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ABSTRACT
A pipe inspection robot is device that is inserted into pipes to check for
obstruction or damage. These robots are traditionally manufactured offshore, are
extremely expensive, and are often not adequately supported in the event or
malfunction. This had resulted in associated environmental services limited. A
Newzealand utilize of this equipment, facing significant periods of down time as they
wait for their robots to be the repaired. Recently, they were informing that several
robots were no longer supported.
This project was conceived to redesign the electronics control systems
one of these PIR, utilizing the existing mechanical platform. Requirements for the
robot were that it must operate reliably in confined, dark and wet environments and
provides a human wears with a digital video feed of the internal status of the pipes.
There robot should as much as possible incorporate off the shaft components, cheap,
and potentially onsite repair. This project details the redesign and constructions of
such robots. It employees there electronic boards integrated with mechanical
components and provides video feedback via custom graphical interface although at
the prototypes state the electronics has been successful with cost of less than a length
of the original robot purchase prize.
Keywords: Robot, Pipes defects, Electronics control systems, Digital video.
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Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
Pipeline systems deteriorate progressively over time. Corrosion
accelerates progressively and long term deterioration increases the probability of
failure (fatigue cracking). Limiting regular inspecting activities to the "scrap" part of
the pipelines only, results ultimately into a pipeline system with questionable
integrity. The confidence level in integrity will drop below acceptance levels.
Inspection of presently uninspected sections of the pipeline system becomes a must.
This project provides information on the "robotic inspection technology".
Pipelines are proven to be the safest way to transport and distribute
Gases and Liquids. Regular inspection is required to maintain that reputation. The
larger part of the pipelines system is accessible by In-Line Inspection Tools but this
access is limited to the section in between the launching and receiving traps only.
Unfortunately, corrosion does not have this limitation. The industry looks for means
of inspecting these in-accessible pressure holding piping systems, preferably, without
interrupting the operations.
inspection results can only be obtained by direct pipe wall contact/access. If that is not
feasible from the outside, we have to go inside. Since modifying pipeline systems for
In-Line Inspection is mainly not practical, PIPE INSPECTION ROBOT pursues
development of ROBOTIC inspection services for presently in-accessible pipeline
systems.
Robotics is one of the fastest growing engineering fields of today.
Robots are designed to remove the human factor from labor intensive or dangerous
work and also to act in inaccessible environment. The use of robots is more common
today than ever before and it is no longer exclusively used by the heavy production
industries. The inspection of pipes may be relevant for improving security and
efficiency in industrial plants. These specific operations as inspection, maintenance,
cleaning etc. are expensive, thus the application of the robots appears to be one of the
most attractive solutions. Pipelines which are tools for transporting oils, gases and
other fluids such as chemicals, have been employed as major utilities in a number of
countries for long time. Recently, many troubles occur in pipelines, and most of them
are caused by aging, corrosion, cracks, and mechanical damages from the third
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parties. So, continuous activities for inspection, maintenance and repair are strongly
demanded.
The robots with a flexible (adaptable) structure may boast adaptability
to the environment, especially to the pipe diameter, with enhanced dexterity,
maneuverability, capability to operate under hostile conditions. The wheeled robots
are the simplest, most energy efficient, and have the best potential for long range.
Loading the wheels with springs, robots also offer some advantages in
maneuverability with the ability to adapt to in-pipe unevenness, move vertically in
pipes, and stay stable without slipping in pipes. These types of robots also have the
advantage of easier miniaturization. The key problem in their design and
implementation consists in combining the capacity of self-moving with that of selfsustaining and the property of low weight and dimension. A very important design
objective is represented by the adaptability of the in-pipe robots to the inner diameters
of the pipes. Currently, the applications of robots for the maintenance of the pipeline
utilities are considered as one of the most attractive solutions available Pipe
Inspection Robot is shown in Figure 1.1.
