A parallel body pipeline climbing robot movement mechanism

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of climbing robot, and aims to provide a pipeline climbing robot with strong bearing capacity, good obstacle crossing performance, simple overall structure, simple control and good kinematics and dynamics performance. The technical scheme is a movement mechanism of a parallel body pipeline climbing robot, characterized in that the climbing robot comprises a first clamping mechanism arranged on an upper platform and used for clamping a pipeline or a rod, a parallel mechanism arranged between the upper platform and a lower platform, a second clamping mechanism arranged on the lower platform and used for clamping the pipeline or the rod, and a rotating mechanism arranged on the lower platform and used for providing a rotating degree of freedom.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of climbing robot technology, specifically a motion mechanism for a parallel-connected pipe climbing robot. Background Technology

[0002] Pipe climbing robots are climbing mechanisms capable of automatically climbing the outer surface of pipes and possessing a certain obstacle-crossing ability. By adding appropriate inspection equipment, engineers can perform a series of pipe operations, achieving automated pipe inspection in complex working environments. In hazardous and complex working environments, pipe climbing robots equipped with inspection equipment can replace workers in performing simple pipe operations, freeing workers from dangerous tasks and demonstrating significant application value in actual production.

[0003] Currently, the publicly disclosed automated climbing mechanisms attached to pole surfaces are mainly electromechanical pole-climbing robots (e.g., CN106514608A) and electrohydraulic pole-climbing robots (e.g., CN107155661A). Electromechanical and electrohydraulic pole-climbing robots rely on the friction between their wheels and the pole to ascend and descend, lacking the ability to climb pipes and overcome obstacles. If the working resistance and gravity exceed the friction, they cannot operate safely, and their overall mechanism is relatively complex; therefore, improvements are necessary. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned background technology and provide a parallel-body pipe climbing robot with strong load-bearing capacity, good obstacle-crossing performance, simple overall structure, easy control, and good kinematic and dynamic performance.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is:

[0006] A motion mechanism for a parallel-connected pipe climbing robot is characterized in that: the climbing robot includes a first clamping mechanism disposed on an upper platform for clamping pipes or rods, a parallel mechanism disposed between the upper platform and the lower platform, a second clamping mechanism disposed on the lower platform for clamping pipes or rods, and a rotation mechanism disposed on the lower platform for providing rotational freedom.

[0007] The parallel main body consists of an upper platform, a lower platform, and three branches connected in parallel between the upper platform and the lower platform with the same structure; each branch includes an upper revolute joint, a sliding joint, and a lower revolute joint connected sequentially between the upper platform and the lower platform;

[0008] The first clamping mechanism and the second clamping mechanism have the same structure, both consisting of a clamping moving pair mounted on the clamping frame and two clamping jaws mounted on the clamping moving pair;

[0009] The rotating mechanism is a parallelogram mechanism located between the lower platform and the clamping frame.

[0010] The parallelogram mechanism includes a third link, a fifth revolute joint, a first link, a sixth revolute joint, a fourth link, a fourth revolute joint, a second link, and a third revolute joint connected in sequence; wherein the third link and the fourth link always remain parallel to each other, and the first link and the second link always remain parallel to each other; or,

[0011] The parallelogram mechanism includes a twelfth revolute joint, a fifth link, a ninth revolute joint, a sixth link, a tenth revolute joint, a seventh link, an eleventh revolute joint, and an eighth link connected in sequence; among the twelfth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh revolute joints, the axes of adjacent revolute joints are connected to form a parallelogram.

[0012] One end of the third link and one end of the fourth link are respectively connected to the lower platform via a first revolute joint and a second revolute joint; the middle part of the first link is connected to the frame via an eighth revolute joint, and the middle part of the second link is also connected to the frame via a seventh revolute joint; the frame is then connected to the clamping mechanism frame; or,

[0013] The sixth link is connected to the lower platform, and the axes of the ninth and tenth revolute joints are perpendicular to the plane of the lower platform.

[0014] The movable pair is formed by the cooperation of the movable pair sliding block and the movable pair sliding rod.

