Rail mounted robot inspection system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rail mounted robot inspection system. Embodiments for operating a rail mounted robot in hazardous conditions are described herein. In various embodiments, a rail mounted robot configured to inspect a plant having an explosion proof zone can include an actuator to propel the rail mounted robot along a rail, a battery to provide power to the actuator, a charger to draw power from power terminals integrated with the rail while the rail mounted robot is in motion and to charge the battery using the drawn power, and logic to position the rail mounted robot based on readings from position markers distributed along the rail.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a rail-mounted robotic inspection system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Process automation plants, such as chemical refineries or petrochemical plants, are often large and complex, making tasks such as inspection of these plants laborious and / or expensive. One way to alleviate these difficulties is to deploy robots. As an example, rail-mounted robots are often deployed in plants for various purposes. However, many process automation plants include hazardous areas, e.g., because of the presence of combustible particulates, dust, gases, flying debris, and / or chemicals. Some of these areas are referred to as "explosion-proof" areas. Robots and / or rails that are not designed to operate safely in explosion-proof areas can create hazardous conditions. For example, exposed electrical terminals can create an electrical arc, which can initiate an explosion or fire. SUMMARY

[0003] Embodiments of operating rail-mounted robots in hazardous conditions are described herein. More specifically, but not exclusively, embodiments of rail-mounted robots and rails that can be deployed in explosion-proof areas are described herein. In various embodiments, the rail-mounted robots can be powered by a battery. To limit the size of the battery, the rail-mounted robots can charge the battery while operating - more specifically, while in motion - rather than charging the battery at a base charging station and then operating the rail-mounted robot to perform as many tasks as possible using a single charge.

[0004] In some embodiments, a rail-mounted robot for inspecting a plant having explosion-proof areas can include an actuator to propel the rail-mounted robot along a rail, a battery to provide power to the actuator, a charger to draw power from power terminals integrated with the rail while the rail-mounted robot is in motion and to charge the battery using the drawn power, and logic to position the rail-mounted robot based on readings from position markers distributed along the rail.

[0005] In various embodiments, the rail-mounted robot can include a transceiver and one or more sensors to wirelessly transmit data obtained via one or more of the sensors to a remote computing device. In various embodiments, the transceiver can be configured to wirelessly exchange data with a wireless antenna embedded in the rail. In various embodiments, the wireless antenna can be a leaky antenna.

[0006] In various implementations, the charger draws power from an exposed conductive trace that extends along the length of the track outside of the explosion-proof region. In various implementations, the charger takes the form of a conductive wheel or a capacitive coupling pad that draws power from the exposed conductive trace.

[0007] In various implementations, the charger can take the form of a radio frequency (RF) power antenna, the power terminals integrated with the track taking the form of a plurality of RF power transmitters distributed along the length of the track. In various implementations, at least some of the readings used by the logic to position the track-mounted robot can be obtained intermittently from one or more of the plurality of RF power transmitters.

[0008] In various implementations, at least some of the position markers take the form of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and the track-mounted robot further comprises an RFID reader that obtains at least some of the readings used by the logic to position the track-mounted robot from the RFID tags.

[0009] In various implementations, the actuator is configured to propel the track-mounted robot at a first speed over a first portion of the track that includes the power terminal, and to propel the track-mounted robot at a second speed over a second portion of the track that does not include the power terminal, and wherein the first speed is less than the second speed.

[0010] In another aspect, a system for inspecting a factory can comprise: a track that passes through an explosion-proof region of the factory, wherein the track comprises a plurality of wireless power transmitters enclosed within a portion of the track that passes through the explosion-proof region; and a track-mounted robot comprising: an actuator to propel the track-mounted robot along the track; one or more on-board sensors configured to generate one or more sensor signals that can be used to inspect the factory; a battery to provide power to the actuator; and a charger to charge the battery while the track-mounted robot is in motion by drawing power from one or more of the wireless power transmitters.

