Peristaltic elevator guide rail detection soft robot and detection method

Abstract

The invention discloses a peristaltic elevator guide rail detection soft robot and a detection method.The peristaltic elevator guide rail detection soft robot comprises a soft telescopic driving assembly and end anchoring modules fixedly connected to the two ends of the soft telescopic driving assembly correspondingly; the flexible telescopic driving assembly is configured to generate telescopic deformation in the axial direction under the fluid driving effect so as to change the distance between the end anchoring modules at the two ends to achieve peristaltic displacement, and each end anchoring module comprises a base, an adsorption assembly arranged at the bottom of the base and a lateral clamping assembly arranged on the side edge of the base. The base is fixedly connected with the end of the soft telescopic driving assembly, the adsorption assembly is used for being adsorbed to the surface of a guide rail through negative pressure, and the lateral clamping assembly comprises a limiting seat with a directional opening and an expansion body contained in the limiting seat. The moving platform has the advantages that the moving platform can stably crawl in a narrow hoistway as a low-cost moving platform, and the problems that existing equipment is prone to falling and high in cost are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of elevator inspection technology, and in particular to a peristaltic elevator guide rail inspection soft robot and inspection method. Background Technology

[0002] Among numerous inspection items, the inspection of elevator guide rails is of paramount importance. As a key component restricting the freedom of movement of the car and counterweight within the hoistway, the elevator guide rail primarily guides the vertical movement of the car and bears the safety braking force. With prolonged elevator operation, guide rails often experience wear, deformation, verticality deviations, and even cracks, directly affecting the smoothness and safety of elevator operation. Therefore, using automated inspection equipment equipped with relevant sensors to move along the guide rails for high-precision measurement and flaw detection is an essential means to ensure the safe operation of elevators.

[0003] In the current field of automated elevator guide rail inspection technology, the most common mobile platform is the magnetic wheel crawling robot. These devices typically employ a rigid mechanical structure, using powerful electromagnets or permanent magnets mounted on wheels to magnetically attract the robot to the surface of the I-beam guide rail. A motor drives the wheel assembly to achieve vertical movement along the rail. During inspection, the magnetic wheel robot carries various sensors, such as perpendicularity measuring instruments and image acquisition devices, to continuously scan the geometric parameters and surface condition of the guide rail. Due to its relatively high speed and mature technology, magnetic wheel robots have found some application in current elevator inspection operations.

[0004] However, this traditional magnetic wheel-type inspection robot still has significant limitations in practical applications. Due to its complex motor drive system, heavy metal frame, and high-power electromagnetic adsorption module, the entire machine is bulky and heavy, resulting in high manufacturing costs. This large, rigid size makes it extremely difficult to operate in the narrow and congested environment of elevator shafts, hindering its flexibility in adapting to different shaft sizes. Furthermore, the magnetic wheel robot's adsorption stability is highly dependent on the surface environment of the guide rails. If the guide rail surface is contaminated with oil or dust, or if there is severe vibration at the joints of the connecting plates, the magnetic adsorption balance can easily be disrupted, causing the robot to fall from a height. A fall from such a heavy, rigid body not only renders the robot and its expensive, precision sensors unusable due to the impact, resulting in extremely high operating costs, but may also cause secondary damage to other equipment and facilities within the shaft.

