Automatic dredging system and method for closed pool

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic dredging system and method for a closed pool, and the method comprises the following steps: installing the automatic dredging system for the closed pool, and controlling a mechanical arm to enter a pool body; the laser radar scans the internal environment of the pool body to form in-pool volume space data to be fed back to the upper computer; the upper computer generates an environment model, performs obstacle avoidance and path planning of the mechanical arm in combination with a motion planning algorithm, and sends a flushing instruction and a sludge pumping instruction to pump sludge at the bottom of the tank body; the visual camera feeds back desilting picture data in the pool to the upper computer in real time, and manual control can be assisted; after washing for a certain time, visually judging whether washing is complete or not through a desilting picture in the pool returned by a visual camera, and meanwhile, forming quantitative washing effect evaluation by comparing front and back point cloud data through an upper computer; and after the flushing effect is satisfied, desilting operation is stopped. The method has the beneficial effects that related operators do not need to go into the pool in the whole process; desilting operation can be completed more thoroughly; the mechanical arm is not immersed in the sludge at the bottom of the pool body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of dredging, and in particular relates to an automatic dredging system and method for a closed water pool. Background Art

[0002] There are currently two main types of dredging operations for enclosed water tanks such as regulating tanks, anaerobic tanks, and sedimentation tanks in wastewater treatment systems of municipal sewage treatment plants, industrial wastewater stations, and printing and dyeing, chemical, thermal power, and other industrial enterprises:

[0003] The first is manual operation in the pool: due to the anaerobic fermentation of sludge at the bottom of the pool, toxic and harmful gases will be released. The pool body is a confined space except for the inspection manhole on the top. During routine operation, the workers are required to wear positive pressure respirators, gas detectors, water pants, and hold high-pressure water guns to stand in the knee-deep sludge and flush it with high-pressure water. The mud and water mixture after flushing is pumped out of the pool by the sewage pump placed in the corner of the pool. This type of operation is highly dangerous. The workers in the pool are at risk of poisoning and suffocation by inhaling toxic and harmful gases. Since the workers wear heavy equipment and hand-held tools with a heavy load, are trapped in the sludge and the bottom of the pool is a high-humidity working environment, the physical exertion of the workers is extremely great. Usually, the workers need to be replaced every half an hour, and the operation efficiency is low. At the same time, due to the poor lighting environment under the pool, the dredging effect is judged visually by the workers, and it is difficult to clearly and quantify the dredging effect.

[0004] The second type of dredging robot is tracked or wheeled, used for underwater operations. For closed pools with horizontal bottoms and no pipes or equipment, some companies are already using tracked or wheeled dredging robots for dredging. These robots are typically controlled remotely by an operator, using a camera mounted on the robot to transmit images from the pool. A small high-pressure water cannon mounted on the robot's top disperses the silt, and a sewage pump mounted on the robot's front end pumps the sludge and water mixture out of the pool through interconnecting pipes. These robots have the following major drawbacks: 1) They cannot navigate the pool floor where equipment and pipes are located, and large debris in the silt can compromise the robot's safety. 2) The robot is fully or partially submerged in water, making it less reliable after long-term operation. 3) The lighting conditions under the pool are poor, and the dredging results must be visually assessed by the remote operator, making it difficult to clearly and quantify the results.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a system and method that can be used to automatically remove silt from the bottom of enclosed water tanks such as regulating tanks, anaerobic tanks, and sedimentation tanks in wastewater treatment systems of municipal sewage treatment plants, industrial wastewater stations, and industrial enterprises such as printing and dyeing, chemical, and thermal power. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art and to provide an automatic desilting system and method for a closed water pool.

[0007] This closed water pool automatic dredging system includes: a control station, an in-pool sensing and dredging module and an out-pool water supply and mud pumping module; the control station is installed outside the pool body, and the control station includes a host computer and a PLC control system; the in-pool sensing and dredging module includes a guide rod and a robotic arm; a bracket is mounted on the manhole of the pool body, the guide rod is set in the center of the bracket, and the other end of the guide rod is installed at the bottom of the pool body; the guide rod is provided with an electric slide rail, and the electric slide rail is inverted with a robotic arm, and the end of the robotic arm is installed with a visual camera, a laser radar and a high-pressure water gun; the out-pool water supply and mud pumping module includes a high-pressure pump and a sewage suction pump; the high-pressure pump and the sewage suction pump are installed on the ground outside the pool body; the other end of the high-pressure water gun is connected to the high-pressure pump, and the high-pressure pump is connected to industrial water; one end of the sewage suction pump is connected to a sewage suction pipe, and the bottom of the sewage suction pipe extends into the bottom of the pool body; the other end of the sewage suction pipe is connected to a sludge storage tank.