[0015] The clamping sliding pair is formed by the cooperation of a clamping slide rail and a clamping slider; wherein the clamping slide rail is connected to the frame of the clamping mechanism, and the clamping jaws are connected to the sliding pair slider.

[0016] All the axes of the rotating joints in the first rotating mechanism are parallel to each other, and all the axes of the rotating joints in the second rotating mechanism are parallel to each other.

[0017] In the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh revolute joints, the axes of any two revolute joints are connected to form a parallelogram.

[0018] In the parallel mechanism, the driving pair is the moving pair on each branch, which is driven by a ball screw driven by a servo motor.

[0019] The moving pair of the clamping mechanism is a drive pair, driven by a ball screw driven by a servo motor;

[0020] The rotating joint of the rotating mechanism is a drive joint, which is directly driven by a servo motor.

[0021] The beneficial effects of this invention are: the motion mechanism of the parallel body climbing robot proposed in this invention can realize two degrees of freedom of movement and two degrees of rotation in space, and has the advantages of good obstacle crossing ability, easy control, high rigidity and strong load-bearing capacity. It can be used in pipeline maintenance, pipeline installation and other fields. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the parallel main body.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the clamping mechanism.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating mechanism structure in Example 1.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating mechanism structure in Example 2. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] Figure 1 , 3 The motion mechanism of the parallel-body pipe-climbing robot shown in Figures 4 and 5 includes a first clamping mechanism on the upper surface of the upper platform 3 for clamping the pipe or rod, a parallel mechanism between the upper and lower platforms, a second clamping mechanism on the lower surface of the lower platform 4 for clamping the pipe or rod, and a rotation mechanism on the lower surface of the lower platform for providing rotational freedom. As shown in the figures, both the upper and lower platforms have grooves larger than the diameter of the pipe (the pipe to be climbed). During climbing, the pipe is embedded in the grooves to reduce interference during movement.

[0031] like Figure 3 As shown, the parallel main body consists of an upper platform 3, a lower platform 4, and three branches connected in parallel between the upper and lower platforms. The three branches have the same structure. Each branch includes an upper rotary joint 1r, a sliding joint sleeve 1H, a sliding joint rod 1P, and a lower rotary joint 1R connected in sequence between the upper and lower platforms. The sliding joint sleeve and the sliding joint rod cooperate to form a sliding joint.

[0032] In the parallel mechanism, the axes of the upper revolute joints of the three branches are all parallel and are distributed on the upper platform in an isosceles triangle pattern; the axes of the lower revolute joints of the three branches are all parallel and are distributed on the lower platform in an isosceles triangle pattern; the axes of the upper and lower revolute joints of each branch are parallel to each other; the axis of the prismatic joint in each branch is perpendicular to the axes of the upper and lower revolute joints.

[0033] Furthermore, of the three branches, two branches are connected to the upper and lower platforms at the two sides of the groove, respectively, and when climbing, they are located on both sides of the pipe (the lines connecting the two upper rotary joint axes and the two lower rotary joint axes are close to the diameter line of the pipe); the other branch is connected to the upper and lower platforms at the middle of the two branches (the middle part of the connection between the two branches and the upper platform, and the middle part of the connection between the two branches and the lower platform); this makes the stress state of the mechanism more reasonable.

[0034] like Figure 4 As shown, the first clamping mechanism and the second clamping mechanism have the same structure, both consisting of a clamping slide rail 2K mounted on the clamping mechanism frame 2D, a pair of clamping sliders 2P slidably positioned on the clamping slide rail, and two clamping jaws 2J respectively connected to the two clamping sliders; the clamping surfaces of the two clamping jaws face each other to facilitate the application of opposing forces to clamp the pipe or rod located between the two clamping jaws.

[0035] The rotating mechanism is Figure 5 The first rotating mechanism shown is a parallelogram mechanism located between the lower platform and the clamping frame. This parallelogram mechanism includes, in sequence, a third link 15, a fifth revolute joint 9, a first link 13, a sixth revolute joint 10, a fourth link 16, a fourth revolute joint 8, a second link 14, and a third revolute joint 7. The third and fourth links remain parallel to each other, as do the first and second links. As shown in the figure, the left end of the third link is connected to one side of the lower platform via the first revolute joint 5, and the left end of the fourth link is connected to the other side of the lower platform via the second revolute joint 6. The middle part of the first link is connected to the frame 17 via the eighth revolute joint 12, and the middle part of the second link is also connected to the frame 17 via the seventh revolute joint 11. The frame 17 is connected to the clamping mechanism frame in the second clamping mechanism. Clearly, the axes of all revolute joints in the first rotating mechanism are parallel to each other.

