CN217453941U

CN217453941U - Inspection robot system

Info

Publication number: CN217453941U
Application number: CN202221683711.XU
Authority: CN
Inventors: 贾维银; 郭力
Original assignee: Anhui Ronds Science & Technology Inc Co
Current assignee: Anhui Ronds Science & Technology Inc Co
Priority date: 2022-06-30
Filing date: 2022-06-30
Publication date: 2022-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 2032-06-30

Abstract

The utility model relates to a patrol and examine robot system, include: a hollow annular track having an interior cavity configured to bring at least two roller pairs into rolling contact with a respective wall; the inspection robot is installed through an inspection robot platform and can move along the annular track for inspecting the environmental target; a conveyor chain comprising a plurality of chain segments and a plurality of roller assemblies connected to form a closed loop, arranged to travel within the inner cavity of the endless track; the roller assembly comprises a rigid support frame and a first roller, wherein the rigid support frame is provided with a first length direction; the four roller pairs are rotatably arranged on the support frame and are sequentially arranged at intervals along the first length direction; the first rotating axes of two roller pairs close to the two ends of the supporting frame are parallel to each other and are respectively arranged in an orthogonal way with the second rotating axes of the other two adjacent roller pairs positioned in the middle of the supporting frame; the inspection robot is connected on the conveying chain through the inspection robot platform and can be driven by the inspection robot platform to advance along the annular track.

Description

Inspection robot system

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a robot technical field is patrolled and examined to the track, concretely relates to is used for driving wheel components, transfer chain and the track subassembly and the robot system of patrolling and examining that patrols and examines the robot and advance.

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.

However, roller assemblies and conveying chains related to a transmission mode of the robot in the conventional track inspection robot system have the problems of complex structure, difficult maintenance and high cost. The existing track inspection robot system also has the defects of derailment, slipping (commonly called as galloping), climbing difficulty and the like.

The utility model discloses wheel components and transfer chain among the robot system are patrolled and examined to urgent need the modified to alleviate or eliminate above-mentioned technical defect and other technical shortcoming even.

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.

According to the utility model discloses an on the other hand's design still discloses a patrol and examine robot system, include: a conveyor chain comprising a plurality of chain segments and a plurality of roller assemblies connected to the chain segments at intervals, the plurality of chain segments and the plurality of roller assemblies being connected to form a closed loop; a hollow endless track having an inner cavity sized and shaped such that at least two roller pairs of the roller assemblies that are parallel to each other are in rolling contact with respective walls of the inner cavity during operation of the conveyor chain arranged to travel in the inner cavity of the endless track; the inspection robot is installed through an inspection robot platform and can travel along the annular track, and is used for inspecting targets in the environment where the annular track is located; the roller assembly includes: a rigid support frame having a first length direction; the four roller pairs are rotatably arranged on the supporting frame and are sequentially arranged at intervals along the first length direction; first rotating axes of two roller pairs close to two ends of the supporting frame in the four roller pairs are parallel to each other and are respectively and orthogonally arranged with second rotating axes of the other two roller pairs which are respectively adjacent to the two roller pairs and are positioned in the middle of the supporting frame; wherein the inspection robot is connected on the conveyor chain via the inspection robot platform and can be moved by the conveyor chain to travel along the endless track.

According to an embodiment, the inspection robot system further comprises a driving device, wherein the driving device is arranged to drive the roller assemblies to roll along the annular rail in the inner cavity to drive the conveying chain to run in the inner cavity of the annular rail, and then drive the inspection robot to travel along the annular rail.

According to an embodiment, the drive means comprises two sprockets having substantially parallel axes of rotation and an endless chain disposed around the two sprockets, on which a plurality of pushing assemblies are mounted; and is

The plurality of pushing assemblies are arranged on the endless chain at intervals; one of the pushing assemblies is in pushing engagement with one of the roller assemblies on the conveying chain as the endless chain rotates about the two sprockets, and the other pushing assembly adjacent to the one pushing assembly moves into pushing engagement with the other roller assembly adjacent to the one roller assembly as the endless chain rotates.

According to an embodiment, the annular rail is provided with an avoidance groove at a position matched with the driving device.

According to one embodiment, the circular rail is designed to allow a long groove to be formed in a wall portion through which the inspection robot platform passes along the extending direction of the circular rail.

According to an embodiment, the endless track comprises a straight track section extending along a straight line and a curved track section extending along a curved line, the curved track section having a curved inner cavity and a track outer side wall and a track inner side wall opposite to each other.

According to an embodiment, a plurality of rolling support wheels are rotatably mounted with respect to the curved track segment for at least partially displacing the track inner side wall, some or all of the plurality of rolling support wheels for rolling bearing movement past the segment of the track inner side wall;

wherein the curved track segment is at least partially grooved or hollowed out at a location of the track inner side wall where the plurality of rolling support wheels are disposed.

According to an embodiment, the curved track section extends in a horizontal direction, in a vertical direction and/or in a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

According to an embodiment, the roller assembly is configured such that its roller is only in rolling contact with the wall of the inner cavity of the endless track when moving along the endless track, and the side of the roller does not rub against the wall of the inner cavity.

According to an embodiment, the inner cavity of the annular track has a square cross-section.

According to one embodiment, each of the rollers is a roller with ball bearings.

According to an embodiment, two rollers of each roller pair are respectively arranged on two lateral sides of the supporting frame.

According to an embodiment, the diameters of the rollers of said two of said four roller pairs and the diameters of the rollers of said other two of said four roller pairs are arranged to be equal or unequal.

