A shield machine cutter detection robot and a detection method

Abstract

The application discloses a shield machine cutter detection robot and a detection method, and solves the problem of a deviation wear detection blind area caused by the fact that a cutter cannot be independently rotated in the prior art.The shield machine cutter detection robot comprises a multi-joint mechanical arm and a robot end; the multi-joint mechanical arm is arranged in a shield machine; the robot end comprises an end shell, a telescopic caliper mechanism and a cutter driving mechanism are arranged in the end shell, and corresponding image acquisition devices are arranged on the end shell; when the cutter is static, the telescopic caliper mechanism performs fixed-point wear detection on the cutter; when the cutter driving mechanism drives the cutter to rotate, the telescopic caliper mechanism performs full-circumferential deviation wear detection on the cutter.The application can complete wear identification and state analysis of the full circumferential surface of the cutter, thereby systematically solving the problems of incomplete cutter detection coverage and low function integration in the prior art, and significantly improving the detection efficiency and operation safety of cutter disc maintenance work.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tunnel boring machine technology, and in particular to an image acquisition device. Background Technology

[0002] In underground tunnel construction, the cutterhead of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) is a critical component that directly cuts through rock and soil, and its wear directly affects tunneling efficiency and project safety. Currently, the condition of the cutterhead is mainly determined by periodic manual inspections or by inferences based on indirect parameters such as vibration and temperature. These methods are insufficient to reflect the actual wear condition of the cutterhead in real time and accurately, and manual inspections are inefficient and pose high safety risks.

[0003] In existing technologies, such as the "Automatic Cleaning and Inspection Machine for Tunnel Boring Machine Cutters" disclosed in patent document CN222049106U, although it combines cleaning and inspection functions, the cutters themselves cannot rotate, making it impossible to perform all-round inspection of the cutter's circumference. Furthermore, this device does not consider the impact of the actual working conditions of the cutterhead on the inspection. The "High-Efficiency Shield Tunnel Boring Machine Cutter Wear Inspection Caliper" disclosed in patent document CN116337422B uses a double-truss structure to achieve multi-directional inspection, but it does not consider the interference of mud cake adhesion on the cutterhead surface on the inspection process, affecting the inspection accuracy, and lacks effective means to deal with interference factors. While the "Shield Tunnel Boring Machine Cutter Wear Inspection Caliper" disclosed in patent document CN120846653A achieves all-round inspection of the cutter surface, the inspection caliper requires a large space and requires the cutter to be mounted on a test bench, making direct inspection on the cutterhead impossible. Furthermore, the patent document CN120467430A discloses a "visual device for identifying cutterhead wear and monitoring the tunnel face of a tunnel boring machine," which mainly consists of a lifting linear module, a translational telescopic fork, a rotating mechanism, a scissor-type telescopic mechanism, and a visual inspection caliper. It can identify the wear of cutters at different positions on the tunnel boring machine cutterhead and monitor the surrounding rock conditions at the tunnel face; however, its spatial layout is not yet fully optimized. While its scissor-type telescopic mechanism and multi-degree-of-freedom adjustment components can achieve flexible movement within a certain range, the overall space occupied is large, posing a risk of movement interference within the narrow soil chamber space inside the tunnel boring machine.

[0004] In summary, while existing technologies have explored various approaches to tool inspection, they generally suffer from limitations such as the inability to achieve omnidirectional axial inspection of tools on the tool turret and the influence of tool turret operating conditions on inspection accuracy. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a dedicated robot with tool inspection capabilities to improve the comprehensiveness and intelligence of tool condition monitoring. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings in the aforementioned background technology, this invention proposes a tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot and inspection method, which solves the problem of blind spots in the detection of uneven wear caused by the inability of the cutter to rotate independently in the prior art.

[0006] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows: A shield tunneling machine cutter inspection robot includes a multi-joint robotic arm and a robot end effector mounted on the multi-joint robotic arm. The multi-joint robotic arm is mounted inside the shield tunneling machine via a sliding mechanism. The robot end effector includes an end shell, within which a telescopic caliper mechanism and a cutter drive mechanism are installed. An image acquisition device corresponding to the telescopic caliper mechanism and the cutter drive mechanism is mounted on the end shell. When the cutter is stationary, the telescopic caliper mechanism performs fixed-point wear detection on the cutter. When the cutter drive mechanism drives the cutter to rotate, the telescopic caliper mechanism performs full-circumferential wear detection on the cutter. This robot integrates an image acquisition device and a cutter drive mechanism at its end effector and has two working modes: In the first working mode, fixed-point wear detection is performed on a fixed part of the cutter, suitable for rapid detection scenarios where there is no default wear; in the second working mode, the telescopic caliper mechanism, the cutter drive mechanism, and the image acquisition device work together to drive the cutter to rotate independently, achieving continuous detection of the entire circumferential surface of the cutter, thereby accurately obtaining the wear amount and solving the problem of blind spots in wear detection caused by the inability of the cutter to rotate independently in the prior art, thus improving the comprehensiveness and accuracy of cutter status detection.

[0007] Further preferably, the end housing is provided with a tool inspection mounting plate, which divides the inner cavity of the end housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The telescopic caliper mechanism is located in the upper chamber, and the tool driving mechanism is located in the lower chamber; thus, the telescopic caliper mechanism and the tool driving mechanism are integrated, resulting in a compact structure.

[0008] In a further preferred embodiment, the telescopic caliper mechanism includes a detection advance cylinder housed within the end housing. One end of the detection advance cylinder is fixed inside the end housing, and the other end is connected to a caliper shaft. A detection caliper is located at the front end of the caliper shaft. The detection advance cylinder drives the detection caliper to move back and forth relative to the cutting tool via the caliper shaft, thereby detecting the amount of tool wear.

