Drain pipe inspection robot

Abstract

The invention relates to a drainage pipe inspection robot which comprises a main body, a driving roller and a crossing mechanism. A driving roller is arranged at the bottom of the main body and is in transmission connection with a first driving motor arranged on the main body; the crossing mechanism comprises a screw rod, a second driving motor, a translation seat, a crossing cylinder and an unfolding assembly; the lead screw is rotationally arranged on the main body and is in transmission connection with the second driving motor, the translation seat is in transmission connection with the lead screw, the spanning cylinder is fixed on the translation seat and extends towards the front end of the main body, and the unfolding assembly is arranged at the front end of the spanning cylinder and can be unfolded to form a supporting point at the front end of the spanning cylinder; the unfolding assembly comprises an unfolding driving piece, a driving plate, a driving rod and an unfolding rod; when encountering an obstacle, the crossing cylinder can extend forwards, a supporting point is formed at the front end, the inspection robot is separated from the ground by means of the supporting point, moves forwards and crosses the obstacle point, the inspection task can be efficiently completed under various working conditions, and the use range is widened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of drainage pipe inspection, and in particular to a drainage pipe inspection robot. Background Art

[0002] Urban drainage pipes, as key channels for urban sewage and rainwater discharge, constitute an indispensable part of the city's underground network and are the foundation of infrastructure supporting the stable development of the city. They are like the invisible blood vessels of the city, ensuring the normal order of urban production and life and the steady improvement of the quality of life of residents. However, since drainage pipes have been in a humid, dark environment that may contain corrosive substances for a long time, problems such as pipe breakage and leakage often occur. These problems not only affect the normal operation of the drainage system, but may also cause chain reactions such as urban waterlogging and water pollution, seriously interfering with the daily life and production activities of citizens.

[0003] In traditional pipeline maintenance methods, workers need to personally enter the pipeline and manually operate the high-pressure grouting pipeline to the fault point. Not only is the working environment harsh, but there are also extremely high safety risks, especially when facing toxic gases and unknown obstacles that may exist in the pipeline. The health and safety of construction workers are seriously threatened.

[0004] The emergence of drainage pipe inspection robots has undoubtedly provided an intelligent solution to this problem. With advanced navigation systems and high-definition camera technology, these robots can conduct detailed inspections deep inside the pipes, greatly improving inspection efficiency and accuracy and reducing the risk of manual intervention. With the iterative upgrade of technology, future inspection robots will be more intelligent and miniaturized, able to flexibly shuttle through more complex pipe environments, and provide strong support for the maintenance and optimization of urban drainage systems.

[0005] Although the inspection robots currently on the market have advanced functions such as autonomous navigation and high-definition cameras, they still face challenges in practical applications. For example, the terrain inside the pipeline is complex and changeable, and obstacles such as potholes and protrusions frequently appear, making it easy for the inspection robot to be blocked during its movement and difficult to cross obstacles and continue to move forward, which brings troubles to the movement of the inspection robot in the pipeline. Based on this, it is necessary to study a drainage pipe inspection robot. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a drainage pipe inspection robot, which effectively solves the problem that the existing pipeline inspection robots are unable to overcome obstacles such as potholes and protrusions on their own.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a drainage pipe inspection robot, comprising a main body, a driving roller and a crossing mechanism; a driving roller is arranged at the bottom of the main body, and the driving roller is connected to a first driving motor arranged on the main body; the crossing mechanism comprises a screw rod, a second driving motor, a translation seat, a crossing cylinder and an unfolding assembly; the screw rod is rotatably arranged on the main body and is connected to the second driving motor, the translation seat is connected to the screw rod, and the translation seat can be translated along the screw rod, the crossing cylinder is fixed on the translation seat and extends to the front end of the main body, the unfolding assembly is arranged at the front end of the crossing cylinder, and can be unfolded to form a support point at the front end of the crossing cylinder; The unfolding assembly includes an unfolding drive member, a drive plate, a drive rod and an unfolding rod; the drive plate is slidably mounted in the spanning tube, and a sliding hole is opened in the spanning tube, the unfolding drive member is connected to the drive plate, and can make the drive plate translate along the spanning tube and lock it; a first hinge seat is arranged on the drive plate, the first hinge seat can translate along the sliding hole and extend outward, the unfolding rod is hinged at the front end of the spanning tube, and a second hinge seat is arranged at the bottom thereof, and both ends of the drive rod are hinged on the first hinge seat and the second hinge seat respectively.

