Laser cleaning robot

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a laser cleaning robot, comprising: a wall-climbing robot platform, at least two lasers, and a scanning galvanometer corresponding to each laser; the wall-climbing robot platform carries the lasers and the scanning galvanometers to move along the wall surface of the tower drum; the scanning galvanometer is arranged at the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform; the laser is connected with the corresponding scanning galvanometer to transmit a laser generated by the laser for cleaning; the scanning galvanometer controls the focusing of each laser in the corresponding cleaning area to realize scanning cleaning of the laser in the cleaning area. The present disclosure can control the cleaning area, laser power, scanning route, etc. of each laser according to the distribution of dirt on the wall surface of the tower drum by using multiple independent lasers for cleaning, the cleaning areas can be connected in sequence to form a piece or partially superimposed, the cleaning range is expanded, the scanning edge out-of-focus failure is avoided, the time spent is reduced, the cleaning efficiency is improved, and the cleaning effect is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of wind turbine tower maintenance technology, and in particular to a laser cleaning robot. Background Technology

[0002] Wind power generation is receiving increasing attention, and the installed capacity of wind turbines is increasing year by year. However, due to environmental factors and gear oil leaks, wind turbine towers often accumulate a large amount of dirt, which greatly affects the lifespan of wind turbines, thus requiring frequent cleaning. Currently, laser cleaning robots, with their advantages of safety, efficiency, and environmental friendliness, are gradually gaining attention and are being applied to wind turbine tower cleaning.

[0003] Existing tower laser cleaning robots mainly consist of a wall-climbing robot platform, a laser, and a corresponding scanning galvanometer. During cleaning operations, the wall-climbing robot, carrying the laser cleaning equipment, moves along the wall. The laser generates the laser light required for cleaning, and the laser light is focused onto the cleaning surface through the lens group of the scanning galvanometer. Furthermore, the two-dimensional scanning galvanometer scans the target surface to achieve the purpose of laser cleaning. Existing tower laser cleaning robots suffer from drawbacks such as a small cleaning range, easy defocusing at scanning edges, high cleaning time, low cleaning efficiency, and unsatisfactory cleaning results. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this disclosure is to address the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art, and to provide a laser cleaning robot.

[0005] This disclosure solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution:

[0006] This disclosure provides a laser cleaning robot, which includes: a wall-climbing robot platform, at least two lasers, and scanning galvanometers corresponding to each laser;

[0007] The wall-climbing robot platform is used to carry the laser and the scanning galvanometer and move along the wall of the tower.

[0008] The scanning galvanometer is positioned at the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform;

[0009] The laser is connected to the corresponding scanning galvanometer to transmit a laser path required for cleaning.

[0010] The scanning galvanometer is used to control the focusing of each laser beam within the corresponding cleaning area, so as to enable the laser to perform scanning cleaning within the cleaning area.

[0011] Optionally, the laser cleaning robot further includes: a controller;

[0012] The controller is electrically connected to the laser and the scanning galvanometer, respectively.

[0013] The controller is used to send a first control command to the laser to control the on / off state of the laser and the power of the laser;

[0014] The controller is also used to send a second control command to the scanning galvanometer to control the position and angle of the scanning galvanometer.

[0015] Optionally, the controller is further configured to set the energy, pulse width, and frequency of each laser path respectively through the first control command, so as to control the power of the laser.

[0016] Optionally, the controller is further configured to control the position and angle of each of the scanning galvanometers respectively through the second control command, so as to realize the scanning path of each laser.

[0017] Optionally, the laser cleaning robot further includes: a camera;

[0018] The camera is mounted at the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform, and the controller is also electrically connected to the camera;

[0019] The camera is used to capture images containing the cleaning area and transmit the images to the controller.

[0020] Optionally, the camera is located below the scanning galvanometer.

[0021] Optionally, the scanning galvanometers are arranged along the width direction of the wall-climbing robot platform.

[0022] Optionally, both the laser and the controller are located above the wall-climbing robot platform.

[0023] Optionally, both the laser and the controller are dragged to the rear end of the wall-climbing robot platform.

