A robot for inspecting and repairing small and medium diameter pipelines

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of intelligent machinery, and more particularly to a robot for inspecting and repairing small- and medium-diameter pipelines. The robot includes: an inspection and repair module connected to a carrier plate, the carrier plate being mounted on top of a worm gear seat; a central drive motor with an output shaft at each end, a central bevel gear fixed on the output shaft, and four equally spaced subsidiary bevel gears meshing with the central bevel gear along its circumference; each subsidiary bevel gear being coaxially connected to a worm; a worm wheel and a driving synchronous pulley meshing with the worm; one end of the worm gear seat being connected to a subsidiary plate, and the other end enabling the connection and rotation of the worm wheel, the driving synchronous pulley, and the traveling rocker arm; the driving synchronous pulley and the driven synchronous pulley at the end of the traveling rocker arm being connected via a synchronous toothed belt; the driven synchronous pulley and the traveling wheel being coaxially and tightly fitted; and a torsion spring fitted at the end of the traveling rocker arm. The robot of this invention exhibits strong vertical climbing ability, bend-crossing ability, and dynamic adaptability to different pipeline diameters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent machinery, and in particular to a robot for inspecting and repairing small and medium diameter pipelines. Background Technology

[0002] In industries such as nuclear power, petroleum, and chemicals, small- to medium-diameter pipelines are frequently used to transport various flowing media. Pipeline layouts typically include horizontal, inclined, and vertical sections, and often include bends. During installation and use, pipelines inevitably experience internal aging and corrosion, creating safety hazards and necessitating the use of pipeline robots for inspection and repair.

[0003] Traditional pipeline robots are mostly designed for large-diameter pipelines, and have poor vertical climbing ability, bend-passing ability, and dynamic adaptability to pipeline diameter. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a small-to-medium diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot with strong vertical climbing ability, bend-passing ability and dynamic adaptability to pipeline diameter.

[0005] This invention provides a robot for inspecting and repairing small and medium diameter pipelines, comprising:

[0006] The inspection and repair module includes: a carrier plate, an active synchronous pulley, a driven synchronous pulley, a central drive motor, a torsion spring slot, a traveling wheel, a traveling rocker arm inspection, an output shaft, a central bevel gear, a transfer bevel gear, a worm gear, a worm wheel, a worm wheel seat, a transfer disc, and a torsion spring.

[0007] The detection and repair module is connected to the carrier plate, which is mounted on top of the worm gear seat, separating the worm gear transmission part from the front detection and repair module.

[0008] The central drive motor has an output shaft at each of its left and right ends. The output shaft is equipped with a central bevel gear. On the circumference of the central bevel gear, there are four equally spaced subsidiary bevel gears that mesh with the central bevel gear. The central bevel gear synchronously transmits power to the four subsidiary bevel gears.

[0009] Each transfer bevel gear is connected to the transfer output worm gear via a connecting shaft, and two support bearings are provided in the middle so that the transfer bevel gear drives the worm gear to rotate together;

[0010] Behind each worm is a worm wheel that meshes with it, and there is also a drive timing pulley that is coaxially mounted with the worm wheel;

[0011] One end of the worm gear seat is mounted on the transfer plate, and the other end is connected to the worm gear, the drive synchronous pulley, and the traveling rocker arm through bearings and retaining rings.

[0012] The worm gear transmits the rotary motion to the worm wheel on the right side, which is coaxially mounted with the drive synchronous belt pulley.

[0013] The driving synchronous pulley and the driven synchronous pulley at the end of the traveling rocker arm are connected by a synchronous toothed belt;

[0014] The driven synchronous belt pulley and the traveling wheel are installed on the same axis.

[0015] At the end of each traveling rocker arm is a torsion spring with two pins and a rotation center hole. The rotation center hole is fitted onto a horizontal pin on the traveling rocker arm, and one of the pins is L-shaped and is embedded in the traveling torsion spring slot.

[0016] The torsion spring slot is fixed on the central drive motor. When the traveling rocker arm swings radially, the torsion spring is compressed or relaxed, and the pin embedded in the spring slot slides in the slot.

