CN218750753U - Cable traction assembly for inspection robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a cable traction assembly for patrolling and examining robot system, include: a plurality of traction carts, each of the carts including a frame and including a guide wheel mounted on the frame and configured to run on a track of the inspection robot system; a cable fixed to the wagon so as to be capable of following the wagon; the track running system comprises a traction trolley, an inspection robot system and a track running system, wherein the traction trolley and the inspection robot of the inspection robot system share the track running.

Description

Cable traction assembly for inspection robot system

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a track patrols and examines technical field, concretely relates to patrols and examines robot system and cable traction assembly thereof.

Background

The inspection work of long distance or complicated place such as piping lane, colliery is the foundation and the important guarantee of place safety. Due to the reasons of multiple monitoring projects, long lines and the like, particularly severe environmental conditions, strong closure, multiple structures and inconvenient communication of the overlong pipe gallery, the inspection difficulty of the site state in a manual mode is high, the feasibility is extremely limited, and the personal safety of inspection personnel is difficult to effectively ensure.

Because the robot has basic characteristics of perception, decision, execution and the like, the robot can assist and even replace the dangerous, heavy and complex work of routing inspection, and the work efficiency and the quality are improved.

When the inspection robot works, the inspection robot usually moves on a track along a fixed running path by taking a track platform as a carrier, and monitors the environment needing to be inspected. With the technological progress and the increasing demand, rail inspection robots are also used in many places, such as factories, breeding plants, intelligent farms, municipal pipe galleries, underground coal mines and the like.

In the transmission design of the inspection robot system for fixed track inspection, a driving device such as a motor and a related transmission mechanism such as a belt pulley are generally arranged at a fixed position to drive a conveying belt or a transmission line arranged on a track and an inspection robot mounted on the conveying belt or the transmission line to move together for inspection.

In the existing inspection robot system, an inspection robot device generally operates on a rail as a whole to perform inspection. Because the inspection robot device may need to work under some severe working conditions, for example, in mines, underground wells, places with various flammable dusts and the like, places with strict standards for explosion prevention. Therefore, in the environment, the design of the inspection robot meets the explosion-proof requirement, the problem of overhigh temperature during working is reduced as much as possible, and the heat dissipation is improved. Due to the fact that space is narrow in some application occasions, the size of the inspection robot is required to be as small as possible. The limitations of conveyor or conveyor lines and tracks also require inspection robots to be as lightweight as possible and to prevent local overloads, which, among other application environments, also put higher demands on reliability.

There is a continuing need in the art for improved inspection robot systems to continuously improve the performance of inspection robot systems, to minimize or even eliminate the above-mentioned technical deficiencies, and to achieve still further technical advantages.

The information included in this background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any descriptions or discussions thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be considered subject matter which would limit the scope of the present invention.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned and other more numerous concepts.

One of the basic concepts of the present invention is to provide a novel tandem polling robot system having a novel driving design. According to this drive design, a drive chain is arranged on the track following its trajectory, the drive motor, the reduction mechanism and the drive sprocket can be assembled together by means of, for example, a mounting bracket, to which the inspection robot can be connected or assembled, and the drive chain is driven to run on the track by the drive sprocket rolling in engagement on the drive chain. Guide/limit runners can be mounted on mounting brackets, such as mounting blocks. All or part of the drive train of this drive design, for example a drive train mounted in a curved track section, preferably employs a drive train that can be bent sideways/has three-dimensional extension freedom. Compared with the traditional pulley and slide rail design, the arrangement of the transmission chain and the chain wheel has great superiority in the transmission design of the gear and the rack. The running process and the track of the pulley sliding rail are unstable, and basically, the pulley sliding rail cannot run under load; the rack and pinion motion is basically unlikely to achieve two-dimensional and three-dimensional degrees of freedom of motion, and even less likely to achieve motion from a vertical trajectory to a curved/twisted trajectory to a horizontal circumferential trajectory in some cases. The reduction mechanism, preferably a worm gear, not only saves installation space, but is naturally self-locking, which is very important and advantageous for the fixing and maintaining of the position of the drive and the inspection robot on the rail when needed.

According to another aspect of the concept, the use of a substantially closed rail as a whole, polygonal, for example square cross-section rails, is easier to manufacture and supply, is less costly and avoids dust and water accumulation. The regular shape of the closed track has the additional advantages that in some dusty environments such as mines, wells and the like, dust accumulation in the groove of the track (if the track is an open grooved track) can be avoided to affect the use, the manufacturing and processing costs of the regular shape closed track are lower, and the strength and rigidity can be higher.

Another basic idea of the present invention is to provide a novel cable traction design. According to the traction design, a plurality of traction trolleys are arranged on the track along the track, the cables are fixed on the traction trolleys and are driven by the driving device together, and therefore the driving device and/or the inspection robot can be conveniently supplied with power, meanwhile, the cables can conveniently and smoothly follow the driving device to follow up, the installation and the operation of the cables are facilitated, and the reliability of power supply and the service life of the cables are guaranteed. This provides an advantage over, for example, the prior art trolley line power supply.

The tandem inspection robot can be provided with a plurality of tandem robot modules, so that a small-volume design and explosion-proof design of the robot modules are possible because only one relatively small-capacity battery is required for each module to satisfy the explosion-proof standard, and such a design also provides improved convenience of maintenance/replacement and high reliability.

More specifically, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a cable pulling assembly for inspecting a robot system, comprising: a plurality of traction carts, each of the carts including a frame and including a guide wheel mounted on the frame and configured to run on a track of the inspection robot system; a cable fixed to the wagon so as to be capable of following the wagon; the track running system comprises a traction trolley, an inspection robot system and a track running system, wherein the traction trolley and the inspection robot of the inspection robot system share the track running.

