A pipeline defect visual inspection pipe crawling robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a pipeline defect visual inspection pipe climbing robot. The robot includes upper bottom disc, lower bottom disc, pipe diameter adaptation adjusting mechanism, visual inspection module, crawler climbing mechanism and damping device, the upper bottom disc and lower bottom disc are arranged in the upper and lower interval respectively and present the upper and lower mirror image distribution, the upper bottom disc is connected with lower bottom disc through damping device and pipe diameter adaptation adjusting mechanism, the crawler climbing mechanism is installed on the both sides of upper bottom disc and lower bottom disc, the both sides of upper bottom disc and lower bottom disc all are equipped with the crawler climbing mechanism, the visual inspection module is installed on the upper surface of lower bottom disc's front end. The utility model has the characteristics of compact structure, strong adaptability, detection efficient and accurate, stable and reliable operation, is applicable to the inner wall defect automation detection of various pipe diameter pipeline.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of pipeline inspection robot technology, specifically a pipeline defect visual inspection climbing robot. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of pipeline inspection and maintenance, traditional methods mainly rely on manual operation. Workers must carry inspection equipment into the pipeline or conduct partial inspections by opening holes or disassembling pipe fittings. This method is not only inefficient, with a single inspection often taking hours or even days, but also poses serious safety hazards. For example, confined spaces may experience oxygen deficiency or the accumulation of harmful gases, easily leading to poisoning, suffocation, and other accidents. Furthermore, manual inspection is costly, requiring specialized protective equipment and personnel, and is difficult to conduct comprehensive inspections of long-distance, complex pipeline structures.

[0003] While existing pipe-crawling robots have improved operational efficiency and safety to some extent, they still face several technical challenges. First, their relatively large size and weight make them difficult to manufacture and deploy. Second, they lack the ability to navigate complex pipes, and are prone to getting stuck, slipping, or even tipping over when encountering protrusions or uneven surfaces. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the problems existing in the background technology, this utility model provides a pipe climbing robot for visual inspection of pipe defects.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this utility model is: It includes an upper chassis, a lower chassis, a pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment mechanism, a vision inspection module, a track crawling mechanism, and a shock absorption device. The upper chassis and the lower chassis are arranged vertically and horizontally at intervals and in a mirror image distribution. The upper chassis and the lower chassis are connected by the shock absorption device and the pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment mechanism. The track crawling mechanism is installed on both sides of the upper chassis and the lower chassis. The vision inspection module is installed on the front end of the upper surface of the lower chassis.

[0006] The pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment mechanism includes an inner circular component, a cylindrical plug, an outer sleeve, and an auxiliary fixing spring. The bottom end of the outer sleeve is fixed to the lower base plate, and the upper end of the outer sleeve is open. An auxiliary fixing spring is installed inside the opening, and a cylindrical plug is fixedly installed at the opening. The lower end of the inner circular component passes through the cylindrical plug and extends into the outer sleeve and is connected to the auxiliary fixing spring. The upper end of the inner circular component is fixedly connected to the upper base plate via a shock-absorbing device. The upper end face of the shock-absorbing device is fixed to the lower end face of the upper base plate.

[0007] The lower end of the cylindrical plunger has a groove, and the upper end of the outer sleeve has a buckle that matches the groove of the cylindrical plunger. The cylindrical plunger and the outer sleeve are fixedly installed by the groove and the buckle. Both the inner surface of the cylindrical plunger and the outer surface of the inner circular part have buckles, and the buckles of the two can cooperate with each other. When the cylindrical plunger rotates, it locks itself with the buckle of the inner circular part.

[0008] The track crawling mechanism includes a track, a deep groove ball bearing, a drive wheel, and a driven wheel; the drive wheel is mounted on the side of the front end of the upper / lower chassis via a deep groove ball bearing; the driven wheel is mounted on the side of the rear end of the upper / lower chassis via a deep groove ball bearing; the track is sleeved between the drive wheel and the driven wheel to form a belt drive.

[0009] The track crawling mechanism also includes a motor; the front ends of the upper chassis and the lower chassis are provided with motor fixing slots, and the motor is installed in the motor fixing slots; the output shaft of the motor is coaxially connected to the drive wheel.

