Dual-purpose robot based on internal detection of wind power blade

Abstract

The application provides a dual-purpose robot based on internal detection of a wind power generation blade, which comprises a vehicle frame, a walking wheel set, a sealing assembly and a negative pressure generating assembly. The walking wheel set is installed under the chassis of the vehicle frame, the negative pressure generating assembly is installed on the air outlet of the chassis, the sealing assembly is annular as a whole and is installed around the chassis, and the sealing assembly can be raised or lowered relative to the vehicle frame. When the sealing assembly is raised above the bottom surface of the walking wheel set, the robot enters the ground walking mode. When the sealing assembly is lowered below the bottom surface of the walking wheel set, a bottom-opened negative pressure cavity is formed between the sealing assembly and the chassis, the negative pressure generating assembly works, air in the negative pressure cavity is discharged through the air outlet, the bottom of the sealing assembly is compressed, and at the same time, the walking wheel set contacts the wall surface, so that the robot enters the wall surface adsorption and climbing mode. The dual-purpose robot can switch between the ground walking mode and the wall surface adsorption and climbing mode, and is suitable for the detection of the inner cavity of the wind power generation blade.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wind turbine blade inspection technology, specifically to a dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades. Background Technology

[0002] As a core component of wind turbines, wind turbine blades are exposed to complex outdoor environments for extended periods, making them prone to internal defects such as cracks and delamination. Therefore, negative pressure wall-climbing robots are needed to periodically enter the blade's interior for inspection and maintenance. Existing robots can only crawl on the ground inside the blade or adhere to the web. When encountering surfaces or walls that prevent crawling, or large obstacles that prevent passage, this single movement mode limits the robot's ability to reach deeper areas inside the blade. Consequently, personnel cannot obtain complete internal data from the blade tip, leading to incomplete inspection data. Alternatively, replacing the robot may be necessary, requiring the use of two devices for each inspection and the integration of data from both. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades, which can switch between ground walking and wall-adhesive crawling modes, and is suitable for the inspection of the internal cavity of wind turbine blades.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0005] A dual-purpose robot for inspecting the interior of wind turbine blades includes:

[0006] The frame, which includes the chassis, has air vents on it;

[0007] The running wheel set is installed under the chassis and drives the vehicle frame to move;

[0008] The negative pressure adsorption module includes a sealing component and a negative pressure generating component. The negative pressure generating component is installed on the air outlet of the chassis. The sealing component is ring-shaped and installed around the chassis frame. The sealing component can be raised or lowered relative to the chassis frame, raising it above or lowering it below the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly. When the sealing component is raised above the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, the robot enters the ground walking mode. When the sealing component is lowered below the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, a negative pressure chamber with a bottom opening is formed between the sealing component and the chassis. The negative pressure generating component works, expelling the air in the negative pressure chamber through the air outlet, compressing the bottom of the sealing component. At the same time, the walking wheel assembly contacts the wall surface, and the robot enters the wall adsorption crawling mode.

[0009] The chassis has an overall annular mounting groove at its bottom outer edge. The mounting groove has an L-shaped cross-section. The sealing assembly includes a bottom sealing ring and a side sealing ring connected to the inner ring of the bottom sealing ring. The sealing assembly is connected to the mounting groove of the chassis through multiple sets of gear and rack lifting assemblies, and the side sealing ring is in contact with the side wall of the mounting groove.

[0010] The gear and rack lifting assembly includes a control motor, a gear, and a connecting rod. The gear is rotatably mounted on the chassis. The control motor is connected to the gear and drives the gear to rotate forward and backward. The connecting rod is vertically fixed to the bottom sealing ring. The top of the connecting rod passes through the chassis. A rack is provided at the top of the connecting rod, and the rack meshes with the gear. When the gear rotates forward and backward, it drives the rack to rise and fall, thereby driving the sealing assembly to rise and fall. During the rising and falling of the sealing assembly, the side sealing ring is always in contact with the side wall of the mounting groove.

[0011] A photoelectric sensor is installed in the mounting groove above the sealing assembly. When the sealing assembly rises to the point where its top surface contacts the photoelectric sensor, the sealing assembly stops rising. At this time, the sealing assembly is located above the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly.

[0012] The top of the bottom sealing ring is vertically connected to multiple guide posts, which are slidably connected to the chassis. During the lifting and lowering of the sealing assembly, the sealing assembly always moves along the axial direction of the guide posts.

[0013] The top of the guide column is connected to a limit block. A photoelectric sensor is installed on the chassis directly below the limit block. When the sealing assembly descends to the point where the limit block contacts the photoelectric sensor, the sealing assembly stops descending. At this time, the sealing assembly is located below the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, and the walking wheel assembly can contact the wall surface after the bottom of the sealing assembly is compressed.

