Negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot capable of reversing through lifting switching wheel set

Abstract

The invention discloses a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot capable of reversing through a lifting switching wheel set, and relates to the technical field of robots. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot is used for climbing on the surface of a cylinder and comprises a connecting base, an adsorption mechanism, a wall-attaching plate, a lifting mechanism and a walking wheel assembly, the wall-attaching plate is connected to the side, in the first direction, of the connecting base, and the surface, away from the connecting base, of the wall-attaching plate is provided with a partial cylinder attaching face; a part of the cylinder attaching face is used for being attached to the surface of a cylinder, the wall attaching plate is a plate capable of being bent and deformed, the wall attaching plate, the connecting base and the adsorption mechanism jointly define a negative pressure adsorption channel, the adsorption mechanism is arranged on the other side, in the first direction, of the connecting base, and the adsorption mechanism is used for absorbing and removing at least part of air in the negative pressure adsorption channel. By means of the cylinder attaching face and by means of bending deformation of the wall attaching plate, the wall attaching plate can adapt to the uneven change of the surface of the cylinder, and the reliability of negative pressure adsorption is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot technology, and in particular to a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot capable of switching directions by lifting and switching wheel groups. Background Art

[0002] In modern construction and maintenance, the safety and structural integrity of bridges are of vital importance. However, bridge inspection and maintenance usually involve high-altitude operations and complex environments, which bring huge safety risks and operational difficulties to workers. In order to improve efficiency and reduce manual operations, wall-climbing robots came into being. These robots are able to move autonomously or semi-autonomously on vertical or inclined bridge surfaces to complete various inspection and maintenance tasks.

[0003] In the prior art, the adsorption devices of wall-climbing robots mainly include electrostatic adsorption, magnetic adsorption, negative pressure adsorption and bionic adsorption. The electrostatic adsorption device achieves the adsorption of the robot by generating electrostatic force. It can adsorb the surfaces of various materials and can adapt to a certain degree of surface roughness, but it is also very sensitive to environmental conditions, especially dust and humidity, which will significantly reduce its adsorption effect. The magnetic adsorption device uses magnetic force to adsorb the surface of ferromagnetic materials. This technology can provide a stable and fast-response adsorption force, but because it can only be used on the surface of ferromagnetic materials, its application is limited. The bionic adsorption device imitates the adsorption method of organisms in nature (such as geckos or octopuses), adopts special materials and structural designs, significantly increases the adsorption contact area, and provides a strong adsorption force, but the bionic adsorption device is usually difficult to adapt to smooth surfaces, and the manufacturing process is complicated and the cost is high. Compared with the limitations of other adsorption solutions, the negative pressure adsorption device generates negative pressure in a sealed space to adsorb the robot to the surface. It is more suitable as an adsorption device for wall-climbing robots that need to operate in dusty, noisy, vibrating, or poor natural conditions for bridge inspection and maintenance.

[0004] The defect of the existing wall-climbing robot is that it can only be relatively effectively adsorbed on smooth surfaces and has high requirements for surface flatness. For bridge piers with cylindrical surfaces, the existing wall-climbing robot cannot provide sufficient adsorption force. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot that can switch the direction of the wheel group by lifting and lowering, which can improve the problem of insufficient adsorption force of the existing negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robots on cylindrical surfaces.

[0006] The present application provides a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot which can be switched by a lifting and switching wheel group and is used for crawling on the surface of a cylinder. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot comprises a connecting seat, an adsorption mechanism, a wall-adhering plate, a lifting mechanism and a walking wheel assembly. The connecting seat is connected to the wall-adhering plate on one side along a first direction. The surface of the wall-adhering plate facing away from the connecting seat has a partial cylindrical abutment surface, and the partial cylindrical abutment surface is used to abut against the surface of the cylinder. The wall-adhering plate is a plate that can be bent and deformed. The wall-adhering plate, the connecting seat and the adsorption mechanism jointly define a negative pressure adsorption channel. The adsorption mechanism is provided on the other side of the connecting seat along the first direction. The attachment mechanism is used to absorb at least part of the air in the negative pressure adsorption channel so that the wall plate is adsorbed on the surface of the cylinder. The connecting seat is provided with walking wheel assemblies on both sides along the second direction, and the connecting seat is provided with walking wheel assemblies on both sides along the third direction. The lifting mechanism is provided on the connecting seat, and each walking wheel assembly is individually connected to the lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism is used to drive the walking wheel assembly to move along the first direction so that some of the walking wheel assemblies are attached to or separated from the surface of the cylinder. The first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other, and the axis of some of the cylindrical abutment surfaces is the same as the second direction or the third direction.