[0024] Optionally, the laser cleaning robot further includes: a roller brush cleaning device;

[0025] The roller brush cleaning device is located below the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform;

[0026] The roller brush cleaning device is used to clean the tower by contacting the roller brush with the wall surface and by the roller brush rolling on the wall surface.

[0027] Based on common knowledge in the field, the above-mentioned preferred conditions can be combined arbitrarily to obtain various preferred embodiments of this disclosure.

[0028] The positive and progressive effects of this disclosure are as follows: multiple (at least two) lasers are emitted for cleaning using at least two lasers and corresponding scanning galvanometers. The control of the multiple lasers is independent of each other. The controller can set and adjust the control parameters of the laser and scanning galvanometer corresponding to each laser through control commands. It can control the cleaning area, laser power, and scanning path of each laser according to the distribution of dirt on the tower wall. The cleaning areas can be connected sequentially to form a sheet or partially superimposed to expand the total cleaning area. The cleaning areas can also be partially or completely superimposed, but the multiple lasers use different laser powers and different scanning paths to adapt to dirt of different severity, thereby expanding the cleaning range, avoiding defocusing failure at the scanning edge, reducing time, improving cleaning efficiency, and enhancing the cleaning effect. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a laser cleaning robot provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a laser cleaning robot provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another laser cleaning robot provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present disclosure is further illustrated below by way of embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to the scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0033] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" used in this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not limit the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the described objects. The use of ordinal numbers and other prefixes used to distinguish descriptive objects in this disclosure does not constitute a limitation on the described objects. The description of the described objects is given in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and should not be construed as an unnecessary limitation. Furthermore, in the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a laser cleaning robot provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the modules of the laser cleaning robot, which includes: a wall-climbing robot platform 1, at least two lasers 2, and scanning galvanometers 3 corresponding to each laser.

[0035] The wall-climbing robot platform 1 is used to carry the laser 2 and the scanning galvanometer 3 and move along the wall of the tower.

[0036] The scanning galvanometer 3 is positioned at the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform 1.

[0037] Laser 2 is connected to the corresponding scanning galvanometer 3 to transmit the laser beam required for cleaning generated by laser 2.

[0038] The scanning galvanometer 3 is used to control the focusing of each laser beam within its corresponding cleaning area, so as to enable the laser to perform scanning cleaning within the cleaning area.

[0039] Among them, laser 2 can be set in Figure 1 or Figure 3 The interior of the outer casing 20 shown.

[0040] The structures of the wall-climbing robot platform, laser, and scanning galvanometer are all existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0041] Each laser 2 and its corresponding scanning galvanometer 3 emits one laser beam for cleaning, providing multiple (at least two) laser beams, with independent control of each beam. Specifically, the position and angle of each scanning galvanometer can be freely adjusted to adapt the corresponding laser beam to the curved surface of the tower wall for cleaning. The cleaning area and scanning path of each laser beam can be adjusted according to actual working conditions. Simultaneously, the laser power of each laser beam can be controlled and adjusted to achieve collaborative cleaning using multiple laser beams. Actual working conditions can be obtained through image acquisition and analysis of the tower wall contaminants. The parameters of the lasers from different beams can be different or the same, and the controller can individually control each laser beam through independent first control commands.

[0042] The scanning galvanometer needs to be kept at a certain height relative to the bottom of the wall-climbing robot platform to maintain a certain distance from the tower wall, facilitating adjustments to its position and angle, and thus improving the laser cleaning effect. The height of the scanning galvanometer relative to the bottom of the wall-climbing robot platform can be set according to the actual situation.

[0043] When the stains on the tower wall are not severe, laser cleaning requires low power and does not need a complex scanning cleaning mode. The cleaning area (effective scanning range) of each laser beam is rectangular. The position and angle of the scanning galvanometer can be adjusted to ensure that the cleaning areas of each laser beam are exactly connected, with adjacent cleaning areas coinciding and having no overlap. This also allows the cleaning robot to adapt to curved surfaces and avoid defocusing. In this configuration, the laser cleaning robot can achieve the largest possible laser cleaning area, thus maximizing cleaning efficiency. Under these conditions, the total cleaning area of ​​the multiple laser beams can be equal in length to the width of the climbing robot platform.

