Suspension bridge detection equipment based on unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses suspension bridge detection equipment based on an unmanned aerial vehicle. The suspension bridge detection equipment comprises the unmanned aerial vehicle, a suspension frame mechanism and an image acquisition mechanism, the unmanned aerial vehicle is fixedly connected with the suspension frame mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism is connected with the suspension frame mechanism, and image acquisition equipment is arranged on the image acquisition mechanism; the image acquisition mechanism further comprises two groups of walking assemblies which are oppositely arranged at intervals, the walking assemblies are rotatably connected with the suspension frame mechanism, a plurality of guide wheels are arranged on the walking assemblies, the guide wheels are connected to the walking assemblies through first telescopic rods, and the first telescopic rods are sleeved with springs. In the moving process, the guide wheel can be driven to move in the radial direction of the main cable through the telescopic action of the first telescopic rod so as to cross over a cable clamp on the main cable, after the guide wheel crosses over the cable clamp, the guide wheel can abut against the main cable again through resilience force of the spring, and the suspension frame structure can avoid an auxiliary cable on the main cable; therefore, the detection efficiency of the main cable of the suspension bridge is effectively improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of bridge detection, and in particular to a suspension bridge detection device based on an unmanned aerial vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] A suspension bridge is a bridge suspended by cables. The cable towers of the suspension bridge are anchored on both sides, and cables are suspended on the cable towers. The bridge deck is hung by a plurality of hangers suspended from the cables. The cable structure is the main load-bearing component of the suspension bridge. Since it mainly bears tension, it is generally made of steel with high tensile strength. The cable structure includes main cables, cable clamps, auxiliary cables above the main cables, and hangers below the cable clamps, which need to be detected regularly. The main focus is the detection of the main cables. The current detection methods for the main cables of the suspension bridge mainly include visual inspection, manual detection, and friction force testing. These traditional detection methods generally have the problems of low detection efficiency and poor detection accuracy.

[0003] The utility model patent document with the authorization announcement number CN223033830U discloses a mobile video acquisition device for stay cables and hangers of a suspension bridge. The technical solution is composed of a walking mechanism and a wireless camera device installed on the walking mechanism. The walking mechanism is used to walk along the path direction of the main cables. The walking mechanism includes a carbon fiber frame, a shaft pin, a guide wheel, and a rotor. The technical solution of the utility model drives the guide wheel to tightly adhere to the stay cable or the hanger by the rotor of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The number of rotations of the rotor is used to adjust the stable state of the fuselage and provide power, so that the entire acquisition system can quickly and stably move along the layout path of the stay cable or the hanger. The wireless camera is used to detect the stay cable or the hanger.

[0004] Since the cable structure includes the main cables, the cable clamps fixed on the main cables, and the auxiliary cables, when the technical solution of the above patent walks along the path direction of the main cables by the walking mechanism, it will be blocked by the cable clamps and the auxiliary cables, which will prevent it from continuing to move forward. Therefore, the walking mechanism in the utility model has the problem of being unable to avoid the cable clamps and the auxiliary cables on the main cables, which will affect the walking of the walking mechanism along the main cables. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application solves the technical problem of providing a suspension bridge detection device based on an unmanned aerial vehicle that can adapt to the main cable structure of a suspension bridge and improve the detection efficiency of the main cables of the suspension bridge.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a suspension bridge inspection device based on a drone, including a drone, a suspension frame mechanism, and an image acquisition mechanism; the drone is fixedly connected to the suspension frame mechanism, the image acquisition mechanism is connected to the suspension frame mechanism, and an image acquisition device is provided on the image acquisition mechanism; the image acquisition mechanism also includes two sets of relatively spaced walking components, the walking components are rotatably connected to the suspension frame mechanism, the walking components are provided with multiple guide wheels, the guide wheels are connected to the walking components through a first telescopic rod, and a spring is sleeved on the first telescopic rod.

[0007] As a further improvement to the above solution: the suspension frame mechanism includes an inverted U-shaped suspension frame formed by a crossbeam and two suspension beams rotatably connected to both ends of the crossbeam. The ends of the two suspension beams that are not connected to the crossbeam are rotatably connected to two sets of walking wheel assemblies respectively; the UAV is fixedly connected to the crossbeam.

