A front-mounted holder structure and a patrol robot using the same

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of front holder structure, it is related to the technical field of inspection robot, a kind of front holder structure, including shell, the middle part of shell is fixedly installed with network camera, network camera is set to elevation angle, the both sides of network camera are symmetrically provided with thermal imaging module, thermal imaging module is set to elevation angle, and thermal imaging module forms included angle to the side away from network camera.The front holder structure, according to the angle of inclination of the roller group of conveying belt, the network camera and thermal imaging module in shell can cover the whole area of the longitudinal direction of the roller group of conveying belt, the network camera in the middle part of shell forms elevation angle upward, can cover the roller group, the thermal imaging module of the both sides forms elevation angle upward and forms included angle outward simultaneously symmetrically layout, to reach the best visual angle visual detection and temperature monitoring, without adjusting angle through horizontal / vertical rotating mechanism in prior art can realize the monitoring of larger area and continuous monitoring of specified area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of inspection robot technology, and more specifically, to an inspection robot with a front-mounted gimbal structure and its application. Background Technology

[0002] In mining, port, and power plant settings, conveyor belts are core equipment for material handling. The idlers beneath these belts are constantly rotating, making them prone to wear, jamming, and abnormal temperature fluctuations. Regular inspections by inspection robots are necessary. Currently, the inspection pan-tilt units commonly used in inspection robots are rotary pan-tilt units. These units must satisfy both horizontal and vertical rotation degrees of freedom, powered by motors. Wide-range monitoring is achieved through the coordinated action of the horizontal and vertical rotation mechanisms.

[0003] Reference Figure 4 Since idler roller assemblies typically consist of three roller sections, with two symmetrically arranged inclined idler rollers, the gimbal used for inspection employs both horizontal and vertical rotation mechanisms to accommodate the inspection angle of the inclined idler rollers. However, existing rotating gimbals have significant drawbacks. During rotation, the internal cables of the horizontal and vertical mechanisms are prone to tangling and wear, leading to increased gimbal failure rates or malfunctions. Furthermore, the rotation angle is usually limited to 360°, restricting the monitoring range. Additionally, the rotating gimbal cannot maintain stable alignment with a designated area (such as conveyor belt idler roller assemblies) during rotation, resulting in inspection interruptions or missed detections, failing to meet the continuous and comprehensive inspection requirements of conveyor belt idler rollers. Therefore, designing a gimbal structure that enables large-area monitoring, low failure rates, smooth operation, and continuous monitoring of a designated area has become a pressing technical challenge in this field. Utility Model Content

[0004] This invention aims to solve the problems of existing pan-tilt structures, such as difficulty in monitoring large areas, low failure rate, unsmooth operation, and difficulty in continuously monitoring designated areas.

[0005] To solve the above problems, this utility model provides a front-mounted gimbal structure, including a housing, in which a network camera is fixedly installed in the middle, and the network camera is set at an upward angle relative to the roller assembly. The network camera has thermal imaging modules symmetrically arranged on both sides. The thermal imaging modules are set at an upward angle relative to the roller assembly, and the thermal imaging modules form an angle with the side away from the network camera.

[0006] The front-mounted gimbal structure provided by this utility model has, but is not limited to, the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art: This front-mounted gimbal structure allows the overall angle of the housing to be designed according to the angle of the conveyor belt's inclined idler rollers. It eliminates the need to rely on the horizontal / vertical rotation mechanism of traditional rotating gimbals. By matching the roller's tilt state with a fixed angle, it avoids problems such as wire winding, wire grinding, and limited rotation angle caused by rotation from the structural root, reducing the failure rate and making the gimbal operate more smoothly. At the same time, it ensures that the subsequent network camera and thermal imaging module can accurately align with the idler roller area, providing a prerequisite for covering the idler roller group.

[0007] Based on the angle of the inclined idlers on the conveyor belt, the network camera and thermal imaging module inside the housing can cover the entire area of ​​the inspected idler group in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt. The network camera in the middle of the housing forms an upward angle. When the inspection robot moves laterally, the network camera can cover the idler group. The thermal imaging modules on both sides form a symmetrical layout. The thermal imaging modules form an upward angle and an outward angle, corresponding to the symmetrically set inclined idlers, thereby achieving the best visual inspection and temperature monitoring perspective. There is no need to adjust the angle through the horizontal / vertical rotation mechanism in the existing technology. It can cover the idler group simply by relying on the lateral movement of the inspection robot, realizing the monitoring of a large area and continuous monitoring of a designated area.

[0008] Furthermore, the outer casing has a camera window and a thermal imaging window, which are respectively configured to correspond to the network camera and the thermal imaging module.

[0009] Furthermore, glass is adhered to the camera window.

[0010] Furthermore, a germanium sheet is adhered to the thermal imaging window.

[0011] Furthermore, the network camera is fixedly equipped with a photosensitive plate.

