An inspection vehicle and an inspection method thereof

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of inspection vehicles, in particular to an inspection vehicle and an inspection method thereof, which comprises a vehicle body, a main body module, a mechanical arm unit arranged on the vehicle body, an inspection unit arranged on the mechanical arm unit, a laser radar arranged on the vehicle body and an infrared transceiver arranged on the vehicle body. The inspection vehicle can automatically inspect outer ring bolts and inner ring bolts, manual on-site inspection is not needed, time and labor are saved, and the safety is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of inspection vehicle technology, and in particular to an inspection vehicle and its inspection method. Background Technology

[0002] Fasteners (bolts) in operation in industrial sites should be monitored to ensure their normal condition. However, due to the high temperature and real-time operation environment, manual on-site inspection is difficult and poses safety hazards. Furthermore, the monitoring of the condition of operating mechanical fasteners needs to be automated. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the problem that the existing technology requires manual on-site inspection of bolts, which poses a significant safety hazard, this invention is proposed.

[0004] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide an inspection vehicle and its inspection method.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution: including a vehicle body; a main module including a robotic arm unit disposed on the vehicle body and an inspection unit disposed on the robotic arm unit.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and inspection method of the present invention, the vehicle body is equipped with a lidar and an infrared transceiver.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and inspection method of the present invention, the robotic arm unit includes a base disposed on the vehicle body, a support seat fixedly connected to the base, a first robotic arm rotatably connected to the support seat, a second robotic arm rotatably connected to the first robotic arm, a third robotic arm rotatably connected to the upper side of the second robotic arm, and a fourth robotic arm rotatably connected to the third robotic arm.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and inspection method of the present invention, the inspection unit includes a gimbal mounted on the upper side of the third robotic arm, and an image acquisition device is rotatably connected to the gimbal.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and inspection method of the present invention, the method includes: installing a routing module inside the vehicle body; installing an industrial control computer module inside the vehicle body; installing a navigation module inside the vehicle body; connecting the industrial control computer module and the navigation module; installing a drive module inside the vehicle body; connecting the industrial control computer module and the drive module; connecting a remote computer to the routing module; adjusting the posture of the robotic arm unit and the gimbal through the drive module to align the image acquisition device with the outer / inner ring bolts; acquiring bolt images through the image acquisition device; moving the vehicle body through the navigation module to move the image acquisition device to inspect the outer / inner ring bolts; and sending the bolt images acquired by the image acquisition device to the remote computer through the routing module.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and its inspection method of the present invention, the remote computer is wirelessly connected to the routing module inside the vehicle body in order to receive parameters given by the remote computer to drive the industrial control computer module.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and inspection method of the present invention, the industrial control computer module controls the navigation module to navigate the vehicle body and make the vehicle body move under the driving parameters given by the remote computer.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and inspection method of the present invention, the given driving parameters include an outer ring trajectory for inspecting the outer ring bolts near the inner wall of the stator above the rotor, an inner ring trajectory for inspecting the inner ring bolts distributed on the central rotating shaft, and a switching trajectory for switching from the outer ring trajectory to the inner ring trajectory.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and inspection method of the present invention, wherein: the industrial control computer module controls the drive module in the multi-axis robotic arm to adjust the posture of the multi-axis robotic arm under given robotic arm parameters.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the inspection vehicle and inspection method of the present invention, the industrial control computer module controls the drive module to drive the gimbal to perform posture adjustment under the gimbal posture parameters given by the remote computer.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the inspection vehicle and its inspection method of the present invention are as follows: through the cooperation of the vehicle body and the main module, the outer ring bolts / inner ring bolts can be inspected automatically without the need for manual on-site inspection. This solves the problem of the existing technology that requires manual on-site inspection of bolts, which poses a great safety hazard, and achieves the effect of improving safety. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the inspection vehicle and its inspection methods.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rotor structure of the inspection vehicle and its inspection method.

