An adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for in-pipe operation

Abstract

The present invention discloses an adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for in-pipe operation, which includes a spiral motion main body, a guiding and driving wheel module, a visual inspection module, and a magnetic adsorption module. The spiral motion main body consists of a motion module and a telescopic module, and the two are interconnected to enable the robot to bend spirally and extend laterally while bending. The present invention can perform adaptive bending spiral on the inner surface of pipes with different inner diameters under the action of magnetic adsorption, and then can perform stable spiral motion with different lift angles. Moreover, it can reduce the motion coverage area by adjusting its own structure and the lift angle of spiral motion, and can flexibly replace and carry a variety of functional devices to perform diversified operations. The robot of the present invention is small, light, economical, environmentally friendly, reasonable in structure, simple to control, high in operation efficiency, large and adjustable in operation range, high in damage detection rate, capable of actively avoiding obstacles, capable of real-time transmitting and processing the conditions of the inner wall of the pipe, can realize the automation of in-pipe operation, and can ensure the safety of employees and pipeline transportation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pipeline robots, and more specifically, to a modular robot with an adaptive variable spiral motion for in-pipeline operation. Background Art

[0002] Pipelines are widely used and play an important role in material transportation. However, after a period of operation, pipelines will have problems such as wear, corrosion, cracks, and leaks, which seriously affect production safety and efficiency, cause huge economic losses and ecological pollution. Therefore, the pipeline safety issue is particularly prominent. In order to ensure the normal operation of the pipeline system, it is necessary to perform regular inspections, detections, cleanings, repairs, etc. on the pipelines. However, the space inside the pipeline is narrow and enclosed, and most of the substances transported are toxic and harmful, which makes the traditional manual operation method very difficult, with low efficiency, high cost, and great potential safety hazards.

[0003] At the same time, the existing robots for in-pipeline operation are large in volume, heavy in mass, high in cost, high in energy consumption, complex in structure, difficult to control, low in operation efficiency, and poor in motion stability. At the same time, some in-pipeline operation robots have a single motion mode, mostly linear motion, resulting in limited operation range and effect; some in-pipeline operation robots have a low modularity level and relatively single functions, and cannot flexibly and effectively compatible and replace functional devices, making it difficult to meet the diverse pipeline operation requirements; the operation range and efficiency of some in-pipeline operation robots will be restricted by their own structures, such as being unable to operate on multiple regions at a relatively large distance at the same time or being unable to carry multiple devices for cooperative operation. The structure of the robot will also cause a large motion coverage area inside the pipeline and is prone to encountering obstacles, and some in-pipeline operation robots cannot actively avoid obstacles, thus affecting the stability of the robot's structure, motion, and operation; some in-pipeline operation robots are difficult to adapt to pipelines with different inner diameters, especially small inner diameter pipelines. In addition, some in-pipeline inspection robots are difficult to collect, transmit, and process the inner wall conditions of the pipeline in real time and locate the damage to the inner wall of the pipeline; some in-pipeline inspection robots have low inspection efficiency, limited data, and low damage detection rate, and can only perform inspections along the axial direction of the pipeline and cannot perform high-efficiency global circumferential inspections of the pipeline.

[0004] Therefore, developing a modular robot that is small, light, economical, environmentally friendly, reasonable in structure, simple to control, high in operation efficiency, large and adjustable in operation range, small in motion coverage area, high in damage detection rate, capable of replacing and carrying a variety of operation devices, capable of actively avoiding obstacles, capable of real-time transmitting and processing the inner wall conditions of the pipeline, and capable of performing adaptive stable variable spiral motion and diverse operations in pipelines with different inner diameters can solve the above problems, realize the automation of in-pipeline operation, and ensure the safety of employees and pipeline transportation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to achieve the miniaturization, light weight, economy, environmental protection, simplicity, stability, high efficiency, reliability, diverse operations, variable motion coverage area, adjustable operation range, active obstacle avoidance function, real-time data transmission and processing function, and multi-inner diameter applicability function of the in-pipe operation robot, the present invention provides an adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for in-pipe operation.

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved by the following technical solutions: an adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for in-pipe operation, comprising a spiral motion main body, a guiding and driving wheel module, a visual inspection module, and a magnetic adsorption module;

[0007] The spiral motion main body is composed of a plurality of motion modules and a telescopic module connecting the motion modules; the motion module is composed of a plurality of sub-segments, each sub-segment includes a first sub-body and a second sub-body arranged in a staggered mirror image and hinged into a V-shaped structure, and a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod connecting the V-shaped structures of the front and rear sub-segments. At the same time, the two V-shaped structures are hinged into a W-shaped structure through the staggered hinging of adjacent sub-bodies; the telescopic module includes a plurality of sub-mechanisms, each sub-mechanism includes a first sub-rod and a second sub-rod hinged into a scissor structure and with the axes in the same plane. The same sides of the two sub-rods of the first and last sub-mechanisms are respectively hinged to the same sides of the two sub-bodies of the sub-segment to be connected through a hinging module, and adjacent sub-mechanisms are connected through a connecting module. The connecting module has a linkage shaft capable of synchronously driving the adjacent sub-mechanisms to extend or shorten along the axial direction of the pipeline.

[0008] The guiding and driving wheel module is installed at the head or end of the motion module, and includes a steering servo and a driving motor. The output shaft of the steering servo is connected to a steering connecting piece equipped with the driving motor. A hub with a magnetic ring on the outside is installed on the output shaft of the driving motor; the visual inspection module is installed on the guiding and driving wheel module and inspects the inside of the pipeline through a camera; the magnetic adsorption module is installed at the bottom of the second sub-body.

[0009] The guiding and driving wheel module and the motion module are adaptively bent by magnetic adsorption on the inner surface of pipelines with different inner diameters, and the telescopic module is linked. By controlling the steering servo, the driving motor is rotated to the required spiral motion lift angle, and by controlling the driving motor, the robot performs spiral motion.

[0010] Further, the first sub-body is in a frame structure, and horizontal through-holes are formed at the upper and lower ends on both the left and right sides, and a vertical support column is provided in the middle, dividing the first sub-body into left and right hollow areas. Horizontal through-holes are formed in the middle parts of both the left and right sides and the middle part of the support column of the first sub-body; the second sub-body is hinged to the first sub-body through the horizontal through-holes at the lower ends on both the left and right sides, and the second sub-body and the first sub-body of the subsequent sub-segment are hinged through the horizontal through-holes at the upper ends on both the left and right sides; through-holes are formed at both ends of the first link rod, and it is hinged to the horizontal through-holes in the middle parts of the first sub-bodies of the front and rear sub-segments, and is located in the right hollow area of the first sub-body and the second sub-body; through-holes are formed at both ends of the second link rod, and it is hinged to the horizontal through-holes in the middle parts of the second sub-bodies of the front and rear sub-segments, and is located in the left hollow area of the first sub-body and the second sub-body.

