A tensioned pipe climbing robot and method of use

Abstract

The application provides a tension type pipe crawling robot and a use method thereof, and belongs to the field of pipe robots. The tension type pipe crawling robot can solve the problems of insufficient load capacity and difficult maintenance of traditional pipe robots. The tension type pipe crawling robot comprises a head support device, a telescopic system comprising at least two telescopic devices and a tail support device arranged in sequence, the head support device and the tail support device are symmetrically arranged at two ends of the telescopic system, and the head support device, the telescopic system and the tail support device are used for cooperating with each other to perform peristaltic movement in a pipe. The head support device and the tail support device are the same in structure and each comprise a semi-flexible rope, a winding device, a connecting plate, a connecting rod mechanism, an elastic member and a connecting assembly. The flexible end of each semi-flexible rope is connected with the connecting assembly. The winding device is used for driving the connecting assembly to move and enabling an antiskid pad in the connecting rod mechanism to approach or move away from the inner wall of the pipe through the semi-flexible rope. The tension type pipe crawling robot is mainly used for advancing in a pipe.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of pipeline robots, in particular to a tension type pipe climbing robot and a method for using the same. BACKGROUND

[0002] In modern society, various pipelines have been spread in every corner of our living environment. As the transportation channel of energy and other materials, it has brought great convenience and huge economic benefits to our life. But at the same time, it has also brought a series of problems, such as aging, corrosion and blockage in the use process of pipeline. And a large number of pipelines cannot enter due to narrow space or the presence of toxic and harmful substances, which brings great difficulty to the detection and maintenance of pipeline. In order to detect and maintain the pipeline, the traditional excavation method and random sampling method have the disadvantages of large workload and low efficiency.

[0003] Therefore, the idea of pipeline robot is put forward. Using robot can avoid people entering dangerous working place, and can also complete the work equally well. The research and application of pipeline robot effectively solve this problem. The pipeline robot can carry various sensors, intelligent mobile carriers, work devices and nondestructive testing technologies, and can complete the detection and maintenance of pipeline by virtue of its own advantages. This greatly improves the work efficiency of pipeline detection and maintenance.

[0004] At present, the traditional pipeline motion robot on the market is mainly wheel type and track type robot. On the basis of tire extruding the inner wall of pipeline, the tire is driven to rotate, and the motion of robot is realized under the action of friction. This traditional wheel type or track type robot has many defects: the fixed adhesion with the pipe wall is unreliable, which makes the load bearing capacity insufficient; it is difficult to realize or impossible to run in the vertical pipeline; the traditional pipeline robot is designed as a whole, which makes its maintenance more difficult. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the present application aims to provide a tension type pipe climbing robot and a method for using the same, in order to solve the problem of insufficient load capacity and difficult maintenance of traditional pipeline robot.

[0006] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present application, a tension type pipe crawling robot is provided, comprising head support device, telescopic system comprising at least two telescopic devices and tail support device arranged in sequence and connected by rotating assembly, the head support device and tail support device are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the telescopic system, the head support device, telescopic system and tail support device are used for mutual cooperation to peristaltic travel in the pipe; the head support device and tail support device are same in structure and each comprises semi-flexible rope, winding device, connecting plate, connecting rod mechanism, elastic member and connecting assembly, the connecting assembly and connecting plate are arranged in upper and lower interval, the upper end surface of the connecting plate is connected with the winding device, the semi-flexible rope is provided with two and symmetrically arranged at both sides of the winding device, the winding device is provided with two symmetrically arranged rotating ends, each rotating end is connected with the non-flexible end of the corresponding semi-flexible rope, the flexible end of each semi-flexible rope is connected with the connecting assembly, the connecting rod mechanism is provided with multiple and circumferentially arranged on the side of the connecting plate, one end of each connecting rod mechanism is connected with the connecting assembly and the other end is connected with the connecting plate, every adjacent two connecting rod mechanisms are connected by an elastic member in circumferential direction, the winding device is used for driving the connecting assembly to act through the semi-flexible rope and making the anti-skid pad in the connecting rod mechanism close to or away from the inner wall of the pipe.

[0007] Further, the semi-flexible rope comprises steel wire and spring, one end of the spring is connected with one end of the steel wire, the other end of the spring is connected with a specific position on the steel wire.

