A wheeled inspection robot for a substation
By designing a structure with selectively fixed rollers and a combination of a lever and a pulsating block in the substation inspection robot, the problem of roller wear caused by sliding friction in the Mecanum wheel in the substation was solved, achieving pure rolling and uniform wear of the rollers and extending their service life.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202610907633.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-06-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-28
AI Technical Summary
Mecanum wheels in substation inspection robots suffer from severe roller wear due to sliding friction, especially during long-distance linear movement where ineffective torque loss is significant, and existing material improvement solutions have failed to effectively address this issue.
Design a wheeled inspection robot with a selectively fixed roller structure. During long-distance linear movement, a cylinder pushes a cone block to press and fix the top rod, fixing the roller and preventing it from rotating, thus switching to a pure rolling mode. The contact area between the roller and the ground is intermittently changed during long-distance movement through the cooperation of a lever and a undulating block.
It effectively reduces roller wear, extends service life, and maintains stability and wear uniformity during long-distance linear movement, reducing ineffective torque loss.
Smart Images
Figure CN122463582A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of wheeled inspection robot technology, specifically a wheeled inspection robot for substations. Background Technology
[0002] Mecanum wheel-based inspection robots possess unique omnidirectional mobility, enabling them to move straight, sideways, diagonally, and rotate in place. This makes them particularly suitable for navigating the densely packed equipment and narrow passageways of substations, both indoors and outdoors, and even penetrating confined spaces inaccessible to human inspectors. However, Mecanum wheels exhibit a serious drawback in practical applications: extreme roller wear. The root cause lies in the fact that the contact between the Mecanum wheel's rollers and the ground is closer to sliding friction than the pure rolling motion of a typical tire. During robot movement, some of the driving torque is consumed in overcoming this unnecessary friction, reducing the torque actually available for effective motion and accelerating roller surface wear.
[0003] Currently, existing solutions to the wear problem of Mecanum wheels mainly focus on material improvements, such as using wear-resistant polyurethane or optimizing surface structures. However, none of these solutions address the torque loss caused by sliding friction at the kinetic mechanism level. Especially in substation robots that require frequent long-distance linear movements, such as corridor inspections, the continuous rotation of the rollers exacerbates wear. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a wheeled inspection robot structure that can change the roller's operating mode and reduce ineffective wear during long-distance linear movements. Summary of the Invention
[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes a wheeled inspection robot for substations that can reduce roller wear.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a wheeled inspection robot for substations, comprising a robot body, a drive turntable and rollers, wherein one end of the drive turntable penetrates the robot body and extends into the robot body, and a drive gear disk is fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the drive turntable inside the robot body, so that the drive structure of the robot body can control the operation of the drive turntable through the drive gear disk. One end of the drive turntable is detachably connected to a rotating sleeve, the outer wall of the rotating sleeve is fitted with a support sleeve, one end of the rotating sleeve is detachably connected to a support plate, and the outer walls on both sides of the roller are rotatably fitted with collars, one collar is fixed to the support sleeve, and the other collar is fixed to the support plate. The outer walls of the support sleeve and the rotating sleeve are provided with a communicating groove, and a fixing structure is provided in the groove. The fixing structure includes a fixing rod provided in the groove, a fixing retaining ring fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod, and a compression spring sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod. One end of the compression spring abuts against the fixing retaining ring, and the other end of the compression spring is fixed to the inner wall of the groove. One end of the groove is provided with a threaded hole, and a threaded retaining ring is threadedly connected in the threaded hole. The threaded retaining ring is slidably sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod. A fixed insertion tube is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the robot body, and a pressing top is provided at one end of the fixed insertion tube.
[0006] Furthermore, the extrusion top includes a cylinder fixedly connected to the fixed insertion tube, and one end of the cylinder is fixedly connected to an upper flat cone block; When the robot moves a long distance in a straight line, the cylinder pushes the cone block to move. The cone block presses against one end of the fixed top rod, causing the fixed top rod to insert into the collar and press against the roller, thus fixing the roller so that it cannot rotate.
[0007] Furthermore, one end of the roller is provided with a threaded groove, and a toggle rod is threadedly connected in the threaded groove. A undulating block is fixedly connected to the side wall of the robot body. When the roller rotates to the side of the undulating block, the toggle rod contacts the undulating block and drives the roller to rotate at a certain angle.
