A pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of pipeline robot technology, specifically a pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection. It includes a housing, a detection component, a first underwater camera, a second underwater camera, and two fixing mechanisms; the two fixing mechanisms are symmetrically arranged; the housing is located between the two fixing mechanisms, and a first electric telescopic rod for driving one side of the cylinder to move along its length is installed inside the housing; a mounting shaft is rotatably mounted on the housing, and a second power component for driving the mounting shaft to rotate is installed inside the housing; the mounting shaft is connected to the other side of the cylinder; the detection component is mounted on the mounting shaft; the first and second underwater cameras are respectively mounted on the outer ends of the two side cylinders. This invention has good stability and can easily overcome obstacles inside pipelines.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pipeline robot technology, and in particular to a pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection. Background Technology

[0002] Pipelines are a vital component of national lifeline projects and the main arteries of the country's energy supply; their safe operation has a significant impact on national economic development. To ensure pipeline safety, inspections are necessary after a period of operation to promptly identify potential safety hazards. Pipeline robots are the main driving devices for pipeline inspection. They carry inspection equipment and crawl along the pipeline to complete the inspection work. With the continuous development of my country's oil, gas, and water supply pipelines, the pipeline network structure is becoming increasingly complex, especially in urban gas and water supply networks which have numerous branch pipelines. Therefore, comprehensive inspection of the pipeline network is crucial.

[0003] In existing technologies, pipeline robots are mostly driven by crawling. When the pipeline is full of water, the high-speed water flow can easily impact the robot, resulting in poor stability. Secondly, when there are stones or other obstacles in the pipeline, the robot cannot overcome the obstacles and continue to move forward, affecting subsequent inspection work. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the problems existing in the background technology by proposing a pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is a pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection, comprising:

[0006] Two fixing mechanisms are symmetrically arranged. Each fixing mechanism includes a cylinder, multiple rotating rods rotatably mounted at the end of the cylinder, and a first power assembly for driving the multiple rotating rods to rotate synchronously. Anti-slip rubber blocks are connected to the outer ends of the rotating rods.

[0007] The equipment housing is located between two fixed mechanisms. Inside the equipment housing is a first electric telescopic rod for driving one side of the cylinder to move along its length. A mounting shaft is rotatably mounted on the equipment housing. Inside the equipment housing is a second power assembly for driving the mounting shaft to rotate. The mounting shaft is connected to the cylinder on the other side.

[0008] A detection assembly mounted on a mounting shaft;

[0009] The first underwater camera and the second underwater camera are respectively installed at the outer ends of the two sides of the cylinder.

[0010] Preferably, the ends of multiple rotating rods on the side fixing mechanism connected to the mounting shaft are all equipped with brush bristles.

[0011] Preferably, the first power assembly includes a second electric telescopic rod, a sliding ring, and multiple connecting rods. The second electric telescopic rod is installed inside the cylinder. A slider is connected to the output shaft of the second electric telescopic rod. A sliding hole is provided on the cylinder for the slider to slide. The sliding ring is slidably installed on the cylinder. The slider passes through the sliding hole and is connected to the sliding ring. Multiple connecting rods are rotatably installed on the sliding ring, and the other ends of the multiple connecting rods are rotatably connected to multiple rotating rods respectively.

[0012] Preferably, the second power component includes a servo motor, a drive gear, and a gear ring. The servo motor is installed inside the device housing, the drive gear is installed on the output shaft of the servo motor, and the gear ring is installed on the outer periphery of the mounting shaft. The gear ring meshes with the drive gear.

[0013] Preferably, the detection components include sonar, laser scanner and third underwater camera.

[0014] Preferably, a traction rope is connected to the end of the cylinder furthest from the mounting shaft.

[0015] Preferably, the surface of the traction rope is provided with length markings.

[0016] Preferably, the controller and signal transmission module are installed inside the device housing.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0018] 1. During the process of driving the robot to move, the fixing mechanism on one side will always remain fixed, thereby improving the stability of the robot's movement in the pipeline and preventing it from being affected by high-speed water flow.

[0019] 2. When the clamping state of the fixing mechanism is released, multiple rotating rods rotate and fold synchronously. This structure enables the robot to overcome obstacles at the bottom of the pipe.

[0020] 3. The detection component is centrally located in the middle of the robot. Since the pipe is not usually full of water, the shallow water condition can reduce the time that the main body of the robot is immersed, thereby extending the robot's service life. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 and Figure 2 All of these are schematic diagrams of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the outer casing of the device in this invention.