[0005] Therefore, developing a compact, low-cost testing platform that can be stably attached to the guide rail and not easily fall off has become a pressing technical challenge in the current elevator testing field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a creeping elevator guide rail inspection soft robot and inspection method, which can be used as a low-cost mobile platform to crawl stably in narrow shafts, solving the problems of easy fall and high cost of existing equipment.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a peristaltic elevator guide rail detection soft robot, comprising a soft telescopic drive assembly and end anchoring modules respectively fixedly connected to both ends of the soft telescopic drive assembly. The soft telescopic drive assembly is configured to generate axial telescopic deformation under fluid drive to change the distance between the end anchoring modules at both ends to achieve peristaltic displacement. Each end anchoring module includes a base, an adsorption assembly disposed at the bottom of the base, and a lateral clamping assembly disposed on the side of the base. The base is fixedly connected to the end of the soft telescopic drive assembly. The adsorption assembly is used to adsorb onto the surface of the guide rail by negative pressure. The lateral clamping assembly includes a limiting seat with a directional opening and an expansion body housed in the limiting seat. The limiting seat is configured to constrain the expansion deformation of the expansion body except in the direction of the directional opening, so that when the expansion body is driven to expand, it pushes outward through the directional opening to clamp the side of the guide rail.

[0008] Preferably, the soft telescopic drive assembly includes at least two parallel and spaced-apart soft telescopic units, and the base is fixedly connected between the ends of the soft telescopic units on the same side, so that at least two soft telescopic units form a parallel structure and telescopically extend and retract synchronously.

[0009] Preferably, each of the soft telescopic units includes a soft airbag and a radial constraint member wrapped around the outer wall of the soft airbag, the radial constraint member being configured to restrict the radial expansion of the soft airbag, thereby forcing the soft airbag to produce the telescopic deformation along the axial direction when it expands under fluid-driven conditions.

[0010] Preferably, the soft airbag has connecting blocks fixed at both ends for connecting to the base. The connecting blocks are configured to close the end openings of the soft airbag to form a sealed chamber, and at least one side of the connecting block has an air passage communicating with the sealed chamber.

[0011] Preferably, the limiting seat is a mounting block with a rectangular groove, and the inflator is a rectangular airbag adapted and fixed in the rectangular groove. The rectangular groove is configured to cover the bottom and side surfaces of the rectangular airbag to restrict the rectangular airbag from expanding in directions other than the directional opening.

[0012] Preferably, the base is provided with at least one carrier placement box for mounting the detection sensor, wherein the carrier placement box is a groove structure formed on the base or an independently fixed box structure.

[0013] Preferably, the adsorption assembly includes a plurality of soft suction cup units fixed in an array on the bottom surface of the base, each of the soft suction cup units having an adsorption cavity with an opening facing away from the base, the adsorption cavity being used to connect to a negative pressure air path.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for inspection using a peristaltic elevator guide rail inspection soft robot, comprising the following steps: Step S1: Control the end anchoring module located at the rear end to perform the anchoring action, so that its adsorption component adsorbs onto the front of the guide rail, and the expansion body of its lateral clamping component expands to clamp the two sides of the guide rail. Step S2: Fluid is introduced into the soft telescopic drive assembly to drive it to extend axially, thereby pushing the end anchoring module located at the front end to move forward along the guide rail; Step S3: Control the end anchoring module located at the front end to perform the anchoring action, and at the same time control the end anchoring module located at the rear end to release the adsorption and clamping state; Step S4: Discharge the fluid in the soft telescopic drive assembly or contract it by relying on elastic restoring force to pull the end anchoring module located at the rear end forward to complete a peristaltic cycle.

[0015] Preferably, the method further includes step S5, after completing step S4, determining whether the soft robot has reached the preset detection endpoint of the guide rail; if it is determined that it has not reached the endpoint, the method returns to step S1 to enter the next undulation cycle; if it is determined that it has reached the endpoint, the undulation stops; wherein, determining whether the soft robot has reached the preset detection endpoint of the guide rail specifically includes: using a distance measuring sensor set on the end anchoring module located at the front end to obtain real-time distance data between the robot and the end of the guide rail or an obstacle along the direction of movement; when the real-time distance data is less than a preset safety threshold, it is determined that the preset detection endpoint has been reached.

