Supporting movement assembly and parasol wing peristaltic pipeline robot

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of pipeline robots, and discloses a supporting movement assembly and a parasol wing peristaltic pipeline robot, the supporting movement assembly comprises a shell, a supporting device and a peristaltic device, the supporting device comprises a first stator coil, a first rotor, a hollow lead screw and a threaded sleeve which are coaxially arranged, and the supporting device further comprises a plurality of swing mechanisms; the wriggling device comprises a second stator coil, a second rotor, a central pipe, a central shaft, a connector, an electromagnetic coil and a limiting plate which are coaxially arranged, and the supporting movement assembly can be clamped and fixed in the pipeline and has a telescopic function and a function of driving the connector to rotate; the parasol wing peristaltic pipeline robot comprises two supporting movement assemblies and a bending assembly, the bending assembly comprises a bending part, turning mechanisms are arranged at the two ends of the bending part, the two connectors are connected with the two turning mechanisms respectively, and the parasol wing peristaltic pipeline robot can smoothly pass through the multi-way connector position of a multi-way pipe network and actively steer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of pipeline robots, and particularly to a support motion component and a parachute-wing peristaltic pipeline robot. Background Art

[0002] In industrial application fields such as metallurgy, petroleum, and biochemistry, pipelines are mostly used for material transportation. With long-term operation, scaling, corrosion, etc. will inevitably occur on the inner wall of the pipeline. To prevent pipeline leakage and ensure production safety, it is necessary to regularly detect and repair the pipeline. A pipeline robot is a device that can automatically walk along the inside of the pipeline, and it can carry a variety of sensors to detect the inner wall of the pipeline.

[0003] Most of the existing pipeline robots are only suitable for walking in single-line pipelines such as straight pipelines and pipelines with elbows. However, in actual pipe networks, there are often situations of multi-way pipelines such as three-way and four-way pipelines. In multi-way pipelines, the existing pipeline robots are difficult to pass through the multi-way joint positions and cannot turn autonomously. In response to this, we have developed a micro-wheel pipeline robot (application number: 202510502610.X), which includes a bending component, and walking units are connected to both ends of the bending component. Each walking unit includes two gear train components. The micro-wheel pipeline robot includes a total of four gear train components. By the paired movement of the gear train components and the movement of the bending component, it can smoothly pass through the multi-way joint positions and actively turn in the multi-way pipeline.

[0004] This micro-wheel pipeline robot meets the usage requirements of most application scenarios. However, when there are relatively serious scaling, corrosion, etc. in the pipeline, there are a large number of uneven areas on the inner wall of the pipeline. In such application scenarios, the movement actions of this micro-wheel pipeline robot are difficult to accurately control. The reason is that in the drive control of this wheel structure form, the McNaughton wheel principle is used. After decomposing the forces acting on the positions of each walking wheel, the component forces in different directions are synthesized and offset according to mechanics to perform motion control. This wheel structure can maintain control accuracy when the inner wall of the pipeline is relatively flat. However, if there are a large number of uneven areas on the inner wall of the pipeline, when a certain gear train component passes through these areas, the forces acting on each walking wheel are different and change irregularly. The micro-wheel pipeline robot walking in such a pipeline is similar to a McNaughton wheel four-wheeler driving on a rough road surface and cannot accurately control the movement process.

[0005] Existing pipeline robots generally have two types of structures: peristaltic and wheeled. For the structure of a peristaltic pipeline robot, reference can be made to the Chinese patent "A Peristaltic Pipeline Inspection Robot" (Application No.: CN201910839637.2). Generally, support mechanisms are arranged at both ends of the robot, and a telescopic mechanism is arranged in the middle of the robot. The peristaltic process of the pipeline robot with a peristaltic structure in the pipeline is as follows: First, the support mechanism at the front end is opened outward to tightly press against the inner wall of the pipeline, and then the support mechanism at the rear end is retracted. The pipeline robot is supported by the support mechanism at the front end; then the telescopic mechanism acts to move the rear support mechanism a set distance in the direction close to the front support mechanism; then the support mechanism at the rear end is opened outward to tightly press against the inner wall of the pipeline, and then the support mechanism at the front end is retracted. The pipeline robot is supported by the support mechanism at the rear end; then the telescopic mechanism acts to move the front support mechanism a set distance in the direction away from the rear support mechanism; repeating the above actions realizes the axial movement of the peristaltic pipeline robot in the pipeline. Since the support mechanism in the peristaltic pipeline robot is only used for the fixed support and positioning of the pipeline robot in the pipeline, and its axial movement process is controlled by the telescopic mechanism and is not restricted by the inner wall environment of the pipeline. Compared with the wheeled pipeline robot, the peristaltic pipeline robot is more suitable for use when the inner wall of the pipeline is uneven and can achieve accurate control.

