Figure 1 - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Content may be subject to copyright.
The proposed PEIS design: (a) 3D CAD model; (b) built prototype of PEIS at DIMEG, University of Calabria.
Source publication
This paper outlines the design of a novel mechatronic system for semi-automatic inspection and white-water in-pipe obstruction removals without the need for destructive methods or specialized manpower. The device is characterized by a lightweight structure and high transportability. It is composed by a front, a rear and a central module that realiz...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... work presents the mechanical, electrical and control design of PEIS (PipE Inspector System). This is a low-cost pipe inspector robot, which introduces a novel, low-cost locomotion mechanism that has been designed and built by the authors at University of Calabria as shown in Figure 1. The proposed locomotion mechanisms allow to easily adapt the device to pipelines of various sizes with horizontal-, inclined-, or even verticalmotion directions. ...
Context 2
... alert LED and manual command buttons are located on a board that remains outside of the pipe during the operations. The electrical scheme is presented in Figure 10. This control architecture can allow user-friendly operation in which an operator places the device at the beginning of a pipeline. ...
Context 3
... no input is received, the robot memorizes the number of steps to estimate the distance of the obstacle and allows an autonomous backward motion to bring itself to the entrance of the pipe. Details of the built prototype are reported in Figure 11. ...
Context 4
... same operation strategy was implemented for several tests. In particular, the PEIS prototype was able to advance in pipelines that were horizontal, but also in a sloped pipeline and even in a vertical pipeline as shown in Figures 11 and 12. The locomotion principle was very effective in all operation conditions with a simple operation and no grip loss. ...
Citations
... Further details on this case study can be found at [48]. ...
This chapter introduces a learning-by-doing approach tailored for bachelor and master students in robot design, driven by the intricacies involved in designing new robots. The complexity of teaching young students arises from the necessity for robust foundational backgrounds in multidisciplinary fields, resulting in an arduous and lengthy learning process. In light of these challenges, we propose a learning-by-doing learning approach that draws inspiration also from discussions with Prof. Carlos Lopez Cajun, who was well aware of the challenges in the educational process. The proposed approach seeks to augment practical skills and enhance comprehension of robotics by prioritizing hands-on experiences. Case studies illustrate the efficacy of this method in stimulating students to tackle the complexities of robotics engineering. The proposed approach provides a potential remedy for the uncanny valley learning obstacles faced by the younger generations in the learning process for robot design.
... Beyond locomotion and gripping, the survey delves into long-distance pipeline inspection [17] and novel modularized robotic systems [18], as well as bio-inspired wall-climbing robots [19], while the Mecanum-Wheeled Hybrid Hexapod [20] highlights dynamic mobility. Multiple other examples highlight the integration of mechanical design and simulation principles and cutting-edge concepts like magnetic harmonic drives to further expand the spectrum of robotic solutions, as reported, for example, in [21][22][23]. ...
Domestic chimney cleaning is still mostly a manual procedure which can be overly complex, dangerous, and expansive. This paper describes the design of a novel robotic device for chimney cleaning that aims to provide a valuable alternative solution to the traditional manual techniques with user-friendly and low-cost features. The proposed device enables a significant reduction in operator risks, including roof falling and soot dust contact. The paper’s content describes, in detail, the design process, including a definition of the main design requirements and steps towards the manufacturing of a preliminary prototype. Moreover, a preliminary validation is described through laboratory tests to demonstrate the engineering feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed design solution for the intended semi-autonomous chimney-cleaning application.
... The novel prototypes of the adaptive wheeled and crawling mechanisms of mobile pipeline robots are considered in [6] and [7]. The authors of [8] discussed the enhanced mechatronic systems intended for semi-automatic monitoring and cleaning of the pipelines. The investigations dealing with the novel double-rotor vibration exciters and generating the translational locomotion of the vibration-driven systems using inertial actuators are analyzed in [9] and [10]. ...
Vibratory machines are widely used for monitoring and cleaning various tubes, pipelines, intestines, vessels, etc. The problems of ensuring the prescribed dynamic characteristics of such equipment and simultaneous optimizing the power consumption are currently being solved by numerous researchers. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the locomotion characteristics of the novel vibration-driven design of the pipeline inspecting and cleaning robot actuated by an electromagnetic exciter and equipped with the size-adapting and self-locking mechanisms. The research methodology consists of four main stages: an overview of the enhanced robot design; constructing its dynamic diagram and deriving the differential equations of motion; performing the numerical modeling with the help of the Mathematica software and studying the robot's kinematic characteristics; conducting virtual experiments by computer simulation of the robot motion in the SolidWorks software. The research results present the time dependencies of the robot's displacement, speed, and acceleration at different working regimes (excitation forces, disturbing frequencies, etc.). The novelty of the performed investigations consists in substantiating the efficient locomotion conditions of the enhanced vibration-driven in-pipe robot. Further investigations can be focused on developing the full-scale laboratory prototype of the robot and conducting experimental studies. The obtained research results can be interesting for engineers and scientists who deal with similar vibration-driven pipeline robots.