According to one embodiment, the support frame comprises a rigid support body extending in the first longitudinal direction and four mounting shafts, each mounted on the support body along the first longitudinal direction, each roller pair being rotatably mounted on a respective one of the mounting shafts.

According to an embodiment, the support comprises a first, a second and a third support sheet that are rigid;

the width direction of the first supporting sheet is the same as that of the third supporting sheet, and the width direction of the second supporting sheet is perpendicular to that of the first supporting sheet; and is

The first supporting sheet and the third supporting sheet are respectively provided with one roller pair, and the second supporting sheet is provided with two roller pairs.

According to an embodiment, a first axial length of two of the four roller pairs having the same first axis of rotation is smaller than a roller diameter of the other two of the four roller pairs having the same second axis of rotation; and is

The second axial length of the other two of the four roller pairs is less than the roller diameter of the two of the four roller pairs.

According to an embodiment, the rigid support is an integrally formed structure, or is formed by fixedly assembling a plurality of support sheet members along the first length direction.

According to an embodiment, the segments are flexible cords or rigid segments.

According to the utility model discloses a conceive of another aspect still discloses a wheel components, include: a rigid support frame having a first length direction; the four roller pairs are rotatably arranged on the supporting frame and are sequentially arranged at intervals along the first length direction; the first rotating axes of two roller pairs close to two ends of the support frame in the four roller pairs are parallel to each other, and the first rotating axes are respectively orthogonal to the second rotating axes of the other two adjacent roller pairs positioned in the middle of the support frame.

According to an embodiment, the support comprises a first, a second and a third support sheet, which are rigid;

According to an embodiment, the first axial length of two of the four roller pairs having the same first axis of rotation is smaller than the roller diameter of the other two of the four roller pairs having the same second axis of rotation; and is

According to an embodiment, the two tail ends of the supporting frame are provided with mounting holes.

According to the utility model discloses an on the other hand's design still discloses a transfer chain for the conveying patrols and examines the robot, its characterized in that, the transfer chain includes:

a plurality of segments; and

the plurality of roller assemblies and the plurality of chain segments are alternately connected in sequence.

According to one embodiment, each chain segment is in permanent or detachable connection with two roller assemblies at two ends of each chain segment.

According to an embodiment, the segments are flexible cords or rigid segments.

According to one embodiment, the chain segments are flexible cables, and one roller assembly is connected between every two flexible cables.

According to an embodiment, the flexible cable is selected from at least one of a metal cable, a steel wire, an iron wire, a metal chain, a cable.

According to one embodiment, the chain segments are rigid segments, and one roller assembly is connected between every two rigid segments.

According to an embodiment, the rigid section is selected from at least one of a metal rod, a metal strip, a nylon rod, a composite material rod.

According to an embodiment, the plurality of roller groups are arranged substantially equally spaced on the conveyor chain; and is

The plurality of roller groups and the plurality of chain segments are connected to form a closed loop.

According to an embodiment, the conveyor chain is a conveyor chain for carrying a patrol robot.

According to the utility model discloses an on the other hand's conception still discloses a track subassembly for supply to patrol and examine the robot and advance, include: a conveyor chain as described above; and a hollow track comprising a square interior for the conveyor chain to travel therein, the square interior being sized and shaped such that at least two of the roller assemblies are in rolling contact with respective walls of the square interior during travel of the conveyor chain.

According to an embodiment, the square cavity is sized and shaped such that all four roller pairs in the roller assembly are in rolling contact with respective walls of the square cavity during operation of the conveyor chain.

According to one embodiment, the four corners of the square cavity are rounded or beveled.

According to an embodiment, at least one side wall of the track is at least partially slotted along its extension direction.

According to an embodiment, the rail bottom wall of the rail is at least partially slotted along its extension direction.

According to the utility model discloses an on the other hand's conception still discloses a wheel components, include: a rigid support frame having a first length direction; the four roller pairs are rotatably arranged on the supporting frame and are sequentially arranged at intervals along the first length direction; wherein the first rotational axis of each of the four roller pairs and the second rotational axis of its adjacent roller pair are disposed orthogonally to each other.

According to an embodiment, the support body comprises a first rigid support sheet, a second rigid support sheet, a third rigid support sheet and a fourth rigid support sheet which are fixedly connected or integrally formed in sequence;

the width direction of the first support sheet is the same as that of the third support sheet, and the width direction of the second support sheet is the same as that of the fourth support sheet and is perpendicular to that of the first support sheet; and is

And the first support sheet, the second support sheet, the third support sheet and the fourth support sheet are respectively provided with one roller pair.

According to an embodiment, a first axial length of two of the four roller pairs having the same first axis of rotation is smaller than a roller diameter of the other two of the four roller pairs having the same second axis of rotation; and is provided with

According to the utility model discloses an on the other hand's design still discloses a transfer chain for the robot is patrolled and examined in the conveying, the transfer chain includes: a plurality of segments; and a plurality of roller assemblies as described above, the plurality of roller assemblies and the plurality of segments being alternately connected in sequence.

According to an embodiment, the segments are flexible cords or rigid segments.

According to an embodiment, the plurality of roller assemblies are arranged substantially equally spaced on the conveyor chain; and the plurality of roller assemblies and the plurality of segments are connected to form a closed loop.

According to an embodiment, the utility model provides a conveying chain that is formed by a plurality of above-mentioned wheel components and a plurality of chain section in proper order alternate connection preferably becomes non-heavy-duty, i.e. designs to apart from conveying and carrier band inspection robot relevant equipment, does not consider other heavy objects of carrier band or goods during the design, therefore its light is reliable, with low costs and the noise is little that moves.

