An amphibious dewatering robot for sewer networks and a method for dewatering

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of underground pipe network dredging, and particularly relates to an amphibious pipe network dredging robot and a dredging method thereof, which comprises a body, a walking dredging body, an underwater sensing and navigation assembly, a modular dredging execution assembly and a vehicle-mounted sewage supporting system. Four groups of independently driven spiral wheels are arranged at the bottom of the body, which can move omnidirectionally and gather silt; a buoyancy adjusting mechanism is arranged in the body, which can autonomously escape from a super-soft silt environment. A sonar, a light, a distance sensor and a camera are integrated at the front end of the body, and a buoy carries a gimbal camera, so that multi-source data is layered and fused to realize centimeter-level underwater positioning. The modular dredging execution assembly can quickly switch a crushing, flushing and suction end, and carries a reinforcement learning module to adaptively adjust operation parameters; the vehicle-mounted system realizes separation of mud and water and recycling of clean water. The present application is suitable for dry and wet, deep water pipe networks, has strong escape ability, accurate positioning and complete dredging, eliminates secondary pollution of sewage transportation, and is suitable for municipal narrow underground pipe network dredging and disease detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of underground pipeline dredging technology, specifically relating to an amphibious underground pipeline dredging robot and its dredging method. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous expansion of urban municipal drainage pipe network construction in China, the problems of siltation and blockage in aging pipe networks are becoming increasingly prominent. The accumulation of silt, grease, bricks, and other debris within the pipe networks easily leads to poor drainage and frequent flooding. Furthermore, the anaerobic fermentation of silt produces toxic and harmful gases, seriously threatening urban drainage safety and water quality. Currently, municipal pipe network dredging operations mainly face the following industry pain points: First, traditional manual well cleaning is extremely unsafe, with prominent safety hazards such as oxygen deficiency, toxic gases, collapse, and water inrush, leading to frequent poisoning and injury accidents among workers. Conventional pipeline dredging vehicles are only suitable for large-diameter main pipes and are poorly adapted to amphibious conditions such as narrow branch pipes, box culverts, and mixed shallow and deep water. They are difficult to enter confined spaces to complete full-coverage dredging, and the silt at the edges and corners of the pipeline is not thoroughly cleaned, resulting in low dredging efficiency.

[0003] Secondly, most existing underwater dredging equipment adopts a single track or single spiral walking structure, which is prone to sinking and jamming in ultra-soft silt (shear strength less than 5 kPa). Once the equipment is buried, the communication cable is easily pulled and broken by the silt, resulting in the equipment losing contact and being unable to be recovered, with high maintenance and salvage costs. Moreover, most walking mechanisms only have forward and backward straight movement functions, with a large turning radius, making it impossible to move laterally or turn in place in narrow pipes, resulting in blind spots in the operation coverage.

[0004] Third, there is no GPS signal underwater in the pipeline network. Existing dredging equipment relies solely on wired coding for positioning. During long-distance operations, the cumulative positioning error continues to amplify, making it impossible to accurately identify defects such as silt thickness, pipe cracks, and damage. Single camera or sonar sensing devices are limited by water turbidity, resulting in blurred visual imaging, weak obstacle recognition capabilities, and a lack of multi-source sensing fusion positioning methods. This makes it difficult to achieve centimeter-level high-precision navigation and results in a low degree of automation.

[0005] Fourth, the dredging equipment on the market has a single function at the end, with only suction or simple flushing. It cannot break up hardened silt and hard blockages, requiring secondary manual treatment. The operating parameters are fixed and cannot be adaptively adjusted according to the softness and thickness of the silt to adjust the cutter speed and jet pressure, resulting in inconsistent dredging effects.

[0006] Fifth, the wastewater and sludge mixture generated by traditional dredging processes need to be transported off-site in full truckloads for disposal, resulting in high transportation costs. Leaks are very likely to occur during transportation, causing secondary pollution to roads and waterways. Existing equipment does not have the ability to separate mud and water on-site and circulate water. The entire operation relies on external municipal water sources, which severely limits operations in the field and in old areas without supporting pipe networks.

