Pipeline wriggling robot

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of robots, and discloses a pipeline wriggling robot which comprises a robot body, a front-end supporting assembly and a rear-end supporting assembly, and is characterized in that the robot body comprises a front-end rack and a rear-end rack, and the front-end rack and the rear-end rack are connected through a spring body; the front-end rack and the rear-end rack are both connected with adjusting ropes capable of pulling the spring bodies. According to the pipeline wriggling robot, the advantages of the spring body and the adjusting rope are combined, the novel pipeline wriggling robot is designed, and the pipeline wriggling robot can efficiently work and flexibly move in a complex pipeline environment due to the unique movement mechanism of the pipeline wriggling robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a pipeline peristaltic robot. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the urban underground water pipe system has faced many challenges. In particular, old and low-quality water pipe facilities lead to insufficient drainage and transportation capacity, and problems such as corrosion, leakage, deformation, breakage, and blockage occur frequently. Especially for the cleaning of narrow pipes, crystallization blockage is very likely to occur. Especially for tunnel pipes, if the drainage pipes in the tunnel are not dredged, some dangerous accidents may occur.

[0003] The traditional maintenance method is to directly drill holes in the pipe wall for dredging and drainage. However, this method is likely to damage the pipe structure. Therefore, the current relatively advanced method is to use a pipeline robot to enter the pipe for cleaning and impurity removal work (the peristaltic machine belongs to a bionic robot, which realizes the movement and cleaning of the robot by stretching or swinging its body). However, for tunnels with a small diameter, a large length, and many bends, the existing pipeline robots adopt an integrated robot body, which is restricted by the turning radius and is difficult to turn effectively in narrow or sharply curved pipes. Therefore, there has emerged a pipeline robot using a crawler design, which is composed of multiple crawler units. Although the crawler robot turns more flexibly, it also has disadvantages: (1) The turning radius of the crawler depends on the size of the crawler unit. When the crawler unit (generally a chain plate) is small, it can pass through pipes with a small turning radius. However, if the crawler unit is too small, the structure of the connection parts between them (such as pins, chain links, etc.) will increase, which not only increases the overall weight and complexity of the crawler, but also may reduce its structural strength and durability; (2) Since the contact area between the crawler unit and the pipe wall is large, improper operation may damage the pipe wall; (3) Since the crawler unit is small, the gap between adjacent crawler units is also small, and a little small gravel or debris may cause the robot to get stuck. Content of the Utility Model

[0004] The utility model aims to provide a pipeline peristaltic robot with a small turning radius, stable durability, and little damage to the pipe wall.

[0005] A pipeline peristaltic robot includes a front-end frame, a rear-end frame, a front-end support assembly, and a rear-end support assembly. The front-end frame and the rear-end frame are connected by a spring body, and adjusting ropes for controlling the stretching and / or bending of the spring body are connected to both the front-end frame and the rear-end frame.

[0006] Technical effects: (1) Spring body main design: The spring body serves as the main body of the robot. Through its elastic deformation (compression, recovery, stretching) ability, the telescoping and bending of the front and rear ends of the robot are achieved. This design makes the movement and turning of the robot in the pipeline more flexible, with a smaller minimum turning radius, thereby improving its adaptability and maneuverability. (2) Lightweight and low friction: Compared with the traditional solid body structure, the spring body design significantly reduces the overall mass of the robot. The lightweight design reduces the friction between the robot and the pipe wall during movement, reduces the scraping between the robot and the pipe wall during movement, and extends the service life of the robot. (3) The adjustment rope as a transmission component: The adjustment rope is introduced as a key transmission component. Its flexible structure can effectively transmit the control force without damaging the overall structure of the robot. The introduction of the adjustment rope ensures the stability and accuracy of the robot's movement, especially its adaptability in complex environments. (4) The cooperation between the spring body and the adjustment rope: Through the coordinated work of the adjustment rope and the spring body, the deformation range of the spring body is significantly expanded. This cooperation makes the robot more flexible in moving and turning during pipeline inspection, cleaning and other tasks, can cover a wider area, and greatly increases the adaptability and efficiency of the robot moving in the pipeline.

[0007] In short, by combining the advantages of the spring body and the adjustment rope, the present utility model designs a new type of pipeline peristaltic robot, and its unique movement mechanism enables it to work efficiently and move flexibly in a complex pipeline environment.