[0044] In situations where the stains on the tower wall are complex, their thickness and distribution are uneven, requiring different laser powers for different areas. Laser power is determined by parameters such as laser energy, pulse width, and frequency. In such cases, the scanning mirrors of multiple lasers can be adjusted to overlap their cleaning areas. The size and position of this overlap area can be set according to actual working conditions. Within the overlap area, the energy of multiple lasers can be arbitrarily superimposed to achieve the desired energy intensity distribution. Furthermore, because the lasers (laser light sources) are independent, each laser can be set with distinctly different technical parameters, enabling multi-laser synergistic cleaning in the overlap area. Laser composite cleaning technology is not simply the superposition of two lasers; its energy utilization rate is far greater than the simple addition of two light sources. Simultaneously, the combined effect of the lasers is more conducive to the removal of complex contaminants, achieving results superior to single-laser cleaning.

[0045] In collaborative composite cleaning, adjacent scanning galvanometers can be set to different scanning modes to achieve effects that a single scanning galvanometer cannot, such as a combination of fast and slow scans, long and short scans, and linear and nonlinear scan superposition. For example, one laser scanning galvanometer can be set to perform linear scanning, while another laser scanning galvanometer performs curved scanning. In the overlapping area, the two cleaning lasers can create a cleaning effect with varying intensity and delay, resulting in repeated scanning in some areas and single scanning in others, avoiding waste of energy and efficiency. The composite cleaning mode can be set during operation or adjusted on-site based on experimental results to improve efficiency and then directly called upon during operation. Specific laser and scanning parameters can be set manually on-site or automatically adjusted by the controller based on long-term experimental and operational data.

[0046] The laser cleaning robot in this embodiment achieves the following effects through the coordinated cleaning of multiple (at least two) laser beams:

[0047] (1) Effectively expands the total cleaning area of ​​the laser and improves cleaning efficiency;

[0048] (2) While expanding the total cleaning area, adapt the laser to the arc surface of the tower to avoid defocusing;

[0049] (3) To achieve the adjustment of the intensity distribution of laser energy within the scanning area to meet the different needs of the fouling distribution on the tower wall;

[0050] (4) Achieve synergistic action of multiple lasers with different laser parameters to achieve composite cleaning, optimize energy utilization and cleaning effect;

[0051] (5) It makes the laser cleaning scanning modes more diverse, meets the specific requirements of different complex working conditions, and helps to introduce intelligent control algorithms to improve efficiency.

[0052] It is worth mentioning that the laser power threshold can be set throughout the cleaning process to prevent the laser from damaging the paint surface, ensuring that the paint surface on the tower is not damaged while removing stains.

[0053] In this embodiment, cleaning is performed by emitting multiple (at least two) lasers through at least two lasers and corresponding scanning galvanometers. The control of the multiple lasers is independent of each other. The controller can set and adjust the control parameters of the laser and scanning galvanometer corresponding to each laser through control commands. It can control the cleaning area, laser power, scanning path, etc. of each laser according to the distribution of dirt on the tower wall. The cleaning areas can be connected in sequence to form a sheet or partially superimposed to expand the total cleaning area. The cleaning areas can also be partially superimposed or completely superimposed, but the multiple lasers use different laser powers and different scanning paths to adapt to dirt of different severity, thereby expanding the cleaning range, avoiding defocus failure at the scanning edge, reducing time, improving cleaning efficiency, and enhancing the cleaning effect.

[0054] In an optional embodiment, refer to Figure 2 The laser cleaning robot also includes: controller 4.

[0055] The controller 4 is electrically connected to the laser 2 and the scanning galvanometer 3 respectively.

[0056] The controller 4 is used to send a first control command to the laser 2 to control the switching state of the laser 2 and the power of the laser.

[0057] The controller 4 is also used to send a second control command to the scanning galvanometer 3 to control the position and angle of the scanning galvanometer 3.

