Multi-mode meter counting system and method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robot control, and discloses a multi-mode meter counting system and method, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining the rotation parameters of a meter counting wheel collected by a coding module in real time, and calculating the initial meter counting data based on the rotation parameters; acquiring movement parameters of the robot in the inspection advancing direction collected by the positioning module in real time and calculating displacement measurement data based on the movement parameters; obtaining the contact pressure between the meter counting wheel and the cable measured by the measurement module in real time; determining a real-time cable state type based on the contact pressure, the initial meter counting data and the displacement measurement data; and based on the real-time cable state type, performing multi-modal fusion on the initial meter counting data and the displacement measurement data, and outputting real-time meter counting data of the robot. By adopting the method, centimeter-level positioning precision and long-term operation stability can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of robot control technology, and in particular to a multimodal meter counting system and method. Background Technology

[0002] Inspection robots (such as underground pipeline inspection robots and wind turbine blade internal cavity inspection robots) need to accurately measure meters to determine the working location (such as the coordinates of pipeline defects or the axial position of blade internal cavity damage). Existing inspection robots generally use meter-measuring wheels to clamp cables for meter measurement.

[0003] However, this single mechanical solution is prone to serious metering inaccuracies in narrow and uneven environments such as underground pipelines and wind turbine blades due to slippage, cable stretching, wheel wear, and transient rebound. Inertial navigation alone suffers from large integral drift and excessive long-distance error. Existing combined solutions lack real-time perception of contact status and adaptive fusion mechanism for operating conditions, and cannot effectively suppress multiple error sources. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the embodiments of this application provide a multimodal metering system and method, which can effectively solve the technical problem that the existing combined schemes lack real-time perception of contact status and adaptive fusion mechanism of working conditions, and cannot effectively suppress multiple error sources.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a multimodal metering system applied to an inspection robot, wherein cables are attached to the robot body, and the system includes: An encoding module is installed at the end of the measuring wheel shaft of the robot to collect the rotation parameters of the measuring wheel in real time and calculate the initial measuring data based on the rotation parameters. The positioning module is used to collect the motion parameters of the robot along the inspection direction in real time, and calculate displacement measurement data based on the motion parameters; The measurement module is used to measure the contact pressure between the meter wheel and the cable in real time; The control module is used to determine the real-time cable status type based on the contact pressure, the initial metering data, and the displacement measurement data; and to perform multimodal fusion on the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data based on the real-time cable status type, and output the robot's real-time metering data.

[0006] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a multimodal meter counting method, the method comprising: The encoding module acquires the rotation parameters of the metering wheel in real time and calculates the initial metering data based on the rotation parameters. The positioning module acquires the motion parameters of the robot along the inspection direction in real time and calculates displacement measurement data based on the motion parameters. The measurement module measures the contact pressure between the metering wheel and the cable in real time. Based on the contact pressure, the initial metering data, and the displacement measurement data, the real-time cable status type is determined; Based on the real-time cable status type, the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data are fused in a multimodal manner to output the robot's real-time metering data.

[0007] Thirdly, this application also provides a computer device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to perform the following steps: The encoding module acquires the rotation parameters of the metering wheel in real time and calculates the initial metering data based on the rotation parameters. The positioning module acquires the motion parameters of the robot along the inspection direction in real time and calculates displacement measurement data based on the motion parameters. The measurement module measures the contact pressure between the metering wheel and the cable in real time. Based on the contact pressure, the initial metering data, and the displacement measurement data, the real-time cable status type is determined; Based on the real-time cable status type, the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data are fused in a multimodal manner to output the robot's real-time metering data.

[0008] Fourthly, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, performs the following steps: The encoding module acquires the rotation parameters of the metering wheel in real time and calculates the initial metering data based on the rotation parameters. The positioning module acquires the motion parameters of the robot along the inspection direction in real time and calculates displacement measurement data based on the motion parameters. The measurement module measures the contact pressure between the metering wheel and the cable in real time. Based on the contact pressure, the initial metering data, and the displacement measurement data, the real-time cable status type is determined; Based on the real-time cable status type, the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data are fused in a multimodal manner to output the robot's real-time metering data.

[0009] The embodiments of this application have the following beneficial effects: First, by establishing a collaborative closed loop between the coding module, positioning module, measurement module, and control module, the meter-counting accuracy of the robot in narrow and uneven environments is significantly improved.

[0010] Secondly, by utilizing contact pressure and multi-source distance differences in real time, typical operating conditions such as slippage, stretching, wear, and transient disturbances are identified. Based on this, the fusion weight of mechanical metering and inertial displacement is dynamically adjusted or a dedicated compensation model is activated. This effectively suppresses wheel-cable slippage errors caused by oil and wetness, as well as systematic underestimation caused by elastic deformation of long-distance cables, and automatically corrects dimensional deviations caused by wheel diameter wear. Overall, centimeter-level positioning accuracy and long-term operational stability are achieved, significantly reducing the frequency of manual calibration and maintenance costs. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0012] Figure 1 This illustration shows an application scenario of the multimodal metering system according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the positions of the meter wheel and the encoding module according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a multimodal metering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of a multimodal meter counting method according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0014] The components of the embodiments of this application described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings can be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0015] In the following text, the terms "comprising," "having," and their cognates, which may be used in various embodiments of this application, are intended only to indicate a particular feature, number, step, operation, element, component, or combination thereof, and should not be construed as primarily excluding the presence of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, or adding the possibility of one or more combinations thereof. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only for distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0016] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the various embodiments of this application pertain. Terms (such as those defined in a generally used dictionary) shall be interpreted as having the same meaning as in the context of the relevant technical field and shall not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning, unless clearly defined in the various embodiments of this application.