[0006] However, the existing peristaltic pipeline robot structure is mostly used in straight pipelines and is difficult to be applied to multi-way pipelines. The main difficulty lies in that when used in multi-way pipelines, on the one hand, it is required that the pipeline robot has the ability of large-stroke peristalsis and has good passability at the multi-way joint position; on the other hand, it is required that the rigid structure at the end of the pipeline robot has sufficiently small axial and radial dimensions and has good bending ability at the multi-way joint position. In the existing peristaltic pipeline robot structure, the front support mechanism, the telescopic mechanism, and the rear support mechanism are three independent structures connected in sequence, making the overall and each part of the peristaltic pipeline robot have longer axial dimensions and it is difficult to meet the above two requirements at the same time. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a support motion component and an umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is achieved by the following technical solutions: A support motion component, comprising a housing, a support device and a peristaltic device; the support device includes a first stator coil, a first rotor, a lead screw, and a threaded sleeve coaxially arranged. The first stator coil is fixedly arranged in the housing, the first rotor is adaptively arranged in the first stator coil, one end of the lead screw is rotatably arranged in the housing, the first rotor is fixedly connected to the lead screw, the threaded sleeve is threadedly connected to the end of the lead screw away from the housing. The support device further includes a plurality of swing mechanisms, and the plurality of swing mechanisms are circumferentially and evenly distributed along the axis of the lead screw. The swing mechanism includes a first swing arm and a limit pin. The first swing arm is coplanar with the lead screw. One end of the first swing arm is rotatably connected to the threaded sleeve. A chute is formed on the first swing arm, and the limit pin is slidably arranged in the chute. The limit pin is fixedly connected to one end of the housing. The peristaltic device includes a second stator coil, a second rotor, a central tube, a central shaft, a connector, an electromagnetic coil and a limit plate. The lead screw is of a hollow structure. One end of the central tube is coaxially arranged in the lead screw, and the other end of the central tube is rotatably connected to the housing. The second rotor is fixedly sleeved on the central tube. The second stator coil is fixedly arranged in the housing, and the second rotor is adaptively arranged in the second stator coil. A spiral cam groove is machined on the inner wall of the central tube. One end of the central shaft is slidably arranged in the central tube. A dial is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the end of the central shaft located in the central tube. The dial is slidably adapted to the cam groove. The end of the central shaft away from the central tube is fixedly connected to the connector. The connector is located outside the end of the housing away from the lead screw. The connector is rotatably connected to the limit plate. The electromagnetic coil is used to fix the connector and the limit plate to each other. The limit plate is slidably connected to the housing. The support motion component can be clamped and fixed in the pipeline through the support device, and the telescopic action can be realized through the peristaltic device. The telescopic action has a large telescopic stroke, and when it is shortened to the shortest state, the whole support motion component has small axial and radial dimensions. The peristaltic device can also drive the connector to rotate.

[0009] Further, the swing mechanism further includes a second swing arm and a clamping head. One end of the second swing arm is rotatably connected to the threaded sleeve. The other end of the second swing arm and the end of the first swing arm away from the threaded sleeve are both rotatably connected to the clamping head. The first swing arm, the second swing arm, the threaded sleeve and the clamping head form a parallelogram mechanism. When clamping and fixing, each swing mechanism opens outwards to drive the clamping head to move parallel until the clamping head presses tightly against the inner wall of the pipeline. At this time, there is a large pressing contact area between the clamping head and the inner wall of the pipeline, which is beneficial to maintaining the stability of the clamping and fixing state.

[0010] Specifically, the clamping head is made of rubber material. The swinging mechanism further includes a connecting rod, and both ends of the connecting rod are rotatably connected to the rod bodies of the first swing arm and the second swing arm respectively. The connecting rod, the first swing arm, the second swing arm and the threaded sleeve form a parallelogram mechanism.

[0011] Specifically, the peristaltic device further includes a plurality of guide rods, the guide rods are parallel to the lead screw, the guide rods are slidably connected to the housing, one end of the guide rod is fixedly connected to the limiting plate, and the plurality of guide rods are circumferentially distributed along the axis of the lead screw.

[0012] An umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot includes two aforementioned support and movement components, and further includes a bending component. The bending component includes a bending part and two turning mechanisms. The turning mechanism includes a connecting plate and a driving element. One end of the connecting plate is rotatably connected to the bending part, and the driving element is used to drive the connecting plate to swing around the bending part. The two turning mechanisms are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the bending part. One end of the two connecting plates away from the bending part is respectively fixedly connected to the ends of the two connecting heads. The two connecting plates can swing to make the two lead screws coaxial. The bending component and the two support and movement components cooperate to enable the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot to actively turn in a multi-way pipe network.

[0013] Furthermore, first limiting parts are arranged at both ends of the bending part. The first limiting parts are used to limit the two connecting plates when the two lead screws are coaxial. The driving element includes a first SMA spring and a first torsion spring. The first torsion spring is used to provide an elastic force that makes the connecting plate swing towards the first limiting part. Both ends of the first SMA spring are connected to the bending part and the connecting plate respectively. Energizing the first SMA spring can make the connecting plate swing away from the first limiting part, thereby enabling the driving of the bending action during active turning.

[0014] Specifically, the bending part includes a central block and two connecting blocks. The two connecting blocks are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the central block. Both ends of the connecting block are rotatably connected to the central block and the connecting plate respectively. The first limiting part is arranged at one end of the connecting block close to the connecting plate. A second limiting part is further arranged at one end of the connecting block close to the central block. The second limiting part is used to limit when the included angle between the connecting block and the central block is 180 degrees. The driving element further includes a second SMA spring and a second torsion spring. The second torsion spring is used to provide an elastic force that makes the central block swing towards the second limiting part. Both ends of the second SMA spring are connected to the connecting block and the central block respectively. The second SMA spring can make the central block swing away from the second limiting part. Energizing each of the first SMA spring and the second SMA spring successively can achieve segmented control of the bending angle.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The support and movement assembly includes a housing, a support device, and a peristaltic device. The support device includes a first stator coil, a first rotor, a lead screw, and a threaded sleeve coaxially arranged. The support device further includes a plurality of swing mechanisms. Energizing the first stator coil can drive the first rotor and the lead screw to rotate, and then drive the threaded sleeve to move axially along the lead screw. When the threaded sleeve moves axially, it can drive the swing mechanisms to synchronously expand outward or contract inward. The swing mechanisms are circumferentially distributed. When the swing mechanisms expand outward to abut against the inner wall of the pipeline, it is similar to the principle of an internal chuck, and the support and movement assembly can be clamped and fixed in the pipeline and positioned so that the lead screw is coaxial with the pipeline. The peristaltic device includes a second stator coil, a second rotor, a central tube, a central shaft, a connector, an electromagnetic coil, and a limiting plate. The lead screw is of a hollow structure. One end of the central tube is coaxially arranged inside the lead screw, and the other end of the central tube is rotatably connected to the housing. The second rotor is fixedly sleeved on the central tube. Energizing the second stator coil can drive the second rotor and the central tube to rotate. The inner wall of the central tube is machined with a spiral cam groove. One end of the central shaft is slidably arranged inside the central tube. An outer wall of the end of the central shaft located inside the central tube is fixedly connected with a dial block, and the dial block is slidably matched with the cam groove. The end of the central shaft away from the central tube is fixedly connected with the connector, and the connector is rotatably connected to the limiting plate. The electromagnetic coil is used to fix the connector and the limiting plate to each other, and the limiting plate is slidably connected to the housing. When the electromagnetic coil is energized, the connector and the limiting plate are fixed to each other. At this time, the rotational freedom of the central shaft is restricted, and the central shaft and the central tube form a structure similar to a cylindrical cam. When the central tube rotates, it can drive the central shaft, the connector, and the limiting plate to move axially. Reflected on the support and movement assembly, it is the overall axial expansion and contraction. When the electromagnetic coil is de-energized, the connector and the limiting plate can rotate relative to each other. At this time, by applying an external force to restrict the axial freedom of the central shaft, the rotation of the central tube can drive the central shaft and the connector to rotate together. Generally speaking, the support and movement assembly can be clamped and fixed in the pipeline and has the functions of expansion and contraction and driving the connector to rotate. In the specific design, a structure similar to a cylindrical cam is adopted, making full use of the internal space of the lead screw, so that the support and movement assembly has a large expansion and contraction stroke and has small axial and radial dimensions when shortened to the shortest.

