Fluid-driven pipeline robot

Abstract

The utility model relates to a fluid drive pipeline robot, its structure includes pipeline plugging cover, balloon, first conduit, first fluid pump, second conduit and second fluid pump, the pipeline plugging cover is used for plugging pipeline port, the balloon is used for placing in the pipeline, the inner cavity of balloon is communicated with the first conduit, the second conduit is communicated with the second fluid pump, and the second fluid pump is communicated with the second conduit. The first guide pipe penetrates through the pipeline plugging cover to be communicated with the first fluid pump on the outer side of the pipeline plugging cover, the second fluid pump is located on the outer side of the pipeline plugging cover, the second fluid pump is communicated with the second guide pipe, and the second guide pipe penetrates through the pipeline plugging cover to be communicated with the inner side of the pipeline plugging cover. A first through hole for the first guide pipe to pass through is formed in the pipeline plugging cover, a sealing piece is arranged on the first through hole, and the first guide pipe is connected with the sealing piece in a sliding mode. The device is simple in structure, can flexibly adapt to pipelines with different diameters, and can quickly pass through an elbow and an obstacle structure in the pipeline.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a pipeline robot, specifically a fluid-driven pipeline robot. Background Technology

[0002] Pipelines are crucial material transport facilities in the petroleum, chemical, and natural gas industries. Pipeline robots are specialized devices for inspecting and maintaining the interior of pipelines. Existing pipeline robots employ various driving methods, including wheeled, tracked, and wall-mounted types. Because the direction and radius of pipelines can change within a pipeline system, these types of robots require complex mechanical structures. Chinese patent CN109681720 discloses a fluid-driven flexible pipeline unit with an umbrella-shaped actuator made of soft material. Driven by fluid, it can adapt to changing pipe diameters by bending and deformation. However, this technology cannot adapt to situations with large variations in pipe diameter. The initial size of the umbrella-shaped actuator is fixed. When the inner diameter of the pipe is larger than the maximum outer diameter of the actuator, the device may become immobile when encountering obstacles. When the pipe diameter is too small, the large deformation required by the actuator to adapt increases the friction between the actuator and the inner wall of the pipe, potentially leading to immobility or damage to the actuator. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a fluid-driven pipeline robot to solve the problem that existing technologies cannot adapt to situations with large variations in pipeline diameter.

[0004] This utility model is implemented as follows: A fluid-driven pipeline robot includes a pipeline plug, a balloon, a first conduit, a first fluid pump, a second conduit, and a second fluid pump. The pipeline plug is used to plug the pipeline port. The balloon is placed inside the pipeline. The inner cavity of the balloon is connected to the first conduit. The first conduit passes through the pipeline plug and is connected to the first fluid pump outside the pipeline plug. The second fluid pump is located outside the pipeline plug and is connected to the second conduit. The second conduit passes through the pipeline plug and is connected to the inner side of the pipeline plug.

[0005] As a further improvement of the fluid-driven pipeline robot of this utility model, a first through hole is provided on the pipeline sealing cover for the first conduit to pass through, and a sealing element is provided on the first through hole, and the first conduit and the sealing element are slidably connected.

[0006] As a further improvement to the fluid-driven pipeline robot of this invention, the first through hole is located at the center of the pipeline sealing cap.

[0007] As a further improvement to the fluid-driven pipeline robot of this invention, the balloon is connected to the first conduit via a quick connector.

[0008] As a further improvement to the fluid-driven pipeline robot of this utility model, the first fluid pump is an air pump.

[0009] As a further improvement of the fluid-driven pipeline robot of this utility model, a connecting part is provided on the pipeline sealing cover, and a connecting structure for sealing connection with the pipeline port is provided on the connecting part.

[0010] As a further improvement to the fluid-driven pipeline robot of this utility model, the connection structure is an internal thread, an external thread, or a sealing ring.

[0011] As a further improvement to the fluid-driven pipeline robot of this utility model, both the first and second conduits are flexible tubes.