[0008] Further, the adjustment rope includes a first adjustment rope, a second adjustment rope, and a third adjustment rope; a pulling mechanism is provided on the front-end frame, and this pulling mechanism is connected to the installation end of the first adjustment rope, and the pulling end of this adjustment rope is connected to the coil of the spring body; two pulling mechanisms are provided on the rear-end mechanism, and these two pulling mechanisms are respectively connected to the installation ends of the second adjustment rope and the third adjustment rope, and the pulling ends of the second adjustment rope and the third adjustment rope are connected to the coil of the spring body. Facing different working environments or working requirements, by adjusting the lengths or tensions of the three adjustment ropes, the system can be made more adaptable to these changes, improving the overall adaptability and reliability.

[0009] Further, the projection points of the pulling ends of the first adjustment rope, the second adjustment rope, and the third adjustment rope on the radial plane of the spring body form an angle of 120° with the connection line of the center of the radial plane of the spring body. When they are pulled synchronously and at the same distance, the spring body will receive balanced forces from three directions. This uniform force ensures that the spring body will not be skewed or distorted during the telescoping process, thus maintaining the stability of its shape and performance.

[0010] Further, each pulling mechanism includes an adjusting stepper motor and a lead screw pair. The lead screw pair includes a lead screw and a nut that mates with the lead screw. The rotary output end of the adjusting stepper motor is coaxially connected to the lead screw, and the nut is connected to the corresponding adjusting rope. The lead screw pair is used to convert the rotary motion of the stepper motor into a linear motion.

[0011] Further, the pulling mechanism is an adjusting stepper motor, and the rotary output shaft of the stepper motor is connected to the corresponding adjusting rope. When the rotary output shaft rotates, the adjusting rope is wound around the shaft to pull the adjusting rope.

[0012] Further, a rotatable cleaning brush is provided on the front end frame to clean debris / silt, etc. inside the pipeline.

[0013] Further, the cleaning brush is provided with cleaning saw blades to cut some harder debris and clear obstacles for the movement of the robot.

[0014] Further, a camera is provided on the front end frame to scan and identify the pipeline in front of the robot and provide environmental information for pipeline cleaning. Description of the Drawings

[0015] Figure 1 It is an overall structure diagram of Embodiment 1 of a pipeline peristaltic robot;

[0016] Figure 2 It is Figure 1 a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of;

[0017] Figure 3 It is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the left turn of the pipeline peristaltic robot in the pipeline in. Detailed Embodiments

[0018] Embodiment 1

[0019] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings of the specification include: front end frame 1, first flange 1-1, second flange 1-2, first adjusting stepper motor 1-3; rear end frame 2, third flange 2-1, fourth flange 2-2, second adjusting stepper motor 2-3, third adjusting stepper motor 2-4; front end scissor arm 3; rear end scissor arm 4; spring body 5, first adjusting rope 5-1, second adjusting rope 5-2, third adjusting rope 5-3; cleaning brush 6, camera assembly 7.

[0020] A pipeline peristaltic robot includes a body, a front end support assembly, and a rear end support assembly.

[0021] The body includes a front frame 1 and a rear frame 2, and the structures of the front frame 1 and the rear frame 2 are the same. The front frame 1 is composed of a first flange 1-1, a second flange 1-2, and several connecting columns between these two flanges. The rear frame 2 is composed of a third flange 2-1, a fourth flange 2-2, and several connecting columns between the two flanges. The several connecting columns on the front frame 1 and the rear frame 2 generally include intermediate connecting columns coaxial with the flanges and peripheral connecting columns distributed around the periphery of the flange surface. The front frame 1 and the rear frame 2 are connected by a cylindrical spring body 5 (that is, a cylindrical spring body 5 coaxial with the flanges is fixedly connected between the second flange 1-2 and the third flange 2-1).

[0022] A front support assembly is installed on the intermediate connecting column of the front frame 1. The front support assembly includes three front scissor arms 3 that can expand and contract radially along the central connecting column. The included angle between adjacent front scissor arms 3 is 120°. A roller is installed at the free end of the front scissor arm 3. A first support motor and a cleaning stepping motor are installed on the surface of the second flange 1-2. The first support motor is connected to the front scissor arm 3 through a trapezoidal lead screw.

[0023] A transmission optical shaft is eccentrically arranged in the front frame 1. The cleaning stepping motor is eccentrically installed and its output shaft is connected to the transmission optical shaft. A large gear is provided on the part where the transmission optical shaft extends out of the first flange 1-1. A camera assembly 7 and a rotating shaft are arranged on the outer surface of the first flange 1-1. The rotating shaft is coaxially connected to the first flange 1-1 through a ball bearing. A small gear is fixed on the rotating shaft. A disc-shaped cleaning brush 6 is installed at the free end of the rotating shaft. Several circles of cleaning saw blades are installed on the cleaning brush 6. The small gear meshes with the large gear for transmission.

