Sucker unit and inspection robot

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of inspection climbing robots, in particular to a suction cup unit and an inspection robot, the suction cup unit comprises a tubular shell, a suction cup body and a pull rod, the bottom of the suction cup body is connected to one end of the tubular shell, and it is avoided that when the suction cup body makes contact with an adsorption face, the suction cup body is damaged; the suction cup body is separated from the tubular shell due to the fact that the pulling force on the two sides is too large. The pull rod is slidably arranged in the tubular shell, and one end is connected to the sucker body. When the pull rod slides towards the other end, the top of the suction cup body is driven to move towards the bottom, a negative pressure cavity is generated between the suction cup body and an adsorbed object, the suction cup body is adsorbed to the adsorbed object, and when the suction cup body generates the negative pressure cavity, the suction cup body only needs to be driven by the pull rod to generate form change. And the air pressure in the cavity does not need to be pumped out, so that the size of the whole suction cup unit is reduced, and the suction cup body can be installed at some small-size parts and can be suitable for some application scenes with narrow spaces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of patrol climbing robots, and in particular to a suction cup unit and a patrol robot. Background Art

[0002] At present, in the inspection work of large pipe fittings such as steel plant pipelines, robot inspection has been used to inspect large pipe fittings; currently there are many types of wall-climbing robots, including magnetic robots, adsorption robots, spider robots, etc.

[0003] Existing adsorption-type inspection robots are basically single-legged independent suction cups. Such suction cup units are often large in size and require the use of a vacuum pump when evacuating the air, resulting in a large size of the entire inspection robot, which cannot be used for inspection in some small spaces. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, and its purpose is to provide a suction cup unit that can be actually adsorbed on a work surface with a certain curvature or surface smoothness, and its structure is small and can be applied to more usage scenarios.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a suction cup unit, comprising: a tubular shell; a suction cup body, the bottom of which is connected to one end of the tubular shell; a pull rod, slidably arranged in the tubular shell, one end of which is connected to the suction cup body; wherein, when the pull rod slides toward the other end, it drives the top of the suction cup body to move toward the bottom, so that a negative pressure cavity is generated between the suction cup body and the adsorbed object.

[0006] Preferably, the suction cup body is an arc-shaped shell, and the center of the arc falls on an end of the suction cup unit close to the pull rod.

[0007] Preferably, the pull rod is connected to the center of the suction cup body; the arc center of the suction cup body is located on the extension line of the pull rod.

[0008] Preferably, it also includes an elastic member, which is sleeved on the pull rod and installed in the tubular shell; the pull rod includes a sliding plate, and the sliding plate is connected to one end of the elastic member. The pull rod moves away from the suction cup body to compress the elastic member, and the pull rod moves toward the suction cup body to release the elastic member.

[0009] Preferably, the sliding plate and the pull rod are integrally formed.

[0010] Preferably, it further comprises a fixing plate installed in the tubular shell, on which a mounting hole for the pull rod to pass through is provided; wherein one end of the elastic member away from the sliding plate is connected to the fixing plate.

[0011] Preferably, the diameter of the sliding plate is greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the elastic member and smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular shell; the diameter of the fixed plate is greater than the outer diameter of the elastic member and equal to the inner diameter of the tubular shell.

[0012] Preferably, a through hole is provided at one end of the tubular shell away from the suction cup body, and the pull rod passes through the through hole and extends out of the tubular shell.

[0013] The present invention provides an inspection robot, comprising a suction cup unit as described in any one of items 1 to 8 above, wherein a plurality of the suction cup units are provided, and the plurality of the suction cup units are arranged in parallel at the foot end of the inspection robot.

[0014] Preferably, a linkage is further included, which is connected to the suction cup unit and controls the suction or release of the suction cup unit.