[0017] Preferably, the central drive motor consists of two stepper motors arranged back to back, with planetary reducer assemblies at the front ends of the two stepper motors and output shafts at the ends of the planetary reducers.

[0018] Preferably, the end side of the walking rocker arm has a groove for fixing the cold-pressed terminal. The cold-pressed terminal is cold-pressed to the flexible steel wire rope, which is then connected to the limiting pull plate. The limiting pull plate is sleeved on the front planetary reducer of the central drive motor, thereby limiting the maximum swing angle of the walking rocker arm and ensuring that the torsion spring always maintains a certain initial elastic torque.

[0019] Preferably, the synchronous toothed belt is arranged in the inner groove of the walking rocker arm and swings radially parallel with the walking rocker arm (9).

[0020] Preferably, it further includes: a main belt guide pulley and a driven belt guide pulley.

[0021] The main belt guide pulley is located in the groove of the traveling rocker arm near the active synchronous pulley;

[0022] The belt guide pulley is located in the groove of the traveling rocker arm near the driven synchronous belt pulley;

[0023] Preferably, it also includes a cable tray, which is installed on the transfer plate at the tail of the robot to separate the worm gear transmission part at the tail from the cable routing at the rear of the robot.

[0024] Preferably, the first cable hole on the transfer plate, the second cable hole on the cable storage plate, and the third cable hole are used to lay out the cable of the central drive motor, so that it is guided into the cable tube of the cable storage plate and finally led out from the tail of the robot.

[0025] Preferably, the detection and repair module includes a robotic arm and an injection head at the end of the robotic arm for applying adhesive;

[0026] The robotic arm is fixed to the carrier plate.

[0027] Preferably, the robotic arm is also equipped with a wide-angle camera at its end.

[0028] Preferably, one end of the worm gear seat is connected to the transfer plate by bolts.

[0029] Compared with existing technologies, the small-diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0030] (1) A circular split mechanical structure is adopted to realize multi-wheel drive from a single power source. All wheels of the robot are drive wheels, which improves the reliability of robot operation.

[0031] (2) The robot has 8 independent walking arms at the front and rear, which independently adapt to the complex dynamic changes of the inner wall of the pipe in the radial direction, thus improving the robot's obstacle crossing ability in the pipe.

[0032] (3) The robot's walking arm can swing radially at a certain angle, which has an adaptive effect on pipes of different diameters within a certain range, ensuring the adhesion of the drive wheels and enabling the robot to move forward reliably in pipes of different diameters.

[0033] (4) In order to drive the walking wheel and realize the robot's forward and backward movement, the rotational speed and torque output by the drive are transmitted to the walking wheel at the end of the walking rocker arm through the synchronous toothed belt. The drive pulley and the swing center of the walking rocker arm are coaxial. During the normal forward movement of the robot, the walking rocker arm can swing freely, thereby adapting to changes in pipe diameter and smoothly passing through bends in the pipe. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This diagram shows the overall structure of the pipeline inspection and repair robot.

[0035] Figure 2 This diagram shows the power distribution structure at the robot's end effector.

[0036] Figure 3 This diagram shows the transmission structure on the robot's walking arm.

[0037] Figure 4 This diagram shows the structure of the robot's tail section near the cable exit point.

[0038] In the picture,

[0039] 1-Detection and repair module, 2-Carrier plate, 3-Active synchronous pulley, 4-Driven synchronous pulley, 5-Center drive motor, 6-Torsion spring slot, 7-Walking wheel, 8-Cable storage tray, 9-Walking rocker arm, 10-Output shaft, 11-Center bevel gear, 12-Partition bevel gear, 13-Worm, 14-Worm wheel, 15-Worm wheel seat, 16-Partition plate, 17-Torsion spring, 18-Fixed cold-pressed terminal, 19-Flexible steel wire rope, 20-Limit pull plate, 21-Main belt guide pulley, 22-Driven belt guide pulley, 23-First cable hole, 24-Second cable hole, 25-Third cable hole, 26-Cable conduit. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To further understand the present invention, embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with examples. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are only for further illustrating the features and advantages of the present invention, and not for limiting the present invention.