[0009] In a further preferred embodiment, the caliper shaft is connected to the end housing via a sliding bearing, and one end of the caliper shaft is hinged to the detection propulsion cylinder via a second pin, while the other end is equipped with a detection caliper. An image acquisition device corresponds to the detection caliper, enabling the reading of the caliper's measurement values. The image acquisition device can acquire the measurement results of the detection caliper in a timely and accurate manner, improving detection accuracy.

[0010] Further preferably, the tool drive mechanism includes a bottom guide rail and a gripper platform disposed within the end housing. The gripper platform slides with the bottom guide rail and moves along the bottom guide rail via a second drive. The gripper platform is equipped with a gripper main arm and a first drive that drives the gripper main arm to rotate. A gripper mechanism is provided at the end of the gripper main arm. The gripper platform integrates the gripper main arm and the first drive, which, together with the second drive, enables the gripper mechanism to move back and forth and swing up and down, thereby driving the tool to rotate. This allows for rapid detection of fixed-point wear when the tool is not rotating, as well as accurate detection of circumferential wear when the tool is rotating.

[0011] Further optimized, the gripper mechanism includes a left gripper unit and a right gripper unit symmetrically arranged on both sides of the gripper main arm. Each gripper unit includes a gripper holding cylinder, an L-shaped adapter plate, and grippers. One end of the gripper holding cylinder is hinged to the gripper platform via a third pin, and the other end is hinged to the crossbeam of the L-shaped adapter plate via a fourth pin. The vertical beam of the L-shaped adapter plate is hinged to the grippers, and the grippers slide against the gripper main arm. Under the action of the gripper holding cylinder, the gripper mechanism performs opening and closing actions, forming a double-point gripping ring structure, ensuring a balanced distribution of clamping force and stability of the clamping center; and in coordination with the gripper main arm, it possesses sufficient cross-sectional stiffness and resistance to bending and torsion.

[0012] Further optimized, the gripper arm has a T-shaped beam structure, with a guide rail on the crossbeam portion. The gripper includes a frame portion and a clamping plate portion. The frame portion is fitted onto the crossbeam portion of the gripper arm and slides with the guide rail. The clamping plate portion is located at the front end of the frame portion, and the rear end of the frame portion is hinged to the vertical beam portion of the L-shaped adapter plate via a fifth pin. The gripper arm provides stable support for the gripper's clamping action, with high guiding accuracy, thereby achieving stable gripping.

[0013] Further optimized, the image acquisition device includes an industrial camera, a light source, and a laser. The industrial camera, light source, and laser are fixed to the end housing by a bracket. The industrial camera is equipped with a self-cleaning nozzle, which is connected to a high-pressure air source. This enables timely cleaning of the industrial camera, improves image acquisition quality, and further enhances detection accuracy.

[0014] Further optimization reveals that the sliding mechanism includes a ground rail and a sliding platform installed inside the tunnel boring machine (TBM). A rack is mounted on the ground rail, and a gear driven by a motor reducer is mounted on the sliding platform, with the gear meshing with the rack. This structural design enables stable translation of the robot relative to the TBM, improving the coordination accuracy between the telescopic caliper mechanism and the cutter drive mechanism with the cutter.

[0015] Further preferably, the multi-joint robotic arm includes a first rotary joint, a first swing joint, and a telescopic arm. The first swing joint is mounted on the first rotary joint via a first swing mounting plate. One end of the telescopic arm is connected to the first swing joint via a first straddle mounting plate, and the other end is equipped with a second rotary joint. The second rotary joint is equipped with a second swing joint, and the end cap is equipped with a second straddle mounting plate, which is connected to the second swing joint. This design of the multi-joint robotic arm enables the end effector to have flexible positional reach and attitude adjustment capabilities within the narrow and complex three-dimensional space inside the tunnel boring machine.

[0016] Further optimization involves installing a robotic protective cabin inside the tunnel boring machine (TBM); the TBM cutterhead inspection robot is located within the robotic protective cabin. The entire robot only starts after the TBM stops tunneling and the cutterhead comes to a complete stop, and automatically retreats into the protective cabin after completing its work.

[0017] A tool inspection method employs the aforementioned tunnel boring machine tool inspection robot. The tool inspection method includes a fixed-point wear inspection mode and a full-circumference wear detection mode. In the fixed-point wear inspection mode, a multi-joint robotic arm adjusts the robot's end effector to ensure the end face is perpendicular to the working surface. A detection propulsion cylinder moves a detection caliper forward to a designated inspection position. When the caliper reaches the corresponding tool, an image acquisition device reads the scale lines on the caliper and compares them with the initial scale line position to determine the tool wear amount.

[0018] In the full-circumference wear detection mode, the tunnel boring machine cutterhead disengages from the tunnel face; the detection propulsion cylinder moves the detection caliper forward to the set detection position, where the caliper clamps the corresponding cutter. Simultaneously, the gripper platform moves to the working position under the drive of the second drive, and the gripper arm rotates to a predetermined angle under the drive of the first drive; the gripper mechanism closes to hold the cutter; the rotary motor drives the gripper arm, causing the clamped cutter to rotate continuously around its axis until the cutter completes one revolution; during the rotation, the image acquisition device simultaneously reads the scale line of the cutter at the caliper; after the cutter has rotated one revolution, the image acquisition device completes the full-circumference wear data acquisition, and by comparing the full-circumference wear data, the wear amount of the cutter can be obtained.

[0019] When performing fixed-point wear detection, the detection propulsion cylinder drives the detection caliper to move towards the cutter head. In order to accurately determine whether the caliper has contacted the metal cutter and to confirm that the caliper is stably clamped after contact, a pressure sensor and a displacement sensor are installed on the detection propulsion cylinder to collect the cylinder pressure P(t) and displacement L(t) in real time. The process of the detection caliper contacting the cutter is divided into two steps: metal contact judgment and clamping confirmation.

