Telephone pole inspection robot

Abstract

A utility pole inspection robot comprises a telescopic module and a clamping module. A clamping module is respectively provided at the upper end and the lower end of the telescopic module. The clamping module comprises a support plate and two clamping mechanisms symmetrically arranged on the support plate. The clamping mechanism comprises a clamping arm and a flipping assembly. The flipping assembly comprises a first support, a second support, and a first connecting rod. The clamping arm is connected to the first support, and the second support is fixedly arranged on the support plate. One end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the second support, and the other end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the first support. By setting the flipping assembly, the clamping arm is horizontally flipped from a state relatively close to a crossarm to a state relatively far from the crossarm. After crossing the crossarm, the state is changed from a state relatively far from the crossarm to a state relatively close to the crossarm, thereby crossing the crossarm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of live-line working robots, and in particular to a utility pole inspection robot. Background Art

[0002] When the power grid is arranged to transmit electricity, it is often necessary to erect poles. The existing poles are often columnar concrete poles. When the staff conducts inspections in the later stage, they often need to climb along the poles. During the climbing process, the staff can easily fall to the ground due to various emergencies, causing casualties. When conducting live inspections, the probability of danger is increased.

[0003] The Chinese invention patent with authorization announcement number CN109693725B discloses a soft pole-climbing robot, which includes a fixed unit and a telescopic unit. There are at least two fixed units and the fixed units can be used to wrap around an object to ensure that the soft pole-climbing robot is fixed relative to the object. The two ends of the telescopic unit are respectively connected to the fixed unit and the telescopic unit can be extended and contracted to change the position of the fixed units at both ends of the telescopic unit and realize the crawling of the soft pole-climbing robot.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned soft pole climbing robot has certain defects. For example, when there is a cross arm on the electric pole, the soft pole climbing robot cannot cross the cross arm and cannot complete the inspection of the inspection point on the top of the electric pole. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, it is necessary to propose a utility pole inspection robot to address the above-mentioned shortcomings.

[0006] A utility pole inspection robot comprises a telescopic module and a clamping module. A clamping module is respectively provided at the upper end and the lower end of the telescopic module. The clamping module comprises a support plate and two clamping mechanisms symmetrically arranged on the support plate. The clamping mechanism comprises a clamping arm and a flipping assembly. The flipping assembly comprises a first support, a second support and a first connecting rod. The clamping arm is connected to the first support. The second support is fixed on the support plate. One end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the second support. The other end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the first support.

[0007] Preferably, the flip assembly also includes a first bevel gear, a second bevel gear, a second connecting rod, a third connecting rod, and a fourth connecting rod. The first bevel gear is fixed on a side wall of the clamping arm, and the clamping arm is rotatably connected to the first support through the first bevel gear. A second bevel gear is fixed to one end of the first connecting rod that is relatively connected to the second support. The first bevel gear is meshed with the second bevel gear. One end of the second connecting rod is fixedly connected to the second support. The other end of the second connecting rod is rotatably connected to one end of the third connecting rod. The other end of the third connecting rod is rotatably connected to one end of the fourth connecting rod, and the other end of the fourth connecting rod is fixedly connected to the first support.

[0008] Preferably, an arc-shaped clamping groove is provided on one side of the free end of the clamping arm.

[0009] Preferably, the second connecting rod forms an angle of 45° with the length direction of the support plate.

[0010] Preferably, the flip assembly also includes a rotating shaft, a gear, and a rack. The rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the second support, one end of the first connecting rod relative to the first bevel gear is fixedly connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft, a gear is installed at the lower end of the rotating shaft, and a rack is installed on the support plate. The rack can move back and forth in a straight line along the support plate, and the gear is meshed with the rack.

[0011] Preferably, the flip assembly also includes a telescopic part. When fluid is introduced into the telescopic part, the length of the telescopic part increases. When fluid is discharged from the telescopic part, the length of the telescopic part decreases. The two ends of the telescopic part in the length direction are respectively fixedly connected to the racks on both sides of the same support plate.

