Pipeline walking robot and obstacle crossing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a pipeline walking robot and an obstacle crossing method. The robot comprises a driving mechanism, a clamping mechanism, a robot bearing chassis and an inclination angle sensing control system, the driving mechanism and the clamping mechanism form an inverted U shape, and walking wheels are arranged on the inner side of the driving mechanism and the clamping mechanism. The driving mechanism comprises a frame body structure and a plurality of pairs of telescopic arms, and the telescopic arms are provided with driving motors to be connected with walking wheels; the clamping mechanism is provided with an adjusting arm and an adjusting wheel, and further comprises four sets of moving rails, four pairs of holding clamping arms and a holding block with a rubber layer arc-shaped notch. During obstacle crossing, the holding and clamping arm and the telescopic arm are sequentially controlled to act to cross obstacles, the deflection angle is monitored through the inclination angle sensing control system, and when the deflection angle exceeds a threshold value, the pipeline is held tightly, and the adjusting wheel is adjusted to reset. According to the robot and the obstacle crossing method, four pairs of holding and clamping arms are installed, obstacle crossing is more stable, efficiency is high, and the structure is simplified; the inclination angle sensing control system monitors in real time to guarantee safety; the obstacle crossing is stable without speed reduction, the problems that a traditional robot is poor in stability, low in obstacle crossing efficiency and the like are solved, and the obstacle crossing robot is suitable for carrying equipment outside a pipeline for operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of pipeline walking robots, in particular to a pipeline walking robot and an obstacle-crossing method. Background Art

[0002] At present, there are many designs for pipeline walking robots. Most of these robots are designed to walk inside the pipeline. For the need to carry equipment outside the pipeline, a new type of robot for walking outside the pipeline must be designed. When transporting equipment, this kind of robot must ensure stability and be convenient for installation, disassembly, and obstacle crossing on the pipeline. Traditional pipeline walking robots generally use three pairs of clamping arms. This structure requires stopping when crossing obstacles, and the middle clamping arm needs to move axially, with a slow speed and affecting the stability of the robot. Due to the complexity of the working environment, the robot may be affected by various factors during transportation. For example, when working in the wild, it may be affected by wind and may cause rollover problems, and when walking on the pipeline, there are obstacle-crossing problems when encountering obstacles such as flanges. These technical problems have caused great obstacles to actual construction and affected construction efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that the existing pipeline walking robot is slow and unstable when crossing obstacles.

[0004] To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a pipeline walking robot, including a driving mechanism, clamping mechanisms connected to both sides of the bottom of the driving mechanism, and a robot carrying chassis fixed on the top of the driving mechanism; it also includes an inclination sensing control system arranged at the front and rear ends of the robot, and the inclination sensing control system is connected to control the driving mechanism and the clamping mechanisms. The driving mechanism and the clamping mechanisms as a whole form an inverted U shape, and walking wheels in contact with the outer wall of the pipeline are arranged on the inner side.

[0005] Preferably, the driving mechanism includes a frame structure at the top. On both sides of the bottom of the frame structure, a plurality of pairs of telescopic arms are connected. Each pair of telescopic arms has no less than two and is distributed on both sides of the frame structure. The telescopic arms are arranged in pairs along the axial direction of the pipeline. Driving motors are arranged on the telescopic arms, and the driving motors are in transmission connection with the walking wheels.

[0006] Preferably, the inner side of the bottom end of the clamping mechanism is rotatably connected with an adjusting arm, and the movable end of the adjusting arm is connected with an adjusting wheel in contact with the pipeline.

[0007] Preferably, the adjusting wheel is connected to the inner side of the bottom end of the clamping mechanism. The adjusting arm is inclined, and the fixed end of the adjusting arm is higher than its movable end. The adjusting wheel is in contact with the bottom of the pipeline.

[0008] Preferably, the clamping mechanism includes four sets of moving tracks and four pairs of clamping arms. The two clamping arms in each pair of clamping arms are distributed at both ends of the moving track, and the clamping arms in each pair of clamping arms are located on both sides of the pipeline. A clamping block is provided in the middle of the clamping arm.

[0009] Preferably, the clamping block is located on the opposite side of the same pair of clamping arms, and an arc-shaped notch adapted to the outer diameter of the pipeline is provided on the movable side of the clamping block.

[0010] Preferably, a rubber layer is provided on the inner side of the arc-shaped notch.

