WO2023245809A1

WO2023245809A1 - Magnet follow-up vehicle wheel and wall-climbing robot

Info

Publication number: WO2023245809A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/108522
Authority: WO
Inventors: 周云海; 李建伟; 周建帮; 皇甫立波
Original assignee: 江苏镌极特种设备有限公司
Priority date: 2022-06-23
Filing date: 2022-07-28
Publication date: 2023-12-28
Also published as: CN115157920A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a magnet follow-up vehicle wheel and a wall-climbing robot. The magnet follow-up vehicle wheel comprises: a vehicle wheel assembly, which comprises a first vehicle wheel and a second vehicle wheel, the first vehicle wheel being connected to the second vehicle wheel by means of a wheel axle; and a magnet assembly, which comprises an axle connection sleeve and a follow-up magnet, wherein the follow-up magnet is fixedly connected to the axle connection sleeve, a force sensor is arranged between the follow-up magnet and the axle connection sleeve, the axle connection sleeve is sleeved on the wheel axle by means of a bearing, a gap is present between each of the first vehicle wheel and the second vehicle wheel and the corresponding end of the axle connection sleeve, and there is a height difference between a bottom surface of the follow-up magnet and an outer periphery of the vehicle wheel assembly. The angle of the follow-up magnet in the present invention can be automatically adjusted according to the magnitude of a magnetic attraction force, so as to ensure that the magnetic attraction force exerted by the follow-up magnet on a magnetic conductive wall surface is always the maximum; the wall-climbing robot can be suitable for the curved magnetic conductive wall surface, and a path can be automatically adjusted by using feedback from the force sensor, thereby greatly improving the safety of the robot.

Description

A magnet-following wheel and wall-climbing robot

Technical field

The invention relates to the field of robot technology, and in particular, to a magnet-following wheel and wall-climbing robot.

Background technique

The magnetic adsorption wall-climbing robot is a type of special robot. It is an automated mechanical device designed to perform specific operations on magnetically permeable walls under harsh, dangerous, and extreme conditions, such as inspection, testing, welding, grinding, etc. ,More and more attention has been paid. In particular, micro wall-climbing robots make it possible to replace manual labor in various extreme operations, such as entering the nuclear industry pipeline group with narrow space to inspect and repair the outer pipe wall.

Generally, there are two main methods to implement wall-climbing robots: vacuum adsorption and magnetic adsorption. The vacuum adsorption type has the advantage of not being limited by the wall material. However, when the wall surface is uneven, it is easy for the suction cup to leak, thereby reducing the magnetic adsorption force and the load-bearing capacity. The vacuum adsorption device is mainly composed of a suction cup, a cylinder and a vacuum pump. These devices are difficult to miniaturize in proportion, so it is difficult to get good applications in micro wall-climbing robots. There are two methods of magnetic adsorption: permanent magnets and electromagnets. It has a simple structure, strong magnetic adsorption force, strong adaptability to the concave and convex walls, and does not have the problem of vacuum adsorption and air leakage. Compared with the electromagnet method, the permanent magnet method has the advantages of no energy consumption for adsorption, simple structure, high safety, and not affected by power outages. The magnet set of a traditional magnetic adsorption wall-climbing robot is located between the wheels and is fixedly connected to the robot body. The position and angle between the magnet and the body are fixed, and it is relatively reliable on a flat wall.

However, in practical applications, some magnetically permeable walls are spatially curved surfaces with large changes in surface morphology, uneven surfaces, small semi-meridians of curvature, and a large range of curvature changes. For magnetic adsorption wall-climbing robots operating on such surfaces, the air gap between the adsorption device and the blade surface will change, resulting in changes in the magnetic adsorption force, which in turn affects the load capacity of the wall-climbing robot. In addition, the unevenness of the magnetically permeable wall will also affect the motion performance of the wall-climbing robot. For example, the unevenness of the wall may cause the driving wheels to hang in the air, causing drive failure. Affects the climbing safety of wall-climbing robots.

