Automatic cleaning and lubrication system and control method for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers

Abstract

This invention provides an automatic cleaning and oiling system and control method for the stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers. The system includes a lifting power mechanism, stay cables, multiple cable pulley blocks, an automatic oiling machine mechanism, an oiling head, and a rust removal and cleaning component. The automatic oiling machine mechanism is slidably connected to the stay cables of the iron tower via a climbing and walking mechanism. One end of the stay cable is connected to the climbing and walking mechanism, and the stay cable is sequentially connected to the oiling head and the cable pulley blocks. The other end of the stay cable is connected to the lifting power mechanism, which pulls the stay cable. The rust removal and cleaning component is wound around the stay cables of the iron tower. The oiling head is slidably connected to the stay cables of the iron tower and located behind the rust removal and cleaning component. The lifting power mechanism pulls the oiling head. This invention enables automated clamping, climbing, and movement of the equipment on the stay cables of the iron tower, and integrates a complete maintenance process of efficient surface rust removal, deep cleaning, and quantitative automatic oiling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of maintenance equipment for cable-stayed tower facilities, and in particular to an automatic cleaning and oiling system and control method for cable-stayed towers of light and medium-sized steel towers. Background Technology

[0002] In existing technologies, light and medium-sized iron towers (such as communication towers, power transmission towers, and meteorological observation towers) are crucial components of modern infrastructure, and their structural stability and safety are paramount. As key load-bearing components of the tower, stay cables are constantly exposed to the open environment, suffering from wind, sun, rain erosion, and industrial air pollution, making them highly susceptible to surface dust accumulation, oxidation, rust, and internal wire corrosion. This not only reduces the mechanical strength of the stay cables but can even lead to catastrophic accidents such as cable breakage and tower collapse. Therefore, regular rust removal, cleaning, and oiling (lubrication) maintenance of the stay cables are essential measures to ensure the safe operation of the iron tower.

[0003] However, in the existing operation and maintenance of cable-stayed towers, the maintenance methods for light and medium-sized towers are still at a relatively primitive stage due to limitations in space, load-bearing capacity, and cost. Currently, the main approach relies on manual high-altitude climbing combined with simple handheld tools: maintenance personnel must carry cleaning brushes, manual rust removal tools, and ordinary oil cans to climb to the top of the tower, and manually move the tools alternately while suspended in mid-air to painstakingly complete the rust removal, cleaning, and oiling processes for each section of the cable-stayed tower.

[0004] This traditional operating model has revealed the following obvious defects and drawbacks in practical engineering applications: I. Extremely High Personnel Safety Risks: Cable-stayed bridge maintenance is a typical high-altitude, suspended operation. Workers at heights of hundreds of meters not only have to overcome psychological fear but also face complex and ever-changing wind conditions. Manual climbing and prolonged stays for high-intensity physical labor greatly increase the risk of serious accidents such as falls due to fatigue, wind interference, or failure of safety protection.

[0005] Second, low operational efficiency: Relying on manual alternating operation of simple tools has extremely limited efficiency, and the maintenance of a single stay cable often takes several hours or even days. When faced with large-scale tower maintenance needs within a region, the traditional manual mode cannot achieve rapid response and batch operations, and the maintenance cycle is severely prolonged.

[0006] Third, operational precision and maintenance quality cannot be guaranteed: Manual operation is highly arbitrary and uncontrollable. In the confined space of high-altitude environments, uneven application of force can lead to incomplete rust removal on the leeward side or in hard-to-reach areas of the cable stays. Furthermore, manual oiling makes it difficult to precisely control the oil volume and coating pressure, easily resulting in localized over-oiling, missed areas, or uneven oiling. This leads to inconsistent quality of the anti-corrosion layer on the cable stays after maintenance, making it difficult to achieve the standard anti-corrosion efficiency.

[0007] Fourth, persistently high operation and maintenance costs: Traditional maintenance is a typical labor-intensive operation, requiring a large number of specialized high-altitude workers and corresponding safety equipment. Coupled with long operation cycles, this results in extremely high overall time and economic costs, placing a heavy operational and maintenance burden on tower asset owners.

[0008] 5. Poor stability of simple tools, prone to secondary disasters: Currently used simple tools such as cleaning brushes and oil cans lack assembly and fixing structures specifically designed for the outer circumference of the stay cable and its tilt angle. When performing reciprocating work along the stay cable, the overall stability of the tools is extremely poor. Under gravity or operational fluctuations, they are prone to slipping, deflection, or axial displacement. This not only prevents continuous work but also poses a serious safety hazard of falling objects to personnel or equipment below the tower.