[0011] Preferably, the moving track includes a slideway made of channel steel and a lead screw rotatably arranged in the slideway. The lead screw is parallel to the slideway, and the thread directions at both ends of the lead screw are opposite. The clamping arm is threadedly connected to the end of the lead screw, and a motor for driving the lead screw to rotate is provided at the end of the slideway.

[0012] An obstacle-crossing method for a pipeline walking robot includes the following steps: S1. Control the driving wheels to rotate through the driving mechanism, so that the pipeline walking robot walks along the pipeline to the front of the obstacle, and then control the first pair of clamping arms to open synchronously, and at the same time control the first pair of telescopic arms to contract, driving the driving wheels to rise; S2. Drive the pipeline walking robot to continue walking through the remaining driving wheels. After the first pair of clamping arms cross the obstacle, control the first pair of clamping arms to close synchronously, and at the same time control the first pair of telescopic arms to extend, the driving wheels to descend, and the first pair of clamping arms to re-clamp the pipeline; S3. The pipeline walking robot continues to walk. After the second pair of clamping arms encounters an obstacle, control the second pair of clamping arms to open, control the second pair of driving wheels to rise, and then continue to communicate and cross the obstacle and re-clamp the pipeline; S4. The pipeline walking robot continues to walk. When the third pair of clamping arms and the fourth pair of clamping arms encounter an obstacle, use the same method to cross the obstacle, and after the fourth pair of clamping arms closes, complete the obstacle crossing of the pipeline walking robot.

[0013] Preferably, during the process of the pipeline walking robot moving along the pipeline, the walking state of the pipeline walking robot is monitored through an inclination sensing control system, the deflection angle of the pipeline walking robot is monitored. When the deflection angle exceeds the threshold, the four pairs of clamping arms in the clamping mechanism are used to tightly hold the walking robot to the pipeline, and then the angle of the adjusting wheel on the clamping arm is adjusted. The walking robot continues to walk, and the adjusting wheel is used for the deflection reset of the pipeline walking robot.

[0014] The present invention provides a pipeline walking robot and an obstacle-crossing method, which have the following beneficial effects.

[0015] 1. Install four pairs of clamping arms. Compared with the traditional three pairs of clamping arms, the four pairs of clamping arms lift one pair of clamping arms when crossing obstacles, and the other three pairs of clamping arms still stably clamp the pipes, ensuring the stability of the robot when crossing obstacles. Compared with the traditional three pairs of clamping arms, the structure of the three pairs of clamping arms is more complicated. When crossing obstacles, the middle clamping arm needs to move axially, the axial dynamic balance changes greatly, and the robot needs to stop. However, the four pairs of clamping arms do not need to stop or move axially when crossing obstacles, which simplifies the robot structure and improves the robot's obstacle crossing efficiency and stability.

[0016] 2. The tilt sensor control system is adopted. Compared with the traditional remote control, the tilt sensor control system can monitor the deflection angle of the robot on the pipeline in real time. If the deflection angle of the robot on the pipeline is too large or the robot deviates significantly in an emergency, the deflection angle will be detected by the tilt sensor control system. Once the deflection angle exceeds the threshold, the brake mechanism on the clamping arm and the robot's disc will be activated at the same time, instantly clamping the pipeline to ensure the safety of the robot.

[0017] 3. The clamping arm is opened and closed synchronously to pass through obstacles. The drive mechanism 2 is connected to the clamping mechanism 1. The drive mechanism and the clamping mechanism are opened synchronously when passing through obstacles. The traditional robot obstacle crossing adopts a suspension design to allow the robot car to pass through obstacles directly. When passing through obstacles, the car will be in an unbalanced state and prone to rollover. The drive mechanism is connected to the clamping mechanism. When crossing obstacles, the clamping arm is opened, and the support wheel is raised synchronously. The robot continues to move and the clamping arm passes the obstacle. After passing the obstacle, the support wheel is retracted with the clamping arm to fit the pipe again, and the robot is driven again. The four pairs of clamping arms are opened and retracted in sequence to allow the robot to pass through obstacles. This design will be more stable when the car passes obstacles and does not require deceleration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 The figure is a front view of the pipeline walking robot which is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 The figure is an overall view of the pipeline walking robot which is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0020] In the figure: 1. Clamping mechanism; 2. Driving mechanism; 3. Robot carrier chassis. a. First pair of clamping arms; b. Second pair of clamping arms; c. Third pair of clamping arms; d. Fourth pair of clamping arms. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Embodiment 1 like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown in the figure. The present invention provides a pipeline walking robot for detecting, maintaining and other work on pipelines. The pipeline walking robot includes a driving mechanism 2, which provides power for the whole robot to walk. Both sides of the bottom of the driving mechanism 2 are connected with a clamping mechanism 1, and the clamping mechanism 1 can make the robot firmly fit on the outer wall of the pipeline. On the top of the driving mechanism 2, a robot bearing chassis 3 is fixed for installing an inclination sensing control system and other tools or parts.

