Bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot and implementation method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot and an implementation method thereof.The bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot comprises a control device, and the control device conducts visual observation on the interior of a cable trench; a front driving device and a rear driving device are arranged on the two sides of the control device, and the front driving device and the rear driving device are matched to perform integral moving operation; a front soft mechanical arm and a rear soft mechanical arm are arranged on the two sides of the control device and between the front driving device and the rear driving device, and the front soft mechanical arm and the rear soft mechanical arm are matched to lift the control device. By arranging the control device, the front driving device, the rear driving device, the front soft mechanical arm and the rear soft mechanical arm, the structure of the robot is simplified, the robot can adapt to operation in a narrow space, an obstacle and a humid environment, operation, carrying and deployment are very convenient and fast, and the inspection effect can be guaranteed according to the size of the space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of robots, and in particular to a bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot and an implementation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The occurrence of cable trench fire is a gradual accumulation process. As time goes by, due to the aging of the insulation layer, dust and oil accumulation, loose intermediate joints and other reasons, the local temperature of the cable gradually rises, thus causing a fire. Before the accident occurs, if the temperature, smoke and other conditions inside the cable trench can be effectively monitored in real time, the fire can be prevented before it happens. Although the monitoring problem of cable trenches has long attracted people's attention, no proper and reasonable solution has been found;

[0003] Traditional cable trench inspections are done manually. At regular intervals, inspectors enter the tunnel and use temperature measuring instruments to manually check the temperature of the cable joints. This method wastes a lot of manpower. At the same time, due to the limitations of the manual method, it is difficult to detect every intermediate joint every time. Only the places where the temperature rises faster can be checked. It is impossible to take precautions before they happen and cannot play a real preventive role. Later, the use of thermal wires in combination with monitoring systems to monitor cables online began to appear. Specifically, a thermal wire is extended close to the cable along the cable arrangement direction to detect high-temperature points. However, the defects of the thermal wire are: first, the cables on both sides of the cable trench are bundled and arranged in bundles. The thermal wire can only monitor the high-temperature changes of the adjacent cables that are close to it, while the monitoring effect of the temperature changes of the cables at the farthest end is very poor; second, when the thermal wire is arranged, it often presents a wavy shape due to its own rigidity and elasticity, making it difficult to close to the cable. This makes it difficult to monitor even the cables close to the thermal wire due to the uneven gap between the thermal wire body and the cable. For this reason, we propose a bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot and the implementation method. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention provides a bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot and the implementation method thereof.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot, comprising a control device, the control device visually observing the interior of the cable trench;

[0006] A front drive device and a rear drive device are arranged on both sides of the control device, and the front drive device and the rear drive device cooperate to perform overall movement operation;

[0007] A front soft mechanical arm and a rear soft mechanical arm are arranged on both sides of the control device and between the front drive device and the rear drive device. The front soft mechanical arm and the rear soft mechanical arm cooperate to lift and lower the control device. The front soft mechanical arm and the rear soft mechanical arm drive the front drive device and the rear drive device to swing and drive the control device to turn.

[0008] Further, the control device includes a control housing, a main control board, a motor control board, a power supply lithium battery, a voltage conversion module and a wireless module, the main control board is fixedly installed at an internal position of the control housing, the motor control board is fixedly installed at a lower position of the main control board, the power supply lithium battery is fixedly installed at a lower position of the control housing, the voltage conversion module is fixedly installed at a side position of the power supply lithium battery, and the wireless module is fixedly installed at an upper position of the main control board;

[0009] Furthermore, the front drive device includes a drive housing, a driving wheel, a driven wheel, and a drive motor. The driving wheel is arranged on the side of the drive housing, the driven wheel is arranged on the other side of the drive housing, and the drive motor is fixedly installed on the inner side of the drive housing.

[0010] Furthermore, the control device further comprises a wide-angle camera and a binocular vision camera, wherein the wide-angle camera is fixedly mounted on the upper side of the control housing, and the binocular vision camera is fixedly mounted on the side of the control housing, and the installation directions of the wide-angle camera and the binocular vision camera are consistent with the walking direction of the robot;

[0011] The front drive device also includes a laser radar, which is fixedly installed on the upper side of the drive housing.

[0012] Furthermore, the internal component arrangement of the rear drive device is the same as that of the front drive device, except that the driving wheels inside the front drive device and the rear drive device are arranged in a diagonal position, and the driving motors inside the front drive device and the rear drive device are arranged in a diagonal position in conjunction with the driving wheels.

