Telescopic pipeline robot self-adaptive to pipe diameter
By using an adaptive pipe diameter telescopic pipe robot, which utilizes the adjustment and telescopic devices of the support plate and support arm, the problem of unstable movement of existing pipe robots in complex pipe environments is solved, achieving stable movement in pipes of different diameters and simplifying the support structure.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511937575.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-20
AI Technical Summary
Existing pipeline robots have poor adaptability in complex pipeline environments, especially in vertical pipelines where they struggle to maintain stable movement and require complex support or locking control structures.
The design incorporates two mobile modules, each with a support plate and a support arm. The spacing between the support heads is adjusted via a radial adjustment device and a telescopic device. A parallel four-bar linkage ensures that the clamping head makes parallel contact with the inner wall of the pipe, and the combination of wheels and magnets enhances stability.
It enables stable movement of the robot in pipes of different diameters, improves jamming stability and adaptability, simplifies the support structure, and is suitable for complex pipeline environments.
Smart Images
Figure CN121363687A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot technology, in particular to a telescopic pipeline robot self-adapting to pipe diameter. BACKGROUND
[0002] Pipeline robots are robot devices specially used for inspecting, maintaining or repairing pipelines. They are widely used in municipal engineering, oil and gas transportation pipelines, water conservancy projects and industrial facilities, and can enter the pipeline environment that is difficult for humans to access or dangerous, to complete a series of high-difficulty tasks.
[0003] The current pipeline robot mainly uses rollers supported on the inner wall of the pipeline to realize movement along the pipeline. However, the environment inside the pipeline is complex, and some parts of the pipeline section are not suitable for roller movement. In addition, for vertical pipelines, the roller needs to maintain a large friction force with the inner wall of the pipeline to enable the robot to be fixed relative to the pipeline or to smoothly ascend along the pipeline, thus requiring complex support or locking control structures. SUMMARY
[0004] To solve the problem of poor adaptability of the current roller-type pipeline robot, the present application proposes a telescopic pipeline robot self-adapting to pipe diameter, which can use a stepping device to walk along the pipeline, is suitable for complex pipeline walking environment, has a simple structure and is easy to use.
[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present application is to design a telescopic pipeline robot self-adapting to pipe diameter, which includes two moving modules capable of moving relative to the pipeline direction. Each moving module is provided with a support disc, a plurality of support arms are distributed circumferentially on the support disc, one end of the support arm is rotationally connected with the support disc, the other end of the support disc is provided with a support head supporting the inner wall of the pipeline, a radial adjustment device is arranged between the support arm and the support disc, the radial adjustment device adjusts the distance of the support head relative to the inner wall of the pipeline, and the support discs of the two moving modules are connected through a telescopic device.
[0006] In some embodiments, a plurality of telescopic arms extending towards the inner wall of the pipeline are circumferentially arranged on the support disc, and the telescopic arms are provided with walking wheels.
[0007] In some embodiments, the support arms and the telescopic arms on each moving module are at least three.
[0008] In some embodiments, the walking wheels on at least one support disc are powered wheels.
[0009] In some embodiments, the radial adjusting device is a moving disc, the moving disc is circumferentially distributed with sliding sleeves, the support arms are in sliding fit with the sliding sleeves, the sliding sleeves are rotationally connected with the edge of the moving disc, and the moving disc is connected with the support disc through the telescopic mechanism.
[0010] In some embodiments, the support arms comprise two parallel swing rods, one end of each swing rod is rotationally connected with the support disc, the other end of each swing rod is rotationally connected with a connecting rod, and the two swing rods, the connecting rod and the support disc form a parallelogram mechanism, and one of the swing rods slides through the sliding sleeve.
[0011] In some embodiments, the support head comprises two clamping heads along the length direction of the pipeline, and the two clamping heads are fixedly connected with the connecting rod.
[0012] In some embodiments, the end face of the clamping head facing the inner wall of the pipeline is provided with a friction layer.
[0013] In some embodiments, the support head is provided with a magnet.
[0014] In some embodiments, the first rotating mechanism and the second rotating mechanism are perpendicular to each other, the first rotating mechanism and the second rotating mechanism are connected to form a two-dimensional mechanical joint, and at least one support disc is connected with the telescopic device through the two-dimensional mechanical joint.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:
[0016] The present application alternately controls the clamping and disengagement of the two moving modules and the pipeline, and cooperates with the telescopic device to realize the movement of the robot along the pipeline. The telescopic movement of one moving disc can synchronously and quickly control the radial spacing of all support heads, realize the thickness adjustment of the overall shape of the robot, and thus be suitable for use in pipelines with different sizes. Under the limitation of the parallelogram mechanism, the connecting rod is always parallel to the support disc no matter where the moving disc moves, that is, the connecting line of the two clamping heads is always parallel to the inner wall of the pipeline, so that the two clamping heads are always in contact with the inner wall of the pipeline at the same time, and thus the two clamping heads can be clamped on the inner wall of the pipeline at the same time regardless of the size of the pipeline, thereby improving the stability of clamping. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0017] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and similar reference numerals can be used to describe similar components in different views. The drawings generally show embodiments discussed herein in an example and non-limiting manner. Among them:
[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of embodiment one.