[0011] Further, through-holes in the same direction are formed in the middle parts and both ends of the first sub-rod and the second sub-rod. The middle part of the second sub-rod is hollowed out so that the first sub-rod can pass through it, and the two are hinged through the through-holes in their respective middle parts; the connection module includes a first linkage, a second linkage and a linkage shaft. The first linkage and the second linkage are in an I-shaped structure, and through-holes are formed in the middle part of the I-shaped structure and the protruding parts of its two concave structures. The through-holes in the concave structures on one side of the first linkage and the second linkage are respectively hinged to the through-holes at one end of the first sub-rod and the second sub-rod of the telescopic module sub-mechanism, and the through-holes in the concave structures on the other side are respectively hinged to the through-holes at one end of the first sub-rod and the second sub-rod of the subsequent sub-mechanism of the telescopic module; one end of the linkage shaft passes through the through-hole in the middle part of the first linkage and can move freely, and the other end is fixed in the through-hole in the middle part of the second linkage.

[0012] Further, the hinge module includes a hinge piece and a limiting piece. The hinge piece is composed of a cylindrical structure and a C-shaped structure connected. A through-hole is formed in the protruding part of the concave structure of the C-shaped structure. The through-holes in the C-shaped structures of the two hinge pieces are respectively hinged to the through-holes on the same side of the two sub-rods of the telescopic module at the head or end sub-mechanism. The cylindrical structures of the two hinge pieces are respectively hinged to the horizontal through-holes on the same side of the upper ends of the two sub-bodies of the sub-segment to be connected. The outer wall of the left side of the C-shaped structure of one hinge piece contacts the outer wall of the sub-body, and a circular limiting piece with a width equal to the dislocation distance of the adjacent sub-body and contacting the C-shaped structure is fixed on the cylindrical structure of the other hinge piece, so that the through-holes in the two C-shaped structures are in the same axial position in the pipeline. Circular limiting pieces contacting the inner wall of the sub-body are fixed on the cylindrical structures of the two hinge pieces that enter the inner part of the sub-body through the horizontal through-holes of the sub-body.

[0013] Further, the robot further includes a functional module, which is installed at the head or end of the motion module, and a magnetic adsorption module is installed at the bottom; the interior of the functional module is hollowed out for storing the circuit boards of the steering servo, drive motor and camera; the sub-segments, sub-mechanisms and functional modules can carry functional devices for in-pipe operations, and in use, they are combined with the robot and its helical motion characteristics. Specifically: ① The working range of the functional device along the axial direction of the pipeline is at least the length of one pitch of the helical motion of the robot and does not interfere with the robot structure; ② The motion modules and functional modules of the robot carrying multiple functional devices are arranged at the spacing required for the operation by connecting adjacent motion modules with telescopic modules of different transverse lengths; ③ When the motion trajectories of multiple sub-segments, sub-mechanisms or functional modules carrying functional devices coincide, if the functions of these functional devices are the same, the same position or area is repeatedly operated at specific intervals, and if the functions of these functional devices are different, the same position or area is alternately operated at specific intervals.

[0014] Further, all the sub-bodies in the motion module are articulated in sequence with dislocation, and the dislocation directions and dislocation distances of the articulations are the same; the motion modules form a dislocation through the telescopic module and the articulation module, and the dislocation direction is the same as the dislocation direction between the sub-bodies of the sub-segment; the dislocation distance between the two first sub-bodies or the second sub-bodies connected by the telescopic module and the articulation module between two adjacent motion modules is calculated from the sub-segment structure parameters, the size of the articulation module, the number and size of the sub-mechanisms, and the number and size of the connection modules.

[0015] Further, control the steering servo to change the helical motion elevation angle to achieve the helical motion pitch required for the operation, or cooperate with the drive motor to meet the speed component requirements during the operation; when the helical motion elevation angle α = 0°, the robot makes a circumferential circle in place in the pipeline; when α = 90°, the robot makes a straight-line motion along the axial direction of the pipeline; when 0° < α < 90°, the robot makes a helical motion in the pipeline.

[0016] Further, the motion coverage areas of the respective motion modules of the robot overlap each other to reduce the motion coverage area of the robot. When the motion distance of the robot along the axial direction of the pipeline is N helical motion pitches L, where N ≥ 1 and is an integer, the sub-segment in the latter motion module can just move to the position of the sub-segment that coincides with its axial projection in the previous motion module before moving NL distances along the axial direction of the pipeline. At this time, the motion trajectories and motion coverage areas of the two sub-segments coincide.

[0017] Further, when the helical motion elevation angle α of the robot is determined, for a determined pipeline to be operated, the helical motion pitch of the robot is also determined, where is the pipeline radius, and by changing the dislocation distance l between two adjacent motion modules1 Reduce the motion coverage area of the robot, that is, make ; If , where is the misalignment distance between adjacent sub-bodies, and C is the circumferential arc length between the contact points of the magnetic adsorption modules at the same relative positions of adjacent sub-segments in the motion module when the robot is adsorbed on the inner wall of the pipeline, then there is no need to consider the number and connection method of the sub-segments of the motion module, and the robot structure parameters are changed to meet ; If , then the fewer the number of sub-segments visible after the robot is projected along the pipeline axis, the smaller the motion coverage area of the robot. At this time, it is necessary to consider the number and connection method of the sub-segments of the motion module. When the number of sub-segments of the longest motion module in the robot is smaller, and the projection of the short motion module along the pipeline axis coincides more with the projection of the longest motion module along the pipeline axis after the motion modules are connected, the fewer the number of sub-segments visible after the robot is projected along the pipeline axis.

[0018] Furthermore, when the helix motion elevation angle α of the robot is undetermined, for a determined pipeline to be operated, the helix motion elevation angle α and the number of telescopic module sub-mechanisms between adjacent two motion modules are selected by the formula to reduce the motion coverage area of the robot; when the number of telescopic module sub-mechanisms between adjacent motion modules in the robot is determined and the same, select α when N = 1, and consider the number and connection method of the sub-segments of the motion module according to the relationship of to further reduce the motion coverage area of the robot.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0020] First, the robot is small, lightweight, and has a simple and reasonable structure. It has many hollow areas, uses lightweight rigid materials, and consists of multiple motion modules, telescopic modules, magnetic adsorption modules, guiding drive wheel modules, visual inspection modules, and functional modules. Due to its modularity, the number and installation method of each module of the robot can be selected according to needs to achieve a stable robot structure, spiral adsorption movement, appropriate magnetic adsorption effect, and simplified structure; improve the robot's motion performance and achieve easy and stable driving of the robot; flexibly replace and carry multiple or various devices to achieve diversified in-pipe operations. Moreover, the robot is easy to disassemble and assemble. It can be easily assembled, and the number of each module can be increased or decreased. It can also be disassembled into multiple parts for storage, transportation, and subsequent assembly and use. Due to the misalignment, hinged, and freely movable structure of the robot, for pipes with different inner diameters, the robot can adaptively bend and spiral on the inner surface of pipes with different inner diameters under the action of magnetic adsorption, and through the linkage between the motion module and the telescopic module, the telescopic module and the robot can extend laterally. Moreover, the smaller the inner diameter of the pipe, the greater the degree of bending and spiraling of the robot, and the greater the extended distance of the telescopic module. In addition, when the robot is not bent or bent in the opposite direction, the telescopic module can be contracted to the minimum lateral length, reducing the lateral length of the robot, thereby reducing the occupied space of the robot. In addition, the overall bending and spiraling and lateral expansion and contraction of the robot can be controlled by bending and flattening a certain motion module (or sub-segment) or extending and contracting a certain telescopic module (or sub-mechanism or connection module), such as for sending the robot to the deep interior of the required pipe or quickly moving the robot out of the pipe.

