Variable-structure robot with flexible folding and unfolding mechanism and capable of being used for pipeline detection

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, and discloses a variable structure robot provided with a flexible folding and unfolding mechanism and capable of being used for pipeline detection, the variable structure robot comprises a flexible rod, and robot single bodies are arranged at the two ends of the flexible rod; the movement mechanism comprises a movement wheel and a universal joint, one side of the universal joint is fixedly connected with the movement wheel through a coupler, and the other side of the universal joint is connected with a rotating shaft; the transmission mechanism comprises a rotating beam and a direct current motor, and the rotating beam is connected with the rotating shaft through a bearing; the rope driving mechanism comprises a stepping motor, the output end of the stepping motor is fixedly connected with a rope driving wheel, and a driving rope is arranged on the outer wall of the rope driving wheel. And through flexible cooperation of the flexible rod and the rope driving mechanism, the device can adapt to complex pipeline structures with different pipe diameters, bent pipes and the like. When the robot faces different pipeline conditions, the posture of the robot can be automatically adjusted, and it is ensured that the robot smoothly passes through a narrow or complex pipeline.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of robots, and in particular to a variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism which can be used for pipeline detection. Background Art

[0002] In modern urban and industrial pipeline networks, pipelines undertake key tasks such as transporting water, natural gas, oil, and chemical products. With the long-term use of pipelines, the pipelines may fail due to corrosion, wear, sediment accumulation, etc., which will affect the transportation efficiency and may even cause safety accidents. Therefore, regular inspection and maintenance of pipelines are necessary to ensure their normal operation. With the development of robotics technology, pipeline inspection robots have gradually become an effective solution for automated inspection. This type of robot can go deep into the pipeline and adapt to the complex environment of different pipe diameters and pipeline structures with its compact structure and flexible movement mode.

[0003] However, existing pipeline inspection robots still face some technical difficulties. When dealing with complex pipeline structures (such as curved pipelines, etc.), existing robots usually lack sufficient flexibility and are prone to problems such as motion stagnation and detection blind spots. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism that can be used for pipeline detection, thereby solving the problems that the existing robots usually lack sufficient flexibility when dealing with complex pipeline structures (such as curved pipes, etc.), and are prone to motion jamming and detection blind spots.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions: A variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline detection, comprising a flexible rod, both ends of which are provided with a robot unit, and the robot unit comprises a motion mechanism, a transmission mechanism, and a rope drive mechanism;

[0006] The motion mechanism comprises a motion wheel and a universal joint, one side of the universal joint is fixedly connected to the motion wheel via a coupling, and the other side of the universal joint is connected to a rotating shaft;

[0007] The transmission mechanism includes a rotating beam and a DC motor, wherein the rotating beam is connected to the rotating shaft through a bearing, a driving wheel is fixedly connected to the output end of the DC motor, the driving wheel is connected to the driven wheel through a belt, the driven wheel is installed on the rotating beam, and a motor frame is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the DC motor;

[0008] The rope drive mechanism comprises a stepper motor, the output end of the stepper motor is fixedly connected to a rope drive wheel, the outer wall of the rope drive wheel is provided with a driving rope, the outer wall of the driving rope is provided with a limiting wheel, and a connection point is provided at one end of the driving rope away from the rope drive wheel.

[0009] Preferably, the stepper motor is fixed using stepper motor bolts, and the motion mechanism, transmission mechanism, and rope drive mechanism are connected and fixed using connecting pins.

[0010] Preferably, the motion mechanism also includes a coupling, which is connected between the moving wheel and the universal joint, the other end of the universal joint is connected to the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft is fixedly connected to the driven wheel and driven by a belt, and the driven wheel transmits power to the moving wheel through the universal joint.

[0011] Preferably, a limit pin is fixedly connected inside the rotating beam, and the limit pin is used to limit the relative movement between the rotating beam and the motor frame.

[0012] Preferably, the DC motor and the stepper motor are controlled by a unified electrical control system.

[0013] Preferably, the outer wall material of the limiting wheel is wear-resistant rubber.

[0014] Preferably, the stepper motor is bolted between an upper base and a lower base of the robot unit.

[0015] Preferably, the flexible rod is limited by a limit pin.

[0016] Preferably, the rotating beam is provided with a plurality of mounting holes for fixing the coupling and the bearing.