[0011] In various implementations, one or more of the wireless power transmitters can take the form of RF power transmitters, and the charger can take the form of an RF power antenna. In various implementations, the track can include a plurality of position markers distributed along a length of the track, and the track installation robot includes logic configured to position the track installation robot based on readings obtained from the position markers. In various implementations, the plurality of markers can include at least some of the plurality of wireless power transmitters. In various implementations, at least some of the readings used by the logic to position the track installation robot can be obtained intermittently from one or more of the plurality of wireless power transmitters. In various implementations, at least some of the position markers take the form of RFID tags, and the track installation robot can include an RFID reader that obtains at least some of the readings used by the logic to position the track installation robot from the RFID tags.

[0012] In various implementations, the actuator can be configured to propel the track installation robot at a first speed over a first portion of the track that includes the plurality of wireless power transmitters, and at a second speed over a second portion of the track that does not include wireless power transmitters, and wherein the first speed is less than the second speed.

[0013] In various implementations, the track further includes a leaky antenna, and the track installation robot is configured to transmit data generated from one or more of the on-board sensors to the leaky antenna.

[0014] In another aspect, a method of operating a track installation robot to inspect a factory can include propelling the track installation robot along a track that passes through an explosion-proof area of the factory, wirelessly drawing power from a plurality of power terminals embedded within and distributed along a length of the track while the track installation robot is in motion being propelled through the explosion-proof area, and inspecting the factory based on one or more sensor readings obtained from one or more sensors on-board the track installation robot.

[0015] In various implementations, the method can further include transmitting data indicative of one or more of the sensor readings from the track installation robot to a leaky antenna embedded in the track. In various implementations, the method can further include positioning the track installation robot based on readings obtained from a plurality of position markers distributed along a length of the track.

[0016] Further, some embodiments include one or more processors of one or more computing devices, wherein the one or more processors are operable to execute instructions stored in a memory associated therewith, and wherein the instructions are configured to cause any of the methods described above to be performed. Some embodiments further include one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media storing computer instructions executable by one or more processors to perform any of the methods described above.

[0017] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts described in greater detail herein (generally described above and the following detailed description) are contemplated with regard to the various embodiments. For example, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 An exemplary environment in which select aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented is schematically illustrated in accordance with various embodiments.

[0019] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An example of a track mounted robot and track is schematically illustrated in accordance with various embodiments.

[0020] Figure 3A and Figure 3B Another example of a track mounted robot and track is schematically illustrated in accordance with various embodiments.

[0021] Figure 4 An example of how modular track sections can be deployed across a border into an explosion proof area in accordance with various embodiments is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 5 An exemplary method for performing select aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Embodiments of track mounted robots operating in hazardous conditions are described herein. More particularly, but not exclusively, embodiments of track mounted robots and tracks that can be deployed in explosion proof areas are described herein. In various embodiments, the track mounted robots can be powered by batteries. To limit the size of the batteries, the track mounted robots can charge the batteries while operating—more particularly, while in motion—rather than charging the batteries at a base charging station and then operating the track mounted robots using a single charge to perform as many tasks as possible.

[0024] Various measures can be taken to facilitate safe charging of a robot's battery in and / or near an explosion-proof area. In some embodiments, multiple wireless power transmitters, such as radio frequency (RF) power transmitters, can be distributed along the length of the track, for example embedded and / or enclosed under the surface of the track. The track-mounted robot can include a corresponding RF antenna as a charger to draw power from these RF power transmitters. Because these RF power transmitters are not exposed outside of the track, there is no risk of igniting flammable / explosive materials in the explosion-proof area, even while under high temperatures. Thus, the RF power transmitters can be distributed along track portions both inside and outside of the explosion-proof area(s).

[0025] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, a conductive trace can be formed along the length(s) of the track outside of the explosion-proof area(s). The charger of the track-mounted robot can take the form of a conductive wheel, a capacitive coupling pad, or other similar terminal that draws power from the conductive trace. Exposing the conductive trace inside of the explosion-proof area can pose an explosion risk. Thus, the conductive trace is not necessarily exposed on track portion(s) that pass through the explosion-proof area(s). Instead, the track-mounted robot can rely solely on battery power while in the explosion-proof area(s), and can also draw power from the unexposed wireless power transmitters as described above. In some such embodiments, the charger of the track-mounted robot can retract or otherwise become inactive while the track-mounted robot is passing through the explosion-proof area(s).

