Offset Sensor Sled Assembly for High-Resolution Thick Asset Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inspection and treatment systems for industrial surfaces face challenges such as hazardous environments, incomplete inspections, human error, and the need for system shutdowns, which result in inefficient and unsafe operations.
Innovation Solution
An inspection robot with modular drive assemblies, universal connectors for payloads, and improved environmental capabilities, including a sled assembly with offset sensor mounts for enhanced inspection resolution and a reduced footprint, allowing for safer and more comprehensive surface inspections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional inspection systems are used, then personnel can perform inspections, but safety hazards increase and inspection completeness decreases due to hazardous environments and confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection robot performs autonomous inspection operations without requiring personnel entry into hazardous environments. The robot navigates confined spaces and performs inspections independently, eliminating the need for human workers to expose themselves to dangers such as heavy operating equipment, high temperatures, toxic gases, and corrosive liquids.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual inspection methods with an automated robotic system equipped with sensors and inspection tools. The robot uses mechanical navigation systems to move through confined spaces and hazardous environments, substituting human operators with an autonomous mechanical system that can safely perform inspections in previously inaccessible locations.
2Measurement precision
If inspection systems are designed for high resolution, then inspection quality improves, but system footprint increases making it difficult to access confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection robot is divided into modular components including a chassis, drive assemblies, payload modules, and sensor arrays. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high inspection resolution through specialized sensor modules while maintaining a compact overall footprint that can navigate confined spaces. Each module can be independently optimized for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot employs multi-axis positioning systems and articulated joints that allow it to reach inspection surfaces from multiple dimensions. This enables high-resolution inspection of complex geometries and confined spaces without requiring a large physical footprint, as the robot can position sensors precisely through rotational and translational movements in three-dimensional space.
3Reliability
If inspection systems require system shutdown, then safety can be maintained, but productivity decreases and inspection timing is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection robot is designed to operate autonomously in hazardous environments without requiring system shutdowns or restricted access periods. The robot can navigate and perform inspections during normal operational conditions, eliminating the need to shut down industrial systems for safety purposes and thereby maintaining continuous productivity.
4Ease of operation
If personnel enter confined spaces for inspection, then direct observation is possible, but human error increases and inspection systematic coverage is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human inspectors with an automated robot equipped with sensors, cameras, and measurement devices. This substitution eliminates human error and ensures systematic, consistent coverage of inspection areas. The robot can maintain precise positioning and follow predetermined inspection paths more reliably than human operators in confined spaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A sled assembly for an inspection robot includes a first portion having a first sensor mount at a first horizontal position, and a second offset portion having a second sensor mount at a second horizontal position. The first horizontal position and the second horizontal position are horizontally displaced by a selected horizontal distance. The first portion includes a first plurality of sensor mounts, and the first plurality of sensor mounts include the first sensor mount. Also, the first plurality of sensor mounts include a first horizontal distribution profile providing a horizontal displacement between adjacent ones of the first plurality of sensor mounts that is not greater than a selected inspection resolution.