A crawling robot and method for underwater pier inspection of highway bridges

Abstract

This invention discloses a crawling robot and method for inspecting underwater piers of highway bridges. This invention is mainly used for the integrated maintenance and management of underwater piers in highway bridge engineering. The robot includes a main body, an underwater lighting system, a tool compartment, a depth measurement module, a servo power system, an inclination measurement module, an underwater working robotic arm, an array vision module, a synchronous tensioning and fixing system, and driven wheels. The robot features a crawling motion around highway bridge piers and can operate stably in underwater environments. After cleaning the surface of the underwater piers, the robot performs visual inspection of defects; after determining the type and location of the defects, it transmits the defect information back. This inspection robot can stably crawl around underwater piers of highway bridges at any depth and perceive depth and visual information even in high-speed, turbid water conditions, achieving the purpose of detecting defects in underwater piers of highway bridges. It can be used for the maintenance of underwater piers of highway bridges.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of underwater inspection and maintenance robot technology, specifically to a robot and method for cleaning and inspecting underwater piers of highway bridges. Background Technology

[0002] my country has a large number of highway bridges, with an increasing proportion of them having been in service for over 20 years, leading to a growing demand for large-scale maintenance. However, the service safety of underwater piers, a crucial component of bridge structures, is paramount, yet currently lacks the technical means to manage and maintain them. Theoretical research, technical standards, and equipment are severely lacking, significantly hindering the development of scientific management and maintenance of bridges in my country. Therefore, conducting research on key technologies for the management and maintenance of underwater highway bridge piers is of great economic and social significance for promoting the sustainable transformation and upgrading of my country's transportation infrastructure and accelerating the construction of a strong transportation nation.

[0003] Traditional underwater bridge pier inspection and evaluation is mainly done manually, which has problems such as high risk, low efficiency and poor accuracy: (2) Manual cleaning of underwater piers is difficult, costly and inefficient, and cannot meet the large-scale cleaning needs; (1) Manual inspection of underwater piers is risky and time-consuming, and it is difficult to carry out underwater inspection in complex environments such as high speed and turbid water flow. Developing automated instruments and equipment for cleaning, inspection and evaluation is a necessary way to overcome the difficulties of manual underwater inspection.

[0004] Underwater robots can work for long periods of time and over long distances, but currently, underwater robots for bridges are mainly unmanned remotely operated vehicles for inspection, which cannot perform bridge pier cleaning tasks. In addition, the underwater current speed can reach more than 2 knots. Under such high-speed and turbid water conditions, existing robots are difficult to meet the needs of highway bridge management and maintenance. Underwater column-hugging robots for bridges are more stable and reliable.

[0005] In summary, there are currently no mature precedents, either domestically or internationally, for underwater piers of highway bridges that integrate cleaning and inspection; intelligent inspection systems remain a gap in the market. Therefore, an intelligent underwater robot capable of simultaneous cleaning and inspection is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes a circumferential crawling robot and method suitable for underwater pier inspection of highway bridges.

