Pipeline walking robot
By designing a pipeline walking robot containing a magnetic wheel and a telescopic connection mechanism, the problem of difficulty in walking in the pipeline in the prior art is solved, and the robot can achieve stable walking and strong cornering ability in the pipeline.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202311327645.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-13
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-15
AI Technical Summary
The existing pipeline walking robot has difficulty walking under conditions such as climbing hills, turning and cross-section changes, which limits its application and development in pipelines.
A pipe walking robot is designed, adopting a structure including a controller, a first walking mechanism, a second walking mechanism and a telescopic connection mechanism. The first walking mechanism and the second walking mechanism each include a mounting seat and three rollers, the rollers are arranged on the outer periphery of the mounting seat, the at least one roller is a magnetic wheel, and the relative position is adjusted by the telescopic connection mechanism to achieve turning guidance.
The robot can realize the stable walking and turning ability of the robot in the pipeline. Through the cooperation of the magnetic wheel adsorption pipe wall and the telescopic connection mechanism, the robot can smoothly pass curves and climb hills, improving the operating flexibility in the pipeline.
Smart Images
Figure CN119826031A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of robots, and in particular to a pipeline walking robot. Background Art
[0002] Gas and liquid pipelines generally use round steel pipes. After long-term use, if the connection parts and the bottom of the steel pipes are not maintained, they are prone to rust and other problems. Most pipelines are buried and difficult to inspect from the outside, so pipeline robots are the best choice. However, due to the slope, turning and changes in the cross section of the pipeline, it is a great obstacle for pipeline robots to move, which also limits the development of pipeline robots, so this invention was invented. Summary of the invention
[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a pipeline walking robot having good cornering ability.
[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention discloses a pipeline walking robot, which includes a controller, a first walking mechanism, a second walking mechanism and a telescopic connection mechanism; The first walking mechanism and the second walking mechanism both include a mounting seat and at least three rollers, the rollers are arranged on the outer circumference of the mounting seat, and the wheel bottoms of all the rollers are located on the circumference of a circle with the mounting seat as the center; at least one of the rollers is a magnetic wheel, and at least one of the magnetic wheels is transmission-connected to a driving member, and the driving member is connected to a controller; The telescopic connection mechanism includes a connecting shaft and at least three groups of telescopic rods, and the telescopic rods are connected to a controller; one end of the connecting shaft is rotatably connected to the center of the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism, and the other end of the connecting shaft is rotatably connected to the center of the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism; the telescopic rod includes a fixed part and a movable part, the fixed part is rotatably connected to the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism, and the movable part is rotatably connected to the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism; when the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism is parallel to the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism, the telescopic rod is parallel to the connecting shaft.
[0005] Preferably, it also includes a pressure sensor for detecting the roller pressure, and the pressure sensor is connected to a controller; the rollers corresponding to the first walking mechanism include a first roller, a second roller and a third roller, and the rollers corresponding to the second walking mechanism include a fourth roller, a fifth roller and a sixth roller, and when the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism is parallel to the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism, the positions of the third roller and the fourth roller correspond to each other; at least the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller are correspondingly provided with pressure sensors.
[0006] Preferably, when the pipeline walking robot is placed in the pipeline, all the rollers are against the inner wall of the pipeline, and the line connecting the first roller and the second roller coincides with the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipeline, the line connecting the third roller and the center of the inner circle of the pipeline is perpendicular to the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipeline, the line connecting the fifth roller and the sixth roller coincides with the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipeline, and the line connecting the fourth roller and the center of the inner circle of the pipeline is perpendicular to the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipeline; the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller are all magnetic wheels, and the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller are all configured with a driving member and are transmission connected thereto.
[0007] Preferably, it further comprises a buffer assembly corresponding to the rollers one by one, a wheel handle corresponding to the rollers one by one is fixed on the mounting seat, and the rollers are connected to the wheel handle via the buffer assembly.
[0008] Preferably, the buffer assembly includes a wheel frame, four capped sliding rods, four elastic members and a pressure plate, the capped sliding rods correspond to the elastic members one by one, the capped sliding rods pass through the pressure plate and the elastic members in sequence and then connect to the wheel frame, the elastic members are compressed between the pressure plate and the wheel frame; the pressure plate is connected to the wheel handle, and the roller is rotatably connected to the wheel frame.
[0009] Preferably, it also includes a pressure sensor for detecting the roller pressure, the pressure sensor is connected to a controller, and the pressure sensor is embedded in the contact surface between the buffer assembly and the wheel handle.
