Wall climbing robot

Abstract

According to the wall climbing robot, a plurality of wheel assemblies are arranged on a robot body, each wheel assembly comprises a mounting frame, a first driving structure, a driving wheel and an auxiliary wheel, the auxiliary wheels are rotatably arranged on the mounting frame, and the first driving structures are arranged on the mounting frame and are in transmission connection with the driving wheels; under the driving of the first driving structure, the driving wheels can rotate so as to drive the robot main body to move along the working surface; due to the fact that the wheel assembly comprises the auxiliary wheels, when part of the driving wheels of the wall-climbing robot sink into the pits, the auxiliary wheels can replace the driving wheels to make contact with the working face, and the wall-climbing robot can still smoothly move along the working face under driving of other driving wheels which do not sink into the pits; and therefore, the wall climbing robot has higher adaptive capacity when facing a working face with more pits.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of robotics, and in particular to a wall-climbing robot. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of the economy, more and more high-risk and heavy jobs are being replaced by robots, such as cleaning the curtain walls of high-rise buildings, inspecting, quality testing, cutting, welding, and grinding of buildings such as offshore platforms and tunnels, and removing rust and painting ships and aircraft. Correspondingly, when robots are working, they need to walk along the work surface.

[0003] In related technologies, wall-climbing robots are equipped with multiple drive wheels, which drive the robot to walk on the work surface.

[0004] However, for some complex working surfaces, there are often many pits. When the drive wheels of the wall-climbing robot get stuck in the pits, the drive wheels will have difficulty continuing to drive the wall-climbing robot to move along the working surface, which makes the existing wall-climbing robots less adaptable to working surfaces with many pits. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this utility model is to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. This utility model provides a wall-climbing robot. The wall-climbing robot of this embodiment has a stronger adaptability when facing a working surface with many pits.

[0006] The wall-climbing robot provided according to the embodiment of this utility model includes a robot body and multiple wheel assemblies; the wheel assemblies are disposed on the robot body and include a mounting frame, a first drive structure, a drive wheel and an auxiliary wheel. The auxiliary wheel is rotatably disposed on the mounting frame. The first drive structure is disposed on the mounting frame and is connected to the drive wheel for transmission. The first drive structure is used to drive the drive wheel to rotate. The rotation axis of the drive wheel is arranged parallel to the rotation axis of the auxiliary wheel.

[0007] The wall-climbing robot of this utility model has at least the following beneficial effects: In the wall-climbing robot of this application, the robot body is provided with multiple wheel assemblies. The wheel assembly includes a mounting frame, a first drive structure, a drive wheel, and an auxiliary wheel. The auxiliary wheel is rotatably mounted on the mounting frame, and the first drive structure is mounted on the mounting frame and is connected to the drive wheel in a transmission manner. Under the drive of the first drive structure, the drive wheel can rotate to drive the robot body to move along the working surface. Since the wheel assembly includes the auxiliary wheel, when some of the drive wheels of the wall-climbing robot fall into the pit, the auxiliary wheel can replace the drive wheel to contact the working surface. Under the drive of the other drive wheels that are not in the pit, the wall-climbing robot of this application can still move smoothly along the working surface, thereby making the wall-climbing robot of this application more adaptable when facing a working surface with many pits.

[0008] According to the wall-climbing robot of the present invention, the wheel assembly includes two auxiliary wheels. In the direction of movement of the robot body, the two auxiliary wheels are located on opposite sides of the drive wheel in the same wheel assembly.

[0009] According to the wall-climbing robot of this utility model embodiment, the mounting frame includes a mounting plate and a connecting plate. A first driving structure is disposed on the connecting plate. The middle part of the mounting plate is connected to the connecting plate. In the direction of movement of the robot body, two auxiliary wheels are rotatably disposed at opposite ends of the mounting plate.

[0010] According to the wall-climbing robot described in this embodiment of the present invention, the end face of the drive wheel is provided with a receiving groove, the first drive structure is received in the receiving groove, and is connected to the groove wall of the receiving groove in a transmission manner.

