Pipe-Crawling Leg Assembly for Stable Traversal and Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe maintenance systems face challenges in accessing and inspecting/repairing pipes due to inhospitable conditions such as high temperatures, pressures, and obstacles within the pipe, and struggle to provide precise localization and stable traversal through varying pipe sizes and shapes.
Innovation Solution
A motorized apparatus with independently actuated multi-legged design, capable of adjusting its radial position and axial pitch, equipped with sensors and a modular construction for navigating complex pipe geometries and maintaining contact with the pipe wall, allowing it to traverse non-concentric transitions and perform maintenance operations within the pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If known maintenance apparatus are used in pipes, then maintenance operations can be performed, but the apparatus cannot provide precise localization information within the interior cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs sensors (encoders, resolvers, or Hall effect sensors) on each leg assembly to continuously monitor radial position, contact force, and orientation. This feedback is processed by a controller that calculates precise localization information, enabling real-time tracking of the apparatus position and orientation within the pipe interior cavity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If maintenance apparatus travel through pipes with varying sizes and shapes, then accessibility is improved, but positional stability deteriorates due to slippage and drift
Solution Approach 1:
The leg assemblies are designed with actuators that dynamically adjust the radial position and contact force of each leg independently. The controller continuously monitors position and orientation data from sensors and adjusts actuator commands to maintain stable contact with the pipe wall, compensating for variations in pipe geometry and preventing slippage or positional drift during traversal.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multi-legged design with independent actuation is used, then traversal stability through varying pipe geometries is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance apparatus is divided into modular components: a body assembly and multiple independent leg assemblies. Each leg assembly functions as an independent module with its own actuator and sensors, allowing the system to adapt to varying pipe geometries while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design and distributed control.
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 precise and stable traversal and maintenance within pipes, providing accurate pipe mapping, reducing slippage and positional drift, and allowing for efficient inspection and repair of hard-to-reach areas with varying pipe sizes and shapes.
Implementation Method 1
a joint rotatably coupling the first leg portion to the second leg portion
Implementation Method 2
a drive mechanism coupled to the joint and configured to interact with the sidewall as the motorized apparatus travels along the pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A system for use in maintaining a pipe having a sidewall is provided. The system includes a motorized apparatus sized to fit within the pipe and configured to travel along the pipe through an interior cavity. The motorized apparatus includes a plurality of leg assemblies each including a first leg portion, a second leg portion, and a joint rotatably coupling the first leg portion to the second leg portion. A drive mechanism coupled to the joint is configured to interact with the sidewall. The system also includes an actuator assembly configured to independently position each leg assembly relative to a body assembly to adjust a radial position of the joint of the associated leg assembly relative to the body assembly. The system also includes a controller configured to send instructions to the actuator assembly based at least in part on at least one of a dimension of the interior cavity and a desired force on the sidewall.