[0017] The present invention provides a variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism that can be used for pipeline inspection. It has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] 1. The robot of the present invention adopts a modular design. Through the flexible cooperation of the flexible rod and the rope drive mechanism, it can adapt to complex pipeline structures such as different pipe diameters and curved pipes. When facing different pipeline conditions, the robot can automatically adjust its posture to ensure that it passes smoothly in narrow or complex pipelines.

[0019] 2. The robot of the present invention adopts a unified electrical control system, combined with a closed-loop feedback mechanism, which can accurately control the speed, direction and position of the motor. This design ensures the stable operation of the robot in the pipeline and greatly improves the accuracy and reliability of pipeline detection.

[0020] 3. The outer wall of the key components of the present invention, such as the limit wheel, is made of wear-resistant rubber, which significantly reduces the friction loss between the drive rope and other structures, prolongs the service life of the robot in complex environments, and ensures that the equipment still has good durability in high-frequency detection operations.

[0021] 4. The robot of the present invention is modularly assembled through stepper motor bolts and connecting pins, which is convenient for disassembly, assembly and maintenance. At the same time, the modular design makes the robot have good scalability, and additional sensors or actuators can be added according to different detection requirements to meet the use requirements in more scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of a variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of the structure at B in FIG.

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Cross-section view at AA in the middle.

[0025] Among them, 10, moving mechanism; 101, moving wheel; 102, coupling; 20, transmission mechanism; 201, rotating beam; 202, belt; 203, DC motor; 204, driving wheel; 205, driven wheel; 206, motor frame; 30, rope drive mechanism; 301, stepping motor; 302, limiting wheel; 303, driving rope; 304, connecting point; 306, rope drive wheel; 401, stepping motor bolt; 402, flexible rod; 403, limiting pin; 404, connecting pin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings 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.

[0027] Please refer to the attached Figure 1 - Attachment Figure 3 The embodiment of the present invention provides a variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline detection, including a flexible rod 402, both ends of the flexible rod 402 are provided with a robot unit, and the robot unit includes a motion mechanism 10, a transmission mechanism 20, and a rope drive mechanism 30;

[0028] The motion mechanism 10 includes a motion wheel 101 and a universal joint, one side of the universal joint is fixedly connected to the motion wheel 101 via a coupling 102, and the other side of the universal joint is connected to a rotating shaft;

[0029] The transmission mechanism 20 includes a rotating beam 201 and a DC motor 203. The rotating beam 201 is connected to the rotating shaft through a bearing. The output end of the DC motor 203 is fixedly connected to a driving wheel 204. The driving wheel 204 is connected to a driven wheel 205 through a belt 202. The driven wheel 205 is installed on the rotating beam 201. The outer wall of the DC motor 203 is fixedly connected to a motor frame 206.

[0030] The rope drive mechanism 30 includes a stepper motor 301, the output end of the stepper motor 301 is fixedly connected to a rope drive wheel 306, the outer wall of the rope drive wheel 306 is provided with a driving rope 303, the outer wall of the driving rope 303 is provided with a limit wheel 302, and the end of the driving rope 303 away from the rope drive wheel 306 is provided with a connection point 304.

[0031] The stepper motor 301 is fixed by a stepper motor bolt 401 , and the motion mechanism 10 , the transmission mechanism 20 , and the rope drive mechanism 30 are connected and fixed by a connecting pin 404 .

[0032] The motion mechanism 10 also includes a coupling 102, which is connected between the motion wheel 101 and the universal joint. The other end of the universal joint is connected to the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is fixedly connected to the driven wheel 205, which is driven by the belt 202. The driven wheel 205 transmits power to the motion wheel 101 through the universal joint.

[0033] A limit pin 403 is fixedly connected inside the rotating beam 201 , and the limit pin 403 is used to limit the relative movement between the rotating beam 201 and the motor frame 206 .

[0034] The DC motor 203 and the stepper motor 301 are controlled by a unified electrical control system.

[0035] The outer wall material of the limiting wheel 302 is wear-resistant rubber, which reduces the friction between the limiting wheel 302 and the driving rope 303.

[0036] The stepper motor bolt 401 is fixed between the upper base and the lower base of the robot body.

[0037] The flexible rod 402 is limited by a limiting pin 403 .

[0038] The rotating beam 201 is provided with a plurality of mounting holes for fixing the coupling 102 and the bearing.

