Mini amphibious drive system suitable for confined space leak detection robot

Abstract

This invention discloses a miniature amphibious drive system suitable for leak detection robots in confined spaces. It includes a front functional payload compartment and a rear functional payload compartment connected to each other, symmetrically arranged. Both compartments have an inclined section at their bottom, and the front functional payload compartment has a cleaning and sensing component at its front end. This invention features seamless amphibious switching capability, allowing the same drive mechanism to move in a rolling manner on land and switch to propeller propulsion mode by increasing wheel speed upon entering water, without requiring mechanical switching or an additional power source. It is compact and responsive. Through coordinated cleaning-sensing-drive operation, the cleaning and sensing component integrates active rotating cleaning, elastic adaptive wall adhesion, and real-time pressure feedback. The pressure signal can be indirectly used to adjust the drive motor speed; for example, decelerating in rough sections increases cleaning time, achieving closed-loop optimization of the detection process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of safety inspection equipment technology, specifically to a miniature amphibious drive system suitable for leak detection robots in confined spaces. Background Technology

[0002] Chemical industrial parks, as areas for the centralized production, storage, and transportation of hazardous chemicals, rely heavily on underground pipeline systems that perform critical functions such as material transport, wastewater discharge, and exhaust gas collection. The integrity of these systems directly impacts the park's safe production and environmental protection. For a long time, leak detection in underground pipelines and structures within chemical industrial parks has relied on a traditional method combining manual inspections with periodic excavation verification. Manual inspections pose significant safety risks. In recent years, ground-based inspection robots have been used in chemical industrial parks, primarily deployed in open spaces such as production areas and tank areas. These robots typically employ wheeled or tracked mobile platforms equipped with sensors such as visible light cameras, infrared thermometers, and gas detectors to perform equipment status monitoring and leak warning tasks.

[0003] However, the application of ground inspection robots has clear physical boundaries: their operating range is strictly limited to above-ground or accessible ground areas, and they cannot enter confined spaces such as underground pipelines, inspection wells, and underground utility tunnels. Another limitation of ground inspection robots lies in the indirectness of their detection principle—for underground pipeline leaks, ground robots can only infer leaks through indirect signs such as abnormal surface temperature, discoloration of vegetation, and gas escape, and cannot directly observe the condition of the pipeline itself, let alone locate the specific leak point. They are almost ineffective for pipelines buried at greater depths with intact anti-corrosion layers.

[0004] Meanwhile, while general municipal pipeline robots can pass through smaller pipe diameters, their load capacity is extremely limited and they cannot carry industrial-grade detection sensors. Existing products generally do not have special protective designs for chemical corrosive environments, and their sensor configurations are mainly vision-based, lacking key capabilities such as gas detection, infrared thermal imaging, and spatial mapping. More importantly, they cannot adapt to various complex pipeline environments, especially lacking amphibious operation capabilities, and cannot effectively detect pipelines containing liquid or filled with liquid.

[0005] For example, the invention patent with authorization announcement number CN113954591B provides an electromagnetically driven micro amphibious robot, which consists of a support unit, a drive unit, an actuation unit, a tension unit, and a power system. The support unit includes a base plate, side plates, and a coil base, which are connected by a plug-in mechanism to provide support and positioning for the overall structure. The drive unit includes a coil, an extended beam, and a permanent magnet. The permanent magnet is fixed in the middle of the extended beam. When the coil is energized with alternating current, an alternating magnetic field is generated between the coil and the permanent magnet, causing the extended beam to vibrate under the influence of the permanent magnet, thus providing driving force. The actuation unit consists of support legs, lateral drive legs, and a propeller, serving as the robot's crawling or swimming motion unit. The tension unit consists of tension legs, a waterproof membrane, and balancing pads, providing support for the robot's movement on the water surface while maintaining its balance. It is small in size, has stable motion, high transmission efficiency, and fast crawling and swimming speeds. However, this device lacks sufficient measures to cope with complex environments inside pipelines, making industrial application impossible. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a miniature amphibious drive system suitable for leak detection robots in confined spaces.