[0016] Preferably, when performing step S1 or step S3, the lateral clamping assembly of the end anchoring module in the anchored state applies clamping force to the side of the guide rail to perform centering calibration on the base. After centering calibration is completed, the detection sensor installed on the base is controlled to collect surface data of the current position of the guide rail, and the current cumulative number of peristaltic cycles is recorded. The axial coordinate value of the robot on the guide rail is calculated based on the product of the cumulative number of peristaltic cycles and the preset single peristaltic step length, and a corresponding mapping relationship between the surface data and the axial coordinate value is established.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: This device utilizes a fluid-driven soft telescopic component to generate axial telescopic deformation, which, in conjunction with the alternating anchoring-displacement-release actions of the anchoring modules at both ends, enables stable climbing on a vertical elevator guide rail. Furthermore, this device employs a dual anchoring and directional clamping design. While utilizing the bottom adsorption component to provide basic adhesion to the front of the guide rail through negative pressure adsorption, a lateral clamping component including a limiting seat and an expansion body is introduced. The limiting seat rigidly constrains the expansion body in its non-working direction, forcibly converting the volume expansion of the expansion body after being driven into a high-pressure unidirectional lateral thrust output through the directional opening. This design not only greatly enhances the mechanical clamping force on the side of the guide rail, effectively solving the problems of traditional soft robots easily slipping on guide rails covered with lubricating oil and having weak load-bearing capacity, but also utilizes the synchronous pressing of the expansion bodies on both sides to achieve passive adaptive centering of the robot body on the guide rail, thereby ensuring the attitude stability and data acquisition accuracy of the detection sensors during movement. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the soft telescopic unit in this invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the telescopic state of the software telescopic unit in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the telescopic state of the soft extension unit in this invention; Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the end anchoring module in this invention; Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the limiting seat in this invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the inflation state of the inflatable body in this invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the working state in this invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the working state in this invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the workflow of the present invention; In the figure, 1. Soft telescopic drive assembly; 2. End anchoring module; 3. Base; 4. Adsorption assembly; 5. Lateral clamping assembly; 6. Limiting seat; 7. Inflatable body; 8. Directional opening; 9. Soft telescopic unit; 10. Soft airbag; 11. Radial constraint component; 12. Connecting block; 13. Air guide channel; 14. Carrier placement box. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the content of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] Example 1: As Figures 1-9 As shown, a peristaltic elevator guide rail detection soft robot includes a soft telescopic drive assembly 1 and end anchoring modules 2 fixedly connected to both ends of the soft telescopic drive assembly 1. The soft telescopic drive assembly 1 is configured to generate axial telescopic deformation under fluid drive to change the distance between the two end anchoring modules 2 to achieve peristaltic displacement. Each end anchoring module 2 includes a base 3, an adsorption assembly 4 disposed at the bottom of the base 3, and a lateral clamping assembly 5 disposed on the side of the base 3. The base 3 is fixedly connected to the end of the soft telescopic drive assembly 1. The adsorption assembly 4 is used to adsorb onto the surface of the guide rail by negative pressure. The lateral clamping assembly 5 includes a limiting seat 6 with a directional opening 8 and an expansion body 7 housed in the limiting seat 6. The limiting seat 6 is configured to constrain the expansion deformation of the expansion body 7 except in the direction of the directional opening 8, so that when the expansion body 7 is driven to expand, it pushes outward through the directional opening 8 to clamp the side of the guide rail.

[0022] In this embodiment, the soft telescopic drive assembly 1 includes at least two parallel and spaced soft telescopic units 9, and the base 3 is fixedly connected between the ends of the soft telescopic units 9 on the same side, so that at least two soft telescopic units 9 form a parallel structure and telescopically extend and retract synchronously.

