A pipeline robot group system and control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of pipeline robots, specifically disclosing a pipeline robot group system and a control method thereof. The pipeline robot group system includes a pipeline, which is provided with multiple control areas along the upstream to downstream direction, each control area being provided with a control base station; a master control center, which communicates with all the control base stations by signal and is used to send control instructions to each control base station; multiple groups of pipeline robots, each group of pipeline robots corresponding one-to-one to the multiple control areas, each group of pipeline robots including several pipeline robots, which communicate with the control base stations in their corresponding control areas by signal. After receiving the control instructions through their corresponding control base stations, the pipeline robots perform corresponding operations according to the control instructions. This has the effect of enabling multiple pipeline robots to operate efficiently inside the pipeline.

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 work of oil and natural gas pipelines has attracted widespread attention from more and more scientific researchers.

[0003] In modern urban pipe networks, multiple pipeline robots are often deployed to improve the efficiency of pipeline inspections and other operations. To enable these robots to operate efficiently within the pipes, a pipeline robot group system and control method are urgently needed to address the aforementioned issues. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An 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 operate efficiently 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 in the direction from upstream to downstream, and a control base station is provided in each control area; a master 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 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 this technical solution, the pipeline is divided into multiple control zones. When pipeline robots in one or more control zones need to perform operations, the master control center sends control instructions to the control base stations in the control zones where the operations are required. The control base stations then transmit the received control instructions to the pipeline robots in their corresponding zones. The pipeline robots then perform the corresponding operations after receiving the control instructions. This enables each control zone to independently control the pipeline robots, ensuring that the pipeline robot group can efficiently perform the operations within its corresponding control zone.

[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 along the pipeline from upstream to downstream are the first control area, the second control area...the Nth control area (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2), and the pipeline robots in two adjacent control areas can communicate with each other by signal, 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 a control instruction and an auxiliary instruction to the pipeline robot in one of the control areas, the N-1th control area or the N+1th control area. 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 the 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 the received control instructions and auxiliary instructions to the main control center along the path.

[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 robot in the adjacent control area, ensuring the existence of a closed loop of pipeline robot control, thereby improving the reliability of 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 further 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, 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 transmitter module and the wireless charging receiver 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 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 transmitter 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 faulty robot for timely charging or exit the pipeline for maintenance through the 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 the power detection module. When the controller reads that the power is less than a second threshold, the pipeline robot moves to the wireless charging transmitter module for charging.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the pipeline robot will only drag other pipeline robots when it has sufficient power, thereby ensuring that the pipeline robot can reliably reach the entry and exit mechanism or the wireless charging transmission 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 the 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 transmitter module can pass through the wireless charging transmitter 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 main 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 arranged from upstream to downstream along the pipeline, namely the first control area, the second control area...the Nth control area (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2), 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 pipeline robot 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 to existing technologies, the present invention offers the following advantages: The pipeline is divided into multiple control zones. When pipeline robots in one or more control zones need to perform operations, the master control center sends control instructions to the control base stations in the control zones where the operations are required. The control base stations then transmit the received control instructions to the pipeline robots in their corresponding zones, which then perform the corresponding operations. This allows each control zone to independently control the pipeline robots, ensuring that the pipeline robot group can efficiently perform operations within its corresponding control zone. 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 line according to 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 orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations 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", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, features defined as "first", "second", etc. 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 expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0038] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 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 making creative efforts 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 the 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 one-to-one to the multiple control areas. 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 signal communication between the control base station 4 and the pipeline robot 3 within its control area is carried out 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 zones. When pipeline robots 3 within one or more control zones need to perform operations, the master control center 2 sends control instructions to the control base stations 4 in the control zones where the operations are required. The control base stations 4 then forward the received control instructions to the pipeline robots 3 in their corresponding zones. After receiving the control instructions, the pipeline robots 3 perform the corresponding operations. This allows each control zone to independently control the pipeline robots 3, ensuring that the pipeline robot group can efficiently perform operations within its corresponding control zone.

[0043] Further, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The multiple control zones along the pipeline 1 are sequentially designated as the first control zone, the second control zone, and so on (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) along the upstream to downstream sides. To ensure closed-loop control of the pipeline robots 3 within each control zone, after receiving a control command, each pipeline robot 3 within each control zone sends a feedback notification of successful command receipt to the master control center 2 via the corresponding control base station 4. However, in some cases, the control base station 4 of a particular control zone may malfunction, resulting in the pipeline robots 3 within that control zone failing to receive the control command.

