Self-adaptive obstacle-crossing magnetic wall-climbing robot

Abstract

The invention provides a self-adaptive obstacle-crossing magnetic wall-climbing robot, and relates to the field of wall-climbing robotics.The self-adaptive obstacle-crossing magnetic wall-climbing robot comprises a vehicle body mechanism and multiple sets of integrated wheel set mechanisms, the integrated wheel set mechanisms are used for driving the vehicle body mechanism to move, and each integrated wheel set mechanism comprises a hub motor, an external planetary gear assembly and a permanent magnet assembly; the wall-climbing robot can passively adapt to wall surface characteristics, the posture of the permanent magnet unit is rapidly and actively adjusted through the motion state of the wall-climbing robot, obstacle crossing is automatically completed without a control strategy, and the motion performance and applicability of the wall-climbing robot are greatly improved; according to the planetary gear assembly, the permanent magnet adsorption characteristic is matched in a pure mechanical passive mode, the relative fixing and output relation of the sun gear, the planet carrier and the gear ring is changed, switching of the forward high-speed low-torque operation function and the reverse low-speed large-torque magnet driving function is achieved, and the market value is large.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wall-climbing robots, and in particular to a magnetic wall-climbing robot capable of adaptively climbing obstacles. Background Art

[0002] The narrow spaces of the metal structures on the hull require regular inspection and maintenance. These spaces include but are not limited to small-diameter pipes, channel steel structures, and inner and outer shell interlayers. These spaces are difficult for personnel to enter, so a small and lightweight wall-climbing vehicle carrying camera equipment is needed to replace personnel for patrol operations.

[0003] However, this narrow metal space inevitably contains curved pipes, various obstacles, and intersecting walls. The robot needs to have the ability to move flexibly, overcome obstacles, and transition between walls in order to achieve all-round inspection.

[0004] However, the existing traditional wall transition solutions mainly rely on magnetic wheels or mechanisms that actively adjust the magnet posture. Not only is the control level relatively complex, but it also requires accurate terrain features to achieve a stable transition. Therefore, how to optimize the structure design so that the wall-climbing robot can independently and strategically cross such a narrow obstacle space has become an urgent problem to be solved by technical personnel in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art and provide a magnetic wall-climbing robot with adaptive obstacle-crossing. The wall-climbing robot of the present invention can passively adapt to the characteristics of the wall surface, quickly actively adjust the posture of the permanent magnet unit through the motion state of the wall-climbing robot itself, and complete the obstacle crossing by itself without a control strategy, thereby greatly improving the motion performance and applicability of the wall-climbing robot; the planetary gear assembly of the present invention changes the relative fixation and output relationship of the sun gear, planetary carrier, and ring gear in a purely mechanical passive form in combination with the permanent magnetic adsorption characteristics, thereby realizing the switching of the forward high-speed and low-torque operation and the reverse low-speed and high-torque driving magnet function.

[0006] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] A magnetic wall-climbing robot with adaptive obstacle-crossing capability comprises a vehicle body and multiple integrated wheel mechanisms, wherein the integrated wheel mechanisms are used to drive the vehicle body to move.

[0008] The integrated wheel assembly mechanism includes a hub motor, an external planetary gear assembly and a permanent magnet assembly. The planetary gear assembly includes a sun gear, planetary gears, a ring gear, a planet carrier and a fixed plate. The sun gear is fixedly connected to the fixed part of the hub motor, and the planetary gears are respectively engaged with the sun gear and the ring gear. The planetary gears are rotatably connected to the planet carrier through a rotating shaft. The permanent magnet assembly includes a fixedly connected permanent magnet unit and a magnet adjustment member. The magnet adjustment member is fixedly connected to the planet carrier. The permanent magnet unit adsorbs the working surface. The fixed plate is coaxially fixedly connected to the ring gear. The vehicle body mechanism is hingedly connected to the center of the fixed plate through a front connecting portion.

