A flexible sealing structure and manufacturing method of a negative pressure wall-climbing robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a flexible sealing structure and manufacturing method for a negative pressure wall-climbing robot. The flexible sealing structure includes a sealing cloth, an elastic strip, a retaining frame, a sealing cloth fixing frame, and a sealing cloth pressure strip. An opening is formed in the middle of the sealing cloth, and the inner side of the sealing cloth has a vertical extension section extending upward. The sealing cloth pressure strip is located on the inner side of the sealing cloth fixing frame, and the vertical extension section is clamped and fixed between the sealing cloth pressure strip and the sealing cloth fixing frame. The elastic strip is attached to the bottom of the retaining frame, the sealing cloth wraps the retaining frame and the elastic strip, and the end of the sealing cloth is bonded and fixed to the top of the retaining frame. The advantages of the present invention are that it can adapt to the wall environment through deformation, ensuring that the flexible sealing structure is always in close contact with the wall, enabling the negative pressure wall-climbing robot to work stably on complex wall surfaces, and improving the adaptability of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot to different wall environments.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wall-climbing robots, and in particular to a flexible sealing structure of a negative pressure wall-climbing robot and a manufacturing method thereof. [Background Technology]

[0002] Currently, there are many types of wall-climbing robots. Based on their suction method, they can be categorized as magnetic, biomimetic, and negative pressure. Negative pressure wall-climbing robots are widely used due to their excellent wall-adaptability. Negative pressure uses the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the suction cup to generate suction force on the wall, achieving adhesion.

[0003] Negative pressure wall-climbing robots use a motor to drive a centrifugal impeller at high speed, expelling air from the suction cup body. This reduces the pressure inside the cup body to less than the atmospheric pressure outside, creating a certain pressure differential. A sealing mechanism is located where the cup body contacts the wall, minimizing air leakage and maintaining negative pressure within the cup. Negative pressure wall-climbing robots typically utilize wheels for mobility, enabling them to move forward, backward, turn, and even rotate on the wall.

[0004] The sealing mechanism (component) is the component that contacts the suction cup body with the wall. It is the prerequisite for the wall-climbing robot to work on the wall, and plays a vital role in maintaining the negative pressure of the robot cavity. For smooth walls, due to the high degree of fit between the sealing component and the wall, air leakage is very small, and negative pressure can be easily and stably maintained. When the robot operates in a complex wall environment, due to the obvious protrusions, grooves, etc. on the wall, or even the wall is not flat but curved, the air volume discharged by the centrifugal impeller on the robot is fixed. When the air leakage is greater than the air volume discharged by the centrifugal impeller, the robot cannot be stably adsorbed on the wall. However, the existing negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot is only suitable for smooth and flat wall environments. For wall environments with obvious protrusions, grooves, curved surfaces, etc., the wall-climbing robot cannot stably adsorb. In view of the above-mentioned problems, the inventor of this case conducted an in-depth study on the problem, and thus this case was created. [Summary of the invention]

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a flexible sealing structure and manufacturing method of a negative pressure wall-climbing robot, so as to solve the problem that the existing negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot is only suitable for smooth and flat wall environments, and the wall-climbing robot cannot stably adsorb on wall environments with obvious protrusions, grooves, curved surfaces, etc.

[0006] The present invention is achieved in that:

[0007] In a first aspect, a flexible sealing structure for a negative pressure wall-climbing robot includes a sealing cloth, an elastic strip, a retaining frame, a sealing cloth fixing frame, and a sealing cloth pressure strip;

[0008] An opening is formed in the middle of the sealing cloth, and a vertical extension section is provided on the inner side of the sealing cloth extending upward; the sealing cloth pressure strip is located on the inner side of the sealing cloth fixing frame, and the vertical extension section is clamped and fixed between the sealing cloth pressure strip and the sealing cloth fixing frame;

[0009] The elastic strip is attached to the bottom of the retaining frame, the sealing cloth wraps the retaining frame and the elastic strip, and the end of the sealing cloth is bonded and fixed to the top of the retaining frame.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper end of the vertical extension section is fixed between the sealing cloth pressure strip and the sealing cloth fixing frame by a locking screw, and the lower part of the vertical extension section forms an up and down floating section.

