An active pressure-adhesion stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot

Abstract

This application discloses an active adhesion-stabilized underwater wall-adhering inspection robot, belonging to the field of underwater robot technology. The robot includes: a robot body, a rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism, and a walking mechanism. The robot body includes a control module and a measurement module. The robot body is connected to the walking mechanism via the rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism, which controls the robot body to rotate relative to the walking mechanism around a predetermined axis, thus decoupling the robot body's attitude from that of the walking mechanism. The relative positional relationship between the robot body's center of gravity and center of buoyancy is fixed. The control module adjusts the robot body's attitude by controlling the rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism, ensuring that the center of gravity and center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and that the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy. It also compensates for the thrust direction of the thruster based on the relative rotation angle between the robot body and the walking mechanism, causing the forward component force to be output along the walking direction of the walking mechanism. The measurement module includes acoustic and optical measurement sensors for detecting the surface being measured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of underwater robot technology, and in particular to an active pressure-adhesion-stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot. Background Technology

[0002] In the operation and maintenance of infrastructure such as water conservancy and hydraulic engineering, and marine engineering, underwater structures typically require inspection for defects such as appearance, morphology, cracks, misalignments, corrosion, erosion, and attachments. For turbid water bodies, low visibility environments, or high-precision inspection tasks, visual and laser 3D inspection methods usually require close proximity to, or even near, the surface being measured to obtain stable and reliable data.

[0003] While conventional remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) have good maneuverability, when they need to stay close to the surface of a structure for a long time, they usually rely on levitation control to maintain their relative position. However, this method is easily affected by control errors, local fluid disturbances, and abrupt changes in surface geometry, making it difficult to guarantee the stability of their posture. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides an active pressure-adhesion stabilized underwater wall-adhering inspection robot that can maintain its body posture stability during close-range inspection of underwater structures.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application is implemented as follows: Firstly, an active adhesion-stabilized underwater wall-attaching detection robot is provided, comprising: a robot body, a rotational attitude adjustment mechanism, and a walking mechanism. The robot body includes a control module, a measurement module, a thruster assembly, and multiple first connecting structures disposed at different positions on the robot body. The robot body is connected to the walking mechanism via the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism, which controls the robot body to rotate relative to the walking mechanism around a predetermined axis, thereby decoupling the attitude of the robot body from that of the walking mechanism. The relative positional relationship between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body is fixed. The thruster assembly generates vector thrust. The vector thrust includes an adhesion component toward the measured surface and a forward component along the traveling direction of the walking mechanism; the control module is used to control the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism so that the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body are on the same vertical axis, and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, and to compensate the thrust control direction of the thruster group based on the relative rotation angle between the robot body and the walking mechanism, so that the forward component is output along the traveling direction of the walking mechanism; the measurement module includes an acoustic-optical measurement sensor for detecting the measured surface; the plurality of first connection structures are used for detachably mounting the acoustic-optical measurement sensor to achieve detection under different working conditions or at different angles.

[0006] In this embodiment, a rotational attitude adjustment mechanism connects the robot body and the walking mechanism, allowing them to rotate relative to each other within a predetermined degree of freedom. This enables decoupled control of the robot body's posture and the walking mechanism's posture. When the walking mechanism is tilted or perpendicular to the measured surface, the control module can actively adjust the robot body's posture through the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism, ensuring that the robot body's center of gravity and center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and that the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy. This avoids instability caused by the deviation between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy, i.e., the tilt of the line connecting the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy, thus ensuring the stability and continuity of the measurement operation. After the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism changes the relative angle between the robot body and the walking mechanism, the control module adjusts the thrust control direction and redistributes the thrust magnitude and direction of each thruster according to the thrust control direction. This ensures that the forward component of the decomposed thrust is accurately along the walking mechanism's direction of movement, thereby achieving autonomous calibration of the walking direction after posture adjustment. This avoids the problem of the robot body being stable but its movement deviating from the predetermined direction, thus improving the continuity and controllability of surface walking.