[0024] Similarly, a rear support assembly is installed on the intermediate connecting column of the rear frame 2. The rear support assembly includes three rear scissor arms 4 that can expand and contract radially along the intermediate connecting column. The included angle between adjacent rear scissor arms 4 is 120°. A roller is installed at the free end of the rear scissor arm 4. A second support motor is installed on the third flange 2-1. The second support motor is connected to the rear scissor arm 4 through a trapezoidal lead screw to drive the rear scissor arm 4 to expand and contract.

[0025] In this embodiment, three adjusting ropes are installed in the cylindrical spring body 5. The specific arrangement method is as follows:

[0026] The first adjustment stepper motor 1-3 installed inside the front-end frame 1 has its output end connected to a lead screw through a coupling. A lead screw nut is fitted on the lead screw. The output shaft of the stepper motor drives the lead screw to rotate, and the lead screw nut moves linearly along the lead screw. A first adjustment rope 5-1 is fixedly connected to the lead screw nut. A through hole is provided on the second flange 1-2. After the first adjustment rope 5-1 passes through this through hole, it is connected to the coil of the spring body 5 (for clear display in the attached drawing, the first adjustment rope 5-1 is in a state of not passing through the hole).

[0027] A second adjustment stepper motor 2-3 and a third adjustment stepper motor 2-4 are installed inside the rear-end frame 2. Two through holes are provided on the third flange 2-1. The second adjustment stepper motor 2-3 is also connected to the second adjustment rope 5-2 through a lead screw structure, and the third adjustment stepper motor 2-4 is also connected to the third adjustment rope 5-3 through another lead screw structure. The connection of the second adjustment rope 5-2 and the connection of the third adjustment rope 5-3 respectively pass through the two through holes of the third flange 2-1 and are connected to the coils on the spring body 5 (for clear display in the attached drawing, the second adjustment rope 5-2 and the third adjustment rope 5-3 are in a state of not passing through the holes).

[0028] When the robot is in a non-working state, for the connection points of the first adjustment rope 5-1, the second adjustment rope 5-2, and the third adjustment rope 5-3 with the coil, assuming that the projection light source emits along the axial direction of the spring body 5, the three connection points are projected onto any radial plane of the spring body 5 (or any flange plane). The lines connecting the three projection points to the center of the radial plane (if projected onto the flange, it is the center of the flange) form three included angles, and the angle of each included angle is 120°.

[0029] A working method of a pipeline peristaltic robot in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0030] (1) Start-up: The camera assembly 7 can obtain the image in front of the robot, the cleaning brush 6 starts to rotate and work, and the cleaning saw blade rotates;

[0031] (2) Forward movement: When the robot moves forward, the front-end support assembly works, that is, the first support motor rotates, and the front-end scissor arm 3 extends outwards through the trapezoidal lead screw. The rollers of the front-end scissor arm 3 are in close contact with the inner wall of the pipeline. The front-end support assembly fixes the robot on the pipeline. At this time, the rear-end scissor arm 4 does not work. Then, the first adjustment stepper motor 1-3, the second adjustment stepper motor 2-3, and the third adjustment stepper motor 2-4 are started, and the first adjustment rope 5-1, the second adjustment rope 5-2, and the third adjustment rope 5-3 are synchronously pulled, so that the spring body 5 is compressed, and then the rear-end frame 2 is driven to move towards the front-end frame 1; then the rear-end scissor arm 4 extends out to support the inner wall of the pipeline, and the front-end scissor arm 3 retracts, and the robot moves forward.

[0032] (3) Rearward movement: Similarly, when the front scissor arm 3 is fixed on the pipeline and the rear scissor arm 4 is not working, the first adjustment rope 5-1, the second adjustment rope 5-2, and the third adjustment rope 5-3 are synchronously pulled, causing the spring body 5 to compress, and then driving the front frame 1 to move in the direction of the rear frame 2, that is, the robot moves backward.