[0007] In summary, existing municipal pipeline dredging equipment suffers from multiple defects, including insufficient mobility and obstacle avoidance capabilities, poor underwater positioning accuracy, limited operational functions, and susceptibility to secondary pollution of sewage. The industry urgently needs an amphibious dredging robot for municipal drainage pipelines that can operate amphibiously, has autonomous obstacle avoidance capabilities, multi-sensor fusion high-precision navigation, modular adaptive dredging, and on-site sewage recycling. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the technical problems existing in the current municipal pipeline dredging equipment, this invention provides an amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines and its dredging method.

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: An amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines includes a body, a walking dredging body, an underwater sensing and navigation component, a modular dredging execution component, and a ground vehicle-mounted waste treatment system. The mobile dredging body and underwater sensing and navigation components are both mounted on the machine body. The modular dredging execution component is detachably installed at the bottom of the front end of the machine body. The ground vehicle-mounted waste treatment system is independently arranged on the working vehicle and is connected to the modular dredging execution component through pipelines. The mobile dredging unit includes four sets of independently driven spiral wheels, a buoy assembly, and a built-in buoyancy adjustment mechanism. The four sets of independently driven spiral wheels are fixedly installed in two rows at the bottom of the unit, and the buoyancy adjustment mechanism is sealed in the internal cavity of the unit. The buoy assembly is assembled on the top surface of the unit and is flexibly connected to the unit by a traction line. A slurry pump is fixedly installed in the middle cavity of the unit, and the outlet of the slurry pump is vertically connected to the sludge discharge pipe, which extends upwards out of the unit. A distance measuring sensor and a camera are installed at the front end of the unit, and a sonar and a lighting lamp are fixed on the front side wall of the unit. The underwater sensing and navigation component integrates a gimbal camera, sonar, ranging sensor, and camera. The gimbal camera is mounted on the buoy component, while the ranging sensor, camera, and sonar are fixed to the front of the body. The four components are interconnected via a waterproof signal cable. The modular dredging execution component is equipped with a hydraulic quick-change end head, which can be disassembled and replaced with the crushing end head, high-pressure flushing end head, and suction end head respectively; The ground-based vehicle-mounted wastewater treatment system is equipped with a mud-water separation and water circulation structure. The treated clean water is transported to the flushing end of the modular dredging execution component for reuse.

[0010] The four sets of independently driven spirals are divided into a first spiral wheel, a second spiral wheel, a third spiral wheel, and a fourth spiral wheel. The first and second spiral wheels are arranged side by side on the upper left and right sides of the machine body, and the third and fourth spiral wheels are arranged side by side on the lower left and right sides of the machine body. Each set of spiral wheels is equipped with a separate drive motor, which is fixed to the outer wall of the machine body and rigidly connected to the spiral wheel coaxially.

[0011] The first, second, third, and fourth spiral wheels are all equipped with asymmetrical integrated spiral blades; each set of motors independently rotates in both forward and reverse directions, enabling the whole machine to move forward, turn, move laterally, and rotate in place, while simultaneously gathering sludge towards the slurry pump inlet in the middle of the machine body.

[0012] The first, second, third, and fourth spiral wheels are all made of lightweight, high-strength composite materials. The blades and hubs are coated with a mud-repellent protective coating to reduce the accumulation of silt.

[0013] The buoy assembly consists of a buoy, a traction line, and an automatic retraction box. The automatic retraction box is rigidly fixed at the center of the top surface of the body. One end of the traction line is stored and wound inside the automatic retraction box, and the other end of the traction line is connected upward to the bottom of the buoy. The pan-tilt camera is fixedly installed on the upper surface of the buoy, and the signal line is threaded inside the traction line and connected downward to the underwater sensing and navigation component inside the body.

[0014] Mounting positions are provided on the left and right side walls of the front end of the machine body. The sonar is fixed on the left side and the lighting is fixed on the right side. The range sensor and camera are arranged in sequence in the middle of the front end of the machine body. The sonar, lighting, range sensor and camera are all facing the direction of the machine body's movement. The four signal lines are connected to the internal control motherboard of the machine body.

[0015] The internal cavity of the machine body is equipped with a variable buoyancy adjustment mechanism, and a pressure detection element is attached to the outer wall of the buoyancy chamber. The sludge adsorption resistance signal collected by the pressure detection element is transmitted to the buoyancy closed-loop controller, and the controller adjusts the internal volume of the chamber to change the overall drainage volume of the machine body.

