TW202142324A - In-tube cleaning robot - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to an in-tube cleaning robot, which includes at least a vehicle and a detection cleaning module. Said detection cleaning module is provided with a detection device and a cleaning device. In this way, whether it is a horizontal pipeline or a vertical pipeline, said vehicle can be equipped with said detection device in advance to detect the pipeline and find the location that needs enhanced cleaning and record its coordinate position. Then, the operator can replace the detection device with said cleaning device, and use the real-time image monitoring function and positioning cleaning function of the cleaning device and an innovative rotating bristle device to perform the cleaning operation of the specific position of the pipeline to achieve the purpose of precise positioning cleaning.

Description

Pipeline internal cleaning robot

The present invention is a pipeline internal cleaning robot, especially a pipeline internal cleaning robot that can perform real-time image monitoring, positioning and cleaning operations of the pipeline.

Common pipeline cleaning robots currently on the market such as Taiwan's new patent No. M549682 "Robot suitable for pipeline cleaning", Taiwan's new patent No. M470907 "Pipeline decoking fixture", China Publication No. CN109465260A "Pipeline cleaning robot", China Publication No. CN108212971A "Central Air Conditioning Ventilation Duct Cleaning Robot", China Publication No. CN101537614A "Pipe Cleaning and Inspection Robot", etc. A common problem with these pipeline cleaning robots is that the robot's camera cannot directly observe the cleaning of the cleaning device. Therefore, during the cleaning process, the problem of not being able to accurately clean to the position to be cleaned often occurs, so that the operator needs to spend a lot of time to clean and inspect the fixed point during the operation, which is not practical.

Moreover, a large number of butt valves are used in the construction of LNG pipelines, petroleum pipelines or chemical raw materials pipelines. Due to grinding (debris), welding (splashing and oxides), welding slag (if used in the welding process) Flux Core TIG) and dust in the air will remain in the pipe. Generally, the pipe blowing operation is performed after completion. Although this program can remove most of the dirt, there will still be a small amount of waste residue accumulated in the welding. The recesses of the valve, such as the seat of the valve, are the easiest place to trap waste. Therefore, if the waste residue is not cleaned separately and directly operated, it may damage the valve and cause the problem of internal leakage of the valve, and the pipeline may have to be rebuilt, which will also cause more maintenance costs in the future. Moreover, since the various pipeline cleaning robots mentioned above have the problem of cleaning accuracy, they are not competent for this safety maintenance task.

In addition, due to the heavy weight of the waste slag generated during the welding process, it is very difficult to remove the waste during the blowpipe operation, and the cleaning of the above-mentioned liquefied natural gas pipeline, petroleum pipeline or chemical raw material pipeline cannot be flushed with a large amount of water, which is also greatly Increased the difficulty of removing waste residues, which will cause more pollution of liquefied natural gas, petroleum or chemical raw materials, and may cause damage to various equipment.

For this reason, the inventor team of this case has accumulated many years of experience in research and development and creation of technologies in the fields of electronics, electrical machinery, and machinery. It specifically addresses the problems and shortcomings of the aforementioned conventional pipeline cleaning robots, and improves the LNG pipelines, petroleum pipelines or chemical raw materials. In the pipeline construction process, the welding waste generated inside the valve is not easy to be cleaned up. The problem was studied, and the present case was invented.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pipeline internal cleaning robot that can be modularized and can perform real-time image monitoring, positioning and cleaning operations of the pipeline. For horizontal or vertical pipelines, the vehicle body can be equipped with the detection device of the aforementioned detection and cleaning module for pipeline detection, find the location that needs enhanced cleaning and record its coordinate position, and then replace the cleaning device on the vehicle body , Use the real-time image monitoring and positioning cleaning function of the cleaning device and the innovative rotating brush device to perform cleaning operations at specific locations on the pipeline to achieve the purpose of precise positioning and cleaning.