[0010] Preferably, the mounting seat comprises a supporting disc, a connecting disc and at least three supports, the supporting disc and the connecting disc are connected via the supports, the supports correspond to the wheel handles one by one, and the wheel handles are connected to the supports.
[0011] Preferably, when looking in the direction facing the mounting seat, the distance from the bottom of the roller to the center of the mounting seat is equal to 0.5 to 0.51 times the inner diameter of the pipe.
[0012] Preferably, at least one auxiliary walking ring is provided on the circumference of the magnetic wheel. The auxiliary walking ring is made of elastic magnetic-isolating material. The auxiliary walking ring protrudes from the wheel surface of the magnetic wheel by 1 to 2 mm and is 5 to 7 mm wide.
[0013] Preferably, the connecting shaft and the telescopic rod are both connected to the mounting seat via a universal joint.
[0014] Preferably, the mounting seat is a disc, the diameter of the disc is defined as N, the inner diameter of the pipe is defined as D, the safe distance between the mounting seat and the inner wall of the pipe is defined as r, the diameter of the roller is defined as A, the length of the connecting shaft is defined as L1, the maximum length of the telescopic rod is defined as L2max, and the minimum length of the telescopic rod is defined as L2min. N=0.4~0.6D, r=0.03~0.1D, , , .
[0015] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The present invention connects the first walking mechanism and the second walking mechanism through a telescopic connection mechanism to form a stable walking structure, ensuring that the robot can walk stably in the pipeline. By controlling the extension and retraction of the telescopic rod, the relative positions of the first walking mechanism and the second walking mechanism can be adjusted to provide a guide for turning, and at the same time, the driving member is controlled to operate to provide walking power, so that the robot can achieve turning walking. In addition, by setting a magnetic wheel to adsorb the pipe wall, the robot can further ensure stable walking in the pipeline, and the adsorption effect of the magnetic wheel can also enable the robot to walk vertically.
[0016] 2. When the robot walks in the pipeline, the first roller and the second roller are at the same level. By setting a pressure sensor to detect the roller pressure, when the robot turns horizontally, the pressure of the first roller and the second roller will change differentially. When the robot turns vertically, the pressure of the third roller and the fourth roller will change differentially. The controller compares these two sets of pressure differences and then automatically controls the extension and retraction of the telescopic rod to achieve adaptive adjustment of the robot's shape, ensuring that the robot passes through the curve more smoothly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 This is a usage state diagram of the present invention.
[0017] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of another viewing angle of the present invention.
[0019] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the first walking mechanism.
[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Enlarged schematic diagram of the middle X section.
[0021] Note: Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the figure, the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism only shows the supporting disc.
[0022] Main component symbols: A first walking mechanism 10, a supporting disc 111, a support 112, a connecting disc 113, a first roller 121, a second roller 122, a third roller 123, a walking ring 13, a buffer assembly 14, a wheel frame 141, a capped sliding rod 142, an elastic member 143, a pressing plate 144, a driving member 15, a reduction box 151, a wheel handle 16, and a pressure sensor 17; A second walking mechanism 20, a fourth roller 21, a fifth roller 22, and a sixth roller 23; A connecting shaft 31, a telescopic rod 32, a fixed portion 321, a movable portion 322, and a universal joint 33; Pipeline 40. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
[0024] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the present invention discloses a pipeline 40 walking robot, which includes a controller, a first walking mechanism 10, a second walking mechanism 20 and a telescopic connection mechanism, wherein the telescopic connection mechanism is placed between the first walking mechanism 10 and the second walking mechanism 20, and the telescopic connection mechanism connects the first walking mechanism 10 and the second walking mechanism 20, thereby forming a stable walking structure.
[0025] The first walking mechanism 10 and the second walking mechanism 20 both include a mounting seat and three rollers. The mounting seat includes a supporting disc 111, three supports 112 and a connecting disc 113. The diameter of the connecting disc 113 is smaller than the diameter of the supporting disc 111. The supports 112 are connected between the supporting disc 111 and the connecting disc 113. The supporting disc 111 and the connecting disc 113 are coaxially arranged. The supporting disc 111, the supports 112 and the connecting disc 113 form a stable force-bearing structure. The mounting seat is made of a lightweight rigid material to facilitate weight reduction. The rollers are arranged on the periphery of the mounting seat, and the bottoms of all the rollers are located on a circle with the center point of the supporting disc 111 as the center (the circumference is Figure 4 The outer periphery of the mounting seat, that is, the support 112, is provided with a wheel handle 16 for connecting with the roller, and the wheel handle 16 can be locked on the support 112. Alternatively, the wheel handle 16 can be adjusted relative to the support 112, and the adjustment direction of the wheel handle 16 is its length direction, and the length direction of the wheel handle 16 points to the center point of the connection mounting seat. After such a setting, the walking mechanism can adapt to pipes 40 with different inner diameters, thereby improving the applicability of the robot.
