Robot for wind power tower maintenance

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of fan tower maintenance, and discloses a robot for wind power tower maintenance, the robot comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle body and a camera device, the camera device comprises a cantilever support, the cantilever support comprises a shaft rod part, the shaft rod part is rotatably connected with the unmanned aerial vehicle body, one end of the shaft rod part is provided with a U-shaped cantilever part, and the other end of the shaft rod part is provided with a rotating shaft; a sliding rail is arranged in the U-shaped cantilever part; the support rotating mechanism is used for driving the shaft rod part to rotate so as to adjust the included angle between the U-shaped cantilever part and the horizontal plane; the camera shooting assembly is used for shooting an appearance image of the tower drum connecting bolt, and the camera shooting assembly is arranged on the sliding rail of the U-shaped cantilever part and can move along the sliding rail; the camera shooting moving mechanism is used for driving the camera shooting assembly to move along the sliding rail; and the camera shooting rotating mechanism is used for driving the camera shooting assembly to rotate when moving along the sliding rail so as to adjust the shooting angle. According to the robot disclosed by the invention, image acquisition of bolt looseness is realized, and the problem of difficulty in image acquisition in a narrow space is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wind power equipment maintenance technology, and more specifically, to a robot for maintaining wind turbine towers. Background Technology

[0002] Wind turbine towers come in various forms, primarily including steel structure towers, concrete-steel hybrid towers, and truss towers, depending on different application scenarios and requirements. Among these, truss towers are a new type of tower structure that is gradually gaining attention in the wind power field. By employing a lattice structure combined with prestressed technology, it achieves excellent wind resistance and lightweight characteristics, making it suitable for large wind turbine generators. Compared to traditional steel cylindrical towers, truss towers have significant advantages in terms of material usage, transportation costs, and structural stability. For example, a 120-meter-high truss tower is 20%-30% lighter than a cylindrical tower of the same height, and also exhibits higher structural stability.

[0003] However, the numerous connection points of truss-type towers present significant challenges for maintenance. Because these connections utilize flange bolts, regular checks for bolt tightness are necessary. This is primarily achieved by marking lines on the bolts and flanges during installation; these lines will be misaligned if the bolts are loose. With the development of low-altitude flight technology, drones are widely used across various industries. By taking photos of fixed points with drones and then automatically identifying the marking lines in the images using a recognition system, the tightness of the bolts can be quickly and easily determined.

[0004] like Figures 1-2 As shown, in truss towers, there are multi-link connected node structures. In such structures, some bolts are located in narrow spaces close to adjacent links. When taking pictures, drones cannot adjust their attitude to obtain clear images in these positions, making it impossible to accurately identify the looseness of some bolts. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention addresses the problem of difficulty in identifying loose bolts in narrow spaces in existing tower structures by providing a robot for wind turbine tower maintenance. This robot can adapt to bolt loosening detection in narrow spaces, acquire images at close range, and improve detection accuracy.

[0006] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0007] A robot for wind turbine tower maintenance includes a drone body equipped with a camera device, the camera device comprising:

[0008] A cantilever bracket includes a shaft portion that is rotatably connected to the body of a drone. One end of the shaft portion is provided with a U-shaped cantilever portion, and a slide rail is provided in the U-shaped cantilever portion.

[0009] A bracket rotation mechanism is used to drive the shaft to rotate in order to adjust the angle between the U-shaped cantilever and the horizontal plane;

[0010] A camera assembly is used to capture images of the tower connecting bolts. The camera assembly is arranged on a slide rail of the U-shaped cantilever and can move along the slide rail.

[0011] A camera movement mechanism is used to drive the camera assembly to move along a slide rail; and

[0012] A camera rotation mechanism is used to drive the camera assembly to rotate as it moves along the slide rail, so as to adjust the shooting angle.

[0013] Optionally, the bracket rotation mechanism includes a drive motor and a transmission gear pair, with the drive motor being connected to the shaft portion via the transmission gear pair.