[0008] Furthermore, the driving roller is connected to the main body via a bracket, and the driving rollers on both sides are rotated by corresponding first driving motors.

[0009] Furthermore, the second drive motor and the first drive motor are arranged on the rear side of the main body, and the crossing mechanism is arranged on the front side of the main body.

[0010] Furthermore, a positioning rod is arranged on the main body, the positioning rod is parallel to the screw rod, a positioning hole and a screw hole are arranged on the translation seat, the screw rod corresponds to the screw hole, and the positioning hole corresponds to the positioning rod.

[0011] Furthermore, a positioning groove is provided on the main body, a positioning block is provided on the translation seat, the translation seat is threadedly connected to the screw rod, and the positioning block is adapted to be assembled with the positioning groove to achieve position limiting.

[0012] Furthermore, a connecting rod is provided at the bottom of the positioning block, the connecting rod is slidably mounted in the main body and extends to the front end of the main body, a reinforcing seat is fixed at the front end of the connecting rod, and the spanning tube is fixed on the reinforcing seat.

[0013] Furthermore, three sliding holes are evenly distributed along the circumference of the spanning tube, and three expansion rods are correspondingly provided and are equally distributed at the front end of the spanning tube, so that the spanning tube is located in the center of the drain pipe under the action of the expansion rods.

[0014] Furthermore, a card seat is provided at the end of the deployment rod, a support block is fixed on the card seat by an adapter card, and a deformable rubber block is provided at the end of the support block.

[0015] Furthermore, the front end of the spanning tube is threadedly connected to a mounting seat, a third hinged seat is provided on the mounting seat, and the unfolding rod is hinged on the third hinged seat.

[0016] The method for using the drainage pipe inspection robot includes the following steps: First, the inspection robot uses a driving roller to move in the drainage pipe, and uses the camera mounted on it to detect the environment inside the pipe. When encountering an obstacle that is difficult to cross during walking, the inspection robot moves to a position close to the obstacle, and drives the screw to rotate through the second driving motor to extend the spanning cylinder in a retracted state forward toward the obstacle. After the belt moves to the corresponding point, under the action of the unfolding drive member, the unfolding rod unfolds from the folded state and rests against the inner wall of the pipe, forming a support point at the front end of the spanning cylinder, and at the same time makes the main body of the inspection robot move upward and off the ground; then the second driving motor is driven in reverse, and since the translation seat is in a fixed state under the limit of the unfolding rod, the screw rod moves relative to the translation seat, which will drag the inspection robot over the obstacle; after the inspection robot crosses the obstacle, the unfolding rod folds, causing the inspection robot to descend to the bottom of the drainage pipe.

[0017] The beneficial effect of the above technical solution is: the present invention is mainly based on the modification of the current pipeline inspection robot, and a structure that can cross obstacles by itself is configured on the upper part of the existing inspection robot, so that the pipeline robot can cross obstacles by itself through the structure, and then smoothly inspect in the pipeline, thereby improving the overall work efficiency.

[0018] In the specific structure, the present invention utilizes the motor-screw structure to realize the translation drive of the translation seat, so that the crossing tube can extend forward, and its front end can cross the obstacle, and unfold behind the obstacle to form a support point, which can utilize the rigidity of the crossing tube to lift the inspection robot at the rear end, so that the structure is higher than the obstacle, and then due to the constraint of the unfolding structure, the translation seat is in a fixed state, and the screw is in a suspended state, when the screw is driven in reverse by the motor, the screw and the translation seat move forward along the translation seat due to the threaded fit, and the immediate inspection robot body crosses the obstacle, and then the unfolding assembly retracts, the inspection robot falls back to the bottom of the pipe, and continues to move forward with the help of its own moving structure.