In order to achieve the foregoing objective, the pipeline cleaning robot of the present invention at least includes a carrier body and a modular detection and cleaning module. The aforementioned vehicle system is equipped with a power structure, and the aforementioned vehicle system is equipped with a rangefinder. The detection and cleaning module includes a detection device and a cleaning device. The detection device and the cleaning device are replaceably arranged on a connecting element at the front end of the carrier body; the detection device is provided with a 360-degree pan-tilt camera. The aforementioned cleaning device is provided with a casing, the casing is provided with a hollow center column in the middle, and a camera is provided at the front end of the center column; the outer side of the camera is provided with an auxiliary device, which is used to assist The cleaning device performs cleaning operations; a brush device is arranged on the periphery of the auxiliary device, and a first bearing is arranged between the auxiliary device and the brush device. The brush device is provided with a horn-shaped bristle in front of the Extend to the front position of the aforementioned camera, so that the camera can directly observe the front end position of the horn-shaped bristles; a gear structure is provided on the inner side of the aforementioned bristle device, and a second bearing is provided between the aforementioned bristle device and the aforementioned housing, And the inside of the housing is provided with a motor, the motor is equipped with a gear, the gear is toothed on the gear structure of the brush device; so when the motor rotates, the gear will drive the gear structure inside the brush device to rotate , Make the bristle device rotate at a high speed and perform the cleaning operation inside the pipeline.

In the pipeline cleaning robot of the present invention, when the distribution of pipelines includes horizontal pipelines and vertical pipelines, or when the pipe diameter of the pipeline is small, the detection cleaning module only needs to be equipped with a cleaning device, so that the operator can Use the camera to find the location to be cleaned one by one, and directly activate the auxiliary device and the brush device to perform the cleaning operation.

In the pipeline cleaning robot of the present invention, the auxiliary device may be a spraying device, and a vacuum cleaner may be arranged on the carrier body; A spraying machine is arranged in the body, and a spraying pipeline is arranged between the spraying head and the spraying machine. The spraying head can be used to cooperate with the spraying machine to spray the cleaning liquid.

In the pipeline cleaning robot of the present invention, the auxiliary device may be a dust collection device, and a sprayer may be provided on the carrier body; A vacuum cleaner is arranged in the main body, and a vacuum pipe is arranged between the aforementioned suction port and the vacuum cleaner, and the aforementioned suction port can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner to perform a dust collection operation.

In the pipeline cleaning robot of the present invention, the aforementioned auxiliary device may be a composite device having both a spray device and a dust suction device. A sprayer and a vacuum cleaner are arranged in the aforementioned carrier body, a spray pipe is arranged between the aforementioned spray head and the sprayer, and a dust suction pipe is arranged between the aforementioned suction port and the vacuum cleaner. In this way, the aforementioned spray head is used. It can cooperate with the aforementioned sprayer to spray the cleaning liquid, and use the aforementioned suction port to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner to carry out the dust collection operation.

In order to further understand the present invention, the best implementation of the pipeline internal cleaning robot is shown in Figures 1 to 10, which at least includes:

A vehicle body 1 is provided with a power structure 10. When the aforementioned vehicle body 1 is used for cleaning operations of flat pipelines, the power structure 10 must be a crawler-type power structure (as shown in Figures 1 to 4) or Wheel-type power structure (not shown in the figure); when the aforementioned vehicle body 1 is used for vertical pipeline cleaning operations, its power structure 10 must be a spiral-type power structure (as shown in Figure 9) or a worm-type power Structure (as shown in Figure 10), so that it can move inside the vertical pipeline. The aforementioned carrier body 1 is provided with a rangefinder to record the walking distance of the carrier body 1, so that the user can locate and mark the position to be cleaned. The aforementioned rangefinder consists of at least one of an encoder and an image ranging positioning module Composed of positioning modules.

A modular detection and cleaning module 2 includes a detection device 20 and a cleaning device 21. The detection device 20 and the cleaning device 21 are replaceably disposed on a connecting element 22 at the front end of the carrier body 1, and The detection device 20 is used to detect the pipeline respectively, to find the location that needs to be cleaned and record its coordinate position, and then the cleaning device 21 is used to clean the specific location of the pipeline to achieve the purpose of precise positioning and cleaning. Of course, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the user can also only install a cleaning device 21 in the detection cleaning module 2 according to the usage requirements, depending on the usage requirements.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the aforementioned detection device 20 is equipped with a 360-degree pan/tilt camera 200 and an isolation cover 201 arranged on the outside of the 360-degree pan/tilt camera 200. The 360-degree pan/tilt camera 200 has high resolution and The shooting function of the omni-directional viewing angle can accurately find all the locations that need special cleaning, and then record the coordinates of all the locations to be cleaned through the rangefinder of the aforementioned carrier body 1.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4 to 8, the aforementioned cleaning device 21 is provided with a housing 210. The housing 210 is provided with a hollow central pillar 211 in the middle, and a camera 23 is provided at the front end of the central pillar 211. The aforementioned camera A transparent protective cover 230 is provided on the outer side of 23 to prevent the lens of the camera 23 from being scratched or hit by foreign objects during operation; the aforementioned camera 23 must be provided with a plurality of LED lights 231 to improve the clarity of the captured image.

