A pipeline crawler protection device

Abstract

The utility model is suitable for pipeline crawler field provides a pipeline crawler protection device, including pipeline crawler body, adjusting assembly and direction subassembly, the pipeline crawler body includes pipeline crawler main part, in the utility model, prevent overturning performance through symmetry transmission greatly promotes: two movable frame reverse synchronous movement are driven to two two -way screw rod, drive T shaped guide rail in the T shape limit slot of support arm slides, make eight support arm symmetry telescopic, cooperation limit tube's direction constraint, ensure that the support force is balanced distribution, under the complex working condition such as uneven, variable diameter of pipeline inner wall, crawler barycenter always is in the middle, make the pipeline crawler body not easy to appear side slip, pipe diameter adaptation is through accurate transmission high -efficient realization, buffer shock attenuation is through the optimization effect of collaborative transmission, structural reliability is through rigid transmission enhancement, antiskid performance is through material transmission safeguard.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of pipe crawlers, and in particular relates to a pipe crawler protection device. Background Technology

[0002] In the inspection and maintenance of various pipelines, including natural gas pipelines, oil pipelines, urban water supply and drainage pipelines, and tap water pipelines, pipeline crawlers are core equipment responsible for internal defect detection and condition assessment. Their operational stability directly determines the inspection efficiency and data reliability. However, the adaptive support mechanisms of existing pipeline crawlers have many technical defects, which severely restrict their application effectiveness in complex pipeline environments.

[0003] From the perspective of anti-tipping performance, the support arms of traditional crawlers mostly adopt asymmetrical adjustment or single spring support structure. The connection between the support arm and the adjustment mechanism is mostly clearance fit or simple overlap, lacking rigid constraints. When there are uneven areas such as protrusions and depressions on the inner wall of the pipe, the support arm is prone to uneven stress. A single spring is difficult to effectively disperse local stress, resulting in an increased gap between the support arm and the inner wall of the pipe, causing the center of gravity of the crawler to shift and significantly increasing the risk of tipping over. This can lead to interruption of the detection process or even damage to the equipment.

[0004] Regarding pipe diameter adaptation, traditional adjustment mechanisms, due to structural design flaws, struggle to achieve symmetrical and synchronous extension and retraction of the support arms. In pipe diameter transition sections, inconsistent support arm length adjustments can lead to unbalanced forces on the crawler, resulting in frequent jamming and deviation when passing through these sections. This not only significantly reduces detection efficiency but may also cause collision damage between the crawler and the inner wall of the pipe, increasing maintenance costs.

[0005] In addition, the traditional structure has insufficient buffering capacity for pipeline vibration, which further aggravates operational instability and seriously affects the accuracy of the test data;

[0006] Therefore, a pipe crawler protection device is needed to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this utility model embodiment is to provide a pipe crawler protection device to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0009] A pipe crawler protection device includes a pipe crawler body, an adjustment component, and a guide component. The pipe crawler body serves as the core load-bearing structure, providing a stable installation foundation for each component and ensuring the rigidity and stability of the overall structure. The stability of the pipe crawler body structure is a prerequisite for the reliable operation of the entire device. It can withstand the forces generated by each component during adjustment and operation, and avoid the deformation of the body affecting the coordinated work of other components.

[0010] The pipe crawler body includes a main body; the adjustment assembly includes a threaded rod and eight support arms. The threaded rod is rotatably connected to the bottom of the main body, and a turntable is connected to one end of the threaded rod. Two movable frames are externally threaded onto the threaded rod, and two guide rails are connected to the opposite sides of the two movable frames. The eight support arms are respectively connected to both ends of the main body, and limit grooves are provided at the adjacent ends of the four corresponding support arms. The guide rails are slidably connected within the two limit grooves. Limit tubes are slidably connected to the outside of the support arms, and the eight limit tubes are respectively connected to both ends of the main body. The threaded rod has two parts of external threads with opposite thread directions. The two movable frames are threadedly connected to the two parts of external threads respectively. The reverse thread design of the bidirectional threaded rod realizes the synchronous reverse movement of the movable frames, ensuring the symmetry of the support arm adjustment. Combined with the rigid sliding connection between the T-shaped guide rail and the limit groove, the adjustment gap is eliminated, making the support arm bear force evenly and fundamentally reducing the risk of tipping over. The limit tubes guide and constrain the support arms, ensuring the stability of the support arm's extension and retraction direction and improving the adjustment accuracy.

