Cable climbing robot for cable bridge cable health detection

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of bridge maintenance, and discloses a cable climbing robot for cable health detection of an inhaul cable bridge, the cable climbing robot comprises two bases which are spliced into an annular structure to sleeve an inhaul cable rod, and the annular structure moves on the inhaul cable rod through a driving piece; the elastic obstacle crossing assembly comprises a plurality of elastic obstacle crossing parts, and the elastic obstacle crossing parts are arranged at the top end of the annular structure in the circumferential direction and make contact with the outer side wall of the inhaul cable rod; the protection assembly comprises a distance measuring piece and a buffering brake piece, the top end of the base is fixedly connected with a support, the distance measuring piece is arranged on the support and used for measuring the distance between the support and the top end of the inhaul cable rod, and the buffering brake piece is arranged at the bottom end of the annular structure and used for conducting braking buffering when the annular structure descends; the detection assembly comprises a plurality of detection pieces which are arranged at the top end of the support in the circumferential direction and used for detecting the inhaul cable rod. The cable health detection device is specially used for cable health detection of the inhaul cable bridge, and the overall detection efficiency, environment adaptability and operation safety are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of bridge maintenance, and particularly to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge. Background Art

[0002] During the long-term use of a cable-stayed bridge, problems such as cable deformation, wear, and convex structures may occur, affecting the safety and service life of the bridge. At present, the health detection of cables mainly relies on manual inspection or robot inspection. Manual inspection has low efficiency and safety hazards, and existing cable detection robots have the following technical defects:

[0003] Insufficient obstacle-crossing ability: The rigid structure of traditional wheel groups is difficult to adapt to local convexities or diameter mutations of cables, easily resulting in jams or cable detachment.

[0004] Low detection efficiency: Relying on manual post-processing to analyze video data, it is impossible to provide real-time feedback of damage information.

[0005] Weak safety: Lack of an emergency braking mechanism, prone to falling accidents in case of sudden power failure or malfunction.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge to solve the problems existing in the above prior art.

[0008] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following solution: The present invention provides a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge, including:

[0009] Two bases, spliced into an annular structure and sleeved on the cable stay bar. A driving member is arranged on the base, and the annular structure moves on the cable stay bar through the driving member;

[0010] An elastic obstacle-crossing component, including a plurality of elastic obstacle-crossing members. The plurality of elastic obstacle-crossing members are arranged circumferentially at the top of the annular structure and are respectively in contact with the outer side wall of the cable stay bar;

[0011] A protection component, including a distance measuring member and a buffer braking member. A bracket is fixedly connected to the top of the base. The distance measuring member is arranged on the bracket and is used to measure the distance between the bracket and the top of the cable stay bar. The buffer braking member is arranged at the bottom end of the annular structure and is used to brake and buffer the annular structure when it descends;

[0012] A detection component, including a plurality of detection members. The plurality of detection members are arranged circumferentially at the top of the bracket and are used to detect the cable stay bar.

[0013] According to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, the elastic obstacle-crossing member includes an elastic support navigation wheel frame, one end of the elastic support navigation wheel frame is hinged to the top end of the base, a plurality of navigation wheels are arranged axially in the elastic support navigation wheel frame, the navigation wheels are in contact with the cable rod of the cable, and when the navigation wheels come into contact with an obstacle on the cable rod of the cable, the elastic support navigation wheel frame deflects.

[0014] According to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, the distance measuring member includes a laser distance sensor, and the laser distance sensor is fixedly connected to the top end of the bracket.

[0015] According to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, the buffer braking member includes a plurality of elastic support feet, one ends of the plurality of elastic support feet are circumferentially connected to the bottom end of the annular structure, and an emergency braking device is arranged on the base, and the emergency braking device is used to drive the elastic support feet to contact the cable rod of the cable.

[0016] According to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, the detection member includes a camera fixedly connected to the top end of the bracket, and a plurality of the cameras are circumferentially and equidistantly distributed on the bracket.

[0017] According to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, a plurality of through holes are formed in the base, and drone wings are installed in the through holes, and the plurality of drone wings and the two bases form a drone structure.

[0018] According to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, the elastic support navigation wheel frame is an arc structure, and the arc structure bends outward, and the outward expansion angle is 20°, and the elastic modulus of the elastic support navigation wheel frame ≤ 5 GPa.

[0019] According to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, the bracket is covered with a film, and nitrogen or hydrogen is filled in the film.

[0020] According to a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, it further includes an edge computing module, a remote control module and a data graph transmission module, the edge computing module is used to analyze the damage condition of the cable rod of the cable, the remote control module is used to remotely control the device, and the data graph transmission module is used for data transmission.