[0026] In some embodiments where the power terminals (either wireless or conductive traces) are not uniformly distributed along the track, the track-mounted robot can travel at different speeds depending on various factors. These factors can include, but are not limited to, the power terminals currently available to the robot, the battery charge level of the robot, the distance to the next available power terminal(s), time constraints associated with the task(s) assigned to the robot, and the like. For example, a track-mounted robot that has no risk of violating any time constraints and / or has a low power battery can travel more slowly over a track area with densely distributed wireless power transmitters or conductive traces, for example, allowing it more time to charge its battery. In contrast, a robot that has strict time constraints and / or a relatively full battery can travel at a greater speed through an area with available power terminals.

[0027] In some embodiments, the track-mounted robot can be configured to position themselves along the track using position markers distributed at select locations on the track. This can be more accurate than track-mounted robots that rely on, for example, odometers and / or inertial measurement units (IMUs), wireless triangulation, or global positioning system (GPS) coordinates. These position markers can take various forms, and can be configured for non-contact reading. In some embodiments, the position markers can comprise RFID tags, which can be read by an RFID reader on-board the track-mounted robot. Near-field communication (NFC) tags can also be used. In other embodiments, the position markers can comprise visual markers, which can be detected using a vision sensor such as a digital camera. The visual markers can take various forms, such as barcodes, quick response (QR) codes, human- and computer-readable fonts such as E-13B or CMC-7 (sometimes referred to as "magnetic ink character recognition" or "MICR"). In other embodiments, RF power transmitters can also act as position markers, for example by modulating position data into the power they deliver to the track-mounted robot.

[0028] In some embodiments, the track-mounted robot can include sensors such as vision sensors, thermometers, infrared sensors, chemical sensors, gas sensors, and the like, which can produce sensor signals that can be used to perform tasks such as inspecting a plant. For example, many process automation facilities include gauges that still need to be read visually. Using an on-board vision sensor to acquire visual data (e.g., digital photograph(s)) that capture the gauges, the track-mounted robot can accomplish this. This visual data can then be analyzed, for example on-board the track-mounted robot or remotely, to detect the readings of the gauges (e.g., using various image processing techniques).

[0029] However, obtaining data from a track-mounted robot presents difficulties. If the track-mounted robot needs to upload sensor data via a physical connection (e.g., by docking at a base station that also charges the robot), then the sensor data is only obtained whenever the track-mounted robot comes to the base station to charge itself. Even if the track-mounted robot is equipped to transmit data wirelessly, it is a challenge to distribute wireless access points throughout a large, complex plant, which has numerous metal components that can interfere with wireless signals. Thus, in various embodiments, one or more wireless receivers or transceivers can be incorporated along the track itself, so that the track-mounted robot never (or rarely) goes out of wireless range. In some such embodiments, the wireless receivers can take the form of leaky feeders, such as coaxial leaky antennas.

[0030] Reference is now made to Figure 1environment 100, in which various aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented. Environment 100 can take the form of a process automation facility, for example. The process automation facility can form all or a portion of a chemical processing plant, a petroleum or natural gas refinery, a catalyst plant, a manufacturing facility, etc. In this example, environment 100 includes one or more central servers 102 and one or more central databases 104. Server(s) 102 and database(s) 104 can be used to manage the facility and / or store information about various components within environment 100 (e.g., inputs, outputs, distributed control nodes (DCNs), a list of processes performed at the facility, employees, etc.). Server(s) 102 and database(s) 104 can be communicatively coupled with other components in environment 100 via one or more networks 106. Network(s) 106 can be implemented using various wired and / or wireless communication technologies, including but not limited to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 standards (Ethernet), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), cellular networks such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) or other wireless protocols designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, etc., and / or other types of communication networks of various topologies (e.g., mesh).