[0020] Metal contact discrimination process: The controller collects P(t) with a sampling period of Ts=0.01, calculates the second-order difference of the pressure, and the calculation formula is:

[0021] When the calipers are not in contact with any object, A P (t)<0.1Mpa / s 2 When the caliper squeezes the mud cake, the pressure rises slowly, A P (t)<0.5Mpa / s 2 When the caliper (624) strikes the cutting tool, the pressure changes instantaneously, A P (t)>0.5Mpa / s 2 If the displacement of the propulsion cylinder reaches the maximum safe stroke but still does not meet the metal contact condition, a tool loss alarm will be triggered.

[0022] Stability Confirmation Process: After the caliper contacts the metal, the feed cylinder stops, and the controller calculates the standard deviation of pressure fluctuation σ using a sliding window of 0.3 seconds. P and the rate of change of displacement |dL / dt|, when σ P When the pressure is less than 0.01 MPa and |dL / dt| ≤ 0.01 mm / s for more than 0.3 seconds, it is determined that the caliper is firmly clamped, and the image acquisition device can be started to read the scale. If the stabilization condition is not met after more than 2 seconds, it is determined that the clamping is abnormal and an alarm is issued.

[0023] In full-circumference wear detection mode, the absolute encoder provides real-time feedback of the angle θ while the gripper rotates the tool; the controller is set to a sampling step size Δθ = 3°, with each angle θ... j =j·Δθ, where j=0,1,...,119; trigger the camera to acquire an image once, and obtain the original wear amount d at that angle. j Original wear amount d j Includes actual wear d and systematic error. When the systematic error is mainly manifested as sinusoidal modulation caused by eccentricity and constant bias,

[0024] Then d j =d+Acos(θ j +C;

[0025] For d j Perform a discrete Fourier transform to extract the amplitude A and phase ψ of the first harmonic component, and set the constant... Decoupling yields the actual wear sequence d j =d-Acos(θj+ψ)-C;

[0026] Finally, the wear loss d was calculated. ecc =max(d)-min(d) and wear factor ECF=d ecc / d av , where d avThe circumferential average wear is given; an early warning of uneven wear is issued when ECF > 0.3.

[0027] During operation, if the industrial camera lens of the image acquisition device is blocked by dirt during the detection process, the controller judges the image by the average gray level. When the average gray level is <80, the self-cleaning nozzle is activated to blow clean and then the image is re-acquired. If the image still does not meet the requirements after two consecutive blow cleansings, a lens contamination alarm is triggered.

[0028] Taking into account mud splashes and changes in lighting, the image acquisition device uses differential structured light to enhance the features of the scale lines.

[0029] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention integrates an image acquisition device, a telescopic caliper mechanism, and a tool drive mechanism at the robot's end effector, enabling independent rotation of the tool when the cutterhead is stationary, achieving full circumferential surface scanning coverage of the tool by the detection module. By controlling the start and stop of the tool drive mechanism, it achieves rapid detection of fixed-point wear when the tool is not rotating, and precise detection of circumferential wear when the tool is rotating. The shield machine tool inspection robot of this invention has the following beneficial effects: First, it achieves independent rotational drive of the tool when the cutterhead is stationary, enabling full circumferential surface scanning detection of the tool, filling the gap in existing technology that cannot detect uneven wear; second, through flexible switching between two modes, it takes into account both the rapid detection needs under normal working conditions and the precise measurement needs under uneven wear conditions, improving detection efficiency and data integrity. Therefore, this invention can provide comprehensive and accurate wear data for shield machine tool maintenance, effectively preventing abnormal tool damage and reduced tunneling efficiency caused by uneven wear, and improving the intelligence level and operational safety of cutterhead inspection.

[0030] This invention achieves unmanned operation of tunnel boring machine (TBM) cutter inspection through the fully automated collaborative operation of a multi-joint robotic arm, a sliding mechanism, and an end effector. During the inspection process, no personnel are required to enter the hazardous area in front of the TBM, which involves high pressure, high dust, high humidity, and potential collapse risks, fundamentally eliminating the risk of personnel injury. Simultaneously, the highly standardized automated inspection process eliminates subjective errors and recording biases from manual readings, ensuring objective and traceable inspection data, and providing a reliable scientific basis for cutter maintenance decisions.

[0031] This invention employs a method of acquiring images with both the laser and the light source turned on, acquiring the background image with only the light source turned off, and then obtaining a pure laser stripe image through difference between the two. This effectively eliminates interference caused by mud and water splashing inside the tunnel boring machine and dynamic lighting changes. Combined with Gaussian filtering and the gray-scale centroid method to extract sub-pixel-level laser stripe center coordinates, high-precision scale line feature extraction is achieved in harsh environments, providing reliable visual assistance and cross-validation methods for accurate measurement of tool wear. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying 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.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the layout of the tool inspection robot of the present invention inside the tunnel boring machine;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a front view schematic diagram of the layout of the tool inspection robot of the present invention inside the tunnel boring machine;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the tool inspection robot structure of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the robot end effector of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of fixed-point wear detection;

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram for detecting full-circumference wear. Detailed Implementation

[0040] 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.

