A large pipe diameter range pipe installation mechanical clamp jaw suitable for underground mine roadway

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of underground pipeline installation technology in coal mines. Specifically, it is a mechanical gripper suitable for installing large-diameter pipelines in underground coal mine roadways. It includes a fixed mounting component, a fixed claw, a movable claw, a fixed hydraulic cylinder, and a movable hydraulic cylinder. Through the successive extension and retraction of the fixed and movable hydraulic cylinders, it can grip pipelines of varying diameters within a large diameter range. Six sets of rubber rollers are installed on the fixed and movable claws. Through the squeezing contact between the rubber rollers and the pipeline, at least one set of actively rotating rubber rollers ensures that the pipeline is squeezed, causing it to roll within the gripper. This is used to adjust the relative position of the flange bolt holes for easy docking and bolt insertion. This invention features a small structural space, a wide range of pipe diameters, and convenient operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of underground pipeline installation technology in coal mines, specifically a mechanical gripper suitable for installing large-diameter pipelines in underground coal mine roadways. Background Technology

[0002] Coal mining is a crucial pillar industry for my country's economic and social development. The amount of underground tunneling work is enormous, with over 40,000 kilometers of new pipelines laid annually, and over 20,000 kilometers maintained. These pipelines have a wide range of diameters, from 0.1 meters to over 0.5 meters, playing a vital role in underground mines, but their installation and maintenance are exceptionally complex. Therefore, it is highly necessary to develop a versatile, explosion-proof hydraulic mechanical gripper for pipeline installation that can be widely used in underground coal mine tunnels.

[0003] Traditional tunnel pipeline installation relies primarily on manual labor. The harsh environment and confined spaces of underground coal mine tunnels, coupled with the heavy and long pipelines, make installation extremely labor-intensive, arduous, and fraught with potential dangers. Pipelines (weighing up to 600 kg) are lifted manually using chain hoists, requiring multiple workers to coordinate, adjust their position, rotate axially, and fine-tune them before finally connecting them. Workers often rely on shouting to each other during bolt connection, frequently resulting in misalignment. In this environment, workers face harsh working conditions and immense pressure. Therefore, using robots to replace humans in underground pipeline installation has become the mainstream approach for future development.

[0004] In recent years, some coal mine underground roadway pipeline installations have adopted mechanization, with the operation primarily using hydraulic robotic arms and grippers. However, current mechanical grippers are only suitable for pipe diameters with small variations, limiting their application range. Furthermore, they cannot quickly and smoothly adjust the relative positions of flange bolt holes, resulting in very limited functionality. Bolt connection work still requires manual assistance; in effect, the current robotic arms and grippers function only as a crane.

[0005] To ensure the physical and physiological safety of operators under heavy physical labor, using robots to assist or replace human labor is a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems with the existing manual installation of underground pipelines in coal mines, the purpose of this invention is to provide a mechanical clamp for installing large-diameter pipelines in underground coal mine roadways.

[0007] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] This invention includes a fixed mounting component, a fixed claw, a movable claw, a fixed hydraulic cylinder, and a movable hydraulic cylinder. Fixed claws are connected to both sides of one end of the fixed mounting component, and a movable claw is hinged to the other end of the fixed mounting component. One end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder is hinged to the fixed mounting component and remains relatively stationary during use. The other end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder is rotatably connected to one end of the movable hydraulic cylinder, and the other end of the movable hydraulic cylinder is hinged to the movable claw. The opening and closing of the movable claw and the fixed claw is controlled by the extension and retraction of the fixed and movable hydraulic cylinders. Three sets of passive rubber rollers (two large and one small) are rotatably mounted on the fixed claw, with the smaller diameter set located between the two larger diameter sets. Two active rubber rollers and one passive rubber roller are rotatably mounted on the movable claw. The movable claw is equipped with a power source and a transmission mechanism. The power source drives the two active rubber rollers to rotate synchronously through the transmission mechanism, and the passive rubber roller is located between the two active rubber rollers.

