Bionic toe-walking type weld flaw detector robot and box beam weld flaw detection method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot and its method for flaw detection of box girder welds. The robot includes a main body supporting a flaw detection module, a defect marking module, and a control module. Bionic walking mechanisms are located on both sides of the main body, enabling toe-walking and plantar-walking postures, adjustable between the two to regulate the robot's ground clearance, overall position, and motion state. Sensing modules are distributed on the main body and the biomimetic walking mechanisms to collect real-time information about the working environment and the robot's motion state. The control module plans the global task and motion path based on the collected information. The flaw detection module inspects the welds to be inspected. The defect marking module marks the locations of weld defects. This invention, through a wheel-leg composite motion mechanism with a biomimetic toe-walking animal leg structure, enables smooth movement and flexible obstacle crossing in the dynamic, unstructured environment inside box girder beams, improving the feasibility and efficiency of autonomous flaw detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of weld flaw detection robot technology, and in particular to a biomimetic toe-mounted weld flaw detection robot and its method for flaw detection of box girder welds. Background Technology

[0002] As a core load-bearing component of major engineering equipment, the quality of the internal welds of steel box girders directly determines the structural safety and service life. Currently, weld inspection mainly relies on manual entry into the confined, enclosed space of the box girder, where harmful gases are present. This method is labor-intensive and poses significant safety hazards. Fixed-track or wheeled inspection robots, which have emerged in recent years, still face three major bottlenecks: poor spatial adaptability, with external probes resulting in large turning radii and susceptibility to scraping; weak obstacle-crossing ability, struggling to overcome thin-walled obstacles such as partitions and stiffening ribs; and insufficient intelligence, lacking adaptability to dynamic, unstructured environments. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot and its box girder weld flaw detection method. Through the wheel-leg composite motion mechanism with the biomimetic toe-walking animal leg structure, it can adapt to the dynamic unstructured environment inside the box girder and move smoothly and flexibly over obstacles, thereby improving the feasibility and efficiency of autonomous flaw detection.

[0004] Technical Solution: To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot and its box girder weld flaw detection method, comprising a main body, a sensing module, a flaw detection module, a defect marking module, a control module, and a biomimetic walking mechanism; the main body supports the flaw detection module, the defect marking module, and the control module; the biomimetic walking mechanism is distributed on both sides of the main body; the biomimetic walking mechanism has toe-walking and plantar-walking postures and can continuously adjust between the two postures to adjust the ground clearance, overall posture, and motion state of the main body; the sensing module is distributed on the main body and the biomimetic walking mechanism, used to collect real-time information on the working environment and the robot's own motion state, and transmit the collected information to the control module; the control module is used to plan the global work task and motion path based on the collected information, and generate control signals to control the flaw detection module and the defect marking module to perform corresponding actions; the flaw detection module is used to perform comprehensive non-destructive testing of the weld to be inspected after the main body adapts to the working surface; the defect marking module is used to physically locate and mark the identified weld defect positions.

[0005] Furthermore, the biomimetic walking mechanism is a wheel-leg composite structure with a biomimetic digitigrade leg structure, including a double-jointed support leg and a walking wheel assembly. The walking wheel assembly includes a toe wheel assembly and a foot wheel assembly, each of which includes at least one self-driven walking wheel. The double-jointed support leg adjusts its spatial posture through its two self-driven joint components, so that the toe wheel assembly contacts the working surface individually or the toe wheel assembly and the foot wheel assembly contact the working surface simultaneously. In both walking modes with different wheel assembly contact forms, the height of the main body off the ground and its overall posture can be adjusted in a coordinated manner.

[0006] Furthermore, the dual-joint support leg is configured such that, during posture adjustment, the foot wheel assembly lifts off the walking surface first, followed by the toe wheel assembly; and the toe wheel assembly returns to the walking surface first, followed by the foot wheel assembly.

[0007] Furthermore, the dual-joint support leg includes a leg link and a foot link. The driving end of the leg link is connected to the side wall of the main body of the fuselage via a hip joint assembly, for driving the leg link to swing relative to the main body of the fuselage. The driving end of the foot link is connected to the swinging end of the leg link via an ankle joint assembly, for driving the foot link to swing relative to the leg link. The swinging end of the foot link is equipped with the toe wheel assembly, and the rod body of the foot link is equipped with the foot wheel assembly.

[0008] Furthermore, the toe wheel assembly includes a toe walking wheel mounted on the swing end of the foot link, and the foot wheel assembly includes a heel walking wheel mounted on the drive end of the foot link; the rotation axis of the heel walking wheel is coaxially arranged with the swing axis of the foot link.