[0019] In the diagram: 100, vehicle body; 101, lidar; 102, infrared transceiver; 200, main module; 201, robotic arm unit; 201a, base; 201b, support base; 201c, first robotic arm; 201d, second robotic arm; 201e, third robotic arm; 202, inspection unit; 202a, gimbal; 202b, image acquisition device; 300, rotor; 300a, outer ring bolt; 300b, inner ring bolt; 300c, outer ring trajectory; 300d, inner ring trajectory; 300e, switching trajectory; 300f, central rotation axis; Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0022] Secondly, the term "an embodiment" or "embodiment" as used herein refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that may be included in at least one implementation of the present invention. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in different places throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a single embodiment or an embodiment selectively excluded from other embodiments.

[0023] Example 1

[0024] Reference Figures 1-2This is the first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment provides an inspection vehicle, which includes a vehicle body 100; a main module 200, including a robotic arm unit 201 disposed on the vehicle body 100, and an inspection unit 202 disposed on the robotic arm unit 201; a lidar 101 disposed on the vehicle body 100 and an infrared transceiver 102 disposed on the vehicle body 100.

[0025] Specifically, two lidar units 101 are provided, and the two lidar units 101 are symmetrically distributed, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the outermost ring array has 18 cylinders (not shown in the figure), and positioning labels are attached to 9 of the cylinders. These 9 positioning labels need to be attached at different angles so that the scanning results of each positioning label are different, which makes the originally visually uniform outer ring appear to be different in various places.

[0026] During use, before the vehicle body 100 moves within the rotor 300, the lidar 101 scans for a positioning tag, confirming that its position corresponds to that tag, thus determining its own position. It then checks whether it has deviated from the predetermined trajectory and, if so, adjusts the wheel angle to return to the predetermined trajectory. Figure 2 As shown, a reflector with a size of approximately 5 to 10 cm can be installed on the central rotating shaft 300f. An infrared transceiver 102 on the vehicle body 100 emits infrared light. This infrared light hits the reflector and is reflected back onto the infrared transceiver 102. The infrared transceiver 102 receives the reflected infrared light. By adjusting the recognition threshold for the reflected infrared light, it is possible to distinguish between the infrared light reflected by the reflector and the infrared light reflected from the surface of the central rotating shaft 300f, thereby achieving the recognition of the reflector. When the inspection vehicle reaches the inner ring and first recognizes the reflector, it confirms the start of photographing the bolts on the inner ring. The second recognition... When using the reflector, confirm that the central rotating axis 300f has rotated one revolution. The purpose of the above method is to take a photo of the rotating central rotating axis 300f in accordance with the requirements described in this embodiment after the inspection vehicle reaches the inner circle. If the inspection vehicle changes the wheel angle or the position of the vehicle body due to a small external force (friction, uneven ground) during operation, then continuing to run according to the above parameters will gradually deviate from the predetermined trajectory. Therefore, the positioning tag and reflector are used to determine the vehicle's own position, and then confirm whether the vehicle has deviated from the predetermined trajectory. If the vehicle deviates from the predetermined trajectory, the wheel angle is adjusted to return to the predetermined trajectory.

[0027] In summary, through the cooperation of LiDAR 101, positioning tag, infrared transceiver 102 and reflector, vehicle body 100 can determine its own position and prevent deviation from the predetermined trajectory.

[0028] Example 2

[0029] Reference Figures 1-2 This is the second embodiment of the present invention. Unlike the previous embodiment, this embodiment provides an inspection vehicle, which includes a robotic arm unit 201 including a base 201a disposed on the vehicle body 100, a support seat 201b fixedly connected to the base 201a, a first robotic arm 201c rotatably connected to the support seat 201b, a second robotic arm 201d rotatably connected to the first robotic arm 201c, a third robotic arm 201e rotatably connected to the upper side of the second robotic arm 201d, and a fourth robotic arm rotatably connected to the third robotic arm 201e; the inspection unit 202 includes a gimbal 202a disposed on the upper side of the third robotic arm 201e, and an image acquisition device 202b rotatably connected to the gimbal 202a.