[0031] A process automation facility can include any number of "points of interest" (POIs) that require periodic and / or temporary inspection. These POIs can include, but are not limited to, gauges, dials, interfaces between pipes (e.g., to monitor for leaking gases), valves, actuators, sensors, etc. Many of the POIs can be inspected by a human inspector. However, human inspectors can be costly and / or prone to error, e.g., due to boredom, fatigue, etc. Furthermore, many plants and facilities include areas that are hazardous to humans. For example, "explosion-proof" (or exproof) areas can include flammable materials, such as chemicals and / or particulates in the air, that make it difficult and / or dangerous for a human inspector to inspect these areas. While a human inspector can be equipped to operate at least somewhat safely in these hazardous areas, e.g., by wearing fireproof clothing, doing so can be costly and does not completely eliminate the risk.

[0032] Accordingly, in various implementations, in addition to or instead of a human inspector, a track-mounted robot 110 can be deployed to inspect some or all of these POIs. Not only are track-mounted robots 110 less prone to error than humans, but the track-mounted robots 110 and the tracks 108 on which the track-mounted robots 110 operate can be configured with selected aspects of the present disclosure to operate safely in hazardous areas, such as explosion-proof areas 124.

[0033] The track-mounting robot 110 may include track-mounting hardware 112 that connects the track-mounting robot 110 to the track 108. Depending on the properties of the track 108, the track-mounting hardware 112 may take various forms. In some embodiments, the track-mounting robot 110 may include a linear induction motor that propels the track-mounting robot along the track 108. In other embodiments, the track-mounting robot 110 and / or the track-mounting hardware 112 may include an electric motor that rotates one or more wheels (not shown) on the track-mounting hardware 112 to propel the track-mounting robot 110 along the track 108. Other propulsion techniques are also considered.

[0034] The track-mounted robot 110 can be equipped with one or more sensors configured to detect a variety of different events. These sensors can take various forms, including vision sensors, barometers, thermometers, infrared sensors, chemical sensors, pressure wave sensors (e.g., microphones), humidity sensors, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, Geiger counters, gas ionization sensors, flash sensors, spectrometers, optical sensors, etc.

[0035] exist Figure 1 For example, a track-mounted robot 110 is equipped with a vision sensor 114, which can rotate and / or move relative to the robot. Various techniques can be used to analyze the images captured by the vision sensor 114 for various inspection tasks, such as reading instruments, inspecting equipment, monitoring chemicals, etc. As an example, various image processing techniques (such as optical character recognition (OCR), object detection, machine learning, etc.) can be used to analyze the images captured by the vision sensor 114 to identify and / or obtain instrument readings. In some implementations of machine learning for these purposes, labeled training images can be used to train neural networks such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to detect instruments and / or read data from instruments.

[0036] The track-mounted robot 110 may include a battery ( Figure 1 Not shown in the image, see [link / reference]. Figures 2A to 3B), the battery provides at least some of the power used to propel the track-mounted robot along the track 108. To charge the battery without requiring the track-mounted robot 110 to return to a certain charging station, the track 108 can include a power line 116 electrically coupled to a power source, such as a DC power source 119. As described in greater detail with reference to subsequent figures, the power line 116 can provide power to the track-mounted robot at almost any point along the track 108, even while the track-mounted robot 110 is moving along the track 108. Moreover, the power line 116 can be embedded within the track 108, leaving no exposed electrical terminals or contacts, so that the track-mounted robot 110 can charge its battery even while traveling through the explosion-proof zone 124.

[0037] One difficulty in deploying the track-mounted robot 110 in the environment 100 is exchanging data with the track-mounted robot 110. For example, sensor data acquired by the track-mounted robot 110 can need to be relayed to the server(s) 102. Moreover, in some implementations, the track-mounted robot 110 can be operated based on command(s) received from the server(s) 102. In many cases, the track-mounted robot 110 can be equipped with a wireless transceiver to communicate with the server(s) 102 via the process automation network 106. However, the environment 100 can be large, with many devices and other features (e.g., particulates) that can interfere with wireless transmissions. It can be costly and / or laborious to deploy enough wireless access points to enable the track-mounted robot 110 to communicate with the server(s) 102 at any point.

