Patent Application
20250084629
This application claims priority to German Patent Application Serial No. DE 10 2023 124 724.7, filed Sep. 13, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The invention relates to a sewer inspection and/or maintenance system with a lifting device, which has several members, is arranged on a crawler, and at the free end of which working equipment, e.g., a camera or a tool, is arranged, and to a method for controlling a sewer inspection and/or maintenance system.
Sewer inspection and/or maintenance systems with a crawler and a lifting system arranged thereon are known from the prior art—for example, from EP 2 689 227 A1.
The separate or independent control of the crawler F and of the lifter H is a complex process and requires extensive experience and good orientation skills on the part of the operator. The operator must manually harmonize and coordinate the movements of the crawler and of the lifter to one another and, if necessary, also the movement of the inspection camera arranged on the lifter, such that the inspection camera is brought to the desired position in the sewer. At the same time, the operator must keep an eye on the surroundings in order, for example, to avoid a collision of the inspection camera with the sewer wall or other obstacles—for example, when the lifting arm is raised.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide solutions that enable simpler and safer operation and control of a sewer inspection and/or maintenance system in a sewer or pipe.
This object is achieved with a sewer inspection and/or maintenance system and a method for controlling a sewer inspection and/or maintenance system according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are set forth in the specific dependent claims.
Accordingly, a sewer inspection and/or maintenance system is provided, comprising
The advantage here is that an operator no longer has to control the base unit and/or the members individually in order to cause a desired movement of the effector, but controls the effector itself by specifying via the input means which movement the effector is to perform.
In one embodiment of the invention, the control unit can be coupled to the base unit and be further adapted, based upon the first control commands provided to it, to generate third control commands, with which the base unit can be controlled, wherein the third control commands are used to bring about a movement (forwards and/or backwards driving movement) of the base unit in the sewer, wherein the combination of the movement of the members and the movement of the base unit brings about a movement of the effector according to the translatory and/or rotary movement of the first control commands.
This means that the base unit and the members “follow” the desired movement of the effector.
The base unit may comprise a crawler. The effector may comprise a tool or a sensor device, in particular a camera device, although the invention is not limited thereto.
The input device can be a joystick or a touch-sensitive input device.
At least one member of the number of members may be coupled to the base unit, wherein this member is preferably movable relative to the base unit.
The number of members may be coupled to one another in pairs, wherein two members coupled to one another are movable relative to one another.
The invention furthermore provides a method for controlling a sewer inspection and/or maintenance system, wherein the sewer inspection and/or maintenance system comprises
The control unit may be coupled to the base unit, wherein the control unit generates third control commands based upon the first control commands provided to it, wherein the third control commands are used to bring about a movement of the base unit in the sewer, wherein, based upon the combination of the movement of the members and the movement of the base unit, the effector is moved according to the translatory and/or rotary movement of the first control commands.
It is advantageous if, for or when generating the second control commands and/or when generating the third control commands, the control unit determines
It may be advantageous if the second control commands and/or the third control commands are selected such that a smooth, advantageously jerk-free movement of the effector is brought about when the members and/or the base unit are moved.
The method may comprise a teaching step, wherein the members are each moved in the teaching step from an initial position to an end position by means of the actuators assigned to them, wherein information about the respective initial position and end position is stored in a memory device of the control unit, and wherein the second control commands are generated taking into account the initial position and end position of the respective members.
The predetermined (desired or approached) position of the effector relative to the base unit is achieved by a combined movement of the members.
Further details and features of the invention as well as specific, in particular advantageous, exemplary embodiments of the invention are apparent from the following description in conjunction with the drawing. In the figures:
The present invention makes it possible to move an end effector to a specific location (position) in the sewer without an operator of the system having to control the crawler and the lifter (and, if necessary, the end effector) separately or independently of one another. This means that, according to the invention, the entire system is steered towards a predetermined point in the sewer, wherein the operator has to control only the end effector. According to the invention, for controlling, an input device is provided, with which the entire system is controlled in a manner transparent to the operator. This means that the input device is only used to specify which (translatory and/or rotary) movement the end effector must perform in the sewer in order to bring the end effector to the desired point in the sewer. From the operator's point of view, only the end effector is controlled. Based upon the movements to be performed by the end effector, the entire system, i.e., the crawler, the lifter, and, if necessary, the end effector, synchronizes itself automatically so that the movements of the individual components (crawler, lifter, and, if necessary, end effector) result in the end effector moving to the desired point in the sewer.
