Modular robotic reel system and method for operating same

Abstract

The present invention describes a modular robotic system and a method for operating same, comprising a soft, flexible, and slender robotic manipulator with a reel-based retraction system for the progressive retraction of a body, which comprises a slender robotic arm of the order of meters in length, highly deformable, made from compliant material with a surface of relatively low hardness, and actuated by a set of tendons incrementally arranged along the body in intermediate sections without segmenting its continuity. The reel has rotational freedom on two axes, allowing the manipulator to unwind and rewind. The present invention pertains to the field of industry, in which the manipulator is used for the inspection of assets in the oil and gas industry, such as pipelines, flanges, lattice structures, pressure vessels, and tanks.

Description

Modular reel robotic system and method of operation. Field of application.

[0001] The present invention applies to the field of industry, focusing on the area of ​​asset inspection in the Oil and Gas (O&G) industry. FUNDAMENTALS OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Inspection and maintenance of assets are vital in the Oil and Gas industry. In this segment, facilities have many obstacles and areas that are difficult for humans and other remote techniques to access (such as teleoperated rigid robots), which hinders inspections of equipment (e.g., manifolds, production systems, etc.). Ensuring the feasibility and safety of O&G inspection operations are motivating factors for the use of soft robotics and flexible robotics technologies.

[0003] Rigid robot solutions have difficulties navigating and performing thorough inspections using non-destructive techniques (vibration, temperature, leakage, etc.), and also present risks to operator safety. On the other hand, manipulators based on soft robotics are promising because they can conform to adjacent structures and achieve results currently unavailable in the industry, in addition to being potentially less dangerous to those in their vicinity.

[0004] Nevertheless, soft robotics solutions are still in their infancy in industry and mostly confined to the academic world, where research related to manufacturing techniques, material types, actuation systems, and control strategies is more frequent. In this sense, the soft manipulators currently used are of a certain size. Reduced in size (on the order of centimeters), they are intended for the study of control and manufacturing techniques, without widespread applications, especially those focused on the inspection of oil and gas assets.

[0005] The manipulator of the present invention overcomes the problem of scale, since the planned modularity allows for progressive length increases in the manipulator body, with the addition of actuation modules facilitating the modular construction of large bodies. The reel allows a flexible and soft robotic arm of variable lengths to be compactly packaged, enabling teleoperated inspection of assets in hard-to-reach locations. STATE OF THE ART

[0006] Document WO2021178627 describes a fiber optic sensor that allows for the detection of spiral grippers, for example, an interlacing angle and target cylinder diameter. In one embodiment, a pneumatic soft robotic spiral gripper includes an elastic column with an embedded fiber optic sensor and a pneumatic spiral channel interlaced around the elastic column. The pneumatic spiral channel can be formed from a soft gripping material surrounding the elastic spine. In another example, a method of manufacturing a pneumatic soft robotic spiral gripper includes providing a gripper mold with an outer mold wall and a spiral-shaped rod positioned within the outer mold wall. An elastic hump can be inserted through the spiral-shaped rod and the gripper mold filled with gripping material that can be cured. to form a soft gripping material around the elastic spine.

[0007] However, the present invention differs from document WO2021178627 because it is a modular manipulator formed by parts printed by additive manufacturing or another manufacturing method, with cable actuation whose projection and storage mechanism consists of a rotating cylinder. The rotating cylinder stores the manipulator in a manner similar to a reel and does not depend on the end effector to perform the movement of retracting or projecting the manipulator. The end effector of the manipulator does not have locking or gripping mechanisms.

[0008] Document EP3058237 discloses a mechanically programmed actuator that includes at least one soft actuator body configured to bend, linearly extend, contract, twist, or combinations thereof when actuated without restriction; an actuation mechanism (e.g., a fluid pump) configured to actuate the soft actuator body; and at least one sleeve wrapped around part of the soft actuator body and configured to restrict the soft actuator body within the sleeve when actuated and cause the soft actuator body to deform where it is not covered by the sleeve.

[0009] However, the present invention differs from document EP3058237 in that the manipulator's movement does not utilize linear contraction or extension movements. The retraction or projection of the manipulator is performed by the rotating cylinder located at its base, which winds (retracts) or unwinds (projects) the manipulator as needed to reduce its length. The manipulator described in this invention also does not have a body restricted by gloves to limit movement.

[0010] US patent 10639801 describes an actuator with a plurality of chambers composed of an extensible material, the chambers having inner side walls and outer side walls, wherein at least a portion of the inner side wall is separated from an inner side wall of an adjacent chamber; and a strain-limiting base; and a channel that fluidly interconnects the plurality of chambers, wherein the inner walls are configured to be more compliant than the outer walls.