[0009] When the wall-climbing robot is moving normally on a flat surface, the permanent magnet assembly is attracted by the wall and remains stably below the vehicle body. At this time, the planetary carrier and the ring gear fixedly connected to the permanent magnet assembly are relatively fixed, the planetary gear assembly and the vehicle body are relatively stationary, and the integrated wheel assembly drives the wall-climbing robot to move;

[0010] When the wall-climbing robot encounters an obstacle or an intersecting wall, the hub motor is blocked and stops moving. At this time, the fixed part of the hub motor passively drives the sun gear to rotate, and the sun gear drives the planetary gear to engage and transmit. The planetary gear assembly decelerates and increases the torque. The planetary carrier drives the permanent magnet assembly to rotate until the permanent magnet unit of the permanent magnet assembly is close to the obstacle or the intersecting wall. The hub motor resumes movement, the permanent magnet assembly loses driving force and stops rotating, and the wall-climbing robot completes the obstacle crossing and wall transition.

[0011] It can be seen that in the above technical scheme, the wall-climbing robot of the present invention can passively adapt to the characteristics of the wall surface, quickly actively adjust the posture of the permanent magnet unit through the motion state of the wall-climbing robot itself, and complete the obstacle crossing by itself without a control strategy, thereby greatly improving the motion performance and applicability of the wall-climbing robot; each set of integrated wheel group mechanisms of the wall-climbing robot of the present invention is relatively independent, so that the wall-climbing robot has a higher degree of freedom and wider adaptability; the integrated wheel group mechanism in the wall-climbing robot of the present invention can automatically adjust the angle of the permanent magnet unit according to the height of the obstacle. When the permanent magnet unit rotates, when the adsorption force on the side close to the obstacle meets the requirements of the wall-climbing robot crossing, the hub motor starts to rotate, the permanent magnet unit loses the driving force and stops rotating, and the wall-climbing robot starts to climb over the obstacle. After the climbing is completed, the permanent magnet unit returns to the position directly below the vehicle body mechanism; the planetary gear assembly of the present invention changes the relative fixation and output relationship of the sun gear, planetary carrier and ring gear in a purely mechanical passive form in combination with the permanent magnetic adsorption characteristics, thereby realizing the switching of the forward high-speed and low-torque operation and the reverse low-speed and high-torque driving magnet function.

[0012] According to the above technical solution, preferably, it further includes a front steering mechanism, which is arranged on the vehicle body mechanism and drives the two sets of hub motors on the front side of the wall-climbing robot to adjust the steering.

[0013] According to the above technical solution, preferably, it also includes a rear steering mechanism, which drives the two sets of hub motors on the rear side of the wall-climbing robot to steer and adjust. When the wall-climbing robot turns left or right, the front steering mechanism drives the two sets of hub motors on the front side to steer and adjust to the left or right, and at the same time, the rear steering mechanism drives the two sets of hub motors on the rear side to steer and adjust to the right or left.

[0014] It can be seen that in the above technical solution, through the front and rear dual steering mechanisms, when the wall-climbing robot turns left or right, the front steering mechanism drives the two sets of hub motors on the front side to steer left or right, and at the same time, the rear steering mechanism drives the two sets of hub motors on the rear side to steer right or left, thereby greatly reducing the turning radius and being able to adapt to a narrower and more extreme working environment.

[0015] According to the above technical solution, preferably, the steering mechanism includes a servo, a T-shaped connecting rod and two groups of steering connecting rods, the servo is fixedly connected to the vehicle body mechanism, the T-shaped connecting rod includes a fixedly connected middle connecting portion and two groups of flange connecting portions, the end of the middle connecting portion is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the servo, one end of the steering connecting rod is hingedly connected to the end of the flange connecting portion, and the other end of the steering connecting rod is hingedly connected to the eccentric area of ​​the fixed plate through the rear connecting portion.

[0016] According to the above technical solution, preferably, it also includes a lighting lamp and a pan-tilt camera fixedly arranged on the vehicle body mechanism, the lighting lamp is arranged at the front end of the vehicle body mechanism to form a lighting environment, and the pan-tilt camera is arranged above the vehicle body mechanism to shoot the working environment in real time.

[0017] According to the above technical solution, preferably, it further includes a battery, and the battery is sealed and arranged in the vehicle body structure.