[0021] A cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention is provided with sliding buckles on the base, and the two bases are sleeved on the cable rod of the cable through the sliding buckles.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects:

[0023] A cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge provided by the present invention, when in use, the two bases are spliced into an annular structure and sleeved on the cable rod of the cable. The driving member is provided to control the movement of the whole structure on the cable rod. The distance measuring member is used to measure the distance between the top of the robot and the fixed object at the top of the cable rod. The buffer braking member is provided to reduce the risk of damage when the robot accidentally falls, forming a multi-level protection system to ensure the safety of the whole device. The detection member is provided to detect the cable rod. At the same time, when the whole robot is moving, the elastic obstacle-crossing member is provided to cross the obstacle, realizing the dynamic adaptation of the cable diameter and the obstacle crossing, ensuring the stable movement and use safety of the whole robot. This application is dedicated to the cable health detection of cable-stayed bridges, especially for the innovative solutions to the surface deformation of cables, the adaptive movement over convex obstacles, real-time damage detection and emergency safety protection of cables, improving the overall detection efficiency, environmental adaptability and operation safety. Description of the Drawings

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the base structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure after the two bases of the present invention are spliced;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the distribution of the drone fan wings of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the elastic support navigation wheel frame of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the contact state between the elastic support leg frame and the cable rod of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 It is a working flow chart of the present invention;

[0031] Among them, 1. Base; 2. Cable-stayed rod; 3. Bracket; 4. Elastic support navigation wheel frame; 5. Navigation wheel; 6. Laser ranging sensor; 7. Elastic support tripod; 8. Drone wing; 9. Sliding buckle; 10. Camera. Detailed implementation manner

[0032] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0033] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners.

[0034] Refer to Figures 1 - 6 , the present invention provides a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge, including:

[0035] Two bases 1 are spliced into an annular structure and sleeved on the cable-stayed rod 2. A driving member is arranged on the base 1, and the annular structure moves on the cable-stayed rod 2 through the driving member;

[0036] The elastic obstacle-crossing assembly includes a plurality of elastic obstacle-crossing members. The plurality of elastic obstacle-crossing members are arranged along the circumferential direction at the top of the annular structure and are respectively in contact with the outer side wall of the cable-stayed rod 2;

[0037] The protection assembly includes a ranging member and a buffer braking member. A bracket 3 is fixedly connected to the top of the base 1. The ranging member is arranged on the bracket 3 and is used to measure the distance between the bracket 3 and the top of the cable-stayed rod 2. The buffer braking member is arranged at the bottom end of the annular structure and is used to brake and buffer when the annular structure descends;

[0038] The detection assembly includes a plurality of detection members. The plurality of detection members are arranged along the circumferential direction at the top of the bracket 3 and are used to detect the cable-stayed rod 2.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present invention, when in use, the two bases 1 are spliced into an annular structure and sleeved on the cable-stayed rod 2. The driving member is used to control the movement of the entire structure on the cable-stayed rod 2. The ranging member is used to measure the distance between the top of the robot and the fixed object at the top of the cable-stayed rod 2. The buffer braking member is used to reduce the risk of damage when the robot accidentally falls. The detection members are used to detect the cable-stayed rod 2. At the same time, the whole robot moves through the elastic obstacle-crossing members arranged to cross obstacles, ensuring the stable movement and use safety of the whole robot.

[0040] As an alternative embodiment, the elastic obstacle-crossing member includes an elastic support navigation wheel frame 4. One end of the elastic support navigation wheel frame 4 is hinged to the top end of the base 1. A plurality of navigation wheels 5 are arranged axially inside the elastic support navigation wheel frame 4. The navigation wheels 5 are in contact with the cable rod 2. When the navigation wheels 5 come into contact with an obstacle on the cable rod 2, the elastic support navigation wheel frame 4 deflects.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic obstacle-crossing member only assists the robot in stabilizing and navigating over obstacles, reducing the control difficulty of the robot's stability, exerting little pressure on the cable, and being sufficient to allow the encoder to rotate. The navigation wheels 5 are arranged in a forward-bending and outward-expanding layout and are made of a highly elastic rubber material. The elastic support navigation wheel frame 4 is made of a lightweight composite material, such as carbon fiber-reinforced nylon, with a modulus of elasticity ≤ 1.5 GPa. It can be extruded outward to adapt to a cable diameter of 10 - 100 mm and cross a raised obstacle with a height ≤ 25 mm through elastic deformation.

[0042] As an alternative embodiment, the distance measuring member includes a laser distance sensor 6, and the laser distance sensor 6 is fixedly connected to the top end of the bracket 3.

[0043] In one embodiment of the present invention, the laser distance sensor 6 is installed at the front end of the device and triggers deceleration or shutdown when detecting a distance to an obstacle, such as a bridge tower wall, ≤ 0.5 m. This is to prevent the robot from hitting the top wall when climbing to the top and to detect the safety distance in time and stop moving forward.