Below, the end effector is also referred to as the effector. The effector may, for example, be a gripper, a tool, a sensor, or a camera, although the invention is not limited thereto.
The base unit B or the crawler F can be moved in a sewer, preferably in both directions, i.e., forwards and backwards.
The base unit B here is coupled to a control device (SV) via a communications network 10, which can be designed as a wired or wireless communications network.
The control device SV here comprises an input device EE and a control unit SE. In one embodiment of the invention, the control unit SE can also be provided in the base unit B, while the control device SV essentially comprises only the input device EE. With regard to the invention, however, it does not matter whether the control unit SE is part of the base unit B or part of the control device SV.
The input device EE is provided to control the movement of the effector in space (i.e., in the sewer), as described in more detail below. The input device EE may comprise a joystick whose lever can be tilted in any direction. It may be advantageous if the joystick is designed as a so-called 3-D joystick, in the case of which the lever can not only be tilted in any direction, but also be moved upwards and downwards and rotated in order to make three-dimensional movement of the effector to be controlled in space possible. In cases in which the effector is to be moved only in two dimensions, a 2-D joystick is sufficient.
Alternatively or additionally (in particular, in addition to the joystick), the input device EE may also comprise a touch-sensitive input device, e.g., a tablet.
The specific design of the input device EE is not essential to the invention. It is only important that it has means that make controlling the effector possible.
A lifter H, which comprises a number of members Gn, is arranged on the base unit. The lifter is arranged with its first member (the member G1 in
In the example shown here, the lifter H comprises five members G1 to G5. Depending upon requirements, there may also be more or fewer than five members. The individual members may be designed differently, with some examples listed below:
The members G1 to G5 are coupled to one another in pairs, wherein two members coupled to one another are movable relative to one another. In
This pairwise coupling of the members G1 to G5 results in a continuous kinematic chain from G1 to G5.
According to the invention, each member Gn is assigned at least one controllable actuator Sn, wherein the members Gn are movable relative to the base unit B and relative to one another by means of the actuators Sn assigned to them.
The actuators assigned to the respective members are actuators specifically adapted to the members, with some examples listed below:
By arranging the lifter H on the base unit B, wherein the first member G1 is movable relative to the base unit B, the base unit B is part of the aforementioned kinematic chain, such that the entire system represents or forms a continuous kinematic chain from the base unit B, via the member G1, to the member G5.
The actuators Sn can be controlled independently of one another. According to the invention, it is provided that the actuators Sn be controlled such that the entire system, i.e., the base unit B and the members Gn, synchronizes itself automatically, with the result that the movements of the individual components (base unit B and the members Gn) move the effector E to the desired point in the sewer. Examples in this regard are described with reference to
The input device EE is provided to control the movement of the effector (e.g., a camera) in the sewer, i.e., the effector is moved to a desired point in the sewer with the help of the input device EE. It is important here that the user use the input device EE to control the effector E, i.e., use the input device EE to specify how and in which direction the effector is to move. This means that, from the user's point of view, the base unit B and the members Gn are not controlled, but, rather, the effector itself. However, effectively and transparently to the user, the base unit B and the members Gn (or the actuators Sn assigned to the members Gn) are controlled, viz., in such a way that the effector performs a movement that corresponds to the user's input at the input device EE. This is advantageous in that the user does not have to bother with the movement of the base unit B or the control of the members Gn. This makes moving the effector E through the sewer easier, safer, and more efficient.
This process is described in more detail below.
The input device EE receives user inputs (e.g., tilting or rotating a joystick). For example, tilting the joystick forwards is to bring about a forward movement of the camera (effector) in the sewer. When the joystick is rotated, the camera is to be aligned in the desired direction in the sewer (e.g., when rotated to the right, the camera is swiveled to the right). Tilting and rotating the joystick can be performed simultaneously by an operator so that the camera is moved forwards in the sewer and simultaneously swiveled sideways. However, the invention is not limited to these examples.