[0011] However, the present invention describes a manipulator body composed of structural elements whose materials have geometries that give them flexible properties, but without extendable chambers. Furthermore, the manipulator is actuated by cables, without the use of fluid actuation, thus differing from document US 10639801.

[0012] US patent document 10576643 discloses a soft robotic device with one or more sensors, wherein the sensor may be embedded in the soft body of the soft robotic device, attached to the soft body of the soft robotic device, or otherwise connected to the soft body of the soft robotic device.

[0013] However, the present invention differs from document US 10576643 as it discloses the design of a complete robotic manipulator system, involving structural elements such as a rotating base, manipulator body and... an end effector, rather than just a sensor to be attached to robotic units.

[0014] The article written by Canali, Cario, et al., entitled "Design of a Novel Long-Reach Cable-Driven Hyper-Redundant Snake-like Manipulator for Inspection and Maintenance," presents a long-reach manipulator for inspection tasks. The robot is composed of a series of rigid elements and can coil around its actuation box.

[0015] However, the present invention presents a cable-actuated manipulator without revolute joints and without links, being composed of structural elements with flexible characteristics that give the manipulator body the ability to produce trajectories with continuous curves in the operating space.

[0016] Therefore, it can be concluded that the present invention differs from the prior art documents presented here, since none of them refers to a compact reel system for storing a soft-body robotic manipulator, rotating around its own axis, with a body segmented by structural and actuation units, actuation by tendons driven by motors, with the ability to sense environmental conditions and perform visual inspection. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention describes a modular robotic system and its method of operation, comprising a soft, flexible, and slender robotic manipulator with a reel-type retraction system for progressive body retraction, which comprises a slender robotic arm with a length on the order of meters, high deformability, Composed of compliant material, with a relatively low hardness surface, and actuated by a set of tendons incrementally arranged along the body in intermediate sections without segmentation of continuity. The reel has freedom of rotation on two axes, which allows the manipulator to unwind and wind.

[0018] The present invention applies to the field of industry, where the manipulator is used to perform inspections of assets in the Oil and Gas industry, such as pipelines, flanges, truss structures, pressure vessels and tanks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0019] The present invention can be better understood through the brief description of the following figures: Figure 1 illustrates the operating principle of the modular manipulator; Figure 2 illustrates the modular manipulator and its components; Figure 3 illustrates the modular manipulator with the polymer cover and the assembled reel; Figure 4 illustrates the polymeric casing of the manipulator; Figure 5 illustrates a use case in which the manipulator inspects a surface below the reel retraction system; Figure 6 illustrates a use case where the manipulator is positioned at a height above the reel retraction system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The invention can be better understood through the following detailed description, in conjunction with the attached figures.

[0021] The present invention describes a modular robotic reel system for inspecting assets and equipment in the oil and gas industry.

[0022] As illustrated in Figure 1, the modular spool robotic system comprises a support bench (S) for a base (8) connected to a spool (7) with a manipulator body (C), where along the manipulator body (C) there are actuation segments (A) and at its end there is an end effector (11) connected to a camera (12). The support bench (S) supports the robotic system; the base (8) serves as a spatial reference for the manipulator (C); the manipulator body (C) performs movements in various directions (such as x, y, z, yaw, pitch and roll) and with many degrees of freedom; the reel (7) has the functions of projecting the manipulator (C) for linear length advancement in space and retracting and storing the manipulator (C) in case of size reduction and end of operation respectively; the actuation segments (A) provide controllability for the manipulator body (C); the end effector (11) provides modular capacity to carry visual, tactile or non-destructive inspection sensors (ultrasound, eddy currents, etc.) for the manipulator (C); and the camera (12) provides visual inspection capability.

[0023] The robotic system, illustrated in figures 2 and 3, comprises a manipulator body (C) composed of deformable segments (1), interspersed with hollow structural discs (2) used to guide drive cables (3). of the movement. Each cable (3) has an individual conduit (4) for passage to the base of the actuation segment (A) of a module. The cables (3) are driven by motors (5) arranged on the inner surface of the reel (7), and wound on pulleys (6) specifically designed for the system in question, adding or removing their length. To drive the reel (7), a specific motor (9) coupled to the base (8) executes the movements of the reel (7). The actuator (11) comprises at least one camera (12) for visual inspection. The system is powered by a power supply board (10) connected to a power source.

[0024] The motors (5, 9) are preferably brushless direct current electric motors.