[0007] The technical solution of this invention is: A miniature amphibious drive system for a confined space leakage detection robot includes a front functional payload compartment and a rear functional payload compartment connected to each other. The front functional payload compartment and the rear functional payload compartment are symmetrically arranged. The bottom of both the front functional payload compartment and the rear functional payload compartment are provided with an inclined section. The front functional payload compartment is provided with a cleaning sensing component at the front end. The front bottom inclined section of the front functional load compartment and the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional load compartment are respectively symmetrically provided with support rods. The bottom of the support rod is provided with universal rollers, and the outer side of the universal rollers is provided with blades. The cleaning sensing component is equipped with a cleaning brush at its end for cleaning the inner wall of the pipe, and a pressure sensor inside the cleaning sensing component is used to sense the smoothness of the inner wall of the pipe. The rear functional payload compartment is equipped with a monitoring module; The front functional payload compartment and the rear functional payload compartment are rotatably connected by a rotating shaft assembly.

[0008] Furthermore, the support rod is provided with a universal joint at its bottom, and a sealing block is provided at the bottom of the universal joint. A steering motor for controlling the rotation of the corresponding universal joint is provided inside one of the sealing blocks located in the front functional load compartment. The other three universal joints can rotate freely. A drive motor for controlling the rotation of the universal roller is provided inside the sealing block located in the rear functional load compartment.

[0009] Description: By setting three of the four omnidirectional rollers to rotate freely, configuring only one front wheel with a steering motor, and configuring the two rear wheels with drive motors in a distributed layout, the number of motors and sealing interfaces are reduced while ensuring the system has flexible steering capabilities, thereby reducing the system's size, weight, and power consumption. At the same time, both the steering motor and the drive motor are encapsulated inside the sealing block, achieving waterproof isolation of the electrical components, making it suitable for humid and shallow water environments.

[0010] Furthermore, the universal roller is hollow, and its edge is fixedly connected to the edge of each blade. Each blade has a drive shaft in the middle. The drive shaft located in the rear functional load compartment is connected to the two drive motors in a one-to-one correspondence, and the drive shaft located in the front functional load compartment is rotatably connected to the end faces of the two sealing blocks in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0011] Note: The omnidirectional roller adopts a hollow structure, with the blade edge fixedly connected to the roller edge, so that while the roller is used as a land-based driving wheel, the blade rotates synchronously with the roller; when the system enters the water, the high-speed rotating blade generates axial thrust, realizing a seamless switch from land rolling to water surface / underwater propulsion, without the need for an additional independent paddling mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, the fixing rod of the cleaning sensing component is detachably connected to the top center of the front functional load compartment. The end of the fixing rod is provided with a rotating motor, and the output end of the rotating motor is provided with a telescopic sleeve. A telescopic inner rod is sleeved inside the telescopic sleeve, and the end of the telescopic inner rod is fixedly connected to the cleaning brush.

[0013] Note: The fixed rod is detachably connected to the top of the front functional load chamber, allowing for selection of installation based on whether the pipeline is full of liquid. The rotating motor drives the telescopic sleeve to rotate, enabling the cleaning brush to actively rotate and clean. The cooperative structure between the telescopic sleeve and the telescopic inner rod allows the cleaning brush to adapt to changes in pipe diameter and unevenness of the pipe wall, ensuring that the bristles always maintain effective contact with the pipe wall and improving the cleaning effect.

[0014] Furthermore, the end of the telescopic inner rod is fixedly connected to the inner end of the telescopic sleeve by a spring, the pressure sensor is located at the inner end of the telescopic sleeve, and the locking block at the bottom of the rear end of the fixed rod is detachably connected to the locking groove at the top of the front functional load compartment.

[0015] Explanation: The telescopic inner rod and telescopic sleeve are elastically connected by a spring, allowing the sweeping brush to automatically extend and retract to avoid protrusions or pits in the pipe wall, thus preventing rigid jamming or damage; the pressure sensor is located at the inner end of the telescopic sleeve, which can sense the spring compression in real time, thereby reflecting the roughness of the pipe wall or the impact force of foreign objects. This integrates the sweeping action and pressure sensing into the same component, realizing an integrated operation mode of sweeping and detection at the same time.

