Modularized pipeline robot capable of achieving active and passive radial size adjustment

Abstract

The invention discloses a modular pipeline robot capable of achieving active and passive radial size adjustment, and belongs to the technical field of pipeline robots. The pipeline robot aims at solving the problems that in the prior art, due to the fact that a pipeline robot is large in size, the turning performance is poor, the reducing adjustment scale is small, and structural operation is unstable. The device comprises an active reducing module, a passive reducing module, an execution mechanism module and a control and energy module. Three passive reducing modules in a circular array are arranged on the outer side of the active reducing module, each passive reducing module comprises a track structure and is connected with the active reducing module, and the active reducing module is provided with a transmission part with a planar spiral groove and converts rotary motion into radial linear motion. The distance between the crawler belt of the passive reducing module and the machine body is actively adjusted, and self-locking can be achieved, so that crawler belt feet can stably make contact with the inner wall of the pipeline; the passive reducing module crosses obstacles on the inner wall of the pipeline through asymmetric compression of the two spring shock absorbers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of pipeline robots, and in particular relates to a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment. Background Art

[0002] Pipelines play an important role in transportation in modern cities. Over time, problems such as corrosion and blockage may occur inside the pipelines. These problems not only reduce the efficiency of the pipelines but may also affect the normal functions of the pipelines. Therefore, the pipelines need to be inspected and desilted regularly. As an important tool for modern pipeline inspection and maintenance, pipeline robots can carry sensors into pipelines to perform inspection and maintenance tasks. However, due to the complex environment inside the pipelines, with different diameters, curvatures and obstacles, traditional robots with fixed diameters are difficult to adapt to all pipeline sizes. Therefore, pipeline robots with automatic variable diameter adaptability are needed to improve their passability and inspection efficiency and ensure stable operation in a variety of complex environments.

[0003] The Chinese patent with publication number CN118775677A discloses a multifunctional variable diameter adaptive pipeline robot, which uses a diameter-changing device composed of a lead screw, a slider, a trapezoidal screw nut and a connecting rod. When the motor drives the synchronous belt to rotate, the lead screw is driven to rotate, and the rotation of the lead screw drives the trapezoidal screw nut to translate in the axial direction of the robot. The slider drives the connecting rod to move so that the drive wheel produces radial extension and contraction, thereby realizing the diameter change of the pipeline robot. However, the pipeline robot uses a lead screw plus a swing arm or a pan-tilt method, which occupies a large axial space. Since the lead screw is long and arranged in the axial position of the pipeline robot, this diameter-changing method will increase the axial size of the pipeline robot, which is not suitable for miniaturization, reduces the pipeline robot's bending performance in the pipeline, and reduces the space utilization rate of the fuselage.

[0004] A Chinese patent with publication number CN118306488B discloses a deformable tracked pipeline robot and its differential cornering method. The pipeline robot adopts a central diameter-changing module composed of a spring, a movable hinge, a support rod, and a track foot. When the track passes through a pipeline with a changing diameter, the track foot is tilted parallel to the inner wall of the pipeline, and the support rods on both sides compress the springs on both sides respectively to achieve a certain degree of passive diameter change; a leg module composed of a brake, a synchronous pulley, a transmission shaft, a synchronous belt, a drive motor, a gear set, a coupling, and a side plate is adopted. The drive motor provides power, the brake controls the start and stop of the diameter-changing function, the coupling, the gear set and the synchronous belt are used for transmission, and the drive motor drives the synchronous belt through the coupling to adjust the angle of the leg module relative to the track foot module, thereby realizing the radial extension and contraction of the external track. However, the design uses brakes, synchronous belts, and couplings to drive the leg modules, but the scale of diameter adjustment is small, which limits its application range. When the radial size increases, the contact area between the track and the pipe wall will decrease, resulting in reduced friction. The structure is complex and the cost is high. In addition, due to the sacrifice of part of the fuselage space in the design of the support rod and spring, the expansion capability is limited.

[0005] A Chinese patent with publication number CN114719123B discloses a variable diameter pipeline robot, which uses a steering gear, a turntable with grooves, and a telescopic bracket with protrusions to change the radial size. The turntable is provided with grooves, and the protrusions on the telescopic bracket are installed in the grooves of the turntable. The turntable is driven to rotate by the steering gear, and the rotational motion of the turntable is adjusted to radial direct motion through the grooves and the protrusions. However, the invention does not design a passive pipe diameter adaptation module, a method using a steering gear, a turntable with grooves, and a telescopic bracket with protrusions, and does not design a self-locking mechanism. When the pipe diameter changes or there is an obstacle on the pipe wall, the driving wheel and the driven wheel are subjected to an inward squeezing force, and the protrusions on the telescopic bracket will transmit the reverse force to the turntable, driving the turntable to rotate in the direction of reducing the radial size of the driving wheel, causing the device to lose sufficient support force, resulting in unstable operation of the robot. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a modular pipeline robot that can realize active and passive radial size adjustment, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art of pipeline robots, such as poor cornering performance caused by large size, small diameter adjustment scale and unstable structural operation.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment of the present invention comprises an active variable diameter module, a passive variable diameter module, an actuator module arranged at the front end of the active variable diameter module in the direction of travel, and a control and energy module arranged at the rear end of the active variable diameter module in the direction of travel; the overall action is controlled by the control and energy module;

[0008] The active variable diameter module comprises a variable diameter driving part and two groups of variable diameter adjusting parts symmetrically arranged at both ends of the variable diameter driving part, each group of the variable diameter adjusting parts at least comprises a variable diameter base and a plurality of legs uniformly distributed on the end surface of the variable diameter base away from the variable diameter driving part, the legs radially slide in cooperation with the end surface of the variable diameter base; the legs of the two groups of the variable diameter adjusting parts are arranged opposite to each other one by one; the length of the legs extending relative to the variable diameter base is adjusted by the variable diameter driving part;

[0009] The passive variable diameter module includes a plurality of track structures and spring shock absorbers evenly distributed on the outside of the active variable diameter module. The two ends of each track structure close to the active variable diameter module are respectively connected to the two opposite legs of the two groups of variable diameter adjustment parts through two spring shock absorbers.

