Variable-wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of pipeline flaw detection, and discloses a variable-wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, which comprises two complementary balance wheat wheel modules, a self-adaptive suspension and rotation joint and a two-dimensional brushless platform, the complementary balance Mecanum wheel module comprises a pair of Mecanum wheels with opposite small wheel directions, a motor supporting frame and a motor, the motor is installed on the motor supporting frame, and the motor is connected with the Mecanum wheels; the self-adaptive suspension and rotation joint comprises a balance movement supporting part, a piston pipe, a spring, a double-steering-engine fixing plate and two steering engines, a vacant site is reserved in the upper portion of the balance supporting part and used for installing a bearing to be connected with the steering engines, the piston pipe is connected with the spring, and the lower portion of the piston pipe is connected with a motor supporting frame. The upper part of the piston pipe is connected with the balance motion supporting part; the two-dimensional brushless platform comprises a camera driving part and a camera. According to the invention, the steering engine joints are used for adjusting the complementary balanced parallel Mecanum wheel sets to realize omni-directional movement in corresponding pipelines under different axle distances.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of pipeline flaw detection, and in particular to a variable wheelbase robot used for pipeline flaw detection. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the popularization of industrial modernization, various robots focusing on special tasks have emerged. At present, the application of various industrial pipelines is becoming more and more common. In order to reduce the dangerous accidents caused by pipeline corrosion, some flaw detection robots that can penetrate deep into the pipeline have been born.

[0003] For example, a directional balanced driving auxiliary mobile device for oil pipeline flaw detection robots disclosed in publication number CN108843893A includes an ultrasonic flaw detector, a movable arm, a directional balanced auxiliary driving device, a support, anti-skid wheels, and a body. The present invention has the following effects: the top rod is raised by controlling the lifting mechanism, and the pipe wall contact mechanism is driven to contact the upper inner wall of the oil pipeline. The pipe wall contact mechanism is manually adjusted so that the center roller and the side rollers form a triangular layout and are tightly attached to the upper inner wall of the pipeline, so that the body is balanced in weight, so that the oil pipeline flaw detection robot will not slip or get stuck during directional driving due to the sticky and uneven environment inside the oil pipeline, and the oil pipeline flaw detection robot can be stably driven in the longitudinal pipeline.

[0004] The invention discloses an underwater pipeline flaw detection robot with publication number CN117889363A, which belongs to the field of underwater pipeline detection technology. The invention comprises a main body ring, a cleaning mechanism, a spring telescopic lever, a moving mechanism, a second spring, a driving mechanism, and a monitoring probe. A receiving groove is provided on the inner wall of the main body ring, the cleaning mechanism is slidably connected to the receiving groove, the two ends of the spring telescopic lever are respectively hinged to the cleaning mechanism and the moving mechanism, the spring telescopic lever is rotatably connected to the side wall of the receiving groove, the moving mechanism is slidably connected to the side wall of the receiving groove, the two ends of the second spring are respectively fixedly connected to the moving mechanism and the side wall of the receiving groove, the driving mechanism is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the main body ring, and the monitoring probe is fixedly installed on the top surface of the main body ring; the invention puts the robot on the pipeline to improve the stability of the robot moving in water, cleans the attachments on the pipeline through the cleaning mechanism, improves the flaw detection effect, and enables the robot to climb over the flange while moving in water through the moving mechanism, so that the robot can successfully complete the flaw detection work.

[0005] The existing pipeline flaw detection robot has a structure similar to that of a four-wheel drive vehicle, which moves by supporting the pipe wall with four wheels. This traditional structure is stable and reliable, but its movement in various special-shaped curved pipes and narrow spaces is greatly limited. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, which uses a servo joint to adjust a complementary balanced parallel Mecanum wheel set to achieve omnidirectional movement in a corresponding pipeline under different wheelbases.

