Robot for cable detection and cable detection system

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of robot and cable detection system for cable detection, belong to the field of rigging detection, and it includes mobile chassis and be equipped with telescopic rod and detection assembly of mobile chassis;Wherein, mobile chassis is used to control the robot movement, telescopic rod bottom end is fixed in mobile chassis top, telescopic rod telescopic direction extends along up-down direction, the top of telescopic rod is equipped with the mounting table that can rotate around the axis of telescopic rod;Detection assembly includes mounting bracket, visual camera and millimeter wave radar detection head, visual camera and millimeter wave radar detection head are equipped in mounting bracket, mounting bracket is swingably equipped in mounting table, the swing axis of mounting bracket is perpendicular to the rotation axis of mounting table.Compared with prior art, the utility model is integrated camera and radar detection head, solves the technical problem that the detection efficiency of existing cable detection equipment to cable cannot meet the demand.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of rigging inspection, and more specifically, it relates to a robot for cable inspection. This utility model also relates to a cable inspection system. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with economic development and accelerated urbanization, bridges, as core hubs of transportation networks, have supported the demand for transportation across mountains and rivers, playing a vital role in socio-economic development. Among them, cable-stayed bridges, suspension bridges, and other cable-stayed load-bearing bridges are widely used in highway, railway, and urban bridge construction due to their excellent spanning capacity, aesthetics, and cost-effectiveness.

[0003] Cables are the main load-bearing components of cable-stayed bridges and play a vital role. Their health condition is directly related to the overall safety and stability of the bridge. Therefore, cable inspection has become a key task in the maintenance and management of cable-stayed bridges.

[0004] Cable testing encompasses multiple aspects, including cable tension, cable appearance quality, broken wire condition, and corrosion level. Cable tension, as a direct indicator of cable stability, is the focus of testing. Existing methods for testing bridge cable tension include the hydraulic gauge method, pressure sensor method, magnetic flux method, fiber optic grating method, and vibration frequency method. The hydraulic gauge method indirectly calculates cable tension by measuring the hydraulic pressure within a hydraulic cylinder, but the hydraulic system is easily affected by changes in ambient temperature, leading to unstable measurement results. The pressure sensor method directly measures cable tension by installing pressure sensors on the cable or anchor points, but sensor installation requires complex operations. The magnetic flux method has relatively low measurement accuracy due to the complex external environment surrounding the cable. The fiber optic grating method embeds fiber optic strain sensors inside the cable members during manufacturing; this method is only suitable for newly constructed bridges. The vibration frequency method has become the mainstream technology due to its simplicity, speed, reusable equipment, and measurement accuracy meeting engineering application requirements; however, it requires sensors to be installed on each cable, and bridges may malfunction due to environmental damage or power outages after natural disasters.

[0005] Most existing cable testing methods are contact-based, which have certain limitations and shortcomings in practical applications, such as cumbersome installation, localized cable force measurement, and high labor costs. In response, related technologies are gradually exploring the application of millimeter-wave radar for cable force detection. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a robot for cable inspection, so as to solve the technical problem that the inspection efficiency of existing cable inspection equipment cannot meet the requirements.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: to provide a robot for cable inspection, comprising:

[0008] Mobile chassis;

[0009] The telescopic rod is fixed at its bottom end to the top of the movable chassis. The telescopic rod extends in the vertical direction, and the top end of the telescopic rod is provided with a mounting platform that can rotate around the axis of the telescopic rod.

[0010] The detection assembly includes a mounting frame, a visual camera, and a millimeter-wave radar detection head. Both the visual camera and the millimeter-wave radar detection head are mounted on the mounting frame. The mounting frame is sway-mounted on the mounting platform, and the sway axis of the mounting frame is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the mounting platform.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the robot for cable detection further includes a drive mechanism comprising a swing motor and a first drive motor; the telescopic rod comprises a mounting cylinder and a telescopic cylinder, the mounting cylinder being disposed on the top of the mobile chassis, and the telescopic cylinder being coaxially inserted into the mounting cylinder for vertical movement; the first drive motor is disposed within the telescopic cylinder and is used to drive the mounting platform to rotate, and the swing motor is disposed on the upper side of the mounting platform and is used to drive the mounting frame to swing.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the mobile chassis includes a chassis body, a protective shell, and a plurality of wheels. Each of the wheels is rotatably and evenly disposed at the bottom of the chassis body. The protective shell is disposed above the chassis body. The driving mechanism further includes a second drive motor, which is disposed between the chassis body and the protective shell, for driving at least one of the wheels to rotate.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the robot for cable detection further includes a power supply and a control module, both housed within the protective shell, and the control module, the power supply, the first drive motor, the second drive motor, and the swing motor are electrically connected.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the traveling wheel includes a driving steering wheel and a driven wheel, the driving steering wheel being steerable and located below the chassis body, and the driving steering wheel being driven connected to the second drive motor.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the control module is located on the side of the chassis body near the drive steering wheel, and the power supply is located on the side of the chassis body near the driven wheel.