The beneficial effects of the utility model include: in the roller assembly of this embodiment, four roller pairs are sequentially arranged on the supporting frame at intervals, and the rotation axes of two roller pairs of the four roller pairs are orthogonal to the rotation axes of the other two roller pairs of the four roller pairs, so that the two roller pairs and the other two roller pairs can roll along two vertical rolling surfaces respectively; moreover, by arranging the rollers, each roller can roll relative to the wall of the inner cavity of the track, so that the friction and the motion resistance are reduced; moreover, the two rollers are arranged to form the roller pair, so that the roller pair can roll on the rolling surface stably.

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. 1 is an overall structural schematic diagram of an inspection robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a part of a transmission chain in the inspection robot system according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of one of the roller assemblies in the conveyor chain of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another perspective of the scroll wheel assembly shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of a roller assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic partial structural diagram of a track assembly formed by matching a transmission chain and a track in the inspection robot system according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the track assembly of FIG. 6 taken along a first vertical plane VII;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the track assembly of FIG. 6 taken along a second vertical plane VIII;

fig. 9 is a schematic view of a partial structure of the inspection robot platform in the inspection robot system in cooperation with a rail according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing the inspection robot carried on the inspection robot platform;

fig. 10 is a schematic view of a partial structure of a driving device in an inspection robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is matched with a rail and a conveying chain;

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of the drive device shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a front schematic view of the drive arrangement of FIG. 11;

fig. 13 is a left side schematic view of the drive apparatus shown in fig. 11.

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 "fixed" are to be construed broadly and may include, for example, fixed and removable connections; may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations by those skilled in the art.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to a number of specific embodiments of the invention.

As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, fig. 1 is an overall schematic structural diagram of an inspection robot system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a part of a transmission chain 100A in the inspection robot system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The inspection robot system 100 may include a rail 10, an inspection robot 21, an inspection robot platform 22, a transfer chain 100A, and a driving device 100B. The conveyor chain 100A comprises a plurality of chain segments 23 connectable in a loop and a plurality of roller assemblies 30 arranged, for example, within the endless track 10; the driving device 100B is fixedly arranged at a certain position relative to the track 10 and is used for driving the conveying chain 100A to circularly rotate in the track 10; the inspection robot platform 22 is connected to the conveyor chain 100A and is arranged to move along the track 10; the inspection robot 21 is installed at the inspection robot platform 22 to move together with the inspection robot platform 22. Therefore, the conveyor chain 100A is a conveyor chain for carrying the inspection robot 21.

More specifically, referring to fig. 3, 4 and 6 together, fig. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of one roller assembly 30 in the conveying chain 100A shown in fig. 2, fig. 4 is a schematic view of another view angle of the roller assembly 30 shown in fig. 3, and fig. 6 is a partial structural schematic view of a track assembly 100C formed by the conveying chain 100A and the track 10 in the inspection robot system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention; the rail 10 is configured to be hollow such that it has an inner cavity 11 extending along the rail 10. The track 10 may be made of aluminum, stainless steel, etc., and may be formed by splicing a plurality of sections including straight sections and curved sections (see the curved track section 12A shown in fig. 1) to form a closed loop. The inner cavity 11 extends throughout the interior of the track 10 to provide a passage within which the conveyor chain 100A circulates.

Referring again to fig. 2 to 4, the conveying chain 100A includes a plurality of chain segments 23 and a plurality of roller assemblies 30, and the plurality of roller assemblies 30 and the plurality of chain segments 23 are alternately connected in sequence. For example, the number of segments 23 may be the same as the number of roller assemblies 30; a roller assembly 30 is arranged between each two adjacent chain segments 23, and a chain segment 23 is arranged between each two adjacent roller assemblies 30.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, each of the roller assemblies 30 may include a support frame 31 and four roller pairs 30A. The support frame 31 has a first length direction a 1; that is, the supporting frame 31 has a long bar-shaped structure, which may be a rigid structure, and thus has a first length direction a1 in a natural state; alternatively, the supporting frame 31 may be a multi-segment structure, and each two adjacent segments connected to each other may move relatively, such as bending, pivoting, etc., but the supporting frame 31 may be straightened under the pulling force, so as to have the first length direction a 1. Each roller pair 30A is composed of two rollers 32 and has a rotation axis a2 or A3, the four roller pairs 30A are rotatably mounted on the support frame 31, and the four roller pairs 30A are sequentially arranged at intervals along the first length direction a 1. The rotational axes a2 of two of the four roller pairs 30A1 are disposed orthogonally to the rotational axes A3 of the other two roller pairs 30A2 of the four roller pairs 30A.

In the roller assembly 30 of this embodiment, four roller pairs 30A are sequentially arranged on the supporting frame 31 at intervals, and the rotation axes a2 of two roller pairs 30A1 of the four roller pairs 30A are arranged orthogonally to the rotation axes A3 of the other two roller pairs 30A2 of the four roller pairs 30A, so that the two roller pairs 30A1 and the other two roller pairs 30A2 can roll along two vertical rolling surfaces, respectively; moreover, by arranging the rollers, each roller can roll relative to the wall of the inner cavity 11 of the track 10, so that the friction and the motion resistance are reduced; further, by providing two rollers 32 to form the roller pair 30A, the roller pair 30A can be smoothly rolled on the rolling surface.

Accordingly, in the conveyor chain 100A of this embodiment, a novel conveyor chain is provided by alternately connecting the plurality of chain segments 23 and the plurality of roller assemblies 30 in sequence. Wherein, each roller assembly 30 includes a pair of rollers arranged orthogonally, so that each roller assembly 30 can roll along two vertical rolling surfaces, thereby reducing friction and motion resistance.

