Pipeline robot advancing method and robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a pipeline robot advancing method which comprises the steps that a control instruction is received, and a walking part is adjusted based on the control instruction so that the walking part can be matched with the pipe diameter of a pipeline; adjusting the radius of the working part of the pipeline robot to form a preset attachment degree with the inner wall of the pipeline; the driving part is used for driving the walking part to run and driving the pipeline robot to advance along the inner wall of the pipeline; when the pipeline robot passes through a curve, the walking part and the working part are linked through the universal coupling, the walking part and the working part complete the steering action, meanwhile, the attaching state of the walking part and the working part to the inner wall of the pipeline is maintained, and clamping and slipping are avoided. The radius of the walking part and the radius of the working part are adjusted according to the inner diameter of the pipeline, so that the robot is suitable for different pipelines, the advancing stability is improved, and the problems of slipping and jamming in the pipeline are solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of pipeline robots, in particular to a pipeline robot advancing method and a robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] Intelligent robots are the third generation of robots, which are equipped with multiple sensors and can fuse information obtained by multiple sensors, effectively adapt to changing environments, and have strong self-adaptability, learning ability and autonomy.

[0003] The current intelligent robots under development have low intelligence and can only be described as the initial stage of intelligent robots. The current core problems in intelligent robot research are two-fold: on the one hand, improving the autonomy of intelligent robots, which is in terms of the relationship between intelligent robots and humans, i.e. hoping that intelligent robots will be further independent of humans and have a more friendly human-machine interface. In the long run, it is hoped that the operator will only give the task to be completed, and the robot will automatically form the steps to complete the task and automatically complete it. On the other hand, improving the adaptability of intelligent robots to improve their ability to adapt to environmental changes, which is in terms of the relationship between intelligent robots and the environment, hoping to strengthen their interaction.

[0004] The existing robots are prone to jamming and slipping in the pipeline when walking inside the pipeline. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present application is to prevent easy jamming and slipping in the pipeline.

[0006] The above technical problem is solved by the following technical solution: the present application proposes a pipeline robot advancing method, comprising,

[0007] receiving a control instruction, and adjusting the walking part based on the control instruction to adapt the walking part to the pipe diameter of the pipeline;

[0008] adjusting the radius of the working part of the pipeline robot to form a preset adhesion degree with the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0009] driving the walking part to operate, and driving the pipeline robot to advance along the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0010] When the pipeline robot passes through a curved path, the walking part and the working part are connected through a universal coupling, and both complete a turning action while maintaining the adhesion of the walking part and the working part to the inner wall of the pipeline, thereby avoiding jamming and slipping.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the pipeline robot advancing method: a pose monitoring step is further included, the pose monitoring step is monitoring real-time pose information of the robot, and the driving wheel rotating speed and the brush adhesion degree are adjusted according to the pose information.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the pipeline robot advancing method: the radius of the working part is adjusted, specifically, the radius of the brush in the working part is adjusted, so that the brush forms a preset adhesion degree with the inner wall of the pipeline.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the pipeline robot advancing method: the adjusting of the walking part to adapt to the pipeline diameter is adjusting the distance between the driving wheel in the walking part and the central axis thereof, so that the driving wheel contacts the inner wall of the pipeline.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the pipeline robot advancing method: when the pipeline robot passes through the pipeline, the following formula is satisfied:

[0015]

[0016] Wherein, R is the curvature radius of the pipeline, and D is the diameter of the pipeline.

[0017] The application further provides a robot, characterized in that: the robot adopts the pipeline robot advancing method, and is used for cleaning the inner wall of the pipeline, and the robot comprises,

[0018] a walking part, which is used for driving the robot to advance along the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0019] a working part, which is used for cleaning the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0020] a universal coupling, which connects the walking assembly and the working part;

[0021] a control module, which is used for processing external instructions and outputting control signals;

[0022] a driving module, which is used for driving the walking part;

[0023] a wireless receiving module, which is electrically connected with the control module and is used for receiving external control instructions and transmitting the external control instructions to the control module.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the robot: the walking part comprises an expansion part and a driving wheel installed on the expansion part.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the robot: the expansion part comprises a guide structure, a slider capable of moving and installed on the guide structure, and a connecting rod connected between the slider and the guide structure.

[0026] The connecting rod comprises a first rod and a second rod, one end of the first rod is rotatably connected to the slider, and the other end is provided with a driving wheel, one end of the second rod is rotatably connected to a guide structure, and the other end is rotatably connected to the first rod.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the robot, the control module uses an STM32 control chip.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the robot, a power module is further included, which supplies power to the control module, the driving module and the wireless receiving module.