[0010] The variable diameter driving part comprises:

[0011] A component mounting sleeve, wherein a plurality of component mounting surfaces are arranged on an inner annular surface of the component mounting sleeve;

[0012] A variable diameter drive motor, wherein the variable diameter drive motor is mounted on the component mounting surface of the component mounting sleeve through a variable diameter drive motor mounting seat;

[0013] An active drive gear coaxially fixed to the output shaft of the variable diameter drive motor;

[0014] And two passive drive gears, the two passive drive gears and the active drive gear are evenly distributed around the circumference, each passive drive gear is mounted on a gear mounting seat through a gear bearing, and the gear mounting seat is mounted on the component mounting surface through bolt connection.

[0015] Each group of the variable diameter adjustment parts also includes:

[0016] A driving disc mounted on the variable diameter base through a driving disc bearing, wherein a plane spiral groove is provided on a side of the driving disc close to the variable diameter base, and an annular helical tooth meshing with the active driving gear and the passive driving gear is provided on a side away from the variable diameter base;

[0017] And a leg mounting seat, a plurality of radially arranged sliding grooves are evenly distributed circumferentially on the end surface of one end of the variable diameter base away from the variable diameter driving part, and the plurality of leg mounting seats are respectively slidably matched with the plurality of sliding grooves in the radial direction; a plane spiral groove is provided on the side of the leg mounting seat close to the driving disk, the plane spiral groove of the leg mounting seat is meshed with the plane spiral groove of the driving disk, and the leg is fixed on the leg mounting seat.

[0018] The passive variable diameter module also includes a double-fork ear seat connected between the spring shock absorber and the track structure, the double-fork ear seat and the track structure are hingedly installed, the bottom plate of the double-fork ear seat is fixedly connected to the mounting platform at one end of the spring shock absorber, and the other end of the spring shock absorber is hinged to the support leg.

[0019] The crawler structure comprises:

[0020] Two track side plates are arranged opposite to each other, and both ends of the track side plates are arc-shaped ends;

[0021] A walking track wound around the outer sides of the two track side plates;

[0022] A crawler drive unit, through which the walking crawler is driven to rotate;

[0023] And a tensioning adjustment part, through which the tensioning degree of the walking crawler belt is adjusted.

[0024] The crawler drive unit comprises:

[0025] A crawler drive motor is mounted on an outer end surface of a crawler side plate through a crawler drive motor mounting seat;

[0026] A driving bevel gear coaxially arranged with the output shaft of the crawler drive motor;

[0027] A crawler drive shaft arranged perpendicular to the crawler drive motor output shaft, one end of the crawler drive shaft extending between the two crawler side plates;

[0028] A driven bevel gear fixed to the other end of the crawler drive shaft, the driven bevel gear meshing with the driving bevel gear;

[0029] A track driving wheel fixed to the portion of the track driving shaft between the two track side plates, wherein the track driving wheel is meshed with one end of the traveling track near an arc-shaped end of the track side plate for transmission;

[0030] And a plurality of track driven wheels, which are arranged at two long sides of the traveling track and meshed with the traveling track.

[0031] The tensioning adjustment part is located at an arc-shaped end of the track side plate away from the track driving part; the tensioning adjustment part includes a tensioning shaft, a tensioning wheel coaxially fixed on the tensioning shaft, and two groups of flexible adjustment structures symmetrically arranged on two track side plates, the tensioning wheel is meshed with the walking track; each group of the flexible adjustment structures includes:

[0032] A tensioning support, the tensioning support is fixedly arranged at the relative position of the two track side plates, the track side plates are provided with tensioning movable grooves along the length direction, the cavity in the middle of the tensioning support and the tensioning movable grooves on the track side plates are arranged relative to each other, and a first spring positioning block is arranged on the vertical plate of the tensioning support;

[0033] An L-shaped tensioning mounting seat, the tensioning mounting seat is located in the cavity of the tensioning support and slides relative to the cavity along the length direction of the walking track, the bottom plate of the tensioning mounting seat is provided with a circular slot, the side plate is provided with a second spring positioning block, and both ends of the tensioning shaft are respectively installed on the circular slots of the two tensioning mounting seats through tensioning bearings;

[0034] And a tensioning spring, one end of which is connected and positioned with a first spring positioning block of the tensioning support, and the other end of which is connected and positioned with a second spring positioning block on the tensioning mounting seat.

