Pipeline robot group system and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of pipeline robots, and particularly discloses a pipeline robot group system and a control method thereof.The pipeline robot group system comprises a pipeline, the pipeline is provided with a plurality of control areas in the direction from the upstream to the downstream, and each control area is internally provided with a control base station; the master control center is in signal communication with all the control base stations and is used for sending a control instruction to each control base station; the plurality of groups of pipeline robots are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of control areas, each group of pipeline robots comprises a plurality of pipeline robots, the pipeline robots are in signal communication with the control base stations in the corresponding control areas, and after the pipeline robots receive control instructions through the corresponding control base stations, the control instructions are sent to the pipeline robots. And executing corresponding operation according to the control instruction. The present invention has an effect of enabling a plurality of pipe robots to efficiently work inside a pipe.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pipeline robots, and in particular to a pipeline robot group system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Railway transportation, road transportation, water transportation, air transportation and pipeline transportation, as the five major modes of transportation in the national economy, play an important role in economic production. Currently, the safety inspection of oil and natural gas pipelines has attracted widespread attention from more and more scientific researchers.

[0003] In modern urban pipe networks, in order to improve the efficiency of pipeline inspection and other operations, multiple pipe robots are often placed in the urban pipe network. In order to enable a group of multiple pipe robots to efficiently operate inside the pipe, it is urgent to provide a pipe robot group system and its control method to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a pipeline robot group system and a control method thereof, so that a plurality of pipeline robots can efficiently operate inside a pipeline.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] In the first aspect, the present application provides a pipeline robot group system, including a pipeline, which is provided with multiple control areas along the upstream to downstream direction, and a control base station is provided in each control area; a general control center, which communicates signals with all control base stations and is used to send control instructions to each control base station; multiple groups of pipeline robots, the multiple groups of pipeline robots correspond one-to-one to the multiple control areas, each group of pipeline robots includes several pipeline robots, the pipeline robots communicate signals with the control base stations in their corresponding control areas, and after receiving the control instructions through their corresponding control base stations, the pipeline robots perform corresponding operations according to the control instructions.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, the pipeline is divided into multiple control areas. When the pipeline robots in one or more control areas need to perform operations, the master control center sends control instructions to the control base stations of the control areas that need to perform operations. The control base stations send the received control instructions to the pipeline robots in their corresponding areas. After receiving the control instructions, the pipeline robots perform the corresponding operations. In this way, each control area can independently control the pipeline robots, ensuring that the pipeline robot group can efficiently perform the operations in their corresponding control areas.

[0008] In a further embodiment, after each of the pipeline robots receives the control instruction, the pipeline robot feeds back the successful receipt of the instruction to the master control center through the corresponding control base station; the multiple control areas are respectively the first control area, the second control area...the Nth control area (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) along the upstream to downstream of the pipeline, and the pipeline robots in two adjacent control areas can communicate with each other by signals, and one pipeline robot in each control area is provided with an auxiliary instruction receiving module; when the master control center sends a control instruction to the pipeline robot in the Nth control area and fails to receive the successful reception instruction, the master control center sends the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction to the pipeline robot in one of the control areas of the N-1th control area or the N+1th control area, and after the pipeline robot provided with the auxiliary instruction receiving module in the control area receives the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction at the same time, it sends the control instruction to all pipeline robots in the Nth control area.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, if a control base station fails, causing the pipeline robot in the control area to be unable to receive control instructions, the pipeline robot in the adjacent control area can transmit control instructions to the pipeline robot in the control area, thereby ensuring the reliability of the pipeline robot receiving instructions.

[0010] In a further embodiment, after sending the control instruction, the pipeline robot that sends the control instruction receives the successful reception instructions sent by all pipeline robots in the Nth control area in real time, and feeds back to the main control center along the path of receiving the control instruction and auxiliary instruction.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, even if the control base station in the control area is damaged, the pipeline robot that receives the control instruction can also feed back to the main control center through the pipeline robots in the adjacent control area, ensuring the existence of a closed loop of the pipeline robot control, thereby improving the reliability of the pipeline robot control.