[0008] Furthermore, a soft pad with anti-slip texture is attached to the lower surface of the wave block.
[0009] Furthermore, one end of the fixed top rod is provided with a slot, and a ball is provided in the slot. After the cone block moves to a certain position, the ball can contact the cone block.
[0010] Furthermore, the compression spring is in a compressed state when the fixed top rod is pressed by the cone block, and pushes the fixed top rod to reset when the cone block retracts to release the fixation of the roller.
[0011] Furthermore, the drive turntable, roller, rotating sleeve, support sleeve, support plate, and fixing structure constitute a set of Mecanum wheel assemblies, and four sets of the Mecanum wheel assemblies are provided on the inspection robot body.
[0012] Furthermore, the roller includes a main rod, with a rotating shaft fixedly connected to both ends of the main rod. A roller body is sleeved on the outer wall of the main rod, and a collar is sleeved on the outer wall of the rotating shaft. A limiting block is sleeved on the outer wall of the rotating shaft, and the limiting block is threadedly connected to the main rod.
[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. This invention, through a selectively fixed roller structure, allows the robot to move a long distance in a straight line. A cylinder pushes a cone block to press against a fixed push rod, causing the push rod to insert into a collar and tighten the roller, forcing it to stop rotating. At this point, the Mecanum wheel no longer experiences sliding friction and moves forward in a pure rolling motion, eliminating the ineffective torque loss caused by the passive rotation of the roller and extending its service life.
[0014] 2. This invention features a cooperative structure between a toggle lever and a undulating block. During long-distance movement, the upper roller is not fixed. When it rotates to the side of the undulating block, the toggle lever and the undulating block come into frictional contact, causing the roller to rotate at a certain angle. This ensures that even when the roller is fixed, its contact area with the ground changes intermittently, thus preventing wear from concentrating on a single fixed arc surface and guaranteeing uniform wear of the roller during long-term linear movement. Attached Figure Description
[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged structural diagram at point A; Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of the present invention; Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point B; Figure 5 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the present invention; Figure 6 is Figure 5 Enlarged structural diagram at point C; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the cone block structure of the present invention; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the roller structure of the present invention.
[0016] In the diagram: 1. Robot body; 2. Drive turntable; 3. Roller; 4. Drive gear disk; 5. Rotating sleeve; 6. Support sleeve; 7. Support disk; 8. Collar; 9. Groove; 10. Fixed top rod; 11. Fixed retaining ring; 12. Compression spring; 13. Threaded retaining ring; 14. Fixed insertion tube; 15. Cylinder; 16. Cone block; 17. Actuating rod; 18. Fluctuating block; 19. Slot; 20. Ball bearing; 21. Main rod; 22. Rotating shaft; 23. Limiting block; 24. Threaded hole; 25. Threaded groove; 26. Roller body. Detailed Implementation
[0017] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.
[0018] Please see Figures 1 to 8 A wheeled inspection robot for substations includes a robot body 1, a drive turntable 2 and a roller 3. One end of the drive turntable 2 passes through the robot body 1 and extends into the robot body 1. A drive gear disk 4 is fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the drive turntable 2 inside the robot body 1, so that the drive structure of the robot body 1 can control the drive turntable 2 to operate through the drive gear disk 4. The drive structure is a motor with gears, the gears are fixed on the drive end of the motor, and the outer wall of the gears meshes with the drive gear disk 4. One end of the drive turntable 2 is detachably connected to a rotating sleeve 5. The outer wall of the rotating sleeve 5 is fitted with a support sleeve 6. One end of the rotating sleeve 5 is detachably connected to a support plate 7. The outer walls on both sides of the roller 3 are rotatably fitted with collars 8. One collar 8 is fixed to the support sleeve 6, and the other collar 8 is fixed to the support plate 7. The outer walls of the support sleeve 6 and the rotating sleeve 5 are provided with a communicating groove 9. A fixing structure is provided inside the groove 9. The fixing structure includes a fixing rod 10 set inside the groove 9. A fixing retaining ring 11 is fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod 10. A compression spring 12 is sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod 10. One end of the compression spring 12 abuts against the fixing retaining ring 11. The other end of the compression spring 12 is fixed to the inner wall of the groove 9. A threaded hole 24 is provided at one end of the groove 9. A threaded retaining ring 13 is threadedly connected inside the threaded hole 24. The threaded retaining ring 13 is slidably sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod 10. A fixed insertion tube 14 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the robot body 1, and a pressing top is provided at one end of the fixed insertion tube 14.