[0010] The visual inspection module includes a fixed bracket, a camera, and a ring light source. The fixed bracket is installed on the front end of the upper surface of the lower chassis, the camera is installed on the fixed bracket, the ring light source is clamped on the camera, and the camera lens faces forward through the middle of the ring light source.

[0011] It also includes a circuit board protection compartment, which houses a robot control circuit board and an image processing circuit board.

[0012] The image processing circuit board is connected to the camera and the ring light source respectively. The robot control circuit board is connected to the image processing circuit board and is also connected to the motor.

[0013] The adjustment range of the pipe diameter adaptation mechanism is 20cm to 40cm for the inner diameter of the pipe.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: the robot of this utility model can adapt to pipes with a diameter of 20cm to 40cm, and the robot can detect defects such as cracks, intrusions, corrosion, and garbage inside the pipe. At the same time, it can detect the depth information of defects, such as the depth of corrosion. The whole device is small, portable, practical and reliable.

[0015] This invention features a compact structure, strong adaptability, high efficiency and accuracy in detection, and stable and reliable operation. It is suitable for automated detection of internal wall defects in pipes of various diameters. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the circuit protection compartment without a cover; Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the pipe diameter adaptation adjustment mechanism; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the track crawler mechanism; Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the visual inspection module.

[0017] In the diagram: 1. Upper chassis, 2. Shock absorption device, 3. Vision inspection module, 4. Lower chassis, 5. Motor, 6. Circuit board protection compartment, 7. Track crawling mechanism, 8. Pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment mechanism, 9. Robot control circuit board, 10. Image processing circuit board, 801. Inner circular component, 802. Cylindrical piston, 803. Outer sleeve, 804. Auxiliary fixing spring, 701. Track, 702. Drive wheel, 703. Deep groove ball bearing, 704. Driven wheel, 301. Ring light source, 302. Camera, 303. Camera mounting bracket. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, the robot specifically implemented includes an upper chassis 1, a lower chassis 4, a pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment mechanism 8, a vision inspection module 3, a tracked crawling mechanism 7, and a shock absorption device 2. Both the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4 are cuboid structures, arranged vertically and horizontally in a mirror image distribution. The upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4 are connected by the shock absorption device 2 and the pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment mechanism 8. The tracked crawling mechanism 7 is installed on both sides of the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4. The vision inspection module 3 is installed on the front end of the upper surface of the lower chassis 4.

[0020] like Figure 3 As shown, the pipe diameter adaptation adjustment mechanism 8 includes an inner circular part 801, a cylindrical plug 802, an outer sleeve 803, and an auxiliary fixing spring 804. The bottom end of the outer sleeve 803 is fixed to the lower base plate 4. The upper end of the outer sleeve 803 is open, and the auxiliary fixing spring 804 is installed in the opening. The cylindrical plug 802 is fixedly installed at the opening. The lower end of the inner circular part 801 passes through the cylindrical plug 802 and extends into the outer sleeve 803 and is connected to the auxiliary fixing spring 804. The upper end of the inner circular part 801 is fixedly connected to the upper base plate 1 via the shock absorption device 2.

[0021] In specific implementation, the upper end face of the inner circular component 801 is fixedly connected to the lower end face of the shock absorber 2, and the centers of their end faces coincide. The upper end face of the shock absorber 2 is fixedly connected to the upper chassis 1, and the center of the upper end face of the shock absorber 2 coincides with the center of the upper chassis 1. The lower end face of the outer sleeve 803 is fixedly connected to the lower chassis 4, and the center of the lower end face of the outer sleeve 803 coincides with the center of the lower chassis 4.

[0022] When the pipe climbing robot for visual inspection travels over protrusions or potholes on the inner surface of the pipe, its shock absorption device 2 will play a role through elastic buffering. When the tracked crawling mechanism 7 comes into contact with a protruding obstacle, the shock absorption device 2 will absorb the instantaneous impact force through compression deformation to prevent the robot from violently shaking due to rigid collision. When encountering pothole areas, the shock absorption device 2 will compensate for the gap between the track and the inner wall of the pipe in a timely manner through elastic reset to ensure that the track always maintains effective contact.