[0019] The deployment assembly of the present invention utilizes a translational driving plate to swing the driving rod and the deployment rod, and realizes deployment and contraction. In the deployed state, the end of the deployment rod is fitted with the inner wall of the pipeline through an adaptive support block and a rubber block, and provides strong support, so that the crossing tube is basically at the center point of the pipeline. When the pipeline robot is in this position, the bottom can be higher than the obstacle, and it can cross the obstacle under the drive of the threaded rod.

[0020] In order to improve the overall support strength of the spanning tube, the present invention provides a reinforcing seat on the main body, so that the forward spanning tube can have sufficient strength to support the deadweight of the inspection robot and ensure the stability of the structure during operation.

[0021] Therefore, the present invention provides a patrol robot that can cross obstacles on its own. When encountering an obstacle, the robot can extend a crossing tube forward and form a support point at the front end. The patrol robot uses the support point to leave the ground, move forward and cross the obstacle point, which greatly improves the flexibility of the patrol robot. It can efficiently complete patrol tasks under various working conditions, broadens the scope of use, and provides more reliable technical support for the maintenance and management of urban drainage pipes and other infrastructure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the implementation structure of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the top view of the structure of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a rear view structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a front structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the implementation structure of the expansion component; Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the obstacle crossing process of the present invention; Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of another limiting structure of the translation support; Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the outer end structure of the deployment rod.

[0023] Figure markings: 1-main body, 2-driving roller, 3-first driving motor, 4-screw, 5-positioning rod, 6-second driving motor, 7-translation seat, 8-spanning cylinder, 9-sliding hole, 10-driving rod, 11-unfolding rod, 12-driving plate, 13-unfolding driving member, 14-first articulated seat, 15-second articulated seat, 16-third articulated seat, 17-mounting seat, 18-stabilizing seat, 19-positioning block, 20-stabilizing rod, 21-reinforcement seat, 22-card seat, 23-support block, 24-rubber block, 25-pipeline, 26-obstacle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments: Embodiment 1. This embodiment aims to provide a drainage pipe inspection robot, which is mainly used for drainage pipe inspection robots. Disconnections, potholes or raised obstacles are inevitable in drainage pipes. The pipeline robot is driven by a double-helix drum. When encountering obstacles that are difficult to cross, the pipeline robot cannot pass by itself. In order to improve the working flexibility and use environment of the pipeline inspection robot, this embodiment provides a drainage pipe inspection robot. When encountering obstacles, the robot can extend the crossing tube forward and form a support point at the front end. The inspection robot uses the support point to leave the ground, move forward and cross the obstacle point, which greatly improves the flexibility of the inspection robot.

[0025] like Figure 1-5 As shown in , a drainage pipe inspection robot includes a main body 1, a driving roller 2 and a crossing mechanism; the driving roller 2 is arranged at the bottom of the main body 1, and the driving roller 2 is connected to the first driving motor 3 arranged on the main body 1 by transmission, and the driving roller 2 is connected to the main body 1 through a bracket, and the driving rollers 2 on both sides are rotated by the corresponding first driving motor 3. During implementation, the main body 1 structure can be equipped with multiple groups of cameras, such as wide-angle cameras, side cameras and other structures, so as to collect real-time pictures in the pipeline, and obtain the pipeline status by analyzing the real-time pictures.

