Axisymmetric self-adaptive size pipeline robot capable of rotating and stretching out and drawing back

Abstract

The invention discloses a rotatable telescopic axial symmetry type self-adaptive size pipeline robot which comprises a motor base (1), a driving motor (2) is arranged in the motor base (1), the output end of the driving motor (2) is connected with a grooved wheel rotating disc (3), and a plurality of arc-shaped guide grooves (4) are evenly formed in the grooved wheel rotating disc (3) around the center line; a plurality of elastic connecting rod assemblies (5) are evenly arranged on the side portion of the motor base (1) around the central axis of the motor base (1), the elastic connecting rod assemblies (5) are connected with the motor base (1) in a sliding mode, wheel body motors (6) are arranged in the elastic connecting rod assemblies (5), and the output ends of the wheel body motors (6) are connected with idler wheels (7). And a guide wheel (8) is arranged at the upper end of the elastic connecting rod assembly (5). Through the variable-diameter adjusting mode of the arc-shaped wheel groove structure, rapid variable-diameter adaptation is achieved, the adaptation efficiency of the robot to pipelines with different diameters is improved, and the smoothness and stability of the variable-diameter adjusting process are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pipeline robots, and more specifically to a rotatable, telescoping, axisymmetric, adaptive-size pipeline robot. Background Technology

[0002] As the core carriers for transporting fluid media, the operational safety and integrity of various pipelines are crucial, requiring timely inspection and maintenance. To meet the inspection needs of pipelines with different diameters, variable-diameter pipeline robots, with their adaptability to various pipe diameters, have gradually become core equipment in the pipeline inspection field. Several related solutions for variable-diameter pipeline robots already exist in the existing technology. For example, Chinese utility model patent CN213705613U discloses a variable-diameter oil pipeline inner wall inspection robot. This inspection robot mainly consists of a frame, two tripod walking mechanisms, and an adjustment mechanism. The frame includes a triangular support for mounting the tripod walking mechanisms, a triangular mounting platform for mounting the working body, and a fixed support rod for connecting the triangular support and the triangular mounting platform. The tripod walking mechanism includes three walking legs connected to the triangular support, walking wheels at the ends of the walking legs, a pair of meshing bevel gears connected to the walking wheels, and a second reduction motor. The second reduction motor drives the meshing bevel gears to rotate, thereby driving the walking wheels to rotate, realizing the movement of the entire inspection robot inside the pipeline. However, the diameter adjustment function of existing variable-diameter pipe robots mainly relies on screw structures, which has certain limitations in practical applications: on the one hand, the transmission method of screw adjustment results in a slow diameter response speed, making it difficult to quickly adapt to pipe environments with different diameters and affecting the efficiency of inspection operations; on the other hand, there are often impurities such as oil, rust residue, and dust inside the pipe, which can easily accumulate in the screw's thread grooves, causing jamming and sticking during screw adjustment, reducing the robot's operational stability and reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a rotatable, telescopic, axisymmetric, adaptive-size pipe robot. This invention achieves rapid diameter adaptation through a variable-diameter adjustment method using an arc-shaped wheel groove structure, improving the robot's adaptation efficiency to pipes of different diameters, and enhancing the smoothness and stability of the diameter adjustment process.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: A rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot, comprising a motor base, wherein a drive motor is provided inside the motor base, and the output end of the drive motor is connected to a grooved wheel turntable, and a plurality of arc-shaped guide grooves are uniformly arranged around the center line on the grooved wheel turntable; a plurality of elastic link assemblies are uniformly arranged on the side of the motor base around its central axis, the elastic link assemblies are slidably connected to the motor base, and a wheel motor is provided inside the elastic link assembly, the output end of the wheel motor being connected to a roller; a guide wheel that cooperates with the arc-shaped guide groove is provided at the upper end of the elastic link assembly.

[0005] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot, the motor base includes a base plate, on which a base body is provided, and a motor chamber for accommodating the drive motor is provided inside the base body; multiple fixed seats are evenly arranged around the central axis on the base body, the elastic connecting rod assembly is disposed in the space between adjacent fixed seats, and the grooved wheel turntable is disposed on the upper surface of the fixed seats.

[0006] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot, the upper surface of the fixed base has an arc-shaped protrusion, and the bottom of the grooved wheel turntable is provided with an annular groove that matches the arc-shaped protrusion.