[0038] Accordingly, in various implementations, the track 108 can be equipped with a wireless transceiver 118 that extends along at least a portion of the track length and is connected to a network device 120, such as a router or switch. The network device 120 can in turn be connected to the process automation network 106 via an additional network connection 122. As a result, the track-mounted robot 110 can remain within wireless range of the wireless transceiver 118 for most, if not all, of the length of the track 108. In some implementations, the wireless transceiver 118 can take the form of a leaky feeder (also known as a “radiating cable”). For example, the wireless transceiver 116 can take the form of a coaxial leaky antenna embedded within the track 108.

[0039] Figure 2A And Figure 2B An example assembly of a modular track segment 208 and a track-mounted robot 210 is shown schematically. Figure 2A And Figure 2B Many of the components shown are similar to those shown in Figure 1 the components shown in FIG. 1, and are therefore indicated with like reference numbers. In this example, the track-mounted robot 210 includes a track-mounted robot body 212, a track-mounted robot battery 214, a track-mounted robot drive system 216, a track-mounted robot sensor system 218, and a track-mounted robot control system 220.Figure 2A In this design, the modular track section 208 includes embedded power lines 216 and a wireless transceiver 218, neither of which is exposed to the outside of the modular track section 208. Therefore, within the explosion-proof area, neither of these components poses a fire risk.

[0040] exist Figures 2A to 2B In other embodiments described herein, the modular track segment 208 may be a "modular" component, allowing multiple such modular track segments 208 to be assembled end-to-end to form a longer track. For this purpose, the embedded power line 116 includes at one or both ends of the modular track segment 208 that can connect with another modular track segment (…). Figure 2A Power line terminals 217 (not shown) are connected (e.g., in a current manner) to corresponding power line terminals of other modular track sections (not shown in the diagram). Similarly, the embedded wireless transceiver 118 includes at one or both ends of the modular track section 208 a power line terminal that can connect to another modular track section (not shown in the diagram). Figure 2A The corresponding wireless transceiver terminal (not shown) is connected to the wireless transceiver terminal 219 (e.g., via coaxial connection, Ethernet connection, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, etc.).

[0041] As described above, the power line 116 is embedded within the modular track section 208 and therefore not exposed to the outside of the modular track section 208. This is to enable the power line 216 to power the battery 236 of the track-mounted robot 210 (see...). Figure 2B The track-mounted robot 210 is powered by multiple radio frequency (RF) power transmitters 250 (shown as dashed lines) embedded along its length. Each RF power transmitter 250 can wirelessly power the battery 236 of the track-mounted robot 210, for example, via a power controller 238 (which may be in the form of an RF power receiver). For simplicity and brevity, Figure 2A Three of these RF power transmitters, 250-1, 250-3, and 250-7, are marked in the diagram. However, it should be understood that the modular track section 208 may include any number of RF power transmitters 250 distributed along its length.

[0042] refer to Figure 2B The track-mounted robot 210 also includes many other components, such as one or more sensors 214, one or more processors 230, etc. Figure 2BThe system includes a CPU, one or more actuators 232, a motion controller 234 operatively coupled to the track-mounted hardware 212, the aforementioned battery 236 and power controller 238, a wireless transceiver 240 with one or more antennas 241, and a position reader 242. The wireless transceiver 240 of the track-mounted robot 210 can be configured to wirelessly exchange data with components such as servers 102 via an embedded wireless transceiver 118 and a process automation network (one or more) 106.

