and a lower detection arm 14. The upper detection arm 12 and the lower detection arm 14 are connected end to end by a driving joint 13. The driving joint 13 is used to drive the lower detection arm 14 to swing with a single degree of freedom relative to the upper detection arm 12 in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge; Figure 7 As shown (the accompanying drawings only illustrate the working principle of the driving joint and may not correspond to the actual object and other accompanying drawings), the driving motor 1301 (generally a stepping motor) is fixed to the upper detection arm 12, and the motor output shaft 1302 is fixed (keyed) with the lower detection arm 14 in the rotation direction, thereby forming a drive; when in use, the lower detection arm 14 has a tendency to move away from the main cable due to the action of gravity. Therefore, by controlling the driving joint to move away from or approach the main cable, it has better initiative and can actively avoid the boom (cable) connection mechanism 101 and the boom (cable) 17 to ensure the smooth progress of the entire equipment.

[0042] In this embodiment, the walking mechanism includes a walking wheel assembly that can be driven to move along the chord 4 on the inspection road of the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge, and a walking bracket 2 supported on the walking wheel assembly. A connecting arm 16 is connected to the walking bracket 2 and extends downward. The upper detection arm 12 is hinged to the connecting arm 16 and can swing with a single degree of freedom in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge. The overall structure is complete, and the chord 4 on the inspection road is used as the traveling track, which is structurally simplified. The upper detection arm 12 is hinged to the connecting arm in a way that the hinge shaft is directly used to form the hinge, or the aforementioned driving joint is used to form the hinge, which has the advantage of active control.

[0043] In this embodiment, the walking wheel assembly includes two groups of walking wheels 3 corresponding to the two maintenance road upper chords. Each group of walking wheels 3 includes one walking wheel or multiple walking wheels arranged along the travel direction. As shown in Figure 6, each group of walking wheels 3 includes two walking wheels, which has good stability and is conducive to ensuring the verticality of the detection arm and the main cable. The maintenance road upper chords in the prior art are generally two parallel ones. The use of two groups of walking wheels to cooperate with the two maintenance road upper chords is conducive to maintaining travel stability.

[0044] The outer circumference of the traveling wheel 3 is provided with an annular groove 301 to form a pulley structure, and the annular groove 301 forms a traveling cooperation with the maintenance road upper chord 4, similar to the cooperation between the pulley and the track. The maintenance road upper chord 4 is located in the annular groove 301, ensuring the stability of the travel;

[0045] The walking wheel 3 of course includes structures such as the wheel axle and the wheel hub, which will not be described in detail here; moreover, the walking wheel can be driven by a direct electric wheel, or a total power source can be set on the walking bracket and the walking wheel can be driven by a power transmission structure, which can be achieved through an existing mechanical drive mechanism and will not be described in detail here.

[0046] In this embodiment, the outer circle of the walking wheel 3 is set as an obstacle crossing structure 302, and the obstacle crossing structure 302 is used to climb over the maintenance road vertical rod connecting mechanism 401 on the maintenance road upper chord 4 when the walking wheel moves along the maintenance road upper chord 4. As shown in the figure, the maintenance road vertical rod 18 is connected to the maintenance road upper chord 4 through the maintenance road vertical rod connecting mechanism 401; the walking wheel 3 is provided with a limiting wing plate 303 on the axial outside or / and axial inside, and the limiting wing plate 303 is used to prevent the walking wheel from laterally disengaging from the maintenance road vertical rod connecting mechanism 401 when the walking wheel climbs over the maintenance road vertical rod connecting mechanism. Lateral disengagement refers to the walking wheel lateral disengaging in the process of overcoming obstacles. Figure 3As shown in , 4, and 5, the walking wheel 3 is provided with limiting wing plates 303 on the axial outside and the axial inside to ensure stability when climbing over obstacles and avoid falling out; the obstacle crossing structure 302 can be of various structures. The present embodiment adopts a polygonal outer circle, which has a certain locking effect when climbing over obstacles. Of course, the outer circle can be a toothed structure, which can also climb over obstacles. I will not go into details here; the annular groove 301 of the walking wheel is a V-shaped groove and the bottom of the groove is an inwardly concave arc shape. The V-shaped groove structure can adapt to the maintenance road chords 4 of different diameters, so that the present invention has better adaptability; of course, the annular groove 301 and the obstacle crossing structure 302 need to have a certain roughness to facilitate driving and walking;

[0047] The walking mechanism has good obstacle-crossing performance. Combined with the aforementioned detection arm (driven swing) structure, when passing through corresponding obstacles, it can pass quickly without much stopping time to adjust the structural deformation, thereby improving the overall detection efficiency of the robot.