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2.1.1 Ovality
Definition: nearly symmetric deviation of the pipe cross-section from the circular
shape resulting in ellipse cross-section without sharp breakpoints.
2.1.2 Knob
Definition: residual deformation of the pipe wall outside the pipe without sharp edge
extending over an area.
defect.
Remark: the knob can be interpreted as the opposite of the regular buckle.
2.1.3 Ruck
Definition: the pipe wall is rippled along its circumference partly or entirely
pipe, j [].
Possible cause of origin: pipe manufacturing; soil movement.
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Definition: during the pipe manufacturing in the vicinity of the plate edge to
be joined by welding (seam) the shape of the pipe deviates from cylindrical
[mm].
Possible cause of origin: pipe manufacturing.
Definition: deviation of centre lines of pipe sections joined with welding (girth
weld).
Measures: angle between the centre action systems
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3.6 Long distance city heating pipelines:Leakages in long distance heat conduits, caused through external
corrosion, cause energy and water losses resulting in damage to, among others,
subterranean constructions. Minimizing energy loss during the transport of heat from
source to end user is one of the most important requirements in order to exclude
danger to people and the environment. Our robots help in this important duty.
3.7 Food and drinks industries:The hygiene standard in the food and drinks industries is very high.
The condition of the individual pipe networks is therefore decidedly important.
Inspection robots from INSPECTOR SYSTEMS help to maintain and ensure this high
level of hygiene.
3.8 Communal waste water pipe systems:Subterranean sewer systems have been responsible for the collection
and transport of waste water since planning and construction began in 1842. With the
Republic of Germany most of these sewage systems are owned by the cities and
community districts. Regular inspection of the roughly 445 km of public sewage
systems is therefore a complex and cost intensive process.
3.9 Gas pipelines:Within Germany the total length of the natural gas pipeline network is
something like 335 km. At the moment it is run by 18 national companies and around
730 local ones. Robots from INSPECTOR SYSTEMS are deployed for inspection and
maintenance these flexible robots are well suited for carrying out inspections on pipe
systems, especially those that have a lot of bends, vertical sections and pipe branches.
These robots are mainly used in the nuclear power industry, refineries, chemical
plants, petrochemical plants, the offshore industry, gas pipelines, the beverage
industry and all types of pipe lines up to 500m long. Three drive elements provide a
speed of up to 200 m/h in both horizontal and vertical directions and allow for
effortless bend taking.
.
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modules were arranged on an in-line inspection tool to ensure high resolution. The
basic arrangement of the EMAT modules used to inspect a distinct area (pixel) of the
pipeline. The ultrasonic waves only travel a short distance between the EMAT sender
and the receiver. As a result, data evaluation is relatively simple and false alarms can
be avoided. Fig.3 also illustrates that the sensor arrangement required to inspect one
pixel of the pipeline consists of one EMAT sender and two EMAT receivers. The
EMAT sender generates a tailored shear horizontal wave characterized by distinct
frequencies which make it especially sensitive to near-surface defects.
Provided that no cracks are present, the generated wave propagates in
one direction from the EMAT sender to the EMAT receiver which records it as a
transmission signal. If, however, there is a crack-like defect between the EMAT
sender and the EMAT receiver, one part of the signal is reflected back to the EMAT
sender where it is recorded as an echo signal by the second EMAT receiver. This
means that two acoustic data channels exist for each pixel, i.e. one echo and one
transmission channel.Compared with an MFL measurement, the new EMAT module
provides much more information, since not only one value (magnetization level) is
recorded at one particular pipeline position but several vectors (e.g. signal frequencies
and amplitude, travelling time of the acoustic wave etc). Additional data (e.g. lift-off
between the EMAT modules and the pipeline) is stored in separate data channels. This
independent storage ensures that echo and transmission data can be evaluated
unambiguously in relation to the physical measurement.
