Sucker and wall-climbing robot for negative pressure adsorption

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of suction cup and wall-climbing robot for negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot, it is related to wall-climbing robot technical field, suction cup includes suction cup body, the bottom of the suction cup body is provided with a plurality of wear-resistant nails arranged at intervals, the wear-resistant nail protrudes from the bottom surface of the suction cup body;When the suction cup is adsorbed to wall surface, each wear-resistant nail is in contact with wall surface, and the bottom surface of the suction cup body is supported away from wall surface, so that the part corresponding to each wear-resistant nail around the bottom surface is formed between wall surface and local gap, the service life of the suction cup can be improved. The application can improve the moving flexibility and work efficiency of robot on wall surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wall-climbing robot technology, and in particular to a suction cup for negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robots and the wall-climbing robot itself. Background Technology

[0002] Negative pressure wall-climbing robots adhere to walls by generating negative pressure within suction cups, and are not limited by wall materials. They are widely used in petrochemical tank flaw detection, wind turbine tower inspection, building cleaning and spraying, nuclear industry thickness measurement, fire fighting, and shipbuilding. The suction cup, as the core adsorption component of the negative pressure wall-climbing robot, directly determines the robot's adsorption reliability and operational capabilities.

[0003] When a wall-climbing robot moves along a wall, the bottom surface of its suction cup remains in continuous contact with the wall and slides relative to it. Traditional suction cups have a completely flat rubber bottom surface. Under negative pressure suction, this large area of ​​the suction cup bottom surface adheres tightly to the smooth wall surface, easily forming a continuous negative pressure zone. This generates significant suction resistance, severely limiting the robot's mobility and operational efficiency. Simultaneously, continuous sliding friction causes rapid wear on the suction cup bottom surface, shortening its lifespan. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot and a wall-climbing robot, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art, improve the robot's mobility and work efficiency on the wall, and extend the service life of the suction cup.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution: This invention provides a suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot, comprising a suction cup body, wherein a plurality of spaced wear-resistant nails are provided on the bottom of the suction cup body, the wear-resistant nails protruding from the bottom surface of the suction cup body; when the suction cup is adsorbed onto a wall surface, each of the wear-resistant nails abuts against the wall surface and pushes the bottom surface of the suction cup body away from the wall surface, so that a local gap is formed between the bottom surface corresponding to the portion around each wear-resistant nail and the wall surface.

[0006] In some embodiments, a plurality of the wear-resistant nails are evenly distributed on the bottom surface of the suction cup body.

[0007] In some embodiments, the wear-resistant nail is made of nylon.

[0008] In some embodiments, the wear-resistant nails are detachable.

[0009] In some embodiments, the wear-resistant nail includes a nail head, a nail shank, and a nut. The nail shank has external threads, the nail head is located on the bottom surface of the suction cup body, one end of the nail shank is fixedly connected to the nail head, and the other end passes through the bottom surface of the suction cup body and is threadedly connected to the nut so that the wear-resistant nail is disposed at the bottom of the suction cup body.

[0010] In some embodiments, the suction cup body is made of an elastic composite material.

[0011] In some embodiments, the device further includes: a suction cup top plate, a suction cup inner pressure plate, a guide post, a spring plate, and a guide sleeve; the suction cup top plate is disposed on the top of the suction cup body; the suction cup inner pressure plate is disposed on the inner side of the top of the suction cup body, and together with the suction cup top plate, clamps and fixes the top of the suction cup body; the top end of the guide post passes through the guide holes on the suction cup top plate and the suction cup inner pressure plate and is fixedly connected to the bottom of the robot body, for providing vertical guidance for the suction cup body; the spring plate is disposed on the inner side of the bottom of the suction cup body, and the bottom end of the guide post passes through the spring plate and is fixedly connected to the bottom of the suction cup body, for limiting the horizontal displacement of the bottom of the suction cup body; the guide sleeve is sleeved on the outside of the guide post and connected to the side wall of the suction cup body, for preventing the side wall of the suction cup body from bulging.

[0012] In some embodiments, the spring sheet is an elastic metal sheet that provides elastic restoring force when vertical deformation occurs at the bottom of the suction cup body.

