Robotic Surface Inspection Mapping for Hazardous Industrial Assets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inspection systems for industrial surfaces face challenges such as hazardous environments, incomplete inspections, human error, and inefficiencies due to the need for shutdowns and stringent safety procedures, leading to inadequate coverage and resolution in assessing corrosion, degradation, and other issues.
Innovation Solution
A robotic inspection system equipped with a profiler data circuit, position definition circuit, and inspection visualization circuit that interprets laser profiler data, adjusts sensor operations based on surface shape descriptions, and provides a virtual or physical marking of inspection areas, enabling accurate and systematic surface analysis while maintaining safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If personnel manually inspect industrial surfaces in hazardous environments, then inspection can be performed with human judgment and adaptability, but safety risks increase and inspection completeness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic inspection system performs self-navigation and self-inspection along pipelines, using autonomous sensors and processors to complete inspection tasks without continuous human intervention, thereby eliminating personnel exposure to hazardous environments while maintaining systematic coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with an automated robotic system equipped with sensors, processors, and control circuits that systematically traverse and inspect industrial surfaces, eliminating human judgment variability while ensuring complete coverage through programmed navigation
2Reliability
If system shutdowns are required for inspection, then safety procedures can be simplified, but productivity decreases and inspection timing is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic inspection system enables continuous operation of industrial equipment while inspections are performed, as the robot can navigate and inspect surfaces during normal operations without requiring shutdowns, thereby maintaining both safety and productivity simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational state from requiring system shutdown to enabling online inspection by introducing autonomous robotic capabilities that can operate in hazardous environments, thereby transforming the inspection process to occur during normal production without affecting throughput
3Measurement precision
If high-resolution inspection is performed manually, then detection precision improves, but inspection time increases and coverage becomes incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system segments the inspection task into multiple parallel sensor operations (ultrasonic, electromagnetic, visual sensors) that simultaneously scan different portions of the pipeline, achieving high-resolution detection across the entire surface without sequential manual examination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional manual visual inspection to three-dimensional multi-sensor inspection by incorporating depth measurement, wall thickness analysis, and surface profiling capabilities that provide comprehensive high-resolution data throughout the inspection area
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
The system allows for precise, safe, and efficient inspection of industrial surfaces, reducing human error and improving coverage, even in hazardous environments, by using sensors like laser profilers and ultra-sonic sensors to assess surface features and generate inspection maps.
Implementation Method 1
the inspection data comprises laser profiler data
Implementation Method 2
performing a post-processing operation on ultra-sonic sensor data
Implementation Method 3
performing a post-processing operation on electromagnetic induction sensor data
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes an inspection robot having a plurality of input sensors, the plurality of input sensors distributed horizontally relative to an inspection surface and configured to provide inspection data of the inspection surface at selected horizontal positions; a controller, comprising: a position definition circuit structured to determine an inspection robot position of the inspection robot on the inspection surface; a data positioning circuit structured to interpret the inspection data, and to correlate the inspection data to the inspection robot position on the inspection surface; and wherein the data positioning circuit is further structured to determine position informed inspection data in response to the correlating of the inspection data with the inspection robot position.