[0016] In one possible implementation, a reinforcing ring is integrally connected to the outer circumference of the bottom of the mounting cylinder, and the outer circumference of the reinforcing ring is provided with a plurality of mounting holes, each of which is provided with a connecting bolt for bolting to the protective shell.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the mounting bracket is equipped with a camera positioning clip and a radar head positioning clip.

[0018] Compared to existing technologies, the advantages of the robot for cable inspection provided by this utility model are as follows: In its implementation, the mobile chassis provides ground mobility; the telescopic rod allows for flexible adjustment of the inspection height; the mounting platform rotates around the axis of the telescopic rod, causing the entire inspection assembly to rotate horizontally; the mounting frame on the mounting platform can swing around a swing axis perpendicular to the rotation axis, causing the visual camera and millimeter-wave radar to adjust their pitch angles, thereby inspecting the entire cable group. This achieves comprehensive, multi-angle, and precise positioning and alignment of the inspection components (visual camera and millimeter-wave radar) in three-dimensional space (height, horizontal rotation, pitch swing), enabling it to flexibly and stably observe multiple cables with different directions, angles, and heights, adapting flexibly to various situations. To address the need for detecting cables in various spatial postures under complex bridge environments (such as cable-stayed bridges and suspension bridges), this technology ensures that visual cameras can clearly capture cable images. After initial positioning of the cables, millimeter-wave radar can more accurately target the cables, emit electromagnetic waves, and receive reflected signals. This allows for more precise acquisition of key data required for cable force detection, such as vibration, displacement, and posture. This facilitates the backend detection of cable force based on the data acquired by the millimeter-wave radar, thus solving the technical problems of traditional detection methods (such as manual climbing, robot climbing, or fixed-point measurement) which are characterized by low efficiency, high risk, limited coverage, and difficulty in adapting to complex spatial cable postures. This provides comprehensive and reliable basic data for subsequent analysis of cable status (especially cable force) based on visual and radar data.

[0019] Another objective of this invention is to provide a cable detection system, including the robot described above for cable detection.

[0020] Compared to existing technologies, the cable inspection system of this invention possesses all the advantages of the aforementioned robots used for cable inspection, which will not be elaborated upon here. Furthermore, by integrating the aforementioned cable force detection robot into the cable inspection system, a complete solution for acquiring cable status information is achieved, centered on a mobile, flexibly adjustable measurement angle, and multi-sensor collaborative robot. This robot can autonomously / remotely move near the cable, accurately locate it, and collect visual images and millimeter-wave radar echo data from all directions. This achieves the technical effect of efficiently, safely, comprehensively, and automatically acquiring key status information of bridge cables, providing strong data support for bridge health monitoring and assessment. Furthermore, it solves the technical problems of traditional cable inspection methods, such as low efficiency, narrow coverage, high risk, low automation, and difficulty in acquiring high-quality multimodal data, significantly improving the modernization level and reliability of bridge cable inspection. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. In the drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 A front view of the robot for cable inspection provided by this utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the drive mechanism, the mobile chassis, and the mounting platform of the robot for cable inspection according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] In the picture:

[0025] 1. Mobile chassis; 11. Chassis body; 12. Protective shell; 121. Power supply; 122. Control module; 13. Wheels; 131. Drive steering wheel; 132. Driven wheel;

[0026] 2. Telescopic pole; 21. Mounting platform;

[0027] 3. Detection components; 31. Mounting bracket; 32. Visual camera; 33. Millimeter-wave radar detection head;

[0028] 4. Drive mechanism; 41. Swing motor; 42. First drive motor; 43. Second drive motor. Detailed Implementation

[0029] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0030] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper", "lower", "inner", "back" or indicating orientation or positional relationship appear, they are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and 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.

[0031] Furthermore, in the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly defined, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "connector" should be interpreted broadly. For example, a connection can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model in light of the specific circumstances.

[0032] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects 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.

