Self-adaptive reducing pipeline robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a self-adaptive reducing pipeline robot, and particularly relates to the technical field of pipeline robots, the self-adaptive reducing pipeline robot comprises three main body support arms, the inner sides of the three main body support arms are respectively connected with a first sliding frame and a second sliding frame; three third supporting arms are annularly connected to the outer side of the first sliding frame, a second square pipe frame is rotationally connected to one end of each third supporting arm, a first motor is connected to one side of each second square pipe frame, and a rotating wheel is connected to one end of an output shaft of each first motor; the outer side of the second sliding frame is annularly connected with three first supporting arms, one end of each first supporting arm is rotationally connected with a first square pipe frame, one side of each first square pipe frame is connected with a second motor, and one end of an output shaft of each second motor is connected with an advancing wheel; according to the utility model, forward and backward movement, 360-degree rotation and micro differential steering can be flexibly carried out in pipelines with different pipe diameters, and the detection and maintenance of the pipelines can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] A pipeline robot is an integrated mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation system that can move automatically inside or outside a pipeline. The pipeline robot can move automatically inside or outside the pipeline and perform pipeline inspection, maintenance, and hidden danger investigation through the sensors and operating machinery it carries. It has a wide range of applications, including pipeline quality inspection, weld joint diagnosis, pipeline cleaning, spraying, welding, internal polishing and other maintenance work, as well as the transportation and rescue of equipment inside and outside the pipeline.

[0003] At present, most of the carriers on the market use four-wheel drive or tracked direct motion. However, the carrier structure cannot withstand forces other than itself, the movement is not flexible enough, and one device is dedicated to one field, which is rigid and wastes materials. Moreover, the robots on the market lack devices with relatively complete functions and cannot correctly identify the direction type and turn correctly (different joints such as tee and cross). The incompatibility between the robot body and the pipeline space and the curvature of the curve have a great impact on the robot's movement performance. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0005] An adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot, comprising:

[0006] Three main body arms, the left end of each main body arm being fixedly connected to a first fixing seat, the right end of each main body arm being fixedly connected to a second fixing seat, a driving mechanism being provided on the inner sides of each of the three main body arms, and the inner sides of each of the three main body arms being respectively connected to a first sliding frame and a second sliding frame from left to right via the driving mechanism;

[0007] Three sixth hinged seats are circumferentially connected to the outer side of the first sliding frame, a third support arm is rotatably connected to the inner side of the sixth hinged seat, one end of the third support arm is connected to the seventh hinged seat, a second square tube frame is fixedly connected to the outer side of the seventh hinged seat, a first motor is connected to one side of the second square tube frame, and one end of the output shaft of the first motor is connected to a rotating wheel;

[0008] Three third hinged seats are circumferentially connected to the outer side of the second sliding frame, the inner side of the third hinged seat is rotatably connected to the first support arm, one end of the first support arm is rotatably connected to the fourth hinged seat, the outer side of the fourth hinged seat is fixedly connected to the first square tube frame, one side of the first square tube frame is connected to the second motor, and one end of the output shaft of the second motor is connected to the traveling wheel.

[0009] In a possible implementation, a ninth articulated seat is fixedly connected to the outer side of the first square tube frame near the fourth articulated seat, a second support arm is rotatably connected to the inside of the ninth articulated seat, one end of the second support arm is rotatably connected to the second articulated seat, and the outer side of the second articulated seat is fixedly connected to the second fixed seat.

[0010] In one possible implementation, a fixing frame is fixedly connected to the inner side of the main support arm near the second sliding frame, and three fifth articulated seats are circumferentially connected to the outer side of the fixing frame. The inner side of the fifth articulated seat is rotatably connected to the fourth support arm, and one end of the fourth support arm is rotatably connected to the fourth articulated seat.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the outer side of the second square tube frame is fixedly connected to the eighth articulated seat near the seventh articulated seat, the interior of the eighth articulated seat is rotatably connected to the first articulated seat, and the outer side of the first articulated seat is fixedly connected to the main support arm.