[0008] Further, the winding device comprises stepping motor, worm gear reducer, winding disc and output shaft, the worm gear reducer is connected with the connecting plate, the output end of the stepping motor is connected with the worm gear reducer, the output shaft is symmetrically arranged at both sides of the worm gear reducer, each output shaft is connected with one winding disc, the winding disc is connected with the other end of the steel wire.

[0009] Further, the connecting plate is rectangular and the axis of the output shaft coincides with one diagonal line of the projection of the connecting plate.

[0010] Further, the connecting rod mechanism further comprises first rod, second rod, third rod, fixed plate and arc spring sheet, the first rod and third rod are symmetrically hinged at both ends of the fixed plate, the free end of the first rod is hinged with the connecting assembly, the free end of the third rod is hinged with the connecting plate, the corresponding positions of the first rod and third rod are slidingly connected with one sliding block, the two sliding blocks are hinged with the second rod, the outer arc surface of the fixed plate close to the pipe is provided with anti-skid pad, the left and right sides of the anti-skid pad are symmetrically arranged with arc spring sheet, the overall height of the arc spring sheet is greater than the thickness of the anti-skid pad.

[0011] Further, the elastic member comprises two interval arranged tension springs, two ends of one tension spring are connected with the first rod near the fixed plate of the adjacent two link mechanisms respectively, and two ends of the other tension spring are connected with the third rod near the fixed plate of the adjacent two link mechanisms respectively.

[0012] Further, the rotating assembly is a tire type coupling.

[0013] Further, the connecting assembly comprises a connecting block, a strip angle code and a universal bolt, the connecting block is connected with the middle part of the upper end of the strip angle code, the universal bolts are symmetrically arranged at the two ends of the strip angle code, each half flexible rope is connected with the strip angle code through the universal bolt, and the connecting block is hingedly connected with the free ends of all the first rods.

[0014] Further, the telescopic devices are two, are a first telescopic device and a second telescopic device, and are the same as the head support device in structure, and the connecting assembly of the telescopic device is a connecting plate.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for using the tension type pipe climbing robot is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0016] S1, a tension type pipe climbing robot is put into a pipe, and the initial state is that all the devices in the robot are in the elongated state. After the robot is put into the pipe, the motors in the devices rotate forward, the half flexible ropes are retracted, and the anti-skid pads in the head support device, all the telescopic devices and the tail support device are expanded in the radial direction and are pasted on the inner wall of the pipe in turn;

[0017] S2, the winding device in the head support device is controlled to start reverse winding, the anti-skid pads of the head support device are retracted in the radial direction to make radial contraction, and the connecting assembly in the head support device moves away from the connecting plate to make axial elongation, until the connecting assembly of the head support device reaches the preset radial contraction degree;

[0018] S3, the state of other devices is kept, the winding device in the first telescopic device is controlled to start reverse winding, the first telescopic device is contracted in the radial direction and elongated in the axial direction, until the first telescopic device reaches the preset axial elongation degree;

[0019] S4, the state of other devices is kept, the winding device in the head support device is controlled to start forward winding, the head support device is expanded in the radial direction and contracted in the axial direction, until the anti-skid pads of the head support device stably support the inner wall of the pipe;

[0020] S5, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device in the first telescopic device to start the forward rotation and the winding device in the second telescopic device to start the reverse rotation, so that the robot simultaneously performs the axial contraction action of the first telescopic device and the axial elongation action of the second telescopic device until the anti-skid pad of the first telescopic device stably supports the inner wall of the pipeline and the anti-skid pad of the second telescopic device no longer supports the inner wall of the pipeline and the second telescopic device is in the elongated state;

[0021] S6, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device in the tail support device to start the reverse rotation and perform the radial contraction action of the tail support device until the preset radial contraction degree is reached;

[0022] S7, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device in the second telescopic device to start the forward rotation and perform the radial expansion and axial contraction action of the second telescopic device until the anti-skid pad of the second telescopic device stably supports the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0023] S8, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device in the tail support device to start the forward rotation and perform the radial expansion action of the tail support device until the anti-skid pad of the tail support device stably supports the inner wall of the pipeline, and a peristaltic movement action is completed;