According to one embodiment, each of said trolleys comprises at least two pairs of upper and lower guide wheels running respectively on the upper and lower faces of said track.

According to one embodiment, the bracket is a bracket having a bottom plate and two side plates, on each of which a pair of the upper guide wheels and a pair of the lower guide wheels are respectively mounted in a side-by-side manner so as to be capable of rolling along the upper and lower surfaces of the rail, respectively.

According to an embodiment, the bracket is a U-shaped bracket further comprising side guide wheels mounted on each of the side plates between the pair of upper guide wheels and the pair of lower guide wheels, the side guide wheels being configured to roll on respective sides of the track.

According to one embodiment, the bracket is machined from stainless steel, carbon steel or aluminum profiles.

According to one embodiment, a cable mount is provided on the carriage, via which cable mount the cable is fixed on the wagon so that the cable can move with the movement of the wagon.

According to an embodiment, the cable mount comprises a body with a slot, and a fastening screw for fastening the cable in the slot.

According to an embodiment, the inspection robot system has a driving device, and the end of the cable electrically connected to the driving device is fixed to the inspection robot of the inspection robot system and/or the driving device.

According to one embodiment, the rail is a square rail with a square cross section as a whole, and the upper guide wheel and the lower guide wheel of the traction trolley are respectively matched with the top surface and the bottom surface of the square rail to roll.

According to one embodiment, the guide wheel is a flanged wheel, the side of the flange that is adjacent to the rail being a bevel forming an oblique angle a with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheel, wherein 0 < a ≦ 30 °.

According to one embodiment, the guide wheel is a flanged guide wheel, and the side of the flange adjacent to the rail is an arc-shaped surface, and the arc radius of the arc-shaped surface is smaller than the bending radius of the rail.

Also disclosed is a tandem patrol robot system, comprising: a track defining a routing inspection path; the driving device comprises a motor, a speed reducing mechanism and a transmission chain wheel, and the rotating motion of the motor is transmitted to the transmission chain wheel through the speed reducing mechanism so as to drive the transmission chain wheel to rotate; a plurality of mounting seats, each mounting seat is provided with a guide wheel which rolls on the track, and the driving device is rotatably arranged on the corresponding mounting seat; a driving chain fixedly installed on the rail along an extending direction of the rail, the driving sprocket being engaged with the driving chain so as to be capable of traveling along the rail together with the driving device and the mount when rotated; a tandem inspection robot including a set of robot modules connected to each other in tandem, each of the robot modules being mounted on a corresponding one of the mounting seats so as to be capable of traveling along the rail by being driven by the driving means.

According to one embodiment, the robot modules are mounted on the respective mounting seats and are connected in series by a rigid rod with universal joints.

According to an embodiment, the number of said driving means is one; alternatively, the number of the driving devices is at least two, and the at least two driving devices have the same configuration.

According to one embodiment, the serial inspection robot is a battery-powered serial inspection robot, wherein the driving device is provided with a battery or is powered by a separate battery module; also included in the set of robotic modules is at least one of the following battery-powered functional modules: the system comprises an illumination module, a video-thermal imaging-audio module, a gas sensor module, an intercom module, a ground wireless sensor data collection module, a fire fighting module and a video-thermal imaging lens cleaning module.

According to an embodiment, the in-line inspection robot is a cable-powered in-line inspection robot, wherein at least one of the following functional modules is included in the set of robot modules: the system comprises a lighting module, a video-thermal imaging-audio module, a gas sensor module, an intercom module, a ground wireless sensor data collection module, a fire fighting module and a video-thermal imaging lens cleaning module.

According to an embodiment, the inspection robot system further includes a cable pulling assembly, the cable pulling assembly including: a plurality of tractors, each said tractor being mounted within said track and following the elongate path of travel of said track; one end of the cable is connected to the driving device and/or the serial inspection robot, and the other end of the cable is connected to a power supply and a communication gateway; wherein the cable is fixed or clamped on the plurality of trolleys so that the cable can move with the movement of the trolleys.

According to one embodiment, the wagon includes a frame, and two pairs of upper and lower guide wheels mounted on the frame and configured to run on the upper and lower faces of the track, respectively.

According to one embodiment, the bracket is a bracket, for example U-shaped, having a bottom plate and two side plates, on each of which a pair of said upper guide wheels and a pair of said lower guide wheels are respectively mounted in a side-by-side manner, so as to be able to roll along the upper and lower faces of the rail, respectively.

According to one embodiment, the bracket is machined from stainless steel, carbon steel or aluminum profiles.

According to an embodiment, the U-shaped bracket further comprises a side guide wheel mounted on each of the side plates between the pair of upper guide wheels and the pair of lower guide wheels, the side guide wheels being configured to roll on the corresponding side surfaces of the rail, respectively.

According to one embodiment, the tractor and the mounting base share the rail to roll.

According to an embodiment, the drive chain is a toothed chain or a roller chain.

According to an embodiment, at least a part of the drive chain is a chain that is side bendable, e.g. that provides three-dimensional extension freedom.

According to an embodiment, the mounting comprises a lower bracket and two upper bracket parts, wherein each upper bracket part is independently pivotable relative to the lower bracket.

According to one embodiment, each of the upper bracket parts includes a bottom plate and two side plates extending upward from the bottom plate.

According to one embodiment, said upper frame portion is an upper U-shaped portion, each of said side plates of each of said upper U-shaped portions having mounted thereon an upper guide wheel and a lower guide wheel, said upper guide wheel and said lower guide wheel being adapted to roll on the upper and lower surfaces of said track, respectively.