[0033] (4) Left turn: When the front end of the robot encounters a left-turning bend, the rear scissor arm 4 supports the inner wall of the pipeline, the front scissor arm 3 is not working, and the spring body 5 relaxes to push the front frame 1 of the robot into the left-turning opening;

[0034] Then, among the second adjustment rope 5-2 and the third adjustment rope 5-3, the adjustment rope close to the left-turning bend is pulled to retract ( Figure 3 the second adjustment stepping motor 2-3 in pulls the second adjustment rope 5-2 to retract), causing the spring body 5 to bend to the left, causing the front frame 1 to shift to the left and extend into the left-turning bend, and then repeating the forward movement process in step (2) to make the robot turn left;

[0035] When the rear end of the robot encounters a left-turning bend, the front scissor arm 3 first supports. After the spring body 5 relaxes to push the rear frame 2 into the left-turning opening, the adjustment rope close to the left-turning bend is pulled to make the spring body turn left, and then repeating the rearward movement process in step (3) to make the robot turn left backward;

[0036] (5) Right turn: When the front end of the robot encounters a right-turning bend, the rear scissor arm 4 supports the inner wall of the pipeline, the front scissor arm 3 is not working, and the spring body 5 relaxes to push the front frame 1 of the robot into the right-turning opening.

[0037] At this time, among the second adjustment rope 5-2 and the third adjustment rope 5-3, the adjustment rope close to the right-turning bend is pulled to retract, causing the spring body 5 to bend to the right, causing the front frame 1 to shift to the right and extend into the right-turning bend, and then repeating the forward movement process in step (2) to make the front end of the robot turn right.

[0038] When the rear end of the robot encounters a right-turning bend, the front scissor arm 3 first supports. After the spring body 5 relaxes to push the rear frame 2 into the right-turning opening, the adjustment rope close to the right-turning bend is pulled to make the spring body 5 turn right, and then repeating the rearward movement process in step (3) to make the robot turn right backward.

[0039] Embodiment 2

[0040] The difference from Embodiment 1 is that in this embodiment, the rotating output shafts of all the adjusting stepper motors are directly connected to the corresponding adjusting ropes. When the rotating output shafts of the adjusting stepper motors rotate, the corresponding adjusting ropes can be wound around their shafts, thereby pulling the spring body 5 by the adjusting ropes. In this embodiment, the through holes on the flange plate for the adjusting ropes to pass through should be staggered from the rotating output shafts of the adjusting stepper motors to prevent the adjusting ropes from falling off the shafts of the rotating output shafts.

[0041] The above are only the embodiments of the present invention, and the specific technical solutions and / or common knowledge such as characteristics known to the public in the solution are not described in detail here. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the technical solution of the present invention, several deformations and improvements can be made, which should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention, and these will not affect the implementation effect of the present invention and the practicability of the patent. The protection scope required by the present invention should be subject to the content of its claims, and the specific implementation manners and the like recorded in the description can be used to interpret the content of the claims.

Claims

1. A pipeline peristaltic robot, comprising a front-end frame, a rear-end frame, a front-end support assembly and a rear-end support assembly, characterized in that: The front-end frame and the rear-end frame are connected via a spring body, and both the front-end frame and the rear-end frame are connected with an adjustment rope for controlling the extension and / or bending of the spring body.

2. A pipeline peristaltic robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjusting rope comprises a first adjusting rope, a second adjusting rope and a third adjusting rope; the front end frame is provided with a pulling mechanism, which is connected to the mounting end of the first adjusting rope, and the pulling end of the adjusting rope is connected to the spiral coil of the spring body; the rear end frame is provided with two pulling mechanisms, which are respectively connected to the mounting ends of the second adjusting rope and the third adjusting rope, and the pulling ends of the second adjusting rope and the third adjusting rope are connected to the spiral coil of the spring body.

3. A pipeline peristaltic robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The angles formed by the projection points of the pulling ends of the first adjusting rope, the second adjusting rope and the third adjusting rope on the radial surface of the spring body and the line connecting the centers of the radial surface of the spring body are all 120°.

4. A pipeline peristaltic robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each pulling mechanism comprises an adjusting stepping motor and a lead screw pair, wherein the lead screw pair comprises a lead screw and a nut matched with the lead screw; the rotating output end of the adjusting stepping motor is coaxially connected to the lead screw, and the nut is connected to the corresponding adjusting rope.

5. The pipeline peristaltic robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pulling mechanism is an adjusting stepping motor, and the rotating output shaft of the stepping motor is connected to the corresponding adjusting rope.

6. A pipeline peristaltic robot according to claim 1, 4 or 5, characterized in that: A rotatable cleaning brush is arranged on the front end frame.

7. A pipeline peristaltic robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The cleaning brush is provided with a cleaning saw blade.

8. The pipeline peristaltic robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: A camera is arranged on the front end frame.

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