[0026] As a preferred embodiment, the three rollers corresponding to the first walking mechanism 10 are defined as the first roller 121, the second roller 122 and the third roller 123, and the three rollers corresponding to the second walking mechanism 20 are defined as the fourth roller 21, the fifth roller 22 and the sixth roller 23. When the robot is placed in the pipe 40, all rollers are against the inner wall of the pipe 40, the connecting line of the wheel handle 16 of the first roller 121 and the second roller 122 is on the same straight line and coincides with the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipe 40, the wheel handle 16 of the sixth roller 23 and the fifth roller 22 is on the same straight line and coincides with the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipe 40, the wheel handle 16 of the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 are both perpendicular to the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipe 40, and when the mounting seat of the first walking mechanism 10 and the mounting seat of the second walking mechanism 20 are parallel to each other, the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 are in corresponding positions, that is, the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 are both against the bottom of the inner cavity of the pipe 40. After such a setting, when the pressure sensor 17 is set on the roller, it is conducive to pressure detection and force analysis.
[0027] Of course, based on the above settings, more rollers can be set on the mounting base to assist the robot in walking.
[0028] Among all the six rollers, at least one roller should be a magnetic wheel, which is used to adsorb the inner wall of the pipe 40, so that the robot can walk more steadily, and with magnetic attraction, the robot can also climb and walk vertically. The magnetic wheel should have power to drive the robot to walk smoothly. Preferably, the first roller 121, the second roller 122, the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 are all magnetic wheels, and the first roller 121, the second roller 122, the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 are all powered, and the power sources of the first roller 121, the second roller 122, the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 are independent of each other, and the power source of the roller is a driving member 15, preferably a motor, and the driving member 15 is connected to the above four rollers through a reduction box 151, and the driving member 15 is connected to the controller. Of course, all the rollers can also be designed as magnetic wheels to make the robot have extremely strong adsorption ability, and all the rollers can also be powered to ensure the super power of the robot. The arrangement of the magnetic wheel and the driving member 15 varies depending on the specific usage scenario and cost control. For example, for a pipe 40 with a smaller diameter, only one roller with a driving force may be arranged. At the same time, only one magnetic wheel is required, and the roller with a driving force may not be a magnetic wheel. They are not listed one by one in this case. In this case, the fifth roller 22 and the sixth roller 23 are rubber wheels.
[0029] At least one auxiliary walking ring 13 is also provided in the circumferential direction of the middle part of the magnetic wheel. The auxiliary walking ring 13 is made of elastic wear-resistant magnetic isolation material. The distance B that the auxiliary walking ring 13 protrudes from the wheel surface of the magnetic wheel is 1 to 2 mm. The width W of the auxiliary walking ring 13 is 5 to 7 mm. By providing the auxiliary walking ring 13, the magnetic wheel walking ring 13 is protected from colliding with the inner wall of the pipeline 40, thereby avoiding the loss of magnetic force of the magnetic wheel.
[0030] In order to prevent the robot from getting stuck due to turning or changing cross-section when walking, in this case, all rollers are required to be connected to the wheel handle 16 through a buffer assembly 14 corresponding to each other, so that the roller can have a certain degree of telescopic buffering in the direction of the center of the supporting disk 111. Specifically, the buffer assembly 14 includes a wheel frame 141, four capped slide rods 142, four elastic members 143 and a pressure plate 144. The capped slide rods 142 and the elastic members 143 correspond to each other one by one, and the elastic members 143 are springs. The roller is rotatably connected to the wheel frame 141, and one end of the capped slide rod 142 passes through the pressure plate 144 and the elastic member 143 in turn and is then threadedly connected to the wheel frame 141. The elastic member 143 is compressed between the pressure plate 144 and the wheel frame 141. The pressure plate 144 is bolted to one end of the wheel handle 16, and a pressure sensor 17 is embedded in the contact surface between the pressure plate 144 and the wheel handle 16. The pressure sensor 17 is electrically connected to the controller. When the roller moves in the pipe 40, if it encounters an obstacle or the pressure increases when turning, the wheel frame 141 compresses the elastic member 143 to shrink, and the capped sliding rod 142 slides relative to the pressure plate 144, so that the wheel frame 141 can be relatively close to the pressure plate 144, and the roller shrinks to a certain extent, thereby avoiding being stuck, ensuring smooth and stable movement.