[0009] Furthermore, the flaw detection module includes a non-destructive testing probe, which extends vertically relative to the bottom surface of the fuselage body; the defect marking module includes a marking nozzle, which is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the fuselage body and is used to spray paint on the surface near the weld defect location to form a visible physical positioning mark.

[0010] Furthermore, the method includes a method for crossing small obstacles, wherein the height of the small obstacle is lower than the maximum adjustable ground clearance of the fuselage. Specifically, it includes two crossing methods: one is to adjust the relative angle between the leg link and the working surface through the hip joint assembly, thereby changing the ground clearance of the main body of the fuselage, and avoiding the small obstacle by lifting the entire machine while maintaining a foot-riding posture; the other is to use the coordinated drive of the ankle joint assembly and the hip joint assembly to make the foot link and the leg link swing together to cross over the small obstacle.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a method for overcoming high obstacles, specifically comprising the following steps:

[0012] A1. As the fuselage approaches the high obstacle, the front bionic walking mechanism switches to a toe-walking posture and, upon contact with the high obstacle, causes the front walking wheel assembly to adhere to the obstacle's facing surface.

[0013] A2. The front leg linkage lifts the obstacle and the rear walking wheel set pushes it in coordination, causing the front bionic walking mechanism to lift and climb over the obstacle; and after climbing over, it adheres to the side away from the obstacle.

[0014] A3. The bionic walking mechanism on the rear side moves closer to the high obstacle and switches to toe-walking posture until the walking wheel set on the rear side contacts and adheres to the obstacle's facing surface;

[0015] A4. The front walking wheel assembly moves downward against the obstacle's facing surface, while the rear walking wheel assembly moves upward against the obstacle's facing surface.

[0016] A5. The bionic walking mechanism described on the front side switches to a plantar posture after contacting the working surface;

[0017] A6. After the rear walking wheel set climbs to the top of the high obstacle, it is lifted by the rear leg linkage and pulled in coordination with the front walking wheel set, so that the rear bionic walking mechanism is lifted and climbs over the obstacle.

[0018] A7. The front walking wheel set maintains stable forward movement, while the rear walking wheel set moves downward in contact with the obstacle's facing away surface until it contacts the working surface and then switches to a foot-walking posture.

[0019] Furthermore, it also includes a method for inspecting welds between two adjacent walls. The front and rear walking wheel sets of the fuselage are respectively attached to the two walls. By coordinating the adjustment of the angle between the front and rear leg linkages of the fuselage and the corresponding walls, the detection surface of the non-destructive testing probe is aligned with the fillet weld to be tested at the junction of the two walls. The non-destructive testing probe is extended and retracted to maintain the optimal detection distance. The fuselage body is kept in its main posture and driven to move laterally along the weld length direction to complete the flaw detection operation of the weld at the junction of the two adjacent walls.

[0020] Furthermore, the method also includes a weld inspection method at the junction of the rib plate and the working surface. The bionic walking mechanism on the front side of the fuselage crosses the rib plate and maintains a toe-walking posture to raise the front end of the fuselage. Simultaneously, the bionic walking mechanism on the rear side of the fuselage maintains a foot-walking posture and adjusts the angle between its leg links and the working surface by swinging, thereby adjusting the tilt angle between the fuselage body and the working surface. This allows the detection surface of the non-destructive testing probe to align with the weld at the junction of the rib plate and the working surface. The non-destructive testing probe is then extended and retracted to maintain the optimal detection distance. The fuselage body posture is maintained, and it is driven to move laterally along the weld length direction to complete the flaw detection operation at the junction of the rib plate and the working surface.

[0021] Beneficial effects: The biomimetic toe-mounted weld inspection robot and its method for inspecting box girder welds of the present invention have at least the following advantages:

[0022] (1) By imitating the leg structure of toe-walking animals, a new type of wheel-leg composite motion mechanism with high degree of freedom of movement was designed. Through the coordinated control of dual joints, multiple working postures of the robot can be unlocked, and flexible obstacle crossing on multiple obstacle surfaces can be achieved. With the electromagnetic adsorption Mecanum wheel with dual independent drive of toe tip and heel, efficient omnidirectional wheel walking is realized.

[0023] (2) Equipped with an embodied intelligent control framework of "perception-decision-action-feedback", relying on the big model of artificial intelligence, it can perform multi-source information fusion and semantic understanding of the operation scenario, and can autonomously complete global task planning and real-time motion adjustment, get rid of the dependence on preset programs and manual remote control, and realize unmanned and intelligent steel box girder weld flaw detection.