The overall amplitude of the wave that directly propagates from the
EMAT sender to the transmission receiver depends on the amount of lift-off, the
presence of a defect, and the existence (and type) of external coating. Coating
generally damps the acoustic wave. Therefore, a reduction in the bonding quality of
the coating leads to a significant increase in the signal amplitude. Distinct examples
for several cases are shown below shows that an echo signal is only recorded if a
significant amount of energy is reflected into the EMAT echo receiver. Since this
receiver is active for a short time interval, only signals reflected from specific
positions, but not irrelevant signals emitted from adjacent EMAT senders or late
reflections from other positions, are detected. Owing to the arrangement of the EMAT
modules, the system is especially suitable for the detection of axial features. A
.
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detailed analysis of significant echo signals, eg signal amplitude, arrival time and
frequency content, provides valuable information on the type of defect identified.
One of the findings of the first inspections conducted with the ECD 16in tool in both a gas and an oil pipeline was that girth welds can be detected quite
easily. The reason is that they cause typical signal characteristics in different data
channels (transmission channel, echo channel, lift-off channel). Similarly, long seams
can be observed in echo channels (increase) and transmission channels (decrease).As
illustrated in significant signal increases can be observed, since echo signals clearly
stand out from the background noise (eg girth welds). It shows that time domain
signal analysis allows collection of information about the orientation of the defect in
relation to the pipe axis. This means that the echo channels are sensitive to defects in
both the axial and the circumferential direction.
It follows that a C-scan view of a specific gas pipeline section, and the
explanations in the caption that the transmission channels are not only sensitive to
larger reflectors (signal decrease) but also to different coating qualities (signal
increase if coating is weaker).Rosen has developed an intelligent inspection tool based
on innovative high-resolution EMAT technology. The new technology has been
successfully tested in both an oil and a gas pipeline. The multi-dimensional data sets
provided by the tool allow continuous improvement. The promising results of the first
inspection survey will be further validated by an extensive validation program which
is currently underway.
4.4 Infrared method
The photo depicts the schematics for an infrared sensor which allows you to
detect an object's distance from the robot. The big picture problem is attach this
infrared sensor on both wings of the aerial robot. Attaching these sensors on the wing
tips will help the robot navigate through the halls of any building.. This tutorial shows
you how to construct and test one infrared sensor and takes approximately 3 hours to
complete.
4.4.1 Construction
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not trigger the device. This makes it so that sudden flashes of light and natural
changes in temperature do not activate the sensor and cause false alarms.
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Fig 4.4:- Block diagram showing typical system for detecting infrared radiation
Infrared Source
All objects above 0 K radiate infrared energy and hence are infrared
sources. Infrared sources also include blackbody radiators, tungsten lamps, silicon
carbide, and various others. For active IR sensors, infrared Lasers and LEDs of
specific IR wavelengths are used as IR sources.
Transmission Medium:
Three main types of transmission medium used for Infrared
transmission are vacuum, the atmosphere, and optical fibers.The transmission of IR
radiation is affected by presence of CO2, water vapour and other elements in the
atmosphere. Due to absorption by molecules of water carbon dioxide, ozone, etc. the
atmosphere highly attenuates most IR wavelengths leaving some important IR
windows in the electromagnetic spectrum; these are primarily utilized by thermal
imaging/ remote sensing applications.
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It can also be used to scan a defined area; the transmitter emits a beam
of light into the scan zone, the reflected light is used to detect a change in the reflected
light thereby scanning the desired zone.
4.4.4 Cathode-Ray Oscilloscope:
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Fig 4.6:- Cathode ray tube (a) schematic, (b) detail of the deflection plates.
The cathode ray is a beam of electrons which are emitted by the
heated cathode (negative electrode) and accelerated toward the fluorescent screen.
The assembly of the cathode, intensity grid, focus grid, and accelerating anode
(positive electrode) is called an electron gun. Its purpose is to generate the electron
beam and control its intensity and focus. Between the electron gun and the fluorescent
screen is two pair of metal plates - one oriented to provide horizontal deflection of the
beam and one pair oriented to give vertical deflection to the beam. These plates are
thus referred to as the horizontal and vertical deflection plates. The combination of
these two deflections allows the beam to reach any portion of the fluorescent screen.
