Electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device of water-cooled wall maintenance robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a water-cooled wall robot electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device which is installed right in front of a robot vehicle body through a linear sliding table and comprises an electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring probe which is fixed on the linear sliding table through a tool and used for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a water-cooled wall tube and receiving echo signals, non-contact thickness measurement is realized; the profiling wheels are arranged on the front side and the rear side of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring probe and used for limiting the displacement of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring probe on the surface of the water cooling wall in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the water cooling wall tube and ensuring the thickness measuring precision; the lifting device is fixed on the connecting plate, and the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring probe is driven by the tool, so that the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring probe is contacted with or separated from the wall surface; and the signal processing module is used for carrying out amplification, filtering and thickness calculation on the echo signal. The non-contact thickness measurement is carried out by using the electromagnetic ultrasonic technology, and the device has the advantages of high detection precision, no need of a coupling agent and no need of shutdown in the working process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of water wall thickness measurement, and more specifically to an electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device for a water wall robot. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, the thickness measurement of water wall tubes usually relies on contact measurement, which requires a coupling agent and has a complex detection process, and cannot meet the requirements of high-temperature environments and high-precision detection. Therefore, a new non-contact electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device is needed to meet the needs of high-precision and high-temperature detection. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device for a water wall robot uses electromagnetic ultrasonic technology for non-contact thickness measurement, and has the advantages of high detection accuracy, no need for a coupling agent, and no need to stop the machine during the working process.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] An electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device for a water wall robot, the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device is installed in front of the robot body through a linear slide, and the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device includes:

[0006] An electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe, which is fixed on the linear slide through a tooling, and is used to emit ultrasonic waves to the water wall tube and receive echo signals to achieve non-contact thickness measurement;

[0007] The lifting device is fixed on the connecting plate, and drives the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe through the tooling to realize the contact or separation of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe from the wall surface;

[0008] A signal processing module, which is used to amplify, filter and calculate the thickness of the echo signal.

[0009] Preferably, the lifting device includes an electric cylinder, a slide rail and a slider. The end of the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder is rigidly connected to the slider. The slide rail is vertically fixed to the connecting plate. The slide rail is slidably matched with the slider. The slider is connected to the tooling. The tooling is driven to vertically lift along the slide rail through the telescopic movement of the electric cylinder to realize the contact or separation of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe from the wall surface.

[0010] Preferably, it further includes a flipping device. The flipping device includes a flipping motor and a limit switch. The rotation angle of the flipping motor is controlled by the limit switch. The output shaft of the flipping motor is connected to the connecting plate through a transition block, and is used to drive the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device to rotate 180° around the axis to avoid collision when the robot transitions from the inclined plane of the cold ash hopper to the plane of the water wall.

[0011] Preferably, the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe includes a transmitting circuit, a matching circuit, a transducer, and a receiving circuit connected in sequence;

[0012] The transmitting circuit is used to generate a short-time high-voltage electrical signal;

[0013] The matching circuit is used to optimize the impedance characteristics of the transducer to improve the conversion efficiency;

[0014] The transducer converts electrical energy into mechanical vibration through piezoelectric crystals or electromagnetic coils, excites high-frequency ultrasonic waves, and converts the reflected ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal;

[0015] The receiving circuit linearly amplifies and filters the weak echo electrical signal output by the transducer.

[0016] Preferably, the transmitting circuit includes a pulse generation circuit, a frequency regulator, and a power amplifier connected in sequence;

[0017] The pulse generation circuit is used to generate an original low-voltage pulse signal and control the pulse width and repetition frequency;

[0018] The frequency regulator is used to adjust the frequency and duty cycle of the pulse to adapt to the measurement requirements of different material thicknesses;

[0019] The power amplifier is used to boost the low-voltage pulse signal to a high-voltage electrical signal and enhance the driving ability to meet the excitation requirements of the transducer.

[0020] Preferably, the receiving circuit includes an amplifier and a narrowband filter, which are used to linearly amplify the weak echo signal and suppress noise.

[0021] Preferably, it further includes profiling wheels arranged on the front and back sides of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe, which are used to limit the displacement of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the water-cooled wall tube on the water-cooled wall surface and ensure the thickness measurement accuracy.

[0022] Preferably, the thickness calculation uses the echo time difference method, and the wall thickness value h is determined by the product of the round-trip propagation time of ultrasonic waves in the water-cooled wall tube and the sound velocity. The calculation formula is:

[0023]

[0024] Among them, v is the propagation speed of ultrasonic waves in the metal, and Δt is the time difference between the transmitted wave and the echo.

[0025] Through the above technical solutions, compared with the prior art, the present invention discloses a water-cooled wall robot electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device, which can achieve non-contact high-precision thickness measurement, does not require a coupling agent during the working process, meets the requirements of high-temperature detection, and is widely used in various occasions, especially suitable for the application environment of water-cooled wall tubes. Brief Description of the Drawings

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

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device for a water wall robot provided by the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 It is an effect diagram of the flipping device provided by the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of signal processing of an electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe of the present invention.