[0018] According to the above technical solution, preferably, it also includes a controller and a wireless communication module. The controller is electrically connected to the steering gear and the hub motor respectively and is used to control the operation of the steering gear and the hub motor. The wireless communication module communicates with the controller through information exchange.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0020] (1) The wall-climbing robot of the present invention can passively adapt to the characteristics of the wall surface, quickly actively adjust the posture of the permanent magnet unit through the wall-climbing robot's own motion state, and complete the obstacle crossing by itself without a control strategy, greatly improving the motion performance and applicability of the wall-climbing robot;

[0021] (2) Each set of integrated wheel mechanisms of the wall-climbing robot of the present invention is relatively independent, which makes the wall-climbing robot have a higher degree of freedom and wider adaptability;

[0022] (3) The integrated wheel assembly mechanism in the wall-climbing robot of the present invention can automatically adjust the angle of the permanent magnet unit according to the height of the obstacle. When the permanent magnet unit rotates, when the adsorption force on the side close to the obstacle meets the requirements for the wall-climbing robot to cross, the wheel hub motor starts to rotate, the permanent magnet unit loses the driving force and stops rotating, and the wall-climbing robot starts to climb over the obstacle. After climbing over, the permanent magnet unit returns to the position directly below the vehicle body mechanism.

[0023] (4) The planetary gear assembly of the present invention changes the relative fixation and output relationship of the sun gear, planetary carrier and ring gear in a purely mechanical passive form in combination with the permanent magnetic adsorption characteristics, thereby realizing the switching of the forward high-speed low-torque operation and the reverse low-speed high-torque driving magnet function. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 Shows an isometric structural diagram of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 The isometric structural diagram of the present invention after the upper cover of the vehicle body structure is removed is shown;

[0026] Figure 3 The present invention shows Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the top view structure;

[0027] Figure 4 It shows the isometric structural diagram of the integrated wheel assembly mechanism in the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 The isometric structural diagram of the hub motor, planetary gear assembly and permanent magnet assembly in the present invention is shown;

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic cross-sectional view of the integrated wheel assembly mechanism of the present invention is shown;

[0030] Figure 7 It shows a schematic diagram of the operation of the present invention after stopping due to an obstruction;

[0031] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the operation of the present invention after the permanent magnet unit is close to an obstacle or an intersecting wall surface;

[0032] Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the operation of the present invention after the hub motor resumes motion and the permanent magnet assembly loses driving force and stops rotating is shown;

[0033] Figure 10 A schematic diagram showing the operation of the present invention of gradually climbing a wall after the hub motor resumes motion;

[0034] Description of reference numerals:

[0035] 1. Vehicle body; 2. Integrated wheel assembly; 3. Steering mechanism; 4. Hub motor; 5. Planetary gear assembly; 6. Permanent magnet assembly; 7. Sun gear; 8. Planetary gear; 9. Ring gear; 10. Planet carrier; 11. Fixed plate; 12. Permanent magnet unit; 13. Magnet adjustment member; 14. Front connection; 15. Servo; 16. T-type connecting rod; 17. Steering connecting rod; 18. Middle connection; 19. Flange connection; 20. Light; 21. PTZ camera; 22. Battery; 23. Controller; 24. Wireless communication module; 25. Rear connection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the best embodiment. Based on the embodiments of the invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making any creative work shall fall within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0037] In the description of the invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the invention.

[0038] As shown in the figure, the present invention provides an adaptive obstacle-climbing magnetic wall-climbing robot, comprising a body mechanism 1, multiple sets of integrated wheel mechanism 2, and a front steering mechanism 3. The integrated wheel mechanism 2 is used to drive the body mechanism 1 to move, wherein:

[0039] The integrated wheel assembly mechanism 2 includes a hub motor 4, an external planetary gear assembly 5 and a permanent magnet assembly 6, wherein the planetary gear assembly 5 includes a sun gear 7, a planetary gear 8, a ring gear 9, a planet carrier 10 and a fixed plate 11. The sun gear 7 is fixedly connected to the fixed part of the hub motor 4. The output shaft of the hub motor 4 drives the wheel to rotate. The planetary gear 8 is engaged with the sun gear 7 and the ring gear 9 respectively. The planetary gear 8 is rotatably connected to the planet carrier 10 through a rotating shaft. The permanent magnet assembly 6 includes a fixedly connected permanent magnet unit 12 and a magnet adjustment member 13. The magnet adjustment member 13 is fixedly connected to the planet carrier 10. The permanent magnet unit adsorbs the working surface. The fixed plate 11 is coaxially fixedly connected to the ring gear 9. The vehicle body mechanism 1 is hingedly connected to the center of the fixed plate 11 through the front connecting portion 14. The steering mechanism 3 is arranged on the body structure 1. The steering mechanism 3 drives the two sets of hub motors 4 on the front side of the wall-climbing robot to adjust the steering. The steering mechanism 3 includes a steering gear 15, a T-shaped connecting rod 16, and two sets of steering links 17. The steering gear 15 is fixedly connected to the body structure 1. The T-shaped connecting rod 16 includes a fixedly connected middle connecting portion 18 and two sets of flange connecting portions 19. The end of the middle connecting portion 18 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the steering gear 15. One end of the steering link 17 is hingedly connected to the end of the flange connecting portion 19. The other end of the steering link 17 is hingedly connected to the eccentric area of ​​the fixed plate 11 through the rear connecting portion 25.

