Pipe Maintenance Robot With Adaptive Legs and In-Pipe Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe maintenance systems face challenges in accessing and inspecting interior cavities due to inhospitable conditions such as high temperatures, pressures, and obstacles, and struggle to provide precise localization within the pipes.
Innovation Solution
A motorized apparatus with independently actuated leg assemblies that can traverse and adjust to fit within pipe interiors, equipped with sensors to determine pipe diameter and pitch, and a modular design for various maintenance tools, allowing it to navigate complex pipe geometries and maintain contact with the pipe wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a motorized apparatus is designed to fit within pipe interior cavities for maintenance operations, then it can access and perform maintenance inside pipes, but it becomes difficult to provide precise localization information within the interior cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary localization system consisting of transmitters positioned at known locations within the pipe and a receiver on the maintenance apparatus. This intermediary system enables precise localization by measuring signal time-of-flight or phase differences between the moving receiver and stationary transmitters, solving the contradiction between accessing the pipe interior and maintaining localization precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pipe interior contains obstacles and complex geometries, then the pipe can transport various fluids with different requirements, but the maintenance apparatus becomes difficult to travel through
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance apparatus employs dynamic, independently controllable legs that can adjust their length and position in real-time. This dynamic structure allows the apparatus to adapt to varying pipe geometries and navigate around obstacles by extending or retracting legs as needed, resolving the contradiction between pipe versatility and apparatus mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus is divided into modular components including a body, multiple independent legs, and interchangeable maintenance tools. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables the apparatus to reconfigure itself to navigate complex pipe geometries while maintaining the pipe's functional versatility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the fluids transported have high temperatures and pressures, then the pipe can handle demanding transport conditions, but these conditions create an inhospitable environment for maintenance apparatus
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a fluid coupling mechanism as an intermediary between the harsh pipe environment and the maintenance apparatus. This coupling fluid serves as a thermal and mechanical buffer, allowing the apparatus to operate remotely while the fluid absorbs and transfers forces and heat, thereby protecting the apparatus from direct exposure to high temperatures and pressures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical contact with the pipe wall with fluid-mediated interaction. Instead of the apparatus directly withstanding high temperatures and pressures through mechanical means, it uses fluid coupling to transmit forces and maintain position, significantly improving reliability in demanding thermal and pressure environments.
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 coupled circumferentially around a body assembly. The body assembly includes an actuator assembly coupled to each leg assembly and configured to independently actuate each leg assembly to adjust a position of each leg assembly. The body assembly also includes at least one sensor configured to collect information associated with the position of each leg assembly. The body assembly also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the motorized apparatus and configured to receive the information from the sensor, and to determine at least one of a pipe diameter and a pitch of the motorized apparatus based on the information from the at least one sensor.