[0021] Second, the robot can be driven by only one guiding drive wheel module, that is, one driving motor, and the spiral motion lift angle of the guiding drive wheel module and the robot can be controlled by a steering servo. It has low energy consumption, is economical and environmentally friendly, has simple control, high motion accuracy, and sensitive reaction speed of the robot. At the same time, the universal magnetic ball can support the multi-directional movement of the robot, thus realizing spiral movements with different lift angles to meet different operation requirements, ensuring operation efficiency, and reducing energy consumption. In addition, the relative positions and motion positions of each sub-segment, guiding drive wheel module, and functional module of the robot in the pipe can be determined, so as to realize the positioning of each component of the robot moving in the pipe.

[0022] Then, the robot can reduce the motion coverage area in the pipe to be operated by adjusting its own structure and spiral motion lift angle and further optimizing the number and connection method of the sub-segments of the motion module, thereby reducing the possibility of the robot encountering obstacles and reducing the impact of obstacles on the structure, motion, and work of the robot. At the same time, the robot can actively avoid obstacles by monitoring the situation ahead in real time through a camera.

[0023] Finally, the sub-segments, sub-mechanisms, and functional modules can all be equipped with devices having special functions, and these devices can be combined with the robot and the characteristics of its helical motion during specific use to further improve performance and working efficiency. For example, the working range of the device can be combined with the pitch length of the robot's helical motion; another example is that by connecting two adjacent motion modules through telescopic modules with different lateral lengths, the working range of the robot can be changed, so that the motion modules and functional modules of the robot's equipped devices are arranged at intervals required for the operation, thereby enabling the simultaneous operation of multiple regions at a relatively large distance or the coordinated operation between devices. Moreover, when the motion coverage areas, i.e., the motion trajectories, of multiple sub-segments or sub-mechanisms or functional modules equipped with devices overlap, the same position or area can be repeatedly operated or alternately operated at specific time intervals, thereby improving the operation accuracy and efficiency.

[0024] In addition, the robot can achieve global circumferential inspection and axial inspection of the pipeline through the camera and helical adsorption motion, can collect and transmit the inner wall condition of the pipeline in real time, and perform data processing and damage location in real time through computer software. Therefore, the robot has high inspection efficiency, rich data, and high damage detection rate.

[0025] In summary, the robot can realize the automation of inner pipeline operation and ensure the safety of employees and pipeline transportation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the adaptive variable helical motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the sub-segment of the motion module;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the sub-mechanism of the telescopic module;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the connection module of the telescopic module;

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the hinge module;

[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagrams of two different perspectives of the guiding drive wheel module;

[0033] Figure 7Schematic diagram of the visual inspection module;

[0034] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the functional module;

[0035] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the magnetic adsorption module;

[0036] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the parameters of the sub-segment of the motion module;

[0037] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the dislocation design of the motion module;

[0038] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the connection between the motion module and the telescopic module;

[0039] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the dislocation design between two motion modules;

[0040] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the structural parameters of the robot, where (a) shows the width of the limiting part, (b) shows the distance from the left side wall of the C-shaped structure of the hinge part to the center of the through hole on the C-shaped structure, (c) shows the center distance between the through holes at both ends of the sub-rod, and (d) shows the center distance between the through holes on the protruding parts of the two concave structures of the linkage part;

[0041] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the sub-segment parameters of the motion module;

[0042] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of the helix angle and velocity components of the robot during helical motion on the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0043] Figure 17 Schematic diagram of the circumferential arc length between the contact points of the universal magnetic balls and the inner wall of the pipeline at the same relative positions of adjacent sub-segments in the motion module when the robot is adsorbed on the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0044] Figure 18 Schematic diagram of the sub-segment visible after the robot is axially projected along the pipeline;

[0045] In the figure: 1. First sub-body, 2. Second sub-body, 3. First connecting rod, 4. Second connecting rod, 5. First sub-rod, 6. Second sub-rod, 7. First linkage part, 8. Second linkage part, 9. Linkage shaft, 10. Hinge part, 11. Limiting part, 12. Connecting part, 13. Steering servo, 14. Steering connecting part, 15. Driving motor, 16. Wheel hub, 17. Magnetic ring, 18. Position adjusting support, 19. Camera, 20. Functional module, 21. Universal magnetic ball, 22. Connecting dish. Specific implementation mode

[0046] To better understand the technical solution of the present application, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] It should be clear that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0048] The terms used in the embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms "a", "the" and "said" used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0049] As Figure 1 shown, the present invention provides an adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for in-pipe operation, including a spiral motion main body, a guiding drive wheel module, a visual inspection module, a function module 20, and a magnetic adsorption module.

[0050] As Figures 2 - 5 shown, the spiral motion main body is composed of a motion module and a telescopic module, and each motion module is composed of the same or different numbers of sub-segments. Each sub-segment includes a first sub-body 1, a second sub-body 2, a first connecting rod 3, and a second connecting rod 4. Each telescopic module is composed of the same or different numbers of sub-mechanisms and connecting modules. Each sub-mechanism includes a first sub-rod 5 and a second sub-rod 6, and the sub-mechanisms are connected by connecting modules. Each connecting module includes a first linkage 7, a second linkage 8, and a linkage shaft 9. The motion module and the telescopic module are connected by two hinge modules. Each hinge module includes a hinge member 10 and a limiting member 11.

[0051] As Figure 2As shown, the first sub-body 1 is in a frame structure, with horizontally penetrating holes running from left to right at the upper and lower ends on both the left and right sides. A vertical support column is provided in the middle of the first sub-body 1, dividing the first sub-body 1 into two hollow areas on the left and right. Horizontally penetrating holes are provided in the middle parts of both the left and right sides and the middle of the support column of the first sub-body 1; the second sub-body 2 has the same structure as the first sub-body 1 and is arranged in a staggered mirror image with the first sub-body 1. The two are hinged through the horizontally penetrating holes at the lower ends on both the left and right sides, and the second sub-body 2 and the first sub-body 1 of the subsequent sub-segment are hinged through the horizontally penetrating holes at the upper ends on both the left and right sides, and they are also arranged in a staggered mirror image; the first connecting rod 3 is in a rod structure, with through holes in the same direction at both ends, and is hinged to the horizontally penetrating holes in the middle of the first sub-body 1 of the front and rear sub-segments. It is located in the right hollow area of the first sub-body 1 and the second sub-body 2; the second connecting rod 4 has the same structure as the first connecting rod 3, and the through holes at both ends of the second connecting rod 4 are hinged to the horizontally penetrating holes in the middle of the second sub-body 2 of the front and rear sub-segments. It is located in the left hollow area of the first sub-body 1 and the second sub-body 2.