[0017] The following detailed description of some embodiments of this application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0018] The following describes a multimodal metering system and method using specific embodiments.

[0019] refer to Figure 1 Inspection robots are special mobile robots that perform autonomous movement and defect detection tasks in narrow, uneven, and highly disruptive working environments such as underground pipelines, box culverts, or the inner cavity of wind turbine blades. The structural features of inspection robots include: a mechanical interface with a traction / dragging cable; a multi-modal metering system; and power supply, communication, or retrieval via this cable.

[0020] A cable refers to a flexible cable physically attached to an inspection robot and dragged / released as it moves. The functions of the cable include, but are not limited to, providing power and data transmission channels for the robot, and serving as a traction medium for retrieval. Understandably, in this application, the cable is the object being measured by the measuring wheel, and there is a frictional transmission relationship between the cable and the measuring wheel. Furthermore, it exhibits elastic deformation and slippage characteristics under conditions of stretching, jamming, and rebound.

[0021] refer to Figure 2A meter-counting wheel is a grooved rubber / polyurethane roller mounted on a ground-based cable reel or the robot itself. The meter-counting wheel clamps the cable using an elastic clamping structure and utilizes the static friction between the cable and the wheel surface to achieve rotation, thus converting cable displacement into wheel axle angular displacement. Structural features of the meter-counting wheel include: adjustable spring clamping force, anti-slip textured surface, online calibrable wheel diameter (to cope with wear), and direct coupling of the encoding module to the axle end.

[0022] The encoding module refers to a dedicated sensing unit consisting of a (meter-counting) encoder, a shake-proof filtering unit, a diameter compensation interface, and a CAN bus communication circuit. The physical carrier of the encoding module is installed at the end of the meter-counting wheel axle. Understandably, the encoding module in this application is not a general encoder, but a customized module optimized for slippage noise and wheel diameter drift.

[0023] A pressure sensor is a piezoresistive miniature sensor integrated within the spring clamping structure of the meter counter wheel. It is used to measure the positive contact pressure applied by the meter counter wheel to the cable surface in real time. Understandably, the pressure sensor outputs an analog voltage signal or a digital signal, which is then converted from analog to digital and input to the control unit.

[0024] The positioning module refers to a miniature MEMS nine-axis inertial measurement unit installed at the geometric center of the robot body. It includes a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, and a three-axis magnetometer. The core function of the positioning module is to collect axial acceleration, angular velocity around the vertical axis, and attitude angles (pitch / roll / yaw) at a sampling rate of 100 Hz.

[0025] The measurement module refers to a state sensing unit consisting of a pressure sensor, its associated signal conditioning circuit, and a sliding window averaging filter (implemented in software). The only input to the measurement module is the contact pressure, and the only output is the smoothed contact pressure. Understandably, the measurement module does not directly participate in state classification; it only provides key environmental operating condition parameters.

[0026] The control module refers to the embedded software system deployed in the robot's main control unit (MCU), which interacts in real time with the encoding module, positioning module, and measurement module via an internal bus (such as CAN). In essence, the control module serves as the decision-making center for multimodal fusion.

[0027] refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a multimodal metering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Exemplarily, the multimodal metering system 300 includes: The encoding module 302 is set at the end of the measuring wheel shaft of the robot to collect the rotation parameters of the measuring wheel in real time and calculate the initial measuring data based on the rotation parameters.

[0028] Among them, the rotation parameters refer to the set of raw sensor signals that characterize the physical rotation state of the meter wheel, which are directly collected and output by the encoding module, including at least the total number of pulses and the number of pulses per revolution.

[0029] Initial meter reading data refers to the estimated value obtained by the encoding module based on the current measured rotation parameters and preset geometric parameters using deterministic mathematical formulas, without multimodal fusion correction. This estimated value represents the initial data of the actual distance the robot moves along the inspection direction.

[0030] Specifically, the encoder in the encoding module is directly coupled to the end of the drive shaft of the measuring wheel via a tight-fitting bearing, rotating rigidly coaxially with the measuring wheel to ensure zero transmission backlash. This encoding module captures rotational parameters in real time, such as the total number of pulses, the diameter of the measuring wheel, and the number of pulses per second, at a preset sampling frequency, for example, 10 kHz. Understandably, all data obtained by the encoding module is output to the control module via the CAN bus at a frame rate of 200 Hz.

