Splash Zone Robotic Arm with Counterweight Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore installations face challenges in maintenance and inspection due to harsh weather conditions, limiting the effectiveness of personnel and remote-operated vehicle methods, which are costly and risky, especially in the splash zone where wave loads are significant, and there is a need for more efficient and flexible solutions.
Innovation Solution
A multi-purpose robotic arm system with a mechanical access arm that can be securely fixed to the installation using various methods, featuring adjustable support beams for stability, jointed for flexibility, and equipped with a working platform and manipulator arms for maintenance and inspection tasks, along with a CCTV system for remote operation and illumination, allowing operation in extreme weather conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If personnel or remote operated vehicles are used for maintenance and inspection in the splash zone, then the tasks can be performed, but the operations are limited by heavy weather restrictions and pose danger to personnel and equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human operators and remote operated vehicles with an automated robotic arm system that can operate independently in harsh weather conditions. The robotic arm is equipped with sensors, actuators, and control systems that enable it to perform maintenance and inspection tasks without human intervention, thereby eliminating weather restrictions and safety risks associated with human presence in the splash zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic arm system is designed to autonomously perform maintenance and inspection tasks in the splash zone without requiring human operators or support equipment. The system includes self-contained power supply, control mechanisms, and operational capabilities that allow it to work independently in adverse weather conditions, making the operation self-sufficient and不受 weather restrictions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the mechanical access arm is fixed securely to withstand wave loads, then stability is improved, but the stress on the structure at the fastening point increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs support beams that act as counterweights or stabilizing elements to balance the forces exerted by the robotic arm on the structure. These support beams are positioned and configured to counteract the moments and forces generated by the arm during operation, thereby reducing the stress transmitted to the fastening points on the structure while maintaining the stability and positioning accuracy of the arm.
Solution Approach 2:
The support beams extend in a direction perpendicular to the main structure, utilizing a different spatial dimension to provide stabilization. By projecting support beams outward from the structure at an angle, the system creates a three-dimensional support configuration that distributes loads more effectively across multiple dimensions, reducing the concentration of stress at any single fastening point while maintaining arm stability.
3Area of stationary object
If the access arm is made long to reach all places within range, then the coverage area is improved, but the arm becomes harder to transport and reattach
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm is divided into multiple segmented sections or modules that can be articulated relative to each other through joints. This segmentation allows the arm to achieve extended reach and coverage by extending its segments in a telescopic or articulated manner during operation, while the individual segments remain compact and manageable for transport. The segmented design enables the arm to be disassembled into smaller components for easier transportation and reassembly at different locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The access arm incorporates dynamic extension and retraction capabilities through telescopic sections or articulated joints that allow the arm to change its effective length during operation. When not in use, the arm can be retracted to a compact configuration for easy transport, and extended to full length when needed to reach distant areas. This dynamic capability provides both long coverage area and ease of transport by allowing the arm to adapt its size based on operational requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
System for maintenance and inspection of structures located in hard to reach places, using a remote controlled arm that consists of arrangement for fixing said remote controlled arm to the structure, said remote controlled arm consists of at least two joints, said remote controlled arm has the ability to change working equipment, said remote controlled arm has a camera, said remote controlled arm is controlled from a control centre.