[0025] The modular robotic reel system can be configured to comprise at least two modules, where the first module functions as a first actuation segment (A) via cables from the manipulator body (C) comprising three actuation cables (3), hollow structural discs (2) and deformable segments (1) and the second module functions as a second actuation segment (A) via cables from the manipulator body (C) comprising three actuation cables (3), hollow structural discs (2), deformable segments (1) and the end effector (11). The manipulator body (C) allows for more modules following the description of the previous modules, provided that the last module contains the end effector (11).

[0026] The modularity provided for in the mechanical design allows for the progressive increase in length of the manipulator body (C), with the addition of deformable segments (1) and hollow structural discs (2).

[0027] For protection purposes, the body of the modular manipulator (C) is covered by a soft polymeric cover (13), as illustrated in figure 4, which protects the manipulator's interactions with the environment.

[0028] Additionally, the end effector (11) allows the coupling of various types of sensors for the execution of specific inspection tasks, such as non-destructive testing (NDT) sensors like ultrasonic probes for thickness measurement and other graphic inspection technologies like thermal and hyperspectral cameras.

[0029] The robotic system's structure can be produced using additive manufacturing technology, for example with Polyamide 12 (PA12), Polypropylene (PP), or Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU). In addition to the structure printed by additive manufacturing, other fabrication methods can be used; for example, the polymeric coating for the manipulator body can be made of silicone.

[0030] The operating method of the robotic system comprises the following steps: a) Energizing the system via electrical power supply (10); b) Rotating the reel system (7) to the desired working position of the manipulator; c) Activating the movement cables (3) of the manipulator body (C) relative to the movement modules to achieve the desired positioning; d) Adjusting the orientation of the end effector (11) for image recording with the camera (12). Examples Example 1: Evaluation of the propulsion concept in a manipulator

[0031] This evaluation was carried out with a tested prototype that has two 60cm modules (approximately 1.2m total).

[0032] The experiment consisted of positioning the manipulator in different locations in space to evaluate the combined capacity of the manipulator and reel movements in composing the end effector displacement. The experiments consisted of positioning the manipulator above the reel (Figure 6); below bench S (Figure 5); and in front of the reel, in a space with geometrically restricted entry (Figure 3).

[0033] The experiment allowed us to observe the manipulator's maneuverability with the combined movements of cable actuation and reel rotation. The manipulator can position itself above the reel (inspection at height), below the surface on which the reel is supported (inspection below platforms), and can be projected forward of the reel through restricted space (confined space inspection).

[0034] The present invention has been disclosed in this descriptive report in terms of its preferred embodiment. However, other modifications and variations are possible from the present description, and are still within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. REFERENCE SIGNS (1) Deformable segment. (2) Hollow structural disc. (3) Drive cables. (4) Conduit. (5) Cable motor. (6) Pulleys. (7) Reel. (8) Base. (9) Reel motor. (10) Power supply board. (11) Effector. (12) Visual inspection camera. (13) Polymer coating. (S) Support bench. (C) Manipulating body. (A) Segments of activity.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Modular robotic reel system CHARACTERIZED by comprising a base (8) connected to a reel (7) with a manipulator body (C), wherein along the manipulator body (C) there are at least two actuation segments (A), the last actuation segment (A) comprising at its end an end effector (11) connected to a camera (12).

2. System, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the manipulator body (C) is composed of deformable segments (1), interspersed with hollow structural discs (2) that guide drive cables (3) for movement; and in which each cable (3) has an individual conduit (4) for passage to the base of the actuation segment (A).

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the manipulator body (C) is coated with a soft polymeric sheath (13).

4. System, according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the cables (3) are driven by motors (5) arranged on the inner surface of the reel (7), and wound on pulleys (6).

5. System, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the drive of the reel (7) is made by a specific motor (9) coupled to the base (8).

6. System according to claim 4 or 5, CHARACTERIZED in that the motors (5, 9) are direct current electric motors; and in that the system is powered by a power supply board (10) connected to a source.

1. System according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the effector (11) comprises non-destructive testing sensors, such as ultrasonic probes for thickness measurement, and graphic inspection sensors, such as thermal and hyperspectral cameras.

8. System, according to any one of claims 1 to 7, CHARACTERIZED by comprising a support bench (S) for supporting the base (8).

9. System, according to any one of claims 1 to 8, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the structure of the robotic system can be produced using additive manufacturing technology, for example with Polyamide 12 (PA12), Polypropylene (PP) or Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).

10. Method of operation of the modular robotic reel system, as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9, CHARACTERIZED by comprising the steps of: a) Energizing the system via electrical power supply (10); b) Rotating the reel system (7) to the intended working position of the manipulator; c) Actuating the movement cables (3) of the manipulator body (C) relative to the movement modules to achieve the desired positioning; d) Adjusting the orientation of the end effector (11) for image recording with the camera (12).

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