[0019] As can be seen from the above structure, the robot adopts a Mecanum wheel structure, with roller 3 rotatably mounted between support sleeve 6 and support plate 7 via collar 8. When the fixing function is not activated, roller 3 can rotate freely, achieving omnidirectional movement. When long-distance linear movement is required, the pressing top element is activated, transmitting force to the fixed top rod 10 through the fixed insertion tube 14, causing it to move axially along the groove 9 and press against the inner wall of roller 3, thereby preventing roller 3 from rotating. At this time, roller 3 of the Mecanum wheel no longer generates sliding friction, but moves forward in the pure rolling manner of ordinary wheels, eliminating the ineffective torque loss caused by the passive rotation of roller 3, extending the service life of roller 3. Compression spring 12 provides restoring force when fixed top rod 10 retracts. Threaded retaining ring 13 and fixed retaining ring 11 are used to limit the stroke of fixed top rod 10.
[0020] Furthermore, the extrusion top includes a cylinder 15 fixedly connected to the fixed insertion tube 14. One end of the cylinder 15 is fixedly connected to an upper flat cone 16. The lower half of the cone 16 is in the shape of a semi-circular frustum with a semi-circular cross-section, and the upper half of the cone 16 is in the shape of a flat semi-elliptical frustum with a semi-elliptical cross-section. The major axis of the semi-ellipse is equal to the diameter of the semicircle at the corresponding point of the lower half; the minor axis is shorter than the major axis at the same height, thus making the upper part of the cone 16 flat (e.g., Figure 7 (as shown) When the robot body 1 moves a long distance in a straight line, the cylinder 15 pushes the cone block 16 to move. The cone block 16 presses against one end of the fixed top rod 10, causing the fixed top rod 10 to insert into the collar 8 and press against the roller 3, fixing the roller 3 so that it cannot rotate. When the robot body 1 needs to move a long distance in a straight line, the cylinder 15 is activated, pushing the cone block 16 to move. The inclined surface of the cone block 16 contacts the end of the fixed top rod 10. Due to the inclined surface, the fixed top rod 10 is pushed outward, and its front end passes through the reserved hole on the collar 8, pressing against the inner wall of the roller 3, preventing the roller 3 from rotating relative to the collar 8. At this time, the roller 3 is equivalent to an ordinary wheel, moving forward by rolling. The flat design of the top of the cone block 16 ensures that the roller 3 above is not fixed, providing a basis for subsequent control of the rotation of the roller 3 above.
[0021] Furthermore, one end of the roller 3 has a threaded groove 25, and a lever 17 is threadedly connected inside the threaded groove 25. A undulating block 18 is fixedly connected to the side wall of the robot body 1. When the roller 3 rotates to the side of the undulating block 18, the lever 17 contacts the undulating block 18 and drives the roller 3 to rotate at a certain angle. During the long-distance linear movement of the robot body 1, when the roller 3, which is not fixed above, rotates to the position of the undulating block 18, the lever 17 fixed in the threaded groove 25 at the end of the roller 3 makes physical contact with the undulating block 18. Since the undulating block 18 is fixed, the lever 17 rotates around itself under the action of friction, thereby driving the entire roller 3 to rotate through a small angle. In this way, the contact area between the roller 3 and the ground changes, avoiding excessive local wear caused by long-term friction in a fixed position, allowing the wear surface of the roller 3 to change cyclically, improving the utilization rate of the roller 3, and further extending its service life.
[0022] Furthermore, a soft pad with anti-slip texture is attached to the lower surface of the oscillating block 18; when the lever 17 passes by, the anti-slip texture on the soft pad increases the coefficient of friction between it and the lever 17, ensuring that the lever 17 can rotate reliably; at the same time, the soft pad has a certain degree of elasticity, which can buffer the impact, reduce contact noise, and reduce direct wear between the oscillating block 18 and the lever 17.