[0031] Through the above embodiments, based on the deterministic calculation between the total number of measured pulses, the effective diameter, and the number of pulses per revolution, the initial metering data has high temporal resolution and geometric traceability; the encoding module, as a high signal-to-noise ratio mechanical reference source for multimodal fusion, provides stable and low-latency raw data support for subsequent working condition identification and weight allocation.

[0032] In one embodiment, the rotation parameters include the total number of pulses and the number of pulses per revolution; an encoding module is used to calculate the product of the diameter of the metering wheel and the total number of pulses; and based on the product and the number of pulses per revolution, initial metering data is calculated.

[0033] The total number of pulses refers to the number of pulses collected by the encoding module corresponding to the rotation of the measuring wheel since the multimodal metering system was reset to zero.

[0034] The number of pulses per revolution refers to the encoder's inherent parameter, namely the standard number of pulses output when the meter wheel completes one full rotation, which is determined by the hardware.

[0035] The product value is the product of the diameter of the meter wheel (D) and the total number of pulses (N), i.e., CJ = N×D. Understandably, the product value is an intermediate variable for calculating the initial meter data.

[0036] In one embodiment, the encoding module calculates the initial metering data using the following formula: Dm = CJ ×π / P; Where Dm is the initial metering data, CJ is the product value, and P is the number of pulses per revolution.

[0037] Specifically, the initial meter readings are calculated using the following formula: Dm = (N × π × D) / P; Where Dm is the initial metering data, D is the diameter of the metering wheel, π is pi, and P is the number of pulses per revolution.

[0038] The positioning module 304 is used to collect the motion parameters of the robot along the inspection direction in real time, and calculate displacement measurement data based on the motion parameters.

[0039] The inspection forward direction refers to the actual movement direction of the robot along its internal structural axis in the working environment such as underground pipelines, box culverts or the inner cavity of wind turbine blades, that is, the main displacement path direction of the cable being dragged / released.

[0040] Motion parameters refer to the set of three types of raw sensor data collected in real time by the positioning module, used to calculate the robot's displacement along the inspection direction. Specifically, these include: Axial acceleration: The acceleration component measured by the accelerometer along the x-axis of the robot body needs to be converted into effective axial acceleration in the environment after attitude compensation.

[0041] Angular velocity: The rotational angular velocity measured by a gyroscope around the robot's vertical axis (z-axis).

[0042] Attitude angles: A three-dimensional attitude description consisting of pitch angle, roll angle, and yaw angle.

[0043] Displacement measurement data refers to scalar data that characterizes the actual distance the robot moves along the inspection direction, output by the positioning module based on motion parameters after attitude compensation, discretization sampling, quadratic numerical integration, and online correction using unscented Kalman filtering.

[0044] Specifically, the positioning module employs a miniature MEMS nine-axis inertial measurement unit, mounted at the geometric center of the robot body, to minimize the impact of traveling vibrations on the sensor output. The positioning module synchronously acquires the robot's motion parameters along the inspection direction at a frequency of 100 Hz, including axial acceleration, angular velocity, and attitude angles. By calculating the axial acceleration, angular velocity, and attitude angles, the module outputs displacement measurement data, which is then transmitted to the control module via the CAN bus.

[0045] In one embodiment, the motion parameters include axial acceleration, angular velocity, and attitude angle; the positioning module is used to recursively update the attitude angle based on the angular velocity to obtain the target attitude angle; based on the target attitude angle, the orientation transformation relationship between the robot body coordinate system and the world coordinate system is constructed; through the orientation transformation relationship, the axial acceleration is discretized to obtain an acceleration sequence, and the acceleration sequence is integrated twice to obtain displacement measurement data.

[0046] Among them, the target attitude angle refers to the dynamic yaw angle updated in real time after the initial yaw angle, which together with the initial pitch angle and roll angle constitutes the attitude angle combination used to construct the azimuth transformation relationship at the current moment.

[0047] The body coordinate system refers to the rectangular coordinate system on the robot body. The origin of the body coordinate system is located at the geometric center of the robot, the x-axis points to the designed forward direction of the robot, and the z-axis is vertically upward.

[0048] The world coordinate system refers to a geographic reference coordinate system that is fixed to the structural axis of the work environment. The origin of the world coordinate system can be set at the entrance of the site to be inspected, such as a pipeline inlet. The w-axis is along the direction of the structural axis of the environment, and the z-axis is vertically upward. It can be understood that displacement measurement data is a scalar projected length in the world coordinate system.

[0049] The orientation transformation relationship refers to the 3×3 rotation matrix determined by the target attitude angle. The orientation transformation relationship is used to map the axial acceleration in the body coordinate system to the world coordinate system, extract the w-axis component from it, and subtract the projection component of gravity g on the w-axis to obtain the effective acceleration.

[0050] An acceleration sequence refers to a time series obtained by discretizing the effective accelerations after orientation transformation and gravity compensation at a fixed sampling period. Understandably, the acceleration sequence is the direct input for the subsequent two numerical integrations, and its sampling rate (100 Hz) is set by the positioning module hardware to ensure a balance between integration accuracy and real-time performance.

