TWI805920B - 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 invention relates to a pipeline internal cleaning robot, in particular to a pipeline internal cleaning robot capable of real-time image monitoring, positioning and cleaning operations of pipelines.

Common pipeline cleaning robots currently on the market include Taiwan New Patent No. M549682 "Robot Suitable for Pipeline Cleaning", Taiwan 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 "Pipeline Cleaning and Inspection Robot", etc., a common problem with these pipeline cleaning robots is that the robot's camera cannot directly watch the cleaning of the cleaning device Therefore, the problem of not being able to accurately clean to the position to be cleaned often occurs during the cleaning process, so that the operator needs to spend a lot of time to clean and inspect fixed-point positions during the operation, which is not practical.

Furthermore, during the construction of liquefied natural gas pipelines, petroleum pipelines or chemical raw material pipelines, a large number of butt valves will be used. Flux Core TIG) and dust in the air will remain in the pipe, generally after the completion of the pipe blowing operation, although this program can remove most of the dirt, but In the end, there will still be a small amount of waste residue accumulated in the welding depression, for example, the valve seat (Seat) is the position where waste residue is most likely to be stuck. Therefore, if the waste residue is not cleaned and operated directly, it may cause damage to the valve and cause internal leakage of the valve, and the pipeline may have to be redone, which will also lead to more maintenance costs in the future. And because the above-mentioned various pipeline cleaning robots have cleaning accuracy problems, they are all unable to perform this safety maintenance task.

In addition, due to the heavy weight of the waste slag generated in the above-mentioned welding process, it is very difficult to remove such waste during the blowpipe operation, and the cleaning of the above-mentioned liquefied natural gas pipelines, petroleum pipelines or chemical raw material pipelines cannot be washed with a large amount of water. It increases the difficulty of slag removal, 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, motors, and machinery. This case was invented after studying the problem that the welding slag generated inside the valve is not easy to clean up during the construction of the pipeline.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a pipeline internal cleaning robot that can be operated in a modular manner and can perform real-time image monitoring, positioning and cleaning operations of the pipeline. Horizontal pipelines or vertical pipelines, the vehicle body can be pre-installed with the detection device of the aforementioned detection and cleaning module to detect the pipeline, find the position that needs to be cleaned intensively and record its coordinate position, and then replace the cleaning device on the vehicle body , using the clean The real-time image monitoring positioning cleaning function of the device and the innovative rotating brush device can perform cleaning operations at specific positions of the pipeline to achieve the purpose of precise positioning and cleaning.

To achieve the aforementioned purpose, the cleaning robot inside the pipeline of the present invention at least includes a carrier body and a modular detection and cleaning module. The aforementioned vehicle system is provided with a power structure, and the aforementioned vehicle system is provided with a range finder. The aforementioned detection and cleaning module includes a detection device and a cleaning device, and the aforementioned detection device and cleaning device are replaceably arranged on a connecting element at the front end of the aforementioned carrier body; the aforementioned detection device is provided with a 360-degree pan-tilt camera. The aforesaid cleaning device is provided with a casing, the casing is provided with a hollow center column in the middle, and a camera is arranged at the front end of the center column; the periphery of the aforementioned camera is surrounded by an auxiliary device, which is used to assist The aforementioned cleaning device performs a cleaning operation; the periphery of the aforementioned auxiliary device is surrounded by a brush device, and a first bearing is arranged between the auxiliary device and the brush device. The bristle system extends to the front position of the aforementioned camera, and the camera can directly observe the front end position of the trumpet-shaped bristle; Bearings, and the inside of the housing is provided with a motor, the motor is provided with a gear, and the aforementioned gear train is meshed with the gear structure of the aforementioned bristle device; in this way, when the motor rotates, its gear will drive the gear inside the aforementioned bristle device The structure rotates, so that the bristle device rotates at high speed and performs the brushing and cleaning operation inside the pipeline.

In the pipeline internal cleaning robot of the present invention, when the distribution of the pipeline includes horizontal pipelines and vertical pipelines, or the diameter of the pipeline is small, the aforementioned detection and cleaning module only needs to be equipped with a cleaning device, so that the operator can Find out the positions to be cleaned one by one through the camera, and directly activate the auxiliary device and the brush device for cleaning operations.