[0012] In a possible implementation, a second slider is connected to the outer side of the second sliding frame and located in the middle position of a pair of adjacent third hinged seats. The outer side of the second slider is slidably connected to a slide rail, and the outer side of the slide rail is fixedly connected to the main support arm.

[0013] In a possible implementation, three first sliding blocks are circumferentially embedded in the interior of the first sliding frame, and the first sliding blocks are slidably connected to the slide rail.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the driving mechanism includes a third motor, one side of the third motor is fixedly connected to the second fixed seat, one end of the output shaft of the third motor is connected to a bidirectional screw, the end of the bidirectional screw is rotatably connected to the first fixed seat, and the outer sides of the bidirectional screw are respectively provided with a first ball nut pair and a second ball nut pair, the first ball nut pair is fixedly connected to the first sliding frame, and the second ball nut pair is fixedly connected to the second sliding frame.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the technical effects and advantages provided by the utility model are:

[0016] The utility model can flexibly move forward and backward, rotate 360 ​​degrees, and perform micro-differential steering in pipelines with different diameters, and can realize the detection and maintenance of the pipelines. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the main support arm of the utility model;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the traveling wheel of the utility model;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the rotating wheel of the utility model.

[0022] Description of reference numerals:

[0023] 1. Rotating wheel; 2. First motor; 3. First sliding frame; 4. First fixed seat; 5. First square tube frame; 6. Main support arm; 7. Bidirectional screw; 8. Fixed frame; 9. Second fixed seat; 10. Second motor; 11. Traveling wheel; 12. Second sliding frame; 13. First ball nut pair; 14. First articulated seat; 15. Second ball nut pair; 16. Third motor; 17. Second articulated seat; 18. Slide rail; 19. Third articulated seat; 20. First support arm; 21. Fourth articulated seat; 22. Second support arm; 23. Fifth articulated seat; 24. Second square tube frame; 25. First slider; 26. Sixth articulated seat; 27. Third support arm; 28. Seventh articulated seat; 29. ​​Second slider; 30. Eighth articulated seat; 31. Ninth articulated seat; 32. Fourth support arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] The embodiments of the present application solve the problems in the prior art by providing a pipeline robot with adaptive diameter change.

[0026] The technical solution in the embodiments of the present application is to solve the above problems, and the overall idea is as follows:

[0027] like Figures 1-4 As shown, an adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot includes:

[0028] Three main support arms 6, the left end of the main support arm 6 is fixedly connected to the first fixed base 4, the right end of the main support arm 6 is fixedly connected to the second fixed base 9, the inner side of the three main support arms 6 is provided with a driving mechanism, and the inner side of the three main support arms 6 is respectively connected to the first sliding frame 3 and the second sliding frame 12 from left to right through the driving mechanism;

[0029] Three sixth hinged seats 26 are circumferentially connected to the outer side of the first sliding frame 3. The inner side of the sixth hinged seat 26 is rotatably connected to the third support arm 27. One end of the third support arm 27 is connected to the seventh hinged seat 28. The outer side of the seventh hinged seat 28 is fixedly connected to the second square tube frame 24. One side of the second square tube frame 24 is connected to the first motor 2. One end of the output shaft of the first motor 2 is connected to the rotating wheel 1.

[0030] The outer side of the second sliding frame 12 is circumferentially connected to three third articulated seats 19. The inner portion of the third articulated seat 19 is rotatably connected to the first support arm 20. One end of the first support arm 20 is rotatably connected to the fourth articulated seat 21. The outer side of the fourth articulated seat 21 is fixedly connected to the first square tube frame 5. One side of the first square tube frame 5 is connected to the second motor 10. One end of the output shaft of the second motor 10 is connected to the travel wheel 11. The new design of the omnidirectional wheel is different from the traditional crawler-type and traditional conventional wheel drive methods. This multifunctional variable diameter pipeline robot adopts a specially processed omnidirectional wheel walking logic. The second motor 10 is responsible for controlling the robot's forward and backward movement, and the first motor 2 is responsible for controlling the robot's 360-degree rotation without dead angles in the pipeline. At the same time, in order to maintain good stability and anti-interference ability in the pipeline, the first motor 2 and the second motor 10 both have a motor shaft self-locking function to prevent the robot from "slipping" in the pipeline.