[0012] Preferably, the telescopic member is an airbag or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0013] Preferably, the telescopic module includes a sealing cylinder and a piston. The sealing cylinder is fixed on a support plate located at the upper part, and the piston is built into the sealing cylinder to divide the inner cavity of the sealing cylinder into an upper sealing cavity and a lower sealing cavity. The piston is connected to the support plate located at the lower part through a sliding rod, and the upper sealing cavity is connected to the inner cavity of the telescopic part located at the upper part through an air pipe, and the lower sealing cavity is connected to the inner cavity of the telescopic part located at the lower part through an air pipe. Two exchange holes are provided on the piston, and a one-way valve is installed on each exchange hole. The flow directions of the one-way valves corresponding to the two exchange holes are opposite.

[0014] Preferably, the telescopic module further comprises a cylinder, a fixed end of the cylinder is connected to a support plate located at an upper portion, and a telescopic end of the cylinder is connected to a piston.

[0015] Preferably, the telescopic module further comprises a spring, one end of the spring is connected to the piston, and the other end of the spring is connected to the sealing cylinder.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] By setting up a flipping component, the clamping arm is flipped horizontally. During the process of the clamping module converting from a clamping state to a loosened state, the flipping component drives the clamping arm to change from a state perpendicular to the crossarm to a state parallel to the crossarm, and from a state relatively close to the crossarm to a state relatively far away from the crossarm. After crossing the crossarm, the flipping component drives the clamping arm to change from a state parallel to the crossarm to a state perpendicular to the crossarm, and from a state relatively far away from the crossarm to a state relatively close to the crossarm, thereby crossing the crossarm. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 The figure is a top view of the utility pole inspection robot.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a front view of the utility pole inspection robot.

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of the utility pole inspection robot described in .

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the first-person perspective of the utility pole inspection robot crossing the crossarm, wherein A, B, and C correspond to the changing process of the motion state.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the second viewing angle of the utility pole inspection robot crossing the crossarm, wherein A, B, and C correspond to the changing process of the motion state.

[0023] In the figure: telescopic module 10, sealing cylinder 11, piston 12, cylinder 13, clamping module 20, support plate 21, clamping mechanism 22, clamping arm 221, flip assembly 222, first support 2221, second support 2222, first connecting rod 2223, first bevel gear 2224, second bevel gear 2225, second connecting rod 2226, third connecting rod 2227, fourth connecting rod 2228, rotating shaft 2229, gear 222100, rack 222110, telescopic member 222120, electric pole 30, cross arm 40. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0025] See also Figures 1 to 5The embodiment of the present invention provides a utility pole inspection robot, including a telescopic module 10 and a clamping module 20. A clamping module 20 is respectively provided at the upper end and the lower end of the telescopic module 10. The clamping module 20 includes a support plate 21 and two clamping mechanisms 22 symmetrically arranged on the support plate 21. The clamping mechanism 22 includes a clamping arm 221 and a flip assembly 222. The flip assembly 222 includes a first support 2221, a second support 2222, and a first connecting rod 2223. The clamping arm 221 is connected to the first support 2221, and the second support 2222 is fixed on the support plate 21. One end of the first connecting rod 2223 is rotatably connected to the second support 2222, and the other end of the first connecting rod 2223 is rotatably connected to the first support 2221.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] By setting up the flipping component 222, the clamping arm 221 is flipped horizontally. During the process of the clamping module 20 being converted from the clamping state to the releasing state, the flipping component 222 drives the clamping arm 221 to change from a state perpendicular to the cross arm 40 to a state parallel to the cross arm 40, and from a state relatively close to the cross arm 40 to a state relatively far away from the cross arm 40. After crossing the cross arm 40, the flipping component 222 drives the clamping arm 221 to change from a state parallel to the cross arm 40 to a state perpendicular to the cross arm 40, and from a state relatively far away from the cross arm 40 to a state relatively close to the cross arm 40, thereby crossing the cross arm 40.