[0011] Furthermore, the sealing cloth has a horizontal sealing section that fits against the wall during sealing, a wrapping section wrapped around the outside of the retaining frame and the elastic strip, and a horizontal bonding section bonded to the top of the retaining frame; the vertical extension section is arranged at the inner edge of the horizontal sealing section.

[0012] Furthermore, the retaining frame and the elastic strip are both arranged on a side close to the wrapping section, and a distance is left between the retaining frame and the elastic strip and the vertical extension section; the part of the horizontal sealing section between the elastic strip and the vertical extension section forms a horizontal floating section.

[0013] Furthermore, the flexible sealing structure is a square structure;

[0014] The sealing cloth is formed by gluing four sealing cloth slices together; the inner side of each sealing cloth slice has a folded piece for forming the vertically extending section, and one end of each folded piece has an overlapping portion for overlapping the folded piece of an adjacent sealing cloth slice;

[0015] A straight edge is formed on the outer side of each sealing cloth piece, a splicing bevel is formed at both ends of each sealing cloth piece, and a transition bevel is formed between the straight edge and the splicing bevel; each sealing cloth piece has an adhesive overlapping portion formed at the edge of the splicing bevel.

[0016] Furthermore, an extension portion is provided on the bottom of the sealing cloth fixing frame to extend outward, and a connecting ear portion for fixedly connecting to the negative pressure cavity is provided on the extension portion.

[0017] Furthermore, the sealing cloth fixing frame and the sealing cloth pressure strip are both located above the retaining frame.

[0018] Furthermore, the sealing cloth is made of airtight, wear-resistant and elastic cloth.

[0019] Furthermore, the retaining frame is a bendable and deformable plastic plate.

[0020] In a second aspect, a method for manufacturing a flexible sealing structure comprises the following steps:

[0021] Step S1: produce elastic strips, retaining frames, sealing cloth fixing frames, and sealing cloth pressing strips according to the structure and size of the negative pressure cavity to be used, and cut out four sealing cloth pieces;

[0022] Step S2: Arrange the four sealing cloth pieces along the four inner sides of the sealing cloth fixing frame so that the folding lines of the folding pieces on the four sealing cloth pieces coincide with the four inner sides of the sealing cloth fixing frame respectively;

[0023] Step S3, folding the folded pieces of the four sealing cloth pieces upward, bonding the overlapping portions of each sealing cloth piece to the adjacent sealing cloth piece to form a vertical extension, and bonding the bonding overlap portions at both ends of each sealing cloth piece to the bonding overlap portions of the adjacent sealing cloth piece to form a complete sealing cloth;

[0024] Step S4: Sleeve the sealing cloth fixing frame onto the outer side of the upper end of the vertical extension section, press the sealing cloth strip tightly onto the inner side of the upper end of the vertical extension section, and lock the sealing cloth fixing frame, the vertical extension section, and the sealing cloth strip together using locking screws;

[0025] Step S5: bond the elastic strip to the bottom of the retainer, and place the retainer bonded with the elastic strip on the sealing cloth; wrap the retainer bonded with the elastic strip with the sealing cloth, and bond the end of the sealing cloth to the upper surface of the retainer.

[0026] The present invention assembles a flexible sealing structure by utilizing sealing cloth, elastic strips, a retaining frame, a sealing cloth fixing frame, and a sealing cloth pressure strip; wherein the sealing cloth fixing frame and the sealing cloth pressure strip are used to fix the vertical extension section of the sealing cloth; the sealing cloth, the elastic strip, and the retaining frame can all produce a certain degree of deformation, and through the mutual cooperation of the sealing cloth, the elastic strip, and the retaining frame, it is possible to ensure that the flexible sealing structure has good flexibility; therefore, by adopting the technical solution of the present invention, at least the following beneficial effects are achieved:

[0027] 1. Since the entire flexible sealing structure is sufficiently flexible, when encountering protrusions, grooves or curved walls on the wall, the flexible sealing structure can adapt to the wall environment through deformation, ensuring that the flexible sealing structure is always tightly fitted to the wall, which can effectively reduce air leakage, thereby enabling the negative pressure wall-climbing robot to work stably on complex walls, and improving the negative pressure wall-climbing robot's adaptability to different wall environments.