[0007] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solutions adopted are as follows:

[0008] The present invention provides a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, comprising two complementary balanced wheat wheel modules, an adaptive suspension and rotation joint, and a two-dimensional brushless platform;

[0009] The complementary balanced Mecanum wheel module comprises a pair of Mecanum wheels with opposite small wheels, a motor support frame and a motor, wherein the motor is mounted on the motor support frame, and two motors are provided, each connected to one of the Mecanum wheels, so as to drive the Mecanum wheels forward or backward;

[0010] The adaptive suspension and rotation joint includes a balancing motion support part, a piston tube, a spring, a dual servo fixing plate and two servos, a space is reserved at the upper part of the balancing support part for installing a bearing connected to the servo, the piston tube is connected to the spring, the lower part of the piston tube is connected to the motor support frame, and the upper part of the piston tube is connected to the balancing motion support part;

[0011] The two-dimensional brushless platform comprises a camera driving component and a camera, wherein the camera is mounted on the camera driving component, and the camera driving component is used to drive the camera to rotate.

[0012] Preferably, the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection further includes a gyroscope head tracking module, and the gyroscope head tracking module is wirelessly connected to the camera driving component to realize flaw detection from a first perspective.

[0013] Preferably, in the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, the camera driving component includes a camera base, a camera rotation motor, a camera rotation shaft and a camera bearing, the camera rotation motor is connected to the camera via the camera rotation shaft and the camera bearing in sequence, the camera rotation motor is arranged on the camera base, and the gyroscope head tracking module is wirelessly connected to the camera rotation motor.

[0014] Preferably, in the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, the motion components of the Mecanum wheels in the two complementary balanced Mecanum wheel modules are opposite, the Mecanum wheel small wheels of one complementary balanced Mecanum wheel module are arranged in a figure eight direction, and the Mecanum wheel small wheels of the other complementary balanced Mecanum wheel module are arranged in an inverted figure eight direction, so as to improve the stability of the lateral movement in a balanced state.

[0015] Preferably, in the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, it also includes a battery, and the battery is arranged on the dual servo fixing plate.

[0016] Preferably, in the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, the dual servo fixing plate realizes coaxial and eccentric and different wheelbase adjustments through the servo, so that the variable wheelbase robot is in a straight state and a Z state, thereby enabling the variable wheelbase robot to be used in various special-shaped pipelines and / or curved pipelines.

[0017] Preferably, in the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, the complementary balanced wheat wheel module also includes a first protection frame and a second protection frame, and the first protection frame and the second protection frame are respectively installed on both sides of two motor support frames, and a motor is installed on both sides outside each motor support frame.

[0018] Preferably, in the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, a first electronic component and a second electronic component are arranged on the dual servo mounting plate; wherein the first electronic component is used to collect operating data of the robot, and the second electronic component is used to control the robot.

[0019] Preferably, in the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, the dual-servo engine mounting plate is connected to the balancing motion support part through a flange.

[0020] Preferably, in the above-mentioned variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, the two-dimensional brushless platform is arranged on the flange.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0022] 1. The two-dimensional brushless platform has two degrees of freedom of movable joints, and users can realize the camera angle control from the first-person perspective. Compared with the current mainstream fixed wide-angle camera detection, it has stronger pertinence and improves the image quality of small pipe wounds.

[0023] 2. The "one" unfolded state of the variable axis wheel can achieve balanced lateral movement, which is convenient for stable movement in narrow pipe space. At the bend of the pipe, the robot can freely change the joint angle to pass through.

[0024] 3. The "Z"-shaped folding state of the variable-axle McDonnell Douglas wheel can achieve omnidirectional movement without rotating the entire vehicle, and has high maneuverability in the pipeline.

[0025] 4. The transformation of robot joints has stronger adaptability to various pipelines.

[0026] 5. The structural parts in the present invention can all be made of 3D printed parts (PLA, PETG, resin), which is convenient for production and market promotion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 A side view of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a straight-line unfolded state.

[0028] Figure 2 A top view of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a straight-line unfolded state.

[0029] Figure 3 A front view of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a straight line unfolded state.