[0011] The guiding assembly includes eight dampers, each connected to one end of the support arm away from the main body of the pipe crawler. The other end of each damper is connected to a guide wheel. Each damper is fitted with a second spring, the two ends of which are connected to the support arm and the guide wheel, respectively. This parallel design of the dampers and the second springs enables graded absorption of impact energy. The dampers can quickly attenuate impact vibrations, while the second springs provide continuous contact force and reset, avoiding the problem of insufficient buffering capacity of a single spring. This ensures stable contact of the guide wheel in the complex inner wall environment of the pipe, improving operational stability.

[0012] A further technical solution is that the top of the main body of the pipeline crawler is connected to several monitoring frames. The monitoring frames are used to connect with monitoring equipment, and the monitoring frames are designed to be adjustable. The adjustable structure enables the monitoring equipment to adapt to the needs of different pipeline inspection scenarios, ensuring the accuracy of the inspection angle and range, and improving the reliability of the inspection data.

[0013] A further technical solution is that the bottom of the main body of the pipe crawler is connected to several limiting cylinders, and limiting rods are slidably connected inside the limiting cylinders. The bottom ends of the limiting rods are connected to the same movable seat, and a first spring is sleeved on the outside of each limiting rod. The two ends of the first spring are respectively connected to the limiting cylinder and the movable seat. The movable seat is equipped with a drive module and a movable wheel connected to the drive module. The limiting cylinders, limiting rods and first springs form a buffer structure to absorb the bottom vibration impact.

[0014] A further technical solution is that both ends of the main body of the pipe crawler are connected to connectors, which provide traction interfaces for long-distance pipe inspection, ensuring that the crawler can be stably pulled in a long pipe, thus expanding the applicability of the device.

[0015] In a further technical solution, the outer surfaces of both the guide wheel and the moving wheel are covered with an anti-slip rubber layer, and the surface of the rubber layer is provided with anti-slip texture.

[0016] In a further technical solution, the limiting groove is T-shaped, and the cross-sectional shape of the guide rail is T-shaped.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0018] This utility model significantly improves anti-overturning performance through symmetrical transmission: the bidirectional threaded rod drives two movable frames to move synchronously in opposite directions, causing the T-shaped guide rail to slide in the T-shaped limiting groove of the support arm, so that the eight support arms can extend and retract symmetrically. With the guidance and constraint of the limiting tube, the support force is evenly distributed. Under complex working conditions such as uneven inner wall of the pipeline and change in diameter, the center of gravity of the crawler is always in the center, making it difficult for the pipeline crawler body to overturn.

[0019] This utility model achieves pipe diameter adaptation through precise transmission and high efficiency: the reverse thread transmission of the threaded rod ensures that the extension and retraction of the support arm are completely consistent, and the adjustment response speed is improved by 60% compared with the traditional mechanism. It can quickly adapt to pipes of different diameters from DN150 to DN800, avoid the jamming problem caused by asynchronous adjustment, and improve the continuity of pipe inspection.

[0020] This utility model optimizes the buffering and shock absorption effect through synergistic transmission: the parallel transmission of the damper and the second spring in the guide assembly achieves graded absorption of impact energy, with a vibration attenuation rate of over 70%; the sliding transmission of the bottom limiting cylinder, the limiting rod, and the first spring forms a secondary buffer, which works in conjunction with the guide assembly to effectively reduce the impact of pipeline vibration on the crawler and ensure detection accuracy.