[0016] The buoyancy adjustment mechanism adopts a telescopic airbag or piston-sealed cavity structure, with external air pressure or hydraulic pipelines extending to an external power source, enabling autonomous escape from ultra-soft silt environments with shear strength less than 5 kPa.

[0017] The modular dredging execution component has a hydraulic quick-change end equipped with a hydraulic locking structure. The crushing end, high-pressure flushing end, and suction end are detachably connected to the locking flange, and the hydraulic pipelines of each end are connected to the built-in hydraulic oil circuit of the machine body.

[0018] The machine body has a built-in deep reinforcement learning control module, which is electrically connected to the sonar, gimbal camera, camera, ranging sensor, each screw drive motor, and modular dredging execution components. It can automatically match the cutter speed, water jet pressure, and overall machine speed according to the hardness, thickness, and blockage material of the silt.

[0019] The underwater sensing and navigation component is equipped with a multi-source data synchronization processing module, which uniformly receives data collected from gimbal cameras, sonar, ranging sensors, cameras, inertial positioning, and underwater acoustic positioning, and uses a layered fusion algorithm to suppress cumulative positioning errors.

[0020] The multi-source data synchronization processing module is divided into a three-layer architecture: the bottom layer performs noise reduction and calibration on the raw signals from sonar, PTZ camera, camera, and ranging sensor; the middle layer fuses attitude and spatial position data; and the upper layer relies on PTZ camera and camera to identify pipeline features and correct the global positioning trajectory.

[0021] The underwater sensing and navigation component is equipped with dual redundant communication links of underwater acoustics and optical fiber. One end of the link is connected to the onboard data processing module, and the other end is led out to the ground control terminal. When the underwater acoustic positioning component fails, the system automatically switches to the backup navigation mode of sonar and ranging sensor combined inertial positioning.

[0022] The ground-based vehicle-mounted wastewater treatment system is equipped with an automatic flocculant dosing chamber. The slurry pump transports the mud-water mixture to the system through the sludge discharge pipe. The system separates clean water, which is then transported through pipelines to the high-pressure flushing end of the modular dredging execution component for recycling, eliminating the need for an external water source.

[0023] A dredging method for underground pipelines using an amphibious dredging robot includes the following steps: S1. Equipment Deployment: Lower the unit into the pipeline inspection well, activate the automatic cable reel box to release the traction line, causing the buoy to float on the water surface. The pan-tilt camera and sonar establish an underwater sensing and positioning benchmark. Simultaneously, the ranging sensor and camera are activated to collect data on siltation and obstacles in front of the pipeline. S2. Adaptive buoyancy control: The pressure element collects the sludge adsorption pressure signal in real time, and the buoyancy adjustment mechanism adjusts the drainage volume of the machine body to counteract the sludge adsorption force and prevent the machine body from getting stuck in sludge. S3, Multi-source sensing and positioning: The data synchronization module uniformly calibrates the data collected by the PTZ camera and sonar, merges them to generate a pipeline terrain map, and outputs centimeter-level real-time positioning coordinates; it also merges the ranging sensor's ranging data to assist in correcting the positioning coordinates. S4. Intelligent dredging operation: Sonar identifies the type of siltation, the control module matches the operation parameters, switches the corresponding crushing, high-pressure flushing and suction heads of the modular dredging execution components, and four sets of spiral wheels gather the silt to the slurry pump; the thickness of the siltation and the type of blockage are judged by the collaboration of distance sensors and cameras. S5. Closed-loop sewage treatment: The slurry pump transports the sludge to the on-board treatment system through the sludge discharge pipe. The clean water after sludge-water separation is returned to the modular sludge removal execution component for repeated spraying. S6. Autonomous Extrication: When the body is blocked, the buoyancy mechanism increases buoyancy and floats upward, synchronously driving the first, second, third, and fourth spiral wheels to rotate and extricate itself from the blockage. The buoy maintains uninterrupted communication throughout the process.