[0026] like Figure 1-2 As shown in the figure, the crossing mechanism includes a screw rod 4, a second drive motor 5, a translation seat 7, a crossing cylinder 8 and an unfolding assembly; the screw rod 4 is rotatably arranged on the main body 1 and is transmission-connected with the second drive motor 5. In this embodiment, a support is provided on the main body 1 in structure, and both ends of the screw rod 4 are rotatably arranged on the support and are transmission-connected with the external second drive motor 5. When implemented, Figure 4 As shown in , the second drive motor 5 and the first drive motor 3 are arranged on the rear side of the main body 1, and the crossing mechanism is arranged on the front side of the main body 1, so as to balance the overall structure and ensure smooth operation of the structure.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the translation seat 7 is connected with the screw rod 4 in transmission, and the translation seat 7 can translate along the screw rod 4. Structurally, the screw rod 4 is driven to rotate by the second drive motor 5, and the translation seat 7 translates through the screw rod 4. As an implementation mode, a positioning rod is provided on the main body 1, and the positioning rod is parallel to the screw rod 4. A positioning hole and a screw hole are provided on the translation seat 7, and the screw rod 4 corresponds to the screw hole, and the positioning hole corresponds to the positioning rod 5. In this embodiment, the positioning rod 5 cooperates with the screw rod 4 to provide a limit for the movement of the translation seat 7, and the positioning rod is used to further stabilize the translation seat 7 to ensure that it has sufficient supporting strength.

[0028] The crossing cylinder 8 is fixed on the translation seat 7 and extends to the front end of the main body 1. The unfolding component is arranged at the front end of the crossing cylinder 8 and can be unfolded to form a support point at the front end of the crossing cylinder 8. In this embodiment, the front end of the crossing cylinder 8 is a hollow structure in structure, and the rear end can be a solid structure to have sufficient supporting strength. During implementation, the rear end of the crossing cylinder 8 is fixed to the upper part of the translation seat 7, and there is a stabilizing seat 18 at the front end position of the main body 1. The crossing cylinder 8 is mounted in the stabilizing seat 18 and extends to the front end as a fixed foundation. The unfolding component is arranged at the front end of the crossing cylinder 8 to cross obstacles and form a support point behind the obstacle. The inspection robot is lifted up with the help of the formed support point to provide a foundation for translation crossing.

[0029] like Figure 8 As shown in the figure, the unfolding assembly includes an unfolding drive member 13, a drive plate 12, a drive rod 10 and an unfolding rod 11; in this embodiment, the front end of the spanning tube 6 is a hollow structure, and the front end of the spanning tube 8 is threadedly connected with a mounting seat 17, which closes the front end of the spanning tube 8 and forms a support point. A third hinged seat 16 is provided on the mounting seat, and the unfolding rod 11 is hinged on the third hinged seat 16.

[0030] In order to drive the deployment rod 11 to deploy, the embodiment slides the drive plate 12 into the spanning tube 8, and a sliding hole 9 is opened in the spanning tube 8. The deployment drive member 13 is connected to the drive plate 12, and can make the drive plate 12 translate along the spanning tube 8 and lock it; the deployment drive member 13 is structurally arranged in the spanning tube 8, and provides thrust when extending forward, so that the drive plate 12 moves forward, and a first hinge seat 14 is provided on the drive plate 12, and the first hinge seat 14 can translate along the sliding hole and extend outward, the deployment rod 11 is hinged at the front end of the spanning tube 8, and a second hinge seat 15 is provided at the bottom thereof, and both ends of the drive rod 10 are respectively hinged on the first hinge seat and the second hinge seat 15.

[0031] There are three sliding holes 9 evenly distributed along the circumference of the spanning tube 8, of which the lower ones face both sides and the middle ones are arranged vertically. Three expansion rods 11 are correspondingly arranged and are equally distributed at the front end of the spanning tube 8, so that the spanning tube 8 is located in the center of the drainage pipe under the action of the expansion rods 11. Fig. 9 As shown in FIG, a clamping seat 22 is disposed at the end of the deployment rod 11 , a support block 23 is fixedly mounted on the clamping seat 22 , and a deformable rubber block 24 is disposed at the end of the support block 23 .