[0023] The soft telescopic drive assembly 1 adopts a multi-unit parallel layout structure. This design effectively overcomes the lateral bending and instability problems that easily occur when a single soft airbag 10 is pushed over long distances. By arranging at least two soft telescopic units 9 at intervals, the overall support cross-section of the soft telescopic drive assembly 1 is widened, thereby significantly increasing the bending rigidity of the structure in the telescopic direction. This allows the robot to maintain excellent straightness and stability when performing axial extension movements. At the same time, the parallel connection method forms multi-point rigid constraints between the two end bases 3. This constraint can effectively lock the relative torsional degree of freedom between the front and rear end anchoring modules 2, preventing the robot from rotating due to uneven force during creeping, ensuring the alignment accuracy of adsorption and clamping actions, and greatly improving the robot's overall load capacity and vertical climbing efficiency.

[0024] In this embodiment, each soft telescopic unit 9 includes a soft airbag 10 and a radial constraint member 11 wrapped around the outer wall of the soft airbag 10. The radial constraint member 11 is configured to restrict the radial expansion of the soft airbag 10, forcing the soft airbag 10 to undergo axial telescopic deformation when it is expanded by fluid.

[0025] In its natural state, the soft airbag 10 tends to expand isotropically when compressed. The radial constraint 11 locks the radial degree of freedom of the airbag through tight winding, thereby constructing a high-rigidity barrier in the circumferential direction of the airbag. The expansion potential energy generated by the internal fluid cannot be released to the side, and the air pressure can only force the airbag wall to extend along the unconstrained axial direction. This mechanism transforms disordered volume expansion into directional linear expansion and contraction motion, thus greatly improving the efficiency of converting air pressure energy into axial displacement. Under the same inflation volume, this structure can achieve a larger elongation ratio and creep step length. In addition, the radial constraint 11 also bears most of the circumferential stress during airbag expansion, effectively preventing the soft material from cracking due to excessive stretching. The overall pressure resistance of the structure is thus improved, thereby enabling the output of greater driving thrust.

[0026] In practical implementation, the soft telescopic unit 9 uses a concentric soft cylindrical airbag and rubber springs wrapped around its outer wall as its main components. The rubber springs, tightly wrapped around the outside of the airbag, play a crucial role in radial constraint and motion guidance. When high-pressure fluid is injected into the concentric soft cylindrical airbag, the outer rubber springs effectively lock the radial expansion freedom of the airbag using their structural stiffness, blocking the lateral expansion path and forcing the accumulated fluid expansion potential energy to be released towards the unconstrained axial direction, thus efficiently converting the fluid pressure into linear elongation motion along the guide rail. Furthermore, the use of rubber springs as constraint components also has a significant auxiliary reset effect. They not only bear most of the circumferential stress during expansion to protect the internal airbag, but also utilize their elastic recovery characteristics during the deflation phase to help the airbag overcome the viscoelasticity of the material and contract rapidly, thereby significantly improving the robot's creep response frequency and motion stability.

[0027] In this embodiment, the soft airbag 10 has connecting blocks 12 fixed at both ends for connecting to the base 3. The connecting blocks 12 are configured to close the end opening of the soft airbag 10 to form a sealed chamber, and at least one side of the connecting block 12 has an air guiding channel 13 that connects to the sealed chamber.

[0028] The design of the connecting block 12 primarily addresses the challenges of coupling and airtight sealing between the soft actuation components and the rigid mechanical structure. As the rigid terminals at both ends of the soft airbag 10, the connecting block 12 first serves as a sealing component. It seals the openings at the airbag ends through physical interference or bonding, creating a sealed working chamber capable of withstanding high pressure, which is fundamental for fluid actuation. Simultaneously, the connecting block 12 acts as a crucial mechanical transmission medium, stably transmitting the axial expansion and contraction force generated by the soft airbag 10 under air pressure to the robot's base 3, effectively converting flexible deformation into rigid displacement. Furthermore, the integrated air guide channel 13 within the connecting block 12 avoids directly opening holes in the fragile soft material surface for pipe insertion. This not only eliminates the risk of rupture due to stress concentration but also conceals the air supply lines, making the overall robot structure more compact and facilitating the arrangement of air paths within narrow elevator shaft spaces.