[0023] Furthermore, a groove 19 is provided at one end of the fixed push rod 10, and a ball bearing 20 is disposed in the groove 19. After the cone block 16 moves to a certain position, the ball bearing 20 can contact the cone block 16. A groove 19 is provided at the end of the fixed push rod 10 that contacts the cone block 16, and a freely rolling ball bearing 20 is embedded therein. When the cylinder 15 pushes the cone block 16 closer, the inclined surface of the cone block 16 contacts the ball bearing 20 to reduce wear between the fixed push rod 10 and the cone block 16.
[0024] Furthermore, the compression spring 12 is compressed when the fixed push rod 10 is pressed by the cone block 16. When the cone block 16 retracts, it pushes the fixed push rod 10 to reset, thus releasing the fixation on the roller 3. When the long-distance linear movement ends and the cylinder 15 drives the cone block 16 to retract, the pressing force of the cone block 16 on the fixed push rod 10 disappears. At this time, the previously compressed compression spring 12 releases its elastic potential energy, pushing the fixed retaining ring 11 to move the fixed push rod 10 in the opposite direction, causing its front end to detach from the inner wall of the roller 3. The roller 3 resumes free rotation, and the robot body 1 regains its omnidirectional movement capability.
[0025] Furthermore, the drive turntable 2, roller 3, rotating sleeve 5, support sleeve 6, support plate 7, and fixing structure constitute a set of Mecanum wheel assemblies. Four sets of Mecanum wheel assemblies are installed on the robot body 1. Each of the four Mecanum wheel assemblies, including the drive turntable 2, roller 3, rotating sleeve 5, support sleeve 6, support plate 7, and fixing structure, works in concert to provide lateral, diagonal, and in-situ rotation capabilities when omnidirectional movement is required. During long-distance straight-line movement, all four wheels are fixed simultaneously, ensuring stability and low wear characteristics during straight-line travel. This configuration is compatible with existing mainstream inspection robot chassis and requires no changes to the overall layout.
[0026] Furthermore, the roller 3 includes a main rod 21, with a rotating shaft 22 fixedly connected to both ends of the main rod 21. A roller body 26 is sleeved on the outer wall of the main rod 21, and a collar 8 is sleeved on the outer wall of the rotating shaft 22. A limiting block 23 is sleeved on the outer wall of the rotating shaft 22, and the limiting block 23 is threadedly connected to the main rod 21. The limiting block 23 can clamp the roller body 26 on the outer wall of the main rod 21, restricting the axial movement of the roller body 26.
[0027] In this invention, under normal circumstances, the pressing top component does not move. At this time, the fixed top rod 10 is in a retracted state under the elastic force of the compression spring 12, and its front end is detached from the inner wall of the roller 3. The roller 3 can rotate freely through the collar 8, and the robot maintains the omnidirectional movement capability of the Mecanum wheel, enabling it to move flexibly in substation environments with dense equipment and narrow passages; When the robot needs to make long-distance linear movements, cylinder 15 is activated. Cylinder 15 pushes the flat cone 16 above forward. The inclined surface of the cone 16 contacts the ball bearing 20 at the end of the fixed push rod 10. The ball bearing 20 is embedded in the groove 19 at the end of the fixed push rod 10. Under the action of the inclined surface, the fixed push rod 10 overcomes the elastic force of the compression spring 12 and moves outward along the axial direction of the groove 9. The front end of the fixed push rod 10 passes through the reserved hole on the collar 8 and presses against the inner wall of the roller 3, forcing the roller 3 to stop rotating. At this time, the roller 3 of the Mecanum wheel is equivalent to an ordinary wheel, moving forward only by pure rolling, eliminating the sliding friction caused by the passive rotation of the roller 3, thereby reducing wear. Furthermore, during long-distance linear movement, because the upper part of the cone block 16 has a flat structure, the fixed top rod 10 corresponding to the roller 3 that has rotated to the upper position will not be squeezed by the cone block 16, so the roller 3 maintains free rotation. When the roller 3 continues to rotate to the side of the undulating block 18 fixed on the side wall of the robot body 1, the actuating rod 17 installed in the threaded groove 25 at the end of the roller 3 contacts the anti-slip textured pad on the lower surface of the undulating block 18. Under the action of friction, the actuating rod 17 rotates, causing the roller 3 to rotate at a certain angle. This causes the contact area between the roller 3 and the ground to change, thereby distributing the wear evenly across the entire circumferential surface of the roller 3 and avoiding excessive local wear.