In addition, the chain segments 23 and the roller assemblies 30 can be manufactured in batches and can be easily connected into a closed loop adapted to the length of the rail 10 according to requirements; their manufacturing costs are also low. Therefore, the inspection robot system 100 of the embodiment has the advantages of simple structure, convenient arrangement and low cost.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, each roller 32 is a bearing structure, such as a ball bearing. In this way, the rollers 32 can be easily manufactured and installed. In other embodiments, each of the rollers 32 may be a structure capable of rotating around a rotation axis, and is not limited to a bearing structure.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, two rollers 32 of each roller pair 30A are respectively disposed on two sides of the supporting frame 31. In this way, both sides of the support 31 can be uniformly stressed, and the support 31 can be supported substantially in the central position of the inner cavity 11 of the rail 10. It is noted that the two sides of the support frame 31 are relative; for example, when the rotation axis of the roller pair 30A is horizontally arranged, the roller pair 30A is located on both sides of the corresponding section of the supporting frame 31 in the horizontal direction; when the rotation axis of the roller pair 30A is vertically arranged, the roller pair 30A is located on both sides in the vertical direction of the corresponding section of the support frame 31.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the roller diameters of the two roller pairs 30A1 of the four roller pairs 30A and the roller diameters of the other two roller pairs 30A2 of the four roller pairs 30A are set equal. In this way, the cross section of the cavity 11 of the rail 10 can be made square as a whole, so that two roller pairs 30a1 can roll along the wall of the cavity 11 in one direction and the other two roller pairs 30a2 can roll along the wall of the cavity 11 in the other direction; further, the roller pairs may be of the same size and configuration, thereby facilitating mass production and reducing costs.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4 and fig. 7 and 8, the first axial length L1 of the two roller pairs 30A1 of the four roller pairs 30A is less than the roller diameter of the other two roller pairs 30A2 of the four roller pairs 30A; also, the second axial length L2 of the other two roller pairs 30A2 of the four roller pairs 30A is less than the roller diameter of the two roller pairs 30A1 of the four roller pairs 30A. Wherein the first axial length L1 is the length of the two roller pairs 30a1 along the rotational axis a2 and the two roller pairs 30a1 is the length of the two roller pairs 30a2 along the rotational axis A3. In this way, the contact and friction of the sides of two roller pairs 30a1 with the walls in rolling contact with the other two roller pairs 30a2 is avoided; similarly, the sides of the other two roller pairs 30A2 are prevented from contacting and rubbing against the walls in rolling contact with the two roller pairs 30A 1.

In other embodiments, the roller diameters of the two roller pairs 30A1 of the four roller pairs 30A and the roller diameters of the other two roller pairs 30A2 of the four roller pairs 30A are not equal. In this way, the cross-section of the cavity 11 may be rectangular as a whole, providing a relatively flat rail 10; accordingly, the diameter of the roller 32 in the roller pair 30a1 is set to be larger or smaller than the diameter of the roller 32 in the roller pair 30a 2.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the support frame 31 includes a support body 33 and four mounting shafts 34, the mounting shafts 34 are mounted on the support body 33, and each roller pair 30A is mounted on a corresponding mounting shaft 34. For example, a through hole may be formed in the support bracket 31, the mounting shaft 34 may be mounted to the support bracket 31 through the through hole, and one roller 32 may be mounted to each end of the mounting shaft 34, so that the two rollers 32 mounted on the same mounting shaft 34 constitute one roller pair 30A, and the roller pair 30A may rotate about the mounting shaft 34. In this way, component assembly can be easily achieved.

In further some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the support body 33 includes a first support sheet 33A, a second support sheet 33B, and a third support sheet 33C fixedly connected in sequence; a width direction W1 of the first support piece 33A is the same as a width direction W3 of the third support piece 33C, and a width direction W2 of the second support piece 33B is perpendicular to the width direction W1 of the first support piece 33A; one of the roller pairs 30A is mounted on each of the first support sheet 33A and the third support sheet 33C, and two of the roller pairs 30A are mounted on the second support sheet 33B. By adopting the sheet-like structure, each of the first, second, and

third support sheets

33A, 33B, and 33C may have a length direction parallel to the first length direction a1, and their width directions W1, W2, and W3 may be directions perpendicular to the first length direction a 1. In this way, the first and last two of the four roller pairs 30A can be made to have the same first orientation, the middle two roller pairs have the same second orientation, and the first orientation is perpendicular to the second orientation. For another example, the first supporting sheet 33A and the second supporting sheet 33B may be fixedly connected by welding, clipping, riveting, etc., so that the supporting body 33 as a whole has a rigid structure and does not bend, etc. during operation.