[0030] Among them, 1. Electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe, 2. Linear slide, 3. Electric cylinder, 4. Slide rail, 5. Slide block, 6. Connecting plate, 7. Tooling, 8. Flipping motor, 9. Transition block, 10. Profiling wheel. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0031] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the 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 belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0032] An embodiment of the present invention discloses an electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device for a water wall robot. As Figure 1 shown, the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device is installed in front of the robot body through the linear slide 2. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device includes:

[0033] The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 is fixed on the linear slide 2 through the tooling 7, and is used to emit ultrasonic waves to the water wall tube and receive the echo signal to realize non-contact thickness measurement;

[0034] The lifting device is fixed on the connecting plate 6 and drives the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 through the tooling 7 to realize the contact or separation of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 from the wall surface;

[0035] The signal processing module is used to amplify, filter and calculate the thickness of the echo signal, and output the result to an oscilloscope or a display terminal.

[0036] Among them, the lifting device includes an electric cylinder 3, a slide rail 4 and a slider 5. The end of the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder 3 is rigidly connected to the slider 5. The slide rail 4 is vertically fixed to the connecting plate 6. The slide rail 4 is slidably matched with the slider 5. The slider 5 is connected to the tooling 7. By the telescopic drive of the electric cylinder 3, the tooling 7 is vertically lifted and lowered along the slide rail 4, so as to realize the contact or separation between the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 and the wall surface.

[0037] Specifically, when thickness measurement is required, the rod of the electric cylinder 3 extends, so that the tooling 7 moves downward along the slide rail 4 to press down the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1. On the contrary, the rod of the electric cylinder 3 contracts to make the tooling 7 move upward along the slide rail 4 to lift the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe to prevent the probe from interfering with the water-cooled wall tube during the walking of the robot body.

[0038] More preferably, a profiling wheel 10 is also provided, which is arranged on the front and back sides of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 and is used to limit the displacement of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the water-cooled wall tube on the water-cooled wall surface to ensure the thickness measurement accuracy.

[0039] In this embodiment, the water-cooled wall intelligent robot climbs onto the water-cooled wall surface through the cold ash hopper. The angle of the cold ash hopper is 55 degrees. In order to avoid the collision between the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device and the water-cooled wall surface during the transition from the cold ash hopper to the water-cooled wall surface, a flipping device is designed. The flipping device includes a flipping motor 8 and a limit switch. The rotation angle of the flipping motor 8 is controlled by the limit switch. The output shaft of the flipping motor 8 is connected to the connecting plate 6 through a transition block 9 and is used to drive the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device to rotate 180° around the axis to avoid collision when the robot transitions from the inclined surface of the cold ash hopper to the flat surface of the water-cooled wall.

[0040] Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, when the robot is on the inclined surface of the cold ash hopper, the limit switch sends a signal to the robot control system to control the flipping motor 8. The flipping motor 8 drives the connecting plate 6 and the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device to rotate counterclockwise by 180°, so that the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe is separated from the wall surface; when the robot enters the flat surface of the water-cooled wall, the flipping motor resets to the initial position.

[0041] The actions of the electric cylinder 3 and the flipping motor 8 are coordinated and controlled by the robot control system. The control system triggers the lifting device to press down the probe or the flipping device to rotate according to the robot position information.

[0042] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 shown, the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 includes a transmitting circuit, a matching circuit, a transducer and a receiving circuit connected in sequence;

[0043] The transmitting circuit is used to generate a short-time high-voltage electrical signal;

[0044] The matching circuit is used to optimize the impedance characteristics of the transducer by adjusting the inductance and capacitance parameters to improve the transducer efficiency;

[0045] The transducer converts electrical energy into mechanical vibration through a piezoelectric crystal or an electromagnetic coil, exciting high-frequency ultrasonic waves and converting the reflected ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal;

[0046] The receiving circuit linearly amplifies and filters the weak echo electrical signal output by the transducer.

[0047] More specifically, the transmitting circuit includes a pulse generation circuit, a frequency regulator, and a power amplifier connected in sequence;

[0048] The pulse generation circuit is used to generate an original low-voltage pulse signal, controlling the pulse width and repetition frequency;

[0049] The frequency regulator is used to adjust the frequency and duty cycle of the pulse to adapt to different material thickness measurement requirements;

[0050] The power amplifier: boosts the low-voltage pulse signal to a high-voltage electrical signal, enhancing the driving ability to meet the excitation requirements of the transducer.

[0051] The receiving circuit includes an amplifier and a narrowband filter, which are used to linearly amplify the echo signal and suppress noise.

[0052] The working process is as follows: The transmitting circuit generates a high-voltage pulse signal, which is input to the matching circuit after power amplification; the matching circuit adjusts the signal characteristics, drives the transducer coil to generate eddy currents, and excites ultrasonic waves under the action of the permanent magnet magnetic field. The ultrasonic echo causes a change in the induced voltage of the transducer coil, generating a weak electrical signal. After the signal is linearly amplified by the amplifier, the ambient noise is suppressed by the narrowband filter; the processing end calculates the thickness value based on the echo time difference.

