A tower washing apparatus

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of tower cleaning technology and discloses a tower cleaning device. It uses a mobile vehicle as its support base and is equipped with two sets of telescopic devices that can extend and retract in the X and Y directions, achieving dual-degree-of-freedom position adjustment of the cleaning mechanism in both vertical lifting and horizontal radial directions. This allows for precise access to each area of ​​the tower to be cleaned. Two sets of clamping devices operate synchronously for different cleaning areas of the tower. The telescopic frame serves as the mounting base, and a hydraulic cylinder drives a linkage group to rotate pairs of positioning plates around an axis. Combined with the hydraulic cylinders between the positioning plates and the clamping plates, and the adjustment of the distal angles of the multi-segment hinged clamping plates, the arc-shaped clamping plates adaptively conform to the outer wall of the tower. A brush belt circulates along the inner and outer arc surfaces of the clamping plates, achieving continuous automated brushing. This solution completely replaces manual cleaning at heights, structurally eliminating safety hazards associated with high-altitude operations, reducing labor intensity, and improving the level of automation, operational efficiency, and cleaning quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tower cleaning technology, and more specifically to a tower cleaning device. Background Technology

[0002] As a core supporting component of wind turbine generators, wind turbine towers are typically stored in a stockpile after manufacturing, awaiting shipment. During this storage period, a large amount of dust and sand naturally settles on the outer surface of the towers, and they are also prone to contamination with industrial oil, rainwater stains, and other debris. This not only affects the appearance of the towers but may also adversely impact subsequent transportation and on-site installation. Therefore, before the towers are shipped, their outer surfaces must undergo a thorough cleaning to ensure they meet delivery standards.

[0003] In related technologies, the cleaning of wind turbine towers in storage areas mainly relies on manual labor. Workers stand on temporary scaffolding and use mops and rags to wipe the tower surface. Because wind turbine towers have large diameters and single sections can be tens of meters long, it is necessary to frequently erect and move scaffolding at different heights to cover cleaning areas at varying heights. This method not only requires workers to repeatedly climb scaffolding for high-altitude work, posing a serious risk of falls, but also results in extremely low efficiency and high labor intensity for workers due to the manual movement of scaffolding and segment-by-segment wiping. Furthermore, manual cleaning is greatly affected by subjective factors such as the operator's experience and physical strength, making it difficult to maintain consistent cleanliness across different batches and areas, thus failing to meet the requirements of large-scale, standardized production and delivery. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a tower cleaning device to solve the problems of high safety risks, low work efficiency, high labor intensity, and poor cleaning quality in manual cleaning.

[0005] This invention provides a tower cleaning device, comprising: Mobile vehicle; The telescopic device has two components, which are installed on the top of the mobile vehicle and are suitable for telescopic movement along the X and Y directions. The clamping device is connected to the telescopic device. There are two clamping devices, which correspond to the two areas of the tower to be cleaned. The telescopic device drives the clamping device to achieve lifting and horizontal extension. The clamping device is fixedly installed at the end of the telescopic device. The clamping device includes: Telescopic frame, the telescopic frame is set at one end of the telescopic device; Linkages, multiple linkages form a linkage group, and the linkage group is connected to the telescopic frame; Hydraulic cylinders, multiple hydraulic cylinders are provided. One end of the hydraulic cylinder is connected to the telescopic frame, and the other end is connected to the connecting rod assembly. The extension and retraction of the hydraulic cylinder drives the other end of the connecting rod assembly to move. Positioning plates are set in pairs. One end of the positioning plate is rotatably connected to the other end of the connecting rod assembly, and the other end is connected to the adjacent positioning plate through a rotating shaft. The connecting shaft between the positioning plates is set on the telescopic frame. The clamping plate is arc-shaped and connected to the positioning plate. The angle between the clamping plates near the positioning plate is changed by changing the angle between the positioning plates and / or by the extension and retraction of the hydraulic cylinder between the positioning plate and the clamping plate. Multiple clamping plates are provided and are connected by a rotating shaft. The angle between the clamping plates away from the positioning plate is controlled by the rotation of the rotating shaft driven by the hydraulic cylinder. The brush belt is arranged along the inner and outer arc surfaces of the clamping plate and rotates in a cycle.

[0006] Beneficial effects: By using a mobile vehicle as the base for the entire machine and in conjunction with two telescopic devices that can extend and retract in the X and Y directions, the cleaning mechanism can achieve dual position adjustment in both vertical lifting and horizontal extension directions. Combined with two sets of clamping devices connected to the telescopic devices, they can be used to simultaneously operate on different cleaning areas of the tower. The clamping device adopts a combination structure of telescopic frame, linkage group, hydraulic cylinder, positioning plate, arc-shaped clamping plate and circulating brush belt. The hydraulic cylinder drives the linkage group to drive the positioning plate and clamping plate to form a ring-hugging action, so that the brush belt can closely adhere to the outer wall of the tower and achieve continuous circulating brushing. This replaces the traditional manual climbing and wiping method, completely eliminating the safety hazards of high-altitude operation from a structural perspective, while reducing the intensity of manual labor and improving the automation level and overall efficiency of the cleaning operation.

