An underground pipeline inspection robot

Abstract

This utility model discloses an underground pipeline inspection robot, including a drive body and a first and a second acquisition mechanism. The drive body has four drive legs. The first acquisition mechanism includes a first receiver and two reference electrodes. The first receiver is connected to the drive body, and the two reference electrodes are respectively disposed on any two drive legs. Each reference electrode moves up and down on its corresponding drive leg via a first lifting control component, allowing it to penetrate deep underground. The second acquisition mechanism includes a second receiver and two acquisition probes electrically connected to the second receiver. The second receiver is connected to the drive body, and the two acquisition probes are respectively connected to the remaining two drive legs. Each acquisition probe moves up and down on its corresponding drive leg via a second lifting control component, allowing it to penetrate deep underground. This application utilizes a robot to carry the inspection mechanism, eliminating the need for manual inspection by personnel and significantly reducing the labor intensity of workers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of pipeline inspection technology, and in particular to an underground pipeline inspection robot. Background Technology

[0002] Regular inspection and evaluation of pipeline corrosion protection systems are crucial for timely and accurate understanding of the corrosion status of oil and gas pipelines, and are increasingly important for ensuring the safe operation of oil and gas pipelines.

[0003] Currently, DCVG and PCM are the main detection equipment for pipeline external corrosion detection. In order to improve the detection accuracy, existing technologies, such as patent application number CN201920627793.8 entitled "An External Corrosion Detection and Acquisition Device", combine the two detection devices, DCVG and PCM, using a single mounting bracket to integrate DCVG and PCM detection equipment, thereby improving the detection accuracy of pipeline damage.

[0004] However, the testing equipment in the aforementioned patent is a conventional portable testing device that is handheld by staff. When used in harsh conditions such as high temperature, extreme cold, and uninhabited areas, this type of equipment poses problems such as poor safety and high labor intensity for testing personnel. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides an underground pipeline inspection robot that utilizes a drive body to carry the inspection mechanism, eliminating the need for manual inspection by staff and greatly reducing the labor intensity of workers.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: an underground pipeline inspection robot, comprising a drive body and a first acquisition mechanism and a second acquisition mechanism mounted on the drive body;

[0007] The drive body has four freely bending drive legs, which cooperate to allow the drive body to move freely;

[0008] The first acquisition mechanism includes a first receiver and two reference electrodes electrically connected to the first receiver. The first receiver is connected to the drive body. The two reference electrodes are respectively set on any two drive feet. Each reference electrode moves up and down on the corresponding drive foot through the first lifting control component so that each reference electrode can penetrate deep underground.

[0009] The second acquisition mechanism includes a second receiver and two acquisition probes electrically connected to the second receiver. The second receiver is connected to the drive body, and the two acquisition probes are respectively connected to the remaining two drive feet. Each acquisition probe moves up and down on the corresponding drive foot through the second lifting control component so that each acquisition probe can penetrate deep underground.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0011] The driving body of this utility model is equivalent to a quadrupedal driving robot (as shown in patent publication numbers CN116001948A, CN119099756A, CN118907264A, and CN119590529A). It has four driving legs, each of which adopts a mechanical arm structure with two connecting rods. Each driving leg can bend and rotate freely. The cooperation of the four driving legs can realize the movement of the entire driving body, thus having the function of free movement. The first and second acquisition mechanisms mounted on the driving body can also move freely without manual movement.

[0012] Meanwhile, the first acquisition mechanism uses DCVG equipment, and the second acquisition mechanism uses PCM equipment. Correspondingly, the two reference electrodes of the first acquisition mechanism are installed on two of the driving feet and are located near the bottom of the driving feet. The two acquisition probes of the second acquisition mechanism are installed on the other two driving feet and are located near the bottom of the driving feet. The reference electrodes and acquisition probes are controlled by the first lifting control component and the second lifting control component, respectively, and can move up and down on the corresponding driving feet to penetrate deep underground. In conjunction with the corresponding first and second receivers, signals from underground pipelines can be acquired, thereby enabling the detection of corrosion in underground pipelines. There is no need for manual handling of the detection equipment or manual insertion of the reference electrodes and acquisition probes underground, reducing the workload of manual detection and improving detection efficiency.