[0033] Please see Figure 1 The present invention provides a robot for cable inspection. The robot includes a mobile chassis 1, a telescopic rod 2 mounted on the mobile chassis 1, and a detection assembly 3. The mobile chassis 1 controls the movement of the robot. The bottom end of the telescopic rod 2 is fixed to the top of the mobile chassis 1, and the telescopic rod 2 extends vertically. The top end of the telescopic rod 2 is provided with a mounting platform 21 that can rotate around the axis of the telescopic rod 2. The detection assembly 3 includes a mounting frame 31, a vision camera 32, and a millimeter-wave radar detection head 33. Both the vision camera 32 and the millimeter-wave radar detection head 33 are mounted on the mounting frame 31. The mounting frame 31 is swayably mounted on the mounting platform 21, and the sway axis of the mounting frame 31 is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the mounting platform 21.

[0034] In specific implementation of the above-described embodiment, the mobile chassis 1 provides ground mobility; the telescopic rod 2 enables flexible adjustment of the detection height; the mounting platform 21 rotates around the axis of the telescopic rod 2, driving the entire detection assembly 3 to rotate horizontally; the mounting frame 31 can swing around a swing axis perpendicular to the rotation axis on the mounting platform 21, driving the visual camera 32 and millimeter-wave radar to adjust their pitch angles, thereby achieving all-round, multi-angle precise positioning and alignment of the detection assembly 3 (visual camera 32 and millimeter-wave radar) in three-dimensional space (height, horizontal rotation, pitch swing), enabling it to flexibly and stably observe multiple cables with different directions, inclination angles, and heights, thus providing a comprehensive view of the entire cable group. The system is designed to flexibly adapt to the inspection needs of cables in complex bridge environments (such as cable-stayed bridges and suspension bridges) with various spatial attitudes. It ensures that the visual camera 32 can clearly capture cable images. After the initial positioning of the cable, the millimeter-wave radar can more accurately target the cable to emit electromagnetic waves and receive reflected signals, thereby more accurately detecting information such as the vibration frequency, vibration amplitude, and cable attitude of the cable. This solves the technical problems of traditional inspection methods (such as manual climbing or fixed-point measurement) that are low in efficiency, high in risk, limited in coverage, and difficult to adapt to complex spatial cable attitudes. It provides comprehensive and reliable basic data for subsequent analysis of cable status (especially cable force) based on visual and radar data.

[0035] It should be noted that after the millimeter-wave radar equipment emits electromagnetic wave signals in the direction of multiple cables on the bridge under test, each cable reflects the electromagnetic wave signals and generates echo signals, which are then sent to the cable force detection equipment of the cable-stayed bridge. The cable force detection equipment then performs the cable force detection method of the cable-stayed bridge based on the echo signals to realize cable force detection.

[0036] Here, the electromagnetic wave signal transmitted by the millimeter-wave radar equipment can be expressed as: X1 = sin(w1t + φ1).

[0037] The echo signal generated by the cable reflection can be expressed as: X2=sin(w2t+φ2).

[0038] Where X1 represents the electromagnetic wave signal transmitted by the millimeter-wave radar device, w1 represents the frequency of the electromagnetic wave signal, t represents time, φ1 represents the phase of the electromagnetic wave signal, X2 represents the echo signal generated by the cable reflection, w2 represents the frequency of the echo signal, and φ2 represents the phase of the echo signal.

[0039] Based on the echo signal, a corresponding radar cube matrix is ​​constructed; the radar cube matrix contains signal data in the range dimension.

[0040] This embodiment of the invention, based on the received echo signal, mixes the transmitted electromagnetic wave signal and the received echo signal to obtain an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. This IF signal can be represented as:

[0041] X IF =sin[(w1-w2)t+(φ1-φ2)]

[0042] Among them, X IF This represents the intermediate frequency signal obtained by mixing electromagnetic wave signals and echo signals.

[0043] Here, a mixer can be used to mix the electromagnetic wave signal and the echo signal to obtain an intermediate frequency signal. This mixer can be integrated into millimeter-wave radar equipment or into cable-stayed bridge tension detection equipment.

[0044] By processing the intermediate frequency signal, the vibration data of the cable can be obtained. This is because each vibration of the cable will cause fluctuations in the relevant electromagnetic wave signal (denoted as the enhanced signal). Based on the enhanced signal corresponding to each cable, the cable force of each cable on the bridge under test can be determined.

[0045] This embodiment of the invention, based on the enhanced signals corresponding to each cable, can determine the vibration frequencies of each cable, and thus the fundamental frequency of each cable. Next, according to the frequency-cable force relationship, the cable force of each cable is calculated. Assuming that both ends of the cable are hinged and ignoring the influence of the cable's bending stiffness, the simplified form of the frequency-cable force relationship can be expressed as: T'=4m'l 2 f1 2 .