[0007] The wall plate has a cylindrical abutment surface and can use the surface of the cylinder to reduce the surface gap between the wall plate and the cylinder during the wall climbing process. At the same time, the wall plate is a plate that can bend and deform. During the adsorption process, the wall plate can produce a moving bending deformation to make the wall plate more closely attached to the surface of the cylinder, especially when the surface of the cylinder is uneven (rough bridge pier surface). The wall plate bends under negative pressure to adapt to the surface changes of the cylinder, and can reduce the amount of air entering between the wall plate and the cylinder to generate a stronger adsorption force, so that the wall plate can be more stably adsorbed on the surface of the cylinder, thereby improving the reliability of the negative pressure adsorption wall climbing robot crawling on the rough cylindrical surface.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present application, the walking wheel assembly includes a walking wheel, a mounting seat and a walking drive motor, the lifting mechanism includes a gear, a rack and a lifting drive motor, the lifting drive motor is arranged on the connecting seat, the motor shaft of the lifting drive motor is connected to the gear transmission, the mounting seat is connected to the rack, and the length direction of the rack is the same as the first direction, the gear is meshed with the rack, the mounting seat is installed with a walking drive motor, the motor shaft of the walking drive motor is connected to the walking wheel transmission, the walking wheels located on both sides of the connecting seat along the second direction are the first walking wheels, and the walking wheels located on the connecting seat along the third direction are the second walking wheels, the axis of the first walking wheel is perpendicular to the axis of the second walking wheel, and one of the axis of the first walking wheel and the axis of the second walking wheel is parallel to the axis of the cylindrical surface.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present application, the walking wheel includes a wheel body and a buffer portion, the buffer portion is located on the outer peripheral surface of the wheel body and is arranged around the axis of the wheel body, the buffer portion is connected to the wheel body and is arranged around the outer peripheral surface of the wheel body, the interior of the buffer portion has a first cavity surrounding the wheel body and a plurality of second cavities extending along the axis of the wheel body, the plurality of second cavities are spaced and evenly arranged along the circumference of the wheel body, and the plurality of second cavities are connected to the first cavity to form a buffer cavity.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present application, an air intake port is provided at the bottom of the connecting seat, and the wall plate is arranged around the air intake port. The robot also includes a seal, which is provided between the wall plate and the connecting seat, and the seal is arranged around the air intake port. The seal is used to seal the gap between the connecting seat and the wall plate. The seal, the wall plate and the air intake port jointly define a negative pressure air intake channel.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot also includes a support rod, an adjusting nut and a connecting rod, one end of the support rod is connected to the wall plate, and the other end of the support rod is connected to the connecting seat, the axis of the support rod is perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical abutment surface, and the extension direction of the axis of the support rod is the same as the first direction, and two connecting rods are respectively provided on both sides of the support rod along the plane direction perpendicular to the axis of the support rod and the axis of the cylindrical abutment surface, and the four connecting rods are arranged in a rectangular array on the side of the wall plate facing the connecting seat, one end of the connecting rod is connected to the wall plate, and the connecting seat is provided with a connecting hole, and the other end of the connecting rod is passed through the connecting hole, and the connecting seat is respectively provided with adjusting nuts on both sides along the first direction, and the adjusting nuts are threadedly connected to the connecting rods.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present application, the sealing member is an airbag surrounding the inhalation port, and the airbag is in a compressed state.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, the adsorption mechanism includes a fan, a controller and a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor is arranged on the wall plate. The pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure between the wall plate and the cylindrical surface. The fan is located on the side of the connecting seat away from the wall plate. The air inlet of the fan is connected to the air intake port. The pressure sensor and the fan are respectively communicated with the controller. The controller is used to control the increase of the fan speed according to the pressure not reaching the preset pressure, and is used to control the fan to maintain the current speed according to the pressure reaching the preset pressure.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present application, the controller is communicatively connected to the lifting mechanism, and the controller is also used to control the thrust of the lifting mechanism according to the fan speed to control the pressure between the walking wheel and the surface of the cylinder.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the edges of the siding plate are connected to the abutment surface via arc surfaces; or, the edges of the siding plate are connected to the abutment surface via chamfers.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, a cleaning component is provided on at least one side of the connecting seat along the axial direction of the cylindrical abutment surface, and the cleaning component is used to clean dust on the surface of the cylinder.