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

[0045] To address the issue of control command transmission failures by the control base station 4, the pipeline robots 3 in two adjacent control areas can communicate with each other, and one pipeline robot 3 in each control area is equipped with an auxiliary command receiving module 34. When the master control center 2 sends a control command to the pipeline robot 3 in the Nth control area and fails to successfully receive the command, the master control center 2 sends the control command and auxiliary command to the pipeline robot 3 in either the N-1th control area or the N+1th control area. After the pipeline robot 3 in that control area equipped with the auxiliary command receiving module 34 receives both the control command and the auxiliary command, it then sends the control command 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 from 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, refer to Figure 2 After sending the control command, the pipeline robot 3 that sent the control command receives the successful reception instructions sent by all pipeline robots 3 in the Nth control area in real time, and feeds back the successful reception instructions along the path of receiving the control command and auxiliary instructions to the main control center 2. Taking the above-mentioned pipeline robot 3 in the first control area sending a control command 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 command to the pipeline robot 3 in the second control area, the pipeline robot 3 in the first control area receives the successful reception instructions sent by the pipeline robot 3 in the second control area in real time, and then feeds back the successful reception instructions to the main control center 2 via the control base station 4 in the first control area.

[0048] Typically, the pipeline robot 3 is powered by batteries, so its battery life is limited. Figure 2, each control area is also provided with a wireless charging transmitter module 5, and each pipeline robot 3 is provided with a wireless charging receiver module 35. Each pipeline robot 3 is also provided with a power detection module 36, and the controller 31 is signal-connected to 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 transmitter module 5 so that the wireless charging transmitter module 5 and the wireless charging receiver module 35 are opposite to each other. When the power of the pipeline robot 3 is insufficient, after the wireless charging transmitter module 5 and the wireless charging receiver 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, the electromagnetic induction method 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 the positioning detection module 37 and the positioning receiving module 38 are both connected to the controller 31 by signal. A positioning transmitting module 51 is provided at each wireless charging transmitter 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 transmitter 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 be supplied to the pipeline robot 3 from the boundary of its corresponding control area to the wireless transmission module.

[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 in the same area cannot move normally, other robots in the same area can move the robot to the wireless charging transmitter module 5 or the exit mechanism 7 through the dragging component.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the dragging assembly comprises an electromagnet and an iron plate, both of which are fixed to one end of the pipeline robot 3, with the iron plate covering the outer surface of the electromagnet. When one pipeline robot 3 drags another pipeline robot 3, the electromagnet is energized, magnetizing the iron plate and attracting the iron plate to the dragged pipeline robot 3. If a pipeline robot 3 within a control area malfunctions, other robots within that area can drag the faulty robot for immediate recharging or use the withdrawal mechanism 7 to withdraw it from the pipeline 1 for maintenance.

[0054] Furthermore, before one pipeline robot 3 drags another pipeline robot 3, the pipeline robot 3 first checks its power level with the power detection module 36. When the controller 31 reads a power level less than a second threshold, the pipeline robot 3 moves to the wireless charging transmitter module 5 for charging. Only when the pipeline robot 3 has sufficient power will it drag another pipeline robot 3, ensuring that the pipeline robot 3 can reliably reach the entry and exit mechanism 7 or the wireless charging transmitter module 5 during 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 the faulty pipeline robot 3, if the actively dragging robot detects that its own power is less than the 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, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The pipeline 1 is also connected to a branch 6, which includes a first port 61 and a second port 62. 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 the movement direction of other pipeline robots 3 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 moving toward 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 then bypass the pipeline robot 3 that is blocking the passage through the branch 6.

[0058] Further, refer to Figure 1The wireless charging transmitter module 5 is located between the first port 61 and the second port 62. With this arrangement, when one of the pipeline robots 3 is charging, other robots that need to pass through the wireless charging transmitter module 5 can pass through the wireless charging transmitter module 5 via the branch 6, thus not being blocked by the pipeline robot 3 that needs to be charged.

[0059] The exit mechanism 7 includes a transfer pipe 711 and multiple switches 72. One end of the transfer pipe 711 is connected to the natural gas pipeline 1, and the other end is connected to the outside world. Multiple switches 72 are set in the transfer pipe 711, and multiple switches 72 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the transfer pipe 711. Each switch 72 can open or close the flow of the transfer pipe 711. When the pipeline robot 3 moves in the natural gas pipeline 1, all switches 72 are closed. When the pipeline robot 3 exits the natural gas pipeline 1 to the outside world, the pipeline robot 3 first enters the transfer pipe 711. During the process of moving from upstream to downstream along the transfer pipe 711, when the pipeline robot 3 approaches the upstreammost switch 72, the upstreammost switch 72 is opened. After the pipeline robot 3 passes the upstreammost switch 72, the switch 72 is closed. As the pipeline robot 3 continues to move downstream in the transfer pipe 711, each switch 72 is opened when it approaches it.