In the pipeline internal cleaning robot of the present invention, the aforementioned auxiliary device can be a spraying device, and a vacuum cleaner can be installed on the aforementioned carrier body; A spraying machine is installed in the body, and a spraying pipeline is arranged between the aforementioned spraying head and the spraying machine, and the aforementioned spraying head can cooperate with the aforementioned spraying machine to carry out the spraying operation of cleaning liquid.

In the pipeline internal cleaning robot of the present invention, the aforementioned auxiliary device can be a dust suction device, and a sprinkler can be installed on the aforementioned carrier body; A vacuum cleaner is arranged in the main body, and a dust suction pipeline is arranged between the aforementioned air suction port and the vacuum cleaner, and the aforementioned air suction port can cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner for dust suction operation.

In the pipeline internal cleaning robot of the present invention, the aforementioned auxiliary device can be a composite device having both a spraying device and a dust suction device, and a spraying head is set on one side of the aforementioned camera, and an air suction port is set on the other side, and A sprinkler and a dust collector are arranged in the aforementioned carrier body, a sprinkler pipeline is set between the aforementioned sprinkler head and the sprinkler, and a dust suction pipeline is set between the aforementioned air suction port and the dust collector. It can cooperate with the aforementioned sprayer to spray cleaning liquid, and use the aforementioned air suction port to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner to perform dust suction operation.

1: Vehicle body

10: Power structure

11: vacuum cleaner

2: Scout Cleaning Module

20: Scouting device

200:360 degree PTZ camera

201: isolation cover

21: Cleaning device

210: shell

211: center column

22: Connecting elements

23: Camera

230: protective cover

231: LED lights

24: Auxiliary device

240: sprinkler head

241: spraying machine

242: Spray pipeline

243: valve body

244: suction port

245: vacuum cleaner

246: Vacuum suction pipeline

25:Bristle device

250: horn-shaped bristles

251: Extension

252: Gear structure

26: First bearing

27:Second bearing

28: motor

280: gear

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first form of a modular detection and cleaning module mounted on a carrier body of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the second form of the modularized detection and cleaning module mounted on the carrier body of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a 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 .

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing that the auxiliary device of the present invention is a spraying device.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing that the auxiliary device of the present invention is a dust suction device.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing that the auxiliary device of the present invention is a composite device having both a spraying device and a dust suction device.

Fig. 9 is an embodiment of the carrier body of the present invention using a spiral power structure.

Fig. 10 is an embodiment of the carrier body of the present invention using a worm-type power structure.

In order to further understand the present invention, the implementation of the best pipeline internal cleaning robot is shown in Figures 1-10, at least including: a carrier body 1, which is equipped with a power structure 10, when the aforementioned carrier body 1 is When applied to the cleaning operation of the plane pipeline, its power structure 10 can be a crawler type power structure (as shown in Figures 1 to 4) or a wheel type power structure (not shown in the figure); when the aforementioned carrier body 1 is applied to During the cleaning operation of the vertical pipeline, the power structure 10 can be a spiral power structure (as shown in FIG. 9 ) or a worm-type power structure (as shown in FIG. 10 ), so that it can move inside the vertical pipeline. The aforementioned vehicle body 1 is provided with a rangefinder to record the walking distance of the vehicle body 1, which is convenient for the user to locate and mark the position to be cleaned. 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 arranged on a connecting element 22 at the front end of the carrier body 1, Use the detection device 20 to detect the pipeline, find the position that needs to be cleaned and record its coordinate position, and then use the cleaning device 21 to clean the specific position of the pipeline. Clean operation 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 on the detection and 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 provided 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, and the 360-degree pan-tilt camera 200 has high resolution and The omnidirectional shooting function can accurately find out all the positions that need special cleaning, and then record the coordinates of all the positions to be cleaned through the range finder of the aforementioned vehicle body 1.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the above-mentioned cleaning device 21 is provided with a housing 210, and the housing 210 is provided with a hollow center column 211 in the middle, and a camera 23 is set at the front end of the center column 211, and the front end of the aforementioned camera 23 A transparent protective cover 230 is arranged on the outside to prevent the lens of the camera 23 from being scratched or damaged by foreign objects during operation; the aforementioned camera 23 may be provided with a plurality of LED lights 231 to enhance the clarity of its captured images.

