Underwater robot retracting and releasing device for hydraulic tunnel detection

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of underwater robot retracting and releasing, in particular to an underwater robot retracting and releasing device for hydraulic tunnel detection. The top plate and the bottom plate are arranged in parallel, a plurality of supporting rods connected with the top plate are evenly arranged on the surface of the bottom plate in the circumferential direction of the bottom plate at intervals, the lower end of the lead screw is movably clamped in the center of the surface of the bottom plate, and the upper end of the lead screw movably penetrates out of the top plate to be connected with a driving mechanism. A limiting disc movably abutting against the bottom of the top plate is fixedly arranged on the lead screw below the top plate in a sleeving mode. The cable take-up and pay-off device is reasonable in structural design, convenient to operate, capable of enabling the underwater robot to safely and efficiently pass through the inspection well, avoiding collision between the underwater robot and the inner wall of the inspection well, effectively avoiding obstacles on the inner wall of the inspection well and improving adaptability, high and stable in take-up and pay-off efficiency and capable of preventing overlong cables from being wound around the underwater robot. And the risk of excessive pulling of the cable is avoided, normal movement of the underwater robot is ensured, and the problems existing in the prior art are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of underwater robot retraction and deployment, and in particular to an underwater robot retraction and deployment device for hydraulic tunnel detection. Background Art

[0002] A hydraulic tunnel is a water tunnel dug in a mountain or underground. The main goal of tunnel inspection is to ensure the safe operation of the tunnel and extend its service life. Through continuous inspection of the internal and external environment of the tunnel, safety hazards and structural problems can be discovered in time, so that corresponding maintenance and repair measures can be taken.

[0003] At present, the conventional detection method is to use underwater robots to detect hydraulic tunnels, and the retraction and deployment of underwater robots is more often done by building inspection wells. The underwater robots are directly placed in the inspection wells by cranes and sent to the tunnels. In this process, because the inspection wells are vertical and narrow, the underwater robots often inevitably shake, which greatly increases the risk of underwater robots touching the side walls of the inspection wells and causing damage. Although the existing retractable devices can prevent the underwater robots from touching the side walls of the inspection wells, their flexibility is poor, especially when there are obstacles on the inner walls of the inspection wells, they cannot be effectively avoided, and their adaptability is poor. Obviously, the existing retractable devices cannot meet the deployment requirements of underwater robots. In addition, underwater robots can also be deployed directly by cables. The efficiency and stability of this method are the key to ensuring the safety and efficiency of underwater robots. However, if the cable drums only rely on shore-based cable drums, once the cable is too long, there is a risk of entanglement with the underwater robot, and if the cable is too short, there is a risk of excessive cable pulling or affecting the normal movement of the underwater robot. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to make up for the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides an underwater robot retraction and deployment device for hydraulic tunnel inspection. The device has a reasonable structural design and is easy to operate. It can not only enable the underwater robot to pass through the inspection well safely and efficiently, but also avoid collision with the inner wall of the inspection well and effectively avoid obstacles on the inner wall of the inspection well, thereby improving its adaptability. The device has high and stable retraction and deployment efficiency, can also prevent excessively long cables from being entangled in the underwater robot, and avoid the risk of excessive pulling of the cables, thereby ensuring the normal movement of the underwater robot and solving the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is:

[0006] The underwater robot retracting and releasing device for hydraulic tunnel inspection comprises a plurality of support rods connected to the top plate which are respectively arranged in parallel with the top plate and the bottom plate, and are evenly spaced on the surface of the bottom plate along the circumferential direction thereof, a vertical and hollow lead screw, the lower end of which is movably clamped in the center of the bottom plate surface, and the upper end of which is movably passed through the top plate and connected to a driving mechanism, a limit plate movably abutting against the bottom of the top plate is fixedly sleeved on the lead screw below the top plate, a moving plate arranged parallel to the top plate is threadedly sleeved on the lead screw between the top plate and the bottom plate, and each support rod movably passes through the moving plate, and a plurality of groups of support mechanisms matching with the top plate are evenly spaced on the surface of the moving plate along the circumferential direction thereof; a depth gauge and a plurality of lifting rings are respectively arranged on the surface of the top plate outside the driving mechanism, one end of a retracting and releasing cable is fixedly connected to the top plate, the lower end of a robot cable passes through the driving mechanism, the lead screw, the bottom plate in turn downwards and is connected to the underwater robot, and a cable arrangement mechanism matching with the robot cable is arranged at the bottom of the bottom plate; an environment capture unit is arranged on the bottom plate on one side of the cable arrangement mechanism.

