ROBOTIC DEVICE FOR DIAGNOSTICS OF THE CHASSIS OF BUSES AND TRUCK VEHICLES

Abstract

The utility model relates to self-propelled platforms of robotic systems and can be used to diagnose undercarriage faults in buses, trucks, other heavy-duty and special-purpose vehicles, as well as construction equipment, away from service stations, including in off-road conditions. Thus, the utility model solves the problem of achieving a technical result by enabling more accurate diagnosis of damage and geometric irregularities in the frame, body support base, and other undercarriage components that affect driving safety, including hidden cavities, by incorporating a 3D scanner mounted on a rotating turntable and an endoscope mounted on a rotating telescopic stand with servo drives.

Description

[0001] The utility model relates to self-propelled platforms of robotic complexes and can be used to diagnose malfunctions of the chassis of buses and trucks, and other heavy-duty and special vehicles, as well as construction equipment away from service stations, including in off-road conditions.

[0002] Deformation of a bus or truck frame is dangerous due to its distorted geometry, which can lead to reduced safety. A sagging or cracked frame disrupts the geometry of the entire chassis: the bus or truck handles poorly, may pull to one side, and behaves unpredictably under emergency braking. Deformation can also cause cracks, which often occur at welds or reinforced joints.

[0003] The main frame faults include cracks in the longitudinal and cross beams of the frame or in the body base, frame deflection, loosening of riveted joints, and corrosion of the monocoque body components. Bus bodies are characterized by breaks and cracks in the tubular frame at the attachment points to the base and sill, as well as dents and tears in the exterior cladding.

[0004] A mobile robotic device for field repair of equipment is known (RU 204398, 2021). It can, in particular, be used for field repair of equipment as part of a mobile repair complex or mobile repair shop and perform functions such as disassembling equipment for further repair, repairing its individual components, assemblies, and parts, and reassembling the equipment after repairs are completed.

[0005] The disadvantages of this technical solution are weak functionality, large dimensions of the device, which do not allow use under the bottom of a car, and the lack of digital radio communication with the control center.

[0006] The invention "Basic Platform of an Intelligent Robotic Complex (APIRTC)" (RU 2764910, 2022) is known in the field of technology. This device comprises a four-wheeled housing, rechargeable batteries, a battery control module, infrared and ultrasonic distance sensors, environmental sensors, end sensors, a computing graphics module to which video cameras are connected, and a main control unit. The main control unit includes an industrial computer, a GPS receiver, an autopilot, a lidar, a depth camera, and supports the connection of microcontrollers. The main control unit is equipped with a database of obstacle images, an image recognition algorithm, terrain mapping, and an algorithm for selecting the optimal trajectory.The platform enables document transport within offices, guest escorts at hotels, cargo transportation at airports, train stations, and warehouses, and can also be used to launch small unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0007] The disadvantages of this technical solution are its rather large dimensions, the lack of video cameras and the inability to carry out vehicle diagnostics.

[0008] A robotic transport device is known (RU 2806129, 2023), transported in containers of a mobile robotic repair and diagnostic complex, containing a housing, batteries, a battery controller, four motor wheels, motor wheel control modules, a computing graphics module for working with images, a depth camera, a main control unit with a computer and an autopilot, a laser rangefinder, distance sensors, environmental sensors, a bumper, inside which limit switches are installed, consisting of two modules - a base module and a cargo module, the base module includes a supporting body made of a spatial frame made in the form of a prefabricated structure from pipes and metal bent profiles, and side cladding panels, an active drive chassis made in the form of four independent motor wheels, the main control unit includes an industrial computer, a circular viewing camera,a sensor for determining one's own location coordinates using satellite navigation signals in the odometric navigation mode and in the integrated mode, a sensor for determining the angular position in space, reed switches, sensors, a digital radio communication unit with a pseudo-random frequency hopping system, the cargo module includes a cargo platform with folding sides, made of stamped aluminum sheet with a rubber anti-slip coating, and rigging equipment for securing the transported cargo.

[0009] The disadvantages of the prototype are the limited functionality of the robotic transport device, which consists in the inability to carry out vehicle diagnostics.

[0010] The closest technical solution that can be adopted as a prototype is a robotic transport device for diagnosing cars (RU 237670, 2025), containing a housing, batteries, a battery controller, four independent motor wheels, motor wheel control modules, a computing graphics module for working with images, a depth camera, a main control unit with a computer and a circular view camera, a two-channel digital sound sensor, a polarizing camera, a rotating LED lamp and a Wi-Fi module, installed in the upper part of the robotic transport device, connected by their outputs to the main control unit, which includes a machine learning module.

[0011] The disadvantages of the prototype include the limited capabilities of the robotic transport device to diagnose defects in the chassis, such as frames, supports, and side members, due to a violation of their geometry due to cracks in the longitudinal and transverse beams of the frame or in the base of the body, frame deflection, weakening of riveted joints, corrosion damage to parts of the load-bearing body, as well as defects in internal cavities that affect driving safety.

[0012] The purpose of the utility model is to eliminate the shortcomings of analogues and the prototype.

[0013] The technical result achieved with the help of the utility model is to provide the possibility of better diagnostics of damage and violations of the geometry of the frame, the supporting base of the body and other elements of the chassis that affect driving safety, including hidden cavities.