[0007] In one alternative embodiment, the clamping plates are multiple symmetrically arranged arc-shaped plates, which are distributed in a ring around the positioning plate. The hydraulic cylinder extends and retracts to drive the clamping plates to open and close synchronously to adapt to the outer wall of the tower with different diameters.

[0008] Beneficial effects: By setting the clamping plates as multiple symmetrically distributed arc-shaped plates, and forming a ring-shaped distribution structure with the positioning plate as the center, the clamping plates can form a uniform force-bearing shape around the outer wall of the tower. The synchronous opening and closing movement of each clamping plate is achieved by driving the hydraulic cylinder, ensuring uniform contact pressure and consistent fit between the clamping plates and the curved surface of the tower. This avoids cleaning blind spots, missed brushing, or excessive wear caused by local suspension or uneven pressure. From the structural design, it improves the integrity of the cleaning coverage and the uniformity of the cleaning effect.

[0009] In one alternative implementation, the opening angle of the clamping plate is linearly adjusted according to the extension length of the hydraulic cylinder piston rod, and the inner arc surface of the clamping plate remains in close contact with the outer wall of the tower.

[0010] Beneficial effects: By setting the opening and closing angle of the clamping plate to be linearly adjustable with the extension length of the hydraulic cylinder piston rod, the clamping plate's circumferential diameter can be precisely matched with the actual outer diameter of the tower. The clamping range can be continuously adjusted by controlling the stroke of the hydraulic cylinder, ensuring that the inner arc surface of the clamping plate always maintains stable contact with the outer wall of the tower. It can be adapted to wind turbine towers of different diameters from 2.7 meters to 7 meters without changing parts, significantly improving the equipment's versatility, adaptability, and flexibility in field use.

[0011] In one alternative embodiment, the clamping devices are respectively disposed on the upper half and the lower half of the arc surface of the tower.

[0012] Beneficial effects: By arranging the two sets of clamping devices on the upper and lower halves of the tower's arc surface respectively, the two sets of brush belts can simultaneously brush the upper and lower areas of the tower, expanding the cleaning area and coverage angle of a single operation, reducing the number of equipment movements, repetitive positioning time and movement paths, and further shortening the overall cleaning time from the layout structure, thus improving the operational efficiency of large-scale yard cleaning.

[0013] In one optional embodiment, the brush belt is a synchronous toothed brush belt, and a drive wheel and a driven wheel are provided on the clamping plate. The brush belt is tensioned and sleeved on the outside of the drive wheel and the driven wheel. The rotation of the drive wheel drives the brush belt to continuously circulate along the arc-shaped trajectory of the clamping plate.

[0014] Beneficial effects: The use of a synchronous toothed brush belt, with a drive wheel and driven wheel set on the clamping plate to form a complete transmission mechanism, enables the brush belt to continuously, smoothly, and at a uniform speed circulate along the arc trajectory of the clamping plate in a taut state. The toothed transmission ensures that the brush belt does not slip or deviate, so that the bristles can form a continuous and stable brushing and scraping action on the tower surface, effectively removing dust, oil, scum and other attachments. From the perspective of structural transmission, it improves the brushing force, cleanliness and continuity of operation.

[0015] In one alternative embodiment, the telescopic frame is a frame structure connected to the telescopic device, and the connecting rod assembly and positioning plate are disposed on the frame structure.

[0016] Beneficial effects: By setting the telescopic frame as a rigid frame structure and directly installing and fixing the linkage assembly and positioning plate on the frame structure, the force points of the clamping device can be concentrated and the transmission path can be clear, which improves the rigidity, stability and anti-deformation ability of the overall mechanism, avoids shaking, deviation or jamming during operation, ensures smooth movement of the linkage assembly, precise hydraulic cylinder drive and reliable opening and closing positioning of the clamping plate, extends the service life of the mechanical structure and improves the operational stability of the equipment.

[0017] In one optional embodiment, a water supply spraying system is also included, which includes multiple atomizing nozzles. The atomizing nozzles are evenly embedded in the inner arc surface of the clamping plate and located on the side of the brush belt. When cleaning the brush belt, the nozzles spray water synchronously onto the outer wall of the tower.

[0018] Beneficial effects: Multiple atomizing nozzles are evenly embedded on the inner arc surface of the clamping plate and the side of the brush belt to form a water supply and spraying system. This system can simultaneously and evenly spray water mist or cleaning liquid onto the tower surface while the brush belt is brushing, achieving a coordinated cleaning mode that moistens and softens stains and brushes and rinses at the same time. This structurally enhances the stain dissolution and rinsing effect, avoids scratches on the tower surface caused by dry brushing, and significantly improves cleaning quality and efficiency.

[0019] In one alternative implementation, the mobile vehicle is an omnidirectional drive trolley equipped with omnidirectional drive wheels to drive the clamping device to move along the axial and circumferential directions of the tower for cleaning.