[0012] Furthermore, a light-blocking ring is fixedly installed on the photosensitive plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the thermal imaging module is fixedly mounted with an isolation plate, which is fixedly connected to the outer casing.

[0014] Furthermore, the isolation plate is fixedly connected to the network camera.

[0015] Furthermore, the isolation plate is fixedly mounted with an installation plate, and the installation plate is fixedly mounted with a USB HUB board.

[0016] An inspection robot includes a robot body connected to a front-mounted gimbal structure as described above.

[0017] Since the technological improvements and beneficial effects of the inspection robot are at least the same as those of the front-mounted gimbal structure, the seat will not be described in detail here. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a front view of the front gimbal structure according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 2 This is a rear view of the front gimbal structure according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the front gimbal structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a roller assembly in the prior art.

[0019] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Glass; 2. Germanium sheet; 3. Housing; 31. Thermal imaging window; 32. Camera window; 4. Aperture block; 5. Photosensitive plate; 6. Thermal imaging module; 7. Isolation plate; 8. Webcam; 9. Mounting plate; 10. USB HUB board. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing multiple embodiments according to this application. It should be understood that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments described in this application without creative effort will fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains; the terminology used in the description of this application is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit this application; the terms "comprising," "including," "having," "containing," etc., in the description, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are open-ended terms. Therefore, "comprising," "including," or "having" refers to, for example, a method or apparatus having one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to having only these one or more elements. The terms "first," "second," etc., in the description, claims, or accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order or hierarchy. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0022] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0023] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "attachment" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] It should be emphasized that when the term "comprising / including" is used in this specification, it is used to explicitly indicate the presence of the stated feature, integer, step, or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, parts, or groups of features, integers, steps, or parts.

[0025] In this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, in this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0026] To meet the needs of monitoring large areas, the current market primarily uses rotating gimbals. These gimbals must satisfy at least two degrees of freedom, therefore, they typically include both vertical and horizontal rotation mechanisms. The horizontal and vertical rotation mechanisms are powered by motors. However, this connection scheme is prone to issues such as wire winding, wire rubbing, or rotation angles not exceeding 360˚, leading to increased product failure rates or malfunctions. Furthermore, the rotating structure has many gaps, making waterproofing difficult and prone to failure in humid or dusty environments due to water ingress or dust accumulation. Additionally, the gimbal cannot maintain stable alignment with a designated area (such as conveyor belt idler rollers) during rotation, causing detection interruptions or missed detections, making it difficult to meet the continuous and comprehensive inspection requirements of conveyor belt idler rollers.

[0027] See Figures 1-3An embodiment of the present invention provides a front-mounted gimbal structure, including a housing 3 that matches the angle of the inclined idler rollers of the conveyor belt, and a network camera 8 fixedly installed in the middle of the housing 3, the network camera 8 being set at an upward angle relative to the idler roller assembly.

[0028] Thermal imaging modules 6 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the network camera 8. The thermal imaging modules 6 are set at an upward angle relative to the roller group, and the thermal imaging modules 6 form an angle with the side away from the network camera 8.

[0029] The thermal imaging module 6 typically includes an infrared sensor, a processing unit, and an image display interface, which facilitates the capture of infrared radiation from objects or scenes and its conversion into thermal images for information transmission.

[0030] In this embodiment, the overall angle of the outer shell 3 can be designed according to the angle of the inclined idler roller of the conveyor belt. It does not need to rely on the horizontal / vertical rotation mechanism of the traditional rotating gimbal. By matching the inclined state of the idler roller with a fixed angle, the problems of winding, grinding and limited rotation angle caused by rotation are avoided from the structural root, reducing the failure rate and making the gimbal run more smoothly. At the same time, it ensures that the subsequent network camera 8 and thermal imaging module 6 can accurately align with the idler roller area, providing a prerequisite for covering the idler roller group.

[0031] Specifically, based on the angle of the inclined idlers on the conveyor belt, the network camera 8 and thermal imaging module 6 inside the housing 3 can cover the entire area of ​​the inspected idler group in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt. The network camera 8 in the middle of the housing 3 forms an upward angle. When the inspection robot moves laterally, the network camera 8 can cover the idler group, and the thermal imaging modules 6 on both sides form a symmetrical layout. The thermal imaging modules 6 form an upward angle and an outward angle, corresponding to the symmetrically arranged inclined idlers, thereby achieving optimal visual inspection and temperature monitoring from the best perspective. There is no need to adjust the angle through the horizontal / vertical rotation mechanism in the existing technology. It can cover the idler group simply by relying on the lateral movement of the inspection robot, realizing the monitoring of a large area and continuous monitoring of a designated area.

[0032] Optionally, the housing 3 has a camera window 32 and a thermal imaging window 31, which are respectively set to correspond to the network camera 8 and the thermal imaging module 6.

