Pipe-Crawling Leg Assembly for Stable Navigation and Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe maintenance technologies face challenges in accessing and inspecting/repairing pipes due to inhospitable conditions such as high temperatures, pressures, and obstacles within the pipes, as well as difficulties in providing precise localization and navigating complex pipe geometries.
Innovation Solution
A motorized apparatus with multi-legged, independently actuated legs that can traverse non-concentric transitions and adjust to varying pipe sizes, equipped with sensors to measure forces and adjust pressure profiles, allowing stable navigation and precise positioning within pipes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a motorized apparatus is used to travel through the interior cavity of pipes, then maintenance operations can be performed within the pipes, but the apparatus may experience slippage and positional drift due to inhospitable conditions such as high temperatures, pressures, and obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The leg assemblies are designed with telescoping portions that can dynamically extend and retract, and bias members that actively adjust the contact force. This dynamic adjustment allows the apparatus to maintain stable contact with the pipe wall despite variations in pipe geometry, obstacles, and environmental conditions, preventing slippage and positional drift while enabling maintenance operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the apparatus is designed to fit within the interior cavity of pipes, then it can travel through the pipes, but it may be unable to navigate non-concentric transitions and varying pipe sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is divided into multiple independent leg assemblies, each capable of individual actuation. This segmentation allows each leg to independently adapt to the pipe wall, enabling the apparatus to navigate non-concentric transitions and varying pipe sizes. The modular leg assemblies can be independently positioned to accommodate complex pipe geometries without requiring the entire apparatus to be overly complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg assemblies incorporate telescoping portions with bias members that provide dynamic adjustment capability. This allows the apparatus to actively adapt to varying pipe diameters and non-concentric transitions by extending or retracting individual legs as needed, maintaining contact with the pipe wall while navigating complex geometries.
3Measurement precision
If sensors are used to collect data on force between the sidewall and drive mechanism, then precise positioning can be achieved, but the apparatus complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bias members in the leg assemblies provide inherent force measurement capability through their mechanical properties. By monitoring the extension/retraction state of the telescoping portions and the force exerted by the bias members, the system can determine contact force with the pipe wall. This self-service approach integrates measurement functionality into the existing mechanical structure, reducing the need for additional complex sensor systems while maintaining precise positioning capability.
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
Enables efficient inspection and repair of pipes by maintaining contact with the pipe wall, preventing slippage and positional drift, and allowing for precise mapping and maintenance operations in challenging environments.
Implementation Method 1
a bias member coupled to the telescoping portion and configured to bias the telescoping portion longitudinally along the first leg member
Implementation Method 2
a drive mechanism coupled to at least one of the first leg member and the second leg member and configured to interact with the sidewall as the body assembly travels along the pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A motorized apparatus for use in maintaining a pipe having a sidewall is provided. The motorized apparatus includes a body assembly sized to fit within and to travel along an interior cavity of the pipe. The body assembly includes a first end and a second end and extending along a longitudinal axis. The body assembly also includes a plurality of leg assemblies coupled circumferentially around the body assembly. Each leg assembly includes a telescoping portion, a bias member coupled to the telescoping portion, and a drive mechanism configured to interact with the sidewall as the body assembly travels along the pipe. The body assembly also includes at least one sensor configured to collect data associated with a force between the sidewall and the drive mechanism, and an actuator assembly coupled to each leg assembly and configured to independently actuate each the leg assembly.