According to an embodiment, a side guide is further mounted on each of the side plates of each of the upper U-shaped portions between the upper guide wheel and the lower guide wheel thereof, the side guide being configured for rolling movement on a side surface of the rail.

According to one embodiment, two pivot holes are provided in the lower bracket, and the two upper bracket portions are each pivotably mounted on the lower bracket by a pivot shaft passing through the respective pivot hole.

According to an embodiment, a thrust ball bearing is further provided at a lower end of the pivot hole of the lower bracket to be fitted over the pivot shaft.

According to an embodiment, the drive chain is fixedly mounted on the bottom surface of the track and extends along the track.

According to one embodiment, the drive chain is fixedly mounted by rivets or screws on the underside of the track in a position near the centre line.

According to one embodiment, the guide wheel is a flanged wheel, the side of the flange that is adjacent to the rail being a bevel forming an oblique angle a with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheel, wherein 0 < a ≦ 30 °.

According to one embodiment, A is 5 DEG.ltoreq.20 deg.

According to one embodiment, the guide wheel is a flanged guide wheel, and the side of the flange adjacent to the rail is an arc-shaped surface, and the arc radius of the arc-shaped surface is smaller than the bending radius of the rail.

According to one embodiment, the reduction mechanism is a worm wheel and a worm in meshing engagement, wherein the worm is in driving engagement with the rotating shaft of the motor, and the worm wheel is in driving engagement with the driving sprocket.

According to an embodiment, the worm wheel is fixed to one side of the lower bracket of the mounting seat, and the driving sprocket is rotatably mounted to the opposite side of the lower bracket coaxially with the worm wheel.

According to an embodiment, the rail has an overall polygonal cross-section, the polygonal shape being configured such that the rail has a flat bottom and top surface after mounting and has two perpendicular side surfaces or two inclined upper side surfaces or two curved upper curved surfaces.

According to an embodiment, the cross section of the track is selected from one of the following: square, trapezoidal, truncated isosceles triangle, pentagonal, hexagonal, and drum-shaped.

According to one embodiment, the rail is a square rail having a square cross section as a whole, and the upper guide wheel and the lower guide wheel of the mounting seat respectively roll on the top surface and the bottom surface of the square rail. The square rail is easier to manufacture and supply and is less costly.

According to an embodiment, the drive chain is an uninterrupted chain fixedly mounted on the track along the length of the track.

According to one embodiment, the drive chain is formed by at least two lengths of chain seamlessly spliced and fixed to the track along the length of the track.

According to an embodiment, each of the set of robot modules is independently repairable and/or independently replaceable.

According to one embodiment, at least one robot module of the in-line inspection robot is fixedly assembled with the driving device.

According to an embodiment, the track is an endless track defining an endless fixed inspection path of the inspection robot.

According to an embodiment, at least one robot module in the in-line inspection robot is fixedly mounted on the mounting seat.

According to one embodiment, the drive sprocket is located below the track and is capable of engaging a drive chain fixedly mounted to the underside of the track.

According to an embodiment, a splice groove for mounting a splice pin is provided on at least a part of the track section of the track.

According to an embodiment, the rail is an integrally formed metal piece.

According to an embodiment, the robot modules are independently repairable and/or independently replaceable.

According to an embodiment, the functional module is built in with a battery.

According to an embodiment, the functional module takes power from a cable.

According to one embodiment, the rails may be made of a metallic material, such as stainless steel, carbon steel, or aluminum profiles, for example, which may provide advantages in cost, weather resistance, ease of processing, ease of replacement, and maintainability.

According to one embodiment, different robot modules may communicate and power via cables, or may be battery powered and wirelessly communicate.

According to one embodiment, the inspection robot adopts a design of robot modules distributed on the track in series, the design can avoid concentrated adhesion on the track, so that a distributed light-load configuration is provided, and as the functions and power consumption of the modules are dispersed, the battery capacity of each module can be smaller, the pressure is low, and the explosion-proof authentication is easy to pass. Each module can be independently maintained, repaired and replaced, so that the maintainability is better than that of the integral inspection robot.

According to the utility model discloses an embodiment comes the transmission through the meshing between the fixed mounting chain on adopting sprocket + track to the reduction gears of cooperation worm gear form can provide a great deal of advantage, for example, does not skid, and climbing ability is strong, can auto-lock when shutting down, and drive arrangement still can keep stable in position, simple structure, etc. when bearing external force.

The utility model also discloses an use of patrolling and examining robot system in outdoor environment, mine underground, pier transportation place, industrial production line, long distance track transport occasion, long distance belt type transport occasion, explosion-proof occasion, the occasion that prevents frostbite, rain-proof water occasion or dustproof occasion patrols and examines.

Further embodiments of the present invention are also capable of achieving other advantageous technical effects not listed, which other technical effects may be described in part hereinafter, and which are anticipated and understood by those skilled in the art upon reading the present invention.

Drawings

The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of these embodiments, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the embodiments of the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram of the main configuration of a wireless (battery) powered tandem inspection robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the overall layout of an exemplary inspection robot system arranged on a track, e.g., a ring.

Fig. 1B is a schematic diagram of the main configuration of the tandem inspection robot system with wired (cable) power supply according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the overall layout of the inspection robot system.

Fig. 2A is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the wireless (battery) powered inspection robot system shown in fig. 1A, showing an enlarged view of the arrangement of the in-line inspection robots (modules) and drive devices on the track.

