A lifting arm structure for a pipeline conveyor inspection robot in bulk cargo terminals

Abstract

A lifting arm structure for a robot inspecting conveyor belts at bulk cargo terminals is disclosed, specifically comprising a fixed base A, a fixed base B, a drive arm, a slider, a gimbal upper hinge, a gimbal arm, a gimbal lower hinge, an inspection module, a bending arm, a lead screw motor, an L-shaped folding arm, hinge point A, and hinge point B. This invention utilizes a lead screw motor drive system to provide precise power. Leveraging the ease of remote control, small pitch, and smooth transmission of the lead screw, it achieves precise position adjustment of the inspection system. This lifting arm features high-precision inspection, adaptability to the arc-shaped shape of the conveyor belt, efficient and convenient adjustment of the detection position in conjunction with the robot's inspection track, ease of intelligent remote control, safety, reliability, and a simple structural design. It significantly improves inspection efficiency and accuracy, reduces maintenance labor intensity and safety risks, and has broad application prospects in the field of conveyor belt inspection at terminals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of port bulk cargo transportation safety supervision technology, specifically relating to a lifting arm structure suitable for a pipeline inspection robot at a bulk cargo terminal. Background Technology

[0002] Pipe conveyors, with their advantages of large conveying capacity, strong load-bearing capacity, and ability to transport goods over long distances, are widely used in bulk cargo terminal transportation. However, due to their structural characteristics, pipe conveyors are prone to problems such as twisting, misalignment, belt folding, and tube expansion, which can lead to serious safety accidents in severe cases. Furthermore, the long operating distances, numerous monitoring points, harsh working environments, and poor lighting of pipe conveyors make manual inspection difficult. Introducing intelligent inspection robot technology can effectively improve the operational safety of pipe conveyors.

[0003] The published inspection robot technologies are mainly applied in underground coal mines and power transmission line inspections. However, there are still technological breakthroughs needed to achieve intelligent inspection using robots in port and dock conveyor belt transportation. These breakthroughs mainly involve the adaptability of the equipment to the port conveyor belt transportation process layout, as well as the detection range and capability coverage of the operating devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a new type of lifting arm structure for bulk cargo terminal pipe conveyor inspection robots, which features a simple structure, high precision inspection, accurate detection direction, easy intelligent remote control, efficient and convenient adjustment of the inspection robot's detection position, and full coverage of the pipe conveyor's detection range.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0006] A lifting arm structure for a conveyor inspection robot suitable for bulk cargo terminals mainly consists of (1) a fixed base A, (2) a fixed base B, (3) a drive arm, (4) a slider, (5) a gimbal top hinge, (6) a gimbal arm, (7) a gimbal bottom hinge, (8) an inspection module, (9) a bending arm, (10) a screw motor, (11) an L-shaped folding arm, (12) hinge point A, and (13) hinge point B. The characteristic feature is that the drive component is a screw motor (10), which drives the slider (4) to move; the fixed base B (2) and the drive arm (3) are hinged together, and the drive arm (3) is hinged to the slider (4). The screw motor (10) drives the slider (4) to move, causing the L-shaped folding arm (11) to move around the hinge point B. (13) Rotation; The fixed base A (1), gimbal arm (6), bending arm (9), and L-shaped folding arm (11) form a parallelogram four-bar linkage mechanism, which can make the gimbal arm (6) always parallel to the fixed base A (1). The fixed base A (1) is vertically fixed to ensure that the gimbal arm (6) remains vertical during the operation. At the same time, the horizontal displacement of the parallelogram swing ensures that the front end of the gimbal arm (6) is always close to the conveyor belt, adapting to the arc shape of the conveyor belt. The inspection module (8) installed at the lower end of the gimbal arm (6) swings up and down and horizontally with the swing of the gimbal arm (6). Due to the action of the four-bar linkage mechanism, the inspection module (8) always faces forward when it moves up and down. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the lifting arm of the pipe conveyor inspection robot of the present invention.

[0008] In the diagram: 1. Fixed base A; 2. Fixed base B; 3. Drive arm; 4. Slider; 5. Upper hinge of the gimbal; 6. Gimbal arm; 7. Lower hinge of the gimbal; 8. Inspection module; 9. Bending arm; 10. Screw motor; 11. L-shaped folding arm; 12. Hinge point A; 13. Hinge point B. Detailed Implementation

[0009] See Figure 1 The working principle and manufacturing process of this invention are as follows:

[0010] Fixed base A(1) and fixed base B(2) are the installation bases for the entire lifting arm structure. They are installed and fixed below the walking robot body to ensure that the lifting arm structure and the inspection robot body move synchronously along the inspection track to achieve inspection walking.