[0028] 2. Since the flexible sealing structure will always keep in contact with and rub against the wall during the operation of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot, the flexible sealing structure needs to be frequently replaced as a wearing part; the flexible sealing structure of the present invention adopts an independent module design, that is, the flexible sealing structure is an independent module of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot. When disassembling and replacing, it is only necessary to operate the connecting parts between the flexible sealing structure and the negative pressure cavity. Therefore, the disassembly and replacement of the flexible sealing structure is very convenient and fast, which can improve the maintainability of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot.

[0029] 3. In order to ensure the tightness of the flexible sealing structure and the wall surface, the flatness of the fitting surface should be ensured as much as possible during production to reduce wrinkles, and the sealing cloth should not be sewn to avoid damaging the sealing performance of the sealing cloth. To this end, the present invention abandons the traditional method of cutting or sewing as a whole, and adopts four pieces of sealing cloth to bond together to obtain a complete sealing cloth. By forming a bonding overlap on the splicing bevel at both ends of each sealing cloth piece, and using the bonding overlap to bond each sealing cloth piece together in sequence, since the bonding overlap is just at the four right-angled corners of the entire flexible sealing structure, by adopting This bonding and splicing method can effectively ensure that the fitting surface between the flexible sealing structure and the wall is flat and wrinkle-free, thereby achieving a better sealing effect; at the same time, an overlapping portion is reserved at one end of the folding piece of each sealing cloth segment. After the folding piece is folded upward, one end of the folding piece of each sealing cloth segment can be overlapped with the folding piece of the adjacent sealing cloth segment, thereby avoiding air leakage at the right angles of the vertical extension section, thereby further ensuring sealing; therefore, by adopting the sealing cloth design of the present invention, the sealing between the flexible sealing structure and the wall surface can be effectively guaranteed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0031] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a negative pressure wall-climbing robot equipped with a flexible sealing structure according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot equipped with a flexible sealing structure according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3It is an overall diagram of the flexible sealing structure of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 is an exploded view of the flexible sealing structure of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 is a front view of the flexible sealing structure of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0037] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Enlarged view of part B in the middle;

[0038] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of a single sealing cloth piece arranged along one side of a sealing cloth fixing frame in the present invention;

[0039] Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of a single sealing cloth in the present invention;

[0040] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of four sealing cloth pieces arranged along the four sides of the sealing cloth fixing frame in the present invention;

[0041] Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of the flexible sealing structure of the present invention cooperating with the protrusion on the wall;

[0042] Figure 12 It is a schematic diagram of the flexible sealing structure of the present invention cooperating with the groove on the wall;

[0043] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the flexible sealing structure of the present invention and the curved wall surface.

[0044] Description of reference numerals:

[0045] 100-wall, 101-protrusion, 102-groove, 103-arc-shaped wall, 1-negative pressure generating module, 2-negative pressure cavity, 3-power supply module, 4-sealing assembly, 41-sealing cloth, 411-opening, 412-vertical extension section, 4121-up and down floating section, 413-horizontal sealing section, 4131-horizontal floating section, 414-wrapping section, 415-horizontal bonding section, 416-sealing cloth slice, 4161-folding piece, 4162-overlapping part, 4163-straight edge, 4164-splicing bevel edge, 4165-transition bevel edge, 4166-bonding overlapping part, 42-elastic strip, 43-retaining frame, 44-sealing cloth fixing frame, 441-extension part, 442-connecting ear, 45-sealing cloth pressure strip, 5-driving wheel mechanism, 6-locking screw, 7-mounting screw. [Specific implementation method]