[0030] The base 201a is fixedly mounted on the vehicle body 100. The first robotic arm 201c and the second robotic arm 201d are rotatably connected via a rotating shaft. The second robotic arm 201d and the third robotic arm 201e are rotatably connected via a rotating shaft. The third robotic arm 201e and the fourth robotic arm are rotatably connected via a rotating shaft. The gimbal 202a is rotatably connected to the fourth robotic arm via a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is existing technology and will not be described in detail here. The first robotic arm 201c can rotate in a horizontal plane parallel to the vehicle body 100. The second robotic arm 201d can rotate in a vertical plane based on the first robotic arm 201c. The third robotic arm 201e can rotate in a vertical plane based on the second robotic arm. The fourth robotic arm can rotate in a vertical plane based on the third robotic arm 201e. The gimbal 202a can rotate horizontally or tilt based on the fourth robotic arm. It should be noted that the robotic arm unit 201 can be designed according to actual conditions.

[0031] When using, such as Figure 1 As shown, if the distance to the outer ring bolt 300a / inner ring bolt 300b is relatively far, and the outer ring bolt 300a / inner ring bolt 300b is distributed in multiple rings vertically, image acquisition can be achieved by tilting the gimbal 202a. However, when shooting the outer ring bolt 300a / inner ring bolt 300b at close range using the gimbal 202a, the tilt angle is too large, making it difficult to determine the bolt status from the acquired fastener image. Therefore, the image acquisition device 202b can be used to move the robotic arm up and down to capture images of the outer ring bolt 300a / inner ring bolt 300b at different vertical positions. Figure 2Multiple rings of bolts (outer ring bolts 300a / inner ring bolts 300b) can be present above the rotor 300 and near the inner wall of the stator. Because the gimbal 202a is far from the outer ring bolts 300a when shooting along the outer ring trajectory 300c, at each stopping position, the image acquisition device 202b can be moved by the tilt of the gimbal 202a to capture images of all the outer ring bolts 300a at that position. Multiple layers of inner ring bolts 300b can be distributed vertically along the central rotation axis 300f. When shooting the inner ring bolts 300b on the rotating shaft along the inner ring trajectory 300d, the image captured is of the rotating shaft itself, which is constantly rotating. Because the inner ring is close to the rotating shaft, the tilt angle of the gimbal 202a is too large when shooting by tilt, making it difficult to determine the state of the inner ring bolts 300b in the resulting image. Therefore, the inner ring bolts 300b at different vertical positions can only be captured by moving the robotic arm vertically. To avoid moving the robotic arm vertically at each stopping point, the upper ring can be captured first, followed by the lower ring. Figure 1 As shown, when the vehicle body 100 travels along the outer ring track 300c, the gimbal 202a on the inspection vehicle acquires images of the outer ring bolts 300a, which are distributed near the inner wall of the stator above the stator rotor 300 of the large hydroelectric generator, in a tilting or pitching manner based on given shooting parameters. When the inspection vehicle travels along the inner ring track 300d, the mechanical unit drives the gimbal 202a to move up or down to acquire images of the inner ring bolts 300b, which are distributed on the central rotating shaft 300f of the large hydroelectric generator, based on given shooting parameters.

[0032] In summary, by cooperating with the robotic arm unit 201 and the inspection unit 202, a multi-degree-of-freedom inspection vehicle is formed. This inspection vehicle is applicable to various inspection scenarios of operating machinery, laying the foundation for inspection automation.

[0033] Example 3

[0034] Reference Figures 1-2This is the third embodiment of the present invention. Unlike the previous embodiment, this embodiment provides an inspection method, which includes: installing a routing module inside the vehicle body 100; installing an industrial control computer module inside the vehicle body 100; installing a navigation module inside the vehicle body 100; connecting the industrial control computer module and the navigation module; installing a drive module inside the vehicle body 100; connecting the industrial control computer module and the drive module; connecting a remote computer to the routing module; driving the robotic arm unit 201 and the gimbal 202a through the drive module to adjust their pose, so that the image acquisition device 202b is aligned with the outer ring bolt 300a / inner ring bolt 300b; acquiring bolt images through the image acquisition device 202b; moving the vehicle body 100 through the navigation module, so that the image acquisition device 202b moves to inspect the outer ring bolt 300a / inner ring bolt 300b; and sending the bolt images acquired by the image acquisition device 202b to the remote computer through the routing module.