[0029] In this embodiment, the limiting seat 6 is a mounting block with a rectangular groove, and the expansion body 7 is a rectangular airbag adapted and fixed in the rectangular groove. The rectangular groove is constructed to cover the bottom and side surfaces of the rectangular airbag to restrict the rectangular airbag from expanding in directions other than the directional opening 8.

[0030] This structure employs a semi-enclosed rigid constraint method to maximize the lateral output force and efficiency of the soft drive unit. The mounting block with rectangular grooves acts as the rigid exoskeleton of the rectangular airbag. This three-sided enclosed structure effectively eliminates ineffective deformation of the airbag in non-working directions, preventing the internal air pressure energy from dissipating and being lost in all directions. This forces the volume expansion of the airbag after being driven to a single open path, converging it into a high-pressure unidirectional thrust pointing towards the side of the guide rail, ensuring that the robot can obtain sufficient clamping load.

[0031] In addition, the matching design of the rectangular airbag and the rectangular groove optimizes the mechanical contact interface, so that the airbag can fit against the side wall of the guide rail in a planar contact manner after it is inflated and extended. Compared with the point contact mode of the traditional spherical airbag, this design significantly increases the effective friction area, thereby improving the clamping stability and effectively reducing the risk of airbag wear or rupture due to stress concentration.

[0032] In this embodiment, at least one carrier placement box 14 for mounting detection sensors is provided on the base 3. The carrier placement box 14 is a groove structure formed on the base 3 or an independently fixed box structure.

[0033] The design of the carrier placement box 14 provides a standardized installation interface and protective space for the detection terminal. By fixing the sensor to the rigid base 3 that performs the anchoring action, the high stability of the base 3 in the clamped state can be effectively utilized to ensure that the sensor obtains a stable data acquisition posture and reduces motion jitter interference. This structural design provides highly practical engineering flexibility. The recessed structure adopts an embedded layout, which can not only significantly reduce the external profile size of the robot body to adapt to the confined space of the elevator shaft, but also use the base 3 body as a physical barrier to protect the precision sensor from collision damage. The independently fixed box structure gives the system excellent modular expansion capability, allowing operators to quickly replace different types of sensor loads according to specific guide rail detection needs, thereby greatly reducing the maintenance difficulty of the equipment and the cost of subsequent functional upgrades.

[0034] In this embodiment, the adsorption component 4 includes several soft suction cup units fixed in an array on the bottom surface of the base 3. Each soft suction cup unit has an adsorption cavity with an opening facing away from the base 3. The adsorption cavity is used to connect to the negative pressure air path.

[0035] Compared to a single, large-area suction cup, this design significantly improves the robot system's fault tolerance and adhesion reliability under complex working conditions. The array-distributed structure creates a redundant protection mechanism; even if individual suction cups fail due to air leakage caused by localized pits, seams, or oil buildup on the guide rail surface, the remaining suction cups maintain an independent seal and provide sufficient residual gripping force, effectively preventing the robot from detaching entirely. Simultaneously, the use of soft materials gives the suction cups excellent surface flexibility and adaptability, allowing them to closely adhere to guide rail surfaces with uneven roughness or slight curvature to create a high-quality vacuum seal. Combined with the continuous active suction provided by the negative pressure air path, this ensures the robot maintains a continuous, stable, and controllable normal adhesion force during vertical climbing.

[0036] Example 2: Figure 10 As shown, a method for inspection using the peristaltic elevator guide rail inspection soft robot in Embodiment 1 includes the following steps: Step S1: Control the end anchoring module 2 located at the rear end to perform the anchoring action, so that its adsorption component 4 adsorbs onto the front of the guide rail, and the expansion body 7 of its lateral clamping component 5 expands to clamp the two sides of the guide rail. Step S2: Fluid is introduced into the soft telescopic drive assembly 1 to drive it to extend axially, thereby pushing the end anchoring module 2 located at the front end to move forward along the guide rail. Step S3: Control the end anchoring module 2 located at the front end to perform the anchoring action, and at the same time control the end anchoring module 2 located at the rear end to release the adsorption and clamping state; Step S4: Discharge the fluid in the soft telescopic drive assembly 1 or rely on elastic restoring force to contract it, pulling the end anchoring module 2 located at the rear end forward to complete one peristaltic cycle.

