Remotely controlled prehensile locomotion of a two-module 3D pipe-climbing robot

CATEGORY: ROBOTS: PIPE-CLIMBING
Remotely controlled prehensile locomotion of a two-module 3D pipe-climbing robot

Type	Journal Article
Author	Sangchul Han
Author	Jaekyu Ahn
URL	http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12206-016-0345-9
Volume	30
Issue	4
Pages	1875-1882
Publication	Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
Date	2016/04/13
Abstract	While safety inspections of large piping structures are typically performed by humans, this requires considerable time and money and does not guarantee the safety of the inspectors. Authors present a pipe-climbing robot designed to move on the outside of large pipe structures and perform non-destructive inspection in place of human inspectors. Required to negotiate external obstacles such as fixtures, flanges, and valves, as well as pipe components such as elbow and T-branch joints, the pipe-climbing robot comprises two driving modules and an actuated connecting arm. Working together, the two driving modules overcome the various obstacle components in a pipeline network. The wheel-driven locomotion mechanisms of the system also enable it to move quickly along the pipeline. A strain gauge is attached to the climbing arm to confirm the grasping state of the robot on the pipe. The robot is designed to attach stably to a pipe, which features a very low backlash, by means of worm drive and ball screw mechanisms.