[0051] Specifically, the positioning module executes the following displacement calculation process: First, it acquires the axial acceleration 'a' in the robot's body coordinate system in real time at a frequency of 100 Hz. x The system first determines the angular velocity ωz around the z-axis and the initial calibrated attitude angles (θ0, φ0, ψ0). Then, based on the angular velocity ωz, the yaw angle is independently and recursively updated: within each sampling period T = 10 ms, the yaw angle increment Δψ = ωz × T is calculated and updated to ψ′ = ψ0 + ΣΔψ, forming the dynamic target attitude angles (θ0, φ0, ψ′). Next, using these target attitude angles, a rotation matrix R(θ0, φ0, ψ′) is constructed from the body coordinate system to the world coordinate system, and the axial acceleration a is... x After transformation by the rotation matrix R, the image is projected onto the world coordinate system w-axis. Simultaneously, the projection component of gravitational acceleration g on the w-axis (g×cosθ0×cosφ0) is subtracted to obtain the effective acceleration a after removing attitude disturbances. e Fourth, regarding a e Discretization sampling is performed with a step size of 10 ms to generate an acceleration sequence {a} e [k]}; then perform trapezoidal rule numerical integration on the acceleration sequence: first obtain the instantaneous velocity v[k] = v[k] 1] + (a e [k] + a e [k 1])×T / 2, then integrate to get the cumulative displacement s[k]=s[k 1]+(v[k]+ v[k 1]) × T / 2; Finally, run the unscented Kalman filter, take the initial metering data output by the encoding module as the observation, estimate the current displacement error in real time, and add the current displacement error to the cumulative displacement to output the final displacement measurement data.

[0052] Measurement module 306 is used to measure the contact pressure between the meter wheel and the cable in real time.

[0053] In one embodiment, the measurement module includes a pressure sensor integrated into the spring-loaded structure of the metering wheel for real-time measurement of the contact pressure exerted by the metering wheel on the cable.

[0054] Contact pressure refers to the normal force applied by the meter-counting wheel to the surface of the clamped cable through the spring-loaded clamping structure, measured in Newtons (N). The magnitude of the contact pressure is a core physical parameter for assessing the risk of slippage and stretching. Understandably, the contact pressure is output in real-time by a pressure sensor integrated within the spring-loaded clamping structure, and then input to the control module after analog-to-digital conversion.

[0055] Specifically, when the meter wheel clamps the cable, the spring preload is amplified by the lever and applied to the sensor, outputting an analog voltage signal that is linearly related to the contact pressure. This analog voltage signal is digitized at a fixed sampling rate and smoothed by a sliding window averaging filter to eliminate instantaneous pulsation interference caused by the robot's movement vibration, thus outputting a stable contact pressure.

[0056] Through the above embodiments, the pressure sensor is deeply integrated into the body of the spring clamping mechanism, rather than being mounted on the bracket or housing, ensuring that the measured value truly reflects the effective positive pressure of the cable and the meter wheel, and avoiding measurement distortion caused by structural component stiffness deformation.

[0057] The control module 308 is used to determine the real-time cable status type based on contact pressure, initial metering data and displacement measurement data; based on the real-time cable status type, it performs multimodal fusion of the initial metering data and displacement measurement data and outputs the robot's real-time metering data.

[0058] The real-time cable status type refers to the discretized status category determined by the system based on real-time coupled analysis of multi-source dynamic operating parameters, characterizing the current physical contact relationship between the measuring reel and the cable and the mechanism leading to measurement deviation. Optionally, the real-time cable status type includes: cable flat state, cable wet and slippery state, and cable tensile state.

[0059] Real-time metering data refers to the final axial displacement value output by the control module after multi-modal fusion correction. Optionally, real-time metering data can be directly used for defect location marking to meet the sub-centimeter-level coordinate accuracy requirements for underground pipeline / wind turbine blade inspection.

[0060] In one embodiment, the control module is used to calculate the distance difference between the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data; and to determine the real-time cable status type of the cable based on the contact pressure, a preset pressure threshold, and the distance difference.

[0061] In one embodiment, if the distance difference is less than a preset first threshold and the contact pressure is approximately equal to a preset pressure threshold, then the control module determines that the real-time cable status type of the cable is a flat cable state, and the preset first threshold is close to zero. If the distance difference is less than a preset distance difference and the contact pressure is less than the preset pressure threshold, then the control module determines that the real-time cable status type of the cable is cable slippage, and the preset distance difference is less than zero. If the contact pressure is greater than the preset pressure threshold and the distance difference is less than the preset second threshold, then the control module determines that the real-time cable status type of the cable is cable stretching state.

[0062] The preset pressure threshold refers to the reference contact pressure value set by the system during the initial calibration phase to characterize the meter wheel and cable as being in an ideal clamping state, and is used as a reference benchmark to determine whether the contact state is normal.

[0063] The flatness of the cable refers to a working condition in which the contact between the measuring wheel and the cable is stable, there is no significant relative slippage, no elastic stretching, no geometric mismatch caused by wear on the wheel surface, and the environmental surface is continuously flat; in this case, the initial measuring data is dominant, and the displacement measurement data is only used for auxiliary verification.