[0014] Optionally, the slide rail is arranged along the U-shaped contour of the U-shaped cantilever, and the camera assembly is provided in two sets, which can slide symmetrically along the U-shaped contour respectively.

[0015] Optionally, the camera movement mechanism includes a pressure rod, balls, and an elastic reset component. One end of the pressure rod is arranged in the gap enclosed by the U-shaped cantilever section and can abut against the connecting rod of the tower. The other end of the pressure rod is inserted into the shaft section, and a pressure plate is provided at this end. The shaft section is provided with a ball receiving channel, which is connected to the slide rail. The pressure plate can squeeze the balls in the ball receiving channel into the slide rail to move the camera component in the slide rail. The camera component is provided with the elastic reset component at the other end of the slide rail.

[0016] Optionally, the slide rail includes a first cavity, and the ball receiving channel in the shaft portion is connected to the first cavity. The camera assembly has a spherical driving portion in the first cavity, which can be moved by being squeezed by the balls.

[0017] Optionally, the slide rail further includes a second cavity, which is stacked with the first cavity and has a gap structure in between, the width of which is smaller than the diameter of the ball.

[0018] The camera rotation mechanism includes a rack portion disposed in the second cavity, and the camera assembly has a gear portion disposed in the second cavity. The gear portion is rotatably connected to the spherical drive portion. When the camera assembly moves along the slide rail, the camera assembly can rotate by the meshing transmission of the gear portion and the rack portion.

[0019] Optionally, the rack portion includes a first toothed section, a toothless section, and a second toothed section arranged sequentially. The first toothed section is arranged on the arc section of the U-shaped cantilever portion, the second toothed section is arranged on the outer straight section of the U-shaped cantilever portion, and the toothless section is arranged on the inner straight section of the U-shaped cantilever portion. The inner straight section is located between the outer straight section and the arc section.

[0020] Optionally, a V-shaped pressure plate is provided at the end of the pressure rod.

[0021] Optionally, the elastic reset component is a helical spring.

[0022] Optionally, the bracket rotation mechanism and the U-shaped cantilever are arranged at both ends of the shaft.

[0023] The technical solution of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0024] The robot for wind turbine tower maintenance of the present invention can deliver the camera component to a position close to the bolt via a cantilever bracket, and control the movement and rotation of the camera via a camera movement mechanism and a camera rotation mechanism, thereby acquiring images of bolt marking lines in narrow spaces at close range, thus effectively solving the problem of difficult image acquisition in narrow spaces. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a partial front view of a wind turbine tower structure in the prior art.

[0026] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part A;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the robot structure for wind turbine tower maintenance according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the working position of the connecting rod between the U-shaped cantilever and the wind turbine tower of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a top view of the robot for wind turbine tower maintenance according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the cantilever bracket of the present invention in its unfolded state along the center portion of the slide rail;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a partial top view of the cantilever bracket of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a top view of the first state of the cantilever bracket of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 9This is a top view of the second state of the cantilever bracket of the present invention.

[0034] Figure label:

[0035] 100-Wind turbine tower, 110-Connecting rod, 120-Bolt, 200-Robot, 210-UAV body, 220-Support rotation mechanism, 230-Camera assembly, 231-Spherical drive unit, 232-Gear unit, 233-Camera unit, 241-V-shaped pressure plate, 242-Pressure rod, 243-Pressure plate, 244-Ball bearing, 245-Elastic reset component, 251-Rack unit, 251a-First toothed section, 251b-Gearless section, 251c-Second toothed section, 261-Shaft unit, 262-U-shaped cantilever unit, 262a-Slide rail. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Reference Figures 3-9 The robot 200 for maintaining wind turbine tower 100 of the present invention includes a drone body 210, the drone body 210 is equipped with a camera device, the drone body 210 can be a commercially available drone, the camera device is arranged on the drone body 210, the camera device includes a cantilever bracket, a bracket rotation mechanism 220, a camera component 230, a camera movement mechanism and a camera rotation mechanism.