[0046] Where T' represents the cable force, m' represents the cable linear density, l represents the cable length, and f1 represents the cable fundamental frequency.

[0047] In this embodiment of the invention, the cable force of each cable can be calculated according to the fundamental frequency corresponding to each cable using the formula described above.

[0048] In addition to the feasible implementations described above, in order to drive the detection component 3 mentioned above to adjust its direction, in some preferred implementations, such as... Figure 2As shown, the robot used for cable inspection also includes a drive mechanism 4, which includes a swing motor 41 and a first drive motor 42. The telescopic rod 2 includes a mounting cylinder and a telescopic cylinder. The mounting cylinder is located on the top of the mobile chassis 1, and the telescopic cylinder is coaxially inserted into the mounting cylinder, allowing it to move up and down. The first drive motor 42 is located inside the telescopic cylinder and is used to drive the mounting platform 21 to rotate. The swing motor 41 is located on the upper side of the mounting platform 21 and is used to drive the mounting frame 31 to swing. With this configuration, this embodiment uses the first drive motor 42 located inside the telescopic cylinder to drive the mounting platform 21 to rotate, and the swing motor 41 located on the mounting platform 21 to drive the mounting frame 31 to swing. Combined with the up and down movement of the telescopic cylinder within the mounting cylinder, the automated drive and control of the horizontal rotation and pitch swing of the inspection component 3 is achieved. This eliminates the need for manual angle adjustment, significantly improving inspection efficiency and automation level, reducing operational difficulty and human error, and enabling the safe and accurate acquisition of cable appearance image information, angle information, vibration frequency and amplitude information under remote control.

[0049] Based on the above embodiments, in order to control the movement of the entire robot, the mobile chassis 1 includes a chassis body 11, a protective shell 12, and multiple wheels 13. Each wheel 13 is rotatably and evenly distributed at the bottom of the chassis body 11, and the protective shell 12 is placed above the chassis body 11. The drive mechanism 4 also includes a second drive motor 43, which is located between the chassis body 11 and the protective shell 12 and is used to drive at least one wheel 13 to rotate. In this way, this embodiment realizes the robot's autonomous or remote-controlled movement and navigation capability on the ground or bridge surface, enabling it to flexibly transfer detection positions, thereby expanding the number of cables that can be detected in a single deployment and the coverage area, and improving the overall detection efficiency.

[0050] In one possible implementation, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the robot used for cable inspection also includes a power supply 121 and a control module 122, both housed within the protective casing 12. The control module 122, power supply 121, first drive motor 42, second drive motor 43, and swing motor 41 are electrically connected to provide centralized power supply and unified coordinated control for the robot's movement, lifting, rotation, swinging, and sensor data acquisition and transmission, forming a complete closed-loop working system. This ensures the stable and coordinated operation of all functional modules of the robot, supporting remote control or autonomous operation.

[0051] It should be noted that the swing motor 41 mentioned above can be electrically connected to the power supply 121 located on the chassis body 11, or it can be integrated with an independent battery in a self-powered manner to facilitate the installation of the swing motor 41 on the mounting platform 21. When the swing motor 41 is electrically connected to the power supply 121 located on the chassis body 11, the connection line is laid out along the cavity inside the telescopic rod 2 to make the internal structure of the entire robot more reasonable.

[0052] Based on the above embodiments, in a more preferred embodiment, the walking wheel 13 includes a drive steering wheel 131 and a driven wheel 132. The drive steering wheel 131 is steerable and located below the chassis body 11, and is driven by the second drive motor 43. In this embodiment, the drive steering wheel 131 combines driving and steering functions, enabling the robot to maneuver flexibly and accurately locate itself under the target cable in relatively narrow or irregular bridge spaces (such as sidewalks or maintenance passages). This enhances the robot's mobility and positioning accuracy, making it particularly suitable for complex ground environments such as bridges.

[0053] Preferably, the control module 122 is located on the side of the chassis body 11 near the drive steering wheel 131, and the power supply 121 is located on the side of the chassis body 11 near the driven wheel 132. The heavier power supply 121 is positioned on the side near the driven wheel 132 (usually at the rear), while the control module 122 is positioned on the side near the drive steering wheel 131 (usually at the front), which optimizes the robot's center of gravity distribution. The rear-mounted heavier power supply 121 helps balance the weight of the front-mounted telescopic rod 2, detection component 3, and control module 122, improving the overall stability of the robot during movement and operation (especially after the telescopic rod 2 is raised), preventing tipping, and improving the grip and maneuverability of the drive steering wheel 131.