[0009] Therefore, in the current field of light and medium-sized iron tower cable-stayed maintenance, there is a severe lack of integrated, fully automated maintenance equipment that can replace manual labor, handle multiple processes, and possess highly stable clamping and automatic high-altitude climbing capabilities. Overcoming the risks of high-altitude operations and improving the consistency and efficiency of rust removal and oiling are pressing technical bottlenecks that the iron tower maintenance industry urgently needs to address. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of manual maintenance of cable stays in the prior art, which are characterized by high personnel safety risks, low maintenance efficiency, poor work quality, high operation and maintenance costs, and poor work stability due to the lack of dedicated assembly and fixing structure for simple tools. The present invention provides an automatic cleaning and oiling system and control method for cable stays of light and medium-sized iron towers.

[0011] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution: An automatic cleaning and oiling system for the stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers is characterized in that the automatic cleaning and oiling system includes a lifting power mechanism, a cable, multiple cable pulley blocks, an automatic oiling machine mechanism, an oiling head, and a rust removal and cleaning component. The automatic oiling machine mechanism is slidably connected to the stay cables of the iron tower via a climbing and walking mechanism. One end of the cable is connected to the climbing and walking mechanism. The cable is sequentially connected to the oiling head and the cable pulley blocks, and the other end is connected to the lifting power mechanism. The lifting power mechanism pulls the cable. The rust removal and cleaning component is wound around the cable of the iron tower. The oil injection head is slidably connected to the cable of the iron tower and located behind the rust removal and cleaning component. The oil injection head is pulled by the lifting power mechanism, thereby pushing the rust removal and cleaning component to clean the cable of the iron tower. After cleaning, the oil injection head injects oil into the cable of the iron tower.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic cleaning and oiling system further includes: an intelligent control module, an image acquisition module, and a control motor; the image acquisition module is used to acquire real-time images of the surface of the cable-stayed steel cable before and after cleaning by the rust removal and cleaning components; the intelligent control module has a built-in defect identification algorithm and a speed adaptive control algorithm, and the intelligent control module identifies the rust level of the cable-stayed steel cable of the tower according to the image acquisition module, calculates the target oiling volume and crawling speed, and then outputs control signals to the control motor and the automatic oiling machine mechanism to dynamically adjust the running speed of the crawling walking mechanism and the oil flow rate of the oiling head.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, pressure sensors are further provided on the climbing and walking mechanism and the rust removal and cleaning component, and torque sensors are provided on the lifting power mechanism.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the climbing and walking mechanism adopts a steel cable with three-eyed double pulleys.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cable pulley assembly is respectively installed at the upper and lower ends of the tower column.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic grease dispenser mechanism includes a frame, a sunken high-pressure grease dispenser, a grease tank, a power supply, and a controller, wherein the sunken high-pressure grease dispenser, the grease tank, the power supply, and the controller are integrated within the frame.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic oiling mechanism is connected to the oiling head via an oiling pipe.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic cleaning and oiling system further includes a control module, which is encapsulated and sealed in a fixed box and fixed to the top of the frame.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the frame is an integrated adjustable frame made of aluminum alloy.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oil injection head and the cable-stayed tower are connected by a snap-fit ​​connection.

[0021] This invention also provides a control method for an automatic cleaning and lubrication system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables, characterized in that the control method employs the automatic cleaning and lubrication system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables as described above, and the control method includes the following steps: S1. The intelligent control module acquires images of the cable-stayed steel cable surface before and after cleaning by the rust removal and cleaning component in real time through the image acquisition module, and uses the built-in defect recognition algorithm to identify the rust level of the cable-stayed steel cable of the tower. S2. The intelligent control module uses a built-in speed adaptive control algorithm to calculate the target oil injection amount and crawling speed according to the corrosion level, and then outputs control signals to the control motor and the automatic oil injection mechanism to dynamically adjust the running speed of the crawling walking mechanism and the oil flow rate of the oil injection head. S3. During the crawling process, the intelligent control module monitors in real time the radial pressure data transmitted by the pressure sensors installed on the crawling walking mechanism and the rust removal and cleaning component, as well as the torque data transmitted by the torque sensor installed on the lifting power mechanism; when the radial pressure detected by the pressure sensor exceeds the set safety threshold, and the torque detected by the torque sensor does not undergo abnormal sudden changes, the intelligent control module determines that the diameter of the steel cable tube has become thicker, outputs a control signal to the control motor, and drives the rust removal and cleaning component to loosen in order to reduce the radial pressure; S4. When the torque detected by the torque sensor exceeds the set limit threshold, the intelligent control module determines that the system has encountered mechanical jamming, immediately controls the lifting power mechanism to cut off the forward power and loosen the cable in the reverse direction, and at the same time controls the motor to drive the rust removal and cleaning component to perform reciprocating clamping and loosening actions to perform high-frequency excitation to remove resistance.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, step S1 includes: the intelligent control module assesses the cleaning quality based on the image of the surface of the cable-stayed cable after cleaning by the rust removal and cleaning component acquired by the image acquisition module, and calculates the percentage of residual rust area. When the percentage of the residual rust area is greater than the preset quality threshold, the current height coordinates are recorded as the area to be reworked. When the device performs the down-turn return and passes through the area to be reworked, the control motor and the automatic oiling machine mechanism are controlled to perform secondary cleaning and oiling of the area.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, step S1 includes: when the defect identification algorithm identifies a broken strand or broken wire defect on the surface of the cable-stayed tower cable, the intelligent control module synchronously transmits a cable-stayed cable structure broken strand early warning signal with the current height coordinates to the ground base station through the wireless communication module.