[0037] The cantilever bracket includes a shaft portion 261, which is rotatably connected to the UAV body 210. A U-shaped cantilever portion 262 is provided at one end of the shaft portion 261, and a slide rail 262a is provided in the U-shaped cantilever portion 262. The shaft portion 261 can be mounted on a suspension frame located at the bottom of the UAV body 210. A bracket rotation mechanism 220 can be arranged on the suspension frame to adjust the angle between the U-shaped cantilever portion 262 and the horizontal plane. The bracket rotation mechanism 220 includes a drive motor and a transmission gear pair. The drive motor is connected to the shaft portion 261 via the transmission gear pair. The drive motor can be a stepper motor, and the transmission gear pair can have at least two gears. One gear is located on the output shaft of the drive motor, and the other gear is located on the shaft portion 261. The two gears mesh with each other. When the drive motor rotates, it drives the shaft portion 261 to rotate via the gears. When the shaft portion 261 rotates, it drives the U-shaped cantilever portion 262 at its end to rotate. For ease of subsequent filming, the U-shaped cantilever 262 is angle-adjustable, allowing it to be easily inserted into the tower connecting rod 110 at various angles. The U-shaped cantilever 262 is inserted into the connecting rod 110 in a perpendicular orientation. The angle can be adjusted using the camera built into the drone body 210 to take photos of the tower. Based on conventional image recognition and algorithms, the angle between the connecting rod 110 and the horizontal plane is calculated, thus providing the rotation angle for the drive motor.

[0038] The bracket rotation mechanism 220 and the U-shaped cantilever 262 are arranged at both ends of the shaft 261, which can balance the weight of the two and maintain the balance of the UAV body 210.

[0039] The camera assembly 230 is used to capture an image of the appearance of the tower connecting bolt 120. The camera assembly 230 is arranged on the slide rail 262a of the U-shaped cantilever 262 and can move along the slide rail 262a. When the U-shaped cantilever 262 is inserted into the connecting rod 110, the camera assembly 230 is controlled to move along the slide rail 262a on the U-shaped cantilever 262, so that the bolt 120 on the connecting joint can be photographed. Since the cantilever bracket composed of the shaft 261 and the U-shaped cantilever 262 can support the camera to a position close to the bolt 120 to capture images, the problem of not being able to obtain accurate images in a narrow space when the drone directly shoots is avoided.

[0040] The camera movement mechanism is used to drive the camera assembly 230 to move along the slide rail 262a. It includes a pressure rod 242, a ball bearing 244, and an elastic reset component 245. One end of the pressure rod 242 is arranged in the gap enclosed by the U-shaped cantilever portion 262 and can abut against the connecting rod 110 of the tower. The other end of the pressure rod 242 is inserted into the shaft portion 261, and a pressure plate 243 is provided at this end. A ball bearing receiving channel is provided in the shaft portion 261. The ball bearing receiving channel is connected to the slide rail 262a. The pressure plate 243 can squeeze the ball bearing 244 in the ball bearing receiving channel into the slide rail 262a and move the camera assembly 230 in the slide rail 262a. The camera assembly 230 is provided with an elastic reset component 245 at the other end of the slide rail 262a. When the U-shaped cantilever 262 is inserted into the connecting rod 110, the connecting rod 110 compresses the pressure rod 242, causing the pressure rod 242 to be pressed into the ball bearing receiving channel. The ball bearing 244 is compressed by the end pressure plate 243. The ball bearing receiving channel is a rotary channel in the shaft part 261. The ball bearing 244 is compressed and enters the slide rail 262a one after another from the ball bearing receiving channel, compressing the camera component 230 in the slide rail 262a. This compresses the elastic force of the elastic reset component 245 and moves the camera component 230. During the movement, the camera component 230 is photographed in the middle of the U-shaped cantilever 262 to obtain a close-up image.

[0041] The slide rail 262a is arranged along the U-shaped contour of the U-shaped cantilever 262. Two sets of camera components 230 are provided, which can slide symmetrically along the U-shaped contour to achieve a wraparound movement of more than 180°. Because the connecting flange has a 360° array of bolts 120, in order to achieve 360° wraparound shooting, the camera component 230 is driven to rotate as it moves along the slide rail 262a through the camera rotation mechanism to adjust the shooting angle.