[0041] Example 1, as Figure 3As shown, a shield tunneling machine cutter inspection robot includes a multi-joint robotic arm 61 and a robot end effector 62 mounted on the multi-joint robotic arm 61. The multi-joint robotic arm 61 is mounted inside the shield tunneling machine 1 via a sliding mechanism 60. Under the action of the sliding mechanism, the multi-joint robotic arm performs translational motion relative to the shield tunneling machine, achieving linear feed of the robot end effector. In this embodiment, the robot end effector 62 includes an end effector housing 621, within which a telescopic caliper mechanism and a cutter drive mechanism are provided. The telescopic caliper mechanism uses a measuring caliper to inspect the wear of the cutter. The cutter drive mechanism is used to drive the corresponding cutter to rotate, thereby achieving accurate detection of circumferential wear during cutter rotation. In this embodiment, the end effector housing 621 is provided with an image acquisition device 625 corresponding to the telescopic caliper mechanism and the cutter drive mechanism. The image acquisition device 625 is mainly used to acquire the measurement scale of the measuring caliper, thereby obtaining the wear amount. This invention has two working modes, such as... Figure 6 As shown, in the first working mode, when the tool is stationary, the telescopic caliper mechanism performs fixed-point wear detection on the tool; suitable for rapid detection scenarios with no biased wear by default; such as Figure 7 As shown, in the second working mode, when the tool drive mechanism drives the tool to rotate, the telescopic caliper mechanism performs full-circumference wear detection on the tool. This accurately obtains the wear amount, solving the problem of blind spots in wear detection caused by the tool's inability to rotate independently in existing technologies, and improving the comprehensiveness and accuracy of tool condition detection.

[0042] This invention integrates an image acquisition device, a telescopic caliper mechanism, and a tool drive mechanism at the end effector of a robot. It can independently drive the tool to rotate while the cutterhead is stationary, enabling the detection module to scan and cover the entire circumferential surface of the tool. By controlling the start and stop of the tool drive mechanism, it achieves rapid detection of fixed-point wear when the tool is not rotating, and precise detection of circumferential wear when the tool is rotating. This invention's tunnel boring machine (TBM) tool inspection robot achieves two key advantages: first, it enables independent rotational drive of the tool while the cutterhead is stationary, allowing for scanning and inspection of the entire circumferential surface of the tool, filling the gap in existing technologies that cannot detect uneven wear; second, by flexibly switching between two modes, it addresses both the rapid detection needs under normal operating conditions and the precise measurement needs under uneven wear conditions, improving detection efficiency and data integrity. Therefore, this invention provides comprehensive and accurate wear data for TBM tool maintenance, effectively preventing abnormal tool damage and reduced tunneling efficiency caused by uneven wear, and enhancing the intelligence level and operational safety of cutterhead inspection.

[0043] Example 2: A tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot, further optimized based on Example 1, such as... Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the end housing 621 is provided with a tool inspection mounting plate 622. The tool inspection mounting plate 622 divides the inner cavity of the end housing 621 into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The telescopic caliper mechanism is located in the upper chamber, and the tool driving mechanism is located in the lower chamber. This functional partitioning ensures that the motion envelopes of the two mechanisms do not overlap, fundamentally eliminating the risk of motion interference between the mechanisms. The telescopic caliper mechanism and the tool driving mechanism are arranged vertically stacked rather than horizontally side-by-side, significantly reducing the width and depth dimensions of the end housing in the horizontal direction, resulting in a compact structure and high space utilization.

[0044] In this preferred embodiment, the telescopic caliper mechanism includes a detection advance cylinder 623 disposed within the end housing 621; the detection advance cylinder 623 can be a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. One end of the detection advance cylinder 623 is fixed to the tool inspection mounting plate 622 within the end housing 621 via a first pin 627, and the other end is connected to a caliper shaft 643, with a detection caliper 624 provided at the front end of the caliper shaft 643. The detection advance cylinder drives the detection caliper to move back and forth via the caliper shaft to ensure that the detection caliper can accurately engage with the tool, achieving normal fixed-point wear detection or full-circumferential wear detection.

[0045] As a preferred embodiment, the caliper shaft 643 is connected to the end housing 621 via a sliding bearing 626, and extends out of the end housing through it. One end of the caliper shaft 643 is hinged to the detection propulsion cylinder 623 via a second pin 628, and the other end is equipped with a detection caliper 624; the image acquisition device 625 corresponds to the detection caliper 624. The image acquisition device 625 is located on the top of the end housing to accurately acquire the scale of the detection caliper 624.

[0046] In this embodiment, as a preferred solution, the tool driving mechanism includes a bottom guide rail 633 and a gripper platform 632 disposed in the end housing 621. The gripper platform 632 is slidably engaged with the bottom guide rail 633 and the gripper platform 632 moves along the bottom guide rail 633 by a second drive 631. The gripper platform 632 is provided with a gripper main arm 637 and a first drive 634 for driving the gripper main arm 637 to rotate. The end of the gripper main arm 637 is provided with a gripper mechanism.

[0047] Specifically, in this embodiment, the image acquisition device 625 includes an industrial camera 6251, a light source 6252, and a laser 6253. The industrial camera 6251, light source 6252, and laser 6253 are fixed to the end housing 621 via a bracket 6254. The industrial camera 6251 is equipped with a self-cleaning nozzle 629, which is connected to a high-pressure air source 644 located inside the end housing 621, or connected to an air or water source inside the tunnel boring machine to provide sufficient water or air. During operation, if the camera lens is obstructed by dirt during detection, the controller determines the image's average grayscale. If the average grayscale is <80 (0-255 range), the self-cleaning nozzle 629 is activated to purge for 0.3 seconds and the image is re-acquired. If the condition is still not met after two consecutive purgings, an alarm for "lens contamination" is triggered.