[0024] S9, repeatedly S2-S8 multiple times until the predetermined movement position is reached.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present application are:

[0026] 1. The robot can pass through the head support device, the telescopic system including at least two telescopic devices, and the tail support device, and each adjacent device is connected by rotating the assembly, so that each device can perform axial and radial telescopic characteristics, so that the robot can perform peristaltic movement, adapt to various pipe diameters, and have good adaptability to various directions of the pipe body;

[0027] 2. The robot can radially support the pipe wall, provide a large supporting force, and keep multiple devices in contact with the pipe wall during the supporting process, further improve the supporting force, and thus improve the stability of the robot in the pipeline;

[0028] 3. The robot can improve the stability of the support by radially supporting the anti-skid pad;

[0029] 4. The robot contains a large number of elastic elements, which can play a buffering role when encountering unexpected impact, and improve the impact resistance of the robot;

[0030] 5. This robot utilizes multiple anti-slip pads to contact the inner wall of the pipe, providing sufficient friction and improving the reliability of the robot's movement, enabling it to crawl inside vertical pipes.

[0031] 6. This robot utilizes the arc-shaped spring sheet to protect the anti-slip mat during the non-support phase, extending the service life of the anti-slip mat. Furthermore, because the arc-shaped spring sheet can deform, it will not affect the anti-slip mat's supporting function during the support phase.

[0032] 7. This robot adopts a modular design, with each device connected by rotating components, enabling it to move in a peristaltic motion. Combined with radial support and axial movement, it can form a stable, reliable, and high-support motion. Moreover, the modules are independent of each other, which can adapt to various working conditions and is easy to maintain. Attached Figure Description

[0033] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tensioning pipe-climbing robot described in this invention inside a pipe;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the connecting plate and the tire coupling described in this invention.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the head support device and the tail support device described in this invention;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the telescopic device described in this invention;

[0039] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the head support device of the present invention after the linkage mechanism has been removed.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the linkage mechanism described in this invention;

[0041] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the fixing plate and the arc-shaped spring sheet described in this invention;

[0042] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the semi-flexible rope described in this invention.

[0043] Head support device 1; connecting block 1-1; semi-flexible rope 1-2; steel wire 1-2-1; spring 1-2-2; winding device 1-3; stepping motor 1-3-1; worm gear reducer 1-3-2; winding disc 1-3-3; output shaft 1-3-4; connecting plate 1-4; connecting rod mechanism 1-5; first rod 1-5-1; second rod 1-5-2; third rod 1-5-3; fixed plate 1-5-4; arc spring sheet 1-5-5; non-slip pad 1-5-6; tension spring 1-6; strip-shaped corner code 1-7; knuckle bolt 1-8; first telescopic device 2; second telescopic device 3; tail support device 4; tire type coupling 5; pipeline 6; specific position 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict, and the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, not all the embodiments.

[0045] According to one aspect of the present application, a tension type pipe crawling robot is provided, comprising head support device 1, telescopic system comprising at least two telescopic devices and tail support device 4 arranged in sequence and connected by rotating assembly, the head support device 1 and tail support device 4 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the telescopic system, the head support device 1, telescopic system and tail support device 4 are used to cooperate with each other to move in the pipe 6; the head support device 1 and tail support device 4 are the same structure and each comprises semi-flexible rope 1-2, winding device 1-3, connecting plate 1-4, connecting rod mechanism 1-5, elastic member and connecting assembly, the connecting assembly and connecting plate 1-4 are arranged in an upper and lower interval, the upper end surface of the connecting plate 1-4 is connected with the winding device 1-3, the semi-flexible rope 1-2 is provided with two and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the winding device 1-3, the winding device 1-3 is provided with two symmetrically arranged rotating ends, each rotating end is connected with the non-flexible end of the corresponding semi-flexible rope 1-2, the flexible end of each semi-flexible rope 1-2 is connected with the connecting assembly, the connecting rod mechanism 1-5 is provided with multiple and circumferentially arranged on the side of the connecting plate 1-4, one end of each connecting rod mechanism 1-5 is connected with the connecting assembly and the other end is connected with the connecting plate 1-4, every adjacent two connecting rod mechanisms 1-5 are connected by an elastic member in the circumferential direction, the winding device 1-3 is used to drive the connecting assembly to act through the semi-flexible rope 1-2 and make the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 in the connecting rod mechanism 1-5 close to or away from the inner wall of the pipe 6. The head support device 1, telescopic device and tail support device 4 are connected by rotating assembly, forming a modular design, each module has independence. Through the rotating connection between the adjacent two devices, the peristaltic movement mode can be formed, cooperating with the winding device 1-3 to drive the connecting assembly to move, the connecting assembly moving will drive the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 in the connecting rod mechanism 1-5 to close to or away from the inner wall of the pipe 6, so that the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 in the multiple devices can be attached to the pipe 6, the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 in the single device is retracted, the connecting assembly is stretched, which can ensure the supporting force between the robot and the pipe 6 during movement, and also ensure peristalsis under the premise of reliable support, so that the robot can adapt to various working conditions and achieve the purpose of reliable movement.