[0032] At the same time, this embodiment provides a method for using the drainage pipe inspection robot. Figure 7As shown in, it includes the following steps: first, the inspection robot uses the driving roller 2 to move in the drainage pipe, and uses the camera mounted thereon to detect the environment inside the pipe 25. When encountering an obstacle that is difficult to cross during walking, the inspection robot moves to a position close to the obstacle 26, and drives the screw rod 4 to rotate through the second driving motor 5, so that the crossing tube 8 in the retracted state is extended forward toward the obstacle. After the belt moves to the corresponding point, under the action of the unfolding driving member 13, the unfolding rod 11 is unfolded from the folded state, and abuts against the inner wall of the pipe, forming a support point at the front end of the crossing tube 8, and at the same time, the inspection robot body 1 moves upward and leaves the ground; then the second driving motor 5 is driven in the reverse direction. Since the translation seat 7 is in a fixed state under the limit of the unfolding rod 11, the screw rod 4 moves relative to the translation seat 7, which will drag the inspection robot over the obstacle; after the inspection robot crosses the obstacle, the unfolding rod 11 is folded, so that the inspection robot descends to the bottom of the drainage pipe.

[0033] This embodiment adds a crossing mechanism so that when the inspection robot encounters disconnections, potholes or raised obstacles in the pipeline, it can autonomously extend the crossing tube 8 and form a support point at the front end, so as to smoothly cross the obstacle. This significantly improves the working flexibility and adaptability of the inspection robot in complex pipeline environments and broadens its application scope.

[0034] In addition, through the cooperation of the positioning rod and the screw rod 4, the movement of the translation seat 7 is limited, the structure is further stabilized, and the stability and safety of the inspection robot during operation are ensured. The translation seat 7 is limited, and the screw rod 4 is limited by the main body 1 structure, and provides a basis, so that the translation seat 7 is translated forward, and the crossing tube 8 is pushed forward. After the support point is formed by the deployment component, the translation seat 7 is in a stable state, and the screw rod 4 is in a suspended state, so that the inspection robot can move forward based on the translation seat 7. The deployment component adopts a linkage structure of a drive plate 12, a drive rod 10 and an expansion rod 11. The drive plate 12 is translated through the thrust of the deployment drive 13, and then the expansion rod 11 is driven to expand and press against the inner wall of the pipeline to form a support point. This embodiment has a simple structure and is easy to implement. It can also ensure that the expansion rod 11 remains stable during the deployment process, and provide reliable support for the crossing of the inspection robot. The inspection robot can move and detect continuously and efficiently in the pipeline, avoiding interruptions caused by obstacles. At the same time, through real-time image analysis, the status of the pipeline can be accurately judged, potential problems can be discovered and dealt with in a timely manner, and strong technical support can be provided for the maintenance and management of urban drainage pipelines.

[0035] Embodiment 2: This embodiment further illustrates the limiting structure of the translation seat 7.

[0036] like Figure 8As shown in , in this embodiment, a positioning groove is provided on the main body 1, a positioning block 19 is provided on the translation seat 7, the translation seat 7 is threadedly connected with the screw rod 4, and the positioning block 19 is adapted to be assembled with the positioning groove to achieve position limiting. A connecting rod 20 is provided at the bottom of the positioning block 19, the connecting rod 20 is slidably sleeved in the main body 1, and extends to the front end of the main body 1, a reinforcing seat 21 is fixed at the front end of the connecting rod 20, and the spanning tube 8 is fixed on the reinforcing seat 21.