[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of one of the moving modules having its head disengaged from the inner wall of the pipe.
[0020] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the support arm disengaged from the inner wall of the pipe and using the walking wheels to walk.
[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of embodiment two.
[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the robot of embodiment two passing through a bent pipe.
[0023] In the figure, 1 is a support disc, 2 is a support head, 3 is an extension device, 4 is a moving disc, 5 is a sliding sleeve, 6 is a swing rod, 7 is a connecting rod, 21 is a head, 22 is a support rod, 8 is an extension arm, 9 is a walking wheel, 10 is a pipe, 11 is an extension mechanism, 12 is a first rotating mechanism, and 13 is a second rotating mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The following are specific embodiments of the present application, and the technical solutions of the present application are further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to these embodiments, and the following embodiments do not limit the invention involved in the claims. In addition, all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are not necessarily required by the solutions of the invention.
[0025] The principles and structures of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
[0026] Embodiment one
[0027] As Figure 1 , 2As shown, a self-adapting pipe diameter telescopic pipe robot comprises two moving modules capable of moving relative to the direction of the pipe 10, each of which is provided with a support disc 1, the support disc 1 is circumferentially provided with a plurality of support arms, one end of the support arm is rotatably connected with the support disc 1, the other end of the support disc 1 is provided with a support head 2 supporting the inner wall of the pipe 10, a radial adjusting device is arranged between the support arm and the support disc 1, the radial adjusting device adjusts the distance between the support head 2 and the inner wall of the pipe 10, and the support discs 1 of the two moving modules are connected through a telescopic device 3. The radial adjusting device makes the support head 2 on the moving module support on the inner wall of the pipe 10, so that the moving module is fixedly clamped relative to the pipe 10, if the radial adjusting device makes the support head 2 on the moving module away from the inner wall of the pipe 10, the moving module is disengaged from the pipe 10, at this time, the telescopic device 3 can make the moving module disengaged from the pipe 10 move relative to the moving module clamped to the pipe 10, so that the clamping and disengaging of the two moving modules relative to the pipe 10 are alternately controlled, and the telescopic device 3 is telescoped, so that the movement of the robot along the pipe 10 is realized. The telescopic device 3 can be a control device such as a pneumatic cylinder or an electric cylinder.
[0028] The radial adjusting device is a moving disc 4, the moving disc 4 is circumferentially provided with a sliding sleeve 5, the support arm is in sliding fit with the sliding sleeve 5, the sliding sleeve 5 is rotatably connected with the edge of the moving disc 4 through a shaft hinge, the moving disc 4 is connected with the support disc 1 through a telescopic mechanism 11, so that the distance between the support head 2 on the end of the support arm and the inner wall of the pipe 10 can be realized by controlling the movement of the moving disc 4 relative to the support disc 1 through the telescopic mechanism. The telescoping of one moving disc 4 can synchronously and quickly control all the adjustments on the moving block, which can greatly adjust the radial distance of the support head 2 in the radial direction, that is, the thickness of the overall shape of the robot is adjusted, so as to be suitable for pipes 10 of different sizes. The telescopic mechanism is a control device such as a pneumatic cylinder or an electric cylinder.
[0029] The support arm comprises two parallel swing rods 6, one end of the two swing rods 6 is rotatably connected with the support disc 1, the other end of the two swing rods 6 is rotatably connected with a connecting rod 7, and the two swing rods 6, the connecting rod 7 and the support disc 1 form a parallel four-bar mechanism, one of the two swing rods 6 slides through the sliding sleeve 5, the support head 2 comprises two clamping heads 21 along the length direction of the pipe 10, and the two clamping heads 21 are fixedly connected with the connecting rod 7. The two clamping heads 21 are connected at the two ends of a support rod 22, the support rod 22 is connected with the connecting rod 7, the support rod 22 is perpendicular to the connecting rod 7, the connecting rod 7 is parallel to the support disc 1, and the support rod 22 is parallel to the pipe 10.
[0030] Thus, the movement of the movable disk 4 can control the radial swing of the swing arm 6 relative to the support disk 1. Under the constraint of the parallel four-bar linkage, the connecting rod 7 is always parallel to the support disk 1 no matter where the movable disk 4 moves, so that the line connecting the two clamps 21 is always parallel to the inner wall of the pipe 10, thereby making the two clamps 21 always in contact with the inner wall of the pipe 10 at the same time. Thus, regardless of the size of the pipe hole, the two clamps 21 can be simultaneously locked on the inner wall of the pipe 10.