[0011] According to the wall-climbing robot described in this embodiment of the present invention, the drive wheel includes a rim, a hub, and spokes. The outer peripheral surface of the hub is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the rim through the spokes. The inner peripheral surface of the rim and the end face of the hub together define a receiving groove. The first drive structure is connected to the hub via a drive transmission.

[0012] According to the wall-climbing robot of the present invention, the first drive structure includes a first driver, a first reduction gear set and a housing. The first driver is connected to the wheel hub through the first reduction gear set. The housing encloses the first driver and the first reduction gear set and is rotatably connected to the inner circumferential surface of the wheel rim through a bearing.

[0013] According to the wall-climbing robot of this utility model embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the rim is provided with an annular blocking protrusion, and the blocking protrusion and the mounting bracket respectively abut against the opposite ends of the bearing in its own axial direction.

[0014] According to the wall-climbing robot of the present invention, the wheel assembly further includes a second drive structure, which is connected to the mounting frame and is used to drive the drive wheel to turn via the mounting frame.

[0015] According to the wall-climbing robot of the present invention, the second drive structure includes a second driver and a second reduction gear set, and the second driver is connected to the mounting frame through the second reduction gear set.

[0016] According to the wall-climbing robot of the present invention, the robot body includes multiple bridges and at least one connecting frame. The multiple bridges are distributed at intervals along a first direction. Each bridge has a wheel assembly at opposite ends in a second direction. The second direction is spaced at a certain angle from the first direction. The same connecting frame is connected to each bridge.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments;

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wall-climbing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the wheel assembly of the wall-climbing robot shown.

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Exploded view of the wheel assembly shown;

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the drive wheel of the wheel assembly shown;

[0023] Figure 5 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a partial structural representation of the wall-climbing robot.

[0024] Figure label:

[0025] Robot body 100; bridge frame 110; connecting frame 120; connecting rod 121; fixing rod 122;

[0026] Wheel assembly 200; mounting bracket 210; mounting plate 211; connecting plate 212; first drive structure 220; housing 221; drive wheel 230; receiving groove 230a; rim 231; blocking protrusion 231a; hub 232; spoke 233; auxiliary wheel 240; bearing 250; second drive structure 260; second driver 261; second reduction gear set 262; first gear 262a; second gear 262b. Detailed Implementation

[0027] This section will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present utility model. The preferred embodiments of the present utility model are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the drawings is to supplement the textual description with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of the present utility model, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present utility model.

[0028] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the directional descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the directional or positional relationship based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0029] In the description of this utility model, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. If "first" or "second" is used in the description, it is only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0030] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "setting," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0031] The following is for reference. Figures 1 to 5 The wall-climbing robot described in this application is described in detail.

[0032] refer to Figure 1 The wall-climbing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a robot body 100 and multiple wheel assemblies 200.

[0033] For example, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the wheel assembly 200 is mounted on the robot body 100. The wheel assembly 200 includes a mounting frame 210, a first drive structure 220, a drive wheel 230, and an auxiliary wheel 240. The auxiliary wheel 240 is rotatably mounted on the mounting frame 210. The first drive structure 220 is mounted on the mounting frame 210 and is connected to the drive wheel 230 for transmission. The first drive structure 220 is used to drive the drive wheel 230 to rotate. The rotation axis of the drive wheel 230 is parallel to the rotation axis of the auxiliary wheel 240.

[0034] It should be noted that during the operation of the wall-climbing robot, it needs to walk on the working surface. However, the actual working surface is not smooth; most working surfaces have pits of varying sizes. In this situation, the drive wheels 230 may get stuck in the pits during the wall-climbing robot's movement. Taking a wall-climbing robot with four drive wheels 230 as an example, when one drive wheel 230 of the wall-climbing robot gets stuck in a pit, the robot still has four drive wheels 230 providing driving force, and the wall-climbing robot can still walk normally on the working surface. However, when two or three drive wheels 230 of the wall-climbing robot get stuck in pits, the wall-climbing robot will have difficulty maintaining its balance, and the entire robot will tilt relative to the working surface. This will cause the drive wheels 230 that are not stuck in pits to detach from the working surface, making it difficult for the wall-climbing robot to continue walking on the working surface.