[0013] In some embodiments, the elastic composite material is a polyurethane material.

[0014] The present invention also provides a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot, including a robot body and a suction cup as described above, wherein the suction cup is installed on the bottom of the robot body.

[0015] The present invention achieves the following technical effects compared to the prior art: Firstly, it significantly reduces sliding friction resistance. In traditional planar suction cups, under negative pressure adsorption, the large rubber surface of the suction cup adheres tightly to the smooth wall surface. This pressure creates a viscous effect between the bottom and the wall, generating additional adsorption resistance and severely limiting the robot's mobility. In this solution, wear-resistant pins push the bottom surface of the suction cup away from the wall, creating a local gap between the bottom and the wall. This eliminates the viscous effect caused by the large-area adhesion in traditional structures, eliminating additional adsorption resistance between the suction cup and the wall. This significantly reduces the sliding friction resistance of the suction cup, thereby improving the robot's mobility and operational efficiency on walls.

[0016] Secondly, it extends the service life of the suction cup itself. During the process of the suction cup adsorbing and sliding relative to the wall surface, the sliding friction is mainly borne by the protruding wear-resistant studs. The wear-resistant studs are made of highly wear-resistant materials (such as nylon, polyurethane, etc.), and their wear rate is much lower than that of the suction cup material itself. Moreover, the wear is mainly concentrated on the independently replaceable wear-resistant studs, thereby significantly extending the service life of the suction cup itself and reducing maintenance costs. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of the suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention from another direction. In the diagram: 1-suction cup top plate; 2-suction cup body; 3-guide post; 4-suction cup inner pressure plate; 5-guide sleeve; 6-spring sheet; 7-wear-resistant nail; 8-screw. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] The purpose of this invention is to provide a suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot and a wall-climbing robot, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art, improve the robot's mobility and work efficiency on the wall, and extend the service life of the suction cup.

[0021] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0022] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 3 The following describes embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] Example 1 This invention provides a suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot, comprising a suction cup body 2, with a plurality of spaced wear-resistant nails 7 arranged at the bottom of the suction cup body 2, the wear-resistant nails 7 protruding from the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2; when the suction cup is adsorbed onto the wall surface, each wear-resistant nail 7 abuts against the wall surface and pushes the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2 away from the wall surface, so that the part of the bottom surface corresponding to the area around each wear-resistant nail 7 forms a local gap with the wall surface.

[0024] In this embodiment, wear-resistant nails 7 protruding from the bottom surface are provided at the bottom of the suction cup body 2. When the suction cup is attached to the wall, the wear-resistant nails 7 contact the wall and push part of the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2 away from the wall. Since the wear-resistant nails 7 are arranged at intervals, a local gap is formed between the bottom surface area around each wear-resistant nail 7 and the wall surface, rather than the entire surface being attached.

[0025] The above structure has the following beneficial effects: Firstly, it significantly reduces sliding friction resistance. In traditional planar suction cups, under negative pressure adsorption, the large rubber surface of the bottom is tightly adhered to the smooth wall surface. This pressure creates a viscous effect between the bottom and the wall, generating additional adsorption resistance and severely restricting the robot's mobility. In this solution, the wear-resistant nails 7 push the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2 away from the wall surface, creating a local gap between the bottom and the wall. This eliminates the viscous effect caused by the large-area adhesion in traditional structures, eliminating additional adsorption resistance between the suction cup and the wall. This significantly reduces the sliding friction resistance of the suction cup, thereby improving the robot's mobility and operational efficiency on the wall.

[0026] Secondly, it extends the service life of the suction cup body 2. During the process of the suction cup adsorbing and sliding relative to the wall surface, the sliding friction is mainly borne by the protruding wear-resistant nails 7. The wear-resistant nails 7 are made of highly wear-resistant materials (such as nylon, polyurethane, etc.), and their wear rate is much lower than that of the suction cup itself. Moreover, the wear is mainly concentrated on the independently replaceable wear-resistant nails 7, thereby significantly extending the service life of the suction cup body 2 and reducing maintenance costs.