As shown in fig. 5, which is an enlarged schematic view of a roller assembly 30 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The roller assembly 30 of this embodiment is substantially the same as the roller assembly 30 shown in fig. 3 and 4, and also includes a support frame 31, four roller pairs 30A, a support body 33, and so on, with the difference that: in the roller assembly 30 of the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the support body 33 includes a first support sheet 33A, a second support sheet 33B, a third support sheet 33C and a fourth support sheet 34D fixedly connected in sequence; a width direction W1 of the first support piece 33A is the same as a width direction W3 of the third support piece 33C, and a width direction W2 of the second support piece 33B is the same as a width direction W4 of the fourth support piece 34D and is perpendicular to the width direction W1 of the first support piece 33A; one roller pair 30A is mounted on each of the first support sheet 33A, the second support sheet 33B, the third support sheet 33C, and the fourth support sheet 34D. In this way, the orientation of the four roller pairs 30A can be alternated, i.e. the orientation of each two adjacent roller pairs 30A is arranged perpendicular to each other. For another example, the first supporting sheet 33A and the second supporting sheet 33B may be fixedly connected by welding, clipping, riveting, etc., so that the supporting body 33 as a whole has a rigid structure and does not bend, etc. during operation.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 to 4, the two ends of the supporting frame 31 are both provided with mounting holes 35. In this way, the ends of the chain segments 23 can be conveniently fitted and connected with the mounting holes 35, thereby realizing the formation of the conveyor chain 100A by connecting a plurality of roller assemblies 30 through a plurality of chain segments 23.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, each of the chain segments 23 may be in permanent connection with two roller assemblies 30 at either end thereof. In this manner, the chain segments 23 and roller assemblies 30 may be configured to have substantially the same useful life, allowing for the entire replacement of the conveyor chain 100A when a component is damaged.

In other embodiments, each of the chain segments 23 may be detachably connected to two roller assemblies 30 at both ends thereof. In this way, when a certain chain segment or roller pair is damaged, the damaged chain segment or roller pair can be easily removed and replaced with a new component.

In further embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the chain segments 23 are rigid segments, and one roller assembly 30 is connected between each two rigid segments. In this manner, a plurality of roller assemblies 30 may also be connected to form a conveyor chain 100A. For example, the rigid section may be selected from one of a metal rod, a metal strip, a nylon rod, a composite rod. These forms of rigid sections are also readily available or customizable, thus reducing cost.

In other embodiments, the chain segments 23 may be flexible cables, and one roller assembly 30 is connected between every two flexible cables. In this way, the passage of turns in curved track segments of the conveyor chain 100A comprising such flexible cables can be facilitated; in addition, the flexible cable is convenient to manufacture and can reduce the cost. For example, the flexible cable may be selected from one of a metal cable, a steel wire, an iron wire, a metal chain, a cable. These forms of flexible cable are readily available or custom made and therefore can reduce costs.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the plurality of roller assemblies 30 are disposed substantially equidistantly on the conveyor chain 100A; and, the plurality of roller assemblies 30 and the plurality of segments 23 are connected to form a closed loop. By spacing the plurality of roller assemblies 30 generally equally apart, it is convenient to use a plurality of segments 23 of substantially equal length for connection to the plurality of roller assemblies 30, thereby simplifying the manufacture of the segments 23. By setting a fixed spacing, it is convenient to set the driving device 100B to sequentially push a plurality of roller assemblies 30, which is a simple requirement for setting the pusher dog in the driving device 100B. The conveyor chain 100A in the form of a closed loop may be driven by the driving device 100B to move circularly in the track 10.

In other embodiments, the plurality of segments 23 and the plurality of roller assemblies 30 may be connected to form an elongated shape, rather than being arranged in a closed loop. In this way, the conveyor chain in the form of a strip can be driven by the drive device to move back and forth in the elongate track.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, 7 and 8, wherein fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the track assembly 100C of fig. 6 taken along a first vertical plane VII, and fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the track assembly 100C of fig. 6 taken along a second vertical plane VIII, the first support tab 33A is flat and is perpendicularly connected to the mounting axle 34 (the mounting axle 34 may have the aforementioned axis of rotation a2) of the roller pair 30A (and in particular, the roller pair 30A1) thereon; the second support plate 33B is flat and is perpendicularly connected to the mounting shaft 34 (the mounting shaft 34 may have the aforementioned rotation axis A3) of the roller pair 30A (specifically, the roller pair 30A2) thereon.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the conveyor chain 100A of any of the above embodiments and the track 10 of an embodiment may constitute a track assembly 100C. Wherein the track 10 comprises an inner cavity 11, the inner cavity 11 having a substantially square cross-section, the conveyor chain 100A being arranged in the inner cavity 11. Referring again to fig. 7 and 8, the two rollers 32 of the roller pair 30a1 can be in rolling contact with either of the two opposing

sides

16, 17 of the cavity 11, and the two rollers 32 of the roller pair 30a2 can be in rolling contact with either of the other two opposing

sides

18, 19 of the cavity 11.

In further embodiments, at least one face of the rail 10 of the rail assembly 100C is at least partially grooved along its extension; by providing a slot, the connection between the inspection robot platform 22 and the conveyor chain 100A may be allowed to move through the slot. For example, as shown in fig. 6, the bottom surface of the rail 10 of the rail assembly 100C is at least partially grooved along its extension direction; more specifically, the track 10 includes a bottom track wall 15, and an elongated slot 150 may be formed in the bottom track wall 15, wherein at least a portion of the elongated slot 150 is preferably offset laterally, such as in an uphill turn design, to facilitate a cantilevered roller when making uphill turns; of course, the slot 150 may also be at least partially generally centrally disposed, or at least partially offset to one side, depending upon particular design considerations, for example, in some instances. The slot 150 may be formed in a loop along the track 10 to allow the connection between the inspection robot platform 22 and the conveyor chain 100A to move through the slot 150. In other embodiments, the sides or top of the track 10 are at least partially grooved along its extent so long as the connection between the inspection robot platform 22 and the conveyor chain 100A is allowed to move through the grooves.

