Inspection robot

Abstract

The invention discloses an inspection robot, and relates to the technical field of inspection equipment, the inspection robot comprises a chassis module, a holder, a mounting platform and a platform driving mechanism, the mounting platform can be rotatably arranged on the chassis module around a vertical shaft, and the driving mechanism can drive the mounting platform to rotate around the vertical shaft; the holder is connected to the mounting platform through a mechanical quick-release interface, and the holder can carry functional equipment. The mounting platform and the chassis module can rotate relative to each other, so that separation on the yaw axis freedom degree is realized, functional equipment such as a sensor carried by the holder can rotate relative to the chassis module, and the coupling problem is solved; and the convenience of replacing the functional part is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of inspection equipment, and in particular to an inspection robot. Background Art

[0002] Inspection robots are mainly used in various industrial occasions for equipment status detection, fault warning and other occasions to reduce labor costs and improve work efficiency. Inspection robots equipped with different sensors and other functional equipment can cope with different application scenarios and tasks: for example, equipped with thermal imaging cameras for power grid inspection, equipped with laser radar for mapping reconstruction, equipped with small projectile launchers, etc. A small projectile launcher is a mechanism that uses friction wheels, pneumatics and other forms to launch small-caliber projectiles. It is mainly used for entertainment sports, fire prevention and rescue, and military law enforcement. It is used for shooting sports and games, launching fire extinguishing bombs, and launching non-lethal projectiles (tear gas, dye marker bombs).

[0003] The main defects of inspection robots in the prior art are as follows: First, the existing projectile launching gimbal usually installs both the launcher and the magazine on the gimbal, which makes the gimbal structure heavy and has a large moment of inertia, affecting the gimbal response and shooting aiming. Second, the existing inspection robots mostly use crawler, differential and Ackerman steering chassis, which have a large turning radius and cannot turn on the spot or move in all directions, and are difficult to move flexibly in a small space. At the same time, the existing robots usually have a low moving speed and cannot achieve high-speed inspection and rapid deployment. Third, the existing inspection robot installation platform is fixedly connected to the chassis, and various sensors are coupled to the chassis. The direction and detection range of the sensor are subject to the posture of the vehicle body, which brings inconvenience to the inspection work. Fourth, the existing inspection robots are usually not equipped with a gimbal or only carry one gimbal and cannot be replaced. A type of inspection robot can usually only perform one type of inspection work, and its application occasions are very limited.

[0004] Based on the above defects, a new solution is urgently needed to at least solve some of the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inspection robot to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art and to improve the flexibility of the equipment and the convenience of replacing functional components.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0007] The present invention provides an inspection robot, comprising: a chassis module, a pan-tilt head, a mounting platform and a platform driving mechanism, wherein the mounting platform is rotatably arranged on the chassis module around a vertical axis, the driving mechanism can drive the mounting platform to rotate around the vertical axis, the pan-tilt head is connected to the mounting platform via a mechanical quick-release interface, and the pan-tilt head can carry functional equipment.

[0008] Preferably, it also includes a projectile launcher; the projectile launcher includes a projectile storage bin and a launching mechanism, the projectile storage bin is arranged on the mounting platform, the launching mechanism is arranged on the gimbal, the projectile storage bin transports the projectile to the launching mechanism through a bullet supply link, and the launching mechanism is used to perform a launching action.

[0009] Preferably, the mechanical quick-release interface includes a male connector and a female connector, the female connector is annular, and the inner wall of the female connector is provided with a plurality of first claws protruding from the inner wall, the plurality of first claws extend around the circumference and are arranged in sequence, and a claw opening is formed between any adjacent first claws, a chuck and a plurality of second claws are provided at the bottom of the male connector, the chuck is located above the second claws, an elastic pin is provided on the top surface of the female connector, an unlocking rod for controlling the contraction of the elastic pin is provided on the side wall of the female connector, a pin hole is provided on the chuck, the male connector can be inserted into the female connector from the top of the female connector, the second claw can be moved down from the claw opening to a height lower than the first claw, the chuck can contact the top surface of the female connector, and rotating the male connector can move the second claw to directly below the first claw and make the pin hole move to face the elastic pin.