[0013] Furthermore, the four driving feet are rectangular, and the two reference electrodes are respectively connected to the two driving feet distributed along the length direction.

[0014] Furthermore, the first lifting control assembly includes a first lifting control component and a slidingly connected mounting base and a movable base. The mounting base is fixed to the drive foot, and the movable base is connected to the reference electrode. The first lifting control component is connected to the mounting base and the movable base respectively. The length of the first lifting control component changes so that the movable base slides up and down along the mounting base.

[0015] Furthermore, the first lifting control component includes an electric push rod.

[0016] Furthermore, the mounting base has a mounting cavity with a slot, a movable seat passing through the slot, and a first lifting control component located inside the mounting cavity and connected to a portion of the movable seat located inside the mounting cavity.

[0017] Furthermore, the second lifting control assembly includes a fixed base and a second lifting control member with an adjustable vertical length. The fixed base is connected to the drive foot, the second lifting control member is connected to the fixed base, and the lower end of the second lifting control member is connected to the acquisition probe.

[0018] Furthermore, the second lifting control component includes an electric push rod. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperative structure of the second lifting control component and the acquisition probe in this utility model;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperative structure of the first lifting control component and the reference electrode in this utility model;

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 3 An exploded view of a structure.

[0023] In the figure: drive body 100, mounting body 110, drive foot 120, second acquisition mechanism 200, second receiver 210, acquisition probe 220, first acquisition mechanism 300, first receiver 310, reference electrode 320, second lifting control assembly 400, second lifting control component 410, fixed seat 420, protection part 421, fixed part 422, first lifting control assembly 500, movable seat 510, annular structure 511, slider structure 512, mounting seat 520, mounting part 522, mounting cavity 521, first lifting control component 530. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0025] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown in Figures 3 and 4, an underground pipeline inspection robot includes a drive body 100 and a first acquisition mechanism 300 and a second acquisition mechanism 200 mounted on the drive body 100.

[0026] The driving body 100 is equivalent to a quadrupedal driven robot (as shown in patents with publication numbers CN116001948A, CN119099756A, CN118907264A, and CN119590529A), see reference. Figure 1The drive body 100 of this utility model has a mounting body 110 and four drive feet 120 arranged in a rectangular pattern around the mounting body 110. Each of the four drive feet 120 adopts a mechanical arm structure with two thighs and two calves hinged together. The upper end (upper thigh) of each drive foot 120 is connected to the mounting body 110, and an electric motor drives the foot 120 to swing along the mounting body 110. Alternatively, the upper end of the drive foot 120 and the mounting body 110 can be hinged together, and then driven by a servo hydraulic cylinder (CN116001948A), allowing the drive foot 120 to swing along the mounting body 110. The interaction between the thighs and calves of the drive feet 120 can be driven by a servo hydraulic cylinder (CN116001948A) or by a linkage mechanism combined with a telescopic cylinder (CN118907264A), allowing each drive foot 120 to bend. The electric control motor is a servo motor, stepper motor, or brushless DC motor. Through the control unit of the drive body 100, the robot as a whole can freely bend each drive leg 120 according to the instructions (road conditions). The cooperation of the four drive legs 120 can realize the movement of the entire drive body 100, thus having the function of free movement. The first acquisition mechanism 300 and the second acquisition mechanism 200 mounted on the drive body 100 can move freely without the need for manual movement of the four drive legs 120 to cooperate in making the drive body 100 move freely.

[0027] The first acquisition mechanism 300 uses a DCVG device. Correspondingly, the first acquisition mechanism 300 includes a first receiver 310 and two reference electrodes 320 electrically connected to the first receiver 310. The first receiver 310 is fixed to the mounting body 110. The two reference electrodes 320 are used to detect the DC potential of a single point on the ground surface and the DC potential difference between two points on the ground surface. Therefore, the two reference electrodes 320 need to be partially inserted underground during use. To avoid manual insertion of the two reference electrodes 320, this invention sets the two reference electrodes 320 on any two driving feet 120. Each reference electrode 320 moves up and down on its corresponding driving foot 120 via a first lifting control component 500, allowing each reference electrode 320 to penetrate underground. Theoretically, the two reference electrodes 320 can be installed with any two driving feet 120; however, considering wiring and ease of assembly, such as… Figure 1 As shown, the two reference electrodes 320 are respectively connected to the two driving feet 120 distributed along the length direction of the mounting body 110.