[0007] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0009] Figure 1 This paper shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an active pressure-adhesion-stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot according to some embodiments of this application; Figure 2 The present application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a robot body according to some embodiments; Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the installation position of an acoustic-optic measurement sensor provided in some embodiments of this application is illustrated. Figure 4 The diagram shows the installation location of another acoustic-optical measurement sensor provided in some embodiments of this application; Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the posture adjustment of a robot body according to some embodiments of this application; Figure 6 This application provides a schematic diagram illustrating the control process of a control module according to some embodiments. Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the force decomposition of a thruster provided in some embodiments of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0010] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of robots consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0011] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the active adhesion-stabilized underwater wall-attaching detection robot includes: a robot body 110, a rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120, and a walking mechanism 130. The robot body 110 includes a control module 111, a measurement module 112, a thruster assembly 113, and multiple first connection structures 114 disposed at different positions on the robot body 110. The robot body 110 is connected to the walking mechanism 130 through the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120. The rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 is used to control the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 around a predetermined axis, thereby decoupling the attitude of the robot body 110 from that of the walking mechanism 130. The relative positional relationship between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body 110 is fixed. The thruster assembly 113 is used to generate... The vector thrust includes a pressure component toward the measured surface and a forward component along the travel direction of the walking mechanism 130; the control module 111 controls the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 to ensure that the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body 110 are on the same vertical axis, and that the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, and compensates the thrust control direction of the thruster group 113 based on the relative rotation angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130, so that the forward component is output along the travel direction of the walking mechanism 130; the measurement module 112 includes an acoustic-optical measurement sensor 1121 for detecting the measured surface; the plurality of first connection structures 114 are used for detachably mounting the acoustic-optical measurement sensor 1121 to achieve detection under different working conditions or at different angles.

[0012] In underwater inspection operations, the surfaces being inspected, such as dam faces, immersed tunnel waterstops, and gravity wharves, are often vertical or inclined. During reciprocating operations along these surfaces, robots frequently need to switch between horizontal, vertical, and inclined postures. Traditional wall-hugging inspection robots typically employ a rigid coupling structure between the robot body and its chassis. When the robot transitions from a horizontal to a vertical posture, the body rotates, causing the center of gravity and center of buoyancy to deviate from the same vertical line. This reduces static stability and easily leads to posture instability, affecting the continuity and safety of the wall-hugging operation. It is understood that the center of gravity and center of buoyancy are the points of application of gravity and buoyancy, respectively, with their forces acting vertically downwards and upwards. When the robot's center of gravity and center of buoyancy are not on the same vertical line, they form a couple and generate a torque, causing the robot to pitch or roll, ultimately deviating from the intended direction. In this embodiment, the positions of the robot body's center of gravity and center of buoyancy on its own structure are fixed, thus their relative positional relationship remains constant. In cruise mode, the robot body 110 is in an attitude where its center of gravity and center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis, and its center of gravity is lower than its center of buoyancy. When the robot tilts or flips, the line connecting its center of gravity and center of buoyancy tilts accordingly and is no longer vertical, but their relative positional relationship on the robot body remains unchanged. Therefore, by connecting the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130 through a rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120, and allowing them to rotate relative to each other within a predetermined degree of freedom, the attitude of the robot body 110 and the attitude of the walking mechanism 130 are decoupled. In this way, without changing the relative positional relationship between the robot body's center of gravity and center of buoyancy, the line connecting the two is kept vertical through attitude rotation, that is, the attitude of the robot body 110 is kept horizontal. The walking mechanism 130 can tilt with the surface being measured to maintain stable attachment, while the robot body 110 can actively adjust to the target posture through the rotational posture adjustment mechanism 120, that is, the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body 110 are located on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the posture corresponding to the center of buoyancy, so as to avoid the instability of the whole machine caused by the deviation of the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy, thereby maintaining the static stability of the whole machine and ensuring the stability of the working reference surface of the measurement module 112.