[0064] The preset first threshold refers to the negative deviation threshold used to trigger the "slippage state" determination, and its value is negative (e.g., ...). (3cm) When the initial metering data is less than the displacement measurement data, it is determined to be positive slippage caused by the metering wheel spinning idly or the cable stagnation (the robot moves forward, the wheel rotates but the cable does not move synchronously).

[0065] Cable slippage refers to a state where the effective friction between the measuring wheel and the cable is insufficient (such as oil, wetness, insufficient pressure, or foreign matter on the surface), causing relative slippage between the two. This results in the measuring wheel's rotation count failing to accurately reflect the actual length of cable movement. The initial meter reading is less than the displacement measurement data, and the difference continues to exceed the limit.

[0066] The preset second threshold is a negative deviation threshold used to trigger the "stretch state" determination. The preset second threshold is also negative, but its absolute value is greater than the preset first threshold, used to distinguish between mild slippage and severe poor contact. Optionally, the preset second threshold includes two cases: one is that the preset second threshold is greater than the preset first threshold, and the other is that the preset second threshold is equal to the preset first threshold.

[0067] Cable stretching refers to a state in which the measuring wheel and the cable cannot maintain uniform contact and rolling along the entire circumference under the interference of curved surfaces in space (such as the arc-shaped wall inside the wind turbine blade) or obstacles, resulting in a shortening of the actual effective contact arc length and a reduction in the equivalent rolling radius, which in turn reduces the cable movement distance corresponding to the same number of revolutions; it is often accompanied by an abnormally low contact pressure and initial measuring data that is significantly lower than the displacement measurement data.

[0068] The preset distance difference is a value close to 0, indicating that the initial meter readings and displacement measurement data are very close.

[0069] Specifically, the multimodal metering system uses a control module to execute a three-parameter coupling criterion in real time to dynamically identify the physical contact relationship between the metering wheel and the cable. The specific determination steps are as follows: Calculate the distance difference ΔD=D m D i , where D m D is the initial metering data output by the encoding module. i Displacement measurement data output by the positioning module.

[0070] Calculate the pressure difference ΔF=F F0, where F is the contact pressure collected in real time by the measurement module, and F0 is the preset pressure threshold (its value is calibrated based on the spring stiffness of the meter wheel, the cable diameter, and the typical friction coefficient μ0 = 0.4, initially set to 1.5 N, and can be updated through on-site calibration).

[0071] Based on the numerical combination of ΔD and ΔF, the real-time cable status type is determined: If |ΔD|≤0.5 cm and |ΔF|≤1.5 N (i.e. ΔF≤preset pressure threshold), the cable is considered to be in a flat state, indicating that the metering wheel and the cable are well-fitted, without slippage or significant deformation, and the mechanical transmission is reliable.

[0072] If ΔD < 3 cm (i.e., the preset first threshold ΔD1= If the initial meter reading is 3 cm, it is determined to be a cable slippage condition, indicating that the meter wheel speed has slowed down due to oil, slipperiness, or insufficient pressure. m The true displacement is severely underestimated; at this point, the inertial data D... i It has a higher confidence level.

[0073] If ΔF > +1.5 N (i.e., pressure exceeds limit) and ΔD < 8 cm (i.e., the preset second threshold ΔD2= If the reading is less than 8 cm, it is determined to be a cable stretching state, indicating that the measuring wheel has partially detached and the effective rolling radius has decreased under the interference of curved environment (such as the arc wall inside the wind turbine blade) or obstacles, resulting in a systematic negative deviation, and the mechanical data weight needs to be significantly reduced.

[0074] Understandably, the above thresholds (0.5 cm, ...) 3 cm The values ​​(8 cm, ±1.5 N) are typical for this embodiment. In practical applications, they can be dynamically adjusted through adaptive learning or manual calibration according to the robot model, cable specifications, and operating environment (pipeline / blade) to ensure robustness of the judgment.

[0075] Through the above embodiments, the three-level state determination logic based on the dual-variable linkage of distance difference and pressure difference fundamentally breaks through the limitations of traditional single-threshold discrimination or open-loop weighting.

[0076] In one embodiment, the multimodal metering system is further provided with a shake-proof filtering unit, which is used to identify abnormal pulse signals and filter them.

[0077] The anti-shake filtering unit refers to a digital signal processing sub-circuit or embedded software algorithm module integrated within the encoding module, used to perform real-time dynamic filtering on the pulse sequence output by the incremental encoder. The anti-shake filtering unit identifies and suppresses non-periodic pulse spikes, glitch, or false triggering signals caused by momentary slippage between the metering wheel and cable, mechanical vibration, shaft micro-jump, or contact jitter, preserving the pulse flow that truly reflects the continuous rotation of the wheel.

[0078] Abnormal pulse signals refer to isolated pulses, pulse clusters, or reverse pulses that do not conform to the normal rotation rhythm during the continuous and stable rotation of the metering wheel, caused by instantaneous slippage (such as a sudden bump on an oily surface), sudden release after cable jamming, wheel rebound due to robot abrupt stop, or mechanical structure resonance.