[0024] (3) The robot adopts a built-in probe layout and a sealed body design, which effectively reduces the overall size of the robot and improves its passability in the narrow space of the steel box beam. It also protects the non-destructive testing probe and avoids collision damage to the instrument during obstacle crossing. The whole machine adopts a modular design, and each functional module is installed independently, which is convenient for maintenance and upgrading.

[0025] (4) Through a two-level hierarchical feedback monitoring module, the monitoring results are compared with the preset working state deviation threshold in real time. If the monitoring result is a small disturbance less than the threshold, the execution parameters are quickly corrected by the underlying controller in milliseconds to ensure accurate flaw detection. If the monitoring result is a major abnormality greater than the threshold, global task replanning is automatically triggered to dynamically update the motion and flaw detection strategies, enabling the robot to cope with emergencies. This solution significantly improves work efficiency and accuracy and reduces equipment failure rate. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a weld flaw detection robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure from a low angle in the embodiment.

[0028] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the installation of various modules inside the main body of the embodiment.

[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the biomimetic walking mechanism in the embodiment.

[0030] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the flaw detection module in the embodiment.

[0031] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the defect marking module in the embodiment.

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of the control module of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the posture of the present invention as it crosses a small obstacle inside a steel box girder.

[0034] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the posture of the present invention when crossing a high obstacle inside a steel box girder.

[0035] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the weld posture detection between two adjacent walls of a steel box girder according to the present invention.

[0036] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the weld posture at the junction of the internal rib plate and the working surface of the steel box girder, which is the subject of this invention.

[0037] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the multi-stage posture of the present invention when crossing high obstacles inside a steel box girder. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] As attached Figure 1-12 The aforementioned biomimetic toe-type weld flaw detection robot includes a main body 1 and a 12 consisting of a base plate 11 and a protective shell connected together. The base plate 11 and the protective shell 12 enclose a sealed equipment installation compartment. The installation compartment is equipped with a sensing module 2, a flaw detection module 3, a defect marking module 4, a power supply module 5, and a control module 6.

[0040] The base plate 11 has a through hole 111 in the center, which allows the non-destructive testing probe of the flaw detection module 3 to extend out of the main body 1 through the through hole 111 during flaw detection module operation. The base plate 11 also has a through hole 112 at one end of the lower side, which allows the marking nozzle 43 of the defect marking module 4 to spray paint onto the surface of the steel box girder corresponding to the defect weld during defect marking module operation.

[0041] The sensing module 2 is distributed on the main body 1 and the bionic walking mechanism 7, and is used to collect information on the working environment and the robot's own motion status in real time, and transmit the collected information to the control module 6; the sensing module 2 includes an environmental sensing unit 21 and a body sensing unit 22.

[0042] The environmental perception unit 21 is used to collect real-time environmental information inside the steel box girder. Preferably, the environmental perception unit 21 includes a lidar 211 and a binocular depth camera 212; wherein, the lidar 211 is fixedly installed at the top center of the main body 1, and is used to collect information on the spatial structure, weld distribution area, and obstacles such as partitions and stiffening ribs inside the steel box girder to complete the construction of a global environmental map; the binocular depth camera 212 consists of two sets, which are fixedly installed at the front middle and rear middle of the main body 1, respectively, to supplement the identification of small obstacles, thin components, and edge details of inspection holes that are difficult for the lidar 211 to capture, and to assist the robot in completing flexible movement and precise obstacle avoidance.

[0043] The body sensing unit 22 is used to collect the robot's own motion state information in real time. Preferably, the body sensing unit 22 includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), joint encoders, and pressure sensors; the IMU is fixedly installed at the center of gravity of the main body 1 and is used to collect the robot's pose and motion state information at various moments during its movement within the steel box girder; the joint encoders are integrated into the drive ends of the hip joint assembly 71 and the ankle joint assembly 73, respectively, and are used to collect the rotation angle, angular velocity, and torque data of each joint, providing feedback on the real-time configuration and spatial position of the bionic walking mechanism 7; the pressure sensors are integrated into the robot's walking wheels 75 and are used to collect the contact force information between the walking wheels and the contact surface, providing feedback on the leg support status and the adhesion of the working surface.

[0044] The flaw detection module 3 is used to perform comprehensive non-destructive testing on the weld to be inspected after the adaptive working surface of the main body 1. The flaw detection module 3 includes a non-destructive testing probe 31 and a probe lifting mechanism 32. The probe lifting mechanism 32 is used to drive the non-destructive testing probe 31 to extend out of the main body 1 through the through hole 111 and adjust the relative distance between it and the weld to be inspected. It can adapt to the flaw detection distance requirements of the non-destructive testing probe 31 to accurately perform non-destructive testing of welds and perform comprehensive non-destructive testing on the welds inside the steel box girder.