[0013] The robot body 110 includes a thruster assembly 113 for generating a vector thrust, which includes an adhesion component toward the measured surface and a forward component along the travel direction of the walking mechanism. It is understood that the adhesion component is the adhesion force that presses the robot onto the wall surface, and the forward component is the driving force that propels the robot to move. In some embodiments, reference continues to... Figure 2The thruster assembly 113 may include a first thruster 1131 and / or a second thruster 1132. The first thruster 1131 is vertically positioned in the upper or lower region of the robot body 110, and the second thruster 1132 is horizontally positioned in the front or rear of the robot body 110. In this embodiment, the thrust of the first thruster 1131, with its axis perpendicular to the wall in a vertical orientation, compared to relying on the main thruster for vector force component generation, makes the generation and control of the normal force more direct, efficient, and decoupled. It should be noted that this application does not specifically limit the type, number, location, or installation angle of the thrusters. Figure 2 This is just one example.

[0014] Furthermore, after the rotation adjustment mechanism 120 changes the relative angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130, if the thrust control direction of the thruster assembly 113 is still directly distributed according to the current posture of the robot body 110, the output forward component will no longer be along the desired travel direction of the walking mechanism 130, resulting in deviation and decreased efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to redetermine the thrust control direction based on the relative angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130 and adjust the forward component based on the thrust control direction so that the forward component is output along the travel direction of the walking mechanism 130. Here, the relative angle is the angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130.

[0015] The robot body 110 also includes multiple first connection structures 114 disposed at different positions on the robot body 110. These multiple first connection structures 114 are used to mount the acoustic-optical measurement sensor 1121 to achieve detection under different working conditions or at different angles. It is understood that during wall-attaching detection, since the robot body 110 maintains a constant posture, multiple first connection structures 114 can be disposed on the robot body 110 to ensure the flexibility and accuracy of the detection. This allows the acoustic-optical measurement sensor 1121 to be mounted at different positions, thereby achieving measurement under different working conditions or at different angles. For example, continue referring to... Figure 3 The above is a schematic diagram of the installation position of an acoustic-optic measurement sensor 1121 provided in some embodiments of this application. (Continue referring to...) Figure 4This is a schematic diagram showing the installation position of another acoustic-optical measurement sensor 1121 provided in some embodiments of this application. It is understood that the spatial transformation relationship between the robot body 110's posture and the acoustic-optical measurement sensor 1121 must be strictly calibrated to ensure the accuracy of subsequent data fusion and measurement calculations. During the robot's wall-hugging detection operation in this application, when the robot body 110's center of gravity and center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, its posture will remain fixed, i.e., it will perform wall-hugging operations according to a fixed posture. This makes it impossible to generate multi-view observation data by utilizing posture changes. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the installation position of the acoustic-optical measurement sensor 1121 to adapt to different working conditions and detection angles. However, any change in the sensor's installation position will cause changes in external parameters. Therefore, in principle, recalibration is required after each adjustment, which will significantly reduce operational efficiency. To avoid redundant calibration, a standardized first connection structure 114 is used as the standard interface between the sensor and the robot body in this embodiment. In this way, when the sensor is installed on any standard interface, its transformation parameters relative to the robot body coordinate system are all preset known quantities, and there is no need to recalibrate.

[0016] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The relative positional relationship between the walking mechanism 130 and the robot body 110 shown (the walking mechanism 130 is located below the robot body 110) is merely an exemplary embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. In practical applications, the walking mechanism 130 can be located to the left, right, above, below, or any other desired position of the robot body 110, as long as the robot body 110 is connected to the walking mechanism 130 via the rotation and posture adjustment mechanism 120. Any positional relationship that satisfies the connection between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130 via the rotation and posture adjustment mechanism 120 should be understood as falling within the protection scope of this application. Furthermore, this application embodiment does not limit the specific implementation form of the robot body 110, the rotation and posture adjustment mechanism 120, and the walking mechanism 130, such as shape, structure, size, material, etc., which can be set according to the actual application scenario.

