Pipe robot applicable to pipe wall inspection

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of piping robots and provides a piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection. [Solution] The invention includes a guide head 1, a detection arm 2, and a main body bay 6. The guide head and the main body bay are connected by a universal joint, allowing the head to always adapt to the direction of water flow. The detection arm and the main body bay are connected by a torsion spring, which opens naturally when no force is applied. The present invention allows for adjustment of dimensions according to actual conditions, enabling inspection of the integrity of pipe walls of different diameters, and has a wide range of applicable pipe diameters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of pipeline robots, and specifically, to a pipeline robot applicable to pipe wall inspection.

Background Art

[0002] Pipelines are important infrastructures in industrial production, energy transportation, and urban operation. With long-term use, pipelines are prone to the effects of medium corrosion, pressure fluctuations, ground subsidence, etc., and there is a concern that problems such as wall thickness reduction, cracks, scale adhesion, and deformation may occur. The condition of the pipe wall directly affects the integrity and operation safety of the pipeline structure. Once the pipeline fails to function, it may cause accidents such as leakage, explosion, and production stoppage, and may consequently lead to personal injury, environmental pollution, and significant economic losses. Implementing high-precision and high-efficiency pipe wall condition inspection can discover potential defects early and realize the transformation from passive emergency repair to active preventive maintenance. Thereby, it can provide a scientific basis for pipeline maintenance management, life assessment, and risk management, and is also an essential means to ensure the safe and stable operation of network pipelines and improve the reliability and economy of the system currently.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] The main object of the present invention is to provide a pipeline robot applicable to pipe wall inspection and solve the problems of pipe wall inspection.

[0004] To achieve the above technical effects, the technical configuration of the present invention is as follows. The pipe inspection robot, applicable to pipe wall inspection, includes six parts: a guide head, a detection arm, a support rod, rollers, a rotating ring, and a main body. The guide head and the main body are connected by a universal joint to ensure rotational flexibility. The detection arm and the main body are connected by a torsion spring, and utilizing the properties of the torsion spring, the detection arm is naturally released when no force is applied. The main body is equipped with a rotating ring, which is connected to the main body via bearings or slip rings to ensure smooth rotation relative to the main body.

[0005] The main compartment houses a sensor control module and has an overall sealed structure with a density slightly less than that of water. This assists in maintaining the robot's posture in the water flow while simultaneously facilitating equipment retrieval after the work is completed.

[0006] A sensor is provided at the end of the detection arm and is used to detect the condition of the pipe wall. At the same time, a roller is attached to the end of the detection arm and is used to reduce resistance to movement within the pipe when it comes into contact with an obstacle. The end of the detection arm has a certain degree of flexibility and can deform slightly when subjected to force.

[0007] The middle section of the detection arm is connected to a support rod by a universal joint, and the support rod is connected to a rotating ring by a universal joint. When a single detection arm is subjected to force, it transmits the force to other detection arms in the same group via the support rod and rotating ring, achieving synchronous contraction. This maintains the circumferential integrity of the sensor array.

[0008] The guidance head is streamlined to maintain a stable direction in the water flow, effectively guiding the robot through pipe bends in accordance with the water flow direction.

[0009] According to the above technical configuration, the robot can be passively moved forward along the piping by guidance from the water flow. If it encounters an obstacle during the forward movement, it can avoid the obstacle by retracting the detection arm. During the avoidance process, the integrity of the circular array of sensors can be maintained via the support rod and rotating ring, improving detection accuracy. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] 1. The present invention allows for adjustment of dimensions according to actual conditions, enables inspection of the integrity of pipe walls of different diameters, and has a wide range of applicable pipe diameters. 2. The structure of the present invention is simple, low-cost, and can effectively reduce the costs required for pipe inspection. 3. The present invention can move by rationally utilizing the flow of the fluid itself within the piping, belongs to a purely mechanically passive operation, and is highly reliable. 4. The detection arms of the present invention can move in perfect synchronization, maintaining concentricity between the array of sensors and the pipe wall, and effectively improving detection accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] To more clearly explain the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in describing the embodiments or the prior art are briefly introduced below. It should be noted that the drawings described below represent only some embodiments of the present invention, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without requiring any creative effort. [Figure 1] This is an axial projection view of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a front view of the curved state of an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Furthermore, the embodiments and features of the present invention can be combined with each other, as long as no contradictions arise.