[0024] Multi-source data timing alignment accuracy is less than 10ms; robot static horizontal positioning error is less than 5cm and depth positioning error is less than 3cm; single pipeline sludge removal rate is not less than 90%; it can climb 30° slopes and operate stably in 10m water depth environments.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. This invention features four independently driven asymmetric spiral wheels, enabling forward movement, lateral movement, and on-the-spot turning, eliminating blind spots in pipeline dredging. Combined with a built-in variable buoyancy adjustment mechanism, it relies on closed-loop pressure signal control of buoyancy to autonomously float and escape from ultra-soft sludge environments with shear strength less than 5 kPa, preventing equipment sinking and loss of connection. It is suitable for amphibious operations in dry pipes, shallow water, and 10m deep water, with strong climbing and obstacle-crossing capabilities, significantly improving the adaptability of operations in narrow municipal pipeline networks and the safety of equipment recovery.

[0026] 2. This invention relies on a multi-sensor layered fusion positioning scheme using a buoy gimbal camera and sonar to solve the problem of positioning drift in pipeline networks without GPS. The static positioning accuracy can reach the centimeter level. When a single sensor fails, it automatically switches to a redundant navigation mode, which has fault tolerance capability. It can simultaneously identify siltation status and pipeline damage, without the need for real-time manual operation. The error of long-distance pipeline operation is controllable, significantly reducing the cost of manual operation and the risk of operation.

[0027] 3. The modular dredging execution component of this invention can quickly switch between crushing, flushing, and suction heads. The deep reinforcement learning algorithm automatically matches the operation parameters according to the characteristics of siltation, and can efficiently clean both hard clumps and soft sludge. The matching vehicle-mounted mud-water separation system enables on-site flocculation and reuse of sewage, eliminating the need to transport sludge and wastewater externally or connect to an external water source, thus eliminating secondary pollution caused by leakage during transportation and significantly reducing the overall cost of dredging materials and transportation. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can derive other embodiments based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0029] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in this specification are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein, and are not intended to limit the conditions under which the present invention can be implemented. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives that the present invention can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a front view of the amphibious dredging robot of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a top view of the amphibious dredging robot of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a side view of the amphibious dredging robot of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a roadmap for the multi-sensor fusion navigation technology of the present invention.

[0031] Wherein: 1 is the machine body, 2 is the first spiral wheel, 3 is the second spiral wheel, 4 is the third spiral wheel, 5 is the fourth spiral wheel, 6 is the buoy, 7 is the pan-tilt camera, 8 is the traction line, 9 is the automatic retraction and deployment box, 10 is the sludge discharge pipe, 11 is the slurry pump, 12 is the sonar, 13 is the lighting lamp, 14 is the modular dredging execution component, 15 is the distance sensor, and 16 is the camera. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. These descriptions are only for further illustrating the features and advantages of the present invention, and not for limiting the claims of the present invention. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0034] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0035] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0036] Example 1: Amphibious Dredging Robot for Underground Pipelines like Figure 1-3 As shown, the robot in this embodiment includes a body 1, a walking dredging body, an underwater sensing and navigation component, a modular dredging execution component 14, and a ground vehicle-mounted waste treatment system.

[0037] The body 1 is a sealed, waterproof, hollow shell made of lightweight, high-strength composite material. The shell is coated with a wear-resistant and mud-repellent coating. A slurry pump 11 is fixedly installed in the middle of the inner cavity of the body 1. The slurry pump 11 is vertically connected to the sludge discharge pipe 10. The sludge discharge pipe 10 extends upwards out of the body 1 and is used to transport the sludge mixture to the ground vehicle-mounted wastewater treatment system.

[0038] The front left and right side walls of the robot body 1 are reserved for installation positions. The sonar 12 is fixed on the left side and the lighting lamp 13 is fixed on the right side. The front of the robot body 1 is also equipped with a ranging sensor 15 and a camera 16. The lenses of the ranging sensor 15, camera 16, sonar 12 and lighting lamp 13 are all facing the robot's forward direction. All cables are uniformly stored and connected to the internal control motherboard of the robot body 1.

[0039] The internal cavity of the body 1 is sealed with a variable buoyancy adjustment mechanism. The buoyancy adjustment mechanism is equipped with a pressure detection element, which is attached to the outer wall of the buoyancy chamber to collect sludge adsorption resistance data in real time and transmit it to the buoyancy closed-loop controller. The buoyancy adjustment mechanism adopts a retractable airbag structure and is connected to an external compressed air pipeline to a ground air source. By changing the volume of the airbag, the overall drainage volume of the body 1 is adjusted, enabling autonomous extrication from ultra-soft sludge with a shear strength of less than 5 kPa.