[0007] The technical solution of this invention is: A crawling robot for underwater pier inspection of highway bridges includes a main body, an underwater lighting system, a tool compartment, a depth measurement module, a servo power system, an inclination measurement module, an underwater robotic arm, an array vision module, a synchronous tensioning and fixing system, and driven wheels. The main body employs a double-combined octagonal hollow frame structure design to fix itself to the underwater pier of the highway bridge and reduce resistance caused by high-speed water flow. The main body is also composed of carbon fiber tubing, providing high strength and light weight. The actuators and sensors transmit power and communication through the main body structure. The servo power system consists of four groups, evenly distributed along the circumference of the upper part of the main body, to provide power for crawling the underwater pier of the highway bridge. The power system for the column includes a wiring cover, a servo motor, a waterproof motor sleeve, a stop, a stationary coupling, tires, and a moving coupling. There are four sets of driven wheels, evenly distributed circumferentially at the lower end of the robot body. Each set of driven wheels corresponds vertically to one set of servo power systems and is rotatably connected to the robot body via a swing frame. The synchronous tensioning and fixing system consists of a waterproof pen-type electric pull rod and an underwater tension sensor. It connects the vertically corresponding servo power systems and the inner side of the swing frame of the driven wheels, providing synchronous tension. This synchronous tension tightly presses the tires and driven wheels of each set of servo power systems against the underwater pier surface of the highway bridge, achieving the goal of the robot stably hugging and fixing the bridge.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the array vision module consists of two sets located on the lower side of the fuselage, which are composed of an underwater camera array to provide full-view visual information for detecting underwater pier defects of highway bridges and for visual transmission; the underwater lighting system consists of four sets located on both sides of the array vision module to provide visual illumination conditions in turbid water environments; the depth measurement module is installed at the center of the outer wall of the tool compartment to collect water level and depth information; the tilt measurement module is installed on the upper wall of the tool compartment near the underwater working robot arm to provide robot posture information, which is used for robot anti-deflection control.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, two sets of underwater robotic arms are symmetrically distributed on the upper side of the fuselage; the tool compartment is installed on the inner side of the same side of the underwater robotic arm, the tool compartment includes a cylindrical chamber, a cover plate and a cover plate groove, and is equipped with cleaning tools; the underwater robotic arm is equipped with a gripper at the end, and the underwater robotic arm grabs the tools in the tool compartment.

[0010] The detection method for an encircling crawling robot used for underwater pier inspection of highway bridges includes the following steps: S1. The operator assembles the robot's two-sided structure into an octagonal shape on the water surface platform. The operator then remotely controls the waterproof pen-type electric lever via cable to make the robot's four tires and four driven wheels stick to the underwater piers of the highway bridge until the robot slides down without being affected by gravity. S2. The operator remotely activates the servo power system, depth measurement module, tilt measurement module, array vision module, and underwater lighting system via cable. After setting the parameters, the cleaning operation is ready to begin. During the robot's crawling process, the tilt measurement module continuously collects the robot's attitude information. The robot controller uses the attitude information to control the pitch and roll angles, ensuring that the robot remains in a stable and balanced state. S3. After the robot reaches a suitable depth, the underwater robotic arms on both sides begin the cleaning task. The tool compartment cover is opened, and the underwater robotic arms on both sides retrieve the high-pressure water gun tools from the tool compartment. After the underwater robotic arms remove the high-pressure water guns, the cover is closed. After the cover is closed, the servo power system is activated, and the robot crawls down the underwater pier. During the crawling process, the two sets of high-pressure water guns thoroughly wash the underwater pier of the highway bridge. When the robot reaches the bottom of the water, the underwater pier washing task of the highway bridge is completed, and the underwater robotic arms return the high-pressure water guns to the tool compartment. S4. After the robot returns the high-pressure water gun, it grabs the steel brush cleaning tool from the tool compartment and performs the cleaning task. After the cover is closed, the servo power system is activated, and the robot climbs up the underwater pier. During the climbing process, the two sets of steel brushes completely clean the underwater pier of the highway bridge. When the robot returns to the water surface, the underwater pier cleaning task of the highway bridge is completed, and the underwater operation robotic arm puts the steel brush back into the tool compartment. S5. After the cleaning operation is completed, the robot returns to the surface and begins inspection. The array vision module approaches the underwater piers of the highway bridge to perform visual inspection and transmits the visual information back to the ground station. Simultaneously, the underwater lighting system adjusts its angle to provide suitable visual conditions. The robot slowly crawls downwards. When it detects defects on the underwater piers of the highway bridge, the array vision module automatically identifies the type of defect, and the depth measurement module records the underwater depth information of the defect. Both the defect information and the depth information are then transmitted back to the ground station. After completing the inspection task, the robot returns to the surface.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are: This invention relates to a crawling robot and method for inspecting underwater piers of highway bridges, enabling robotic underwater cleaning operations and automated detection of typical defects in underwater bridge piers. It can maintain underwater piers of highway bridges under high-speed, turbid water conditions, effectively improving the efficiency of underwater bridge defect treatment. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater robot of the present invention installed on an underwater pier; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater robot of the present invention operating on a highway bridge pier; Figure 3 This is a side view of the underwater robot of the present invention; Figure 4This is a top view of the underwater robot of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the servo power system of the underwater robot of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the synchronous stretching and fixing system of the underwater robot of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of the tool compartment of the underwater robot of the present invention; In the diagram: 1. Fuselage; 2. Underwater lighting system; 3. Tool compartment; 31. Cylindrical compartment; 32. Cover plate; 33. Cover plate groove; 4. Depth measurement module; 5. Servo power system; 51. Wiring cover; 52. Servo motor; 53. Motor waterproof sleeve; 54. Stop; 55. Static coupling; 56. Tire; 57. Moving coupling; 6. Inclination measurement module; 7. Underwater robotic arm; 8. Array vision module; 9. Synchronous tension fixing system; 91. Waterproof pen-type electric pull rod; 92. Underwater tension sensor; 10. Driven wheel; 11. Underwater pier. Implementation