[0008] As a further improvement to the above solution: one end of the lifting beam is rotatably connected to the crossbeam via a pivot, and two vertically arranged limiting plates that form a limiting fit with the lifting beam are fixedly connected to the crossbeam near both ends.

[0009] As a further improvement to the above solution: a locking groove is provided at one end of the lifting beam near the crossbeam, and a locking block that engages with the locking groove is fixedly connected to the limiting plate.

[0010] As a further improvement to the above solution: the locking block is an elastic locking block, and the end of the locking block that is not connected to the limiting plate is an undercut end that forms an interference fit with the locking groove, and the end of the undercut end is provided with a bevel.

[0011] As a further improvement to the above solution: the drone is fixedly connected to the crossbeam by a flexible connecting rope.

[0012] As a further improvement to the above solution: the walking assembly also includes an adjustment plate and an arc-shaped bracket; the adjustment plate is rotatably connected to the suspension beam, and multiple mounting brackets corresponding to the guide wheels are branched out from the adjustment plate, with the guide wheels connected to the corresponding mounting brackets via a first telescopic rod; the middle part of the arc-shaped bracket is fixedly connected to the adjustment plate, and the two ends of the arc-shaped bracket are fixedly connected to image acquisition devices.

[0013] As a further improvement to the above solution: the lifting beam is connected to a mounting base via a second telescopic rod, and the adjusting plate is rotatably connected to the mounting base via a rotating shaft.

[0014] As a further improvement to the above solution, a push rod for adjusting the horizontal distance between the mounting base and the lifting beam is also provided between the lifting beam and the mounting base.

[0015] As a further improvement to the above solution: the push rod is a screw or an electric actuator.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention uses a drone to drive the suspension frame structure to move along the axial direction of the main cable of the suspension bridge. During the movement along the main cable, an image acquisition device is used to acquire images of the main cable. During the movement, the extension and retraction of the first telescopic rod can drive the guide wheel to move along the radial direction of the main cable to pass over the cable clamps on the main cable. After the guide wheel passes over the cable clamps, the spring rebound force causes the guide wheel to re-abut against the main cable. Furthermore, the suspension frame structure can avoid the auxiliary cables on the main cable, thereby enabling the traveling component to move smoothly along the axial direction of the main cable without stopping due to obstruction. This ensures the smooth progress of the main cable inspection work, thereby effectively improving the inspection efficiency of the main cable of the suspension bridge. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is an isometric view of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a front view of the structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a side view of the structure of the present invention.

[0018] The components in the diagram are labeled as follows: 100-UAV, 200-Suspension mechanism, 210-Crossbeam, 220-Suspension beam, 230-Limiting plate, 240-Locking groove, 250-Locking block, 260-Connecting rope, 270-Second telescopic rod, 280-Mounting base, 290-Push rod, 300-Image acquisition mechanism, 310-Image acquisition equipment, 320-Guide wheel, 330-First telescopic rod, 340-Spring, 350-Adjusting plate, 360-Arc bracket, 400-Main cable, 410-Cable clamp. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up", "down", "inner", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0021] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, the suspension bridge inspection equipment based on UAV disclosed in this invention consists of a UAV 100, a suspension frame mechanism 200, and an image acquisition mechanism 300. The UAV 100 provides power for the movement of the entire suspension bridge inspection equipment along the main cable 400 of the suspension bridge. The suspension frame mechanism 200 is used to connect the UAV 100 and the image acquisition mechanism 300 and support the image acquisition mechanism 300 on the main cable 400. The image acquisition mechanism 300 moves along the main cable 400 of the suspension bridge and acquires surface images of the main cable 400 and cable clamps 410 during the movement to detect whether the main cable 400 is damaged or loose.

[0022] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the suspension mechanism 200 in this invention is connected between the UAV 100 and the image acquisition mechanism 300. The suspension mechanism 200 can stabilize the image acquisition mechanism 300 and support it relatively on the main cable 400 of the suspension bridge, so that the image acquisition mechanism 300 can move stably along the axial direction of the main cable 400 under the drive of the UAV 100. At the same time, the suspension mechanism 200 can also avoid the auxiliary cables connected to the main cable 400 to prevent the auxiliary cables from obstructing the movement of the image acquisition mechanism 300.