[0060] When pipeline robot 3 is navigating normally within natural gas pipeline 1, all switches 72 are closed to prevent natural gas from leaking from transfer pipe 711. When pipeline robot 3 needs to exit natural gas pipeline 1 to the outside world, it enters transfer pipe 711 and moves along transfer pipe 711 from upstream to downstream. When pipeline robot 3 approaches the first switch 72, the first switch 72 opens, and pipeline robot 3 continues its movement. After passing the first switch 72, the first switch 72 closes, and the pressure between the first and second switches 72 equals the pressure within natural gas pipeline 1. Then, pipeline robot 3 continues its movement, and when it approaches the second switch 72, the second switch 72 opens. At this point, the natural gas storage space within transfer pipe 711 changes from the space between the first and second switches 72 to the space between the first and third switches 72, reducing the natural gas pressure within transfer pipe 711. Pipeline robot 3 continues its movement, and when it approaches the third switch 72, the third switch 72 opens. By analogy, the downstream switches 72 are opened in turn, causing the pressure of the natural gas in the transmission pipeline 711 to gradually decrease until it reaches a suitable pressure. The last switch 72 is opened, and the pipeline robot 3 exits from the transmission pipeline 711 to the outside world, thereby ensuring that the pipeline robot 3 can safely exit to the outside world.

[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] With this control method, when the pipeline robots 3 within one or more control zones need to perform an operation, the master control center 2 sends a control instruction to the control base stations 4 in the control zones where the operation is required. The control base stations 4 then forward the received control instructions to the pipeline robots 3 in their corresponding zones. After receiving the control instructions, the pipeline robots 3 perform the corresponding operation. This allows each control zone to independently control the pipeline robots 3, ensuring that the pipeline robot groups can efficiently perform operations within their respective zones.

[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 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. 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 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 that fall within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be 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 terms of 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, and those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in the various embodiments 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) is in signal communication with all the control base stations (4) 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 one-to-one to the plurality of control areas, and each group of pipeline robots (3) includes a plurality of pipeline robots (3), and the pipeline robots (3) communicate with the control base stations (4) in their corresponding control areas by signals. After receiving the control instructions through their corresponding control base stations (4), the pipeline robots (3) perform corresponding operations according to the control instructions; After each pipeline robot (3) receives the control instruction, the pipeline robot (3) feeds back the successful instruction to the master control center (2) through the corresponding control base station (4); the plurality of control areas are sequentially arranged from upstream to downstream along the pipeline (1) as the first control area, the second control area, ... the Nth control area, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2, 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 the successful 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, and 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 master control center sends the control instruction to all pipeline robots (3) in the Nth control area; 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; Each of the control areas is further provided with a wireless charging transmitter module (5), and each of the pipeline robots (3) is provided with a wireless charging receiver module (35); each of the pipeline robots (3) is further provided with a controller (31) and a power detection module (36), the power detection module (36) being used to detect the power of the pipeline robot (3), and the controller (31) being 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; Each of the pipeline robots (3) is provided with a dragging assembly, and the pipeline (1) is connected to 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 transmitter module (5) or the exit mechanism (7) by means of the dragging assembly; 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; The pipeline (1) is further connected to a branch (6), wherein the branch (6) comprises a first port (61) and a second port (62), and both the first port (61) and the second port (62) are connected to the pipeline (1); The wireless charging transmitter module (5) is located between the first port (61) and the second port (62).

2. A pipeline robot group control method, based on the pipeline robot group system according to claim 1, 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 a control instruction to the pipeline robot (3) in its corresponding control area; after receiving the control instruction, the pipeline robot (3) performs a corresponding operation according to the control instruction; The plurality of control areas are sequentially arranged from upstream to downstream along the pipeline (1) as a first control area, a second control area, ... an Nth control area, where 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. Each control area includes a pipeline robot (3) provided with an auxiliary instruction receiving module (34), and further includes the following steps: After each pipeline robot (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 the auxiliary instruction receiving module (34) receives the control instruction and the auxiliary instruction at the same time, the master control center (2) sends the control instruction to all pipeline robots (3) in the Nth control area.

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