[0012] In a further embodiment, each of the control areas is further provided with a wireless charging transmitting module, and each of the pipeline robots is provided with a wireless charging receiving module; each of the pipeline robots is also provided with a controller and a power detection module, the power detection module is used to detect the power of the pipeline robot, and the controller is used to read the power detected by the power detection module; when the controller reads that the power is less than a first threshold value, the controller controls the pipeline robot to move toward the wireless charging transmitting module so that the wireless charging transmitting module and the wireless charging receiving module are opposite to each other.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, when the pipeline robot is low on power, the wireless charging transmitting module and the wireless charging receiving module are matched, so that the pipeline robot can be charged in time, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the pipeline robot's operation.

[0014] In a further embodiment, each of the pipeline robots is provided with a dragging component, and the pipeline is connected to be provided with an exit mechanism; when the pipeline robot in the same area cannot move normally, other robots in the same area can move the robot to the wireless charging transmitting module or the exit mechanism through the dragging component.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, when a pipeline robot in a certain control area fails, other robots in the control area can drag the failed robot for timely charging or exit the pipeline for maintenance through an exit mechanism.

[0016] In a further embodiment, before one of the pipeline robots drags another pipeline robot, the pipeline robot first detects the power through a power detection module. When the controller reads that the power is less than a second threshold, the pipeline robot moves to the wireless charging transmitting module for charging.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the pipeline robot will drag other pipeline robots only when it has sufficient power, thereby ensuring that the pipeline robot can reliably reach the entry and exit mechanism or the wireless charging transmitting module when performing the dragging operation.

[0018] In a further embodiment, the pipeline is further connected to a branch, and the branch includes a first port and a second port, and the first port and the second port are both connected to the pipeline.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, for some narrow pipelines, usually only one pipeline robot is allowed to pass through the same position. By setting a branch road, the pipeline robot can stagger other pipeline robots in the direction of travel through the branch road.

[0020] In a further embodiment, the wireless charging transmitter module is located between the first port and the second port.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, when one of the pipeline robots is charging, other robots that need to pass through the wireless charging transmitting module can pass through the wireless charging transmitting module through a branch line, so as not to be hindered by the pipeline robot that needs to be charged.

[0022] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application also discloses a pipeline robot group control method, which includes the following steps: the general control center sends a control instruction to the control base station in the area to be controlled; the control base station sends a control instruction to the pipeline robot in its corresponding control area; after receiving the control instruction, the pipeline robot performs the corresponding operation according to the control instruction.

[0023] In a further embodiment, the multiple control areas are sequentially the first control area, the second control area...the Nth control area (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) along the upstream to downstream of the pipeline, and the pipeline robots in two adjacent control areas can communicate signals with each other, and one pipeline robot in each control area is provided with an auxiliary instruction receiving module, and the following steps are also included: after each of the pipeline robots receives the control instruction, the pipeline robot feeds back the successful reception instruction to the main control center through the corresponding control base station; when the main control center sends a control instruction to the pipeline robot in the Nth control area and fails to receive the successful reception instruction, the main control center sends a control instruction and an auxiliary instruction to the pipeline robot in one of the control areas of the N-1th control area or the N+1th control area, and after the pipeline robot provided with the auxiliary instruction receiving module in the control area receives the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction at the same time, it sends the control instruction to all pipeline robots in the Nth control area.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effect of the present invention is that the pipeline is divided into multiple control areas. When the pipeline robot in one or more control areas needs to perform operations, the master control center sends a control instruction to the control base station of the control area that needs to perform the operation. The control base station sends the received control instruction to the pipeline robot in its corresponding area. After receiving the control instruction, the pipeline robot performs the corresponding operation. Thus, each control area can independently control the pipeline robot, ensuring that the pipeline robot group can efficiently perform the operations in its corresponding control area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the pipeline robot group system in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the communication / connection of various modules in the embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a pipeline robot in a branch in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of the pipeline robot group control method in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] In the figure: 1. Pipeline;

