A patrol robot that can automatically adapt to the height of guardrails

Abstract

The present invention provides an inspection robot that can automatically adapt to the height of a guardrail, comprising a chassis having a mounting surface for mounting a body, a walking mechanism disposed below the chassis, and a track adaptation assembly mounted on the mounting surface. The track adaptation assembly comprises: a lower cantilever assembly, the lower cantilever assembly being arranged to extend through the bottom of the guardrail to the second side of the guardrail facing away from the road surface, the lower cantilever assembly including a limiting wheel; an upper cantilever assembly being arranged on the first side of the guardrail, the upper cantilever assembly being mounted with a pressure wheel; and a roller assembly being arranged on the first side of the guardrail; the guardrail having a lower corrugated portion located on its lower side, the lower cantilever assembly, the upper cantilever assembly, and the roller assembly all acting on the lower corrugated portion. Compared to the prior art, the present invention not only restricts the inspection robot to one side of the guardrail, but also avoids the occurrence of travel jams; it also avoids rapid wear of the pressure wheel, thereby extending the service life of the present invention.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of highway maintenance equipment, in particular to patrol equipment, and more particularly to a patrol robot capable of automatically adapting to the height of a guardrail. Background Art

[0002] Expressways are a crucial infrastructure project. Their construction not only significantly reduces travel time between destinations, making travel more convenient for residents, but also significantly boosts the economy along the route, fostering rapid prosperity in the tertiary industry and creating a "golden opportunity" for tourism development, thereby significantly enhancing a city's image, increasing its visibility, and boosting its degree of openness. With the increasing popularity of expressways, their inspections have become increasingly important. Due to their constant and intensive use, expressways inevitably present safety hazards. Failure to accurately identify road damage and promptly repair it can easily lead to serious traffic accidents. When the number of expressways was relatively small, manual inspections were still feasible. However, as the total number of expressways increased, a significant amount of manual work became necessary, which was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to errors.

[0003] To this end, inspection robots have been developed to replace manual inspection work. Highways often have medians separating lanes in both directions. Existing inspection robots typically have their own power source and can move along the guardrails in the median. Leveraging integrated sensors, vision systems, and sound acquisition systems, they can monitor road conditions and even collect accident information, making them highly practical. However, since highway guardrails typically have two or three bands, the ability to switch between the two bands is a significant factor affecting the operation of inspection robots. Existing technologies typically employ a vertically movable cantilever to act on the top guardrail, thereby achieving a passability between the second and third bands. For example, Chinese utility model patent application number 202220618034.7 discloses a highway inspection robot with a vertically movable cantilever and floating wheels that adapt to the inclination angle above the guardrail in the transition section. To ensure that the floating wheels maintain constant contact with the guardrail's upper edge, the robot's track adaptability assembly includes a second elastic member that forces the slide to slide downward. The inspection robot of this patent has the ability to move between two bands.

[0004] However, in the above patent, since the floating wheel needs to always press against the upper end of the guardrail, the floating wheel, the limiting wheel and the guardrail are tightly matched. When the fuselage tilts, the floating wheel and the limiting wheel will apply a pulling force with a radial component of the guide rod to the slide. This pulling force will cause poor sliding between the slide and the guide rod, and even jamming, and the inspection robot will not be able to work normally. On the other hand, when the fuselage tilts, the weight of the fuselage will also act on the floating wheel and the limiting wheel, causing a sharp increase in pressure between the floating wheel and the limiting wheel and the guardrail, thereby increasing friction and ultimately causing the inspection robot to jam. Finally, since the floating wheel always presses against the upper end of the guardrail, and the upper end surface of the guardrail is very small, long-term friction contact between the two can easily lead to rapid damage of the floating wheel, requiring frequent replacement. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an inspection robot with strong passing ability, long service life and the ability to automatically adapt to the height of guardrails in view of the current status of the existing technology.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is: a patrol robot that can automatically adapt to the height of the guardrail is used to be arranged on the first side of the guardrail facing the road surface to move along the guardrail,