[0046] In the embodiment, the semi-flexible rope 1-2 comprises a steel wire 1-2-1 and a spring 1-2-2, one end of the spring 1-2-2 is welded to one end of the steel wire 1-2-1, and the other end of the spring 1-2-2 is welded to a specific position 7 on the steel wire 1-2-1. The specific position 7 needs to meet the following conditions: first, the original length of the spring 1-2-2 is less than the length of the steel wire 1-2-1 connected in parallel, and the steel wire 1-2-1 can be straightened within the normal elongation range of the spring 1-2-2. The combination of the steel wire 1-2-1 and the spring 1-2-2 is to maintain the straightened state of the steel wire 1-2-1 during installation of the semi-flexible rope 1-2. The parallel connection of the spring 1-2-2 and the steel wire 1-2-1 is to enable the spring 1-2-2 to bear the excess tension after completing the pre-tightening of the rope 1-2, thereby protecting the spring 1-2-2 from plastic deformation caused by excessive tension, thereby prolonging the service life. The semi-flexible rope 1-2 adopts a symmetrical distribution on both sides and is perpendicular to the connecting plate 1-4. This arrangement can improve the energy transmission efficiency when the corresponding device is contracted, avoid the asymmetric distribution of tension when the semi-flexible rope 1-2 is tightened, and cause the device to produce unexpected deformation or deformation trend, thereby ensuring the stability of the device.

[0047] In the embodiment, the winding device 1-3 comprises a stepping motor 1-3-1, a worm gear reducer 1-3-2, a winding disc 1-3-3, and an output shaft 1-3-4. The worm gear reducer 1-3-2 is connected to the connecting plate 1-4. The output end of the stepping motor 1-3-1 is connected to the worm gear reducer 1-3-2. The worm gear reducer 1-3-2 is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the output shaft 1-3-4. Each output shaft 1-3-4 is connected to a winding disc 1-3-3. The winding disc 1-3-3 is connected to the other end of the steel wire 1-2-1. The stepping motor 1-3-1 can realize forward and reverse rotation. When the stepping motor 1-3-1 operates, it can drive the output shaft 1-3-4 on both sides to rotate forward or reverse through the worm gear reducer 1-3-2, so that the winding disc 1-3-3 can wind or unwind the steel wire 1-2-1. When the connecting assembly is driven by the steel wire 1-2-1 and the tension spring 1-6 to approach or move away from the connecting plate 1-4, the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 can approach or move away from the wall of the pipeline 6. The combination of peristaltic action and other devices can ensure peristalsis and good contact with the wall, form reliable support, and achieve the effect of adapting to any pipeline state and realizing effective movement.

[0048] In the embodiment, the structure of the robot in the non-curved state is rotationally symmetrical about an axis, and the rotation angles are 90°, 180°, and 270°.

[0049] In the embodiment, the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 is a rubber anti-skid pad, which can increase friction and adapt to the environment in the pipe and has good corrosion resistance.

[0050] In the embodiment, the connecting plate 1-4 is rectangular, the axis of the output shaft 1-3-4 coincides with one diagonal of the connecting plate 1-4, and the half-flexible rope 1-2 is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the connecting plate 1-4 and is perpendicular to the connecting plate 1-4. Such an arrangement can improve the energy transmission efficiency when the corresponding device is retracted, avoid the device from being deformed or deformed in an unexpected way due to the asymmetric distribution of tension when the half-flexible rope 1-2 is tightened, and ensure the stability of the device.