Fig. 2B is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the wired (cable) powered inspection robot system shown in fig. 1B, showing an enlarged view of the arrangement of the in-line inspection robots (modules) and drive devices on the track.

Fig. 3 is a further enlarged view of the wireline powered inspection robot module, drive and tractor cart shown in fig. 2B.

Fig. 4 is a further enlarged perspective view of a portion of the drive and (curved) track of the wireless (battery) powered inspection robot system shown in fig. 2A.

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged partial view of the configuration shown in fig. 2B from another perspective and in partial cutaway to show a square cross-section rail.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged schematic diagram of a driving device of a tandem inspection robot system and an inspection robot (module) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged schematic view, partially in section, of the drive device and the inspection robot module shown in fig. 6 assembled together by the mount.

Fig. 8 schematically shows the configuration of the driving apparatus, the inspection robot (module), and the mount shown in fig. 6 from another perspective.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of the driving apparatus shown in fig. 8, in which the inspection robot module is detached, and illustrating that the two upper U-shaped pieces of the mount are each independently pivotable with respect to the lower portion.

Fig. 10 is a partial perspective schematic view of the drive assembly of fig. 8-9, particularly illustrating the idler and pivot design of the mount.

Fig. 11 is a partial perspective schematic view of a drive apparatus of another embodiment, which is substantially the same as the configuration shown in fig. 10, except that a side guide design is added to the mount.

Fig. 12 illustrates a rail of square cross-section in which an electrical heating device may be provided, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 13 illustrates the layout and design of a runner of a mount according to one embodiment, and in particular illustrates a flange on the runner and a beveled design of the flange to facilitate the runner negotiating a bend.

FIG. 14 illustrates in enlarged view the construction of a guide wheel according to one embodiment, particularly the flanges on its roller body and the beveled design of the flanges.

Fig. 15 illustrates an enlarged schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a wagon according to an embodiment, showing the construction and details of the wagon of this embodiment.

Detailed Description

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

It is to be understood that the embodiments illustrated and described are not limited in application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The illustrated embodiments are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Examples are provided by way of explanation of the disclosed embodiments, not limitation. Indeed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Accordingly, the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and the like are to be construed broadly and can include, for example, direct connections and indirect connections through intervening media. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations by those skilled in the art.

In the inspection robot scheme in the prior art, in an application occasion that a running channel of a conveying chain of the inspection robot is relatively narrow, the inspection robot with an integrated design carried thereon may not pass through the narrow running channel due to an overlarge volume of an integral structure, so that the application occasion of an inspection robot system is limited or blocked.

In addition, the inspection robot needs to work uninterruptedly for a long time, and the working environment may be relatively harsh, such as high temperature, high humidity, high dust environment, etc., in this case, the inspection robot of integrated design may cause a series of problems due to its integrated structure, for example, each working module of the integrated structure works intensively to generate heat intensively, resulting in heat dissipation problems, which may not meet the requirements for some occasions, such as explosion-proof requirement and reliability. Moreover, if one of the working components of the integrated integral structure fails, the operation of the transmission chain of the inspection robot has to be stopped, the whole inspection robot is detached for replacement or diagnosis and maintenance, and the time for interrupting the operation of the transmission chain is possibly too long, which causes unacceptable loss in application occasions of the transmission chain of the inspection robot requiring long-time and low-failure operation.

The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram of the main configuration of a wireless (battery) powered in-line inspection robot system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the overall layout of the inspection robot system 100 arranged on an exemplary, e.g., circular, track 200. Fig. 2A is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the wireless (battery) powered inspection robot system 100 shown in fig. 1A, showing an enlarged view of the arrangement of the in-line inspection robot (module) 300 and the driving device 400 on the track 200. Fig. 4 is a further enlarged perspective view of a portion of the curve track and the drive 400 of the wireless (battery) powered inspection robot system 100 shown in fig. 2A.

As shown in fig. 1A, 2A and 4, the basic constituent parts and overall arrangement of a wireless (battery) powered serial inspection robot system 100 are illustrated. The in-line inspection robot 300 of the inspection robot system 100 can be driven by the driving unit 400 to be engaged with the driving chain 240 fixed to the rail 200 through the driving sprocket 440 and to be moved along the rail to inspect the target in the surrounding environment.

As shown in fig. 2A, an exemplary in-line inspection robot 300 is shown that includes a set of four inspection robot modules 300A-300D arranged in series. The set of robot modules 300A-300D are shown arranged in tandem spaced apart relation to each other on the track 200, with one end of the robot module 300D mounted with and driven by one drive motor 410 and the other end of the robot module 300A mounted with and driven by another drive motor 410, the robot modules being traction coupled to each other by a rigid linkage such as a steel rod 302 or wire 302 so as to be driven together to travel on the track 200. In the case of a rigid linkage such as steel rod 302, universal joints may be added at both ends to provide universal joints, providing flexibility and passability through bends. In addition, in the case of battery power, at least one of the robot modules, for example, the robot module 300B, may be a battery module, which may supply power to the inspection robot module 300A and the driving device 400 where it is located through a wire or cable 301. In the embodiment of fig. 2A, a drive 400 with a motor and gearing and reduction mechanisms is provided at both the fore and aft ends, i.e., the inspection robot modules 300A and 300D positions. Of course, it is also possible to equip a tandem inspection robot with one or more driving devices 400. The inspection robot modules 300A-300D may be in wireless communication with each other. The drive motor 410 may take the form of a servo motor, for example.