[0017] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present application. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present application, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be considered as limiting the present application. Moreover, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 This is an axonometric diagram of a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot from a first perspective according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 An axonometric diagram of a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot from a second perspective according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a walking wheel in a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 3 AA section view;

[0023] Figure 5 for Figure 4 BB cross-sectional view;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of the connections among a controller, a lifting mechanism, a fan, and a pressure sensor in a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to one embodiment of the present application.

[0025] The reference numerals in the specific implementation manner are as follows:

[0026] 10. Connecting seat;

[0027] 20. Adsorption mechanism; 21. Fan;

[0028] 30. Wall plate; 31. Cylindrical abutment surface;

[0029] 40. Travel wheel assembly; 41. Travel wheel; 411. Wheel body; 412. Buffering part; 4121. Buffering cavity; 41211. First cavity; 41212. Second cavity; 42. Mounting seat; 43. Travel driving motor;

[0030] 50. lifting mechanism; 51. gear; 52. rack; 53. lifting drive motor;

[0031] 60. sealing member; 70. supporting rod; 80. adjusting nut; 90. connecting rod; 100. controller; 110. pressure sensor; 120. negative pressure adsorption channel;

[0032] X, first direction; Y, second direction; Z, third direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following embodiments of the technical solution of the present application are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, and are therefore only used as examples, and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by technicians in the technical field to which this application belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application; the terms "including" and "having" in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned figure descriptions and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0035] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish different objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0036] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0037] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0038] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "multiple" refers to more than two (including two). Similarly, "multiple groups" refers to more than two groups (including two groups), and "multiple pieces" refers to more than two pieces (including two pieces).

[0039] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0040] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, technical terms such as "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0041] The present application provides a negative pressure adsorption wall climbing robot, such as Figure 1-Figure 6As shown, the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot is used for crawling on the surface of a cylinder. The robot comprises a connecting seat 10, an adsorption mechanism 20, a wall-attaching plate 30, a lifting mechanism 50 and a walking wheel assembly 40. The connecting seat 10 is connected to the wall-attaching plate 30 on one side along the first direction X. The surface of the wall-attaching plate 30 facing away from the connecting seat 10 has a partial cylindrical abutment surface 31. The partial cylindrical abutment surface 31 is used to abut against the surface of the cylinder. The wall-attaching plate 30 is a plate that can be bent and deformed. The wall-attaching plate 30, the connecting seat 10 and the adsorption mechanism 20 jointly define a negative pressure adsorption channel 120. The connecting seat 10 is provided with an adsorption mechanism 20 on the other side along the first direction X. The adsorption mechanism 20 is used to abut the negative pressure adsorption channel At least part of the air in 120 is sucked out so that the wall-attached plate 30 is adsorbed on the surface of the cylinder, and the connecting seat 10 is provided with walking wheel assemblies 40 on both sides along the second direction Y, and the connecting seat 10 is provided with walking wheel assemblies 40 on both sides along the third direction Z. The lifting mechanism 50 is arranged on the connecting seat 10, and each walking wheel assembly 40 is individually connected to the lifting mechanism 50. The lifting mechanism 50 is used to drive the walking wheel assembly 40 to move along the first direction X so that part of the walking wheel assembly 40 is attached to or separated from the surface of the cylinder. The first direction X, the second direction Y and the third direction Z are perpendicular to each other, and the axis of the partial cylindrical abutment surface 31 is the same as the second direction Y or the third direction Z.