[0007] The invention comprises a chassis, wherein the chassis has a mounting surface for mounting a fuselage, and a running mechanism is provided below the chassis. The invention is characterized in that a track adaptation component is installed on the mounting surface, and the track adaptation component comprises:

[0008] a lower cantilever assembly, the lower cantilever assembly being arranged to extend through the bottom of the guardrail to a second side of the guardrail facing away from the road surface, the lower cantilever assembly including a limiting wheel;

[0009] an upper cantilever assembly, the upper cantilever assembly being arranged on a first side of the guardrail, and a pressure wheel being mounted on the upper cantilever assembly;

[0010] a roller assembly disposed on a first side of the guardrail;

[0011] The guardrail has a lower wave-shaped portion located at the lower side thereof, and the lower cantilever assembly, the upper cantilever assembly and the roller assembly all act on the lower wave-shaped portion.

[0012] The inspection robot of the present invention cooperates with the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail through the lower cantilever assembly, the upper cantilever assembly, and the roller assembly to restrict the inspection robot to move on one side of the guardrail, and the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail changes little in height, and only a slight height adjustment is required. The three components do not need to be in close contact with the guardrail. The contact between the three and the guardrail is free contact to restrict the inspection robot to one side of the flower basket. At the same time, when the inspection robot tilts, the three can be adaptively adjusted in the height direction and the left and right sides of the guardrail. The weight of the inspection robot will not increase the friction between the above three and the guardrail, thereby avoiding the occurrence of movement jams; in addition, the pressure wheel of the present invention only relies on its own weight to act on the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail, the pressure is small, and thus the friction is also small. In addition, since the pressure wheel and the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail are in surface contact, the friction between the two is further reduced, thereby avoiding rapid wear of the pressure wheel and extending the service life of the present invention.

[0013] To achieve better technical results, further technical measures include: the lower cantilever assembly, upper cantilever assembly, and roller assembly can simultaneously move up and down relative to the chassis as a whole. The overall movement of the lower cantilever assembly, upper cantilever assembly, and roller assembly helps ensure the coordinated action of the three, preventing them from detaching from the guardrail.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, a mounting bracket is mounted on the side of the chassis near the guardrail. A mounting plate is mounted on the mounting bracket via a height adjustment assembly, allowing for vertical movement relative to the mounting bracket. The track adaption assembly is mounted on the mounting plate. This solution effectively ensures the lower cantilever assembly, upper cantilever assembly, and roller assembly move as a single unit, while offering the advantages of simple structure and smooth operation. Furthermore, the mounting bracket is provided separately from other components of the fuselage, making it easy to install and maintain, and preventing the mounting bracket from interfering with other fuselage components when subjected to forces acting on it by the guardrail.

[0015] Preferably, the mounting frame includes a square crossbar fixed to the chassis, two vertically arranged hollow square vertical rods fixed to the crossbar, the height adjustment assembly is arranged between the two vertical rods, and the mounting plate is fixed to the height adjustment assembly. The mounting frame of this solution has a simple structure and is easy to install.

[0016] Preferably, the height adjustment assembly includes rails disposed on opposite sides of the vertical rods, a slide disposed between the two vertical rods, pulleys mounted on both sides of the slide for engaging the rails, and the mounting plate secured to the slide. Unlike the prior art, which utilizes a sliding fit between a slide and a guide rod, the height adjustment assembly of this embodiment utilizes a rolling fit between the pulleys and rails, resulting in smoother relative sliding between the two and less prone to jamming of the pulleys and rails due to external forces.

[0017] To achieve better technical results, a further technical measure is provided: an upper limit rod and a lower limit rod are provided between the two vertical rods, with the slide located between the upper and lower limit rods. In this solution, the upper and lower limit rods are provided to prevent the pulley from disengaging from the slide rail. By limiting the displacement space of the slide, they also ensure that the lower cantilever assembly, the upper cantilever assembly, and the roller assembly always act on the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail simultaneously, ensuring that the inspection robot does not deviate from its operating path.