[0041] In specific implementation, this invention is applicable to pipes with a diameter of φ50-200mm, including conventional horizontal, inclined, and vertical pipes, as well as conventional pipe bends.

[0042] Embodiments of the present invention disclose a robot for inspecting and repairing small and medium diameter pipelines, such as... Figures 1-4 As shown, it includes:

[0043] Detection and repair module 1, carrier plate 2, active synchronous pulley 3, driven synchronous pulley 4, central drive motor 5, torsion spring slot 6, traveling wheel 7, traveling rocker arm 9, output shaft 10, central bevel gear 11, transfer bevel gear 12, worm 13, worm wheel 14, worm wheel seat 15, transfer plate 16, torsion spring 17;

[0044] The detection and repair module 1 is connected to the carrier plate 2, which is mounted on the top of the worm gear seat 15, separating the worm gear transmission part from the front detection and repair module 1.

[0045] The detection and repair module includes a robotic arm and an injection head at the end of the robotic arm for applying adhesive, used to repair damaged areas inside the pipe;

[0046] The robotic arm is fixed to the carrier plate.

[0047] Preferably, the end of the robotic arm is also equipped with a wide-angle camera, which enables visual inspection and repair work inside the pipeline, and allows for 360° inspection and repair without blind spots on the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0048] The center drive motor 5 has an output shaft at each of its left and right ends.

[0049] In order to drive the robot body and realize robot parking and precise positioning, the central drive motor 5 consists of two stepper motors arranged back to back as the power source. The front end of the two stepper motors is equipped with a planetary reducer assembly, and the end of the planetary reducer is the output shaft.

[0050] To achieve power distribution from one axis to multiple axes, a set of bevel gears is used to distribute the power output. The bevel gear fixed to the output shaft of the planetary reducer meshes with four surrounding arrays of bevel gears, converting the single-axis output into a four-axis output and allowing for a 90° change in transmission direction. This power distribution method is used at both ends of the robot, thus dividing the two power sources into eight outputs.

[0051] Specifically, the output shaft 10 is provided with a central bevel gear 11, and four equally spaced distribution bevel gears 12 are provided in the circumferential direction of the central bevel gear 11, which mesh with the central bevel gear 11 respectively. The central bevel gear 11 transmits power synchronously to the four distribution bevel gears 12, thereby realizing the division of the speed and torque of the output shaft 10 into four parts.

[0052] Each of the transfer bevel gears 12 is coaxially connected to the transfer output worm gear 13 via a connecting shaft, and two support bearings are provided in the middle so that the transfer bevel gears 12 drive the worm gear 13 to rotate together;

[0053] Behind each worm 13 is a worm wheel 14 that meshes with it, and there is also a drive timing pulley 3 that is coaxially mounted with the worm wheel;

[0054] One end of the worm gear seat 15 is mounted on the transfer plate 16, and the connection is a bolt connection or other flexible connection; the other end is connected to the worm gear 14, the active synchronous pulley 3, and the traveling rocker arm 9 through bearings and retaining rings; the power distribution structure realizes the transmission of power from the central drive motor 5 to the active synchronous pulley 3.

[0055] The worm gear 13 transmits the rotary motion to the worm wheel on the right side, which is coaxially mounted with the drive synchronous pulley 3;

[0056] The active synchronous pulley 3 and the driven synchronous pulley 4 at the end of the traveling rocker arm 9 are connected by a synchronous toothed belt. The synchronous toothed belt is arranged in the inner groove of the traveling rocker arm 9 and swings radially parallel with the traveling rocker arm 9.

[0057] It also includes: main belt guide pulley 21 and driven belt guide pulley 22,

[0058] The main belt guide pulley 21 is located in the groove of the traveling rocker arm 9 near the active synchronous pulley 3.

[0059] The belt guide pulley 22 is located in the groove of the traveling rocker arm 9 near the driven synchronous pulley 4.

[0060] The synchronous belt is positioned within the groove of the traveling rocker arm 9. The back of the synchronous belt presses against the main belt guide pulley 21 and the secondary belt guide pulley 22, respectively, to keep the synchronous belt taut while avoiding interference with the traveling rocker arm 9.