[0053] Among them, the thickness calculation can adopt the echo time difference method. The wall thickness value h is determined by the product of the round-trip propagation time of ultrasonic waves in the water-cooled wall tube and the sound velocity. The calculation formula is:

[0054]

[0055] Among them, v is the propagation speed of ultrasonic waves in the metal, and Δt is the time difference between the transmitted wave and the echo.

[0056] The working process of the present invention is as follows:

[0057] The robot moves to the position of the water-cooled wall tube to be measured. The electric cylinder 3 extends, driving the tooling 7 and the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 to move downward along the slide rail 4, so that the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 contacts the water-cooled wall tube.

[0058] The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe 1 emits ultrasonic waves, receives the echo signal, and after amplification and filtering processing, it is processed by the calculation end to display the thickness value.

[0059] When the robot needs to climb from the cold ash hopper onto the water-cooled wall surface, the flipping motor 8 operates to drive the connecting plate 6 and the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device to rotate counterclockwise by 180 degrees to avoid collisions.

[0060] The displacement of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring probe 1 on the water-cooled wall surface in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the water-cooled wall tube is restricted by the profiling wheel 10 to ensure the thickness measurement accuracy.

[0061] After the robot completes the detection, the electric cylinder 3 contracts to lift the probe, and the flipping motor 8 resets to the initial position.

[0062] In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner. The key point of each embodiment is to illustrate the differences from other embodiments. For the same or similar parts among the embodiments, reference can be made to each other. For the device disclosed in the embodiments, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple. For the relevant parts, reference can be made to the description in the method part.

[0063] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device for a water wall robot, characterized in that, The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device is installed in front of the robot body through a linear slide. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device includes: An electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe, which is fixed on the linear slide through a tooling, and is used to emit ultrasonic waves to the water-cooled wall tube and receive echo signals to achieve non-contact thickness measurement; A lifting device is fixed on the connecting plate, and drives the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe through a tooling to achieve the contact or separation of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe from the wall surface; A signal processing module, which is used to amplify, filter and calculate the thickness of the echo signal.

2. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device for a water wall robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting device includes an electric cylinder, a slide rail and a slider. The end of the telescopic rod of the electric cylinder is rigidly connected to the slider. The slide rail is vertically fixed on the connecting plate. The slide rail is slidably matched with the slider. The slider is connected to the tooling. The tooling is driven to vertically lift along the slide rail through the telescopic movement of the electric cylinder to achieve the contact or separation of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe from the wall surface.

3. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device for a water wall robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It further includes a flipping device. The flipping device includes a flipping motor and a limit switch. The rotation angle of the flipping motor is controlled by the limit switch. The output shaft of the flipping motor is connected to the connecting plate through a transition block, and is used to drive the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement device to rotate 180° around the axis to avoid collision when the robot transitions from the inclined surface of the cold ash hopper to the water-cooled wall plane.

4. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device for a water wall robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe includes a transmitting circuit, a matching circuit, a transducer and a receiving circuit connected in sequence; The transmitting circuit is used to generate a short-time high-voltage electrical signal; The matching circuit is used to optimize the impedance characteristics of the transducer to improve the transducer efficiency; The transducer converts electrical energy into mechanical vibration through a piezoelectric crystal or an electromagnetic coil to excite high-frequency ultrasonic waves and convert the reflected ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal; The receiving circuit linearly amplifies and filters the weak echo electrical signal output by the transducer.

5. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device for water-cooled wall robots according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transmitting circuit includes a pulse generating circuit, a frequency regulator and a power amplifier connected in sequence; The pulse generating circuit is used to generate an original low-voltage pulse signal and control the pulse width and repetition frequency; The frequency regulator is used to adjust the frequency and duty cycle of the pulse to adapt to the thickness measurement requirements of different materials; The power amplifier is used to boost the low-voltage pulse signal to a high-voltage electrical signal to enhance the driving ability to meet the excitation requirements of the transducer.

6. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device for a water-cooled wall robot according to claim 4, wherein: The receiving circuit includes an amplifier and a narrow-band filter, which are used to linearly amplify the weak echo signal and suppress noise.

7. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device for a water wall robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It further includes: Contouring wheels are arranged on the front and back sides of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe, and are used to limit the displacement of the electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement probe in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the water-cooled wall tube on the water-cooled wall surface to ensure the thickness measurement accuracy.

8. The electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measuring device for a water-cooled wall robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness calculation adopts the echo time difference method. The wall thickness value h is determined by the product of the round-trip propagation time of ultrasonic waves in the water-cooled wall tube and the sound velocity. The calculation formula is: where v is the propagation velocity of ultrasonic waves in the metal, and Δt is the time difference between the transmitted wave and the echo.

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