[0029] The robot has the advantages that the radii of the walking part and the working part are adjusted according to the inner diameter of the pipeline, so that the robot is suitable for different pipelines, the stability of the robot is improved, and the problems of slipping and being stuck in the pipeline are avoided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings of the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of the present application, but not limit the present application. Among them:

[0031] Figure 1 A first walking posture diagram of the robot is shown;

[0032] Figure 2 A second walking posture diagram of the robot is shown;

[0033] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the robot inside the pipeline is shown;

[0034] Figure 4 A whole structure diagram of the robot is shown;

[0035] Figure 5 A structure schematic diagram of the walking part of the robot is shown;

[0036] Figure 6 A state diagram of the robot inside the pipeline is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to make the skilled in the art better understand the present application, the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and drawings.

[0038] The terms used in the present application are those general terms currently widely used in the art in consideration of the functions regarding the present application, but the terms can be changed according to the intention of those of ordinary skill in the art, precedents, or new technology in the art. Also, specific terms can be selected by the applicant, and in this case, the detailed meanings thereof will be described in the detailed description of the present application. Therefore, the terms used in the specification should not be understood as simple names, but based on the meanings of the terms and the general description of the present application.

[0039] The embodiment provides a pipeline robot traveling method, comprising,

[0040] S1: receiving a control instruction, adjusting the walking part 100 to adapt the pipeline diameter based on the control instruction;

[0041] Wherein the control instruction is received, the external control instruction can be transmitted to the pipeline robot in the form of a wireless signal for controlling the robot.

[0042] When the robot enters the inside of the pipeline, the walking part 100 cannot completely adhere to the inner wall of the pipeline, or in order to facilitate the placement of the robot into the pipeline, several drive wheels 102 of the walking part 100 will not all adhere to the inner wall of the pipeline in the initial state. Adjusting the walking part 100 to adapt the pipeline diameter is to adjust the distance between the drive wheel 102 in the walking part 100 and the central axis thereof, to complete the contact between the drive wheel 102 and the inner wall of the pipeline. For example, the walking part 100 has three drive wheels 102, and the three drive wheels 102 are on the same circular track with the central axis thereof as the center, that is, they are annularly distributed around the central axis. In the initial state, the radius of this circular track is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipeline. After placement is completed, the robot is controlled to move several drive wheels 102 away from the central axis, that is, to increase the diameter of the circular track in which the several drive wheels 102 are located, so that the several drive wheels 102 adhere to the inner wall of the pipeline.

[0043] S2: adjusting the radius of the working part 200 of the pipeline robot to form a preset adhesion degree with the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0044] Similarly, the radius of the brush in the working part 200 at the beginning also does not adhere to the inner wall of the pipeline, and adjusting the radius of the working part 200 specifically adjusts the radius of the brush in the working part 200 to form a preset adhesion degree with the inner wall of the pipeline.

[0045] S3: driving the walking part 100 to operate to drive the pipeline robot to travel along the inner wall of the pipeline;

[0046] In the process of traveling, the inner wall of the pipeline is cleaned by the working part.

[0047] S4: When the pipeline robot passes through the curved channel, the walking part 100 and the working part 200 are connected through the universal joint 300, and the two complete the steering action while maintaining the adhesion of the walking part 100 and the working part 200 to the inner wall of the pipeline, avoiding jamming and slipping.

[0048] As an optional embodiment, a pose monitoring step is further included, and the pose monitoring step is to monitor the real-time pose information of the robot, and to adjust the rotation speed of the driving wheel 102 and the adhesion degree of the brush according to the pose information.

[0049] When the pipeline robot passes through the pipeline, the following formula is satisfied:

[0050]

[0051] Wherein, R is the curvature radius of the pipeline, D is the diameter of the pipeline, and the robot is divided into the following steps when turning on the inner wall of the pipeline:

[0052] The first is the transition stage. At this time, the pipeline robot unit is between the curved channel and the straight pipe, and the motion of the unit is planar motion. It is assumed that the unit enters the center of the curved channel and walks around the curvature center of the pipeline. In order to facilitate the analysis of the robot's passability, the trajectory equation listed below is analyzed with the robot length L=70mm, the pipeline curvature radius R=120mm, the pipeline diameter D=80mm, and the pipeline circumferential angle 90°.

[0053] The second is the rotation stage. At this time, the unit is completely in the curved channel, and its motion is rotation around the curvature center of the curved channel. At the same time, it is assumed that the unit passes through the curved channel in a certain attitude. The attitude angle φ is used to describe it, and the pipeline diameter is D, the curved channel curvature radius is R=1.5D (commonly used in engineering), the static coordinate system is 0-(x, y, z), the transition coordinate system is 0-(x', y', z'), and the dynamic coordinate system is 0-(x'', y'', z'').