[0020] Beneficial effects: By setting the mobile vehicle as an omnidirectional drive trolley and equipping it with omnidirectional drive wheels, it can move flexibly with multiple degrees of freedom, such as forward, backward, lateral translation, and 360° rotation in place. This allows the entire machine to freely adjust its cleaning position along the axial and circumferential directions of the tower without the need for manual pushing or repeated movement of the support frame. From the perspective of the mobile structure, this improves the equipment's mobility, positioning accuracy, and cleaning coverage, adapting to the cleaning needs of towers with different placement postures.

[0021] In one alternative embodiment, a hydraulic system is also included, which is connected to the telescopic device and the hydraulic cylinder respectively, to provide hydraulic driving force for the telescopic device to extend and retract and for the clamping plate to open and close.

[0022] Beneficial effects: By setting up a dedicated hydraulic system and connecting it to the telescopic device and hydraulic cylinder respectively, it can provide stable pressure, strong output and smooth speed regulation hydraulic power for the lifting and telescopic movement of the telescopic device and the opening and closing movement of the clamping plate. From the power structure, it ensures that the mechanism moves smoothly, responds quickly and the clamping force is controllable, avoiding the problems of hydraulic system pressure fluctuation or insufficient thrust of electric system, and improving the accuracy of equipment movement and operational reliability.

[0023] In one alternative embodiment, a control system is also included, which is electrically connected to the hydraulic cylinder, the brush belt drive mechanism, the telescopic device, and the mobile vehicle to control the clamping, telescopic, lifting, and cleaning operations.

[0024] Beneficial effects: By setting up a unified control system and electrically connecting it with hydraulic cylinders, brush belt drive mechanism, telescopic device and mobile vehicle, it is possible to centrally control and coordinate all actions such as clamp opening and closing, brush operation, telescopic adjustment and vehicle movement. From the control structure, it realizes automated process operation and remote control operation, reduces the difficulty of manual operation, and improves the coordination of the actions of each mechanism, response speed and the level of equipment intelligence. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the tower cleaning equipment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping device.

[0027] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Mobile vehicle; 2. Telescopic device; 3. Clamping device; 31. Telescopic frame; 32. Hydraulic cylinder; 33. Connecting rod; 34. Positioning plate; 35. Clamping plate; 36. Brush belt. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 2 The following describes embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a tower cleaning device is provided, comprising: a mobile vehicle 1; two telescopic devices 2, installed above the mobile vehicle 1, suitable for telescopic movement along the X and Y directions; and two clamping devices 3 connected to the telescopic devices 2, corresponding to two areas of the tower to be cleaned respectively. The telescopic devices 2 drive the clamping devices 3 to achieve lifting and horizontal telescopic movement, and the clamping devices 3 are fixedly installed at the ends of the telescopic devices 2. The clamping device 3 includes: a telescopic frame 31, disposed at one end of the telescopic device 2; a connecting rod 33, multiple connecting rods forming a connecting rod group, the connecting rod group being connected to the telescopic frame 31; and multiple hydraulic cylinders 32, one end of which is connected to the telescopic frame 31, and the other end is connected to the connecting rod group. The hydraulic cylinders 32 telescopically move along the tower. The other end of the moving linkage group moves; positioning plates 34 are arranged in pairs, one end of the positioning plate 34 is rotatably connected to the other end of the linkage group, and the other end is connected to the adjacent positioning plate 34 through a rotating shaft. The connecting shaft between the positioning plates 34 is set on the telescopic frame 31; clamping plates 35 are arranged in an arc shape and are connected to the positioning plates 34 respectively. The angle between the positioning plates 34 is changed by changing the included angle between them and / or by the extension and retraction of the hydraulic cylinder 32 between the positioning plates 34 and the clamping plates 35, thereby changing the included angle between the clamping plates 35 near the positioning plate 34. Multiple clamping plates 35 are provided and are rotatably connected by a rotating shaft. The included angle between the clamping plates 35 away from the positioning plate 34 is controlled by the rotating shaft driven by the hydraulic cylinder 32; brush belt 36 is arranged along the inner and outer arc surfaces of the clamping plates 35 and rotates cyclically.

[0031] In this embodiment, the mobile vehicle 1 serves as the basic support platform and mobile execution unit of the entire tower cleaning equipment. It adopts a rigid frame structure design, which can provide stable and reliable mechanical support for the telescopic device 2, clamping device 3, hydraulic system, water supply and spraying system and control system installed on top. At the same time, it ensures that the equipment can be stably parked and smoothly moved in the ground environment of the wind turbine tower storage yard, avoiding tilting, shaking or displacement deviation during operation, and ensuring the basic stability of the overall cleaning operation.