[0012] As a further improvement to the fluid-driven pipeline robot of this invention, the balloon is spherical or ellipsoidal.

[0013] This invention employs a fluid-driven method to propel the balloon within a pipeline. Due to the balloon's inherent flexibility, it can easily pass through structures or foreign objects within the pipeline through deformation. When the pipeline's inner diameter changes, the balloon's flexible deformation also allows it to adapt. When the pipeline's inner diameter changes significantly, a first fluid pump adjusts the balloon's size to fit the pipeline's diameter, preventing difficulty in movement or balloon damage.

[0014] This utility model has a simple structure, can flexibly adapt to different pipe diameters, and can quickly pass through bends and obstacles inside the pipe. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a reference diagram showing the usage state of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the balloon of this utility model passing through a tee pipe.

[0017] In the diagram: 1. Pipe; 2. Pipe plug; 3. Balloon; 4. Quick connector; 5. First conduit; 6. First fluid pump; 7. Second conduit; 8. Second fluid pump; 2-1. First through hole; 2-2. Second through hole; 2-3. Seal; 2-4. Connection. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments of this utility model will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] like Figure 1As shown, this utility model is a fluid-driven pipeline robot, whose structure mainly includes a pipeline sealing cap 2, a balloon 3, a first conduit 5, a first fluid pump 6, a second conduit 7, and a second fluid pump 8.

[0020] When in use, the balloon 3 is placed inside the pipe 1. By filling the balloon 3 with a certain amount of gas or liquid, it expands to a certain size. The balloon 3 contacts the inner wall of the pipe 1. By adjusting the amount of gas or liquid inside the balloon 3, the contact area between the balloon 3 and the inner wall of the pipe 1 can be controlled, thereby forming a seal between the balloon 3 and the inner wall of the pipe 1 while having appropriate friction. When the pressure on one side of the pipe 1 is greater than the pressure on the other side of the pipe 1, the balloon 3 will be driven to move inside the pipe 1.

[0021] The pressure that drives the balloon 3 to move comes from a fluid, which can be gas or liquid. Gas or liquid is filled into the tube 1 on one side of the balloon 3 so that the pressure on this side of the balloon 3 is greater than the pressure on the other side.

[0022] The size of the balloon 3 is adjusted by the first conduit 5 and the first fluid pump 6. The balloon 3 is driven by the pipe plug 2 in conjunction with the second conduit 7 and the second fluid pump 8. The pipe plug 2 is used to plug the port of the pipe 1. The balloon 3 is placed inside the pipe 1. The inner cavity of the balloon 3 is connected to the first conduit 5. The first conduit 5 passes through the pipe plug 2 and is connected to the first fluid pump 6 outside the pipe plug 2. The second fluid pump 8 is located outside the pipe plug 2 and is connected to the second conduit 7. The second conduit 7 passes through the pipe plug 2 and is connected to the inner side of the pipe plug 2.

[0023] After the balloon 3 is placed into the pipe 1 through the port of pipe 1, a sealing cap is installed at the port of pipe 1 to seal the port of pipe 1. The first fluid pump 6 fills the balloon 3 with gas or liquid through the first conduit 5 to make the balloon 3 have a suitable size. Then the second fluid pump 8 fills the pipe 1 with gas or liquid through the second conduit 7 to make the pressure on one side of the balloon 3 greater than that on the other side, thereby driving the balloon 3 to move along the pipe 1.

[0024] The balloon 3 serves as the carrier of the pipeline 1 robot. Cameras, sensors, communication modules, power supplies, actuators, and other components can be fixedly mounted on the balloon 3 to perform operations such as inspection and maintenance inside the pipeline 1.

[0025] Because the balloon 3 itself is flexible, when the balloon 3 moves inside the pipe 1, it can easily pass through obstacles on the inner wall of the pipe 1 through its own adaptive deformation.