[0024] The positive and progressive effects of this invention are as follows: The present invention provides an automatic cleaning and lubrication system for the stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers, which has the following advantages: I. It can realize the automatic clamping, climbing and traveling along the line of the equipment on the cable stay of the iron tower, and integrates the whole process of maintenance operation of efficient surface rust removal, deep cleaning and quantitative automatic oiling.

[0025] Second, by introducing a dedicated modular assembly, rigid fixing and clamping, and quick-change structure design for vulnerable components, the operational stability and on-site practicality of the equipment in complex high-altitude tilt environments have been significantly improved.

[0026] Third, the automatic cleaning and oiling machine not only significantly improves the overall operation and maintenance efficiency of the cable stays and ensures the uniformity and high quality of anti-corrosion maintenance, but also fundamentally reduces the economic cost of long-term operation and maintenance and completely eliminates the major personnel safety risks faced by traditional manual high-altitude climbing operations.

[0027] Fourth, an image acquisition module is used to acquire real-time images of the steel cables before cleaning, and the built-in algorithm of the intelligent control module is used to quantify the corrosion level. The system no longer blindly sprays oil at a uniform speed and volume, but instead uses a speed adaptive control algorithm to achieve intelligent linkage control of "slow, deep grinding and more oil injection in heavily corroded areas, and rapid passing through normal cable sections with rated oil injection." This not only improves the efficiency of anti-corrosion maintenance of the cable stays by more than 40%, but also avoids the waste and leakage of lubricating grease at the source. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The above and other features, properties and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which the same reference numerals always denote the same features, wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic cleaning and oiling system for the stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers according to the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of section A.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic oiling machine mechanism in the automatic cleaning and oiling system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the rust removal and cleaning component in the automatic cleaning and oiling system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the oil injection head in the automatic cleaning and oiling system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the quick connector in the automatic cleaning and oiling system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the climbing and walking mechanism in the automatic cleaning and oiling system for light and medium-sized iron tower cable stays of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cable pulley block in the automatic cleaning and oiling system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. More details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can obviously be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar extensions and derivations based on actual application situations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0037] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that these and subsequent drawings are merely illustrative and are not drawn to scale, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used in all drawings to denote the same or similar parts.

[0038] Furthermore, although the terminology used in this invention is selected from commonly known and used terms, some terms mentioned in this specification may have been selected by the applicant in his or her judgment, and their detailed meanings are explained in the relevant sections of the description herein.

[0039] Furthermore, the invention should be understood not only through the actual terminology used, but also through the meaning implied by each term.

[0040] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this invention discloses an automatic cleaning and oiling system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables. Relying on a power mechanism for climbing, sweeping, and electric lifting, the system enables autonomous movement on the iron tower stay cables, completing the entire process of overall rust removal, cleaning, and automatic oiling of the stay cables, thus achieving integrated, stable, and easy-to-maintain equipment.

[0041] The automatic cleaning and oiling system for the stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers includes a lifting power mechanism 10, a cable 20, multiple cable pulley blocks 30, an automatic oiling machine mechanism 40, an oiling head 50, and a rust removal and cleaning component 60. The automatic oiling machine mechanism 40 is slidably connected to the stay cables 100 of the iron tower via a climbing and walking mechanism 70, and one end of the cable 20 is connected to the climbing and walking mechanism 70. Then, the cable 20 is sequentially connected to the oiling head 50 and the cable pulley blocks 30, and the other end is connected to the lifting power mechanism 10, which pulls the cable 20.