[0013] Furthermore, one end of the front soft robotic arm is connected to the front drive device position, one end of the rear soft robotic arm is connected to the rear drive device position, and the other ends of the front soft robotic arm and the rear soft robotic arm are respectively connected to the control device position.

[0014] Furthermore, the control device, the front drive device, the rear drive device, the front soft robotic arm and the rear soft robotic arm are sealed and connected to each other, the cables of the internal components of the front drive device and the rear drive device are connected to the internal control components of the control device through the hollow parts of the front soft robotic arm and the rear soft robotic arm, and the front soft robotic arm and the rear soft robotic arm have more than three swingable degrees of freedom.

[0015] A method for implementing a bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot comprises the following steps:

[0016] The first step is to place the robot inside the cable trench. The driving motors inside the front driving device and the rear driving device drive the driving wheels to rotate for active driving, and the driven wheels cooperate with the driving wheels to rotate themselves for passive driving, thus completing the overall movement of the robot.

[0017] The second step is to ensure linear movement when the space is small, and to use the wide-angle camera and binocular vision camera to conduct visual inspection without blind spots and conduct patrol operations inside the cable trench;

[0018] The third step is that when the moving space is large, the front soft robotic arm and the rear soft robotic arm swing upward, the control device can be lifted and moved upward, and the wide-angle camera and the binocular vision camera can be closer to the position to be inspected for visual observation;

[0019] Specifically, the robot performs an inchworm movement, the proximal front soft robotic arm and the rear soft robotic arm connected to the front driving device and the rear driving device are in a horizontal state, the proximal front soft robotic arm and the rear soft robotic arm connected to the control device are in a downward bending state, the front driving device and the rear driving device are in a stationary state, and the other is rotating toward the control device, the control device moves upward, and the wide-angle camera and the binocular vision camera are in a raised state, so that a larger space visual observation can be performed;

[0020] The fourth step is that when encountering a turning point, the front soft robot arm will swing left and right first, and the front drive device will transfer and rotate to the corresponding cable trench position. When the control device passes the turning point, the rear soft robot arm will swing left and right, and the rear drive device will transfer and rotate to the corresponding cable trench position. Similarly, any of the above steps can be repeated to enable the robot to transfer and complete the inspection operation;

[0021] Step 5: When encountering the second turning point, the robot is in the inchworm motion state, and the front drive device and the rear drive device rotate in opposite directions, and the robot can also turn in place;

[0022] The sixth step is that when encountering an obstacle crossing state, the front soft robotic arm drives the front drive device to bend upwards, so that the front half of the robot can cross the obstacle. At the same time, the robot performs an inchworm movement to realize the control device to cross the obstacle, and achieves the back half. At the same time, the rear soft robotic arm drives the rear drive device to bend upwards, so that the back half of the robot can cross the obstacle.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0024] 1. The present invention simplifies the structure of the robot by arranging a control device, a front drive device, a rear drive device, a front soft robotic arm and a rear soft robotic arm, so that the robot can adapt to work in a narrow space, an obstacle, and a humid environment. The operation, carrying and deployment are very convenient, and the inspection effect can be guaranteed according to the size of the space.

[0025] 2. The present invention sets a front drive device and a rear drive device, and the driven wheels arranged inside the front drive device and the rear drive device are placed diagonally, so that when the actively driven driven wheels drive the robot to move, it can be more stable and will not slip, thereby reducing the number of drive motors set, reducing the energy consumption of the robot, and improving the inspection working time.

[0026] 3. The present invention sets a front soft robotic arm and a rear soft robotic arm, which can swing at three angles at a minimum. Under the premise of compressing the volume of the robot, the robot can be turned, the obstacle avoidance ability of the robot is improved, and the control device can be raised and lowered to further improve the detection effect of the control device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the explosion structure of the control device of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the front drive device of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a turning state of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the motion detection state of the inchworm of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the second turning state of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the obstacle crossing state of the present invention.

[0034] Among them: 1. Control device; 11. Control shell; 12. Main control board; 13. Motor control board; 14. Power supply lithium battery; 15. Voltage conversion module; 16. Wireless module; 17. Wide-angle camera; 18. Binocular vision camera; 2. Front drive device; 21. Drive shell; 22. Driving wheel; 23. Driven wheel; 24. Drive motor; 25. Laser radar; 3. Rear drive device; 4. Front soft robotic arm; 5. Rear soft robotic arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention easy to understand, the present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments, but the following embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, not all. Based on the embodiments in the implementation mode, other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. The experimental methods in the following embodiments, unless otherwise specified, are conventional methods, and the materials, reagents, etc. used in the following embodiments, unless otherwise specified, can all be obtained from commercial channels.