[0037] This detection method establishes a displacement control system based on a "fixed-push-reposition-traction" cyclic logic. During the switching process between steps S1 and S3, this method utilizes the clamping force difference between the front and rear anchoring modules as the trigger condition for state transition, ensuring the smooth load transfer of the robot under gravity load. That is, this step completes a seamless switch from the rear drive pivot to the front drive pivot, effectively eliminating the instantaneous stall or backtracking phenomenon commonly seen in vertical crawling. At the same time, the fluid-driven extension in step S2 and the elastic contraction in step S4 constitute complementary power strokes. This push-pull drive method maximizes the effective stroke of the soft actuator, enabling the robot to obtain a definite displacement step in a single cycle. Combined with the forced centering effect of the lateral clamping component 5 at each anchoring time, it can effectively correct the accumulated position error during the movement, thereby ensuring the consistency of long-distance inspection paths and the spatial correspondence accuracy of detection data.

[0038] In this embodiment, after completing step S4, a step S5 is also included to determine whether the soft robot has reached the preset detection endpoint of the guide rail; if it is determined that it has not reached the endpoint, the process returns to step S1 to enter the next creep cycle; if it is determined that it has reached the endpoint, the creeping stops; wherein, determining whether the soft robot has reached the preset detection endpoint of the guide rail specifically includes: using a distance sensor set on the end anchoring module 2 located at the front end to obtain real-time distance data between the robot and the end of the guide rail or an obstacle along the direction of movement, and when the real-time distance data is less than a preset safety threshold, it is determined that the preset detection endpoint has been reached.

[0039] This step, by introducing logical judgment and loop control mechanisms, integrates discrete, single-step creeping movements into continuous, automated cruising operations, achieving fully automated operation of the robot on long-distance guideways. Specifically, the endpoint identification method based on a front-end ranging sensor constitutes a non-contact active safety protection logic. This method uses real-time collected relative distance data as a feedback signal, comparing it with a preset safety threshold to accurately define the robot's movement boundaries. This detection mechanism ensures that the control system can identify the end of the guideway or obstacles and trigger braking commands before physical contact occurs, effectively avoiding equipment damage or derailment accidents caused by mechanical hard collisions, and guaranteeing the orderly termination of the detection task within a safe range.

[0040] Assuming the soft robot is climbing upwards along a guide rail in an elevator shaft for inspection, the system's preset safety threshold is 50 centimeters (i.e., to prevent collisions, the robot must stop at least 50 centimeters from the top of the guide rail). A laser ranging module is selected as the ranging sensor located on the front anchoring module. The workflow is as follows: Normal crawling phase: After the robot completes the Nth crawling cycle (i.e., the end of step S4), the laser ranging module emits a laser beam above the guide rail. At this time, it is measured that the front end of the robot is still 5 meters away from the limit block at the top of the guide rail. The system compares this real-time distance data (500 cm) with the safety threshold (50 cm). Since 500 cm > 50 cm, the system determines that the destination has not been reached, and then instructs the robot to return to step S1 and continue to execute the N+1th crawling cycle.

[0041] Approaching the finish line: After a period of continuous climbing, the robot completes the retraction action again (step S4). At this time, the laser ranging module performs another detection and measures that the front end is only 40 centimeters away from the limit block at the top of the guide rail.

[0042] Triggering termination judgment: The system compares again and finds that the real-time distance data (40 cm) is less than the preset safety threshold (50 cm). The control system then determines that the robot has reached the preset detection endpoint, immediately cuts off the peristaltic program of the soft telescopic drive component 1, and controls the front and rear anchoring modules to maintain the current locked or safe stop state, thereby avoiding physical collision between the robot and the hard limit device at the top of the well as it continues to move forward.