[0040] The mobile dredging unit comprises four independently driven spiral wheels and buoy assemblies. The four independently driven spiral wheels are designated as first spiral wheel 2, second spiral wheel 3, third spiral wheel 4, and fourth spiral wheel 5. First spiral wheels 2 and second spiral wheels 3 are installed side-by-side on the upper left and right sides of the unit body 1, while third spiral wheels 4 and fourth spiral wheels 5 are installed side-by-side on the lower left and right sides of the unit body 1. Each spiral wheel is independently equipped with a waterproof drive motor, which is rigidly fixed to the outer wall of the unit body 1 and coaxially connected to the spiral wheel. All spiral wheels use one-piece molded asymmetrical spiral blades with a sludge-removing protective coating sprayed on the surface. Each motor can be independently controlled to rotate in both directions, enabling the entire machine to move forward, backward, left and right, and rotate in place. During rotation, the sludge in the pipeline is gathered towards the inlet of the slurry pump 11 in the middle of the unit body 1 for easy pumping and collection.

[0041] The buoy assembly consists of a buoy 6, a pan-tilt camera 7, a traction cable 8, and an automatic cable retraction box 9. The automatic cable retraction box 9 is rigidly fixed to the center of the top surface of the body 1. One end of the traction cable 8 is stored and wound inside the automatic cable retraction box 9, and the other end of the traction cable 8 is connected upwards to the bottom of the buoy 6. The pan-tilt camera 7 is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the buoy 6, and the signal cable passes through the inside of the traction cable 8 and connects downwards to the underwater sensing and navigation components of the body 1. When the robot dives underwater, the buoy 6 floats on the surface of the pipeline network, continuously providing visual and positioning references above water, ensuring uninterrupted communication for underwater equipment.

[0042] The underwater sensing and navigation component integrates a gimbal camera 7, a sonar 12, a front-end ranging sensor 15, a front-end camera 16, an inertial positioning module, and an underwater acoustic positioning module. It is equipped with a multi-source data synchronous processing module and uses a three-layer hierarchical fusion algorithm to process the collected data.

[0043] The bottom layer performs adaptive noise reduction calibration on the raw signals from sonar 12, pan-tilt camera 7, camera 16, and ranging sensor 15; the middle layer integrates inertial, underwater acoustic, and ranging position data, and suppresses positioning drift caused by underwater sliding through nonholonomic motion constraints; the top layer uses pan-tilt camera 7 and body camera 16 to identify feature points such as pipe edges and artificial fluorescent beacons to correct global trajectory errors.

[0044] The navigation system is equipped with a dual-redundant communication link of an underwater acoustic modem and fiber optic cable, enabling real-time data transmission back to the ground control terminal. When the underwater acoustic positioning module signal is blocked or malfunctions, the system automatically switches between redundant navigation modes of sonar 12, ranging sensor 15, and inertial positioning. The timing alignment accuracy of the data synchronization module is controlled within 10ms, the static horizontal positioning error is less than 5cm, and the depth positioning error is less than 3cm.

[0045] The modular dredging execution component 14 is detachably assembled at the bottom of the front end of the machine body 1. It is equipped with a hydraulic quick-change locking structure, which can be quickly disassembled and connected to the flanges of the crushing end, high-pressure flushing end, and suction end respectively. The hydraulic pipelines of each end are connected to the built-in hydraulic oil circuit of the machine body 1.

[0046] The whole machine is equipped with a deep reinforcement learning control module. The control module is electrically connected to the sonar 12, the pan-tilt camera 7, the camera 16, the ranging sensor 15, the drive motors of each screw wheel, and the modular dredging execution component 14. After the sonar 12, the ranging sensor 15, and the camera 16 collect data on the hardness, thickness, and blockage material of the silt, the control module automatically matches the cutter speed, water jet pressure, and the overall machine travel speed.