[0010] Preferably, the chassis module is a steering wheel chassis.

[0011] Preferably, the chassis module includes four steering wheels, and each of the four steering wheels is equipped with a shock absorber.

[0012] Preferably, the mounting platform is provided with a plurality of the female connectors, and the gimbal is provided with a plurality of gimbals, and different gimbals can carry devices with different functions.

[0013] Preferably, a high-performance computing platform and a laser radar mast are provided on the installation platform, and a laser radar is installed on the laser radar mast for robot navigation; four perception cameras are also provided around the installation platform.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects:

[0015] First, the mounting platform and the chassis module in the present invention can rotate relative to each other, thereby achieving separation in the yaw axis degree of freedom, so that functional devices such as sensors carried by the gimbal can rotate relative to the chassis module, solving the coupling problem.

[0016] Second, the present invention adopts a steering wheel chassis, which can realize on-site turning and omnidirectional movement in any space, and at the same time realize power control to prevent the wheel set from slipping.

[0017] Third, the inspection robot provided by the present invention moves the pellet storage bin to the installation platform of the gimbal, and transports the pellets to the launch mechanism on the gimbal through the pellet supply link to execute the launch action. Compared with the traditional launch gimbal, the rotational inertia is smaller and the response is faster.

[0018] Fourthly, the present invention can be provided with multiple pan-tilt platforms, which can be equipped with pan-tilt platforms with different functions and can operate independently, so as to realize more diverse application scenarios and adapt to more complex tasks.

[0019] Fifth, the present invention connects the pan / tilt head and the mounting platform via a mechanical quick-release interface, thereby improving the convenience of replacing functional components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the inspection robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the middle steering wheel;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of center steering wheel;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the state of the shock absorber in the steering wheel under normal conditions;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the state of the shock absorber in the steering wheel when encountering an obstacle;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the mid-chassis module structure;

[0027] Figure 7 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the middle platform module structure;

[0028] Figure 8 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the mechanical quick-release interface structure;

[0029] Fig. 9 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the small and medium-sized projectile launching gimbal;

[0030] In the figure: 100-chassis module; 200-platform module; 300-replaceable pan / tilt module; 1-wheel assembly fixing plate; 2-driving motor; 3-steering motor; 4-wheel assembly conductive slip ring; 5-driving wheel; 6-shock absorber; 7-suspension fixing frame; 8-suspension swing rod; 9-steering bearing; 10-suspension shaft bearing; 11-suspension shaft; 12-steering motor fixing frame; 13-steering wheel assembly module; 14-mounting platform bearing; 15-battery; 16-mounting platform driving synchronous wheel; 17-mounting platform driving motor; 18-mounting platform conductive slip ring; 19-mounting platform passive synchronous wheel; 20-mounting platform connection end face; 2 1-LiDAR mast; 22-LiDAR; 23-Perception camera; 24-Equipment compartment; 25-Computing platform cooling fan; 26-High-performance computing platform; 27-Projectile storage compartment; 28-Female connector; 29-First clamp; 30-Second clamp; 31-Elastic pin; 32-Unlocking lever; 33-Push claw; 34-Projectile guide plate; 35-Dial; 36-Feed pipe; 37-Gimbal yaw axis motor; 38-Gimbal pitch axis motor; 39-Gimbal pitch axis motor transmission connecting rod; 40-Friction wheel motor; 41-Friction wheel; 42-Industrial camera; 43-Line protection cover; 44-Feed link. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0033] The present invention provides an inspection robot, such as Figures 1 to 9 As shown, it includes: a chassis module 100, a gimbal, a mounting platform and a platform driving mechanism. The mounting platform can be rotatably arranged on the chassis module 100 around a vertical axis. The driving mechanism can drive the mounting platform to rotate around the vertical axis. The gimbal is connected to the mounting platform through a mechanical quick-release interface. The gimbal can carry functional devices to form a replaceable gimbal module 300.

