A method for desilting large-span rainwater and sewage pipes with limited construction sites

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of methods for cleaning sewer pipes, and discloses a method for desilting large-span rainwater and sewage pipes with limited construction sites. In the present invention, the inventors discovered that garbage that is difficult to flush away in the pipes tends to accumulate in piles. Although these piles of garbage are difficult to see in the visible area of ​​the CCTV pipeline detection robot because they are buried under the silt, they will form distinctive images in the shadows of the distant view under special lighting. This is used to locate the garbage that is difficult to flush away during the pipeline detection process. The desilting process is then adjusted, first using a high-pressure water gun to flush the garbage in the rainwater and sewage pipes to reduce the amount of garbage, and then using a desilting robot to push the located garbage pile to the nearest garbage outlet. This eliminates the need to clean the entire section of the pipe, nor does it require pushing the garbage over long distances, and can achieve a cleaning effect similar to manual clearing without omissions. This allows for the smooth desilting of large-span rainwater and sewage pipes with limited construction sites.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of methods for cleaning sewer pipes, and in particular to a method for desilting large-span rainwater and sewage pipes with limited construction sites. Background Art

[0002] Silt easily accumulates inside sewer pipes, requiring regular desilting. Three common desilting methods exist: manual dredging, where workers directly enter the pipes to remove silt; suction desilting, where a simple machine or desilting robot drags the pump tube of a suction pump along the sewer pipe to perform suction; and scrubbing desilting, where a specialized desilting robot clamps onto the inner wall of the sewer pipe and scrubs it with a rotating brush and a flushing device.

[0003] Stormwater pipes are a special type of sewer pipe, different from ordinary sewer pipes in the following aspects: First, because they need to discharge precipitation, their diameter is extremely large, usually over one meter, allowing construction workers to directly enter and work inside. Second, because they extend directly to the ground, they may contain a variety of garbage, including plastic bags and gravel.

[0004] These characteristics of rainwater and sewage pipes make it difficult to apply both suction and scrubbing methods. During suction desilting, the pump can easily become clogged with debris other than silt. Furthermore, due to its large cross-section, scrubbing robots cannot get stuck on the inner walls to remove silt. Therefore, existing desilting methods for rainwater and sewage pipes rely on manual cleaning followed by high-pressure flushing.

[0005] However, this approach is unfeasible for long-span sewage pipes with limited construction sites. A typical construction scenario involves sewage pipes that run beneath municipal arterial roads. Manual cleaning in this scenario would require extensive and lengthy road occupation. Furthermore, using dredging robots to remove unflushed debris from the pipes (sitting robots lack precise maneuvers and have poor visibility, limiting their capabilities to this extent) would result in unacceptably low efficiency due to the enormous spans. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The invention provides a method for desilting large-span rainwater and sewage pipelines with limited construction sites.

[0007] The technical problem to be solved is that the existing dredging methods are difficult to apply to large-span rainwater and sewage pipes with limited construction sites.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a method for desilting large-span rainwater and sewage pipes with limited construction sites, which is used to clean garbage in rainwater and sewage pipes that cannot be manually cleaned due to limited construction sites. The garbage is divided into the following three categories:

[0009] Floatable garbage that can float on the water;

[0010] Flushing waste, including silt, that cannot float on the water but can be washed away by the high-pressure water cannon of the silt removal robot;

[0011] Garbage that cannot be washed away by the high-pressure water gun of the dredging robot needs to be pushed;

[0012] The desilting method comprises the following steps:

[0013] Step 1: Seal the upstream opening of the rainwater and sewage pipes and drain the water in the rainwater and sewage pipes, and then ventilate the rainwater and sewage pipes;

[0014] Step 2: Build a sedimentation tank downstream of the rainwater and sewage pipes to settle flushable garbage and intercept floating garbage;

[0015] Step 3: Use a CCTV pipe inspection robot to inspect the internal siltation of the rainwater and sewage pipes and record the locations of garbage that need to be moved. The inspection wells, sewer wells, and downstream pipe openings of the rainwater and sewage pipes are all recorded as garbage outlets. The garbage outlet closest to each pile of garbage to be moved is recorded;