[0032] Two telescopic devices 2 are symmetrically fixedly installed on the top platform of the mobile vehicle 1. The Y-direction is set as the vertical lifting direction, used to achieve a wide range of adjustment of the cleaning operation height, covering the cleaning needs of the wind turbine tower from top to bottom. The X-direction is set as the horizontal radial telescopic direction, used to drive the clamping device 3 to move closer to or away from the outer wall of the tower, completing the rapid switching between the cleaning working position and the avoidance standby position. The two-way telescopic cooperation allows the clamping device 3 to reach any point on the tower surface to be cleaned. The two clamping devices 3 are respectively fixedly installed at the output ends of the two telescopic devices 2, each corresponding to two independent areas to be cleaned in the circumferential direction of the tower, enabling simultaneous cleaning operations on both sides, greatly improving the coverage area of ​​a single cleaning and the overall operation efficiency.

[0033] The clamping device 3 uses the telescopic frame 31 as its core mounting framework. The telescopic frame 31 is rigidly fixed to the end of the telescopic device 2, ensuring precise, gapless, and lag-free power transmission. Multiple connecting rods 33 are interconnected via hinge shafts to form a connecting rod assembly. The fixed end of the connecting rod assembly is hinged to a preset mounting position on the telescopic frame 31, and the movable end is connected to the positioning plate 34, forming a stable crank-connecting rod 33 transmission structure. The cylinder bodies of multiple hydraulic cylinders 32 are fixedly mounted on the telescopic frame 31 via hinge seats. The piston rod ends are connected to the middle hinge point of the connecting rod assembly. When the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 32 extends, it pushes the connecting rod assembly outward to swing. When the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 32 retracts, it pulls the connecting rod assembly inward to retract, providing a stable and controllable power input for the rotational movement of the positioning plate 34.

[0034] The paired positioning plates 34 are divided into a left positioning plate 34 and a right positioning plate 34. The inner end of the positioning plate 34 is rotatably mounted on the telescopic frame 31 through a connecting shaft, forming a fixed rotation center. The outer end of the positioning plate 34 is hinged to the movable end of the connecting rod assembly. Under the drive of the connecting rod assembly, the left and right positioning plates 34 can rotate towards each other or away from each other around the connecting shaft, realizing the continuous and linear adjustable angle between the positioning plates 34, providing basic angle support for the opening and closing of the clamping plate 35.

[0035] The clamping plate 35 adopts an arc-shaped structure design and is connected one-to-one with the positioning plate 34. The included angle of the clamping plate 35 at the end closer to the positioning plate 34 is adjusted and controlled by the change of the included angle of the positioning plate 34 and the extension and retraction of the hydraulic cylinder 32 between the positioning plate 34 and the clamping plate 35, ensuring that the clamping plate 35 at the near end can quickly fit against the outer wall of the tower. The clamping plate 35 at the end farther from the positioning plate 34 adopts a multi-segment hinge structure. The segments are connected by a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is driven by an independent hydraulic cylinder 32 to achieve independent and precise micro-adjustment of the included angle of the clamping plate 35 at the far end. This makes the entire clamping plate 35 form a complete envelope arc surface that matches the curvature of the outer cylindrical surface of the tower, ensuring full-area fitting without dead angles.

[0036] The brush belt 36 is continuously deployed along the inner and outer arc surfaces of the clamping plate 35, and is driven by a dedicated drive mechanism to rotate continuously and at a uniform speed, ensuring that the brush bristles continuously and stably act on the tower surface to complete the cleaning operation. Through the above complete structural combination, this equipment can completely replace the traditional manual cleaning method of climbing high and wiping with a hand-held mop, structurally eliminating the safety hazard of falling from height caused by operators climbing the support frame. At the same time, the automated mechanical operation reduces the intensity of manual labor, and the dual degrees of freedom of lifting and extension ensure that there are no blind spots or dead angles in the cleaning. The multi-segment clamping plate 35 has an adaptive arc surface structure to ensure the cleaning fit and uniformity, and the dual-side synchronous cleaning mode significantly improves the overall operation efficiency and cleaning quality.

[0037] In one embodiment, the clamping plates 35 are multiple symmetrically arranged arc-shaped plates, which are distributed in a ring around the positioning plate 34. The hydraulic cylinder 32 extends and retracts to drive the clamping plates 35 to open and close synchronously to adapt to the outer wall of towers with different diameters.

[0038] In this embodiment, the clamping plates 35 are composed of multiple independent arc-shaped plates connected sequentially by a hinge structure. The left and right sets of clamping plates 35 are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner with the central positioning plate 34 as the center, forming a semi-enclosed ring structure facing the outer wall of the tower. During the opening, closing, and clamping process, the force is balanced and the posture is stable, without problems such as unilateral swaying, movement stagnation, or uneven contact. The extension and retraction power of the hydraulic cylinder 32 is synchronously transmitted to all arc-shaped plates through the transmission mechanism composed of the connecting rod group and the positioning plate 34, so that the left and right clamping plates 35 can simultaneously retract inward to clamp or open outward to avoid each other, achieving highly synchronized opening and closing movements, ensuring that the clamping plates 35 on both sides move in unison, have the same stroke, and are evenly stressed.