[0035] The actuator module comprises:

[0036] An actuator base, one end surface of which is detachably connected to the front end of the active variable diameter module in the travel direction;

[0037] An actuator upper cover having one end detachably connected to the actuator base at the other end, wherein the actuator upper cover is provided with a detection sensor mounting hole;

[0038] An actuator driving motor disposed inside the actuator upper cover;

[0039] A cleaning knife disc is arranged at the other end of the actuator upper cover and is coaxially fixedly connected to the actuator drive motor, and a plurality of radially arranged cleaning knives are evenly distributed on the circumference of the front end action surface of the cleaning knife disc;

[0040] And a drill bit is coaxially arranged on the front end action surface of the cleaning cutter disc.

[0041] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment of the present invention realizes adaptation to the working pipeline by combining active and passive diameter-changing methods; three passive diameter-changing modules are evenly arranged on the outer side surface of the active diameter-changing module along the circumference, and the passive diameter-changing module comprises a track foot structure, and the distance between the track foot and the central axis of the pipeline robot can be adjusted by meshing the planar spiral grooves of the mating surfaces of the driving disk and the leg mounting seat in the active diameter-changing module, and the design of the planar spiral grooves can realize self-locking, and the radial force exerted on the track foot due to crossing obstacles or welds will not reversely drive the driving disk to rotate, thereby preventing changes in the radial position of the track due to external obstacles, and ensuring the stable operation of the pipeline robot in the pipeline, and when the pipeline robot advances on the inner wall of the pipeline without obstacles, the track can be driven to run smoothly through the pipeline; the diameter-changing structure proposed by the present invention occupies a small axial space, is modularly designed as a whole, has strong scalability, and is suitable for pipelines of various different diameters. The present invention adjusts the track position to be slightly larger than the inner diameter of the pipeline through the active variable diameter module, and the two groups of spring shock absorbers of the passive variable diameter module are compressed, so that there is sufficient positive pressure between the track foot and the inner wall of the pipeline; when the pipeline robot moves forward on the inner wall of the pipeline with welds or obstacles, the track structure will climb along the welds or obstacles, and through the differential compression of the spring shock absorbers at both ends, the angle of the track foot relative to the axial diameter of the pipeline is changed, so that it can smoothly pass through small welds and obstacles in the pipeline. The present invention can pass through a pipeline with a changing inner diameter; the actuator module is provided with a distance sensor, which can obtain the pipe diameter size, and according to the change in the inner diameter of the pipeline and the maximum span angle that the passive diameter-changing module can reach (the angle of the crawler relative to the pipeline axis when the spring shock absorber on one side is extremely compressed and the spring shock absorber on the other side is not compressed), the radial position of the crawler is adjusted by the active diameter-changing module. The crawler is subjected to the pressure of the inner wall of the pipeline, and the two spring shock absorbers of the passive diameter-changing mechanism will be compressed to different degrees, so that the crawler is close to the inclined inner wall of the pipeline (the inner wall of the pipeline in the section where the inner diameter of the pipeline changes). The compression degree of the two spring shock absorbers is adjusted by the active diameter-changing module to provide sufficient friction, so that the pipeline robot can realize movement operation in the pipeline with a changing inner diameter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 This is an overall structural assembly diagram of a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 An exploded diagram of a modular pipeline robot module capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 It is an exploded schematic diagram of an active diameter-changing module in a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to the present invention;

[0045] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a diameter-changing driving part of an active diameter-changing module in a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of assembling a diameter-changing driving part of an active diameter-changing module in a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to the present invention;

[0047] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a passive diameter-changing module in a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to the present invention;

[0048] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of a tensioning adjustment part in a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of an actuator module in a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to the present invention;

[0050] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment in the present invention, which increases friction force by changing the diameter in a pipeline;

[0051] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment before and after diameter change of the present invention;

[0052] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment of the present invention passing through a fixed diameter pipeline with welds or impurity deposits;

[0053] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of a pipeline passing through a modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial dimension adjustment according to the present invention, wherein the pipeline passes through a pipeline with a smooth transition change in diameter;

[0054] Wherein: 1. Active variable diameter module, 101. Variable diameter base; 1011. Bearing mounting shaft, 1012. Mounting step surface, 1013. Slide groove, 1014. Convex first mounting surface, 102. Drive disc bearing, 103. Drive disc, 104. Passive drive gear, 105. Gear mounting seat, 106. Gear bearing, 107. Variable diameter drive motor mounting seat, 108. Variable diameter drive motor, 109. Active drive gear, 110. Component mounting sleeve, 1101. Component mounting plane, 111. Leg mounting seat, 1111. Concave first mounting surface, 1112. Concave second mounting surface, 112. Leg, 1121. Concave second mounting surface, 113. Leg mounting screw;

[0055] 2. Passive variable diameter module, 201. Spring shock absorber, 202. Double fork ear seat, 203. Track side plate, 2031. Tensioning moving groove, 204. Track drive motor mounting seat, 205. Track drive motor, 206. Track drive shaft mounting seat, 207. Track drive bearing, 208. Track drive shaft, 209. Active bevel gear, 210. Driven bevel gear, 211. Track drive wheel, 212. Tensioning support, 2121. Cavity, 2122. First spring positioning block, 213. Tensioning spring, 214. Tensioning mounting seat, 2141. Second spring positioning block, 215. Tensioning bearing, 216. Tensioning shaft, 217. Tensioning wheel, 218. Walking track, 219. Track driven wheel;

[0056] 3. Actuator module, 301. Actuator base, 302. Actuator cover, 3021. Detection sensor mounting hole, 303. Cleaning cutter head, 304. Drill bit;

[0057] 4. Control and energy module;

[0058] 5. Fixed diameter pipeline;

[0059] 6. Weld or impurity deposition;