[0042] The wall-attaching plate 30 can be made of a material with good elasticity and wear resistance to improve its fit with the surface of the cylinder and its service life, such as a nylon plate, a polytetrafluoro plate, a polyurethane plate or a PVC plate.

[0043] The connection between the wall plate 30 and the connecting seat 10 includes but is not limited to screw connection, screw connection or clamping connection.

[0044] The lifting mechanism 50 may be an electric push rod, or a linear drive mechanism composed of a gear 51, a rack 52, a motor, etc.

[0045] The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot can walk along the axial direction of the cylinder, or along the circumferential direction of the cylinder. When the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot walks, the running wheel assemblies 40 on both sides of the connecting seat 10 along the second direction Y are in contact with the surface of the cylinder for walking, and the running wheel assemblies 40 on both sides of the connecting seat 10 along the third direction Z are separated from the surface of the cylinder, or the running wheel assemblies 40 on both sides of the connecting seat 10 along the third direction Z are in contact with the surface of the cylinder for walking, and the running wheel assemblies 40 on both sides of the connecting seat 10 along the second direction Y are separated from the surface of the cylinder, so as to realize the switching of the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot walking in different directions.

[0046] The wall plate 30 has a cylindrical abutment surface 31, which can use the surface of the cylinder to reduce the surface gap between the wall plate 30 and the cylinder during the wall climbing process. At the same time, the wall plate 30 is a plate that can bend and deform. During the adsorption process, the wall plate 30 can produce a moving bending deformation to make the wall plate 30 more closely attached to the surface of the cylinder, especially when the surface of the cylinder is uneven (rough pier surface). The wall plate 30 bends under negative pressure to adapt to the surface changes of the cylinder, and can reduce the amount of air entering between the wall plate 30 and the cylinder to generate a stronger adsorption force, especially when the negative pressure adsorption wall climbing robot is walking, the wall plate 30 can be more stably adsorbed on the surface of the cylinder, thereby improving the reliability of the negative pressure adsorption wall climbing robot crawling on the rough surface of the cylinder.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present application, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the walking wheel assembly 40 includes a walking wheel 41, a mounting seat 42 and a walking drive motor 43, and the lifting mechanism 50 includes a gear 51, a rack 52 and a lifting drive motor 53. The lifting drive motor 53 is arranged on the connecting seat 10, and the motor shaft of the lifting drive motor 53 is connected to the gear 51 in a transmission connection. The mounting seat 42 is connected to the rack 52, and the length direction of the rack 52 is the same as the first direction X. The gear 51 is meshed with the rack 52. The mounting seat 42 is installed with a walking drive motor 43, and the motor shaft of the walking drive motor 43 is connected to the walking wheel 41 in a transmission connection. The walking wheels 41 located on both sides of the connecting seat 10 along the second direction Y are the first walking wheels, and the walking wheels 41 located on the connecting seat 10 along the third direction Z are the second walking wheels. The axis of the first walking wheel is perpendicular to the axis of the second walking wheel, and one of the axes of the first walking wheel and the second walking wheel is parallel to the axis of the cylindrical surface.

[0048] The rack 52 and the mounting seat 42 may be an integral structure or a separate structure. When the two are separate structures, the two may be connected by screws.

[0049] As an example, the lifting drive motor 53 may be a servo motor or a stepping motor.

[0050] By driving the travel wheel 41 to fit or separate from the surface of the cylinder through the lifting drive motor 53, it can better adapt to cylinders of different diameters, thereby enhancing the adaptability of the crawling robot. The lifting drive motor 53 drives the gear 51 to rotate, and can accurately adjust the pressure of the travel wheel 41 on the surface of the cylinder, thereby reducing the situation where the adsorption failure caused by excessive pressure or the slipping of the travel wheel 41 caused by too little pressure, thereby improving the stability and reliability of crawling.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present application, Figure 3-Figure 5As shown, the walking wheel 41 includes a wheel body 411 and a buffer portion 412, the buffer portion 412 is located on the outer peripheral surface of the wheel body 411 and is arranged around the axis of the wheel body 411, the buffer portion 412 is connected to the wheel body 411 and is arranged around the outer peripheral surface of the wheel body 411, the interior of the buffer portion 412 has a first cavity 41211 surrounding the wheel body 411 and a plurality of second cavities 41212 extending along the axis of the wheel body 411, the plurality of second cavities 41212 are spaced and evenly arranged along the circumference of the wheel body 411, and the plurality of second cavities 41212 are connected to the first cavity 41211 to form a buffer cavity 4121.