[0023] The inner circular component 801 has a cylindrical structure with multiple staggered buckles on its outer circumference. Its upper end is connected to the lower end of the shock-absorbing device 2, and the centers of their end faces coincide. The lower end of the inner circular component 801 is connected to the upper end of the auxiliary fixing spring 804. A axial guide rail groove is provided on both the front and rear sides. The lower end of the auxiliary fixing spring 804 is fixed to the inner bottom surface of the outer sleeve 803.

[0024] The inner wall of the outer sleeve 803 has an axial slide rail on each side, which engages with the guide rail groove of the inner circular part 801 to ensure that the inner circular part 801 does not rotate around its axis when making axial adjustments. Specifically, the inner wall of the outer sleeve 803 has an axial slide rail that engages with the guide rail groove of the inner circular part 801. The axial slide rail of the outer sleeve 803 restricts the inner circular part 801 to move only axially. The lower end face of the outer sleeve 803 is fixed to the middle of the upper surface of the lower base 4, and the center of the lower end face of the outer sleeve 803 coincides with the center of the upper surface of the lower base 4.

[0025] The upper end face of the shock absorber 2 is fixed to the lower end face of the upper chassis 1. The center of the upper end face of the shock absorber 2 coincides with the center of the lower surface of the upper chassis 1. This is used to buffer the impact of protruding or pitted structures in the pipe.

[0026] The lower end of the plunger 802 has a groove, and the upper end of the outer sleeve 803 has a buckle that matches the groove of the plunger 802. The plunger 802 and the outer sleeve 803 are fixedly installed by the groove and the buckle. The center of the lower end face of the plunger 802 is concentric with the upper end face of the outer sleeve 803. Both the inner surface of the plunger 802 and the outer surface of the inner circular part 801 are provided with buckles, and the buckles of the two can cooperate with each other. When the plunger 802 rotates, it locks itself with the buckle of the inner circular part 801.

[0027] More specifically, the cylindrical plug 802 is fitted onto the snap fastener on the upper end face of the outer sleeve 803 through its own slot, and the cylindrical plug 802 and the upper end face of the outer sleeve 803 are concentrically arranged. By rotating the cylindrical plug 802, the snap fastener on the cylindrical plug 802 can be locked with the snap fastener of the inner circular part 801. After the cylindrical plug 802 is rotated, its own slot will be misaligned with the snap fastener of the outer sleeve 803, thereby fixing it to the upper surface of the outer sleeve 803 and preventing it from moving up and down.

[0028] An auxiliary fixing spring 804 is provided inside the outer sleeve 803. The lower end face of the auxiliary fixing spring 804 is fixed to the inner bottom surface of the outer sleeve 803, and the upper end face of the auxiliary fixing spring 804 is fixed to the lower bottom surface of the inner circular part 801. The tension or elasticity of the auxiliary fixing spring 804 increases the friction of the contact surface when the piston 802 and the inner circular part 801 are fastened, thereby improving the stability of their fixation.

[0029] In the specific implementation, the lower end face of the auxiliary fixing spring 804 and the inner bottom face of the outer sleeve 803 are fixedly installed first. Then, the cylindrical plug 802 is installed through the buckle of the outer sleeve 803 so that the lower end face of the cylindrical plug 802 is concentric with the upper end face of the outer sleeve 803. Then, the inner circular piece 801 is fixedly connected to the auxiliary fixing spring 804 through the inside of the cylindrical plug 802.

[0030] like Figure 4 As shown, the track crawling mechanism 7 includes a track 701, a deep groove ball bearing 703, a drive wheel 702, and a driven wheel 704. The drive wheel 702 is mounted on the side of the front end of the upper chassis 1 / lower chassis 4. The driven wheel 704 is mounted on the side of the rear end of the upper chassis 1 / lower chassis 4 via the deep groove ball bearing 703. The drive wheel 702 and the driven wheel 704 in the same track crawling mechanism 7 are located on the same side of the upper chassis 1 / lower chassis 4. The two end faces of the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4 near the rear end are provided with shafts that cooperate with the deep groove ball bearings 703. The driven wheel 704 is mounted on the shafts of the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4 via the deep groove ball bearings 703.