[0022] An inclination sensing control system is installed at both the front and rear ends of the robot. The system can sense the state information such as the inclination angle of the robot in real time through sensors, and transmit the signals to the control unit. The control unit controls the connected driving mechanism 2 and clamping mechanism 1 according to the signals. The driving mechanism 2 and the clamping mechanism 1 are integrally in an inverted U shape, and a plurality of walking wheels in contact with the outer wall of the pipeline are installed on the inner side. The walking wheels are driven by motors to rotate, enabling the robot to move along the outer wall of the pipeline.

[0023] When detecting the pipeline, place the pipeline walking robot on the outer wall of the pipeline, start the pipeline walking robot. The inclination sensing control system monitors the state of the pipeline walking robot in real time. The driving mechanism 2 drives the walking wheels to rotate, and the robot walks smoothly along the pipeline. At the same time, the detection equipment installed on the robot bearing chassis 3 detects the pipeline.

[0024] Embodiment 2 For the driving mechanism 2 of the above pipeline walking robot, the frame structure at its top is made of high-strength aluminum alloy material, which reduces the weight while ensuring the structural strength. On both sides of the bottom of the frame structure, four pairs of telescopic arms are connected respectively. Each pair of telescopic arms contains two telescopic arms, which are evenly distributed on both sides of the frame structure and arranged along the axial direction of the pipeline.

[0025] A small driving motor is installed on each telescopic arm. The driving motor is a DC motor, which has the characteristics of small volume and large torque. The driving motor is connected to the walking wheel through a transmission chain, and can efficiently transmit power to the walking wheel.

[0026] In actual use, when the robot needs to cross some small raised obstacles, the height of the walking wheel can be adjusted by controlling the telescopic of the corresponding telescopic arm in the driving mechanism 2, so that the robot can smoothly cross the obstacle. For example, when the walking wheel corresponding to the first pair of telescopic arms encounters an obstacle, control the contraction of this pair of telescopic arms, the walking wheel rises. After crossing the obstacle, then control its elongation, and the walking wheel descends to contact the outer wall of the pipeline and continue to walk normally.

[0027] Embodiment 3 The adjusting arm rotatably connected to the inner side of the bottom end of the clamping mechanism 1 adopts an adjustable-angle joint structure, which is convenient for adjusting the angle according to different pipeline conditions. The movable end of the adjusting arm is connected with an adjusting wheel made of rubber material, and the rubber adjusting wheel has good friction and buffering performance.

[0028] In practical applications, when the pipeline walking robot walks on a curved pipeline, due to the curvature of the pipeline, the robot may tilt or deviate to a certain extent. At this time, the adjusting arm can adjust the angle according to the instructions of the inclination sensing control system, driving the position and angle of the contact between the adjusting wheel and the pipeline to change, so as to adjust the walking posture of the robot. During the continuous walking of the walking wheels, the pipeline walking robot is adjusted to a horizontal state, enabling it to better fit the pipeline and maintain stable walking.

[0029] Example Four The adjusting wheel is connected to the inner side of the bottom end of the clamping mechanism 1, the adjusting arm is inclined, and the fixed end of the adjusting arm is higher than its movable end. Such a design can make the adjusting wheel better contact with the bottom of the pipeline, providing stable support and adjusting force.

[0030] The surface of the adjusting wheel has a special pattern design to further increase the friction with the pipeline surface. In actual use scenarios, for some pipelines with relatively smooth surfaces, such as stainless steel pipelines, the special design of the adjusting wheel can effectively prevent the robot from slipping during walking.

[0031] Example Five The four sets of moving tracks of the clamping mechanism 1 are all slideways made of channel steel, and the slideways have high strength and stability. A lead screw is rotatably arranged in each slideway, the lead screw is parallel to the slideway, and the thread directions at both ends of the lead screw are opposite.

[0032] Four pairs of clamping arms are respectively threadedly connected to the ends of the lead screws. The two clamping arms in each pair of clamping arms are distributed at both ends of the moving track and are located on both sides of the pipeline. A clamping block is installed in the middle of the clamping arm, and the clamping block is made of high-strength engineering plastic and has a certain elasticity.