[0042] Specifically, refer to Figure 6The slide rail 262a includes a first cavity and a second cavity, which are stacked on top of each other. The ball bearing receiving channel in the shaft portion 261 communicates with the first cavity. The elastic reset component 245 is also arranged in the first cavity; in this embodiment, a helical spring is preferably used. The camera assembly 230 has a spherical drive portion 231 in the first cavity, which can be moved by being pressed by the ball bearing 244. The structure of the spherical drive portion 231 avoids jamming in the first cavity during movement, thus improving the smoothness of its movement.

[0043] There is a gap structure between the first cavity and the second cavity. The width of the gap structure is smaller than the diameter of the ball 244, so that the ball 244 is always in the first cavity.

[0044] The camera rotation mechanism includes a rack portion 251 disposed in the second cavity, and a gear portion 232 disposed in the second cavity. The gear portion 232 is rotatably connected to the ball drive portion 231. When the camera component 230 moves along the slide rail 262a, the camera component 230 can rotate by the meshing transmission of the gear portion 232 and the rack portion 251. Specifically, the camera component 230 includes a camera portion 233, a gear portion 232 and a ball drive portion 231. The camera portion 233 and the gear portion 232 are relatively fixedly connected, while the gear portion 232 and the ball drive portion 231 are relatively rotatably connected. When the gear portion 232 meshes with the rack portion 251, it rotates, which can drive the camera portion 233 to rotate. When rotating, the angle of the camera can be adjusted, so that the camera is always aligned with the center of the array bolt 120 for shooting, thereby obtaining close-up images.

[0045] Reference Figures 6-9The rack portion 251 includes a first toothed section 251a, a toothless section 251b, and a second toothed section 251c arranged sequentially. The first toothed section 251a is arranged on the arc segment of the U-shaped cantilever portion 262, the second toothed section 251c is arranged on the outer straight segment of the U-shaped cantilever portion 262, and the toothless section 251b is arranged on the inner straight segment of the U-shaped cantilever portion 262. The inner straight segment is located between the outer straight segment and the arc segment. When the camera component 230 passes through the first toothed section 251a, it rotates around the center to take a picture. When it passes near the arc section and the straight section, since the connecting rod 110 has not yet fully entered the center position, if the camera component 230 continues to rotate, it will deviate too much from the center, and the captured image will not be able to obtain the marking line of the bolt 120. After the first toothed section 251a, a toothless section 251b is arranged. In the toothless section 251b, the camera component 230 maintains a fixed angle, which is just enough to face inward. When the camera component 230 reaches the outer straight section, it gradually moves away from the connecting rod 110. At this time, through the second toothed section 251c, the camera component 230 can continue to rotate, so that it can capture images as close as possible to the center position of the connecting rod 110, thereby achieving 360° image acquisition.

[0046] The camera unit 233 is arranged at an angle because the U-shaped cantilever 262 is some distance from the bolt 120. Therefore, this angled arrangement allows it to capture images as close to the bolt 120 as possible. The power and signal of the camera unit 233 can be connected to the power and control system on the UAV body 210 via cables threaded through the cantilever bracket. Alternatively, wireless connection can be achieved via a wireless communication module. For wired connections, a flexible winding device is used to store the power and signal cables, accommodating the structural arrangement that allows for movement of the camera assembly 230.

[0047] The end of the pressure bar 242 is provided with a V-shaped pressure plate 241. By providing the V-shaped pressure plate 241, the U-shaped cantilever 262 can be centered as much as possible when it is inserted into the connecting rod 110, so that the pressure bar 242 receives more even pressure and the image obtained by the camera component 230 is more accurate.

[0048] After filming is completed, the drone body 210 moves away from the linkage 110, the U-shaped cantilever 262 moves away from the linkage 110, and the pressure rod 242 loses pressure. Under the force of the elastic reset component 245, the camera component 230 is pushed to move. The camera component 230 pushes the ball bearing 244 to extend the pressure rod 242 and reset it.