[0016] The umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot includes a bending component and two aforementioned supporting and moving components. The bending component includes a bending part and two turning mechanisms. Each turning mechanism includes a connecting plate and a driving element. One end of the connecting plate is rotatably connected to the bending part, and the driving element is used to drive the connecting plate to swing around the bending part. The two turning mechanisms are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the bending part. The ends of the two connecting plates away from the bending part are respectively fixedly connected to the ends of two connecting heads. The two connecting plates can swing to make the two lead screws coaxial. According to the above, the supporting and moving components can be clamped and fixed in the pipeline and can be telescopic. The coordinated action of the two supporting and moving components can enable the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot to axially creep forward in the pipeline, and its forward process is not restricted by the inner wall environment of the pipeline. The supporting and moving components can also drive the connecting heads to rotate. Furthermore, the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot can adjust the orientation of the bending component in the state of being supported at both ends. Since both supporting and moving components have a large telescopic stroke and have small axial and radial dimensions when shortened to the shortest, and the bending component can achieve active turning control through the driving element, the coordinated action of the two supporting and moving components and the bending component can enable the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot to smoothly pass through and actively turn at the multi-way joint positions of the multi-way pipe network. Description of the Drawings

[0017] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a supporting and moving component of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a supporting and moving component in the unfolded state of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of a supporting and moving component in the retracted state of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of an umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot when walking axially of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of an umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot when turning of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a bending component in an umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot of the present invention; In the figure, 1 - housing, 2 - first stator coil, 3 - first rotor, 4 - lead screw, 5 - threaded sleeve, 6 - first swing arm, 7 - limit pin, 8 - chute, 9 - second stator coil, 10 - second rotor, 11 - central tube, 12 - central shaft, 13 - connecting head, 14 - electromagnetic coil, 15 - limit plate, 16 - cam groove, 17 - second swing arm, 18 - clamping head, 19 - connecting rod, 20 - guide rod, 21 - connecting plate, 22 - first SMA spring, 23 - first torsion spring, 24 - central block, 25 - connecting block, 26 - second SMA spring, 27 - second torsion spring. Detailed Embodiment

[0018] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description.

[0019] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, a support motion assembly includes a housing 1, a support device, and a peristaltic device.

[0020] The support device includes a first stator coil 2, a first rotor 3, a lead screw 4, and a threaded sleeve 5 coaxially arranged. The first stator coil 2 is fixedly arranged in the housing 1, and the first rotor 3 is adaptively arranged in the first stator coil 2. When the first stator coil 2 is energized, the first rotor 3 can be driven to rotate, and the rotation direction of the first rotor 3 can be adjusted by changing the direction of the energizing current. One end of the lead screw 4 is rotatably arranged in the housing 1 (in implementation, the lead screw 4 and the housing 1 are assembled and connected through a bearing), and the first rotor 3 is fixedly connected to the lead screw 4. When the first rotor 3 rotates, the lead screw 4 can be driven to rotate. The threaded sleeve 5 is threadedly connected to the end of the lead screw 4 away from the housing 1. The support device further includes a plurality of swing mechanisms, and the swing mechanisms are circumferentially distributed along the axis of the lead screw 4. The swing mechanism includes a first swing arm 6 and a limit pin 7. The first swing arm 6 is arranged coplanar with the lead screw 4 so that the extension line of the center line of the first swing arm 6 intersects with the axis of the lead screw 4. One end of the first swing arm 6 is rotatably connected to the threaded sleeve 5. A chute 8 is formed on the first swing arm 6, and the limit pin 7 is slidably arranged in the chute 8. The limit pin 7 is fixedly connected to one end of the housing 1. In the above structure, the threaded sleeve 5 is restricted from rotating by a plurality of swing mechanisms. The threaded sleeve 5 and the lead screw 4 form a lead screw-nut mechanism. When the lead screw 4 rotates, the threaded sleeve 5 can be driven to move axially along the lead screw 4. When the threaded sleeve 5 moves axially, one end of the first swing arm 6 can be driven to move together. Since the first swing arm 6 is restricted by the chute 8 and the limit pin 7, the first swing arm 6 also makes a swinging motion around the threaded sleeve 5 when moving axially with the threaded sleeve 5. That is, when the threaded sleeve 5 moves axially along the lead screw 4, the end of the first swing arm 6 away from the threaded sleeve 5 shows outward (away from the axis of the lead screw 4) opening or inward (towards the axis of the lead screw 4) convergence.