Fig. 1B is a schematic diagram of the main configuration of the tandem inspection robot system 100 supplied with power by wire (cable), showing the overall layout of the inspection robot system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2B is an enlarged schematic view of a portion of the wired (cable) powered inspection robot system 100 shown in fig. 1B, showing an enlarged view of the arrangement of the in-line inspection robots (modules) 300 and the driving devices 400 on the track 200. Fig. 3 is a further enlarged view of the wireline-powered inspection robot module 300D, drive device 400, and wagon shown in fig. 2B. Fig. 5 is a further enlarged partial view of the configuration shown in fig. 2B from another perspective and illustrates, in partial cutaway, a rail 200 of square cross-section. The embodiment of the wired-powered serial inspection robot system 100 is similar in configuration and construction to the various aspects of the wireless (battery) powered serial inspection robot system shown in fig. 1A, 2A, with the primary difference being that a set of four serially arranged inspection robot modules 300A-300D of the wired-powered serial inspection robot system 100 are externally powered by cables 450, so individual battery modules may be omitted as appropriate. Additionally, the communication between the patrol robot modules 300A-300D, if any, may take a limited form, although this is not required. The cable 450 is connected to the driving device and/or the inspection robot (module) and may travel on the rail 200 along with the inspection robot (module) 300 by being towed by the tow truck 470, as described in detail below. The wired power supply and communication mode is advantageous in the occasion of short-distance inspection, and can provide a power supply and communication mode with higher reliability.

As shown in fig. 3, the robot module 300D at one end is connected via a cable 450 to a tractor cart 470 that carries (e.g., snaps or otherwise attaches) the cable 450. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that since the inspection robot has a small self-weight and the rail 200 is horizontally extended in most cases, the traction trolley does not need to be equipped with a traction rope separately, and the traction rope can be omitted in the case of the inspection robot. That is, the cart 470 may be coupled (and electrically coupled) to the drive unit 400 and/or to the inspection robot (e.g., module 300D of fig. 3) solely via the power and/or communication cable 450, such that the power cable 450 follows the drive unit 400 and travels along the track 200. In contrast, some inspection robots of the prior art also use a cable to supply power, but generally use a trolley wire arrangement. One of the technical drawbacks of the trolley wire is that the trolley wire is prone to poor contact or short circuit when exposed to a humid environment, and the reliability of power supply to the trolley wire is relatively low. The utility model discloses a this kind of cable traction mode can alleviate or avoid above-mentioned defect.

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary view of the configuration of fig. 2B from another perspective and in partial cutaway to show a track of square cross-section. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a driving device 400 and an inspection robot (one of robot modules) 300 of the in-line inspection robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention installed and operating on a rail 200.

Fig. 7 shows the assembly of the drive 400 on the square rail 200 and an exemplary assembly configuration of the drive chain 240 in a partial cross-sectional view. It will be apparent that the track 200 is shown as having a generally square cross-section, however, other configurations and cross-sections of the track 200 are possible. For example, the rail 200 may have an overall polygonal cross-section, the polygonal shape being configured such that the rail 200 has a flat bottom surface and a top surface after installation, and has two perpendicular side surfaces, or two inclined upper side surfaces, or two curved upper curved surfaces. The cross-section of the track 200 may be square, trapezoidal, truncated isosceles triangle, pentagonal, hexagonal, and drum-shaped, among others. The rail 200 may be integrally formed of, for example, metal such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel, or the like. In general, square rails are easier to manufacture and supply, and can be less costly.

In addition, it is important that the driving chain 240 is fixedly installed on the rail 200 by means of rivets, screws, bolts, etc. in the orientation shown in fig. 7, for example, near the center line of the bottom surface of the rail 200 or other portions, as shown in fig. 5 and fig. 7 to 10, the driving chain 240 is arranged along a part of or the entire extension length and extension direction of the rail 200, and in the present invention, it is required to be fixedly installed on the rail 200 so that the sprocket 440 is engaged therewith and travels along the driving chain 240. Fig. 5 and 7 also show a motor 410 and a speed reducing mechanism 430 mounted on a mount 420 of the driving device 400, and the inspection robot 300, for example, may be mounted at the other side opposite to the motor 410. The speed reduction mechanism 430 is preferably, but not limited to, a worm gear speed reduction mechanism, for example, as described in further detail below.

In some outdoor or cold application environment that easily freezes, the utility model discloses a tandem inspection robot system's track 200 may freeze because of exposing in rainwater and cold to influence track 200's normal use. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 12, a heating wire installation groove 260 may be further provided in the rail 200, in which a heating element 250, such as a heating tape, a heating wire, or a thermistor PTC, may be accommodated for heating the rail, deicing, and/or dewatering. Although the electric heating members 250 are provided at both sides as shown in fig. 12, the number and arrangement positions of the electric heating members 250 may be changed as needed, for example, more or less, and may be provided on any configuration of the rails 200, not limited to the square rails.