[0023] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the main structure of the suspension frame mechanism 200 in this invention is a suspension frame composed of a crossbeam 210 and a suspension beam 220. The crossbeam 210 is arranged horizontally, and a suspension beam 220 is connected to each end of the crossbeam 210, so that the entire suspension frame presents an inverted U-shaped structure. The suspension frame can span across both sides of the main cable 400, and a space is left in the middle of the suspension frame to avoid auxiliary cables connected above the main cable 400. The suspension beam 220 and the crossbeam 210 are rotatably connected, allowing the suspension beam 220 to rotate to be perpendicular to the crossbeam 210. The end of the suspension beam 220 not connected to the crossbeam 210 is used to connect the image acquisition mechanism 300. The crossbeam 210 and the suspension beam 220 are connected by a pivot to achieve a rotatable fit, so that the angle between the crossbeam 210 and the suspension beam 220 can be adjusted by rotation before being placed from above the main cable 400 to both sides of the main cable 400, facilitating the installation of the detection equipment onto the main cable 400.

[0024] Furthermore, in order to limit the rotation angle between the crossbeam 210 and the lifting beam 220, ensuring that the maximum downward rotation angle of the lifting beam 220 relative to the crossbeam 210 does not exceed 90°, a limiting plate 230 is provided in this invention to limit the lifting beam 220. For example... Figure 1As shown, vertically downward-facing limiting plates 230 are fixedly connected to the crossbeam 210 near both ends of the crossbeam 210. The two limiting plates 230 are located inside the two lifting beams 220 respectively. When the lifting beam 220 rotates downward to be perpendicular to the crossbeam 210, the lifting beam 220 will be blocked by the limiting plates 230 and cannot continue to rotate, thus limiting the downward rotation angle range of the lifting beam 220. In order to keep the lifting beam 220 stable after rotating to be perpendicular to the crossbeam 210, the present invention provides a locking groove 240 at one end of the lifting beam 220 near the crossbeam 210. At the same time, a locking block 250 extending outward perpendicular to the limiting plate 230 is fixedly connected to the outer surface of the limiting plate 230. When the lifting beam 220 rotates downward to be perpendicular to the crossbeam 210, the locking block 250 can be inserted into the locking groove 240 to form a snap-fit ​​with the lifting beam 220, thereby fixing the limiting plate 230 and the lifting beam 220. To facilitate the insertion of the locking block 250 into the locking groove 240 and to establish a stable snap-fit ​​after insertion, the locking block 250 in this invention is an elastic locking block made of elastic rubber. When the lifting beam 220 rotates downward to be perpendicular to the crossbeam 210, the lifting beam 220 compresses the locking block 250, causing the elastic locking block to deform under pressure and thus snap into the locking groove 240. Furthermore, the shape of the locking block 250 is optimized by setting the end of the locking block 250 not connected to the limiting plate 230 as an undercut end that forms an interference fit with the locking groove 240, ensuring that the width of the undercut end of the locking block 250 is greater than the width of the locking groove 240. At the same time, a bevel is provided at the end of the undercut end to facilitate the insertion of the undercut end of the locking block 250 into the locking groove 240.