[0060] 7. Pipelines with smooth transition changes in diameter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0062] See also Figure 1-Figure 12 A modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment of the present invention comprises an active variable diameter module 1, a passive variable diameter module 2, an actuator module 3 arranged at the front end of the active variable diameter module 1 in the direction of travel, and a control and energy module 4 arranged at the rear end of the active variable diameter module 1 in the direction of travel; the overall action is controlled by the control and energy module 4;

[0063] The active variable diameter module 1 includes a variable diameter driving part and two groups of variable diameter adjustment parts symmetrically arranged at both ends of the variable diameter driving part, each group of the variable diameter adjustment parts at least includes a variable diameter base 101 and a plurality of legs 112 uniformly distributed on the end surface of the variable diameter base 101 away from the variable diameter driving part, and the legs 112 are radially slidably matched relative to the end surface of the variable diameter base 101; the legs 112 of the two groups of the variable diameter adjustment parts are arranged one by one relative to each other; the length of the legs 112 extending relative to the variable diameter base 101 is adjusted by the variable diameter driving part;

[0064] The passive variable diameter module 2 includes a plurality of track structures and spring shock absorbers 201 evenly distributed on the outside of the active variable diameter module 1. The two ends of each track structure close to the active variable diameter module 1 are respectively connected to the two opposite legs 112 of the two groups of variable diameter adjustment parts through two spring shock absorbers 201.

[0065] The variable diameter driving part comprises:

[0066] A component installation sleeve 110, wherein a plurality of component installation surfaces 1101 are arranged on the inner annular surface of the component installation sleeve 110;

[0067] A variable diameter drive motor 108, wherein the variable diameter drive motor 108 is mounted on the component mounting surface 1101 of the component mounting sleeve 110 through a variable diameter drive motor mounting seat 107;

[0068] An active drive gear 109 coaxially fixed to the output shaft of the variable diameter drive motor 108;

[0069] And two passive drive gears 104, the two passive drive gears 104 and the active drive gear 109 are evenly distributed around the circumference, each passive drive gear 104 is mounted on a gear mounting seat 105 through a gear bearing 106, and the gear mounting seat 105 is mounted on the component mounting surface 1101 through bolt connection.

[0070] Each group of the variable diameter adjustment parts also includes:

[0071] A driving disc 103 mounted on the variable diameter base 101 through a driving disc bearing 102, wherein a plane spiral groove is provided on a side of the driving disc 103 close to the variable diameter base 101, and an annular helical tooth meshing with the active driving gear 109 and the passive driving gear 104 is provided on a side away from the variable diameter base 101;

[0072] And a leg mounting seat 111, a plurality of radially arranged sliding grooves 1013 are evenly distributed circumferentially on the end surface of one end of the variable diameter base 101 away from the variable diameter driving part, and the plurality of leg mounting seats 111 respectively slide in radial cooperation with the plurality of sliding grooves 1013; a plane spiral groove is provided on the side of the leg mounting seat 111 close to the driving disk 103, and the plane spiral groove of the leg mounting seat 111 is meshed with the plane spiral groove of the driving disk, and the leg 112 is fixed to the leg mounting seat 111 by a leg mounting screw 113, and extends relative to the variable diameter base 101.

[0073] The variable diameter base 101 is provided with a cylindrical inner cavity near the side facing the variable diameter driving part, and a bearing mounting shaft 1011 and a bearing mounting step surface 1012 are provided at the center of the inner cavity, and a convex first mounting surface 1014 is provided at a relative position of the side wall of the slide groove 1013 of the variable diameter base 101; the inner ring of the driving disk bearing 102 is installed on the bearing mounting shaft 1011, the end face is in contact with the bearing mounting step surface 1012, and the outer ring is connected to the inner hole surface of the driving disk 103;

[0074] The cross section of the leg mounting seat 111 is I-shaped and slides radially with the slide groove 1013; the side of the leg mounting seat 111 opposite to the plane spiral groove is a convex second mounting surface 1112, and the two opposite side walls are provided with concave first mounting surfaces 1111; the two concave first mounting surfaces 1111 of the leg mounting seat 111 cooperate with the two convex first mounting surfaces 1014 of the slide groove 1013 of the variable diameter base 101;

[0075] A concave second mounting surface 1121 is provided on a surface of the leg 112 that contacts the leg mounting seat 111 , and the second mounting surface of the leg 112 matches with the convex second mounting surface 1112 of the leg mounting seat 111 .