[0031] When the robot is placed in the pipe 40, all the rollers are against the inner wall of the pipe 40. At this time, the center of the pipe 40 and the center of the connecting disk 113 coincide with each other. Preferably, under normal conditions, when looking in the direction facing the mounting seat, the distance S from the bottom of the roller to the center of the connecting disk 113 is equal to 0.5 to 0.51 times the inner diameter D of the pipe 40, so as to ensure that the rollers can effectively press against the inner wall of the pipe 40 and ensure the walking stability of the robot.
[0032] The telescopic connection mechanism includes a connecting shaft 31 and a telescopic rod 32. The telescopic rod 32 is an electric push rod connected to the controller. One end of the connecting shaft 31 is rotatably connected to the center of the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism 10 (the center of the support disc 111) through a universal joint 33, and the other end of the connecting shaft 31 is rotatably connected to the center of the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism 20 through a universal joint 33. The telescopic rod 32 includes a fixed part 321 and a movable part 322. The fixed part 321 is rotatably connected to the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism 10 through the universal joint 33, and the movable part 322 is rotatably connected to the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism 20 through the universal joint 33. When the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism 10 and the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism 20 are parallel to each other, the telescopic rod 32 is parallel to the connecting shaft 31, and the telescopic rod 32 is evenly distributed around the connecting shaft 31. There needs to be a certain distance between the telescopic rod 32 and the connecting shaft 31, that is, the connection point between the telescopic rod 32 and the mounting seat is preferably close to the edge of the support disk 111, so as to facilitate the adjustment of the direction of the walking mechanism when the telescopic connection mechanism is in motion, and then adjust the shape of the robot, so that the roller corresponding to the walking mechanism adapts to the direction of the current curve, so as to facilitate the robot to turn.
[0033] In order to ensure that the robot can smoothly pass through the 180° national standard bend, the present invention makes the following restrictions: the diameter of the mounting seat (i.e., the diameter of the support disc 111) is defined as N, the inner diameter of the pipe 40 is defined as D, the safe distance between the mounting seat and the inner wall of the pipe 40 is defined as r, the roller diameter is defined as A, the length of the connecting shaft 31 is defined as L1, the length of the telescopic rod 32 is defined as L2, and the maximum length of the telescopic rod 32 is L 2max , define the minimum length of the telescopic rod 32 as L 2min ,but , , Among them, N=0.4~0.6D, r=0.03~0.1D.
[0034] When the robot can pass through a 180° bend, it can naturally pass through 90° and 45° bends as well. The robot has a strong ability to pass 40° bends in pipes.
[0035] When the robot is placed in the pipeline 40, the robot posture should be adjusted so that the first roller 121 and the second roller 122, the fifth roller 22 and the sixth roller 23 are all arranged horizontally, and the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 are all arranged vertically. When the present invention walks on the straight section of the pipeline 40, the first roller 121 and the second roller 122, the fifth roller 22 and the sixth roller 23 are at the same horizontal distance from the center of the support disc 111, the roller pressure is the same, and the pressure of the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 is also the same. At this time, all telescopic rods 32 maintain the same length, and the robot moves straight.
[0036] When encountering a horizontal turn, the force on the first roller 121 and the second roller 122 changes, and the pressure of the first roller 121 and the second roller 122 deviates or the pressure difference changes. At this time, by adjusting the length of the telescopic rod 32, the pressure of the two rollers tends to be consistent or the pressure difference returns to the original value. In this process, the roller of the walking mechanism that enters the curve section first begins to adjust the direction for the turn, and the driving member 15 drives the magnetic wheel to rotate to provide walking power. By continuously adjusting the length of the telescopic rod 32, the roller at the front end of the walking direction provides turning guidance, and a horizontal turn can be performed.
[0037] Similarly, when encountering a vertical turn, the forces on the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 change, and the pressures on the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 deviate. At this time, by adjusting the length of the telescopic rod 32, the pressures on the third roller 123 and the fourth roller 21 tend to be consistent, and the rollers of the walking mechanism that enters the curve section first begin to adjust their direction for the turn, and the driving member 15 drives the magnetic wheel to rotate to provide walking power. By continuously adjusting the length of the telescopic rod 32, the rollers at the front end of the walking direction provide turning guidance, and a vertical turn can be performed.