An additional benefit of a regularly shaped closed track, such as the square track 200, is that in some dusty applications, such as mines, downhole, etc., dust accumulation in the track's grooves (if the track is an open grooved track) can be avoided from affecting use, and the regularly shaped closed track can be less expensive to manufacture and machine, while having greater strength and rigidity.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged schematic view of the driving device 400 of the tandem inspection robot system and the inspection robot 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 shows a schematic end view of the configuration of fig. 6 in partial cross-section. Fig. 8 to 10 show the configuration of the driving apparatus, the inspection robot (module), the mount, and the like of one embodiment. As shown in fig. 6-10, this embodiment of the drive device 400 may include a motor 410, a reduction mechanism 430, and a drive sprocket 440. As an illustrative example, the speed reduction mechanism 430 is mainly constituted by a worm wheel and a worm that are engaged with each other. The speed reducing mechanism 430 in the form of the worm and gear can well perform left and right speed reduction and is self-locked, so that the inspection robot (module) can be conveniently fixed on the track, which is not provided by speed reducing mechanisms in other forms. The motor shaft of the motor 410 and the worm may be coaxially connected, for example, to transmit a rotational motion from the motor, and a rotational motion reduced by a worm wheel engaged therewith is transmitted to the driving sprocket 440. As shown in fig. 7, the worm gear reduction mechanism 430 is mounted on the right side of the illustration of the mount 420, and on the left side of the illustration of the mount 420, a drive sprocket 440 may be mounted, for example, coaxially or coaxially. In this way, the inspection robot (module) 300 and the driving device 400 are integrally assembled by the mounting base 420. The driving sprocket 440 is engaged with the driving chain 240 fixed on the rail as shown in fig. 7. Thus, when the driving sprocket 440 of the driving device 400 is driven by the motor 410 to rotate, it engages with the driving chain 240 fixed to the rail 200 to roll along the rail 200, for example, to roll forward or backward, and thereby the entire driving device 400, the mounting base 420 and the inspection robot 300 are driven to run along the rail 200.

The drive chain 240 may be a roller chain. Of course, the drive chain 240 may be of other forms which are adapted to engage with the drive sprocket, such as a toothed chain. Since the drive chain 240 needs to extend, for example, generally upright upwardly, horizontally along the circumference, with the track 200, and may need to be bent sideways and/or twisted, it is preferable that at least a portion or all of the drive chain 240 be a side-bendable chain drive chain, which may have a degree of freedom of extension in three dimensions.

To facilitate smooth travel of the entire drive 400 and inspection robot 300 along the track 200, as shown in fig. 8-10, according to one embodiment, the mount 420 may include a lower bracket 423 and two upper bracket portions 421 and 422, which may be, for example, generally U-shaped, each of the upper U-shaped portions 421 or 422 being independently pivotable relative to the lower bracket 423, e.g., each of the upper U-shaped portions 421 or 422 being independently pivotable relative to the lower bracket 423 from the orientation shown in fig. 8 to the orientation shown in fig. 9, such that the mount 420 may be flexibly adjusted during an over-curve in the track to smoothly negotiate the over-curve.

Each of the upper U-shaped portions 421 and 422 includes a bottom plate and two side plates extending upward from the bottom plate. As shown in fig. 10, an upper guide wheel 421A and a lower guide wheel 421C are mounted on one side plate of the upper U-shaped portion 421, an upper guide wheel 421B and a lower guide wheel 421D are mounted on the other side plate opposite to the upper guide wheel 421, and a pivot shaft 480 is mounted on the bottom plate of the upper U-shaped portion 421, as described in detail below. Similarly, an upper guide wheel 422A and a lower guide wheel 422C are mounted on one side plate of the upper U-shaped portion 422, an upper guide wheel 422B and a lower guide wheel 422D are mounted on the opposite side plate, and another pivot shaft 480 is mounted on the bottom plate of the upper U-shaped portion 422, as described in detail below. These upper and lower guide wheels are configured to roll on and off the track 200, act as a motion guide, limit and right, and prevent play during operation. The arrangement of the guide wheels helps the driving device 400 and the inspection robot 300 to smoothly run along the rail 200, and prevents jumping, derailment, and deviation, etc. during running.

As shown in fig. 5 to 10, the lower frame 423 may be provided with a straight plate 423A on which an inspection robot (module) 300, such as a camera module, a battery module, a driving module, a video-audio module, a sensor module, etc., or other inspection equipment, may be mounted. Two pivot hole portions 423D and 423E may be formed in the lower frame 423 at positions corresponding to the bottom plates of the two upper U-shaped portions 421 and 422. The two pivot hole locations 423D and 423E may be purposely thickened as shown so that two lengths of pivot shaft 480 may be passed therethrough, as shown in fig. 10. One end of the two pivot shafts 480 may be secured, for example, to the bottom plate of the corresponding upper U-shaped portion, may be secured, for example, by threads in the two pivot hole locations 423D and 423E, or/and may otherwise be secured by nuts or nuts. The other ends of the two pivots 480 are pivotally mounted on the lower bracket 423. Pivoting of the upper U-shaped part relative to the lower bracket can be achieved, for example, by the end flange of the other end abutting against the end face of the respective pivot hole site. As a preferable example, thrust ball bearings 423B and 423C may be interposed between the end flanges of the other end and the corresponding pivot hole holes 423D and 423E, so that it is possible to ensure that the two upper U-shaped portions 421 and 422 are securely assembled with respect to the lower bracket 423 and that the two upper U-shaped portions 421 and 422 are smoothly pivoted with respect to the lower bracket 423 independently of each other.

Fig. 11 is a partial perspective schematic view of a drive apparatus 400 of another embodiment, which is substantially the same as the configuration shown in fig. 10, except that a side guide design is added to the mount. A side guide wheel, 421E, 421F, 422E and 422F respectively, is added to each side plate of the upper U-shaped portions 421 and 422. These side guide wheels 421E, 421F, 422E and 422F, after the drive unit 400 is mounted on the rail 200, roll on the sides of the left and right sides of the rail, further serving as a motion guide, a (left and right) limit, a right and side guide, and a derailment prevention, and of course further contributing to smooth overbending.