[0052] As Figure 3 shown, the first sub-rod 5 and the second sub-rod 6 have the same length, with through holes in the same direction in the middle and at both ends, and the middle of the second sub-rod 6 is hollowed out so that the first sub-rod 5 passes through it. At the same time, the two are hinged through the through holes in their respective middles, thus forming a scissor structure. As Figure 4 shown, the structures of the first linkage 7 and the second linkage 8 are in the shape of the Chinese character 'gong'. Through holes run from top to bottom in the protruding parts of the two concave structures on the left and right of the 'gong' structure, and a through hole runs from front to back in the middle of the 'gong' structure. The through holes in one concave structure on one side of the first linkage 7 and the second linkage 8 are respectively hinged to the through holes at one end of the first sub-rod 5 and the second sub-rod 6 of the telescopic module sub-mechanism, and the through holes in the other concave structure on the other side are respectively hinged to the through holes at one end of the first sub-rod 5 and the second sub-rod 6 of the subsequent sub-mechanism of the telescopic module, thereby connecting the front and rear sub-mechanisms of the telescopic module, and the axes of the respective sub-rods in the telescopic module are all in the same plane; one end of the linkage shaft 9 passes through the through hole in the middle of the first linkage 7 and can move freely, and the other end is fixed in the through hole in the middle of the second linkage 8. The linkage shaft 9 can synchronously drive the adjacent sub-mechanisms to extend or shorten along the axial direction of the pipeline.

[0053] As Figure 5As shown, the hinge 10 is composed of a cylindrical structure and a 匚 structure, one end of the cylindrical structure is fixed to the left side of the 匚 structure, wherein there are multiple through holes on the cylindrical structure, and the protruding part of the concave structure of the 匚 structure is provided with through holes from top to bottom, the cylindrical structures of the two hinges 10 are respectively hinged to the transverse through holes on the upper ends of the first sub-body 1 and the second sub-body 2 of a certain sub-segment of the motion module on the same side, and the through holes of the 匚 structure of the two hinges 10 are respectively hinged to the through holes at one end of the first sub-rod 5 and the second sub-rod 6 of the front end or the end sub-mechanism of the telescopic module, thereby connecting the motion module and the telescopic module; the limit member 11 is a circular ring structure with a through hole thereon, which can be fixed to the through hole on the cylindrical structure of the hinge 10, thereby preventing the hinge 10 and the motion module sub-segment from lateral movement.

[0054] like Figure 6 As shown, the guide drive wheel module includes a connector 12, a steering servo 13, a steering connector 14, a drive motor 15, a wheel hub 16 and a magnetic ring 17; the connector 12 has a structure in the shape of a "尸", that is, it is composed of a 丿 structure and a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the tail of the 丿 structure has a transverse through hole from left to right, which can be hinged with the upper end transverse through hole of the first sub-body 1 at the front end or the second sub-body 2 at the end of the motion module; the steering servo 13 is fixed in the rectangular parallelepiped structure of the connector 12, and its rotation output shaft faces downward and is outside the rectangular parallelepiped structure; the The steering connector 14 is an inverted L-shaped structure, and its horizontal upper part is used to be fixed with the rotating output shaft of the steering servo 13, so the steering connector 14 can rotate synchronously with the rotating output shaft; the driving motor 15 is cylindrical, and the cylindrical shape is divided into two sections, namely the control end and the rotating end of the driving motor 15, wherein the control end is fixed to the vertical lower part of the steering connector 14; the wheel hub 16 is cylindrical and fixed to the outer side of the rotating end of the driving motor 15; the magnetic ring 17 is annular, has strong magnetism, and is fixed to the outer side of the wheel hub 16. Preferably, the steering servo 13 adopts a micro servo supporting angle control, and the driving motor 15 adopts a micro servo motor with position feedback, and both have high precision, large torque, and sensitive response speed.

[0055] like Figure 7 As shown, the visual inspection module includes a position adjustment bracket 18 and a camera 19; the position adjustment bracket 18 is a circular structure with a threaded hole on the top facing the center of the circle, and vertical brackets are provided at the left and right ends of the circular structure, and transverse through holes are opened at the lower ends of the two brackets, and are installed on the top of the rectangular structure of the connecting piece 12 through the transverse through holes, and the position adjustment bracket 18 can be fixed or rotated around the transverse through holes; the camera 19 is installed in the circular structure of the position adjustment bracket 18, and the camera 19 can be fixed or moved by screwing screws in the threaded holes of the circular structure of the position adjustment bracket 18.

[0056] like Figure 8As shown, the functional module 20 is hinged to the upper horizontal through hole of the first sub-body 1 at the front end or the second sub-body 2 at the end of the motion module.

[0057] As Figure 9 shown, the magnetic adsorption module includes a universal magnetic ball 21 and a connecting dish 22; the universal magnetic ball 21 has a spherical structure and has strong magnetism; the connecting dish 22 is composed of a shaft structure and a spherical crown container, and their symmetry axes coincide, and the shaft structure is on the outside of the spherical crown container. The inner side of the spherical crown container is used to embed the universal magnetic ball 21, and the shaft structure has an external thread. Pairs of connecting dishes 22 are vertically fixed in the middle of the bottoms of the respective second sub-bodies 2 of the spiral motion main body and the functional module 20 in a horizontally arranged manner and are symmetric left and right. Preferably, a plurality of small ball bearings can be added to the inner side of the spherical crown container to assist the rolling of the universal magnetic ball 21. The installation layout method of the magnetic adsorption module can be further optimized, and the contact points between the robot and the inner surface of the pipeline can be increased, such as being arranged symmetrically in a rectangle, so as to increase the stability of the robot's movement.

[0058] Furthermore, the sub-segments, sub-mechanisms, connection modules, hinge modules, connecting pieces 12, steering connecting pieces 14, hubs 16, position adjustment brackets 18, functional modules 20, and connecting dishes 22 are all made of lightweight rigid materials, and the inside of the functional module 20 is hollowed out to reduce the weight of the robot and improve the performance of the robot, ensure the stability of the robot's adsorption operation, and the guiding drive wheel module and the functional module 20 are hinged to the motion module, and each sub-body and connecting rod of the motion module, each sub-rod of the telescopic module, and each linkage of the connection module are all hinged together by round head pins, so that the robot can perform adaptive bending and spiral movement on the inner surface of pipelines with different inner diameters under the action of magnetic adsorption.

[0059] The following details the design methods of some components of the adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation provided by the present invention. In this embodiment, the telescopic module includes m sub-mechanisms and m - 1 connection modules, and m ≥ 1. Since no sub-segment is connected behind the last sub-segment in the motion module, the first connecting rod 3 and the second connecting rod 4 in this sub-segment need to be removed for installing the guiding drive wheel module or the functional module 20.

[0060] 1. Design of the dislocation method and dislocation distance.

[0061] As Figure 10 shown, the first sub-body 1 and the second sub-body 2 of the sub-segments of the motion module are dislocated and hinged, and the front and rear sub-segments are also dislocated and hinged through the second sub-body 2 of the front sub-segment and the first sub-body 1 of the rear sub-segment. The dislocation directions and dislocation distances of these hinges are the same, and the dislocation distance is d 1 . Therefore, the first sub-body 1 or the second sub-body 2 of the nth 1 sub-segment in the motion module and the nth 2The dislocation distance d between the first sub-body 1 and the second sub-body 2 of each sub-segment can be expressed by formula (1):

[0062] (1)

[0063] where n 2 >n 1 ; in the example shown, such as Figure 11 n 1 = 2, n 2 = 4.