[0051] In the embodiment, the connecting rod mechanism 1-5 further includes a first rod 1-5-1, a second rod 1-5-2, a third rod 1-5-3, a fixed plate 1-5-4, and an arc-shaped spring sheet 1-5-5. The first rod 1-5-1 and the third rod 1-5-3 are symmetrically hinged at both ends of the fixed plate 1-5-4. The free end of the first rod 1-5-1 is hinged to the connecting assembly. The free end of the third rod 1-5-3 is hinged to the connecting plate 1-4. A sliding block is slidably connected to the corresponding positions of the first rod 1-5-1 and the third rod 1-5-3. The sliding block is slidably connected to the corresponding first rod 1-5-1 and third rod 1-5-3 by screw mounting. Both sliding blocks are hinged to the second rod 1-5-2. An anti-skid pad 1-5-6 is arranged on the outer arc surface of the fixed plate 1-5-4 close to the pipeline 6. Arc-shaped spring sheets 1-5-5 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the anti-skid pad 1-5-6. The overall height of the arc-shaped spring sheet 1-5-5 is greater than the thickness of the anti-skid pad 1-5-6. The arrangement of the arc-shaped spring sheet 1-5-5 can effectively protect the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 when the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 is not in contact with the pipe wall. When the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 is in contact with the pipe wall, the arc-shaped spring sheet 1-5-5 will be compressed accordingly, and it will not affect the supporting function of the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 in its normal state.

[0052] In the embodiment, the elastic member includes two spaced-apart tension springs 1-6. The two ends of one tension spring 1-6 are respectively connected to the first rod 1-5-1 close to the fixed plate 1-5-4 in the adjacent two connecting rod mechanisms 1-5. The two ends of the other tension spring 1-6 are respectively connected to the third rod 1-5-3 close to the fixed plate 1-5-4 in the adjacent two connecting rod mechanisms 1-5.

[0053] In the embodiment, the rotating assembly is a tire type coupling 5. It can reliably connect the rotation between the adjacent two devices and keep the relative rotation between the devices, ensuring that the peristaltic mode can be normally implemented.

[0054] In the embodiment, the connecting assembly comprises a connecting block 1-1, a strip-shaped corner code 1-7 and a hinge bolt 1-8, the connecting block 1-1 is connected with the lower end and the middle part of the upper end of the strip-shaped corner code 1-7, the hinge bolt 1-8 is symmetrically arranged at both ends of the strip-shaped corner code 1-7, each semi-flexible rope 1-2 is connected with the strip-shaped corner code 1-7 through the hinge bolt 1-8, and the connecting block 1-1 is hingedly connected with the free ends of all the first rods 1-5-1. The combination of the connecting block 1-1 and the strip-shaped corner code 1-7 reduces the size of the upper end of the connecting block 1-1, utilizes the remaining space in the device at the lower end of the connecting block 1-1, and makes the head support device 1 and the tail support device 4 approximately present a conical shape as a whole. The strip-shaped corner code 1-7 expands the connecting block 1-1, so that the connecting points of the hinge bolts 1-8 and the connecting block 1-1 are away from the axis of the head support device 1 and the tail support device 4 as a whole, and then the semi-flexible rope 1-2 is perpendicular to the connecting plate 1-4 as a whole after the semi-flexible rope 1-2 is connected with the hinge bolt 1-8 at one end and connected with the winding disc 1-3-3 at the other end, so that the power loss transmitted through the semi-flexible rope 1-2 is reduced, and the transmission efficiency is improved. The symmetric arrangement of the winding discs 1-3-3 on the winding device 1-3 is in a corresponding relationship with the symmetrically arranged two hinge bolts 1-8, so that the semi-flexible rope 1-2 does not interfere with the second rod 1-5-2 in the connecting rod mechanism 1-5, and the internal space of the device is reasonably used. The hinge bolt 1-8 can improve the convenience of installation and maintenance and replacement of the semi-flexible rope 1-2.