[0048] In this embodiment, the walking mechanism also includes a support assembly for supporting the detection arm so that it remains basically perpendicular to the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge, and the support assembly includes two supporting walking wheels corresponding to the two chords on the maintenance road and a supporting beam (not shown in the figure) supported between the two supporting walking wheels 20. The supporting walking wheel 20 of course includes a wheel axle and a wheel hub, which will not be repeated here; the wheel axle is set on the supporting beam, which is a common mechanical setting structure and will not be repeated here; the outer circle of the supporting walking wheel 20 is provided with an annular groove to form a pulley structure, and the annular groove forms a walking cooperation with the chord on the maintenance road; as shown in the figure, the supporting walking wheel 20 has the same structure as the aforementioned walking wheel 3, and can be independently set to be electrically driven, or it can be a follow-up structure, both of which can achieve the purpose of the invention; basically maintaining verticality here means that the detection arm should be located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the main cable, or form a set smaller angle with the plane to ensure accurate and comprehensive acquisition of parameters;

[0049] like Figure 6As shown, the supporting walking wheel 20 is located at the front side of the walking wheel assembly (meaning that when climbing the main cable, the supporting walking wheel is located in the front and is the high point), and the lateral ends of the supporting beam are respectively connected to the detection arm on the corresponding side through a vertical support rod 11, and are respectively connected to the walking bracket 2 through a longitudinal support rod 19; as shown in the figure, the upper end of the vertical support rod 11 is connected to the supporting beam (which can be hinged), and the lower end is connected to the upper detection arm 12 (which can be hinged), the front end of the longitudinal support rod 19 is connected to the supporting beam (which can be hinged), and the rear end is connected to the walking bracket 2 (which can be hinged). The detection arm forms a downward pulling force due to gravity, and has a tendency to form an angle with the plane perpendicular to the main cable. The vertical support rod 11 transmits the pulling force to the supporting walking wheel 20, and the supporting walking wheel 20 transmits the force to the walking bracket 2 through the longitudinal support rod 19, achieving balance itself and ensuring the verticality of the detection arm relative to the main cable.

[0050] The length of the longitudinal support rod 19 and the vertical support rod 11 is adjustable. The length-adjustable structure can adapt to the different inclinations of the main cable, and can ensure the verticality of the detection arm relative to the main cable during travel. The control system can also adjust the length in real time according to the change of the inclination of the main cable of the suspension bridge. The details will not be repeated here. The length-adjustable structure of the longitudinal support rod and the vertical support rod is as follows: Figure 8 As shown (the adjustment principles of the two are the same and are represented by the same figure), the vertical support rod 11 (longitudinal support rod 19) includes an outer sleeve 1103 (1903) and an inner sleeve rod (tube) 1102 (1902), the inner sleeve rod (tube) 1102 (1902) is part of the outer sleeve 1103 (1903), and a hollow motor 1101 (1901) is fixed on the outer sleeve 1103 (1903), and the hollow shaft of the hollow motor 1101 (1901) drives a nut 1104 (1904), and the nut 1104 (1904) is threadedly matched with the inner sleeve rod (tube) 1102 (1902), and the inner sleeve rod (tube) is driven by the nut to move back and forth along the outer sleeve to form a length-adjustable structure.

[0051] In this embodiment, the outer circle of the supporting walking wheel 20 is set as an obstacle crossing structure, and the obstacle crossing structure is used to climb over the inspection road vertical rod connection mechanism on the inspection road upper chord when the supporting walking wheel moves along the inspection road upper chord; the supporting walking wheel is provided with a limiting wing plate on the axial outside or / and axial inside, and the limiting wing plate is used to prevent the supporting walking wheel from escaping laterally when the supporting walking wheel climbs over the inspection road vertical rod connection mechanism; the annular groove of the supporting walking wheel is a V-shaped groove and the bottom of the groove is an inward-concave arc shape.