[0007] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes a driving casing arranged on the surface of the top plate, a driven gear is fixedly mounted on the lead screw in the driving casing, a driving motor is arranged on the driving casing, an output shaft of the driving motor moves through the driving casing and is connected to a driving gear arranged in the driving casing, and the driving gear is meshed with the driven gear.

[0008] Optionally, the supporting mechanism includes a lower hinge seat arranged on the surface of the movable plate, an inner end of a lower support arm is movably hinged on the lower hinge seat, an upper hinge seat is correspondingly provided at the bottom of the top plate opposite to the position of the lower hinge seat, an inner end of an upper support arm is movably hinged on the upper hinge seat, the upper support arm and the lower support arm are movably hinged through a pin shaft, force sensors are provided at the outer ends of the upper support arm and the lower support arm, and a pulley is arranged on the outside of the force sensor through a pulley bracket.

[0009] Optionally, the cable arrangement mechanism includes a cable arrangement housing arranged at the bottom of the base plate, a fixed plate is vertically provided at the bottom of the base plate inside the cable arrangement housing, cable arrangement wheels are symmetrically provided on the fixed plates on both sides of the robot cable, the axles of the two cable arrangement wheels are connected to the fixed plate, the two cable arrangement wheels are clamped on the robot cable, a cable arrangement motor is provided in the cable arrangement housing, the cable arrangement motor is connected to the inner wall of the cable arrangement housing through a connecting seat, and the output shaft of the cable arrangement motor is connected to the axle of one of the cable arrangement wheels; the robot cable moves downward and passes through the cable arrangement housing.

[0010] Optionally, a conical tube is provided at the bottom of the cable arrangement housing corresponding to the position where the robot cable passes through.

[0011] Optionally, a cable guide connected to the upper end of the lead screw is provided above the driving mechanism.

[0012] Optionally, the environment capturing unit comprises a network camera with its own light source.

[0013] The present invention adopts the above technical solution, which has the advantages of reasonable structural design and easy operation. It can not only enable the underwater robot to pass through the inspection well safely and efficiently, avoid collision with the inner wall of the inspection well, effectively avoid obstacles on the inner wall of the inspection well, improve its adaptability, and have high and stable retraction efficiency, but also prevent excessively long cables from being entangled in the underwater robot, avoid the risk of excessive pulling of the cables, and ensure the normal movement of the underwater robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a driving motor, a driving gear, a driven gear and a lead screw;

[0016] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the cable arrangement mechanism with the cable arrangement housing removed;

[0017] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of each group of supporting mechanisms extending outwards of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention fully retracted in the inspection well;

[0019] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention fully extended in the inspection well;