[0014] The negative pressure generating component is a fan;

[0015] The front end of the chassis is equipped with a zoom camera for viewing defects, and the rear end of the chassis is equipped with a rear-view camera module for taking pictures of the internal space of the blades.

[0016] The vehicle frame is equipped with auxiliary lights distributed around its perimeter.

[0017] The walking wheel set includes a front drive wheel set and a rear drive wheel set. Both the front drive wheel set and the rear drive wheel set consist of two symmetrical drive wheels, and each drive wheel is connected to a drive motor.

[0018] The front drive wheel assembly is mounted under the chassis via a swing suspension assembly. The swing suspension assembly includes a support plate, a bearing support 1, a bearing 1, and a rotating shaft. The two drive wheels of the front drive wheel assembly are mounted on the left and right sides of the bottom of the support plate. There are two bearing supports 1, two bearings 1, and two rotating shafts. The two bearing supports 1 are fixed to the front and rear ends of the support plate, respectively. One end of each of the two rotating shafts is mounted inside the rotating shaft via the bearing 1, and the other end of each rotating shaft is fixed under the chassis, so that the two drive wheels swing relative to the frame.

[0019] The receiving plate is located in the limiting groove set at the bottom of the chassis. When the left and right swing angle of the receiving plate is 9°, the receiving plate abuts against the limiting groove, so that the maximum swing angle of the receiving plate is 9°.

[0020] The shafts at both ends of the two drive wheels are mounted on bearing supports via bearings, and the bearing supports are fixed to the bottom of the receiving plate.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: (1) The sealing component in the present invention can be raised or lowered relative to the frame, so that the sealing component is raised above the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly or lowered below the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, thereby switching between two walking modes: ground walking and wall adsorption crawling. It is suitable for the detection of the complex environment inside the wind turbine blade, and the detection data is complete and does not need to be integrated.

[0022] (2) In this invention, the lifting and lowering of the sealing component is controlled by the gear and rack lifting assembly. The connection structure is simple, and the lifting and lowering stroke of the sealing component is controlled by the photoelectric sensor. The whole operation process is relatively simple. At the same time, the sealing component always keeps in contact with the chassis through the side sealing ring to ensure the sealing of the negative pressure chamber.

[0023] (3) In this invention, the front drive wheel assembly is installed under the chassis of the vehicle frame through a swing suspension assembly, and can adapt to uneven areas, such as ground or wall surfaces. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 A side view of the dual-purpose robot for detecting the interior of wind turbine blades provided by this invention walking on the ground;

[0025] Figure 2 A side view of the dual-purpose robot for internal detection of wind turbine blades provided by the present invention crawling on a wall surface;

[0026] Figure 3 A top view of the dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the front drive wheel assembly and the swing suspension assembly in this invention;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the front drive wheel assembly mounted on the vehicle frame in this invention;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view showing the connection between the sealing assembly and the chassis in this invention. Figure 1 ;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view showing the connection between the sealing assembly and the chassis in this invention. Figure 2 ;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection of the guide post in this invention;

[0032] In the diagram: 1-Frame, 11-Chassis, 111-Limiting groove, 112-Mounting groove, 12-Outer shell, 2-Walking wheel set, 21-Front drive wheel set, 22-Rear drive wheel set, 23-Drive motor, 3-Negative pressure adsorption module, 31-Sealing assembly, 311-Bottom sealing ring, 312-Side sealing ring, 32-Negative pressure generating assembly, 4-Swing suspension assembly, 41-Support plate, 42-Bearing support one, 43-Bearing one, 44-Rotating shaft, 45-Bearing support two, 5-Gear and rack lifting assembly, 51-Control motor, 52-Gear, 53-Connecting rod, 54-Rack, 55-Guide column, 56-Limiting block, 57-Photoelectric sensor, 61-Zoom camera, 62-Rearview camera module. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0034] The dual-purpose robot structure for internal inspection of wind turbine blades provided by this invention is as follows: Figures 1-3 As shown, the system includes a frame 1, a wheel set 2, and a negative pressure adsorption module 3. The frame includes a chassis 11 and a shell 12 connected to the chassis. The chassis is made of high-strength material, capable of providing sufficient support and strength. An air vent is provided on the chassis, and the negative pressure generating component of the negative pressure adsorption module is installed on the air vent. In this embodiment, a zoom camera 61 is installed at the front end of the frame shell to view specific defects. A rear-view camera module 62 is distributed at the rear end of the frame shell to collect images of the blade's inner cavity. These images are then synthesized using software to form a unified spatial image, and the defects and their relative positions within the inner cavity are marked using background software. Specifically, the rear-view camera module includes multiple cameras distributed on the top surface and two sides of the rear end of the frame, with each camera installed at a certain angle to the horizontal plane. The installation angle of each camera is recorded to provide parameters for the subsequent synthesis of the unified spatial image. Supplemental lights are distributed around the perimeter of the frame shell to provide a light source for the robot within the blade's inner cavity.