[0023] Reference numerals: 1. Equipment casing; 2. Cylinder; 201. Sliding hole; 3. Rotating rod; 4. Anti-slip rubber block; 5. Sliding ring; 6. Brush bristles; 7. Traction rope; 8. Connecting rod; 91. First underwater camera; 92. Second underwater camera; 93. Third underwater camera; 10. Sonar; 11. Laser scanner; 12. Mounting shaft; 13. First electric telescopic rod; 14. Servo motor; 15. Drive gear; 16. Gear ring. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Example 1

[0025] like Figures 1-3 As shown in the figure, the pipeline robot proposed in this embodiment is suitable for underground pipeline network inspection, including equipment shell 1, inspection components, a first underwater camera 91, a second underwater camera 92, and two fixing mechanisms.

[0026] Two fixed mechanisms are symmetrically arranged. Each fixed mechanism includes a cylinder 2, multiple rotating rods 3 rotatably mounted at the end of the cylinder 2, and a first power assembly for driving the multiple rotating rods 3 to rotate synchronously. The first power assembly includes a second electric telescopic rod, a sliding ring 5, and multiple connecting rods 8. The second electric telescopic rod is mounted on the inner side of the cylinder 2. A slider is connected to the output shaft of the second electric telescopic rod. A sliding hole 201 is provided on the cylinder 2 for the slider to slide. The sliding ring 5 is slidably mounted on the cylinder 2. The slider passes through the sliding hole 201 and is connected to the sliding ring 5. The multiple connecting rods 8 are rotatably mounted on the sliding ring 5, and the other ends of the multiple connecting rods 8 are rotatably connected to the multiple rotating rods 3 respectively. Anti-slip rubber blocks 4 are connected to the outer ends of the rotating rods 3.

[0027] The equipment housing 1 is located between two fixed mechanisms. Inside the equipment housing 1, a first electric telescopic rod 13 is installed to drive the cylinder 2 on one side to move along its length. A mounting shaft 12 is rotatably mounted on the equipment housing 1. Inside the equipment housing 1, a second power assembly is installed to drive the mounting shaft 12 to rotate. The second power assembly includes a servo motor 14, a drive gear 15, and a gear ring 16. The servo motor 14 is installed inside the equipment housing 1. The drive gear 15 is installed on the output shaft of the servo motor 14. The gear ring 16 is installed on the outer circumference of the mounting shaft 12 and meshes with the drive gear 15. The mounting shaft 12 is connected to the cylinder 2 on the other side. The second power assembly can drive the mounting shaft 12 and the fixed mechanism at the front end to rotate, which can achieve 360-degree detection without blind spots and drive the brush to rotate to clean the inner wall of the pipe.

[0028] The detection assembly is mounted on the mounting shaft 12. The detection assembly includes a sonar 10, a laser scanner 11, and a third underwater camera 93. The first underwater camera 91 and the second underwater camera 92 are respectively mounted on the outer ends of the two side cylinders 2.

[0029] A traction rope 7 is connected to the end of the cylinder 2 away from the mounting shaft 12. When the robot malfunctions in the pipe, the robot can be pulled out of the pipe by pulling the traction rope 7. The surface of the traction rope 7 is provided with length markings, which can determine the approximate position of the robot in the pipe.

[0030] The device housing 1 houses a controller and a signal transmission module. The controller receives the robot's detection signals and transmits the feedback signals to the terminal device through the signal transmission module. In another embodiment of this technical solution, to ensure the stability of signal transmission, a cable can be connected to the robot. The cable can meet the requirements for signal transmission and power supply.

[0031] Specifically, before inspecting the underground sewage pipe network, the robot must first be placed in the pipe. When placing it, the front side of the robot should be inserted first, which refers to the end away from the traction rope 7. Then, the operator raises the robot so that the cylinder 2 is coaxial with the pipe. Then, the first power components on both sides are activated. The first power mechanism drives multiple rotating rods 3 to unfold synchronously until multiple anti-slip rubber blocks 4 are pressed against the inner wall of the pipe. The above is the placement work before inspection.