[0008] Preferably, the robotic arm is a six-axis robotic arm; the side end of the robotic arm base is connected to the electric slide rail of the guide rod; a visual camera and a laser radar are installed on one side of the sixth axis of the robotic arm, the visual camera includes a lighting fill light device, and a high-pressure water gun is installed on the other side of the sixth axis of the robotic arm.

[0009] Preferably, the laser radar is closer to the end of the robotic arm than the visual camera, and the visual camera is higher than the laser radar; the host computer analyzes and processes the information data returned by the visual camera and the laser radar, and the host computer sends instructions to the PLC control system, and the PLC control system controls the robotic arm, high-pressure water gun, high-pressure pump and sewage suction pump.

[0010] Preferably, a pipe mouth bracket is installed at the bottom of the sewage suction pipe, the pipe mouth bracket is in contact with the bottom of the pool, and there is a gap between the bottom of the sewage suction pipe and the bottom of the pool body.

[0011] Preferably, a pressure sensor is provided in the water channel of the high-pressure water gun.

[0012] The method for using the closed pool automatic silt removal system includes the following steps:

[0013] Step 1: Install the closed pool automatic desilting system. In the control station, control the robotic arm to adjust the preset posture, control the electric slide rail to descend, and allow the robotic arm to enter the pool.

[0014] Step 2: The laser radar scans the internal environment of the pool to generate volumetric spatial data, which is fed back to the host computer in the form of a point cloud;

[0015] Step 3: The host computer uses SLAM technology to analyze and judge relevant data to generate an environmental model. It then uses motion planning algorithms to perform obstacle avoidance and path planning for the robotic arm, issue flushing instructions, and after a certain time interval, issue sludge extraction instructions to suck out the sludge at the bottom of the pool. The visual camera provides real-time feedback of dredging image data in the pool to the host computer, which can be supplemented by manual control.

[0016] Step 4: After flushing for a certain period of time, the desilting images in the pool are transmitted back by the visual camera to visually determine whether the flushing is complete. At the same time, the host computer forms a quantitative evaluation of the flushing effect by comparing the point cloud data before and after.

[0017] Step 5: After the flushing effect is satisfactory, the upper computer issues a command to stop the dredging operation.

[0018] Preferably, in step three, the side end of the base of the robotic arm is connected to the electric slide rail of the guide rod; the sixth axis of the robotic arm is installed with a high-pressure water gun; a high-pressure pump and a sewage suction pump are installed on the ground outside the pool body; the flushing instruction is used to control the position and posture of the robotic arm, the start-up of the high-pressure pump and the spray angle and start-up of the high-pressure water gun; the mud extraction instruction is used to control the start-up of the sewage suction pump.

[0019] Preferably, in step three, a pressure sensor is provided in the high-pressure water gun, and the host computer detects the water pressure in the high-pressure water gun based on the data of the pressure sensor. When the water pressure is abnormal, the host computer issues a command to pause flushing and issues an alarm for maintenance.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0021] 1) The present invention controls the dredging operation through the host computer and PLC control system in the control station. The relevant operators do not need to go into the pond during the whole process, realizing unmanned operation and eliminating safety risks.

[0022] 2) The present invention supports remote manual control based on visual data from a visual camera, and also supports automatic program control based on point cloud data from a lidar. This dual-mode control can complete dredging operations more thoroughly and more reliably.

[0023] 3) The laser radar of the present invention scans the internal environment of the pool to form the volume space data inside the pool and feeds it back to the host computer in the form of point cloud. The host computer cooperates with SLAM technology to ensure that the robotic arm will not collide in the pool body and at the same time ensure that the robotic arm is not immersed in the mud at the bottom of the pool body, thereby ensuring the safety of the equipment.

[0024] 4) The visual camera of the present invention transmits visual data to the host computer, which generates an image; the laser radar forms the internal environment of the pool into the volume space data of the pool and feeds it back to the host computer in the form of point cloud; in addition to evaluating the flushing effect through the feedback from the host computer image, relevant personnel can also quantify the dredging effect by comparing the point cloud data before and after flushing, making the dredging effect more intuitive and improving the dredging efficiency.