[0058] Among them, controller 4 can be set to Figure 1 or Figure 3 The interior of the outer casing 20 shown.

[0059] The controller 4 controls the switching status and laser power of each laser channel through the first control command.

[0060] The controller 4 controls the position and angle of the scanning mirror of each laser path through the second control command, thereby controlling the cleaning area and scanning path of each laser path.

[0061] The controller 4 can set the cleaning area, laser power, and scanning path of each laser based on the distribution and thickness of the dirt. The distribution and thickness of the dirt can be imported from external devices or obtained by the controller 4 through image recognition based on image data of the tower wall.

[0062] In this embodiment, the controller controls the on / off state and laser power of each laser path through a first control command, and controls the position and angle of the scanning galvanometer of each laser path through a second control command, thereby controlling the cleaning area and scanning path of each laser path. The cleaning areas can be connected sequentially to form a sheet or partially superimposed to expand the total cleaning area. The cleaning areas can also be partially or completely superimposed, but multiple lasers use different laser powers and different scanning paths to adapt to dirt of different severity, thereby expanding the cleaning range, avoiding defocus failure at the scanning edge, reducing time, improving cleaning efficiency, and enhancing the cleaning effect.

[0063] In an optional embodiment, the controller 4 is further configured to set the energy, pulse width, and frequency of each laser path respectively via a first control command to control the power of the laser.

[0064] In this embodiment, the power of each laser path is determined by the energy, pulse width, and frequency of that laser path. The required laser power can be set according to the correspondence between the laser energy, pulse width, frequency, and laser power, which can be determined by experimental data.

[0065] In an optional embodiment, the controller 4 is also configured to control the position and angle of each scanning galvanometer 3 respectively through a second control command to realize the scanning path of each laser.

[0066] In this embodiment, the change in the position and angle of the scanning galvanometer causes the laser scanning point to move, so the scanning path of each laser can be set by setting the position and angle of each scanning galvanometer.

[0067] In an optional embodiment, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The laser cleaning robot also includes: camera 5.

[0068] Camera 5 is located at the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform 1, and controller 4 is also electrically connected to camera 5.

[0069] Camera 5 is used to capture images containing the cleaning area and transmit the images to controller 4.

[0070] The camera 5 is preferably a wide-angle camera. The camera 5 collects image data of the tower wall and transmits the image data to the controller 4. The controller 4 performs image recognition to identify the distribution and thickness of the dirt on the tower wall. There are various image recognition methods in the prior art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0071] The controller 4 can set the cleaning area, laser power, and scanning path of each laser according to the distribution and thickness of the dirt.

[0072] Camera 5 collects image data of the cleaned wall surface. Controller 4 can judge the cleaning effect by recognizing the image data of the cleaned wall surface. If the cleaning effect is deemed acceptable, the work continues to the next area. If the cleaning effect is deemed unacceptable, the control equipment is reversed, and the parameters and formula are adjusted to start the work again. At the same time, a prompt signal is sent to the operator below the tower. If the operator believes that it is not necessary to start the work again, he / she can choose to skip the area and continue working.

[0073] The relative positions of the camera and the scanning galvanometer can be set according to the actual situation.

[0074] In this embodiment, image data of the tower wall surface collected by the camera is used to identify the distribution and thickness of dirt on the tower wall surface through image recognition technology, thereby controlling multiple lasers to perform coordinated cleaning and verifying the cleaning effect.

[0075] In an optional embodiment, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 Camera 5 is located below scanning mirror 3.

[0076] In this embodiment, since the scanning galvanometer needs to be at a high position, the camera is located below the scanning galvanometer to have a full shooting angle and will not affect the operation of the scanning galvanometer.

[0077] In an optional embodiment, refer to Figure 1 The scanning galvanometer 3 is arranged along the width direction of the wall-climbing robot platform 1.

[0078] In this embodiment, the scanning galvanometers are arranged along the width of the wall-climbing robot platform, which is beneficial for connecting the cleaning areas one by one into a whole or partially overlapping them to increase the total cleaning area. This adapts to the advancement of the wall-climbing robot platform, reduces or avoids the laser cleaning robot traveling back and forth to the same wall area, and reduces the travel distance.