[0079] Specifically, the anti-shake filtering unit adopts a dynamic window filtering strategy based on speed adaptation, and the encoding module samples the pulse signal at a frequency of 10kHz and calculates the average period T of the most recent 10 pulses in real time. ave And set a dynamic tolerance band, for example [0.6T] ave 1.4T ave If the rising edge interval of a new pulse exceeds this range, it is determined to be an abnormal pulse signal and discarded.

[0080] The above embodiments can effectively filter out false pulses caused by sudden cable stop and rebound, local slippage and shaking, etc., and ensure that the total number of output pulses always represents the net effective number of rotations of the meter wheel, rather than the original signal count containing noise.

[0081] In one embodiment, the control module acquires a first weight parameter and a second weight parameter corresponding to the real-time cable status type; and uses the first weight parameter and the second weight parameter to perform a weighted summation of the initial metering data and displacement measurement data to obtain the robot's real-time metering data.

[0082] The first weight parameter refers to the fusion weight assigned to the initial meter count.

[0083] The second weighting parameter refers to the fusion weight assigned to the displacement measurement data, and its sum with the first weighting parameter is 1.

[0084] In one embodiment, the real-time cable status types include cable flat state, cable wet state, and cable stretched state.

[0085] The value of the first weighting parameter in the real-time cable state type of flat cable is greater than the value in the real-time cable state type of wet cable; or, the value of the first weighting parameter in the real-time cable state type of flat cable is less than the value in the real-time cable state type of stretched cable. The value of the second weighting parameter in the real-time cable state type of flat cable is less than the value in the real-time cable state type of wet cable; or, the value of the second weighting parameter in the real-time cable state type of flat cable is greater than the value in the real-time cable state type of stretched cable.

[0086] In one embodiment, the real-time cable status type includes the cable flatness status; the control module obtains a first flatness weight parameter and a second flatness weight parameter corresponding to the cable flatness status, the first flatness weight parameter being 0.7 and the second flatness weight parameter being 0.3; the initial metering data and displacement measurement data are weighted and summed using the first flatness weight parameter and the second flatness weight parameter to obtain the robot's real-time metering data.

[0087] The first flatness weight parameter refers to the weight of the initial metering data when the cable is in a flat state, and it is 0.7.

[0088] The second flatness weight parameter refers to the weight of the displacement measurement data when the cable is in a flat state, and it is 0.3.

[0089] Specifically, when the system determines that the cable is in a flat state, the control module automatically calls weights 0.7 and 0.3 to perform weighted summation on the initial metering data and displacement measurement data, and outputs real-time metering data to ensure that the initial metering data is dominant under good contact conditions.

[0090] Through the above embodiments, the fixed weight combination fully leverages the high-resolution advantage of the metering wheel in a flat state, while introducing inertial navigation fine-tuning to balance accuracy and stability, so that the single-point metering error is controlled within ±0.6 cm.

[0091] In one embodiment, the real-time cable status type includes a cable slippery state; the control module obtains a first slippery weight parameter and a second slippery weight parameter corresponding to the cable slippery state, the first slippery weight parameter being 0.3 and the second slippery weight parameter being 0.7; the initial metering data and displacement measurement data are weighted and summed using the first slippery weight parameter and the second slippery weight parameter to obtain the robot's real-time metering data.

[0092] The first wet slip weight parameter refers to the weight of the initial metering data when the cable is in a wet slip state, and it is 0.3.

[0093] The second wet slip weight parameter refers to the weight of displacement measurement data when the cable is in a wet slip state, and it is 0.7.

[0094] Specifically, when the system determines that the cable is in a slippery state, the control module automatically calls the first slippery weight parameter (0.3) and the second slippery weight parameter (0.7) to perform a weighted summation of the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data, and outputs real-time metering data. This slippery state is identified by low contact pressure and a significantly negative distance difference, typical scenarios include oil stains on the inner wall of underground pipelines, slippery or muddy environments. The weight settings reflect a fusion strategy of "decreased reliability of initial metering data and displacement measurement data as the primary correction method."

[0095] Through the above embodiments, in slippery environments, this weighted method effectively suppresses multiple measurement errors caused by slippage of the meter-counting wheel, reducing the positioning deviation introduced by a single slippage from ±30 cm to within ±0.6 cm. Compared with the fixed-weight scheme, the meter-counting accuracy stability is improved by more than 80%, meeting the requirement for accurate marking of defect coordinates.

[0096] In one embodiment, the real-time cable status type includes cable stretching status; the control module obtains a first stretching weight parameter and a second stretching weight parameter corresponding to the cable stretching status, the first stretching weight parameter being 0.2 and the second stretching weight parameter being 0.8; the initial metering data and displacement measurement data are weighted and summed using the first stretching weight parameter and the second stretching weight parameter to obtain the robot's real-time metering data.

[0097] The first stretching weight parameter refers to the weight of the initial metering data when the cable is in a stretched state, and it is 0.2.

[0098] The second tension weight parameter refers to the weight of the displacement measurement data when the cable is under tension, and it is 0.8.

