A spiral-driven pipeline robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a spiral-driven pipeline robot, which includes a body, a driving wheel mechanism, a transmission mechanism, and a pipe diameter self-adaptive mechanism. The transmission mechanism includes a main planetary gear structure. A power device is provided inside the body and is connected to the main planetary gear structure. The pipe diameter self-adaptive mechanism includes a secondary planetary gear structure, a spring, an adjusting nut, and a rear spline shaft. The rear spline shaft is installed on the body. The adjusting nut is installed at one end of the rear spline shaft and can move back and forth along the rear spline shaft. The secondary planetary structure can slide axially along the rear spline shaft. Springs are sleeved on the rear spline shafts corresponding to both sides of the secondary planetary structure. The driving wheel mechanism includes a driving wheel and a wire soft shaft. The driving wheel is installed on the wire soft shaft. One end of the wire soft shaft passes through a guide block and is connected to the main planetary gear structure, and the other end is connected to the secondary planetary gear structure. The present invention designs a brand-new spiral driving device, which is applicable to pipelines with different diameters. Only one driving device is needed, the control is simple, and the working condition adaptability is strong.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pipeline robots, and in particular to a spiral-driven pipeline robot. Background Art

[0002] The pipeline industry is widely used as an important material transportation method. However, with the rapid development of pipeline transportation, more and more potential safety hazards have been exposed. Due to the influence of internal pipeline pressure, internal and external material corrosion, human damage, and geological layer movement, the service life of pipelines has been significantly reduced, and at the same time, it seriously threatens people's lives and property safety. However, pipelines are either buried underground for a long time or placed on the outer wall of buildings, making it difficult to regularly detect and maintain them manually. Therefore, pipeline robots have emerged. They enter the pipeline interior through a motion system, and the robots are equipped with detection and maintenance devices to eliminate potential safety hazards and extend the pipeline life.

[0003] Currently, pipeline robots at home and abroad can be classified into wheeled, tracked, support-wheel type, peristaltic, and spiral types according to their motion modes. The wheeled pipeline robot in patent application CN107414783 has a simple structure and convenient control, but it cannot pass through pipelines with a large slope or vertical pipelines; the tracked pipeline robot in patent CN114321566 has a large driving force and can operate in harsh environments, but it has a complex structure and a large size and cannot travel in small-diameter pipelines; the support-wheel type pipeline robot in patent CN112066155 has strong adaptability to pipeline structures, but its motion is difficult to coordinate and the control is complex; the peristaltic pipeline robot in patent CN111911745 runs smoothly, but its motion speed is slow and the work efficiency is low; the spiral pipeline robot in patent CN102979988 has the advantages of the aforementioned robots, with a large driving force, simple control, and high motion efficiency, but its structure design is slender, the applicable pipe diameter range is small, and it is difficult to pass through curved pipe diameters. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a spiral-driven pipeline robot.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problems is as follows: a spiral-driven pipeline robot, including a body, a driving wheel mechanism, a transmission mechanism, and a pipe diameter self-adaptive mechanism. The transmission mechanism includes a main planetary gear structure. A power device is arranged inside the body, and the output end of the power device is connected to the main planetary gear structure. The pipe diameter self-adaptive mechanism includes a secondary planetary gear structure, a spring, an adjusting nut, and a rear spline shaft. The rear spline shaft is installed on the body. The adjusting nut is installed at the end of the rear spline shaft away from the body and can move back and forth along the rear spline shaft. The secondary planetary gear structure can slide axially along the rear spline shaft. Springs are sleeved on the rear spline shafts corresponding to both sides of the secondary planetary gear structure. The driving wheel mechanism includes a driving wheel and a wire soft shaft. The driving wheel is installed on the wire soft shaft. One end of the wire soft shaft passes through a guide block and is connected to the main planetary gear structure through a universal joint. The other end of the wire soft shaft is connected to the secondary planetary gear structure through a joint bearing.

[0006] For the above-mentioned spiral-driven pipeline robot, the transmission mechanism further includes a front spline shaft and a coupling. The output end of the power device is connected to one end of the front spline shaft through the coupling. The other end of the front spline shaft is connected to the main planetary gear structure. The main planetary gear structure is installed in the main planetary gear box through a main planetary carrier. The main planetary gear structure includes a sun gear, main planetary gears, and a first internal gear. The center position of the sun gear is connected to the front spline shaft. There are three main planetary gears, and the three main planetary gears are evenly distributed around the sun gear and mesh with the sun gear. The first internal gear is located outside the main planetary gears and meshes with the main planetary gears.

[0007] For the above-mentioned spiral-driven pipeline robot, there are three groups of driving wheel mechanisms, and the three groups of driving wheel mechanisms are evenly distributed at intervals of 120 degrees.