[0031] The track 701 is fitted between the drive pulley 702 and the driven pulley 704 to form a belt drive. The drive pulley 702 drives the driven pulley 704 to rotate by driving the track 701, thereby making the entire track 701 perform a crawling motion.

[0032] The track crawling mechanism 7 also includes a motor 5. The front ends of the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4 are staggered with motor fixing slots. The motor 5 is installed in the motor fixing slots. The output shaft of the motor 5 is coaxially connected to the drive wheel 702 to transmit power and drive the drive wheel 702 to rotate.

[0033] Ultimately Figures 1-5As shown, the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4 are mirror images of each other. The left and right end faces of the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4 are staggered with motor fixing slots. The motor fixing slots are equipped with motors 5 for driving the track wheels. The output shaft of the motor 5 is connected to the drive wheel 702 of the track crawling mechanism 7 through deep groove ball bearings 703. The left and right end faces of the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4 are equipped with shafts. The positions of the shafts are directly opposite the positions of the motor fixing slots on the left and right end faces of the upper chassis 1 and the lower chassis 4, respectively. Two deep groove ball bearings 703 are fixed on the shafts. The driven wheel 704 is sleeved on the outside of the deep groove ball bearing 703. The track 701 is sleeved on the drive wheel 702 and the driven wheel 704. During operation, the robot control circuit board (9) controls the rotation of the motor 5. The motor drives the drive wheel 702 to rotate. The drive wheel drives the driven wheel 704 to rotate through the track, thereby making the entire track 701 crawl.

[0034] The visual inspection module 3 includes a fixed bracket 303, a camera 302, and a ring light source 301. The fixed bracket 303 is mounted on the front end of the upper surface of the lower chassis 4. The camera 302 is mounted on the fixed bracket 303, and the ring light source 301 is coaxially clamped to the camera 302. The lens of the camera 302 faces forward through the center of the ring light source 301. The visual inspection module 3 can acquire images of the inner wall of the pipe and process them in real time to identify defects such as cracks, root intrusion, corrosion, and debris, as well as their depth information. The processing results are sent to an external terminal.

[0035] In the specific implementation, the camera 302 in the vision inspection module 3 is first installed on the camera fixing bracket 303, and then the camera fixing bracket 303 is installed on the front end of the upper surface of the robot's lower chassis 4. The ring light source 301 is clamped on the camera 302 and is coaxially set with the camera 302.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, it also includes a circuit board protection compartment 6, which houses a robot control circuit board 9 and an image processing circuit board 10. The image processing circuit board includes, but is not limited to, AI development boards, such as Raspberry Pi; the robot control circuit board includes, but is not limited to, the ROS robot main control board.

[0037] In practice, the circuit board protection compartment 6 is installed at the rear end of the lower chassis 4 to install and protect the robot circuit board 9; the robot control circuit board 9 is installed inside the circuit board protection compartment 6.

[0038] The visual inspection module 3 also includes an image processing circuit board 10, which is installed in the circuit board protection compartment 6. The image processing circuit board 10 can process the acquired images in real time and send them to an external terminal.

[0039] like Figure 5As shown, the image processing circuit board 10 is connected to the camera 302 and the ring light source 301 via wires or other means to receive external signals received by the camera 302. The robot control circuit board 9 is connected to the image processing circuit board 10 via wires or other means to receive signals processed by the image processing circuit board 10. The robot control circuit board 9 is also connected to the motor 5 via wires or other means to control the speed of the motor to control the movement of the overall structure.

[0040] This pipe defect visual inspection climbing robot adapts to pipes with diameters ranging from 20cm to 40cm by adjusting the pipe diameter adaptation mechanism 8, allowing the robot to crawl inside pipes of different diameters. The robot can detect defects such as cracks, intrusions, corrosion, and debris inside the pipe, and can also detect the depth information of defects, such as the depth of corrosion. The image processing circuit board 10 processes and detects the collected images in real time before sending them to the terminal.