[0031] In addition, with the help of the ROS+Turtlebot3 and RVIZ system environment and the IMU sensor on the robot, IMU data time and node automatic processing is performed, and posture information and time information are synchronously recorded in real time. The robot's route in the pipeline is recorded in the ROS environment. Later, during secondary operations, the robot's historical movement trajectory can be recorded and monitored in real time under RVIZ, providing trajectory routes and data information for automatic line patrol and automatic inspection of the robotic arm during secondary operations;

[0032] The pipeline robot monitors the pressure on the pipeline's inner wall in real time as it changes diameter. Pressure sensors on its six omnidirectional wheels detect this pressure in real time. Simultaneously, a PID calculation calculates the preload, and a closed-loop feedback system controls the activation and locking of the first and second motors 2 and 10 in real time. This allows the robot to offset its own gravity and maintain a certain pressure in various positions without damaging the pipeline due to excessive pressure. This process is dynamic and real-time.

[0033] In some examples, a ninth articulated seat 31 is fixedly connected to the outer side of the first square tube frame 5 near the fourth articulated seat 21, the interior of the ninth articulated seat 31 is rotatably connected to the second support arm 22, one end of the second support arm 22 is rotatably connected to the second articulated seat 17, and the outer side of the second articulated seat 17 is fixedly connected to the second fixed seat 9.

[0034] In some examples, the inner side of the main support arm 6 is fixedly connected to a fixed frame 8 near the second sliding frame 12, and the outer side of the fixed frame 8 is circumferentially connected to three fifth articulated seats 23. The inner part of the fifth articulated seat 23 is rotatably connected to the fourth support arm 32, and one end of the fourth support arm 32 is rotatably connected to the fourth articulated seat 21.

[0035] In some examples, the outer side of the second square tube frame 24 is fixedly connected to the eighth articulated seat 30 near the seventh articulated seat 28, the inner side of the eighth articulated seat 30 is rotatably connected to the first articulated seat 14, and the outer side of the first articulated seat 14 is fixedly connected to the main support arm 6.

[0036] In some examples, a second slider 29 is connected to the outside of the second sliding frame 12 and located in the middle position of a pair of adjacent third hinged seats 19. The outside of the second slider 29 is slidably connected to the slide rail 18, and the outside of the slide rail 18 is fixedly connected to the main support arm 6.

[0037] In some examples, three first sliding blocks 25 are circumferentially embedded in the interior of the first sliding frame 3 , and the first sliding blocks 25 are slidably connected to the sliding rail 18 .

[0038] In some examples, the driving mechanism includes a third motor 16, one side of the third motor 16 is fixedly connected to the second fixed seat 9, one end of the output shaft of the third motor 16 is connected to the bidirectional screw rod 7, the end of the bidirectional screw rod 7 is rotatably connected to the first fixed seat 4, and the outer side of the bidirectional screw rod 7 is respectively sleeved with a first ball nut pair 13 and a second ball nut pair 15, the first ball nut pair 13 is fixedly connected to the first sliding frame 3, and the second ball nut pair 15 is fixedly connected to the second sliding frame 12. When the third motor 16 is turned on, the bidirectional screw rod 7 is driven to rotate, thereby driving the first ball nut pair 13 and the second ball nut pair 15 on both sides to move toward or away from each other, thereby facilitating the first sliding frame 3 and the second sliding frame 12 on both sides to move toward or away from each other.

[0039] The utility model adopts a brand-new variable diameter and motion design. The multifunctional omnidirectional wheel variable diameter pipeline robot adopts a design different from the traditional structure currently available on the market. The main support arm 6 is made of lightweight industrial aluminum material. In the future, it is considered to be replaced with a lighter and more mechanically strong carbon fiber square tube support, so that the machine has a strong ability to bear external forces and ensure the smooth operation during operation. The third motor 16 is driven by the FOC closed-loop controller to drive the bidirectional screw 7 to complete the adaptive variable diameter movement of the front and rear motors. The supporting components are made of high-strength 3D printed PLA material. While lightweight, they also have certain mechanical strength and stability. The motion system is a specially designed omnidirectional wheel system with a certain obstacle crossing capability and contact area. Compared with traditional tires, it has a very flexible motion scheme. The two sets of omnidirectional wheel motor groups assist each other and are independent of each other. They can achieve 360-degree flipping without dead angles in place, horizontal movement, and dynamic micro-differential steering.