[0025] 5) The pressure sensor in the waterway of the high-pressure water gun of the present invention can monitor the flushing pressure in real time and give an alarm in real time. In conjunction with the host computer and PLC control system, it can automatically suspend the dredging operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the automatic dredging system for a closed water pool.

[0027] Explanation of the accompanying symbols: pool body 1, bracket 2, guide rod 3, high-pressure pump 4, sewage suction pump 5, robotic arm 6, visual camera 7, laser radar 8, high-pressure water gun 9, sludge 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the following examples. The following examples are provided only to facilitate understanding of the present invention. It should be noted that, without departing from the principles of the present invention, it is possible for a person skilled in the art to make various modifications to the present invention, and such improvements and modifications fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] As an embodiment, a closed pool automatic dredging system is proposed, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes: a control station, an in-pool sensing and desilting module and an out-pool water supply and mud pumping module; the control station is installed outside the pool body 1, and the control station includes a host computer and a PLC control system; the in-pool sensing and desilting module includes a guide rod 3 and a robotic arm 6; a bracket 2 is mounted on the manhole of the pool body 1, the guide rod 3 is set in the center of the bracket 2, and the other end of the guide rod 3 is installed at the bottom of the pool body 1; the guide rod 3 is provided with an electric slide rail, and the electric slide rail is inverted with a robotic arm 6, and the end of the robotic arm 6 is equipped with a visual camera 7 and a laser radar 8 and a high-pressure water gun 9; the water supply and mud pumping module outside the pool includes a high-pressure pump 4 and a sewage suction pump 5; the high-pressure pump 4 and the sewage suction pump 5 are installed on the ground outside the pool body 1; the other end of the high-pressure water gun 9 is connected to the high-pressure pump 4, and the high-pressure pump 4 is connected to industrial water; one end of the sewage suction pump 5 is connected to a sewage suction pipe, the bottom of the sewage suction pipe extends into the bottom of the pool body 1, and the other end of the sewage suction pipe 5 is connected to the sludge storage tank, and a pipe mouth bracket is installed at the bottom of the sewage suction pipe, the pipe mouth bracket is in contact with the bottom of the pool, and there is a gap between the bottom of the sewage suction pipe and the bottom of the pool body 1.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the side end of the base of the robotic arm 6 is connected to the electric slide rail of the guide rod 3, and the height of the robotic arm 6 is controlled by the electric slide rail; a visual camera 7 and a laser radar 8 are installed on one side of the sixth axis of the robotic arm 6, and a high-pressure water gun 9 is installed on the other side; the robotic arm 6 is a six-axis robotic arm, and a robotic arm with fewer degrees of freedom can also be used. Although some system flexibility and flushing effects will be lost, the relevant dredging work can still be completed, reducing the cost of related equipment.

[0032] The six-axis robotic arm 6 can accurately flush the inside of the pool body 1, the front and back sides of the pipes on the pool wall and the water pumps, flowmakers and other equipment in the pool, as well as the dead corners formed by the pipes on the pool wall and the water pumps, flowmakers and other equipment in the pool, to achieve better dredging effect.

[0033] Example 2

[0034] As another embodiment, this second embodiment proposes a more specific automatic dredging system for a closed water pool based on the first embodiment.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the laser radar 8 is closer to the end of the robot arm 6 than the visual camera 7, avoiding the influence of the visual camera 7 on the laser radar 8 when scanning and modeling; the visual camera 7 is higher than the laser radar 8, avoiding the laser radar 8 interfering with the field of view of the visual camera 7; the upper computer analyzes and processes the information data returned by the visual camera 7 and the laser radar 8, and the upper computer sends instructions to the PLC control system, and the PLC control system controls the robot arm 6, the high-pressure water gun 9, the high-pressure pump 4 and the sewage suction pump 5; the laser radar 8 can be replaced by a solution of the visual camera 7 plus fill light.