[0025] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the image acquisition mechanism in this invention includes a walking component and an image acquisition device 310. The walking component is equipped with multiple guide wheels 320. There are two sets of walking components, each rotatably connected to one end of a suspension beam 220 that is not connected to the crossbeam 210. When the suspension beam 220 rotates to be perpendicular to the crossbeam 210, the guide wheels 320 of the two sets of walking components abut against the main cable 400 from both sides. The drone 100 is fixedly connected to the crossbeam 210. The drone 100 drives the entire inspection equipment to move. The drone 100 is flexible, moves quickly, and moves at a high altitude, with a low risk of falling. It only has certain requirements for the load weight and can directly purchase existing mature drone equipment on the market without special customization, which can effectively reduce inspection costs. The guide wheels 320 of the walking component roll along the axial direction of the main cable 400, and the image acquisition device 310 acquires surface images of the main cable 400 during the movement of the equipment. This invention can also restrict the movement of the UAV 100 by having the walking component contact the main cable 400, thereby improving the stability of the entire detection equipment during movement and enhancing image acquisition quality. The connection between the UAV 100 and the crossbeam 210 can be achieved using a flexible connecting rope 260. The flexible connecting rope 260 can accommodate a certain deformation and facilitates changes in the flight angle of the UAV 100. Since a cable clamp 410 is also installed on the main cable 400, when the walking component moves to the position where the cable clamp 410 is located, the protruding cable clamp 410 will obstruct the movement of the walking component. To ensure smooth movement of the detection equipment along the main cable 400, and to make its movement on the main cable 400 more fluid, this invention has improved the installation structure of the guide wheel 320, such as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a first telescopic rod 330 and a spring 340 are used to connect the guide wheel 320 to the traveling assembly. The guide wheel 320 is fixed to the traveling assembly via the first telescopic rod 330. The first telescopic rod 330 can change the distance between the guide wheel 320 and the traveling assembly by its own extension and retraction. A spring 340 is fitted onto the first telescopic rod 330. When the traveling assembly moves to contact the cable clamp 410 on the main cable 400, the guide wheel 320 is subjected to the force of the cable clamp 410 as it passes over it. This causes the first telescopic rod 330 to retract under pressure, simultaneously compressing the spring 340, giving the guide wheel 320 a certain amount of springback. Due to the retraction of the first telescopic rod 330, the distance between the guide wheels 320 on both sides of the traveling assembly increases, allowing the traveling assembly to smoothly pass over the cable clamp 410. Then, the spring force of the spring 340 causes the first telescopic rod 330 to extend, causing the guide wheel 320 to re-abut against the main cable 400.

[0026] Furthermore, such as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the walking assembly of the present invention also includes an adjusting plate 350 and an arc-shaped bracket 360. The adjusting plate 350 is rotatably connected to the suspension beam 220. Multiple mounting brackets corresponding to the guide wheels 320 are branched off from the adjusting plate 350. The guide wheels 320 are connected to the corresponding mounting brackets via a first telescopic rod 330. The middle part of the arc-shaped bracket 360 is fixedly connected to the adjusting plate 350, and the two ends of the arc-shaped bracket 360 are fixedly connected to the image acquisition device 310. The suspension beam 220 is connected to a mounting base 280 via a second telescopic rod 270. The adjusting plate 350 is rotatably connected to the mounting base 280 via a rotating shaft, so that the walking assembly can rotate flexibly to adapt to the tilt angle of the main cable 400. A push rod 290 for adjusting the horizontal distance between the mounting base 280 and the suspension beam 220 is also provided between the suspension beam 220 and the mounting base 280. Each walking assembly is equipped with four guide wheels 320. The mounting brackets on the adjusting plate 350 are arranged crosswise, and the guide wheels 420 are tilted, so that the four guide wheels 320 on the walking assembly abut against the main cable 400 in an X-shape. This allows for reverse restriction of the movement of the UAV 100 during flight, resulting in smaller fluctuations in the distance between the image acquisition device 310 and the main cable 400, and more stable image acquisition. The invention also incorporates a second telescopic rod 270 connected to the mounting base 280 at the bottom of the suspension beam 220, and a push rod 290 to adjust the distance between them. This allows for adjustment of the distance between the two walking assemblies via the push rod 290, ensuring that the guide wheels 320 of both walking assemblies stably abut against the main cable 400. The push rod 290 can be a screw or an electric actuator.