Based upon the user inputs, the input device EE generates first control commands SI1 and provides them to the control unit SE. The first control commands SI1 comprise information about a translatory and/or rotary movement that is to be performed with the effector E or that the effector E is to perform. Example: When tilting the joystick forwards, the first control commands SI1 comprise information that the effector is to be moved forwards (translatory movement). As explained above, from the user's perspective, the user uses the input device EE to control the effector E.
The control unit SE receives the first control commands SI1 and, based upon the first control commands SI1, generates second control commands SI2, with which the actuators Sn can be controlled. According to the invention, the actuators Sn can be controlled with the second control commands SI2 such that the members Gn assigned to the actuators Sn are moved (relative to one another and relative to the base unit B) in such a way that the effector E is moved according to the first control commands SI1, i.e., the effector E performs the translatory and/or rotary movement(s) specified in the first control commands SI1.
The second control commands SI2 are then supplied to the respective actuators Sn, which then cause a corresponding movement of the respective member Gn.
The control unit SE is preferably (i.e., optionally) further adapted, based upon the first control commands SI1 provided to it, to generate third control commands SI3, with which the base unit B can be controlled. With the third control commands SI3, a (forward and preferably also backward) movement of the base unit B in the sewer can be brought about. The third control commands SI3 are supplied to the base unit B, which then performs the corresponding forward or backward movement (driving movement). If, for example, the effector is to be moved forwards in the sewer, it may be sufficient to accordingly move or drive only the crawler F forwards.
Here, the combination of the movement of the members Gn and the movement of the base unit B brings about a movement of the effector E according to the translatory and/or rotary movement(s) of the first control commands SI1.
If, for example, the joystick is tilted forwards, and the joystick is simultaneously rotated to the right, the camera in the sewer is to be moved forwards and simultaneously swiveled to the right (this information is contained in the first control commands SI1). The second control commands SI2 are used to cause the actuators Sn and, indirectly, via the actuators, the members Gn to move such that the camera is swiveled to the right (in the example of
When generating the second control commands SI2 and/or the third control commands SI3, the control unit SE determines
It is important here that it is not always necessary to move all actuators Sn and the base unit B. For example, if the camera is to be moved only forwards in the sewer, it may be sufficient to generate only corresponding third control commands SI3, with which the crawler is controlled. If the camera, in another example, is to be swiveled only to the right, it may be sufficient to generate only corresponding second control commands SI2, which are, for example, used to cause the member G2 (or the actuator S2 assigned to the member G2) to perform a rotary movement to the right.
According to the invention, a predetermined position of the effector E relative to the base unit B is thus achieved by a combined movement of the members Gn. An additional translatory movement of the effector in the sewer will be achieved by a movement of the base unit in the sewer, wherein the operator controls neither the members nor the base unit, but instead uses the input device EE to specify the movement of the effector.
Harmonizing the movements of the crawler and of the lifter (or the members Gn thereof) with one another and their coordination by the operator are thus completely avoided, which not only considerably simplifies the control by the operator, but also effectively accelerates it.
According to the invention, a teaching step can be provided, in which the members Gn are each moved from an initial position to an end position by means of the actuators Sn assigned to them, wherein information about the respective initial position and end position is stored in a memory device of the control unit SE. When generating the second control commands SI2, the initial position and end position of the respective members Gn can be taken into account. “Oversteering” the members can thus be prevented.
Furthermore, the control unit SE can optimize the movement of the entire system, taking into account the initial position and end position of the respective members Gn. For example (with reference to
By deflecting the member G3 upwards, the effector is simultaneously also moved backwards; the further the member G3 is deflected, the further the effector moves backwards and the less the crawler has to be moved backwards. Reducing crawler movements may be advantageous, in particular on uneven ground. Alternatively, the desired position of the effector can also be brought about by raising the member G1 and driving the crawler F backwards; however, the crawler has to cover a greater distance in this case.