[0043] In this embodiment, when performing step S1 or step S3, the clamping force applied to the side of the guide rail by the lateral clamping component 5 of the end anchoring module 2 in the anchored state is used to align and calibrate the base 3. After the alignment and calibration are completed, the detection sensor installed on the base 3 is controlled to collect the surface data of the current position of the guide rail, and the current cumulative number of peristaltic cycles is recorded. The axial coordinate value of the robot on the guide rail is calculated based on the product of the cumulative number of peristaltic cycles and the preset single peristaltic step length, and the corresponding mapping relationship between the surface data and the axial coordinate value is established.

[0044] This step establishes a precise detection scheme based on mechanical self-calibration and logical deduction, effectively solving the technical challenges of unstable posture and positioning loss during the flexible movement of soft robots. Specifically, the forced centering effect of the lateral clamping component 5 physically corrects the sensor's posture. This mechanism forcibly eliminates the tilt and jitter of the base 3 before data acquisition, ensuring that the sensor can acquire high-quality surface data in a vertical and centered standard posture. Simultaneously, an independent relative coordinate system is constructed using a mileage calculation method based on the cumulative number of creep cycles. This method transforms the discrete step length of mechanical movements into continuous axial position information without the need for external auxiliary positioning facilities. Furthermore, by establishing a mapping and binding between detection data and axial coordinates, isolated defect images are transformed into a guide rail health distribution map with spatial positioning attributes, thus providing a digital basis with industrial practical value for subsequent targeted point maintenance.

[0045] During the actual testing process, when the soft robot moves to any anchoring node, due to the inherent flexibility of the soft material, the base 3 may experience a slight angular deviation or positional shift relative to the guide rail centerline. At this point, the control system activates the lateral clamping assembly 5, driving the expanders 7 located on both sides of the base 3 to expand synchronously and apply a balanced compressive force to the sides of the guide rail. This lateral clamping action utilizes the self-balancing principle of mechanical force to forcibly push the base 3 to overcome the offset resistance and return to the center axis position of the guide rail, thus achieving physical alignment. This process ensures that the detection sensors mounted on the base 3 can always operate in a standard posture, perpendicular and directly facing the guide rail surface, eliminating data distortion caused by tilted shooting angles.

[0046] After confirming stable mechanical alignment, the sensors scan or photograph the current guide rail surface to obtain surface detection data. Simultaneously, the control system's internal counter reads the cumulative number of peristaltic cycles completed by the soft robot at the current moment. Based on a preset algorithm, the system multiplies this cumulative number by a pre-defined standard step size for a single peristaltic movement to calculate the robot's current axial coordinate on the guide rail. For example, if the single peristaltic step size is set to 0.2 meters and the current cumulative count is 150, the system calculates the current position as 30 meters from the starting point.

[0047] Subsequently, the system establishes a unique mapping relationship between the collected surface inspection data and the calculated axial coordinate values, transforming isolated images or signals into inspection records with clear spatial location attributes. This data processing method enables the final inspection report to accurately indicate the specific height position of each defect point on the guide rail. Maintenance personnel do not need to inspect the entire guide rail; they can directly go to the designated location for point-to-point repair based on this coordinate information, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and accuracy of elevator guide rail maintenance operations.

[0048] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A soft robotic inchworm elevator rail inspection robot, characterized by: The soft telescopic driving assembly is configured to produce telescopic deformation along the axial direction under the driving of fluid to change the distance between the end anchoring modules at both ends to achieve peristaltic displacement.

2. The inchworm elevator guide rail inspection soft robot of claim 1, wherein: The soft telescopic driving assembly includes at least two soft telescopic units arranged in parallel and spaced apart, and the base is fixedly connected between the same side ends of the soft telescopic units, so that the at least two soft telescopic units form a parallel structure and are synchronously telescopic.