An auxiliary device 24 is provided on the outer side of the aforementioned camera 23. As shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the aforementioned auxiliary device 24 must be a spraying device. A sprayer 241 is arranged in the carrier body 1, and a spraying pipe 242 is arranged between the sprayer 240 and the sprayer 241, and the sprayer 240 can cooperate with the sprayer 241 to spray the cleaning liquid; A valve body 243 is connected to the rear end of the aforementioned sprayer 241, and an external water pipe can be connected to the sprayer 241 through the valve body 243 to continuously provide spray liquid. Or, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, the auxiliary device 24 may be a dust suction device. The dust suction device is provided with an air suction port 244 on the outer side of the camera 23, and a dust suction device is arranged in the carrier body 1. A dust suction pipe 246 is arranged between the suction port 244 and the vacuum cleaner 245, and the suction port 244 can be used to cooperate with the vacuum cleaner 245 to perform a dust collection operation. Or, as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 8, the aforementioned auxiliary device 24 may be a composite device having both a spray device and a dust suction device. A suction port 244, a sprayer 241 and a vacuum cleaner 245 are arranged in the carrier body 1, a spray pipe 242 is arranged between the spray head 240 and the sprayer 241, the suction port 244 and the vacuum cleaner 245 A dust suction pipe 246 is arranged in between, so that the aforementioned spray head 240 can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned sprayer 241 to spray the cleaning liquid, and the aforementioned suction port 244 can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner 245 to perform the dust collection operation; A valve body 243 is connected to the rear end of the machine 241, and an external water pipe can be connected to the sprayer 241 through the valve body 243 to continuously provide spray liquid.

A bristle device 25 is provided on the periphery of the aforementioned auxiliary device 24, and a first bearing 26 is provided between the auxiliary device 24 and the bristle device 25. The aforementioned bristle device 25 is provided with a horn-shaped bristle 250 at the front. The 250 series extends to the front position of the aforementioned camera 23, and enables the camera 23 to directly observe the front position of the horn-shaped bristles 250, which is convenient for the operator to monitor whether the cleaning position is in place; as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the aforementioned horn-shaped bristles A parallel extension 251 must be provided at the front end of the 250 to increase the contact area between the horn-shaped bristles 250 and the inner wall of the pipeline, and improve the cleaning efficiency of the horn-shaped bristles 250. When the carrier body 1 enters the pipeline, the parallel arrangement The extension 251 can also avoid the problem that the horn-shaped bristles 250 are blocked or stuck on the hole; a gear structure 252 is provided on the inner side of the aforementioned bristle device 25. A second bearing 27 is provided between the bristle device 25 and the housing 210, and a motor 28 is provided inside the housing 210. The motor 28 is provided with a gear 280, and the gear 280 is toothed to the bristle device. On the gear structure 252 of 25, when the motor 28 rotates, its gear 280 will drive the gear structure 252 inside the bristle device 25 to rotate, so that the bristle device 25 rotates at a high speed and performs the cleaning operation inside the pipeline. Without affecting the aforementioned camera 23 and auxiliary device 24, the purpose of rotating and cleaning the brush device 25 is achieved.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the auxiliary device 24 is a spraying device, the carrier body 1 has to be provided with a vacuum cleaner 11 to remove dust or debris with larger particles in the pipeline. Or, when the aforementioned auxiliary device 24 is a dust suction device, the aforementioned carrier body 1 must be provided with a sprayer (not shown in the figure) to continuously provide spray liquid.

In this way, the pipeline interior cleaning robot of the present invention can select a suitable carrier body 1 and detection cleaning device 21 according to the cleaning conditions of the pipeline during use. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, when the distribution of pipelines includes horizontal pipelines and vertical pipelines, or the diameter of the pipeline is small, the aforementioned vehicle body 1 must use a screw-type power vehicle or a worm-type mobile vehicle. The carrier, and since the moving speed of the carrier body 1 is relatively slow, it can be matched with the cleaning device 21 of the aforementioned detection and cleaning module 2. The operator can find the location to be cleaned through the camera 23 one by one, and directly activate the auxiliary device 24 performs a cleaning operation with the bristle device 25. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the distribution of the pipeline is horizontal, or there are larger impurities in the pipeline, or the diameter of the pipeline is large, the aforementioned carrier body 1 must use a crawler-type power structure Or wheeled power structure, and because the moving speed of the carrier body 1 is faster, it can be combined with the detection device 20 and the cleaning device 21 of the aforementioned modular detection and cleaning module 2, and the operator can first carry the carrier body 1 The detection device 20 enters the tube for detection, and clearly marks the location to be cleaned, and then replaces the carrier body 1 with a cleaning device 21, and enters the tube to clean the marked location. When the cleaning is completed, the cleaning results need to be inspected. The carrier body 1 can be replaced back to the detection device 20 to carefully detect and record the cleaning results, and the vacuum cleaner 11 can also be used to remove waste along the way.