Claims

1. A pipe-climbing robot for visual inspection of pipe defects, characterized in that: It includes an upper chassis (1), a lower chassis (4), a pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment mechanism (8), a vision inspection module (3), a track crawling mechanism (7), and a shock absorption device (2); the upper chassis (1) and the lower chassis (4) are arranged vertically and horizontally at intervals and are distributed in a mirror image. The upper chassis (1) and the lower chassis (4) are connected by the shock absorption device (2) and the pipe diameter adaptation and adjustment mechanism (8). The track crawling mechanism (7) is installed on both sides of the upper chassis (1) and the lower chassis (4). The track crawling mechanism (7) is installed on both sides of the upper chassis (1) and the lower chassis (4). The vision inspection module (3) is installed on the front end of the upper surface of the lower chassis (4).

2. The pipe-climbing robot for visual inspection of pipe defects according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipe diameter adaptation adjustment mechanism (8) includes an inner circular part (801), a cylindrical plug (802), an outer sleeve (803), and an auxiliary fixing spring (804); the bottom end of the outer sleeve (803) is fixed to the lower chassis (4), the upper end of the outer sleeve (803) is open, the auxiliary fixing spring (804) is installed in the opening, the cylindrical plug (802) is fixedly installed at the opening, the lower end of the inner circular part (801) passes through the cylindrical plug (802) and extends into the outer sleeve (803) and is connected to the auxiliary fixing spring (804), the upper end of the inner circular part (801) is fixedly connected to the upper chassis (1) via a shock-absorbing device (2); the upper end face of the shock-absorbing device (2) is fixed to the lower end face of the upper chassis (1).

3. The pipe-climbing robot for visual inspection of pipe defects according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower end of the cylindrical plug (802) is provided with a groove, and the upper end of the outer sleeve (803) is provided with a buckle that matches the groove of the cylindrical plug (802). The cylindrical plug (802) and the outer sleeve (803) are fixedly installed by the groove and the buckle. The inner surface of the cylindrical plug (802) and the outer surface of the inner circular part (801) are both provided with buckles, and the buckles of the two can cooperate with each other. When the cylindrical plug (802) rotates, it locks itself with the buckle of the inner circular part (801).

4. The pipe-climbing robot for visual inspection of pipe defects according to claim 1, characterized in that: The track crawling mechanism (7) includes a track (701), a deep groove ball bearing (703), a drive wheel (702), and a driven wheel (704); the drive wheel (702) is mounted on the side of the front end of the upper chassis (1) / lower chassis (4) via the deep groove ball bearing (703); the driven wheel (704) is mounted on the side of the rear end of the upper chassis (1) / lower chassis (4) via the deep groove ball bearing (703); the track (701) is sleeved between the drive wheel (702) and the driven wheel (704) to form a belt drive.

5. The pipe defect visual inspection climbing robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The track crawling mechanism (7) also includes a motor (5); the front ends of the upper chassis (1) and the lower chassis (4) are provided with motor fixing slots, and the motor (5) is installed in the motor fixing slots; the output shaft of the motor (5) is coaxially connected to the drive wheel (702).

6. The pipe-climbing robot for visual inspection of pipe defects according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visual inspection module (3) includes a fixed bracket (303), a camera (302) and a ring light source (301). The fixed bracket (303) is installed on the front end of the upper surface of the lower chassis (4). The camera (302) is installed on the fixed bracket (303). The ring light source (301) is clamped on the camera (302). The lens end of the camera (302) faces forward through the middle of the ring light source (301).

7. The pipe-climbing robot for visual inspection of pipe defects according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a circuit board protection compartment (6), which houses a robot control circuit board (9) and an image processing circuit board (10).

8. The pipe defect visual inspection climbing robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: The image processing circuit board (10) is connected to the camera (302) and the ring light source (301) respectively. The robot control circuit board (9) is connected to the image processing circuit board (10) and the robot control circuit board (9) is connected to the motor (5).

9. The pipe-climbing robot for visual inspection of pipe defects according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment range of the pipe diameter adaptation adjustment mechanism (8) is 20cm to 40cm for the inner diameter of the pipe.

Images