A power transmission line inspection robot

Abstract

This utility model discloses a power transmission line inspection robot with long endurance, low difficulty of use, and no need for workers to climb and attach, saving a significant amount of labor costs. It includes: a robot body; a flight mechanism including multiple sets of blade assemblies arranged around the robot body; a robotic arm mechanism including a robotic arm assembly, each robotic arm assembly comprising a rotating shaft and multiple robotic arms, the rotating shaft being rotatably connected to the robot body and drivingly connected to a drive structure, the multiple robotic arms being spaced apart on the rotating shaft; multiple walking mechanisms, each walking mechanism including a power motor and walking wheels drivingly connected to the power motor, the power motor being mounted on the robotic arms; and a gimbal mounted on the robot body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of power transmission line inspection, and further to a power transmission line inspection robot. Background Technology

[0002] High-voltage transmission lines bear the heavy responsibility of power transmission in my country, and their safe and reliable operation is directly related to the stable development of the national economy. Currently, high-voltage and ultra-high-voltage overhead power lines are the main method for long-distance power transmission and distribution. As an important component of the power system, power lines are constantly exposed to the natural environment, subjected not only to normal mechanical loads and the internal pressure of electrical loads, but also to external damage such as pollution, lightning strikes, strong winds, landslides, and subsidence. This will accelerate the aging of various components on the line, and if not detected and eliminated in time, it can develop into various faults, threatening the safe and stable operation of the power system. Therefore, line inspection is a fundamental task to effectively ensure the safe operation of transmission and distribution lines and their equipment. Line inspection involves patrolling and inspecting transmission and distribution lines to understand the line's operating status and changes in the surrounding environment, promptly identifying equipment defects and potential hazards to line safety, and proposing specific maintenance suggestions to eliminate defects in a timely manner, prevent accidents, or limit faults to a small area, thereby ensuring the safety of transmission and distribution lines and the stability of the power system.

[0003] High-voltage transmission line inspection methods include drone inspection and robot inspection. Drone inspection is susceptible to weather changes and air traffic control restrictions, has high operating costs, short flight time, and significant risks, making its widespread adoption difficult. Robot inspection, on the other hand, has limited functionality, consisting only of a gimbal and requiring manual intervention when problems arise with the transmission lines. This results in high labor intensity, high risk, low efficiency and accuracy, poor reliability, and the inspection results are significantly influenced by human factors, leading to deficiencies in management and supervision. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a high-voltage inspection robot with a long battery life, low difficulty of use, and no need for workers to climb and mount the equipment, thus saving a significant amount of labor costs.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model proposes a power transmission line inspection robot, comprising:

[0006] Robot body;

[0007] The flight mechanism includes multiple sets of blade assemblies disposed around the periphery of the robot body;

[0008] A robotic arm mechanism includes a robotic arm assembly, the robotic arm assembly including a rotating shaft and multiple robotic arms, the rotating shaft being rotatably connected to the robot body, the rotating shaft being transmissionally connected to a drive structure, and the multiple robotic arms being spaced apart on the rotating shaft;

[0009] Multiple walking mechanisms, each walking mechanism including a power motor and walking wheels that are connected to the power motor in a transmission, wherein the power motor is mounted on the robotic arm;

[0010] The gimbal is mounted on the main body of the robot.

[0011] In some embodiments, the power motor is movably connected to the robotic arm, and a tension spring connects the power motor and the robotic arm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the robotic arm mechanism includes two sets of robotic arm mechanisms, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the robot body, and the robotic arms of the two sets of robotic arms are staggered and alternately distributed.

[0013] In some embodiments, the drive structure includes a drive assembly comprising an electric actuator and a connecting rod, wherein the telescopic end of the electric actuator is hinged to one end of the connecting rod, and the other end of the connecting rod is hinged to a robotic arm.

[0014] In some implementations, each robotic arm group corresponds to two sets of drive components, which are respectively located on both sides of the axial direction of the rotation axis.

[0015] In some embodiments, the robotic arm assembly includes three robotic arms that are evenly distributed on one side of the robot body.

[0016] In some embodiments, the traveling wheel has a V-groove.

[0017] In some embodiments, the blade assembly includes blades, the outer periphery of which is covered with a protective cover.

[0018] In some embodiments, the protective cover employs a ring-shaped frame structure.