[0021] The above-mentioned supporting device is used to clamp and fix the supporting moving component in the pipeline and position it. When in use: First, energize the first stator coil 2 to drive the first rotor 3 and the lead screw 4 to rotate. Then, under the action of the lead screw-nut mechanism, drive the threaded sleeve 5 to move away from the housing 1, thereby driving the end of each first swing arm 6 away from the threaded sleeve 5 to converge inward until the radial distance between it and the axis of the lead screw 4 is less than the radius of the pipeline. Then, insert the supporting moving component into the pipeline and hold the housing 1 to restrict the rotation of the housing 1. Then, energize the first stator coil 2 in the reverse direction to drive the threaded sleeve 5 to move towards the housing 1, pushing the end of each first swing arm 6 away from the threaded sleeve 5 to open outward. Since the first swing arms 6 are evenly distributed in a circle, when each first swing arm 6 opens outward synchronously, it is similar to the principle of an internal chuck. When the end of each first swing arm 6 away from the threaded sleeve 5 abuts against the inner wall of the pipeline, the clamping and fixing of the supporting moving component in the pipeline is completed, and the lead screw 4 is kept coaxial with the pipeline in the clamped and fixed state. During the clamping and fixing process, since both the lead screw-nut mechanism and each swing mechanism are rigid transmissions, stable clamping and fixing and accurate positioning can be ensured under the continuous drive of the first stator coil 2 and the first rotor 3. Since the lead screw-nut mechanism has a self-locking characteristic, after the clamping and fixing is completed, stopping the power supply to the first stator coil 2 can lock the positioning position. At this time, the supporting device and the housing 1 can be regarded as a rigid integral structure. In the clamped and fixed state, hold the housing 1 to restrict its rotation, and energize the first stator coil 2 to make the threaded sleeve 5 move away from the housing 1, which can drive the end of each first swing arm 6 away from the threaded sleeve 5 to converge inward, thereby releasing the clamped and fixed state.

[0022] The peristaltic device includes a second stator coil 9, a second rotor 10, a central tube 11, a central shaft 12, a connector 13, an electromagnetic coil 14, and a limiting plate 15 that are coaxially arranged. The aforementioned lead screw 4 has a hollow structure. One end of the central tube 11 is coaxially arranged inside the lead screw 4. In the overall structure of the supporting moving component, the first stator coil 2, the first rotor 3, the lead screw 4, the threaded sleeve 5, the second stator coil 9, the second rotor 10, the central tube 11, the central shaft 12, the connector 13, the electromagnetic coil 14, and the limiting plate 15 are all coaxially arranged. The end of the central tube 11 away from the lead screw 4 passes through the end of the lead screw 4 and is rotatably connected to the housing 1 (in practice, the central tube 11 and the housing 1 are assembled and connected through a bearing). The second rotor 10 is fixedly sleeved on the central tube 11. The second stator coil 9 is fixedly arranged inside the housing 1. The second rotor 10 is adaptively arranged inside the second stator coil 9. When the second stator coil 9 is energized, it can drive the second rotor 10 to rotate, and then drive the central tube 11 to rotate. Changing the direction of the energizing current can adjust the rotation direction of the second rotor 10 and the central tube 11.

[0023] A spiral cam groove 16 is machined on the inner wall of the central tube 11. One end of the central shaft 12 is slidably arranged inside the central tube 11. A block is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the end of the central shaft 12 located inside the central tube 11. The block is slidably adapted to the cam groove 16. The end of the central shaft 12 away from the central tube 11 is fixedly connected to the connector 13. The connector 13 is located outside one end of the housing 1 away from the lead screw 4. The connector 13 is rotatably connected to the limit plate 15. The electromagnetic coil 14 is sleeved on one end of the connector 13 and fixedly connected to the limit plate 15. The limit plate 15 is slidably connected to the housing 1. When the electromagnetic coil 14 is energized, the connector 13 and the limit plate 15 are fixedly connected as a whole by magnetic force. Since the limit plate 15 is slidably connected to the housing 1, when the rotational freedom of the housing 1 is restricted, the rotational freedoms of the connector 13 and the central shaft 12 are also restricted. At this time, the central shaft 12, the block and the central tube 11 form a cylindrical cam mechanism. When the central tube 11 rotates, it can drive the cam groove 16 to rotate. The cam groove 16 can apply a thrust to the block to drive the axial movement of the central shaft 12, and further drive the axial movement of the connector 13 and the limit plate 15. At this time, the entire support movement assembly shows a telescopic action. Since this telescopic action is driven by the cylindrical cam mechanism composed of the central tube 11 and the central shaft 12, accurate control of the telescopic distance can be achieved, and self-locking can be realized when the central tube 11 stops rotating. When the electromagnetic coil 14 is de-energized, the connector 13 and the limit plate 15 can rotate freely. At this time, if a certain axial thrust (or axial resistance) is applied to the central shaft 12, the block can be pressed against the side wall of the cam groove 16. In this state, the connector 13, the central shaft 12, the central tube 11, and the second rotor 10 can be regarded as an integral structure. When the rotational freedom of the housing 1 is restricted and the second stator coil 9 is energized, the second rotor 10, the central tube 11, the central shaft 12, and the connector 13 can be driven to rotate together.