[0042] The lifting power mechanism 10 is preferably mounted on a fixed ground base. The lifting power mechanism 10 is preferably an electric lift. The climbing and walking mechanism 70 preferably employs a steel cable with three eye double pulleys (such as...). Figure 7 (As shown).

[0043] Cable pulley block 30 (e.g.) Figure 8 (As shown) are installed at the upper and lower ends of the tower column 110 respectively. The rust removal and cleaning component 60 is wound around the tower cable 100. The oil injection head 50 is slidably connected to the tower cable 100 and is located behind the rust removal and cleaning component 60. The lifting power mechanism 10 pulls the oil injection head 50, thereby pushing the rust removal and cleaning component 60 to clean the tower cable 100. After cleaning, the oil injection head 50 injects oil into the tower cable 100.

[0044] Preferably, the automatic grease dispenser mechanism 40 includes a frame 41, a sunken high-pressure grease dispenser, a grease tank, a power supply, and a controller (e.g., Figure 3 As shown, the sunken high-pressure grease machine, the oil drum, the power supply and the controller are integrated in the frame 41.

[0045] The automatic oiling mechanism 40 is connected to the oiling head 50 via the oiling pipe 80. The oiling head 50 is preferably connected to the cable 100 of the iron tower by a snap-fit ​​connection.

[0046] More specifically, considering that the oiling head 50 is adapted to the size of the cable-stayed bridge and that the rust removal and cleaning components 60 (e.g., rust removal brush, cleaning brush) are consumable parts, a quick-release assembly and replacement structure is adopted: the oiling head 50 is connected to the oiling pipe 80 by a snap-fit, and a sealing gasket ensures the oiling seal. Disassembly and replacement can be done manually without special tools. The rust removal and cleaning components 60 use a wound spring brush connected to the cable-stayed bridge, and are locked in place by a wound mechanism, enabling quick installation and easy removal of the components.

[0047] Meanwhile, the assembly interface is standardized, allowing for interchangeable assembly of the same type of consumable parts, thus improving the ease of replacement. The core function of this structure is to enable quick and convenient replacement of the oiling head and rust removal cleaning components, reducing equipment downtime for maintenance and further improving overall operation and maintenance efficiency, while ensuring the assembly accuracy of the replaced components and equipment, so as not to affect the quality of the operation.

[0048] The automatic cleaning and oiling system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables operates on the following principle: the equipment is secured to the light and medium-sized iron tower stay cable 100 via an adjustable frame. Power is provided by the lifting mechanism 10, driving the climbing and walking mechanism 70 to move the equipment autonomously along the iron tower stay cable 100. During the movement, the rust removal and cleaning component 60 first performs comprehensive rust removal and cleaning on the surface of the iron tower stay cable 100, removing surface rust and impurities. Subsequently, the automatic oiling mechanism 40 evenly applies protective grease to the cleaned surface of the iron tower stay cable 100 through the oiling head 50, completing the fully automated maintenance process. The entire process is controlled by the control module to regulate the actions of each mechanism, ensuring the continuity of the operation.

[0049] The automatic cleaning and oiling system also includes a control module, which is encapsulated and sealed in a fixed box and fixed to the top of the frame 41. The frame 41 is preferably an integrated adjustable frame made of aluminum alloy.

[0050] The automatic cleaning and oiling system for the stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers adopts an integrated frame structure, which includes the climbing and walking mechanism 70 (such as...). Figure 7 (as shown), Rust removal and cleaning component 60 (such as) Figure 4 As shown), automatic oiling mechanism 40 (e.g.) Figure 3 As shown, the lifting power mechanism 10 and control module are integrated into the same frame. The spatial layout of each mechanism is optimized according to the cable-stayed bridge maintenance workflow, ensuring coordination and interoperability of their actions. The frame is made of lightweight, high-strength alloy material, suitable for the load requirements of light and medium-sized towers. The frame is also designed as an adjustable structure to accommodate cable-stayed bridges of different diameters on light and medium-sized towers, improving the equipment's versatility. The core function of the integrated device is to achieve integrated cleaning, lubrication, and movement functions, eliminating the problem of scattered tools in existing technologies, realizing integrated operation of the equipment, and improving maintenance efficiency.

[0051] For the integrated frame structure, a multi-point fixing device is adopted, such as a fixed base for the lifting power mechanism, a winding fixing platform for the rust removal and cleaning components, a slide rail fixing platform for the automatic oiling mechanism, and a sealed fixing box for the control module. Each fixing device uses a detachable connection structure, ensuring precise positioning and secure fixing of each component during assembly, preventing component displacement or loosening during equipment movement on the cable-stayed bridge and operation. The core function of these fixing devices is to ensure the accuracy of the assembly of each component and the stability of operation, solving the technical problem of existing simple tools lacking dedicated fixing structures and being prone to slippage and displacement.