[0099] Specifically, when the system determines that the cable is under tension, the control module automatically calls the first tension weight parameter 0.2 and the second tension weight parameter 0.8 to perform a weighted summation of the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data, and outputs the real-time metering data.

[0100] This tensile state is triggered by both excessively high contact pressure and a significantly negative distance difference. It typically occurs in situations where obstacles such as the curved inner cavity of wind turbine blades, the curved surface of box culverts, or the presence of balsa wood interlayers cause the metering wheel to partially detach from the cable. The weighting settings reflect the principle of "severely inaccurate initial metering data, with displacement measurement data bearing primary positioning responsibility."

[0101] Through the above embodiments, under the stretched state, this weighting method effectively avoids systematic negative deviations caused by wheel suspension, flattening, or distortion of the rolling radius of the curved surface, and controls the long-distance cumulative error within ±0.6 cm.

[0102] Compared with traditional metering methods, the accuracy and stability are improved by more than 80%, and for the first time, the engineering requirement of axial positioning of defects in the inner cavity of wind turbine blades ≤ ±1 cm is met.

[0103] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of a multimodal metering method according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Exemplarily, the multimodal metering method includes: Step S402: Obtain the rotation parameters of the meter counting wheel collected in real time by the encoding module and calculate the initial meter counting data based on the rotation parameters; Step S404: Obtain the displacement measurement data calculated based on the motion parameters of the robot along the inspection direction collected in real time by the positioning module. Step S406: Obtain the contact pressure between the meter wheel and the cable measured in real time by the measurement module; Step S408: Determine the real-time cable status type based on contact pressure, initial metering data, and displacement measurement data; Step S410: Based on the real-time cable status type, perform multimodal fusion on the initial metering data and displacement measurement data to output the robot's real-time metering data.

[0104] In one embodiment, the initial metering data and displacement measurement data are zeroed out using the metering wheel's installation position on the robot as a reference point; and the initial value of the contact pressure and the weight parameters of the real-time cable status type are set.

[0105] The reference point refers to the physical installation position of the measuring wheel on the robot body, serving as the spatial origin and zero-position reference of the entire multimodal measuring system.

[0106] The initial value of the contact pressure refers to the initial clamping pressure value of the metering wheel to the cable measured by the pressure sensor when the system starts, which is used to calculate the pressure difference ΔF later.

[0107] The weighting parameter for real-time cable status type refers to a set of preset weighting coefficients that correspond one-to-one with each cable status (flat / slippery / stretched), and is used for multimodal fusion calculation.

[0108] Specifically, before the system starts and begins operation, the initial metering data and displacement measurement data are synchronously zeroed, using the installation position of the metering wheel on the robot as the reference point; at the same time, the current contact pressure is read as the initial value, and preset weight parameters corresponding to each cable status type are loaded. Understandably, this initialization ensures that all subsequent metering values ​​are referenced to the same physical starting point, eliminating system errors caused by installation offset and zero-point drift.

[0109] In one embodiment, when the robot detects a defect in the area to be inspected during the inspection process, it sends the real-time metering data of the robot at the moment the defect is detected to the terminal device. The moment the defect is detected is the moment when the robot detects the defect.

[0110] The site to be inspected refers to a fixed spatial area with clear physical boundaries covered by the robot when performing inspection tasks, such as underground pipelines and the inner cavity of wind turbine blades.

[0111] Defects refer to physical anomalies in the testing site that deviate from preset technical standards, including but not limited to: structural defects (such as cracks, settlement, and corrosion), electrical defects (such as partial discharge, temperature exceeding threshold, and insulation degradation), and environmental defects (such as excessive combustible gas concentration and abnormal smoke density). Defects are confirmed by comparing the output signals of at least one sensor (such as an infrared thermal imager, laser displacement sensor, or gas detector) on the robot with preset criteria.

[0112] The moment a defect is detected is the time when the robot control system collects data in real time based on the sensors and meets the defect judgment conditions; this moment corresponds to the timestamp recorded internally by the control system and is synchronously triggered with the robot's odometer to sample metering data.

[0113] Specifically, when the robot detects a defect in the area to be inspected during the inspection process, the control module unit immediately locks the current time as the time of defect detection and simultaneously reads the real-time metering data output at that time, i.e., the cumulative travel distance value. Optionally, the real-time metering data is encapsulated by the communication module into a structured data packet containing a timestamp, location coordinates, defect type identifier, and metering value, and sent to the terminal device via a 4G / 5G wireless network.

[0114] The above embodiments synchronize the defect identification time with the real-time metering data, thus solving the positioning drift problem caused by GPS dependence on defect location in the existing inspection system.

[0115] It is understood that the apparatus in this embodiment corresponds to the multimodal meter counting method in the above embodiments, and the options in the above embodiments are also applicable to this embodiment, so they will not be described again here.

[0116] This application also provides a terminal device, exemplary of which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to enable the terminal device to perform the functions of the various modules in the above-described multimodal metering method or multimodal metering system.

[0117] The processor can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, including at least one of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Network Processor (NP), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, capable of implementing or executing the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application.

[0118] Memory can be, but is not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), and Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM). Memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor can execute these programs upon receiving execution instructions.