[0064] As shown in Figure 12 and Figure 13 , the movement modules form a dislocation through the telescopic module and the hinge module, and the dislocation direction is the same as the dislocation direction between the first sub-body 1 and the second sub-body 2 of the sub-segment. Due to the existence of the dislocation distance between the first sub-body 1 and the second sub-body 2 of the sub-segment, when the cylindrical structures of the two hinge pieces 10 are respectively hinged to the upper lateral through-holes on the same side of the first sub-body 1 and the second sub-body 2 of a certain sub-segment, the left vertical outer wall of the C-shaped structure of one hinge piece 10 contacts the outer wall of one sub-body, while the left vertical outer wall of the C-shaped structure of the other hinge piece 10 has a distance from the outer wall of the other sub-body, and the distance is d 1 . Therefore, by fixing a limiting member 11 with a width of d 2 on the cylindrical structure of this hinge piece 10, and d 2 = d 1 , so that the left vertical outer wall of the C-shaped structure of this hinge piece 10 contacts the outer wall of the sub-body through the limiting member 11. At the same time, a limiting member 11 is also fixed on the partial cylindrical structures of the two hinge pieces 10 that enter the interior of the sub-body through the sub-body lateral through-holes, and the limiting member 11 contacts the inner wall of the sub-body, thereby avoiding the two hinge pieces 10 from moving horizontally with the sub-segment to change the dislocation distance between the movement modules or causing the movement modules to disengage from the telescopic module through the limiting member 11. As shown in Figure 10 , Figure 13 , Figure 14 , Figure 15 , the dislocation distance l 1 between the first sub-body 1 or the second sub-body 2 of the two corresponding sub-segments connected by the telescopic module and the hinge module between the two movement modules can be expressed by formula (2):

[0065] (2)

[0066] In the formula, D is the width of the sub-body, l 2 is the distance from the left side wall of the C-shaped structure of the hinge piece 10 to the center of the through-hole on the C-shaped structure, l 3 is the center distance between the through-holes at both ends of the sub-rod, l 4 is the center distance between the through-holes on the protruding parts of the two concave structures of the linkage member, l 5is the center distance between the upper and lower transverse through-holes of the sub-body, and λ is the angle between the straight line connecting the upper and lower transverse through-holes of the first sub-body 1 and the straight line connecting the upper and lower transverse through-holes of the second sub-body 2 in the sub-segment. By installing sensors on the sub-segment, the value of λ after the robot bends and spirally adsorbs in pipes with different inner diameters can be measured, and the value of λ increases with the increase of the pipe inner diameter. Therefore, the smaller the pipe inner diameter, the larger the misalignment distance l 1 between the two motion modules, and by increasing the number of telescopic module sub-mechanisms and connection modules, the misalignment distance l 1 between the two motion modules can be increased. 2 Of course, by designing different robot structure parameters and changing d 2 , l 3 , l 4 , l 5 , λ and d 1 , the misalignment distance l 1 between the two motion modules can also be changed.

[0067] In addition, by combining formula (1) and formula (2), the misalignment distance between any two sub-bodies of the first sub-body 1 or the second sub-body 2 on two adjacent motion modules can also be calculated. Therefore, the relative positions of each sub-segment of the robot, each guiding and driving wheel module and the functional module 20 can be determined according to the robot structure parameters in any pipeline to be operated or when the robot is not bent, and the motion position of the robot can also be determined by structure parameters, the position feedback of the driving motor 15, the helix angle of the spiral motion and the pipe inner diameter, etc., so as to realize the positioning of each component of the robot moving in the pipeline.

[0068] II. Adjustable helix angle of the spiral motion and helix angle selection method.

[0069] The universal magnetic ball 21 can support the multi-directional movement of the robot. Under the action of the driving motor 15, the robot makes a uniform spiral motion on the inner wall of the pipeline, and its motion trajectory is a spiral line. By controlling the steering servo 13 to make the driving motor rotate, the helix angle of the spiral motion can be changed, so as to realize various spiral motions of the robot. As Figure 16 shown, the helix angle α of the spiral motion is the angle formed by controlling the movement of the steering servo 13 so that the steering connecting piece 14 and the driving motor 15 rotate with the output shaft of the steering servo 13 and the initial position (α = 0°). In special cases, when α = 0°, the robot makes a circumferential circle in place inside the pipeline; when α = 90°, the robot makes a straight-line motion along the axial direction of the pipeline. Therefore, when the robot makes a spiral motion, 0° < α < 90°.

[0070] As Figure 16As shown, when the movement speed v of the robot remains unchanged, the larger the helix angle α of the helical movement, the larger the velocity component vsinα of the robot along the pipeline axis direction, and the smaller the velocity component vcosα along the pipeline tangent direction. The ratio of the two components is tanα. Therefore, the helix angle of the helical movement can be obtained by controlling the steering servo 13 and cooperating with the driving motor 15 to meet the requirements of the velocity components during operation. In addition, for the same pipeline (with an inner circle radius of r), the larger the helix angle α of the robot's helical movement, the larger the pitch L of the helix formed by the helical movement (which can be expressed as ), that is, the smaller the density of the helix winding. Therefore, the corresponding helix angle of the helical movement can be obtained by controlling the steering servo 13 according to the pitch of the helical movement required for the operation. When the robot focuses on the global circumferential inspection of the inner wall of the pipeline, a helical movement with a small helix angle can be adopted to increase the density of the helical movement winding, avoid missing inspection areas, and also reduce the movement speed v of the robot while meeting the requirements of the velocity component along the pipeline tangent direction, thereby reducing energy consumption. When the robot focuses on the axial inspection of the inner wall of the pipeline, a helical movement with a large helix angle can be adopted, which can reduce the movement speed v of the robot while meeting the requirements of the velocity component along the pipeline axis direction, thereby reducing energy consumption, and also increase the pitch of the helical movement to improve the axial inspection efficiency of the robot.

[0071] III. Changing the movement coverage area by adjusting the robot structure.

[0072] While the robot makes a helical movement on the inner wall of the pipeline, its own body also spirally bends and adheres to the inner wall of the pipeline. Therefore, its body structure and the helical movement trajectory jointly form the movement coverage area between the robot and the inner wall of the pipeline. There are usually obstacles on the inner surface of the pipeline, such as large areas of sediment. By reducing the movement coverage area of the robot, the possibility of the robot encountering obstacles can be reduced, thereby reducing the impact of the obstacles on the robot's structure, movement, and work. To reduce the movement coverage area of the robot, the movement coverage areas of each movement module of the robot can be overlapped with each other. For example, when the movement distance of the robot along the pipeline axis is NL (representing N helix pitches L, N≥1 and N is an integer), the sub-segment in the latter movement module can just move to the position of the sub-segment in the former movement module that coincides with its projection along the pipeline axis before moving NL distance along the pipeline axis. At this time, the movement trajectories and movement coverage areas of these two sub-segments coincide, and the movement time , where v is the speed of the robot during uniform helical movement.