[0076] The variable diameter base 101 is provided with a cylindrical inner cavity on one side facing the variable diameter driving part, and the bearing mounting shaft 1011 and the mounting step surface 1012 are arranged at the center of the inner cavity; the outer ring of the driving disc bearing 102 cooperates with the circular opening in the center of the driving disc 103, and the driving disc 103 is installed in the inner cavity of the variable diameter base 101, and the driving disc 103 can rotate relative to the variable diameter base 101. The driving disc 103 is provided with a planar spiral groove on one side close to the variable diameter base 101, and an annular helical tooth on the side away from the variable diameter base 101; the driving disc 103 cooperates with the active driving gear 109 and two passive driving gears 104, and the active driving gear 109 and the passive driving gear 104 are evenly distributed along the circumference, and the gear mounting seat 105 It is installed on the component mounting surface 1101 through bolt connection; the variable diameter drive motor 108 is controlled to drive the active drive gear 109, and the positive and negative rotation of the drive disk 103 is controlled through gear transmission; three slide grooves 1013 are evenly arranged on the side of the variable diameter base 101 away from the drive disk 103, and the slide grooves 1013 are arranged radially outward with the center of the side circle of the variable diameter base 101 as the vertex, and the cut-out part of the cross section of the slide groove 1013 presents an I-shape; the slide groove 1013 is used to install the leg mounting seat 111, limit the movement and torsion of the leg mounting seat 111 in the direction of the central axis of the variable diameter base 101, so that the leg mounting seat 111 moves radially along the variable diameter base 101 in the slide groove 1013, and the number of the leg mounting seat 111 is the same as the number of the slide grooves 101 13 is the same in number; a plane spiral groove matching the driving disk 103 is provided on one side of the leg mounting seat 111 close to the variable diameter base 101, and the plane spiral groove of the leg mounting seat 111 cooperates with the plane spiral groove of the driving disk 103. In order to ensure that the distances of multiple leg mounting seats 111 relative to the axis of the variable diameter base 101 are the same, the position layout of the plane spiral grooves of multiple leg mounting seats 111 is not exactly the same; when the driving disk 103 rotates, the leg mounting seat 111 is moved radially outward or inward through the transmission of the plane spiral groove, thereby realizing the active variable diameter function of the mechanism; due to the arrangement of the plane spiral groove of the driving disk 103 and the plane spiral groove of the leg mounting seat 111, the radial direction of the leg mounting seat 111 can be adjusted by rotating the driving disk 103 The position can be adjusted, but the driving disk 103 cannot be rotated by applying radial force to the leg mounting seat 111, that is, the present design has a self-locking function; the leg mounting seat 111 and the leg 112 are assembled through a bump and groove structure and connected by bolts, and the number of the legs 112 is the same as that of the leg mounting seat 111; the leg 112 is provided with two parallel fork arms in the direction away from the central axis of the base, and a through hole is provided on the fork arm, which is connected to the passive variable diameter module 2 through a hinge, and the position of the leg mounting seat 111 relative to the axis of the variable diameter base 101 can be controlled by controlling the variable diameter drive motor 108 through gear transmission, thereby adjusting the positions of multiple passive variable diameter modules 2 relative to the axis of the variable diameter base 101, thereby realizing the active variable pipe diameter adaptation function.

[0077] The passive variable diameter module 2 also includes a double-fork ear seat 202 connected between the spring shock absorber 201 and the track structure. The double-fork ear seat 202 and the track structure are hingedly installed. The bottom plate of the double-fork ear seat 202 is fixedly connected to the mounting platform at one end of the spring shock absorber 201, and the other end of the spring shock absorber 201 is hinged to the support leg 112.

[0078] The crawler structure comprises:

[0079] Two track side plates 203 are arranged opposite to each other, and the track side plates 203 are rectangular in shape as a whole, and the two opposite sides are long sides and short sides, and the two ends are arc-shaped ends, one end of the arc-shaped end is connected to the long side end, and the other end extends along the tangent direction of the arc-shaped end to the side end;

[0080] A walking track 218 wound around the outer sides of the two track side plates 203;

[0081] A crawler belt drive unit, through which the walking crawler belt 218 is driven to rotate;

[0082] And a tension adjustment unit, through which the tension of the walking track 218 is adjusted.

[0083] The crawler drive unit comprises:

[0084] A crawler drive motor 205 mounted on the outer end surface of a crawler side plate 203 through a crawler drive motor mounting seat 204;

[0085] A driving bevel gear 209 coaxially arranged with the output shaft of the crawler drive motor 205;

[0086] A track drive shaft 208 is vertically arranged with respect to the output shaft of the track drive motor 205. The track drive shaft 208 is mounted on a track drive shaft mounting seat 206 via a track drive bearing 207. The track drive shaft mounting seat 206 is fixedly mounted on the track side plate 203. One end of the track drive shaft 208 extends between the two track side plates 203.

[0087] A driven bevel gear 210 fixed to the other end of the track drive shaft 208, wherein the driven bevel gear 210 is meshed with the driving bevel gear 209;

[0088] A track driving wheel 211 is fixed to the track driving shaft 208 between the two track side plates 203, and the track driving wheel 211 is meshed with one end of the walking track 218 near an arc-shaped end of the track side plate 203 for transmission;

[0089] And a plurality of track driven wheels 219 , which are arranged at two long sides of the traveling track 218 and mesh with the traveling track 218 .

[0090] The tensioning adjustment part is located at an arc-shaped end of the track side plate 203 away from the track driving part; the tensioning adjustment part includes a tensioning shaft 216, a tensioning wheel 217 coaxially fixed on the tensioning shaft 216, and two groups of flexible adjustment structures symmetrically arranged on the two track side plates 203, and the tensioning wheel 217 is meshed with the walking track 218; each group of the flexible adjustment structure includes:

[0091] A tensioning support 212, the tensioning support 212 is fixedly arranged at a position opposite to the two track side plates 203, the track side plates 203 are provided with tensioning movable grooves 2031 along the length direction, the cavity 2121 in the middle of the tensioning support 212 and the tensioning movable grooves 2031 on the track side plates 203 are arranged opposite to each other, and a first spring positioning block 2122 is arranged on the vertical plate of the tensioning support 212;

[0092] An L-shaped tensioning mounting seat 214, the tensioning mounting seat 214 is located in the cavity 2121 of the tensioning support 212 and slides relative to the cavity 2121 along the length direction of the walking track 218, the bottom plate of the tensioning mounting seat 214 is provided with a circular groove, the side plate is provided with a second spring positioning block 2141, and both ends of the tensioning shaft 216 are respectively installed on the circular grooves of the two tensioning mounting seats 214 through tensioning bearings 215;

[0093] And a tensioning spring 213 , one end of which is connected and positioned with a first spring positioning block 2122 of the tensioning support 212 , and the other end of which is connected and positioned with a second spring positioning block 2141 on the tensioning mounting seat 214 .