[0027] It should be noted that the above structure does not reduce the sealing performance due to the wear-resistant nails 7 lifting the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2 away from the wall surface. Its sealing reliability stems from the following mechanism: the sealing function of the suction cup is primarily undertaken by the sealing lip on the outer edge of the suction cup body 2. This sealing lip is independent of the internal area of ​​the bottom surface and remains tightly fitted to the wall surface under negative pressure to form the main seal. The wear-resistant nails 7 only act on the internal bottom surface area of ​​the suction cup body 2 and do not involve the sealing surface of the outer sealing lip; their functions do not interfere with each other. Therefore, the placement of the wear-resistant nails 7 will not have any adverse effect on the main seal.

[0028] Furthermore, because the wear-resistant nails 7 are arranged at intervals, when each wear-resistant nail 7 pushes the bottom surface away from the wall surface, multiple local sealing gaps are formed between the bottom surface area around each wear-resistant nail 7 and the wall surface. These local sealing gaps essentially constitute multiple auxiliary sealing pairs. When the gap around a single wear-resistant nail 7 changes slightly due to local unevenness of the wall surface, the gaps around the remaining wear-resistant nails 7 can still maintain a stable sealing state, thereby enhancing the overall adaptability of the suction cup to the micro-unevenness of the wall surface and improving the sealing redundancy and reliability.

[0029] In some embodiments, multiple wear-resistant nails 7 are evenly distributed on the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2.

[0030] In this embodiment, the uniform distribution ensures that all areas of the suction cup bottom surface are effectively supported away from the wall by the wear-resistant nails 7, avoiding situations where local areas still have large-area contact with the wall due to the absence of wear-resistant nails 7. This effectively disrupts the formation of negative pressure zones throughout the entire suction cup area. At the same time, the uniform distribution makes the supporting force and friction force borne by each wear-resistant nail 7 tend to be balanced, avoiding stress concentration. The suction cup is subjected to uniform force during adsorption and sliding, and is less prone to local excessive deformation or uneven wear. In addition, the contact point array formed by the uniformly distributed wear-resistant nails 7 on the wall surface makes the friction force distribution uniform when the suction cup slides. The robot moves more smoothly and controllably on the wall surface, and will not experience jerking or yaw due to sudden changes in friction force.

[0031] The distribution of wear-resistant studs 7 is not limited to uniform distribution. Depending on the specific shape of the suction cup and the curvature characteristics of the working wall, the wear-resistant studs 7 can be distributed in a non-uniform manner. For example, for a circular suction cup, the wear-resistant studs 7 can be arranged more densely in the central area of ​​the bottom surface of the suction cup and more sparsely in the edge area, or vice versa; for an elliptical or elongated suction cup, the wear-resistant studs 7 can be arranged more densely at both ends along the long axis to enhance the support stability at the ends; for scenarios with a large curvature of the working wall, the arrangement density of the wear-resistant studs 7 can be increased in areas with drastic curvature changes and decreased in areas with gentle curvature changes.

[0032] In some embodiments, the wear-resistant nail 7 is made of nylon.

[0033] In this embodiment, nylon possesses excellent wear resistance. When the suction cup adheres to the wall surface and slides relative to it, the nylon wear-resistant studs 7 can maintain their protrusion height and shape integrity for a long time, without losing their function of supporting the bottom of the suction cup due to rapid wear, thus ensuring the durability of the wear-resistant studs 7. At the same time, nylon material has a certain degree of elasticity, and can undergo slight elastic deformation when in contact with the wall surface. It can not only fit well with the wall surface to provide stable support, but also will not cause scratches or damage to the wall surface like rigid metal studs. It is especially suitable for walls with high surface quality requirements, such as coated surfaces and composite material surfaces. In addition, nylon material has low density and light weight, which helps to reduce the overall weight of the suction cup and reduce the load on the wall-climbing robot. Nylon also has good corrosion resistance and weather resistance, and can adapt to various wall conditions in outdoor and industrial environments.

[0034] Of course, the material of wear-resistant nail 7 is not limited to nylon. Wear-resistant nail 7 can also be made of engineering plastics such as polyoxymethylene, polyetheretherketone, and polytetrafluoroethylene. The material of wear-resistant nail 7 can be selected according to the material of the working wall, surface roughness, working temperature, and required wear resistance life. The hardness of wear-resistant nail 7 can be greater than or equal to the wall hardness, or slightly less than the wall hardness to avoid damaging the wall.