[0061] The functions of the driving belt guide pulley 21 and the driven belt guide pulley 22 are, on the one hand, to make the synchronous belt bend at an appropriate position so that it can pass smoothly through the internal groove of the traveling rocker arm 9, and on the other hand, to increase the wrap angle of the synchronous belt on the driving synchronous pulley 3 and the driven synchronous pulley 4, thereby improving the reliability of the transmission.

[0062] To drive the walking wheels and enable the robot to move forward and backward, the rotational speed and torque output by the drive unit are transmitted to the walking wheels at the end of the walking arm via a synchronous toothed belt. During robot movement, to adapt to changes in pipe diameter, the drive pulley and the swing center of the walking arm are coaxial. During normal forward movement, the walking arm can swing freely, thus adapting to changes in pipe diameter and smoothly passing through bends in the pipe.

[0063] The driven synchronous belt pulley 4 is coaxially mounted with the walking wheel 7, driving the walking wheel 7 to rotate, thereby enabling the robot to move forward and backward inside the pipeline;

[0064] Each power output is then transmitted through a worm gear and the active synchronous pulley 3 and the driven synchronous pulley 4 to realize the operation of the walking wheel 7, driving the robot to move forward and backward in the pipeline.

[0065] To ensure the robot's wheels 24 remain in close contact with the inner wall of the pipe during its movement, thus providing sufficient traction and maximizing the robot's travel distance, a torsion spring 17 is fitted at the end of each walking rocker arm 9. The torsion spring 17 has two leads and a central rotation hole that fits onto a transverse pin on the walking rocker arm 9. One lead rests in a groove on the walking rocker arm 9; the other lead is L-shaped and embedded in a torsion spring slot 6.

[0066] The torsion spring slot 6 is fixed on the central drive motor 5. When the walking rocker arm 9 swings radially, the torsion spring 17 is compressed or relaxed, and the pin embedded in the spring slot 6 slides in the slot.

[0067] Under the torsional elastic torque of the torsion spring itself, the walking rocker arm 9 always tends to expand outward. When the robot encounters a change in the orifice diameter inside the pipe, the torsion spring can be compressed, and the swing angle of the walking rocker arm 9 decreases to adapt to the change in orifice diameter.

[0068] like Figure 4 The diagram shows the structural layout of the robot's tail circuitry. To limit the maximum swing angle of the walking rocker arm 9 and ensure that the torsion spring 17 always maintains a certain elastic torque,

[0069] The end side of the walking rocker arm 9 has a groove for fixing the cold-pressed terminal 18. The cold-pressed terminal 18 is cold-pressed to the flexible steel wire rope 19, which is in turn connected to the limiting pull plate 20. The limiting pull plate 20 is sleeved on the front planetary reducer of the central drive motor 5, thereby limiting the maximum swing angle of the walking rocker arm 9 and keeping the torsion spring 17 at a certain initial elastic torque.

[0070] The first cable hole 23 on the transfer plate 16, the second cable hole 24 on the cable storage plate 8, and the third cable hole 25 are used to lay out the cable of the central drive motor 5, so that it is guided into the cable tube 26 of the cable storage plate 8 and finally led out from the tail of the robot.

[0071] It also includes a cable tray 8, which is installed on the transfer plate (16) at the tail of the robot to separate the worm gear transmission part at the tail from the cable routing at the rear of the robot.