[0021] In this utility model, structural reliability is enhanced through rigid transmission: the rigid sliding transmission between the T-shaped guide rail and the T-shaped limiting groove eliminates the adjustment gap, the sliding transmission between the support arm and the limiting tube improves the structural rigidity, the connection strength of each component is increased by 50%, the mean time between failures is extended to more than 800 hours, and the maintenance cost is reduced.

[0022] This invention ensures anti-slip performance through material transmission: the anti-slip rubber layer and surface anti-slip texture wrapped around the guide wheel and moving wheel increase the friction with the inner wall of the pipe. Combined with the force transmission of the buffer structure, it avoids slippage during operation and improves driving efficiency and operational stability.

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the structural features and effects of this utility model, the following detailed description of this utility model is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention from the front view;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention viewed from below;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a partial bottom-view three-dimensional cross-sectional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0027] In the diagram: 1. Pipe crawler body; 11. Pipe crawler main body; 12. Monitoring frame; 13. Limiting cylinder; 14. Limiting rod; 15. Moving seat; 16. First spring; 2. Adjustment assembly; 21. Threaded rod; 22. Turntable; 23. Movable frame; 24. Guide rail; 25. Limiting groove; 26. Support arm; 27. Limiting tube; 3. Guide assembly; 31. Damper; 32. Second spring; 33. Guide wheel; 4. Connecting parts. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model.

[0029] The specific implementation of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. Example

[0030] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, this utility model embodiment provides a pipe crawler protection device, including a pipe crawler body 1, an adjustment component 2, and a guide component 3. The pipe crawler body 1 includes a pipe crawler main body 11; the adjustment component 2 includes a threaded rod 21 and eight support arms 26. The threaded rod 21 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the pipe crawler main body 11. One end of the threaded rod 21 is connected to a turntable 22. Two movable frames 23 are externally threaded onto the threaded rod 21. Two guide rails 24 are connected to the opposite sides of the two movable frames 23. The eight support arms 26 are respectively connected to both ends of the pipe crawler main body 11. Limit grooves 25 are formed at the adjacent ends of four corresponding support arms 26. The guide rails 24 are slidably connected within the two limit grooves 25, and the support arms 26 are externally slidably connected to the limit grooves 25. Positioning tubes 27 and eight limiting tubes 27 are respectively connected to both ends of the pipe crawler body 11; the guide assembly 3 includes eight dampers 31, each of which is connected to one end of the support arm 26 away from the pipe crawler body 11, and the other end of each of the eight dampers 31 is connected to a guide wheel 33. Each of the eight dampers 31 is fitted with a second spring 32, and the two ends of the second spring 32 are respectively connected to the support arm 26 and the guide wheel 33; the threaded rod 21 is provided with two parts of external threads with opposite thread directions, and the two movable frames 23 are respectively threaded to the two parts of external threads; the limiting groove 25 is T-shaped, and the cross-sectional shape of the guide rail 24 is T-shaped; both ends of the pipe crawler body 11 are connected to connectors 4, which are used to connect with external objects to be pulled;

[0031] In this embodiment, the main body 11 of the pipe crawler is made of high-strength aluminum alloy, which is lightweight and has high structural strength. The threaded rod 21 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the main body 11 through a deep groove ball bearing. One end of the threaded rod 21 is welded with a circular turntable 22 with a diameter of 80mm. The outer surface of the turntable is processed with anti-slip embossing. The threaded rod 21 is machined with M16 reverse threads. Two movable frames 23 are connected to the threaded rod through internal threads. Four T-shaped guide rails 24 are welded to the side of the movable frames 23. The eight support arms 26 are made of 45# steel, with four at each end. The support arm 26 is symmetrically distributed. A T-shaped limiting groove 25 (adapted to the guide rail) is provided at one end of the support arm 26 near the movable frame. A limiting tube 27 is slidably sleeved on the outside of the support arm 26 and welded to the main body 11. In the guide assembly 3, the damper 31 is a hydraulic damper (damping coefficient 500 N·s / m), the second spring 32 is made of spring steel with a diameter of 5 mm, the guide wheel 33 has a diameter of 60 mm, the edge is provided with an arc structure, and the outside is wrapped with a 3 mm wear-resistant silicone layer. The connecting part 4 is a ring structure with multiple through holes.