[0028] See also Figures 1 to 5 Further, the flip assembly 222 also includes a first bevel gear 2224, a second bevel gear 2225, a second connecting rod 2226, a third connecting rod 2227, and a fourth connecting rod 2228. The first bevel gear 2224 is fixedly arranged on a side wall of the clamping arm 221. The clamping arm 221 is rotatably connected to the first support 2221 through the first bevel gear 2224. A second bevel gear 2225 is fixedly arranged at one end of the first connecting rod 2223 which is relatively connected to the second support 2222. The first bevel gear 2224 is meshed with the second bevel gear 2225. One end of the second connecting rod 2226 is fixedly connected to the second support 2222. The other end of the second connecting rod 2226 is rotatably connected to one end of the third connecting rod 2227. The other end of the third connecting rod 2227 is rotatably connected to one end of the fourth connecting rod 2228. The other end of the fourth connecting rod 2228 is fixedly connected to the first support 2221.

[0029] In this embodiment, the flip assembly 222 flips the clamping arm 221 horizontally and vertically at the same time, so as to be applicable to the situation where the cross arms 40 are staggered in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0030] See also Figures 1 to 5 Furthermore, an arc-shaped clamping groove is provided on one side of the free end of the clamping arm 221.

[0031] In one embodiment, the surface of the clamping groove is covered with an elastic layer, the elastic layer is, for example, rubber, and the surface of the elastic layer is processed to be uneven.

[0032] See also Figures 1 to 5 Furthermore, the second connecting rod 2226 is at a 45° angle with the length direction of the supporting plate 21 .

[0033] See also Figures 1 to 5 Furthermore, the flip assembly 222 also includes a rotating shaft 2229, a gear 222100, and a rack 222110. The rotating shaft 2229 is rotatably connected to the second support 2222. One end of the first connecting rod 2223 relative to the first bevel gear 2224 is fixedly connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 2229. A gear 222100 is installed at the lower end of the rotating shaft 2229. A rack 222110 is installed on the support plate 21. The rack 222110 can move back and forth in a straight line along the support plate 21, and the gear 222100 is meshed with the rack 222110.

[0034] See also Figures 1 to 5 Furthermore, the flip assembly 222 also includes a telescopic member 222120. When fluid is introduced into the telescopic member 222120, the length of the telescopic member 222120 increases. When fluid is discharged from the telescopic member 222120, the length of the telescopic member 222120 decreases. The two ends of the telescopic member 222120 in the length direction are respectively fixedly connected to the racks 222110 on both sides of the same support plate 21.

[0035] See also Figures 1 to 5 , further, the telescopic member 222120 is an airbag or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0036] See also Figures 1 to 5 Furthermore, the telescopic module 10 includes a sealing cylinder 11 and a piston 12. The sealing cylinder 11 is fixed on a support plate 21 located at the upper portion, and the piston 12 is built into the sealing cylinder 11 to divide the inner cavity of the sealing cylinder 11 into an upper sealing cavity and a lower sealing cavity. The piston 12 is connected to the support plate 21 located at the lower portion through a sliding rod, and the upper sealing cavity is communicated with the inner cavity of the telescopic member 222120 located at the upper portion through an air pipe, and the lower sealing cavity is communicated with the inner cavity of the telescopic member 222120 located at the lower portion through an air pipe.

[0037] See also Figures 1 to 5 Furthermore, the telescopic module 10 also includes a cylinder 13 , a fixed end of the cylinder 13 is connected to the support plate 21 located at the upper portion, and a telescopic end of the cylinder 13 is connected to the piston 12 .

[0038] See also Figures 1 to 5 Furthermore, the telescopic module 10 also includes a spring, one end of the spring is connected to the piston 12, and the other end of the spring is connected to the sealing cylinder 11.

[0039] It can be seen from the above technical solution that, in the process of climbing the electric pole 30 and crossing the cross arm 40, the action of the telescopic module 10 and the horizontal and vertical flipping of the flip assembly 222 in the two clamping modules 20 can be completed by one driving mechanism. In the prior art, the clamping actions of the telescopic module 10 and the clamping module 20 both require two driving mechanisms, and there is no solution with one driving mechanism.