[0007] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot, the elastic linkage assembly includes a main arm connected to the base body, with caps on both sides of the main arm and a forearm between the two caps. The side of the main arm has a positioning shaft with a spring sleeved on it. The caps have grooves, and the ends of the forearms have end heads embedded in the grooves on both sides. The positioning shaft passes through holes in the end heads, and the spring abuts against the end heads. The wheel motor is located at one end of the main arm, and the guide wheel is located at the upper end of the main arm.

[0008] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot, the main arm and the bottom of the cap have guide strips, and the upper surface of the base body has guide grooves that fit with the guide strips.

[0009] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot, the inner wall of the groove of the cover has a positioning protrusion, and the rear side of the end head is provided with a slot composed of two fan-shaped blocks, and the positioning protrusion fits into the slot.

[0010] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot, the guide wheel includes a pin in a mounting hole on the main arm, a main wheel on the pin, and the main wheel is located in an arc-shaped guide groove.

[0011] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot, the output end of the drive motor is provided with a toothed block, and the bottom shaft of the grooved wheel turntable has an internal toothed part that matches the toothed block.

[0012] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot, the fixed base is provided with a baffle for blocking the outer side of the groove wheel turntable via bolts.

[0013] In the aforementioned rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot, the fixed base and the base body are an integral structure.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. In this invention, the drive motor drives the grooved wheel turntable to rotate. Through the cooperation of the arc-shaped guide groove on the grooved wheel turntable and the guide wheel of the elastic linkage assembly, the rotational motion is converted into the radial extension and retraction motion of the elastic linkage assembly. The radial position of the roller changes, thereby realizing the diameter change of the entire device. The guiding effect of the arc-shaped guide groove directly drives the synchronous extension and retraction of the elastic linkage assembly, eliminating the need for the helical transmission stroke of the screw. The diameter adjustment action is more direct and the response is faster, which can quickly adapt to pipe environments with different diameters and effectively ensure the continuity and timeliness of pipeline inspection operations. Compared with the screw thread structure that is prone to accumulating impurities, the core of the diameter adjustment of this invention is the rolling cooperation structure of the guide wheel and the arc-shaped guide groove. The design without closed thread grooves makes it difficult for impurities such as oil, rust residue, and dust in the pipeline to adhere and accumulate, improving the smoothness of the diameter adjustment process and ensuring the reliability and stability of the robot in the long-term operation of complex pipeline environments.

[0015] 2. In the elastic linkage assembly, due to the spring, the forearm can generate a buffer displacement along the groove of the cover. The elastic deformation of the spring adaptively compensates for the slight unevenness of the inner wall of the pipe, so that the roller always fits tightly against the inner wall of the pipe. This not only improves the adaptive range of the pipe size, but also reduces the bumps during the movement through elastic buffering, providing a stable installation carrier for the pipe inspection equipment.

[0016] 3. The drive motor is embedded in the motor cavity, forming an integrated layout of the drive motor and the base body, ensuring the stability of the robot's power system and the compactness of space. Compared with the traditional external installation, the embedded installation structure has certain advantages: on the one hand, embedding the drive motor inside the base body can concentrate the center of gravity of the robot's power system on the central axis, avoiding robot shaking caused by eccentric load; on the other hand, the integrated design of the drive motor and the base body reduces external protruding structures, reduces the overall radial dimension of the robot, and makes it easier to enter pipes with smaller diameters. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the motor base; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an arc-shaped guide groove; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the drive motor; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a Geneva wheel turntable; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an arc-shaped protrusion; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the elastic linkage assembly; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning shaft. Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the card slot.