[0039] Specific:

[0040] Robot structure overview

[0041] The robot of the present invention comprises two monomers connected in sequence by a flexible rod 402. Each monomer can work independently, and the robot can adapt to different pipeline environments, such as straight pipes, curved pipes and roads. Each monomer comprises the following modules:

[0042] Sports Mechanism 10

[0043] The motion mechanism includes motion wheels 101, and each set of motion wheels can rotate synchronously. In order to adapt to the circular pipe, the wheel axis and the rotation axis are not on the same line, so a universal joint structure is added, one side of the universal joint is fixedly connected to the motion wheel 101 through a coupling 102, and the other side is connected to the rotation shaft.

[0044] Transmission mechanism 20

[0045] The transmission mechanism is mainly driven by a DC motor 203, which drives a belt 202 through a driving wheel 204 at the output end, and the belt drives a driven wheel 205. The driven wheel is connected to the moving wheel 101, so as to realize the synchronous rotation of the moving wheel. The motor frame 206 is fixed on the rotating beam to support the DC motor and ensure its stability. The transmission mechanism as a whole is driven by a belt to ensure effective power transmission and reduce energy loss.

[0046] Rope drive mechanism 30

[0047] The rope drive mechanism is driven by a stepper motor 301, and the output shaft of the stepper motor is connected to the rope drive wheel 306, driving the driving rope 303 to operate. The driving rope is guided by the limit wheel 302 to ensure that its path is stable, and finally connected to the connection point 304 at the far end. The pulling of the driving rope enables the robot to adjust its posture according to the shape of the pipeline and adapt to different pipe diameters and pipeline types.

[0048] Flexible connection

[0049] The robot units are connected by flexible rods 402. The flexible rods have a certain elasticity and can provide adaptability at the bends of the pipe. In order to prevent the flexible rods from excessive bending or rotation, limit pins 403 are used to limit them, ensuring that the robot structure does not deform when bending.

[0050] Limiting mechanism

[0051] A limit mechanism is provided at the connection between the universal joint and the rotating beam 201 to limit excessive rotation of the universal joint, thereby ensuring the stability of the posture of the robot when it runs in the pipeline and avoiding structural damage caused by excessive rotation.

[0052] Control System

[0053] The robot is equipped with a unified electrical control system, which controls the DC motor 203 and the stepper motor 301 respectively. The control system obtains the real-time position and posture of the robot in the pipeline through sensors, and adjusts the motor output through closed-loop feedback to achieve precise control of the movement. The control system adopts a modular design, which is convenient for expanding external sensors or actuators to achieve more functions.

[0054] Material selection

[0055] In order to improve the durability of the robot, the materials of some key components are specially designed:

[0056] The outer wall of the limiting wheel 302 is made of wear-resistant rubber material to reduce friction with the driving rope 303, thereby extending the service life.

[0057] The stepper motor bolts 401 and the connecting pins 404 are made of high-strength materials to ensure a firm connection between the modules of the robot and facilitate quick disassembly, assembly and maintenance.

[0058] Fixed structure

[0059] The modules of the robot are fixed by stepper motor bolts 401 and connecting pins 404 to ensure the tight connection between the components. The stepper motor is fixed between the upper base and the lower base of the robot unit by bolts, and the motor frame is fixed to the rotating beam by connecting pins to ensure that the motor remains stable during operation.

[0060] Rotating beam

[0061] The rotating beam 201 is connected to the moving wheel via a rotating shaft, and a plurality of mounting holes are provided on the rotating beam for fixing the coupling 102. This multi-hole design allows the rotating beam to flexibly adjust the position and fixing method of the module according to different usage scenarios.

[0062] The robot relies on its modular design and flexible motion adjustment capabilities to move freely in narrow or complex pipelines during pipeline inspection. Through sensor feedback, the electrical control system can accurately adjust the speed and direction of the motor to ensure that the robot can cope with various pipeline conditions, such as curved pipes, straight pipes, etc.

[0063] In the straight tube, the robot relies on the motion wheels to rotate synchronously to maintain fast and smooth inspection.

[0064] In the curved pipe, the rope drive mechanism and the flexible rod can adjust the robot's posture to ensure its smooth passage.

[0065] On the road, the robot relies on a control system to achieve precise navigation and ensure unobstructed inspection.

[0066] Three stepper motors 301 are tightly assembled between the upper and lower bases, and each stepper motor is fixed to the upper and lower bases by four stepper motor bolts 401 .

[0067] The stepper motor is also fixedly connected to a rope drive wheel 306 for transmitting the force of the stepper motor to the drive rope 303 .