Wherever the electron beam hits the screen, the phosphor is excited and light is
emitted from that point. This conversion of electron energy into light allows us to
write with points or lines of light on an otherwise darkened screen.
In the most common use of the oscilloscope the signal to be studied is
first amplified and then applied to the vertical (deflection) plates to deflect the beam
vertically and at the same time a voltage that increases linearly with time is applied to
the horizontal (deflection) plates thus causing the beam to be deflected horizontally at
a uniform (constant> rate. The signal applied to the verical plates is thus displayed on
the screen as a function of time. The horizontal axis serves as a uniform time scale.
The linear deflection or sweep of the beam horizontally is
accomplished by use of a sweep generator that is incorporated in the oscilloscope
circuitry. The voltage output of such a generator is that of a saw tooth wave as shown
in Fig. 2. Application of one cycle of this voltage difference, which increases linearly
with time, to the horizontal plates causes the beam to be deflected linearly with time
across the tube face. When the voltage suddenly falls to zero, as at points (a) (b) (c),
etc...., the end of each sweep - the beam flies back to its initial position. The
horizontal deflection of the beam is repeated periodically, the frequency of this
periodicity is adjustable by external controls.
To obtain steady traces on the tube face, an internal number of cycles
of the unknown signal that is applied to the vertical plates must be associated with
each cycle of the sweep generator. Thus, with such a matching of synchronization of
.
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the two deflections, the pattern on the tube face repeats itself and hence appears to
remain stationary. The persistence of vision in the human eye and of the glow of the
fluorescent screen aids in producing a stationary pattern. In addition, the electron
beam is cut off (blanked) during fly back so that the retrace sweep is not observed.
CRO Operation:
A simplified block diagram of a typical oscilloscope is shown in Fig. 3.
In general, the instrument is operated in the following manner. The signal to be
displayed is amplified by the vertical amplifier and applied to the verical deflection
plates of the CRT. A portion of the signal in the vertical amplifier is applied to the
sweep trigger as a triggering signal. The sweep trigger then generates a pulse
coincident with a selected point in the cycle of the triggering signal. This pulse turns
on the sweep generator, initiating the sawtooth wave form. The sawtooth wave is
amplified by the horizontal amplifier and applied to the horizontal deflection plates.
Usually, additional provisions signal are made for appliying an external triggering
signal or utilizing the 60 Hz line for triggering. Also the sweep generator may be
bypassed and an external signal applied directly to the horizontal amplifier.
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as welding and casting. The problem with aluminum alloys in this regard is their low
melting point, which make them more susceptible to distortions from thermally
induced stress relief.
stress increases.
At the same yield stress, the under aged structure has greater toughness than
the over aged structure.
stress increases.
At the same yield stress, the under aged structure has greater toughness than
the over aged structure.
5.3 Mechanism:
The mechanism involved here is a four bar mechanism consisting of
three revolute joints and one prismatic joint as depicted
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Thus, the motion of all revolute joints can be described in terms of the displacement
db .
5.2.2 Static Analysis:
In order to decide the actuator size, it is necessary to perform the static
analysis. Assume that in (Figure 4), Fcx and Fcz denote the reaction force and the
traction force exerted on the four-bar by the driving wheel, respectively. Now
applying the virtual work principle to the free-body diagram gives:
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Where, Fbx is spring force. This is because only Fcz and Fbx conduct
work. The corresponding coordinates of these forces relative to the coordinate located
at the A hinge are expressed as: z = 2.33/ sin , x = 2.33/ cos
W = Fcz (2.33l sin) Fbx (2.33l cos)
= Fcz*2.333/ cos Fbx*2.33/ sin .= 0
Rearranging gives:
Fbx = Fcz*cos/sin
Thus, the spring force at the prismatic joint B is related to the normal force
Fcz by Fbx = Fcz*tan
And the total weight W of the robot is the sum of the six traction forces exerted on the
belt. Thus, each traction force Fcx is one six of the whole weight of the robot
structure. Thus, the size of the actuator enclosed in the wheel is calculated by: =
Fcx*R = WR/6
Where, R is the radius of the wheel. From the above static analysis, it
is also known that the large weight of the robot does not influence the foldable motion
of the linkage. The spring stiffness is found to be 0.9 N/ mm and the spring force is
found to be 4.5. Thus we came to the conclusion that the actuator should have at least
3 kg torque. So, we used 3 actuators with 1.5 kg torque (total 4.5 kg torque). It is safe
to use an actuator with more torque than the required torque.