[0094] There are multiple spring shock absorbers 201, the same number as the support leg 112. An articulated seat is set at one end of the spring shock absorber 201, and a circular through hole is opened on the articulated seat, which is hinged to the fork arm structure of the support leg 112 through a hinge. The end of the spring shock absorber 201 away from the articulated seat is designed with a mounting platform, which is fixed to the bottom plate of the double-fork ear seat 202 by bolt connection. The two support plates of the double-fork ear seat 202 are arranged in parallel, and the support plates are provided with through holes, and are hingedly installed with the track structure; a plurality of threaded holes and through holes are set on the track side plate 203 for installing different functional components, and the two track side plates 203 are fixed to each other by bolt connection using a connecting shaft, and a track driving wheel 211 and a tensioning wheel are installed between the two track side plates 203. 217 and multiple track driven wheels 219; the track driving wheel 211 and the track driving shaft 208 are connected by a key structure to achieve torque transmission; the tensioning wheel 217 is arranged on the side away from the track driving wheel 211, and the tensioning wheel 217 and the tensioning shaft 216 are connected by a key structure; the bottom plate of the tensioning support 212 is provided with a cavity 2121, and the shape of the cavity 2121 is similar to the shape of the bottom plate of the tensioning mounting seat 214, which is used to limit the degree of freedom of the tensioning shaft 216 so that the tensioning shaft 216 can only move back and forth along the long side direction of the track side plate 203; the elastic force of the tensioning spring 213 is used to make the tensioning mounting seat 214 move in the direction of tightening the track, thereby driving the tensioning wheel 217 to move synchronously to tighten the walking track 218.

[0095] The actuator module 3 comprises:

[0096] An actuator base 301, one end surface of the actuator base 301 is detachably connected to the front end of the active variable diameter module 1 in the travel direction;

[0097] An actuator upper cover 302 detachably connected at one end to the actuator base 301 at the other end, and a detection sensor mounting hole 3021 is provided on the actuator upper cover 302;

[0098] An actuator driving motor disposed inside the actuator upper cover 302;

[0099] A cleaning blade disc 303 is disposed at the other end of the actuator upper cover 302 and is coaxially fixedly connected to the actuator drive motor, and a plurality of radially arranged cleaning blades are evenly distributed on the circumference of the front end action surface of the cleaning blade disc 303;

[0100] And a drill bit 304 is coaxially arranged on the front end action surface of the cleaning cutter disc 303.

[0101] The actuator base 301 is provided with a plurality of slots on one side close to the active variable diameter module 1, the number of the slots is the same as the number of the legs 112, the slots are evenly distributed and radially extend outward with the central axis of the actuator base 301 as the endpoint, and are used to accommodate the legs 112; the actuator base 301 is fixed to the actuator cover 302 by bolts, the actuator cover 302 is cylindrical on one side close to the actuator base 301, and spherical on one side away from the actuator base 301, a through hole is provided in the center of the spherical cover along the axis of the actuator cover 302, the output shaft of the actuator drive motor is installed by a bearing, and the actuator The driving motor is fixed inside the actuator cover 302 by means of a motor bracket by means of bolt connection. The spherical part of the actuator cover 302 is provided with a detection sensor mounting hole 3021 for mounting various sensors and other equipment for detection and measurement. The output shaft of the actuator driving motor and the cleaning cutter disc 303 are locked for rotation by a key structure and connected by a pin for positioning. The disc surface of the cleaning cutter disc 303 is provided with a plurality of through holes, and a plurality of cleaning knives are evenly installed on the disc surface. A drill bit 304 is provided at the axial position of the cleaning cutter disc 303 by means of bolt connection. The cleaning cutter disc 303 and the drill bit 304 have various specifications and are designed according to different pipelines.

[0102] The control and energy module 4 is equipped with electronic and functional components such as a control system and a battery. The overall action is controlled by the control system, and the overall power is supplied by the battery.

[0103] When the pipeline robot of the present invention enters different fixed-diameter pipelines 5 to perform operations, it is necessary to replace the cleaning cutter discs 303 of different specifications according to the inner diameter of the pipeline, and then control the variable-diameter drive motor 108 to adjust the distance between the multiple passive variable-diameter modules 2 and the central axis, so that the walking track 218 contacts the inner diameter of the pipeline. According to different operation requirements, the variable-diameter drive motor 108 can be controlled to drive the multiple legs 112 radially outward to compress the spring shock absorber 201, increase the squeezing force on the walking track 218, thereby increasing the friction between the pipeline robot and the fixed-diameter pipeline 5, and making the pipeline robot operate more stably in the fixed-diameter pipeline 5; when the pipeline robot is located in the fixed-diameter pipeline 5, the movement of the walking track 218 can be controlled by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the track drive motor 205, so that the pipeline robot can operate in the fixed-diameter pipeline 5. The sensor installed in the detection sensor mounting hole 3021 will survey the situation of the pipeline robot's location. If a blockage occurs, the cleaning disc 303 will be controlled to clear the blockage. The drill bit 304 will drill holes in the blockage along the axis of the pipeline. The cut blockage will be discharged through the spiral groove, destroying the surface tension and structural integrity of the blockage. As the pipeline robot moves, the tool on the cleaning disc 303 will crush the remaining blockage, and the generated residue will be discharged through the through hole on the cleaning disc 303. Since the front end of the actuator cover 302 is a spherical surface, the residue of the blockage can be prevented from re-attaching and accumulating on the outer wall of the pipeline robot. The above operation can realize the active diameter changing function of the pipeline robot designed by the present invention, and complete the dredging task in pipelines 5 with different fixed diameters.