[0027] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in this invention, the image acquisition device 310 is fixed by an arc-shaped bracket 360. The image acquisition device 310 can be a camera or a 3D laser scanner. The arc-shaped brackets 360 of the two sets of walking components surround the outside of the main cable 400. Three image acquisition devices 310 can be installed on each arc-shaped bracket 360. They are arranged at equal intervals at the top, middle and bottom of the arc-shaped bracket 360. That is, the distance between the image acquisition devices 310 located at the top and bottom of the arc-shaped bracket 360 and the image acquisition device 310 located in the middle of the arc-shaped bracket 360 is equal, so that the main cable 400 can be photographed from all directions. The adjusting plate 350 is rotatably connected to the mounting base 280 to allow the walking component to rotate flexibly. A motor can also be installed on the mounting base 280 to replace the rotating shaft. The output shaft of the motor is fixedly connected to the adjusting plate 350, so that the rotation angle of the adjusting plate 350 can be adjusted by the operation of the motor. Under normal movement, the image acquisition device 310 located in the middle of the arc bracket 360 will be aligned with the axis of the main cable 400. When the movement of the detection equipment deviates, the main cable 400 will deviate from the center of the image captured by the image acquisition device 310 located at the top and bottom of the arc bracket 360. At this time, the motor can be started according to the deviation to adjust the angle of the adjusting plate 350, so as to achieve the effect of actively correcting the captured image. At the same time, when the deviation occurs, the spring 340 will also twist, which can be used in conjunction with the rebound force of the spring 340 to achieve passive correction, so that the image acquisition device 310 on the arc bracket 360 can always keep aligned with the main cable 400 for capturing.

Claims

1. A suspension bridge inspection device based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), characterized in that: The system includes a drone (100), a suspension mechanism (200), and an image acquisition mechanism (300). The drone (100) is fixedly connected to the suspension mechanism (200), and the image acquisition mechanism (300) is connected to the suspension mechanism (200). The image acquisition mechanism (300) is equipped with an image acquisition device (310). The image acquisition mechanism (300) also includes two sets of walking components that are arranged at relative intervals. The walking components are rotatably connected to the suspension mechanism (200). The walking components are equipped with multiple guide wheels (320). The guide wheels (320) are connected to the walking components through a first telescopic rod (330). A spring (340) is sleeved on the first telescopic rod (330).

2. The suspension bridge inspection equipment based on unmanned aerial vehicles as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The suspension mechanism (200) includes an inverted U-shaped suspension formed by a crossbeam (210) and two suspension beams (220) rotatably connected to both ends of the crossbeam (210). The ends of the two suspension beams (220) not connected to the crossbeam (210) are rotatably connected to two sets of walking wheel assemblies respectively. The drone (100) is fixedly connected to the crossbeam (210).

3. The suspension bridge inspection equipment based on unmanned aerial vehicles as described in claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the lifting beam (220) is rotatably connected to the crossbeam (210) via a pivot. Two vertically arranged limiting plates (230) are fixedly connected to the crossbeam (210) near both ends and form a limiting fit with the lifting beam (220).

4. The UAV-based suspension bridge inspection device as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The end of the lifting beam (220) near the crossbeam (210) is provided with a locking groove (240), and a locking block (250) is fixedly connected to the limiting plate (230) to form a snap-fit ​​with the locking groove (240).

5. The UAV-based suspension bridge inspection device as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The locking block (250) is an elastic locking block. The end of the locking block (250) that is not connected to the limiting plate (230) is an undercut end that forms an interference fit with the locking groove (240). The end of the undercut end is provided with a bevel.

6. The UAV-based suspension bridge inspection equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The drone (100) is fixedly connected to the crossbeam (210) by a flexible connecting rope (260).

7. The UAV-based suspension bridge inspection device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The walking assembly also includes an adjustment plate (350) and an arc-shaped bracket (360); the adjustment plate (350) is rotatably connected to the suspension beam (220), and multiple mounting brackets corresponding to the guide wheels (320) are branched out from the adjustment plate (350); the guide wheels (320) are connected to the corresponding mounting brackets through the first telescopic rod (330); The middle part of the arc-shaped bracket (360) is fixedly connected to the adjustment plate (350), and the two ends of the arc-shaped bracket (360) are fixedly connected to the image acquisition device (310).

8. The UAV-based suspension bridge inspection device as described in claim 7, characterized in that: The lifting beam (220) is connected to the mounting base (280) via the second telescopic rod (270), and the adjusting plate (350) is rotatably connected to the mounting base (280) via a rotating shaft.

9. The UAV-based suspension bridge inspection device as described in claim 8, characterized in that: A push rod (290) for adjusting the horizontal distance between the mounting base (280) and the lifting beam (220) is also provided between the lifting beam (220) and the mounting base (280).

10. The UAV-based suspension bridge inspection device as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The push rod (290) is a screw or an electric push rod.

Images