[0032] In this embodiment, the extension and retraction of the support arm is adjusted by manually rotating the turntable. The cooperation between the T-shaped guide rail and the T-shaped limiting groove ensures the stability of the support arm adjustment. The bidirectional threaded rod realizes the symmetrical synchronous extension and retraction of the support arm. In tests on pipes with diameters of DN200-DN600, the synchronous adjustment error of the support arm is ≤0.5mm. When passing through an inner wall protrusion with a height of 10mm, the damper and the second spring work together to buffer the impact, and the crawler body tilt angle is ≤3°, with no risk of tipping over. The connecting parts can stably connect to the traction equipment, meeting the needs of long-distance pipeline inspection. After 600 hours of continuous operation, there is no loosening of any components, making it suitable for routine inspection scenarios of urban water supply and drainage pipelines. Example

[0033] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that:

[0034] The monitoring frame 12 is a bolted structure consisting of a fixed rod and an adjusting rod. The adjusting rod has 5 positioning holes and supports height adjustment from 0 to 15 cm. By adjusting the height of the adjusting rod, it can adapt to the installation requirements of different testing equipment and improve the accuracy of the testing data.

[0035] The bottom of the main body 11 of the pipeline crawler is connected to four limiting cylinders 13, which are equipped with limiting rods 1 and first springs 16 with a diameter of 8mm. The moving wheels of the moving seat 15 are covered with a 5mm anti-slip rubber layer (with anti-slip texture). The limiting cylinders, limiting rods and first springs form a two-stage buffer, which works in conjunction with the guide components to control the vibration amplitude within ±2mm. The anti-slip rubber layer increases the friction, prevents the moving wheels from slipping, and improves the stability of operation in complex pipelines.

[0036] In this embodiment, in the scenario of natural gas pipeline inspection with diameters of DN300-DN700, an adjustable monitoring frame is used to adapt to sensors of different heights to accurately collect data on the inner wall of the pipeline; the multi-level buffer structure effectively offsets the interference of natural gas flow and pipeline vibration, reducing the error of the detection data by 30% compared with the traditional structure; the anti-slip design of the moving wheels ensures that the crawler operates stably in natural gas pipelines containing impurities and moisture, and continuously passes through a 300m variable diameter pipe section (diameter fluctuation ±50mm) without jamming or tipping over, verifying the adaptability of the differentiated structure to complex working conditions.

[0037] Working principle and usage process of this invention:

[0038] Pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment stage: According to the pipe diameter to be tested, manually rotate the turntable 22 to drive the threaded rod 21 to rotate. Since the external threads of the threaded rod 21 are opposite, the two movable frames 23 move synchronously in opposite directions along the threaded rod 21. The T-shaped guide rail 24 on the movable frame 23 slides in the T-shaped limiting groove 25 of the support arm 26, pushing the support arm 26 to expand outward or retract inward with the limiting tube 27 as the fulcrum, until the guide wheel 33 is tightly fitted with the inner wall of the pipe, thus completing the pipe diameter adaptation.

[0039] Stable operation phase: The drive module drives the moving wheels to rotate, causing the crawler to move along the pipeline. The guide wheel 33 is always in contact with the inner wall of the pipeline. In the flat section of the pipeline, the second spring 32 is kept in a slightly compressed state, providing a continuous contact force for the guide wheel 33. The cooperation between the T-shaped guide rail 24 and the limiting groove 25 ensures that the support arm 26 does not wobble, maintaining the stability of the crawler's center of gravity.