[0016] Furthermore, the monitoring module includes a metal oxide semiconductor sensor array, an electrochemical sensor, an infrared thermal imager, and a visible light camera. An optical window is provided on the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional payload compartment. The infrared thermal imager and the visible light camera share the optical window. The probes of the metal oxide semiconductor sensor array and the electrochemical sensor extend outside the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional payload compartment.

[0017] Description: The integrated metal oxide semiconductor sensor array, electrochemical sensor, infrared thermal imager, and visible light camera form a complementary chemical and physical leak detection capability; the optical window is shared by the infrared and visible light cameras, which simplifies the number of openings in the housing and reduces the difficulty of sealing; the gas / chemical sensor probe extends to the outside of the chamber and can be directly exposed to the pipeline environment, improving detection sensitivity and response speed.

[0018] Furthermore, the rotating shaft assembly includes a front support rod, an intermediate shaft, and a rear support rod. The front support rod is fixedly connected to the rear side wall of the front functional load compartment, and the rear end of the front support rod is fixedly connected to the bottom of the intermediate shaft. The intermediate shaft has a rotating groove in the middle. The front ends of the rear support rod are rotatably connected to the rotating grooves on both sides through an auxiliary shaft, and the rear end of the rear support rod is fixedly connected to the front side wall of the rear functional load compartment.

[0019] Explanation: The rotating shaft assembly allows the two functional payload compartments to rotate relative to each other in the vertical plane while maintaining a certain rigidity in the horizontal direction. This structure allows the robot to generate pitch angle differences between the front and rear compartments when passing through pipe bends or diameter changes, thereby reducing the risk of jamming and improving adaptability to confined spaces and non-linear pipes.

[0020] Furthermore, the horizontal plane where the center point of the intermediate shaft is located is parallel to the top of the front functional load compartment, thereby causing the rear support rod to rotate 180° so that the rear functional load compartment flips forward and stacks on top of the front functional load compartment and aligns with it.

[0021] Note: When folded, the omnidirectional wheels and propellers that were originally located at the bottom face to the side or upward, and the buoyancy attitude can be adjusted as needed.

[0022] Furthermore, the front functional load compartment is equipped with a counterweight, and the tops of both the front and rear functional load compartments are equipped with magnetically attracted parts that match each other. The bottom front side of the rear functional load compartment is equipped with a detachable rigid locking frame, the front end of which is connected to a groove provided at the bottom rear side of the front functional load compartment.

[0023] Note: The counterweight inside the forward compartment optimizes the system's center of gravity, preventing capsizing during folded operation or wading. The top magnetic closure provides auxiliary locking when folded, ensuring stability in the folded configuration. The bottom rigid locking bracket, in conjunction with the groove, provides additional rigidity to the front and rear compartments in the unfolded state, reducing swaying caused by hinge clearance. This dual locking mechanism balances structural rigidity in both folded and unfolded conditions.

[0024] The beneficial effects of this invention are: (1) The micro amphibious drive system of the present invention has the ability to seamlessly switch between amphibious and amphibious modes. The integrated design of the universal roller and the blade allows the same drive mechanism to move in a rolling manner on land. After entering the water, it can be converted into a propeller propulsion mode by increasing the wheel speed. No mechanical switching or additional power source is required. The structure is compact and the response is rapid. Through the coordinated operation of cleaning-sensing-drive, the cleaning and sensing component integrates active rotating cleaning, elastic adaptive wall adhesion, and real-time pressure feedback. The pressure signal can be indirectly used to adjust the speed of the drive motor. For example, the cleaning time is increased by decelerating in the rough section, which realizes the closed-loop optimization of the detection process.

[0025] (2) The micro amphibious drive system of the present invention has excellent high passability in confined spaces: the front and rear cabins can achieve relative rotation in the vertical plane and even 180° folding and flipping through the rotating shaft assembly, so that the robot can select the optimal configuration according to the dry and wet state of the pipeline and the water depth - the dry section unfolds and drives, and the deep water section folds and floats / sinks, which significantly improves the passability in complex pipe sections such as variable diameter, bends, and water traps.