Contents of the invention

To this end, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects in the prior art that the magnet set of the magnetic adsorption wall-climbing robot is fixed, has poor adaptability, and affects the safety of the wall-climbing robot, and provides a magnet-following wheel and a wall-climbing robot to ensure It has enough magnetic adsorption force to ensure the safety of the wall-climbing robot.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a magnet following wheel, including:

A wheel assembly, the wheel assembly includes a first wheel and a second wheel, the first wheel and the second wheel are connected through a wheel axle;

Magnet assembly, the magnet assembly includes a coupling sleeve and a follower magnet, the follower magnet is fixedly connected to the coupling sleeve, a force sensor is provided between the follower magnet and the coupling sleeve, the connection The axle sleeve is sleeved on the axle through bearings. There is a gap between both ends of the axle sleeve and the first wheel and the second wheel. There is a gap between the bottom surface of the follower magnet and the outer periphery of the wheel assembly. There is a height difference.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower surface of the follower magnet is arranged in a trapezoidal shape along the circumferential direction of the wheel assembly.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel axle is a solid round rod, and the coupling sleeve is sleeved on the wheel axle through a deep groove ball bearing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the first wheel and the second wheel are fixedly connected to both ends of the wheel axle, and one end of the wheel axle is connected to the first motor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel axle is a hollow connecting shaft, a second motor is provided inside the hollow connecting shaft, and both ends of the hollow connecting shaft are fixedly connected to the first wheel and the second wheel respectively. One end of the second motor is fixedly connected to the first wheel, and the coupling sleeve is rotationally connected to the wheel axle through a sliding bearing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, mounting arms extend from both ends of the follower magnet, a pressure head is provided outside the coupling sleeve, and the force sensor is clamped between the mounting arm and the pressure head.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sliding bearing is a graphite copper sleeve sliding bearing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the second motor is connected with a connecting flange extending toward its other end.

In one embodiment of the present invention, two force sensors are provided, and the two force sensors are provided circumferentially along the wheel assembly.

A wall-climbing robot, characterized in that it includes a plurality of the above-mentioned magnet-following wheels and a controller, the controller is electrically connected to the force sensor, and the controller adjusts the travel of the robot according to the feedback of the force sensor. path.

The above technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages compared with the existing technology:

The magnet follows the wheel of the present invention. The following magnet can automatically adjust its angle according to the magnetic adsorption force, ensuring that the magnetic adsorption force of the following magnet to the magnetically permeable wall surface is always at the maximum value, thereby improving the safety of the wall-climbing robot. ;

The wall-climbing robot of the present invention can be adapted to the curved magnetically permeable wall surface through the arrangement of the magnet follower wheels, and uses feedback from the force sensor to realize automatic adjustment of the path, which greatly improves the safety of the robot.

Description of the drawings

In order to make the content of the present invention easier to understand clearly, the present invention will be further described in detail below based on specific embodiments of the present invention and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the driven wheel of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a first cross-sectional view of the driven wheel of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a second cross-sectional view of the driven wheel of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an external driving wheel of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a first cross-sectional view of the external driving wheel of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a second cross-sectional view of the external driving wheel of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the built-in driving wheel of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a first cross-sectional view of the built-in driving wheel of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a second cross-sectional view of the built-in driving wheel of the present invention.

Explanation of reference signs in the manual: 10. Wheel assembly; 11. First wheel; 12. Second wheel; 13. Axle; 131. Hollow connecting shaft; 14. First motor; 15. Second motor; 16. Connecting flange ;

20. Magnet assembly; 21. Coupling sleeve; 211. Deep groove ball bearing; 212. Sliding bearing; 213. Pressure head; 22. Follower magnet; 221. Mounting arm; 23. Force sensor.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific examples, so that those skilled in the art can better understand and implement the present invention, but the examples are not intended to limit the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a magnet-following wheel of the present invention is shown. The magnet following wheel in the embodiment of the present invention includes:

The wheel assembly 10 includes a first wheel 11 and a second wheel 12 , and the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 are connected through an axle 13 . The structure of the integrated wheel in the prior art is changed by dividing the wheel from the middle so that there is a certain space inside the wheel to accommodate the magnet assembly 20 . At the same time, arranging the magnet assembly 20 inside the wheel assembly 10 eliminates the need for multiple wheel assemblies 10 to be integrated into an integrated structure, thereby improving the flexibility of the robot structure.