[0017] In some embodiments, the control module 111 controls the rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism 120 to ensure that the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body 110 are on the same vertical axis, and that the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, including at least one of the following: (1) When the robot is in cruise mode, the robot body 110 is kept in standby posture by controlling the rotation adjustment mechanism 120, wherein the standby posture is the posture in which the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body 110 are located on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy.

[0018] The active adhesion-stabilized underwater wall-attaching detection robot in this embodiment has at least two operating modes: a cruise mode and a wall-attaching detection mode. In cruise mode, the robot body 110 needs to maintain a standby posture, meaning its center of gravity and center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis, and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy. It is understood that when the robot cruises underwater, gravity and buoyancy are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, satisfying the vertical force balance condition. If the center of gravity and center of buoyancy are not on the same vertical line, they will form a force couple and generate torque, causing the robot to pitch or roll, ultimately deviating from the predetermined cruise direction. Therefore, in cruise mode, the robot body 110 needs to be maintained in a standby posture by controlling the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120. This standby posture is a horizontal posture, meaning the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 controls the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 around a predetermined axis until the center of gravity of the robot body 110 and the center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis, and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy.

[0019] In some embodiments, the cruise mode includes at least one of a horizontal cruise mode and a vertical cruise mode.

[0020] (2) During the process of the robot being in the wall-attaching detection mode and moving from one of the horizontal segment, vertical segment and inclined segment to another, the pitch angle corresponding to the robot body 110 is obtained. In response to the pitch angle being greater than the first threshold, the robot body 110 is controlled to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 around a predetermined axis by the rotation adjustment mechanism 120 until the center of gravity of the robot body 110 and the center of buoyancy are located on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy.

[0021] It is understood that the pitch angle is the angle between the robot body 110 and the horizontal direction. When the robot moves from one of the horizontal, vertical, and inclined segments to another, for example, when gradually transitioning from a horizontal segment to a vertical segment, the pitch angle of the robot body 110 continuously increases. When the pitch angle exceeds a first threshold, the control module 111 controls the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 to enter an active adjustment operation: driving the motor or hydraulic actuator to rotate the robot body 110 relative to the walking mechanism 130 around a predetermined axis, restoring the robot body 110's posture to a state where the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy. This ensures that the robot body 110 always works in a stable posture range, avoiding the risk of overturning caused by the tilting of the line connecting the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy. For example, as... Figure 5As shown, when the robot needs to inspect the waterstop of the tunnel section of the sunken ship: in the horizontal section, the robot body 110 maintains a horizontal posture (in this posture, the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy are located on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy); when moving from the horizontal section to the inclined section, the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 enters an active adjustment operation, causing the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 around a predetermined axis, so that the robot body 110 returns to a horizontal posture; when moving from the inclined section to the vertical section, the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 enters an active adjustment operation again, causing the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 around a predetermined axis, so that the robot body 110 returns to a horizontal posture.

[0022] In some embodiments, the active adjustment operation corresponding to the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 may include: the control module 111 sends an angle adjustment command to the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120; after receiving the angle adjustment command, the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 drives the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130, so that the pitch angle approaches the target angle, which is the angle that makes the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body 110 located on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy.

[0023] The following is through Figure 6The control process of the control module 111 during the robot's switch from cruise mode to wall-climbing detection mode is illustrated by example: (1) Cruise approach phase: In cruise mode, the walking mechanism 130 is in a non-contact state, that is, it does not contact the surface to be measured. The control module 111 controls the rotation and posture adjustment mechanism 120 to keep the robot body 110 in a standby posture. (2) Adhesion and wall-sticking phase: When the robot reaches the predetermined distance and the posture meets the requirements, the control module 111 switches to the wall-sticking detection mode. At this time, the walking mechanism 130 contacts the surface to be measured. During this process, the control module 111 controls the rotation and posture adjustment mechanism 120 to only maintain the current relative angle and not to rotate actively, so as to ensure that the walking mechanism 130 contacts the surface to be measured in an appropriate posture. (3) Initial walking stage: After the walking mechanism 130 is stably attached to the surface being measured, the robot begins to move along the surface being measured. If the slope of the surface being measured is small or it is a horizontal surface, the control module 111 will monitor the relative rotation angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130 in real time. The rotation and posture adjustment mechanism 120 can be temporarily in a passive following or small-scale active fine-tuning state to absorb the posture disturbance in the initial contact stage. (4) Climbing stage: The pitch angle of the robot body 110 is monitored in real time. If the pitch angle continues to increase, the control module 111 continuously compares the pitch angle of the robot body 110 with the first threshold. Once the trigger condition is met, the rotation and posture adjustment mechanism 120 is controlled to enter the active adjustment operation: drive the motor or hydraulic actuator to make the robot body 110 rotate around the predetermined axis relative to the walking mechanism 130, and restore the posture of the robot body 110 to a horizontal posture where the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy. (5) Inspection end stage: When the robot leaves the inspection surface, it will switch to cruise mode. In cruise mode, the robot body will remain in standby posture.