[0009] Wherein: when the mechanical gripper grips a large-diameter pipe, it contacts the outer surface of the large-diameter pipe through at least three points of large-diameter rubber rollers; when the mechanical gripper grips a small-diameter pipe, it contacts the outer surface of the small-diameter pipe through at least three points of large-diameter rubber rollers and small-diameter rubber rollers together.

[0010] After the large-diameter or small-diameter pipe is clamped, at least one of the large-diameter rubber rollers is an active claw rubber roller with active rotational freedom.

[0011] The fixed mounting component is provided with a bending moment bearing assembly, which includes shaft A, a sliding guide groove, a guide rail and shaft B. The fixed mounting components on the left and / or right sides of the fixed hydraulic cylinder are equipped with sliding guide grooves, and guide rails that can slide relative to each other are provided in the sliding guide grooves. The other end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder, one end of the movable hydraulic cylinder and the guide rail are hinged together by shaft A. One end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder is hinged to the fixed mounting component by shaft B.

[0012] The length direction of the sliding guide groove and guide rail is consistent with the extension and retraction direction of the fixed hydraulic cylinder.

[0013] The power source is a hydraulic motor, the transmission mechanism is a gearbox, the gearbox is mounted on the movable claw, the hydraulic motor is connected to the input end of the gearbox, and the two output ends of the gearbox are respectively connected to the two active rubber rollers of the movable claw.

[0014] An incremental encoder is mounted on the end protruding shaft of either of the two active rubber rollers of the movable claw.

[0015] The fixed claw has a claw hook end below the passive rubber roller of the lowest fixed claw, and the movable claw has a claw hook end below the active rubber roller of the lowest movable claw. A shaft C is passed through the claw hook end, and a roller is rotatably mounted on the shaft C.

[0016] The radius of the roller is greater than the radius of the rounded corner at the end of the claw hook.

[0017] Each group of fixed claw passive rubber rollers consists of two rollers, which are rotatably mounted on the fixed claws on both sides of the fixed mounting component. The two fixed claw passive rubber rollers in each group are coaxially arranged.

[0018] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows:

[0019] 1. This invention uses only two hydraulic cylinders and a fixed claw, reducing the number of degrees of freedom. It occupies little space and is suitable for narrow underground coal mine roadways.

[0020] 2. This invention can clamp a wide range of pipe diameters and bear a large weight.

[0021] 3. The clamps of this invention are equipped with actively rotating rollers, which drive the pipe to roll inside the clamps. This allows for precise adjustment of the relative positions of the flange bolt holes on the pipe, facilitating smooth docking and bolt insertion, and greatly reducing the workload of workers.

[0022] 4. This invention features small structural space, a wide range of pipe diameters, and convenient operation.

[0023] 5. The present invention does not have high requirements for the initial positioning of the clamping pipe, which effectively reduces the difficulty of operation. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a front view of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the entire invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the movable claw of the present invention when it is opened to its limit position;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention when clamping the minimum commonly used pipe diameter φ108mm;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention when clamping the most commonly used pipe diameter φ355mm;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a structural cross-sectional view of the moment-bearing component of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of the structure at the end of the claw hook of the fixed claw and the movable claw of the present invention;