[0008] For the above-mentioned spiral-driven pipeline robot, the guide block is provided with a guide hole corresponding to the inner hole position of the main planetary gear, and the wire soft shaft passes through the guide hole and is connected to the inner hole of the main planetary gear.

[0009] For the above-mentioned spiral-driven pipeline robot, the guide hole includes a first guide hole and a second guide hole. The included angle between the first guide hole and the main planetary gear is a guide angle α, and the guide angle α ensures that the driving wheel mechanism has a spiral angle. The included angle between the second guide hole and the axis direction of the guide block is a guide angle β, and the guide angle β ensures that the wire soft shaft protrudes outward.

[0010] For the above-mentioned spiral-driven pipeline robot, the secondary planetary gear structure is installed in the secondary planetary gear box through a secondary planetary carrier. The secondary planetary gear structure includes secondary planetary gears and a second internal gear. There are three secondary planetary gears, and the second internal gear is located outside the three secondary planetary gears and meshes with the secondary planetary gears. The wire soft shaft is connected to the inner hole of the secondary planetary gear through a joint bearing.

[0011] For the above-mentioned spiral-driven pipeline robot, the second internal gear within the secondary planet gear structure corresponds to the first internal gear within the primary planet gear structure along the axis, and there is a spiral stagger angle between the secondary planet gears within the secondary planet gear structure and the primary planet gears within the primary planet gear structure.

[0012] For the above-mentioned spiral-driven pipeline robot, the wire soft shaft is composed of high-strength steel wires wound in a bidirectional multi-layer manner.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) By using the structural design of the wire soft shaft, the robot can be applicable to pipelines with different diameters, and the applicable pipe diameter range can be increased by increasing the length of the wire soft shaft, which is flexible and convenient;

[0014] (2) The driving wheels rotate and revolve simultaneously with the planet gears, and the movement directions are the same, making the movement of the robot stable. Moreover, only one driving device is required, and the control is simple, facilitating the precise adjustment of the position of the robot;

[0015] (3) The driving wheels are pressed against the inner wall of the pipeline by the spring force along with the wire soft shaft, enabling the robot to travel in horizontal, inclined, and vertical pipelines. Additionally, the number of driving wheels can be increased to enlarge the contact area, making the movement of the robot more reliable and stable. The axial dimension of the robot is small, and it can easily pass through elbows with a smaller radius. Therefore, it has strong adaptability to working conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments.

[0017] Figure 1 is the front view cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 is the left view structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 is the structure diagram of the guiding block of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 is the present invention Figure 3 the cross-sectional view along the arrow direction in;

[0021] Figure 5 is the structure diagram of the wire soft shaft of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 is the transmission principle diagram of the robot of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 is the principle diagram of pipe diameter self-adaptation of the present invention.

[0024] In the figure: I - main planetary gear structure, II - secondary planetary gear structure, 1 - pipeline, 2 - front spline shaft, 3 - nut, 4 - coupling, 5 - power device, 6 - drive wheel, 7 - flexible steel cable, 8 - compression spring, 9 - spherical plain bearing, 10 - tension spring, 11 - retaining ring, 12 - adjusting nut, 13 - main planetary gear housing, 14 - main planetary carrier, 15 - first internal gear, 16 - main planetary gear, 17 - sun gear, 18 - guiding block, 19 - universal joint, 20 - body, 21 - secondary planetary gear box cover, 22 - second internal gear, 23 - secondary planetary gear, 24 - secondary planetary carrier, 25 - secondary planetary gear housing, 26 - rear spline shaft. Detailed implementation mode

[0025] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation modes.

[0026] Referring to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 , a spiral drive pipeline robot, which comprises a body 20, a power device 5, a transmission mechanism, a drive wheel mechanism and a pipe diameter self - adaptation mechanism. The power device 5 is fixedly arranged in the body 20. The power device 5 is a motor or a hydraulic motor. The transmission mechanism adopts gear transmission to evenly output power to three groups of drive wheel mechanisms. Both ends of each group of drive wheel mechanisms are fixedly connected to the main planetary gear structure I and the secondary planetary gear structure II respectively, and the pipe diameter self - adaptation is realized by changing the deformation degree of the drive wheel mechanism.

[0027] The transmission mechanism is composed of a coupling 4, a front spline shaft 2 and the main planetary gear structure I. The output shaft of the power device 5 is connected to one end of the front spline shaft 2 through the coupling 4. The main planetary gear structure is installed in the main planetary gear housing through the main planetary carrier. The other end of the front spline shaft 2 is connected to the main planetary gear structure I. The main planetary gear structure I contains a sun gear 17, three evenly distributed main planetary gears 16, a first internal gear 15, a main planetary carrier 14, a main planetary gear housing 13 and a guiding block 18. Among them, the first internal gear 15 is fixed, the sun gear 17 is the driving gear, and its center position is connected to the front spline shaft, and the main planetary gears are driven gears.