[0026] (3) The micro amphibious drive system of the present invention has multimodal fusion detection and low power consumption design, complementary configuration of chemical sensor and infrared / visible light imaging, which takes into account both gas leakage and liquid leakage scenarios; the distributed layout of drive motors only activates the steering motor when necessary, and relies on differential steering under normal conditions, which reduces the energy consumption of long-term inspection and improves the reliability of the system under humid, water accumulation or even full liquid conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the micro amphibious drive system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a front view of the micro amphibious drive system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a left view of the micro amphibious drive system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a right view of the micro amphibious drive system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a top view of the micro amphibious drive system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a top view of the micro amphibious drive system in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the card block and the card slot in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the rigid locking frame and the rear functional payload compartment of the micro amphibious drive system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0028] Among them, 1-front functional load compartment, 11-slot, 12-counterweight block, 13-magnetic suction part, 14-groove, 2-rear functional load compartment, 21-optical window, 22-rigid locking frame, 3-cleaning sensing component, 31-cleaning brush, 32-pressure sensor, 33-fixed rod, 34-rotation motor, 35-telescopic sleeve, 36-telescopic inner rod, 37-spring, 38-locking block, 4-support rod, 41-universal roller, 42-paddle, 43-universal shaft, 44-sealing block, 45-steering motor, 46-drive motor, 47-drive shaft, 5-monitoring module, 51-probe, 6-rotating shaft assembly, 61-front support rod, 62-intermediate shaft, 63-rear support rod, 64-rotation groove, 65-auxiliary shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Example 1: As Figure 1 As shown, a miniature amphibious drive system suitable for a confined space leakage detection robot includes a front functional payload compartment 1 and a rear functional payload compartment 2 connected to each other. The front functional payload compartment 1 and the rear functional payload compartment 2 are symmetrically arranged. The bottom of both the front functional payload compartment 1 and the rear functional payload compartment 2 is provided with an inclined section. The front functional payload compartment 1 is provided with a cleaning sensing component 3 at its front end. like Figures 2-4 As shown, the front bottom inclined section of the front functional load compartment 1 and the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional load compartment 2 are symmetrically provided with support rods 4. The bottom of the support rod 4 is provided with universal rollers 41, the outer side of the universal rollers 41 is provided with blades 42, the bottom of the support rod 4 is provided with universal shafts 43, and the bottom of the universal shafts 43 is provided with sealing blocks 44. One of the sealing blocks 44 in the front functional load compartment 1 is provided with a steering motor 45 for controlling the rotation of the corresponding universal shaft 43. The other three universal shafts 43 can rotate freely. The sealing block 44 in the rear functional load compartment 2 is provided with a drive motor 46 for controlling the rotation of the universal rollers 41. The universal rollers 41 are hollow. The edge of the universal rollers 41 is fixedly connected to the edge of each blade 42. Each blade 42 is provided with a drive shaft 47 in the middle. The drive shaft 47 in the rear functional load compartment 2 is connected to the two drive motors 46 one-to-one, and the drive shaft 47 in the front functional load compartment 1 is rotatably connected to the end faces of the two sealing blocks 44 one-to-one. like Figure 2 and Figure 7As shown, the cleaning sensing component 3 has a cleaning brush 31 at its end for cleaning the inner wall of the pipe. The cleaning sensing component 3 has a pressure sensor 32 inside for sensing the smoothness of the inner wall of the pipe. The fixed rod 33 of the cleaning sensing component 3 is detachably connected to the top center of the front functional load chamber 1. The fixed rod 33 has a rotating motor 34 at its end. The output end of the rotating motor 34 has a telescopic sleeve 35. The telescopic inner rod 36 is sleeved inside the telescopic sleeve 35. The end of the telescopic inner rod 36 is fixedly connected to the cleaning brush 31. The end of the telescopic inner rod 36 is fixedly connected to the inner end of the telescopic sleeve 35 through a spring 37. The pressure sensor 32 is located at the inner end of the telescopic sleeve 35. The locking block 38 at the bottom of the rear end of the fixed rod 33 is detachably connected to the locking groove 11 at the top of the front functional load chamber 1. like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the rear functional payload chamber 2 is equipped with a monitoring module 5. The monitoring module 5 includes a metal oxide semiconductor sensor array, an electrochemical sensor, an infrared thermal imager, and a visible light camera. An optical window 21 is provided on the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional payload chamber 2. The infrared thermal imager and the visible light camera share the optical window 21. The probes 51 of the metal oxide semiconductor sensor array and the electrochemical sensor extend out of the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional payload chamber 2. Specifically, this invention employs a two-tiered architecture of broad-spectrum screening and precise identification to achieve comprehensive monitoring of typical hazardous gases in chemical industrial parks. The first-tier screening is performed by a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) sensor array, integrating five sensing units, each loaded with different gas-sensitive materials (SnO2, WO3, ZnO, In2O3, and graphene composites). The operating temperature is adjustable from 200 to 450°C, achieving selective response through temperature modulation. It detects the overall concentration and category characteristics of VOCs (benzene, toluene, xylene, methanol, and acetone), with a response time <10s, a detection range of 1~10000ppm, and a detection limit of 0.1ppm. The second-tier precise identification is achieved by electrochemical and infrared sensors: the electrochemical sensors are configured for specific target gases, including H2S (range 0~100ppm, resolution 0.01ppm) and NH3 (range 0~500ppm, resolution 0.01ppm). The system provides quantitative concentration output for CO (range 5~5000ppm, resolution 1ppm) and Cl2 (range 0~20ppm, resolution 0.01ppm); a catalytic combustion sensor detects combustible gases (CH4, H2) with a range of 0~100%LEL; a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor detects CO2 and hydrocarbons with an accuracy of ±2%FS; the sensor array is arranged in the sampling chamber of the probe at the front end of the equipment, and the sampling chamber is designed with a micro gas pump for active gas extraction (flow rate 200~500mL / min) to ensure rapid response; multi-sensor data fusion adopts principal component analysis (PCA) dimensionality reduction and artificial neural network (ANN) pattern recognition to achieve qualitative discrimination and quantitative concentration analysis of mixed gases; To address the need for highly sensitive detection of trace leaks, this invention integrates tunable laser spectroscopy (TDLAS) technology to achieve high-precision and high-selectivity detection of specific gas components. TDLAS technology is based on the selective absorption of specific wavelength lasers by gas molecules. By scanning the laser wavelength and measuring the absorption spectrum, the gas concentration is inverted. The TDLAS unit used is optimized for methane (CH4) detection, with a center wavelength of 1653.7 nm (methane R(3) absorption line). It uses a distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser with a linewidth of <2 MHz, a wavelength tuning range of ±2 nm, and a tuning rate of 1 kHz. The optical system employs a Herriott multi-reflection cell design, extending the optical path to 5-10 m while maintaining a volume of only 50 mL. Its detection sensitivity reaches 0.5 ppm·m, significantly higher than that of the catalytic combustion sensor. The detector utilizes an InGaAs photodetector, coupled with a lock-in amplifier to extract the second harmonic signal, achieving a response time of <1 s. The output of the TDLAS unit serves as a calibration reference for the catalytic combustion sensor, improving the accuracy of low-concentration methane detection and simultaneously identifying methane contributions in complex gas mixtures. This unit, together with the MOS / electrochemical sensor array, forms a complementary configuration of broad-spectrum screening and precise quantification, ensuring both broad detection coverage and accurate measurement of key components. like Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, the front functional load compartment 1 and the rear functional load compartment 2 are rotatably connected by a rotating shaft assembly 6. The rotating shaft assembly 6 includes a front support rod 61, an intermediate shaft 62 and a rear support rod 63. The front support rod 61 is fixedly connected to the rear side wall of the front functional load compartment 1, and the rear end of the front support rod 61 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the intermediate shaft 62. The intermediate shaft 62 is provided with a rotating groove 64 in the middle. The front ends of the rear support rod 63 are rotatably connected to the rotating groove 64 through an auxiliary shaft 65 on each side. The rear end of the rear support rod 63 is fixedly connected to the front side wall of the rear functional load compartment 2. The horizontal plane where the center point of the intermediate shaft 62 is located is parallel to the top of the front functional load compartment 1, so that the rear support rod 63 rotates 180° so that the rear functional load compartment 2 flips forward and stacks on top of the front functional load compartment 1 and aligns with it. like Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, the front functional load compartment 1 is equipped with a counterweight block 12. The tops of the front functional load compartment 1 and the rear functional load compartment 2 are equipped with magnetic suction parts 13 that match each other. The bottom front side of the rear functional load compartment 2 is equipped with a detachable rigid locking frame 22. The front end of the rigid locking frame 22 is connected to the groove 14 provided at the bottom rear side of the front functional load compartment 1.