[0046] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0047] It should be noted that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "back," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inside," "outside," and the like, indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended only to facilitate the description of these embodiments and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. In addition, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined as "first," "second," and the like may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0048] Before that, let me introduce the negative pressure wall climbing robot. Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the negative pressure wall-climbing robot mainly includes a negative pressure generating module 1, a negative pressure cavity 2, a power supply module 3, a sealing assembly 4, and a driving wheel mechanism 5. The negative pressure generating module 1 is fixedly mounted on the top of the negative pressure cavity 2. When in operation, the negative pressure generating module 1 performs work to discharge the air in the negative pressure cavity 2. The power supply module 3 is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the negative pressure cavity 2. When in operation, the power supply module 3 supplies power to the negative pressure generating module 1 and the driving wheel mechanism 5. The driving wheel mechanism 5 is mounted on the inner bottom of the negative pressure cavity 2. When in operation, the driving wheel mechanism 5 drives the negative pressure wall-climbing robot to move forward, backward, turn, rotate in place, and other functions on the wall. The sealing assembly 4 is mounted on the bottom of the negative pressure cavity 2. When in operation, the sealing assembly 4 realizes the sealing function.

[0049] The basis for the operation of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot is that it can be stably adsorbed on the wall surface, so it is necessary to ensure that sufficient and stable negative pressure can be maintained in the negative pressure cavity 2; and the maintenance of negative pressure requires the joint action of the negative pressure generating module 1, the negative pressure cavity 2 and the sealing component 4. The negative pressure generating module 1 works to discharge the air in the negative pressure cavity 2, and the sealing component 4 is directly in contact with the wall surface. It is necessary to ensure that the amount of air leaked from the sealing component 4 and the wall surface is less than the amount of air exhausted by the negative pressure generating module 1, so as to keep the negative pressure in the negative pressure cavity 2 stable.

[0050] The movement of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot on the wall is achieved by the driving wheel mechanism 5. When the negative pressure wall-climbing robot moves, the sealing component 4 and the wall are always kept in contact with each other. There is always a large friction between the sealing component 4 and the wall, which makes the sealing component 4 easy to wear. Therefore, before using the negative pressure wall-climbing robot, it is necessary to pay attention to the wear of the sealing component 4. When the sealing component 4 is seriously worn, the sealing component 4 needs to be replaced. Since the sealing component 4 of the existing wall-climbing robot is only suitable for use on a single smooth wall, such as glass, large tiles and other wall environments, and for wall environments with obvious protrusions, grooves, curved surfaces, etc., it is impossible to ensure the stable adsorption of the wall-climbing robot. At the same time, the existing sealing component 4 is not convenient to replace when it is worn. For this reason, the present invention focuses on improving the sealing component 4.

[0051] See also Figures 3 to 13 As shown, the flexible sealing structure of a negative pressure wall-climbing robot of the present invention includes a sealing cloth 41, an elastic strip 42, a retaining frame 43, a sealing cloth fixing frame 44 and a sealing cloth pressing strip 45;

[0052] An opening 411 is formed in the middle of the sealing cloth 41 so that the negative pressure wall-climbing robot can be adsorbed on the wall surface under the action of negative pressure; the inner side of the sealing cloth 41 has a vertical extension section 412 extending upward; the sealing cloth pressure strip 45 is located on the inner side of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44, and the vertical extension section 412 is clamped and fixed between the sealing cloth pressure strip 45 and the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 to fix the sealing cloth 41;

[0053] The elastic strip 42 is attached to the bottom of the retaining frame 43 , the sealing cloth 41 wraps the retaining frame 43 and the elastic strip 42 , and the end of the sealing cloth 41 is bonded and fixed to the top of the retaining frame 43 , thereby fixing the entire sealing cloth 41 .

[0054] In the present invention, a flexible sealing structure is assembled by using a sealing cloth 41, an elastic strip 42, a retaining frame 43, a sealing cloth fixing frame 44, and a sealing cloth pressure strip 45; wherein the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 and the sealing cloth pressure strip 45 are used to fix the vertical extension section 412 of the sealing cloth 41; the sealing cloth 41, the elastic strip 42, and the retaining frame 43 can all produce a certain degree of deformation, and through the mutual cooperation of the sealing cloth 41, the elastic strip 42, and the retaining frame 43, it is possible to ensure that the flexible sealing structure has good flexibility; therefore, by adopting the technical solution of the present invention, at least the following beneficial effects are achieved:

[0055] 2. Since the entire flexible sealing structure is sufficiently flexible, when encountering protrusions, grooves or curved walls on the wall, the flexible sealing structure can adapt to the wall environment through deformation, ensuring that the flexible sealing structure is always tightly fitted to the wall, which can effectively reduce air leakage, thereby enabling the negative pressure wall-climbing robot to work stably on complex walls, and improving the negative pressure wall-climbing robot's adaptability to different wall environments.