[0034] The mounting platform and the chassis module 100 in the present invention can rotate relative to each other, thereby achieving separation in the yaw-axis degree of freedom, so that functional devices such as sensors carried by the gimbal can rotate relative to the chassis module 100, solving the coupling problem. In addition, the present invention connects the gimbal and the mounting platform through a mechanical quick-release interface, thereby improving the convenience of replacing functional components.

[0035] In some embodiments, the mounting platform is mounted on the chassis module 100 via the mounting platform bearing 14, and the platform driving mechanism is driven by a motor and a synchronous belt.

[0036] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present invention also include a projectile launcher; the projectile launcher includes a projectile storage bin 27 and a launching mechanism, the projectile storage bin 27 is arranged on the mounting platform, the launching mechanism is arranged on the gimbal, the projectile storage bin 27 transports the projectile to the launching mechanism through the bullet supply link 44, and the launching mechanism is used to perform the launching action.

[0037] The inspection robot provided by the present invention moves part of the pellet storage bin 27 onto the mounting platform of the pan-tilt installation, and transports the pellets to the launching mechanism on the pan-tilt installation through the pellet supply link 44 to execute the launching action. Compared with the traditional launching pan-tilt installation, the rotational inertia is smaller and the response is faster.

[0038] There are various structures of mechanical quick-release interfaces. The present invention only provides the following connection methods, but it does not mean that the present invention can only use the following methods for quick release and quick installation.

[0039] Specifically, Figure 8 As shown, the mechanical quick-release interface includes a male connector and a female connector 28. The male connector is arranged at the bottom of the gimbal, and the female connector 28 is arranged on the mounting platform. The female connector 28 is annular, and a plurality of first claws 29 protruding from the inner wall are arranged on the inner wall of the female connector 28. The plurality of first claws 29 extend around the circumference and are arranged in sequence, and claw openings are formed between any adjacent first claws 29. A chuck and a plurality of second claws 30 are arranged at the bottom of the male connector, and the chuck is located above the second claws 30. An elastic pin 31 is arranged on the top surface of the female connector 28. An unlocking rod 32 for controlling the contraction of the elastic pin 31 is provided on the side wall of the female connector 28, and a pin hole is provided on the chuck. The male connector can be inserted into the female connector 28 from the top of the female connector 28, and the second claw 30 can be moved down from the claw mouth to a height lower than the first claw 29, and the chuck can contact the top surface of the female connector 28. Rotating the male connector can move the second claw 30 to just below the first claw 29 and move the pin hole to face the elastic pin 31. The elastic pin 31 extends out and extends into the pin hole, thereby limiting the rotation of the male connector.

[0040] More specifically, a downwardly extending accommodating hole is provided on the top surface of the female connector 28, and a spring and a pin are provided in the accommodating hole in sequence. The spring provides elastic force for the pin to move upward, and the unlocking rod 32 and the pin of the elastic pin 31 are vertically arranged and fixedly connected to each other. A vertically extending long hole is provided on the side wall of the female connector 28, and the unlocking rod 32 extends from the long hole. Pulling the unlocking rod 32 downward can move the pin toward the accommodating hole, thereby causing the pin to withdraw from the pin hole on the chuck, thereby unlocking the chuck.

[0041] When in use, align the second claw 30 on the male joint of the pan head with the claw opening on the female joint 28 and press downward, the chuck is pressed against the surface of the female joint 28, and the elastic pin 31 contracts. At this time, the second claw 30 is lower than the first claw 29, and then the pan head is rotated and the male joint is driven to rotate so that the second claw 30 rotates to overlap with the first claw 29. At this time, the elastic pin 31 is just opposite to the pin hole and extends into the pin hole. At this time, the second claw 30 cooperates with the first claw 29 to limit the freedom of the pan head to move upward, the chuck and the surface of the female joint 28 cooperate to limit the freedom of the pan head to move downward, and the elastic pin 31 and the pin hole cooperate to limit the rotation freedom of the pan head. This is a locked state. When unlocking is required, pull down the unlocking rod 32, the elastic pin 31 withdraws from the pin hole, unlocking the rotation freedom of the pan head, and rotate the pan head so that the second claw 30 moves out from under the first claw 29, which unlocks the freedom of up and down movement. At this time, lift the pan head to complete the separation.