[0040] When the wall-climbing robot is moving normally on a flat surface, the permanent magnet assembly 6 is attracted by the wall and remains stably below the vehicle body 1. At this time, the planetary carrier 10 and the ring gear 9 fixedly connected to the permanent magnet assembly 6 are relatively fixed, the planetary gear assembly 5 and the vehicle body 1 are relatively stationary, and the integrated wheel assembly 2 drives the wall-climbing robot to move;

[0041] When the wall-climbing robot encounters an obstacle or an intersecting wall, the hub motor 4 is blocked and stops moving. At this time, the fixed part of the hub motor 4 passively drives the sun gear 7 to rotate, and the sun gear 7 drives the planetary gear 8 to engage and transmit. After the planetary gear assembly 5 decelerates and increases the torque, the planetary carrier 10 drives the permanent magnet assembly 6 to rotate until the permanent magnet unit 12 of the permanent magnet assembly 6 is close to the obstacle or the intersecting wall. The hub motor 4 resumes movement, the permanent magnet assembly 6 loses driving force and stops rotating, and the wall-climbing robot completes the obstacle crossing and wall transition.

[0042] The wall-climbing robot of the present invention can passively adapt to the characteristics of the wall surface, quickly actively adjust the posture of the permanent magnet unit 12 through the wall-climbing robot's own motion state, and complete the obstacle crossing by itself without a control strategy, thereby greatly improving the motion performance and applicability of the wall-climbing robot; each set of integrated wheel group mechanisms 2 of the wall-climbing robot of the present invention is relatively independent, so that the wall-climbing robot has a higher degree of freedom and wider adaptability; the integrated wheel group mechanism 2 in the wall-climbing robot of the present invention can automatically adjust the angle of the permanent magnet unit 12 according to the height of the obstacle. When the permanent magnet unit 12 rotates, when the adsorption force close to the side of the obstacle meets the requirements of the wall-climbing robot crossing, the hub motor 4 starts to rotate, the permanent magnet unit 12 loses the driving force and stops rotating, and the wall-climbing robot starts to climb over the obstacle. After the climbing is completed, the permanent magnet unit 12 returns to the position directly below the vehicle body mechanism 1; the planetary gear assembly 5 of the present invention changes the relative fixation and output relationship of the sun gear 7, the planetary carrier 10, and the ring gear 9 in a purely mechanical passive form in combination with the permanent magnetic adsorption characteristics, thereby realizing the switching of the forward high-speed low-torque operation and the reverse low-speed high-torque driving magnet function.

[0043] Optionally, in a possible embodiment, it also includes a rear steering mechanism 3, which drives the two sets of hub motors 4 on the rear side of the wall-climbing robot to steer. When the wall-climbing robot turns left or right, the front steering mechanism 3 drives the two sets of hub motors 4 on the front side to steer left or right, and at the same time, the rear steering mechanism 3 drives the two sets of hub motors 4 on the rear side to steer right or left, thereby greatly reducing the turning radius and being able to adapt to a narrower and more extreme working environment.

[0044] Optionally, in a possible embodiment, it also includes a lighting lamp 20 and a pan-tilt camera 21 fixedly arranged on the vehicle body mechanism 1. The lighting lamp 20 is arranged at the front end of the vehicle body mechanism 1 to form a lighting environment, and the pan-tilt camera 21 is arranged above the vehicle body mechanism 1 to shoot the working environment in real time.

[0045] Optionally, in a possible implementation, a battery 22 is further included, and the battery 22 is sealed and arranged in the vehicle body structure 1.