[0035] In this embodiment of the wall-climbing robot, the first drive structure 220 is mounted on the mounting frame 210 and is connected to the drive wheel 230. Simultaneously, an auxiliary wheel 240 is rotatably mounted on the mounting frame 210. Driven by the first drive structure 220, the drive wheel 230 can rotate, thus moving the robot body along the working surface. The auxiliary wheel 240 allows it to replace the drive wheel 230 in contact with the working surface when some wheel assemblies 200 are stuck in a pit, maintaining the balance of the entire robot body. Furthermore, since each wheel assembly 200 has its own first drive structure 220, the drive wheels 230 not stuck in pits can continue to move the entire wall-climbing robot along the working surface under the drive of their connected first drive structure 220. In summary, as long as the drive wheel 230 of one wheel assembly 200 is not stuck in the pit, the wall-climbing robot of this invention can move smoothly along the working surface, making the wall-climbing robot of this invention more adaptable when facing working surfaces with many pits.

[0036] When the drive wheel 230 of the wheel assembly 200 falls into the pit, in order to enable the auxiliary wheel 240 to support the robot body more stably, in some embodiments of this utility model, referring to the figure, the wheel assembly 200 includes two auxiliary wheels 240. In the direction of movement of the robot body 100, the two auxiliary wheels 240 are located on opposite sides of the drive wheel 230 in the same wheel assembly 200.

[0037] Understandably, since the drive wheel 230 in the same wheel assembly 200 has an auxiliary wheel 240 on each side of the robot body 100 in the direction of movement, when the drive wheel 230 is stuck in the pit, the two auxiliary wheels 240 can cooperate to support the robot body in place of the drive wheel 230; at the same time, the setting of the two auxiliary wheels 240 can reduce the probability of the robot body 100 tilting relative to the working surface.

[0038] It is understood that, since the drive wheel 230 in the same wheel assembly 200 has an auxiliary wheel 240 on each side of the robot body 100 in the direction of movement, when the wall-climbing robot of this invention walks on a curved working surface, the two auxiliary wheels 240 can cooperate to support the robot body 100, so that the wall-climbing robot of this invention can smoothly pass through the curved working surface. For example, when the wheel assembly 200 enters the curved working surface, in the direction of movement of the wall-climbing robot, the auxiliary wheel 240 located in front of the drive wheel 230 can contact the curved working surface first, so that the drive wheel 230 can smoothly move to the curved working surface; when the wheel assembly 200 leaves the curved working surface, in the direction of movement of the wall-climbing robot, the auxiliary wheel 240 located behind the drive wheel 230 can contact the curved working surface, so that the drive wheel 230 can smoothly leave the curved working surface.

[0039] To facilitate the installation or removal of the auxiliary wheel 240, in a further embodiment of this utility model, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The mounting frame 210 includes a mounting plate 211 and a connecting plate 212. The first drive structure 220 is disposed on the connecting plate 212. The middle part of the mounting plate 211 is connected to the connecting plate 212. In the direction of movement of the robot body 100, two auxiliary wheels 240 are rotatably disposed at opposite ends of the mounting plate 211.

[0040] Understandably, since both auxiliary wheels 240 of the same wheel assembly 200 are mounted on the mounting plate 211, the operator can simultaneously install or remove the two auxiliary wheels 240 in the wheel assembly 200 by installing or removing the mounting plate 211 and the connecting plate 212, thereby improving the replacement efficiency of the auxiliary wheels 240.

[0041] To achieve miniaturization of the wheel assembly 200, in some embodiments of this utility model, reference is made to... Figure 3 and Figure 4 The end face of the drive wheel 230 is provided with a receiving groove 230a, and the first drive structure 220 is accommodated in the receiving groove 230a and is connected to the groove wall of the receiving groove 230a in a transmission connection.

[0042] It is understandable that by providing a receiving groove 230a on the end face of the drive wheel 230 and accommodating the first drive structure 220 within the receiving groove 230a, the space occupied by the first drive structure 220 and the drive wheel 230 can be reduced, allowing the wheel assembly 200 of this embodiment to be made smaller. At the same time, by placing the first drive structure 220 within the receiving groove 230a of the drive wheel 230, the interference of the first drive structure 220 on other structures in the wheel assembly 200 can be reduced, thus reducing the design difficulty of the entire wheel assembly 200.