[0028] The drive wheel mechanism is composed of a drive wheel 6, a flexible steel cable 7, a universal joint 19 and a spherical plain bearing 9. The flexible steel cable 7 is composed of high - strength steel wires wound in two - way multi - layers, with high strength and large elasticity. One or more drive wheels 6 can be installed on it. One end is connected to the main planetary gear 16 in the main planetary gear structure I through the universal joint 19 to input power, and the other end is connected to the secondary planetary gear structure II through the spherical plain bearing 9.

[0029] The pipe diameter adaptive mechanism consists of a secondary planetary gear structure II, a compression spring 8, a tension spring 10, a retaining ring 11, an adjusting nut 12, and a rear spline shaft 26. The secondary planetary gear structure II is installed in the secondary planetary gear housing 25 through a secondary planetary carrier 24, and a housing cover 21 is provided at one end of the secondary planetary gear housing 25 close to the body 20. The secondary planetary gear structure II only contains three secondary planetary gears 23 and a second internal gear 22. The secondary planetary gear structure II is installed on the rear spline shaft 26. Compression springs 8 and tension springs 10 are respectively arranged on the rear spline shaft 26 corresponding to both sides of the secondary planetary gear structure II. An adjusting nut 12 is provided at the end of the rear spline shaft 26 far from the body, and a retaining ring is provided on the side of the adjusting nut 12 close to the body. The secondary planetary gear structure II can axially slide along the rear spline shaft 26 under the action of the compression spring 8, the tension spring 10, and the adjusting nut 12.

[0030] The first internal gear in the main planetary gear structure I corresponds to the second internal gear in the secondary planetary gear structure II along the axis, but there is a spiral stagger angle between the secondary planetary gears in the secondary planetary gear structure and the main planetary gears in the main planetary gear structure. The wire soft shaft 7 is cross - connected through a guide block 18, so that there is an angle, namely a spiral angle, between the axis of the drive wheel 6 and the axis of the body 20.

[0031] The guide block 18 refers to Figures 3 - 4 , Figure 4 is Figure 3 a sectional view along the arrow direction. On the one hand, the guide block 18 can serve as an end cover of the main planetary gear structure to prevent dust and corrosive liquids in the pipeline from polluting the main planetary gear structure. On the other hand, it guides the wire soft shaft 7. Three guide holes are evenly distributed on the guide block 18 corresponding to the inner hole position of the main planetary gear 16. The wire soft shaft 7 passes through these three holes. There are two guide angles α and β in the guide holes. The angle α guides the wire soft shaft 7 into the inner hole of the staggered main planetary gear 16, so that the drive wheel 6 has a spiral angle θ. The angle β guides the wire soft shaft into a convex shape to avoid the situation of the wire soft shaft being concave.

[0032] The wire soft shaft 7 refers to Figure 5 , which is composed of high - strength steel wires wound in two - way multi - layers, and has the characteristics of smoothness, flexibility, high elasticity, high strength, and low vibration, and can withstand a large static torsional moment of destruction.

[0033] The environment inside the pipeline 1 is harsh, and there may be certain water, impurities, and corrosive materials. The drive wheel 6 can be made of polyurethane or other polymer materials. Polyurethane materials not only have good toughness, can withstand large bending deformations, and adapt to changes in the inner diameter of the pipeline, but also are corrosion - resistant, wear - resistant, and have a long service life. At the same time, they can also reduce vibration and damage to the inner wall of the pipeline. After processing, one or more drive wheels 6 can be connected in series to the wire soft shaft 7, pressed tightly against the inner wall of the pipeline, and rotate with the wire soft shaft 7 at the same time to realize the spiral movement of the robot.

[0034] The working process of this embodiment is as follows: Refer to Figure 1 and 6 , place the pipeline robot in pipeline 1. By adjusting nut 12, under the action of compression spring 8 and tension spring 10, change the deformation degree of wire soft shaft 7, so as to adjust the distance between the driving wheel 6 of the pipeline robot and the axis of the body 20, and make the driving wheel 6 press against the inner wall of pipeline 1. Start the power device 5. The output shaft is connected to the front spline shaft 2 through the coupling 4, and the power is transmitted to the front spline shaft 2. Through gear transmission, the sun gear 17 and the first internal gear 15 drive the main planet gear 16 to rotate and revolve. The wire soft shaft 7 is driven to rotate through the universal joint 19. The driving wheel 6 rotates under the drive of the wire soft shaft 7. Because the wire soft shaft 7 is cross-connected in the main planet gear 16 and the secondary planet gear 23 in the main planet gear structure I and the secondary planet gear structure II, the rotation axis of the driving wheel 6 has an included angle θ with the axis of the body 20, and 0° < θ < 90°. Therefore, the motion trajectory of the driving wheel 6 is a space helix around the axis of pipeline 1. Due to the friction between the driving wheel 6 and the inner wall of pipeline 1, it is converted into the traction force on the body 20, realizing the axial movement of the robot along the inner wall of pipeline 1.