[0015] According to the above description and practice, the suction cup unit described in the present invention includes a tubular shell, a suction cup body and a pull rod, wherein the bottom of the suction cup body is connected to one end of the tubular shell to prevent the suction cup body from being detached from the tubular shell due to excessive pulling force on both sides when the suction cup body contacts the adsorption surface. The pull rod is slidably arranged in the tubular shell, and one end is connected to the suction cup body. Wherein, when the pull rod slides to the other end, it drives the top of the suction cup body to move toward the bottom, so that a negative pressure cavity is generated between the suction cup body and the adsorbed object, and the suction cup body is adsorbed on the adsorbed object. When generating the negative pressure cavity, the suction cup body only needs to drive the suction cup body to change its shape through the pull rod, and it is no longer necessary to evacuate the air pressure in the cavity, which simplifies the conditions for the formation of the negative pressure cavity, thereby reducing the size of the entire suction cup unit, so that the suction cup body can be installed in some smaller parts, which can be suitable for application scenarios in some narrow spaces. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a normal state of a suction cup unit involved in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the adsorption state of the suction cup unit involved in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the foot end component of the inspection robot involved in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of an inspection robot involved in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete and fully convey the concepts of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0021] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic diagrams of the present invention and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar parts, so their repeated description will be omitted. It should be noted that in the present invention, the terms "including", "configured with", and "set in" are used to express the meaning of open-ended inclusion, and mean that there may be other elements / components / etc. in addition to the listed elements / components / etc.; the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used as marks, not to limit the number or order of their objects; the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, only for the convenience of describing the present invention 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 invention.

[0022] Unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0023] The present invention discloses a suction cup unit 20, please refer to Figures 1 to 4The suction cup unit 20 includes a tubular shell 1, a suction cup body 2 and a pull rod 3, wherein the bottom of the suction cup body 2 is connected to one end of the tubular shell 1 to prevent the suction cup body 2 from being detached from the tubular shell 1 due to excessive pulling force on both sides when the suction cup body 2 contacts the adsorption surface. The pull rod 3 is slidably arranged in the tubular shell 1, and one end is connected to the suction cup body 2. When the pull rod 3 slides to the other end, it drives the top of the suction cup body 2 to move to the bottom, so that a negative pressure cavity is generated between the suction cup body 2 and the adsorbed object, and the suction cup body 2 is adsorbed on the adsorbed object. When the suction cup body 2 generates the negative pressure cavity, it only needs to drive the suction cup body 2 to change its shape through the pull rod 3, and it is no longer necessary to evacuate the air pressure in the cavity, which simplifies the conditions for the formation of the negative pressure cavity, thereby reducing the size of the entire suction cup unit 20, so that the suction cup body 2 can be installed in some smaller parts, which can be suitable for some application scenarios in narrow spaces.

[0024] In some embodiments, the suction cup body 2 is an arc-shaped shell, and the center of the arc falls on one end of the suction cup unit 20 close to the pull rod 3, that is, the setting of the suction cup body 2 is opposite to that of a common suction cup, and the arc-shaped shell is a soft material shell, specifically, it can be a rubber material, a silicone material, a plastic material or an organic material, etc. The arc-shaped edge of the suction cup body 2 contacts the adsorbed object, and the top of the arc of the suction cup body 2 is pulled to the bottom of the suction cup body 2 by the pull rod 3, forming a negative pressure cavity between the outer surface of the arc-shaped shell and the adsorbed object, thereby achieving adsorption of the suction cup unit 20 on a plane or object.

[0025] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the pull rod 3 is connected to the center of the suction cup body 2 and is arranged through the center of the tubular shell 1, so as to ensure that the pull rod 3 changes the shape of the suction cup body 2 more evenly when being pulled. The arc center of the suction cup body 2 is located on the extension line of the pull rod 3, which further ensures that when the pull rod 3 is pulled to form a negative pressure cavity between the suction cup body 2 and the adsorbed object, a more uniform negative pressure cavity can be formed with the center of the suction cup body 2 as a reference, so as to ensure that the suction cup body 2 can be more tightly adsorbed on the adsorbed object, thereby improving the use effect of the suction cup unit 20 and avoiding the suction cup body 2 from falling off due to insufficient adsorption force in some areas of the suction cup body 2, which causes air pressure to enter the negative pressure cavity.