[0040] Obstacle response phase: When the guide wheel 33 encounters a protrusion on the inner wall, the protrusion squeezes the guide wheel 33, pushing the damper 31 to contract and compress the second spring 32. The damper 31 quickly dissipates the impact energy, and the second spring 32 stores elastic potential energy. After passing the protrusion, the second spring 32 releases energy to push the guide wheel 33 to reset. The damper 31 slowly extends to avoid reset impact, ensuring that the crawler passes through the obstacle smoothly.

[0041] Adaptation stage of variable diameter section: When the pipe diameter changes, the force on the guide wheel 33 changes, causing the support arm 26 to tend to extend and retract. By manually rotating the turntable 22, it is possible to adjust the length of the support arms 26 on both sides to always be symmetrical, keep the center of gravity of the crawler in the center, and effectively prevent tipping over.

[0042] Throughout the operation, the symmetrically distributed support arms 26 provide balanced support force, the T-shaped guide rails 24 and the limiting grooves 25 eliminate adjustment gaps, and the dampers 31 and the second spring 32 work together to buffer vibration and impact, jointly ensuring the safe and stable operation of the crawler in complex pipeline environments.

[0043] The circuits, electronic components, and modules involved are all existing technologies, which can be fully implemented by those skilled in the art, and need not be elaborated upon. The content protected by this utility model does not involve any improvement to the software and methods.

[0044] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A pipe crawler protection device, characterized in that: It includes a pipe crawler body (1), an adjustment component (2), and a guide component (3); the pipe crawler body (1) includes a pipe crawler main body (11); The adjustment assembly (2) includes a threaded rod (21) and eight support arms (26). The threaded rod (21) is rotatably connected to the bottom of the pipe crawler body (11). One end of the threaded rod (21) is connected to a turntable (22). The threaded rod (21) is externally threaded to two movable frames (23). The two movable frames (23) are connected to two guide rails (24) on their opposite sides. The eight support arms (26) are respectively connected to both ends of the pipe crawler body (11). The four support arms (26) are respectively provided with limit grooves (25) on their adjacent ends. The guide rails (24) are slidably connected in the two limit grooves (25). The support arms (26) are externally slidably connected to limit tubes (27). The eight limit tubes (27) are respectively connected to both ends of the pipe crawler body (11). The threaded rod (21) is provided with two parts of external threads with opposite thread directions. The two movable frames (23) are respectively threaded to the two parts of external threads. The guide assembly (3) includes eight dampers (31), which are respectively connected to one end of the support arm (26) away from the main body (11) of the pipe crawler. The other end of each of the eight dampers (31) is connected to a guide wheel (33). Each of the eight dampers (31) is fitted with a second spring (32), and the two ends of the second spring (32) are respectively connected to the support arm (26) and the guide wheel (33).

2. The pipeline crawler protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the main body (11) of the pipe crawler is connected to several monitoring frames (12), which are used to connect to monitoring equipment and are designed to be adjustable.

3. The pipeline crawler protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the main body (11) of the pipe crawler is connected to several limiting cylinders (13). Limiting rods (14) are slidably connected inside the limiting cylinders (13). The bottom ends of the several limiting rods (14) are connected to the same moving seat (15). A first spring (16) is sleeved on the outside of each of the several limiting rods (14). The two ends of the first spring (16) are respectively connected to the limiting cylinder (13) and the moving seat (15). The moving seat (15) is provided with a drive module and a moving wheel connected to the drive module.

4. The pipeline crawler protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the main body (11) of the pipe crawler are connected to connectors (4).

5. The pipeline crawler protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surfaces of the guide wheel (33) and the moving wheel are covered with an anti-slip rubber layer, and the surface of the rubber layer is provided with anti-slip texture.

6. The pipeline crawler protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting groove (25) is T-shaped, and the guide rail (24) is T-shaped in cross section.

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