[0039] Due to its symmetrical, encircling distribution structure, the clamping plate 35 can adaptively adjust its envelope diameter according to the curvature of the outer wall of wind turbine towers of different diameters. This ensures that the inner arc surface of the curved plate always maintains curvature matching and surface contact with the outer wall of the tower, guaranteeing that the brush belt 36 makes full and uniform contact with the tower surface. This avoids missed areas and cleaning blind spots caused by localized suspension or excessive gaps, and also prevents scratches and deformation damage to the tower surface coating caused by excessive localized pressure or rigid extrusion. From the perspective of structural distribution and motion principle, this design effectively ensures complete cleaning coverage and uniform brushing force, significantly improving the stability and standardization of cleaning quality. At the same time, it greatly enhances the equipment's universal adaptability to towers of different diameters, meeting various tower cleaning needs without the need to replace parts.

[0040] In one embodiment, the opening angle of the clamping plate 35 is linearly adjusted according to the extension length of the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 32, and the inner arc surface of the clamping plate 35 remains in close contact with the outer wall of the tower.

[0041] In this embodiment, the extension length of the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 32, the swing angle of the connecting rod assembly, the rotation angle of the positioning plate 34, and the opening and closing angle of the clamping plate 35 form a definite and continuous linear transmission relationship. The extension amount of each unit length of the piston rod corresponds to the opening and closing change of the fixed angle of the clamping plate 35. The adjustment process is smooth, continuous, without abrupt changes, and without jamming or impact.

[0042] By precisely controlling the given extension length of the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder 32, the opening and closing size and circumferential diameter of the clamping plate 35 can be accurately set, ensuring a stable and uniform surface contact between the inner arc surface of the clamping plate 35 and the outer wall of the tower. The contact gap is controllable, and the bonding pressure is stable and consistent. This linear adjustment structure allows the equipment to quickly and accurately match the outer diameter of the tower without changing any structural parts or manually adjusting mechanical dimensions when dealing with wind turbine towers of different specifications with diameters ranging from 2.7 meters to 7 meters. This achieves adaptive clamping and bonding through the stroke control of the hydraulic cylinder 32. During the cleaning operation, it ensures that the brush bristles effectively remove dust, oil, scum, and other adhering substances from the tower surface, ensuring that the cleaning cleanliness meets the factory requirements. It also avoids structural deformation, pin wear, or tower surface damage caused by rigid compression or excessive clamping. From the perspective of transmission principle and structural fit, it comprehensively guarantees cleaning accuracy, operational safety, operational reliability, and dimensional adaptability.

[0043] In one embodiment, the clamping device 3 is respectively disposed on the upper half and the lower half of the arc surface of the tower.

[0044] In this embodiment, the two clamping devices 3 are arranged symmetrically on the circumference of the tower, corresponding to the upper and lower halves of the tower's arc surface, respectively. This allows the two sets of clamping plates 35 and brush belts 36 to simultaneously clean the upper and lower arc surfaces of the tower, covering nearly the entire circumference of the tower's outer wall in a single cleaning operation. This arrangement significantly reduces the number of times the equipment moves along the tower's circumference, the time spent on repeated positioning, and the path for movement adjustments, thus significantly shortening the overall cleaning time for a single tower section and improving the efficiency of batch tower cleaning in the yard. Simultaneously, the symmetrical arrangement ensures that the loads and torques borne by the two telescopic devices 2 are symmetrical and balanced, effectively reducing lateral overturning moments, torsional moments, and vibration amplitudes during lifting and telescopic processes, thereby improving the equipment's operational stability, structural safety, and positional accuracy during high-altitude operations. Especially for large-diameter and long-length wind turbine towers, the upper and lower double clamping device for simultaneous cleaning can avoid problems such as uneven force and excessive shaking caused by unilateral operation, ensuring stable and reliable operation of the equipment in continuous and high-intensity yard cleaning operations, and meeting the requirements of industrialized and large-scale cleaning operations.

[0045] In one embodiment, the brush belt 36 is a synchronous toothed brush belt 36, and the clamping plate 35 is provided with a drive wheel and a driven wheel. The brush belt 36 is tensioned and sleeved on the outside of the drive wheel and the driven wheel. The rotation of the drive wheel drives the brush belt 36 to continuously cycle along the arc-shaped trajectory of the clamping plate 35.

[0046] In this embodiment, the brush belt 36 adopts a synchronous toothed structure design. The tooth profile meshes and matches the tooth grooves on the outer edges of the drive wheel and driven wheel, forming a forced transmission structure without slippage, loss of rotation, or lag. This avoids problems such as slackness, deviation, tooth skipping, and slippage of the brush belt 36 during long-distance, large-arc operation from the transmission principle. The clamping plate 35 is rationally arranged with the drive wheel and driven wheel along the arc length direction. The drive wheel, as the power input end, is driven to rotate by a dedicated drive motor. The driven wheel, as the tensioning and guiding end, ensures the stability of the brush belt 36's running path. The brush belt 36 is tensioned and sleeved on the outside of the wheel assembly, forming an arc-shaped running trajectory that is completely consistent with the arc surface of the clamping plate 35. The drive wheel rotates continuously, driving the brush belt 36 to continuously, uniformly, and in a closed-loop cycle along the arc-shaped trajectory through meshing transmission. This allows the bristles to continuously act on the tower surface at a constant speed and stable force, forming a continuous shearing, scraping, and peeling effect on various attachments such as dust, oil, mud, and scum. The synchronous toothed structure not only ensures transmission accuracy and operational stability, but also improves the overall strength, wear resistance and service life of the brush belt 36, reduces the risk of loosening, deformation and breakage, and reduces the frequency of equipment maintenance and replacement costs. It improves cleaning efficiency, cleanliness and equipment economy from multiple aspects such as transmission structure, cleaning effect and service life.