[0016] Step 4: Use the dredging robot to drag the high-pressure water gun along the rainwater and sewage pipes to flush the inside of the pipes, so that the floating garbage and flushable garbage are washed into the sedimentation tank;

[0017] Step 5: Use the silt removal robot to push each pile of garbage to the nearest garbage outlet and lift the garbage out along the garbage outlet;

[0018] Step 6: Use the CCTV pipe inspection robot to inspect the internal siltation of the rainwater and sewage pipes again, record the locations where there is residual waste that can be flushed away on the inner wall of the rainwater and sewage pipes, and then use the silt removal robot to drag the high-pressure water gun to flush the recorded locations;

[0019] Step 7: Salvage and remove the floating garbage in the sedimentation tank, then suck out the flushable garbage that has settled to the bottom of the sedimentation tank, add flocculants to dehydrate it, and then incinerate or landfill it.

[0020] Furthermore, in step 3: use the following method to find the location where the garbage needs to be moved:

[0021] The CCTV pipeline inspection robot is equipped with a strong searchlight that shines in front of the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. Manual or machine recognition is used to identify the highlighted area in the shadow at the bottom of the front pipeline in the image taken by the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. This is the location where the garbage needs to be moved.

[0022] Furthermore, both the CCTV pipeline inspection robot and the dredging robot are equipped with anti-theft locators, and the dredging robot is equipped with a camera for observing the working area in front of the dredging robot to assist in operation.

[0023] Furthermore, the following methods can be used to ensure that there are no omissions when cleaning up the garbage that needs to be moved:

[0024] In step three, the rainwater and sewage pipes and their garbage outlets are marked on the electronic map provided with the anti-theft locator based on the drawings of the rainwater and sewage pipes. The CCTV pipe inspection robot records the garbage that needs to be moved in order along the rainwater and sewage pipes. Whenever it detects a pile of garbage that needs to be moved, it marks it on the electronic map and records the garbage outlet closest to each pile in order.

[0025] In step five, every time the dredging robot approaches a pile of garbage that needs to be moved on the electronic map, the operator uses the camera on the dredging robot to find the pile of garbage that needs to be moved, and then operates the dredging robot to push it into the hoisting tray that is hung along the nearest garbage outlet into the rainwater and sewage pipe.

[0026] Furthermore, in step six, the CCTV pipeline inspection robot records the locations where flushable garbage remains in sequence along the rainwater and sewage pipelines. Every time a location where flushable garbage remains is detected, it is marked on the electronic map. Every time the dredging robot approaches a location where flushable garbage remains on the electronic map, the operator uses the camera on the dredging robot to find the flushable garbage at that location, and then operates the dredging robot to flush it.

[0027] Furthermore, in step 6, the following method is used to find the location where the waste that can be flushed away remains:

[0028] The CCTV pipeline inspection robot is equipped with a strong searchlight that shines in front of the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. Manual or machine recognition is used to identify the location where there is color difference in the illuminated area on the inner wall of the front pipeline in the image taken by the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. This is the location where there is residual flushable garbage.

[0029] Furthermore, in step one, an air bag is used to seal the upstream opening of the rainwater and sewage pipe, and then a strong exhaust fan is used for ventilation. After ventilation for 0.5 hours, a four-in-one harmful gas detector is used to detect the concentration of harmful gases. The ventilation is stopped after the operating specifications are met.

[0030] Furthermore, the dredging robot is provided with a stirring bucket, the top of the sedimentation tank is provided with an overflow port for discharging supernatant, and the overflow port is provided with a wire mesh for intercepting floating garbage.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the method for desilting a large-span rainwater and sewage pipe with a limited construction site of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0032] In this invention, the inventors discovered that difficult-to-flush garbage in pipes tends to accumulate in piles (similar to sandbars). Although these piles are buried in silt and difficult to see within the visible area of ​​a CCTV pipeline inspection robot, they form distinct images in distant shadows under specialized lighting (parallel light). This insight was exploited to locate the difficult-to-flush garbage during pipeline inspection. The inventors then adjusted the dredging process, first using high-pressure water jets to reduce the amount of garbage in the stormwater and sewage pipes. The dredging robot then pushes the located garbage piles to the nearest garbage outlet. This eliminates the need to clean entire sections of the pipe or move the garbage long distances, achieving a thorough cleaning effect similar to manual clearing. This allows for the smooth desilting of long-span stormwater and sewage pipes where manual clearing is not feasible due to limited construction sites. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Taking the flood drainage project (Phase II) in the flood-prone area of ​​Dengtang Town, Chao'an District, Chaozhou City as an example, a large-span rainwater and sewage pipe dredging method with limited construction sites is used to clean up the garbage in the rainwater and sewage pipes that cannot be manually cleaned due to limited construction sites.