[0035] The running wheel assembly is mounted under the chassis, driving the vehicle frame to move. In this embodiment, the running wheel assembly includes a front drive wheel assembly 21 and a rear drive wheel assembly 22. Both the front and rear drive wheel assemblies consist of two symmetrically arranged drive wheels, each connected to a drive motor 23. Specifically, the front drive wheel assembly is mounted under the chassis via a swing suspension assembly 4. Further, the swing suspension assembly includes a support plate 41, a bearing support 42, a bearing 43, and a rotating shaft 44, as shown below. Figures 4-6 As shown, the two drive wheels of the front drive wheel assembly are mounted on the left and right sides of the bottom of the support plate. Furthermore, the rotating shafts at both ends of the two drive wheels are mounted on bearing supports 45 via bearings 2. The bearing supports 45 are fixed to the bottom of the support plate, thus mounting the two drive wheels to the bottom of the support plate. Two bearing supports, two bearings, and two rotating shafts are provided. Two bearing supports 1 are fixed to the front and rear ends of the support plate, respectively. One end of each rotating shaft is mounted inside the rotating shaft via bearing 1, and the other end of each rotating shaft is fixed to the chassis, allowing the two drive wheels to swing relative to the frame. Furthermore, the support plate is located within a limiting groove 111 at the bottom of the chassis. When the left and right swing angle of the support plate is 9°, the support plate abuts against the limiting groove, making the maximum swing angle of the support plate 9°. During robot movement, when encountering uneven road surfaces or walls, one side of the front drive wheel assembly will flip along the rotating shaft, with a maximum flip angle of 9°.

[0036] The negative pressure adsorption module includes a sealing component 31 and a negative pressure generating component 32. The negative pressure generating component is installed on the air outlet of the chassis. Figure 5 The sealing assembly is annular in shape and installed around the chassis frame. It can be raised or lowered relative to the chassis, either above or below the bottom surface of the wheel assembly. Specifically, the chassis has an annular mounting groove 112 along its bottom outer edge. The groove has an L-shaped cross-section. The sealing assembly includes a bottom sealing ring 311 and side sealing rings 312 connected to the inner ring of the bottom sealing ring. The sealing assembly is connected to the mounting groove on the chassis via multiple sets of gear and rack lifting assemblies 5, with the side sealing rings abutting against the side walls of the mounting groove. Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown; the gear and rack lifting assembly includes a control motor 51, a gear 52, and a connecting rod 53. The gear is rotatably mounted on the chassis. The control motor is connected to the gear and drives the gear to rotate forward and backward. The connecting rod is vertically fixed to the bottom sealing ring. The top of the connecting rod passes through the chassis, and a rack 54 is provided at the top of the connecting rod. The rack meshes with the gear. When the gear rotates forward and backward, it drives the rack to rise and fall, thereby driving the sealing assembly to rise and fall. During the rising and falling of the sealing assembly, the side sealing ring always abuts against the side wall of the mounting groove. In the wall adsorption mode, the bottom sealing ring contacts the wall, and the side sealing ring contacts the sliding plate, ensuring the sealing of the negative pressure chamber. Simultaneous rotation of multiple gears driven by a motor is existing technology and will not be detailed here. Furthermore, multiple guide posts 55 are vertically connected to the top of the bottom sealing ring, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the guide column is slidably connected to the chassis. During the lifting and lowering of the sealing assembly, the sealing assembly always moves along the axial direction of the guide column. Furthermore, a limit block 56 is connected to the top of the guide column to prevent it from detaching from the chassis. In this embodiment, photoelectric sensors 57 are installed in the mounting groove above the sealing assembly and directly below the limit block on the chassis. When the sealing assembly rises to the point where its top surface contacts the photoelectric sensor, the control motor stops working, stopping the sealing assembly from rising. At this time, the sealing assembly is above the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, and the robot enters ground walking mode. When the sealing assembly descends to the point where the limit block contacts the photoelectric sensor, the control motor stops working, stopping the sealing assembly from descending. At this time, the sealing assembly is below the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, forming a negative pressure chamber with a bottom opening between the sealing assembly and the chassis. The negative pressure generating component works, expelling the air in the negative pressure chamber through the air outlet, compressing the bottom of the sealing assembly. Simultaneously, the walking wheel assembly contacts the wall surface, and the robot enters wall-adhesive crawling mode.