[0043] Processors (one or more) 230 can be configured to execute instructions in a memory (not shown) that cause the processors (one or more) to perform various aspects of this disclosure relating to the operation of the track-mounted robot 210. For example, processors (one or more) 230 can perform the retrieval of one or more sensors 214 (e.g., Figure 1 The processor (one or more) 230 receives sensor data captured by the vision sensor 114, performs various operations on the sensor data, and / or transmits the sensor data back to the server (one or more) 102. In some embodiments, the processor (one or more) 230 may also operate the motion controller 234 to propel the track-mounting robot 210 along the modular track segment 208, and / or operate one or more actuators 232 to perform various tasks in the environment 100. Actuators may include, for example, grippers, drills, sprayers, connectors (e.g., connectors attached to the robotic arm of the track-mounting robot 210), fire extinguishers, hoses, etc. In other embodiments, as an addition to or alternative to the processor (one or more) 230, the track-mounting robot 210 may include other types of logic units, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0044] The power controller 238 can wirelessly receive power from the embedded power line 216 via the RF power transmitter 250. For example... Figure 2B As shown, each RF power transmitter 250 may include an RF power transmitting antenna 251. The power controller 238 may include its own antenna (not shown) adapted to receive power from the RF power transmitting antenna 251 of the RF power transmitter 250. By allowing wireless charging in any area of ​​the factory, the size of the battery 236 can be reduced, as can its cost and complexity.

[0045] As noted above, conventional rail-mounted robots can use techniques such as IMUs, GPS, and the like for localization. However, these techniques can suffer from various drawbacks, particularly in areas such as process automation facilities where there can be a large number of sources of interference, noise, and the like. Accordingly, the rail-mounted robot 210 can include a position reader 242 configured to read position markers 252-1, 252-2, 252-3, 252-4,... distributed along the length of the modular track section 208. The position markers 252 can take various forms. In some embodiments, the position markers 252 can take the form of RFID or NFC tags configured to transmit position information (e.g., coordinates on a map) in response to being activated by an RF signal provided, for example, by the position reader 242. In other embodiments, the position markers can be incorporated into the RF power transmitters 250. For example, the RF power transmitters 250 can modulate position data into the power they deliver to the rail-mounted robot 210 (in which case the position reader 242 and power controller 238 can be combined). In other embodiments, the position markers can take the form of optically-readable markers such as QR codes.

[0046] Figure 3A and Figure 3B the embodiment shown in Figure 2A and Figure 2B is similar in many respects to the embodiment shown in Figures 3A to 3B illustrates an alternative way in which the battery 336 of the rail-mounted robot 310 is charged. Referring to Figure 3A , the modular track section 308 includes many of the same components as the modular track section 208 of Figure 2A . However, the modular track section 308 lacks the wireless charging unit. Instead, the power line 316 is exposed as a conductive trace formed along the exterior length of the modular track section 308.

[0047] Because the power line 316 is exposed, the modular track section 308 does not necessarily have to be deployed in a hazardous area. Instead, the modular track section 308 can be deployed in other areas that are less hazardous, thereby allowing the rail-mounted robot 310 to charge while it travels through these areas. However, the benefit of exposing at least a portion of the power line 316 as a conductive trace is that the battery 336 of the rail-mounted robot 310 can be charged more quickly and / or more efficiently than if the battery 336 were charged via wireless charging (e.g., as shown in Figures 2A to 2B Figure 3B ​In some embodiments, the power controller 338 includes a charger 339 that can position various types of electrical contacts so that they contact (or at least come into sufficient proximity of) the exposed power lines 316, which in many cases allows for a galvanic charge. The charger 339 can take various forms, such as conductive wheels, capacitive coupling pads, or other similar terminals that draw power from conductive traces formed from the power lines 316.

[0048] Because the modular track segments 308 cannot be deployed in an explosion-proof area, when it is necessary to pass the track through an explosion-proof area, other types of modular track segments that are configured to operate safely in an explosion-proof area can be coupled with the modular track segments 308. For example, in some embodiments, a modular track segment in which the power lines 316 are completely embedded can eliminate the risk of an electrical arc igniting surrounding materials. In some cases, a modular track segment in which the power lines 316 are completely embedded and that does not provide power to the track installation robot 310 can be deployed. In such cases, the track installation robot 310 can simply operate using battery power while passing through the explosion-proof area.