5.3 Design of various elements of PIR
5.3.1 Helical spring
Inner diameter 18 mm
Outer dia 20 mm
Pitch 5 mm
Length of the spring 60 mm
Material Stainless steel
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Link3 105 mm
Thickness 3 mm
Drilled holes 12 and 6 mm
Material Acrylic
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The force that the mini robot mechanism exercises on the pipe walls is
generated with the help of an extensible spring.
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The helical spring disposed on the central axis assures the repositioning of the
structure, in the case of the pipe diameters variation.
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Actuators are the drive for the robot. Since we have chosen aluminum
material for fabrication, the weight is comparatively less. So the motor should have 2
kg torque to travel inside the pipe. We used 3 motors which has 1 kg torque to make
the robot in motion. The supply for the motor is 6v which is from the central body.
The 3 motors are placed at120 degrees and are supported on the links by a tag
Chapter 6: CONSTRUCTION
A pipe inspection robot consist of central element having 12.7 mm
dia, , 3 mm thickness and 176 mm in length , one translational element having 15mm
dia. 3mm thick & 20mm in length. There are 12 links out of which 3 links are
105mm (A1, A2, A3),6 links of 85mm(B1,B2,B3,B4,B5,B6) & another 3 links of
30mm(C1,C2,C3).The spring is 90mm in length.
The central element are joined to the 6 links the length of 28mm.On
the central element links are attached to fulcrum with pin joint on the periphery with
1200 lateral spacing at the points 1,2,3 resp. as shown in fig.
Also 3 links are B4,B5,B6 are attach to another point 4,5,6 which are
50mm from point 1,2,3 as shown in fig. in the same way as in previous point. The one
end of the three links which are 30mm in dia.(C1,C2,C3) are attach to the translation
element in outer side to fulcrum with pin joint which are 1200 in lateral spacing & the
another end is attach to the links B4,B5,B6 at point with pin joint as shown in fig.
.
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The another link with length (A1,A2,A3) is attach to the end of the
links (B1,B2,B3,B4,B5,B6) at the distance as shown in fig. The motor & wheels are
mounted on the links (A1, A2, A3) as shown in fig..The front end of the structure is
attached with the swiveling & turning head consist of camera & fitted with BO motor.
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Chapter 7: WORKING
Fig 7.1:- Block diagram showing working principal of pipe inspection robot
7.1 Working of the Pipe Inspection Robot:
As Pipe Inspection Robot is designed mainly for circular bore pipes, it
have ability to move inside any bore diameter pipes ranging from 8 inch to 10 inch
.
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. PIR could have more than three arms for better judgment and
perfection but it would increase the weight and cost of manufacturing and hence we
need to do tradeoff between money involvement and perfection. PIR wheel motion is
provided with 10 rpm, 12 V DC motors hence its speed can be maintained between
-10 to 10 rpm. The power provided to motors is from single 12V dc adapter hence
load on each motor will be minimum that expected.