[0030] 2. General control center;

[0031] 3. Pipeline robot; 31. Controller; 32. Control instruction receiving module; 33. Instruction feedback module; 34. Auxiliary instruction receiving module; 35. Wireless charging receiving module; 36. Power detection module; 37. Positioning detection module; 38. Positioning receiving module;

[0032] 4. Control base station;

[0033] 5. Wireless charging transmitter module; 51. Positioning transmitter module;

[0034] 6. branch; 61. first port; 62. second port;

[0035] 7. Exit mechanism; 71. Transfer pipeline; 72. Switch. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" 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 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 limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and the like are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", and the like may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, 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 it can be indirectly connected 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 by specific circumstances.

[0038] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0039] See also Figure 1-Figure 2The present application provides an embodiment of a pipeline robot group system, which includes a pipeline 1, a master control center 2 and a pipeline robot 3. The pipeline 1 is provided with multiple control areas in the direction from upstream to downstream, and a control base station 4 is provided in each control area. The master control center 2 communicates with all control base stations 4 by signal, and is used to send control instructions to each control base station 4. There are multiple groups of pipeline robots 3, and the multiple groups of pipeline robots 3 correspond to the multiple control areas one by one. Each group of pipeline robots 3 includes several pipeline robots 3. The pipeline robots 3 communicate with the control base stations 4 in their corresponding control areas by signal. After receiving the control instructions through their corresponding control base stations 4, the pipeline robots 3 perform corresponding operations according to the control instructions.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, the signal communication between the master control center 2 and the control base station 4 can be carried out by wired communication or wireless communication. The control base station 4 and the pipeline robot 3 in its control area communicate with each other by wireless communication.

[0041] The pipeline robot 3 is provided with a controller 31 and a control instruction receiving module 32. The controller 31 reads the signal received by the control instruction receiving module 32 and then performs corresponding operations according to the control instruction.

[0042] The pipeline 1 is divided into multiple control areas. When the pipeline robot 3 in one or more control areas needs to perform operations, the master control center 2 sends a control instruction to the control base station 4 of the control area that needs to perform the operation. The control base station 4 sends the received control instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in its corresponding area. After receiving the control instruction, the pipeline robot 3 performs the corresponding operation. In this way, each control area can independently control the pipeline robot 3, ensuring that the pipeline robot group can efficiently perform the operations in its corresponding control area.

[0043] Further, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 , multiple control areas are sequentially the first control area, the second control area, ... the Nth control area (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) from upstream to downstream along the pipeline 1. In order to ensure that the pipeline robot 3 in each control area can obtain closed-loop control, after each pipeline robot 3 in each control area receives the control instruction, the pipeline robot 3 feeds back the successful reception of the instruction to the master control center 2 through the corresponding control base station 4. However, in some cases, the control base station 4 of a certain control area may fail, resulting in the pipeline robot 3 in the control area failing to receive the control instruction normally.

[0044] In order to feedback the successful reception of the instruction, the controller 31 is also signal-connected to the instruction feedback module 33 , and the controller 31 can control the instruction feedback module 33 to feedback the successful reception of the instruction.

[0045] In order to solve the problem of failure in sending control instructions by the control base station 4, the pipeline robots 3 in two adjacent control areas can communicate with each other by signals, and one pipeline robot 3 in each control area is provided with an auxiliary instruction receiving module 34. When the master control center 2 sends a control instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in the Nth control area and fails to receive a successful reception instruction, the master control center 2 sends a control instruction and an auxiliary instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in one of the control areas of the N-1th control area or the N+1th control area. After the pipeline robot 3 in the control area provided with the auxiliary instruction receiving module 34 receives the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction at the same time, the pipeline robot 3 sends a control instruction to all pipeline robots 3 in the Nth control area.