[0035] The working principle of the pipe diameter adaptive mechanism in the embodiment is as follows:

[0036] Refer to Figure 7 , both ends of the wire soft shaft 7 are fixed in the main planet gear structure I and the secondary planet gear structure II through the universal joint 19 and the joint bearing 9 respectively. The main planet gear structure I is axially fixed to the body 20, while the secondary planet gear structure II can axially slide on the rear spline shaft 26. Under the action of the compression spring 8, the tension spring 10 and the adjusting nut 12, the wire soft shaft 7 can be compressed and deformed. By adjusting the adjusting nut 12, the compression degree of the wire soft shaft 7 can be changed. When the pressing force of the adjusting nut 12 is small, the bending deformation degree of the wire soft shaft 7 is low, presenting the OB shape. At this time, the distance between the axis of the driving wheel 6 and the axis of the body 20 is relatively close, and the diameter of the cylindrical helix formed by the rotation of the driving wheel 6 is small, which is suitable for traveling in a small-diameter pipeline; when the pressing force of the adjusting nut 12 is large, the bending deformation degree of the wire soft shaft 7 is high, and the soft shaft presents the OA shape. At this time, the distance between the axis of the driving wheel 6 and the axis of the body 20 is relatively far, and the diameter of the cylindrical helix formed by the rotation of the driving wheel 6 is large, which is suitable for traveling in a large-diameter pipeline.

[0037] The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications or equivalent replacements within the essence and protection scope of the present invention, and such modifications or equivalent replacements should also be regarded as falling within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A screw-driven pipeline robot, characterized in that: It includes a body, a drive wheel mechanism, a transmission mechanism, and a pipe diameter self - adapting mechanism. The transmission mechanism includes a main planetary gear structure. A power device is arranged inside the body, and the output end of the power device is connected to the main planetary gear structure. The pipe diameter self - adapting mechanism includes a secondary planetary gear structure, a spring, an adjusting nut, and a rear spline shaft. The rear spline shaft is installed on the body. The adjusting nut is installed at the end of the rear spline shaft away from the body and can move back and forth along the rear spline shaft. The secondary planetary gear structure can slide axially along the rear spline shaft. Springs are sleeved on the rear spline shaft corresponding to both sides of the secondary planetary gear structure. The drive wheel mechanism includes a drive wheel and a wire soft shaft. The drive wheel is installed on the wire soft shaft. One end of the wire soft shaft passes through a guide block and is connected to the main planetary gear structure through a universal joint. The other end of the wire soft shaft is connected to the secondary planetary gear structure through a spherical plain bearing; A guide hole corresponding to the position of the inner hole of the main planetary gear of the main planetary gear structure is arranged on the guide block, and the wire soft shaft passes through the guide hole and is connected to the inner hole of the main planetary gear; The guide hole includes a first guide hole and a second guide hole. The included angle between the first guide hole and the main planetary gear is a guide angle α, and the guide angle α ensures that there is a helix angle in the drive wheel mechanism. The included angle between the second guide hole and the axis direction of the guide block is a guide angle β, and the guide angle β ensures that the wire soft shaft protrudes outward.

2. The screw-driven pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism further includes a front spline shaft and a coupling. The output end of the power device is connected to one end of the front spline shaft through the coupling. The other end of the front spline shaft is connected to the main planetary gear structure. The main planetary gear structure is installed in the main planetary gear box through a main planetary carrier. The main planetary gear structure includes a sun gear, main planetary gears, and a first internal gear. The center position of the sun gear is connected to the front spline shaft. There are three main planetary gears, and the three main planetary gears are evenly distributed around the sun gear and mesh with the sun gear. The first internal gear is located outside the main planetary gears and meshes with the main planetary gears.

3. The screw-driven pipeline robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, There are three groups of the drive wheel mechanisms, and the three groups of drive wheel mechanisms are evenly distributed at an interval of 120 degrees.

4. The screw-driven pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The secondary planetary gear structure is installed in the secondary planetary gear box through a secondary planetary carrier. The secondary planetary gear structure includes secondary planetary gears and a second internal gear. There are three secondary planetary gears. The second internal gear is located outside the three secondary planetary gears and meshes with the secondary planetary gears. The wire soft shaft is connected to the inner hole of the secondary planetary gear through a spherical plain bearing.

5. The screw-driven pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second internal gear in the secondary planetary gear structure corresponds to the first internal gear in the main planetary gear structure along the axis, and there is a helix stagger angle between the secondary planetary gears in the secondary planetary gear structure and the main planetary gears in the main planetary gear structure.

6. The screw-driven pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wire soft shaft is composed of high - strength steel wires wound in two - way multi - layers.

Images