[0045] Preferably, the probe lifting mechanism 32 includes a support frame 321, a lifting drive motor 322, a coupling 323, a lead screw 324, a linear guide rail 325, and a slider 326. The support frame 321 is fixedly installed on the base plate 11 of the main body, providing fixed support for the entire probe lifting mechanism. The lifting drive motor 322 is fixedly installed on the top of the support frame 322, and its output shaft is coaxially connected to the lead screw 324 through the coupling 323 to realize power transmission. The linear guide rail 325 is fixedly connected to the support frame 321 and is arranged parallel to the lead screw 324 on both sides of the lead screw 324 along the axial direction of the lead screw 324. The slider 326 is threadedly engaged with the lead screw 324 and slidably connected to the linear guide rail 325. The linear guide rail 325 restricts the rotational freedom of the slider 326, ensuring that the slider 326 rises and falls smoothly along the axial direction of the lead screw. The non-destructive testing probe 31 is fixedly connected to the slider 326 through a transition plate 327, thereby enabling it to move along the direction of the linear guide rail under the drive of the probe lifting mechanism.

[0046] The defect marking module 4 is used to physically locate and mark the identified weld defect positions. The defect marking module 4 includes a paint storage tank 41, a spraying control unit 42, and a marking nozzle 43. The paint storage tank 41 is fixedly connected to the bottom plate 11 of the main body 1, and the outlet of the paint storage tank 41 is connected to the marking nozzle 43 through a sealed conduit 44. The spraying control unit 42 is connected in series in the middle of the sealed conduit 44 and is electrically connected to the intelligent control system 6. It is used to control the flow of paint in the conduit and the start and stop of the spraying action. The spraying outlet of the marking nozzle 43 is directly opposite the through hole 112 on the bottom plate of the main body. The paint can be sprayed through the through hole 112 to the surface of the steel box girder near the defective weld, so as to realize the physical location marking of the identified weld defect positions.

[0047] Four sets of biomimetic walking mechanisms 7 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main body 1. The biomimetic walking mechanism 7 has a toe-walking posture and a plantar-walking posture, and can be continuously adjusted between the two postures to adjust the ground clearance, overall posture and movement state of the main body 1.

[0048] The biomimetic walking mechanism 7 is a wheel-leg composite structure that mimics the leg structure of a biomimetic digitigrade animal, including a double-jointed support leg and a walking wheel set 75;

[0049] The dual-joint support leg includes a leg link 72 and a foot link 74. The driving end of the leg link 72 is connected to the side wall of the main body 1 via a hip joint assembly 71, and is used to drive the leg link 72 to swing relative to the main body 1. The driving end of the foot link 74 is connected to the swing end of the leg link 72 via an ankle joint assembly 73, and is used to drive the foot link 74 to swing relative to the leg link 72.

[0050] Specifically, the fixed end of the hip joint assembly 71 is fixedly connected to the side wall of the main body 1, and the output shaft of the hip joint assembly 71 is coaxially fixedly connected to the proximal shaft hole 721 of the leg link 72, for driving the leg link 72 to swing relative to the main body 1; the ankle joint assembly 73 is built into the joint cavity 722 at the distal end of the leg link, and the output shaft of the ankle joint assembly 73 is coaxially fixedly connected to the proximal shaft hole 741 of the foot link, for driving the foot link 74 to swing relative to the leg link 72.

[0051] The walking wheel assembly 75 includes a toe wheel assembly and a foot wheel assembly. The toe wheel assembly is mounted on the swing end of the foot link 74, and the foot wheel assembly is mounted on the rod body of the foot link 74. Both the toe wheel assembly and the foot wheel assembly include at least one self-driven walking wheel; the walking wheel is a Mecanum wheel with a built-in electromagnet.

[0052] Based on the above structure, the dual-joint support leg adjusts its spatial posture through its two self-driven joint components, allowing the toe wheel assembly to contact the working surface individually or simultaneously with the foot wheel assembly. In both wheel contact modes, the leg can collaboratively adjust the ground clearance and overall posture of the main body 1. The dual-joint support leg is configured such that, during posture adjustment, the foot wheel assembly lifts off the walking surface first, followed by the toe wheel assembly; and the toe wheel assembly returns to the walking surface first, followed by the foot wheel assembly.