[0018] The markings in the attached diagram are as follows: 1-Motor base, 2-Drive motor, 3-Gate wheel turntable, 4-Arc-shaped guide groove, 5-Elastic connecting rod assembly, 6-Wheel motor, 7-Roller, 8-Guide wheel, 9-Base plate, 10-Base body, 11-Motor chamber, 12-Fixed seat, 13-Arc-shaped protrusion, 14-Annular groove, 15-Main arm, 16-Cap, 17-Forearm, 18-Positioning shaft, 19-Spring, 20-Groove, 21-End head, 22-Guide strip, 23-Guide groove, 24-Positioning protrusion, 25-Slot, 26-Pin, 27-Main wheel, 28-Tooth block, 29-Internal tooth, 30-Baffle. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0020] Example: A rotatable and extendable axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot, including a motor base 1, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 1 As shown in the attached diagram, a drive motor 2 is installed inside the motor base 1. Figure 4 As shown, the output end of the drive motor 2 is connected to a Geneva wheel 3, and a toothed block 28 is installed on the output end of the drive motor 2. The bottom shaft of the Geneva wheel 3 has an internal toothed portion 29 that meshes with the toothed block 28, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 5 As shown, when the drive motor outputs power, it drives the toothed block to rotate. Due to the toothed structure connection, the power output by the drive motor can stably drive the rotation of the Geneva wheel turntable. The Geneva wheel turntable 3 has multiple arc-shaped guide grooves 4 evenly distributed around its center line, as shown in the attached diagram. Figure 3As shown, three sets of arc-shaped guide grooves are evenly distributed on the grooved wheel turntable. The helix angle of each set of arc-shaped guide grooves is consistent and the phase difference is 120 degrees. Multiple elastic connecting rod assemblies 5 are evenly installed on the side of the motor base 1 around its central axis. The elastic connecting rod assemblies 5 are slidably connected to the motor base 1 by guide strips 22 and guide grooves 23 engaging. The motor base 1 includes a base plate 9, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 2 As shown, a base body 10 is mounted on the base plate 9, and the base body 10 has a motor chamber 11 for accommodating the drive motor 2. The drive motor is embedded in the motor chamber, forming an integrated layout of the drive motor and the base body, ensuring the stability of the robot's power system and the compactness of the space. Compared with the traditional external mounting, the embedded mounting structure has certain advantages: on the one hand, embedding the drive motor inside the base body can concentrate the center of gravity of the robot's power system on the central axis, avoiding robot shaking caused by eccentric load; on the other hand, the integrated design of the drive motor and the base body reduces external protruding structures, reduces the overall radial dimension of the robot, and makes it easier to enter pipes with smaller diameters. The base plate is connected to the base body via bolts on the side. The drive motor can be removed by removing the base plate. The base body 10 has multiple fixed seats 12 evenly distributed around its central axis. The fixed seats 12 and the base body 10 are integrally formed, and are machined from the same blank. This integral structure ensures the stability of the fixed seats and the base body. The elastic connecting rod assembly 5 is disposed in the space between adjacent fixed seats 12. The grooved wheel turntable 3 is disposed on the upper surface of the fixed seat 12. The upper surface of the fixed seat 12 has an arc-shaped protrusion 13, and the bottom of the grooved wheel turntable 3 has an annular groove 14 that matches the arc-shaped protrusion 13. (See attached image.) Figure 6As shown, the fitting clearance between the arc-shaped protrusion 13 and the annular groove 14 is 0.01-0.03 mm. The arc-shaped protrusion provides a close-fitting lower support surface for the Geneva wheel turntable, effectively bearing the overall weight of the Geneva wheel turntable and preventing it from sinking or tilting during rotation, ensuring that it always maintains a coaxial installation posture with the motor base. The interlocking structure of the arc-shaped protrusion and the annular groove forms a reliable radial limit, effectively constraining the Geneva wheel turntable and preventing it from radially shifting, wobbling, or eccentrically rotating during rotation, ensuring the coaxiality of the Geneva wheel turntable's rotation. A wheel motor 6 is installed inside the elastic connecting rod assembly 5. The output end of the wheel motor 6 is connected to a roller 7. The wheel motor has two output ends, which are connected to the rollers at the corresponding output ends. A guide wheel 8 that mates with the arc-shaped guide groove 4 is provided at the upper end of the elastic connecting rod assembly 5. The arc-shaped guide groove adopts a vortex curve, which has the characteristics of smooth motion and uniform acceleration change. It can effectively avoid impact or jamming of the elastic linkage assembly during the adjustment process, improve the robot's operating stability in complex pipeline environments, and facilitate the establishment of a mathematical conversion relationship between the rotation angle of the grooved wheel turntable and the elastic linkage assembly. The helix angle of the arc-shaped guide groove is 90 degrees and the phase angle is 120 degrees. The radius of the near end center of the arc-shaped guide groove from the rotation center of the grooved wheel turntable is 7 cm, and the radius of the far end center of the arc-shaped guide groove from the rotation center of the grooved wheel turntable is 13 cm. The guide wheel can achieve stepless diameter change within a range of 6 cm.