[0024] According to the above, the support movement assembly can be clamped, fixed and positioned in the pipeline through the support device. Through the peristaltic device, on the one hand, it can telescopically as a whole, that is, drive the connector 13 to axially move relative to the lead screw 4, and on the other hand, it can drive the connector 13 to rotate. It should be understood that as an embodiment, the support movement assembly can be used alone as a fixed-point detection device based on the pipeline for installation. In the specific structural design of the support movement assembly, the first stator coil 2, the first rotor 3, the second stator coil 9, and the second rotor 10 adopt the design concept of frameless motors, which is beneficial to making the structure of the housing 1 compact and the radial dimension small. The lead screw 4 is processed into a hollow structure, and one end of the central tube 11 is arranged inside the lead screw 4, which can make full use of the axial dimension space of the lead screw 4, not only enabling the support movement assembly to have a large telescopic distance (that is, the connector 13 has a large peristaltic stroke relative to the lead screw 4), but also as Figure 3 shown, making the axial dimension of the entire support movement assembly small in the retracted state, especially suitable for use in pipeline robots in multi-way pipe networks (see the embodiment of the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot described later).

[0025] Further, the swing mechanism further includes a second swing arm 17 and a clamping head 18. One end of the second swing arm 17 is rotatably connected to the threaded sleeve 5, and the other end of the second swing arm 17 and the end of the first swing arm 6 away from the threaded sleeve 5 are both rotatably connected to the clamping head 18. The first swing arm 6, the second swing arm 17, the threaded sleeve 5 and the clamping head 18 form a parallelogram mechanism. With the structural design of the parallelogram mechanism, when each swing mechanism expands outward, the clamping head 18 can always be kept parallel to the axis of the threaded sleeve 5. When clamping and fixing, each swing mechanism expands to press the clamping head 18 against the inner wall of the pipeline, having a relatively large pressing contact area, and having better stability compared to the way that the end of the first swing arm 6 away from the threaded sleeve 5 directly contacts and presses against the inner wall of the pipeline at a point.

[0026] Further, the clamping head 18 is made of rubber material, which has certain elastic deformation characteristics and can also maintain the stability of clamping and fixing when the inner wall of the pipeline is uneven. To make up for the influence of the insufficient rigidity of the clamping head 18 on the movement of the aforementioned parallelogram mechanism, the swing mechanism further includes a connecting rod 19. The two ends of the connecting rod 19 are respectively rotatably connected to the rod body of the first swing arm 6 and the rod body of the second swing arm 17. The connecting rod 19, the first swing arm 6, the second swing arm 17 and the threaded sleeve 5 form a new parallelogram mechanism to always keep the clamping head 18 parallel to the axis of the threaded sleeve 5 when each swing mechanism expands outward.

[0027] Further, the peristaltic device further includes a plurality of guide rods 20. The guide rods 20 are parallel to the lead screw 4. The guide rods 20 are slidably connected to the housing 1. One end of the guide rod 20 is fixedly connected to the limiting plate 15. The plurality of guide rods 20 are circumferentially and evenly distributed along the axis of the lead screw 4. Thus, the limiting plate 15 realizes the sliding connection with the housing 1 through the guide rods 20. The circumferentially and evenly distributed guide rods 20 and the limiting plate 15 also form a cage structure, which is beneficial to maintaining the structural rigidity when supporting the telescopic movement of the moving component. As Figure 3 shown, when in the retracted state, the front end of the guide rod 20 can extend to the front end position of the lead screw 4, further making full use of the space, so that the entire supporting moving component has sufficiently small axial and radial dimensions in the retracted state.

[0028] During specific implementation, as Figure 1 shown, for the convenience of assembly, the housing 1 is designed in the form of two casings. One end of the first stator coil 2, the first rotor 3, and the lead screw 4 is assembled in one casing, and one end of the second stator coil 9, the second rotor 10, and the central tube 11 is assembled in the other casing. The ends of the two casings are connected by a flange. It should be understood that when docking through the flange, a plurality of hole positions are circumferentially and evenly distributed on the flange. In this embodiment, these hole positions are divided into two groups. Bolts are installed in one group of hole positions to complete the connection of the two casings, and the above-mentioned guide rods 20 respectively pass through the hole positions of the other group to realize the sliding connection between the guide rods 20 and the housing 1.

[0029] As shown Figures 4 to 6 in the figure, a winged peristaltic pipeline robot includes two aforementioned support motion components, and further includes a bending component. The bending component includes a bending part and two turning mechanisms. The turning mechanism includes a connecting plate 21 and a driving element. One end of the connecting plate 21 is rotatably connected to the bending part. The driving element is used to drive the connecting plate 21 to swing around the bending part. The two turning mechanisms are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the bending part. One ends of the two connecting plates 21 far from the bending part are respectively fixedly connected to the ends of the two connecting heads 13. The two connecting plates 21 can swing to a position where the two lead screws 4 are coaxial.

[0030] This winged peristaltic pipeline robot can be used in multi-way pipelines. As Figure 4 shown for convenience of description, assume Figure 4 the left side in the figure is the front. Name the support motion component on the left side in Figure 4 the front-end component, and name the support motion component on the right side in Figure 4 the back-end component. In the preparation stage, both the front-end component and the back-end component are adjusted to the Figure 3 contracted state shown in the figure, and the two lead screws 4 are adjusted to be coaxial through the driving element. Then, this winged peristaltic pipeline robot is inserted into one of the pipelines of the multi-way pipeline. Keep the electromagnetic coils 14 of the front-end component and the back-end component in the energized state. Under the action of the electromagnetic coil 14 of the back-end component, relative rotation between the housing 1, the limiting plate 15, the connecting head 13, and the central shaft 12 of the back-end component is impossible. Under the action of the electromagnetic coil 14 of the front-end component, relative rotation between the housing 1, the limiting plate 15, the connecting head 13, and the central shaft 12 of the front-end component is impossible. The process of the winged peristaltic pipeline robot moving straight in the multi-way pipeline is as follows: S1. The support device of the back-end component expands to tightly press against the inner wall of the pipeline (specific operation: by holding and other means to restrict the rotation of the housing 1, energize the first stator coil 2 of the back-end component, drive each first swing arm 6 of the back-end component to expand outwards until the end of each first swing arm 6 of the back-end component far from the threaded sleeve 5 tightly presses against the inner wall of the pipeline, then stop energizing the first stator coil 2 of the back-end component). At this time, this winged peristaltic pipeline robot is clamped and fixed at the inner axis position of the pipeline by the back-end component. In this clamped and fixed state, the housing 1 of the back-end component is directly restricted by each first swing arm 6 and cannot rotate. Since the two connecting heads 13 are connected by a bending component and have no rotational freedom, the rotational freedom of the housing 1 of the front-end component is also restricted in this clamped state.