[0048] Example 3: A tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot, such as... Figure 5 As shown, based on Embodiment 1 or 2, the gripper mechanism is further optimized, including a left gripper unit and a right gripper unit symmetrically arranged on both sides of the gripper main arm 637. The left and right gripper units have identical structures, arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner, forming a double-point gripping ring structure to ensure a balanced distribution of gripping force and stability of the gripping center. Both the left and right gripper units include a gripper holding cylinder 636, an L-shaped adapter plate 641, and a gripper 642. One end of the gripper holding cylinder 636 is hinged to the gripper platform 632 via a third pin 638, and the other end is hinged to the crossbeam portion of the L-shaped adapter plate 641 via a fourth pin 639. The vertical beam portion of the L-shaped adapter plate 641 is hinged to the gripper 642, and the gripper 642 slides in conjunction with the gripper main arm 637. Under the action of the gripper holding cylinder, the two grippers perform corresponding gripping and releasing actions. The main arm of the gripper serves as the load-bearing base and guiding reference for the entire gripper mechanism, possessing sufficient cross-sectional stiffness and resistance to bending and torsion. The L-shaped structure effectively converts the direction of driving force transmission, transforming the linear motion of the gripper cylinder along a roughly horizontal or inclined direction into a driving force that propels the gripper to slide laterally along the main arm. Due to the symmetrical arrangement of the left and right gripper units, the movement of the two grippers is highly synchronized, ensuring that the center of the gripped object remains on the centerline of the main arm throughout the gripping process, preventing center offset due to changes in gripping dimensions.

[0049] Specifically, the gripper arm 637 has a T-shaped beam structure, and the crossbeam portion of the gripper arm 637 is equipped with a guide rail 6371. The gripper 642 includes a frame-shaped portion 6421 and a clamping plate portion 6422. The frame-shaped portion is a frame structure with a hollow inner cavity. The frame-shaped portion 6421 is fitted onto the crossbeam portion of the gripper arm 637 and slides with the guide rail 6371 to form a ring-shaped sliding fit. The clamping plate portion 6422 is located at the front end of the frame-shaped portion 6421 and is the working part that directly performs the gripping action, forming the gripper. The rear end of the frame-shaped portion 6421 is hinged to the vertical beam portion of the L-shaped adapter plate 641 through a fifth pin 640. Compared with rectangular cross-section beams, the T-shaped beam structure has higher bending stiffness and torsional stiffness with the same amount of material, and the horizontal crossbeam portion naturally provides a stable mounting and sliding reference surface for the gripper, resulting in a high degree of structural and functional integration. The overturning moment generated by the clamping force is borne by the upper and lower side walls of the frame section. It has a large lever arm and strong anti-overturning ability, effectively preventing the gripper from flipping or jamming when clamping heavy tools.

[0050] Example 4: A tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot, further optimized based on Example 1 or 2, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the sliding mechanism 60 includes a ground rail 602 and a sliding platform 607 disposed within the tunnel boring machine 1. A rack 603 is mounted on the ground rail 602, and a gear 604 driven by a motor reducer is mounted on the sliding platform 607. The gear 604 meshes with the rack 603. The motor reducer includes a motor 605 and a reducer 606; the motor reducer drives the gear 604 to rotate on the rack, causing the sliding platform 607 to move horizontally linearly along the ground rail 602. It should be noted that the horizontal feed drive method of the ground rail system is not limited to the gear-rack transmission or propulsion cylinder shown in this embodiment; ball screw pairs, synchronous belt drives, or other drive mechanisms capable of linear feed can also be used. Correspondingly, all guide structures of this invention can also employ other forms of guide rails, such as rolling guides, to achieve smooth and reliable feed motion.

[0051] In this embodiment, the multi-joint robotic arm 61 includes a first rotary joint 611, a first swing joint 613, and a telescopic arm 615. The first swing joint 613 is mounted on the first rotary joint 611 via a first swing mounting plate 612. One end of the telescopic arm 615 is connected to the first swing joint 613 via a first straddle mounting plate 614, and the other end is provided with a second rotary joint 616. A second swing joint 618 is provided on the second rotary joint 616, and a second straddle mounting plate 619 is provided on the end cap 621, which is connected to the second swing joint 618. The first rotary joint 611 is fixed on the sliding platform 607, and its output end is connected to the first swing joint 613 via the first swing mounting plate 612, driving the first swing joint 613 to rotate. The telescopic arm 615 is connected to the first swing joint 613 via the first straddle mounting plate 614 and is driven by the first swing joint 613 to achieve pitch swing. The second straddle mounting plate 619 is mounted on the second swing joint 618 and is used to mount the robot end cap. The multi-joint robotic arm adopts a series joint-link configuration, which is arranged sequentially from the base to the end effector as follows: first rotary joint, first swing joint, telescopic arm, second rotary joint, second swing joint, and end effector housing. This configuration forms at least five degrees of freedom (rotation-swing-telescopic-rotation-swing), enabling the end effector to have flexible position reach and attitude adjustment capabilities in the narrow and complex three-dimensional space inside the tunnel boring machine.

[0052] It should be noted that the driving method of the robot's rotation and swing joints is not limited to the driving form used in this embodiment. It can also be replaced by a rotary cylinder or other driving component with the same motion output function to achieve posture adjustment of each joint of the robotic arm.

[0053] In this embodiment, as a preferred option, such as Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the tunnel boring machine 1 is equipped with a robot protective cabin 7; the tunnel boring machine cutter head inspection robot is located inside the robot protective cabin 7; the robot protective cabin 7 is directly installed on the partition 4 behind the earth chamber 2 to provide reliable protection for the robot 6. The robot 6 is fixed to the robot protective cabin 7 by ground rail supports 601. When operation is required, the robot 6 extends horizontally so that its end reaches the cutterhead working face. When the tunnel boring machine is in the tunneling state, the robot 6 is retracted into the robot protective cabin 7 and is in a powered-off and locked state, unable to perform operations. Only when the tunnel boring machine stops tunneling and the cutterhead is completely stationary can the robot 6 be started and carry out the corresponding inspection operations.

[0054] It should be noted that the cutterhead operating robot can also be directly installed on fixed structures such as the shield tunneling diaphragm, without the need for a separate robot protective cabin. Furthermore, an isolation gate can be installed between the robot and the excavation chamber to isolate the excavation environment, thus adapting to different installation spaces and working conditions.