The periphery of the aforementioned video camera 23 is surrounded by an auxiliary device 24, as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the aforementioned auxiliary device 24 can be a spraying device, and the spraying device is a sprinkler head 240 arranged around the outer side of the aforementioned video camera 23, And a sprinkler 241 is set in the aforementioned carrier body 1, and a sprinkler pipeline 242 is set between the aforementioned sprinkler head 240 and the sprinkler 241, and the aforementioned sprinkler head 240 can cooperate with the aforementioned sprinkler 241 to carry out the spraying operation of cleaning liquid The rear end of the aforementioned sprayer 241 must be connected to a valve body 243, through which an external water pipe can be connected to the sprayer 241 to continuously provide spray liquid. Or, as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7, the aforesaid auxiliary device 24 may be a dust suction device, and the aforesaid dust suction device is provided with an air suction port 244 around the outside of the aforementioned camera 23, and a dust suction device is arranged in the aforementioned carrier body 1. Machine 245, a dust suction pipeline 246 is arranged between the aforementioned air suction port 244 and the dust collector 245, and the aforementioned dust collector 245 can be used for dust suction operation by using the aforementioned air suction port 244. Or, as shown in Figures 4, 5, and 8, the aforementioned auxiliary device 24 can be a combination of spraying device and dust suction device. Composite device, it is to install a sprinkler head 240 on one side of the aforementioned camera 23, an air suction port 244 is set on the other side, and a sprayer 241 and a dust collector 245 are set in the aforementioned carrier body 1, the aforementioned sprinkler head 240 A spraying pipeline 242 is set between the sprayer 241, and a dust suction pipeline 246 is set between the aforementioned air suction port 244 and the vacuum cleaner 245. In this way, the aforementioned spraying head 240 can cooperate with the aforementioned sprayer 241 to carry out cleaning liquid. Spraying operation, and use the aforementioned air suction port 244 to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner 245 for dust suction operation; the rear end of the aforementioned sprayer 241 must be connected to a valve body 243, through which an external water pipe can be connected to the sprinkler 241, To provide continuous and uninterrupted spray liquid.

The periphery of the aforementioned auxiliary device 24 is surrounded by a brush device 25, and a first bearing 26 is set between the auxiliary device 24 and the brush device 25. The bristles 250 are extended to the front position of the aforementioned camera 23, and the camera 23 can directly observe the front end position of the trumpet-shaped bristles 250, which is convenient for the operator to monitor whether the cleaning position is in place in real time; The front end of the bristles 250 must be provided with a parallel extension 251 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 part 251 can also avoid the problem that the trumpet-shaped bristles 250 block or get stuck on the hole; A second bearing 27 is arranged between the aforementioned brushing device 25 and the aforementioned housing 210, and a motor 28 is arranged inside the aforementioned housing 210. The motor 28 is provided with a gear 280. 25 on the gear structure 252, so that when the motor 28 rotates, its gear 280 will drive the gear structure 252 inside the brush device 25 to rotate, so that the brush device 25 rotates at a high speed and performs brushing and cleaning operations inside the pipeline. Without affecting the aforementioned camera 23 and auxiliary device 24, the purpose of self-rotating cleaning of the brush device 25 is achieved.

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

In this way, the cleaning robot inside the pipeline of the present invention can select a suitable carrier body 1 and detection and 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 when the diameter of the pipelines is small, the aforementioned vehicle body 1 must use a spiral power vehicle or a worm-type mobile vehicle. Vehicle, and because the moving speed of the vehicle body 1 is relatively slow, it can be equipped with the cleaning device 21 of the aforementioned detection and cleaning module 2. The operator can find out the positions to be cleaned through the camera 23 one by one, and directly activate the auxiliary device 24 and bristle device 25 for cleaning operation. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the distribution of pipelines is horizontal, or there are relatively large impurities in the pipeline, or the diameter of the pipeline is large, the aforementioned carrier body 1 must use a crawler power structure Or wheeled power structure, and because the moving speed of the vehicle body 1 is relatively fast, it can be used with the detection device 20 and cleaning device 21 of the aforementioned modular detection and cleaning module 2, and the operator can first carry the vehicle body 1 The detection device 20 enters the tube for investigation, and clearly marks the position to be cleaned, and then replaces the carrier body 1 with the cleaning device 21, and enters the tube to clean the marked position. When the cleaning is completed, it is necessary to check the cleaning results. 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 the waste residue along the way.