Specifically, the magnet assembly 20 includes a coupling sleeve 21 and a follower magnet 22 . The follower magnet 22 is fixedly connected to the coupling sleeve 21 , that is, the follower magnet 22 moves along with the movement of the coupling sleeve 21 . A force sensor 23 is provided between the following magnet 22 and the coupling sleeve 21 to detect the magnetic adsorption force in real time. When the magnetic adsorption force is less than the set value, the wall-climbing robot will proactively issue an early warning to improve the performance of the wall-climbing robot. safety. The coupling sleeve 21 is sleeved on the wheel axle 13 through bearings, so the coupling sleeve 21 can rotate around the wheel axle 13, in order to prevent friction between the coupling sleeve 21 and the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 when rotating. , affecting the smooth rotation, there is a gap between both ends of the coupling sleeve 21 and the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 . The following magnet 22 is connected to the wheel axle 13 through the coupling sleeve 21. When the wheel assembly 10 moves, the following magnet 22 adsorbs the magnetically permeable wall, so that the robot can run on the magnetically permeable wall. In order to ensure that the following magnet 22 is in contact with the magnetically permeable wall. The wall surfaces are non-contact, and there is a certain air gap between them. There is a height difference between the bottom surface of the follower magnet 22 and the outer circumference of the wheel assembly 10 .

Referring to Figure 2, during operation, when on a flat wall, the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 contact the magnetically conductive wall. Due to the adsorption effect of the follower magnet 22 on the magnetically conductive wall, the coupling sleeve 21 rotates to follow. The moving magnet 22 is parallel to the magnetic conductive wall. In addition, since there is a certain distance between the following magnet 22 and the outer circumference of the wheel assembly 10, it can be ensured that the following magnet 22 will not contact the magnetically permeable wall surface. When moving to the curved surface, the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 still contact the magnetically conductive wall. If the follower magnet 22 still works at an angle on the flat wall, the magnetic adsorption force of the follower magnet 22 to the magnetically permeable wall will Non-uniform, because the follower magnet 22 can rotate freely, so when the curvature of the magnetic conductive wall changes, the follower magnet 22 rotates with the change of the magnetic adsorption force, so that the lower surface of the follower magnet 22 is always as parallel to the magnetic conductor as possible wall to provide maximum magnetic adhesion. The force sensor 23 is located between the follower magnet 22 and the coupling sleeve 21. The magnetic adsorption force between the follower magnet 22 and the magnetic wall has a tendency to pull the follower magnet 22 in the direction of the magnetic wall, so that the force sensor 23 can real-time The size of the magnetic adsorption force is detected to provide early warning for the robot's movements. There is a height difference between the lower surface of the following magnet 22 and the outer circumference of the wheel assembly 10. When the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 contact the magnetically permeable wall surface, even if the wheel assembly 10 moves to a curved surface, the following magnet 22 It will not come into contact with the magnetic wall surface, ensuring the normal operation of the wheel. Furthermore, in order to minimize the distance between the follower magnet 22 and the outer circumference of the wheel assembly 10 while ensuring that the follower magnet 22 is larger in size, in this embodiment, the lower surface of the follower magnet 22 is arranged along the wheel. The assembly 10 is arranged in a trapezoidal shape circumferentially. This prevents the two ends of the lower surface of the follower magnet 22 from extending beyond the clamping range of the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12. At this time, during the transition to the curved surface, the two ends of the follower magnet 22 will not precede the curved surface. The wheel assembly 10 contacts the magnetically permeable wall, and the trapezoidal slope makes the magnetic adsorption force on the curved surface more uniform, and the angle of the follower magnet 22 changes more steadily and smoothly.