[0024] In some embodiments, after the control module 111 controls the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 about a predetermined axis through the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 until the center of gravity of the robot body 110 and the center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, it is further configured to: prohibit the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 from controlling the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 about a predetermined axis when the robot is stably pressed against the surface to be measured and the center of gravity of the robot body 110 and the center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy.

[0025] Understandably, in the wall-climbing detection mode, when the robot body 110 recovers to a position where its center of gravity and center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and its center of gravity is lower than its center of buoyancy, the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 is prohibited from controlling the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 around a predetermined axis, thereby locking the posture and maintaining their stable relative relationship. In some embodiments, prohibiting the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 from controlling the robot body 110 to rotate relative to the walking mechanism 130 around a predetermined axis may include maintaining the posture through a locking mechanism, holding torque, or other equivalent holding methods.

[0026] In some embodiments, the control module 111 is further configured to: control the thruster group 113 to generate an adhesion component toward the surface being tested and a forward component along the traveling direction of the walking mechanism when the robot is in the wall-adhering detection mode.

[0027] Understandably, in the wall-attachment detection mode, the combined thrust generated by the thruster assembly 113 can be decomposed into a normal pressing force and a tangential forward force. The normal pressing force is used to stably press the walking mechanism 130 onto the surface being measured, and the tangential forward force is used to drive the robot to move continuously along the surface being measured. For example, as... Figure 7 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the resultant force decomposition of the thrusters, in which... For the combined force of the thrusters: , For the component force of the compressive force: , Forward component: , The angle between the resultant force of the thrusters and the normal to the surface being measured is denoted as . In this embodiment, through the coordinated control of the adhesion component and the forward propulsion component, the robot can achieve reliable adhesion, stable movement, and close-range detection on various types of underwater structures.

[0028] In some embodiments, the control module 111 controls the thruster assembly 113 to generate an adhesion component toward the measured surface and a forward component along the travel direction of the walking mechanism, including: acquiring the relative angle, wherein the relative angle is the angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130; determining the thrust control direction of the thruster assembly based on the desired travel direction of the walking mechanism and the relative angle; and adjusting the adhesion component and the forward component based on the thrust control direction.

[0029] It is understandable that after the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 changes the relative angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130, if the thrust control direction of the pusher is still directly allocated according to the current posture of the robot body 110, the output tangential forward component will no longer be along the desired travel direction of the walking mechanism 130, resulting in deviation and decreased efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to redetermine the thrust control direction and adjust the pressure component and forward component based on the thrust control direction. For example, the thrust control direction can be expressed by the following formula: ,in, To control the direction of thrust, The desired direction of travel for the walking mechanism 130. The angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130 is the relative rotation angle. The control module 111 redistributes the thrust magnitude and direction of each thruster according to the thrust control direction to ensure that the tangential forward component of the resultant thrust is accurately along the movement direction of the walking mechanism 130. This enables autonomous calibration of the walking direction after attitude adjustment, avoiding the problem of the robot body being stable but the movement deviating from the predetermined direction, thereby improving the continuity and controllability of surface walking.