[0030] Example 2: This example differs from Example 1 in that, as Figure 6 As shown, the support rod 4 forms a 45° angle with the front functional load chamber 1 and the rear functional load chamber 2, and the support rod 4 is a telescopic electro-hydraulic actuator with external sealing treatment.

[0031] Example 3: This example is based on Example 1, with the addition of a micro robotic arm and grippers for grabbing foreign objects in the pipe, opening and closing small valves, and collecting sediment samples, thus forming a more versatile confined space leakage detection robot. It is located on top of the front functional load chamber 1 and the rear functional load chamber 2, with a total mass of <300g, which does not affect the balance.

[0032] Example 4: The difference between this example and Example 1 is that the bottom of the rear functional load compartment 2 is provided with a storage compartment for storing the disassembled rigid locking frame 22.

[0033] Example 5: The difference between this example and Example 1 is that a limiting component, two friction pads, a clamping component and a spring component are sequentially fitted on the shaft of the auxiliary shaft 65. The axial pressure is generated by the nut or spring, which is converted into rotational friction torque. This gives the rotating shaft assembly 6 itself a certain friction torque, so that the rotating shaft can be suspended or maintain a certain rigidity at any angle, and will not easily rotate freely due to gravity or external force.

[0034] Working principle: 1. Unfolded state, mainly for inspection of dry or shallowly water-filled pipes. When the drive system travels through the inner wall of a dry pipe or in shallow water with a depth less than the radius of the universal roller 41, the system is in deployed configuration: The front functional load compartment 1 and the rear functional load compartment 2 are rigidly connected by the cooperation of the rigid locking frame 22 and the groove 14. At the same time, the magnetic suction part 13 is not attracted and is in a separated state. The auxiliary shaft 65 of the rotating shaft assembly 6 maintains the initial angle, and the axes of the front and rear compartments are basically collinear. The two drive motors 46 in the rear functional load compartment 2 drive the corresponding universal rollers 41 to rotate through the transmission shaft 47, providing forward power for the whole machine. The steering motor 45 located in a sealing block 44 in the front functional load compartment 1 controls the corresponding universal shaft 43 to rotate according to the path planning command, thereby changing the direction of the universal roller and realizing steering. The other three universal rollers follow the steering.

[0035] Working process of cleaning sensing component 3: The fixed rod 33 is fixed to the top of the front functional load compartment 1 by the locking block 38 and the locking slot 11; the rotating motor 34 starts, driving the telescopic sleeve 35, the telescopic inner rod 36 and the cleaning brush 31 to rotate synchronously; the telescopic inner rod 36 extends outward under the action of the spring 37, so that the bristles of the cleaning brush 31 contact the inner wall of the pipe with appropriate pressure; when there are protruding foreign objects or changes in roughness on the pipe wall, the telescopic inner rod 36 is pushed back, the compression of the spring 37 increases, and the pressure sensor 32 located at the inner end of the telescopic sleeve 35 detects the pressure rise; conversely, if the pipe wall is smooth or has depressions, the spring 37 extends and the pressure drops; the controller is located inside the rear functional load compartment 2 (not marked in the figure), and judges the wall condition according to the real-time signal of the pressure sensor 32 and can selectively adjust the speed of the drive motor 46 - when a violent pressure fluctuation such as a foreign object is detected, the vehicle speed is reduced to clean thoroughly, and the vehicle speed is restored after the pressure returns to a stable state.