Given below are three examples of movement (controlled by a joystick) of the camera in the sewer, although the invention is not limited to these examples.
A crawler F is located in the sewer K. A lifter is arranged on the crawler and, here, by way of example, has two members G1 and G2. With the first member G1, the lifter is arranged on the crawler and can be deflected relative to the crawler. The second member G2 is hinged to the first member G1 so that the lifter substantially forms a lifting arm. At the free end of the second member G2, the effector E (for example, an inspection camera) is arranged. The members G1, G2 are assigned appropriate actuators S1, S2 in order to move the members G1, G2 according to the second control commands SI2, as described above.
An effector E, with the alignment of the effector remaining unchanged, is to be moved from an initial position P1 to a target position P2. The operator operates the input device such that the effector E essentially moves along the dashed arrow. As stated above, the control of the actuators is transparent to the operator. If, for example, the input device is a joystick, the joystick is tilted forwards and simultaneously raised, which corresponds to a movement of the effector along the dashed arrow.
From the position or movement of the joystick (this information is contained in the first control commands SI1), the control unit SE determines corresponding second and third control commands SI2 and SI3.
The third control commands cause the crawler to drive forwards by the distance Δh.
At the same time, the second control commands SI2 cause the first and second actuators S1 and S2 to move the members G1 and G2 such that the effector is raised by the distance Δv. The first member G1 is accordingly swiveled upwards. At the same time, the second member G2 is swiveled downwards relative to the first member G1 (the angle α between the first member G1 and the second member G2 decreases) in order to achieve an unchanged alignment of the effector.
The sum of the movements of the members and of the crawler results in the effector E being moved from the starting position P1 to the target position P2.
It has proven to be advantageous if the second and third control commands S1 and S2 are selected or adapted such that as smooth and jerk-free a movement of the effector as possible is brought about (in the example shown in
A crawler F is located in the sewer K. A lifter is arranged on the crawler and, here, by way of example, has two members G1 and G2. With the first member G1, the lifter is arranged on the crawler and can be deflected relative to the crawler. The second member G2 is hinged to the first member G1 so that the lifter substantially forms a lifting arm. At the free end of the second member G2, the effector E (for example, an inspection camera) is arranged. The members G1, G2 are assigned appropriate actuators S1, S2 in order to move the members G1, G2 according to the second control commands SI2, as described above.
An effector E, with the alignment of the effector remaining unchanged, is to be moved from an initial position P1 to a target position P2. The operator operates the input device such that the effector E essentially moves along the dashed arrow. As stated above, the control of the actuators is transparent to the operator. If, for example, the input device is a joystick, the joystick is tilted forwards and simultaneously pushed downwards, which corresponds to a movement of the effector along the dashed arrow.
From the position or movement of the joystick (this information is contained in the first control commands SI1), the control unit SE determines corresponding second and third control commands SI2 and SI3.
The second control commands SI2 cause the first and second actuators S1 and S2 to move the members G1 and G2 such that the effector is lowered by the distance Δv. The first member G1 is accordingly swiveled downwards. At the same time, the second member G2 is swiveled upwards relative to the first member G1 (the angle α between the first member G1 and the second member G2 increases) in order to achieve an unchanged alignment of the effector.
At the same time, the third control commands cause the crawler to drive backwards by the distance Δh. Although the target position P2 (from the perspective of the crawler) is in front of the starting position P1, the crawler must be moved backwards. This is because, when the lifter is lowered by the distance Δv, the effector would reach an end position that is in front of the desired target position.
The sum of the movements of the members and of the crawler results in the effector E being moved from the starting position P1 to the target position P2.
A significant advantage of the present invention is that, unlike in the prior art, the operator does not have to control the members and the crawler in order to achieve a desired movement of the effector. According to the invention, the operator controls the effector itself by using the input device to control the movement to be performed by the effector. The operator no longer has to bother with controlling the members and the crawler and can fully concentrate on the movement/control of the effector. This makes controlling the system much easier, faster, and safer.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2023 124 724.7 | Sep 2023 | DE | national |