[0054] It is assumed that the distance between the front and rear groups of walking wheels of the unit is L, and the attitude angle φ of the pipeline robot is used to describe it, as shown in the setting of the unit coordinate system in the transition stage. The dynamic coordinate system is formed by rotating the transition coordinate system by an angle. First, the matrix of the contact points of the front and rear groups of walking wheels in the straight pipe and the pipeline surface must be determined: R' (indicating the contact matrix equation of the walking wheels at the rear end of the robot and the pipeline surface); F' (indicating the contact matrix equation of the walking wheels at the front end of the robot and the pipeline surface), and the formula is as follows:

[0055]

[0056]

[0057] Let R" be the robot motion coordinate system matrix equation, Rrot be the robot rotation matrix, and the robot's posture matrix equation in the motion coordinate system is derived as follows: R" = RrotR"

[0058]

[0059] Then we can get:

[0060]

[0061] And the robot's position matrix equation is:

[0062]

[0063] Since α is very small, cosα≈1; sinα≈α, and w becomes:

[0064]

[0065] Let R 新 be the robot's final pose equation, then R 新 = R" + w, that is, R 新 The calculation method is:

[0066]

[0067] Similarly, the matrix F 新 of the robot's front end is: 新 = R 转 F' + w, and the calculation method of F 新 is:

[0068]

[0069] Then we can calculate:

[0070]

[0071] In the above formula:

[0072]

[0073]

[0074]

[0075] Assuming that the walking wheel is rigid, when the walking wheel of the pipe robot is in the transition section of the straight pipe and the curved pipe, it is possible that some walking wheels do not contact the pipe surface. At this time, the most edge point on the walking wheel corresponding to the possible contact point is called. From the above displacement matrix analysis, the position matrix of the possible contact points on the two groups of walking wheels before and after the transition stage can be obtained, that is, R新 a position matrix of a set of walking wheels at the back end of the robot, F 新 a position matrix of a set of walking wheels at the front end of the robot.

[0076] The determination of the angle a is as follows:

[0077] The angle a is the rotation angle of the robot around the curvature center of the curve in the transition stage, and its value is:

[0078]

[0079] Substitute the data a = 0 ~ 34°, which is related to the ratio of L and R, and the value of the angle θ is determined by It can be known that the following formula:

[0080]

[0081] It can be seen that the angle θ is related to the change of the angle a, when the angle a increases, increases, so the angle θ also increases, and finally increases to .

[0082] The present application also proposes a robot, which adopts the above-mentioned pipeline robot advancing method, and is used for cleaning the inner wall of a pipeline, and the robot comprises,

[0083] A walking part 100 is used for driving the robot to advance along the inner wall of the pipeline; the walking mechanism comprises an expansion part 101, and a driving wheel 102 installed on the expansion part 101; in this embodiment, when the expansion part 101 is contracted, the driving wheel 102 can be applied to a small-diameter pipeline, and when the expansion part 101 is expanded, the driving wheel 102 can be applied to a large-diameter pipeline.

[0084] As an optional embodiment, the expansion part 101 comprises a guide structure 111, a slider 121 movably installed on the guide structure 111, and a connecting rod 131 connected between the slider 121 and the guide structure 111; the connecting rod 131 comprises a first rod 13a and a second rod 13b, one end of the first rod 13a is rotatably connected to the slider 121, and the other end is installed with the driving wheel 102, one end of the second rod 13b is rotatably connected to the guide structure 111, and the other end is rotatably connected to the first rod 13a.

[0085] The two ends of the guide structure 111 are two block-shaped structures fixed relative to each other, and three guide columns are mounted between the two block-shaped structures for guiding the sliding block 121. Three guide holes are formed in the sliding block 121, and the guide columns penetrate the guide holes in the sliding block 121, so that the sliding block 121 can only move along the guide columns but cannot rotate. In this embodiment, the number of the first rods 13a and the second rods 13b is three, and the first rods 13a are all provided with the driving wheels 102 at the ends away from the sliding block 121.

[0086] The connecting position of the second rod 13b and the guide structure 111 is located on one of the block-shaped structures of the guide structure 111, and is referred to as an anchor point. When the sliding block 121 slides on the guide columns, the distance between the sliding block 121 and the anchor point can be changed, and thus the angle of the second rod 13b is changed, so as to expand and contract the first rod 13a. When the first rod 13a is expanded, the driving wheel 102 is close to the inner wall of the pipeline, so that the driving wheel 102 can be applied to pipelines with different diameters.

[0087] The movement of the sliding block 121 can be realized by a motor and a screw rod. For example, the motor is connected to the screw rod, the screw rod penetrates the sliding block 121 and is threadedly connected to the sliding block 121. When the motor drives the screw rod to rotate, the sliding block 121 cannot rotate due to the limitation of the guide structure 111, and thus the sliding block 121 moves under the action of the rotating screw rod.