[0018] Preferably, the lower cantilever assembly includes a lower cantilever, wherein a roller is rotatably connected to the upper side surface of the free end of the lower cantilever, and the limiting wheel is fixedly connected to the roller, and the limiting wheel acts on the lower portion of the lower corrugated portion. In this solution, the limiting wheel and the guardrail are in rolling contact, which reduces friction between the limiting wheel and the guardrail, making the inspection robot move more smoothly and reducing wear.

[0019] Preferably, the roller assembly includes a bracket to which a roller is vertically rotatably connected, the roller abutting against the middle protrusion of the lower corrugated portion. The hybrid wheel of this solution acts on the middle protrusion of the lower corrugated portion. When the inspection robot tilts, the roller is driven to tilt so that the roller can contact the upper or lower inclined surface of the lower corrugated portion without interference, while also ensuring that the roller always acts on the guardrail.

[0020] Preferably, the upper cantilever assembly includes an upper cantilever, the free end of which is connected to two swing arms perpendicular to the axis of the upper cantilever, the ends of the swing arms being rotatably connected to the pressure wheels, which press against the upper inclined surface of the lower corrugated portion. In this embodiment, there are two pressure wheels, which act on the upper inclined surface of the lower corrugated portion, with a large contact area, a smooth contact portion, and space for up and down movement, ensuring that they always maintain pressure on the guardrail during up and down movement, thereby maintaining the stability of the inspection robot.

[0021] To achieve better technical effects, the upper cantilever is tilted upward, with its degree of inclination matching that of the upper slope of the lower corrugated portion, so that the pressure wheel can perpendicularly contact the upper slope of the lower corrugated portion. This perpendicular contact ensures that the rolling of the pressure wheel is not affected by external axial forces on the roller, resulting in smoother operation.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the inspection robot of the present invention cooperates with the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail through the lower cantilever assembly, the upper cantilever assembly, and the roller assembly to restrict the inspection robot to move on one side of the guardrail, and the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail has a small change in height, and only a slight height adjustment is required. There is no need for the three components to be in close contact with the guardrail, and the contact between the three and the guardrail is free contact. Therefore, when the inspection robot tilts, the three can be adaptively adjusted in the height direction and the left and right sides of the guardrail. The weight of the inspection robot body will not increase the friction between the above three and the guardrail, thereby avoiding the occurrence of movement jams; in addition, the pressure wheel of the present invention only relies on its own weight to act on the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail, the pressure is small, and thus the friction is also small. In addition, since the pressure wheel and the lower corrugated portion of the guardrail are in surface contact, the friction between the two is further reduced, thereby avoiding rapid wear of the pressure wheel and extending the service life of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cooperation between the embodiment of the present invention and the guardrail;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a mounting frame, a lower cantilever assembly, an upper cantilever assembly, and a roller assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Schematic top view of . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 3 The embodiment shown.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present invention, a patrol robot capable of automatically adapting to the height of a guardrail is arranged on a first side 100b of a guardrail 100 facing the road surface to move along the guardrail 100.

[0030] The chassis 1 includes a mounting surface 1a for mounting a fuselage 2, and a running mechanism 3 is provided below the chassis. The characteristics are as follows: a track adaptation component 4 is installed on the mounting surface 1a, and the track adaptation component 4 includes:

[0031] The lower cantilever assembly 41 is arranged to extend through the bottom of the guardrail 100 to the second side 100c of the guardrail 100 facing away from the road surface. The lower cantilever assembly 41 includes a limiting wheel 411; specifically, the lower cantilever assembly 41 includes a lower cantilever 412, and the upper side surface of the free end of the lower cantilever 412 is rotatably connected to a roller 413, and the roller 413 is fixedly connected to the limiting wheel 411, and the limiting wheel 411 acts on the lower part of the lower corrugated portion 100a.

[0032] The upper cantilever assembly 42 is arranged on the first side 100b of the guardrail 100, and a pressure wheel 421 is installed on the upper cantilever assembly 42; specifically, the upper cantilever 422 is tilted upward, and its inclination degree is adapted to the inclination degree of the upper inclined surface of the lower corrugated portion 100a, so that the pressure wheel 421 can be in vertical contact with the upper inclined surface of the lower corrugated portion 100a, and the upper cantilever 422 is tilted upward, and its inclination degree is adapted to the inclination degree of the upper inclined surface of the lower corrugated portion 100a, so that the pressure wheel 421 can be in vertical contact with the upper inclined surface of the lower corrugated portion 100a.