[0052] Based on the above structure, to achieve greater intelligence and automation, the automatic cleaning and oiling system further includes: an intelligent control module, an image acquisition module, and a control motor. The image acquisition module is used to acquire real-time images of the stay cables' surface before and after cleaning by the rust removal and cleaning components. The intelligent control module incorporates a defect identification algorithm and a speed adaptive control algorithm. Based on the image acquisition module, the intelligent control module identifies the rust level of the stay cables and calculates the target oiling volume and creeping speed. It then outputs control signals to the control motor and the automatic oiling mechanism to dynamically adjust the running speed of the creeping mechanism and the oil flow rate of the oiling head.

[0053] Furthermore, pressure sensors are installed on the climbing and walking mechanism 70 and the rust removal and cleaning component 60, and torque sensors are installed on the lifting power mechanism 10.

[0054] In this embodiment, the image acquisition module is divided into front and rear parts, such as a front camera and a rear camera. The front camera is installed at the front end of the climbing and walking mechanism 70, with a mechanical sleeve surrounding the steel cable. The front camera and a ring LED fill light are fixed to the inner wall of the sleeve, and the lens focuses on the untreated steel cable surface about 10cm to 20cm in front of the rust removal and cleaning component 60. This ensures that the algorithm has completed image recognition and calculated the adjustment parameters before the rust removal mechanism arrives. The rear camera is installed behind the grease injection head 50, also using a ring-shaped embedded design. The lens is aimed at the steel cable surface that has just been sprayed with grease, used to detect the uniformity of the oil film and residual rust spots in real time.

[0055] Based on the above structural description, and combined with the actual working conditions in the field, two specific implementation cases of stay cables with different specifications are listed below. All parameters are the optimal parameters verified in actual field operations. This embodiment is the main application solution for the meteorological tower maintenance project of Qin Erchang Geshan Meteorological Station, and is suitable for the maintenance work of 120mm diameter stay cables in this project.

[0056] Equipment Frame: The integrated adjustable frame is made of aluminum alloy, with arc-shaped anti-slip grooves on the inner side. The frame has a load capacity of ≥50kg, suitable for the load requirements of light and medium-sized meteorological towers. Standardized installation points are reserved on the frame to ensure the accuracy of assembly of each mechanism.

[0057] Power drive mechanism: A 24V DC geared motor is selected as the lifting power source. The climbing and walking mechanism adopts a steel cable with three eyes and double pulleys. The motor and gear drive the rope to rotate the roller. The walking speed of the equipment along the inclined cable can be adjusted to 5cm / s-10cm / s to meet the needs of on-site rust removal, cleaning and oiling.

[0058] Rust removal and cleaning components (such as) Figure 4 As shown): A composite rust removal brush (copper-plated wire + stainless steel wire) and a nylon wire are installed on the cable-stayed tower by winding. The oil injection head is pulled by the power mechanism, and the head of the oil injection head pushes the composite rust removal brush and the nylon brush to achieve the triple effect of rust removal, dust removal and old oil removal. In on-site operation, it can completely remove rust, dust and oil stains from the surface of the cable-stayed tower.

[0059] Automatic oiling mechanism (such as) Figure 3 As shown): For example, setting up a 10L oil storage tank, a high-pressure oil pump, and an oil injection head (such as...). Figure 5 As shown), the high-pressure oil pipeline consists of four main components: a 10L oil storage tank secured inside the equipment's frame, and the oil storage tank and the submerged high-pressure grease press are installed as a single unit. The output end of the submerged high-pressure grease press connects to multiple quick-connect fittings (such as...) via a high-pressure oil pipe. Figure 6 (As shown) The quick-connect fittings are equipped with oil-resistant sealing gaskets to prevent oil leakage. All oil injection heads are installed in a ring-type configuration on the stay cables, and multiple sizes of oil injection heads are available to accommodate stay cables of different outer diameters.

[0060] The oil injection head is fixed to the inclined steel cable and located behind the rust removal and cleaning components. This ensures that the oil injection operation is carried out immediately after cleaning, preventing moisture from adhering to the exposed steel cable and improving the protective effect. The oil injection head is arranged on the rear side of the rust removal and cleaning mechanism along the steel cable. When the equipment climbs along the steel cable, the steel cable first passes through the front rust removal brush body and then through the rear ring-shaped oil injection head.