[0019] In some embodiments, the flight mechanism includes four sets of blade assemblies, which are respectively located at the four corners of the robot body.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The power transmission line inspection robot proposed in this invention significantly extends the operating time because its flight mechanism is only activated during takeoff and obstacle avoidance. During inspection, only the motors driving the wheels are operational. Furthermore, the flight mechanism allows the robot to directly fly to the target location for suspension, which is convenient, fast, and efficient, reducing the difficulty of manual attachment, greatly improving stability, significantly lowering the risk of drone crashes, and saving considerable manpower, material resources, and financial resources. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The preferred embodiments will be described below in a clear and easy-to-understand manner, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, to further explain the above-mentioned characteristics, technical features, advantages and implementation methods of this utility model.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a power transmission line inspection robot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A structural diagram of the part containing the robot's main body and flight mechanism.

[0025] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the connection between the robotic arm structure and the robot body.

[0026] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure where the tension spring is located.

[0027] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the walking mechanism.

[0028] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0029] Robot body 1; flight mechanism 2; arm 21; propeller 22; protective cover 23; robotic arm mechanism 3; rotating shaft 31; robotic arm 32; link 33; walking mechanism 4; power motor 41; walking wheel 42; tension spring 43; gimbal 5. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of this utility model will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0031] This utility model discloses a power transmission line inspection robot designed for single high-voltage line inspection tasks. It operates on de-energized high-voltage lines, traverses obstacles on straight-line towers, and collects and transmits video in real time for relevant personnel to analyze faults. It can be equipped not only with ordinary optical lenses to inspect the working condition of conductors and towers, but also with thermal imaging lenses, dual-lens cameras, infrared lenses, multispectral lenses, and other onboard equipment, greatly facilitating power grid inspection, ensuring the safety of personnel, and significantly improving efficiency.

[0032] Please refer to Figures 1 to 5 In this embodiment, the power transmission line inspection robot includes a robot body 1, a flight mechanism 2, a robotic arm mechanism 3, a walking mechanism 4, and a gimbal 5.

[0033] The robot body 1 is used to support all mechanisms. The robot body 1 has a box-like structure. This embodiment does not limit the material of the robot body 1. For example, the material of the robot body 1 can be selected from 6061 aluminum alloy sheet, PA66+30%GF composite material, etc., which can achieve lightweight and low cost.

[0034] Flight mechanism 2 is the core of the inspection robot's flight, providing lift to enable the robot body 1 to take off and land vertically, hover, and maintain flight altitude. Flight mechanism 2 includes multiple sets of blade assemblies, which are arranged around the periphery of the robot body 1. This embodiment does not specifically limit the number and location of the blade assemblies and can adjust them according to actual needs. As an example, flight mechanism 2 includes four sets of blade assemblies, which are respectively located at the four corners of the robot body 1, ensuring that the robot has sufficient flight, hovering, and wind resistance capabilities in the air.

[0035] The blade assembly includes an arm 21 and blades 22. The arm 21 is fixedly connected to the robot body 1, and the blades 22 are rotatably connected to the arm 21. By driving the blades 22 to rotate at high speed, lift is provided by the air pressure difference generated by the airfoil of the blades 22 (Bernoulli's principle), thus enabling the robot body 1 to fly. A protective cover 23 can also be added to the arm 21, which is fitted over the outside of the blades 22. The protective cover 23 can reduce direct collisions between the blades 22 and foreign objects (such as high-voltage lines, tree branches, etc.), reducing the risk of damage to the blades 22. At the same time, the high-speed rotating blades 22 may cause injury to people or objects; by wrapping the edges of the blades 22 with the protective cover 23, such safety hazards can be reduced. The protective cover 23 can be made of carbon fiber and have a ring-shaped frame design, achieving all-round protection while reducing weight.

[0036] The robotic arm mechanism 3 is used to hang the robot body 1 on the cable. The robotic arm mechanism 3 includes one or two sets of robotic arms, preferably two sets of robotic arms. The two sets of robotic arms are respectively set on both sides of the robot body 1, which ensures the balance of the robot's weight and improves the stability of walking and flying.