It is worth mentioning that the horn-shaped bristles 250 of the bristle device 25 of the present invention extend to the front position of the aforementioned camera 23, so that the camera 23 can directly observe the front-end position of the horn-shaped bristles 250, so that during the cleaning operation , The operator can immediately confirm whether the horn-shaped bristles 250 are cleaned to the desired position. When a position has been accurately cleaned and found to be uncleaned (such as a tightly fixed welding convex If the location or the image cannot be clearly captured), the operator can directly judge and mark the special location, avoiding the operator to repeatedly clean the location in the subsequent inspection process. In this way, the internal cleaning robot of the pipeline can have the best practicality and use efficiency, which is the composition of this project.

The foregoing embodiments or drawings do not limit the aspect or usage of the present invention, and any appropriate changes or modifications by those with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field should be regarded as not departing from the patent scope of the present invention.

1: Vehicle body 10: Power structure 11: Vacuum cleaner 2: Reconnaissance cleaning module 20: Detective Device 200: 360-degree gimbal camera 201: Isolation cover 21: Cleaning device 210: Shell 211: Center Column 22: Connecting elements 23: Camera 230: protective cover 231: LED light 24: auxiliary device 240: spray head 241: Sprayer 242: Spray pipe 243: valve body 244: Suction Port 245: Vacuum cleaner 246: Vacuum pipe 25: Brushing device 250: trumpet-shaped bristles 251: Extension 252: Gear Structure 26: The first bearing 27: The second bearing 28: Motor 280: Gear

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the first form of the modularized investigation and cleaning module mounted on the carrier body of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second form of a modularized investigation and cleaning module mounted on the carrier body of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 4. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the auxiliary device of the present invention being a spraying device. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the auxiliary device of the present invention being a dust suction device. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the auxiliary device of the present invention as a composite device having both a spray device and a dust suction device. Figure 9 is an embodiment of the carrier body of the present invention using a screw-type power structure. Figure 10 is an embodiment of the vehicle body of the present invention using a worm-like power structure.

1: Vehicle body

10: Power structure

2: Reconnaissance cleaning module

20: Detective Device

211: Center Column

22: Connecting elements

23: Camera

230: protective cover

231: LED light

24: auxiliary device

240: spray head

241: Sprayer

242: Spray pipe

243: valve body

244: Suction Port

245: Vacuum cleaner

246: Vacuum pipe

25: Brushing device

250: trumpet-shaped bristles

252: Gear Structure

26: The first bearing

27: The second bearing

28: Motor

280: Gear

Claims (10)