In some embodiments, the track assembly 100C is a track assembly for travel by the inspection robot 21. Referring to fig. 1 and 9 together, fig. 9 is a schematic view of a partial structure of the inspection robot platform 22 in the inspection robot system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is matched with the rail 10, showing the inspection robot 21 carried on the inspection robot platform 22; the inspection robot 21 is installed on the rail 10 through the inspection robot platform 22 and can travel along the rail 10, for inspecting a target in an environment where the rail 10 is located. In one embodiment, the inspection robot 21 may include a camera, a voice interphone, an alarm, and a control unit, and the camera, the voice interphone, and the alarm are all connected to the control unit in a communication manner. The inspection robot platform 22 is operably connected to the conveyor chain 100A and is capable of being carried by the conveyor chain 100A along the track 10. For example, the inspection robot platform 22 may be coupled to one of the segments of the conveyor chain 100A by a screw, snap, etc. connection to be driven by the segment moving within the track 10 to also move along the track 10.

Referring to fig. 10 together, fig. 10 is a partial schematic structural diagram of the driving device 100B in the inspection robot system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is engaged with the track 10 and the transmission chain 100A; the driving device 100B is configured to drive the conveying chain 100A to move along the track 10 in the inner cavity 11, so as to drive the inspection robot 21 to travel along the track 10.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, in the linear track segment 12 of the track 10, the chain segments 23 of the conveyor chain 100A are configured to be substantially free from contact with the walls of the interior cavity 11 during linear travel. By providing these segments 23 supported by the pair of rollers 30A, these segments 23 can be made to extend substantially along the central axis of the rail 10; further, these segments 23 can be made to be located approximately at the center of the lumen 11 without contacting the walls of the lumen 11. In this way, these segments 23 are prevented from rubbing against the walls of the cavity 11 during operation, thereby improving the service life of the component.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, 8 and 9, the outer profile 13 of the track 10 has a square cross-section, and the four corners 130 of the square may each be chamfered, for example rounded, e.g. curved, or chamfered (not shown); the inspection robot platform 22 includes a platform main body 220 and a plurality of rolling wheels 221 rotatably mounted on the platform main body 220, a roller surface 222 of each rolling wheel 221 has an arc-shaped cross-section, and the plurality of rolling wheels 221 are disposed such that each of the four corners 130 is in contact with at least one rolling wheel 221. The cross-section of the outer contour 13 may be rectangular or square. Through the curved profile design, the platform main body 220 can roll on the track 10 conveniently, and then the inspection robot 21 is driven to move stably.

In some embodiments, the track assembly 100C may be configured as a track assembly for travel by a patrol robot, which may be arranged in a straight line, a curved line, or a combination of straight and curved lines. The track assembly 100C may be arranged in a closed loop or may be arranged in a segment.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10, the driving device 100B may include two sprockets 41 and an endless chain 42 engaged around the two sprockets 41, the rotation axes a4 of the two sprockets 41 being substantially parallel, the endless chain 42 having a plurality of pushing assemblies 43 mounted thereon. The plurality of pushing assemblies 43 are arranged at intervals on the endless chain 42. As shown in fig. 2, when the endless chain 42 rotates around the two sprockets 41, one of the pushing assemblies 43 is in pushing engagement with one of the roller assemblies 30 on the conveying chain 100A, and the other pushing assembly 43 adjacent to the one pushing assembly 43 moves into pushing engagement with the other roller assembly 30 adjacent to the one roller assembly 30 as the endless chain 42 rotates.

In the driving device 100B of this embodiment, by installing a plurality of pushing assemblies 43 arranged at intervals on the endless chain 42 and arranging these pushing assemblies 43 such that one pushing assembly 43 can be in pushing fit with one of the roller assemblies 30 on the conveying chain 100A, another pushing assembly 43 adjacent to the one pushing assembly 43 can be moved into pushing fit with another roller assembly 30 adjacent to the one roller assembly 30 with the rotation of the endless chain 42, so that the respective roller assemblies 30 of the conveying chain 100A can be pushed one after another, thereby realizing the circulating movement of the conveying chain 100A.

It will be readily appreciated that the pusher assemblies 43 may be specifically configured such that, as the endless chain 42 rotates about the two sprockets 41, one of the pusher assemblies 43 is in pushing engagement with the first pair 30A of one of the roller assemblies 30 on the conveyor chain 100A and the other pusher assembly 43 adjacent the one pusher assembly 43 moves into pushing engagement with the first pair 30A of the other roller assembly 30 adjacent the one roller assembly 30 as the endless chain 42 rotates. Alternatively, each pusher assembly 43 may be configured to be in pushing engagement with the second, third, or fourth roller pair 30A of the roller assemblies 30. Only the case where the first roller pair 30A is pushed by the pushing assembly 43 will be described below.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 10, 11 and 12, fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of the driving device 100B shown in fig. 10, and fig. 12 is a schematic front view of the driving device 100B shown in fig. 11; a guide post 48 is provided on the pushing assembly 43, perpendicular to the moving direction a5 of the endless chain 42 and substantially parallel to the rotation axis a 4; and, the driving device 100B further comprises a linear guide track 50, the linear guide track 50 is arranged along a section of the endless chain 42A between the two rotation axes a4, and is used for guiding the guide post 48 passing through the linear guide track 50 to move along a straight line. The guide posts 48 on each pusher assembly 43 may be one, two, or more; when one is used, the guide post 48 can be slidably engaged with the linear guide track 50 through a flat surface, so that the direction of the pushing assembly 43 can be positioned always perpendicular to the moving direction a5, avoiding tilting due to the force opposite to the thrust exerted; when two or more guide posts 48 are used, they may be arranged along the moving direction a5, and a cylinder may be used, whereby the same guiding effect can be achieved. It will be readily appreciated that by providing a linear guide track 50, the guide post 48 passing through the linear guide track 50 can be guided to move linearly, and in turn the pusher assembly 43 to which the guide post 48 is attached and the length of endless chain 42A are likewise guided to move linearly and ultimately cause the endless chain 42 to move stably.