[0073] When the helix angle α of the robot's helical movement is determined, for a determined pipeline to be operated, the helix pitch of the robot's helical movement is also determined. The movement coverage area of the robot can be reduced by changing the misalignment distance l 1 between two adjacent movement modules, that is, by making , where λ in the formula can be measured by a sensor after placing a certain motion module to be assembled with a magnetic adsorption module into the pipeline to be operated first. At this time, if , then there is no need to consider the number of sub-segments of the motion module and the connection method. In the formula, C is the circumferential arc length between the contact points of the universal magnetic balls 21 at the same relative positions of adjacent sub-segments in the motion module when the robot adsorbs on the inner wall of the pipeline. As shown in Figure 17 , and d in the formula 1 and C are related to the robot structure. Therefore, the formula can be satisfied by changing the robot structure parameters (such as the wall thickness on both sides of the sub-body, the center distance between the upper transverse through holes of the first sub-body 1 and the upper transverse through holes of the second sub-body 2 when the sub-segment is not bent). At the same time, for pipelines with different inner diameters, C in the formula is also different. First, a certain motion module to be assembled with a magnetic adsorption module can be placed inside the pipeline for bending and spiral adsorption, and then C can be obtained by measurement. It can also be measured by simulating the working environment when designing the robot model. If , then the number of sub-segments visible after the robot is projected along the pipeline axis ( Figure 18 the number of sub-segments visible after the robot is projected along the pipeline axis in is 10) is less, and the motion coverage area of the robot is smaller. This depends on the number of sub-segments of the motion module and the connection method. When the number of sub-segments of the longest motion module in the robot is less, and the projection of the short motion module along the pipeline axis coincides more with the projection of the longest motion module along the pipeline axis after the motion modules are connected, the number of sub-segments visible after the robot is projected along the pipeline axis is less.

[0074] When the robot structure parameters are determined and the helix motion lift angle α is not determined, for a determined pipeline to be operated, the appropriate helix motion lift angle α and the number m of telescopic module sub-mechanisms between adjacent two motion modules can be selected through the formula to reduce the motion coverage area of the robot. For example, when the number m of telescopic module sub-mechanisms between adjacent two motion modules in the robot is determined and the same, since for any m, there are multiple pairs of solutions for α and N (and the larger N is, the smaller α is), the α when N = 1 can be selected. At this time, α is the largest among multiple pairs of solutions, the winding density of the helix formed by the robot's helix motion is the smallest, and the motion coverage area of a single component (such as a single sub-segment) of the robot is also the smallest. Thus, α is determined, and the number of sub-segments of the motion module and the connection method are considered according to the relationship of to further reduce the motion coverage area of the robot.

[0075] IV. Multiple cameras are used to achieve circumferential visual inspection, axial visual inspection, and obstacle avoidance.

[0076] Multiple cameras 19 are installed on the top of the connecting piece 12 of the robot to achieve functions such as global circumferential visual inspection of the pipeline, axial visual inspection of the pipeline, and obstacle avoidance function of the robot. The camera 19 has functions such as ultra-wide-angle field of view and illumination. When the camera 19 faces the inner wall of the pipeline, it can achieve close-range and detailed circumferential visual inspection of the inner wall of the pipeline by the robot, and the range of the inner wall of the pipeline visible in the field of view of the camera 19 has a length of at least one pitch of the helical movement of the robot in the axial direction of the pipeline, so as to achieve full coverage of the inner wall of the pipeline, that is, global circumferential visual inspection. When the camera 19 faces the axial direction of the pipeline, it can achieve axial visual inspection of the robot. When the camera 19 can see the front of the moving direction of the robot, it can monitor in real time whether there are obstacles in front of the robot, so as to control the steering servo 13 in advance to make the driving motor 15 rotate to change the moving direction and moving coverage area of the robot to avoid obstacles.

[0077] V. Adaptive multi-diameter design.

[0078] The robot can operate on pipelines with different inner diameters. Under the magnetic adsorption of the magnetic ring 17 and the universal magnetic ball 21, the articulated and freely movable parts move relative to each other, so that the robot can perform adaptive bending and spiral adsorption on the inner surface of pipelines with different inner diameters. Compared with the non-bent state, the included angle λ in the sub-segment becomes smaller, driving the two articulated modules hinged thereto to rotate and approach each other, thereby reducing the center distance between the through holes of the two sub-rods hinged to the through holes of the two articulated modules, driving the two sub-rods of each sub-mechanism and the two linkage parts and the linkage shaft of each connecting module to rotate relative to each other, so that each sub-mechanism synchronously extends laterally, and the lateral lengths of each sub-mechanism before and after extension are the same. At the same time, the smaller the inner diameter of the pipeline, the greater the degree of bending and spiral of the robot, and the greater the distance that the telescopic module extends.

[0079] VI. Selection of the guiding drive wheel module and the functional module, relationship and selection of the telescopic module and the motion module, selection of the number of sub-segments of the motion module and the number of magnetic adsorption modules, modularization, occupied space and convenience, functions of the sub-segment, the sub-mechanism and the functional module 20.

[0080] The robot can be driven by only one motor to perform helical movement on the inner surface of the pipeline, with simple control, energy saving and economy. It can also be installed with multiple guiding drive wheel modules (installed at the front end or the end of the motion module) to cooperate with each other to drive the robot. The steering servo 13 of these guiding drive wheel modules makes the driving motor 15 rotate at the same angle and the moving speed of the driving motor 15 remains the same, so as to more easily drive the robot to perform helical movement forward and backward along the pipeline. The functional module 20 can also be selected and installed at the front end or the end of each motion module according to the required pipeline operation requirements.

[0081] Two adjacent motion modules are connected by at least one telescopic module to perform synchronous motion. Moreover, the more telescopic modules there are, the more stable the robot structure and motion will be. The number of sub-mechanisms and connection modules in these telescopic modules is the same, while the number of sub-mechanisms and connection modules in the telescopic modules between different two adjacent motion modules may not be the same. The number of motion modules can be selected according to the required pipeline operation requirements, the number of guiding drive wheel modules and functional module 20, and the installation requirements. And when the telescopic module is too long, resulting in unstable robot structure and motion, the telescopic module can be split and an additional motion module can be connected at the split.

[0082] By selecting the appropriate number of sub-segments of each motion module and the number of magnetic adsorption modules, the robot can achieve stable adsorption motion on the inner surface of the pipeline and meet the required pipeline operation requirements. When the magnetic adsorption effect of the robot on the inner surface of the pipeline is too strong, the number of magnetic adsorption modules of each sub-segment and functional module 20 can be reduced to one, and the magnetic adsorption modules are vertically fixed at the exact middle of the bottom of the second sub-body 2 of the sub-segment and the functional module 20, or magnetic rings 17 and universal magnetic balls 21 with relatively small magnetism can be used instead. In this way, the robot structure can be simplified, costs can be saved, and the difficulty of robot driving or the difficulty of taking the robot out of the pipeline due to too strong magnetic adsorption can be prevented. When the magnetic adsorption effect of the robot on the inner surface of the pipeline is too weak, the number of magnetic adsorption modules of each sub-segment and functional module 20 can be increased, and the magnetic adsorption modules are vertically fixed at the exact middle of the bottom of the second sub-body 2 of the sub-segment and the functional module 20 in a horizontally arranged and left-right symmetric manner, or magnetic rings 17 and universal magnetic balls 21 with relatively large magnetism can be used instead to ensure that the robot can be stably adsorbed on the inner surface of the pipeline and prevent the robot from sliding during spiral motion, thus affecting the motion accuracy.

[0083] Thanks to the modularization of the robot, its motion modules, telescopic modules, hinged modules, guiding drive wheel modules, visual inspection modules, functional module 20, magnetic adsorption modules, sub-segments, sub-mechanisms and connection modules can be easily assembled as needed, and can also be easily increased or decreased. In addition, when the robot is not bent or bent in the reverse direction (the motion module bends towards the side with magnetic adsorption modules), the telescopic module can be contracted to the minimum horizontal length, reducing the horizontal length of the robot, thereby reducing the occupied space of the robot. The robot can also be disassembled into multiple parts (such as disassembling between the motion module and the telescopic module, or disassembling according to different numbers of sub-segments and sub-mechanisms) for storage, transportation and subsequent assembly and use.