[0056] 2. Since the flexible sealing structure will always keep in contact with and rub against the wall during the operation of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot, the flexible sealing structure needs to be frequently replaced as a wearing part; the flexible sealing structure of the present invention adopts an independent module design, that is, the flexible sealing structure is an independent module of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot. When disassembling and replacing, it is only necessary to operate the connecting parts between the flexible sealing structure and the negative pressure cavity 2. Therefore, the disassembly and replacement of the flexible sealing structure are very convenient and fast, which can improve the maintainability of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present invention, the upper end of the vertical extension section 412 is fixed between the sealing cloth bead 45 and the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 by a locking screw 6. In a specific implementation, multiple locking screws 6 can be used to fix the upper end of the vertical extension section 412 on each side of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 to ensure that the vertical extension section 412 can be firmly combined with the sealing cloth bead 45 and the sealing cloth fixing frame 44. Preferably, 4-6 locking screws 6 are used to fix the vertical extension section 412 on each side of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44. At the same time, the inner side surface of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 and the outer side surface (i.e., the pressing surface) of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 are both flat. After the vertical extension section 412 is locked between the sealing cloth bead 45 and the sealing cloth fixing frame 44, the outer side surface of the vertical extension section 412 is tightly fitted with the inner side surface of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44, and the inner side surface of the vertical extension section 412 is tightly fitted with the outer side surface of the sealing cloth bead 45, thereby ensuring sealing.

[0058] The lower part of the vertical extension section 412 forms an up and down floating section 4121, so that the entire flexible sealing structure has a certain floating range. When the negative pressure wall-climbing robot walks on an uneven wall, the flexible sealing structure can float up and down, thereby ensuring that the flexible sealing structure fits better with the wall.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, in order to ensure the sealing effect, the sealing cloth 41 has a horizontal sealing section 413 that fits against the wall surface when sealing, a wrapping section 414 wrapped around the outside of the retaining frame 43 and the elastic strip 42, and a horizontal bonding section 415 bonded to the top of the retaining frame 43; the vertical extension section 412 is arranged at the inner edge of the horizontal sealing section 413.

[0060] In an embodiment of the present invention, the retaining frame 43 and the elastic strip 42 are both arranged on a side close to the wrapping section 414, and a distance is left between the retaining frame 43 and the elastic strip 42 and the vertical extension section 412; the part of the horizontal sealing section 413 between the elastic strip 42 and the vertical extension section 412 forms a horizontal floating section 4131. Since the horizontal floating section 4131 is directly connected to the upper and lower floating sections 4121, it can ensure that the entire flexible sealing structure has a better floating effect, thereby better adapting to the uneven wall environment.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present invention, the flexible sealing structure is a square structure, that is, the elastic strip 42, the retaining frame 43, the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 and the sealing cloth pressing strip 45 are all square frame structures;

[0062] The sealing cloth 41 is formed by gluing four sealing cloth slices 416 together, i.e., one sealing cloth slice 416 is provided for each side of the flexible sealing structure. The inner side of each sealing cloth slice 416 has a folded piece 4161 for forming the vertical extension section 412. One end of each folded piece 4161 has an overlapping portion 4162 for overlapping the folded piece 4161 of an adjacent sealing cloth slice 416. By overlapping one end of the folded piece 4161 of each sealing cloth slice 416 with the folded piece 4161 of the adjacent sealing cloth slice 416, air leakage at the right angle of the vertical extension section 412 can be avoided, thereby ensuring sealing.

[0063] A straight edge 4163 is formed on the outer side of each sealing cloth piece 416, and a splicing bevel 4164 is formed at both ends of each sealing cloth piece 416, and the sealing cloth piece 416 gradually widens from the inside to the outside at the splicing bevel 4164; a transition bevel 4165 is formed between the straight edge 4163 and the splicing bevel 4164, and the sealing cloth piece 416 gradually narrows from the inside to the outside at the transition bevel 4165; an adhesive overlapping portion 4166 is formed at the edge of the splicing bevel 4164 of each sealing cloth piece 416, so that the adhesive overlapping portion 4166 can be used to bond two adjacent sealing cloth pieces 416 together.