[0030] In some embodiments, the control module 111 adjusts the pressure-adhesion component and the forward component based on the thrust control direction, including: acquiring the contact pressure between the walking mechanism 130 and the surface under test; and distributing the combined thrust of the propeller assembly 113 into the pressure-adhesion component and the forward component based on the contact pressure, the thrust control direction, and the friction coefficient between the walking mechanism and the surface under test.

[0031] It is understandable that the control module 111 performs thrust coordination distribution based on the contact pressure and the aforementioned corrected thrust control direction, which must satisfy the following frictional constraint relationship:

[0032] in: For the forward force, For the component force of compression, The coefficient of friction between the walking mechanism 130 and the surface being measured is given.

[0033] In some embodiments, the combined thrust distribution strategy of the control module 111 may include: (1) prioritizing the normal pressure component. (1) Large enough to provide reliable adhesion stability and friction margin; (2) Dynamically distribute according to the desired walking speed, without exceeding the maximum static friction. (3) When it is necessary to adjust the forward speed or overcome the slope resistance, recalculate the total thrust magnitude and thrust direction angle to make the new thrust... and The combination simultaneously satisfies the requirements of reliable adhesion, non-slippage, and travel commands. That is, after the walking mechanism 130 is stably adhered to the surface being tested based on the contact pressure, the resultant thrust is distributed based on the thrust control direction and the coefficient of friction, thereby enabling the robot to stably adhere to the surface being tested and travel stably on the surface being tested.

[0034] In some embodiments, when the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120 adjusts the attitude of the robot body 110, the control module 111 will adjust in real time. and The value ensures that the robot remains in a stable, pressurized, and controllable walking state throughout the entire dynamic process.

[0035] In some embodiments, the walking mechanism 130 may be equipped with at least one encoder, and the robot body 110 may be equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The IMU is a sensor for measuring the attitude of the robot body 110, comprising three accelerometers and three gyroscopes. The accelerometers collect acceleration data and calculate displacement through quadratic integration, while the gyroscopes measure angular velocity and calculate heading attitude through integration. Therefore, the IMU can be used to calculate the short-term displacement and attitude changes of the robot body. When the thrust continuously increases, but the IMU does not detect displacement and the encoder reading remains 0, it indicates excessive friction, i.e., the pressure component is too large, preventing normal movement. When the thrust remains stable and the IMU detects displacement, but the encoder reading remains 0 or extremely small, it indicates insufficient pressure component. Therefore, during the distribution of the combined thrust, the control module 111 can monitor the readings of the IMU and encoder in real time, thereby achieving dynamic distribution of the combined thrust. In other embodiments, the walking mechanism 130 may be equipped with a pressure sensor to measure the actual contact pressure between the walking mechanism 130 and the measured surface in real time. The control module 111 receives the real-time feedback signal from the pressure sensor and compares it with a preset safe pressure threshold. Through control algorithms such as proportional-integral-derivative control, the thrust output of each thruster is dynamically adjusted.

[0036] In the above embodiments, the combined thrust distribution method can automatically compensate for the disturbance force caused by changes in water flow, ensuring constant and reliable adhesion, and solving the problem that traditional suspended underwater inspection robots cannot always maintain a stable adhesion and controllable walking state in water flow.

[0037] In some embodiments, the walking mechanism 130 is detachably connected to the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120, and the absolute value of the difference between gravity and buoyancy of the walking mechanism 130 is less than a second threshold. It is understood that the walking mechanism 130 is a replaceable structure, allowing for the selection of a suitable walking mechanism for the robot based on the specific inspection scenario. For example, a legged walking mechanism can be used on uneven surfaces, a wheeled walking mechanism on smooth walls, and a tracked walking mechanism on soft surfaces. This avoids the need to set up a separate machine for each working condition, thereby significantly improving the efficiency of the inspection operation. The walking mechanism 130 must meet the following constraints: ,in, Represents gravity. Indicates buoyancy. The second threshold is used to constrain the buoyancy of the walking mechanism 130 to be neutral or near-neutral, so that when different walking mechanisms 130 are replaced according to different detection scenarios or when the walking mechanism 130 is installed in different positions, the relationship between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body 110 is not significantly changed.