[0104] When there is a weld or impurity deposit 6 in the fixed diameter pipeline 5, the self-locking is achieved due to the cooperation of the planar spiral groove of the driving disk 103 and the support leg mounting seat 111, and the radial inward force from the walking track 218 will compress the spring shock absorber 201, thereby increasing the friction between the pipeline robot and the inner wall of the pipeline, making it easier to pass through obstacles; due to the structural design of the track side plate 203, the tangent part of the side of the arc section of the track structure first contacts the weld or impurity deposit 6, and a reverse force is provided along the contact surface, so that the spring shock absorber 201 close to the contact part is compressed, and as the pipeline robot moves forward, the walking track 218 structure climbs along the weld or impurity deposit 6, and the contact position of the walking track 218 with the weld or impurity deposit 6 changes. The track structure and the inner wall of the fixed diameter pipe 5 are inclined at an angle, the contact area between the walking track 218 and the inside of the fixed diameter pipe 5 is reduced, and the spring shock absorber 201 close to the weld or impurity deposition 6 is compressed, and at the same time, a reaction force is provided to the track structure to enhance the friction and facilitate passing through the weld or impurity deposition 6. When the weld or impurity deposition 6 is located at the center of the track structure, the compression amounts of the spring shock absorbers 201 on both sides are the same. After passing through this position, the spring shock absorber 201 compressed first gradually rebounds, causing the track portion passing through the weld or impurity deposition 6 to contact the pipeline, and the spring shock absorber 201 on the other side is further compressed, so that it can pass through the weld or impurity deposition 6 area in the fixed diameter pipe 5.

[0105] When it is necessary to pass through a pipeline 7 with a smooth transition change in diameter, as the pipeline robot moves in the pipeline 7 with a smooth transition change in diameter, the spring shock absorbers 201 on both sides of the track structure are compressed to different degrees, and the sensor installed at the actuator module 3 will scan the inner diameter of the pipeline to obtain the size of the diameter. According to the change in the inner diameter of the pipeline 7 with a smooth transition change in diameter and the maximum span angle that the passive variable diameter module 2 can achieve (the angle between the track and the axis of the pipeline when the spring shock absorber 201 on one side is extremely compressed and the spring shock absorber 201 on the other side is not compressed), as the pipeline robot moves toward the part with reduced inner diameter, the variable diameter drive motor 108 is controlled to adjust the radial position of the support leg 112, and adjust the support leg 112 toward the axial position, so as to pass through the pipeline with a changed inner diameter.

[0106] The present invention adopts a modular design, and an expansion module with the same appearance as the actuator module 3 and the control and energy module 4 can be designed according to the needs. The devices for realizing the required functions can be reasonably installed in the expansion module, and the active variable diameter module 1 and the control and energy module 4 can be fixedly connected with bolts to realize the function change and expansion of the pipeline robot.

Claims

1. A modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment, characterized in that: It comprises an active variable diameter module (1), a passive variable diameter module (2), an actuator module (3) arranged at the front end of the active variable diameter module (1) in the direction of travel, and a control and energy module (4) arranged at the rear end of the active variable diameter module (1) in the direction of travel; the overall action is controlled by the control and energy module (4); The active variable diameter module (1) comprises a variable diameter driving part and two groups of variable diameter adjustment parts symmetrically arranged at two ends of the variable diameter driving part, each group of the variable diameter adjustment parts at least comprises a variable diameter base (101) and a plurality of legs (112) uniformly distributed on the end surface of the variable diameter base (101) away from the variable diameter driving part, the legs (112) being radially slidably matched relative to the end surface of the variable diameter base (101); the legs (112) of the two groups of the variable diameter adjustment parts are arranged one by one relative to each other; the length of the legs (112) extending relative to the variable diameter base (101) is adjusted by the variable diameter driving part; The passive variable diameter module (2) comprises a plurality of track structures and spring shock absorbers (201) uniformly distributed on the circumference of the outside of the active variable diameter module (1), and the two ends of each track structure on a side close to the active variable diameter module (1) are respectively connected to two opposite legs (112) of two groups of variable diameter adjustment parts through two spring shock absorbers (201).

2. A modular pipeline robot capable of active and passive radial size adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The variable diameter driving part comprises: A component installation sleeve (110), wherein a plurality of component installation surfaces are arranged on an inner annular surface of the component installation sleeve (110); A variable diameter drive motor (108), wherein the variable diameter drive motor (108) is mounted on a component mounting surface of a component mounting sleeve (110) via a variable diameter drive motor mounting seat (107); An active driving gear (109) coaxially fixed on the output shaft of the variable diameter driving motor (108); and two passive drive gears (104), the two passive drive gears (104) and the active drive gear (109) being evenly distributed around the circumference, each passive drive gear (104) being mounted on a gear mounting seat (105) via a gear bearing (106), and the gear mounting seat (105) being mounted on a component mounting surface via bolt connection.