[0046] Taking the communication failure of the control base station 4 in the second control area as an example, after the main control center 2 sends a control instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in the second control area, if no successful reception instruction is fed back by the pipeline robot 3 in the second control area, the main control center 2 sends the control instruction and auxiliary instruction to the control base station 4 in the first control area or the third control area. Taking the first control area as an example, after the main control center 2 sends the control instruction and auxiliary instruction to the first control area, a pipeline robot 3 in the first control area receives the control instruction and auxiliary instruction at the same time, and then the pipeline robot 3 in the first control area sends the control instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in the second control area.

[0047] Further, see Figure 2 , after sending the control instruction, the pipeline robot 3 that sends the control instruction receives the successful reception instruction sent by all pipeline robots 3 in the Nth control area in real time, and feeds back the successful reception instruction sent by all pipeline robots 3 in the Nth control area along the path of receiving the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction to the master control center 2. Taking the pipeline robot 3 in the first control area sending the control instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in the second control area as an example, when the pipeline robot 3 in the first control area sends the control instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in the second control area, it receives the successful reception instruction sent by the pipeline robot 3 in the second control area in real time, and then feeds back to the master control center 2 through the control base station 4 in the first control area.

[0048] Generally, the pipeline robot 3 is powered by batteries, so its endurance is limited. Figure 2, each control area is also provided with a wireless charging transmitting module 5, and each pipeline robot 3 is provided with a wireless charging receiving module 35. Each pipeline robot 3 is also provided with a power detection module 36, and the controller 31 is signal-connected with the power detection module 36. The power detection module 36 is used to detect the power of the pipeline robot 3, and the controller 31 is used to read the power detected by the power detection module 36. When the power read by the controller 31 is less than the first threshold, the controller 31 controls the pipeline robot 3 to move toward the wireless charging transmitting module 5 so that the wireless charging transmitting module 5 and the wireless charging receiving module 35 are opposite. When the pipeline robot 3 is low on power, after the wireless charging transmitting module 5 and the wireless charging receiving module 35 are matched, the pipeline robot 3 can be charged in time, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the operation of the pipeline robot 3.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present invention, the wireless charging transmitting module 5 and the wireless charging receiving module 35 can adopt electromagnetic induction or magnetic resonance coupling. In the embodiment of the present application, electromagnetic induction is preferably adopted to ensure that the pipeline robot 3 can achieve wireless charging in any posture in the pipeline 1.

[0050] In order to realize the movement of the pipeline robot 3 toward the charging transmitter module, each pipeline robot 3 is provided with a positioning detection module 37 and a positioning receiving module 38, and both the positioning detection module 37 and the positioning receiving module 38 are connected to the controller 31 by signal. A positioning transmitting module 51 is provided at each wireless charging transmitting module 5. The positioning detection module 37 is used to detect the first positioning information of the pipeline robot 3, the positioning transmitting module 51 is used to transmit the second positioning information of the wireless charging transmitting module 5, and the positioning receiving module 38 is used to receive the second positioning information. When the controller 31 reads that the power is less than the first threshold, the controller 31 reads the first positioning information and the second positioning information, and controls the pipeline robot 3 to move until the deviation between the first positioning information and the second positioning information is within the positioning deviation threshold range.

[0051] Regarding the setting of the first threshold, when the power level is the first threshold, the power level can supply the pipeline robot 3 to reach the wireless transmission module from the boundary of its corresponding control area.

[0052] Furthermore, each pipeline robot 3 is provided with a dragging component, and the pipeline 1 is connected to an exit mechanism 7; when the pipeline robot 3 cannot move normally in the same area, other robots in the same area can move the robot to the wireless charging transmitting module 5 or the exit mechanism 7 through the dragging component.

[0053] As for the dragging component, in a preferred embodiment of the present application, the dragging component includes an electromagnet and an iron plate, both of which are fixed to one end of the pipeline robot 3, and the iron plate covers the outside of the electromagnet. When one pipeline robot 3 drags another pipeline robot 3, the electromagnet is energized, and the iron plate is magnetized, thereby adsorbing the iron plate on the dragged pipeline robot 3. When a pipeline robot 3 in a certain control area fails, other robots in the control area can drag the robot with the fault to charge it in time or exit the pipeline 1 through the exit mechanism 7 for maintenance.