[0028] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended technical solutions and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A wheeled inspection robot for a substation, comprising a robot body (1), a drive turntable (2), and rollers (3), wherein one end of the drive turntable (2) penetrates the robot body (1) and extends into the interior of the robot body (1), and a drive gear disk (4) is fixedly fitted on the outer wall of the drive turntable (2) inside the robot body (1), and the drive structure of the robot body (1) can control the operation of the drive turntable (2) through the drive gear disk (4), characterized in that: One end of the drive turntable (2) is detachably connected to a rotating sleeve (5), the outer wall of the rotating sleeve (5) is fitted with a support sleeve (6), one end of the rotating sleeve (5) is detachably connected to a support plate (7), and the outer walls on both sides of the roller (3) are rotatably fitted with collars (8), one collar (8) is fixed to the support sleeve (6), and the other collar (8) is fixed to the support plate (7); The outer walls of the support sleeve (6) and the rotating sleeve (5) are provided with a communicating groove (9), and a fixing structure is provided in the groove (9); the fixing structure includes a fixing rod (10) provided in the groove (9), a fixing retaining ring (11) is fixedly sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod (10), a compression spring (12) is sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod (10), one end of the compression spring (12) abuts against the fixing retaining ring (11), the other end of the compression spring (12) is fixed to the inner wall of the groove (9), a threaded hole (24) is provided at one end of the groove (9), a threaded retaining ring (13) is threadedly connected in the threaded hole (24), and the threaded retaining ring (13) is slidably sleeved on the outer wall of the fixing rod (10); The inner wall of the robot body (1) is fixedly connected to a fixed insertion tube (14), and one end of the fixed insertion tube (14) is provided with a pressing top.
2. The wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 1, characterized in that, The extrusion top includes a cylinder (15) fixedly connected to the fixed insertion tube (14), and one end of the cylinder (15) is fixedly connected to an upper flat cone block (16). When the robot body (1) moves a long distance in a straight line, the cylinder (15) pushes the cone (16) to move, and the cone (16) squeezes one end of the fixed top rod (10), so that the fixed top rod (10) is inserted into the collar (8) and presses against the roller (3), and the fixed roller (3) is prevented from rotating.
3. A wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, One end of the roller (3) is provided with a threaded groove (25), and a lever (17) is threadedly connected in the threaded groove (25). A undulating block (18) is fixedly connected to the side wall of the robot body (1). When the roller (3) rotates to the side of the undulating block (18), the lever (17) contacts the undulating block (18) and drives the roller (3) to rotate at a certain angle.
4. A wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lower surface of the wave block (18) is covered with a soft pad with anti-slip texture.
5. A wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 1, 2, or 4, characterized in that, One end of the fixed top rod (10) is provided with a slot (19), and a ball (20) is provided in the slot (19). After the cone block (16) moves to a certain position, the ball (20) can contact the cone block (16).
6. A wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 3, characterized in that, One end of the fixed top rod (10) is provided with a slot (19), and a ball (20) is provided in the slot (19). After the cone block (16) moves to a certain position, the ball (20) can contact the cone block (16).
7. A wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 1, 2, 4 or 6, characterized in that, The compression spring (12) is in a compressed state when the fixed top rod (10) is squeezed by the cone block (16), and pushes the fixed top rod (10) to reset when the cone block (16) retracts to release the fixation of the roller (3).
8. A wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 3, characterized in that, The compression spring (12) is in a compressed state when the fixed top rod (10) is squeezed by the cone block (16), and pushes the fixed top rod (10) to reset when the cone block (16) retracts to release the fixation of the roller (3).
9. A wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8, characterized in that, The drive turntable (2), roller (3), rotating sleeve (5), support sleeve (6), support plate (7) and fixing structure constitute a set of Mecanum wheel assemblies, and four sets of Mecanum wheel assemblies are provided on the robot body (1).
10. A wheeled inspection robot for substations according to claim 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8, characterized in that, The roller (3) includes a main rod (21), with a rotating shaft (22) fixedly connected to both ends of the main rod (21). A roller body (26) is sleeved on the outer wall of the main rod (21), and a collar (8) is sleeved on the outer wall of the rotating shaft (22). A limiting block (23) is sleeved on the outer wall of the rotating shaft (22), and the limiting block (23) is threadedly connected to the main rod (21).