[0040] The process of the utility pole inspection robot climbing the utility pole 30 and crossing the cross arm 40 is as follows:

[0041] The cylinder 13 is extended, the volume of the upper sealing chamber is increased, the upper telescopic member 222120 is shortened, the rack 222110 moves toward the center, and the clamping arm 221 moves away from the electric pole 30 under the action of the flip assembly 222 and releases the electric pole 30. At the same time, the volume of the lower sealing chamber is reduced, the lower telescopic member 222120 is extended, the rack 222110 moves to both sides, and the clamping arm 221 approaches the electric pole 30 under the action of the flip assembly 222 and clamps the electric pole 30. At the same time, the cylinder 13 pushes the upper clamping module 20 to rise relative to the lower clamping module 20.

[0042] The cylinder 13 is shortened, the volume of the upper sealing chamber is reduced, the upper telescopic member 222120 is extended, the rack 222110 moves to both sides, and the clamping arm 221 approaches the pole 30 under the action of the flip assembly 222 and clamps the pole 30. At the same time, the volume of the lower sealing chamber is increased, the lower telescopic member 222120 is shortened, the rack 222110 moves toward the center, and the clamping arm 221 moves away from the pole 30 under the action of the flip assembly 222 and releases the pole 30. At the same time, the cylinder 13 drives the lower clamping module 20 to rise relative to the upper clamping module 20.

[0043] Obstacle-crossing control method of the utility pole inspection robot:

[0044] First, the manual remote control method is based on manual judgment by the operator to adjust the pace and tempo in real time. The specific electrical control can all be existing technology and will not be elaborated on.

[0045] Second, the automatic control method is to install a distance measuring sensor on the pole inspection robot to detect the distance to the nearest cross arm in real time. The controller collects the above distance signal, calculates the next step and adjusts it, and then controls the corresponding action of the cylinder 13. The controller can be implemented by a single-chip microcomputer, CPU, etc. with data processing functions in the existing technology, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] Third, the intelligent control method is to edit the pace and rhythm of the utility pole inspection robot into a program and implant it into the controller. By inputting parameters into the controller, such as the height of the utility pole 30 to be inspected, the height of the crossarm 40, the distance between the crossarms 40, etc., the controller controls the pace and rhythm of the utility pole inspection robot according to the program. The controller has a built-in self-tuning program to continuously adjust and optimize the parameters. The controller can adopt a programmable controller in the prior art, and can also be implemented by a single-chip microcomputer, CPU, etc. as mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0047] It should be noted that, in the initial state, the upper and lower clamping arms 221 both hold the electric pole 30 tightly. In the initial state, the clamping force just ensures that the electric pole inspection robot is in a "suspended" state relative to the electric pole 30. The initial state of the upper and lower clamping arms 221 can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the sealing cylinder 11 and the position of the piston 12.

[0048] The gear 222100 can be designed to be an upper and lower group, the diameter of the upper gear is small, and the diameter of the lower gear is large. The rack 222110 can also be designed to be an upper and lower group, with one upper rack located in the middle and two lower racks located on both sides of the middle. The upper gear meshes with the upper rack, and the lower gear meshes with the lower rack. At any time, only one upper gear (lower gear) is meshed with one upper rack (lower rack). In this way, the rotation process of the clamping arm 221 can be shortened to prevent the upper and lower clamping arms 221 from being in a loose state at the same time.

[0049] In one embodiment, another set of air pipes is added, and the lower sealed cavity is connected to the inner cavity of the telescopic member 222120 located at the upper portion through the air pipe, and the upper sealed cavity is connected to the inner cavity of the telescopic member 222120 located at the lower portion through the air pipe. The two sets of air pipes are switched to realize the descent of the utility pole inspection robot.