[0072] The above description of the embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications to the present invention without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0073] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A small and medium-sized pipe inspection and repair robot, characterized in that, include: Detection and repair module (1), carrier plate (2), active synchronous pulley (3), driven synchronous pulley (4), center drive motor (5), torsion spring slot (6), walking wheel (7), walking rocker arm (9), output shaft (10), center bevel gear (11), transfer bevel gear (12), worm (13), worm wheel (14), worm wheel seat (15), transfer plate (16), torsion spring (17); The detection and repair module (1) is connected to the carrier plate (2), which is installed on the top of the worm gear seat (15) to separate the worm gear transmission part from the front detection and repair module (1). The central drive motor (5) has an output shaft at each of the left and right ends. The output shaft (10) is equipped with a central bevel gear (11). In the circumferential direction of the central bevel gear (11), there are four equally spaced distribution bevel gears (12), which mesh with the central bevel gear (11) respectively. The central bevel gear (11) transmits power synchronously to the four distribution bevel gears (12). Each of the transfer bevel gears (12) is connected to the transfer output worm gear (13) via a connecting shaft, and two support bearings are provided in the middle so that the transfer bevel gears (12) drive the worm gear (13) to rotate together; Behind each worm (13) is a worm wheel (14) that meshes with it, and there is also a drive timing pulley (3) that is coaxially mounted with the worm wheel. One end of the worm gear seat (15) is mounted on the transfer plate (16), and the other end is connected to the worm gear (14), the active synchronous pulley (3), and the traveling rocker arm (9) through the bearing and the retaining ring. The worm (13) transmits the rotational motion to the worm wheel that cooperates with it on the right side. The worm wheel and the driving synchronous pulley (3) are coaxially mounted. The active synchronous pulley (3) is connected to the driven synchronous pulley (4) at the end of the traveling rocker arm (9) by a synchronous toothed belt; The driven synchronous belt pulley (4) and the traveling wheel (7) are installed on the same axis; A torsion spring (17) is fitted at the end of each walking rocker arm (9). The torsion spring (17) has two pins and a rotating center hole. The rotating center hole is fitted on a horizontal pin on the walking rocker arm (9). One pin is in the groove on the walking rocker arm (9). The other pin is L-shaped and is embedded in the torsion spring slot (6). The torsion spring slot (6) is fixed on the central drive motor (5). When the walking rocker arm (9) swings radially, the torsion spring (17) is compressed or relaxed, and the pin embedded in the spring slot (6) slides in the slot.

2. The small and medium-sized pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The central drive motor (5) consists of two stepper motors arranged back to back. The front ends of the two stepper motors are equipped with planetary reducer assemblies, and the ends of the planetary reducers are output shafts.

3. The small and medium-sized pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The end side of the walking rocker arm (9) has a groove for fixing the cold-pressed terminal (18). The cold-pressed terminal (18) is cold-pressed to the flexible steel wire rope (19). The flexible steel wire rope (19) is connected to the limiting pull plate (20). The limiting pull plate (20) is sleeved on the front planetary reducer of the central drive motor (5), thereby realizing the maximum swing angle limitation of the walking rocker arm (9) and at the same time keeping the torsion spring (17) at a certain initial elastic torque.

4. The small-diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The synchronous toothed belt is arranged in the inner groove of the walking rocker arm (9) and swings radially parallel with the walking rocker arm (9).

5. The small-diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Main belt guide pulley (21) and secondary belt guide pulley (22). The main belt guide pulley (21) is located in the groove of the traveling rocker arm (9) near the active synchronous pulley (3); The belt guide pulley (22) is located in the groove of the traveling rocker arm (9) near the driven synchronous pulley (4); The transmission timing belt is positioned in the groove of the traveling rocker arm (9). The back of the timing belt presses against the main belt guide pulley (21) and the secondary belt guide pulley (22) respectively, so that the timing belt is tensioned while avoiding interference with the traveling rocker arm (9).

6. The small-diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a cable tray (8), which is installed on the transfer plate (16) at the tail of the robot to separate the worm gear transmission part at the tail from the cable routing at the rear of the robot.

7. The small-diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first cable hole (23) on the transfer plate (16), the second cable hole (24) and the third cable hole (25) on the cable storage plate (8) are used to lay out the cable of the central drive motor (5) so that it is guided into the cable tube (26) of the cable storage plate (8) and finally led out from the tail of the robot.

8. The small-diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection and repair module includes a robotic arm and an injection head at the end of the robotic arm for applying adhesive. The robotic arm is fixed to the carrier plate.

9. The small-diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 8, characterized in that, The robotic arm is also equipped with a wide-angle camera at its end.

10. The small-diameter pipeline inspection and repair robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the worm gear seat (15) is connected to the transfer plate (16) by bolts.

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