Globally, pipelines are the primary means for transporting resources. To ensure the safety and reliability of pipeline transportation, it is essential to regularly use pipeline robots for inspections. Localization tec...
详细信息
Globally, pipelines are the primary means for transporting resources. To ensure the safety and reliability of pipeline transportation, it is essential to regularly use pipeline robots for inspections. Localization techniques for these robots are critical as they determine the real-time position and status of the robot inside the pipeline, playing an extremely important role in pipeline operations. Understanding the latest research trends in pipeline robot localization techniques can help advance the overall development of the pipeline field and reduce the potential for research duplication. This paper reviews the global developments in pipeline robot localization techniques over the past decade, categorizing them into three major methods: in-pipe localization, out-of-pipe localization and multi-source information fusion localization. It analyzes the fundamentals, strengths and weaknesses of eight major localization techniques for pipeline robots, identifies the current limitations and solutions in these technologies, discusses the field test analysis and practical design factors, and anticipates the open research challenges and future prospects of this field.
pipeline inspection gauge (PIG) is often blocked in the ageing pipelines of stacked objects. A novel pneumatically controlled sealing disc has been designed to address the issue of PIG's blockage. Compared to trad...
详细信息
pipeline inspection gauge (PIG) is often blocked in the ageing pipelines of stacked objects. A novel pneumatically controlled sealing disc has been designed to address the issue of PIG's blockage. Compared to traditional passive-controlled sealing discs, the new sealing disc incorporates a multi-jointed pneumatic webbed foot that enables active control. It provides both single execution mode and multiple execution mode capabilities, allowing it to achieve partial bending through the inflation of a single foot and thereby enhancing sealing performance during active control. A finite element method (FEM) was introduced and effectively validated by comparing simulation results with experimental results of the inflatable bending experiments of a single foot. Then the performance of the sealing disc with single execution mode and multiple execution mode was compared using the FEM, and the results show that they have good consistency. Next, the effects of four kinds of materials and five structural parameters on the performance of the sealing disc were studied using the FEM. The results show that the multi-material structure has better performance compared to the same materials and the Ecoflex series demonstrates greater responsiveness in inflation experiments. As the air pressure grows, the position parameter of the joint has little effect on the bending angle as well as the expansion ratio, and the bottom disc thickness has also slightly influence on the expansion ratio. Meanwhile, the thicker the webbed foot thickness, the smaller the slope angle and the thinner, the larger the bending angle;the smaller the slope angle, the thicker the webbed foot thickness, the larger the expansion ratio. The conclusions obtained in this paper are beneficial for the design and optimization of PIG sealing discs for actively controlling. The research results provide theoretical reference for the study of intelligent and efficient pipeline pigging technology.
pipelines are crucial infrastructure supporting human life, yet their maintenance costs are substantial, necessitating the development of time-efficient robotic systems. Therefore, this study proposes an in-pipe mobil...
详细信息
pipelines are crucial infrastructure supporting human life, yet their maintenance costs are substantial, necessitating the development of time-efficient robotic systems. Therefore, this study proposes an in-pipe mobile robot powered by wind generated using a ducted fan rotor, enabling faster movement within pipelines than conventional methods, e.g., inchworm. Deriving the propulsion force from wind requires analyzing airflow within the pipeline, which is challenging due to the confined space and complexity, especially when considering the presence of robots. Hence, we developed a prototype of a ducted-fan type pipeline robot (DPR) and experimentally investigated duct shapes that enhance the propulsion of the DPR within pipelines. As a result, we identified duct shapes that amplify the propulsion force generated by the ducted fan within pipelines. Additionally, we also experimentally elucidated the relationship between the distance from the pipe's end and the propulsion force of the robot. Furthermore, we demonstrated the capabilities of the DPR by traversing a pipeline with a diameter of 110 mm, achieving speeds of 1500 mm/s in horizontal pipes and 700 mm/s while ascending vertical pipes. The results show that DRP has the potential for in-pipe inspection.
This paper presents a multi-link magnetic wheeled pipeline robot (PR-I), which is a flexible and modular robotic mechanism. It is designed for inspection, cleaning or disinfection of central air conditioning ventilati...