[0031] Wherein: 1 is a fixed mounting component, 2 is a fixed claw, 3 is a movable claw, 4 is a fixed hydraulic cylinder, 5 is a movable hydraulic cylinder, 6 is a hydraulic motor, 7 is a gearbox, 8 is the active rubber roller of the movable claw, 9 is the passive rubber roller of the movable claw, 10 is the passive rubber roller of the fixed claw, 11 is shaft A, 12 is a sliding guide groove, 13 is a guide rail, 14 is shaft B, 15 is the end of the claw hook, 16 is a roller, and 17 is shaft C. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the present invention includes a fixed mounting component 1, a fixed claw 2, a movable claw 3, a fixed hydraulic cylinder 4, and a movable hydraulic cylinder 5. The fixed claw 2 is a double claw, and the movable claw 3 is a single claw. That is, identical fixed claws 2 are connected to both the left and right sides of one end of the fixed mounting component 1, and the movable claw 3 is hinged to the other end of the fixed mounting component 1. In this embodiment, both the fixed claw 2 and the movable claw 3 are arc-shaped. One end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 (in this embodiment, the cylinder body) is hinged to the fixed mounting component 1 and remains relatively stationary during use. The other end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 (in this embodiment, the piston rod) is rotatably connected to one end of the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 (in this embodiment, the cylinder body). The other end of the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 (in this embodiment, the piston rod) is hinged to the movable claw 3. The opening and closing of the movable claw 3 and the fixed claw 2 are controlled by the extension and retraction of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 and the movable hydraulic cylinder 5.

[0034] Three sets of passive rubber rollers 10, one large and one small, are rotatably mounted on the two fixed claws 2. The set of passive rubber rollers 10 with a smaller diameter is located between the two sets of passive rubber rollers 10 with a larger diameter. In this embodiment, each set of passive rubber rollers 10 consists of two rollers, which are rotatably mounted on the fixed claws 2 on both sides of the fixed mounting component 1. The two passive rubber rollers 10 in each set are coaxially arranged.

[0035] In this embodiment, two active rubber rollers 8 and one passive rubber roller 9 are rotatably mounted on the movable jaw 3. The movable jaw 3 is equipped with a power source and a transmission mechanism. The power source drives the two active rubber rollers 8 to rotate synchronously through the transmission mechanism. The passive rubber roller 9 is located between the two active rubber rollers 8. To enable the pipe to rotate actively inside the jaws, both active rubber rollers 8 have an active rotation function. In this embodiment, the power source is a hydraulic motor 6, and the transmission mechanism is a gearbox 7. The gearbox 7 is mounted on the movable jaw 3, and the hydraulic motor 6 is connected to the input end of the gearbox 7. The two output ends of the gearbox 7 are respectively connected to the two active rubber rollers 8. The hydraulic motor 6 drives the two movable claw active rubber rollers 8 to rotate via a gearbox 7. The gearbox 7 is a single-input, dual-output type, and its function is to prevent the hydraulic motor 6 from creeping. The hydraulic motor 6 is prone to creeping at low speeds (creeping in the hydraulic motor 6 refers to the inability to maintain a constant speed at very low operating speeds, resulting in intermittent operation). In this invention, the rotational speed of the movable claw active rubber rollers 8 is very low (2 r / min), therefore the gearbox 7 is designed to reduce the speed of the hydraulic motor 6. The hydraulic motor 6 in this embodiment is existing technology; a BMM40 cycloidal hydraulic motor can be selected.

[0036] Hydraulic cylinders, with their hinged ends, are typically only capable of withstanding axial forces during operation. For example... Figure 2 As shown, in this invention, one end of the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 is hinged to the other end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4, and the other end of the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 is hinged to the movable claw 3, bearing only axial force during use. However, the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 must bear not only axial force but also bending moment during use. Therefore, a bending moment bearing component must be added to the fixed mounting part 1 to replace the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 in bearing non-axial loads. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the moment-bearing assembly in this embodiment includes a shaft A11, a sliding guide groove 12, a guide rail 13, and a shaft B14. Two sliding guide grooves 12 are symmetrically fixed to the fixed mounting parts 1 on both sides of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4. Each sliding guide groove 12 contains a guide rail 13 that can slide relative to it. The length direction of the sliding guide grooves 12 and guide rails 13 is consistent with the extension and retraction direction of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4. The other end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4, one end of the movable hydraulic cylinder 5, and the two guide rails 13 are hinged together via shaft A11. One end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 is hinged to the fixed mounting part 1 via shaft B14. Thus, the non-axial load borne by the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 is borne by the shaft A11, guide rails 13, sliding guide grooves 12, and fixed mounting parts 1. The sliding guide grooves 12 and guide rails 13 also ensure that one end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 (in this embodiment, the cylinder body) remains relatively stationary with respect to the fixed mounting part 1 during use.