[0021] The elastic linkage assembly 5 includes a main arm 15 connected to the base body 10, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 7 As shown, covers 16 are installed on both sides of the main arm 15. The upper and lower ends of the covers are fixed to the main arm by bolts. A forearm 17 is installed between the two covers 16. The side of the main arm 15 has a positioning shaft 18, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 8 As shown, a spring 19 is fitted onto the positioning shaft 18; the spring is stably installed via the positioning shaft. The cover 16 has a groove 20, and the forearm 17 has end heads 21 embedded in the groove 20 on both sides. The end heads can stably move along the path of the groove. The positioning shaft 18 passes through the hole in the end head 21, and one end of the spring 19 abuts against the end head 21. The wheel motor 6 is located at one end of the main arm 15, and the guide wheel 8 is located at the upper end of the main arm 15. All components of the entire elastic linkage assembly are modularly assembled to form a stable structure, allowing the forearm to achieve stable extension and retraction.

[0022] The bottom of the main arm 15 and the cover 16 has guide strips 22, and the upper surface of the base body 10 has guide grooves 23 that fit with the guide strips 22. The guide strips and guide grooves are adapted to each other radially along the motor base, strictly limiting the movement direction of the elastic linkage assembly to linear extension and contraction along the radial direction of the base, preventing invalid movements such as circumferential rotation and oblique offset during the diameter adjustment process, ensuring that the assembly can accurately respond to the drive of the groove wheel turntable, and stably converting the rotational motion of the groove wheel turntable into radial extension and contraction motion, thus ensuring the accuracy of the diameter adjustment action. The inner wall of the groove 20 of the cover 16 has positioning protrusions 24, and the rear side of the end head 21 is provided with a slot 25 composed of two fan-shaped blocks, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 9 As shown, the positioning protrusion 24 and the slot 25 fit together. The forearm is mainly embedded in the groove through a locking structure. Therefore, the positioning protrusion and the slot structure can effectively limit the axial movement of the forearm, preventing it from coming out of the groove of the cover under the continuous elastic force of the spring. It also prevents the forearm from loosening due to the reaction force when the robot moves quickly in the pipe and encounters the protrusion of the inner wall of the pipe. The guide wheel 8 includes a pin 26 set in the mounting hole on the main arm 15. The pin 26 is fixed to the mounting hole by an interference fit. A main wheel 27 is installed on the pin 26. A deep groove ball bearing is provided between the main wheel 27 and the pin 26. The main wheel 27 is set in the arc-shaped guide groove 4. The main wheel can rotate around the pin. The main wheel is set in the arc-shaped guide groove and rotates in the arc-shaped guide groove during diameter adjustment. The arc-shaped guide groove is not a completely through groove; its cross-section is a countersunk groove. One side of the main wheel fits into the stepped part of this countersunk groove. This structure can axially limit the movement of the grooved wheel turntable. The fixed base 12 is equipped with a baffle 30, which is bolted on to block the outer side of the grooved wheel turntable 3. When the robot operates in the pipeline, the grooved wheel turntable will be subjected to continuous lateral reaction force due to the meshing transmission between the guide wheel and the arc-shaped guide groove. At the same time, vibration and impurity impact in the pipeline will also affect its rotation posture. The baffle can effectively withstand these lateral external forces, offset some of the impact, reduce the swaying and wobble of the grooved wheel turntable, and make its rotation more stable.

[0023] The working principle of this invention is as follows: The drive motor 2 is embedded in the motor chamber 11 of the motor base 1, forming an integrated power unit with a concentrated center of gravity. After starting, the output end tooth block 28 meshes with the internal tooth 29 of the bottom shaft of the Geneva wheel 3, and the rotational power is accurately transmitted to the Geneva wheel 3. At this time, the arc-shaped protrusion 13 on the upper surface of the fixed seat 12 and the annular groove 14 at the bottom of the Geneva wheel 3 form a fitting support. With the lateral limiting of the outer baffle 30, the Geneva wheel 3 is ensured to rotate smoothly around the central axis of the motor base 1. When the Geneva wheel 3 rotates, the arc-shaped guide grooves 4 evenly distributed on its surface rotate synchronously. Since the guide wheel 8 at the upper end of the elastic connecting rod assembly 5 is embedded in the arc-shaped guide groove 4, the rotational motion of the arc-shaped guide groove 4 is converted into a linear driving force along the radial direction of the motor base 1 through the rolling cooperation between the guide wheel 8 and the groove wall. At the same time, the elastic connecting rod assembly 5 fits with the guide groove 23 of the base body 10 through the guide strip 22 at the bottom. When the grooved wheel turntable 3 rotates forward, the vortex-shaped profile of the arc-shaped guide groove 4 pushes the guide wheel 8 away from the central axis, causing the entire elastic linkage assembly 5 to extend outward, and the radial position of the roller 7 to expand, adapting to large-diameter pipes. When the grooved wheel turntable 3 rotates in the reverse direction, the arc-shaped guide groove 4 pulls the guide wheel 8 closer to the central axis, the elastic linkage assembly 5 retracts inward, and the radial position of the roller 7 shrinks, adapting to small-diameter pipes. The wheel motor 6 is integrated at the end of the elastic linkage assembly 5, and its dual output ends directly drive the roller 7 to rotate. After the diameter adjustment is completed, the rollers 7 of the three sets of elastic linkage assemblies 5 form a symmetrical three-point support structure, forming a stable walking contact surface with the inner wall of the pipe. After the wheel motor 6 is started, the roller 7 generates traction force through friction with the pipe wall, driving the entire robot to move along the pipe axis.