[0011] One end of the L-shaped folding arm (11) and the curved arm (9) are respectively hinged to the fixed base A (1) through hinge point B (13) and hinge point A (12), and the other end is respectively hinged to the gimbal arm (6) through the gimbal top hinge (5) and the gimbal bottom hinge (7). The L-shaped folding arm (11), the curved arm (9), the gimbal arm (6) and the fixed base A (1) form a movable parallelogram four-bar linkage mechanism.

[0012] The outer end of the slider (4) is embedded inside the horizontal section of the L-shaped folding arm (11), and the lead screw of the lead screw motor (10) passes through the inner side. It can move along the horizontal section of the L-shaped folding arm (11). The lead screw motor (10) is installed at the end of the horizontal section of the L-shaped folding arm (11). When the motor is activated, the lead screw rotates, driving the slider to move in a specified direction.

[0013] The upper end of the drive arm (3) is hinged to the fixed base B (2), and the lower end is hinged to the slider (4). When the slider (4) moves, it drives the L-shaped folding arm (11) and the gimbal arm (6) to swing up and down, thereby realizing the position adjustment of the inspection module (8).

[0014] The inspection module (8) installed at the lower end of the gimbal arm (6) swings up and down with the swing of the gimbal arm (6). At the same time, the horizontal displacement of the parallelogram swing ensures that the front end of the gimbal arm (6) is always close to the conveyor belt, adapting to the arc shape of the conveyor belt. Due to the action of the four-bar linkage mechanism of the L-shaped folding arm (11), the bending arm (9), the gimbal arm (6) and the fixed base A (1), the inspection module (8) always faces forward during the swing process.

[0015] By remotely controlling the start, stop and rotation of the lead screw motor (10), the inspection module (8) can be manipulated to swing to the required height and close to the outer contour of the pipe conveyor being inspected. During the swing, the monitoring device always faces the object being inspected, thereby achieving dynamic inspection and full coverage of the same section inspection position.

[0016] The lifting arm structure enables vertical attitude adjustment and horizontal adjustment of the conveyor cross-section. The inspection robot track is laid out along the length of the conveyor. The inspection robot body, along with the entire lifting arm structure, can move horizontally along the length of the conveyor. The vertical swing of the lifting arm structure and the horizontal adjustment of the conveyor cross-section, combined with the horizontal movement of the inspection robot along the length of the conveyor, can ultimately achieve full coverage of the inspected conveyor by the monitoring area of ​​the inspection module.

Claims

1. A lifting arm structure for a conveyor belt inspection robot suitable for bulk cargo terminals, mainly composed of (1) a fixed base A, (2) a fixed base B, (3) a drive arm, (4) a slider, (5) a gimbal top hinge, (6) a gimbal arm, (7) a gimbal bottom hinge, (8) an inspection module, (9) a bending arm, (10) a lead screw motor, (11) an L-shaped folding arm, (12) hinge point A, and (13) hinge point B, characterized in that: The driving component is a screw motor (10), which drives the slider (4) to move; the fixed base B (2) and the driving arm (3) are hinged, the driving arm (3) and the slider (4) are hinged, the screw motor (10) drives the slider (4) to move and drive the L-shaped folding arm (11) to rotate around the hinge point B (13); the fixed base A (1), the gimbal arm (6), the bending arm (9), and the L-shaped folding arm (11) form a parallelogram four-bar linkage mechanism, which can make the gimbal arm (6) always parallel to the fixed base A (1). The fixed base A (1) is vertically fixed to ensure that the gimbal arm (6) is always vertical during the movement process. At the same time, the horizontal displacement of the parallelogram swing ensures that the front end of the gimbal arm (6) is always close to the conveyor belt, adapting to the arc shape of the conveyor belt; the inspection module (8) installed at the lower end of the gimbal arm (6) swings up and down and horizontally with the swing of the gimbal arm (6). Due to the action of the four-bar linkage mechanism, the inspection robot (8) always faces forward during the swing process.

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