In further some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10 and 11, the linear guide track 50 includes a positioning portion 51 and a guide portion 52, and the positioning portion 51 is fixedly connected with the guide portion 52 and is used for fixedly arranging the guide portion 52. For example, the positioning portion 51 may be fixed on a base carrying two sprockets 41. In this way, the guide portion 52 can be fixedly disposed relative to the endless chain 42, thereby facilitating guiding of the guide post 48 and the length of endless chain 42A.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 11 and 12, the guide portion 52 includes two guide rods 53, the two guide rods 53 defining a linear guide slot 54 therebetween, the linear guide slot 54 receiving and guiding the guide post 48. By defining the linear guide groove 54 with two guide rods 53, both guiding and component manufacturing are facilitated and material usage is saved. In other embodiments, a linear guide groove may be formed in an integral plate to form the guide portion.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 11 and 13, wherein fig. 13 is a left side view of the driving device 100B shown in fig. 11; the pushing assembly 43 is provided with guide posts 48 on both sides thereof, and the linear guide rail 50 simultaneously guides the guide posts 48 on both sides of the pushing assembly 43. Accordingly, two guide rods 53 may also be provided on the other side of the length of endless chain 42A and define a linear guide groove 54 therebetween. Thus, by simultaneously guiding the guide posts 48 on both sides of the pushing member 43 by the linear guide rails 50, the guiding function can be further stabilized, and the pushing member 43 is prevented from swinging left and right, that is, from rotating about the moving direction a 5.

In some embodiments, the number of the plurality of pushing assemblies 43 is at least two as described, for example, two, three, four, etc. The plurality of pushing assemblies 43 may be arranged substantially equally spaced on the endless chain 42. When two pusher assemblies 43 are employed, a first of the pusher assemblies 43 is moved into pushing engagement with one of the roller assemblies 30 on the conveyor chain 100A, and a second of the pusher assemblies 43 is movable into pushing engagement with another roller assembly 30 adjacent to the one roller assembly 30 as the endless chain 42 is rotated; when the second pusher assembly 43 is moved to be disengaged from the other roller assembly 30, the first pusher assembly 43 is moved into pushing engagement with a further roller assembly 30 adjacent the other roller assembly 30 so that the respective roller assemblies 30 of the conveyor chain 100A can be successively pushed to effect the cyclical movement of the conveyor chain 100A.

In further embodiments, the plurality of pushing assemblies 43 are arranged substantially equally spaced on the endless chain 42, wherein the spacing between two adjacent pushing assemblies 43 substantially corresponds to the spacing between two adjacent roller pairs 30a 1. The number of the plurality of pushing assemblies 43 is at least three, and may be three, four or more, for example. In the embodiment shown in fig. 11 and 12, the plurality of pushing assemblies 43 is four in number. The number of the pushing assemblies 43 is not limited as long as the pushing assemblies can circularly push the conveying chain 100A.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 12, the pushing assembly 43 includes a mounting portion 45 and a pushing rod portion 46, the mounting portion 45 can be fixed on the endless chain 42 by welding, anchoring, etc., for example, and the pushing rod portion 46 is fixed on the mounting portion 45 and extends outward of the endless chain 42 perpendicular to the moving direction of the endless chain 42. The push rod 46 and the mounting portion 45 may be integrally formed, or may be assembled in a two-piece structure. The guide posts 48 may be secured to the mounting portion 45 or may be secured to the push rod portion 46.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 12, the distance between the pusher portions 46 of two adjacent pusher assemblies 43 is equal to or slightly greater than the sum of the length of one roller assembly 30 and the distance between two adjacent roller assemblies 30. In this manner, continuous movement of the conveyor chain 100A may be achieved by the pusher assembly 43 continuously pushing the plurality of roller assemblies 30 on the conveyor chain 100A as the endless chain 42 is rotated in a loop.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 11 and 12, the pushing assembly 43 includes two fingers 44, each finger 44 including a mounting portion 45 and a push rod portion 46, the mounting portion 45 being fixed to the endless chain 42, and the push rod portion 46 being fixed to the mounting portion 45 and extending outward of the endless chain 42 perpendicular to the direction of travel of the endless chain 42. An accommodating space 47 is formed between the two push rod parts 46 of the push assembly 43, and the accommodating space 47 is used for accommodating one roller assembly 30. By making each pushing assembly 43 include two fingers 44, two ends of the roller assembly 30 can be clamped by the two fingers 44, so that the pushing assembly 43 and the roller assembly 30 can be matched more accurately; in addition, driving of the endless chain 42 in two different directions is also easily achieved.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 11 and 12, in the direction of movement a5 of said endless chain 42, the distance between the front finger 44 of each pusher assembly 43 and the front finger 44 of the other pusher assembly 43 adjacent to said each pusher assembly 43 is fixed. Since the aforementioned conveyor chain 100A includes a plurality of roller assemblies 30 arranged at intervals, by setting the distance between the front finger 44 of each pusher assembly 43 and the front finger 44 of another pusher assembly 43 adjacent to said each pusher assembly 43 to be fixed, accurate fitting of the pusher assembly 43 to the plurality of roller assemblies 30 in turn can be achieved.