[0046] Optionally, in a possible embodiment, it further includes a controller 23 and a wireless communication module 24. The controller 23 is electrically connected to the servo 15 and the hub motor 4 respectively, and is used to control the operation of the servo 15 and the hub motor 4. The wireless communication module 24 communicates with the controller 23 for information exchange.

[0047] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for clarity of explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other variations or modifications based on the above descriptions are possible. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all implementation methods here. Obvious variations or modifications arising therefrom remain within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A magnetic wall-climbing robot with adaptive obstacle-crossing capability, characterized in that: It includes a vehicle body and multiple integrated wheel assembly mechanisms, wherein the integrated wheel assembly mechanisms are used to drive the vehicle body to move, wherein: The integrated wheel assembly mechanism includes a hub motor, an external planetary gear assembly and a permanent magnet assembly. The planetary gear assembly includes a sun gear, planetary gears, a ring gear, a planet carrier and a fixed plate. The sun gear is fixedly connected to the fixed part of the hub motor, and the planetary gears are respectively engaged with the sun gear and the ring gear. The planetary gears are rotatably connected to the planet carrier through a rotating shaft. The permanent magnet assembly includes a fixedly connected permanent magnet unit and a magnet adjustment member. The magnet adjustment member is fixedly connected to the planet carrier. The permanent magnet unit adsorbs the working surface. The fixed plate is coaxially fixedly connected to the ring gear. The vehicle body mechanism is hingedly connected to the center of the fixed plate through a front connecting portion. When the wall-climbing robot is moving normally on a flat surface, the permanent magnet assembly is attracted by the wall and remains stably below the vehicle body. At this time, the planetary carrier and the ring gear fixedly connected to the permanent magnet assembly are relatively fixed, the planetary gear assembly and the vehicle body are relatively stationary, and the integrated wheel assembly drives the wall-climbing robot to move; When the wall-climbing robot encounters an obstacle or an intersecting wall, the hub motor is blocked and stops moving. At this time, the fixed part of the hub motor passively drives the sun gear to rotate, and the sun gear drives the planetary gear to engage and transmit. The planetary gear assembly decelerates and increases the torque. The planetary carrier drives the permanent magnet assembly to rotate until the permanent magnet unit of the permanent magnet assembly is close to the obstacle or the intersecting wall. The hub motor resumes movement, the permanent magnet assembly loses driving force and stops rotating, and the wall-climbing robot completes the obstacle crossing and wall transition.

2. The adaptive obstacle-climbing magnetic wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a front steering mechanism, which is arranged on the vehicle body mechanism and drives two sets of wheel hub motors on the front side of the wall-climbing robot for steering adjustment.

3. The adaptive obstacle-climbing magnetic wall-climbing robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a rear steering mechanism, which drives the two sets of wheel hub motors on the rear side of the wall-climbing robot to steer. When the wall-climbing robot turns left or right, the front steering mechanism drives the two sets of wheel hub motors on the front side to steer left or right, and at the same time, the rear steering mechanism drives the two sets of wheel hub motors on the rear side to steer right or left.

4. The adaptive obstacle-climbing magnetic wall-climbing robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The steering mechanism includes a servo, a T-shaped connecting rod and two groups of steering connecting rods. The servo is fixedly connected to the vehicle body mechanism. The T-shaped connecting rod includes a fixedly connected middle connecting portion and two groups of flange connecting portions. The end of the middle connecting portion is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the servo. One end of the steering connecting rod is hingedly connected to the end of the flange connecting portion, and the other end of the steering connecting rod is hingedly connected to the eccentric area of ​​the fixed plate through the rear connecting portion.

5. The adaptive obstacle-climbing magnetic wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a lighting lamp and a pan-tilt camera fixedly arranged on the vehicle body structure. The lighting lamp is arranged at the front end of the vehicle body structure to form a lighting environment, and the pan-tilt camera is arranged above the vehicle body structure to shoot the working environment in real time.

6. The adaptive obstacle-climbing magnetic wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle also includes a battery, which is sealed and arranged in the vehicle body structure.

7. The adaptive obstacle-climbing magnetic wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a controller and a wireless communication module. The controller is electrically connected to the steering gear and the hub motor respectively and is used to control the operation of the steering gear and the hub motor. The wireless communication module communicates with the controller through information exchange.

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