[0055] Example 5: A tool inspection method using the tunnel boring machine tool inspection robot described in Example 4. The tool inspection method specifically includes a fixed-point wear detection mode and a full-circumference wear detection mode.

[0056] In the fixed-point wear detection mode, i.e., when performing normal tool wear detection, the multi-joint robotic arm 61 adjusts the robot end effector 62 to ensure that the end effector plane is perpendicular to the working surface. Specifically, the robot end effector 62 extends first. The sliding platform 607 moves forward along the ground rail 602 to a preset distance. Then, the first rotary joint 611 and the first swing joint 613 mounted on the platform work together to complete the initial adjustment of the robotic arm's posture. After the posture is adjusted, the second rotary joint 616 and the second swing joint 618 begin to work, performing a secondary calibration of the robot end effector 62's posture to ensure that the end effector plane remains perpendicular to the working surface and that the relative position meets the process requirements. Finally, the telescopic arm 615 extends to adjust the distance between the end effector and the working surface, creating stable and reliable working conditions for subsequent operations. Once the position conditions are met, the detection propulsion cylinder 623 drives the detection caliper 624 to move forward to the set detection position. When the detection caliper 624 moves to the corresponding tool, the image acquisition device 625 reads the scale line on the caliper and compares it with the initial scale line position to obtain the tool wear amount.

[0057] During fixed-point wear detection, the detection propulsion cylinder 623 drives the detection caliper 624 to move towards the cutter head 1. To accurately determine whether the caliper has contacted the metal tool rather than the mud cake, and to confirm that the caliper is stably clamped after contact, a pressure sensor 6231 and a displacement sensor 6232 are installed on the detection propulsion cylinder 623 to collect the cylinder pressure P(t) and displacement L(t) in real time. The process of the detection caliper contacting the tool is divided into two steps: metal contact discrimination and clamping confirmation. Metal contact discrimination process: The controller collects P(t) with a sampling period Ts=0.01, calculates the second-order difference of the pressure, and the calculation formula is: .

[0058] When the caliper 624 is not in contact with any object, A P (t)<0.1Mpa / s 2 When the 624 caliper squeezed the mud cake, the pressure rose slowly, A P (t)<0.5Mpa / s 2 When the caliper 624 strikes the cutting tool, the pressure changes instantaneously, A P (t)>0.5Mpa / s 2 If the displacement of the push cylinder 623 reaches the maximum safe stroke but still does not meet the metal contact condition, a tool loss alarm will be triggered.

[0059] Stability confirmation process: After the caliper 624 contacts the metal, the feed cylinder 623 stops feeding, and the controller calculates the standard deviation of pressure fluctuation σ using a sliding window of 0.3 seconds. P and the rate of change of displacement |dL / dt|, when σ P When the pressure is <0.01 MPa and |dL / dt| ≤ 0.01 mm / s for more than 0.3 seconds, the caliper 624 is considered to be firmly clamped, and the image acquisition device 625 is allowed to read the scale. If the stabilization condition is not met after more than 2 seconds, the clamping is considered abnormal and an alarm is issued. After the caliper 624 is firmly clamped, the image acquisition device 625 is activated to read the scale.

[0060] In the full-circumference wear detection mode, when the circumferential wear of the cutter is inconsistent, the wear amount of the cutter needs to be detected. First, the tunnel boring machine needs to retreat so that the cutterhead is no longer in contact with the tunnel face, allowing the cutter to rotate under external force. Then, the robot end effector 62 extends (the specific steps are the same as normal wear detection, and will not be repeated here); the detection propulsion cylinder 623 drives the detection caliper 624 forward to the set detection position, and the detection caliper 624 clamps the corresponding cutter. At the same time, the gripper platform 632 moves to the working position under the drive of the second drive 631; the second drive 631 can be a propulsion hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. The gripper main arm 637 rotates to a predetermined angle under the drive of the first drive 634; the gripper mechanism closes to clamp the cutter; the first drive 634 uses a rotary motor, which is fixed to the cutter inspection mounting plate by the mounting plate 635. A rotary motor drives the main arm 637 of the gripper, causing the clamped tool to rotate continuously around its axis until the tool completes one revolution. During the rotation, the image acquisition device 625 simultaneously reads the scale line of the tool at the caliper. After the tool completes one revolution, the image acquisition device 625 completes the acquisition of wear data in the entire circumference and compares the wear data in the entire circumference to obtain the amount of uneven wear of the tool.

[0061] In the uneven wear detection mode, the procedure for determining whether the caliper 624 and the tool are stuck is the same as that for normal wear detection, and will not be repeated here. The uneven wear detection procedure will be explained separately below.

[0062] In full-circumference wear detection mode, the absolute encoder provides real-time feedback of the angle θ while the gripper rotates the tool; the controller is set to a sampling step size Δθ = 3°, with each angle θ... j =j·Δθ, where j=0,1,...,119; trigger the camera to acquire an image once, and obtain the original wear amount d at that angle. j Original wear amount d j Includes actual wear d and systematic error. When the systematic error is mainly manifested as sinusoidal modulation caused by eccentricity and constant bias,

[0063] Then d j =d+Acos(θj +C;

[0064] For d j Perform a discrete Fourier transform to extract the amplitude A and phase ψ of the first harmonic component, and set the constant... Decoupling yields the actual wear sequence d j =d-Acos(θj+ψ)-C;

[0065] Finally, the wear loss d was calculated. ecc =max(d)-min(d) and wear factor ECF=d ecc / d av , where d av The value represents the average circumferential wear; an uneven wear warning is issued when ECF > 0.3. After completing the inspection task, robot 6 first performs the robotic arm retraction action according to the preset program, and then retreats entirely into the robot protective chamber 7, thus completing the entire operation process.