[0038] In some embodiments, the robot body is detachably connected to the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism. It is understood that the robot body 110 in this embodiment can independently perform inspection, observation, approach, or relocation operations when detached from the walking mechanism 130; that is, the robot body 110 can be used independently as a conventional remotely operated underwater vehicle. When needed, it can be combined with the walking mechanism 130 to form a wall-adhering detection platform, improving platform reusability, task adaptability, and underwater operational flexibility.

[0039] In some embodiments, the robot further includes at least one of the following: (1) Angle detection unit, used to detect the angle between the robot body and the walking mechanism.

[0040] It is understood that during the active adjustment process of the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism 120, the control module 111 can synchronously read the real-time feedback from the angle detection unit, enabling the robot to distribute the resultant thrust based on the included angle when adjusting the robot's body posture. In some embodiments, the angle detection unit is an encoder suitable for underwater use, and the encoder is one of a magnetic encoder, a photoelectric encoder, or an absolute encoder.

[0041] (2) Pressure-adhesion state detection unit, used to detect the contact pressure between the walking mechanism and the surface being tested.

[0042] In some embodiments, the pressure-adhesion state detection unit may be disposed on the walking mechanism 130 to detect the contact pressure between the walking mechanism 130 and the surface being tested.

[0043] (3) Positioning and orientation unit, used to obtain the posture of the robot body and provide a posture reference for the measurement module 112.

[0044] Understandably, this positioning and attitude determination unit can acquire the attitude of the robot body 110, such as pitch angle.

[0045] (4) A detection sensor module for performing detection, wherein the detection sensor module includes at least one of a vision sensor, a laser three-dimensional measurement sensor, a ranging sonar sensor, an imaging sonar sensor and a supplementary lighting unit.

[0046] In some embodiments, the robot body 110 further includes a plurality of second connection structures disposed at different positions on the robot body. The detection sensor module is detachably mounted on at least one of the plurality of second connection structures to achieve detection under different working conditions or at different angles. The function of the second connection structure is similar to that of the first connection structure, and will not be repeated here; please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments.

[0047] Based on the above embodiments, the working process of the robot provided in this application is illustrated below: In cruise mode, the robot performs free navigation through the thruster group 113 to approach the structure under test, identify the detection area, and complete the transition. When the robot approaches the surface under test and meets the predetermined distance and posture conditions, it switches to the wall-adhering detection mode. At this time, the control module 111 controls the thruster group 113 to output a pressure component force towards the surface under test, so that the walking mechanism 130 adheres to the surface under test. When the pressure state detection unit indicates that the contact is stable, the robot enters the surface-following detection stage. In the surface-following detection stage, the thruster group 113 outputs a forward component force along the direction of travel of the walking mechanism, driving the walking mechanism 130 to move along the surface under test. When the robot transitions from a horizontal section to a vertical section or an inclined section, or from a low slope to a high slope surface, the control module 111 will continuously detect the pitch angle of the robot body 110 and the relative angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130. When the pitch angle exceeds the first threshold, the control module 111 drives the rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism 120 to actively adjust the angle of the robot body 110 relative to the walking mechanism 130. After adjustment, the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130 maintain a new stable relative relationship. Then, based on the relative angle between the robot body 110 and the walking mechanism 130, thrust is distributed to perform the wall-attachment detection task. After the detection is completed, the control module 111 reduces the pressure component force, causing the walking mechanism 130 to detach from the tested surface, and the robot exits the wall-attachment detection mode and resumes the cruise mode.

[0048] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0049] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the control process of the above control module can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platform. Of course, it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a computer software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the control process of each module or component of this application.