[0047] In one embodiment, the telescopic frame 31 is a frame structure connected to the telescopic device 2, and the connecting rod assembly and the positioning plate 34 are disposed on the frame structure.

[0048] In this embodiment, the telescopic frame 31 adopts an integral rigid frame structure, which is composed of high-strength profiles through welding, bolt fastening, and other methods. It has sufficient structural strength, bending stiffness, and torsional stiffness, and can withstand various composite loads such as the thrust of the hydraulic cylinder 32, the tension of the connecting rod 33, the clamping force of the clamping plate 35, and the cleaning reaction force without significant deformation, swaying, or vibration. The front end of the frame structure is rigidly fixed to the end of the telescopic device 2, ensuring that the lifting and telescopic power transmission is seamless, lag-free, and lossless, and the motion accuracy is directly transmitted to the clamping device 3. The hinge base of the connecting rod group, the rotary connecting shaft of the positioning plate 34, the cylinder mounting seat of the hydraulic cylinder 32, and various limiting and guiding structures are all directly integrated and fixed on the frame, so that the power input, the transmission of the connecting rod 33, and the clamping execution form a compact and integrated rigid structure. This structural design results in a shorter transmission path, more concentrated force, and higher motion rigidity, effectively reducing swaying, offset, elastic deformation, and return backlash during operation. This ensures precise swinging of the linkage assembly, smooth rotation of the positioning plate 34, reliable opening and closing positioning of the clamping plate 35, and high repeatability. From an overall structural perspective, it significantly improves the operational stability, motion accuracy, mechanical strength, and service life of the clamping device 3, enabling the equipment to maintain stable performance during long-term, high-frequency, and heavy-load cleaning operations, reducing the failure rate and maintenance costs.

[0049] In one embodiment, a water supply spraying system is also included, which includes multiple atomizing nozzles. The atomizing nozzles are evenly embedded in the inner arc surface of the clamping plate 35 and located on the side of the brush belt 36. When cleaning the brush belt 36, the nozzles spray water synchronously onto the outer wall of the tower.

[0050] In this embodiment, the water spraying system consists of a water tank, a booster pump, water pipelines, a diversion valve, and multiple atomizing nozzles. These nozzles are evenly spaced and uniformly embedded along the inner arc surface of the clamping plate 35, positioned beside the running path of the brush belt 36. They maintain a close, non-interfering working relationship with the brush belt 36, ensuring that spraying and brushing occur simultaneously without interference. During cleaning, the booster pump pressurizes the clean water or cleaning fluid from the water tank and inputs it into the pipeline. The diversion valve evenly distributes the water to each atomizing nozzle, which simultaneously sprays a uniform, soft water mist onto the outer wall of the tower. This pre-wets and softens dried dust, oil, and silt before the brush belt 36 contacts the tower surface, reducing brushing resistance and improving stain removal efficiency. During the brush belt 36's brushing process, the continuous water mist spray simultaneously washes away the brushed-off dirt and debris, preventing secondary adhesion of stains to the tower surface and avoiding dust, surface scratches, or coating wear caused by dry brushing. The atomized spray method provides uniform water output, complete coverage, and gentle impact, which can significantly improve the cleaning effect and efficiency without damaging the anti-corrosion coating and paint layer on the tower surface. At the same time, it uses less water and has a high utilization rate, which meets the requirements of energy saving, consumption reduction, and environmental protection. From the perspective of cleaning process, it realizes the integrated operation of wetting, brushing, and rinsing, comprehensively improving the cleaning quality and environmental friendliness of the operation.

[0051] In one embodiment, the mobile vehicle 1 is an omnidirectional drive vehicle equipped with omnidirectional drive wheels to drive the clamping device 3 to move and clean along the axial and circumferential directions of the tower.

[0052] In this embodiment, the mobile vehicle 1 adopts a professional omnidirectional drive chassis structure, equipped with Mecanum wheels or high-precision omnidirectional drive wheel sets. It achieves flexible multi-degree-of-freedom movement, including forward, backward, lateral, diagonal, and 360° rotation, without the need for additional steering mechanisms or repeated reversing adjustments. This allows for seamless movement with no blind spots, no turning radius, and flexible and convenient positioning. The omnidirectional mobility enables the equipment to continuously advance and clean along the length (axial) of the tower, while simultaneously making rapid and precise fine-tuning of the cleaning angle and position along the circumference (circumferential) of the tower. This adapts to wind turbine towers of different placement positions, angles, and lengths. Without manual pushing or the construction or movement of auxiliary supports, the clamping device 3 can be quickly aligned with the area to be cleaned. This structural design greatly improves the equipment's on-site positioning flexibility, accuracy, and adaptability in complex tower yard conditions, reduces manual assistance, shortens machine adjustment time, and enhances the overall smoothness and efficiency of the cleaning operation, meeting the needs of industrialized, automated, and high-efficiency cleaning operations.

