Spherical culvert detection robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a spherical culvert detection robot which comprises a spherical shell, a propeller and a power supply assembly box provided with a battery and a main control board are arranged in the spherical shell, buoyancy materials are arranged at the upper position in the spherical shell, and a propeller flow channel is arranged between the buoyancy materials; the number of the propellers is three, two propellers are transversely arranged, one propeller is vertically arranged, buoyancy and gravity of the robot are basically balanced, and the buoyancy center is higher than the gravity center. The robot can automatically suspend in the culvert and float from the inlet to the outlet along with water flow to detect the interior of the culvert, has the capacity of judging whether the robot is stuck or not and the capacity of automatically getting out of the trap after the robot is stuck, does not need to be provided with a cable, and is suitable for detecting the long-distance culvert.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a spherical culvert monitoring robot. Background Art

[0002] During operation, culverts may experience sedimentation and cracks in the cave walls. Seawater culverts may also have marine organisms attached, which will affect their water-passing capacity. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct online detection of cracks, wall attachments, and siltation in culverts to ensure the safety of water delivery and drainage and provide a basis for subsequent maintenance. For underwater detection of long-distance culverts, there is currently a lack of effective detection methods due to the risks of cable entanglement, equipment jamming, and disconnection. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to solve the problems existing in the above prior art, the utility model proposes a spherical culvert monitoring robot, which can automatically float in the culvert, drift from the entrance to the exit along the water flow, complete the detection of the inside of the culvert, and has the ability to determine whether it is stuck and automatically escape after being stuck. The robot does not need to be equipped with a cable and is suitable for long-distance culvert detection.

[0004] The utility model can be realized through the following technical solutions:

[0005] A spherical culvert inspection robot comprises a spherical shell, in which a propeller and a power assembly box with a battery and a main control board are arranged, a buoyancy material is arranged at the upper position of the spherical shell, and a propeller flow channel is arranged between the buoyancy materials; there are three propellers, two of which are arranged horizontally and one is arranged vertically, the buoyancy and gravity of the robot are basically balanced, and the center of buoyancy is higher than the center of gravity.

[0006] Furthermore, a Doppler speed meter is provided at the bottom of the spherical shell.

[0007] Furthermore, two distance sensors are installed on both sides of the spherical bottom.

[0008] Furthermore, a sonar is provided directly in front of the spherical housing.

[0009] Furthermore, the main control board is equipped with an inertial measurement unit and communicates with various sensors.

[0010] Furthermore, a ground support frame is provided at the bottom of the spherical shell.

[0011] The utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0012] 1) Spherical shell, built-in propeller, no protruding corners, not easy to get stuck;

[0013] 2) No cables, avoiding cable entanglement and cable length constraints on detection distance;

[0014] 3) It mainly relies on passive movement of water flow, and the three thrusters are only used for fine-tuning of position and attitude and escape movement when stuck. It has low power consumption, small size, high maneuverability and long endurance;

[0015] 4) It has the ability to automatically detect posture, movement speed, and bottom height, and fine-tune the robot's position and posture accordingly, so that the robot automatically floats in the middle of the culvert, reducing collisions and obtaining better observation effects;

[0016] 5) It has the ability to automatically determine whether it is stuck and perform escape movements accordingly;

[0017] 6) In the unpowered mode, it has a stable posture and positive buoyancy underwater, allowing it to drift downstream, reducing the probability of getting stuck in the culvert after a malfunction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the utility model

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the ground placement state of the utility model

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the utility model in the water launching state DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following describes the implementation of the present invention through specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the spherical culvert detection robot of the utility model comprises a spherical shell 1, a buoyancy material 2, a power assembly box 6 (the battery and the main control board are both located in the box), a propeller 3 and other detachable modules (including a distance sensor, a Doppler speed meter 4, a sonar 5, etc.). The bottom of the spherical shell 1 is provided with a ground support frame, such as Figure 2 The figure shows the ground placement state of the utility model. Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the launching state of the utility model.

[0023] The robot's spherical shell 1 is made of PE material, which has a certain elasticity and is not easily damaged when it is hit.

[0024] The buoyancy material 2 is located directly above the robot and is connected to the outer shell 1 by screws to form a complete sphere and leave a flow path for the propeller 3 .

[0025] The robot's weight and buoyancy are basically balanced, with a slightly positive buoyancy, and the center of buoyancy is higher than the center of gravity, which helps the robot maintain balance in the duct water flow. In the unpowered state, it can maintain a floating posture in the water to avoid sinking to the bottom of the mud.

[0026] The spherical shell and cable-free design make the robot less likely to get stuck and tangled during work.

[0027] The robot is equipped with two lateral thrusters and one vertical thruster, and the thrusters are installed inside the spherical shell, reducing the probability of getting stuck.

[0028] The main way of movement of the robot during culvert inspection is passive drifting downstream. The role of the thrusters is to provide the robot with power to escape (through random movement in all directions of the three thrusters); second, to adjust the left and right position of the robot (through the same and reverse movement of the two lateral thrusters) and height (through the movement of the vertical thrusters) to make it float in the middle of the culvert to reduce the probability of collision with the culvert; third, to adjust the robot's posture (through the reverse movement of the two lateral thrusters) so that the onboard sensors can obtain better observation effects.

[0029] A Doppler odometer 4 is installed at the bottom of the robot to measure the robot's speed and direction, thereby estimating the robot's real-time position, determining whether it is stuck, and providing a basis for adjusting its posture. When the robot's speed cumulative value is less than a threshold for a period of time, it is considered that the robot is stuck and needs to perform an escape action.

[0030] Two distance sensors are installed on both sides of the bottom of the robot to measure the robot's height relative to the bottom and avoid collision with the culvert.

[0031] In this embodiment, the robot is equipped with a sonar 5 in front of it, which is used to detect the structural condition of the inner wall of the culvert, scan and store the environmental information in the tunnel. After the robot is retrieved, the stored data is post-processed to obtain data such as structural damage, marine organism attachment, and sediment thickness in the tunnel. The utility model does not rely on optical cameras, so it can be applied to turbid waters. If the water quality is good, the sonar can be replaced with an optical camera for video inspection.

[0032] The power assembly box 6 of the robot contains batteries and a main control board. The battery is used to power various devices on the robot. The main control board is equipped with an inertial measurement unit, which communicates with various sensors to detect the robot's own state in real time, including posture, movement speed, height above the bottom, etc., and then sends control instructions to the thrusters to keep the robot suspended in the culvert, adjust the robot's posture, and get out of trouble in time.

[0033] 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 and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Spherical culvert detection robot, characterized in that: It comprises a spherical shell, in which a propeller and a power assembly box with a battery and a main control board are arranged, a buoyancy material is arranged at the upper position of the spherical shell, and a propeller flow channel is arranged between the buoyancy materials; there are three propellers, two of which are arranged horizontally and one is arranged vertically, the buoyancy and gravity of the robot are basically balanced, and the center of buoyancy is higher than the center of gravity.

2. The spherical culvert detection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A Doppler speed meter is arranged at the bottom of the spherical shell.

3. The spherical culvert detection robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Two distance sensors are installed on both sides of the spherical bottom.

4. The spherical culvert detection robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: A sonar is arranged directly in front of the spherical housing.

5. The spherical culvert detection robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The main control board is equipped with an inertial measurement unit and communicates with various sensors.

6. The spherical culvert detection robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: A ground support frame is provided at the bottom of the spherical shell.

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