[0053] In this embodiment, the toe wheel assembly includes a toe-end walking wheel 751 mounted on the swing end of the foot link 74, and the foot wheel assembly includes a heel walking wheel 752 mounted on the drive end of the foot link 74; this allows the robot to adhere to the working wall of the steel box girder and achieve omnidirectional movement; both the proximal and distal ends of the foot link 74 are provided with motor mounting cavities 741, and each of the two motor mounting cavities is equipped with a walking drive motor 742; wherein, the output shaft of the walking drive motor 742 at the proximal end of the foot link is connected to the heel walking wheel 752, and the output shaft of the walking drive motor 743 at the distal end of the foot link is connected to the toe-end walking wheel 751, and the two walking drive motors are independent of each other, driving the corresponding walking wheels to rotate respectively.

[0054] The control module 6 is electrically connected to the sensing module 2, the flaw detection module 3, the defect marking module 4, and the bionic walking mechanism 7, respectively. It is used to plan the global operation task and movement path based on the collected information, and generate control signals to control the flaw detection module 3 and the defect marking module 4 to perform corresponding actions.

[0055] Specifically, the control module 6 includes an AI computing unit 61 and a controller 62. The AI ​​computing unit 61 is divided into a task planning layer 611, a motion planning layer 612, a feedback monitoring module 63, and a weld defect identification module. The task planning layer is equipped with a multimodal large model to integrate various input information, complete semantic understanding of the internal working scene of the steel box girder and global task planning, and issue the generated task instructions to the motion planning layer 612 and the controller 62. The motion planning layer is equipped with a motion planning large model to infer and generate the motion trajectory of the robot's bionic walking mechanism 7, and send the corresponding motion control instructions to the controller 62 to realize the robot's adaptation to the dynamic working environment inside the steel box girder. The weld defect identification module is used to analyze and identify the weld data collected by the flaw detection module 3, determine the type, level and location of weld defects, and synchronize the identification results to the task planning layer. The controller 62 is electrically connected to the AI ​​computing unit 61, receives the control instructions generated by the AI ​​computing unit 61, and drives the robot's bionic walking mechanism, flaw detection module and defect marking module to execute the corresponding instructions to collaboratively complete the weld flaw detection operation of the steel box girder.

[0056] The feedback monitoring module adopts a two-level hierarchical response mechanism to monitor the working environment information and robot body status information in real time, and compares the monitoring results with the preset working state deviation threshold. If the monitoring result exceeds the working state deviation threshold, the feedback monitoring module triggers the task planning layer 611 to execute global task replanning and update motion control commands. If the monitoring result is within the working state deviation threshold range, the controller 62 performs low-level adaptive impedance control on the robot actuator in real time.

[0057] The power supply module 5 is electrically connected to the sensing module 2, flaw detection module 3, defect marking module 4, intelligent control system 6, and bionic walking mechanism 7 respectively, providing working power for the entire robot system; the power supply module 5 and the intelligent control system 6 are integrated and installed in the main control box 8, which is located inside the main body 1 and is fixedly connected to the base plate 11 of the main body.

[0058] In this embodiment, the biomimetic toe-shaped weld inspection robot is applied to the weld inspection inside a steel box girder. Due to the small internal space of the steel box girder and the presence of obstacles such as partitions and stiffening ribs, the following are some typical operating scenarios and corresponding posture control methods.

[0059] A method for traversing small obstacles, wherein the height of the small obstacle is lower than the maximum adjustable ground clearance of the fuselage, specifically includes two traversal methods:

[0060] Firstly, when the small obstacle is not on the walking path of the bionic walking mechanism 7 and only has the possibility of colliding with the bottom of the main body 1, the relative angle between the leg link 72 and the working surface is adjusted by the hip joint assembly 71, thereby changing the ground clearance of the main body 1. While maintaining the foot-walking posture, the entire machine is lifted to avoid the small obstacle.

[0061] Secondly, when the small obstacle is located on the walking path of any of the bionic walking mechanisms 7, the bionic walking mechanisms 7 must be driven by the coordinated action of the ankle joint assembly 73 and the hip joint assembly 71 to make the foot link 74 and the leg link 72 swing together, so that the bionic walking mechanism 7 can cross over the small obstacle, and ensure that the main body 1 does not scrape or collide with the small obstacle during the whole process. Specifically, the following steps are included:

[0062] B1. When the front walking mechanism approaches the small obstacle, the robot's front walking mechanism switches to a toe-walking posture, that is, the front heel walking wheel 752 is lifted off the working surface, and only the front toe walking wheel 751 remains in contact with the working surface; at the same time, by coordinating the adjustment of the front hip joint assembly and ankle joint assembly, the front foot connecting rod contacts the top of the small obstacle and forms a temporary fulcrum at the contact point.