[0052] In this embodiment, the radial inner side of the upper detection arm is provided with an obstacle-crossing wheel set, and the obstacle-crossing wheel set can be provided in multiple sets as needed. As shown in the figure, one set is provided at the upper and lower sides of the upper detection arm; Figure 9As shown, the obstacle overcoming wheel group includes an obstacle overcoming wheel axle and three obstacle overcoming wheels, the three obstacle overcoming wheels are arranged in a triangular wheel frame and are arranged on the obstacle overcoming wheel axle through the wheel frame in a manner that can planetarily rotate around the axis of the obstacle overcoming wheel axle, and the obstacle overcoming wheel axle is arranged on the upper detection arm. Of course, the rotation direction of the obstacle overcoming wheel should be consistent with the travel direction of the walking mechanism, which will not be repeated here; when the detection arm travels along the main cable of the suspension bridge, the obstacle overcoming wheel planetarily rotates around the axis of the obstacle overcoming wheel axle at the hanger (cable) connecting mechanism on the main cable of the suspension bridge; the connecting arm is set to the walking frame in a manner of setting a downward elastic preload; as shown in the figure, the wheel frame is a triangular plate or bracket structure, and the three obstacle overcoming wheels are respectively arranged at the three corners of the triangular wheel frame through their respective wheel axles, and the obstacle overcoming wheel axle is located at the center of the wheel frame; as shown Figure 10 As shown, a groove for installing the obstacle-crossing wheel axle is opened on the upper detection arm, which can be achieved through ordinary mechanical processing and installation means, and will not be repeated here; the planetary rotation here refers to the revolution, which is conducive to the obstacle-crossing action, and will not be repeated here.

[0053] In this embodiment, the transverse dimension of the walking bracket 2 is adjustable. The adjustable transverse dimension of the walking bracket makes the present invention highly adaptable and can detect the main cables of various suspension bridges. The walking bracket generally includes a transverse beam and a longitudinal beam. The length of the transverse beam can be adjusted to achieve the transverse dimension of the walking bracket. The length adjustment of the transverse beam can be the same as the length adjustment principle of the aforementioned longitudinal support rod 19 and vertical support rod 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0054] A top detection arm 8 of an arc-shaped structure is provided on the walking frame 2, extending downward from the gap above the main cable of the suspension bridge between the two upper detection arms (which correspond to the two upper chords of the maintenance road and are arranged on the lateral sides of the main cable of the suspension bridge). The top detection arm 8 of the arc-shaped structure and the two detection arms (consisting of an upper detection arm and a lower detection arm, respectively) form a ring-shaped detection structure;

[0055] Figure 6 The figure shows the working principle of the support assembly. The distributed magnetic sensors, cameras and obstacle-crossing wheels are also marked in perspective on the detection arm to further illustrate the overall structural principle of the detection system. It does not represent the actual structure and does not necessarily correspond to other drawings. The structural features of the detection arm are not necessarily the same as those in the figure. Figure 6 The above is only for illustration purpose and will not be described in detail here.

[0056] The detection element includes a plurality of magnetic sensors 7 and a plurality of cameras 6. The plurality of magnetic sensors 7 are distributed in a set array on the detection arm and the top detection arm 8. The cameras are distributed in a set array on the detection arm and the top detection arm 8. The detection arm and the top detection arm 8 are provided with a hollow design of the camera parts to provide a space for the camera to take pictures (the hollow design allows the camera to be installed on the outside, and take pictures through the hollow part, saving space and not interfering with the movement). At the same time, an LED light for fill light is also provided on the detection arm, which will not be repeated here. Figure 1 、 2 As shown, the top detection arm is used to supplement the positions that the detection arm cannot detect. The top detection arm of the arc structure and the two detection arms form a relatively complete annular detection structure, ensuring comprehensive detection. As shown in the figure, this embodiment only sets magnetic sensors and cameras on the detection arm and the arc structure, and does not need to be set on the connecting arm, so that comprehensive detection can be formed. It will not be repeated here.

[0057] A contact wheel 15 is provided on the radial inner side of the lower detection arm 14. When the detection arm moves along the main cable of the suspension bridge, the contact wheel 15 rolls on the main cable 1 of the suspension bridge to ensure stable movement and avoid direct contact between the detection arm and the main cable. As shown in the figure, the contact wheel is a follower wheel, and its structure includes a wheel axle and a wheel hub, which will not be described in detail here.

[0058] The upper detection arm 12 and the lower detection arm 14 are respectively formed by a crank arm, or are formed by multiple crank arm rods hinged end to end; in this embodiment, the upper detection arm 12 and the lower detection arm 14 are both directly formed by a crank arm. Of course, when multiple crank arm rods are hinged end to end and the hinges all adopt the aforementioned drive joint structure, the length of the detection arm can be adjusted according to the size of the main cable, which has better adaptability.