[0064] In order to ensure the tightness of the fitting between the flexible sealing structure and the wall surface, the flatness of the fitting surface should be ensured as much as possible during the production to reduce wrinkles, and the sealing cloth 41 should not be sewn to avoid damaging the sealing of the sealing cloth 41; for this reason, the present invention abandons the traditional one-piece cutting or sewing method (wherein, the one-piece cutting is prone to wrinkles at the bottom corner when wrapping the retaining frame 43 and the elastic strip 42, and sewing will perforate the sealing cloth 41), and uses 4 sealing cloth slices 416 to bond together to obtain a complete sealing cloth 41, by forming a bonding overlap 4166 on the splicing bevel 4164 at both ends of each sealing cloth slice 416, and using the bonding overlap 4166 to bond and splice each sealing cloth slice 416 together in turn, because the bonding overlap 4166 is just at the center of the whole By adopting this bonding and splicing method at the four right-angle corners of the flexible sealing structure, it can be effectively ensured that the fitting surface between the flexible sealing structure and the wall is flat and wrinkle-free, thereby achieving a better sealing effect; at the same time, an overlapping portion 4162 is reserved at one end of the folding piece 4161 of each sealing cloth segment 416. After the folding piece 4161 is folded upward, one end of the folding piece 4161 of each sealing cloth segment 416 can be overlapped with the folding piece 4161 of the adjacent sealing cloth segment 416, thereby avoiding air leakage at the right angles of the vertical extension section 412, thereby further ensuring sealing; therefore, by adopting the sealing cloth 41 design of the present invention, the sealing between the flexible sealing structure and the wall can be effectively guaranteed.

[0065] When the present invention is implemented, the bonding overlapping parts 4166 and the bonding overlapping parts 4166 and the overlapped parts 4162 and the adjacent folded pieces 4161 are bonded together using adhesive. The adhesive can be AB glue, quick-drying glue or resin glue, but the present invention is not limited to the above glues. Heating can also be used to solidify the two together.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present invention, an extension portion 441 is provided at the bottom of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44, and a connecting ear portion 442 is provided on the extension portion 441 for fixed connection to the negative pressure chamber 2. In a specific implementation, the negative pressure chamber 2 and the connecting ear portion 442 can be locked together using mounting screws 7. Preferably, to facilitate assembly and disassembly while ensuring a secure connection, a connecting ear portion 442 is provided on the extension portion 441 at both ends of each side of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44, so that the four sides of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 are provided with exactly eight connecting ears 442.

[0067] In the embodiment of the present invention, to ensure the vertical floating flexibility of the flexible sealing structure, the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 and the sealing cloth bead 45 are both located above the retaining frame 43. This ensures the length of the vertical floating section 4121, thereby achieving a better floating effect. The sealing cloth fixing frame 44 and the sealing cloth bead 45 can be made of metal, hard plastic, etc.

[0068] In an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing cloth 41 is made of airtight, wear-resistant and elastic cloth. For example, the sealing cloth 41 can be made of umbrella cloth, tent cloth or awning cloth with PVC coating. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. In the specific implementation, cloth of other materials can also be used as long as it can meet the requirements of airtightness, wear resistance and elasticity.

[0069] In an embodiment of the present invention, the retaining frame 43 is a bendable and deformable plastic plate. For example, the retaining frame 43 can be made of an epoxy resin plate, a polyvinyl chloride plate or an ABS plastic plate. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. In specific implementation, plastic plates of other materials can also be used as long as they can meet the requirements of being bendable, thin, and having a certain toughness.

[0070] The elastic strip 42 has a certain thickness and is capable of arbitrary deformation and restoration after deformation. It is used to fill gaps between the elastic strip 42 and the wall surface when it encounters protrusions, grooves, etc. The elastic strip 42 can be made of sponge, foam material, foam, or pearl cotton. Of course, the present invention is not limited to these materials and can also be made of elastic strips of other materials as long as they meet the requirements of arbitrary deformation and restoration after deformation. In specific implementations, the elastic strip 42 can be selected to have different hardness and thickness depending on the height of the protrusions and the depth of the grooves on the wall.