[0063] B2. The machine body continues to move forward, and by swinging the front foot linkage, the front toe wheel is lifted off the working surface, and the foot linkage rotates around the temporary fulcrum until the front heel wheel contacts the working surface away from the small obstacle; by forming a temporary support point, slippage during the overtaking process can be avoided, ensuring the stability of the movement; preferably, a flexible wear-resistant layer can be added to the support contact surface of the foot linkage to increase friction and provide force cushioning.

[0064] The machine body then continues to move forward, and the front foot linkage briefly maintains its posture so that the foot linkage can disengage from the small obstacle. After traveling a certain distance forward, the foot linkage swings in the opposite direction until the front toe wheel contacts the working surface away from the side, so that the front walking mechanism returns to the plantar posture and completes the crossing action of the front walking mechanism.

[0065] B3. The robot body continues to move forward. When the rear walking mechanism approaches the small obstacle, the robot's rear walking mechanism switches to a following posture, that is, the rear toe walking wheel is lifted off the working surface, and only the heel walking wheel remains in contact; at the same time, by coordinating the adjustment of the rear hip joint assembly and ankle joint assembly, the rear foot linkage contacts the top of the obstacle.

[0066] B4. The machine body continues to move forward, swinging the rear foot linkage to lift the rear heel wheel off the work surface. It then completes the crossing motion by rotating around a fixed temporary fulcrum to prevent slippage. After the rear toe wheel contacts the work surface away from the obstacle, the machine body continues to move forward, with the rear foot linkage briefly maintaining its position to disengage from the small obstacle. After traveling a short distance, the foot linkage swings in the opposite direction until the rear heel wheel contacts the work surface away from the obstacle, restoring the rear walking mechanism to a plantar gait position. This completes the crossing motion of the rear walking mechanism, thus completing the machine's crossing of the small obstacle.

[0067] Obstacles that cannot be crossed using methods for crossing small obstacles are considered high obstacles. For such obstacles, such as... Figure 12 As shown, a method for crossing high obstacles specifically includes the following steps:

[0068] A1. As the front walking mechanism approaches the high obstacle, the front bionic walking mechanism 7 switches to a following posture, raising the toe-end walking wheels, keeping the foot linkage perpendicular to the working surface, and when it contacts the high obstacle, the front walking wheel set 75 is attracted to the obstacle's facing surface, and the rear foot linkage rotates 180° counterclockwise.

[0069] A2. The front leg linkage 72 lifts and the rear walking wheel assembly 75 pushes in coordination, so that the front bionic walking mechanism 7 is lifted and flips over the obstacle by adhering to the obstacle's facing surface; after flipping over, the front walking wheel adheres to the obstacle's facing surface, and at the same time, the rear bionic walking mechanism 7 will naturally switch to a toe-walking posture during the movement and pushing process, with its heel walking wheel and toe walking wheel adhering to the obstacle's facing surface in sequence;

[0070] A3. The front walking wheel set 75 moves downward against the obstacle's away surface, while the rear walking wheel set 75 moves upward against the obstacle's facing surface.

[0071] A4. The bionic walking mechanism 7 on the front side switches to a plantar posture after contacting the working surface;

[0072] A5. After the rear walking wheel set 75 climbs to the top of the high obstacle, it is lifted by the rear leg linkage 72 and pulled in coordination with the front walking wheel set 75, so that the rear bionic walking mechanism 7 is lifted and climbs over the obstacle.

[0073] A6. The front walking wheel set 75 maintains stable forward movement, while the rear walking wheel set 75 moves downward against the obstacle's facing surface until it contacts the working surface and then switches to a foot-walking posture.

[0074] A method for inspecting welds between two adjacent walls involves attaching the front and rear walking wheel sets 75 of the fuselage to the two walls respectively. By coordinating the adjustment of the angles between the front and rear leg links 72 of the fuselage and the corresponding walls, the detection surface of the non-destructive testing probe 31 is aligned with the fillet weld to be tested at the junction of the two walls. The non-destructive testing probe 31 is extended and retracted to maintain the optimal detection distance. The fuselage body 1 is kept in its posture and driven to move laterally along the weld length direction to complete the flaw detection operation of the weld at the junction of the two adjacent walls.