[0024] The above embodiments merely illustrate implementation methods of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. Furthermore, in these embodiments, "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," and "back" represent relative positions only, not absolute positions. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot, comprising a motor base (1), characterized in that: The motor base (1) is equipped with a drive motor (2), and the output end of the drive motor (2) is connected to a grooved wheel turntable (3). Multiple arc-shaped guide grooves (4) are evenly arranged around the center line on the grooved wheel turntable (3). Multiple elastic link assemblies (5) are evenly arranged around the central axis on the side of the motor base (1). The elastic link assemblies (5) are slidably connected to the motor base (1). A wheel motor (6) is provided inside the elastic link assembly (5). A roller (7) is connected to the output end of the wheel motor (6). A guide wheel (8) that cooperates with the arc-shaped guide groove (4) is provided at the upper end of the elastic link assembly (5).

2. The rotatable and extensible axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motor base (1) includes a base plate (9), a base body (10) is provided on the base plate (9), and a motor chamber (11) for accommodating the drive motor (2) is provided inside the base body (10); a plurality of fixed seats (12) are evenly provided on the base body (10) around the central axis, the elastic connecting rod assembly (5) is disposed in the space between adjacent fixed seats (12), and the grooved wheel turntable (3) is disposed on the upper surface of the fixed seat (12).

3. The rotatable and extensible axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper surface of the fixed seat (12) has an arc-shaped protrusion (13), and the bottom of the grooved wheel turntable (3) is provided with an annular groove (14) that matches the arc-shaped protrusion (13).

4. The rotatable and extensible axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic linkage assembly (5) includes a main arm (15) connected to the base body (10), with a cover (16) on both sides of the main arm (15), and a forearm (17) between the two covers (16). The side of the main arm (15) has a positioning shaft (18), and a spring (19) is sleeved on the positioning shaft (18). The cover (16) has a groove (20), and the forearm (17) has end heads (21) embedded in the groove (20) on both sides. The positioning shaft (18) passes through the hole of the end head (21), and one end of the spring (19) abuts against the end head (21). The wheel motor (6) is located at one end of the main arm (15), and the guide wheel (8) is located at the upper end of the main arm (15).

5. The rotatable and extensible axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the main arm (15) and the cover (16) has a guide strip (22), and the upper surface of the base body (10) has a guide groove (23) that matches the guide strip (22).

6. The rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inner wall of the groove (20) of the cover (16) has a positioning protrusion (24), and the rear side of the end head (21) is provided with a slot (25) composed of two fan-shaped blocks, and the positioning protrusion (24) fits into the slot (25).

7. The rotatable and extensible axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The guide wheel (8) includes a pin (26) installed in a mounting hole on the main body arm (15), and a main wheel (27) is provided on the pin (26). The main wheel (27) is located in the arc-shaped guide groove (4).

8. The rotatable and extensible axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The output end of the drive motor (2) is provided with a tooth block (28), and the bottom shaft of the grooved wheel turntable (3) has an internal tooth part (29) that matches the tooth block (28).

9. The rotatable and extensible axisymmetric adaptive-size pipeline robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fixed base (12) is provided with a baffle (30) for blocking the outside of the grooved wheel turntable (3) by bolts.

10. The rotatable and telescopic axisymmetric adaptive sizing pipeline robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fixed seat (12) and the base body (10) are an integral structure.

Images