[0033] The roller assembly 43 is arranged on the first side 100b of the guardrail 100; specifically, the roller assembly 43 includes a bracket 431, and a roller 432 is vertically rotatably connected to the bracket 431, and the roller 432 abuts against the middle protrusion of the lower waveform portion 100a.

[0034] The guardrail 100 has a lower wave-shaped portion 100 a located at the lower side thereof, and the lower cantilever assembly 41 , the upper cantilever assembly 42 , and the roller assembly 43 all act on the lower wave-shaped portion 100 a .

[0035] In this embodiment, the lower cantilever assembly 41, the upper cantilever assembly 42 and the roller assembly 43 can simultaneously move up and down relative to the chassis 1 as a whole. The specific structure is as follows:

[0036] A mounting frame 5 is mounted on the side of the chassis 1 near the guardrail 100. A mounting plate 51 is mounted on the mounting frame 5 via a height adjustment assembly, which is movable up and down relative to the mounting frame 5. The track adaption assembly 4 is mounted on the mounting plate 51. The mounting frame 5 includes a square crossbar 52 fixed to the chassis 1. Two vertically arranged hollow square vertical bars 53 are fixed to the crossbar 52. The height adjustment assembly is disposed between the two vertical bars 53, and the mounting plate 51 is fixed to the height adjustment assembly.

[0037] In this embodiment, the height adjustment assembly includes a slide rail 53a opened on the opposite side of the vertical rod 53, a slide plate 54 is arranged between the two vertical rods 53, and pulleys 55 cooperating with the slide rail 53a are installed on both sides of the slide plate. The mounting plate 51 is fixed on the slide plate 54, and an upper limit rod 56 and a lower limit rod 57 are also arranged between the two vertical rods 53. The slide plate 54 is located between the upper limit rod 56 and the lower limit rod 57.

[0038] The operation of this embodiment is as follows: When the inspection robot travels on a flat surface, the lower cantilever assembly 41, the upper cantilever assembly 42, and the roller assembly 43 confine the inspection robot to one side of the guardrail and travel in the direction of the guardrail. When the inspection robot reaches the junction between the second and third bands of the guardrail, the height change of the lower side of the guardrail is small, and this junction does not significantly interfere with the inspection robot's movement. Even if there is some interference, the height adjustment assembly can adaptively adjust according to the actual situation, so that the lower cantilever assembly 41, the upper cantilever assembly 42, and the roller assembly 43 always act on the lower wave portion of the guardrail, ensuring the normal movement of the inspection robot. When the vehicle body is tilted toward the high-speed road surface, the pressure wheel and the lower corrugated part of the guardrail tend to separate. At this time, the height adjusting mechanism moves downward, so that the pressure wheel always acts on the above-mentioned upper inclined surface, and the roller synchronously tilts toward the high-speed road surface, abuts against the lower inclined surface of the lower corrugated part to prevent the vehicle body from further tilting. Moreover, the limiting wheel tilts upward and acts on the lower end of the guardrail to form a pulling force on the vehicle body, further preventing the vehicle body from tilting.

[0039] The advantages of the present invention are that the inspection robot of the present invention cooperates with the lower corrugated part of the guardrail through the lower cantilever assembly, the upper cantilever assembly, and the roller assembly to restrict the inspection robot to move on one side of the guardrail, and the lower corrugated part of the guardrail changes little in height, and only a slight height adjustment is required. There is no need for the three components to be in close contact with the guardrail, and the contact between the three and the guardrail is free contact. Therefore, when the inspection robot tilts, the three can be adaptively adjusted in the height direction and the left and right sides of the guardrail. The weight of the inspection robot body will not increase the friction between the above three and the guardrail, thereby avoiding the occurrence of movement jams; in addition, the pressure wheel of the present invention only relies on its own weight to act on the lower corrugated part of the guardrail, the pressure is small, and thus the friction is also small. In addition, since the pressure wheel and the lower corrugated part of the guardrail are in surface contact, the friction between the two is further reduced, thereby avoiding rapid wear of the pressure wheel and extending the service life of the present invention.