A kind of internal cleaning robot of pipeline, including at least: A vehicle body is provided with a power structure. The system of the aforementioned vehicle is provided with a distance meter to record the walking distance of the vehicle body, which is convenient for the user to locate and mark the location to be cleaned; A modular detection cleaning module includes a detection device and a cleaning device. The detection device and the cleaning device are replaceably arranged on a connecting element at the front end of the vehicle body; the detection device is provided with a 360 This 360-degree pan/tilt camera has a high-resolution and omni-directional viewing angle shooting function to accurately find all the locations that need special cleaning, and then use the aforementioned rangefinder on the vehicle body to record all waiting The coordinates of the cleaning location; The aforementioned cleaning device is provided with a casing, the casing is provided with a hollow center column in the middle, and a camera is provided at the front end of the center column; the outer side of the camera is provided with an auxiliary device, which is used to assist The cleaning device performs cleaning operations; a brush device is arranged on the periphery of the auxiliary device, and a first bearing is arranged between the auxiliary device and the brush device. The brush device is provided with a horn-shaped bristle in front of the Extend to the front position of the aforementioned camera, so that the camera can directly observe the front end position of the horn-shaped bristles; a gear structure is provided on the inner side of the aforementioned bristle device, and a second bearing is provided between the aforementioned bristle device and the aforementioned housing, And the inside of the housing is provided with a motor, the motor is equipped with a gear, the gear is toothed on the gear structure of the brush device; so when the motor rotates, the gear will drive the gear structure inside the brush device to rotate , Make the bristle device rotate at a high speed and perform the cleaning operation inside the pipeline. According to the pipeline cleaning robot described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the auxiliary device is a spraying device, and the spraying device is surrounded by a spraying head on the outer side of the camera, and a spraying spray is arranged in the vehicle body. In the machine, a spraying pipeline is arranged between the spraying head and the spraying machine, and the spraying head can be used to cooperate with the spraying machine to spray the cleaning liquid. According to the pipeline cleaning robot described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the auxiliary device is a dust suction device, and the dust suction device is surrounded by a suction port on the outer side of the camera, and a dust suction is arranged in the carrier body. In the machine, a dust collection pipeline is arranged between the aforementioned suction port and the vacuum cleaner, and the aforementioned suction port can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner to perform the dust collection operation. According to the pipeline cleaning robot described in the first item of the scope of patent application, the aforementioned auxiliary device is a composite device having both a spray device and a dust suction device. A spray head is set on one side of the aforementioned camera, and the other side An air suction port is provided, and a sprayer and a vacuum cleaner are arranged in the aforementioned carrier body, a spray pipe is arranged between the spray head and the sprayer, and a dust suction pipe is arranged between the aforementioned suction inlet and the vacuum cleaner In this way, the aforementioned spray head can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned sprayer to perform the spraying operation of the cleaning liquid, and the aforementioned suction port can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner to perform the cleaning operation. According to the pipeline cleaning robot described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the front end of the horn-shaped bristles is provided with a parallel extension to increase the contact area between the horn-shaped bristles and the inner wall of the pipeline, and improve the cleaning efficiency of the horn-shaped bristles . A kind of internal cleaning robot of pipeline, including at least: A vehicle body is equipped with a power structure; A reconnaissance cleaning module is provided with a cleaning device, the aforementioned cleaning device is provided with a housing, the housing is provided with a hollow center pillar in the middle, and a camera is provided at the front end of the center pillar; An auxiliary device, which is used to assist the aforementioned cleaning device to perform cleaning operations; a bristle device is arranged on the periphery of the aforementioned auxiliary device, and a first bearing is arranged between the auxiliary device and the bristle device, and the aforementioned bristle device is at the front A horn-shaped bristle is provided, which extends to the front position of the aforementioned camera, and allows the camera to directly observe the front end position of the trumpet-shaped bristle; the inner side of the aforementioned bristle device is provided with a gear structure, the aforementioned bristle device and A second bearing is arranged between the aforementioned housing, and a motor is arranged inside the aforementioned housing, and the motor is equipped with a gear. The gear train is toothed on the gear structure of the bristle device; so when the motor rotates, it The gear will drive the gear structure inside the aforementioned bristle device to rotate, so that the bristle device rotates at a high speed and performs the cleaning operation of the inside of the pipeline. According to the pipeline cleaning robot described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, the auxiliary device is a spraying device, and the spraying device is surrounded by a spraying head on the outer side of the camera, and a spraying device is arranged in the vehicle body. In the machine, a spraying pipeline is arranged between the spraying head and the spraying machine, and the spraying head can be used to cooperate with the spraying machine to spray the cleaning liquid. According to the pipeline cleaning robot described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, the auxiliary device is a dust suction device, which is provided with a suction port around the outer side of the camera, and a dust suction device is arranged in the carrier body In the machine, a dust collection pipeline is arranged between the aforementioned suction port and the vacuum cleaner, and the aforementioned suction port can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner to perform the dust collection operation. According to the pipeline cleaning robot described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, the aforementioned auxiliary device is a composite device having both a spray device and a dust suction device. An air suction port is provided, and a sprayer and a vacuum cleaner are arranged in the aforementioned carrier body, a spray pipe is arranged between the spray head and the sprayer, and a dust suction pipe is arranged between the aforementioned suction inlet and the vacuum cleaner In this way, the aforementioned spray head can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned sprayer to perform the spraying operation of the cleaning liquid, and the aforementioned suction port can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner to perform the cleaning operation. According to the pipeline cleaning robot described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, a parallel extension is provided at the front end of the aforementioned horn-shaped bristles to increase the contact area between the horn-shaped bristles and the inner wall surface of the pipeline and improve the cleaning efficiency of the horn-shaped bristles .

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