[0013] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, this invention provides a crawling robot for underwater pier inspection of highway bridges, comprising a body 1, an underwater lighting system 2, a tool compartment 3, a depth measurement module 4, a servo power system 5, an inclination measurement module 6, an underwater robotic arm 7, an array vision module 8, a synchronous tensioning and fixing system 9, and driven wheels 10. The body 1 adopts a double-combined octagonal hollow frame structure design to fix it to the underwater pier of the highway bridge and reduce the resistance caused by high-speed water flow. The body 1 is also composed of carbon fiber tubing, which is high in strength and lightweight. The actuators and sensors transmit power and communication through the body structure. The servo power system 5 consists of four sets, evenly distributed along the circumference at the upper end of the body 1, providing power for crawling the underwater pier of the highway bridge. The servo power system 5 includes a wiring cover 51, a servo motor 52, a waterproof motor sleeve 53, a stop 54, a stationary coupling 55, a tire 56, and a moving coupling 57. There are four sets of driven wheels 10, which are evenly distributed along the circumference at the lower end of the robot body 1. Each set of driven wheels 10 corresponds vertically to a set of servo power systems 5 and is rotatably connected to the robot body 1 through a swing frame. The synchronous tension fixing system 9 consists of a waterproof pen-type electric pull rod 91 and an underwater tension sensor 92. It connects the inner side of the swing frame of the vertically corresponding servo power systems 5 and driven wheels 10 and provides synchronous tension. The synchronous tension provides tightly presses the tire 56 and driven wheels 10 of each set of servo power systems 5 onto the underwater pier surface of the highway bridge, so as to achieve the purpose of the robot stably hugging and fixing the bridge.

[0015] In this embodiment, two array vision modules 8 are located on the lower side of the main body 1, consisting of an underwater camera array, providing full-view visual information for detecting underwater pier defects of highway bridges and for visual transmission; four underwater lighting systems 2 are located on both sides of the array vision modules 8, providing visual illumination conditions in turbid water environments; the depth measurement module 4 is installed at the center of the outer wall of the tool compartment 3 to collect water level depth information; the tilt measurement module 6 is installed on the upper wall of the tool compartment 3 near the underwater working robot arm 7 to provide robot posture information, which is used for robot anti-deflection control.

[0016] In this embodiment, two sets of underwater robotic arms 7 are symmetrically distributed on the upper side of the fuselage body 1; the tool compartment 3 is installed on the inner side of the same side of the underwater robotic arms 7. The tool compartment 3 includes a cylindrical chamber 31, a cover plate 32 and a cover plate groove 33, and is equipped with cleaning tools. The underwater robotic arms 7 are equipped with grippers at their ends, and the underwater robotic arms 7 grab the tools in the tool compartment 3.

