管道机器人三轴差动式驱动单元的设计研究

设计了由三轴差速机构、管径适应机构组成的管道机器人三轴差动式驱动单元,对驱动单元在直管、弯管的差速特性与力学特性进行了理论分析．三轴差动式驱动单元在直管中运动时差速机构不起作用;在弯管运动时,根据管道拓扑环境实现自主差速,且行走轮运动状态为纯滚动,无寄生功率产生．所设计的管道机器人三轴差动式驱动单元为机械自适应型差动式管道机器人的理论研究奠定了基础．     

Stiffness Design of Springs for a Screw Drive In-Pipe Robot to Pass through Curved Pipes and Vertical Straight Pipes

Various in-pipe robots used for inspection have been developed as a preventive measure against leakage. To expand the use of these robots in small pipelines, high environmental adaptability via a simple structure must be achieved. One solution, using the screw drive mechanism, has been focused on because it requires only one motor. However, the screw drive mechanism cannot achieve complex motion because of its 1-d.o.f. Therefore, existing screw drive in-pipe robots cannot pass through curved pipes with a small curvature radius. To overcome this problem, the kinematic analysis of the screw drive mechanism has been conducted on the basis of the basic principle of helical motion in curved pipes. From the analysis, the relationship among the spring stiffness, motor torque, robot length and static friction on the inner pipe wall is established for the design of stiffness of the supporting springs. The optimal spring stiffness is, thus, derived for the robot to pass through the curved pipe and to climb up in the vertical pipe. The experimental test has been used to verify the validity of the design.     

Development of a steerable,wheel-type,in-pipe robot and its path planning

This paper presents the development of a steerable, wheel-type, in-pipe robot and its path planning. First, we show the construction of the robot and demonstrate its locomotion inside a pipe. The robot is composed of two wheel frames and an extendable arm which links the centers of the two wheel frames. The arm presses the frames against the interior wall of a pipe to support the robot. The wheels of the frames are steered independently so that the robot can turn within a small radius of rotation. Experimental results of the locomotion show that the steering control is effective for autonomous navigation to avoid obstacles and to enter the joint spaces of L- and T-shaped pipes. Generally, autonomous navigation is difficult for wheel-type robots because the steering angles required to travel along a desired path are not easily determined. In our previous work, the relationship between the steering angles and locomotion trajectories in a pipe has already been analyzed. Using this analysis, we propose the path planning in pipes.     

面向地下管道的四向行走智能机器人系统

为了减小地下管道作业人员伤亡,降低城市地下管道维护的成本,研制开发了一种面向地下管道的四向行走智能机器人系统,详细描述了机器人的硬件设计和控制软件设计.机器人控制系统采用ARM-CORTEX芯片作为主控芯片,由于地下管道的特殊性采用有线通信方式,上位机控制软件简洁易操作.测试结果表明:机器人工作性能良好,能够适应不同管径的地下管道,同时具有防水防尘等特性,研究具有一定参考价值.     

A helical drive in-pipe robot based on compound planetary gearing

The modern society is fuelled by very comprehensive grids of gas and liquid pipelines. In recent years, various in-pipe robots have been developed for inspection and maintenance tasks inside such pipes. In this paper, a novel in-pipe robot is proposed and developed for gas/oil well interventions at thousands of meters downhole. Due to the nature of such intervention, in-pipe robot design must be capable of carrying a very large payload, as large as 2500?N inside a pipe with diameter as small as 54?mm. The proposed design concept is based on a compound planetary gearing system. One of the major novelties of this design is the use of pipe wall as a ring gear for one stage of the compound planetary gear system; the other novelty is the generation of helical angle when the planetary gears are expanded to press on the pipe wall. The proposed concept is compact, efficient, and has never been reported before. In this paper, the helical angle, the velocity, and load capability of the proposed system will be analyzed. The load transportation capability of the proposed robot is also measured based on an experiment. Initial data have shown great potential in carrying large payloads.     