[0053] In one embodiment, a hydraulic system is also included, which is connected to the telescopic device 2 and the hydraulic cylinder 32 respectively, to provide hydraulic driving force for the telescopic device 2 to extend and retract and for the clamping plate 35 to open and close.

[0054] In this embodiment, the hydraulic system provides independent, stable, and powerful hydraulic power for the lifting and telescopic movements of the telescopic device 2 and the opening and closing movements of the clamping plate 35 driven by the hydraulic cylinder 32. The power output is smooth, shock-free, and infinitely adjustable. The hydraulic drive system features high load-bearing capacity, good rigidity, fast response, and a wide speed range, providing sufficient lifting force and vertical support rigidity for the telescopic device 2. This ensures that the device does not sink, shake, or slip during high-altitude lifting, guaranteeing precise and stable positioning for high-altitude cleaning. Simultaneously, the hydraulic system provides a stable, adjustable, and continuous uniform clamping force for the opening and closing of the clamping plate 35, avoiding fluctuations in clamping force caused by hydraulic system pressure fluctuations and unstable fluid supply, as well as insufficient thrust and slow response of electric drives. This results in smooth, precise, and reliable opening and closing of the clamping plate 35. The hydraulic system enables closed-loop precise control of pressure, speed, and stroke, ensuring smooth and controlled lifting and telescopic movements and controllable clamping opening and closing. This comprehensively improves the overall machine's operational stability, movement accuracy, heavy-load adaptability, and long-term operational reliability from the power source structure perspective.

[0055] In one embodiment, a control system is also included. The control system is electrically connected to the hydraulic cylinder 32, the brush belt 36 drive mechanism, the telescopic device 2, and the mobile vehicle 1 to control the clamping, telescopic, lifting, and cleaning operations.

[0056] In this embodiment, the control system employs a centralized programmable controller (PLC). It is electrically connected via signal cables to actuators such as the solenoid valve of hydraulic cylinder 32, the drive motor of brush belt 36, the drive mechanism of telescopic device 2, the drive motor of moving vehicle 1, and hydraulic system control valves. This enables integrated control of signal acquisition, logic judgment, action output, status feedback, and safety protection. Operators can flexibly set various working parameters, including lifting height, telescopic distance, clamp opening and closing angle, brush belt 36 rotation speed, moving vehicle 1 speed, and spray water volume, through the control system's human-machine interface. The equipment can automatically complete the entire automated operation process: "moving to position, telescopic extension, clamp closing, brush rotation, water spraying, clamp opening, telescopic retraction, and moving to the next workstation," without continuous manual intervention. Furthermore, the control system supports free switching between automatic and manual debugging modes, facilitating equipment installation, debugging, maintenance, and troubleshooting. The control system can realize functions such as multi-mechanism coordinated action, interlock protection, overload protection, and emergency stop, reducing the difficulty of operation and the risk of misoperation, improving the smoothness, safety and intelligence of operation, supporting on-site local control and remote wireless control, and meeting the needs of automated, standardized and high-efficiency batch cleaning of wind turbine towers and storage yards.

[0057] The specific workflow is as follows: After the equipment is started, the control system first completes a self-check and enters a standby state. Under the control command, the omnidirectional drive mobile vehicle 1 moves along the tower axis to the cleaning station. Through lateral translation and in-situ rotation, it accurately positions the two sets of clamping devices 3, respectively aligning them with the upper and lower halves of the tower arc surface to be cleaned. Then, the hydraulic system drives the two telescopic devices 2 to rise and fall along the vertical Y direction to the target cleaning height, and then extends along the horizontal X direction, pushing the clamping devices 3 to a preset position close to the outer wall of the tower. At this time, multiple hydraulic cylinders 32 on the telescopic frame 31 start to move. The piston rod extends and pushes the connecting rod group to swing around the hinge point, causing the paired positioning plates 34 to rotate in opposite directions around the connecting shaft, changing the included angle between the positioning plates 34. At the same time, the hydraulic cylinders 32 between the positioning plates 34 and the clamping plates 35 extend and retract synchronously, coordinating to adjust the opening and closing angle of the clamping plate 35 at the end closer to the positioning plate 34. The multiple clamping plates 35 at the end away from the positioning plate 34 rotate on the shaft and the corresponding hydraulic cylinders 32. Driven by the second driving force, a secondary angle fine-tuning is performed to ensure that the overall arc-shaped clamping plate 35 completely conforms to the outer wall of the tower and forms a stable encircling state. The water supply spraying system is activated, and atomizing nozzles simultaneously and evenly spray water onto the tower surface from the inner arc surface of the clamping plate 35 and the side of the brush belt 36, moistening and softening dust and oil stains. The drive wheel of the brush belt 36 drives the synchronous toothed brush belt 36 to continuously circulate along the arc-shaped trajectory of the clamping plate 35, with the bristles continuously brushing the tower surface. Simultaneous water spraying and brushing achieves softening, peeling, and removal of stains. Synchronous rinsing; after the current area is cleaned, the hydraulic cylinder 32 retracts, causing the connecting rod assembly, positioning plate 34 and clamping plate 35 to open synchronously, releasing the clamping state. The telescopic device 2 retracts along the X direction and adjusts its height along the Y direction. The moving vehicle 1 moves along the tower axis or circumference to the next cleaning point, repeating the clamping, water spraying and brushing process until the entire surface of the tower section is cleaned. After cleaning, all mechanisms are reset to their initial state, and the equipment returns to the standby position, waiting for the next operation instruction.