[0059] Of course, a control unit 5 is also provided on the traveling bracket 2 or remotely, which is used to receive detection signals from the camera and magnetic sensor, and at the same time is used to send control signals to all drive motors, including walking wheel drive, walking support wheel drive, longitudinal support rod 19 length adjustment, vertical support rod 11 length adjustment and length adjustment of the crossbeam of the walking bracket, etc., which will not be repeated here. In this embodiment, the control unit 5 is set on the walking bracket; and the control unit receives data signals and sends control commands, which belongs to the existing electromechanical control method and will not be repeated here; of course, the present invention can also be designed to automatically detect the climbing slope value, and adjust the length of the longitudinal support rod 19 and the vertical support rod 11 according to the value to ensure the verticality of the detection arm relative to the main cable.

[0060] The robot of the present invention has the following advantages when used compared to other robots in the prior art:

[0061] A. The present invention adopts a robot body structure mode that is large-scale and embraces the main cable and the inspection road on it, and the detection arm can be swung outward, which can quickly cross all obstacles on the main cable; B. The chord on the inspection road is used as the guide path for the robot to ride on the walking wheel, which changes the complex walking structure in the prior art, thereby reducing the weight of the structure and saving manufacturing costs; C. A driving walking / obstacle-crossing double set of wheels is set to cross small obstacles of the connection mechanism between the upper chord of the inspection road and the vertical rod. When crossing the obstacle, there is no need to slow down and pass directly, which is convenient and fast; D. Due to the adoption of an articulated structure, the upper detection arm naturally embraces the main cable under its own weight, which is different from the active constraint of the prior art and does not require repeated adjustment; E. When passing through the node of the main cable and the vertical boom, the lower detection arm swings open with a single degree of freedom to bypass the node obstacle, which has strong adaptability and can be widely adapted to various types of node structures; F. Due to the overall adoption of the detection arm The hinged structure is used, so the annular diameter of the detection arm can have good adaptability to different main cable diameters, so that the distance between the magnetic sensors arranged in the annular array and the camera and the main cable surface can be radially adjusted, which can adapt to the detection needs of main cables with different diameters; when G is used, the robot of the present invention can be based on the prior knowledge of the geometric parameters of the spatial structure of the main cable of the suspension bridge and its obstacles pre-stored in the control system, and can intelligently adapt to the changes in the spatial structure scale of the main cable and its inspection road in real time during the movement. Therefore, the robot of the present invention has a relatively simple structure, a light body weight, is easier to intelligently control, has a high detection accuracy, and a significantly improved detection walking speed, avoiding the urgent problem that conventional climbing robots need to repeatedly extend and retract the detection arm when crawling in the inspection road, which makes the robot structure complex, increases the body weight, increases the difficulty of control, affects the detection accuracy, and significantly reduces the detection speed of the robot.

[0062] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of this patent and are not limiting. Although this patent has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, ordinary technicians in this field should understand that the technical solution of the patent of this invention can be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the purpose and scope of the technical solution of this patent, which should be covered by the scope of the claims of this patent.

Claims

1. A robot for nondestructive testing of main cables of suspension bridges, characterized by: The invention comprises a detection mechanism and a traveling mechanism for driving the detection mechanism to move along the main cable of the suspension bridge; the detection mechanism comprises a detection arm and a detection system, the detection system comprises detection elements for obtaining detection parameters of the main cable of the suspension bridge, at least part of the detection elements are arranged on the detection arm; The detection arm conformably surrounds the outer circumference of the main cable of the suspension bridge and is used for detecting elements to obtain detection parameters of the main cable of the suspension bridge. The detection arm can swing with a single degree of freedom in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable of the suspension bridge to avoid the hanger (cable) connection mechanism and the hanger (cable) on the main cable of the suspension bridge during movement. The two detection arms are arranged on both sides of the main cable of the suspension bridge. When in use, the two detection arms respectively form a conformal ring around the corresponding side of the outer circle of the main cable of the suspension bridge. The detection arm is composed of an upper detection arm and a lower detection arm, which are connected end to end via a driving joint. The driving joint is used to drive the lower detection arm to swing with a single degree of freedom relative to the upper detection arm in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable of the suspension bridge; The traveling mechanism includes a traveling wheel assembly that can be driven to travel along the upper chord of the inspection road of the main cable of the suspension bridge, and a traveling frame supported by the traveling wheel assembly. A connecting arm is connected to the traveling frame and extends downward. The upper detection arm is hinged to the connecting arm and can swing with a single degree of freedom in the direction of approaching and moving away from the main cable of the suspension bridge. The running wheel assembly includes two sets of running wheels corresponding to the two upper chords of the maintenance road, each set of running wheels includes one running wheel or multiple running wheels arranged along the travel direction; the outer circumference of the running wheel is provided with an annular groove to form a pulley structure, and the running wheel cooperates with the upper chord of the maintenance road through the annular groove; The walking mechanism also includes a support assembly for supporting the detection arm so that it remains basically perpendicular to the main cable of the suspension bridge. The support assembly includes two supporting walking wheels arranged corresponding to the two chords on the inspection road and a supporting beam supported between the two supporting walking wheels. The outer circle of the supporting walking wheel is provided with an annular groove to form a pulley structure, and a walking cooperation is formed with the chord on the inspection road through the annular groove; the supporting walking wheel is located on the front side of the walking wheel assembly, and the lateral ends of the supporting beam are respectively connected to the detection arm on the corresponding side through a vertical support rod, and are respectively connected to the walking bracket through a longitudinal support rod; the length of the longitudinal support rod and the vertical support rod are adjustable.