详细信息
This paper presents a multi-link magnetic wheeled pipeline robot (PR-I), which is a flexible and modular robotic mechanism. It is designed for inspection, cleaning or disinfection of central air conditioning ventilation duct. PR-I can adapt to complex pipeline terrain, and move in the ventilation ducts freely. A novel magnetic wheel is proposed for wall climbing, which is circumferentially embedded with rectangular permanent magnets. Firstly, the wall climbing model is established to obtain the adsorption conditions, then the effects of the magnetizing direction of the magnets, magnetic wall thickness and gap on the magnetic force are analyzed by finite element method. Finally, the optimal magnetic wheel structure is obtained through dynamic simulation analysis. The motion control of the robot is carried out in an embedded system. Two fuzzy controllers based on ranging sensor and IMU are proposed for straight motion and turning motion, and gait sequences are designed for obstacle surmounting. The performance of the robot was evaluated in a real ventilation duct. The experimental results show that PR-I has good trafficability and control performance in various terrains.
With the rapid development of pipeline transportation, there are more and more hidden safety risks behind the rapid development of pipeline transportation. However, the current pipeline inspection methods are incomple...
详细信息
With the rapid development of pipeline transportation, there are more and more hidden safety risks behind the rapid development of pipeline transportation. However, the current pipeline inspection methods are incomplete, and the inspection technology fails to meet the requirements. This has led to pipelines with potential safety hazards being missed during the inspection process. In order to perform effective video detection on the pipeline, this paper is based on the pipeline robot on the embedded platform to complete the control operation of the embedded machine vision system on the video processing in the pipeline. The experiments show that the system has better recognition and positioning effect, less error, and the system occupancy and real-time performance can meet the design requirements. This paper proposes an improved LwIP-based congestion prevention method for video processing in embedded machine vision systems. When the RTT value is higher than the RTO value, it will cause false retransmission of data, which will affect the data transmission efficiency. The experimental results show that the improved congestion control method can more effectively deal with the problem of packet loss, effectively reduce the false retransmission of data, and improve the data throughput. Through comparison, it is found that under the same object change interference, the video processing controller based on embedded machine vision can more effectively suppress the video control error in the pipeline than the traditional video processing controller, and it will not affect the stability of the system.
Wall pressing tracked pipeline robots have been widely used due to their high movement speed, strong drag force, and strong environmental adaptability. However, due to limitations such as pipeline diameter and shape, ...
详细信息
ISBN:
(纸本)9798350389814;9798350389807
Wall pressing tracked pipeline robots have been widely used due to their high movement speed, strong drag force, and strong environmental adaptability. However, due to limitations such as pipeline diameter and shape, the design of their parameters has become a difficult problem. This article analyzes the design methods for the length, width, and head waist angle of a wall pressing tracked robot constrained by C-shaped and T-shaped pipelines. Firstly, based on the spatial position relationship of the wall pressing track pipeline robot in the C-shaped pipeline, flexibility and passability criteria are proposed based on the selection torque and movable space, respectively. Secondly, combined with the motion mode of multi-stage pipeline robots, the combination of actions through T-shaped pipelines was analyzed, and constraint equations were constructed based on spatial geometric relationships. Genetic algorithms were used to select key parameters of the robot. Finally, considering the constraint effects of C-shaped and T-shaped pipelines, the optimal parameters for robots that can pass through C-shaped and T-shaped pipelines are achieved. The robot and ground testing platform are processed, and the ground testing experiment is conduct. The test results show that the robot can pass through C-shaped and T-shaped pipelines well. The test results indicate that this design method is effective.
The paper designed a wheeled pipeline robot with a magnetic hemispherical wheel for pipeline with various curvatures. The magnetic hemispherical wheel can adapt to pipes with different curvatures. By changing the dire...
详细信息
ISBN:
(纸本)9798350388084;9798350388077
The paper designed a wheeled pipeline robot with a magnetic hemispherical wheel for pipeline with various curvatures. The magnetic hemispherical wheel can adapt to pipes with different curvatures. By changing the direction of the magnetic hemispherical wheel's spherical surface, the robot can crawl inside or outside the pipe. Two different magnet holders suitable for the hemispherical wheel were designed. Parametric simulations were conducted to analyze the magnetic force magnitude at different angles of the magnet holder. The pitch angle of the swing arms of the robot was analyzed when turning angles changed. Finally, a prototype was built, and motion performance tests were conducted to show its performance.
Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a widely used method that can provide good parameters for the motion controller of mobile robots. In this paper, an improved PSO algorithm that optimize the control PID parameters ...
详细信息
Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a widely used method that can provide good parameters for the motion controller of mobile robots. In this paper, an improved PSO algorithm that optimize the control PID parameters of a specific robot have been proposed. This paper first presents a brief review of recently proposed PSO methods, and then presents a detailed analysis of the PID optimization algorithm, which uses H infinity theory to reduce the search space and fuses the information entropy to ensure the diversity of particles. Simulations in Matlab show that the algorithm can improve the convergence speed and get a better global optimization ability than the standard PSO algorithm. Experimental results present a sound effects for the control of the negative pressure adsorption motor in the power grid pipeline robot during its adsorption along the circular movements, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.
In the context of pipeline robots, the timely detection of faults is crucial in preventing safety incidents. In order to ensure the reliability and safety of the entire application process, robots' fault diagnosis...
详细信息
In the context of pipeline robots, the timely detection of faults is crucial in preventing safety incidents. In order to ensure the reliability and safety of the entire application process, robots' fault diagnosis techniques play a vital role. However, traditional diagnostic methods for motor drive end-bearing faults in pipeline robots are often ineffective when the operating conditions are variable. An efficient solution for fault diagnosis is the application of deep learning algorithms. This paper proposes a rolling bearing fault diagnosis method (PSO-ResNet) that combines a Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) with a residual network. A number of vibration signal sensors are placed at different locations in the pipeline robot to obtain vibration signals from different parts. The input to the PSO-ResNet algorithm is a two-bit image obtained by continuous wavelet transform of the vibration signal. The accuracy of this fault diagnosis method is compared with different types of fault diagnosis algorithms, and the experimental analysis shows that PSO-ResNet has higher accuracy. The algorithm was also deployed on an Nvidia Jetson Nano and a Raspberry Pi 4B. Through comparative experimental analysis, the proposed fault diagnosis algorithm was chosen to be deployed on the Nvidia Jetson Nano and used as the core fault diagnosis control unit of the pipeline robot for practical scenarios. However, the PSO-ResNet model needs further improvement in terms of accuracy, which is the focus of future research work.
Monitoring soil water content (SWC) distribution is crucial for better understanding soil water dynamics and accurate hydrological modeling. In this study, a pipeline robot system for monitoring SWC distribution is de...
详细信息
Monitoring soil water content (SWC) distribution is crucial for better understanding soil water dynamics and accurate hydrological modeling. In this study, a pipeline robot system for monitoring SWC distribution is designed to improve the current technical problems of insufficient measurement distance and low positioning accuracy of the existing SWC monitoring platform. The system consists of a pipeline robot, a fixed base station and a PVC pipe. The robot could fit into a 55-mm-diameter PVC pipe to measure SWC distribution horizontally, vertically, or at any angle to the horizontal direction. The base station serves as a data collector and also supplies power and distance information for recharging and positioning the robot, respectively. A series of tests for evaluating the performance of the pipeline robot system were conducted. Field experiments were also conducted to monitor soil water infiltration and horizontal distribution of SWC of crop root zone at three plots. The results showed that the minimum radius of volume of sensitivity of the dielectric sensor is about 2.25 cm. The robot for mobile measurement performed stable both in horizontal and vertical directions and the response of the dielectric sensor output to different dielectric materials is significant. The accumulated error of the encoder is effectively decreased from 4.3% to 1.2% by correcting the position error using the laser ranging sensor. The measured SWCs during the calibration experiment were highly correlated with those obtained by the drying method (R-2 = 0.990 and RMSE = 0.0181 cm(3) cm(-3)). The results of the field experiments demonstrated that the system is feasible for monitoring soil water infiltration in the vertical direction and SWC distributions of crop root zone horizontally at the three plots, indicating that the potential application of the developed system for long-term monitoring of SWC distribution under field conditions in the near future.
暂无评论