Full-drive miniature pipe robot design and applications

Abstract

This paper addresses the issues in pipeline construction and operation & maintenance where factors such as high pipe density, small diameters, long distances, slippery surfaces, and uneven gradients make tasks like internal weld inspections, pipe cleaning, touch-up painting of welds, and final project inspections either extremely difficult or altogether impractical. In response, a novel fully-driven pipeline robot platform structure has been designed, developed, and optimized. This was achieved through enhancements to the control system design, the creation of a compact power unit, and an innovative frame structure, culminating in the successful fabrication of a small-volume drive unit suitable for narrow-diameter pipes, significantly enhancing the adaptability and maneuverability of the pipeline robot. Experimental and applied result demonstrate that the robot exhibits excellent maneuverability and operational performance in complex pipeline environments, enabling comprehensive inspection and maintenance of small-diameter pipelines with any gradient. This contributes to enhancing corporate management.

Keywords

small-diameter pipes / pipeline robots / robot design / application