[0033] In actual operation, when the robot needs to hold the pipeline tightly, start the motor at the end of the slideway. The motor drives the lead screw to rotate. Since the thread directions at both ends of the lead screw are opposite, each pair of clamping arms moves synchronously towards the pipeline direction, and the clamping blocks gradually approach and hold the pipeline tightly.

[0034] Example Six The clamping blocks are located on the opposite sides of the same pair of clamping arms, and an arc-shaped notch adapted to the outer diameter of the pipeline is opened on the movable side. In practical applications, according to different pipeline outer diameters, clamping blocks of different sizes are pre-made to ensure that the clamping blocks can closely fit the pipeline.

[0035] For example, for a pipe with an outer diameter of 500 mm, a clamping block with an arc-shaped notch diameter of 500 mm is used. During installation, the clamping block is installed in the middle of the clamping arm. When the clamping arm moves towards the pipe driven by the lead screw, the arc-shaped notch of the clamping block accurately contacts the outer wall of the pipe, and through the elastic deformation of the clamping block and the driving force of the lead screw, firm clamping of the pipe is achieved.

[0036] Example Seven A rubber layer is provided on the inner side of the arc-shaped notch of the clamping block. The rubber layer is made of highly elastic and wear-resistant natural rubber. The presence of the rubber layer further increases the friction between the clamping block and the pipe, and at the same time can play a certain protective role on the pipe surface, preventing the clamping block from damaging the pipe surface.

[0037] Example Eight The slideway of the moving track is made of channel steel, which has good rigidity and guiding properties. The lead screw is rotatably arranged in the slideway through bearings to ensure the smooth rotation of the lead screw. The thread directions at both ends of the lead screw are opposite, and the clamping arm is connected to the end of the lead screw through threads.

[0038] A servo motor is installed at the end of the slideway. The servo motor has high-precision control performance and can accurately control the rotation angle and speed of the lead screw. In actual operation, when it is necessary to control the opening or closing of the clamping arm, by controlling the rotation of the servo motor, the rotation amount of the lead screw is accurately controlled, so as to achieve the precise movement of the clamping arm.

[0039] For example, when the robot needs to transfer from one section of pipe to another section of pipe with a different diameter, first control the servo motor to reverse to open the clamping arm. After the robot moves above the new pipe, then control the servo motor to rotate forward so that the clamping arm accurately closes and clamps the pipe according to the diameter of the new pipe. Through the precise control of the servo motor in the whole process, the rapid and accurate movement of the clamping arm is achieved.

[0040] Taking the application on an industrial pipe with multiple convex obstacles as an example, the obstacle-crossing process of the pipe walking robot is specifically described as follows: First, start the pipe walking robot, control the walking wheels to rotate through the driving mechanism 2, and make the robot walk along the pipe. When the robot walks to the front of the first obstacle, the inclination sensing control system detects the signal that the robot is about to encounter an obstacle. At this time, control the first pair of clamping arms a to open synchronously, and at the same time control the first pair of telescopic arms to contract, driving the walking wheels to rise.

[0041] Then, use the remaining walking wheels to drive the pipe walking robot to continue walking. When the first pair of clamping arms a cross the obstacle, control the first pair of clamping arms a to close synchronously, and at the same time control the first pair of telescopic arms to extend, the walking wheels descend, and the first pair of clamping arms a re-clamp the pipe.

[0042] Then, the robot continues to move. When the second pair of clamping arms b encounters an obstacle, the above operations are repeated, that is, controlling the second pair of clamping arms b to open, controlling the second pair of walking wheels to rise, and after crossing the obstacle, re-clamping the pipeline.

[0043] In the same way, when the third pair of clamping arms c and the fourth pair of clamping arms d encounter obstacles, obstacle-crossing operations are carried out. After the fourth pair of clamping arms d are closed, the obstacle-crossing process of the pipeline walking robot is completed, enabling the robot to smoothly pass through the pipeline area with multiple obstacles and continue with subsequent detection or maintenance work.

[0044] On a certain section of the pipeline laid in complex terrain, during the process of the pipeline walking robot moving along the pipeline, the inclination angle sensing control system continuously monitors the walking state of the robot.

[0045] When it is detected that the deflection angle of the robot exceeds the preset threshold, for example, due to local inclination or unevenness of the pipeline, the robot has a large deflection, the inclination angle sensing control system immediately issues an instruction to tightly hold the walking robot against the pipeline through the four pairs of clamping arms in the clamping mechanism 1, causing the robot to temporarily stop moving.