[0031] S2. The rear-end component axially extends by a set peristaltic distance (specific operation: energize the second stator coil 9 of the rear-end component to drive the central tube 11 of the rear-end component to rotate. At this time, since the central shaft 12 of the rear-end component cannot rotate, it can further drive the central shaft 12 of the rear-end component to axially move, push the connector 13 of the rear-end component forward, and increase the distance between the connector 13 and the lead screw 4 in the rear-end component), and push the bending component and the front-end component forward. Since a cylindrical cam mechanism is formed between the central tube 11 and the central shaft 12, the axial movement distance of the central shaft 12 can be accurately controlled when the central tube 11 rotates, and self-locking can be formed when the central tube 11 stops rotating. When the rear-end component extends to the set length, the second stator coil 9 of the rear-end component stops being energized.

[0032] S3. The front-end component axially extends (specific operation: energize the second stator coil 9 of the front-end component to drive the central tube 11 of the front-end component to rotate. At this time, since the guide rod 20, the limiting plate 15, the central shaft 12, and the connector 13 of the front-end component are connected to the rear-end component through the bending component and cannot axially move and rotate, that is, the position of the block on the central shaft 12 of the front-end component is fixed. When the central tube 11 of the front-end component rotates, it can push the central tube 11 to axially move forward under the action of the block on the central shaft 12 of the front-end component. Since the central tube 11 is rotatably connected to the housing 1 through a bearing, when the central tube 11 of the front-end component axially moves, it can further drive the housing 1 and the support device of the front-end component to move forward. At this time, the distance between the lead screw 4 and the connector 13 in the front-end component increases), and when the front-end component extends to the set length, the second stator coil 9 of the front-end component stops being energized.

[0033] S4. The support device of the front-end component expands to tightly press against the inner wall of the pipeline (specific operation: energize the first stator coil 2 of the front-end component to drive each first swing arm 6 of the front-end component to expand outwards until the end of each first swing arm 6 of the front-end component that is far from the threaded sleeve 5 tightly presses against the inner wall of the pipeline, and then stop energizing the first stator coil 2 of the front-end component). At this time, the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is jointly supported at the inner axis position of the pipeline by the front-end component and the rear-end component.

[0034] S5. The support device of the rear-end component retracts inwards (specific operation: reverse-energize the first stator coil 2 of the rear-end component to drive each first swing arm 6 of the rear-end component to retract inwards until the end of each first swing arm 6 of the rear-end component is far from the inner wall of the pipeline, and then stop energizing the first stator coil 2 of the rear-end component). At this time, the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is clamped and fixed at the inner axis position of the pipeline by the front-end component. It should be understood that during this process, since the front-end component remains in the clamped and fixed state on the inner wall of the pipeline, the housing 1, the limiting plate 15, the connector 13, and the central shaft 12 in the front-end component and the rear-end component cannot rotate.

[0035] S6. Axially shorten the front-end component (specific operation: reverse energize the second stator coil 9 of the front-end component to drive the central tube 11 of the front-end component to rotate in the reverse direction. At this time, since the front-end component is clamped and fixed to the pipeline through its support device, the housing 1 and the central shaft 12 of the front-end component cannot rotate. When the central tube 11 of the front-end component rotates in the reverse direction, it can drive the central shaft 12 of the front-end component to move forward, and the distance between the lead screw 4 and the connector 13 in the front-end component is shortened), and then the connector 13 of the front-end component can drive the bending component and the rear-end component as a whole to move forward until the front-end component is shortened to the set length, and then stop energizing the second stator coil 9 of the front-end component.

[0036] S7. Axially shorten the rear-end component (specific operation: reverse energize the second stator coil 9 of the rear-end component to drive the central tube 11 of the rear-end component to rotate in the reverse direction. At this time, the guide rod 20, the limit plate 15, the central shaft 12, and the connector 13 of the rear-end component are connected to the front-end component through the bending component and cannot move or rotate axially. When the central tube 11 of the rear-end component rotates in the reverse direction, it can drive the central tube 11 and the housing 1 of the rear-end component to move forward, and the distance between the lead screw 4 and the connector 13 in the rear-end component is shortened), until the rear-end component is shortened to the set length and then stop energizing the second stator coil 9 of the rear-end component.

[0037] S8. Repeat the above steps S1 to S7, and the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot can axially peristaltically travel in the pipeline.

[0038] As can be seen from the above process, the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot walks straight in the pipeline in a peristaltic manner. The support devices of the two support motion components can clamp and fix the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot stably at the pipeline axis position. Both of the two support motion components can achieve axial expansion and contraction. The peristaltic travel process of the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is not affected by the unevenness of the pipeline inner wall and can be accurately controlled. It should be noted that the above steps S2 to S3, S6 to S7 are used to control the expansion and contraction actions of the two support motion components respectively. In actual applications, steps S2 and S3 can be carried out simultaneously, and steps S6 and S7 can be carried out simultaneously; it should also be noted that the ability of both support motion components to expand and contract is designed to enable the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot to have a sufficiently large peristaltic travel distance and can smoothly pass through the multi-way joint positions of multi-way pipelines (for example, when passing straight through a multi-way joint position, since this peristaltic structure is clamped and fixed by pressing against the pipeline inner wall through the support device, and the pipeline inner wall at the bypass interface in the multi-way joint is in an open state, making it impossible to complete clamping and fixing in the multi-way joint, which requires a sufficiently large peristaltic travel distance to directly cross the multi-way joint position when passing straight through). When the peristaltic travel distance requirement is small, only one support motion component can also expand and contract, that is, steps S2 and S7 or steps S3 and S6 are cancelled in the above steps S1 to S7.