[0054] In addition to the feasible implementation methods described above, preferably, a reinforcing ring is integrally connected to the outer circumference of the bottom of the mounting cylinder. The reinforcing ring has multiple mounting holes on its outer circumference, each hole equipped with a connecting bolt for connection to the protective shell 12. This significantly enhances the rigidity and strength at the connection between the bottom of the telescopic rod 2 and the movable chassis 1. The integrated reinforcing ring effectively disperses the load (especially bending moment load) transmitted from the telescopic rod 2.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the mounting bracket 31 is equipped with a camera positioning clip and a radar head positioning clip, thereby enabling the visual camera 32 and the millimeter-wave radar to be accurately and stably installed and positioned on the mounting bracket 31, ensuring that their relative positions and pointing relationships are fixed and meet the design requirements.

[0056] Based on the same inventive concept, another objective of this utility model is to propose a cable detection system, which includes the robot for cable detection mentioned above.

[0057] Compared to existing technologies, the cable inspection system of this invention possesses all the advantages of the aforementioned robots used for cable inspection, which will not be elaborated upon here. Furthermore, by integrating the aforementioned cable force detection robot into the cable inspection system, a complete solution for acquiring cable status information is achieved, centered on a mobile, flexibly adjustable measurement angle, and multi-sensor collaborative robot. This robot can autonomously / remotely move near the cable, accurately locate it, and collect visual images and millimeter-wave radar echo data from all directions. This achieves the technical effect of efficiently, safely, comprehensively, and automatically acquiring key status information of bridge cables, providing strong data support for bridge health monitoring and assessment. Furthermore, it solves the technical problems of traditional cable inspection methods, such as low efficiency, narrow coverage, high risk, low automation, and difficulty in acquiring high-quality multimodal data, significantly improving the modernization level and reliability of bridge cable inspection.

[0058] 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, improvements, etc., 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 robot for cable inspection, characterized in that, include: Mobile chassis (1); The telescopic rod (2) is fixed at its bottom end to the top of the movable chassis (1). The telescopic rod (2) extends in the vertical direction. The top end of the telescopic rod (2) is provided with a mounting platform (21) that can rotate around the axis of the telescopic rod (2). The detection component (3) includes a mounting frame (31), a vision camera (32), and a millimeter-wave radar detection head (33). The vision camera (32) and the millimeter-wave radar detection head (33) are both mounted on the mounting frame (31). The mounting frame (31) is swayably mounted on the mounting platform (21), and the sway axis of the mounting frame (31) is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the mounting platform (21).

2. The robot for cable inspection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The robot for cable detection also includes a drive mechanism (4), which includes a swing motor (41) and a first drive motor (42); the telescopic rod (2) includes a mounting cylinder and a telescopic cylinder, the mounting cylinder is located on the top of the mobile chassis (1), and the telescopic cylinder is coaxially inserted into the mounting cylinder and can move up and down; the first drive motor (42) is located in the telescopic cylinder and is used to drive the mounting platform (21) to rotate, and the swing motor (41) is located on the upper side of the mounting platform (21) and is used to drive the mounting frame (31) to swing.

3. The robot for cable inspection as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The mobile chassis (1) includes a chassis body (11), a protective shell (12), and a plurality of wheels (13). Each wheel (13) is rotatably and evenly disposed at the bottom of the chassis body (11). The protective shell (12) covers the chassis body (11). The drive mechanism (4) further includes a second drive motor (43), which is disposed between the chassis body (11) and the protective shell (12) and is used to drive at least one of the wheels (13) to rotate.

4. The robot for cable inspection as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The robot for cable detection also includes a power supply (121) and a control module (122) both located within the protective shell (12). The control module (122), the power supply (121), the first drive motor (42), the second drive motor (43), and the swing motor (41) are electrically connected.

5. The robot for cable inspection as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The walking wheel (13) includes a drive steering wheel (131) and a driven wheel (132). The drive steering wheel (131) is steerable and located below the chassis body (11), and the drive steering wheel (131) is driven and connected to the second drive motor (43).

6. The robot for cable inspection as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The control module (122) is located on the side of the chassis body (11) near the drive steering wheel (131), and the power supply (121) is located on the side of the chassis body (11) near the driven wheel (132).

7. The robot for cable inspection as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The bottom of the mounting cylinder is integrally connected to a reinforcing ring, and the outer circumference of the reinforcing ring is provided with multiple mounting holes, each of which is provided with a connecting bolt that is bolted to the protective shell (12).

8. The robot for cable inspection as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting bracket (31) is equipped with a camera positioning clip and a radar head positioning clip.

9. A cable detection system, characterized in that, Including the robot for cable inspection as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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