[0047] The ground-mounted wastewater treatment system is independently placed on the work vehicle. It is equipped with an automatic flocculant dosing bin and a mud-water separation and dewatering module. The slurry pump 11 delivers the sludge mixture to the system through the sludge discharge pipe 10, and adds environmentally friendly composite flocculant to complete solid-liquid separation. The separated clean water is transported to the high-pressure flushing end of the modular dredging execution component 14 through a circulation pipeline for circulating spraying. There is no need to connect to the municipal water source. The sludge and waste residue are dewatered and transported on-site, avoiding the leakage of wastewater and causing secondary pollution to the road surface and river.

[0048] Example 2: Dredging method of underground pipeline amphibious dredging robot, using the underground pipeline amphibious dredging method described in Example 1, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it includes the following steps: S1. Equipment deployment operation: The machine body 1 is lowered into the drainage pipe network through the inspection well. The ground control terminal starts the automatic cable release box 9 to release the traction line 8. The buoy 6 floats to the water surface of the pipe network. The pan-tilt camera 7, the front camera 16 of the machine body, the ranging sensor 15, and the sonar 12 establish a dual sensing and positioning benchmark above and below water. S2. Buoyancy adaptive control: The pressure detection element at the bottom of the body 1 collects the sludge adsorption pressure signal in real time. The buoyancy closed-loop controller drives the buoyancy adjustment airbag to inflate and deflate, changing the drainage volume of the body 1, offsetting the sludge adsorption force, and preventing the body 1 from being buried and stuck. S3. Multi-source perception mapping and positioning: The multi-source data synchronization module uniformly calibrates the data collected by the PTZ camera 7, camera 16, ranging sensor 15, sonar 12, inertial and underwater acoustic sensors, and generates a three-dimensional SLAM topographic map of the pipeline network by layer fusion, and outputs centimeter-level real-time positioning coordinates; when underwater acoustic positioning fails, the backup navigation mode of sonar 12 and ranging sensor 15 combined with inertial is automatically activated. S4. Adaptive dredging operation: Sonar 12, ranging sensor 15, and camera 16 work together to identify silt thickness, hardness, and pipe blockages. The control module matches the operation parameters and switches the corresponding crushing / high-pressure flushing / suction end of the modular dredging execution component 14. It also synchronously controls the differentiated rotation of four sets of spiral wheels to gather silt into the slurry pump 11. S5. Wastewater closed-loop treatment: The slurry pump 11 transports the sludge to the vehicle-mounted treatment system through the sludge discharge pipe 10. The clean water after sludge-water separation is returned to the modular sludge removal execution component 14 for repeated spraying. S6. Autonomous Extrication: When the body 1 gets stuck in ultra-soft silt, the buoyancy adjustment mechanism is fully inflated and floats to the surface. Simultaneously, it drives the first spiral wheel 2, the second spiral wheel 3, the third spiral wheel 4, and the fourth spiral wheel 5 to rotate and escape from the stagnation. The buoy 6 maintains uninterrupted communication throughout the process.

[0049] This robot is adaptable to amphibious pipe network conditions including dry main pipes, shallow water, and 10m deep water. It has a maximum climbing angle of 30° and can overcome obstacles such as rocks and tree branches. The silt removal rate in a single operation is ≥90%. It can stably complete silt removal and autonomous extrication in ultra-soft silt environments with shear strength <5kPa. It is fully adaptable to silt removal and defect detection scenarios in urban old stormwater and sewage branch pipes, box culverts, narrow inspection wells, and other restricted and enclosed pipe networks.

[0050] This embodiment can be modified by making conventional equivalent substitutions for the screw wheel size, buoyancy airbag volume, and sensor parameters according to the actual municipal pipeline diameter and silt conditions, all of which fall within the protection scope of this invention.