[0031] A friction layer is provided on the end face of the clamp 21 facing the inner wall of the pipe 10 in order to increase the friction between the clamp 21 and the inner wall of the pipe 10.
[0032] A magnet can also be installed on the support head 2 to increase the auxiliary force. Preferably, the magnet can be an electromagnet, so that the bonding force with the pipe 10 can be controlled as needed.
[0033] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the support plate 1 has several telescopic arms 8 arranged circumferentially, extending and retracting towards the inner wall of the pipe 10. Each telescopic arm 8 is equipped with wheels 9, allowing the robot to move in pipe sections suitable for roller travel. At least one wheel 9 on the support plate 1 can be a power wheel, driving the robot's movement. When moving using the wheels 9, the support head 2 moves away from the inner wall of the pipe 10, disengaging from its jamming position. The telescopic arms 8 can be controlled by pneumatic cylinders, electric cylinders, or other similar devices.
[0034] Furthermore, each mobile module has at least three support arms and telescopic arms 8 to ensure relatively stable support between the robot and the pipe 10.
[0035] Example 2
[0036] like Figure 4 , 5 As shown, there are a first rotating mechanism 12 and a second rotating mechanism 13. The rotation axes of the first rotating mechanism and the second rotating mechanism are perpendicular to each other. The first rotating mechanism and the second rotating mechanism are connected to form a two-dimensional mechanical joint. At least one of the support plates is connected to the telescopic device through the two-dimensional mechanical joint. In this embodiment, one of the support plates is connected to one end of the telescopic arm through the two-dimensional mechanical joint, and the other end of the telescopic arm is connected to the other support plate through the second rotating mechanism.
[0037] The two-dimensional mechanical joint allows the two moving modules to rotate relative to each other in at least two dimensions, thus enabling the robot to pass through bends in the pipe. The first and second rotation mechanisms are preferably rotation control devices capable of controlling the rotation angle, such as stepper motors or servo motors.
[0038] The specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration only and not limitation. Various modifications or changes in addition or substitution to the specific embodiments described herein can occur to those skilled in the art from the teachings of the description and accompanying drawings, and it is intended that the following claims encompass all such modifications or changes.
Claims
1. A self-adapting pipe diameter telescopic pipe robot, characterized in that, The device comprises two moving modules capable of moving relative to the direction of the pipeline, each of which is provided with a support disc, and a plurality of support arms are distributed circumferentially on the support disc, one end of the support arm is rotationally connected with the support disc, and the other end of the support disc is provided with a support head supporting the inner wall of the pipeline, a radial adjusting device is arranged between the support arm and the support disc, the radial adjusting device adjusts the distance between the support head and the inner wall of the pipeline, and the support discs of the two moving modules are connected through telescopic devices.
2. The pipe robot of claim 1, wherein, The support disc is provided with a plurality of telescopic arms extending towards the inner wall of the pipeline in a circumferential direction, and the telescopic arms are provided with walking wheels.
3. The pipe robot of claim 2, wherein, The support arms and the telescopic arms on each moving module are at least three.
4. The pipe robot of claim 2, wherein, The walking wheels on at least one support disc are power wheels.
5. The pipe robot of claim 1, wherein, The radial adjusting device is a moving disc, the moving disc is circumferentially distributed with a sliding sleeve, the support arm is in sliding fit with the sliding sleeve, the sliding sleeve is rotationally connected with the edge of the moving disc, and the moving disc is connected with the support disc through a telescopic mechanism.
6. The pipe robot of claim 5, wherein, The support arm comprises two parallel swing rods, one end of the two swing rods is rotationally connected with the support disc, the other end of the two swing rods is rotationally connected with a connecting rod, and the two swing rods, the connecting rod and the support disc form a parallel four-bar mechanism, and one of the swing rods slides through the sliding sleeve.
7. The pipe robot of claim 6, wherein, The support head comprises two clamping heads in the length direction of the pipeline, and the two clamping heads are fixedly connected with the connecting rod.
8. The pipe robot of claim 7, wherein, The end face of the clamping head towards the inner wall of the pipeline is provided with a friction layer.
9. The pipe robot of claim 1, wherein, The support head is provided with a magnet.
10. The pipe robot of claim 1, wherein, First and second rotating mechanisms, the rotation axes of the first and second rotating mechanisms are perpendicular to each other, the first and second rotating mechanisms are connected to form a two-dimensional mechanical joint, and at least one support disc is connected with the telescopic device through the two-dimensional mechanical joint.