融合视觉和嗅觉的管道探测机器人的设计与实现

介绍了一种新型管道探测机器人系统．采用视频分划生成的十字线，对管道内的视频图像信号中的目标信号进行识别和判断；利用气体传感器对管道内残留的有害气体进行识别和判断，并融合两部分的判断结果送入控制系统，用以控制机器人的移动和对目标执行动作．本系统采用巧妙的机械结构有效实现机器人在直管和弯管进行简易、快速、准确的检测．通过原理样机验证了这套系统的可行性．     

Design and manufacturing a novel screw-in-pipe inspection robot with steering capability

In this article, a novel in-pipe inspection robot is designed and manufactured in Kharazmi University KharazmPipeBot. This robot is able to move through any pipeline with a predefined diameter range with a variable pitch rate and report any desired data within the pipe with the aid of the installed camera. To achieve the highest stability of the robot through the pipe, the robot's movement is based on the screw locomotion protocol provided by the aid of its rotor and stator. A simple suspension is designed for three legs of the robot by installing a passive prismatic joint equipped with a spring for each leg to provide a smoother movement for the robot chassis. The main novelty of the robot is adding an extra controlling actuator for the robot which is the steer of the front wheels. This input can control the pitch rate of the robot movement and consequently the spiral track of the wheels can be actively managed. This importance lets us to bypass the probable obstacles attached to the inner wall of the pipes. A brief presentation of the robot model is delivered. Afterward, to verify the claimed novelties of the system, a prototype of the robot is manufactured in Kharazmi University and the efficiency of the robot is demonstrated by conducting some initial experimental tests. It is shown that the robot can move with a variable pitch rate through the wall and pass a detected obstacle accordingly.     

直进轮式全驱动管内行走机构的研究

本文提出了一种新的管内行走机构，它利用一个电机同时驱动均布在机架上并与管内壁用弹簧力相封闭的６个行进轮，从而实现了可以轴向进直全驱动的管内行走，该机构结构紧凑，驱动效率高，制造容易，安装方便，工作可靠。     

Pipe inspection robot using a wireless communication system

Pipe lines of any material need to be inspected after a certain number of years. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a flexible pipe inspection robot using a wireless communication system. In this research, a wireless communication system is tested, and it is verified that the system can transmit image information steadily at a high speed. On the basis of this wireless communication system, a new pipe inspection robot for drain pipes is developed. With this new system, the movement of the robot can be controlled, defects or other problems inside a pipe can be inspected, and an image of the inside of the pipe can also be transmitted in real time.     

Magnetic mechanical capsule robot for multiple locomotion mechanisms

This paper proposes a magnetic mechanical capsule robot which crawls in a fluid-filled tube. The developed capsule robot employs two locomotion mechanisms simultaneously. It has spiral ribs at both ends, which are rotated by a small on-board motor. Such rotating spiral structures generate a driving force of the capsule robot. We invented a magnetic mechanical mechanism to transfer the rotational motion of the frontal part into the linear motion of the middle part. Using this original mechanism, the linearly moving part at the middle of the capsule robot generates a supportive driving force. The improved mobility is evaluated in experiments. The developed capsule robot employing multiple locomotion mechanisms moves 44% faster than the spiral motion-based capsule robot. The developed magnetic mechanical mechanism and the mobile robotic platform could be used for pipe inspection robots or medical robots.     

多模块蛇形管道打磨机器人的设计与分析

设计了一种由多个模块构成的蛇形管道打磨机器人,各个模块之间可以快速拆装,其中驱动模块为机器人在管道中前行提供动力牵引．该机器人可以主动适应内径为250 mm~450 mm的直管道、弯管道及其组合管道,可以在管道内部实现以打磨作业为主的作业功能．同时,提出了适用于蛇形管道打磨机器人自身过弯管的速度模型,通过对机器人的力学分析得出各个模块之间相互作用力的计算方法及影响机器人在管道内部转体运动发生的因素．在ADAMS软件中进行了虚拟样机仿真验证,初步验证了蛇形管道打磨机器人的通过性并得出机器人在管道内部前行的最佳匹配．最后,搭建了实验平台,制作了机器人真实样机,验证了机器人对内径为250 mm~450 mm管道的适应性、通过性及作业效果．     