[0039] This umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot can also actively turn in a multi-way pipeline. When the front-end component is moved to the multi-way joint position by axial peristalsis in the aforementioned manner, the following steps are executed: S11. The support device of the front-end component opens, and the front-end component is clamped and fixed near the multi-way joint position in the pipeline where the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is located. At this time, the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is supported by both the front-end component and the rear-end component.

[0040] S12. Stop energizing the electromagnetic coils 14 of the front-end component and the rear-end component. Then, energize the second stator coil 9 of the front-end component or the rear-end component to rotate the central tube 11 of the front-end component or the rear-end component. Since the support devices of both the front-end component and the rear-end component are clamped and fixed on the inner wall of the pipeline, the telescopic movement of the front-end component and the rear-end component is restricted. At this time, the two central tubes 11, the two central shafts 12, the two connectors 13, and the bending component can be regarded as a rotatable integral structure. When one of the central tubes 11 rotates, it can drive the integral structure to rotate together, thereby adjusting the orientation of the bending component. When the bending component faces the direction to turn, the central tube 11 stops rotating, and the energized state of the electromagnetic coils 14 of the front-end component and the rear-end component is restored.

[0041] S13. The support device of the rear-end component retracts, and the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is supported by the front support component in the pipeline where it is located.

[0042] S14. Both the front-end component and the rear-end component axially contract to the shortest position, so that the support device of the rear-end component moves to a position close to the support device of the front-end component.

[0043] S15. The support device of the rear-end component opens, and then the support device of the front-end component retracts. The umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is supported by the rear support component in the pipeline where it is located. At this time, the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is in the state as Figure 4 shown.

[0044] S16. The rear-end component axially extends, and at the same time, the bending component drives the front-end component to bend towards the direction of the pipeline to be turned into. This bending process and the axial extension process of the rear-end component act in coordination until the front-end component turns into the new pipeline. It should be noted that in step S14, the front-end component contracts to the shortest to reduce its axial dimension, which is beneficial for the front-end component to pass through the bend. The rear-end component contracts to the shortest to have a larger peristaltic stroke to cooperate with the bending component to turn the front-end component into the new pipeline and try to push the front-end component further into the new pipeline it turns into to leave space for the rear-end component to enter the new pipeline.

[0045] S17. The front-end component axially extends to the longest position, and then the supporting device of the front-end component expands to clamp and fix the front-end device in the newly transferred pipeline. It should be noted that in this step, when the front-end component axially extends to the longest, the supporting device of the front-end component can be pushed forward a farther distance to leave a distance for the rear-end component to enter the new pipeline.

[0046] S18. The supporting device of the rear-end component contracts, so that the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot is supported by the front-end supporting component. Then, the rear-end component axially shortens to the shortest position to reduce the axial dimension for convenient bending.

[0047] S19. The front-end component axially shortens, and at the same time, the bending component drives the rear-end component to bend and reset. This bending and reset process and the axial shortening process of the front-end component act in coordination until the rear-end component is transferred into the new pipeline. It should be noted that in step S17, when the front-end component axially extends to the longest position, it also enables the front-end component to have a larger peristaltic stroke to cooperate with the bending component to transfer the rear-end component into the new pipeline.

[0048] As can be seen from the above working process, the umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot can walk along the axial direction of the pipeline in a multi-way pipeline. At the multi-way joint position, it can pass straight and can also actively turn in all directions, meeting the usage requirements in the multi-way pipeline. The umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot adopts a peristaltic walking structure, and the control accuracy of its walking process is not restricted by the flatness of the inner wall of the pipeline, and it can be used in application scenarios where the inner wall of the pipeline is uneven.

[0049] Further, as Figure 6 shown, first limiting parts are arranged at both ends of the bending part. The first limiting parts are used to limit the two connecting plates 21 when the two lead screws 4 are coaxial. The driving element includes a first SMA spring 22 and a first torsion spring 23. The first torsion spring 23 is used to provide an elastic force that swings the connecting plate 21 towards the direction close to the first limiting part. The two ends of the first SMA spring 22 are respectively connected to the bending part and the connecting plate 21. The first SMA spring 22 can swing the connecting plate 21 towards the direction away from the first limiting part. In the natural state, the elastic force provided by the first torsion spring 23 makes the connecting plate 21 abut against the first limiting part. At this time, the two lead screws 4 are coaxial, and under the action of the elastic force of the first torsion spring 23, this state maintains the necessary rigidity. The first SMA spring 22 is made of shape memory alloy material. By energizing the first SMA spring 22 to compress it, the connecting plate 21 can be driven to swing towards the direction away from the first limiting part, thereby realizing the drive of the bending process in the aforementioned step S16. When the first SMA spring 22 loses power, the elastic force of the first torsion spring 23 can drive the connecting plate 21 to swing towards the direction close to the first limiting part, thereby realizing the drive of the bending and reset process in the aforementioned step S19.