[0038] In addition, when the robot turns, such as turning horizontally, the first roller 121 and the second roller 122 can rotate at a differential speed to assist the robot to turn smoothly.
[0039] The above description is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by any technician familiar with the technical field within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A pipeline walking robot, characterized in that: It includes a controller, a first walking mechanism, a second walking mechanism and a telescopic connection mechanism; The first walking mechanism and the second walking mechanism both include a mounting seat and at least three rollers, the rollers are arranged on the outer circumference of the mounting seat, and the wheel bottoms of all the rollers are located on the circumference of a circle with the mounting seat as the center; at least one of the rollers is a magnetic wheel, and at least one of the magnetic wheels is transmission-connected to a driving member, and the driving member is connected to a controller; The telescopic connection mechanism includes a connecting shaft and at least three groups of telescopic rods, and the telescopic rods are connected to a controller; one end of the connecting shaft is rotatably connected to the center of the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism, and the other end of the connecting shaft is rotatably connected to the center of the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism; the telescopic rod includes a fixed part and a movable part, the fixed part is rotatably connected to the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism, and the movable part is rotatably connected to the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism; when the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism is parallel to the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism, the telescopic rod is parallel to the connecting shaft.
2. The pipeline walking robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a pressure sensor for detecting the roller pressure, and the pressure sensor is connected to a controller; the rollers corresponding to the first walking mechanism include a first roller, a second roller and a third roller, and the rollers corresponding to the second walking mechanism include a fourth roller, a fifth roller and a sixth roller, and when the mounting seat corresponding to the first walking mechanism is parallel to the mounting seat corresponding to the second walking mechanism, the positions of the third roller and the fourth roller correspond to each other; at least the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller are correspondingly provided with pressure sensors.
3. The pipeline walking robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the pipeline walking robot is placed in the pipeline, all the rollers are against the inner wall of the pipeline, and the line connecting the first roller and the second roller coincides with the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipeline, the line connecting the third roller and the center of the inner circle of the pipeline is perpendicular to the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipeline, the line connecting the fifth roller and the sixth roller coincides with the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipeline, and the line connecting the fourth roller and the center of the inner circle of the pipeline is perpendicular to the horizontal diameter line of the inner circle of the pipeline; the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller are all magnetic wheels, and the first roller, the second roller, the third roller and the fourth roller are all configured with a driving member and are transmission-connected thereto.
4. The pipeline walking robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a buffer assembly corresponding to the rollers one by one, and a wheel handle corresponding to the rollers one by one is fixed on the mounting seat, and the rollers are connected to the wheel handle through the buffer assembly.
5. The pipeline walking robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The buffer assembly includes a wheel frame, four capped sliding rods, four elastic members and a pressure plate. The capped sliding rods correspond to the elastic members one by one. The capped sliding rods pass through the pressure plate and the elastic members in sequence and then connect to the wheel frame. The elastic members are compressed between the pressure plate and the wheel frame. The pressure plate is connected to the wheel handle, and the roller is rotatably connected to the wheel frame.
6. The pipeline walking robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a pressure sensor for detecting the roller pressure, the pressure sensor is connected to the controller, and the pressure sensor is embedded on the contact surface between the buffer component and the wheel handle.
7. The pipeline walking robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mounting seat comprises a supporting disc, a connecting disc and at least three supports, the supporting disc and the connecting disc are connected via the supports, the supports correspond to the wheel handles one by one, and the wheel handles are connected to the supports.
8. The pipeline walking robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: Looking in the direction facing the mounting seat, the distance from the bottom of the roller to the center of the mounting seat is equal to 0.5 to 0.51 times the inner diameter of the pipeline.
9. The pipeline walking robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one auxiliary walking ring is also arranged on the circumference of the magnetic wheel. The auxiliary walking ring is made of elastic magnetic isolation material. The auxiliary walking ring protrudes from the wheel surface of the magnetic wheel by 1 to 2 mm and has a width of 5 to 7 mm.
10. The pipeline walking robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting seat is a disc, the diameter of the disc is defined as N, the inner diameter of the pipe is defined as D, the safe distance between the mounting seat and the inner wall of the pipe is defined as r, the diameter of the roller is defined as A, the length of the connecting shaft is defined as L1, and the maximum length of the telescopic rod is defined as L 2max , define the minimum length of the telescopic rod as L 2min ,but N=0.4~0.6D, r=0.03~0.1D, ， ， 。