[0084] The functional module 20 can be used to store objects, such as a circuit board for connecting the steering servo 13, the drive motor 15, the camera 19, and other functional devices. Sub-segments, sub-mechanisms, and the functional module 20 can also carry devices with special functions, such as eddy current, X-ray, and other detection devices, to further perform non-destructive testing on the pipeline, detect internal pores, slag inclusions, and other defects; cleaning devices to remove sediments, dirt, blockages, or bacteria to ensure the cleanliness and flow efficiency of the pipeline; coating and repair devices (such as micro-welding devices or adhesive injectors) to uniformly apply coatings or repair damages on the inner wall of the pipeline using spiral motion; environmental monitoring and sampling devices to monitor environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, and harmful gases inside the pipeline along the spiral path through sensors, or perform material sampling at specific positions during the spiral motion for analyzing chemical components or pollutants inside the pipeline, etc.

[0085] When these devices are specifically used, they can be combined with the robot and the characteristics of its spiral motion to further improve performance and working efficiency. For example, when it is necessary to clean or apply a coating to all areas of the inner wall of a certain section of the pipeline, the control end of the device can be installed inside the functional module 20, and the working end of the device can be installed outside the functional module 20, and the working range of the device along the axial direction of the pipeline (cleaning range or spraying range) is at least the length of one robot spiral motion pitch and avoids interfering with the robot structure to achieve full-coverage operation of all areas of the inner wall of this section of the pipeline. To make the coating application uniform, the working range of the device along the axial direction of the pipeline can be exactly the length of one robot spiral motion pitch.

[0086] Another example is that by connecting two adjacent motion modules with telescopic modules of different transverse lengths, the operation range of the robot can be changed, and the motion modules and the functional module 20 of the robot carrying the device can be arranged at the intervals required for the operation. At this time, through spiral motion, robot positioning, the camera 19, etc., the robot can move to the area to be operated inside the pipeline, and then make the spiral motion lift angle α = 0°, so that the robot can perform circumferential operations on multiple spaced-apart areas to be operated simultaneously through the carried device, or the devices distributed at the required intervals can also cooperate with each other while making spiral motion. When the motion coverage areas, that is, the motion trajectories, of multiple sub-segments, sub-mechanisms, or functional modules 20 carrying devices overlap, if the functions of these devices are the same, they can perform repeated operations on the same position at specific intervals, or perform repeated operations on a certain area of the pipeline. When the operation content is data collection, etc., mutual verification can be carried out through repeated operations to improve operation efficiency and accuracy. If the functions of these devices are different, they can perform alternating operations on the same position at specific intervals, or perform alternating operations on a certain area of the pipeline, such as using the cleaning function first and then the detection function, etc.

[0087] The bending spiral and lateral extension of the robot as a whole can be controlled by bending and flattening a certain motion module (or a certain sub-segment) of the robot or stretching and contracting a certain telescopic module (or a certain sub-mechanism or a certain connecting module) of the robot. For example, by bending the motion module at the rear of the robot, the other motion modules, telescopic modules and articulated modules of the robot are linked, so that the robot is bent spirally and stretched laterally. When the positions of the guide drive wheel module and the functional module 20 are adjusted and the robot is over-bent so that its external diameter is smaller than the internal diameter of the pipeline to be operated, the robot can be sent into the pipeline by holding the motion module at the rear of the robot. In addition, if the telescopic module between the rearmost motion module and the previous motion module is long enough, the other modules of the robot can be sent to the required depth inside the pipeline by holding the motion module at the rear of the robot and the rearmost motion module can be kept outside the pipeline. If it is not long enough, after the operation is completed, the rearmost motion module can be moved out of the pipeline first by the backward movement of the robot. At this time, the motion module outside the pipeline can be bent to make the external diameter of the robot smaller than the internal diameter of the pipeline, and then the robot can be quickly moved out of the pipeline by holding the motion module outside the pipeline.

[0088] The operation process of the adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0089] When performing internal pipeline operations, the size of the robot's spiral motion angle α and the number of motion modules and their sub-segments, magnetic adsorption modules, guide drive wheel modules, functional modules 20, telescopic modules and their sub-mechanisms and connection modules are selected according to the required operation requirements to ensure that the robot structure is stable and can perform stable adsorption movement on the inner surface of the pipeline, and the magnetic adsorption effect is of appropriate strength. Among them, if there is no requirement for the horizontal length of the telescopic module stretched out during operation, the robot's motion coverage area can be reduced by further determining the horizontal length of the telescopic module stretched out and optimizing the number of sub-segments of the motion module and the connection method. Then the robot is assembled, and the steering servo 13 is controlled to move so that the steering connector 14 and the drive motor 15 rotate with the output shaft of the steering servo 13 to form an angle with the initial position (α=0°) as the required spiral motion angle. At the same time, the functional equipment and camera 19 are installed according to the operation requirements, and the position of the camera 19 is adjusted by the position adjustment bracket 18 to realize the pipeline global circumferential visual inspection, pipeline axial visual inspection and robot obstacle avoidance functions as required.

[0090] Then, the robot is bent excessively into a spiral shape and sent into the interior of the pipeline, so that it can be adaptively adsorbed on the inner surface of the pipeline under the action of magnetic adsorption. For inspection operations, while the robot drives itself in a spiral motion through the drive motor 15 and moves deeper into the pipeline, it conducts visual inspection on the interior of the pipeline. During the inspection process, the camera 19 collects and transmits the situation inside the pipeline in real time, and the computer software conducts data processing and damage location in real time. After the inspection is completed, the robot is driven towards the pipeline outlet for removal and recovery, and the robot is disassembled into multiple parts for storage, handling, and subsequent assembly and use.

[0091] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention, or modify it into an equivalent embodiment with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modification, equivalent change, and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention still fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation, characterized in that: It includes a spiral motion body, a guide drive wheel module, a visual inspection module and a magnetic adsorption module; The spiral motion body is composed of a plurality of motion modules and telescopic modules connecting the motion modules; the motion module is composed of a plurality of sub-segments, each of which includes a first sub-body and a second sub-body arranged in a staggered mirror image and hinged into a V-shaped structure, and a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod connecting the front and rear sub-segment V-shaped structures, and the two V-shaped structures are staggered and hinged into a W-shaped structure through adjacent sub-bodies; the telescopic module includes a plurality of sub-mechanisms, each of which includes a first sub-rod and a second sub-rod hinged into a scissor-type structure with axes in the same plane, the same sides of the two sub-rods of the head end and the terminal sub-mechanism are respectively hinged to the same sides of the two sub-bodies of the sub-segment to be connected through the hinge module, and the adjacent sub-mechanisms are connected through the connection module, and the connection module has a linkage shaft that can synchronously drive the adjacent sub-mechanisms to extend or shorten along the axial direction of the pipeline; The guide drive wheel module is installed at the head end or the end of the motion module, and includes a steering servo and a drive motor. The output shaft of the steering servo is connected to the steering connector equipped with the drive motor, and a wheel hub with a magnetic ring on the outside is installed on the output shaft of the drive motor; the visual inspection module is installed on the guide drive wheel module and inspects the inside of the pipeline through a camera; the magnetic adsorption module is installed at the bottom of the second sub-body; The guide drive wheel module and the motion module are adaptively bent on the inner surface of pipes with different inner diameters through magnetic adsorption, and the telescopic module is linked. The steering servo is controlled to turn the drive motor to the required spiral motion angle, and the robot is made to perform spiral motion by controlling the drive motor.

2. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first sub-body is a frame-type structure, and has transverse through holes on the upper and lower ends of the left and right sides, and a vertical support column is provided in the middle, dividing the first sub-body into left and right hollow areas, and transverse through holes are provided in the middle of the left and right sides of the first sub-body and the middle of the support column; the second sub-body is hinged to the first sub-body through the transverse through holes at the lower ends of the left and right sides, and the second sub-body and the first sub-body of the rear sub-segment are hinged through the transverse through holes at the upper ends of the left and right sides; the first connecting rod has through holes at both ends, which are hinged to the middle transverse through holes of the first sub-body of the front and rear sub-segments, and are located in the right hollow area of ​​the first sub-body and the second sub-body; the second connecting rod has through holes at both ends, which are hinged to the middle transverse through holes of the second sub-body of the front and rear sub-segments, and are located in the left hollow area of ​​the first sub-body and the second sub-body.

3. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 2, characterized in that: The middle and both ends of the first sub-rod and the second sub-rod are provided with through holes in the same direction. The middle of the second sub-rod is hollowed out so that the first sub-rod can pass through it, and the two are hinged through the through holes in their respective middles; the connection module includes a first linkage, a second linkage and a linkage shaft. The first linkage and the second linkage are in an I-shaped structure. Through holes are provided in the middle of the I-shaped structure and the protruding parts of its two concave structures. The through holes of the concave structures on one side of the first linkage and the second linkage are respectively hinged to the through holes at one end of the first sub-rod and the second sub-rod of the telescopic module sub-mechanism, and the through holes of the concave structures on the other side are respectively hinged to the through holes at one end of the first sub-rod and the second sub-rod of the subsequent sub-mechanism of the telescopic module; one end of the linkage shaft passes through the through hole in the middle of the first linkage and can move freely, and the other end is fixed in the through hole in the middle of the second linkage.

4. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hinge module includes a hinge piece and a limiting piece. The hinge piece is composed of a cylindrical structure and a C-shaped structure connected. A through hole is provided in the protruding part of the concave structure of the C-shaped structure. The through holes of the C-shaped structures of the two hinge pieces are respectively hinged to the through holes on the same side of the two sub-rods of the first or last sub-mechanism of the telescopic module. The cylindrical structures of the two hinge pieces are respectively hinged to the horizontally penetrating holes on the same side of the upper ends of the two sub-bodies of the sub-segment to be connected. The outer wall of the left side of the C-shaped structure of one of the hinge pieces contacts the outer wall of the sub-body, and a circular limiting piece with a width equal to the misalignment distance between adjacent sub-bodies and contacting the C-shaped structure is fixed on the cylindrical structure of the other hinge piece, so that the through holes of the two C-shaped structures are in the same axial position of the pipeline. Circular limiting pieces that contact the inner wall of the sub-body are fixed on the cylindrical structures of the two hinge pieces that enter the interior of the sub-body through the horizontally penetrating holes of the sub-body.

5. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot further includes a function module, which is installed at the first or last end of the motion module, and a magnetic adsorption module is installed at the bottom; the interior of the function module is hollowed out for storing the circuit boards of the steering servo, the drive motor and the camera; the sub-segments, sub-mechanisms and function modules can carry functional devices for in-pipe operations and are combined with the robot and its helical motion characteristics during use. Specifically: ① Make the working range of the functional device along the axial direction of the pipeline at least one pitch length of the robot's helical motion and avoid interference with the robot structure; ② Connect adjacent motion modules with telescopic modules of different transverse lengths so that multiple motion modules and function modules of the robot carrying functional devices are arranged at the intervals required for the operation; ③ When the motion trajectories of multiple sub-segments, sub-mechanisms or function modules carrying functional devices coincide, if the functions of these functional devices are the same, then the same position or area is repeatedly operated at specific intervals, and if the functions of these functional devices are different, then the same position or area is alternately operated at specific intervals.

6. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 4, characterized in that: All sub-bodies in the motion module are staggered and hinged in sequence, and the staggered direction and staggered distance of the hinge are the same; the motion modules are staggered by telescopic modules and articulated modules, and the staggered direction is the same as the staggered direction between the sub-segment sub-bodies; the staggered distance between two first sub-bodies or second sub-bodies connected by telescopic modules and articulated modules between two adjacent motion modules is calculated by sub-segment structural parameters, articulated module dimensions, sub-mechanism quantity and dimensions, and connection module quantity and dimensions.

7. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steering servo is controlled to change the spiral motion lift angle to achieve the spiral motion pitch required for the operation, or cooperate with the drive motor to meet the speed component requirements during the operation; when the spiral motion lift angle α=0°, the robot circles in situ in the pipeline; when α=90°, the robot moves in a straight line along the axial direction of the pipeline; when 0°<α<90°, the robot performs spiral motion in the pipeline.

8. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 6, characterized in that: The motion coverage areas of the robot's various motion modules are overlapped to reduce the robot's motion coverage area. When the robot's motion distance along the pipeline axis is N spiral motion pitches L, N ≥ 1 and is an integer, the sub-segment in the latter motion module can just move to the position of the sub-segment in the previous motion module that coincides with its projection along the pipeline axis before moving NL distance along the pipeline axis. At this time, the motion trajectories and motion coverage areas of the two sub-segments coincide.

9. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the robot's helical motion angle α is determined, for a certain pipeline to be operated, the robot's helical motion pitch It is also determined that is the pipeline radius, and the robot’s motion coverage area is reduced by changing the offset distance l1 between two adjacent motion modules, that is, ;like ,in is the displacement distance between adjacent sub-bodies, C is the arc length along the circumferential direction between the contact points between the magnetic adsorption module and the inner wall of the pipe at the same relative position of adjacent sub-segments in the motion module when the robot is adsorbed on the inner wall of the pipe, then there is no need to consider the number of sub-segments of the motion module and the connection method, and the robot structural parameters can be changed to meet the requirements. ;like , the fewer the number of sub-segments visible after the robot is projected along the axial direction of the pipeline, the smaller the robot's motion coverage area. At this time, it is necessary to consider the number of sub-segments of the motion module and the connection method. When the number of sub-segments of the longest motion module in the robot is smaller, and the projection of the short motion module along the axial direction of the pipeline after the motion modules are connected coincides more with the projection of the longest motion module along the axial direction of the pipeline, the fewer the number of sub-segments visible after the robot is projected along the axial direction of the pipeline.

10. The adaptive variable spiral motion modular robot for inner pipeline operation according to claim 9, characterized in that: When the robot's spiral motion angle α is not fixed, for a certain pipeline to be operated, the formula Select the helical motion angle α and the number of telescopic module sub-mechanisms between two adjacent motion modules to reduce the robot's motion coverage area; when the number of telescopic module sub-mechanisms between adjacent motion modules in the robot is determined and the same, select α when N=1, and according to The relationship between the number of sub-segments of the motion module and the way they are connected is taken into account to reduce the motion coverage area of ​​the robot.

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