[0071] When the flexible sealing structure of the present invention is used, Figure 11 As shown, when the flexible sealing structure encounters the protrusion 101 on the wall 100, due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside, the elastic strip 42 and the sealing cloth 41 are deformed to fill the height difference of the protrusion 101 on the wall 100; Figure 12 As shown, when the flexible sealing structure encounters the groove 102 on the wall 100, due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside, the elastic strip 42 and the sealing cloth 41 are deformed to completely fill the groove 102 on the wall 100; Figure 13 As shown, when the flexible sealing structure encounters the arc-shaped wall surface 103 , the retaining frame 43 is bent by the pressure difference, so that the flexible sealing structure fits tightly against the arc-shaped wall surface 103 .

[0072] See also Figures 3 to 13As shown, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a flexible sealing structure. The specific structure of the flexible sealing structure is described in detail above and will not be described here in detail. The manufacturing method includes the following steps:

[0073] Step S1: According to the structure and size of the negative pressure chamber 2 to be used, an elastic strip 42, a retaining frame 43, a sealing cloth fixing frame 44, and a sealing cloth pressing strip 45 are manufactured to ensure that the sealing requirements of the negative pressure chamber 2 are met; at the same time, four sealing cloth slices 416 are cut out. When cutting the sealing cloth slices 416, overlapping portions 4162 and bonding overlap portions 4166 need to be reserved. It is also necessary to ensure that the sealing cloth slices 416 can wrap around the elastic strip 42 and the retaining frame 43, and that the ends of the sealing cloth slices 416 can be bonded to the upper surface of the retaining frame 43.

[0074] Step S2: Arrange the four sealing cloth pieces 416 along the four inner sides of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 so that the folding lines of the folding pieces 4161 on the four sealing cloth pieces 416 coincide with the four inner sides of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44. In this way, after the folding pieces 4161 are folded upward along the folding lines, the outer sides of the folding pieces 4161 can be exactly attached to the inner side of the sealing cloth fixing frame 44.

[0075] Step S3: Fold the folded pieces 4161 of the four sealing cloth slices 416 upwards, and bond the overlapping portions 4162 on each sealing cloth slice 416 to the adjacent sealing cloth slice 416 to form a vertical extension section 412. At the same time, bond the bonding overlapping portions 4166 at both ends of each sealing cloth slice 416 to the bonding overlapping portions 4166 of the adjacent sealing cloth slice 416 to form a complete sealing cloth 41. By bonding the four sealing cloth slices 416 to form a complete sealing cloth 41 in a splicing manner, it can be ensured that the bonding surface of the obtained sealing cloth 41 is flat and wrinkle-free, thereby ensuring a good sealing effect.

[0076] Step S4: Sleeve the sealing cloth fixing frame 44 onto the outer side of the upper end of the vertical extension section 412, press the sealing cloth pressing strip 45 onto the inner side of the upper end of the vertical extension section 412, and lock the sealing cloth fixing frame 44, the vertical extension section 412, and the sealing cloth pressing strip 45 together with the locking screw 6 to fix the vertical extension section 412 of the sealing cloth 41;

[0077] Step S5, bond the elastic strip 42 to the bottom of the retaining frame 43, and place the retaining frame 43 bonded with the elastic strip 42 on the sealing cloth 41; wrap the retaining frame 43 bonded with the elastic strip 42 with the sealing cloth 41, and bond the end of the sealing cloth 41 to the upper surface of the retaining frame 43, so as to fix the end of the sealing cloth 41.

[0078] The flexible sealing structure manufactured by the method of the present invention can adapt to the wall environment through deformation, ensure that the flexible sealing structure is always in close contact with the wall, and effectively reduce air leakage, so that the negative pressure wall-climbing robot can work stably on complex wall surfaces, thereby improving the adaptability of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot to different wall environments; at the same time, the entire flexible sealing structure adopts an independent module design, and disassembly and replacement are very convenient and quick; in addition, the sealing cloth 41 is obtained by bonding 4 sealing cloth slices 416, which can effectively ensure that the fitting surface of the flexible sealing structure and the wall is flat and wrinkle-free, thereby achieving a better sealing effect.