Referring to Figure 3, the magnet following wheel of the present invention can be used as a driven wheel in a robot. The driven wheel in this embodiment fixes the wheel axle 13 to the robot, and the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 rotate around the wheel axle 13 to realize the rotation of the wheels. In this example, in order to ensure the structural strength of the wheel axle 13, the wheel axle 13 is a solid round rod, and the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 are rotationally connected to both ends of the wheel axle 13 through deep groove ball bearings 211. The coupling sleeve 21 is sleeved on the axle 13 between the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12. In order to ensure the smooth rotation of the coupling sleeve 21 around the axle 13, the coupling sleeve 21 is sleeved on the axle 13 through a deep groove ball bearing 211. On the wheel axle 13. The deep groove ball bearing 211 has small friction and high rotation speed. Therefore, as the curvature of the magnetically conductive wall changes, the magnetic adsorption force of the follower magnet 22 on the magnetically permeable wall changes, and the follower magnet 22 can rotate to adjust Magnetic attraction to magnetically permeable walls.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the magnet following wheel of the present invention can be used as a driving wheel in a robot. The driving wheel in this embodiment fixes the first motor 14, the first motor 14 drives the axle 13, and the first axle 13 drives the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 to rotate, thereby realizing the driving of the wheel assembly 10. Specifically, the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 are fixedly connected to both ends of the wheel axle 13 , and one end of the wheel axle 13 is connected to the first motor 14 . At this time, since the wheel axle 13 is a solid round rod, and as a miniature wall-climbing robot, the wheel assembly 10 is small in size, the first motor 14 is located outside the first wheel 11 or the second wheel 12 . The coupling sleeve 21 is set on the wheel axle 13 between the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12. The coupling sleeve 21 can freely rotate around the wheel axle 13. Therefore, if the magnetic adsorption force does not change, even if the wheel axle 13 rotates , the angle of the follower magnet 22 relative to the magnetically permeable wall will not change. Referring to Figure 6, since the follower magnet 22 adjusts its angle at any time when on a curved surface, the magnetic adsorption force at both ends of the magnet may be different. In order to improve the accuracy of detecting the magnetic adsorption force, the force sensor 23 is provided with two , the two force sensors 23 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the wheel assembly 10 , that is, corresponding to the two ends of the follower magnet 22 .

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , in order to further reduce the volume of the magnet-following wheel as the driving wheel and adapt to the micro wall-climbing robot, in this embodiment, the second motor 15 is disposed in the wheel axle 13 . At this time, the wheel shaft 13 is a hollow connecting shaft 131, and the second motor 15 is disposed inside the hollow connecting shaft 131. Therefore, the diameter of the hollow connecting shaft 131 is larger than the size of the output end of the second motor 15. To facilitate connection, the hollow connecting shaft 131 is Both ends of the connecting shaft 131 are fixedly connected to the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 respectively, and one end of the second motor 15 is fixedly connected to the first wheel 11 or the second wheel 12 . Therefore, the second motor 15 can drive the first wheel 11 or the second wheel 12 to rotate, and then drive the other wheel to rotate through the connection of the hollow connecting shaft 131 to realize the driving of the wheel assembly 10 . Since the second motor 15 is located in the wheel shaft 13, the diameter of the wheel shaft 13 is larger at this time. If the coupling sleeve 21 is continued to be connected through the deep groove ball bearing 211, there will not be enough space to install the follower magnet 22. Therefore, in this embodiment, the coupling sleeve 21 is rotationally connected to the wheel shaft 13 through a sliding bearing 212 . The thickness of the sliding bearing 212 is small, so that the increased size of the wheel shaft 13 in the radial direction is small to ensure that sufficient space is reserved for the installation of the follower magnet 22 . Further, as shown in FIG. 9 , mounting arms 221 extend from both ends of the follower magnet 22 , a pressure head 213 is provided outside the coupling sleeve 21 , and the force sensor 23 is clamped between the mounting arms 221 and between the indenter 213. Therefore, the following magnet 22 is directly connected to the coupling sleeve 21, which reduces the space occupied by the force sensor 23 and further ensures that the installation space of the following magnet 22 is sufficient. And at this time, the force sensor 23 is located at both ends of the follower magnet 22, and can more sensitively detect changes in the magnetic adsorption force at both ends, thereby determining the shape of the curved surface and adjusting the wheel running state at the same time. In this embodiment, the sliding bearing 212 is selected as a graphite copper sleeve sliding bearing 212. The graphite copper sleeve bearing has high strength, high hardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and good self-lubricating effect, ensuring the free rotation of the follower magnet 22 . In order to facilitate the fixation of the second motor 15, the second motor 15 is also connected with a connecting flange 16 extending toward its other end. The second motor 15 is fixedly connected to the robot through the connecting flange 16 to realize the operation of the robot.

