Articulated Pipe Snake-Arm Navigating Voids and Buckling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic devices face challenges in accessing and navigating within pipes, particularly in reaching long distances, navigating corners and voids, and conducting repairs or inspections without disassembling the pipe, due to limitations in stiffness, reach, and ability to bridge voids and changes in pipe cross-sections.
Innovation Solution
A robotic arm, referred to as a 'pipe snake-arm', with flexible or rigid segments linked by joints and equipped with actuators and guide wheels, allows for shape control and support by the pipe surface, enabling longer reach and navigation through voids and changes in pipe geometry by adjusting rope lengths and tensions to maintain stability and reduce buckling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a robotic device uses a rigid structure to maintain stability, then stability is improved, but the ability to navigate corners and voids deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm is divided into multiple articulated segments that can bend and flex relative to each other, allowing the structure to adapt to pipe geometry changes while maintaining overall stability through controlled segment positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic arm transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic articulated structure where segments can change their relative positions, enabling the arm to conform to pipe corners and voids while maintaining stability through active control
2Adaptability or versatility
If a robotic device uses a flexible structure to navigate pipe geometry changes, then adaptability is improved, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible structure is segmented into articulated sections that can independently adjust their configuration, providing adaptability to pipe geometry changes while maintaining structural integrity through controlled segment articulation
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic arm changes its structural parameters (segment angles, positions) dynamically to adapt to pipe geometry changes, allowing flexibility in navigation while maintaining stability through controlled parameter adjustment
3Length of moving object
If the robotic arm extends reach by increasing length, then reach is improved, but susceptibility to buckling and instability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The long robotic arm is segmented into multiple sections that can articulate relative to each other, distributing the mechanical loads and reducing buckling susceptibility while maintaining extended reach through coordinated segment positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic arm uses dynamic articulation between segments to maintain stability during extended reach operations, actively adjusting segment positions to prevent buckling while achieving long reach into the pipe
4Ease of manufacture
If the robotic device uses a simple wheeled structure, then ease of manufacture is improved, but ability to bridge voids and navigate discontinuities deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The simple wheeled structure is enhanced with articulated segments that can independently position themselves, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while gaining the ability to bridge voids and navigate pipe discontinuities through coordinated segment movement
Data Source
Figure 1a~1d
Figure 2a~3
Figure 4a~5b
AI summary
A "tip following" robotic arm for operating in pipes comprises a plurality of articulated segments actuable to control the shape of the arm, and also is provided with guides such as wheels on some or all of the segments thereof, such that the arm may alternatively or in addition follow the shape of the pipe using the guides.