[0054] Furthermore, before one of the pipeline robots 3 drags another pipeline robot 3, the pipeline robot 3 first detects the power through the power detection module 36. When the controller 31 reads that the power is less than the second threshold, the pipeline robot 3 moves to the wireless charging transmitter module 5 for charging. The pipeline robot 3 drags other pipeline robots 3 only when the power is sufficient, thereby ensuring that the pipeline robot 3 can reliably reach the entry and exit mechanism 7 or the wireless charging transmitter module 5 when performing the dragging operation.

[0055] Regarding the setting of the second threshold, when the power level is the second threshold, the power level can supply twice the weight of the pipeline robot 3 to reach the wireless transmission module from the boundary of its corresponding control area.

[0056] It should be noted that, when one of the pipeline robots 3 is dragging a faulty pipeline robot 3, if the actively dragging robot detects that its own power is less than a first threshold, it is necessary to promptly turn off the power to the electromagnet, detach from the faulty pipeline robot 3, and then drag the faulty pipeline robot 3 again after charging.

[0057] Further, see Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the pipeline 1 is also connected to a branch 6, and the branch 6 includes a first port 61 and a second port 62, and the first port 61 and the second port 62 are both connected to the pipeline 1. For some narrow pipelines 1, usually only one pipeline robot 3 is allowed to pass through the same position. By setting up a branch 6, the pipeline robot 3 can stagger other pipeline robots 3 in the direction of travel through the branch 6. For example, two pipeline robots 3 are walking in a pipeline 1 at the same time. When one of the pipeline robots 3 is low on power and needs to be charged, and the other pipeline robot 3 blocks the pipeline robot 3 from traveling to the wireless charging transmitter module 5, the pipeline robot 3 can wait until it reaches the first port 61 or the second port 62 of the branch 6, and bypass the pipeline robot 3 that is blocking the passage through the branch 6.

[0058] Further, see Figure 1, the wireless charging transmitter module 5 is located between the first port 61 and the second port 62. With such a configuration, when one of the pipeline robots 3 is being charged, other robots that need to pass through the wireless charging transmitter module 5 can pass through the wireless charging transmitter module 5 through the branch 6, so as not to be hindered by the pipeline robot 3 that needs to be charged.

[0059] As for the exit mechanism 7, it includes a transmission pipeline 711 and a plurality of switches 72. One end of the transmission pipeline 711 is connected to the natural gas pipeline 1, and the other end is connected to the outside. The plurality of switches 72 are all arranged in the transmission pipeline 711, and the plurality of switches 72 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the transmission pipeline 711, and each switch 72 can open or close the circulation of the transmission pipeline 711. When the pipeline robot 3 walks in the natural gas pipeline 1, all switches 72 are closed. When the pipeline robot 3 exits from the natural gas pipeline 1 to the outside, the pipeline robot 3 first enters the transmission pipeline 711. During the process of the pipeline robot 3 moving from the upstream to the downstream of the transmission pipeline 711, when the pipeline robot 3 approaches the most upstream switch 72, the most upstream switch 72 is opened, and after the pipeline robot 3 passes the most upstream switch 72, the switch 72 is closed. When the pipeline robot 3 continues to move downstream of the transmission pipeline 711, each switch 72 is opened when it approaches a switch 72.