[0050] Since the bending process in the aforementioned step S16 needs to cooperate with the elongation process of the rear-end component, and the bending reset process in the aforementioned step S19 needs to cooperate with the axial shortening process of the front-end component, in specific implementation, as Figure 5 、 Figure 6 shown, the bending part includes a central block 24 and two connecting blocks 25. The two connecting blocks 25 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the central block 24. The two ends of the connecting block 25 are respectively rotatably connected to the central block 24 and the connecting plate 21. The first limiting part is arranged at one end of the connecting block 25 close to the connecting plate 21. A second limiting part is also arranged at one end of the connecting block 25 close to the central block 24. The second limiting part is used for limiting when the included angle between the connecting block 25 and the central block 24 is 180 degrees. The driving element further includes a second SMA spring 26 and a second torsion spring 27. The second torsion spring 27 is used to provide an elastic force for swinging the central block 24 towards the direction close to the second limiting part. In the natural state, the elastic force of the second torsion spring 27 abuts the central block 24 against the second limiting part, so that the included angle between the central block 24 and the connecting block 25 is 180 degrees and has a certain stiffness in this state; both ends of the second SMA spring 26 are respectively connected to the connecting block 25 and the central block 24. By energizing the second SMA spring 26, the central block 24 can be swung away from the second limiting part, so as to adjust the included angle between the central block 24 and the connecting block 25. As Figure 5 shown, when passing through a bend, each first SMA spring 22 and second SMA spring 26 are energized or de-energized successively to achieve segmented control of the bending angle, so as to facilitate coordination with the telescopic movement of the support movement component.

[0051] The above is only the preferred implementation mode of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the form disclosed herein, should not be regarded as excluding other embodiments, but can be used in various other combinations, modifications and environments, and can be changed within the scope of the concept described herein through the above teachings or the technology or knowledge in related fields. And the changes and alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A support motion assembly, characterized in that: It includes a shell, a supporting device and a peristaltic device; The supporting device comprises a coaxially arranged first stator coil, a first rotor, a screw rod, and a threaded sleeve, wherein the first stator coil is fixedly arranged in a housing, the first rotor is adapted to be arranged in the first stator coil, one end of the screw rod is rotatably arranged in the housing, the first rotor is fixedly connected to the screw rod, the threaded sleeve is threadedly connected to an end of the screw rod away from the housing, the supporting device further comprises a plurality of swing mechanisms, the plurality of swing mechanisms are evenly distributed along the circumference of the axis of the screw rod, the swing mechanism comprises a first swing arm and a limit pin, the first swing arm is coplanar with the screw rod, one end of the first swing arm is rotatably connected to the threaded sleeve, a slide groove is provided on the first swing arm, the limit pin is slidably arranged in the slide groove, and the limit pin is fixedly connected to one end of the housing; The peristaltic device includes a coaxially arranged second stator coil, a second rotor, a center tube, a center shaft, a connecting head, an electromagnetic coil and a limit plate. The screw rod is a hollow structure, one end of the center tube is coaxially arranged in the screw rod, and the other end of the center tube is rotatably connected to the shell. The second rotor is fixedly sleeved on the center tube, the second stator coil is fixedly arranged in the shell, and the second rotor is adapted to be arranged in the second stator coil. The inner wall of the center tube is processed with a spiral cam groove, one end of the center shaft is slidably arranged in the center tube, and the outer wall of the end of the center shaft located in the center tube is fixedly connected with a shift block, and the shift block is slidably adapted to the cam groove, and the end of the center shaft away from the center tube is fixedly connected to the connecting head, and the connecting head is located outside the end of the shell away from the screw rod. The connecting head is rotatably connected to the limit plate, and the electromagnetic coil is used to fix the connecting head and the limit plate to each other, and the limit plate is slidably connected to the shell.

2. A supporting motion assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swing mechanism also includes a second swing arm and a clamping head, one end of the second swing arm is rotatably connected to the threaded sleeve, the other end of the second swing arm and an end of the first swing arm away from the threaded sleeve are rotatably connected to the clamping head, and the first swing arm, the second swing arm, the threaded sleeve and the clamping head form a parallelogram mechanism.

3. A supporting motion assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping head is made of rubber material, and the swing mechanism also includes a connecting rod, the two ends of which are rotatably connected to the rod body of the first swing arm and the rod body of the second swing arm respectively, and the connecting rod, the first swing arm, the second swing arm and the threaded sleeve form a parallelogram mechanism.

4. A supporting motion assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The peristaltic device also includes a plurality of guide rods, which are parallel to the screw rod, slidably connected to the housing, one end of which is fixedly connected to the limit plate, and the plurality of guide rods are evenly distributed along the circumference of the axis of the screw rod.

5. An umbrella-wing creeping pipeline robot, characterized in that: The invention comprises two supporting movement components according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and further comprises a bending component, wherein the bending component comprises a bending portion and two turning mechanisms, The turning mechanism comprises a connecting plate and a driving element, one end of the connecting plate is rotatably connected to the bending portion, and the driving element is used to drive the connecting plate to swing around the bending portion. The two turning mechanisms are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the bending portion, and the ends of the two connecting plates away from the bending portion are fixedly connected to the ends of the two connecting heads respectively, and the two connecting plates can swing to make the two screw rods coaxial.

6. The umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The two ends of the bending portion are provided with first limiting portions, and the first limiting portions are used to limit the two connecting plates when the two screw rods are coaxial. The driving element includes a first SMA spring and a first torsion spring. The first torsion spring is used to provide an elastic force to swing the connecting plate toward the first limiting portion. The two ends of the first SMA spring are respectively connected to the bending portion and the connecting plate. The first SMA spring can swing the connecting plate toward the direction away from the first limiting portion.

7. The umbrella-wing peristaltic pipeline robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bending portion includes a central block and two connecting blocks, the two connecting blocks are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the central block, the two ends of the connecting block are rotatably connected to the central block and the connecting plate respectively, the first limiting portion is arranged at one end of the connecting block close to the connecting plate, and the end of the connecting block close to the central block is also provided with a second limiting portion, and the second limiting portion is used to limit when the angle between the connecting block and the central block is 180 degrees. The driving element also includes a second SMA spring and a second torsion spring, the second torsion spring is used to provide an elastic force to make the center block swing toward the second limiting portion, the two ends of the second SMA spring are respectively connected to the connecting block and the center block, and the second SMA spring can make the center block swing away from the second limiting portion.

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