[0050] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An active pressure-adhesion-stabilized underwater wall-adhering inspection robot, characterized in that, include: The robot body includes a rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism and a walking mechanism. The robot body includes a control module, a measurement module, a thruster assembly, and multiple first connection structures disposed at different positions on the robot body. The robot body is connected to the walking mechanism through the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism. The rotational attitude adjustment mechanism is used to control the robot body to rotate relative to the walking mechanism around a predetermined axis so that the posture of the robot body is decoupled from the posture of the walking mechanism. The relative positional relationship between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body is fixed. The thruster assembly is used to generate vector thrust, which includes an adhesion component toward the measured surface and a forward component along the travel direction of the traveling mechanism. The control module is used to control the rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism so that the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body are on the same vertical axis, and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy. It also compensates the thrust control direction of the thruster group based on the relative rotation angle between the robot body and the walking mechanism, so that the forward component force is output along the traveling direction of the walking mechanism. The measurement module includes an acousto-optic measurement sensor for detecting the surface being measured; The plurality of first connection structures are used for detachable installation of the acoustic-optical measurement sensor to achieve detection under different working conditions or at different angles; The control module is also used to: when the robot is in the wall-adhering detection mode, control the thruster group to generate an adhesion component force toward the surface being tested and a forward component force along the traveling direction of the walking mechanism; The control module controls the thruster assembly to generate an adhesion component toward the measured surface and a forward component along the travel direction of the walking mechanism, including: acquiring the relative angle, wherein the relative angle is the angle between the robot body and the walking mechanism; determining the thrust control direction of the thruster assembly based on the desired travel direction of the walking mechanism and the relative angle; and adjusting the adhesion component and the forward component based on the thrust control direction. The control module adjusts the pressure-adhesion component and the forward component based on the thrust control direction, including: acquiring the contact pressure between the traveling mechanism and the measured surface; and distributing the combined thrust of the propeller assembly into the pressure-adhesion component and the forward component based on the contact pressure, the thrust control direction, and the friction coefficient between the traveling mechanism and the measured surface.

2. The active pressure-adhesion stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module controls the rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism to ensure that the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body are on the same vertical axis, and that the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, including at least one of the following: When the robot is in cruise mode, the robot body is kept in a standby posture by controlling the rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism. The standby posture is when the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy of the robot body are on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy. During the process of the robot being in wall-following detection mode and moving from one of the horizontal, vertical, and inclined segments to another, the pitch angle corresponding to the robot body is obtained. In response to the pitch angle being greater than a first threshold, the robot body is controlled to rotate relative to the walking mechanism around a predetermined axis through the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism until the center of gravity of the robot body and the center of buoyancy are located on the same vertical axis, and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy.

3. The active pressure-adhesion stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, After the control module controls the robot body to rotate relative to the walking mechanism around a predetermined axis through the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism until the center of gravity of the robot body and the center of buoyancy are on the same vertical axis and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, it is further used to: When the robot is stably pressed against the surface being tested, and the center of gravity of the robot body is on the same vertical axis as the center of buoyancy, and the center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, the rotation and attitude adjustment mechanism is prohibited from controlling the robot body to rotate relative to the walking mechanism around a predetermined axis.

4. The active pressure-adhesion stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The walking mechanism is detachably connected to the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism, and the absolute value of the difference between the gravity and buoyancy of the walking mechanism is less than a second threshold.

5. The active pressure-adhesion stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robot body is detachably connected to the rotational attitude adjustment mechanism.

6. The active pressure-adhesion stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robot also includes at least one of the following: An angle detection unit is used to detect the angle between the robot body and the walking mechanism; The pressure-adhesion state detection unit is used to detect the contact pressure between the walking mechanism and the surface being tested; The positioning and orientation unit is used to acquire the posture of the robot body and provide a posture reference for the measurement module. A detection sensor module is used to perform detection, and the detection sensor module includes at least one of a vision sensor, a laser three-dimensional measurement sensor, a ranging sonar sensor, an imaging sonar sensor, and a supplementary lighting unit.

7. The active pressure-adhesion stabilized underwater wall-attaching inspection robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The robot body also includes multiple second connection structures disposed at different positions on the robot body. The detection sensor module is detachably mounted on at least one of the multiple second connection structures to achieve detection under different working conditions or at different angles.

Images