[0055] In the embodiment, the telescopic devices are provided in two, which are a first telescopic device 2 and a second telescopic device 3, and the structures of the first telescopic device 2 and the second telescopic device 3 are the same as that of the head support device 1, and the connecting assembly of the telescopic device is a connecting plate 1-4. Since the first telescopic device 2 and the second telescopic device 3 are arranged at the middle position of the robot, they need to play a role of connecting the front and the rear, so the connecting assembly in the first telescopic device 2 and the second telescopic device 3 is also provided as the connecting plate 1-4, which is convenient for connection with the tire type coupling 5.

[0056] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for using the above tension type pipe climbing robot is provided, which comprises the following steps:

[0057] S1, a tension type pipe climbing robot is put into a pipe 6, and the initial state is that all devices in the robot are in an elongated state. After the robot as a whole is put into the pipe, the motors in each device rotate forward, the semi-flexible rope 1-2 is retracted, and the anti-skid pads 1-5-6 in the head support device 1, all telescopic devices and the tail support device 4 are sequentially expanded in the radial direction and attached to the inner wall of the pipe 6;

[0058] S2, control the winding device 1-3 in the head support device 1 to start reverse pay-off, make the whole anti-skid pad 1-5-6 of the head support device 1 retract along the radial direction to make radial contraction action, and the connecting assembly in the head support device 1 extends along the axial direction away from the connecting plate 1-4 to make axial extension action, until the connecting assembly of the head support device 1 reaches the preset radial contraction degree;

[0059] S3, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device 1-3 in the first telescopic device 2 to start reverse pay-off, make the first telescopic device 2 perform radial contraction and axial extension action, until the first telescopic device 2 reaches the preset axial extension degree;

[0060] S4, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device 1-3 in the head support device 1 to start forward take-up, make the head support device 1 perform radial expansion and axial contraction action, until the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 of the head support device 1 stably supports the inner wall of the pipeline 6;

[0061] S5, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device 1-3 in the first telescopic device 2 to start forward take-up, and control the winding device 1-3 in the second telescopic device 3 to start reverse pay-off, make the robot simultaneously perform axial contraction action of the first telescopic device 2 and axial extension action of the second telescopic device 3, until the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 of the first telescopic device 2 stably supports the inner wall of the pipeline 6, and the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 of the second telescopic device 3 no longer supports the inner wall of the pipeline 6 and the second telescopic device 3 is in the extended state;

[0062] S6, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device 1-3 in the tail support device 4 to start reverse pay-off, perform radial contraction action of the tail support device 4, until the preset radial contraction degree is reached;

[0063] S7, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device 1-3 in the second telescopic device 3 to start forward take-up, perform radial expansion and axial contraction action of the second telescopic device 3, until the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 of the second telescopic device 3 stably supports the inner wall of the pipeline 6;

[0064] S8, keep the state of other devices, control the winding device 1-3 in the tail support device 4 to start forward take-up, perform radial expansion action of the tail support device 4, until the anti-skid pad 1-5-6 of the tail support device 4 stably supports the inner wall of the pipeline 6, and complete one peristaltic action;

[0065] S9, repeat S2-S8 multiple times until the predetermined travel position is reached.

[0066] In the above description, the basic structures of the head support device 1, the first telescopic device 2, the second telescopic device 3 and the tail support device 4 are consistent, and the operation process of a single device is described below by taking the head support device 1 as an example: the operation of the step motor 1-3-1 can drive the worm gear reducer 1-3-2 to operate, the operation of the worm gear reducer 1-3-2 can drive the output shafts 1-3-4 on both sides to rotate synchronously, the rotation of the output shafts 1-3-4 can drive the corresponding side of the winding disc 1-3-3 to rotate, and the direction of rotation depends on the operation direction of the step motor 1-3-1. When the winding disc 1-3-3 winds the semi-flexible rope 1-2, the connecting block 1-1 moves in the direction close to the step motor 1-3-1, and the movement of the connecting block 1-1 drives the fixed plate 1-5-4 to move in the direction close to the pipe wall of the pipeline 6 through the first rod 1-5-1, so that the head support device 1 expands radially and contracts axially. During this process, each tension spring 1-6 is stretched. When the winding disc 1-3-3 unwinds the semi-flexible rope 1-2, the above process is reversed, the head support device 1 contracts radially and expands axially, and the tension spring 1-6 restores the deformation.