[0040] The best embodiment of the present invention has been described, and various changes or modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A patrol robot capable of automatically adapting to the height of a guardrail, arranged on a first side (100b) of a guardrail (100) facing a road surface to move along the guardrail (100), The invention comprises a chassis (1), wherein the chassis (1) has a mounting surface (1a) for mounting a fuselage (2), and a running mechanism (3) is provided below the chassis, and is characterized in that: A track adaptation component (4) is installed on the installation surface (1a), and the track adaptation component (4) comprises: a lower cantilever assembly (41), the lower cantilever assembly (41) being arranged to pass through the bottom of the guardrail (100) and extend to a second side (100c) of the guardrail (100) facing away from the road surface, the lower cantilever assembly (41) including a limiting wheel (411); an upper cantilever assembly (42), the upper cantilever assembly (42) being arranged on the first side (100b) of the guardrail (100), and a pressure wheel (421) being mounted on the upper cantilever assembly (42); a roller assembly (43) disposed on a first side (100b) of the guardrail (100); The guardrail (100) has a lower corrugated portion (100a) located on the lower side thereof, and the lower cantilever assembly (41), the upper cantilever assembly (42) and the roller assembly (43) all act on the lower corrugated portion (100a); A mounting frame (5) is installed on a side of the chassis (1) close to the guardrail (100); a mounting plate (51) is mounted on the mounting frame (5) via a height adjustment assembly and is movable up and down relative to the mounting frame (5); and the track adaptation assembly (4) is mounted on the mounting plate (51); The lower cantilever assembly (41) comprises a lower cantilever (412), the upper side surface of the free end of the lower cantilever (412) is rotatably connected to a roller (413), the roller (413) is fixedly connected to the limiting wheel (411), and the limiting wheel (411) acts on the lower part of the lower corrugated portion (100a); The roller assembly (43) comprises a bracket (431), a roller (432) is vertically rotatably connected to the bracket (431), and the roller (432) abuts against the middle protrusion of the lower wave-shaped portion (100a); The pressing wheel (421) presses on the upper inclined portion of the lower wave-shaped portion (100a).

2. The inspection robot capable of automatically adapting to the height of a guardrail according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower cantilever assembly (41), the upper cantilever assembly (42) and the roller assembly (43) can simultaneously move up and down relative to the chassis (1) as a whole.

3. The inspection robot capable of automatically adapting to guardrail height according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting frame (5) comprises a square crossbar (52) fixed on the chassis (1), two vertically arranged hollow square vertical bars (53) are fixed on the crossbar (52), the height adjustment component is arranged between the two vertical bars (53), and the mounting plate (51) is fixed on the height adjustment component.

4. The inspection robot capable of automatically adapting to the height of a guardrail according to claim 3, characterized in that: The height adjustment assembly includes a slide rail (53a) provided on opposite sides of the vertical rod (53), a slide plate (54) is provided between the two vertical rods (53), pulleys (55) matching the slide rail (53a) are installed on both sides of the slide plate, and the mounting plate (51) is fixed on the slide plate (54).

5. The inspection robot capable of automatically adapting to the height of a guardrail according to claim 4, characterized in that: An upper limit rod (56) and a lower limit rod (57) are also provided between the two vertical rods (53), and the slide plate (54) is located between the upper limit rod (56) and the lower limit rod (57).

6. The inspection robot capable of automatically adapting to the height of a guardrail according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The upper cantilever assembly (42) comprises an upper cantilever (422), the free end of the upper cantilever (422) being connected to two swing arms (423) perpendicular to the axis of the upper cantilever (422), and the end of the swing arm (423) being rotatably connected to the pressure wheel (421).

7. The inspection robot capable of automatically adapting to the height of a guardrail according to claim 6, characterized in that: The upper cantilever (422) is tilted upward, and its tilt degree matches the tilt degree of the upper slope of the lower corrugated portion (100a), so that the pressure wheel (421) can vertically contact the upper slope of the lower corrugated portion (100a).

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