[0068] The upper base also fixes three limit wheels 302 with connecting pins 404. The driving rope led out of the rope driving wheel passes around the limit wheels and is finally connected to the connection point 304 fixed on the driven wheel 205. In this way, the rope drive through the stepper motor is realized, and then the angle between the robot motion mechanism and the central axis is controlled by controlling the rope length.

[0069] The lower base is fixed to the transmission shaft of the DC motor 203, the driving wheel 204, and the rotating beam 201 through the limiting pin 403. The driving wheel is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft of the DC motor, and the transmission shaft is fixed to the lower base through a bearing.

[0070] The DC motor 203 is fixedly connected to the rotating beam 201 via the motor frame 206, which can ensure that the motor changes along with the rotating beam and avoid interference.

[0071] The force of the DC motor 203 is transmitted to the fixed driving wheel 204, and the driving wheel 204 drives the belt 202 to move through friction, and the belt drives the driven wheel 205 through friction.

[0072] The driven wheel drives the shaft to rotate, the shaft is connected to one end of the universal joint, driving the universal joint to rotate, and the other end of the universal joint is fixedly connected to the moving wheel through a pin, driving the moving wheel to rotate.

[0073] A pair of two moving wheels 101 are fixed on each rotating beam. The rotating beam part connected to the moving wheels can be slightly strained, so that the pair of wheels can fit tightly against the pipe wall. At the same time, the universal joint can still effectively transmit force to rotate the moving wheels.

[0074] The motor control system uses the L298N bridge as a key component to achieve fine-grained control of stepper motors and DC motors, including controlling the angle between the robot's motion mechanism and the central axis through rope drive, enhancing the robot's ability to cope with various complex environments. By combining with the MCU main control, advanced motion control algorithms such as speed closed-loop control and position feedback control are implemented to improve the robot's motion accuracy and stability. It uses a general IO port for control, has strong scalability, and can be connected to external sensors or actuators to achieve a variety of functions.

[0075] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection, characterized in that ； It comprises a flexible rod (402), both ends of which are provided with a robot unit, and the robot unit comprises a motion mechanism (10), a transmission mechanism (20), and a rope driving mechanism (30); The motion mechanism (10) comprises a motion wheel (101) and a universal joint, one side of the universal joint is fixedly connected to the motion wheel (101) via a coupling (102), and the other side of the universal joint is connected to a rotating shaft; The transmission mechanism (20) comprises a rotating beam (201) and a DC motor (203); the rotating beam (201) is connected to a rotating shaft via a bearing; an output end of the DC motor (203) is fixedly connected to a driving wheel (204); the driving wheel (204) is connected to a driven wheel (205) via a belt (202); the driven wheel (205) is mounted on the rotating shaft; and an outer wall of the DC motor (203) is fixedly connected to a motor frame (206); The rope drive mechanism (30) comprises a stepping motor (301), the output end of the stepping motor (301) is fixedly connected to a rope drive wheel (306), the outer wall of the rope drive wheel (306) is provided with a driving rope (303), the outer wall of the driving rope (303) is provided with a limit wheel (302), and the end of the driving rope (303) away from the rope drive wheel (306) is provided with a connection point (304).

2. The variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stepper motor (301) is fixed using a stepper motor bolt (401), and the motion mechanism (10), the transmission mechanism (20), and the rope drive mechanism (30) are connected and fixed using a connecting pin (404).

3. The variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motion mechanism (10) further comprises a coupling (102), wherein the coupling (102) is connected between the motion wheel (101) and the universal joint, wherein the other end of the universal joint is connected to a rotating shaft, wherein the rotating shaft is fixedly connected to a driven wheel (205) and is driven by a belt (202), wherein the driven wheel (205) transmits power to the motion wheel (101) via the universal joint.

4. The variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limit pin (403) is fixedly connected inside the rotating beam (201), and the limit pin (403) is used to limit the relative movement between the rotating beam (201) and the motor frame (206).

5. The variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The DC motor (203) and the stepper motor (301) are controlled by a unified electrical control system.

6. The variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall material of the limiting wheel (302) is wear-resistant rubber.

7. The variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The stepping motor bolt (401) is fixed between the upper base and the lower base of the robot unit.

8. The variable structure robot with a flexible retractable and extendable mechanism for pipeline inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating beam (201) is provided with a plurality of mounting holes for fixing the coupling (102) and the bearing.

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