[0049] However, in other embodiments, a combination of the modular track segments shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 can be deployed. An example of such a configuration is shown in FIG. 23. Figures 2A to 2B and Figures 3A to 3B In the example shown in FIG. 23, a first area 423 is not considered hazardous, but a second area 424 is considered an explosion-proof area. Thus, in the first area 423 where it is safe to do so, the modular track segments 308 of FIG. 21 are deployed. When the track installation robot 310 (or 210) passes through the modular track segments 308, it can charge by contacting the charger 339 with the power lines 316, which as described above can be exposed on the outside of the modular track segments 308 as conductive traces. Figure 4 Figure 4 On the other hand, in the explosion-proof area 424, the modular track segments 208 of FIG. 22 can be deployed. For example, the power line terminals 217 of the modular track segments 208 can be operably coupled (e.g., electrically contacted, male / female connected, etc.) with the corresponding power line terminals 317 (see FIG. 21) of the modular track segments 308. Likewise, the wireless transceiver terminals 219 of the modular track segments 208 can be operably coupled with the wireless transceiver terminals 319 (see FIG. 21) of the modular track segments 308. Thus, the track installation robot 210 / 310 can charge its battery in both the first area 423 and the explosion-proof second area 424. Figures 3A to 3B

[0050] Figures 2A to 2B Figures 3A to 3B Figures 3A to 3B

[0051] ​​​​​​As noted above, in some implementations in which the power terminals (either wireless or conductive traces) are not uniformly distributed along the track, the track installation robot can travel at different speeds depending on various factors, such as the power terminals currently available to the robot, the battery charge currently available to the robot, the distance to the next available power terminal(s), time constraints associated with the task(s) assigned to the robot, etc. Thus, a track installation robot with a lower battery charge can travel more slowly through the first region 423 compared to traveling through the second region 424 (assuming that the exposed power lines 316 are able to charge the battery faster than wireless charging). Furthermore, within the second region 424, the track installation robot can travel more slowly in regions with a more densely distributed RF power transmitter 250.

[0052] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 500 for operating a track installation robot (e.g., 110, 210, 310) in accordance with implementations disclosed herein. For convenience, the operations of the flowchart are described with reference to a system that performs the operations. This system can include various components of various computing systems, such as the processor 230 / 330 of the track installation robot 210, 310. Moreover, while operations of method 500 are illustrated in a particular order, this is not meant to be limiting. One or more operations can be reordered, omitted, or added.

[0053] At step 502, the system can push the track installation robot (e.g., 110, 210, 310) along a track (e.g., 108, 208, 308) that passes through a factory explosion-proof region (e.g., 124, 424), e.g., by the motion controller 234, 334. For example, in response to a command(s) received from the server(s) 102 (or from a human controller, or as part of a predetermined routine) via the process automation network 106, the processor(s) 230, 330 of the track installation robot 110, 210, 310 can instruct the motion controller 234, 334 to operate the electric motor(s) to push the track installation robot along the track.

[0054] While the track installation robot is in motion being pushed through the explosion-proof region, at step 504, the system (e.g., by the power controller 238, 338) can wirelessly draw power from a plurality of power terminals (e.g., 250-1, 250-2,...) embedded within and distributed along the length of the track.

[0055] At step 506, the system can locate the track installation robot based on readings obtained from a plurality of location markers distributed along the length of the track. In some embodiments, the power provided by the RF power terminal can also be modulated to carry location information, which the track installation robot can use to locate itself. In other embodiments, the track installation robot can use location information read from RFID / NFC tags distributed along the length of the track to locate itself.

[0056] At step 508, the factory can be inspected based on one or more sensor readings obtained from one or more sensors on-board the track installation robot. For example, vision sensors 114 can be used to capture images of sensors, gauges, or dials. These images can be analyzed, for example, using artificial intelligence techniques such as trained CNNs.

[0057] At step 510, the track installation robot can transmit data indicative of one or more of the sensor readings from the track installation robot to the leak feeder (e.g., 118, 218, 318) embedded in the track. In some such embodiments, images can be analyzed on the track installation robot, and the results of the analysis can be provided to the server(s). In other embodiments, raw image data or a reduced dimension embedding generated therefrom can be transmitted by the track installation robot to the server(s) via the leak feeder embedded in the track.