[0030] Figure 4 A three-dimensional diagram of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a "one" unfolded state.

[0031] Figure 5 A side view of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a "Z"-folded state.

[0032] Figure 6 A top view of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a "Z"-folded state.

[0033] Figure 7 A front view of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection in a "Z"-folded state according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0034] Figure 8 A three-dimensional diagram of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection in a "Z"-folded state according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0035] Fig. 9 A suspension structure diagram of a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0036] Description of reference numerals:

[0037] 1: balancing motion support part, 2: motor, 3: camera rotation axis, 4: coupling, 5: first protection frame, 6: wheat wheel, 7: second protection frame, 8: second electronic component, 9: piston tube, 10: double servo fixing plate, 11: servo, 12: first electronic component, 13: camera rotation motor, 14: motor support frame, 15: camera base, 16: camera, 17: spring, 18: battery, 19: 7*14*5 bearing, 20: camera bearing, 21: 17*37*12 flange. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention by specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0039] The specific implementation of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and examples.

[0040] The embodiment of the present invention provides a variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, such as Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the variable wheelbase robot used for pipeline flaw detection includes two complementary balanced wheat wheel modules, adaptive suspension and rotating joints, and a two-dimensional brushless pan-tilt head. Among them, the two complementary balanced wheat wheel modules can realize coaxial, non-axial and different wheelbase adjustments under the action of adaptive suspension and rotating joints, so that the overall robot is in an "I"-shaped unfolded state and a "Z"-shaped folded state, and can pass through various special-shaped pipelines and curved pipelines. The suspension can help the robot to achieve four-wheel landing on unstable ground at the same time in the "I"-shaped unfolded state and the "Z"-shaped folded state, and automatically adapt to various terrains. The "Z"-shaped folding requires less pipeline space than the traditional "C"-shaped folding, and the asymmetric folding is more conducive to activities in a small space. As shown in FIG. Figures 1 to 4 This is the structural diagram of the variable wheelbase robot in the "one" unfolded state. Figures 5 to 8 This is the structural diagram of the variable wheelbase robot in the "Z" shape folding state. Fig. 9 The suspension structure diagram of the variable wheelbase robot.

[0041] Specifically, the complementary balanced Mecanum wheel module includes a motor 2, a coupling 4, a first protection frame 5, a Mecanum wheel 6, a second protection frame 7 and a motor support frame 14. There are two complementary balanced Mecanum wheel modules. The Mecanum wheel small wheel direction of the balanced Mecanum wheel module on the side of the camera 16 is arranged in an "eight" shape. The Mecanum wheel small wheel direction of the balanced Mecanum wheel module away from the camera 16 is arranged in an inverted "eight" shape. Four motors 2 are fixed to the outer sides of two motor support frames (14) by M3 screws, and are connected to the Mecanum wheel 6 by the coupling 4. Two first protection frames 5 and two second protection frames 7 are respectively installed on the inner sides of the two motor support frames 14. The components are fixed by M3 screws or rolling belts. Through the two Mecanum wheel groups, the robot can achieve self-balancing in a coaxial state. At the same time, since the direction components of the small wheels of the two sets of Mecanum wheel groups are opposite, they can achieve left and right lateral movement in a balanced state, which is conducive to completing flaw detection operations in narrow pipeline spaces.

[0042] In this embodiment, the complementary balanced Mecanum wheel module includes a pair of Mecanum wheels, each of which includes two Mecanum wheels 6, each of which is driven by a motor 2 to achieve forward or backward movement, and the motor 2 is connected to the Mecanum wheel 6 through a coupling 4. As an example only, the motor 2 is selected as a 6mm shaft brushless motor, the coupling 4 is selected as a 6mm coupling, and the Mecanum wheel 6 is selected as an 80mm Mecanum wheel.