[0036] In addition, the clamping mechanism frame 2D in the first clamping mechanism is connected to the upper platform 3.

[0037] In this embodiment, the sliding joint of the first clamping mechanism serves as the driving joint, driven by a servo motor that drives a ball screw to clamp the jaws (omitted in the figure). The driving joints of the parallel mechanism are the sliding joints on each branch, driven by a servo motor that drives a ball screw mechanism (omitted in the figure); when the sliding joints move, the mechanism performs two sliding and one rotational movements. The rotating joint of the rotating mechanism serves as the driving joint, directly driven by a servo motor (omitted in the figure), providing a rotational degree of freedom for the entire assembly when the motor moves, allowing it to rotate around the axis of the pipe.

[0038] Example 2

[0039] Figure 2 , 3 The motion mechanism of the parallel body pipe climbing robot shown in Figures 4 and 6 includes a first clamping mechanism disposed on the upper surface of the upper platform 3 for clamping the pipe, a parallel mechanism disposed between the upper platform and the lower platform, a second clamping mechanism disposed on the lower surface of the lower platform 4 for clamping the pipe, and a rotation mechanism disposed on the lower surface of the lower platform for providing clamping freedom.

[0040] Example 2 is similar in structure to Example 1, except that the rotating mechanism in Example 2 is... Figure 6 The second rotating mechanism shown is a parallelogram mechanism disposed between the lower platform and the clamping frame. This parallelogram mechanism comprises a twelfth rotating joint 18, a fifth link 19, a ninth rotating joint 20, a sixth link 21, a tenth rotating joint 22, a seventh link 23, an eleventh rotating joint 24, and an eighth link 25 connected in sequence, with all rotating joints located at both ends of the link. All rotating joint axes in the second rotating mechanism are parallel to each other. The twelfth rotating joint 18 and the eleventh rotating joint 24 are mounted on the eighth link 25 (i.e., the second clamping mechanism frame). The sixth link 21 is connected to the lower platform via the ninth rotating joint 20 and the tenth rotating joint 22 (the axes of the ninth rotating joint 20 and the tenth rotating joint 22 are perpendicular to the plane of the lower platform). The axes of adjacent rotating joints 18, 20, 22, and 24 are connected to form a parallelogram.

[0041] In this embodiment, the selection of the drive pair is consistent with that in Embodiment 1.

[0042] The working principle of this invention is as follows: In the above embodiment, the first clamping mechanism and the second clamping mechanism work alternately, and the three branches of the parallel mechanism cooperate to make the robot rise or fall along the pipe. For example, when climbing, the two clamping jaws of the second clamping mechanism first clamp with the pipe, while the two clamping jaws of the first clamping mechanism release from the pipe, and the sliding joints of the three branches extend, causing the first clamping mechanism to climb a certain distance along the pipe; then, the two clamping jaws of the first clamping mechanism clamp with the pipe, and the two clamping jaws of the second clamping mechanism subsequently release from the pipe, and then the sliding joints of the three branches shorten, causing the second clamping mechanism to climb a certain distance along the pipe; this cycle is repeated, and the robot gradually rises along the pipe.

[0043] By reversing the above steps, the robot gradually descends along the pipe.

[0044] When rotating around the pipe axis (taking Example 2 as an example), the two clamping jaws of the first clamping mechanism clamp the pipe first, while the two clamping jaws of the second clamping mechanism release the pipe. The rotating mechanism on the lower platform rotates counterclockwise by a certain angle (when the lower platform rotates, the three moving parts simultaneously make adaptive changes of different lengths), thereby driving the second clamping mechanism to rotate clockwise around the pipe axis by a certain angle. Then, the two clamping jaws of the second clamping mechanism clamp the pipe. Next, the two clamping jaws of the first clamping mechanism release the pipe, and the rotating mechanism on the lower platform rotates clockwise by a certain angle (the three moving parts also simultaneously make adaptive changes of different lengths), thereby driving the lower platform, along with the three branches and the first clamping mechanism, to rotate clockwise around the pipe axis by a certain angle. Then, the above cycle is repeated, and the robot gradually moves in the circumferential direction of the pipe, realizing clockwise rotation around the pipe axis.