[0052] The buffer member and the wheel body 411 may be integrally formed by injection molding, or may be fixed by bonding.

[0053] The buffer can be manufactured by injection molding or 3D printing.

[0054] The buffer may be made of elastic materials such as polyurethane or rubber.

[0055] When the buffer of the running wheel 41 contacts the surface of the cylinder, the buffer can be deformed under the drive of the lifting mechanism 50, which increases the contact area between the buffer and the cylinder to reduce the probability of slipping during walking. When the thrust of the lifting mechanism 50 is too large, the buffer deforms to compress the buffer cavity 4121 to avoid rigid contact between the running wheel 41 and the surface of the cylinder, thereby reducing the situation where the wheel body 411 has too much thrust and causes adsorption failure, so as to improve the reliability of adsorption.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present application, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, an air intake port is provided at the bottom of the connecting seat 10, and the wall plate 30 is arranged around the air intake port. The robot also includes a seal 60, which is arranged between the wall plate 30 and the connecting seat 10. The seal 60 is arranged around the air intake port. The seal 60 is used to seal the gap between the connecting seat 10 and the wall plate 30. The seal 60, the wall plate 30 and the air intake port jointly define a negative pressure air intake channel.

[0057] The seal 60 may be a rubber or silicone member, one end of the seal 60 may be bonded to the connection seat 10, and the other end of the seal 60 may be bonded to the wall plate 30 to achieve a better sealing effect. In other embodiments, one end of the seal 60 may abut against the connection seat 10, and the other end of the seal 60 may abut against the wall plate 30, so that the seal 60 can be replaced in time when it is damaged.

[0058] The wall-attached plate 30 is provided with a suction port connected to the air inlet, and the suction port may be one or more. For example, the suction port may be a port with a larger area, or the suction port may be a plurality of ports with smaller areas and spaced apart. For example, when there are a plurality of suction ports, the suction ports may be arranged in a rectangular array.

[0059] The setting of the sealing member 60 can reduce the amount of external air entering the negative pressure suction channel, so that during the adsorption process of the wall-attached plate 30, the negative pressure adsorption channel can maintain a relatively stable negative pressure to ensure the adsorption effect.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present application, Figure 1 As shown, the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot also includes a support rod 70, an adjusting nut 80 and a connecting rod 90. One end of the support rod 70 is connected to the wall plate 30, and the other end of the support rod 70 is connected to the connecting seat 10. The axis of the support rod 70 is perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical abutment surface 31, and the extension direction of the axis of the support rod 70 is the same as the first direction X. Along the plane direction perpendicular to the axis of the support rod 70 and the axis of the cylindrical abutment surface 31, two connecting rods 90 are respectively provided on both sides of the support rod 70. The four connecting rods 90 are arranged in a rectangular array on the side of the wall plate 30 facing the connecting seat 10. One end of the connecting rod 90 is connected to the wall plate 30, and the connecting seat 10 is provided with a connecting hole. The other end of the connecting rod 90 is penetrated through the connecting hole. Adjusting nuts 80 are respectively provided on both sides of the connecting seat 10 along the first direction X, and the adjusting nuts 80 are threadedly connected to the connecting rod 90.

[0061] The support rod 70 and the connecting seat 10 can be connected by nuts, riveted or welded.

[0062] The connecting rod 90 and the wall plate 30 can be fixed by welding or clamping. For example, a clamping slot is provided on the side of the wall plate 30 facing the connecting seat 10, and one end of the connecting rod 90 is provided with a buckle or protrusion structure, and one end of the connecting rod 90 is clamped with the clamping slot.