[0043] The adaptive suspension and rotary joint include a balancing motion support part 1, a second electronic component 8, a piston tube 9, a dual servo fixing plate 10, a servo 11, a first electronic component 12, a spring 17, a battery 18, a 7*14*5 bearing 19 and a 17*37*12 flange 21. Fig. 9 As shown, the balancing motion support part 1 is connected to the first protection frame 5 through a 7*14*5 bearing 19. The piston tube 9 is connected to the bottom of the balancing motion support part, and the spring 17 is sleeved on the piston tube 9. The piston tube 9 is softly connected to the motor support frame 14 at the bottom. Through this suspension structure connected by the central bearing 19 and the two sides of the McWheel module are softly connected by two springs 17, the robot can automatically adapt to a variety of uneven pipes and enhance the robustness of the balanced lateral movement. The two sides of the dual servo fixing plate 10 are connected to the servo 11 by M3 screws. It is connected to the balancing motion support part through a 17*37*12 flange 21. The second electronic component 8 and the first electronic component 12 are fixed to the top of the dual servo fixing plate 10 by M3 screws. The battery 18 is installed at the bottom of the dual servo fixing plate 10 by rolling belts to lower the overall center of gravity of the robot.

[0044] It should be noted that the 7*14*5 bearing 19 and the 17*37*12 flange 21 are merely examples of specific sizes of the bearing 19 and the flange 21 and are not limitations of the present invention. In other embodiments, bearings or flanges of other sizes may be selected.

[0045] The two-dimensional brushless gimbal comprises a camera rotation shaft 3, a camera rotation motor 13, a camera base 15, a camera 16 and a camera bearing 20. The camera 16 is connected to the camera rotation motor 13 through the camera rotation shaft 3, and the camera rotation motor 13 is connected to the camera base 15 through the camera rotation shaft 3 and the camera bearing 20.

[0046] In this embodiment, the robot further includes a gyro head tracking module wirelessly connected to the camera rotation motor 13 and the camera 16, wherein the gyro head tracking module is used to obtain and display the image data collected by the camera 16 in real time, and control the rotation of the camera rotation motor 13. For example, when a user wears the gyro head tracking module, the two-dimensional brushless gimbal has two rotation angles, namely, the pitch angle and the yaw angle. The two rotation angles are used to realize the mapping between the camera 16 and the user's head tracking gyro angle. The user controls the camera 16 from a first-person perspective, and can detect the defects of the pipeline at a fixed point in a narrow pipeline environment.

[0047] In specific implementation, the variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection can be wirelessly connected to the host computer and the control terminal, wherein the host computer is wirelessly connected to the camera 16, and the internal data of the pipeline collected by the camera 16 is analyzed to realize the identification of pipeline flaw detection, and the control terminal can be connected to the first electronic component 12 and the second electronic component 8, and the second electronic component 12 is connected to the motor 2 and the steering gear 11. The second electronic component 8 controls the motor 2 and the steering gear 11 to perform corresponding operations in response to the control instructions fed by the control terminal, so that the robot can move smoothly in the pipeline. The control terminal is an existing device capable of receiving data and sending instructions, including but not limited to smart phones, computers, etc. The control terminal is controlled by the user to issue control instructions, and the operation data of the robot collected by the first electronic component 12 is fed to the control terminal in real time. The user issues corresponding control instructions to the robot based on the image data of the camera 16 and the operation data of the robot.

[0048] For example, the image transmission glasses equipped with head tracking are used as the gyroscope head tracking module, a smartphone is selected as the control terminal, an APP is downloaded to the smartphone, and the APP is wirelessly connected to the second electronic component 8 using Bluetooth, WiFi, 4G or 5G. The working principle of the present invention is as follows:

[0049] The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection is started, and the second electronic component is wirelessly connected to the user APP. The user sends instructions to the robot through the APP. The second electronic component adjusts the angle of the joint servo 11 based on the received instructions. The user wears the image transmission glasses equipped with head tracking to achieve angle synchronization with the two-dimensional gimbal, and the camera sends the picture back to the host computer in real time for defect detection.