[0043] In order to form a receiving groove 230a within the drive wheel 230, in some embodiments of this utility model, reference is made to... Figure 4 The drive wheel 230 includes a rim 231, a hub 232, and spokes 233. The outer peripheral surface of the hub 232 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the rim 231 through the spokes 233. The inner peripheral surface of the rim 231 and the end face of the hub 232 together define a receiving groove 230a. The first drive structure 220 is connected to the hub 232 in a transmission connection.

[0044] Further reference Figure 4 The drive wheel 230 includes multiple spokes 233, which are distributed circumferentially along the hub 232.

[0045] In some embodiments of this utility model, reference is made to Figure 3 The first drive structure 220 includes a first driver, a first reduction gear set and a housing 221. The first driver is connected to the hub 232 through the first reduction gear set. The housing 221 encloses the first driver and the first reduction gear set and is rotatably connected to the inner circumferential surface of the rim 231 through a bearing 250.

[0046] It should be noted that, given a fixed output power of the first driver, the higher the rotational speed of the drive wheel 230, the smaller the driving force on the drive wheel 230.

[0047] In the wheel assembly 200 of this embodiment, the first driver is connected to the wheel hub 232 through the first reduction gear set. The setting of the first reduction gear set allows the first driver to reduce the rotational speed of the drive wheel 230 under the premise of a certain output power. Correspondingly, the drive wheel 230 can obtain a greater driving force, so that the wall-climbing robot of this utility model can walk on more complex working surfaces.

[0048] It is understandable that since the drive wheel 230 has a receiving groove 230a, the setting of the receiving groove 230a will reduce the strength of the drive wheel 230 itself accordingly. In the wheel assembly 200 of this embodiment, the housing 221 of the first drive structure 220 is rotatably connected to the inner circumferential surface of the rim 231 through the bearing 250, so that the first drive structure 220 can assist in supporting the inner rim 231 to improve the strength of the entire drive wheel 230.

[0049] It should be noted that since the housing 221 is rotatably connected to the inner circumferential surface of the rim 231 via the bearing 250, if the bearing 250 slides in the axial direction of the drive wheel 230, the bearing 250 will disengage from the area between the housing 221 and the rim 231.

[0050] Based on the above problems, in some embodiments of this utility model, reference is made to... Figure 4 The inner circumferential surface of the rim 231 is provided with an annular blocking protrusion 231a, and the blocking protrusion 231a and the mounting bracket 210 respectively abut against the opposite ends of the bearing 250 in its own axial direction.

[0051] It is understandable that, since the blocking protrusion 231a and the mounting bracket 210 abut against the opposite ends of the bearing 250 in its own axial direction, the blocking protrusion 231a and the mounting bracket 210 can cooperate to limit the bearing 250 in its own axial direction, so as to prevent the bearing 250 from leaving the area between the housing 221 and the rim 231.

[0052] In some embodiments of this utility model, reference is made to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The wheel assembly 200 also includes a second drive structure 260, which is connected to the mounting bracket 210 and is used to drive the drive wheel 230 to turn via the mounting bracket 210.

[0053] It is understood that since each wheel assembly 200 has a second drive structure 260, the drive wheel 230 in each wheel assembly 200 can independently turn under the drive of the second drive structure 260, thus enabling the wall-climbing robot of this utility model to have more turning modes.

[0054] It should be noted that, given a fixed output power of the second driver 261, the faster the drive wheel 230 turns, the smaller the driving force required to turn the drive wheel 230.

[0055] Based on the above problems, in some embodiments of this utility model, reference is made to... Figure 2 and Figure 3The second drive structure 260 includes a second driver 261 and a second reduction gear set 262. The second driver 261 is connected to the mounting frame 210 through the second reduction gear set 262.

[0056] It is understandable that, since the second drive 261 is connected to the mounting bracket 210 through the second reduction gear set 262, under the premise that the output power of the second drive 261 is constant, the steering speed of the drive wheel 230 when steering can be smaller, so that the drive wheel 230 can obtain greater driving force when steering, thereby enabling the drive wheel 230 to steering more smoothly.