Claims

1. A track-mounted robot for inspecting factories with explosion-proof areas, the track-mounted robot comprising: An actuator for pushing the robot along the track; A battery for providing power to the actuator; A charger for drawing power from a power terminal integrated with the track while the robot is in motion on the track, and for charging the battery using the drawn power; as well as One or more processors are configured to position the track-mounted robot based on readings from position markers distributed along the track. The charger includes a radio frequency power antenna, and the power terminal integrated with the track includes a plurality of radio frequency power transmitters distributed along the length of the track, such that the radio frequency power antenna draws power from the plurality of radio frequency power transmitters included in the power terminal and uses the drawn power to charge the battery.

2. The track-mounted robot according to claim 1, wherein, At least some of the readings used by the one or more processors to position the track-mounted robot are obtained intermittently from one or more of the plurality of radio frequency power transmitters.

3. A track-mounted robot for inspecting factories with explosion-proof areas, the track-mounted robot comprising: An actuator for pushing the robot along the track; A battery for providing power to the actuator; A charger for drawing power from a power terminal integrated with the track while the robot is in motion on the track, and for charging the battery using the drawn power; as well as One or more processors are configured to position the track-mounted robot based on readings from position markers distributed along the track. The actuator is configured to push the track-mounting robot at a first speed on a first portion of the track including the power terminals, and at a second speed on a second portion of the track excluding the power terminals, wherein the first speed is less than the second speed.

4. A system for inspecting a factory, comprising: A track passing through the explosion-proof area of ​​the factory, wherein the track includes one or more radio frequency power transmitters enclosed within the portion of the track passing through the explosion-proof area; and The track-mounted robot includes: An actuator for pushing the robot along the track; One or more airborne sensors, said one or more airborne sensors being configured to generate one or more sensor signals that can be used to inspect the plant; A battery, the battery being used to provide power to the actuator; and The charger includes a radio frequency power antenna for charging the battery with power drawn from one or more radio frequency power transmitters while the track-mounted robot is in motion.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein, The track includes a plurality of location markers distributed along the length of the track, and the track-mounting robot includes one or more processors configured to position the track-mounting robot based on readings obtained from the location markers.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein, The plurality of location markers include at least some of the plurality of wireless power transmitters, thereby intermittently obtaining at least some of the readings used by the one or more processors to locate the track-mounted robot from one or more of the plurality of wireless power transmitters.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein, At least some of the location markers include radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and the track-mounted robot further includes an RFID reader that obtains at least some of the readings from the RFID tags that are used by the one or more processors to locate the track-mounted robot.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein, The track further includes a leaky antenna, and the track-mounting robot is configured to transmit data generated from one or more of the onboard sensors to the leaky feeder antenna.

9. A system for inspecting a factory, comprising: A track passing through the explosion-proof area of ​​the factory, wherein the track includes a plurality of wireless power transmitters enclosed within a portion of the track passing through the explosion-proof area; and The track-mounted robot includes: An actuator for pushing the robot along the track; One or more airborne sensors, said one or more airborne sensors being configured to generate one or more sensor signals that can be used to inspect the plant; A battery, the battery being used to provide power to the actuator; and A charger for charging the battery with power drawn from one or more of the wireless power transmitters while the track-mounted robot is in motion; The actuator is configured to push the track-mounting robot at a first speed on a first portion of the track including the plurality of wireless power transmitters, and at a second speed on a second portion of the track excluding the wireless power transmitters, wherein the first speed is less than the second speed.

10. A method for operating a track-mounted robot to inspect a factory, the track-mounted robot comprising: Actuator; Battery; And a charger, the charger including a radio frequency power antenna, the method comprising: The actuator pushes the track-mounted robot along a track that passes through the explosion-proof area of ​​the factory, wherein the battery provides power to the actuator; While the track-mounted robot is being propelled through the explosion-proof area, the radio frequency power antenna wirelessly draws power from multiple radio frequency power terminals embedded within and distributed along the length of the track, and uses the drawn power to charge the battery; and The factory is inspected based on readings from one or more sensors onboard the track-mounted robot.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting data indicating one or more of the sensor readings from the track-mounted robot to a leaky feeder antenna embedded in the track.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising positioning the track-mounted robot based on readings obtained from a plurality of location markers distributed along the length of the track.

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