[0088] The working part 200 is used for cleaning the inner wall of the pipeline, and includes a rotating piece 201 and a cleaning piece 202. The rotating piece 201 is connected to the motor, and the motor can drive the rotating piece 201 to rotate.

[0089] The cleaning piece 202 has a cleaning surface 212, and is slidably connected to the rotating piece 201. When the rotating piece 201 rotates, the cleaning piece 202 can be driven to move away from the rotating axis of the rotating piece 201 by centrifugal force. The cleaning piece 202 is used for directly contacting the inner wall of the pipeline. When the rotating piece 201 rotates, the cleaning piece 202 moves to the inner wall of the pipeline under the action of the centrifugal force, so as to contact the inner wall of the pipeline. In this process, the cleaning piece 202 is in a rotating state and can rub against the inner wall of the pipeline, so as to clean the inner wall of the pipeline and achieve the effect of cleaning the pipeline. In the cleaning process, the moving distance of the cleaning piece 202 due to the centrifugal force is limited by the inner diameter of the pipeline, so that the cleaning piece 202 can be attached to the inner wall of the pipeline when cleaning pipelines with different diameters, thereby improving the applicability of the cleaning piece 202.

[0090] The device further comprises a universal joint 300, which connects the walking part 100 and the working part 200, and can make the walking part 100 and the working part 200 bend.

[0091] The device further comprises a control module 400, which is used for processing external instructions and outputting control signals; and the control module 400 adopts an STM32 control chip.

[0092] The device further comprises a driving module 500, which is used for driving the walking part 100.

[0093] The device further comprises a wireless receiving module 600, which is electrically connected with the control module 400 and is used for receiving external control instructions and transmitting the external control instructions to the control module 400.

[0094] Finally, it should be noted that the above detailed description of the method and device is only an embodiment, and those skilled in the art can modify the embodiment in different ways without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of traveling a pipe robot, the method comprising: The method comprises the steps of: receiving a control instruction, adjusting the walking part (100) to adapt to the pipe diameter based on the control instruction; adjusting the radius of the working part (200) of the pipe robot to form a preset adhesion with the inner wall of the pipe; driving the walking part (100) to operate to drive the pipe robot to travel along the inner wall of the pipe; when the pipe robot passes through a bend, the walking part (100) and the working part (200) are connected through the universal coupling (300), and the two complete a steering action while maintaining the adhesion of the walking part (100) and the working part (200) to the inner wall of the pipe to avoid being stuck and slipping.

2. The pipe robot traveling method according to claim 1, characterized by: The method further comprises a pose monitoring step, which adjusts the rotation speed of the driving wheel (102) and the adhesion of the brush according to real-time pose information of the robot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: The specific method for adjusting the radius of the working part (200) is to adjust the radius of the brush in the working part (200) to form a preset adhesion with the inner wall of the pipe.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: The adjustment of the walking part (100) to adapt to the pipe diameter is to drive the adjustment of the distance between the driving wheel (102) in the walking part (100) and the central axis thereof to complete the contact of the driving wheel (102) with the inner wall of the pipe.

5. The pipe robot traveling method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When the pipe robot passes through the pipe, the following formula is satisfied: wherein R is the curvature radius of the pipe, and D is the diameter of the pipe.

6. A robot characterized by: The method is used for cleaning the inner wall of the pipe. The walking part (100) is used to drive the robot to travel along the inner wall of the pipe. The working part (200) is used to clean the inner wall of the pipe. The universal coupling (300) connects the walking assembly and the working part (200). The control module (400) is used to process external instructions and output control signals. The driving module (500) is used to drive the walking part (100). The wireless receiving module (600) is electrically connected with the control module (400) and is used to receive external control instructions and transmit them to the control module (400).

7. The robot of claim 6, wherein: The walking part (100) comprises an expansion part (101) and a driving wheel (102) mounted on the expansion part (101).

8. The robot of claim 6, wherein: The expansion part (101) comprises a guide structure (111), a movable sliding block (121) mounted on the guide structure (111), and a connecting rod (131) connected between the sliding block (121) and the guide structure (111). The connecting rod (131) comprises a first rod (13a) and a second rod (13b), one end of the first rod (13a) is rotatably connected to the sliding block (121), and the other end is mounted with the driving wheel (102), one end of the second rod (13b) is rotatably connected to the guide structure (111), and the other end is rotatably connected to the first rod (13a).

9. The robot of claim 6, wherein: The control module (400) adopts an STM32 control chip.

10. The robot of claim 6, wherein: The power module (700) supplies power to the control module (400), the driving module (500), and the wireless receiving module (600).

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