[0066] During operation, if the lens of the industrial camera 6251 of the image acquisition device 625 is blocked by dirt during the detection process, the controller judges by the average gray level of the image. When the average gray level is <80, the self-cleaning nozzle 629 is activated to blow and then the image is re-acquired. If the condition is still not met after two consecutive blows, a lens contamination alarm is triggered.

[0067] Considering the splashing of mud and water and changes in lighting within the earthen chamber, this invention employs differential structured light to enhance the features of the scale lines. First, the laser and light source are activated to acquire image I. raw (x,y), then turn off the laser and only keep the light source to acquire the background image I. bg (x,y) is used to obtain the pure laser stripe image I by subtracting the two. laser (x,y)=I raw (x,y)-I bg (x,y) effectively removes mud splashes and reflective interference. After Gaussian filtering (σ=1.0) on the difference image, the sub-pixel coordinates of the laser stripe center line are extracted using the gray-level centroid method. For each row v, the center position is calculated within the laser stripe width 2w+1 (w=5 pixels):

[0068] ;

[0069] Where u0 is the approximate center of the laser stripe (determined by the position of the maximum value). After obtaining the centerline point set, the pixel coordinates of the scale line are obtained by fitting a straight line using least squares. The coordinates of the zero-wear position are defined as u. ref The current tick mark coordinates are u cur Then the wear amount d wear =k·(u cur -u ref), where k=0.05mm / pixel is the calibration coefficient.

[0070] It should be noted that the sensing method for tool wear detection is not limited to the visual reading based on scale lines shown in this embodiment. Non-contact / contact detection elements such as laser displacement sensors, eddy current sensors, ultrasonic thickness measuring devices, or contact probes can also be used to achieve direct or indirect measurement of wear.

[0071] Compared with existing technologies, this invention provides a tunnel boring machine cutterhead inspection robot. This robot is equipped with a cutter detection module and a cutter rotation drive device simultaneously on its end effector unit. Combining detection sensing and rotation drive functions, it can complete wear identification and condition analysis of the entire circumferential surface of the cutter, thus systematically solving the problems of incomplete cutter detection coverage and low functional integration in existing technologies, significantly improving the inspection efficiency and operational safety of cutterhead maintenance operations.

[0072] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shield tunneling machine cutter inspection robot, comprising a multi-joint robotic arm (61) and a robot end effector (62) disposed on the multi-joint robotic arm (61); the multi-joint robotic arm (61) is disposed within the shield tunneling machine (1) via a sliding mechanism (60); characterized in that: The robot end effector (62) includes an end effector housing (621), which contains a telescopic caliper mechanism and a tool drive mechanism. The end effector housing (621) is equipped with an image acquisition device (625) corresponding to the telescopic caliper mechanism and the tool drive mechanism. When the tool is stationary, the telescopic caliper mechanism performs fixed-point wear detection on the tool. When the tool drive mechanism drives the tool to rotate, the telescopic caliper mechanism performs full-circumference wear detection on the tool.

2. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end housing (621) is provided with a tool inspection mounting plate (622), which divides the inner cavity of the end housing (621) into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The telescopic caliper mechanism is located in the upper chamber, and the tool driving mechanism is located in the lower chamber.

3. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The telescopic caliper mechanism includes a detection push cylinder (623) installed in the end housing (621). One end of the detection push cylinder (623) is fixed in the end housing (621), and the other end is connected to a caliper shaft (643). A detection caliper (624) is provided at the front end of the caliper shaft (643).

4. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The caliper shaft (643) is connected to the end housing (621) via a sliding bearing (626), and one end of the caliper shaft (643) is hinged to the detection propulsion cylinder (623) via a second pin (628), and the other end is provided with a detection caliper (624); the image acquisition device (625) corresponds to the detection caliper (624).

5. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: The tool drive mechanism includes a bottom guide rail (633) and a gripper platform (632) disposed in the end housing (621). The gripper platform (632) slides with the bottom guide rail (633) and the gripper platform (632) moves along the bottom guide rail (633) by a second drive (631). The gripper platform (632) is provided with a gripper main arm (637) and a first drive (634) for driving the gripper main arm (637) to rotate. The end of the gripper main arm (637) is provided with a gripper mechanism.

6. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gripper mechanism includes a left gripper unit and a right gripper unit symmetrically arranged on both sides of the gripper main arm (637). Both the left gripper unit and the right gripper unit include a gripper holding cylinder (636), an L-shaped adapter plate (641), and a gripper (642). One end of the gripper holding cylinder (636) is hinged to the gripper platform (632) through a third pin (638), and the other end is hinged to the crossbeam of the L-shaped adapter plate (641) through a fourth pin (639). The vertical beam of the L-shaped adapter plate (641) is hinged to the gripper (642), and the gripper (642) slides with the gripper main arm (637).

7. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The gripper arm (637) is a T-beam structure, and the crossbeam of the gripper arm (637) is provided with a guide rail (6371); the gripper (642) includes a frame part (6421) and a clamping plate part (6422). The frame part (6421) is sleeved on the crossbeam of the gripper arm (637) and slides with the guide rail (6371). The clamping plate part (6422) is located at the front end of the frame part (6421). The rear end of the frame part (6421) is hinged to the vertical beam of the L-shaped adapter plate (641) through the fifth pin (640).

8. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 1, 4, or 7, characterized in that: The image acquisition device (625) includes an industrial camera (6251), a light source (6252), and a laser (6253). The industrial camera (6251), the light source (6252), and the laser (6253) are fixed on the end housing (621) by a bracket (6254). The industrial camera (6251) is provided with a self-cleaning nozzle (629), which is connected to a high-pressure air source (644).

9. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sliding mechanism (60) includes a ground rail (602) and a sliding platform (607) installed inside the tunnel boring machine (1). The ground rail (602) is provided with a rack (603), and the sliding platform (607) is provided with a gear (604) driven by a motor reducer. The gear (604) meshes with the rack (603).

10. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 1, 7, or 9, characterized in that: The multi-joint robotic arm (61) includes a first rotary joint (611), a first swing joint (613), and a telescopic arm (615). The first swing joint (613) is mounted on the first rotary joint (611) via a first swing mounting plate (612). One end of the telescopic arm (615) is connected to the first swing joint (613) via a first straddle mounting plate (614), and the other end is provided with a second rotary joint (616). A second swing joint (618) is provided on the second rotary joint (616), and a second straddle mounting plate (619) is provided on the end housing (621). The second straddle mounting plate (619) is connected to the second swing joint (618).

11. The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to claim 10, characterized in that: The tunnel boring machine (1) is equipped with a robot protective cabin (7); the tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot is located inside the robot protective cabin (7).

12. A method for detecting cutting tools, characterized in that: The tunnel boring machine cutter inspection robot according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is adopted.

13. The tool inspection method according to claim 10, characterized in that: It includes a fixed-point wear detection mode and a full-circumference wear detection mode. In the fixed-point wear detection mode, the robot end (62) is adjusted by the multi-joint robotic arm (61) to keep the end plane perpendicular to the working surface. The detection propulsion cylinder (623) drives the detection caliper (624) to move forward to the set detection position. When the detection caliper (624) moves to the corresponding tool, the image acquisition device (625) reads the scale line on the caliper and compares it with the initial scale line position to obtain the wear amount of the tool. In the full-circumference wear detection mode, the shield machine cutterhead disengages from the tunnel face; the detection propulsion cylinder (623) drives the detection caliper (624) to move forward to the set detection position, the detection caliper (624) clamps the corresponding cutter, at the same time, the gripper platform (632) moves to the working position under the drive of the second drive (631), the gripper main arm (637) rotates to the predetermined angle under the drive of the first drive (634); the gripper mechanism closes to clamp the cutter; the rotary motor (634) drives the gripper main arm (637) to drive the clamped cutter to rotate continuously around its axis; until the cutter rotates one revolution; During the rotation, the image acquisition device (625) simultaneously reads the scale line of the tool located at the caliper; after the tool rotates one revolution, the image acquisition device (625) completes the data acquisition of the wear amount in the whole circumference, and compares the wear amount in the whole circumference to obtain the wear amount of the tool.

14. The tool inspection method according to claim 13, characterized in that: When performing fixed-point wear detection, the detection propulsion cylinder (623) drives the detection caliper (624) to move towards the cutter head (1); in order to accurately determine whether the caliper has contacted the metal tool and to confirm that the caliper has been stably clamped after contact, a pressure sensor (6231) and a displacement sensor (6232) are installed on the detection propulsion cylinder (623) to collect the cylinder pressure P(t) and displacement L(t) in real time; the process of the detection caliper contacting the tool is divided into two steps, namely metal contact judgment and clamping confirmation; Metal contact discrimination process: The controller collects P(t) with a sampling period of Ts=0.01, calculates the second-order difference of the pressure, and the calculation formula is: ; When the caliper (624) is not in contact with any object, A P (t)<0.1Mpa / s 2 When the caliper (624) squeezes the mud cake, the pressure rises slowly, A P (t)<0.5Mpa / s 2 When the caliper (624) strikes the cutting tool, the pressure changes instantaneously, A P (t)>0.5Mpa / s 2 If the displacement of the push cylinder (623) reaches the maximum safe stroke but still does not meet the metal contact condition, a tool loss alarm will be triggered. Stability confirmation process: After the caliper (624) contacts the metal, the feed cylinder (623) stops feeding, and the controller calculates the standard deviation of pressure fluctuation σ using a sliding window of 0.3 seconds. P and the rate of change of displacement |dL / dt|, when σ P When the pressure is <0.01 MPa and |dL / dt|≤0.01 mm / s for more than 0.3 seconds, it is determined that the caliper (624) is stable and the image acquisition device (625) is allowed to be started to read the scale. If the stability condition is not met after more than 2 seconds, it is determined that the stability is abnormal and an alarm is issued.

15. The tool inspection method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that: In full-circumference wear detection mode, the absolute encoder provides real-time feedback of the angle θ while the gripper rotates the tool; the controller is set to a sampling step size Δθ = 3°, with each angle θ... j =j·Δθ, where j=0,1,...,119, triggers the camera to acquire an image once, obtaining the original wear amount d at that angle. j Original wear amount d j Includes actual wear d and systematic error. When the systematic error is mainly manifested as sinusoidal modulation caused by eccentricity and constant bias, d j =d+Acos(θ j (10ψ)+C; For d j Perform a discrete Fourier transform to extract the amplitude A and phase ψ of the first harmonic component, and set the constant... Decoupling yields the actual wear sequence d j =d-Acos(θ j 10ψ)-C; Finally, the wear loss d was calculated. ecc =max(d)-min(d) and wear factor ECF=d ecc / d av , where d av The circumferential average wear is given; an early warning of uneven wear is issued when ECF > 0.

3.

16. The tool inspection method according to claim 15, characterized in that: During the operation, if the lens of the industrial camera (6251) of the image acquisition device (625) is blocked by dirt during the detection process, the controller judges by the average gray level of the image. When the average gray level is <80, the self-cleaning nozzle (629) is activated to blow and then the image is re-acquired. If the requirements are not met after two consecutive purging cycles, a lens contamination alarm will be triggered.

17. The tool inspection method according to claim 16, characterized in that: Taking into account mud splashes and changes in lighting, the image acquisition device uses differential structured light to enhance the features of the scale lines.

Images