[0013] In describing the present invention, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center," "vertical," "horizontal," "up," "down," "front," "back," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "interior," and "exterior" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are merely for the purpose of describing and simplifying the present invention. They do not mean that the indicated or implied devices or components have a specific direction or must be configured and operated in a specific direction, and should not be interpreted as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used solely for explanatory purposes and do not indicate or imply relative importance, nor do they implicitly specify the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features limited by "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such features. In describing the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0014] In this description of the present invention, unless explicitly stated or limited, the terms “attachment,” “connection,” and “linking” should be interpreted broadly. For example, a connection may be fixed, removable, or integral. A connection may be mechanical or electrical. A connection may be direct, indirectly via an intermediate medium, or internally connected between two parts. Those skilled in the art will be able to understand the specific meaning of these terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0015] In describing the present invention, it should be noted that the design of bellows or other expandable tubes should be interpreted broadly. For example, it may be an expansion tube design in which a larger tube covers a smaller tube, or it may be a bellows-type folding expandable design.

[0016] The present invention provides a pipe inspection robot applicable to pipe wall inspection, and as shown in Figures 1 to 3, mainly comprises a guide head 1, a detection arm 2, and a body cage 6. The guide head 1 and the body cage 6 are connected by a universal joint, which is used to ensure rotational flexibility. The detection arm 2 and the body cage 6 are connected by a torsion spring, and by utilizing the properties of the torsion spring, the detection arm 2 is naturally released when not subjected to normal force. The body cage 6 is provided with a rotating ring 5, which is connected to the body cage 6 via a bearing, and can rotate smoothly relative to the body cage 6.

[0017] The main body compartment 6 houses a built-in sensor control module and is sealed as a whole. Its overall density is slightly less than that of water, which helps maintain the robot's posture in the water current and also facilitates the retrieval of the equipment at the water surface after the work is completed.

[0018] A sensor is provided at the end of the detection arm 2, used to detect the condition of the pipe wall. At the same time, a roller 4 is attached to the end of the detection arm 2, used to reduce resistance when moving inside the pipe. The end of the detection arm 2 has a certain degree of flexibility and can deform slightly when subjected to force.

[0019] The middle section of the detection arm 2 is connected to the support rod 3 via a universal joint, and the support rod 3 is connected to the rotating ring 5 via a universal joint. When a single detection arm 2 is subjected to force, it can transmit the force to other detection arms 2 in the same group via the support rod 3 and the rotating ring 5, enabling synchronous contraction and used to maintain the circumferential integrity of the sensor array.

[0020] The guide head 1 is designed in a streamlined shape, allowing it to maintain a stable orientation in the water flow and effectively guide the equipment through bends in the piping in accordance with the water flow.

[0021] According to the above technical configuration, the robot can be passively advanced along the pipeline by the induction of water flow. When encountering an obstacle during the advancing process, the obstacle can be avoided by contracting the detection arm. During the avoidance process, the integrity of the circular array of sensors can be maintained via the support rod and the rotating ring, and the detection accuracy can be improved.

[0022] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to these embodiments and their component parts without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention, and still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Description of Reference Signs

[0023] 1, induction head; 2, detection arm; 3, support rod; 4, roller; 5, rotating ring; 6, main body cabin.

Claims

1. A piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection, A piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection, comprising a guide head (1), a detection arm (2), and a main body compartment (6), wherein the guide head (1) and the main body compartment (6) are connected by a universal joint, allowing the head portion to always adapt to the direction of water flow, and the detection arm (2) and the main body compartment (6) are connected by a torsion spring, and the detection arm (2) maintains a predetermined open state due to the biasing force of the torsion spring when no external force is acting.

2. The piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection according to claim 1 is characterized in that the guide head (1) is designed in a streamlined shape, enabling the device to follow the water flow and move stably along the inside of the pipe to perform pipe wall inspection.

3. A piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection according to Claim 1, characterized in that a sensor is provided at the end of the detection arm (2), the middle section of the detection arm (2) is connected to a support rod (3) by a universal joint, the support rod (3) is connected to a rotating ring (5) by a universal joint, and when a single detection arm (2) is subjected to force, the force is transmitted to other detection arms (2) in the same group via the support rod (3) and the rotating ring (5), thereby achieving synchronous contraction, so that the sensor continuously maintains the flatness of the array circumference and improves the positioning accuracy of fault locations in the inspection process.

4. A piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that a sensor is provided at the end of the detection arm (2), and an array is formed in the circumferential direction between a set of sensors to better detect the pipe wall.

5. The piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection according to claim 1 is characterized in that the robot does not include a power design, the overall density of the main body (6) and the guide head (1) is slightly less than that of water, and it moves through the pipe by water flow, thereby reducing the complexity of the equipment and improving operational reliability.

6. A method of using a piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection according to any one of claims 2 to 5, A method of using a piping robot applicable to pipe wall inspection according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the robot passively moves forward due to the water flow in the pipe, scans and records pipe wall condition data, and when it encounters an obstacle, it passively retracts the detection arm (2) to reduce the overall diameter of the detector and improves detection accuracy with the circumferential array of sensors.

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