[0033] A glass 1 is bonded to the camera window 32, and a germanium sheet 2 is bonded to the thermal imaging window 31. Both the glass 1 and the germanium sheet 2 have light transmission and protection functions, which not only ensure the detection field of view of the network camera 8 and the thermal imaging module 6, but also play a role in waterproofing and dustproofing.

[0034] Optionally, the network camera 8 is fixedly mounted with a photosensitive plate 5, and the photosensitive plate 5 is fixedly mounted with a light-blocking ring 4.

[0035] In this embodiment, since the inspection scene may contain interfering light such as direct sunlight, reflections, and dust scattering, the light-blocking ring 4, through a physical blocking structure, only allows target light (i.e., reflected light from the idler roller area) along the lens axis of the network camera 8 to enter the lens, filtering out stray light from the sides and at an angle. This reduces image glare, halo, and contrast reduction caused by stray light, ensuring that the idler roller image captured by the network camera 8 has clear edges and discernible details. Combined with the elevation angle design of the network camera 8, the detection field of view is further limited, allowing the lens of the network camera 8 to focus more accurately on the conveyor belt idler roller group, preventing irrelevant backgrounds (such as the ground and frame) from entering the image and reducing interference from subsequent image analysis.

[0036] The photosensitive plate 5, employing a light sensor board, is assembled in conjunction with the network camera 8 and the aperture baffle 4. Its core function is to detect ambient light parameters in real time, providing data support for image optimization. During operation, the photosensitive plate 5 collects ambient light data from outside the pan-tilt unit in real time and transmits the data via circuitry to the main control system of the inspection robot. When the light intensity is insufficient, the main control system can trigger the supplementary lighting function of the network camera 8 (such as activating the built-in supplementary light) or adjust the camera's exposure time and ISO parameters based on the signal from the photosensitive plate 5, ensuring that clear images of the idler rollers can be captured even in low-light environments. This avoids image quality fluctuations caused by sudden changes in lighting conditions, ensuring that the network camera 8 can stably output images that meet inspection requirements in different environments, thus guaranteeing continuous and accurate identification of appearance defects on the idler rollers.

[0037] The photosensitive plate 5, the aperture 4, and the network camera 8 work together to solve the problem of low visual inspection accuracy caused by complex lighting conditions in inspection scenarios. They are important auxiliary components for achieving optimal visual inspection targets.

[0038] Optionally, the thermal imaging module 6 is fixedly mounted with an isolation plate 7, which is fixedly connected to the housing 3. The isolation plate 7 is fixedly connected to the network camera 8. The isolation plate 7 is fixedly mounted with a mounting plate 9, and the mounting plate 9 is fixedly mounted with a USB hub board 10.

[0039] Another embodiment of this utility model also provides an inspection robot, including a robot body, the robot body being connected to a front-mounted gimbal structure as described above.

[0040] Specifically, the rear end of the outer shell 3 is fixed to the front end of the robot body, and a sealing gasket is installed at the fixing position to further improve waterproof performance. The robot body is electrically connected to the USB HUB board 10.

[0041] Since the technological improvements and beneficial effects of the inspection robot are the same as those of the front-mounted gimbal structure, the inspection robot will not be described in detail again.

[0042] Although the present invention has been disclosed above, its scope of protection is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such changes and modifications will fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A front-mounted gimbal structure, characterized in that, Includes a housing (3) that matches the angle of the inclined idler rollers of the conveyor belt, and a network camera (8) is fixedly installed in the middle of the housing (3), the network camera (8) being set at an upward angle relative to the idler roller assembly; Thermal imaging modules (6) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the network camera (8). The thermal imaging modules (6) are arranged at an upward angle relative to the roller group, and the thermal imaging modules (6) form an angle to the side away from the network camera (8).

2. The front-mounted gimbal structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer casing (3) has a camera window (32) and a thermal imaging window (31), and the camera window (32) and the thermal imaging window (31) are respectively set to correspond to the network camera (8) and the thermal imaging module (6).

3. The front-mounted gimbal structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, A piece of glass (1) is bonded to the camera window (32).

4. The front-mounted gimbal structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, A germanium sheet (2) is attached to the thermal imaging window (31).

5. The front-mounted gimbal structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The network camera (8) is fixedly mounted with a photosensitive plate (5).

6. The front-mounted gimbal structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The photosensitive plate (5) is fixedly equipped with a light-blocking ring (4).

7. The front-mounted gimbal structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thermal imaging module (6) is fixedly mounted with an isolation plate (7), which is fixedly connected to the outer shell (3).

8. The front-mounted gimbal structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The isolation plate (7) is fixedly connected to the network camera (8).

9. The front-mounted gimbal structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The isolation plate (7) is fixedly mounted with the mounting plate (9), and the mounting plate (9) is fixedly mounted with the USB HUB board (10).

10. An inspection robot, characterized in that, It includes a robot body, which is connected to a front-mounted gimbal structure as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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