[0061] The specific working process of the above-mentioned components is as follows: The equipment moves forward at a constant speed along the inclined steel cable. The front-end rust removal and cleaning mechanism first removes rust, dust, and aged oil stains from the surface of the steel cable. The synchronous high-pressure oil injection pump draws protective grease from the oil storage chamber and pressurizes it. The pressurized lubricating oil is then transported to the oil injection head through the high-pressure pipeline. The oil injection head sprays oil evenly around the circumference of the steel cable, immediately forming a continuous oil film on the clean and exposed surface of the steel cable. This isolates air and moisture, prevents secondary rust formation, and achieves continuous integrated cleaning and oiling operations.

[0062] Component mounting methods: The power motor is mounted on a ground-mounted base. The rust removal and cleaning components are wound around the steel cables of the tower. The oiling mechanism is wrapped around and fixed to the steel cables of the tower. The control module is encapsulated in a sealed mounting box and fixed to the top of the machine frame, suitable for outdoor field operation.

[0063] Component replacement method: The oil filling head has a snap-on connection, and replacement can be completed by manually snapping on / off. The stainless steel wire brush, nylon wire brush, and copper-plated wire brush are installed by wrapping. When switching the cable, the new cleaning component is wrapped around it. The entire on-site replacement process does not require special tools and takes ≤2 minutes.

[0064] On-site operation process: The equipment is clamped onto the upper surface of the 80mm-120mm diameter stay cable until it is tightly fitted with the cable. Workers on the ground start the equipment via the oiling machine control module. The power mechanism drives the climbing and walking mechanism, propelling the equipment along the stay cable. The front-end rust removal and cleaning components complete the rust removal and cleaning, while the rear oiling head simultaneously and evenly injects oil. The entire process requires no manual high-altitude operation. The entire maintenance process for a single 20m long stay cable takes ≤15 minutes.

[0065] The present invention also provides a control method for an automatic cleaning and lubrication system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables, which employs the automatic cleaning and lubrication system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables as described above. The control method includes the following steps: Step S1: The intelligent control module acquires images of the cable-stayed steel cable surface before and after cleaning by the image acquisition module, and uses the built-in defect recognition algorithm to identify the rust level of the cable-stayed steel cable of the tower.

[0066] Preferably, step S1 includes: the intelligent control module assesses the cleaning quality based on the image of the cable-stayed bridge surface after cleaning by the rust removal and cleaning component acquired by the image acquisition module, and calculates the percentage of residual rust area; When the percentage of the residual rust area is greater than the preset quality threshold, the current height coordinates are recorded as the area to be reworked. When the device performs the down-turn return and passes through the area to be reworked, the control motor and the automatic oiling machine mechanism are controlled to perform secondary cleaning and oiling of the area.

[0067] When the defect identification algorithm detects broken strands or broken wires on the surface of the cable-stayed tower, the intelligent control module synchronously transmits a cable-stayed structure broken strand warning signal with the current height coordinates to the ground base station via the wireless communication module.

[0068] More preferably, step S1 further includes: when the defect identification algorithm identifies a broken strand or broken wire defect on the surface of the cable-stayed tower cable, the intelligent control module synchronously transmits a cable-stayed cable structure broken strand early warning signal with the current height coordinates to the ground base station through the wireless communication module.

[0069] Step S2: The intelligent control module uses a built-in speed adaptive control algorithm to calculate the target oil injection amount and crawling speed according to the corrosion level, and then outputs control signals to the control motor and the automatic oil injection mechanism to dynamically adjust the running speed of the crawling walking mechanism and the oil flow rate of the oil injection head.

[0070] Step S3: During the crawling process, the intelligent control module monitors in real time the radial pressure data transmitted by the pressure sensors installed on the crawling walking mechanism and the rust removal and cleaning component, as well as the torque data transmitted by the torque sensor installed on the lifting power mechanism. When the radial pressure detected by the pressure sensor exceeds the set safety threshold, and the torque detected by the torque sensor does not undergo abnormal sudden changes, the intelligent control module determines that the diameter of the steel cable tube has become thicker, outputs a control signal to the control motor, and drives the rust removal and cleaning component to loosen in order to reduce the radial pressure.

[0071] Step S4: When the torque detected by the torque sensor exceeds the set limit threshold, the intelligent control module determines that the system has encountered mechanical jamming, immediately controls the lifting power mechanism to cut off the forward power and loosen the cable in the reverse direction, and at the same time controls the motor to drive the rust removal and cleaning component to perform reciprocating clamping and loosening actions to perform high-frequency excitation to remove resistance.