[0049] The robot 200 for maintaining wind turbine tower 100 of the present invention can deliver the camera component 230 to a position close to the bolt 120 via a cantilever bracket, and control the movement and rotation of the camera via a camera moving mechanism and a camera rotating mechanism, thereby acquiring images of the bolt 120 marking lines in narrow spaces at close range, thus effectively solving the problem of difficult image acquisition in narrow spaces.

Claims

1. A robot for wind turbine tower maintenance, comprising a drone body, said drone body carrying a camera device, characterized in that, The camera device comprises: A cantilever support comprising a shaft rod part rotatably connected with the UAV body, one end of the shaft rod part being provided with a U-shaped cantilever part, and a slide rail being arranged in the U-shaped cantilever part; A support rotating mechanism for driving the shaft rod part to rotate so as to adjust the included angle between the U-shaped cantilever part and the horizontal plane; A camera assembly for shooting the appearance image of the tower drum connecting bolt, the camera assembly being arranged on the slide rail of the U-shaped cantilever part and being capable of moving along the slide rail; A camera moving mechanism for driving the camera assembly to move along the slide rail; and A camera rotating mechanism for driving the camera assembly to rotate when moving along the slide rail so as to adjust the shooting angle.

2. The robot for wind turbine tower maintenance of claim 1, wherein, The support rotating mechanism comprises a driving motor and a transmission gear pair, and the driving motor is in transmission connection with the shaft rod part through the transmission gear pair.

3. The robot for wind electric tower-maintaining according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slide rail is arranged along the U-shaped profile of the U-shaped cantilever part, and the camera assembly is provided with two groups and is capable of symmetrically sliding along the U-shaped profile.

4. The robot for wind electric tower-maintaining according to claim 1, characterized in that, The camera moving mechanism comprises a pressing rod, a ball and an elastic return part, one end of the pressing rod being arranged in the gap enclosed by the U-shaped cantilever part and being capable of abutting against the connecting rod of the tower drum, the other end of the pressing rod being inserted into the shaft rod part and being further provided with a pressing plate at the end part, a ball containing channel being arranged in the shaft rod part, the ball containing channel being in communication with the slide rail, the ball in the ball containing channel being capable of being extruded into the slide rail by the pressing plate to move the camera assembly in the slide rail, and the camera assembly being provided with the elastic return part at the other end of the slide rail.

5. The robot for wind turbine tower maintenance of claim 4, wherein, The slide rail comprises a first cavity, the ball containing channel in the shaft rod part being in communication with the first cavity, and the camera assembly having a spherical driving part in the first cavity, the spherical driving part being capable of being extruded to move by the ball.

6. The robot for wind turbine tower maintenance of claim 5, wherein, The slide rail further comprises a second cavity, the second cavity being arranged in a stacked manner with the first cavity and having a gap structure therebetween, the width of the gap structure being smaller than the diameter of the ball. The camera rotating mechanism comprises a rack part arranged in the second cavity, the camera assembly having a gear part in the second cavity, the gear part being rotatably connected with the spherical driving part, and the camera assembly being capable of rotating by the meshing transmission of the gear part and the rack part when the camera assembly moves along the slide rail.

7. The robot for wind turbine tower maintenance of claim 6, wherein, The rack part comprises a first toothed segment, a toothless segment and a second toothed segment arranged in sequence, the first toothed segment being arranged on the circular arc segment of the U-shaped cantilever part, the second toothed segment being arranged on the outer end linear segment of the U-shaped cantilever part, and the toothless segment being arranged on the inner end linear segment of the U-shaped cantilever part, the inner end linear segment being located between the outer end linear segment and the circular arc segment.

8. The robot for wind electric tower-maintaining according to claim 4, characterized in that, The end part of the pressing rod is provided with a V-shaped pressing plate.

9. The robot for wind electric tower maintenance of claim 4, wherein, The elastic return part adopts a spiral spring.

10. The robot for wind electric tower maintenance of claim 1, wherein, The support rotating mechanism and the U-shaped cantilever part are arranged at both ends of the shaft rod part.

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