[0035] In some embodiments, the wear-resistant nail 7 is detachable.

[0036] In this embodiment, since the wear-resistant nails 7 will inevitably wear down during long-term use, when the wear-resistant nails 7 wear down to a certain extent, their protrusion height decreases, the effect of supporting the bottom surface of the suction cup weakens, and the sliding friction resistance gradually increases. The detachable design allows the worn wear-resistant nails 7 to be easily removed and replaced with new wear-resistant nails 7 without replacing the entire suction cup body 2, thereby significantly reducing maintenance costs. At the same time, for different working wall conditions (such as rough walls, smooth walls, curved walls, etc.), users can replace the wear-resistant nails 7 with different materials, different hardnesses, or different protrusion heights as needed, so that the suction cup can flexibly adapt to various working scenarios, improving the versatility and adaptability of the suction cup. In addition, the detachable design also facilitates the cleaning and maintenance of the wear-resistant nails 7 before use, ensuring that they are always in good working condition.

[0037] The detachable connection method of the wear-resistant nail 7 is not limited to the specific form of this embodiment. The wear-resistant nail 7 can be detachably fixed to the suction cup body 2 by means of threaded connection, snap-fit ​​connection, plug-in connection, etc.

[0038] In some embodiments, the wear-resistant nail 7 includes a nail head, a nail rod, and a nut. The nail rod has external threads, the nail head is located on the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2, one end of the nail rod is fixedly connected to the nail head, and the other end passes through the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2 and is threadedly connected to the nut so that the wear-resistant nail 7 is set at the bottom of the suction cup body 2.

[0039] This embodiment provides a specific detachable structure for the wear-resistant nail 7.

[0040] When the wear-resistant nail 7 wears out, simply unscrew the nut to remove the wear-resistant nail 7 from the suction cup body 2. Replace with a new wear-resistant nail 7 and then retighten the nut to complete the replacement. The operation is simple. In addition, the area of ​​the nail head is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the nail rod, which increases the contact area with the wall surface and avoids damage to the wall surface or accelerated wear of the wear-resistant nail 7 due to excessive pressure caused by too small a contact area. The nail head can also be designed in different shapes (such as spherical head, flat head, round head, etc.) to adapt to different wall surface conditions.

[0041] In some embodiments, the suction cup body 2 is made of an elastic composite material.

[0042] In this embodiment, the elastic composite material has both good elasticity and strength. Under negative pressure, it can undergo elastic deformation to conform to the curved wall surface, ensuring the sealing performance of the suction cup on the curved wall surface. At the same time, the elastic composite material has high tear resistance and fatigue resistance, ensuring the long-term reliability of the suction cup.

[0043] In some embodiments, the elastic composite material is a polyurethane material or a rubber material, preferably a polyurethane material.

[0044] In some embodiments, the system further includes: a suction cup top plate 1, a suction cup inner pressure plate 4, a guide post 3, a spring plate 6, and a guide sleeve 5; the suction cup top plate 1 is disposed on the top of the suction cup body 2; the suction cup inner pressure plate 4 is disposed on the inner side of the top of the suction cup body 2, and together with the suction cup top plate 1, clamps and fixes the top of the suction cup body 2; the top end of the guide post 3 passes through the guide holes on the suction cup top plate 1 and the suction cup inner pressure plate 4 and is fixedly connected to the bottom of the robot body, for providing vertical guidance for the suction cup body 2; the spring plate 6 is disposed on the inner side of the bottom of the suction cup body 2, and the bottom end of the guide post 3 passes through the spring plate 6 and is fixedly connected to the bottom of the suction cup body 2, for limiting the horizontal displacement of the bottom of the suction cup body 2; the guide sleeve 5 is sleeved on the outside of the guide post 3 and connected to the side wall of the suction cup body 2, for preventing the side wall of the suction cup body 2 from bulging.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the suction cup adheres to the curved wall surface, the curvature change of the wall surface forces the bottom of the suction cup body 2 to undergo vertical compression deformation to adapt to the curved shape. The guide post 3 provides precise guidance for this vertical deformation, ensuring that the suction cup body 2 is uniformly compressed in the vertical direction, avoiding skewness and resulting in local sealing failure. The spring plate 6 provides elastic constraint when the bottom of the suction cup body 2 undergoes vertical deformation, limiting the displacement of the bottom of the suction cup body 2 in the horizontal direction, and preventing the suction cup body 2 from collapsing or curling in the robot's forward direction due to the flexible material properties. The suction cup is designed to maintain its vertical flexibility while ensuring its horizontal shape stability. The guide sleeve 5 is connected to the side wall of the suction cup body 2 and fitted outside the guide post 3. When negative pressure is applied, the side wall of the suction cup body 2 is subjected to inward suction force, and the guide sleeve 5 provides lateral support to prevent the side wall from bulging and deforming, thus ensuring the structural stability of the sealing cavity. The three components work together to enable the suction cup to adapt to curved surfaces with different curvatures and maintain a stable geometric shape during adsorption and sliding, ensuring sealing reliability and smooth sliding.