[0035] Specifically, the industrial control computer module is connected to the image acquisition device 202b, and the industrial control computer module controls the image acquisition device 202b to take pictures of the bolts under given shooting parameters.

[0036] Furthermore, the remote computer is wirelessly connected to the routing module inside the vehicle body 100 to receive parameters given by the remote computer and drive the industrial control computer module. Under the driving parameters given by the remote computer, the industrial control computer module controls the navigation module to navigate and drive the vehicle body 100. The given driving parameters include an outer track 300c for inspecting the outer ring bolts 300a near the inner wall of the stator above the rotor 300, an inner track 300d for inspecting the inner ring bolts 300b distributed on the central rotation axis 300f, and a switching track 300e for switching from the outer track 300c to the inner track 300d. Under the given robotic arm parameters, the industrial control computer module controls the drive module in the multi-axis robotic arm to adjust the posture of the multi-axis robotic arm. Under the posture parameters of the gimbal 202a given by the remote computer, the industrial control computer module controls the drive module to drive the gimbal 202a to adjust its posture.

[0037] When the image acquisition device 202b takes pictures of the outer ring bolt 300a and the inner ring bolt 300b, the content of the pictures is predetermined. For example, for the inner ring bolt 300b on the stator, the shooting direction forms a predetermined fixed angle with the stator radius to prevent the inner ring bolt 300b from obscuring the outer ring bolt 300b. Furthermore, the positions of the outer ring bolt 300a and the inner ring bolt 300b are relatively fixed in each picture. The software can identify these positions in the picture, reducing the computational workload. The content of the pictures of the outer ring bolt 300a and the inner ring bolt 300b is also predetermined. Pre-defined rules, such as specifying that each photo has only one bolt in the center, or specifying that each photo has only two bolts in the center, are also for the purpose of image recognition based on a consistent pattern during software processing. Beforehand, manual scribing is performed on the nut of each outer ring bolt 300a / inner ring bolt 300b and the attachment that the nut contacts, along a tangential line perpendicular to the direction of nut rotation. After scribing is completed and the rotating machinery has been running for a period of time, if the nut remains tight, the line on the nut will be aligned with the line on the attachment; if the nut is loose and rotates, the lines will not be aligned. It should be understood that there are many ways to determine whether a bolt is loose based on the acquired images. The above methods are merely examples and are not limited here. The inspection vehicle inspects the outer bolts 300a at different inspection points according to the planned outer trajectory 300c. The inspection vehicle inspects the inner bolts 300b at different inspection points on the central rotating shaft 300f according to the inner trajectory 300d. When switching from the outer trajectory 300c to the inner trajectory 300d, the vehicle switches through the planned switching trajectory 300e. The vehicle travels along the above trajectories using the given driving parameters to achieve the inspection of the outer bolts 300a and inner bolts 300b.

[0038] It is important to note that the constructions and arrangements of this application shown in several different exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative. Although only a few embodiments are described in detail in this disclosure, those who consult this disclosure will readily understand that many modifications are possible (e.g., changes in the size, dimensions, structure, shape, and proportions of various elements, as well as parameter values ​​(e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.), mounting arrangements, use of materials, color, orientation, etc.) without substantially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described in this application). For example, an element shown as integrally formed may be composed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be inverted or otherwise altered, and the nature or number or position of discrete elements may be changed or altered. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be changed or rearranged according to alternative embodiments. In the claims, any "device plus function" clause is intended to cover the structure described herein that performs the function, and not only structurally equivalent but also equivalent in structure. Other substitutions, modifications, alterations, and omissions may be made in the design, operation, and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, but extends to various modifications that still fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0039] Furthermore, in order to provide a concise description of exemplary embodiments, not all features of actual embodiments (i.e., those features that are not relevant to the best mode of carrying out the invention as currently considered, or those features that are not relevant to implementing the invention) may be omitted.