3. A modular pipeline robot capable of active and passive radial size adjustment according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each group of the variable diameter adjustment parts also includes: A driving disc (103) mounted on a diameter-changing base (101) via a driving disc bearing (102), wherein a surface of the driving disc (103) close to the diameter-changing base (101) is provided with a planar spiral groove, and a surface away from the diameter-changing base (101) is provided with an annular helical tooth meshing with an active driving gear (109) and a passive driving gear (104); and a leg mounting seat (111); a plurality of radially arranged sliding grooves (1013) are evenly distributed on the circumference of an end surface of the variable diameter base (101) away from the variable diameter driving portion; the plurality of leg mounting seats (111) respectively slide with the plurality of sliding grooves (1013) in the radial direction; a plane spiral groove is provided on a side of the leg mounting seat (111) close to the driving disk (103); the plane spiral groove of the leg mounting seat (111) is meshed with the plane spiral groove of the driving disk (103); and the leg (112) is fixed on the leg mounting seat (111).

4. The modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The passive variable diameter module (2) also includes a double-fork ear seat (202) connected between the spring shock absorber (201) and the crawler structure, the double-fork ear seat (202) and the crawler structure are hingedly installed, the bottom plate of the double-fork ear seat (202) is fixedly connected to the mounting platform at one end of the spring shock absorber (201), and the other end of the spring shock absorber (201) is hingedly connected to the support leg (112).

5. A modular pipeline robot capable of active and passive radial dimension adjustment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The crawler structure comprises: Two track side plates (203) arranged opposite to each other, wherein both ends of the track side plates (203) are arc-shaped ends; A walking crawler track (218) wound around the outer sides of the two crawler track side plates (203); A crawler belt drive unit, through which the walking crawler belt (218) is driven to rotate; and a tensioning adjustment unit, through which the tensioning degree of the walking crawler belt (218) is adjusted.

6. A modular pipeline robot capable of active and passive radial dimension adjustment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The crawler drive unit comprises: A crawler drive motor (205) mounted on an outer end surface of a crawler side plate (203) via a crawler drive motor mounting seat (204); A driving bevel gear (209) coaxially arranged with the output shaft of the crawler drive motor (205); A crawler drive shaft (208) is arranged perpendicularly to the output shaft of the crawler drive motor (205), and one end of the crawler drive shaft (208) extends between the two crawler side plates (203); A driven bevel gear (210) fixed to the other end of the crawler drive shaft (208), wherein the driven bevel gear (210) is meshed with the driving bevel gear (209); A crawler driving wheel (211) is fixed to the crawler driving shaft (208) between the two crawler side plates (203), wherein the crawler driving wheel (211) is meshed with one end of the traveling crawler (218) close to an arc-shaped end of the crawler side plate (203) for transmission; and a plurality of crawler driven wheels (219), wherein the plurality of crawler driven wheels (219) are arranged at two long sides of the traveling crawler (218) and mesh with the traveling crawler (218).

7. The modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tension adjustment part is located at an arc-shaped end of the crawler side plate (203) away from the crawler driving part; the tension adjustment part comprises a tension shaft (216), a tension wheel (217) coaxially fixed on the tension shaft (216), and two groups of flexible adjustment structures symmetrically arranged on the two crawler side plates (203), the tension wheel (217) and the walking crawler (218) meshing; each group of the flexible adjustment structures comprises: A tensioning support (212), the tensioning support (212) being fixedly arranged at positions relative to the two track side plates (203), the track side plates (203) being provided with tensioning movable grooves (2031) along the length direction, the cavity (2121) in the middle of the tensioning support (212) and the tensioning movable grooves (2031) on the track side plates (203) being arranged relative to each other, and a first spring positioning block (2122) being provided on the vertical plate of the tensioning support (212); An L-shaped tensioning mounting seat (214), the tensioning mounting seat (214) is located in the cavity (2121) of the tensioning support (212) and is slidably matched relative to the cavity (2121) along the length direction of the walking track (218), the bottom plate of the tensioning mounting seat (214) is provided with a circular groove, the side plate is provided with a second spring positioning block (2141), and the two ends of the tensioning shaft (216) are respectively installed on the circular grooves of the two tensioning mounting seats (214) through tensioning bearings (215); And a tensioning spring (213), one end of the tensioning spring (213) is connected and positioned with a first spring positioning block (2122) of the tensioning support (212), and the other end of the tensioning spring (213) is connected and positioned with a second spring positioning block (2141) on the tensioning mounting seat (214).

8. The modular pipeline robot capable of realizing active and passive radial size adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator module (3) comprises: An actuator base (301), one end surface of the actuator base (301) being detachably connected to the front end of the active variable diameter module (1) in the traveling direction; An actuator upper cover (302) detachably connected at one end to the actuator base (301) at the other end, wherein a detection sensor mounting hole (3021) is provided on the actuator upper cover (302); An actuator driving motor disposed inside the actuator upper cover (302); A cleaning knife disc (303) is arranged at the other end of the actuator upper cover (302) and is coaxially fixedly connected to the actuator drive motor, and a plurality of radially arranged cleaning knives are evenly distributed on the circumference of the front end action surface of the cleaning knife disc (303); and a drill bit (304) coaxially arranged on the front end action surface of the cleaning cutter disc (303).

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