[0046] In some examples, multiple guide posts 3 can be set and evenly distributed.

[0047] In some examples, the guide post 3 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the suction cup body 2 by means of a back-driving screw 8.

[0048] In some examples, the screw 8 used to fix the guide post 3 may be a screw 8 made of nylon material. In other words, the screw 8 and the wear-resistant nail 7 are the same mechanism, and the wear-resistant nail 7 is used to replace the screw 8 and fix the guide post 3.

[0049] In some examples, the spring sheet 6 can be made of elastic materials such as spring steel, stainless steel, or beryllium bronze. The guide sleeve 5 is an independent annular structure.

[0050] In some examples, the spring sheet 6 is an elastic metal sheet that provides elastic restoring force when vertical deformation occurs at the bottom of the suction cup body 2.

[0051] Example 2 The present invention also provides a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot, including a robot body and the suction cup in Embodiment 1, wherein the suction cup is installed on the bottom of the robot body.

[0052] This embodiment possesses all the advantages of Embodiment 1 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0053] Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

Claims

1. A suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot, comprising a suction cup body, characterized in that: The bottom of the suction cup body is provided with a plurality of spaced wear-resistant nails, which protrude from the bottom surface of the suction cup body; When the suction cup is attached to the wall, each of the wear-resistant nails abuts against the wall and pushes the bottom surface of the suction cup body away from the wall, so that the part of the bottom surface corresponding to the area around each wear-resistant nail forms a local gap with the wall.

2. The suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Multiple wear-resistant nails are evenly distributed on the bottom surface of the suction cup body.

3. The suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wear-resistant nails are made of nylon.

4. The suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wear-resistant nails are detachable.

5. The suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wear-resistant nail includes a nail head, a nail rod, and a nut. The nail rod has an external thread, and the nail head is located on the bottom surface of the suction cup body. One end of the nail rod is fixedly connected to the nail head, and the other end passes through the bottom surface of the suction cup body and is threadedly connected to the nut so that the wear-resistant nail is set at the bottom of the suction cup body.

6. The suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The suction cup body is made of an elastic composite material.

7. The suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: A suction cup top plate is disposed on the top of the suction cup body; The suction cup inner pressure plate is located on the top inner side of the suction cup body, and together with the suction cup top plate, clamps and fixes the top of the suction cup body. The guide post, with its top end passing through the guide hole on the suction cup top plate and the suction cup inner pressure plate and fixedly connected to the bottom of the robot body, is used to provide vertical guidance for the suction cup body; A spring sheet is disposed on the inner bottom of the suction cup body, and the bottom end of the guide post passes through the spring sheet and is fixedly connected to the bottom of the suction cup body to limit the horizontal displacement of the bottom of the suction cup body. A guide sleeve is fitted over the outside of the guide post and connected to the side wall of the suction cup body to prevent the side wall of the suction cup body from bulging.

8. The suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The spring sheet is an elastic metal sheet that provides elastic restoring force when the bottom of the suction cup body undergoes vertical deformation.

9. The suction cup for a negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The elastic composite material is polyurethane.

10. A negative pressure adsorption wall-climbing robot, comprising a robot body, characterized in that: It also includes a suction cup as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, the suction cup being mounted on the bottom of the robot body.

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