[0067] In the above description, the controllers, sensors, control programs and the like that may be involved are prior art, and will not be described here.

[0068] The above disclosed embodiments of the present application are only used to help explain the present application. The embodiments do not describe all the details, nor limit the present application to the specific embodiments described. According to the content of the present specification, many modifications and changes can be made. The present specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments in order to better explain the principles and practical applications of the present application, so that those skilled in the art can well understand and utilize the present application.

Claims

1. A tensioning pipe-climbing robot, characterized in that: The system includes a head support device (1) arranged in sequence, a telescopic system including at least two telescopic devices, and a tail support device (4), with each pair of adjacent devices rotatably connected by a rotating assembly. The head support device (1) and the tail support device (4) are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the telescopic system. The head support device (1), the telescopic system, and the tail support device (4) are used to cooperate with each other to move peristally within the pipe (6). The head support device (1) and the tail support device (4) have the same structure, both including a semi-flexible rope (1-2), a winding device (1-3), a connecting plate (1-4), a linkage mechanism (1-5), an elastic element, and a connecting assembly. The connecting assembly and the connecting plate (1-4) are arranged vertically at intervals. The upper end face of the connecting plate (1-4) is connected to the winding device (1-3). The semi-flexible rope (1-2) is connected to the winding device (1-3). 2) Two winding devices (1-3) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the winding device (1-3). The winding device (1-3) has two symmetrically arranged rotating ends. Each rotating end is connected to the non-flexible end of the semi-flexible rope (1-2) at the corresponding position. The flexible end of each semi-flexible rope (1-2) is connected to the connecting component. Multiple linkage mechanisms (1-5) are arranged circumferentially around the connecting plate (1-4). One end of each linkage mechanism (1-5) is connected to the connecting component, and the other end is connected to the connecting plate (1-4). Every two adjacent linkage mechanisms (1-5) are connected by an elastic element along the circumferential direction. The winding device (1-3) is used to drive the connecting component to move through the semi-flexible rope (1-2) and make the anti-slip pad (1-5-6) in the linkage mechanism (1-5) move closer to or away from the inner wall of the pipe (6).

2. The tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The semi-flexible rope (1-2) includes a steel wire (1-2-1) and a spring (1-2-2). One end of the spring (1-2-2) is connected to one end of the steel wire (1-2-1), and the other end of the spring (1-2-2) is connected to a specific position (7) on the steel wire (1-2-1). The condition of the specific position (7) is that the original length of the spring (1-2-2) is less than the length of the parallel steel wire (1-2-1) and that the entire spring (1-2-2) can be straightened within the normal elongation deformation range of the spring (1-2-2).

3. The tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The winding device (1-3) includes a stepper motor (1-3-1), a worm gear reducer (1-3-2), a winding reel (1-3-3), and an output shaft (1-3-4). The worm gear reducer (1-3-2) is connected to the connecting plate (1-4). The output end of the stepper motor (1-3-1) is connected to the worm gear reducer (1-3-2). The worm gear reducer (1-3-2) has output shafts (1-3-4) symmetrically arranged on both sides. Each output shaft (1-3-4) is connected to a winding reel (1-3-3). The winding reel (1-3-3) is connected to the other end of the steel wire (1-2-1).

4. The tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting plate (1-4) is rectangular, and the projection of the axis of the output shaft (1-3-4) onto the connecting plate (1-4) coincides with one diagonal of the connecting plate (1-4).

5. A tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The linkage mechanism (1-5) further includes a first rod (1-5-1), a second rod (1-5-2), a third rod (1-5-3), a fixed plate (1-5-4), and an arc-shaped spring plate (1-5-5). The first rod (1-5-1) and the third rod (1-5-3) are symmetrically hinged at both ends of the fixed plate (1-5-4). The free end of the first rod (1-5-1) is hinged to the connecting assembly, and the free end of the third rod (1-5-3) is hinged to the connecting plate (1-4). A slider is slidably connected to the corresponding position on the first rod (1-5-1) and the third rod (1-5-3). Both sliders are hinged to the second rod (1-5-2). An anti-slip pad (1-5-6) is provided on the outer arc surface of the fixed plate (1-5-4) near the pipe (6). Arc-shaped spring sheets (1-5-5) are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the anti-slip pad (1-5-6). The overall height of the arc-shaped spring sheets (1-5-5) is greater than the thickness of the anti-slip pad (1-5-6).