[0057] For details, please refer to Figure 3 The second reduction gear set 262 includes a first gear 262a and a second gear 262b that mesh with each other, and the number of teeth of the first gear 262a is less than the number of teeth of the second gear 262b. The second driver 261 is a servo motor, the output shaft of which is connected to the first gear 262a, and the second gear 262b is connected to the connecting plate 212 of the mounting bracket 210.

[0058] In some embodiments of this utility model, the robot body 100 includes a plurality of bridges 110 and at least one connecting frame 120. The plurality of bridges 110 are spaced apart along a first direction. A wheel assembly 200 is provided at each of the opposite ends of the same bridge 110 in a second direction. The second direction is spaced apart from the first direction by a certain angle. The same connecting frame 120 is connected to each bridge 110.

[0059] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the robot body 100 includes two bridge frames 110 and two connecting frames 120. The two bridge frames 110 are distributed along the front-to-back direction and extend along the left-to-right direction. Each bridge frame 110 has a wheel assembly 200 installed at both its left and right ends. The two connecting frames 120 are distributed along the left-to-right direction. Each connecting frame 120 includes two connecting rods 121 and a fixing rod 122. The two connecting rods 121 of the same connecting frame 120 are respectively connected to the two bridge frames 110. In the same connecting frame 120, the fixing rod 122 is respectively connected to the two connecting rods 121.

[0060] Understandably, the connection frame 120 allows the various bridge frames 110 to be connected to each other to form a whole, and the connection frame 120 can be used to install other structures such as the rotating wings of the wall-climbing robot.

[0061] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wall-climbing robot, characterized in that, include: Robot body; Multiple wheel assemblies are mounted on the robot body. Each wheel assembly includes a mounting frame, a first drive structure, a drive wheel, and an auxiliary wheel. The auxiliary wheel is rotatably mounted on the mounting frame. The first drive structure is mounted on the mounting frame and is connected to the drive wheel for transmission. The first drive structure is used to drive the drive wheel to rotate. The rotation axis of the drive wheel is parallel to the rotation axis of the auxiliary wheel.

2. The wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wheel assembly includes two auxiliary wheels, which are located on opposite sides of the drive wheel in the same wheel assembly along the direction of movement of the robot body.

3. A wall-climbing robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mounting frame includes a mounting plate and a connecting plate. The first driving structure is disposed on the connecting plate. The middle part of the mounting plate is connected to the connecting plate. In the direction of movement of the robot body, the two auxiliary wheels are rotatably disposed at opposite ends of the mounting plate.

4. A wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end face of the drive wheel is provided with a receiving groove, the first drive structure is accommodated in the receiving groove and is connected to the groove wall of the receiving groove in a transmission manner.

5. A wall-climbing robot according to claim 4, characterized in that, The drive wheel includes a rim, a hub, and spokes. The outer peripheral surface of the hub is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the rim through the spokes. The inner peripheral surface of the rim and the end face of the hub together define the receiving groove. The first drive structure is connected to the hub in a transmission connection.

6. A wall-climbing robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first drive structure includes a first driver, a first reduction gear set, and a housing. The first driver is connected to the wheel hub through the first reduction gear set. The housing encloses the first driver and the first reduction gear set and is rotatably connected to the inner circumferential surface of the wheel rim through a bearing.

7. A wall-climbing robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The inner circumferential surface of the rim is provided with an annular blocking protrusion, and the blocking protrusion and the mounting bracket respectively abut against the opposite ends of the bearing in its own axial direction.

8. A wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wheel assembly further includes a second drive structure connected to the mounting bracket and used to drive the drive wheel to steer via the mounting bracket.

9. A wall-climbing robot according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second drive structure includes a second driver and a second reduction gear set, wherein the second driver is connected to the mounting bracket via the second reduction gear set.

10. A wall-climbing robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robot body includes multiple bridges and at least one connecting frame. The multiple bridges are spaced apart along a first direction. Each bridge has a wheel assembly at opposite ends in a second direction. The second direction is spaced at a certain angle from the first direction. Each connecting frame is connected to each bridge.

Images