As we mentioned earlier that PIR will be able to move inside any
diameter ranging between 203mm to 254mm, we had to provide auto adjusting
mechanism that can expand and contact as PIR moves inside the pipe. Spring of
suitable stiffness is mounted on base rod, as seen in figure, so that as arms gets
contracted due to load of compression against pipe, spring get compressed and tend to
expand outward trying to push arms back to their normal position but as pipe restrict
them, they cannot move. We took good care of stiffness of spring such that it can
move against the pipe and do not put too high pressure of tires which can jam it and
restrict the motion. Even if the pipe interior is smooth, using pressure between
compressed tire and pipe, PIR can move easily. This is another application of spring.
The main idea behind providing small shock-ups is not meant to
absorb shocks but to make good individual expansion of arms in case of bends and
turns. When a vehicle turns, two vehicles cannot have same angular velocity. Hence
the outer arm must expand and shorter arm must compress. But as if we have used
simple links then this wouldn't be possible. The mini suspension arms (previously
mentioned shock-ups) provide individual expansion provision to arms and hence all
arms are sticked to the pipe while turning. If we were not used the mini suspension
arms then one of the which might not be able to make constant contact with pipe
interior and whole setup would be unstable, might collapse under gravity.
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the tractive force required pulling the long extension cable and other accessories,
robot train can be used which can be made by joining the two or more robots through
the universal joints at the end. The inspection can be done on the basis of video and
pictures inside the pipe provided by camera. The result can be obtained directly on the
basis of these pictures or with the help image processing. The image processing can
be explained as follows.
7.1.1 IMAGE PROCESSING
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Modern digital technology has made it possible to manipulate multidimensional signals with systems that range from simple digital circuits to advanced
parallel computers. The goal of this manipulation can be divided into three categories:
Image Processing
Image Analysis
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techniques are used for enhancing the contrast of the image, removal of noise and
isolating the objects of interest in the image.
The next step deals with segmentationa process in which the given
input image is partitioned into its constituent parts or objects. The key role of
segmentation in the mechanical component classification is to extract the boundary of
the object from the background. The output of the segmentation stage usually consists
of either boundary of the region or all the parts in the region itself. The boundary
representation is appropriate when the focus is on the external shape and regional
representation is appropriate when the focus is on the internal property such as
texture. The application considered here needs the boundary representation to
distinguish the various components such as nuts, bolts, and washers.
In the representation step the data obtained from the segmentation step
must be properly transformed into a suitable form for further computer processing.
The feature selection deals with extracting salient features from the object
representation in order to distinguish one class of objects from another. In terms of
component recognition the features such as the inner and the outer diameter of the
washer, the length of the bolt, and the length of the sides of the nut are extracted to
differentiate one component from another.
Feature Extraction: A process to select important characteristics of an image or object.
The last step is the recognition process that assigns a label to an object
based on the information provided by the features selection. Interpretation is nothing
but assigning meaning to the recognized object. The various steps discussed so far are
depicted in the schematic diagram as shown in Figure. We have not yet discussed
about the prior knowledge or the interaction between the knowledge base and the
processing modules.
Knowledge about the problem domain is coded into the image
processing system in the form of knowledge database. This knowledge is as simple as
describing the regions of the image where the information of interest is located. Each
module will interact with the knowledge base to decide about the appropriate
technique for the right application. For example, if the acquired image contains spike.
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like noise the preprocessing module interacts with the knowledge base to select an
appropriate smoothing filter-like median filter to remove the noise.
Chapter 8: SPECIFICATION
8.1 Dc motor
.
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Length: 80mm
Torque: 1.5 kg.cm
Weight: 130.00g m
Speed : 10 RPM
8.2 Bo Motor
8.2.1 Description
60 rpm Single/Dual Shaft Plastic Gear Motor - Bo Motor gives good torque
and rpm at lower operating voltages, which is the biggest advantage of these motors.
Small shaft with matching wheels give optimized design for your application or
robot. Mounting holes on the body & light weight makes it suitable for in-circuit
placement.
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8.3 CAMERA
1/4 SONY CCD ; 520TVL resolution; 0.01LUX; color / black and white aut
omatic switching
Zoom: 10 times (1X optical, 1X electronic), focus automatically
With high brightness LED light source.