[0034] Garbage is divided into the following three categories:

[0035] Floatable garbage that can float on the water;

[0036] Flushing waste, including silt, that cannot float on the water but can be washed away by the high-pressure water cannon of the silt removal robot;

[0037] Garbage that cannot be washed away by the high-pressure water gun of the dredging robot needs to be pushed away.

[0038] The project's stormwater and sewage pipes, which run beneath a major municipal road, were not easily cleared manually due to limited construction site space (manual cleaning would have required road closures). Consequently, some debris remained trapped within the pipes, and during construction, attempts were made to use a dredging robot with a bucket to push the debris to the nearest inspection port. However, the robot's operational precision and poor field of view (the image it transmitted was severely shaky, with a narrow viewing angle and low clarity) prevented such delicate operations. Consequently, the debris was often missed (because it was difficult to see the debris) and the inspection port was easily overlooked (because it was difficult to see the port). The only option was to push the pipe horizontally along the pipe, but due to the large span, this approach was inefficient.

[0039] In the present invention, a CCTV pipeline inspection robot is used in conjunction with a special inspection method to locate the garbage that needs to be moved in advance, so that the dredging robot can push the garbage to the nearest garbage outlet without having to perform delicate operations.

[0040] The desilting method includes the following steps:

[0041] Step 1: Seal the upstream opening of the rainwater and sewage pipes and drain the water in the rainwater and sewage pipes, and then ventilate the rainwater and sewage pipes;

[0042] Step 2: Build a sedimentation tank downstream of the rainwater and sewage pipes to settle flushable garbage and intercept floating garbage;

[0043] During actual construction, the inventors discovered that most of the garbage, including silt, in the rainwater and sewage pipes can be flushed away. The amount of garbage that cannot be flushed away is not large. Therefore, it can also be manually cleaned after high-pressure flushing. This method consumes more water, but the workload of manual silt removal is reduced. In the present invention, a silt removal robot is used to replace construction workers to handle the garbage that needs to be moved. The garbage that is flushed away is flushed into the sedimentation tank. A large amount of muddy water will be generated in this process, so a sedimentation tank is required. The conventional construction method is to clean first and then high-pressure flush. The muddy water flushed out is small and clear, and can usually be discharged directly without the need for a sedimentation tank.

[0044] Step 3: Use a CCTV pipe inspection robot to inspect the internal siltation of the rainwater and sewage pipes and record the locations of garbage that need to be moved. The inspection wells, sewer wells, and downstream pipe openings of the rainwater and sewage pipes are all recorded as garbage outlets. The garbage outlet closest to each pile of garbage to be moved is recorded;

[0045] While dredging robots are equipped with cameras, their primary function is to clear silt, and even with cameras, the images they produce are often quite poor. CCTV pipeline inspection robots, on the other hand, are primarily designed for image quality. They can be equipped with high-definition cameras with a wide viewing angle, and equipped with stabilization devices, resulting in images that are virtually identical to what the human eye sees. The primary purpose of using CCTV pipeline inspection robots for inspections here is to check for silt accumulation and prepare for subsequent high-pressure water jet flushing. The required water pressure, flushing duration, and sedimentation tank adequacy are determined based on the silt accumulation. If insufficient, expansion is recommended after inspection.