[0079] Although the specific embodiments of the present invention are described above, those skilled in the art should understand that the specific embodiments described are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Equivalent modifications and changes made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible sealing structure for a negative pressure wall-climbing robot, characterized by: It includes sealing cloth, elastic strip, retaining frame, sealing cloth fixing frame and sealing cloth pressing strip; An opening is formed in the middle of the sealing cloth, and a vertical extension section is provided on the inner side of the sealing cloth extending upward; the sealing cloth pressure strip is located on the inner side of the sealing cloth fixing frame, and the vertical extension section is clamped and fixed between the sealing cloth pressure strip and the sealing cloth fixing frame; The elastic strip is attached to the bottom of the retainer, the sealing cloth wraps the retainer and the elastic strip, and the end of the sealing cloth is bonded and fixed to the top of the retainer; The sealing cloth is formed by gluing four sealing cloth slices together; the inner side of each sealing cloth slice has a folding piece for forming the vertical extension section, and one end of each folding piece has an overlapping portion for overlapping with the folding piece of an adjacent sealing cloth slice; the outer side of each sealing cloth slice is formed with a straight edge, and both ends of each sealing cloth slice are formed with a splicing bevel, and a transition bevel is formed between the straight edge and the splicing bevel; each sealing cloth slice is formed with a bonding overlap at the edge of the splicing bevel.

2. The flexible sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein: The upper end of the vertical extension section is fixed between the sealing cloth pressure strip and the sealing cloth fixing frame by a locking screw, and the lower part of the vertical extension section forms an up and down floating section.

3. The flexible sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein: The sealing cloth comprises a horizontal sealing section which fits the wall surface during sealing, a wrapping section wrapped around the outside of the retaining frame and the elastic strip, and a horizontal bonding section bonded to the top of the retaining frame; the vertical extension section is arranged at the inner edge of the horizontal sealing section.

4. The flexible sealing structure according to claim 3, wherein: The retaining frame and the elastic strip are both arranged on a side close to the wrapping section, and a distance is left between the retaining frame and the elastic strip and the vertical extension section; the part of the horizontal sealing section between the elastic strip and the vertical extension section forms a horizontal floating section.

5. The flexible sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein: The flexible sealing structure is a square structure.

6. The flexible sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein: An extension portion is provided on the bottom of the sealing cloth fixing frame to extend outward, and a connecting ear portion for fixedly connecting to the negative pressure cavity is provided on the extension portion.

7. The flexible sealing structure according to claim 2, wherein: The sealing cloth fixing frame and the sealing cloth pressing strip are both located above the retaining frame.

8. The flexible sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein: The sealing cloth is made of airtight, wear-resistant and elastic cloth.

9. The flexible sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein: The retaining frame is a bendable and deformable plastic plate.

10. A method for manufacturing the flexible sealing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The production method comprises the following steps: Step S1: produce elastic strips, retaining frames, sealing cloth fixing frames, and sealing cloth pressing strips according to the structure and size of the negative pressure cavity to be used, and cut out four sealing cloth pieces; Step S2: Arrange the four sealing cloth pieces along the four inner sides of the sealing cloth fixing frame so that the folding lines of the folding pieces on the four sealing cloth pieces coincide with the four inner sides of the sealing cloth fixing frame respectively; Step S3, folding the folded pieces of the four sealing cloth pieces upward, bonding the overlapping portions of each sealing cloth piece to the adjacent sealing cloth piece to form a vertical extension, and bonding the bonding overlap portions at both ends of each sealing cloth piece to the bonding overlap portions of the adjacent sealing cloth piece to form a complete sealing cloth; Step S4: Sleeve the sealing cloth fixing frame onto the outer side of the upper end of the vertical extension section, press the sealing cloth strip tightly onto the inner side of the upper end of the vertical extension section, and lock the sealing cloth fixing frame, the vertical extension section, and the sealing cloth strip together using locking screws; Step S5: bond the elastic strip to the bottom of the retainer, and place the retainer bonded with the elastic strip on the sealing cloth; wrap the retainer bonded with the elastic strip with the sealing cloth, and bond the end of the sealing cloth to the upper surface of the retainer.

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