Design and Motion Planning of a Wheeled Type Pipeline Inspection Robot

Abstract

The most popular method for transporting fluids, and gases is through pipelines. For them to work correctly, regular inspection is necessary. Humans must enter potentially dangerous environments to inspect pipelines. As a result, pipeline robots came into existence. These robots aid in pipeline inspection, protecting numerous people from harm. Despite numerous improvements, pipeline robots still have several limitations. This paper presents the design and motion planning of a wheeled type pipeline inspection robot that can inspect pipelines having an inner diameter between 250 mm to 350 mm. The traditional wheeled robot design has three wheels fixed symmetrically at a 120° angle apart from each other. When maneuvering through a curved pipeline, this robot encounters motion singularity. The proposed robot fixes the wheels at different angles to address this issue, allowing the robot to stay in constant contact with the pipe's surface. Motion analysis is done for the proposed and existing robot design to study their behavior inside the pipeline. The result shows that the proposed robot avoids motion singularity and improves mobility inside pipelines. 3d printing technology aids in the development of the proposed robot. The experimental tests on the developed robot inside a 300 mm-diameter straight and curved pipeline show that the robot avoids motion singularity.

Robotic Inspection Monitoring System for Pipelines

“…In order to avoid motion singularity and irregular motion while retaining the same orientation before and after entering the curved pipeline, this research focuses on constructing a wheeled IPIR with a single three-wheel arrangement [62].…”

“…The location of the wheels guarantees that the robot's wheels are always in contact with the pipe surface and prevents the robot from rolling over when moving along a curved pipeline. It also aids the robot's navigation through branched pipes [62].…”

An Inverse Perspective Mapping-Based Approach for Generating Panoramic Images of Pipe Inner Surfaces

“…Since most pipes are located underground, accessing the interior is not easy. Many researchers have proposed methods for maneuvering pipe inspection robots to navigate pipes of various diameters and geometric structures [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. The second challenge lies in obtaining images of the internal walls of pipes.…”