[0044] As an alternative embodiment, the buffer braking member includes a plurality of elastic support feet 7. One end of the plurality of elastic support feet 7 is circumferentially connected to the bottom end of the annular structure. An emergency braking device is provided on the base 1, and the emergency braking device is used to drive the elastic support feet 7 to contact the cable rod 2.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic support feet 7 are installed below the base 1, and its damping coefficient ≥ 50 N·s / m, which is used to absorb impact energy when the device suddenly falls. The connection part of the elastic support feet 7 integrates an emergency braking device. The emergency braking device selects an electromagnetic pusher. The basic principle is that when powered on, the feet are in a normal state, and within 0.2 seconds after power-off, the feet are tightened inward to clamp the cable, and the braking acceleration ≥ 5 m / s². The part of the feet that clamps the cable uses a material with a relatively large friction force, which can greatly reduce the free-falling speed of the robot. Because the feet themselves have a buffering ability, even for a vertical cable rod, under the double protection of low speed and buffering, the robot will not be damaged when falling to the ground. For the case where most cables are inclined rods, the falling speed will be even smaller.

[0046] As an alternative embodiment, the detection member includes a camera 10 fixedly connected to the top end of the bracket 3, and a plurality of cameras 10 are circumferentially and equidistantly distributed on the bracket 3.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, four cameras work simultaneously, ensuring time synchronization. The video is temporarily saved locally. The edge computing module adopts a background asynchronous analysis and processing method, and uses multiple threads to perform target detection operations on the detected videos saved locally at the same time. When processing video frames, only non-repeating video frames at the same moment need to be read at intervals. Whether damage is found in the video frames or not, the corresponding detection annotation results are retained. Finally, image stitching technology is used to stitch the four processing result pictures at the same moment into the unfolded result of the cable rod surface.

[0048] As an alternative embodiment, a plurality of through holes are formed in the base 1, and the drone wings 8 are installed in the through holes. The plurality of drone wings 8 and the two bases 1 form a drone structure.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, a built-in drive motor, a power module, and a control main board are further provided in the base 1 and form a drone structure with the four drone wings 8 to drive the entire device to move.

[0050] As an alternative embodiment, the elastic support navigation wheel frame 4 is an arc structure, and the arc structure bends outward, with an outward expansion angle of 20°. The elastic modulus of the elastic support navigation wheel frame 4 ≤ 5 GPa.

[0051] As an alternative embodiment, the bracket 3 is coated with a film, and nitrogen or hydrogen is filled in the film.

[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention, the bracket 3 is composed of a frame made of a high-hardness and light-weight material, and the rest is covered with a high-toughness soft inflatable material. When in use, nitrogen or hydrogen is filled, which can provide a certain buoyancy and reduce the driving energy consumption of the robot.

[0053] As an alternative embodiment, it further includes an edge computing module, a remote control module, and a data transmission module. The edge computing module is used to analyze the damage condition of the cable rod 2, the remote control module is used to remotely control the device, and the data transmission module is used for data transmission.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention, four cameras 10 work simultaneously, ensuring time synchronization. The video is temporarily saved locally. The edge computing module adopts a background asynchronous analysis and processing method, and uses multiple threads to perform target detection operations on the detected videos saved locally at the same time. When processing video frames, only non-repeating video frames at the same moment need to be read at intervals. Whether damage is found in the video frames or not, the corresponding detection annotation results are retained. Finally, image stitching technology is used to stitch the four processing result pictures at the same moment into the unfolded result of the cable rod surface. The remote control module and the data transmission module are existing mature technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0055] Specifically, an integrated lightweight AI model, such as MobileNetV3, is used to analyze the camera video stream in real time to identify damages such as cracks, rust, and coating peeling, with a response time ≤ 0.3 seconds.

[0056] As an alternative implementation, sliding buckles 9 are provided on the base 1, and the two bases 1 are sleeved on the cable rod 2 through the sliding buckles 9.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present invention, the connection between the two bases 1 adopts a sliding buckle 9 design, which can adapt to cable rods of different sizes, flexibly adjust the depth of the buckle according to the size of the cable rod, and is convenient and flexible to snap in.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present invention, the present application provides a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge. When in use, before installation and use, first observe the size of the cable rod 2 to be detected, and install the four navigation wheel groups on the wheel group buckles of the two bases respectively; install the robot combination on the cable rod 2, adjust the sliding buckle 9 of the base 1 according to the size of the cable rod 2 to ensure that the hollow in the middle of the base 1 is larger than the maximum diameter part of the cable rod 2, connect the wires on both sides of the base 1, turn on the power switch, and use the upper computer to set the robot speed and motion mode, and then start the robot. The robot will automatically crawl and detect at a predetermined speed; the upper computer can view the situation of the camera 10 in real time or view the detection result pictures. After the robot crawls to the preset top stop distance, it will automatically hover. After manually confirming that the robot has indeed climbed to the top and stopped, rather than stopped due to a fault, issue a reverse command, and the robot will automatically reverse. No detection will be performed during the reverse process. If the video that has been saved but not processed by the background, continue to analyze and process it. After the robot returns to the ground, first stop the robot through the upper computer and check whether the image analysis has been completed. Usually, the analysis and processing have been completed, but it needs to be confirmed to prevent incomplete processing. After confirmation, then turn off the power, and finally disassemble it and install it on another cable rod 2 to be detected, and continue the above steps.