[0026] In some embodiments, the suction cup unit 20 also includes an elastic member 4, which is sleeved on the pull rod 3 and installed in the tubular shell 1. The pull rod 3 can be rebounded by the reaction force of the elastic member 4, so that the negative pressure cavity formed by pulling the pull rod 3 can fit better with the adsorbed object during the rebound of the pull rod 3, further ensuring the tight connection between the suction cup body 2 and the adsorbed object, and ensuring the use effect of the suction cup unit 20. The pull rod 3 includes a sliding plate 31, which is connected to one end of the elastic member 4. The pull rod 3 drives the sliding plate 31 to move away from the suction cup body 2. The elastic member 4 is compressed and subjected to the pressure of the sliding plate 31 and the tubular shell 1, and drives the top of the suction cup body 2 to move toward the bottom to form a negative pressure cavity. After the pulling force disappears, the pull rod 3 moves toward the suction cup body 2 to release the elastic member 4. At this time, under the action of the elastic force, the pull rod 3 pushes the bottom of the suction cup body 2 to move toward the top to restore to a non-negative pressure state or to a close fit with the adsorbed object, which simplifies the operation difficulty of the suction cup unit 20, so that when the suction cup unit 20 needs to be adsorbed onto an object, there is no need to push the pull rod 3 after the negative pressure cavity is formed so that the suction cup body 2 can be stably adsorbed on the object.

[0027] It can be understood that the sliding plate 31 and the pull rod 3 are integrally formed, which, on the one hand, reduces the possibility of relative movement between the sliding plate 31 and the pull rod 3, thereby ensuring the use effect of the suction cup unit 20; on the other hand, it eliminates unnecessary connecting parts and supporting structures between the sliding plate 31 and the pull rod 3, further reduces the weight of the suction cup unit 20 and simplifies the installation steps and installation costs.

[0028] In some embodiments, the suction cup unit 20 also includes a fixing plate 5, which is installed in the tubular shell 1 and does not move relative to the tubular shell 1. The fixing plate 5 is provided with a mounting hole 51 for the pull rod 3 to pass through, that is, the pull rod 3 can move in the tubular shell 1 relative to the fixing plate 5, and the fixing plate 5 is connected to the end of the elastic member 4 away from the sliding plate 31. When the pull rod 3 drives the sliding plate 31 to move, the sliding plate 31 and the fixing plate 5 jointly compress the elastic member 4, so that the path of the negative pressure cavity formed by the suction cup unit 20 is relatively reduced, thereby reducing the length of the pull rod 3, and further reducing the size of the entire suction cup unit 20, so that it can be suitable for a relatively narrow area.

[0029] In order to ensure that the sliding plate 31 can slide relatively smoothly with the elastic member 4 in the tubular housing 1 and facilitate understanding, in some embodiments, the tubular housing 1 is a circular tube, and the sliding plate 31 and the fixed plate 5 are both circular plates. At this time, the diameter of the sliding plate 31 is greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the elastic member 4, ensuring that the sliding plate 31 can always drive the elastic member 4 to move inside the tubular housing 1, and avoiding the elastic member 4 to be set on the sliding plate 31 when the size is large, thereby affecting the compression of the elastic member 4 and the adsorption effect of the suction cup unit 20. The diameter of the sliding plate 31 is smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular housing 1, so that when the sliding plate 31 slides in the tubular housing 1, there will be no unnecessary friction with the inner wall of the tubular housing 1, thereby affecting the use feel of the suction cup unit 20. The diameter of the fixed plate 5 is larger than the outer diameter of the elastic member 4, so as to avoid the elastic member 4 from being unable to abut against the fixed plate 5 or directly passing through the fixed plate 5 when moving with the sliding plate 31, resulting in a longer path for compressing the elastic member 4, thereby affecting the use effect of the suction cup unit 20. The diameter of the fixing plate 5 is equal to the inner diameter of the tubular housing 1 , so that the fixing plate 5 is fixedly installed in the tubular housing 1 without relative movement, thereby ensuring the compression effect of the sliding plate 31 and the fixing plate 5 on the elastic member 4 .

[0030] Furthermore, the diameter of the mounting hole 51 is smaller than the outer diameter of the elastic member 4, so as to prevent the elastic member 4 from falling out of the mounting hole 51 when the sliding plate 31 and the fixed plate 5 compress the elastic member 4, thereby affecting the adsorption effect between the suction cup body 2 and the adsorbed object.