[0028] The second acquisition mechanism 200 uses a PCM device. Correspondingly, the second acquisition mechanism 200 includes a second receiver 210 and two acquisition probes 220 electrically connected to the second receiver 210. The two acquisition probes 220 are used to detect the AC potential difference between two points on the ground surface and the electromagnetic field of the pipeline. The second receiver 210 is used to detect the electromagnetic field. The second receiver 210 is fixed on the mounting body 110. During use, the two acquisition probes 220 need to be partially inserted underground. To avoid manual insertion of the acquisition probes 220, this invention connects the two acquisition probes 220 to the remaining two driving feet 120 respectively. Each acquisition probe 220 moves up and down on the corresponding driving foot 120 via the second lifting control component 400, allowing each acquisition probe 220 to penetrate underground. Similarly, for ease of assembly, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the two acquisition probes 220 are connected to the remaining two driving feet 120 distributed along the length of the mounting body 110.

[0029] To facilitate the lifting and lowering of the acquisition probe 220 and the reference electrode 320, both are electrically controlled for lifting and lowering. Specifically, the first lifting control assembly 500 includes a first lifting control component 530 and a slidingly connected mounting base 520 and a movable base 510. The mounting base 520 is fixed to the drive foot 120, and the movable base 510 is connected to the reference electrode 320. The first lifting control component 530 is connected to both the mounting base 520 and the movable base 510. The length of the first lifting control component 530 changes to allow the movable base 510 to slide up and down along the mounting base 520. The first lifting control component 530 can be a combination of an electric motor, a lead screw, and a threaded seat, or it can be a servo hydraulic cylinder or an electric push rod. It can control the up and down movement of the movable base 510 on the mounting base 520. The up and down movement of the movable base 510 can drive the up and down movement of the reference electrode 320 fixed on the movable base 510. In this invention, considering the limitation of installation space, the first lifting control component 530 includes an electric push rod.

[0030] The mounting base 520 can be a block structure, a groove structure, etc. The movable base 510 has an annular structure 511 adapted to the reference electrode 320. The reference electrode 320 is sleeved on the annular structure 511 of the movable base 510 and fixed to the movable base 510. The movable base 510 also has a slider structure 512 that is slidably connected to the mounting base 520. In this utility model, as... Figure 1 , 3As shown in Figure 4, the mounting base 520 includes a block-shaped mounting portion 522 and a mounting cavity 521 with a through-cavity structure on the mounting portion 522. The mounting portion 522 is fixed to the drive foot 120. The first lifting control component 530 is vertically arranged and partially fixed to the mounting portion 522. The movable end of the electrically controlled lifting component (the movable end of the electric push rod) is located in the mounting cavity 521. A slot is provided on the mounting cavity 521 (the opening at the front of the mounting cavity 521 in the figure is the slot). The movable seat 510 passes through the slot. The movable end of the first lifting control component 530 is connected to the portion of the movable seat 510 located in the mounting cavity 521. The first electrically controlled lifting rod extends and retracts, and its length changes, which can realize the lifting and lowering of the movable seat 510 and the reference electrode 320 on the movable seat 510. The accuracy range of the electric push rod is usually between 0.1 mm and 2 mm. The depth of the reference electrode 320 into the ground is controlled as precisely as possible to ensure the accuracy of signal acquisition.

[0031] The structure of the second lifting control component 400 is designed in conjunction with the structure of the acquisition probe 220. Specifically, the second lifting control component 400 includes a fixed base 420 and a second lifting control member 410 with an adjustable vertical length. The fixed base 420 is connected to the drive foot 120, and the second lifting control member 410 is connected to the fixed base 420 and connected to the acquisition probe 220 along the lower end of the length of the second lifting control member 410. Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the mounting base 420 has a shell-like structure, including a fixing part 422 and a protective part 421 that interlock. The fixing part 422 is fixed to the driving foot 120. The second lifting control member 410 is vertically arranged inside the protective part 421 and fixed to it. The acquisition probe 220 is located at the lower part of the second lifting control member 410 and connected to it. The length of the second lifting control member 410 can be changed to raise or lower the acquisition probe. Similarly, the second lifting control member 410 can be an electrically controlled element with a variable length, such as a servo hydraulic cylinder or an electric push rod. By controlling the length of the second lifting control member 410, the acquisition probe 220 fixed on the second lifting control member 410 can be moved up and down. In this invention, the second lifting control member 410 includes an electric push rod to control the depth of the acquisition probe 220 underground as precisely as possible to ensure the accuracy of signal acquisition.