[0046] Step 4: Use a dredging robot to drag a high-pressure water gun along the rainwater and sewage pipes to flush the inside of the pipes, so that the floating garbage and flushable garbage are flushed into the sedimentation tank; here it is necessary to flush until the muddy water becomes clear. If the siltation is very serious and it is still difficult to flush it clean after a long time, then after there is no floating garbage in the flushed water, use the dredging robot to drag the suction pump for suction.

[0047] Step 5: Use the silt removal robot to push each pile of garbage to the nearest garbage outlet and lift the garbage out along the garbage outlet;

[0048] Some of the garbage exits here are located on the road, but since there is no need for people to go down the well and only the garbage needs to be moved after flushing, there is no need to set up large-scale fences and equip large lifting machinery. There is no need to close the road, and only small-scale fences can be set up.

[0049] Step 6: Use the CCTV pipe inspection robot to inspect the internal siltation of the rainwater and sewage pipes again, record the locations where there is residual waste that can be flushed away on the inner wall of the rainwater and sewage pipes, and then use the silt removal robot to drag the high-pressure water gun to flush the recorded locations;

[0050] This step also rinses away the debris left after the garbage is cleaned.

[0051] Step 7: Salvage and remove the floating garbage in the sedimentation tank, then suck out the flushable garbage that has settled to the bottom of the sedimentation tank, add flocculants to dehydrate it, and then incinerate or landfill it.

[0052] In step 3: Use the following method to find the location where the garbage needs to be moved:

[0053] The CCTV pipeline inspection robot is equipped with a strong searchlight that shines in front of the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. Manual or machine recognition is used to identify the highlighted area in the shadow at the bottom of the front pipeline in the image taken by the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. This is the location where the garbage needs to be moved.

[0054] The inventors discovered that the garbage to be moved isn't distributed discretely, but rather tends to form small piles, like sandbars in a river. These piles, buried beneath the silt, are slightly higher than their surroundings, but difficult to identify in the image because the silt covering them is not noticeably different in color from the surrounding area. Therefore, a different method was employed to quickly locate these piles. Using a powerful searchlight that emits a certain amount of parallel light, shining it far ahead of the pipe, these slightly protruding areas will become highlighted against the shadows at the bottom of the pipe, making them highly visible. In this embodiment, these areas are found manually, and the inventors plan to develop image recognition software to perform this identification.

[0055] Both the CCTV pipeline inspection robot and the dredging robot are equipped with anti-theft locators, and the dredging robot is equipped with a camera for observing the working area in front of the dredging robot to assist in operation.

[0056] The anti-theft locator is a satellite positioning device on the market. Its location can be displayed in real time on a matching electronic map (software on a mobile phone or tablet). It is usually installed on electric vehicles for the purpose of anti-theft. Here it is used to help construction workers quickly find the garbage pile that needs to be cleaned in step five, avoid missing garbage, and avoid missing the garbage exit.

[0057] Use the following methods to avoid missing any garbage that needs to be removed:

[0058] In step three, the rainwater and sewage pipes and their garbage outlets are marked on the electronic map provided with the anti-theft locator based on the drawings of the rainwater and sewage pipes. The CCTV pipe inspection robot records the garbage that needs to be moved in order along the rainwater and sewage pipes. Whenever it detects a pile of garbage that needs to be moved, it marks it on the electronic map and records the garbage outlet closest to each pile in order.

[0059] The garbage to be moved is located in front of the CCTV Pipeline Inspection Robot, not where the robot is located. You need to drive the robot to the location where the garbage needs to be moved (it's easier to find it on the screen if you know the garbage is not far ahead). Then, mark the robot's current location on the electronic map. You can also estimate the distance between the two locations and mark it directly on the electronic map.

[0060] When marking stormwater and sewage pipes and garbage outlets, the drawings need to be revised based on actual measurements, as there may be deviations from the drawings during on-site construction, and further adjustments may be required after construction. Electronic maps generally have a marking function, but usually only one or two points, not many. In the early stages of this embodiment, a marker was used directly on the tablet screen. However, if too many points were marked, the effect would be very poor. Therefore, the current plan is to find an electronic map developer to customize the function of marking multiple points and a route on the electronic map.