Map building method for urban gas pipelines based on landmark detection

This paper presents a map building method for an in-pipe robot to navigate inside urban gas pipelines autonomously, whose configuration is unknown or partially known. In the first, we explain the reason why the navigation in the pipeline is difficult and then, present a method for obtaining a robot’s posture by using a pipeline’s unique geometrical features. The robot can obtain its heading direction by detecting the standardized geometries of pipe elements. Based on the method, we propose a robot controller consisting of discrete and continuous controllers. The discrete controller is activated by pre-defined events and generates appropriate paths for exploration. The continuous controller receives the desired path and physically moves the robot to the desired path. The method is implemented in an in-pipe robot, called MRINSPECT-V and its effectiveness is validated.     

受限管道空间内压壁机器人控制方法研究

为了能够在受限管道空间内自由移动,机器人必须适应管道的各种几何变化。提出了一种压壁式机器人,可以适应管道直径和坡度的变化。还提出了一种利用安装在压壁机构上的角度传感器估计机器人主体与管道之间的相对姿态的方法。由于法向力和姿态可以从角度传感器测量的角度信息估计,机器人的姿态控制比使用压力或视觉传感器更加简单、有效。相对于管道的几何姿态估计使机器人能够识别管道的倾斜度,机器人可以根据管道倾斜度的变化来控制法向力。经过实验验证,使用所提出的方法在机器人姿态控制的同时,还可以降低机器人部件的功耗和应力。     

一种新型管道内微机器人的研究

本文描述了一种微管道机器人的结构与控制,分析 了这种微管道机器人的移动原理,该机器人借用仿生学原理,结构独特、简单、新颖,运行 速度快,能方便地实现前进和后退,可以在各种形状的弯管内运行．具有自学习功能,实现 了智能控制．该机器人的直径为8mm,最小长度为16mm,最高运动速度为40mm/s,牵引力大于 0.5N．该机器人可用于核电站航天飞机等其他特殊领域的微小型管道的检查,维护．     

内置动力源管内X射线探伤机器人的研制

本文介绍了内置动力源X射线探伤机器人的系统结构和工作原理，该机器人具有管 径适应范围大、一次作业距离长、定位准确可靠、互换性好等特点，经实验证明是一种理想 的管道对接焊缝无损探伤设备，在管线施工中具有重要的实用价值．     

Sensing mechanism for estimation of the physical properties of an object avoiding failure of the sensors

Active sensing, in which a robot pushes an object and senses the reaction force or joint angle by means of the force sensor at the point of the contact or on the joint, is one of the effective approaches to estimate the physical properties of an object, such as its compliance. A compliant joint driven by elastic actuators has an advantage over a rigid joint driven by a motor with a high gear ratio in that it absorbs the reaction force, and thus avoids any joint damage during active sensing. However, this approach is not suitable for either rigid joint or a compliant joint because the sensors attached to the contact point and the joint tend to break, owing to iterative contact or an excessive force. Here, this paper adopts a one-degree-of-freedom joint mechanism driven by elastic pneumatic actuators, and focuses on the passivity of the elastic pneumatic actuator, in which the pressure is changed when force is applied, after which it is deformed. By utilizing the passivity of the actuators under a number of conditions, this paper derives multiple regression models of the force and the angle, using the pressures before and after force is applied to the joint mechanism. Experimental results present that the contact information can be estimated from the pressure values and that the joint mechanism can detect the elasticity of an object using the regression models. We also observe the range of the elasticity of the object by tuning the joint compliance. This approach provides a robot hand that can estimate the contact information, including the force and joint displacement, avoiding the failure of the sensors.     

Control of an articulated wheeled mobile robot in pipes

We propose a control method in which an articulated wheeled mobile robot moves inside straight, curved and branched pipes. This control method allows the articulated wheeled mobile robot to inspect a larger area. The articulated wheeled mobile robot comprises pitch and yaw joints is and propelled by active wheels attached to the robot. Via the proposed control method, the robot takes on two different shapes; one prevents the robot from slipping inside straight pipes and the other allows movement in a pipe that curves in any direction. The robot is controlled by a simplified model for the robot's joint angles. The joint angles of the robot are obtained by fitting to a continuous curve along the pipe path. In addition, the angular velocity of the robot's active wheels is determined by a simplified model. The effectiveness of the proposed the control method was demonstrated with a physical implementation of the robot, and the robot was able to move inside straight, curved and branched pipes.     