[0046] Then, according to the magnitude and direction of the deflection angle, control the angle of the adjusting wheels on the clamping arms, and adjust the posture of the robot through the friction between the adjusting wheels and the pipeline surface. After the adjustment is completed, release the clamping arms, the robot continues to move, and uses the function of the adjusting wheels to maintain the stability of the posture, realizing deflection reset, and ensuring that the robot can operate normally in a complex pipeline environment and complete the corresponding tasks.

Claims

1. A pipeline walking robot, characterized in that: It includes a driving mechanism, a clamping mechanism connected to both sides of the bottom of the driving mechanism, and a robot supporting chassis fixed to the top of the driving mechanism; it also includes an inclination sensor control system arranged at the front and rear ends of the robot, the inclination sensor control system controls the connection between the driving mechanism and the clamping mechanism, the driving mechanism and the clamping mechanism are in an inverted U shape as a whole, and the inner side is provided with walking wheels that contact the outer wall of the pipeline.

2. A pipeline walking robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a frame structure at the top, and multiple pairs of telescopic arms are connected to both sides of the bottom of the frame structure, and each pair of telescopic arms has no less than two and are distributed on both sides of the frame structure. The telescopic arms are arranged in pairs along the axial direction of the pipeline, and a driving motor is arranged on the telescopic arm, which is connected to the walking wheel through transmission.

3. A pipeline walking robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: An adjusting arm is rotatably connected to the inner side of the bottom end of the clamping mechanism, and an adjusting wheel in contact with the pipeline is connected to the movable end of the adjusting arm.

4. A pipeline walking robot as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The adjusting wheel is connected to the inner side of the bottom end of the clamping mechanism, the adjusting arm is arranged obliquely, and the fixed end of the adjusting arm is higher than the movable end thereof, and the adjusting wheel contacts the bottom of the pipe.

5. A pipeline walking robot as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping mechanism comprises four groups of moving tracks and four pairs of clamping arms, two clamping arms in each pair of clamping arms are distributed at both ends of the moving tracks, and the clamping arms in each pair of clamping arms are located on both sides of the pipe, and a clamping block is arranged in the middle of the clamping arm.

6. A pipeline walking robot as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The clamping block is located at the opposite side of the same pair of clamping arms, and the movable side of the clamping block is provided with an arc-shaped notch adapted to the outer diameter of the pipeline.

7. A pipeline walking robot as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: A rubber layer is arranged inside the arc-shaped notch.

8. A pipeline walking robot as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The movable track includes a slideway made of channel steel and a screw rod rotatably arranged in the slideway. The screw rod is parallel to the slideway, and the thread directions of the two ends of the screw rod are opposite. The clamping arm is threadedly connected to the end of the screw rod, and a motor for driving the screw rod to rotate is arranged at the end of the slideway.

9. The obstacle surmounting method of a pipeline walking robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The steps include: S1. Control the travel wheels to rotate through the driving mechanism so that the pipeline walking robot moves along the pipeline to the front of the obstacle, and then control the first pair of clamping arms to open synchronously, and control the first pair of telescopic arms to contract, so as to drive the travel wheels to rise; S2, the pipeline walking robot is driven to continue walking by the remaining walking wheels. After the first pair of clamping arms cross the obstacle, the first pair of clamping arms are controlled to be synchronously retracted, and the first pair of telescopic arms are controlled to be extended, the walking wheels are lowered, and the first pair of clamping arms re-clamp the pipeline; S3: The pipeline walking robot continues to walk. After the second pair of clamping arms encounters an obstacle, the second pair of clamping arms are controlled to open, and the second pair of walking wheels are controlled to rise. After that, the robot continues to communicate and crosses the obstacle, and then re-clamps the pipeline. S4: The pipeline walking robot continues to walk, and when the third pair of clamping arms and the fourth pair of clamping arms encounter obstacles, the pipeline walking robot overcomes the obstacles in the same manner, and completes the obstacle crossing after the fourth pair of clamping arms are retracted.

10. The obstacle surmounting method of a pipeline walking robot as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that: When the pipeline walking robot moves along the pipeline, the walking state of the pipeline walking robot is monitored by the inclination sensor control system, and the deflection angle of the pipeline walking robot is monitored. When the deflection angle exceeds the threshold, the walking robot is clamped to the pipeline by four pairs of clamping arms in the clamping mechanism, and then the angle of the adjusting wheel on the clamping arm is adjusted. The walking robot continues to walk, and the deflection of the pipeline walking robot is reset by using the adjusting wheel.

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