[0036] Example: Figure 1 As shown, a bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot comprises a control device 1, a front drive device 2 and a rear drive device 3 that can be driven and moved are arranged on both sides of the control device 1, and a front soft mechanical arm 4 and a rear soft mechanical arm 5 are arranged on both sides of the control device 1 and between the front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3;

[0037] The control device 1 can be used to inspect and patrol the cable trench;

[0038] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the control device 1 includes a control housing 11, a main control board 12, a motor control board 13, a power supply lithium battery 14, a voltage conversion module 15 and a wireless module 16. The control housing 11 is a rectangular housing with a hollow interior. The main control board 12 is fixedly installed in the interior of the control housing 11. The motor control board 13 is fixedly installed at the lower side of the main control board 12. The motor control board 13 is used to control the internal motor components of the front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3. The power supply lithium battery 14 is fixedly installed at the bottom side of the control housing 11. The voltage conversion module 15 is fixedly installed at the side of the power supply lithium battery 14 and the power supply lithium battery 14 is fixedly installed at the lower side of the power supply lithium battery 14. The voltage conversion module 15 is also fixedly installed at the bottom side of the control housing 11. The power supply lithium battery 14 is used for power supply operation. The voltage conversion module 15 is set to convert the current output by the power supply lithium battery 14 into voltage to ensure the power supply operation of each component. The wireless module 16 is fixedly installed at the upper side of the main control board 12. The voltage and current output by the voltage conversion module 15 are electrically connected to the main control board 12, the motor control board 13 and the side of the wireless module 16 for power supply. The wireless module 16 can be used to receive external control signals and feed them back to the main control board 12 and the motor control board 13 to control each component.

[0039] The control device 1 also includes a wide-angle camera 17 and a binocular vision camera 18. The wide-angle camera 17 is fixedly mounted on the upper side of the control housing 11, and the binocular vision camera 18 is fixedly mounted on the side of the control housing 11. The wide-angle camera 17 and the binocular vision camera 18 are electrically connected to the side position of the main control board 12 through a cable. The installation direction of the wide-angle camera 17 and the binocular vision camera 18 is consistent with the walking direction of the robot, so as to ensure the effective detection effect of the wide-angle camera 17 and the binocular vision camera 18 when the robot is walking;

[0040] The front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3 can be used to transfer and drive other components;

[0041] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the front drive device 2 includes a drive housing 21, a driving wheel 22, a driven wheel 23, and a drive motor 24. The drive housing 21 is a rectangular housing with a hollow interior. The driving wheel 22 is arranged at a side position of the drive housing 21 and is rotatably mounted on the side of the drive housing 21 through a cross roller bearing. The driven wheel 23 is arranged at the other side position of the drive housing 21 and is rotatably mounted on the side of the drive housing 21 through a cross roller bearing and a rear connecting flange. The drive motor 24 is fixedly mounted at an inner position of the drive housing 21 and an output end of the drive motor 24 is connected to a side position of the driving wheel 22. The driving motor 24 can drive the driving wheel 22 to rotate, and the driven wheel 23 cooperates to rotate itself, thereby completing the transfer of the entire drive housing 21.

[0042] The front drive device 2 further includes a laser radar 25, which is fixedly mounted on the upper side of the drive housing 21. The laser radar 25 can sense distance and detect obstacles on the side of the drive housing 21.

[0043] The internal components of the rear drive device 3 are arranged in the same manner as the front drive device 2, except that the driving wheels 22 inside the front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3 are arranged in a diagonal position, and the driving motors 24 inside the front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3 are arranged in a diagonal position in coordination with the driving wheels 22, so that the driving of the front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3 is ensured to be stable, and the load transfer coordination between the front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3 will not cause directional deviation and slippage;

[0044] The front soft mechanical arm 4 and the rear soft mechanical arm 5 can realize the linkage operation between the control device 1, the front driving device 2 and the rear driving device 3;

[0045] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, one end of the front soft mechanical arm 4 is connected to the position of the front driving device 2, one end of the rear soft mechanical arm 5 is connected to the position of the rear driving device 3, and the other ends of the front soft mechanical arm 4 and the rear soft mechanical arm 5 are respectively connected to the position of the control device 1;

[0046] The control device 1, the front drive device 2, the rear drive device 3, the front soft robotic arm 4 and the rear soft robotic arm 5 are sealed and connected to each other to prevent water stains from flowing into the positions of various components. The cables of the internal components of the front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3 are connected to the internal control components of the control device 1 through the hollow parts of the front soft robotic arm 4 and the rear soft robotic arm 5, and the front soft robotic arm 4 and the rear soft robotic arm 5 have at least three degrees of freedom for swinging, thereby ensuring the use of subsequent robot inspections.