[0042] In some embodiments, a plurality of elastic pins 31 and pin holes may be provided, and they need to be provided in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0043] In some embodiments, the chassis module 100 is a steering wheel chassis.

[0044] The present invention adopts a steering wheel type chassis, which can realize on-site turning and omnidirectional movement in any space, and at the same time realize power control to prevent the wheel set from slipping.

[0045] In some embodiments, the chassis module 100 includes four steering wheels, and each of the four steering wheels is equipped with a shock absorber 6 .

[0046] Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the steering wheel module includes a wheel set fixing plate 1, a driving motor 2, a steering motor 3, a wheel set conductive slip ring 4, a polyurethane driving wheel 5, a shock absorber 6, a suspension fixing frame 7, a suspension swing rod 8, a steering bearing 9, a suspension shaft bearing 10, a suspension shaft 11, a steering motor fixing frame 12, etc. The wheel set fixing plate 1 is fixedly connected to the frame of the chassis, the outer ring of the steering bearing 9 is fixedly connected to the wheel set fixing plate 1, the inner ring is fixedly connected to the rotor of the steering motor 3 and the suspension fixing frame 7 by bolts, the suspension swing rod 8 is connected to the suspension fixing frame 7 by the suspension shaft 11, and the suspension swing rod 8 can rotate with the suspension shaft 11 as the shaft, the upper end of the shock absorber 6 is connected to the suspension fixing frame 7, and the lower end is connected to the suspension swing rod 8, the driving motor 2 is fixed on the suspension swing rod 8, and is used to drive the driving wheel 5 to rotate around its own axis to realize forward and backward movement, and the signal line and power supply line of the driving motor 2 are led out from the center hole of the steering motor 3 through the wheel set conductive slip ring 4 to avoid the line from being tangled due to the steering exceeding 360 degrees.

[0047] like Figure 3As shown, in this embodiment, the steering motor 3 transmits torque through the inner ring of the steering bearing 9, driving all components on the inner ring of the steering bearing 9 to rotate, thereby achieving the steering of the driving wheel 5. Figure 4 As shown, when the driving wheel 5 encounters an obstacle on the ground, under the reaction force of the obstacle, the driving wheel 5 will drive the suspension swing arm 8 to rotate upward around the suspension shaft 11. At this time, the shock absorber 6 acts as a shock absorber and damper to absorb the impact of the ground and reduce the impact of the ground obstacles on the operation of the robot.

[0048] like Figure 6 As shown, the chassis module 100 in the present invention is composed of four steering wheel modules 13 combined through a frame. The chassis module 100 is connected to the mounting platform through a bearing. A mounting platform drive motor 17 is provided on the chassis module 100. The mounting platform drive motor 17 drives the mounting platform to rotate through a synchronous belt transmission. The power line and signal line between the chassis module 100 and the mounting platform are connected through the mounting platform conductive slip ring 18 to realize independent rotation of the mounting platform.

[0049] In some embodiments, the main structural parts of the steering wheel module, such as the wheel assembly fixing plate 1, the suspension fixing frame 7, the suspension swing arm 8, the steering motor fixing frame 12, etc., are composed of carbon fiber plates and aluminum alloy processed parts.

[0050] Considering that the existing inspection robots are usually equipped with only one pan-tilt, a certain type of inspection robot can only be used for one type of inspection, and its application occasions are very limited. In order to solve this problem, in some embodiments, a plurality of female connectors 28 are provided on the mounting platform, and a plurality of pan-tilts are provided, and different pan-tilts can carry equipment with different functions.

[0051] In some embodiments, the pan-tilt platform and the functional devices thereon in the present invention are integrated, that is, the pan-tilt platform and the functional devices are integrated into a single structure to form a functional pan-tilt platform, and then the functional pan-tilt platforms with different functions are selected and connected to the mounting platform through a mechanical quick-release interface. Therefore, the robot provided by the present invention can be equipped with pan-tilt platforms with different functions and can operate independently, so as to achieve more diverse application scenarios and adapt to more complex tasks.