[0037] The dual-purpose robot provided by this invention, when used for internal inspection of wind turbine blades, can switch between two modes—wall-adhesive crawling and ground walking—through a lifting and sealing assembly. When the robot encounters large or high obstacles that it cannot pass while walking on the ground, the operator can place the robot on the blade web and perform inspections on the vertical surface through adhesion crawling. Alternatively, when encountering obstacles on the web that cannot be overcome, the robot can be placed on the ground and switched to ground walking mode. Thus, a single dual-purpose robot can achieve comprehensive inspection of the blade's internal cavity in complex environments.

Claims

1. A dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades, characterized in that... include: The frame, which includes the chassis, has air vents on it; The running wheel set is installed under the chassis and drives the vehicle frame to move; The negative pressure adsorption module includes a sealing component and a negative pressure generating component. The negative pressure generating component is installed on the air outlet of the chassis. The sealing component is ring-shaped and installed around the chassis frame. The sealing component can be raised or lowered relative to the chassis frame, raising it above or lowering it below the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly. When the sealing component is raised above the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, the robot enters the ground walking mode. When the sealing component is lowered below the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, a negative pressure chamber with a bottom opening is formed between the sealing component and the chassis. The negative pressure generating component works, expelling the air in the negative pressure chamber through the air outlet, compressing the bottom of the sealing component. At the same time, the walking wheel assembly contacts the wall surface, and the robot enters the wall adsorption crawling mode.

2. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chassis has an overall annular mounting groove at its bottom outer edge. The mounting groove has an L-shaped cross-section. The sealing assembly includes a bottom sealing ring and a side sealing ring connected to the inner ring of the bottom sealing ring. The sealing assembly is connected to the mounting groove of the chassis through multiple sets of gear and rack lifting assemblies, and the side sealing ring is in contact with the side wall of the mounting groove.

3. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gear and rack lifting assembly includes a control motor, a gear, and a connecting rod. The gear is rotatably mounted on the chassis. The control motor is connected to the gear and drives the gear to rotate forward and backward. The connecting rod is vertically fixed to the bottom sealing ring. The top of the connecting rod passes through the chassis. A rack is provided at the top of the connecting rod, and the rack meshes with the gear. When the gear rotates forward and backward, it drives the rack to rise and fall, thereby driving the sealing assembly to rise and fall. During the rising and falling of the sealing assembly, the side sealing ring is always in contact with the side wall of the mounting groove.

4. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 2, characterized in that: A photoelectric sensor is installed in the mounting groove above the sealing assembly. When the sealing assembly rises to the point where its top surface contacts the photoelectric sensor, the sealing assembly stops rising. At this time, the sealing assembly is located above the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly.

5. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 2, characterized in that: The top of the bottom sealing ring is vertically connected to multiple guide posts, which are slidably connected to the chassis. During the lifting and lowering of the sealing assembly, the sealing assembly always moves along the axial direction of the guide posts.

6. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 5, characterized in that: The top of the guide column is connected to a limit block. A photoelectric sensor is installed on the chassis directly below the limit block. When the sealing assembly descends to the point where the limit block contacts the photoelectric sensor, the sealing assembly stops descending. At this time, the sealing assembly is located below the bottom surface of the walking wheel assembly, and the walking wheel assembly can contact the wall surface after the bottom of the sealing assembly is compressed.

7. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The negative pressure generating component is a fan; The front end of the chassis is equipped with a zoom camera for viewing defects, and the rear end of the chassis is equipped with a rear-view camera module for taking pictures of the internal space of the blades. The vehicle frame is equipped with auxiliary lights distributed around its perimeter.

8. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking wheel set includes a front drive wheel set and a rear drive wheel set. Both the front drive wheel set and the rear drive wheel set consist of two symmetrical drive wheels, and each drive wheel is connected to a drive motor.

9. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 8, characterized in that: The front drive wheel assembly is mounted under the chassis via a swing suspension assembly. The swing suspension assembly includes a support plate, a bearing support 1, a bearing 1, and a rotating shaft. The two drive wheels of the front drive wheel assembly are mounted on the left and right sides of the bottom of the support plate. There are two bearing supports 1, two bearings 1, and two rotating shafts. The two bearing supports 1 are fixed to the front and rear ends of the support plate, respectively. One end of each of the two rotating shafts is mounted inside the rotating shaft via the bearing 1, and the other end of each rotating shaft is fixed under the chassis, so that the two drive wheels swing relative to the frame.

10. The dual-purpose robot for internal inspection of wind turbine blades according to claim 9, characterized in that: The receiving plate is located in the limiting groove set at the bottom of the chassis. When the left and right swing angle of the receiving plate is 9°, the receiving plate abuts against the limiting groove, so that the maximum swing angle of the receiving plate is 9°. The shafts at both ends of the two drive wheels are mounted on bearing supports via bearings, and the bearing supports are fixed to the bottom of the receiving plate.

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