[0020] In the figure, 1, top plate; 2, bottom plate; 3, support rod; 4, lead screw; 5, limit plate; 6, moving plate; 7, depth gauge; 8, lifting ring; 9, retractable cable; 10, robot cable; 11, underwater robot; 12, drive housing; 13, driven gear; 14, drive motor; 15, driving gear; 16, lower articulated seat; 17, lower support arm; 18, upper articulated seat; 19, upper support arm; 20, pin shaft; 21, force sensor; 22, pulley; 23, pulley bracket; 24, cable arrangement housing; 25, fixing plate; 26, cable arrangement wheel; 27, cable arrangement motor; 28, connecting seat; 29, tapered tube; 30, cable guide tube; 31, network camera with built-in light source; 32, inspection well. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to clearly illustrate the technical features of the present solution, the present invention is described in detail below through specific implementation methods and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are described to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0022] In addition, in the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0023] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, they can be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrated. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In the description of this specification, the descriptions with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" and the like mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0024] like Figure 1-6As shown, in this embodiment, the underwater robot retracting and releasing device for hydraulic tunnel inspection includes a top plate 1 and a bottom plate 2 respectively arranged in parallel, a plurality of support rods 3 connected to the top plate 1 are evenly spaced on the surface of the bottom plate 2 along its circumferential direction, a vertical and hollow screw 4 is arranged, the lower end of which is movably clamped in the center of the surface of the bottom plate 2, and the upper end of which is movably passed through the top plate 1 and connected to the driving mechanism, a limit plate 5 movably abutted against the bottom of the top plate 1 is fixedly sleeved on the screw 4 below the top plate 1, and a moving plate 6 arranged parallel to the top plate 1 is threadedly sleeved on the screw between the top plate 1 and the bottom plate 2. 4, and each support rod 3 movably passes through the movable plate 6, and a plurality of support mechanisms cooperating with the top plate 1 are evenly spaced on the surface of the movable plate 6 along its circumferential direction; a depth gauge 7 and a plurality of lifting rings 8 are respectively provided on the surface of the top plate 1 outside the driving mechanism, one end of a retractable cable 9 is fixedly connected to the top plate 1, and the lower end of a robot cable 10 passes downward through the driving mechanism, the lead screw 4, the bottom plate 2 and is connected to the underwater robot 11, and a cable arrangement mechanism cooperating with the robot cable 10 is provided at the bottom of the bottom plate 2; an environment capture unit is provided on the bottom plate 2 on one side of the cable arrangement mechanism.

[0025] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes a driving casing 12 arranged on the surface of the top plate 1, a driven gear 13 is fixedly mounted on the lead screw 4 in the driving casing 12, a driving motor 14 is provided on the driving casing 12, an output shaft of the driving motor 14 movably passes through the driving casing 12 and is connected to a driving gear 15 arranged in the driving casing 12, and the driving gear 15 is meshed with the driven gear 13.

[0026] Optionally, the supporting mechanism includes a lower hinge seat 16 arranged on the surface of the movable plate 6, an inner end of a lower support arm 17 is movably hinged on the lower hinge seat 16, an upper hinge seat 18 is correspondingly provided at the bottom of the top plate 1 opposite to the lower hinge seat 16, an inner end of an upper support arm 19 is movably hinged on the upper hinge seat 18, the upper support arm 19 and the lower support arm 17 are movably hinged through a pin shaft 20, force sensors 21 are provided at the outer ends of the upper support arm 19 and the lower support arm 17, and a pulley 22 is arranged on the outside of the force sensor 21 through a pulley bracket 23.

[0027] Optionally, the cable arrangement mechanism includes a cable arrangement housing 24 arranged at the bottom of the base plate 2, a fixed plate 25 is vertically provided at the bottom of the base plate 2 in the cable arrangement housing 24, and cable arrangement wheels 26 are symmetrically provided on the fixed plates 25 on both sides of the robot cable 10, and the wheel axles of the two cable arrangement wheels 26 are connected to the fixed plate 25. The two cable arrangement wheels 26 are clamped on the robot cable 10, and a cable arrangement motor 27 is provided in the cable arrangement housing 24. The cable arrangement motor 27 is connected to the inner wall of the cable arrangement housing 24 through a connecting seat 28, and the output shaft of the cable arrangement motor 27 is connected to the wheel axle of one of the cable arrangement wheels 26; the robot cable 10 moves downward and passes through the cable arrangement housing 24.

[0028] Optionally, a conical tube 29 is provided at the bottom of the cable arrangement housing 24 corresponding to the position where the robot cable 10 passes through. On the one hand, the tail end of the underwater robot 11 can be clamped in the conical tube 29 to improve the stability of the retracting device; on the other hand, the retracting of the robot cable 10 can be facilitated.

[0029] Optionally, a cable guide 30 connected to the upper end of the lead screw 4 is provided above the driving mechanism. The cable guide 30 can facilitate the retraction and release of the robot cable.

[0030] Optionally, the environment capture unit includes a network camera 31 with its own light source. The network camera 31 with its own light source is an Ocean To lols C7-30 halo camera, which can have its own light source, providing necessary lighting conditions for the entire detection process, so that the camera can clearly observe the status of the hydraulic tunnel detection robot during the deployment process.