[0050] In one embodiment, two exchange holes are provided on the piston 12, and a one-way valve is installed on each exchange hole. The two exchange holes correspond to the one-way valves with opposite flow directions. The one-way valve can be opened only when the pressures on both sides of the piston 12 are unequal. Specifically, the one-way valve is an elastic cover plate, one side of the elastic cover plate is connected to the piston 12, and the other side of the elastic cover plate is not connected to the piston 12. For the same exchange hole, when the pressure on the side where the elastic cover plate is installed is less than the pressure on the side where the elastic cover plate is not installed, the exchange hole is conductive; when the pressure on the side where the elastic cover plate is installed is greater than or equal to the pressure on the side where the elastic cover plate is not installed, the exchange hole is not conductive.

[0051] The modules or units in the device of the embodiment of the present invention may be combined, divided or deleted according to actual needs.

[0052] What is disclosed above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention. A person skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes of the above embodiments and equivalent changes made according to the claims of the present invention still fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A utility pole inspection robot, characterized in that: The invention relates to a telescopic module and a clamping module, wherein the upper end and the lower end of the telescopic module are each provided with a clamping module, the clamping module comprises a support plate and two clamping mechanisms symmetrically arranged on the support plate, the clamping mechanism comprises a clamping arm and a flip assembly, the flip assembly comprises a first support, a second support, and a first connecting rod, the clamping arm is connected to the first support, the second support is fixedly arranged on the support plate, one end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the second support, and the other end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the first support; the flip assembly also comprises a first bevel gear, a second bevel gear, a second connecting rod, a third connecting rod, and a fourth connecting rod, the first bevel gear is fixedly arranged on a side wall of the clamping arm, the clamping arm is rotatably connected to the first support through the first bevel gear, a second bevel gear is fixedly arranged at one end of the first connecting rod relatively connected to the second support, the first bevel gear is meshed with the second bevel gear, one end of the second connecting rod is fixedly connected to the second support, the other end of the second connecting rod is rotatably connected to one end of the third connecting rod, the other end of the third connecting rod is rotatably connected to one end of the fourth connecting rod, and the other end of the fourth connecting rod is fixedly connected to the first support; The flip assembly also includes a rotating shaft, a gear, and a rack. The rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the second support. One end of the first connecting rod relative to the first bevel gear is fixedly connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft. A gear is installed at the lower end of the rotating shaft. A rack is installed on the support plate. The rack can reciprocate along the support plate in a straight line, and the gear is meshed with the rack. The flip assembly also includes a telescopic part. When fluid is passed into the telescopic part, the length of the telescopic part increases. When fluid is discharged from the telescopic part, the length of the telescopic part decreases. The two ends of the telescopic part in the length direction are respectively connected to the two sides of the same support plate. The rack is fixedly connected; the telescopic module includes a sealing cylinder and a piston, the sealing cylinder is fixedly arranged on the support plate located at the upper part, the piston is built in the sealing cylinder to divide the inner cavity of the sealing cylinder into an upper sealing cavity and a lower sealing cavity, the piston is connected to the support plate located at the lower part through a sliding rod, the upper sealing cavity is communicated with the inner cavity of the telescopic part located at the upper part through an air pipe, and the lower sealing cavity is communicated with the inner cavity of the telescopic part located at the lower part through an air pipe, two exchange holes are provided on the piston, a one-way valve is installed on each exchange hole, and the flow directions of the two exchange holes corresponding to the one-way valves are opposite.

2. The utility pole inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: An arc-shaped clamping groove is provided on one side of the free end of the clamping arm.

3. The utility pole inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second connecting rod is 45 degrees to the length direction of the supporting plate.

4. The utility pole inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic member is an air bag or a hydraulic cylinder.

5. The utility pole inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic module further comprises a cylinder, a fixed end of the cylinder is connected to a support plate located at an upper portion, and a telescopic end of the cylinder is connected to a piston.

6. The utility pole inspection robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The telescopic module also includes a spring, one end of which is connected to the piston, and the other end of which is connected to the sealing cylinder.

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