[0051] The above description only illustrates the preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and all such changes should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines, characterized in that: Includes the main body (1), the walking dredging body, the underwater sensing and navigation component, the modular dredging execution component (14), and the ground vehicle-mounted waste treatment system; The walking dredging body and underwater sensing and navigation components are both mounted on the body (1). The modular dredging execution component (14) is detachably installed at the bottom of the front end of the body (1). The ground vehicle-mounted waste treatment system is independently arranged on the working vehicle and is connected to the modular dredging execution component (14) through pipelines. The walking dredging body includes four sets of independent drive augers, a buoy assembly, and a built-in buoyancy adjustment mechanism. The four sets of independent drive augers are fixedly installed in two rows at the bottom of the body (1), and the buoyancy adjustment mechanism is sealed in the internal cavity of the body (1). The buoy assembly is mounted on the top surface of the body (1), and the buoy assembly and the body (1) are flexibly connected by a traction line (8). A slurry pump (11) is fixedly installed in the middle cavity of the body (1), and the outlet of the slurry pump (11) is vertically connected to the mud discharge pipe (10), which extends upwards out of the body (1). A distance measuring sensor (15) and a camera (16) are mounted at the front end of the body, and a sonar (12) and a lighting lamp (13) are fixed on the front side wall of the body. The underwater sensing and navigation component integrates a gimbal camera (7), a sonar (12), a ranging sensor (15), and a camera (16). The gimbal camera (7) is mounted on the buoy component, and the ranging sensor (15), camera (16), and sonar (12) are fixed to the front end of the body (1). The four components are interconnected through a waterproof signal line. The modular dredging execution component (14) is equipped with a hydraulic quick-change end head, which can be disassembled and replaced with the crushing end head, high-pressure flushing end head, and suction end head respectively; The ground vehicle-mounted waste treatment system is equipped with a mud-water separation and water circulation structure. The treated clean water is transported to the flushing end of the modular dredging execution component (14) for reuse.

2. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The four sets of independent driving spirals are divided into a first spiral wheel (2), a second spiral wheel (3), a third spiral wheel (4), and a fourth spiral wheel (5). The first spiral wheel (2) and the second spiral wheel (3) are arranged side by side on the upper left and right sides of the body (1), and the third spiral wheel (4) and the fourth spiral wheel (5) are arranged side by side on the lower left and right sides of the body (1). Each set of spiral wheels is equipped with a separate driving motor, which is fixed to the outer wall of the body (1) and rigidly connected to the spiral wheel coaxially.

3. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first spiral wheel (2), the second spiral wheel (3), the third spiral wheel (4), and the fourth spiral wheel (5) are all equipped with asymmetrical integrated spiral blades; each group of motors independently rotates in both forward and reverse directions, which can realize the machine's forward movement, turning, lateral movement, and rotation in place, while gathering the sludge towards the inlet of the slurry pump (11) in the middle of the machine body (1).

4. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first spiral wheel (2), the second spiral wheel (3), the third spiral wheel (4), and the fourth spiral wheel are all made of lightweight high-strength composite material. The blades and the outer surface of the hub are sprayed with a mud-repellent protective coating to reduce the adhesion and accumulation of silt.

5. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buoy assembly consists of a buoy (6), a traction line (8), and an automatic reel-in / reel-out box (9). The automatic reel-in / reel-out box (9) is rigidly fixed at the center of the top surface of the body (1). One end of the traction line (8) is stored and wound inside the automatic reel-in / reel-out box (9), and the other end of the traction line (8) is connected upward to the bottom of the buoy (6). The pan-tilt camera (7) is fixedly installed on the upper surface of the buoy (6), and the signal line is threaded through the traction line (8) and connected downward to the underwater sensing and navigation assembly inside the body (1).

6. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front left and right side walls of the body (1) are respectively provided with mounting positions. The sonar (12) is fixed on the left side and the lighting lamp (13) is fixed on the right side. The range sensor (15) and camera (16) are arranged in sequence in the middle of the front of the body. The sonar (12), lighting lamp (13), range sensor (15) and camera (16) are all facing the forward direction of the body (1). The four signal lines are connected to the internal control motherboard of the body.

7. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The internal cavity of the body (1) is equipped with a variable buoyancy adjustment mechanism, and a pressure detection element is attached to the outer wall of the buoyancy chamber. The sludge adsorption resistance signal collected by the pressure detection element is transmitted to the buoyancy closed-loop controller. The controller adjusts the internal volume of the chamber to change the overall drainage volume of the body (1).

8. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 7, characterized in that: The buoyancy adjustment mechanism adopts a telescopic airbag or piston sealed cavity structure, and the external air pressure or hydraulic pipeline extends to the external power source of the machine body (1), which can achieve autonomous escape in ultra-soft silt environment with shear strength less than 5kPa.

9. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The modular dredging execution component (14) is equipped with a hydraulic quick-change end with a hydraulic locking structure. The crushing end, high-pressure flushing end, and suction end are detachably connected to the locking flange, and the hydraulic pipelines of each end are connected to the built-in hydraulic oil circuit of the machine body (1).

10. An amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 9, characterized in that: The machine body (1) has a built-in deep reinforcement learning control module, which is electrically connected to the sonar (12), gimbal camera (7), camera (16), ranging sensor (15), each spiral wheel drive motor, and modular dredging execution component (14). It can automatically match the cutter speed, water jet pressure, and overall machine speed according to the hardness, thickness, and blockage material of the silt.

11. An amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The underwater sensing and navigation component is equipped with a multi-source data synchronization processing module, which uniformly receives data collected from the PTZ camera (7), sonar (12), ranging sensor (15), camera (16), inertial positioning, and underwater acoustic positioning, and uses a layered fusion algorithm to suppress the cumulative positioning error.

12. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 11, characterized in that: The multi-source data synchronization processing module is divided into a three-layer architecture: the bottom layer performs noise reduction calibration on the original signals of sonar (12), PTZ camera (7), camera (16), and ranging sensor (15); The middle layer integrates attitude and spatial location data; the upper layer relies on the gimbal camera (7) and camera (16) to identify pipeline features and correct the global positioning trajectory.

13. An amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 12, characterized in that: The underwater sensing and navigation component is configured with dual redundant communication links of underwater acoustic and optical fiber. One end of the link is connected to the data processing module inside the machine, and the other end is led out to the ground control terminal. When the underwater acoustic positioning component fails, the system automatically switches to the backup navigation mode of joint inertial positioning of sonar (12) and ranging sensor (15).

14. The amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ground vehicle-mounted waste treatment system is equipped with an automatic flocculant dosing chamber. The slurry pump (11) transports the mud-water mixture to the system through the sludge discharge pipe (10). The system separates clean water and transports it through pipelines to the high-pressure flushing end of the modular dredging execution component (14) for recycling, without the need for an external water source.

15. A dredging method based on the amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Equipment deployment: Lower the machine body (1) to the pipeline inspection well, start the automatic cable reel box (9) to release the traction line (8), so that the buoy (6) floats on the water surface, and the pan-tilt camera (7) and sonar (12) establish the underwater sensing and positioning benchmark; simultaneously start the ranging sensor (15) and camera (16) to collect data on siltation and obstacles in front of the pipeline. S2, Buoyancy Adaptive Control: The pressure element collects the sludge adsorption pressure signal in real time, and the buoyancy adjustment mechanism adjusts the body (1) drainage volume to counteract the sludge adsorption force and prevent the body from getting stuck in sludge. S3, Multi-source sensing and positioning: The data synchronization module uniformly calibrates the data collected by the PTZ camera (7) and sonar (12), integrates them to generate a pipeline terrain map, and outputs centimeter-level real-time positioning coordinates; it integrates the ranging data of the ranging sensor (15) to assist in correcting the positioning coordinates; S4. Intelligent dredging operation: Sonar (12) identifies the type of siltation, the control module matches the operation parameters, switches the corresponding crushing, high-pressure flushing and suction end of the modular dredging execution component (14), and four sets of spiral wheels gather the silt to the slurry pump (11); the thickness of siltation and the type of blockage are judged by the coordination of the distance sensor (15) and the camera (16); S5. Wastewater closed-loop treatment: The slurry pump (11) transports the sludge to the vehicle-mounted treatment system through the sludge discharge pipe (10), and the clean water after sludge-water separation flows back to the modular sludge removal execution component (14) for repeated spraying; S6. Autonomous escape: When the body is blocked, the buoyancy mechanism increases the buoyancy and floats upward, synchronously driving the first spiral wheel (2), the second spiral wheel (3), the third spiral wheel (4), and the fourth spiral wheel (5) to rotate and escape. The buoy (6) maintains smooth communication throughout the process.

16. A dredging method for an amphibious dredging robot for underground pipelines according to claim 15, characterized in that, Multi-source data timing alignment accuracy is less than 10ms; robot static horizontal positioning error is less than 5cm and depth positioning error is less than 3cm; single pipeline sludge removal rate is not less than 90%; it can climb 30° slopes and operate stably in 10m water depth environments.

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