[0075] A method for inspecting welds at the junction of a rib and a working surface involves a bionic walking mechanism 7 on the front side of the fuselage straddling the rib and maintaining a toe-walking posture to raise the front end of the fuselage. Simultaneously, the bionic walking mechanism 7 on the rear side of the fuselage maintains a foot-walking posture and adjusts the angle between its leg connecting rod 72 and the working surface by swinging, thereby adjusting the tilt angle between the fuselage body 1 and the working surface. This ensures that the detection surface of the non-destructive testing probe 31 aligns with the weld at the junction of the rib and the working surface. The non-destructive testing probe 31 is then extended and retracted to maintain the optimal detection distance. The fuselage body 1 is maintained in its posture and driven to move laterally along the weld length direction to complete the flaw detection operation of the weld at the junction of the rib and the working surface.

[0076] Based on the above four typical work scenarios, attitude control methods are used, such as... Figure 8-12 Taking the monitoring of a typical structural unit of a steel box girder as an example, this structural unit includes a beam frame body enclosed by four panels on the top, bottom, left, and right sides, as well as two foldable partitions at the front and back, and at least one rib plate on the bottom plate. An optimal monitoring path for this structural unit is:

[0077] Step 1: After climbing over the front partition, the robot first climbs the wall and attaches to the upper base plate to inspect the weld between the upper base plate and the front partition.

[0078] Step 2: From the upper base plate, the material is transferred to the left side wall. The welds between the side wall and the front partition, the side wall and the upper base plate, and the side wall and the rear partition are inspected in sequence.

[0079] Step 3: Transfer the material from the left side wall to the upper base plate and inspect the weld between the upper base plate and the rear partition.

[0080] Step 4: From the upper base plate, transition to the right side wall surface and sequentially inspect the welds between the side wall and the rear partition, the side wall and the upper base plate, and the side wall and the front partition.

[0081] Step 5: From the right side wall to the lower base plate, inspect the welds between the lower base plate and the front partition, the lower base plate and the left side wall, the lower base plate and the rear partition, and the lower base plate and the right side wall in sequence.

[0082] After steps six and five are completed, the robot inspects the weld between the base plate and the rib plate.

[0083] Steps one through five involve welding operations between adjacent walls, where the robot performs the operation in a bridging posture to detect the weld between adjacent walls. Step six involves weld inspection at the junction of the rib and the work surface, where the robot performs the operation in a toe-walking posture.

[0084] Furthermore, this solution introduces the concept of embodied intelligence, the core of which lies in the closed loop of "perception-decision-action-feedback". In terms of perception, the robot constructs an environmental map based on data collected by LiDAR and dual-sided depth cameras. In terms of decision-making, the robot is equipped with artificial intelligence technology, utilizing multimodal large models and algorithms. The robot can understand intentions, plan routes, and respond to various emergencies, making autonomous decisions and planning movements in real time. Its control logic is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the implementation of actions in the above methods can be modified through independent reasoning.

[0085] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the above principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot, characterized in that, include: The fuselage body (1) is used to carry the flaw detection module (3), the defect marking module (4) and the control module (6); A bionic walking mechanism (7) is distributed on both sides of the main body (1); the bionic walking mechanism (7) has a toe-walking posture and a plantar posture, and can be continuously adjusted between the two postures to adjust the ground clearance, overall posture and movement state of the main body (1); The sensing module (2) is distributed on the main body (1) and the bionic walking mechanism (7) to collect information on the working environment and the robot's own motion status in real time, and transmit the collected information to the control module (6). The control module (6) is used to plan the global operation task and movement path according to the collected information, and generate control signals to control the flaw detection module (3) and the defect marking module (4) to perform corresponding actions; The flaw detection module (3) is used to perform comprehensive non-destructive testing on the weld to be inspected after the adaptive working surface of the fuselage body (1); The defect marking module (4) is used to physically locate and mark the identified weld defect positions.

2. The biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bionic walking mechanism (7) is a wheel-leg composite structure with a bionic toe-walking animal leg structure, including a double-jointed support leg and a walking wheel set (75). The walking wheel set (75) includes a toe wheel set and a foot wheel set, and both the toe wheel set and the foot wheel set include at least one self-driven walking wheel. The dual-joint support leg adjusts its spatial posture through its two self-driven joint components, so that the toe wheel group on it contacts the working surface alone or the toe wheel group and the foot wheel group contact the working surface simultaneously. In both wheel group contact forms of walking mode, it can coordinately adjust the ground clearance and overall posture of the main body (1).

3. The biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The dual-joint support leg is configured such that, during posture adjustment, the foot wheel assembly lifts off the walking surface first, followed by the toe wheel assembly; and the toe wheel assembly returns to the walking surface first, followed by the foot wheel assembly.