[0037] The robotic arm assembly includes a rotating shaft 31 and multiple robotic arms 32. The rotating shaft 31 is rotatably connected to the robot body 1. The multiple robotic arms 32 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 31. Multiple walking wheels 42 are correspondingly mounted on the robotic arms 32, and the robotic arms 32 of the two sets of robotic arm assemblies are staggered and alternately distributed. In this embodiment, by driving the rotating shaft 31 to rotate, the robotic arms 32 can be rotated relative to the robot body 1, so that the robotic arms 32 have two states: open and closed. In the open state, the robotic arms 32 are tilted, allowing the walking wheels 42 to detach from the high-voltage line. In the closed state, the robotic arms 32 are vertical, allowing the walking wheels 42 to contact the cable, thereby hanging the robot on the cable.

[0038] This embodiment does not limit the drive structure for rotating the rotary shaft 31, such as a motor or electric actuator. As an example, the drive structure is housed within the robot body 1 and includes a drive assembly comprising an electric actuator and a connecting rod 33. The telescopic end of the electric actuator is hinged to one end of the connecting rod 33, and the other end of the connecting rod 33 is hinged to the robotic arm 32. Thus, when the electric actuator extends or retracts, it drives the connecting rod 33 to rotate the rotary shaft 31. This structure is simple, reliable, and low-cost. Furthermore, the electric actuator has a self-locking function, ensuring that the corresponding action does not fail and can complete the relevant action within a few seconds. This embodiment does not limit the number of drive assemblies; they can be set as needed. As an example, one set of robotic arms corresponds to two sets of drive assemblies, with the two sets of drive assemblies respectively located on both sides of the axial direction of the rotary shaft 31, ensuring the smoothness of the rotary shaft 31's movement.

[0039] The number of robotic arms 32 is not limited in this embodiment. It is understood that the more robotic arms 32 in each group, the more mounting positions are provided for the walking wheels 42, and the higher the stability of the robot's walking and flying. However, too many robotic arms 32 and walking mechanisms 4 will increase the robot's weight, disrupt its center of gravity balance, lead to unstable flight and walking postures, increase the probability of loss of control or crash, and also increase energy consumption, shorten the robot's endurance, directly affecting task execution efficiency. As a preferred embodiment, the robotic arm group includes three robotic arms 32, which are evenly distributed on one side of the robot body 1. This achieves a good balance between endurance, stability, and safety. The material of the robotic arms 32 can be one or more of aluminum alloy, PA66+30%GF composite material, etc., which are lightweight but possess sufficient strength.

[0040] The walking mechanism 4 enables the robot body 1 to move along the cable. The walking mechanism 4 includes a power motor 41 and walking wheels 42. The power motor 41 is mounted on the end of the robotic arm 32 away from the robot body 1. The power motor 41 is connected to the walking wheels 42, driving them to rotate. When the walking wheels 42 are attached to the cable, their rotation allows the robot body 1 to move along the cable. In this embodiment, the walking wheels 42 should be made of a wear-resistant and insulating material. As an example, the walking wheels 42 are polyurethane rollers, which provide insulation while offering sufficient friction to allow the robot to move along the cable. In other embodiments, the material of the walking wheels 42 can also be selected from nylon, metal core + polyurethane / rubber coated composite materials, etc., and is not limited here.

[0041] The walking wheel 42 has a roller structure that is high on both sides and low in the middle, which forms a V-shaped groove in the middle of the walking wheel 42. The V-shaped groove design allows the robot to inspect cables with a diameter range of 20-51mm, so that the robot can match cables of different diameters and has a wide range of applications.

[0042] The walking mechanism 4 can also be equipped with a speed measuring device, such as a Hall sensor. By triggering the change of magnetic field through a magnet or toothed ring installed on the walking wheel 42, the Hall element senses the fluctuation of magnetic field strength and outputs a pulse voltage signal. The pulse frequency is proportional to the wheel speed. When the walking wheel 42 rotates, the magnet / toothed ring periodically approaches or moves away from the sensor, and the Hall element generates a continuous square wave pulse signal. The actual rotation speed is calculated by calculating the pulse frequency, ensuring that the walking speed and direction of all walking components are consistent during the walking process.