2. The robot for nondestructive testing of main cables of suspension bridges according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer circle of the walking wheel is set as an obstacle crossing structure, and the obstacle crossing structure is used to climb over the maintenance road vertical rod connecting mechanism on the maintenance road upper chord when the walking wheel moves along the maintenance road upper chord; the walking wheel is provided with a limiting wing plate on the axial outside and / or axial inside, and the limiting wing plate is used to prevent the walking wheel from escaping laterally when the walking wheel climbs over the maintenance road vertical rod connecting mechanism; the annular groove of the walking wheel is a V-shaped groove and the bottom of the groove is an inwardly concave arc shape.

3. The robot for nondestructive testing of main cables of suspension bridges according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer circle of the supporting walking wheel is set as an obstacle crossing structure, and the obstacle crossing structure is used to climb over the inspection road vertical rod connecting mechanism on the inspection road upper chord when the supporting walking wheel moves along the inspection road upper chord; the supporting walking wheel is provided with a limiting wing plate on the axial outside or / and axial inside, and the limiting wing plate is used to prevent the supporting walking wheel from escaping laterally when the supporting walking wheel climbs over the inspection road vertical rod connecting mechanism; the annular groove of the supporting walking wheel is a V-shaped groove and the bottom of the groove is an inwardly concave arc shape.

4. The robot for nondestructive testing of main cables of suspension bridges according to claim 1, characterized in that: An obstacle overcoming wheel group is provided on the radial inner side of the upper detection arm, and the obstacle overcoming wheel group includes an obstacle overcoming wheel axle and three obstacle wheels. The three obstacle overcoming wheels are arranged in a triangular shape on a wheel frame and are arranged on the obstacle overcoming wheel axle through the wheel frame in a planetary manner around the axis of the obstacle overcoming wheel axle, and the obstacle overcoming wheel axle is provided on the upper detection arm; when the detection arm travels along the main cable of the suspension bridge, the obstacle overcoming wheel rotates planetarily around the axis of the obstacle overcoming wheel axle at the hanger (cable) connecting mechanism on the main cable of the suspension bridge; the connecting arm is set on the walking bracket in a manner of setting a downward elastic preload.

5. The robot for nondestructive testing of main cables of suspension bridges according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lateral dimensions of the traveling support are adjustable; a top detection arm with an arc-shaped structure is provided downwardly from a gap above the main cable of the suspension bridge between the two upper detection arms on the traveling support; the top detection arm with the arc-shaped structure and the two detection arms form a ring-shaped detection structure; the detection element includes a plurality of magnetic sensors and a plurality of cameras, the plurality of magnetic sensors are distributed in a predetermined array on the detection arm and the top detection arm, and the cameras are distributed in a predetermined array on the detection arm and the top detection arm, and the portions of the detection arm and the top detection arm where the cameras are provided are hollowed out to provide space for the cameras to take photos; A contact wheel is provided on the radial inner side of the lower detection arm, and the contact wheel rolls on the main cable of the suspension bridge when the detection arm moves along the main cable of the suspension bridge; the upper detection arm and the lower detection arm are respectively formed by a crank arm, or by multiple crank arm rods hinged end to end.

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