[0032] Once the robot is placed inside the pipe, it is driven to move along the length of the pipe. The specific operation is as follows: the fixing mechanism at the front end is released. It is not necessary to completely fold the fixing mechanism to release it; simply drive the anti-slip rubber block 4 to separate from the inner wall of the pipe. The first electric telescopic rod 13 is activated to drive its output shaft to extend to its maximum length, which drives the movement of the fixing mechanism at the front end. During this process, it is necessary to ensure that the fixing mechanism at the rear end continues to clamp the inner wall of the pipe. After the fixing mechanism at the front end moves to the limited position, the fixing mechanism at the front end is controlled to switch to the clamping state of the inner wall of the pipe. During this process, the clamping of the pipe by the fixing mechanism at the rear end is released. The output shaft of the first electric telescopic rod 13 is driven to retract, which drives the fixing mechanism at the rear end to move towards the fixing mechanism at the front end, thereby realizing the movement of the robot on the inner wall of the pipe.

[0033] It is worth noting that the robot as a whole has an IPX8 waterproof rating.

[0034] The above-mentioned drive structure has the following advantages: 1. During the movement of the robot, the fixed mechanism on one side will always remain fixed, thereby improving the stability of the robot's movement in the pipe and preventing it from being affected by high-speed water flow; 2. When the clamping state of the fixed mechanism is released, multiple rotating rods 3 rotate and fold synchronously. This structure allows the robot to overcome obstacles at the bottom of the pipe; 3. The detection component is centrally located in the middle of the robot. Since the pipe is not usually full of water, in shallow water conditions, the time that the main body of the robot is immersed can be reduced, thereby extending the robot's service life.

[0035] Example 2

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment proposes a pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline inspection. Compared with the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the ends of multiple rotating rods 3 on the fixed mechanism connected to the mounting shaft 12 are all equipped with brushes 6. Specifically, when the camera captures silt at the bottom of the pipeline inner wall, making it impossible to detect damage to the pipeline inner wall, the second power component is installed to drive the mounting shaft 12 to rotate, thereby driving the fixed mechanism at the front end to rotate. When driving the front fixed mechanism to rotate, it should be ensured that it is in a non-fixed state, and multiple brushes 6 should be in contact with the inner wall of the pipeline. During the rotation of the fixed mechanism, multiple brushes 6 will rotate, and the brushes 6 will clean the silt and impurities at the bottom of the pipeline inner wall, making the equipment more comprehensive in its pipeline inspection.

[0037] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes can be made within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection, characterized in that, include: Two fixing mechanisms are symmetrically arranged. The fixing mechanism includes a cylinder (2), multiple rotating rods (3) rotatably installed at the end of the cylinder (2), and a first power component for driving the multiple rotating rods (3) to rotate synchronously; the outer end of the rotating rod (3) is connected to an anti-slip rubber block (4). The equipment housing (1) is located between two fixed mechanisms. Inside the equipment housing (1) is installed a first electric telescopic rod (13) for driving the cylinder (2) on one side to move along its length. A mounting shaft (12) is rotatably mounted on the equipment housing (1). Inside the equipment housing (1) is installed a second power assembly for driving the mounting shaft (12) to rotate. The second power assembly includes a servo motor (14), a drive gear (15), and a gear ring (16). The servo motor (14) is mounted on the inner side of the equipment housing (1). The drive gear (15) is mounted on the output shaft of the servo motor (14). The gear ring (16) is mounted on the outer circumference of the mounting shaft (12). The gear ring (16) meshes with the drive gear (15). The mounting shaft (12) is connected to the cylinder (2) on the other side. The ends of multiple rotating rods (3) on the fixed mechanism connected to the mounting shaft (12) are all equipped with bristles (6). A detection assembly mounted on the mounting shaft (12); The first underwater camera (91) and the second underwater camera (92) are respectively installed on the outer ends of the two side cylinders (2).

2. The pipeline robot for underground pipeline network inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first power assembly includes a second electric telescopic rod, a sliding ring (5), and multiple connecting rods (8). The second electric telescopic rod is installed on the inner side of the cylinder (2). A slider is connected to the output shaft of the second electric telescopic rod. A sliding hole (201) for sliding the slider is opened on the cylinder (2). The sliding ring (5) is slidably installed on the cylinder (2). The slider passes through the sliding hole (201) and is connected to the sliding ring (5). Multiple connecting rods (8) are rotatably installed on the sliding ring (5), and the other end of the multiple connecting rods (8) is rotatably connected to multiple rotating rods (3).

3. A pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection components include a sonar (10), a laser scanner (11), and a third underwater camera (93).

4. A pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that, A traction rope (7) is connected to the end of the cylinder (2) away from the mounting shaft (12).

5. A pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection according to claim 4, characterized in that, The surface of the traction rope (7) is marked with length.

6. A pipeline robot suitable for underground pipeline network inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller and signal transmission module are installed inside the device housing (1).

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