[0059] The present invention provides a cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge. Through the coordinated deformation of the elastic support navigation wheel frame 4 and the navigation wheel 5, it realizes dynamic adaptation to the cable diameter and obstacle crossing; through the local deployment of the AI algorithm, it supports real-time damage classification, positioning, and data compression and transmission; through the laser range sensor 6 provided, it realizes anti-collision, through the elastic support tripod for buffering, and through the electromagnetic emergency brake for braking, forming a three-level protection system to further ensure the overall safety of the equipment; through the formed drone drive mode in cooperation with the elastic support navigation wheel frame 4 and the navigation wheel 5, it further reduces the control difficulty; through the sliding buckle 9 provided, the equipment can adapt to cable rods of different sizes, which is convenient and flexible; by filling gases such as nitrogen into the film, the buoyancy is increased, and the energy consumption is further reduced.

[0060] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0061] The embodiments described above are only for describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention, rather than limiting the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit of the design of the present invention, various deformations and improvements made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cable-climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge, characterized in that, Including: Two bases (1) are spliced into an annular structure and sleeved on the cable stay rod (2). A driving member is arranged on the base (1), and the annular structure moves on the cable stay rod (2) through the driving member; An elastic obstacle-crossing component, including a plurality of elastic obstacle-crossing members. The plurality of elastic obstacle-crossing members are arranged circumferentially at the top of the annular structure and are respectively in contact with the outer side wall of the cable stay rod (2); A protection component, including a distance measuring member and a buffer braking member. A bracket (3) is fixedly connected to the top of the base (1). The distance measuring member is arranged on the bracket (3) and is used for measuring the distance between the bracket (3) and the top of the cable stay rod (2). The buffer braking member is arranged at the bottom end of the annular structure and is used for braking and buffering when the annular structure descends; A detection component, including a plurality of detection members. The plurality of detection members are arranged circumferentially at the top of the bracket (3) and are used for detecting the cable stay rod (2).

2. The cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 1, wherein: The elastic obstacle-crossing member includes an elastic support navigation wheel frame (4). One end of the elastic support navigation wheel frame (4) is hinged to the top of the base (1). A plurality of navigation wheels (5) are arranged axially in the elastic support navigation wheel frame (4). The navigation wheels (5) are in contact with the cable stay rod (2). When the navigation wheels (5) contact an obstacle on the cable stay rod (2), the elastic support navigation wheel frame (4) deflects.

3. The cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 1, wherein: The distance measuring member includes a laser distance sensor (6), and the laser distance sensor (6) is fixedly connected to the top of the bracket (3).

4. The cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buffer braking member includes a plurality of elastic support feet (7). One end of the plurality of elastic support feet (7) is circumferentially connected to the bottom end of the annular structure. An emergency braking device is arranged on the base (1), and the emergency braking device is used to drive the elastic support feet (7) to contact the cable stay rod (2).

5. The cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection member includes a camera (10) fixedly connected to the top of the bracket (3). The plurality of cameras (10) are equidistantly distributed circumferentially on the bracket (3).

6. The cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of through holes are formed in the base (1), and drone wings (8) are installed in the through holes. The plurality of drone wings (8) and the two bases (1) form a drone structure.

7. The cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic support navigation wheel frame (4) is an arc structure and bends outward, with an outward expansion angle of 20°. The elastic modulus of the elastic support navigation wheel frame (4) ≤ 1.5 GPa.

8. The cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 1, wherein: The bracket (3) is coated with a film, and nitrogen or hydrogen is filled in the film.

9. The cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 1, wherein: It further includes an edge computing module, a remote control module, and a data transmission module. The edge computing module is used to analyze the damage condition of the cable stay rod (2). The remote control module is used to remotely control the device. The data transmission module is used for data transmission.

10. A cable climbing robot for cable health detection of a cable-stayed bridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sliding buckle (9) is arranged on the base (1), and the two bases (1) are sleeved on the cable stay rod (2) through the sliding buckle (9).

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