[0026] When the diameter of pipe 1 increases or decreases, in order to ensure the sealing between the balloon 3 and the inner wall of pipe 1 and to provide appropriate friction, the first fluid pump 6 fills the balloon 3 with a certain amount of fluid or extracts a certain amount of fluid through the first conduit 5, so that the diameter of the balloon 3 is adapted to the diameter of the inner wall of pipe 1. This avoids the problem of insufficient driving force or excessive friction between the balloon 3 and the inner wall of pipe 1 due to poor sealing between the balloon 3 and the inner wall of pipe 1.

[0027] The balloon 3 of this invention can smoothly pass through the variable diameter structure of the pipe 1, obstacles in the pipe 1, and bends in the pipe 1 under the drive of fluid.

[0028] Since both the first conduit 5 and the second conduit 7 pass through the pipe sealing cap 2, a first through hole 2-1 and a second through hole 2-2 are provided on the pipe sealing cap 2. The first conduit 5 passes through the first through hole 2-1, and the second conduit 7 passes through the second through hole 2-2. To ensure the sealing between the first conduit 5 and the first through hole 2-1, and between the second conduit 7 and the second through hole 2-2, a sealing element 2-3 is provided on both the first through hole 2-1 and the second through hole 2-2. The sealing element 2-3 can be made of flexible rubber material. When the first conduit 5 or the second conduit 7 passes through, the sealing element 2-3 ensures the sealing of the connection.

[0029] Both the first conduit 5 and the second conduit 7 are flexible tubes that can be bent to a certain extent.

[0030] Since the balloon 3 needs to be connected to the first fluid pump 6 via the first conduit 5, a certain length of the first conduit 5 can be coiled at the port of the pipe 1. As the balloon 3 moves along the pipe 1, the coiled first conduit 5 gradually unfolds and extends into the pipe 1 along with the balloon 3. After the first conduit 5 is fully unfolded inside the pipe 1, it can be further inserted into the pipe 1 from the outside of the pipe sealing cap 2. The first conduit 5 is slidably connected to the sealing element 2-3, ensuring the sealing of the connection between the first conduit 5 and the sealing element 2-3 while also allowing the first conduit 5 to be delivered into the pipe 1 through the first channel.

[0031] The balloon 3 and the first catheter 5 can be connected by a quick connector 4. The balloon 3 of the appropriate initial size can be selected to connect to the first catheter 5 according to the needs of the site.

[0032] The first catheter 5 is connected to the center of one side of the balloon 3. The pulling force of the first catheter 5 can keep the front side of the balloon 3 in the forward direction when it moves in the tube 1.

[0033] Meanwhile, the first through hole 2-1 is located at the center of the pipe sealing cap 2, so that when the first conduit 5 is straightened, the connection point between the first conduit 5 and the balloon 3 can be located at the center of one side of the balloon 3.

[0034] When balloon 3 passes through the bend of pipe 1, although balloon 3 will deviate to some extent, under the constraint of the first conduit 5, the front side of balloon 3 can always remain in a position approximately in front of the direction of movement.

[0035] The shape of the balloon 3 can be spherical or ellipsoidal.

[0036] The first fluid pump 6 and the second fluid pump 8 are used to output or extract fluids, including gases and liquids. The first fluid pump 6 is preferably an air pump. The diameter of the balloon 3 is controlled by the amount of gas injected. Because it is filled with gas, the overall mass of the balloon 3 is small, thus requiring less driving force. Alternatively, the first fluid pump 6 can be selected as a liquid pump to inject the desired liquid into the balloon 3, as needed.

[0037] The second fluid pump 8 can be an air pump, which fills the pipe 1 with gas through the second conduit 7 to drive the movement of the balloon 3. This method is low-cost and easy to operate. Alternatively, the second fluid pump 8 can be a liquid pump, which fills the pipe 1 with liquid through the second conduit 7 to drive the movement of the balloon 3.