Fig. 13-14 illustrate one design of a guide wheel that facilitates passing a curve on a track curve. As shown in fig. 13-14, an upper guide wheel 421A of the mounting base 420 is taken as an example for illustration. The upper guide wheel 421A may have a roller main body 421A1 rolling on the rail 200, and a flange 421A2 integrated therewith. A chamfered arc, such as a concave arc C, may be used to transition between the flange 421A2 and the roller body 421A1 to avoid stress concentrations and may more or less contribute to the overbending. Preferably, the end surface of flange 421A2 on the side proximate the rail after installation is designed as an inclined surface S that forms an oblique angle A with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation R of the idler, where 0 < A.ltoreq.30, such as more preferably 2.ltoreq.A.ltoreq.20, 5.ltoreq.A.ltoreq.15, and so on. In the case where the end surface of the flange 421A2 on the side adjacent to the rail 200 after installation is designed as an arc surface, particularly an arc surface that is outwardly bowed, the arc radius of the arc surface is preferably smaller than the bending radius of the rail, so as to facilitate the overbending. Fig. 13 illustrates the upper runner with a bevel S design during overbending, it being observed that the bevel S design greatly reduces or even avoids the interference/hindrance of the track 200 sides with the runner rolling, particularly on the inside of the curve of the track. While fig. 13-14 illustrate only such a design for the upper idler of the mount, the lower idler of the mount may also employ such a bevel or cambered design. Similarly, the upper and lower guide wheels of the wagon 470 may employ such a ramp or cambered, through-the-curve design, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Fig. 15 illustrates one embodiment of one of the trolleys 470 that may be rolled on the inspection rail 200. The cable 450 may be secured to the wagon 470 and the cable 450 may be used directly as a pull cable without the use of an additional pull cable. This is because the track 200 is mostly a horizontal track, and even if the cable 450 is subjected to a traction force during the traction process, the traction force/tension force is small enough not to be detrimental to the life of the cable 450 and the reliability of the power supply.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the wagon 470, illustrating the construction and details of the wagon 470 of this embodiment. Similar to the arrangement of the guide wheels on the mounting block 420, in this embodiment the towing carriage 470 has a bracket, for example U-shaped, which is integrally formed by a bottom plate and two side plates extending upward from the bottom plate, and which can be machined from channel steel (or aluminum alloy) or i-steel (or aluminum alloy profile), for example. A total of 8 guide wheels are mounted on the U-shaped bracket. Wherein, a pair of upper guide wheels 471A and 471B and a pair of lower guide wheels 471C and 471D are installed on one of the side plates 471 of the trailer wagon 470, and they can all play the roles of motion guiding, limiting and righting. On the other side plate 472 of the traction carriage 470, a pair of upper guide wheels 472A and 472B and a pair of lower guide wheels 472C and 472D, which can perform the functions of motion guidance, limit and righting, and prevention of jumping during operation, may be installed. These guide wheels may help the traction cart 470 smoothly roll along the track 200, so that its (power and/or communication) cable 450 may serve as a traction cable and thus may also be carried by the traction cart 470 to travel along the track 200 with it as the inspection robot 300 and the driving device 400 travel along the track 200, providing safe and reliable power and/or communication. The upper and lower guide wheels of the wagon 470 may each have the same construction and design as the upper and lower guide wheels of the mounting block 420, as they may run on the common rail 200.

On the wagon 470, for example on its floor 473, there may also be provided a cable mount 475, which may for example comprise a body with a slot 475A for receiving a mounting cable 450, and for example two fastening screws 476 which may fasten the cable 450 in the slot 475A. Of course, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the towing vehicle may take other forms than that shown, provided that it is capable of mounting and securing a towing rope and cable, and such is within the scope of the present invention.

The rail 200 may be integrally formed, for example, by a metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy extrusion process.

The drive chain 240 may be a roller chain or a toothed chain, which may be of weighted or non-weighted design. Of course, the drive chain 240 may be other forms adapted to engage the drive sprocket, such as a toothed chain. Where uphill and/or downhill grades and/or cornering are required, it may also be necessary to make lateral bends and/or torsions, so that in these positions the drive chain 240 may be a laterally turnable chain drive chain, preferably with three degrees of freedom, and thus with three degrees of freedom of extension.

One or more in-line inspection robots 300 may be disposed on each track 200. Each of the serial inspection robots 300 may include a set of a plurality of serial inspection robot modules, such as modules 300A-300D, arranged in series and separated from each other. Although a set of 4 inspection robot modules is shown, the number of modules may be fewer or greater, such as 2, 3, 5, 6, etc., as desired.

Although the inspection robot modules are shown spaced apart from each other by a certain gap, they may be stacked on the rail 200 in close proximity to each other without a gap. Although two motors 410 are shown end to end in fig. 2A-2B, the number of motors can be 1 or more and their positions can be in other arrangements.

By distributing the inspection robot modules in series on the track 200, the weight and force at each installation site is actually reduced and the weights are spread over multiple sites rather than the previous single site. By such a configuration, potential problems caused by uneven counterweight, unbalanced center of gravity, and the like of the prior inspection robots can be reduced or even solved, for example, impact can be reduced, noise during operation and other such faults can be reduced, and relatively lower frequency maintenance and repair can be realized.

Moreover, the volume and the occupied space of each inspection robot module can be smaller, so that the inspection robot module can be applied to the occasions that the operation channel of the inspection robot transmission chain is relatively narrow. In addition, a plurality of inspection robot modules which possibly generate heat during working are dispersed in a serial mode, and the inspection robot module powered by the battery can adopt a battery with better explosion resistance and smaller capacity when being powered by a self-contained battery, so that the problem of poor heat dissipation can be solved, and the operation reliability and robustness of the system are improved. Because the modules are distributed in series and are independent, the difficulty of fault diagnosis, maintenance and repair and replacement is further reduced. The advantages are more important and prominent in application environments with severe working conditions such as high temperature, high explosion, high dust and the like.