[0060] When the pipeline robot 3 is moving normally in the natural gas pipeline 1, all switches 72 are closed to prevent natural gas from leaking from the transmission pipeline 711. When the pipeline robot 3 needs to exit from the natural gas pipeline 1 to the outside, the pipeline robot 3 enters the transmission pipeline 711, and the pipeline robot 3 moves from the upstream to the downstream of the transmission pipeline 711. When the pipeline robot 3 approaches the first switch 72, the first switch 72 is opened, and the pipeline robot 3 continues to move. After the pipeline robot 3 passes the first switch 72, the first switch 72 is closed. At this time, the pressure between the first switch 72 and the second switch 72 is the same as the pressure in the natural gas pipeline 1. Then the pipeline robot 3 continues to move, and when it approaches the second switch 72, the second switch 72 is opened. At this time, the space for accommodating natural gas in the transmission pipeline 711 changes from the space between the first switch 72 and the second switch 72 to the space between the first switch 72 and the third switch 72, and the pressure of the natural gas in the transmission pipeline 711 decreases. The pipeline robot 3 continues to move, and when it approaches the third switch 72, the third switch 72 is opened. By analogy, the downstream switches 72 are opened in turn, so that the pressure of the natural gas in the transmission pipeline 711 gradually decreases until it reaches a suitable pressure. The last switch 72 is opened, and the pipeline robot 3 withdraws from the transmission pipeline 711 to the outside, thereby ensuring that the pipeline robot 3 can safely withdraw to the outside.

[0061] Based on the above pipeline robot group system, refer to Figure 4The present application also discloses an embodiment of a pipeline robot group control method, comprising the following steps:

[0062] S1. The master control center 2 sends a control instruction to the control base station 4 in the area to be controlled.

[0063] S2. The control base station 4 sends control instructions to the pipeline robot 3 in its corresponding control area.

[0064] S3. After receiving the control instruction, the pipeline robot 3 performs the corresponding operation according to the control instruction.

[0065] Through the above control method, when the pipeline robot 3 in one or more control areas needs to perform operations, the master control center 2 sends a control instruction to the control base station 4 of the control area that needs to perform the operation, and the control base station 4 sends the received control instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in its corresponding area, and the pipeline robot 3 performs the corresponding operation after receiving the control instruction. In this way, each control area can independently control the pipeline robot 3, ensuring that the pipeline robot group can efficiently perform operations in its respective area.

[0066] In the actual implementation process, in order to realize the closed-loop control of the pipeline robot 3, the pipeline robot 3 needs to perform the following steps after receiving the control instruction:

[0067] S4. After each pipeline robot 3 receives the control command, the pipeline robot 3 feedbacks the successful reception of the command to the master control center 2 through the corresponding control base station 4;

[0068] S5. When the main control center 2 sends a control instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in the Nth control area and fails to receive a successful reception instruction, the main control center 2 sends a control instruction and an auxiliary instruction to the pipeline robot 3 in one of the N-1th control area or the N+1th control area. The control area that receives the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction is the target control area.

[0069] S6. After the pipeline robot 3 provided with the auxiliary instruction receiving module 34 in the target control area receives the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction at the same time, it sends the control instruction to all the pipeline robots 3 in the Nth control area.

[0070] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, from any point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are included in the present invention. Any figure mark in the claims should not be regarded as limiting the claims involved. In addition, it should be understood that although this specification is described in accordance with the implementation methods, not each implementation method contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A pipeline robot group system, comprising: A pipeline (1) is provided with a plurality of control areas in a direction from upstream to downstream, and a control base station (4) is provided in each control area; A master control center (2) which communicates with all control base stations (4) via signals and is used to send control instructions to each control base station (4); A plurality of groups of pipeline robots (3) are provided, and the plurality of groups of pipeline robots (3) correspond to the plurality of control areas one by one. Each group of pipeline robots (3) includes a plurality of pipeline robots (3). The pipeline robots (3) communicate with control base stations (4) in their corresponding control areas through signals. After receiving control instructions through their corresponding control base stations (4), the pipeline robots (3) perform corresponding operations according to the control instructions.