[0040] The omnidirectional wheel variable diameter pipeline robot has built-in gyroscopes, accelerometers, and angular velocity meters. When performing pipeline operations, operators can intuitively observe the pipeline robot's posture in the pipeline and adjust the preload force in real time to reduce compression damage to the pipeline and the impact of the robot's own gravity.

[0041] The robot is equipped with an MPU6050 gesture sensor with programmable interrupts. It supports gesture recognition, panning, zooming in and out, scrolling, rapid descent interrupts, high-G interrupts, zero-motion sensing, touch sensing, and shake sensing. The gyroscope operating current is 5mA, and the gyroscope standby current is 5uA. The accelerometer operating current is 500uA, and the accelerometer power-saving mode current is 40uA at 10Hz. A built-in 1024-byte FIFO helps reduce system power consumption. It also features an I2C communication interface with a speed of up to 400kHz. The ultra-small package size (4x4x0.9mm (QFN)) transmits data to the control terminal in real time via I2C communication with the main controller.

[0042] The data collection and display utilizes the USART serial communication function of STM32. The baud rate is set to 9600 through the serial port assistant to read the pitch angle, roll angle, yaw angle and acceleration data, and update them in real time.

[0043] To prevent the robot from causing damage to the pipeline and its own mechanical structure due to excessive pressure when changing diameter, the pipeline robot is equipped with strain gauge pressure sensors on the inner and outer sides of the front and rear variable diameter push rods. The metal foil in the strain gauge changes its resistance when it mechanically stretches or contracts. With the help of the signal amplifier and the ADC acquisition function of the STM32, the change in the resistance of the strain gauge can be measured in real time and converted into the strain value of the measuring point. By monitoring the change in the resistance of the resistance strain gauge on the push rod, the change in the pressure inside the pipeline exerted by the robot is reflected, and the force between the inner wall of the pipeline and the robot is calculated.

[0044] The ADC acquisition function of the STM32 microcontroller collects microvoltage information from the strain gauge and converts it into a digital signal. Using the computer's data fitting function, the corresponding signal value is converted into a corresponding pressure value. The force data between the inner wall of the pipeline and the robot is sent to the microcontroller, which controls the variable diameter stepper motor to adjust the position of the robot's variable diameter propeller. Simultaneously, the robot transmits real-time pressure data to the control terminal host computer via the serial port, allowing the operator to observe the pressure conditions within the pipeline in real time.

[0045] To enhance the robot's internal perception and data transmission capabilities, it is equipped with a visual recognition camera array. Using a high-brightness searchlight and infrared fill light, the Open MV visual camera, with its Open CV library, identifies and extracts RGB, grayscale, and HSL feature values ​​of target objects. This allows for visual detection of visible foreign objects and damage within the pipeline, while also assisting with localized steering in curved environments. An infrared thermal imaging camera detects heat sources within the pipeline, promptly identifying areas with abnormal temperatures and preventing potential safety hazards such as cracks or electrical short circuits caused by stress changes within the material due to excessive temperatures. The camera array images are transmitted in real time to the ground control terminal for operator review.

[0046] To enable pipeline robots to play a positive role in pipeline maintenance, inspection, spraying, and construction, and to enhance their practicality, we have designed a robotic arm system specifically for pipeline robots, based on the ROS environment, that can be expanded with a variety of modules. This includes a robotic gripper, high-pressure spray gun, spray probe, and other extensive, redevelopable modules. After kinematic calculations, the robotic arm platform can automatically perform various tasks: the robotic gripper removes foreign objects, the ultrasonic flaw detector detects damage to the pipe interior, and the high-pressure spray gun cleans the pipe interior. Manufacturers can also develop corresponding expansion modules based on pipeline operation requirements to meet the needs of pipeline robots in various scenarios.