Pan:360; Tilt: 180
Pressure:8-18PSI
Shell material: aviation alu minum, stainless steel, the surface oxidation proc
ess
Size: diameter:40mm, length: 70 mm;
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NAME OF MATERIAL
QUANTITY
NO.
1.
2.
3.
4.
M. S. round bar
Acrylic sheet 1*2 feet
Screw
Nut
02
02
40
40
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5.
6
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
M.S. plate
Sheet metal (pipe) 8 feet
D.C. Motor
Bo Motor
CCD Camera
Extension cable of camera
Remote
Robot wheel
10 core wire 15 feet
Spring
Adapter ( 12V)
Supply wire 10 feet
Washer
01
01
12
02
01
01
01
12
01
02
01
01
40
NAME OF MATERIAL
QUANTITY
NO.
1.
M. S. round bar 12.7mm dia. 3mm 2
2.
3.
4.
5.
6
7.
8.
9.
.
thick
Acrylic sheet 3mm thick
Screw 12.7mm
Nut
M.S. plate
Sheet metal (pipe) 8 feet9
D.C. Motor 12v/10 rpm
Bo Motor 3v/60 rpm
CCD Camera 12 mega pixel
2
40
40
1
1
12
2
1
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AMOUNT
60
160
20
20
20
1500
2220
325
650
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
1
1
12
1
2
1
1
40
150
90
480
150
60
450
30
20
6435 Rs.
The pipe inspection robot inspects situation inside the pipe which will be
recorded and displayed on the monitor screen, it also facilitates working
detection.
Reduce the frequency of entering into the testing environment.
Operating cost related to other method is low.
Cost of manufacturing of this robot is relatively low.
Pipe inspection robots have such limitations as their ability to turn in a Tshaped pipe or move in a plug valve.
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Another drawback of earlier robots is that the friction between the pipe and the
cables for communication and power supply makes it difficult to move a long
CONCLUSION:
Robots play an important role in inside pipe-network maintenance and
their repairing. Some of them were designed to realize specific tasks for pipes with
constant diameters, and other may adapt the structure function of the variation of the
inspected pipe.
In this project inside pipe modular robotic system are proposed. An
important design goal of these robotic systems is the adaptability to the inner
diameters of the pipes. The given prototype permits the usage of a mini-cam for
visualization of the in-pipe inspection or other devices needed for failure detection
that appear in the inner part of pipes (measuring systems with laser, sensors etc).
The major advantage is that it could be used in case of pipe diameter
variation with the simple mechanism. We developed a pipe inspection robot that can
be applied to 203mm- 254mm pipeline. A real prototype was developed to test the
feasibility of this robot for inspection of in-house pipelines.
The types of inspection tasks are very different. A modular design was
considered for easily adapted to new environments with small changes. Presence of
.
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obstacles within the pipelines is a difficult issue. In the proposed mechanism the
problem is solved by a spring actuation and increasing the flexibility of the
mechanism. The robot is designed to be able to traverse horizontal and vertical pipes.
Several types of modules for pipe inspection mini robot have been presented. Many of
the design goals of the Pipe inspection robot have been completely fulfilled.
REFRENCES:
Books
Links:
http://www.ulcrobotics.com/products
http://www.piacr.tk/Introduction to Pipe Inspection and Cleaning Robot
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094114X06002254
http://capitalpipeliners.com/cctv-pipe-inspection-method-applicability
http://www.google.co.in/patents?
hl=en&lr=&vid=USPAT5084764&id=tislAAAAEBAJ&oi=fnd&dq=+of+pipe
+inspection&printsec=abstract#v=onepage&q=of%20pipe
%20inspection&f=false
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/mostRecentIssue.jsp?punumber=3951
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http://www.faadooengineers.com/tube/2012/06/11/mechanical-engineering-
project-pipe-inspection-robot/
En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipeline_vedio_inspection
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