[0036] Monitoring module 5 works synchronously: the infrared thermal imager and the visible light camera acquire thermal and visible light images of the inner wall of the pipe through the optical window 21 to identify temperature anomalies or damp marks near the leak point; the probes 51 of the metal oxide semiconductor sensor array and the electrochemical sensor are exposed to the air in the pipe to detect volatile organic compounds or characteristic gases of the leaking medium; the data from each sensor are transmitted to the host computer wirelessly or via cable for operators to determine the location and severity of the leak.

[0037] II. Folded state, mainly for inspection of deep water or full liquid pipelines. Manually switch to folding configuration: Disassemble the cleaning sensing component 3, and the rigid locking frame 22 is pulled out from the groove 14 and stored at the bottom front side of the rear functional load compartment 2, as in embodiment 4; the auxiliary shaft 65 of the rotating shaft assembly 6 drives the rear support rod 63 to rotate upward around the intermediate shaft 62, causing the rear functional load compartment 2 to flip forward as a whole. When the rear support rod 63 continues to rotate to 180°, the top of the rear functional load compartment 2 is opposite to the top of the front functional load compartment 1, and the magnetic suction part 13 attracts each other, locking the two compartments in an up-and-down stacked state.

[0038] Working mode after folding: The overall length of the machine is shortened to about half of the original, and the horizontal projected area is reduced, making it easier to float with the water flow or actively sink in a full liquid pipe; the drive motor 46 drives the universal rollers 41 to rotate at high speed. At this time, the two universal rollers 41 can be locked, and the rollers no longer contact the pipe wall. The outer blades 42 work as propellers to generate axial thrust, driving the robot to move forward or backward in the water. The counterweight 12 inside the front functional load chamber 1 keeps the center of gravity of the whole machine at the bottom of the front chamber, preventing it from rolling in the water after tipping over; the probe 51 and optical window 21 of the monitoring module 5 can still be partially exposed in the water or near the water-air interface after being folded, and the detection object can be adjusted to face upward or to the side according to the actual installation direction.

[0039] III. Auxiliary Functions in Vertical or Inclined Pipelines When descending or ascending in a vertical pipe: In the unfolded configuration, after adjusting the length of the support rod 4, as in Example 2, the universal roller 41 provides support by relying on the friction with the pipe wall, and the drive motor 46 outputs a large torque to achieve climbing; In the folded configuration, blade 42 can act as a propeller-like thruster, generating thrust along the tube axis to assist or replace wheel-type climbing, especially suitable for situations where there is water accumulation in vertical pipes.

[0040] In curved pipe sections: a small angle of relative pitch is allowed between the front support rod 61 and the rear support rod 63 of the pivot assembly 6, which is not completely rigid, as in embodiment 5, so that the front and rear compartments can conform to the curvature of the pipe and avoid rigid jamming.

Claims

1. A micro amphibious drive system suitable for use in a confined space leak detection robot, characterised in that, It includes a front functional load compartment (1) and a rear functional load compartment (2) that are connected to each other. The front functional load compartment (1) and the rear functional load compartment (2) are symmetrically arranged. The bottom of the front functional load compartment (1) and the rear functional load compartment (2) are both provided with an inclined section. The front functional load compartment (1) is provided with a cleaning sensing component (3). The front bottom inclined section of the front functional load compartment (1) and the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional load compartment (2) are respectively provided with support rods (4), the bottom of the support rods (4) are provided with universal rollers (41), and the outer side of the universal rollers (41) is provided with blades (42). The cleaning sensing component (3) is provided with a cleaning brush (31) at the end for cleaning the inner wall of the pipe, and a pressure sensor (32) is provided inside the cleaning sensing component (3) for sensing the smoothness of the inner wall of the pipe. The rear functional load compartment (2) is equipped with a monitoring module (5); The front functional load cell (1) and the rear functional load cell (2) are rotatably connected by a rotating shaft assembly (6).