[0032] The robot of this invention utilizes a drive body 100 to move the first acquisition mechanism 300 and the second acquisition mechanism 200. The first lifting control component 500 and the second lifting control component 400 can facilitate the reference electrode 320 and the acquisition probe 220 to penetrate underground to acquire signals, and can also move upwards to separate from the ground to facilitate the overall movement of the drive body 100. This allows the robot of this invention to detect the corrosion of underground pipelines without the need for manual handling of the detection equipment or manual insertion of the reference electrode 320 and the acquisition probe 220 underground, reducing the workload of manual detection and improving detection efficiency.

[0033] It is worth noting that the driving method of the robot's four drive legs can refer to the contents described in patents such as CN116001948A, CN119099756A, CN118907264A, and CN119590529A. The robot's remote control and other operations can also be realized through the controller (composed of power management system, data acquisition system, navigation control system, motion control system, monitoring and detection equipment, AI intelligent system, etc.). Correspondingly, the control of the electric push rod can also be mounted on the controller or it can be a separate operation button. This utility model will not elaborate on the software control, but only on the structural improvement.

[0034] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of this utility model is in use. 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. In addition, the terms "first," "second," etc., are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0036] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within this invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An underground pipeline inspection robot, characterized in that: It includes a drive body (100) and a first acquisition mechanism (300) and a second acquisition mechanism (200) mounted on the drive body (100); The drive body (100) has four freely bending drive feet (120), which cooperate to allow the drive body (100) to move freely; The first acquisition mechanism (300) includes a first receiver (310) and two reference electrodes (320) electrically connected to the first receiver (310). The first receiver (310) is connected to the drive body (100). The two reference electrodes (320) are respectively set on any two drive feet (120). Each reference electrode (320) moves up and down on the corresponding drive foot (120) through the first lifting control component (500) so that each reference electrode (320) can penetrate deep underground. The second acquisition mechanism (200) includes a second receiver (210) and two acquisition probes (220) electrically connected to the second receiver (210). The second receiver (210) is connected to the drive body (100). The two acquisition probes (220) are respectively connected to the remaining two drive feet (120). Each acquisition probe (220) moves up and down on the corresponding drive foot (120) through the second lifting control component (400) so that each acquisition probe (220) can penetrate deep underground.

2. The underground pipeline inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The four driving feet (120) are rectangular, and the two reference electrodes (320) are respectively connected to the two driving feet (120) distributed along the length direction.

3. The underground pipeline inspection robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first lifting control assembly (500) includes a first lifting control component (530) and a slidingly connected mounting base (520) and movable base (510). The mounting base (520) is fixed to the drive foot (120), and the movable base (510) is connected to the reference electrode (320). The first lifting control component (530) is connected to the mounting base (520) and the movable base (510) respectively. The length of the first lifting control component (530) changes so that the movable base (510) slides up and down along the mounting base (520).

4. The underground pipeline inspection robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first lifting control unit (530) includes an electric push rod.

5. The underground pipeline inspection robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The mounting base (520) has a mounting cavity (521) with a slot. The movable seat (510) passes through the slot. The first lifting control component (530) is located in the mounting cavity (521) and connected to a portion of the movable seat (510) located in the mounting cavity (521).

6. The underground pipeline inspection robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mounting base (520) has a mounting cavity (521) with a slot. The movable seat (510) passes through the slot. The first lifting control component (530) is located in the mounting cavity (521) and connected to a portion of the movable seat (510) located in the mounting cavity (521).

7. The underground pipeline inspection robot according to claim 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that: The second lifting control assembly (400) includes a fixed base (420) and a second lifting control member (410) with adjustable vertical length. The fixed base (420) is connected to the drive foot (120), and the second lifting control member (410) is connected to the fixed base (420) and connected to the acquisition probe (220) along the lower end of the length of the second lifting control member (410).

8. The underground pipeline inspection robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second lifting control unit (410) includes an electric push rod.

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