[0037] This embodiment uses a positioning groove and a positioning block structure to achieve the limit of the translation seat, and a reinforcing seat 21 is set on the main body, so that the forward spanning cylinder has sufficient strength to support the weight of the inspection robot and ensure the stability of the structure during operation. The embodiments of the present invention described above do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. The basic concept of the present invention is to provide an inspection robot that can cross obstacles by itself. When encountering an obstacle, the robot can extend the crossing tube forward and form a support point at the front end. The inspection robot uses the support point to leave the ground, move forward and cross the obstacle point. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drainage pipe inspection robot, characterized in that: It comprises a main body, a driving roller and a spanning mechanism; a driving roller is arranged at the bottom of the main body, and the driving roller is transmission-connected to a first driving motor arranged on the main body; the spanning mechanism comprises a screw rod, a second driving motor, a translation seat, a spanning cylinder and an unfolding assembly; the screw rod is rotationally arranged on the main body and transmission-connected to the second driving motor, the translation seat is transmission-connected to the screw rod, and the translation seat can be translated along the screw rod, the spanning cylinder is fixed on the translation seat and extends to the front end of the main body, the unfolding assembly is arranged at the front end of the spanning cylinder, and can be unfolded to form a support point at the front end of the spanning cylinder; The unfolding assembly includes an unfolding drive member, a drive plate, a drive rod and an unfolding rod; the drive plate is slidably mounted in the spanning tube, and a sliding hole is opened in the spanning tube, the unfolding drive member is connected to the drive plate, and can make the drive plate translate along the spanning tube and lock it; a first hinge seat is arranged on the drive plate, the first hinge seat can translate along the sliding hole and extend outward, the unfolding rod is hinged at the front end of the spanning tube, and a second hinge seat is arranged at the bottom thereof, and both ends of the drive rod are hinged on the first hinge seat and the second hinge seat respectively.

2. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving roller is connected to the main body through a bracket, and the driving rollers on both sides are rotated by corresponding first driving motors.

3. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second driving motor and the first driving motor are arranged on the rear side of the main body, and the crossing mechanism is arranged on the front side of the main body.

4. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning rod is arranged on the main body, the positioning rod is parallel to the screw rod, a positioning hole and a screw hole are arranged on the translation seat, the screw rod corresponds to the screw hole, and the positioning hole corresponds to the positioning rod.

5. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning groove is arranged on the main body, a positioning block is arranged on the translation seat, the translation seat is threadedly connected with the screw rod, and the positioning block is matched with the positioning groove to realize the position limiting.

6. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: A connecting rod is arranged at the bottom of the positioning block. The connecting rod is slidably sleeved in the main body and extends to the front end of the main body. A reinforcing seat is fixed at the front end of the connecting rod, and the spanning tube is fixed on the reinforcing seat.

7. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sliding holes are evenly distributed in three along the circumference of the spanning tube, and the expansion rods are correspondingly provided in three and are equally distributed at the front end of the spanning tube, so that the spanning tube is located in the center of the drainage pipe under the action of the expansion rods.

8. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A clamping seat is arranged at the end of the unfolding rod, a supporting block is fixed on the clamping seat by an adaptor clamp, and a deformable rubber block is arranged at the end of the supporting block.

9. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end of the spanning tube is threadedly connected with a mounting seat, a third hinge seat is arranged on the mounting seat, and the unfolding rod is hinged on the third hinge seat.

10. The drainage pipe inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: First, the inspection robot uses a driving roller to move in the drainage pipe, and uses the camera mounted on it to detect the environment inside the pipe. When encountering an obstacle that is difficult to cross during walking, the inspection robot moves to a position close to the obstacle, and drives the screw to rotate through the second driving motor to extend the crossing cylinder in a retracted state forward toward the obstacle. After the belt moves to the corresponding point, under the action of the unfolding drive member, the unfolding rod unfolds from the folded state and rests against the inner wall of the pipe, forming a support point at the front end of the crossing cylinder, and at the same time makes the main body of the inspection robot move upward and off the ground; then the second driving motor is driven in the reverse direction. Since the translation seat is in a fixed state under the limit of the unfolding rod, the screw rod moves relative to the translation seat, which will drag the inspection robot over the obstacle; after the inspection robot crosses the obstacle, the unfolding rod folds, causing the inspection robot to descend to the bottom of the drainage pipe.

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