The invention also provides a wall-climbing robot, which includes a plurality of the above-mentioned magnet-following wheels and a controller. The plurality of magnet-following wheels form a support for the robot, and the controller is used to control the movement of the robot. Specifically, the controller is electrically connected to the force sensor 23, and the controller sets the minimum value of the force sensor 23. When the magnetic adsorption force is less than the set value, the wall-climbing robot will actively issue an early warning. Since the distance between the follower magnet 22 and the outer circumference of the first wheel 11 and the second wheel 12 is fixed, in this case, it means that the wheel assembly 10 has a tendency to lift away from the magnetically permeable wall surface, so the curved surface is too steep or the obstacle is too large, making it unsuitable. As the robot passes, the controller can re-plan the robot's traveling path according to the feedback from the force sensor 23 to avoid this position, thereby ensuring the safety of the wall-climbing robot.

Obviously, the above-mentioned embodiments are only examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other changes or modifications may be made based on the above description. An exhaustive list of all implementations is neither necessary nor possible. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

A magnet-following wheel is characterized by including:

A wheel assembly, the wheel assembly includes a first wheel and a second wheel, the first wheel and the second wheel are connected through a wheel axle;

Magnet assembly, the magnet assembly includes a coupling sleeve and a follower magnet, the follower magnet is fixedly connected to the coupling sleeve, a force sensor is provided between the follower magnet and the coupling sleeve, the connection The axle sleeve is sleeved on the axle through bearings. There is a gap between both ends of the axle sleeve and the first wheel and the second wheel. There is a gap between the bottom surface of the follower magnet and the outer periphery of the wheel assembly. There is a height difference.
A magnet following wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower surface of the following magnet is arranged in a trapezoidal shape along the circumferential direction of the wheel assembly.
A magnet-following wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel axle is a solid round rod, and the coupling sleeve is sleeved on the wheel axle through a deep groove ball bearing.
A magnet following wheel according to claim 3, characterized in that the first wheel and the second wheel are fixedly connected to both ends of the wheel axle, and one end of the axle is connected to the first motor.
A magnet following wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel axle is a hollow connecting shaft, a second motor is provided inside the hollow connecting shaft, and both ends of the hollow connecting shaft are fixedly connected to the The first wheel and the second wheel, one end of the second motor is fixedly connected to the first wheel, and the coupling sleeve is rotationally connected to the wheel axle through a sliding bearing.
A magnet-following wheel according to claim 5, characterized in that mounting arms extend from both ends of the following magnet, a pressure head is provided outside the coupling sleeve, and the force sensor is clamped on the between the mounting arm and the indenter.
A magnet-following wheel according to claim 5, characterized in that the sliding bearing is a graphite copper sleeve sliding bearing.
A magnet-following wheel according to claim 5, characterized in that the second motor is connected with a connecting flange extending toward its other end.
A magnet-following wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that two force sensors are provided, and the two force sensors are provided along the circumferential direction of the wheel assembly.
A wall-climbing robot, characterized in that it includes a plurality of magnet-following wheels according to any one of claims 1-9 and a controller, the controller is electrically connected to the force sensor, and the controller is based on Feedback from the force sensors adjusts the robot's path of travel.