[0063] By adjusting the nut 80, the position of the connecting rod 90 relative to the connecting seat 10 along the first direction X can be adjusted. Due to the support of the support rod 70 on the wall plate 30, the wall plate 30 can be bent and deformed to change the curvature of the cylindrical abutment surface 31, so that the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot can crawl cylinders of different diameters, thereby improving the applicability of the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present application, the sealing member 60 is an air bag surrounding the inhalation port, and the air bag is in a compressed state.

[0065] For example, the sealing member 60 is configured as an annular rubber airbag or a silicone airbag, and a proper amount of gas is injected into the airbag. During the sealing process, the airbag is compressed due to the tightening force of the adjusting nut 80 to reduce the seal on the gap between the wall plate 30 and the connecting seat 10, so as to reduce the leakage of the negative pressure adsorption channel during the adsorption process and improve the reliability of adsorption. At the same time, when the curvature of the cylindrical abutment surface 31 is changed by adjusting the position of the connecting rod 90 relative to the connecting seat 10, the wall plate 30 will bend and deform, thereby changing the distance between the wall plate 30 and the connecting seat 10 along the first direction X to an unequal distance. It is difficult to seal using a conventional sealing ring, while the airbag is compressed and can be deformed to adapt to the change in distance during the adjustment process to achieve a better sealing effect, thereby ensuring the effect of negative pressure adsorption and improving the reliability of adsorption.

[0066] In some embodiments of the present application, Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, the adsorption mechanism 20 includes a fan 21, a controller 100 and a pressure sensor 110. The pressure sensor 110 is arranged on the wall plate 30. The pressure sensor 110 is used to detect the pressure between the wall plate 30 and the cylindrical surface. The fan 21 is located on the side of the connecting seat 10 away from the wall plate 30. The air inlet of the fan 21 is connected to the air intake port. The pressure sensor 110 and the fan 21 are respectively communicated with the controller 100. The controller 100 is used to control the increase of the rotation speed of the fan 21 according to the pressure not reaching the preset pressure, and is used to control the fan 21 to maintain the current rotation speed according to the pressure reaching the preset pressure.

[0067] In one example, the adsorption mechanism 20 may be composed of a cover body, an impeller and a motor. The impeller is driven to rotate by the motor to realize the flow of air. The cover body sets the impeller cover on the connecting seat 10, and the cover body is provided with an exhaust port.

[0068] When the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot is stationary, the controller 100 controls the rotation speed of the fan 21 to be not lower than the first preset rotation speed. When the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot is walking, the controller 100 controls the rotation speed of the fan 21 to be not lower than the second preset rotation speed, and the second preset rotation speed is greater than the first preset rotation speed.

[0069] The pressure sensor 110 may be disposed inside the wall-attached plate 30, and the wall-attached plate 30 may be made of a composite plate by bonding or integral injection molding. The pressure sensor 110 may be a thin film pressure sensor or a piezoelectric pressure sensor.

[0070] Therefore, according to the specific use environment, by controlling the rotation speed of the fan 21, the pressure between the wall plate 30 and the cylindrical surface can be adjusted, so that the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot can adjust the rotation speed of the fan 21 in real time according to the actual crawling environment during the crawling process, so as to have sufficient adsorption force on the cylindrical surface that is not flat (such as local protrusions), so that the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot can stably adsorb on the surface of the cylinder, such as a cylindrical bridge pier with protrusions or indentations on the surface.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the controller 100 is in communication connection with the lifting mechanism 50 , and the controller 100 is also used to control the thrust of the lifting mechanism 50 according to the rotation speed of the fan 21 to control the pressure between the walking wheel 41 and the surface of the cylinder.

[0072] Specifically, the controller 100 is communicatively connected with the lifting drive motor 53 .