3. The inchworm elevator guide rail inspection soft robot of claim 2, wherein: Each soft telescopic unit includes a soft air bag and a radial restraint wrapped around the outer wall of the soft air bag, which is configured to limit the radial expansion of the soft air bag and force the soft air bag to produce telescopic deformation along the axial direction when driven by fluid expansion.

4. The inchworm elevator guide rail inspection soft robot of claim 3, wherein: The ends of the soft air bag are respectively fixed with connecting blocks for connecting with the base, the connecting blocks are configured to close the end openings of the soft air bag to form a sealed chamber, and at least one of the connecting blocks is provided with a gas guide channel communicating with the sealed chamber.

5. The soft robotic inchworm elevator guide rail inspection robot of claim 1, wherein: The limiting seat is a mounting block provided with a rectangular groove, and the expansion body is a rectangular air bag fixedly fitted in the rectangular groove, and the rectangular groove is configured to cover the bottom and side surfaces of the rectangular air bag to limit the expansion of the rectangular air bag in directions other than the directional opening.

6. The soft robotic inchworm elevator guide rail inspection robot of claim 1, wherein: The base is provided with at least one load placing box for mounting detection sensors, which is a groove structure formed on the base or an independently fixed box structure.

7. The soft robotic inchworm elevator guide rail inspection robot of claim 1, wherein: The adsorption assembly includes a plurality of soft suction cup monomers arranged in an array and fixed to the bottom surface of the base, each soft suction cup monomer has an adsorption cavity opening away from the base, and the adsorption cavity is used to communicate with a negative pressure gas path.

8. A detection method of a soft robot using the detection software robot of claim 1, wherein, The method includes the following steps: Step S1: control the end anchoring module at the rear end to perform anchoring action, so that its adsorption assembly is adsorbed to the front surface of the guide rail, and the expansion body of its lateral clamping assembly is expanded to clamp the two side surfaces of the guide rail; Step S2: fill the soft telescopic driving assembly with fluid to drive it to elongate along the axial direction, thereby pushing the end anchoring module at the front end to displace along the guide rail; Step S3: control the end anchoring module at the front end to perform anchoring action, while controlling the end anchoring module at the rear end to release the adsorption and clamping state. Step S4: draining the fluid in the soft body stretchable driving assembly or relying on the elastic recovery force to make it shrink, pulling the end anchoring module at the rear end to displace forward to complete a peristaltic cycle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method comprises the steps of: detecting the position of the elevator guide rail by using the robot of claim 8; and determining the position of the elevator guide rail by using the detected position of the elevator guide rail. Further comprising a step S5 of judging whether the soft robot reaches the preset detection end point of the guide rail after executing step S4; if not, returning to execute step S1 to enter the next peristaltic cycle; if yes, stopping peristalsis; wherein the judging whether the soft robot reaches the preset detection end point of the guide rail specifically comprises: using the distance measuring sensor arranged on the end anchoring module at the front end to obtain real-time distance data from the end of the guide rail or an obstacle in the moving direction, and when the real-time distance data is less than a preset safety threshold, it is determined that the preset detection end point is reached.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the method comprises the steps of: detecting the position of the elevator guide rail by using the robot of claim 8; and determining the position of the elevator guide rail by using the detected position of the elevator guide rail. When executing the step S1 or step S3, the lateral clamping assembly of the end anchoring module in the anchoring state exerts a clamping force on the side surface of the guide rail to center and calibrate the base, after the centering and calibration is completed, the detection sensor installed on the base collects the surface data of the current position of the guide rail, records the current peristaltic cycle cumulative number at the same time, calculates the axial coordinate value of the current robot on the guide rail according to the product of the peristaltic cycle cumulative number and the preset single peristaltic step length, and establishes the corresponding mapping relationship between the surface data and the axial coordinate value.

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