[0036] The automatic dredging system for closed water pools has the function of sensing the environment inside the pool through the visual camera 7 and the laser radar 8. The visual camera 7 feeds back the internal situation of the pool body 1 to the host computer screen in real time to realize manual monitoring; the laser radar 8 feeds back the internal environment of the pool body 1 to the host computer in the form of a point cloud, which is used to locate the dredging point and realize path planning; at the same time, the laser radar 8 ensures that the robotic arm 6 does not collide with the pool wall, the pipes on the pool wall, and the water pump, flow propeller and other equipment in the pool during operation, and does not immerse itself in the sludge 10.

[0037] The upper computer accurately determines the timing of dredging based on the information fed back by the laser radar 8, and sends instructions to the PLC control system according to the position of the silt 10 and the surrounding environment. The PLC control system controls the start of the high-pressure water gun 9, controls the spray angle of the high-pressure water gun 9, adjusts the position and posture of the robotic arm 6, etc.

[0038] A pressure sensor is provided in the water channel of the high-pressure water gun 9, which can monitor the flushing pressure in real time and issue an alarm in real time. In conjunction with the host computer and PLC control system, it can automatically suspend the dredging operation; the robotic arm 6 and the high-pressure water gun 9 installed thereon can be replaced by a water cannon equipped with a 360° pan-tilt head, which can be controlled by wire control and remote control.

[0039] The high-pressure water gun 9 can generate sufficient pressure and flow to effectively flush the sludge 10. For different types and hardness of sludge 10, it is necessary to select an appropriate pressure range, generally between 100-250 bar, and a flow rate between 50-150 L / min. The spray angle and coverage of the high-pressure water gun 9 must be able to meet the silt removal requirements of the pool body to ensure that there are no blind spots in the flushing.

[0040] The closed-tank automatic desilting system supports remote monitoring. Operators can remotely view the operating status and real-time data of the in-tank sensing and desilting modules, as well as the external water supply and mud pumping modules, from the control station. They can also remotely control the start, stop, and parameter adjustments of these modules, facilitating centralized management and scheduling. Operators can also view equipment operation data logs through the human-computer interaction interface to analyze whether various parameters fluctuate normally. If abnormalities such as persistently low water pressure or frequent equipment starts and stops are detected, the cause can be promptly identified.

[0041] It should be noted that the parts in this embodiment that are the same or similar to those in the first embodiment can be referenced to each other and will not be described in detail in this application.

[0042] Example 3

[0043] As another embodiment, this embodiment 3 proposes, based on the embodiment 2, a method for using the automatic dredging system for a closed water pool, such as Figure 1 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0044] Step 1: Install the closed pool automatic desilting system. In the control station, control the robotic arm 6 to adjust the preset posture and control the electric slide rail to descend, so that the robotic arm 6 enters the pool body 1. The electric slide rail, a track-type walking device, has a walking accuracy of within ±10mm and has high precision and stability, ensuring that the robotic arm 6 can accurately reach the preset position.

[0045] Step 2: The laser radar 8 scans the internal environment of the pool body 1 to form the volume space data of the pool, and feeds it back to the host computer in the form of point cloud;

[0046] Step 3: The host computer uses SLAM technology to analyze and judge relevant data to generate an environmental model, and combines the motion planning algorithm to perform obstacle avoidance and path planning for the robot arm 6, and issues a flushing command. After a certain time interval, it issues a mud pumping command to suck out the mud 10 at the bottom of the pool body 1; the visual camera 7 feeds back the dredging image data in the pool to the host computer in real time, which can be supplemented by manual control;

[0047] The side end of the base of the robotic arm 6 is connected to the electric slide rail of the guide rod 3; the sixth axis of the robotic arm 6 is installed with a high-pressure water gun 9; a high-pressure pump 4 and a sewage suction pump 5 are installed on the ground outside the tank body 1; the flushing instruction is used to control the position and posture of the robotic arm 6, the start of the high-pressure pump 4 and the spray angle and start of the high-pressure water gun 9; the mud pumping instruction is used to control the start of the sewage suction pump 5; a pressure sensor is provided in the high-pressure water gun 9, and the upper computer detects the water pressure in the high-pressure water gun based on the data of the pressure sensor. When the water pressure is abnormal, such as abnormal fluctuations in water pressure caused by nozzle blockage, pump failure, etc., the upper computer issues a pause flushing instruction and an alarm prompts maintenance;

[0048] Step 4: After flushing for a certain period of time, the desilting image in the pool is transmitted back by the visual camera 7 to visually determine whether it is completely flushed. At the same time, the host computer forms a quantitative flushing effect evaluation by comparing the point cloud data before and after;

[0049] Step 5: After the flushing effect is satisfactory, the upper computer issues a command to stop the dredging operation.