The robot module of the tandem inspection robot may be selected from at least one of the following functional modules: the system comprises a lighting module, a video-thermal imaging-audio module, a gas sensor module, a battery module, an intercom module, a wireless communication module, a fire-fighting module and a camera cleaning module. The lighting module may for example serve as a function of ambient lighting and visual monitoring, which is essential and necessary for remote monitoring. The video-thermal imaging-audio module may be used, for example, to capture images, thermal imaging, and audio information, including video, thermal imaging, temperature sensing, and audio recording, among others, and may optionally transmit them, for example, in real-time to a ground-based station. The fire module may include associated sensors, such as temperature sensors, smoke sensors, etc., and may send corresponding warning signals, and optionally corresponding instructions, to activate the consumer appliance, such as a fire hydrant, fire extinguisher, etc. The camera cleaning module can be used for cleaning a camera of the inspection robot, for example, a water spray nozzle and a water tank are installed to spray and clean the camera, and the like. Of course, it is fully understood by those skilled in the art that other functional modules may additionally or alternatively be added to the in-line inspection robot assembly of the present concept depending on different applications and functions, and such are within the scope of the present concept.

According to one example, a set of robotic modules may include a master module and at least one slave module, and the master module may be in wireless or wired communication with the at least one slave module.

According to one example, the functional module may be built with a rechargeable battery as an operating power source, so that the module can operate independently and can have better explosion-proof performance.

In one example, the wireless communication module may act as a master module. The wireless communication module may be selected from at least one of: the Zigbee module, the WiFi module, the Bluetooth module, the LoRa transmission module, the NB transmission module, the Proprietary transmission module, the Thread transmission module, the Wi-SUN transmission module, the Z-Wave transmission module and the infrared communication module.

In one example, the functional modules are independently repairable and/or independently replaceable for ease of service, maintenance and replacement.

The tandem track inspection robot system and the components thereof can be suitable for inspection in underground mines, wharf transportation places, industrial production lines, long-distance track conveying places, long-distance belt conveying places or explosion-proof places, and other environments with severe or dangerous working conditions.

In one example, the in-line inspection robot system may include an in-line monitoring wireless sensor fixed in an environment where the inspection path is located for collecting status data of devices in the environment.

The inspection robot in the tandem inspection robot system comprises a wireless sensor data communication module, wherein the wireless sensor data communication module is configured to be in wireless communication with an online monitoring wireless sensor during inspection so as to collect data collected by the online monitoring wireless sensor and issue instructions for the online monitoring wireless sensor.

Although the tandem inspection robot system is adopted as the inspection robot in the embodiment of the tandem inspection robot system, a plurality of related technical advantages can be realized. However, it will be understood and readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the tandem inspection robot system of the present invention may be replaced with an integrated inspection robot, if desired.

According to one example, the functional module may be powered by a power supply cable, or the functional module may have a battery built therein as a power supply source.

The basic idea of the invention has been described above in connection with embodiments. It should be noted that the foregoing is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the technical principles applied. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of various obvious modifications, rearrangements, combinations and substitutions as will now become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. The scope of the present invention is to be determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (11)

1. A cable pulling assembly for use in an inspection robot system, the cable pulling assembly comprising:

a plurality of traction carts, each of the carts including a frame and including a guide wheel mounted on the frame and configured to run on a track of the inspection robot system;

a cable fixed to the wagon so as to be capable of following the wagon;

the track running system comprises a traction trolley, an inspection robot system and a track running system, wherein the traction trolley and the inspection robot of the inspection robot system share the track running.

2. The cable pulling assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the pulling carriages includes at least two pairs of upper and lower guide wheels running above and below the track, respectively.

3. The cable pulling assembly of claim 2, wherein the bracket is a bracket having a bottom plate and two side plates, a pair of the upper guide wheels and a pair of the lower guide wheels being mounted on each of the side plates in a side-by-side manner so as to be rollably movable along upper and lower surfaces of the rail, respectively.

4. The cable pulling assembly of claim 3, wherein the bracket is a U-shaped bracket further comprising side guide wheels mounted on each of the side plates between the pair of upper guide wheels and the pair of lower guide wheels, the side guide wheels configured to roll on respective sides of the track.

5. The cable pulling assembly of claim 1, wherein the bracket is machined from stainless steel, carbon steel, or aluminum profile.

6. The cable pulling assembly of claim 1, wherein a cable mount is provided on the bracket, the cable being secured to the pulling cart via the cable mount, thereby enabling the cable to move with movement of the pulling cart.

7. The cable pulling assembly of claim 6, wherein the cable mount includes a body with a slot, and a fastening screw for fastening the cable within the slot.

8. The cable pulling assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inspection robot system has a driving device, and the end of the cable electrically connected to the driving device is fixed to the inspection robot of the inspection robot system and/or the driving device.

9. The cable pulling assembly as defined in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the track is a square track having a generally square cross-section, and the upper and lower guide wheels of the pulling trolley are adapted to roll on the top and bottom surfaces of the square track, respectively.

10. The cable pulling assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the guide wheel is a flanged guide wheel, the side of the flange adjacent to the track being an inclined surface forming an oblique angle A with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the guide wheel, wherein 0 < A ≦ 30 °.

11. The cable pulling assembly of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the guide wheel is a flanged guide wheel, and the side of the flange adjacent to the rail is curved, the radius of the curve of the curved side being smaller than the radius of curvature of the rail.

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