[0052] In some embodiments, a high-performance computing platform 26 and a laser radar mast 21 are provided on the installation platform. A laser radar 22 is installed on the laser radar mast 21 for robot navigation. Four perception cameras 23 are also arranged around the installation platform. The high-performance computing platform 26 is equipped with a computing platform cooling fan 25 for robot perception.

[0053] In some embodiments, such as Fig. 9As shown, the projectile launcher and the gimbal connected thereto in the present invention constitute a small projectile launch gimbal, which mainly consists of two parts: one is a projectile feeding system composed of a finger 33, a projectile guide plate 34 and a dial 35, which is installed on the mounting platform and connected to the projectile storage bin 27. The other is a two-axis small projectile launch gimbal composed of a gimbal yaw axis motor 37, a gimbal pitch axis motor 38, a gimbal pitch axis motor transmission connecting rod 39, a friction wheel motor 40, a friction wheel 41, an industrial camera 42, a line protection cover 43 and a supply link 44, which are installed together with the mounting platform through the mechanical quick release interface provided in the above embodiment.

[0054] The process of projectile feeding and firing is as follows:

[0055] The pellets stored in the pellet storage bin 27 are guided by the pellet guide plate 34 from the magazine into the dial 35 under the action of gravity. The dial 35 is provided with a motor-driven pusher 33. The pusher 33 pushes the pellets entering the dial 35 along the pellet feeding pipe 36 and the pellet feeding link 44 into the high-speed rotating friction wheel 41, and the pellets are quickly ejected through the squeezing of the friction wheel 41.

[0056] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A patrol robot, Features: include: A chassis module, a gimbal, a mounting platform and a platform driving mechanism, wherein the mounting platform is rotatably arranged on the chassis module around a vertical axis, the driving mechanism can drive the mounting platform to rotate around the vertical axis, the gimbal is connected to the mounting platform via a mechanical quick-release interface, and the gimbal can carry functional devices.

2. The inspection robot according to claim 1, Features: It also includes a projectile launcher; the projectile launcher includes a projectile storage bin and a launching mechanism, the projectile storage bin is arranged on the mounting platform, the launching mechanism is arranged on the gimbal, the projectile storage bin transports the projectile to the launching mechanism through a bullet supply link, and the launching mechanism is used to perform a launching action.

3. The inspection robot according to claim 1, Features: The mechanical quick-release interface includes a male connector and a female connector, the female connector being annular in shape, and a plurality of first claws protruding from the inner wall of the female connector being arranged on the inner wall, the plurality of first claws extending around the circumference and being arranged in sequence, and a claw opening being formed between any adjacent first claws, a chuck and a plurality of second claws being arranged at the bottom of the male connector, the chuck being located above the second claws, an elastic pin being arranged on the top surface of the female connector, an unlocking rod for controlling the contraction of the elastic pin being arranged on the side wall of the female connector, a pin hole being arranged on the chuck, the male connector being able to be inserted into the female connector from the top of the female connector, the second claw being able to move down from the claw opening to a height lower than the first claw, the chuck being able to contact the top surface of the female connector, and rotating the male connector being able to move the second claw to directly below the first claw and move the pin hole to directly face the elastic pin.

4. The inspection robot according to claim 3, Features: A plurality of the elastic pins and the pin holes are provided, and the elastic pins and the pin holes are used in coordination with each other.

5. The inspection robot according to claim 1, Features: The chassis module is a steering wheel type chassis.

6. The inspection robot according to claim 5, Features: The chassis module includes four steering wheels.

7. The inspection robot according to claim 6, Features: The four steering wheels are all equipped with shock absorbers.

8. The inspection robot according to claim 3, Features: The mounting platform is provided with a plurality of female connectors, and the gimbal is provided with a plurality of gimbals, and different gimbals can carry devices with different functions.

9. The inspection robot according to claim 2, Features: A high-performance computing platform and a laser radar mast are arranged on the installation platform, and a laser radar is installed on the laser radar mast.

10. The inspection robot according to claim 2, Features: Four perception cameras are also arranged around the installation platform.

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