[0050] It should be noted that the parts in this embodiment that are the same or similar to those in the second embodiment can be referenced to each other and will not be described in detail in this application.

[0051] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

Claims

1. An automatic dredging system for a closed water pool, characterized in that: include: Control station, in-pool sensing and dredging module and out-pool water supply and mud pumping module; the control station is installed outside the pool body, and the control station includes a host computer and a PLC control system; the in-pool sensing and dredging module includes a guide rod and a robotic arm; a bracket is mounted on the manhole of the pool body, the guide rod is set in the center of the bracket, and the other end of the guide rod is installed at the bottom of the pool body; the guide rod is provided with an electric slide rail, and the electric slide rail is inverted with a robotic arm, and the end of the robotic arm is installed with a visual camera, a laser radar and a high-pressure water gun; the out-pool water supply and mud pumping module includes a high-pressure pump and a sewage suction pump; the high-pressure pump and the sewage suction pump are installed on the ground outside the pool body; the other end of the high-pressure water gun is connected to the high-pressure pump, and the high-pressure pump is connected to industrial water; one end of the sewage suction pump is connected to a sewage suction pipe, and the bottom of the sewage suction pipe extends into the bottom of the pool body; the other end of the sewage suction pipe is connected to a sludge storage tank.

2. The closed pool automatic desilting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robotic arm is a six-axis robotic arm; the side end of the robotic arm base is connected to the electric slide rail of the guide rod; a visual camera and a laser radar are installed on one side of the sixth axis of the robotic arm, and the visual camera includes a lighting fill light device, and a high-pressure water gun is installed on the other side of the sixth axis of the robotic arm.

3. The closed pool automatic dredging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser radar is closer to the end of the robotic arm than the visual camera, and the visual camera is higher than the laser radar; the host computer analyzes and processes the information data returned by the visual camera and the laser radar, and the host computer sends instructions to the PLC control system, which controls the robotic arm, high-pressure water gun, high-pressure pump and sewage suction pump.

4. The closed pool automatic desilting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pipe mouth bracket is installed at the bottom of the sewage suction pipe, the pipe mouth bracket is in contact with the bottom of the pool, and there is a gap between the bottom of the sewage suction pipe and the bottom of the pool body.

5. The closed pool automatic desilting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pressure sensor is provided in the water circuit of the high-pressure water gun.

6. A method for using the closed pool automatic desilting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Install the closed pool automatic desilting system. In the control station, control the robotic arm to adjust the preset posture, control the electric slide rail to descend, and allow the robotic arm to enter the pool. Step 2: The laser radar scans the internal environment of the pool to generate volumetric spatial data, which is fed back to the host computer in the form of a point cloud; Step 3: The host computer uses SLAM technology to analyze and judge relevant data to generate an environmental model. It then uses motion planning algorithms to perform obstacle avoidance and path planning for the robotic arm, issue flushing instructions, and after a certain time interval, issue sludge extraction instructions to suck out the sludge at the bottom of the pool. The visual camera provides real-time feedback of dredging image data in the pool to the host computer, which can be supplemented by manual control. Step 4: After flushing for a certain period of time, the desilting images in the pool are transmitted back by the visual camera to visually determine whether the flushing is complete. At the same time, the host computer forms a quantitative evaluation of the flushing effect by comparing the point cloud data before and after. Step 5: After the flushing effect is satisfactory, the upper computer issues a command to stop the dredging operation.

7. The method for using the automatic desilting system for a closed water pool according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step three, the side end of the base of the robotic arm is connected to the electric slide rail of the guide rod; the sixth axis of the robotic arm is installed with a high-pressure water gun; a high-pressure pump and a sewage suction pump are installed on the ground outside the pool body; the flushing instruction is used to control the position and posture of the robotic arm, the start-up of the high-pressure pump, and the spray angle and start-up of the high-pressure water gun; the mud extraction instruction is used to control the start-up of the sewage suction pump.

8. The method for using the automatic desilting system for a closed water pool according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step three, a pressure sensor is installed in the high-pressure water gun. The host computer detects the water pressure in the high-pressure water gun based on the data of the pressure sensor. When the water pressure is abnormal, the host computer issues a pause flushing instruction and an alarm prompts maintenance.

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