[0038] Alternatively, the fluid in pipe 1 itself can be used as a power source to drive the movement of balloon 3. Balloon 3 can be placed into pipe 1 through one side port and the side port can be sealed with pipe sealing cap 2. When the distance between the side port of pipe 1 and the working pipe 1 is short, balloon 3 can be placed directly into the working pipe 1. When the distance between the side port of pipe 1 and the working pipe 1 is long, balloon 3 can be moved into the working pipe 1 first by the second fluid pump 8, and then moved along the working pipe 1 under the drive of the fluid in the working pipe 1 itself.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, when the balloon 3 passes through the tee / multi-way, the pressure in the pipe 1 in the predetermined direction of balloon 3 movement is less than the pressure in the pipe 1 in other directions. Under the driving action of the fluid, the balloon 3 is turned so that it passes through the tee / multi-way section of the pipe 1, thereby controlling the direction of movement of the balloon 3.

[0040] To ensure the sealing between the pipe plug 2 and the pipe 1 port, a connecting part 2-4 is provided on the pipe plug 2. The connecting part 2-4 overlaps with the pipe 1 port by a certain length to improve the sealing during connection. The connecting part 2-4 is provided with a connecting structure for sealing connection with the pipe 1 port.

[0041] The connection structure can be internal thread, external thread, or sealing ring, depending on the type of the pipe port 1.

[0042] The size of the pipe plug 2 is selected according to the size of the pipe 1 port, and a connection structure with corresponding internal or external threads is selected. Alternatively, a socket or plug connection can be used directly, and a sealing ring is set to ensure sealing.

[0043] This invention features a simple structure that can flexibly adapt to different pipe diameters and quickly pass through bends and internal obstacles within the pipe. The invention uses a fluid-driven method to move the balloon 3 within the pipe. Due to the inherent flexibility of the balloon 3, it can smoothly pass through structures or foreign objects within the pipe by deforming. When the inner diameter of the pipe changes, the balloon 3 can also adapt through its own flexible deformation. When the inner diameter of the pipe changes significantly, the size of the balloon 3 is adjusted by the first fluid pump 6 to adapt to the diameter of the pipe, preventing difficulty in movement or damage to the balloon 3.

Claims

1. A fluid-driven pipe robot, characterized in that, The pipeline sealing cover, the balloon, the first conduit, the first fluid pump, the second conduit and the second fluid pump, the pipeline sealing cover is used for sealing the pipeline port, the balloon is used for placing in the pipeline, the balloon cavity communicates with the first conduit, the first conduit communicates with the first fluid pump outside the pipeline sealing cover through the pipeline sealing cover, the second fluid pump is located outside the pipeline sealing cover, the second fluid pump communicates with the second conduit, and the second conduit communicates with the inside of the pipeline sealing cover through the pipeline sealing cover.

2. The fluid-driven pipe robot according to claim 1, characterized in that A first through hole for the first conduit is formed on the pipeline sealing cover, and a sealing element is arranged on the first through hole, and the first conduit is slidably connected with the sealing element.

3. The fluid-driven pipe robot according to claim 2, characterized in that The first through hole is located at the center of the pipeline sealing cover.

4. The fluid-driven pipe robot according to claim 1, wherein, The balloon is connected with the first conduit through a quick connector.

5. The fluid-driven pipe robot according to claim 1, wherein, The first fluid pump is a gas pump.

6. The fluid-driven pipe robot according to claim 1, wherein, A connecting part is arranged on the pipeline sealing cover, and a connecting structure for sealingly connecting with the pipeline port is arranged on the connecting part.

7. The fluid-driven pipe robot according to claim 6, characterized in that The connecting structure is an internal thread, an external thread or a sealing ring.

8. The fluid-driven pipe robot according to claim 1, wherein, The first conduit and the second conduit are flexible pipes.

9. The fluid-driven pipe robot according to claim 1, wherein, The balloon is spherical or ellipsoidal.

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