[0061] In step five, each time the dredging robot approaches a pile of trash that needs to be moved on the electronic map, the operator uses the robot's camera to locate the pile. The operator then operates the robot to push the trash into a hanging tray, which is suspended from the nearest garbage outlet and into the sewage pipe. Since the approximate location of the trash to be moved is known, the robot's less powerful camera can be used to locate the trash. (The trash may move slightly during flushing, but since it is inevitably not far ahead of the recorded location, it is not affected.) Similarly, since the approximate location of the garbage outlet is known, the robot's less powerful camera can be used to locate the hanging tray. In this embodiment, the hanging tray is a large bucket, so the trash does not easily fall out after being pushed in.

[0062] In step six, the CCTV pipeline inspection robot records the locations of residual flushable garbage in sequence along the rainwater and sewage pipelines. Each time a location with residual flushable garbage is detected, it is marked on the electronic map. Each time the dredging robot approaches a location with residual flushable garbage on the electronic map, the operator uses the camera on the dredging robot to find the flushable garbage at that location, and then operates the dredging robot to flush it.

[0063] This step is relatively easy. Even without the CCTV pipeline inspection robot, the camera on the dredging robot can be used to find the uncleaned areas, but it is easy to miss them.

[0064] In step six, use the following methods to find the location of residual flushable waste:

[0065] The CCTV pipeline inspection robot is equipped with a strong searchlight that shines in front of the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. Manual or machine recognition is used to identify the location where there is color difference in the illuminated area on the inner wall of the front pipeline in the image taken by the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. This is the location where there is residual flushable garbage.

[0066] This step is relatively obvious because the color difference between the sludge and the inner wall of the pipe is huge, and there is a clear color difference between the uncleaned area and the surrounding area.

[0067] In step one, an air bag is used to seal the upstream opening of the rainwater and sewage pipe, and then a strong exhaust fan is used for ventilation. After 0.5 hours of ventilation, a four-in-one harmful gas detector is used to detect the concentration of harmful gases. The ventilation is stopped after the operating specifications are met.

[0068] The ventilation here can refer to tunnel ventilation, with air blowing at one end and exhausting at the other end to form a complete gas circulation system, continuously replenishing the air content inside the pipeline.

[0069] The dredging robot is equipped with a mixing bucket, which is a bucket with an internal agitator. It is used to deal with some garbage piles that are difficult to push and silt piles that are difficult to flush away.

[0070] The top of the sedimentation tank is provided with an overflow for discharging the supernatant, and the overflow is provided with a wire mesh for intercepting floating garbage.

[0071] Here, since high-pressure flushing is performed first and then cleaning is carried out, the water consumption is greater than that of general dredging work. The sedimentation tank cannot hold all the flushed water, so the supernatant needs to be discharged in time.

[0072] The embodiments described above are merely descriptions of preferred implementations of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit of the present invention, various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by ordinary technicians in this field should fall within the scope of protection determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for desilting large-span rainwater and sewage pipes with limited construction sites, used to clean up garbage in rainwater and sewage pipes that cannot be manually cleaned due to limited construction sites, characterized by: The garbage is divided into the following three categories: Floatable garbage that can float on the water; Flushing waste, including silt, that cannot float on the water but can be washed away by the high-pressure water cannon of the silt removal robot; Garbage that cannot be washed away by the high-pressure water gun of the dredging robot needs to be pushed; The desilting method comprises the following steps: Step 1: Seal the upstream opening of the rainwater and sewage pipes and drain the water in the rainwater and sewage pipes, and then ventilate the rainwater and sewage pipes; Step 2: Build a sedimentation tank downstream of the rainwater and sewage pipes to settle flushable garbage and intercept floating garbage; Step 3: Use a CCTV pipe inspection robot to inspect the internal siltation of the rainwater and sewage pipes and record the locations of garbage that need to be moved. The inspection wells, sewer wells, and downstream pipe openings of the rainwater and sewage pipes are all recorded as garbage outlets. The garbage outlet closest to each pile of garbage to be moved is recorded; Step 4: Use the dredging robot to drag the high-pressure water gun along the rainwater and sewage pipes to flush the inside of the pipes, so that the floating garbage and flushable garbage are washed into the sedimentation tank; Step 5: Use the silt removal robot to push each pile of garbage to the nearest garbage outlet and lift the garbage out along the garbage outlet; Step 6: Use the CCTV pipe inspection robot to inspect the internal siltation of the rainwater and sewage pipes again, record the locations where there is residual waste that can be flushed away on the inner wall of the rainwater and sewage pipes, and then use the silt removal robot to drag the high-pressure water gun to flush the recorded locations; Step 7: Salvage and remove the floating garbage in the sedimentation tank, then suction the flushable garbage that has settled to the bottom of the sedimentation tank, add flocculants to dehydrate it, and then incinerate or landfill it; In step three, the following method is used to locate the location of the garbage to be moved: The garbage pile to be moved is buried under the silt and is higher than the surrounding area. However, it is difficult to identify in the image because the color of the silt covering it is not significantly different from the surrounding area, making it difficult to be seen within the visible area of ​​the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. However, under special lighting, a distinctive image will be formed in the shadows of the distant scenery. If a strong searchlight that emits a certain amount of parallel light is used to shine far ahead of the pipeline, the protruding area will become a highlighted area in the shadows at the bottom of the pipeline in front. The CCTV pipeline inspection robot is equipped with a strong searchlight that shines in front of the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. Manual or machine recognition is used to identify the highlighted area in the shadow at the bottom of the front pipeline in the image taken by the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. This is the location where the garbage needs to be moved.