When it is worth mentioning, the trumpet-shaped bristles 250 of the brush device 25 of the present invention extend to the front position of the aforementioned camera 23, and the front end of the trumpet-shaped bristles 250 can be directly observed by the camera 23, so that when cleaning operation , the operator can immediately confirm whether the trumpet-shaped bristles 250 have been cleaned to the desired cleaning position. When a position has been cleaned accurately, it is found to be suspicious When the situation seems to be unclean (such as a tightly fixed welding protrusion or a position where the image cannot be captured clearly), the operator can directly judge and mark the special position, so as to avoid the operator repeating it in the subsequent inspection process to clean the location. In this way, the cleaning robot inside the pipeline can have the best practicability and efficiency, which is the composition of this case.

The aforementioned 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 technical field shall be considered as not departing from the patent scope of the present invention.

1: Vehicle body

10: Power structure

2: Scout Cleaning Module

20: Scouting device

211: center column

22: Connecting elements

23: Camera

230: protective cover

231: LED lights

24: Auxiliary device

240: sprinkler head

241: spraying machine

242: Spray pipeline

243: valve body

244: suction port

245: vacuum cleaner

246: Vacuum suction pipeline

25:Bristle device

250: horn-shaped bristles

252: Gear structure

26: First bearing

27:Second bearing

28: motor

280: gear

Claims (5)

A pipeline internal cleaning robot, at least comprising: a carrier body, which is provided with a power structure, and a range finder is installed in the aforementioned carrier body system to record the walking distance of the carrier body, so as to facilitate users to locate and mark the location to be cleaned; A modular 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 360 360-degree pan-tilt camera, the 360-degree pan-tilt camera has a high-resolution and omnidirectional shooting function to accurately find out all the locations that need to be cleaned, and then record all the places to be cleaned through the rangefinder of the aforementioned vehicle body The coordinates of the cleaning position; the above-mentioned cleaning device is provided with a housing, the housing is provided with a hollow center column in the middle, and a camera is arranged at the front end of the center column; the periphery of the aforementioned camera is surrounded by an auxiliary device, the auxiliary The device is used to assist the aforementioned cleaning device to carry out cleaning operations; the periphery of the aforementioned auxiliary device is surrounded by a brush device, and a first bearing is arranged between the auxiliary device and the brush device, and the aforementioned brush device is provided with a horn-shaped Bristles, the trumpet-shaped bristles extend to the front position of the aforementioned camera, and allow the camera to directly observe the front end of the horn-shaped bristles; A second bearing is arranged, and a motor is arranged inside the aforementioned housing, and a gear is arranged on the motor, and the aforementioned gear train engages on the gear structure of the aforementioned brushing device; in this way, when the motor rotates, its gear will drive the aforementioned The gear structure inside the bristle device rotates to make the bristle device rotate at a high speed and perform brushing and cleaning operations inside the pipeline. According to the pipeline internal cleaning robot described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned auxiliary device is a spraying device, and the spraying device is a spraying device arranged around the outer side of the aforementioned camera. A sprinkler head, and a sprinkler machine is installed in the aforementioned vehicle body, a sprinkler pipeline is set between the aforementioned sprinkler head and the sprinkler machine, and the aforementioned sprinkler head can cooperate with the aforementioned sprinkler machine to perform spraying operation of cleaning liquid. According to the pipeline internal cleaning robot described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned auxiliary device is a dust suction device, the dust suction device is provided with an air suction port around the outer side of the aforementioned camera, and a dust suction device is installed inside the aforementioned carrier body Machine, a dust suction pipeline is arranged between the aforementioned air suction port and the vacuum cleaner, and the aforementioned air suction port can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner for dust suction operation. According to the pipeline internal cleaning robot described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the aforementioned auxiliary device is a composite device having both a spraying device and a dust collection device, and a spraying head is installed 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 provided in the aforementioned vehicle body, a spraying pipeline is provided between the aforementioned spray head and the sprayer, and a dust suction pipeline is provided between the aforementioned air suction port and the vacuum cleaner In this way, the aforementioned sprinkler head can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned sprayer to spray the cleaning liquid, and the aforementioned air suction port can be used to cooperate with the aforementioned vacuum cleaner to perform the dust suction operation. According to the pipeline internal cleaning robot described in Item 1 of the scope of the patent application, a parallel extension is provided at the front end of the horn-shaped bristles 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 .

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