[0037] In this embodiment, an incremental encoder is mounted on the extended shaft at the end of either of the two movable jaw active rubber rollers 8. When the movable jaw active rubber roller 8 rotates, the frictional force that maintains constant clamping causes the pipe to roll within the jaws. The incremental encoder is used to adjust the precise position of the bolt holes on the pipe mounting flange for smooth docking and bolt insertion. The incremental encoder in this embodiment is a commercially available product, specifically a BQH24(A) intrinsically safe mining incremental encoder manufactured by Tangshan Dongrun Automation Engineering Co., Ltd.

[0038] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the fixed claw 2 has a hook end 15 below the passive rubber roller 10 located at the bottom of the fixed claw, and the movable claw 3 has a hook end 15 below the active rubber roller 8 located at the bottom of the movable claw. A shaft C17 passes through the hook end 15, and a steel roller 16 is rotatably mounted on the shaft C17. The radius of the roller 16 is slightly larger than the radius of the rounded corner of the hook end 15. When gripping the pipe, the hook end 15 only needs to penetrate below the height of the widest horizontal part of the circular cross-section of the pipe. During the closing process of the gripper, the pipe can slide upward along the inner contour of the fixed claw 2 and the movable claw 3 as the roller 16 rotates, thus smoothly realizing the gripping process.

[0039] The working principle of this invention is as follows:

[0040] The opening and closing of the gripper in this invention is achieved by the extension and retraction of the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 and the movable hydraulic cylinder 5. When the gripper is opened to its limit position, the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 is fully extended and the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 is fully retracted; when the gripper is closed to its limit position, the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 is fully retracted and the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 is fully extended. During the gripping process, the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 is in the retraction process and the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 is in the extension process. In this embodiment, both the fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 and the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 are existing technologies. The fixed hydraulic cylinder 4 can be an HSG80 type hydraulic cylinder with a stroke of 200mm; the movable hydraulic cylinder 5 can be an HSG63 type hydraulic cylinder with a stroke of 100mm.

[0041] To accommodate pipe diameters of varying sizes, the mechanical gripper contacts the outer surface of large-diameter pipes at at least three points using large-diameter rubber rollers, based on the relative size of the pipe diameters. Similarly, when gripping small-diameter pipes, the gripper uses both large-diameter and small-diameter rubber rollers at at least three points to contact the outer surface of the pipe. This ensures that the gripper automatically falls into the appropriate position during clamping, regardless of pipe diameter. After clamping, at least one large-diameter rubber roller serves as the active rubber roller 8 of the movable gripper, possessing active rotational freedom.

[0042] Based on the commonly used pipe diameter range of φ108~φ355mm in underground coal mine roadways, in this invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, when the grippers are opened to their limit, the opening size can reach 440mm; when the grippers are closed to their limit, they can clamp pipes with a diameter <φ108mm. Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the gripper holding a φ108mm diameter pipe. The rubber rollers in contact with the outer surface of the φ108mm pipe are: the uppermost passive rubber roller 10 of the fixed jaw 2, the middle passive rubber roller 10 of the fixed jaw 2, and the lowermost active rubber roller 8 and passive rubber roller 9 of the movable jaw 3. Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the gripper holding a φ355mm diameter pipe. At this time, the rubber rollers in contact with the outer surface of the φ355mm pipe are: fixed claw 2 (two large-diameter fixed claw passive rubber rollers 10) and movable claw 3 (two movable claw active rubber rollers 8).

[0043] This invention can adapt to pipe diameter variations of up to 3.3 times or more.