[0017] The detection method for an encircling crawling robot used for underwater pier inspection of highway bridges includes the following steps: S1. The operator assembles the robot's two-sided structure into an octagonal shape on the water surface platform. The operator remotely controls the waterproof pen-type electric lever 91 via cable to make the robot's four tires 56 and four driven wheels 10 stick to the underwater pier of the highway bridge until the robot slides down without being affected by gravity. S2. The operator remotely activates the servo power system 5, depth measurement module 4, tilt measurement module 6, array vision module 8, and underwater lighting system 2 via cable. After setting the parameters, the cleaning operation is ready to begin. During the robot's crawling process, the tilt measurement module 6 continuously collects the robot's attitude information. The robot controller uses the attitude information to control the pitch angle and roll angle, keeping the robot in a stable and balanced state. S3. After the robot reaches a suitable depth, the underwater robotic arms 7 on both sides begin the cleaning task. The cover 32 of the tool compartment 3 is opened, and the underwater robotic arms 7 on both sides retrieve the high-pressure water gun tools from the tool compartment 3. After the underwater robotic arms 7 remove the high-pressure water guns, the cover 32 is closed. After the cover 32 is closed, the servo power system 5 is activated, and the robot crawls down along the underwater pier. During the crawling process, the two sets of high-pressure water guns thoroughly wash the underwater pier of the highway bridge. When the robot reaches the bottom of the water, the underwater pier washing task of the highway bridge is completed, and the underwater robotic arms 7 return the high-pressure water guns to the tool compartment 3. S4. After the robot returns the high-pressure water gun, it grabs the steel brush tool from the tool compartment 3 and performs the brushing task. After the cover plate 32 is closed, the servo power system 5 is enabled, and the robot climbs up the underwater pier. During the climbing process, the two sets of steel brushes completely brush the underwater pier of the highway bridge. When the robot returns to the water surface, the underwater pier cleaning task of the highway bridge is completed, and the underwater operation robotic arm 7 puts the steel brush back into the tool compartment 3. S5. After the cleaning operation is completed, the robot returns to the surface and begins inspection. The array vision module 8 approaches the underwater piers of the highway bridge to perform visual inspection and transmits the visual information back to the ground station. Simultaneously, the underwater lighting system 2 adjusts its angle to provide suitable visual conditions. The robot slowly crawls downwards. When it detects defects on the underwater piers of the highway bridge, the array vision module 8 automatically identifies the type of defect, and the depth measurement module 4 records the underwater depth information of the defect. Both the defect information and the depth information are then transmitted back to the ground station. After completing the inspection task, the robot returns to the surface.

[0018] The technical means disclosed in this invention are not limited to those disclosed in the above embodiments, but also include technical solutions composed of any combination of the above technical features. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of this invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A crawling robot for underwater pier inspection of highway bridges, characterized in that: The system includes a fuselage (1), an underwater lighting system (2), a tool compartment (3), a depth measurement module (4), a servo power system (5), an inclination measurement module (6), an underwater robotic arm (7), an array vision module (8), a synchronous tensioning and fixing system (9), and driven wheels (10). The fuselage (1) adopts a double-combined octagonal hollow frame structure design, which is used to fix it to the underwater pier of the highway bridge and reduce the resistance caused by the high-speed water flow. At the same time, the fuselage (1) is composed of carbon fiber tubes, which are high in strength and light in weight. Each actuator and sensor transmits power and communication through the fuselage structure. The servo power system (5) has four groups, which are evenly distributed on the upper part of the fuselage (1) along the circumference to provide power for crawling the underwater pier of the highway bridge. The servo power system (5) includes a wiring cover (51) and a servo motor. (52), motor waterproof sleeve (53), stop (54), static coupling (55), tire (56) and moving coupling (57), the driven wheels (10) are in four groups, evenly distributed along the circumference at the lower end of the body (1), and each group of driven wheels (10) corresponds to a group of servo power systems (5) and is rotatably connected to the body (1) through the swing frame respectively; the synchronous tension fixing system (9) consists of a waterproof pen-type electric pull rod (91) and an underwater tension sensor (92), which connects the inner side of the swing frame of the corresponding servo power systems (5) and driven wheels (10) and provides synchronous tension. The synchronous tension provides tightly squeezes the tire (56) and driven wheel (10) of each group of servo power systems (5) onto the underwater pier surface of the highway bridge, so as to achieve the purpose of the robot stabilizing and fixing the bridge; The array vision module 8 consists of two sets located on the lower side of the main body (1), which are composed of an underwater camera array to provide full-view visual information for detecting underwater pier defects of highway bridges and visual transmission; the underwater lighting system (2) consists of four sets located on both sides of the array vision module (8) to provide visual illumination conditions in turbid water environment; the depth measurement module (4) is installed at the center of the outer wall of the tool compartment (3) to collect water level depth information; the tilt measurement module (6) is installed on the upper wall of the tool compartment (3) near the underwater working robot arm (7) to provide robot posture information, which is used for robot anti-deflection control; Two sets of underwater robotic arms (7) are symmetrically distributed on the upper side of the fuselage body (1); the tool compartment (3) is installed on the inner side of the same side of the underwater robotic arm (7). The tool compartment (3) includes a cylindrical chamber (31), a cover plate (32) and a cover plate groove (33), and is equipped with cleaning tools. The underwater robotic arm (7) is equipped with a gripper at the end and grabs the working tools in the tool compartment (3).