[0072] After performing high-frequency excitation to remove the obstruction, the intelligent control module controls the lifting power mechanism to move forward again to pass the obstruction point; if the system still cannot pass after performing the "reverse relaxation-high-frequency excitation-moving forward" cycle a preset number of times, the system will activate the safety self-lock and send a fault interruption signal to the ground base station.

[0073] Based on the above description, the automatic cleaning and lubrication system and control method for the stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers of the present invention achieve the following advantages: I. Completely eliminate personnel safety risks: The equipment realizes fully automated operation of cable-stayed bridge maintenance, eliminating the need for staff to climb high into the air to operate the equipment, avoiding safety hazards such as falls and collisions caused by manual high-altitude operations, meeting the on-site safety production requirements, and achieving zero safety accidents in the field application of Qin Er Factory Geshan Meteorological Station.

[0074] II. Improve on-site maintenance efficiency: Integrated operation improves the maintenance efficiency of a single cable by more than 80% compared to manual operation, and enables continuous automated operation of multiple cables. In the maintenance project of the meteorological tower at the Qin Erchang Geshan Meteorological Station, it effectively shortened the overall operation and maintenance period and met the needs of large-scale tower operation and maintenance. The quick-release component replacement structure reduces the replacement time of consumable parts to within 2 minutes, reduces equipment downtime, and further improves operation efficiency.

[0075] III. Ensuring the Quality of On-site Maintenance Operations: The mechanical structure drive enables the equipment to move at a constant speed, allows for all-around operation of the rust removal and cleaning components, and ensures quantitative and uniform oil injection by the oiling mechanism. This solves the problems of incomplete rust removal and uneven oil injection caused by manual operation. In the field application at the Qin Erchang Geshan Meteorological Station, the rust removal and cleaning qualification rate and oil injection uniformity of the cable stays both reached 100%, effectively improving the protective effect of the cable stays and extending their service life. The dedicated fixing device ensures the stability of the equipment during on-site operation, preventing component displacement or slippage, further guaranteeing the quality of operations.

[0076] IV. Reduced on-site operation and maintenance costs: Automated operation reduces manpower input. Only 2-3 staff members are needed for on-site operation and supervision of a single device. Traditional manual operation requires 4-5 people to cooperate for a single cable. This device reduces manpower input by 80%. The integrated design reduces the number of equipment parts and maintenance costs, and the lightweight body reduces the transportation and installation costs of the equipment.

[0077] V. Strong Practicality and Versatility: The adjustable frame can accommodate stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers with different diameters. The standardized quick-release assembly structure enables universal replacement of consumable parts. The equipment can meet the on-site maintenance needs of light and medium-sized iron towers in different fields such as meteorology, power, and communications. In the field application of the meteorological iron tower at the Qin Erchang Geshan Meteorological Station, the equipment adapted to the maintenance of stay cables under different working conditions, and its operational stability and reliability were fully verified.

[0078] VI. Intelligent, fuel-efficient, and high-efficiency: The front-facing camera in the image acquisition module "sees the road," automatically slowing down and applying more oil when encountering large areas of heavy rust; and quickly passing through normal areas with less oil. This results in high maintenance efficiency and no waste of grease.

[0079] 7. Automatic Touch-up for Missing Areas: The rear camera in the image acquisition module "inspects" the area. If any areas are found to be uncleaned or missed, the system automatically records the height. During the robot's return descent, the system automatically performs a second cleaning and oiling of the affected area to ensure 100% corrosion protection coverage.

[0080] For those skilled in the art, the above disclosure is merely illustrative and does not constitute a limitation of this application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this application and therefore remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0081] It should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0082] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of the embodiments disclosed in this application and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing description of the embodiments of this application sometimes combines multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of this application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments have fewer features than all the features of the single embodiments disclosed above.

[0083] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may be changed depending on the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should take into account specified significant digits and employ a general method of digit preservation. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to confirm their breadth of application in some embodiments of this application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such values ​​are set as precisely as feasible.

[0084] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present invention, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers, characterized in that, The automatic cleaning and oiling system includes a lifting power mechanism, a cable, multiple cable pulley blocks, an automatic oiling machine mechanism, an oiling head, and a rust removal and cleaning component. The automatic oiling machine mechanism is slidably connected to the cable-stayed steel cable of the iron tower via a climbing and walking mechanism. One end of the cable is connected to the climbing and walking mechanism. The cable is sequentially connected to the oiling head and the cable pulley blocks, and the other end is connected to the lifting power mechanism. The lifting power mechanism pulls the cable. The rust removal and cleaning component is wound around the cable of the iron tower. The oil injection head is slidably connected to the cable of the iron tower and located behind the rust removal and cleaning component. The oil injection head is pulled by the lifting power mechanism, thereby pushing the rust removal and cleaning component to clean the cable of the iron tower. After cleaning, the oil injection head injects oil into the cable of the iron tower.

2. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic cleaning and oiling system also includes: an intelligent control module, an image acquisition module, a multi-source torque sensing module, and a control motor; the image acquisition module is used to acquire real-time images of the cable-stayed steel cable surface before and after cleaning by the rust removal and cleaning components; the intelligent control module has a built-in defect identification algorithm and speed adaptive control algorithm. The intelligent control module identifies the rust level of the cable-stayed steel cable of the tower based on the image acquisition module, calculates the target oiling volume and crawling speed, and then outputs control signals to the control motor and the automatic oiling machine mechanism to dynamically adjust the running speed of the crawling and walking mechanism and the oil flow rate of the oiling head.

3. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Pressure sensors are also installed on the climbing and walking mechanism and the rust removal and cleaning component, and torque sensors are installed on the lifting power mechanism.

4. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The climbing and walking mechanism uses a steel cable with three eyes and two pulleys.

5. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cable pulley system is installed at the upper and lower ends of the tower column, respectively.

6. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic grease dispenser mechanism includes a frame, a sunken high-pressure grease dispenser, a grease tank, a power supply, and a controller, wherein the sunken high-pressure grease dispenser, the grease tank, the power supply, and the controller are integrated within the frame.

7. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The automatic oiling machine mechanism is connected to the oiling head via an oiling pipe.

8. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The automatic cleaning and oiling system also includes a control module, which is encapsulated and sealed in a fixed box and fixed to the top of the frame.

9. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The frame is an integrated adjustable frame made of aluminum alloy.

10. The automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The oil injection head is connected to the cable of the iron tower by a snap-fit ​​connection.

11. A control method for an automatic cleaning and lubrication system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers, characterized in that, The control method employs the automatic cleaning and lubrication system for light and medium-sized iron tower stay cables as described in claim 2, and the control method includes the following steps: S1. The intelligent control module acquires images of the cable-stayed steel cable surface before and after cleaning by the rust removal and cleaning component in real time through the image acquisition module, and uses the built-in defect recognition algorithm to identify the rust level of the cable-stayed steel cable of the tower. S2. The intelligent control module uses a built-in speed adaptive control algorithm to calculate the target oil injection amount and crawling speed according to the corrosion level, and then outputs control signals to the control motor and the automatic oil injection mechanism to dynamically adjust the running speed of the crawling walking mechanism and the oil flow rate of the oil injection head. S3. During the crawling process, the intelligent control module monitors in real time the radial pressure data transmitted by the pressure sensors installed on the crawling walking mechanism and the rust removal and cleaning component, as well as the torque data transmitted by the torque sensor installed on the lifting power mechanism; when the radial pressure detected by the pressure sensor exceeds the set safety threshold, and the torque detected by the torque sensor does not undergo abnormal sudden changes, the intelligent control module determines that the diameter of the steel cable tube has become thicker, outputs a control signal to the control motor, and drives the rust removal and cleaning component to loosen in order to reduce the radial pressure; S4. When the torque detected by the torque sensor exceeds the set limit threshold, the intelligent control module determines that the system has encountered mechanical jamming, immediately controls the lifting power mechanism to cut off the forward power and loosen the cable in the reverse direction, and at the same time controls the motor to drive the rust removal and cleaning component to perform reciprocating clamping and loosening actions to perform high-frequency excitation to remove resistance.

12. The control method for the automatic cleaning and oiling system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 11, characterized in that, Step S1 includes: the intelligent control module assesses the cleaning quality based on the image of the cable-stayed cable surface after cleaning by the rust removal and cleaning component obtained by the image acquisition module, and calculates the percentage of residual rust area. When the percentage of the residual rust area is greater than the preset quality threshold, the current height coordinates are recorded as the area to be reworked. When the device performs the down-turn return and passes through the area to be reworked, the control motor and the automatic oiling machine mechanism are controlled to perform secondary cleaning and oiling of the area.

13. The control method for the automatic cleaning and oiling system for stay cables of light and medium-sized iron towers as described in claim 11, characterized in that, Step S1 includes: when the defect identification algorithm detects that there are broken strands or broken wires on the surface of the cable-stayed tower, the intelligent control module synchronously transmits a cable-stayed structure broken strand early warning signal with the current height coordinates to the ground base station through the wireless communication module.

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