[0031] The operation of this device includes the following steps:

[0032] 1. Hang into water:

[0033] Use an external crane to connect to each lifting ring 8 on the top plate of the retracting device, and lift the entire underwater robot 11 through the retracting device. During the lifting process, ensure that the hook of the crane is firmly connected to the lifting ring and that the device remains balanced. Then, slowly lower the retracting device into the water of the inspection well 33. During the placement process, strictly control the lowering speed of the crane to ensure that the device enters the water smoothly and avoid excessive impact and fluctuations. The depth gauge 7 will measure the depth of the retracting device entering the water in real time. When the depth gauge 7 reads the data showing that the retracting device has reached the appropriate immersion depth, the process is completed.

[0034] 2. Support mechanism deployment:

[0035] When the retractable device enters the water, the drive motor 14 is started to work. The drive motor 14 drives the driven gear 13 to rotate through the driving gear 15, thereby controlling the radial rotation of the lead screw 4. The movable plate 6 connected to the lead screw 4 moves upward with the rotation of the lead screw 4 and gradually approaches the top plate 1. As the movable plate 6 moves, the upper arm 19 and the lower arm 17 are continuously retracted in the direction of the pin 20, so that the outer ends of the upper arm 19 and the lower arm 17 are continuously extended outward, and finally the pulley 22 contacts the inner wall of the inspection well 32. After the pulleys 22 of all the support mechanisms touch the wall, the force sensors 21 of each group of support mechanisms will sense the contact force with the inner wall of the inspection well in real time. When the force sensors 21 of each group show numbers, it indicates that each group of support mechanisms has been deployed and has effective contact with the inner wall of the inspection well, and the process is completed.

[0036] 3. Scroll to the specified depth:

[0037] After the retractable device is fixed in position in the water, it moves downward along the wall of the inspection well 32. During the movement, the depth gauge 7 will continuously monitor the depth position of the retractable device and feed back the data to the operator in real time. The operator adjusts the contact force between each group of support mechanisms and the inner wall of the inspection well 32 according to the indication of the depth gauge 7, thereby controlling the moving speed and direction of the retractable device to ensure that the retractable device can accurately reach the specified depth position. When the depth gauge indication reaches the specified depth, the process ends.

[0038] 4. Obstacle avoidance action:

[0039] When the network camera 31 with its own light source on the bottom plate 2 does not find any obstacles on the inner wall of the inspection well 32, and the depth gauge 7 reading does not change, it means that the side wall of the retractable device is stuck. At this time, the obstacles on the inner wall of the inspection well 32 prevent the retractable device from sliding down smoothly along the side wall of the inspection well 32. First, control the drive motor 14 to rotate and move the movable plate 6 downward, so that each group of support mechanisms is retracted, and the force sensors 21 on each group of support mechanisms all read zero. Then, pull the lifting ring 8 on one side through the crane to deflect the entire retractable device. After it deflects to a certain angle, the retractable device can pass through the obstacle smoothly and slide down smoothly. Then, reopen each group of support mechanisms and slowly lift the retractable device downward.

[0040] During the downward slide of the retractable device, when the network camera 31 with its own light source on the bottom plate 2 finds an obstacle on the inner wall of the inspection well 32, the operator can control the rotation of the drive motor 14 to shrink each group of supporting mechanisms, reduce the width of the device being lowered, and slowly pass through the obstacle area. After passing through the obstacle area, the drive motor 14 is used to re-expand each group of supporting mechanisms, so that the retractable device can continue to perform the deployment and recovery task of the underwater robot 11.