[0073] During walking, the controller 100 controls the thrust of the lifting mechanism 50 according to the rotation speed of the fan 21 to control the pressure between the walking wheel 41 and the surface of the cylinder. Specifically, after the controller 100 controls the rotation speed of the fan 21 to be not lower than the second preset rotation speed, the controller 100 controls the lifting mechanism 50 to increase the thrust accordingly, so that the pressure between the walking wheel 41 and the surface of the cylinder increases, thereby increasing the friction between the walking wheel 41 and the surface of the cylinder, preventing the walking wheel 41 from slipping, and preventing the adsorption failure caused by too small adsorption force. When the negative pressure adsorption wall climbing robot stops walking, the controller 100 controls the lifting mechanism 50 to reduce the pressure between the walking wheel 41 and the surface of the cylinder, and then controls to reduce the rotation speed of the fan 21, but the rotation speed of the fan 21 is not lower than the first preset rotation speed. In one embodiment, the controller 100 is connected to the driving motor 43 of the walking wheel to control the walking of the walking wheel 41.

[0074] In some embodiments of the present application, the edges of the wall-attached plate 30 are connected to the abutment surface 31 via arc surfaces; or, the edges of the wall-attached plate 30 are connected to the abutment surface 31 via chamfers.

[0075] In some embodiments of the present application, along the axial direction of the cylindrical abutment surface 31 , at least one side of the connecting seat 10 is provided with a cleaning component, and the cleaning component is used to clean dust on the surface of the cylinder.

[0076] The cleaning component can be cleaning cotton or a cleaning brush.

[0077] The side refers to the peripheral edge portion of the wall plate 30 adjacent to the cylindrical abutment surface 31 .

[0078] The arc surface or chamfer can better adapt to the subtle uneven changes on the surface of the cylinder, so that the wall plate 30 can move across the uneven surface of the cylinder, making the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot move more smoothly and reducing the possibility of the wall plate 30 getting stuck; at the same time, since the wall plate 30 is a plate that can bend and deform, when the wall plate 30 passes over the uneven surface of the cylinder, it can bend and deform to use the surface of the cylinder, thereby improving the reliability of adsorption.

[0079] The wall-attaching plate 30 has a cylindrical abutment surface 31, which can use the surface of the cylinder to reduce the surface gap between the wall-attaching plate 30 and the cylinder during the wall climbing process. At the same time, the wall-attaching plate 30 is a plate that can bend and deform. During the adsorption process, the wall-attaching plate 30 can be bent and deformed to make the wall-attaching plate 30 more closely attached to the surface of the cylinder, especially when the surface of the cylinder is uneven (rough pier surface), the wall-attaching plate 30 can bend and deform under negative pressure to adapt to the surface changes of the cylinder to generate a stronger adsorption force, especially when the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot is walking. In the process, if the running wheel assemblies 40 on both sides of the connecting seat 10 move along the second direction Y, and the running wheels 41 on both sides of the connecting seat 10 are separated from the cylindrical surface along the third direction Z, or the running wheel assemblies 40 on both sides of the connecting seat 10 move along the third direction Z, and the running wheels 41 on both sides of the connecting seat 10 are separated from the cylindrical surface along the second direction Y, the bending deformation of the wall plate 30 can reduce the amount of air entering between the wall plate 30 and the cylinder, so that the wall plate 30 can be more stably adsorbed on the surface of the cylinder, thereby improving the reliability of the negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot crawling on the rough surface of the cylinder.

[0080] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and specification of the present application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any way. The present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions that fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A negative pressure adsorption wall climbing robot that can be switched by lifting and switching wheel groups, used for crawling on the surface of a cylinder, characterized in that: The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot comprises a connecting seat, an adsorption mechanism, a wall-adhering plate, a lifting mechanism and a walking wheel assembly, wherein the connecting seat is connected to the wall-adhering plate on one side along a first direction, and the surface of the wall-adhering plate facing away from the connecting seat has a partial cylindrical abutment surface, and the partial cylindrical abutment surface is used to abut against the surface of a cylinder, the wall-adhering plate is a plate that can be bent and deformed, and the wall-adhering plate, the connecting seat and the adsorption mechanism jointly define a negative pressure adsorption channel, and the adsorption mechanism is provided on the other side of the connecting seat along the first direction, and the adsorption mechanism is used to absorb at least part of the air in the negative pressure adsorption channel. Air is sucked out so that the wall-attached plate is adsorbed on the surface of the cylinder, the walking wheel assemblies are arranged on both sides of the connecting seat along the second direction and on both sides along the third direction, the lifting mechanism is arranged on the connecting seat, each of the walking wheel assemblies is individually connected to the lifting mechanism, and the lifting mechanism is used to drive the walking wheel assembly to move along the first direction so that part of the walking wheel assembly is attached to or separated from the surface of the cylinder, the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other, and the axis of the part of the cylindrical abutment surface is the same as the second direction or the third direction.

2. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking wheel assembly includes a walking wheel, a mounting seat and a walking drive motor, the lifting mechanism includes a gear, a rack and a lifting drive motor, the lifting drive motor is arranged on the connecting seat, the motor shaft of the lifting drive motor is connected to the gear, the mounting seat is connected to the rack, and the length direction of the rack is the same as the first direction, the gear is meshed with the rack, the mounting seat is installed with the walking drive motor, the motor shaft of the walking drive motor is connected to the walking wheel, the walking wheels located on both sides of the connecting seat along the second direction are the first walking wheels, and the walking wheels located on the connecting seat along the third direction are the second walking wheels, the axis of the first walking wheel is perpendicular to the axis of the second walking wheel, and one of the axis of the first walking wheel and the axis of the second walking wheel is parallel to the axis of the cylindrical surface.

3. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The walking wheel includes a wheel body and a buffer portion, wherein the buffer portion is located on the outer peripheral surface of the wheel body and is arranged around the axis of the wheel body, the buffer portion is connected to the wheel body and is arranged around the outer peripheral surface of the wheel body, the interior of the buffer portion has a first cavity surrounding the wheel body and a plurality of second cavities extending along the axis of the wheel body, the plurality of second cavities are spaced and evenly arranged along the circumference of the wheel body, and the plurality of second cavities are connected to the first cavity to form a buffer cavity.

4. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air intake port is provided at the bottom of the connecting seat, and the wall plate is arranged around the air intake port. The robot also includes a seal, which is provided between the wall plate and the connecting seat, and is arranged around the air intake port. The seal is used to seal the gap between the connecting seat and the wall plate. The seal, the wall plate and the air intake port jointly define the negative pressure air intake channel.

5. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot also includes a support rod, an adjusting nut and a connecting rod, one end of the support rod is connected to the wall plate, and the other end of the support rod is connected to the connecting seat, the axis of the support rod is perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical abutment surface, and the extension direction of the axis of the support rod is the same as the first direction, along the plane direction perpendicular to the axis of the support rod and the axis of the cylindrical abutment surface, two connecting rods are respectively provided on both sides of the support rod, and four connecting rods are arranged in a rectangular array on the side of the wall plate facing the connecting seat, one end of the connecting rod is connected to the wall plate, and the connecting seat is provided with a connecting hole, and the other end of the connecting rod is penetrated through the connecting hole, and the connecting seat is respectively provided with the adjusting nuts on both sides along the first direction, and the adjusting nuts are threadedly connected to the connecting rod.

6. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sealing member is an air bag surrounding the air inlet, and the air bag is in a compressed state.

7. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The adsorption mechanism includes a fan, a controller and a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor is arranged on the wall plate. The pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure between the wall plate and the cylindrical surface. The fan is located on the side of the connecting seat away from the wall plate. The air inlet of the fan is connected to the air intake port. The pressure sensor and the fan are respectively communicated with the controller. The controller is used to control the increase of the fan speed according to the pressure not reaching the preset pressure, and is used to control the fan to maintain the current speed according to the pressure reaching the preset pressure.

8. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The controller is communicatively connected with the lifting mechanism, and the controller is also used to control the thrust of the lifting mechanism according to the rotation speed of the fan, so as to control the pressure between the walking wheel and the surface of the cylinder.

9. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The edges of the wall-attached plate are connected to the abutment surface via arc surfaces; or, the edges of the wall-attached plate are chamfered to the abutment surface.

10. The negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Along the axial direction of the cylindrical abutment surface, at least one side of the connecting seat is provided with a cleaning component, and the cleaning component is used to clean dust on the surface of the cylinder.

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