[0014] The essence of the utility model is that a known robotic device for diagnosing the chassis of buses and trucks, containing a housing, batteries, a computing graphics module for working with images, a main control unit with a computer and a machine learning module, a circular view camera, a rotating LED lamp and a WI-FI module, is additionally equipped with a 3D scanner located in the upper part of the robotic device, mounted on a rotating turntable, and an endoscope mounted on a rotating telescopic stand with servo drives, connected to the computer of the main control unit.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows a general diagram of the proposed robotic device for diagnosing the chassis of buses and trucks.

[0016] A robotic device (RTU) for diagnosing the chassis of buses and trucks consists of: a housing consisting of: a housing 1 of the RTU, made of a spatial metal frame and equipped with four hub motors, a battery pack 2, designed as a compartment and located in the middle of the supporting body, to increase the stability and maneuverability of the structure, due to the distribution of the mass of the batteries across the supporting body. The wheel arrangement of the RTU is 4x4. In the utility model, a single-side control type of the RTU hub motors is selected. This type of control is called "tank drive", since it is often used in the design of tanks. The main control unit 3 is mounted inside the housing 1, which includes a computer 4, a computing graphic module for working with images 5 and a machine learning module 6, equipped with a database of fault images and an image recognition algorithm.The battery pack 2 is connected to the control unit 3 by means of electric wires. In the upper part of the body 1 of the RTU there are fixed: a circular viewing video camera 7, a 3D scanner 8 mounted on a rotating turntable 9, an endoscope 10 mounted on a rotating telescopic stand 11 with servo drives connected to the computer 4 of the main control unit 3, a rotating LED flashlight 12, a Wi-Fi module 13 connected to the main control unit 3.

[0017] The main control unit 3 is implemented on the basis of a digital processor and coordinates the operation of all components of the proposed RTU.

[0018] Machine learning module 6 based on machine learning algorithms, in particular based on artificial neural networks, performs: automatic machine learning of machine vision models of the all-round video camera 7, 3D scanner 8 and endoscope 10 for analyzing images of the frame surfaces and other parts of the chassis of the vehicle from various angles, including in hidden cavities; creation of a three-dimensional model of the car frame; automatic determination of the nature of microdefects, their sizes, location or coordinates; predicts the probabilities of failure of the diagnosed parts in the specified time interval based on a comparison of images obtained from the 3D scanner 8 with the reference images loaded into the memory of module 6; description and prediction of the further impact of the identified defects on the operation of vehicles.

[0019] 3D scanners 8 are used in automotive repair for diagnostics and geometry inspection of the frame, body, and chassis. 3D scanners are capable of performing ultra-precise scanning of the surface of a component or part, identifying even the smallest defects and damage. 3D scanning allows for quick and accurate determination of all geometric parameters, identifying the presence and extent of deformations. This enables proper repair planning and selection of necessary spare parts. This technology enables the creation of precise digital models of objects, reducing the likelihood of errors during repair and modification.

[0020] The robotic device for diagnosing the chassis of buses and trucks works as follows.

[0021] A bus or, preferably, a truck with a minimum ground clearance of 25 cm, a tracked vehicle, or other large-sized special-purpose vehicle, or a construction machine is placed on a level, hard surface if possible. If such a surface is unavailable, it can be placed on any surface, provided the required distance from the ground to the vehicle frame is ensured. The RTU is positioned next to the vehicle and turned on, illuminating LED light 12. The signal to initiate movement is received via radio from the operator's remote control. The RTU then moves under the vehicle, whose ground clearance is higher than the RTU's height. The RTU's movement is controlled by the operator, whose remote control screen displays the image from the 360-degree camera 7.The control signal from the operator's console is sent to the main control unit 3, which controls the movement of the RTU, which moves under the main components of the vehicle's chassis.

[0022] Being located under the vehicle, the RTU illuminates the frame, the supporting base of the body and other elements of the chassis that affect traffic safety with a lamp 12, using the machine vision of the all-round video camera 7 and the 3D scanner 8 to analyze images of the surfaces of the frame and other parts of the chassis of the vehicle from various angles, records visible faults and defects, such as a violation of the geometry of the frame and side members, cracks and defects, while the endoscope 10, mounted on the rotary telescopic stand 11 with servo drives, is capable of moving upward at the command of the operator, penetrating into openings, rotating 360° and diagnosing hidden cavities of the frame, units and mechanisms, creating an internal 3D picture of the model of units and assemblies and detecting a violation of their geometry, the occurrence of microcracks, microdamage.The captured 3D images are sent to the main control unit 3 for processing, where they are processed using a computer 4, a computing graphics module for image processing 5, and a machine learning module 6. The processed information is sent via the Wi-Fi module 13 to an external computer, where it is analyzed, summarized, and presented to the operator as a technical report on the vehicle diagnostic results and recommendations for troubleshooting any identified faults.

[0023] Thus, the proposed utility model solves the problem of achieving a technical result consisting in providing the possibility of higher-quality diagnostics of damage and violations of the geometry of the frame, the supporting base of the body and other elements of the chassis that affect traffic safety, including hidden cavities, due to the introduction of a 3D scanner mounted on a rotating turntable, and an endoscope mounted on a rotating telescopic stand with servo drives.

Claims

A robotic device for diagnosing the undercarriage of buses and trucks, comprising a housing, batteries, a computing graphics module for working with images, a main control unit with a computer and a machine learning module, a circular viewing camera, a rotating LED lamp and a WI-FI module, characterized in that a 3D scanner, mounted on a rotating turntable, and an endoscope mounted on a rotating telescopic stand with servo drives, connected to a computer in the main control unit, are additionally introduced in the upper part of the robotic device.

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