[0047] A method for implementing a bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot comprises the following steps:

[0048] The first step, such as Figure 1 As shown, the robot is placed inside the cable trench, the driving motor 24 inside the front driving device 2 and the rear driving device 3 drives the driving wheel 22 to rotate for active driving, and the driven wheel 23 cooperates with the driving wheel 22 to rotate itself for passive driving, thereby completing the overall movement of the robot;

[0049] The second step is to ensure linear movement when the space is small during movement, and to perform visual inspection without blind spots by using the wide-angle camera 17 and binocular vision camera 18 to inspect the inside of the cable trench;

[0050] The third step is to move a large space, such as Figure 5 As shown, by swinging the front soft robot arm 4 and the rear soft robot arm 5 upward, the control device 1 can be lifted and moved upward, so that the wide-angle camera 17 and the binocular vision camera 18 can be closer to the position to be detected for visual observation;

[0051] Specifically, the robot performs an inchworm movement, the proximal front soft mechanical arm 4 and the rear soft mechanical arm 5 connected to the front driving device 2 and the rear driving device 3 are in a horizontal state, the proximal front soft mechanical arm 4 and the rear soft mechanical arm 5 connected to the control device 1 are in a downward bending state, the front driving device 2 and the rear driving device 3 are in a stationary state, and the other is rotating toward the control device 1, the control device 1 moves upward, and the wide-angle camera 17 and the binocular vision camera 18 are in a raised state, so that a larger space visual observation can be performed;

[0052] Step 4: When you come to a turning point, Figure 4As shown, the front soft robot arm 4 is first swung left and right, and the front drive device 2 is used to transfer and rotate to the corresponding cable trench position. When the control device 1 passes the turning point, the rear soft robot arm 5 is swung left and right, and the rear drive device 3 is used to transfer and rotate to the corresponding cable trench position. Similarly, any of the above steps can be repeated to enable the robot to transfer and complete the inspection operation;

[0053] Step 5: When you reach the second turning point, Figure 6 As shown, the robot is in the inchworm motion state, and the front drive device 2 and the rear drive device 3 rotate in opposite directions, and the robot can also turn in place;

[0054] Step 6: When encountering an obstacle, Figure 7 As shown, the front soft robotic arm 4 drives the front driving device 2 to bend upward, so that the front half of the robot can cross the obstacle. At the same time, the robot performs an inchworm movement to control the device to cross the obstacle, so as to achieve the back half. At the same time, the rear soft robotic arm 5 drives the rear driving device 3 to bend upward, so that the back half of the robot can cross the obstacle.

[0055] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of technicians in the relevant technical field without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot, comprising a control device (1), the control device (1) visually observing the interior of the cable trench; Features: A front drive device (2) and a rear drive device (3) are arranged on both sides of the control device (1), and the front drive device (2) and the rear drive device (3) cooperate to perform an overall moving operation; A front soft mechanical arm (4) and a rear soft mechanical arm (5) are arranged on both sides of the control device (1) and between the front drive device (2) and the rear drive device (3). The front soft mechanical arm (4) and the rear soft mechanical arm (5) cooperate to lift and lower the control device (1). The front soft mechanical arm (4) and the rear soft mechanical arm (5) drive the front drive device (2) and the rear drive device (3) to swing in a dispersed manner, thereby driving the control device (1) to perform a turning operation.

2. The bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control device (1) comprises a control housing (11), a main control board (12), a motor control board (13), a power supply lithium battery (14), a voltage conversion module (15) and a wireless module (16); the main control board (12) is fixedly mounted inside the control housing (11); the motor control board (13) is fixedly mounted at a lower side of the main control board (12); the power supply lithium battery (14) is fixedly mounted at a lower side of the control housing (11); the voltage conversion module (15) is fixedly mounted at a side of the power supply lithium battery (14); and the wireless module (16) is fixedly mounted at an upper side of the main control board (12).