2. The method of using the circumferential crawling robot for underwater pier inspection of highway bridges according to claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The operator assembles the robot's two-sided structure into an octagonal shape on the water surface platform and remotely controls the waterproof pen-type electric lever (91) via cable to make the robot's four tires (56) and four driven wheels (10) stick to the underwater pier of the highway bridge until the robot slides down without being affected by gravity. S2. The operator remotely starts the servo power system (5), depth measurement module (4), tilt measurement module (6), array vision module (8) and underwater lighting system (2) via cable. After setting the parameters, the operator is ready to start the cleaning operation. During the robot's crawling process, the tilt measurement module (6) always collects the robot's posture information. The robot controller uses the posture information to control the pitch angle and roll angle, so that the robot is always in a stable and balanced state. S3. After the robot reaches a suitable depth, the underwater robotic arms (7) on both sides perform the cleaning task; open the cover (32) of the tool compartment (3), and the underwater robotic arms (7) on both sides grab the high-pressure water gun tools from the tool compartment (3); after the underwater robotic arms (7) take out the high-pressure water guns, the cover (32) is closed; after the cover (32) is closed, the servo power system (5) is enabled, and the robot crawls down along the underwater pier. During the crawling process, the two sets of high-pressure water guns completely wash the underwater pier of the highway bridge; when the robot reaches the bottom of the water, the underwater pier washing task of the highway bridge is completed, and the underwater robotic arms (7) put the high-pressure water guns back into the tool compartment (3). S4. After the robot puts back the high-pressure water gun, it grabs the steel brush tool from the tool compartment (3) and performs the brushing task. After the cover plate (32) is closed, the servo power system (5) is enabled, and the robot climbs up the underwater pier. During the climbing process, the two sets of steel brushes completely brush the underwater pier of the highway bridge. When the robot returns to the water surface, the underwater pier cleaning task of the highway bridge is completed, and the underwater operation robot arm (7) puts the steel brush back into the tool compartment (3). S5. After the cleaning operation is completed, the robot returns to the water surface and begins the inspection operation. The array vision module (8) approaches the underwater pier of the highway bridge to perform visual inspection and transmits the visual information back to the ground station. At the same time, the underwater lighting system (2) adjusts its angle to provide suitable visual conditions. The robot slowly crawls from top to bottom. When it detects defects in the underwater pier of the highway bridge, the array vision module (8) automatically identifies the type of defect, the depth measurement module (4) records the underwater depth information of the defect, and transmits the defect information and depth information back to the ground station. After the robot completes the inspection task, it returns to the water surface.

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