[0031] It can be understood that the present invention does not limit the specific shapes of the tubular shell 1, the sliding plate 31 and the fixed plate 5. The tubular shell 1 can be a shell of other shapes such as a round tube or a square tube. The shortest end point distance of the sliding plate 31 is greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the elastic member 4 and smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular shell 1. The shortest end point of the fixed plate 5 is greater than the outer diameter of the elastic member 4, and the longest end point of the fixed plate 5 is equal to the inner diameter of the tubular shell 1, so that the fixed plate 5 is fixed in the tubular shell 1 without relative movement.

[0032] In some embodiments, a through hole 11 is provided at one end of the tubular shell 1 away from the suction cup body 2, and the pull rod 3 passes through the through hole 11 and extends out of the tubular shell 1. When operating the suction cup unit 20, the part of the pull rod 3 extending out of the tubular shell 1 can be pulled and pulled toward the side away from the suction cup body 2 to generate a negative pressure cavity between the suction cup body 2 and the object to be adsorbed, thereby adsorbing the suction cup unit 20 onto the object or plane.

[0033] The present invention provides an inspection robot, comprising a suction cup unit 20 as described in any one of the above items. In some embodiments, a plurality of suction cup units 20 may be provided according to the actual size and actual needs of the inspection robot, and the plurality of suction cup units 20 may be arranged in parallel on the foot end component 100 of the inspection robot to enable the inspection robot to climb or fix on some planes or objects. Since the suction cup unit 20 is small in size and does not require other structures such as a vacuum pump to assist in sucking air to achieve a negative pressure cavity, the inspection robot having the suction cup unit 20 will also be smaller in size and more suitable for climbing and adsorption in some narrow areas.

[0034] It can be understood that the multiple suction cup units 20 arranged in parallel can be increased or decreased from the foot end of the inspection robot according to actual needs, so as to achieve changes in the size and weight of the inspection robot, further expanding the applicable scenarios of the inspection robot.

[0035] In some embodiments, the inspection robot also includes a linkage part 6, which is connected to the telescopic rod 40 of the foot end part 100, wherein the other end of the linkage part 6 is connected to a hydraulic cylinder or a drive motor located in the inspection robot, and the hydraulic cylinder or the drive motor is connected to the foot end part 100 through the linkage part 6. The hydraulic cylinder or the drive motor drives the telescopic rod 40 to extend and retract and drives the pull rod 3 to move to control the adsorption or release of the suction cup unit 20, thereby completing the adsorption or removal of the suction cup unit 20.

[0036] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

Claims

1. A suction cup unit, characterized in that: include: Tubular housing; A suction cup body, the bottom of which is connected to one end of the tubular shell; A pull rod, slidably disposed in the tubular housing, one end of which is connected to the suction cup body; When the pull rod slides toward the other end, it drives the top of the suction cup body to move toward the bottom, so that a negative pressure cavity is generated between the suction cup body and the adsorbed object.

2. The suction cup unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The suction cup body is an arc-shaped shell, and the arc center falls on one end of the suction cup unit close to the pull rod.

3. The suction cup unit according to claim 2, characterized in that The pull rod is connected to the center of the suction cup body; The arc center of the suction cup body is located on the extension line of the pull rod.

4. The suction cup unit according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: An elastic member, sleeved on the pull rod and installed in the tubular housing; The pull rod comprises a sliding plate, and the sliding plate is connected to one end of the elastic member. The pull rod moves away from the suction cup body to compress the elastic member, and moves toward the suction cup body to release the elastic member.

5. The suction cup unit according to claim 4, characterized in that The sliding plate and the pull rod are integrally formed.

6. The suction cup unit according to claim 4, characterized in that Also includes: A fixing plate, installed in the tubular housing, and provided with a mounting hole for the pull rod to pass through; Wherein, one end of the elastic member away from the sliding plate is connected to the fixing plate.

7. The suction cup unit according to claim 6, characterized in that The diameter of the sliding plate is greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the elastic member and smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular housing; The diameter of the fixing plate is larger than the outer diameter of the elastic member and equal to the inner diameter of the tubular housing.

8. The suction cup unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: A through hole is arranged at one end of the tubular shell away from the suction cup body, and the pull rod passes through the through hole and extends out of the tubular shell.

9. A patrol robot, characterized in that: Comprising the suction cup unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 above.

10. The inspection robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes The suction cup units are provided in plurality, and the plurality of suction cup units are arranged in parallel on the foot end part of the inspection robot.

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