[0045] Similarly, the robot can also rotate counterclockwise around the pipe axis, simply by having each mechanism rotate in the opposite direction; this will not be elaborated further in this article.

Claims

1. A motion mechanism of a parallel body pipeline climbing robot, characterized in that: The climbing robot comprises a first clamping mechanism arranged on the upper platform (3) for clamping a pipeline or a rod, a parallel mechanism arranged between the upper platform and the lower platform, a second clamping mechanism arranged on the lower platform (4) for clamping a pipeline or a rod, and a rotating mechanism arranged on the lower platform for driving the second clamping mechanism; The parallel mechanism comprises an upper platform, a lower platform, and three branches which are connected in parallel between the upper platform and the lower platform and are of the same structure; each branch comprises an upper rotating pair (1r), a moving pair, and a lower rotating pair (1R) which are sequentially connected between the upper platform and the lower platform; The first clamping mechanism and the second clamping mechanism are of the same structure and each comprises a clamping moving pair arranged on a clamping frame (2D) and two clamping jaws (2J) arranged on the clamping moving pair; The rotating mechanism is a parallelogram mechanism arranged between the lower platform and the clamping frame; The parallelogram mechanism comprises a third connecting rod (15), a fifth rotating pair (9), a first connecting rod (13), a sixth rotating pair (10), a fourth connecting rod (16), a fourth rotating pair (8), a second connecting rod (14), and a third rotating pair (7) which are sequentially connected; the third connecting rod and the fourth connecting rod are always parallel to each other, and the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are always parallel to each other; or The parallelogram mechanism comprises a twelfth rotating pair (18), a fifth connecting rod (19), a ninth rotating pair (20), a sixth connecting rod (21), a tenth rotating pair (22), a seventh connecting rod (23), an eleventh rotating pair (24), and an eighth connecting rod (25) which are sequentially connected; the axes of the twelfth rotating pair, the ninth rotating pair, the tenth rotating pair, and the eleventh rotating pair form a parallelogram after being connected; One end of the third connecting rod and one end of the fourth connecting rod are connected to the lower platform through a first rotating pair (5) and a second rotating pair (6) respectively; the middle part of the first connecting rod is connected to a frame (17) through an eighth rotating pair (12), and the middle part of the second connecting rod is also connected to the frame through a seventh rotating pair (11); the frame is connected to the clamping mechanism frame; or The sixth connecting rod is connected to the lower platform, and the axes of the ninth rotating pair (20) and the tenth rotating pair (22) are perpendicular to the plane of the lower platform.

2. The parallel body pipeline climbing robot's motion mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moving pair is formed by a moving pair sliding sleeve block (1H) and a moving pair sliding rod (1P).

3. The parallel body tube climbing robot motion mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping moving pair is formed by a clamping sliding rail (2K) and a clamping sliding block (2H); the clamping sliding rail is connected to the clamping mechanism frame, and the clamping jaw is connected to the clamping sliding block.

4. The parallel body pipe climbing robot motion mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The axes of all rotating pairs in the first rotating mechanism are parallel to each other, and the axes of all rotating pairs in the second rotating mechanism are parallel to each other.

5. The parallel body tube climbing robot motion mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The axes of the eighth rotating pair, the ninth rotating pair, the tenth rotating pair, and the eleventh rotating pair form a parallelogram after being connected.

6. The parallel body tube climbing robot motion mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the parallel mechanism, the driving pairs are the moving pairs on the branches and are driven by ball screws driven by servo motors.

7. The parallel body tube climbing robot movement mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The moving pair of the clamping mechanism is a driving pair and is driven by a ball screw driven by a servo motor; the rotating pairs of the rotating mechanism are driving pairs and are directly driven by servo motors.

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