3. The bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front drive device (2) comprises a drive housing (21), a driving wheel (22), a driven wheel (23), and a drive motor (24); the driving wheel (22) is arranged at a side position of the drive housing (21), the driven wheel (23) is arranged at the other side position of the drive housing (21), and the drive motor (24) is fixedly mounted at an inner position of the drive housing (21).

4. The bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control device (1) further comprises a wide-angle camera (17) and a binocular vision camera (18), wherein the wide-angle camera (17) is fixedly mounted on the upper side of the control housing (11), and the binocular vision camera (18) is fixedly mounted on the side of the control housing (11), and the installation direction of the wide-angle camera (17) and the binocular vision camera (18) is consistent with the walking direction of the robot; The front drive device (2) further comprises a laser radar (25), and the laser radar (25) is fixedly mounted on the upper side of the drive housing (21).

5. The bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The internal component arrangement of the rear drive device (3) is the same as that of the front drive device (2), except that the driving wheels (22) inside the front drive device (2) and the rear drive device (3) are arranged in a diagonal position, and the driving motors (24) inside the front drive device (2) and the rear drive device (3) are arranged in a diagonal position in coordination with the driving wheels (22).

6. The bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: One end of the front soft robotic arm (4) is connected to the position of the front drive device (2), one end of the rear soft robotic arm (5) is connected to the position of the rear drive device (3), and the other ends of the front soft robotic arm (4) and the rear soft robotic arm (5) are respectively connected to the position of the control device (1).

7. The bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The control device (1), the front drive device (2), the rear drive device (3), the front soft robotic arm (4) and the rear soft robotic arm (5) are sealedly connected to each other; the cables of the internal components of the front drive device (2) and the rear drive device (3) are connected to the internal control components of the control device (1) through the hollow parts of the front soft robotic arm (4) and the rear soft robotic arm (5); the front soft robotic arm (4) and the rear soft robotic arm (5) have more than three swingable degrees of freedom.

8. A method for implementing the bionic inchworm cable trench inspection robot according to claim 7, comprising the following steps: The first step is to place the robot in a position inside the cable trench, and the driving motor (24) inside the front driving device (2) and the rear driving device (3) drives the driving wheel (22) to rotate for active driving, and the driven wheel (23) cooperates with the driving wheel (22) to rotate itself for passive driving, thereby completing the overall movement of the robot; The second step is to ensure linear movement when the moving space is small, and to use the wide-angle camera (17) and binocular vision camera (18) to perform visual inspection without blind spots and conduct patrol operations inside the cable trench; In the third step, when the moving space is large, the front soft mechanical arm (4) and the rear soft mechanical arm (5) are swung upward, the control device (1) can be lifted and moved upward, and the wide-angle camera (17) and the binocular vision camera (18) can be closer to the position to be detected for visual observation; Specifically, the robot performs an inchworm movement, the proximal front soft mechanical arm (4) and the rear soft mechanical arm (5) connected to the front driving device (2) and the rear driving device (3) are in a horizontal state, the proximal front soft mechanical arm (4) and the rear soft mechanical arm (5) connected to the control device (1) are in a downward bending state, the front driving device (2) and the rear driving device (3) are in a stationary state, and the other is rotating toward the control device (1), the control device (1) moves upward, and the wide-angle camera (17) and the binocular vision camera (18) are in a raised state, so that visual observation of a larger space can be performed; In the fourth step, when encountering a turning point, the front soft robot arm (4) first swings left and right, and the front drive device (2) transfers and rotates to the corresponding cable trench position. When the control device (1) passes the turning point, the rear soft robot arm (5) swings left and right, and the rear drive device (3) transfers and rotates to the corresponding cable trench position. Similarly, any of the above steps can be repeated to enable the robot to transfer and complete the inspection operation. Step 5: When encountering the second turning point, the robot is in the inchworm motion state, and the front drive device (2) and the rear drive device (3) rotate in opposite directions, so that the robot can also turn in place; The sixth step is that when encountering an obstacle crossing state, the front soft robot arm (4) drives the front drive device (2) to bend upwards, so that the front half of the robot can cross the obstacle. At the same time, the robot performs an inchworm movement to control the obstacle crossing device, so as to achieve the back half. At the same time, the rear soft robot arm (5) drives the rear drive device (3) to bend upwards, so that the back half of the robot can cross the obstacle.

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