[0040] It should be understood that numerous specific implementation decisions can be made during the development of any practical implementation, such as in any engineering or design project. Such development efforts may be complex and time-consuming, but for those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure, the development effort will be a routine work of design, manufacturing, and production without requiring much experimentation.

[0041] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An inspection vehicle, characterized in that: include, Body (100); The main module (200) includes a robotic arm unit (201) mounted on the vehicle body (100) and an inspection unit (202) mounted on the robotic arm unit (201). The robotic arm unit (201) includes a base (201a) disposed on the vehicle body (100), a support seat (201b) fixedly connected to the base (201a), a first robotic arm (201c) rotatably connected to the support seat (201b), a second robotic arm (201d) rotatably connected to the first robotic arm (201c), a third robotic arm (201e) rotatably connected to the upper side of the second robotic arm (201d), and a fourth robotic arm rotatably connected to the third robotic arm (201e). The inspection unit (202) includes a gimbal (202a) disposed on the upper side of the third robotic arm (201e), and an image acquisition device (202b) is rotatably connected to the gimbal (202a). The routing module, industrial control computer module, navigation module and drive module are all installed inside the vehicle body (100), and the industrial control computer module is connected to the navigation module and drive module respectively; The remote computer is wirelessly connected to the routing module inside the vehicle body (100) in order to receive parameters given by the remote computer to drive the industrial control computer module. The industrial control computer module controls the navigation module to navigate the vehicle body (100) and make the vehicle body (100) move under the driving parameters given by the remote computer; The given driving parameters include an outer ring track (300c) for inspecting the outer ring bolts (300a) near the inner wall of the stator above the rotor (300), an inner ring track (300d) for inspecting the inner ring bolts (300b) distributed on the central rotating shaft (300f), and a switching track (300e) for switching from the outer ring track (300c) to the inner ring track (300d). The robot arm unit (201) and gimbal (202a) are driven by the drive module to adjust their pose so that the image acquisition device (202b) is aligned with the outer ring bolt (300a) / inner ring bolt (300b). Bolt images are acquired using an image acquisition device (202b); The navigation module drives the vehicle body (100) to move, and the image acquisition device (202b) moves to inspect the outer ring bolts (300a) / inner ring bolts (300b); The bolt images acquired by the image acquisition device (202b) are sent to a remote computer via the routing module; The vehicle body (100) is equipped with a lidar (101) and an infrared transceiver (102). Before the vehicle body (100) moves within the rotor (300), the lidar (101) scans which positioning tag it finds, thus confirming that its own position corresponds to that positioning tag, thereby determining its own position, and then confirming whether it has deviated from the predetermined trajectory, and adjusting the wheel angle to return to the predetermined trajectory if it deviates from the predetermined trajectory. The infrared transceiver (102) on the vehicle body (100) emits infrared rays. The infrared rays are reflected off the reflector and onto the infrared transceiver (102). The infrared transceiver (102) receives the reflected infrared rays. By adjusting the recognition threshold for the reflected infrared rays, it distinguishes between the infrared rays reflected by the reflector and the infrared rays reflected from the surface of the central rotating shaft (300f), thereby realizing the recognition of the reflector. When the inspection vehicle reaches the inner ring and the reflector is recognized for the first time, it confirms that the bolts of the inner ring are being photographed. When the reflector is recognized for the second time, it confirms that the central rotating shaft (300f) has rotated one revolution.

2. An inspection method, comprising the inspection vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The industrial control computer module controls the drive module to drive the robotic arm unit to adjust its posture under the robotic arm parameters given by the remote computer.

3. The inspection method as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The industrial control computer module controls the drive module to drive the gimbal (202a) to adjust its posture under the pose parameters of the gimbal (202a) given by the remote computer.

Images