Research of Pneumatic Polishing Force Control System Based on High Speed On/off with PWM Controlling

In the polishing process, contact force has obvious influence on material removal rate, thus realizing stability and effectiveness of force control is a significant issue for automatic polishing. This paper designs a pneumatic polishing force control system to achieve reliability force control. The system is based on a high speed on/off valve which is controlled by Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) signals. PWM signals are generated by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Proportion-Integration-Differentiation (PID) control algorithm with moving average filter is conducted in the PLC, thus dynamic property of the system has been improved. The pneumatic system is assembled on a 3-TPS hybrid robot with 5 degrees of freedom (DOF) movement to equip a polishing experimental platform. Polishing force control experiments are conducted on the experimental platform to research the performances and characteristics of the pneumatic polishing force system. According to the experimental results, the pneumatic system presents excellent effectiveness and response speed to track a certain desired polishing force value with small force tracking error. Percentage of absolute average errors are descending as the desired force values is increasing, and settling time is small enough for the polishing manufacture. Therefore, based on the high speed on/off valve, the pneumatic polishing force system proposed in this paper can be conducted in various polishing processes and satisfy special requirements of different workpieces. The polishing force control system can be adjusted to work at an adaptive status due to the excellent effectiveness, stabilization and response speed of force tracking.     

In-pipe robot based on selective drive mechanism

This paper presents an in-pipe robot, called MRINSPECT V (Multifunctional Robotic crawler for In-pipe inSPECTion V), which is under development for the inspection of pipelines with a nominal 8-inch inside diameter. To travel freely in every pipeline element, the robot adopts a differential driving mechanism that we have developed. Furthermore, by introducing clutches in transmitting driving power to the wheels, MRINSPECT V is able to select the suitable driving method according to the shape of the pipeline and save the energy to drive in pipelines. In this paper, the critical points in the design and construction of the proposed robot are described with the preliminary results that yield good mobility and increased efficiency. Recommended by Editorial Board member Dong Hwan Kim under the direction of Editor Jae-Bok Song. This work was supported by the Postdoctoral Research Program of Sungkyunkwan University (2008). Se-gon Roh received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D degrees in Mechatronics Engineering from Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, in 1997, 1999, and 2006 respectively, and is currently a Researcher of the School of Mechanical Engineering also at Sungkyunkwan University. His research interests include mechanism design, applications of mobile robots, and in-pipe robots. Do Wan Kim received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, in 2007. He is currently working toward a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering also at Sungkyunkwan University. His research interests include field robotics, in-pipe robots, and autonomous mobile robots. Jung-Sub Lee received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 from Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea, where he is currently working toward a M.S. degree in mechatronics engineering. His research interests include robot mechanism design, automation, and in-pipe robot. Hyungpil Moon received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from POSTECH in 1996 and 1998 respectively, and Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Michigan in 2005. He joined the faculty of School of Mechanical Engineering in Sungkyunkwan University as a Full-time Lecturer in 2008. He was a Post-doctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University, Robotics Institute until November 2007. His research interests include distributed manipulation, multiple robot navigation, SLAM, and biomimetic robotics. Hyouk Ryeol Choi received the B.S. degree from Seoul National University in 1984, the M.S. degree from Korea Advanced Technology of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 1986, and the Ph.D. degree from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in 1994, Korea. Since 1995, he has been with Sungkyunkwan University, where he is currently a Professor of the School of Mechanical Engineering. He worked as an Associate Engineer with LG Electronics Central Research Laboratory from 1986 to 1989. From 1993 to 1995, he was with Kyoto University as a grantee of a scholarship from the Japanese Educational Ministry. He visited Advanced Institute of Industrial Science Technology (AIST), Japan as the JSPS Fellow, from 1999 to 2000. He is now an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Robotics, International Journal of Control, System, Automation(IJCAS), and International Journal of Intelligent Service Robots (JISR). His interests include dexterous mechanisms, field applications of robots, and artificial muscle actuator.