6. A tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The elastic element includes two spaced-apart tension springs (1-6). The two ends of one tension spring (1-6) are respectively connected to the end of the first rod (1-5-1) in the two adjacent linkage mechanisms (1-5) near the fixed plate (1-5-4). The two ends of the other tension spring (1-6) are respectively connected to the end of the third rod (1-5-3) in the two adjacent linkage mechanisms (1-5) near the fixed plate (1-5-4).

7. A tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating component is a tire coupling (5).

8. A tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The connecting assembly includes a connecting block (1-1), a barcode (1-7), and a hinge bolt (1-8). The connecting block (1-1) is connected at its lower end to the middle of the upper end of the barcode (1-7). Hinges (1-8) are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the barcode (1-7). Each of the semi-flexible ropes (1-2) is connected to the barcode (1-7) through the hinge bolt (1-8). The connecting block (1-1) is hinged to the free ends of all the first rods (1-5-1).

9. A tensioning pipe-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic device is provided in two parts, namely the first telescopic device (2) and the second telescopic device (3), both of which have the same structure as the head support device (1), and the connecting component of the telescopic device is the connecting plate (1-4).

10. A method for using a tensioning pipe-climbing robot as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. A tension-type climbing robot is placed into the pipe (6). The initial state is: all devices inside the robot are in the extended state. After the robot is placed into the pipe, the motors in each device rotate in the forward direction and retract the semi-flexible rope (1-2), so that the anti-slip pads (1-5-6) in the head support device (1), all telescopic devices and tail support device (4) expand radially and adhere to the inner wall of the pipe (6). S2. Control the winding device (1-3) in the head support device (1) to start reversing and releasing the wire, so that all the anti-slip pads (1-5-6) of the head support device (1) retract radially and perform radial contraction. At the same time, the internal connecting component of the head support device (1) moves axially away from the connecting plate (1-4) until the connecting component of the head support device (1) reaches the preset radial contraction degree. S3. Keep the state of other devices, control the winding device (1-3) in the first telescopic device (2) to start reversing the wire release, so that the first telescopic device (2) performs radial contraction and axial extension until the first telescopic device (2) reaches the preset axial extension degree. S4. While maintaining the status of other devices, control the winding device (1-3) in the head support device (1) to start rotating forward to wind up the wire, so that the head support device (1) performs radial expansion and axial contraction until the anti-slip pad (1-5-6) of the head support device (1) stably supports the inner wall of the pipe (6). S5. Keep the state of other devices, control the winding device (1-3) in the first telescopic device (2) to start forward winding and the winding device (1-3) in the second telescopic device (3) to start reverse winding, so that the robot can simultaneously perform the axial contraction action of the first telescopic device (2) and the axial extension action of the second telescopic device (3) until the anti-slip pad (1-5-6) of the first telescopic device (2) stably supports the inner wall of the pipe (6), the anti-slip pad (1-5-6) of the second telescopic device (3) no longer supports the inner wall of the pipe (6) and the second telescopic device (3) is in the extended state; S6. While maintaining the status of other devices, control the winding device (1-3) in the tail support device (4) to start reversing the wire release and perform the radial contraction action of the tail support device (4) until the preset radial contraction degree is reached. S7. Keep the status of other devices, control the winding device (1-3) in the second telescopic device (3) to start rotating forward to wind up the wire, and carry out the radial expansion and axial contraction of the second telescopic device (3) until the anti-slip pad (1-5-6) of the second telescopic device (3) stably supports the inner wall of the pipe (6); S8. While maintaining the status of other devices, control the winding device (1-3) in the tail support device (4) to start rotating forward to take in the wire, and carry out the radial expansion action of the tail support device (4) until the anti-slip pad (1-5-6) of the tail support device (4) stably supports the inner wall of the pipe (6) and completes a peristaltic movement. S9. Repeat S2-S8 multiple times until the predetermined travel position is reached.

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