2. A pipeline robot group system according to claim 1, characterized in that: After each of the pipeline robots (3) receives the control instruction, the pipeline robot (3) feeds back to the master control center (2) via the corresponding control base station (4) a message indicating successful receipt of the instruction; The plurality of control areas are sequentially a first control area, a second control area, ... an Nth control area (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) along the pipeline (1) from upstream to downstream, and the pipeline robots (3) in two adjacent control areas can communicate with each other by signals, and one pipeline robot (3) in each control area is provided with an auxiliary instruction receiving module (34); When the master control center (2) sends a control instruction to the pipeline robot (3) in the Nth control area and fails to receive a successful reception instruction, the master control center (2) sends a control instruction and an auxiliary instruction to the pipeline robot (3) in one of the N-1th control area or the N+1th control area. After the pipeline robot (3) in the control area provided with an auxiliary instruction receiving module (34) receives the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction at the same time, the master control center sends the control instruction to all the pipeline robots (3) in the Nth control area.

3. A pipeline robot group system and control method thereof according to claim 2, characterized in that: After sending the control instruction, the pipeline robot (3) that sends the control instruction receives the successful reception instructions sent by all pipeline robots (3) in the Nth control area in real time, and feeds back the received control instructions and auxiliary instructions to the main control center (2) along the path.

4. The pipeline robot group system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the control areas is also provided with a wireless charging transmitting module (5), and each of the pipeline robots (3) is provided with a wireless charging receiving module (35); Each of the pipeline robots (3) is further provided with a controller (31) and a power detection module (36), wherein the power detection module (36) is used to detect the power of the pipeline robot (3), and the controller (31) is used to read the power detected by the power detection module (36); When the controller (31) reads that the power level is less than a first threshold, the controller (31) controls the pipeline robot (3) to move toward the wireless charging transmitting module (5) so that the wireless charging transmitting module (5) and the wireless charging receiving module (35) are opposite to each other.

5. The pipeline robot group system according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each of the pipeline robots (3) is provided with a dragging component, and the pipeline (1) is connected to and provided with an exit mechanism (7); When the pipeline robot (3) in the same area cannot move normally, other robots in the same area can move the robot to the wireless charging transmission module (5) or the exit mechanism (7) by dragging the component.

6. The pipeline robot group system according to claim 5, characterized in that: Before one of the pipeline robots (3) drags another pipeline robot (3), the pipeline robot (3) first detects the power level through the power detection module (36); when the controller (31) reads that the power level is less than a second threshold, the pipeline robot (3) moves to the wireless charging transmitter module (5) for charging.

7. A pipeline robot group system according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The pipeline (1) is also connected to a branch (6), wherein the branch (6) comprises a first port (61) and a second port (62), and the first port (61) and the second port (62) are both connected to the pipeline (1).

8. The pipeline robot group system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The wireless charging transmitting module (5) is located between the first port (61) and the second port (62).

9. A pipeline robot group control method, based on the pipeline robot (3) group system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that , including the following steps: The master control center (2) sends a control instruction to a control base station (4) in the area to be controlled; The control base station (4) sends control instructions to the pipeline robot (3) in its corresponding control area; After receiving the control instruction, the pipeline robot (3) performs the corresponding operation according to the control instruction.

10. A pipeline robot group control method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The plurality of control areas are sequentially arranged from upstream to downstream of the pipeline (1) as a first control area, a second control area, ... an Nth control area (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2), the pipeline robots (3) in two adjacent control areas can communicate with each other by signals, and one pipeline robot (3) in each control area is provided with an auxiliary instruction receiving module (34), and further comprising the following steps: After each of the pipeline robots (3) receives the control instruction, the pipeline robot (3) feeds back to the master control center (2) via the corresponding control base station (4) a message indicating successful receipt of the instruction; When the master control center (2) sends a control instruction to the pipeline robot (3) in the Nth control area and fails to receive a successful reception instruction, the master control center (2) sends a control instruction and an auxiliary instruction to the pipeline robot (3) in one of the N-1th control area or the N+1th control area. After the pipeline robot (3) in the control area provided with an auxiliary instruction receiving module (34) receives the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction at the same time, the master control center sends the control instruction to all the pipeline robots (3) in the Nth control area.

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