Articulated Inspection Carriage Layout for Narrow Pipe Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inspection devices, such as video endoscopes and remotely controlled drones, face limitations in navigating complex geometries due to their size and flexibility, particularly in handling changes between vertical and horizontal directions, and are limited by the width of commercially available motors.
Innovation Solution
An inspection device with a drive carriage design where electric motors drive each wheel via a gearbox, with the axes of rotation extending between the motor shafts, positioned one behind the other, allowing for a compact and versatile design with adjustable torque, and using magnetic rings for mobility on metallic surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If electric motors are positioned side by side in the front-to-back direction of the drive carriage, then the drive carriage can achieve sufficient torque, but the width of the drive carriage becomes quite large, limiting the applicability of the inspection device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the electric motors from a side-by-side arrangement (front-to-back direction) to a stacked arrangement (one behind the other in front-to-back direction), utilizing the depth dimension instead of the width dimension. This dimensional shift allows the drive carriage to maintain sufficient torque while significantly reducing its width, enabling navigation through narrow passages and complex geometries.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the inspection device is divided into several articulated carriages to handle changes in vertical and horizontal direction, then the flexibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection device is divided into multiple articulated carriages that can connect and pivot relative to each other. This segmentation allows the device to navigate complex geometries including vertical and horizontal direction changes while maintaining a manageable size for each individual carriage unit.
3Power
If commercially available motors are used to drive the wheels, then the drive carriage can achieve sufficient power, but the length of the motors increases the width of the drive carriage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent orients the motor shafts parallel to each other in the front-to-back direction rather than perpendicular to the width direction. This reorientation allows the motor length to extend along the depth axis of the drive carriage instead of contributing to width, thereby maintaining power output while reducing the overall width of the drive carriage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves a significantly smaller width and enhanced flexibility, enabling it to navigate complex geometries with adjustable torque and ease of assembly, while maintaining mobility on various surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
The magnetic rings ensure that the drive carriage can be moved easily on metallic surfaces, even upside down.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to an inspection device (1) that is designed to inspect regions of machines, system components, and/or pipeline systems, said regions being inaccessible to persons, to at least one drive carriage (2), and to at least one additional carriage (3) which has an inspection unit (4) and can be connected to the drive carriage (2) via a joint unit (20, 50). The drive carriage (2) comprises a housing (5), two wheels (11) which are rotatably held on the housing (5) about at least two rotational axes (56, 57) that are flush with each other, a first electric motor (9) which has a first motor shaft (43) and which rotates the first wheel (11), and a second electric motor (9) which has a second motor shaft and which rotates the second wheel (11). The invention is characterized in that each electric motor (9) rotates the respective wheel (11) via a respective transmission, and the rotational axes (56, 57) extend between the motor shafts (43) of the electric motors (9).