[0119] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs used in the aforementioned terminal devices. For example, the computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0120] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods can also be implemented in other ways. The system embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings show the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this application. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that, in alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than those marked in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0121] In addition, the functional modules or units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module can exist independently, or two or more modules can be integrated to form an independent part.

[0122] If a function is implemented as a software module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a smartphone, personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this application.

[0123] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A multimodal metering system, characterized in that, Applied to inspection robots, the robot body is equipped with cables, including: An encoding module is installed at the end of the measuring wheel shaft of the robot to collect the rotation parameters of the measuring wheel in real time and calculate the initial measuring data based on the rotation parameters. The positioning module is used to collect the motion parameters of the robot along the inspection direction in real time, and calculate displacement measurement data based on the motion parameters; The measurement module is used to measure the contact pressure between the meter wheel and the cable in real time; The control module is used to determine the real-time cable status type based on the contact pressure, the initial metering data, and the displacement measurement data; and to perform multimodal fusion on the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data based on the real-time cable status type, and output the robot's real-time metering data.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system is also equipped with a shake-proof filtering unit, which is used to identify abnormal pulse signals and filter them.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation parameters include the total number of pulses and the number of pulses per revolution; The encoding module is used to calculate the product of the diameter of the counting wheel and the total number of pulses; and to calculate the initial counting data based on the product and the number of pulses per revolution.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The encoding module calculates the initial metering data using the following formula: Dm = CJ *π / P Where Dm is the initial metering data, CJ is the product value, P is the number of pulses per revolution, and π is the mathematical constant pi.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The motion parameters include axial acceleration, angular velocity, and attitude angle; The positioning module is used to recursively update the attitude angle based on the angular velocity to obtain the target attitude angle; and to construct the orientation transformation relationship between the robot body coordinate system and the world coordinate system based on the target attitude angle. The axial acceleration is discretized using the orientation transformation relationship to obtain an acceleration sequence, and the acceleration sequence is then integrated twice to obtain displacement measurement data.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The measurement module includes a pressure sensor; The pressure sensor is integrated into the spring clamping structure of the metering wheel and is used to measure the contact pressure applied by the metering wheel to the cable in real time.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The control module is used to calculate the distance difference between the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data; and to determine the real-time cable status type of the cable based on the contact pressure, the preset pressure threshold, and the distance difference.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The control module is used to determine the real-time cable status type of the cable based on the contact pressure, a preset pressure threshold, and the distance difference, including: If the distance difference is less than a preset first threshold and the contact pressure is approximately equal to a preset pressure threshold, then the control module determines that the real-time cable status type of the cable is a flat cable state, and the preset first threshold is close to zero. If the distance difference is less than a preset distance difference and the contact pressure is less than the preset pressure threshold, then the control module determines that the real-time cable status type of the cable is cable slippage, and the preset distance difference is less than zero. If the contact pressure is greater than the preset pressure threshold and the distance difference is less than the preset second threshold, then the control module determines that the real-time cable status type of the cable is cable stretching state.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module is used to perform multimodal fusion of the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data based on the real-time cable status type, and output the robot's real-time metering data, including: The control module acquires a first weight parameter and a second weight parameter corresponding to the real-time cable status type; and uses the first weight parameter and the second weight parameter to perform a weighted summation of the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data to obtain the robot's real-time metering data.

10. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The real-time cable status types include cable flat status, cable wet and slippery status, and cable stretched status. The value of the first weight parameter when the real-time cable status type is flat is greater than the value when the real-time cable status type is wet. Alternatively, the value of the first weight parameter in the real-time cable state type of cable flat state is smaller than the value in the real-time cable state type of cable stretched state. The value of the second weight parameter when the real-time cable status type is flat is smaller than the value when the real-time cable status type is wet. Alternatively, the value of the second weight parameter in the real-time cable state type of cable flat state is greater than the value in the real-time cable state type of cable stretched state.

11. A multimodal meter counting method, characterized in that, Applied to the system of claim 1, the control module in the system performs the following steps, including: The encoding module acquires the rotation parameters of the metering wheel in real time and calculates the initial metering data based on the rotation parameters. The positioning module acquires the motion parameters of the robot along the inspection direction in real time and calculates displacement measurement data based on the motion parameters. The measurement module measures the contact pressure between the metering wheel and the cable in real time. Based on the contact pressure, the initial metering data, and the displacement measurement data, the real-time cable status type is determined; Based on the real-time cable status type, the initial metering data and the displacement measurement data are fused in a multimodal manner to output the robot's real-time metering data.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, Before the encoding module acquires the rotation parameters in real time and the positioning module acquires the motion parameters in real time, the method further includes: Using the meter-counting wheel at the robot's installation position as a reference point, the initial meter-counting data and the displacement measurement data are zeroed out. Set the initial value of the contact pressure and the weight parameters of the real-time cable status type.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the robot detects a defect in the area to be inspected during the inspection process, it sends the real-time metering data of the robot at the moment the defect is detected to the terminal device. The moment the defect is detected is the time when the robot detects the defect.

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