Claims

1. A mechanical gripper for installing large-diameter pipes in underground coal mine roadways, characterized in that: The system includes a fixed mounting component (1), a fixed claw (2), a movable claw (3), a fixed hydraulic cylinder (4), and a movable hydraulic cylinder (5). The fixed mounting component (1) has fixed claws (2) connected to both sides of one end. The other end of the fixed mounting component (1) is hinged to a movable claw (3). One end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder (4) is hinged to the fixed mounting component (1) and remains relatively stationary during use. The other end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder (4) is rotatably connected to one end of the movable hydraulic cylinder (5). The other end of the movable hydraulic cylinder (5) is hinged to the movable claw (3). The extension and retraction of the fixed hydraulic cylinder (4) and the movable hydraulic cylinder (5) control the… The opening and closing between the movable claw (3) and the fixed claw (2); three sets of fixed claw passive rubber rollers (10), one large and one small, are rotatably mounted on the fixed claw (2), with the smaller set of fixed claw passive rubber rollers (10) located between the two sets of fixed claw passive rubber rollers (10) with larger diameters; two movable claw active rubber rollers (8) and one movable claw passive rubber roller (9) are rotatably mounted on the movable claw (3), and the movable claw (3) is provided with a power source and a transmission mechanism. The power source drives the two movable claw active rubber rollers (8) to rotate synchronously through the transmission mechanism, and the movable claw passive rubber roller (9) is located between the two movable claw active rubber rollers (8).

2. The mechanical gripper for installing large-diameter pipes in underground coal mine roadways according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed mounting component (1) is provided with a moment-bearing assembly, which includes a shaft A (11), a sliding guide groove (12), a guide rail (13), and a shaft B (14). The fixed mounting component (1) on the left and / or right sides of the fixed hydraulic cylinder (4) is provided with a sliding guide groove (12). A guide rail (13) that can slide relative to the fixed hydraulic cylinder (4) is provided in the sliding guide groove (12). The other end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder (4), one end of the movable hydraulic cylinder (5), and the guide rail (13) are hinged together by the shaft A (11). One end of the fixed hydraulic cylinder (4) is hinged to the fixed mounting component (1) by the shaft B (14).

3. The mechanical gripper for installing large-diameter pipes in underground coal mine roadways according to claim 2, characterized in that: The length direction of the sliding guide groove (12) and the guide rail (13) is consistent with the extension and retraction direction of the fixed hydraulic cylinder (4).

4. The mechanical gripper for installing large-diameter pipes in underground coal mine roadways according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power source is a hydraulic motor (6), the transmission mechanism is a gearbox (7), the gearbox (7) is mounted on the movable claw (3), the hydraulic motor (6) is connected to the input end of the gearbox (7), and the two output ends of the gearbox (7) are respectively connected to the two active rubber rollers (8) of the movable claw.

5. The mechanical gripper for installing large-diameter pipes in underground coal mine roadways according to claim 1, characterized in that: An incremental encoder is mounted on the end extension shaft of either of the two active claw rubber rollers (8).

6. The mechanical gripper for installing large-diameter pipes in underground coal mine roadways according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed claw (2) has a claw hook end (15) below the passive rubber roller (10) of the lowest fixed claw, and the movable claw (3) has a claw hook end (15) below the active rubber roller (8) of the lowest movable claw. A shaft C (17) is passed through the claw hook end (15), and a roller (16) is rotatably mounted on the shaft C (17).

7. The mechanical gripper for installing large-diameter pipes in underground coal mine roadways according to claim 6, characterized in that: The radius of the roller (16) is greater than the radius of the rounded corner of the end of the claw (15).

8. The mechanical gripper for installing large-diameter pipes in underground coal mine roadways according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each group of fixed claw passive rubber rollers (10) consists of two rollers, which are rotatably mounted on the fixed claws (2) on both sides of the fixed mounting component (1). The two fixed claw passive rubber rollers (10) in each group are coaxially arranged.

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