2. The method for desilting a large-span rainwater and sewage pipe with a limited construction site according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the CCTV pipeline inspection robot and the dredging robot are equipped with anti-theft locators, and the dredging robot is equipped with a camera for observing the working area in front of the dredging robot to assist in operation.

3. The method for desilting a large-span rainwater and sewage pipe with a limited construction site according to claim 2, characterized in that: Use the following methods to avoid missing any garbage that needs to be removed: In step three, the rainwater and sewage pipes and their garbage outlets are marked on the electronic map provided with the anti-theft locator based on the drawings of the rainwater and sewage pipes. The CCTV pipe inspection robot records the garbage that needs to be moved in order along the rainwater and sewage pipes. Whenever it detects a pile of garbage that needs to be moved, it marks it on the electronic map and records the garbage outlet closest to each pile in order. In step five, every time the dredging robot approaches a pile of garbage that needs to be moved on the electronic map, the operator uses the camera on the dredging robot to find the pile of garbage that needs to be moved, and then operates the dredging robot to push it into the hoisting tray that is hung along the nearest garbage outlet into the rainwater and sewage pipe.

4. The method for desilting a large-span rainwater and sewage pipe with a limited construction site according to claim 2, characterized in that: In step six, the CCTV pipeline inspection robot records the locations of residual flushable garbage in sequence along the rainwater and sewage pipelines. Each time a location with residual flushable garbage is detected, it is marked on the electronic map. Each time the dredging robot approaches a location with residual flushable garbage on the electronic map, the operator uses the camera on the dredging robot to find the flushable garbage at that location, and then operates the dredging robot to flush it.

5. The method for desilting a large-span rainwater and sewage pipe with a limited construction site according to claim 4, characterized in that: In step six, use the following methods to find the location of residual flushable waste: The CCTV pipeline inspection robot is equipped with a strong searchlight that shines in front of the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. Manual or machine recognition is used to identify the location where there is color difference in the illuminated area on the inner wall of the front pipeline in the image taken by the CCTV pipeline inspection robot. This is the location where there is residual flushable garbage.

6. The method for desilting a large-span rainwater and sewage pipe with a limited construction site according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step one, an air bag is used to seal the upstream opening of the rainwater and sewage pipe, and then a strong exhaust fan is used for ventilation. After 0.5 hours of ventilation, a four-in-one harmful gas detector is used to detect the concentration of harmful gases. The ventilation is stopped after the operating specifications are met.

7. The method for desilting a large-span rainwater and sewage pipe with a limited construction site according to claim 1, characterized in that: The desilting robot is provided with a stirring bucket, and the top of the sedimentation tank is provided with an overflow port for discharging supernatant, and the overflow port is provided with a wire mesh for intercepting floating garbage.