[0041] 5. Robot deployment:

[0042] When the retracting device moves to the specified depth, the underwater robot 11 installed on the retracting device is slowly deployed into the water through the cable arrangement mechanism. The cable arrangement motor 27 drives the cable arrangement wheel 26 on one side to rotate, and the cable arrangement wheel 26 clamped on the robot cable 10 on the other side is driven, so that the robot cable 10 continues to extend downward. During the deployment process, the length of the retracting cable 9 of the retracting device remains fixed, and the robot cable 10 of the underwater robot 11 is continuously lowered. It has a reasonable structural design and is easy to operate. It can not only enable the underwater robot to pass through the inspection well safely and efficiently, avoid collisions with the inner wall of the inspection well, effectively avoid obstacles on the inner wall of the inspection well, improve its adaptability, and have high and stable retracting efficiency, but also prevent excessively long cables from entangled in the underwater robot 11, and avoid the risk of excessive pulling of the cables, ensure the normal movement of the underwater robot 11, and solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0043] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the above embodiments can still be modified, or some or all of the technical features therein can be replaced by equivalents. These modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and description of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, any replacement, improvement or change made to the implementation mode of the present invention falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0044] The matters not described in detail in the present invention are all known technologies to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An underwater robot retracting and deploying device for hydraulic tunnel inspection, characterized in that: The invention comprises a top plate and a bottom plate which are respectively arranged in parallel, a plurality of support rods connected to the top plate are evenly spaced on the surface of the bottom plate along its circumferential direction, a vertical and hollow lead screw, the lower end of which is movably clamped in the center of the bottom plate surface, and the upper end of which is movably passed through the top plate and connected to the driving mechanism, a limit plate movably abutted against the bottom of the top plate is fixedly sleeved on the lead screw below the top plate, a movable plate arranged parallel to the top plate is threadedly sleeved on the lead screw between the top plate and the bottom plate, and each support rod movably passes through the movable plate, and a plurality of groups of support mechanisms matching with the top plate are evenly spaced on the surface of the movable plate along its circumferential direction; a depth gauge and a plurality of lifting rings are respectively provided on the surface of the top plate outside the driving mechanism, one end of a retractable cable is fixedly connected to the top plate, the lower end of a robot cable passes downward through the driving mechanism, the lead screw and the bottom plate in turn and is connected to the underwater robot, and a cable arrangement mechanism matching with the robot cable is provided at the bottom of the bottom plate; an environment capture unit is provided on the bottom plate on one side of the cable arrangement mechanism.

2. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device for hydraulic tunnel inspection according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a driving housing arranged on the surface of the top plate, a driven gear is fixedly sleeved on the lead screw in the driving housing, a driving motor is arranged on the driving housing, an output shaft of the driving motor movably passes through the driving housing and is connected to a driving gear arranged in the driving housing, and the driving gear is meshed with the driven gear.

3. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device for hydraulic tunnel inspection according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The supporting mechanism includes a lower hinge seat arranged on the surface of the movable plate, an inner end of a lower support arm is movably hinged on the lower hinge seat, an upper hinge seat is correspondingly provided at the bottom of the top plate opposite to the lower hinge seat, an inner end of an upper support arm is movably hinged on the upper hinge seat, the upper support arm and the lower support arm are movably hinged through a pin shaft, force sensors are provided at the outer ends of the upper support arm and the lower support arm, and a pulley is arranged on the outside of the force sensor through a pulley bracket.

4. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device for hydraulic tunnel inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cable arrangement mechanism includes a cable arrangement housing arranged at the bottom of the base plate, a fixed plate is vertically provided at the bottom of the base plate in the cable arrangement housing, cable arrangement wheels are symmetrically provided on the fixed plates on both sides of the robot cable, the axles of the two cable arrangement wheels are connected to the fixed plate, the two cable arrangement wheels are clamped on the robot cable, a cable arrangement motor is provided in the cable arrangement housing, the cable arrangement motor is connected to the inner wall of the cable arrangement housing through a connecting seat, and the output shaft of the cable arrangement motor is connected to the axle of one of the cable arrangement wheels; the robot cable moves downward and passes through the cable arrangement housing.

5. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device for hydraulic tunnel inspection according to claim 4 is characterized in that: A conical tube is provided at the bottom of the cable arrangement housing corresponding to the position where the robot cable passes through.

6. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device for hydraulic tunnel inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cable guide pipe connected to the upper end of the lead screw is arranged above the driving mechanism.

7. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device for hydraulic tunnel inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The environment capturing unit comprises a network camera with its own light source.

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