[0043] Due to the sag effect of the cable, even cables erected on level ground have a certain slope, especially in mountainous environments where the slope is even steeper. For example, if the towers are located on mountaintops and in valleys, the slope of the cable section may exceed 55°. Therefore, the inspection robot should have a certain climbing ability. In this embodiment, the walking mechanism 4 also includes a tension spring 43. The power motor 41 is movably connected to the robotic arm 32, and the two ends of the tension spring 43 are respectively connected to the power motor 41 and the robotic arm 32. The tension spring 43 enables the self-resetting and overturning action of the walking wheel 42, and can also cope with the downward bending shape of the cable, allowing the roller to fully contact the cable, thus achieving stable walking of the robot.

[0044] The gimbal 5 is mounted on the robot body 1 and includes a high-definition visible light camera and / or an infrared camera for monitoring power transmission lines. The gimbal 5 can be equipped with a camera with two-axis motion capabilities, allowing the camera to move flexibly in space to detect the surrounding environment and cables. During operation, it provides self-balancing and stabilizes the image.

[0045] Based on a comprehensive analysis of the environmental characteristics of transmission lines and the tasks involved in inspection, the online operations of the inspection robot can be roughly divided into two stages, measured in spans between towers: the line movement stage and the obstacle-crossing stage. In the middle sections of the span, where there are fewer auxiliary devices on the line, the robot moves along the line and monitors the line along its path using a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) unit. In the sections closer to the towers, where there are more auxiliary devices, the robot needs to perform obstacle-crossing operations, overcoming these obstacles, and finally crossing the tower and re-suspending itself on the line before moving to the next span. These two stages alternate until the inspection robot completes the inspection of the entire line.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the high-voltage inspection robot of the present invention, when the inspection begins, the inspection robot takes off via the flight mechanism 2 and approaches the vicinity of the cable. The flight controller uses the flight mechanism 2 to control the inspection robot to slowly ascend to a hovering state. The mechanical arms 32 on both sides of the robot body 1 close, suspending the robot on the cable. After that, the flight mechanism 2 closes, and the power motor 41 of the walking mechanism 4 is started. The walking wheels 42 drive the inspection robot to move along the cable to complete the inspection operation. When the inspection robot reaches an obstacle such as an insulator, the flight mechanism 2 is activated to keep the inspection robot hovering in the air. The mechanical arms 32 on both sides of the robot body 1 open, detach from the cable, fly around the obstacle, and then perform the cable-hanging operation again. The above operations are repeated.

[0047] In this embodiment, since the inspection robot only activates the flight mechanism 2 when taking off and bypassing obstacles, only the power motor 41 that drives the walking wheel 42 is working during inspection, which greatly extends the running time. Moreover, since it only runs on the wire, the stability can be greatly improved, the risk of drone crash is greatly reduced, and a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources are saved.

[0048] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A power line inspection robot, characterized by, include: Robot body; The flight mechanism includes multiple sets of blade assemblies disposed around the periphery of the robot body; A robotic arm mechanism includes a robotic arm assembly, the robotic arm assembly including a rotating shaft and multiple robotic arms, the rotating shaft being rotatably connected to the robot body, the rotating shaft being driven by a drive structure, and the multiple robotic arms being spaced apart on the rotating shaft; Multiple walking mechanisms, each walking mechanism including a power motor and walking wheels that are connected to the power motor in a transmission, wherein the power motor is mounted on the robotic arm; The gimbal is mounted on the main body of the robot.

2. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power motor is movably connected to the robotic arm, and a tension spring connects the power motor and the robotic arm.

3. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robotic arm mechanism includes two sets of robotic arm mechanisms, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the robot body, and the robotic arms of the two sets of robotic arms are staggered and alternately distributed.

4. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive structure includes a drive assembly, which includes an electric push rod and a connecting rod. The telescopic end of the electric push rod is hinged to one end of the connecting rod, and the other end of the connecting rod is hinged to the robotic arm.

5. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each robotic arm group corresponds to two sets of drive components, which are respectively located on both sides of the rotation axis.

6. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robotic arm assembly includes three robotic arms, which are evenly distributed on one side of the robot body.

7. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wheels have V-shaped grooves.

8. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blade assembly includes blades, and a protective cover is fitted around the outer periphery of the blades.

9. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The protective cover adopts a ring-shaped frame structure.

10. The power transmission line inspection robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flight mechanism includes four sets of blade assemblies, which are respectively located at the four corners of the robot body.

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