[0079] In an optional embodiment, refer to Figure 1 Laser 2 and controller 4 are both located above the wall-climbing robot platform 1.

[0080] In this embodiment, both the laser and the controller are located above the wall-climbing robot platform, making the structure of the laser cleaning robot compact.

[0081] In an optional embodiment, refer to Figure 3 Both the laser 2 and the controller 4 are dragged to the rear end of the wall-climbing robot platform 1.

[0082] In this embodiment, both the laser and the controller are dragged to the rear end of the wall-climbing robot platform, which can reduce the height of the laser cleaning robot and bring the center of gravity of the entire laser cleaning robot closer to the tower, thus reducing wind resistance.

[0083] In an optional embodiment, refer to Figure 3 The laser cleaning robot also includes: a roller brush cleaning device 6.

[0084] The roller brush cleaning device 6 is located at the lower front end of the wall-climbing robot platform 1.

[0085] The roller brush cleaning device 6 is used to clean the tower wall by having the roller brush contact the tower wall and by having the roller brush roll on the wall.

[0086] in, Figure 3 As an example only, it is understandable that the location of the roller brush cleaning device 6 is not related to the location of the laser 2 or the controller.

[0087] To avoid damaging the wall surface due to excessive laser energy in areas with mild dirt, the roller brush cleaning device 6 can be used to clean away heavily soiled areas and evenly distribute any remaining dirt. Specifically, the roller brush of the roller brush cleaning device 6 rotates as the wall-climbing robot platform 1 moves.

[0088] In this embodiment, the device can first clean the area with a roller brush to remove severe dirt and make the remaining dirt evenly distributed, and then clean it with a laser.

[0089] In another embodiment, the roller brush cleaning device 6 is provided with a drive device to drive the roller brush to roll, and the controller 4 is also electrically connected to the drive device; the controller 4 is used to send a third control command to the drive device to control the working state of the drive device (e.g., start / stop state, speed), thereby controlling the rolling state of the roller brush (e.g., speed).

[0090] While specific embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of this disclosure, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A laser cleaning robot, characterized in that, The laser cleaning robot includes: a wall-climbing robot platform, at least two lasers, and scanning galvanometers corresponding to each laser; The wall-climbing robot platform is used to carry the laser and the scanning galvanometer and move along the wall of the tower. The scanning galvanometer is positioned at the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform; The laser is connected to the corresponding scanning galvanometer to transmit a laser path required for cleaning. The scanning galvanometer is used to control the focusing of each laser beam within the corresponding cleaning area, so as to enable the laser to perform scanning cleaning within the cleaning area.

2. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The laser cleaning robot also includes: a controller; The controller is electrically connected to the laser and the scanning galvanometer, respectively. The controller is used to send a first control command to the laser to control the on / off state of the laser and the power of the laser; The controller is also used to send a second control command to the scanning galvanometer to control the position and angle of the scanning galvanometer.

3. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The controller is also used to set the energy, pulse width and frequency of each laser path respectively through the first control command, so as to control the power of the laser.

4. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The controller is also used to control the position and angle of each of the scanning galvanometers respectively through the second control command, so as to realize the scanning path of each laser.

5. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The laser cleaning robot also includes: a camera; The camera is mounted at the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform, and the controller is also electrically connected to the camera; The camera is used to capture images containing the cleaning area and transmit the images to the controller.

6. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The camera is located below the scanning galvanometer.

7. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The scanning galvanometers are arranged along the width of the wall-climbing robot platform.

8. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Both the laser and the controller are located above the wall-climbing robot platform.

9. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Both the laser and the controller are dragged to the rear end of the wall-climbing robot platform.

10. The laser cleaning robot as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The laser cleaning robot also includes: a roller brush cleaning device; The roller brush cleaning device is located below the front end of the wall-climbing robot platform; The roller brush cleaning device is used to clean the tower by contacting the roller brush with the wall surface and by the roller brush rolling on the wall surface.

Images