[0047] Through logical control nodes, image processing and gripper movement services are invoked to grasp and place the target. The method for controlling the robot's movement involves converting image information into corresponding joint angles. This is accomplished through inverse kinematics and feedback control. Inverse kinematics calculates the angles of each joint based on the gripper coordinates. This requires, in addition to the joint coordinates, the lengths of each link and the desired gripper position.

[0048] The above description is merely illustrative of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It goes without saying that those skilled in the art will be able to modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the above drawings and description are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot, characterized in that: include: Three main body arms (6), the left end of each main body arm (6) is fixedly connected to a first fixed seat (4), the right end of each main body arm (6) is fixedly connected to a second fixed seat (9), a driving mechanism is provided on the inner sides of the three main body arms (6), and the inner sides of the three main body arms (6) are respectively connected to a first sliding frame (3) and a second sliding frame (12) from left to right through the driving mechanism; The outer side of the first sliding frame (3) is circumferentially connected to three sixth hinged seats (26), the inner side of the sixth hinged seat (26) is rotatably connected to a third support arm (27), one end of the third support arm (27) is connected to a seventh hinged seat (28), the outer side of the seventh hinged seat (28) is fixedly connected to a second square tube frame (24), one side of the second square tube frame (24) is connected to a first motor (2), and one end of the output shaft of the first motor (2) is connected to a rotating wheel (1); The outer side of the second sliding frame (12) is circumferentially connected to three third hinged seats (19), the interior of the third hinged seat (19) is rotatably connected to a first support arm (20), one end of the first support arm (20) is rotatably connected to a fourth hinged seat (21), the outer side of the fourth hinged seat (21) is fixedly connected to a first square tube frame (5), one side of the first square tube frame (5) is connected to a second motor (10), and one end of the output shaft of the second motor (10) is connected to a traveling wheel (11).

2. The adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A ninth hinge seat (31) is fixedly connected to the outer side of the first square tube frame (5) near the fourth hinge seat (21); the interior of the ninth hinge seat (31) is rotatably connected to the second support arm (22); one end of the second support arm (22) is rotatably connected to the second hinge seat (17); and the outer side of the second hinge seat (17) is fixedly connected to the second fixed seat (9).

3. The adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner side of the main support arm (6) is fixedly connected to a fixed frame (8) near the second sliding frame (12), and the outer side of the fixed frame (8) is circumferentially connected to three fifth hinge seats (23). The inner part of the fifth hinge seat (23) is rotatably connected to a fourth support arm (32), and one end of the fourth support arm (32) is rotatably connected to the fourth hinge seat (21).

4. The adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer side of the second square tube frame (24) is fixedly connected to the eighth hinge seat (30) near the seventh hinge seat (28), the interior of the eighth hinge seat (30) is rotatably connected to the first hinge seat (14), and the outer side of the first hinge seat (14) is fixedly connected to the main support arm (6).

5. The adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second sliding block (29) is connected to the outer side of the second sliding frame (12) and located in the middle position of a pair of adjacent third hinged seats (19). The outer side of the second sliding block (29) is slidably connected to a slide rail (18), and the outer side of the slide rail (18) is fixedly connected to the main support arm (6).

6. The adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: Three first sliding blocks (25) are circumferentially embedded in the interior of the first sliding frame (3), and the first sliding blocks (25) are slidably connected to the slide rail (18).

7. The adaptive diameter-variable pipeline robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a third motor (16), one side of the third motor (16) is fixedly connected to the second fixed seat (9), one end of the output shaft of the third motor (16) is connected to a bidirectional screw rod (7), the end of the bidirectional screw rod (7) is rotatably connected to the first fixed seat (4), and the outer side of the bidirectional screw rod (7) is respectively sleeved with a first ball nut pair (13) and a second ball nut pair (15), the first ball nut pair (13) is fixedly connected to the first sliding frame (3), and the second ball nut pair (15) is fixedly connected to the second sliding frame (12).

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