2. The micro amphibious drive system suitable for confined space leak detection robot according to claim 1, wherein, The support rod (4) has a universal joint (43) at its bottom, and a sealing block (44) is provided at the bottom of the universal joint (43). A steering motor (45) for controlling the rotation of the corresponding universal joint (43) is provided inside one of the sealing blocks (44) in the front functional load compartment (1). The other three universal joints (43) can rotate freely. A drive motor (46) for controlling the rotation of the universal roller (41) is provided inside the sealing block (44) in the rear functional load compartment (2).

3. The micro amphibious drive system suitable for confined space leak detection robot according to claim 2, wherein, The universal roller (41) is hollow and its edge is fixedly connected to the edge of each blade (42). Each blade (42) has a drive shaft (47) in the middle. The drive shaft (47) located in the rear functional load compartment (2) is connected to the two drive motors (46) in a one-to-one correspondence. The drive shaft (47) located in the front functional load compartment (1) is rotatably connected to the end faces of the two sealing blocks (44) in a one-to-one correspondence.

4. The micro amphibious drive system suitable for confined space leak detection robot according to claim 1, wherein, The fixing rod (33) of the cleaning sensing component (3) is detachably connected to the top center of the front functional load compartment (1). The fixed rod (33) is provided with a rotating motor (34) at its end. The output end of the rotating motor (34) is provided with a telescopic sleeve (35). A telescopic inner rod (36) is sleeved inside the telescopic sleeve (35). The end of the telescopic inner rod (36) is fixedly connected to the cleaning brush (31).

5. The micro amphibious drive system suitable for confined space leak detection robot according to claim 4, wherein, The end of the telescopic inner rod (36) is fixedly connected to the inner end of the telescopic sleeve (35) by a spring (37). The pressure sensor (32) is located at the inner end of the telescopic sleeve (35). The locking block (38) at the bottom of the rear end of the fixed rod (33) is detachably connected to the locking groove (11) at the top of the front functional load compartment (1).

6. The micro amphibious drive system suitable for confined space leak detection robot according to claim 1, wherein, The monitoring module (5) includes a metal oxide semiconductor sensor array, an electrochemical sensor, an infrared thermal imager, and a visible light camera. An optical window (21) is provided on the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional payload compartment (2). The infrared thermal imager and the visible light camera share the optical window (21). The probes (51) of the metal oxide semiconductor sensor array and the electrochemical sensor extend outside the rear bottom inclined section of the rear functional payload compartment (2).

7. The micro amphibious drive system suitable for confined space leak detection robot according to claim 1, wherein, The rotating shaft assembly (6) includes a front support rod (61), an intermediate shaft (62), and a rear support rod (63). The front support rod (61) is fixedly connected to the rear side wall of the front functional load compartment (1). The rear end of the front support rod (61) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the intermediate shaft (62). The intermediate shaft (62) has a rotating groove (64) in the middle. The front ends of the rear support rod (63) are rotatably connected to the rotating groove (64) through an auxiliary shaft (65) on each side. The rear end of the rear support rod (63) is fixedly connected to the front side wall of the rear functional load compartment (2).

8. The miniature amphibious drive system for a confined space leakage detection robot according to claim 7, characterized in that, The horizontal plane at the center point of the intermediate shaft (62) is parallel to the top of the front functional load compartment (1), thereby causing the rear support rod (63) to rotate 180° so that the rear functional load compartment (2) flips forward and stacks on top of the front functional load compartment (1) and aligns.

9. The miniature amphibious drive system for a confined space leakage detection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front functional load compartment (1) is provided with a counterweight (12). The top of the front functional load compartment (1) and the rear functional load compartment (2) are provided with magnetic suction parts (13) that match each other. The bottom front side of the rear functional load compartment (2) is provided with a detachable rigid locking frame (22). The front end of the rigid locking frame (22) is connected to the groove (14) provided at the bottom rear side of the front functional load compartment (1).

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