As shown in fig. 11 and 13, the pusher assembly 43 may be provided with an avoidance design, such as in the form of an avoidance notch 44A, on the finger 44, the avoidance notch 44A being configured to avoid interference between the pusher assembly 43 and the chain segment 23 on the conveyor chain 100A when the pusher assembly 43 is in pushing engagement with the roller assembly 30.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 11 and 13, the driving device 100B further comprises a motor 49, wherein at least one of the two chain wheels 41 is a driving wheel driven by the motor 49. Automated control is facilitated by the use of motor 49 to drive sprocket 41. To enhance power output, two motors 49 may be used to drive the two sprockets 41, respectively.

In some embodiments, the motor 49 is a servo motor, wherein the servo motor 49 is configured to drive the drive wheel clockwise and counterclockwise such that the pushing assembly 43 on the endless chain 42 can push the roller pair 30a1 forward and backward. By using a servo motor, an encoder can be provided in the servo motor, which is then used to determine the number of revolutions N of the motor. In other embodiments, the motor 49 may also be a stepper motor.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 10, the track 10 defines an avoiding slot 140, and the avoiding slot 140 is used for allowing the pushing assembly 43 to enter the inner cavity 11 to push the roller pair 30a 1. The avoiding groove 140 may be formed on the rail top wall 14 of the rail 10, and may be a flat plate groove as long as it can allow the pushing assembly 43 to enter the inner cavity 11 of the rail 10 and does not obstruct the movement of the pushing assembly 43 relative to the rail 10.

In further embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the curved track segment 12A may extend in a horizontal direction and may also extend in a vertical direction; alternatively, the curved track segment 12A may extend in a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction; further, the curved track segment 12A may include various combinations of the three aforementioned extensions.

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.

Therefore, although the present invention has been described in greater detail with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include other equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. The utility model provides an inspection robot system which characterized in that, inspection robot system includes:

a conveyor chain comprising a plurality of chain segments and a plurality of roller assemblies connected to the chain segments at intervals, the plurality of chain segments and the plurality of roller assemblies being connected to form a closed loop;

a hollow endless track having an inner cavity sized and shaped such that at least two roller pairs of the roller assemblies that are parallel to each other are in rolling contact with respective walls of the inner cavity during operation of the conveyor chain arranged to travel in the inner cavity of the endless track;

the inspection robot is installed to travel along the annular track through an inspection robot platform and is used for inspecting the targets in the environment where the annular track is located;

wherein, the roller subassembly includes: a rigid support frame having a first length direction; the four roller pairs are rotatably arranged on the supporting frame and are sequentially arranged at intervals along the first length direction; first rotating axes of two roller pairs close to two ends of the support frame in the four roller pairs are parallel to each other and are respectively and orthogonally arranged with second rotating axes of the other two roller pairs which are respectively adjacent to the first rotating axes and are positioned in the middle of the support frame; and is

Wherein the inspection robot is connected on the conveyor chain via the inspection robot platform and can be moved by the conveyor chain to travel along the endless track.

2. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

patrol and examine robot system still includes drive arrangement, drive arrangement sets to through the drive roller components along the circular orbit is in the intracavity rolls and drives the transfer chain is in operation in the orbital inner chamber of annular, and then drives patrol and examine the robot along the circular orbit is marchd.

3. The inspection robot system according to claim 2,

the drive device comprises two chain wheels and an annular chain arranged around the two chain wheels, the rotation axes of the two chain wheels are substantially parallel, and a plurality of pushing assemblies are mounted on the annular chain; and is

4. The inspection robot system according to claim 3,

the annular track is provided with an avoiding groove at the position matched with the driving device.

5. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

the annular rail is designed to allow a wall part through which the inspection robot platform passes to be provided with a long groove along the extending direction of the annular rail.

6. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

the endless track comprises a straight track section extending along a straight line and a curved track section extending along a curved line, the curved track section having a curved inner cavity and a track outer side wall and a track inner side wall opposite to each other.

7. The inspection robot system according to claim 6,

a plurality of rolling support wheels rotatably mounted with respect to the curved track segment for at least partially displacing the track inner side wall, some or all of the plurality of rolling support wheels for rolling bearing a chain segment moving past the track inner side wall;

8. The inspection robot system according to claim 6,

the curved track section extends in a horizontal direction, in a vertical direction and/or in a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

9. The inspection robot system according to claim 1, wherein the roller assembly is configured such that its rollers are only in rolling contact with the walls of the interior cavity of the endless track when moving along the endless track, and the sides of the rollers do not rub against the walls of the interior cavity.

10. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

the inner cavity of the annular track has a square cross-section.

11. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

each roller is a roller with a ball bearing.

12. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

two rollers in each roller pair are respectively arranged at two transverse sides of the supporting frame.

13. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

the diameters of the rollers of the two roller pairs of the four roller pairs and the diameters of the rollers of the other two roller pairs of the four roller pairs are set to be equal or unequal.

14. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

the support frame includes a rigid support body extending along the first length direction and four mounting shafts respectively mounted on the support body along the first length direction, each roller pair being rotatably mounted on a respective one of the mounting shafts.

15. The inspection robot system according to claim 14,

the support comprises a first support sheet, a second support sheet and a third support sheet which are rigid;

the width direction of the first supporting sheet is the same as that of the third supporting sheet, and the width direction of the second supporting sheet is perpendicular to that of the first supporting sheet; and is provided with

16. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

the first axial length of two roller pairs of the four roller pairs having the same first axis of rotation is less than the roller diameter of the other two roller pairs of the four roller pairs having the same second axis of rotation; and is

17. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

the rigid support body is of an integrally formed structure or is formed by fixedly assembling a plurality of support sheet members along the first length direction.

18. The inspection robot system according to claim 1,

the chain segments are flexible cables or rigid segments.