[0058] Although embodiments of the invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and such modifications and variations all fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A tower cleaning device, characterized in that, include: Mobile vehicle (1); Telescopic device (2), two telescopic devices (2) are provided and installed above the mobile vehicle (1), which are suitable for telescopic movement along the X and Y directions; Clamping device (3), the clamping device (3) is connected to the telescopic device (2), there are two clamping devices (3), which correspond to the two areas to be cleaned on the tower respectively. The telescopic device (2) drives the clamping device (3) to achieve lifting and horizontal extension. The clamping device (3) is fixedly installed at the end of the telescopic device (2). The clamping device (3) includes: Telescopic frame (31), the telescopic frame (31) is disposed at one end of the telescopic device (2); Link (33), multiple links form a link group, and the link group is connected to the telescopic frame (31); Hydraulic cylinder (32), multiple hydraulic cylinders (32) are provided, one end of the hydraulic cylinder (32) is connected to the telescopic frame (31), and the other end is connected to the connecting rod group. The other end of the connecting rod group is moved by the extension and retraction of the hydraulic cylinder (32). Positioning plates (34) are arranged in pairs. One end of the positioning plate (34) is rotatably connected to the other end of the connecting rod group, and the other end is connected to the adjacent positioning plate (34) through a rotating shaft. The connecting shaft between the positioning plates (34) is set on the telescopic frame (31). The clamping plate (35) is arc-shaped and is connected to the positioning plate (34). The angle between the clamping plates (35) near the positioning plate (34) is changed by changing the angle between the positioning plates (34) and / or by extending and retracting the hydraulic cylinder (32) between the positioning plate (34) and the clamping plate (35). Multiple clamping plates (35) are provided and are rotatably connected by a rotating shaft. The angle between the clamping plates (35) away from the positioning plate (34) is controlled by the rotating shaft driven by the hydraulic cylinder (32). The brush belt (36) is arranged along the inner and outer arc surfaces of the clamping plate (35) and rotates in a cycle.

2. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping plate (35) consists of multiple symmetrically arranged arc-shaped plates. The clamping plates (35) are arranged in a ring around the positioning plate (34). The hydraulic cylinder (32) extends and retracts to drive the clamping plates (35) to open and close synchronously to adapt to the outer wall of the tower with different diameters.

3. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The opening and closing angle of the clamping plate (35) is linearly adjusted according to the extension length of the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder (32), and the inner arc surface of the clamping plate (35) is in close contact with the outer wall of the tower.

4. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The clamping device (3) is respectively installed on the upper half and lower half of the arc surface of the tower.

5. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The brush belt (36) is a synchronous toothed brush belt (36). The clamping plate (35) is provided with a drive wheel and a driven wheel. The brush belt (36) is tensioned and sleeved on the outside of the drive wheel and the driven wheel. The drive wheel rotates and drives the brush belt (36) to continuously cycle along the arc trajectory of the clamping plate (35).

6. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The telescopic frame (31) is a frame structure connected to the telescopic device (2), and the connecting rod group and the positioning plate (34) are set on the frame structure.

7. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a water supply spraying system, which contains multiple atomizing nozzles. The atomizing nozzles are evenly embedded in the inner arc surface of the clamping plate (35) and located on the side of the brush belt (36). When cleaning the brush belt (36), the nozzles spray water synchronously onto the outer wall of the tower.

8. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mobile vehicle (1) is an omnidirectional drive vehicle equipped with omnidirectional drive wheels to drive the clamping device (3) to move and clean along the tower axis and circumference.

9. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a hydraulic system, which is connected to the telescopic device (2) and the hydraulic cylinder (32) respectively, and provides hydraulic driving force for the telescopic device (2) to extend and retract and for the clamping plate (35) to open and close.

10. The tower cleaning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a control system, which is electrically connected to the hydraulic cylinder (32), the brush belt (36) drive mechanism, the telescopic device (2) and the mobile vehicle (1) to realize the control of clamping, telescopic, lifting and cleaning operations.

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