4. The biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The dual-joint support leg includes a leg link (72) and a foot link (74). The driving end of the leg link (72) is connected to the side wall of the fuselage body (1) through a hip joint assembly (71) to drive the leg link (72) to swing relative to the fuselage body (1). The driving end of the foot link (74) is connected to the swing end of the leg link (72) through the ankle joint assembly (73) to drive the foot link (74) to swing relative to the leg link (72); The toe wheel assembly is installed at the swing end of the foot link (74), and the foot wheel assembly is installed on the rod body of the foot link (74).

5. The biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The toe wheel assembly includes a toe walking wheel (751) mounted on the swing end of the foot link (74), and the foot wheel assembly includes a heel walking wheel (752) mounted on the drive end of the foot link (74); the rotation axis of the heel walking wheel (752) is coaxially arranged with the swing axis of the foot link (74).

6. The biomimetic toe-walking weld flaw detection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flaw detection module (3) includes a non-destructive testing probe (31), which extends vertically relative to the bottom surface of the fuselage body (1); the defect marking module (4) includes a marking nozzle (43), which is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the fuselage body (1) and is used to spray paint on the surface near the weld defect to form a visible physical positioning mark.

7. A method for inspecting weld seams of a box girder using a robot according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, This includes methods for traversing small obstacles, where the height of the small obstacle is lower than the maximum adjustable ground clearance of the fuselage, specifically including two traversal methods: One method is to adjust the relative angle between the leg link (72) and the working surface by means of the hip joint assembly (71), thereby changing the ground clearance of the main body (1) of the machine, and in the case of maintaining the foot-riding posture, the machine is lifted to avoid the small obstacle. Secondly, by coordinating the ankle joint assembly (73) and the hip joint assembly (71), the foot link (74) and the leg link (72) swing together to complete the crossing over the small obstacle.

8. The method for inspecting weld seams of box girders according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes methods for overcoming high obstacles, specifically comprising the following steps: A1. As the fuselage approaches the high obstacle, the bionic walking mechanism (7) on the front side switches to a toe-walking posture and, upon contact with the high obstacle, causes the walking wheel assembly (75) on the front side to adhere to the obstacle's facing surface. A2. The front leg linkage (72) lifts and the rear walking wheel assembly (75) pushes in coordination, so that the front bionic walking mechanism (7) lifts and flips over the obstacle; and after flipping over, it adheres to the side away from the obstacle. A3. The bionic walking mechanism (7) on the rear side moves closer to the high obstacle and switches to toe-walking posture until the walking wheel set (75) on the rear side contacts and adheres to the obstacle's facing surface. A4. The front walking wheel assembly (75) moves downward against the obstacle's back surface, while the rear walking wheel assembly (75) moves upward against the obstacle's front surface. A5. The bionic walking mechanism (7) mentioned on the front side switches to a plantar posture after contacting the working surface; A6. After the rear walking wheel assembly (75) climbs to the top of the high obstacle, it is lifted by the rear leg linkage (72) and pulled in coordination with the front walking wheel assembly (75) to lift the rear bionic walking mechanism (7) and climb over the obstacle. A7. The front walking wheel set (75) moves forward steadily, while the rear walking wheel set (75) moves downward against the obstacle's back surface until it contacts the working surface and then switches to a foot-walking posture.

9. The method for inspecting weld seams of box girders according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes a method for inspecting welds between two adjacent walls. The front and rear walking wheel sets (75) of the fuselage are respectively attached to the two walls. The angle between the front and rear leg links (72) of the fuselage and the corresponding walls is adjusted to align the detection surface of the non-destructive testing probe (31) with the weld to be tested at the junction of the two walls. The non-destructive testing probe (31) is extended and retracted to maintain the optimal detection distance. The fuselage body (1) is kept in a certain posture and driven to move laterally along the weld length direction to complete the flaw detection operation of the weld at the junction of the two adjacent walls.

10. The method for inspecting weld seams of box girders according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes a method for inspecting welds at the junction of the rib and the working surface, in which the bionic walking mechanism (7) on the front side of the fuselage crosses the rib and maintains a toe-walking posture to raise the front end of the fuselage; at the same time, the bionic walking mechanism (7) on the rear side of the fuselage maintains a foot-walking posture and adjusts the angle between its leg link (72) and the working surface by swinging to adjust the angle between the fuselage body (1) and the working surface, so that the inspection surface of the non-destructive testing probe (31) is aligned with the weld at the junction of the rib and the working surface, and the non-destructive testing probe (31) is adjusted by telescoping to maintain the optimal inspection distance; the posture of the fuselage body (1) is maintained and it is driven to move laterally along the weld length direction to complete the flaw detection operation of the weld at the junction of the rib and the working surface.

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