[0050] In the "one" unfolded state, put the robot into the pipeline to be inspected. The robot continuously adjusts the angle data fed back by the first electronic component to maintain the balance of the robot. The balance suspension automatically adjusts the angle of the Mecanum wheel to fit the ground according to the pipeline ground. After the user issues the "forward" or "backward" command, the second electronic component receives the data and adjusts the speed of the four wheels respectively. Combined with the gyroscope data, the Mecanum wheel moves the robot forward or backward through the small wheel component on it in a balanced state. When encountering a bend, the user determines the angle of the bend according to the image sent back by the camera. Enter the angle to the APP to pass the command to the robot. The robot adjusts the angle of the servo, and at the same time, the main control in the electronic component uses the gyroscope to analyze the robot's balance data in real time, and continuously fine-tunes the angle of the Mecanum wheel group to maintain balance and pass through the bend.

[0051] In the "Z" folded state, the robot is placed into the pipeline to be inspected. At this time, the two sets of balanced wheat wheel modules are in the off-axis mode, and the robot can achieve omnidirectional movement without changing the relative angle between the camera and the pipeline.

[0052] The above implementation modes are only used to illustrate the present invention, but not to limit the present invention. Ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions also belong to the scope of the present invention. The patent protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection, characterized in that: It includes two complementary balanced Megwheel modules, adaptive suspension and revolute joints, and a 2D brushless platform; The complementary balanced Mecanum wheel module comprises a pair of Mecanum wheels with opposite small wheels, a motor support frame and a motor, wherein the motor is mounted on the motor support frame, and two motors are provided, each connected to one of the Mecanum wheels, so as to drive the Mecanum wheels forward or backward; The adaptive suspension and rotation joint includes a balancing motion support part, a piston tube, a spring, a dual servo fixing plate and two servos, a space is reserved at the upper part of the balancing support part for installing a bearing connected to the servo, the piston tube is connected to the spring, the lower part of the piston tube is connected to the motor support frame, and the upper part of the piston tube is connected to the balancing motion support part; The two-dimensional brushless platform comprises a camera driving component and a camera, wherein the camera is mounted on the camera driving component, and the camera driving component is used to drive the camera to rotate.

2. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a gyroscope head tracking module, which is wirelessly connected to the camera driving component to achieve first-person perspective flaw detection.

3. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The camera driving component includes a camera base, a camera rotating motor, a camera rotating shaft and a camera bearing. The camera rotating motor is connected to the camera via the camera rotating shaft and the camera bearing in sequence. The camera rotating motor is arranged on the camera base, and the gyroscope head tracking module is wirelessly connected to the camera rotating motor.

4. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motion components of the Mecanum wheels in the two complementary balanced Mecanum wheel modules are opposite, the Mecanum wheel small wheels of one complementary balanced Mecanum wheel module are arranged in a figure eight direction, and the Mecanum wheel small wheels of the other complementary balanced Mecanum wheel module are arranged in an inverted figure eight direction, so as to improve the stability of the lateral movement in a balanced state.

5. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a battery, which is arranged on the dual servo engine fixing plate.

6. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dual-servo fixing plate can realize coaxial and eccentric adjustment and different wheelbase adjustment through the servo, so that the variable wheelbase robot can be in a straight line state and a Z-shaped state, thereby enabling the variable wheelbase robot to be used in various special-shaped pipelines and / or curved pipelines.

7. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The complementary balanced wheat wheel module also includes a first protection frame and a second protection frame, wherein the first protection frame and the second protection frame are respectively installed on two sides of two motor support frames, and a motor is respectively installed on two sides outside each motor support frame.

8. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dual-servo engine mounting plate is provided with a first electronic component and a second electronic component; wherein the first electronic component is used to collect operation data of the robot, and the second electronic component is used to control the robot.

9. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dual-servo mounting plate is connected to the balancing motion supporting part via a flange.

10. The variable wheelbase robot for pipeline flaw detection according to claim 9, characterized in that: The two-dimensional brushless platform is arranged on the flange.

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