... The current investigations on developing enhanced capsule-type vibration-driven robots for performing endoscopic operations are considered in [6] and [7]. Numerous studies, particularly [8], [9], [10], and [11], are devoted to improving the actuating mechanisms of vibrationdriven locomotion systems. In [12], the authors defined the basic optimization criteria defining the locomotion efficiency of the vibration-driven robots and proposed a novel approach to solving the corresponding optimization problem aimed at maximizing the robot's translational speed and minimizing energy consumption. ...
Vibration-driven locomotion system is a relatively new branch of mobile robotics. The design variety of vibration-driven robots is quite wide, while their control systems need constant improvement from the viewpoint of the robot's operational efficiency, accuracy, production, and maintenance costs. The purpose of this paper is the development, simulation, and practical implementation of a novel control system for a mobile vibration-driven robot. The proposed control system is based on Arduino hardware and software. The developed wheeled robot can be remotely controlled using the Bluetooth interface and the mobile phone with the corresponding Android application installed. The experimental prototype of the mobile robot is tested under different operational conditions (supplied voltages and forced frequencies) regulated by the developed control system. The corresponding kinematic parameters of the robot's wheeled platform and the impact body are registered by the WitMotion accelerometers, and the experimental data are processed with the help of the WitMotion and MathCad software. The results of the presented research can be effectively used while designing and implementing mobile robotic systems for inspecting, cleaning, or maintaining the internal surfaces of various pipelines, tubes, vessels, intestines, etc.
... In [15], the authors improved the wheeled in-pipe robot of the wall-pressing type, and analyzed the robot's capability of overcoming obstacles. The paper [16] is dedicated to the semi-automatic pipeline inspecting and cleaning system consisting of two movable sections and three driving crank-type mechanisms. In [17], the double-mass vibro-impact in-pipe robot equipped with noncircular driving gear transmission is investigated. ...
The general design of the wheeled vibration-driven robot is developed in the SolidWorks software (Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, Premium 2022, Waltham, MA, USA) on the basis of a double-mass semidefinite oscillatory system. The idea of implementing the vibro-impact working regimes of the internal (disturbing) body is considered. The corresponding mathematical model describing the robot motion conditions is derived using Euler-Lagrange equations. The numerical modeling is carried out by solving the obtained system of differential equations with the help of the Runge-Kutta methods in the Mathematica software (Wolfram Research, Inc., 13.0, Champaign, IL, USA). The computer simulation of the robot motion is conducted in the MapleSim (Waterloo Maple Inc., 2019.1., Waterloo, ON, Canada) and SolidWorks software under different robot design parameters and friction conditions. The experimental prototype of the wheeled vibration-driven robot is developed at the Vibroengineering Laboratory of Lviv Polytechnic National University. The corresponding experimental investigations are carried out in order to verify the correctness of the obtained results of the numerical modeling and computer simulation. All the results are presented in the form of time dependencies of the robot’s basic kinematic characteristics: displacements, velocities, accelerations of the wheeled platform and disturbing body. The influence of the impact gap value on the average translational speed of the robot’s wheeled platform is studied, and the corresponding recommendations for designers and researchers of similar robotic systems are stated. The prospective directions of further investigations on the subject of the present paper and similar vibration-driven locomotion systems are considered.
... The paper [8] presents the improved in-pipe robot equipped with two mechanically synchronized mechanisms: cam-linkage and sliding-rotating ones, which are driven by one electric motor and provide the inchworm-type locomotion principle. A novel design of the pipe-inspection robot with two unidirectionally sliding frames and six slider-crank-type mechanisms actuating the telescopic supporting elements is considered in [9]. The paper [10] is focused on defining the optimal sliding modes of the electromagnetically driven worm-like robot. ...
The in-pipe robots are currently of significant interest, considering numerous recent publications on this subject. Such machines can use various locomotion principles: wheeled, tracked (caterpillar), walking (legged), screw-type, worm-type, snake-type, etc. In most cases, such robots are equipped with an active drive system transmitting the torque from a motor shaft to the corresponding locomotion mechanism (wheels, tracks, etc.). The present paper is devoted to the wheeled in-pipe robot that doesn't need a complex transmission. In such a case, the idea of implementing the vibratory locomotion system driven by an internal unbalanced mass is proposed. The corresponding kinematic diagram of the wheeled vibration-driven in-pipe robot is developed, and the differential equations describing the robot motion are deduced. In order to carry out the virtual experimental investigations, the robot's simulation model is designed in the SolidWorks software. The major scientific novelty of the present research consists in developing the theoretical foundation for designing and practical implementation of the in-pipe robots driven by the inertial vibration exciters and equipped with the unidirectionally rotating wheels and overrunning clutches. The results of numerical modeling and computer simulation of the robot motion substantiate the possibilities and expediency of implementing the proposed vibration-driven locomotion principles while creating novel designs of the in-pipe robots.
In the pipeline industry, it is often necessary to monitor cracks and damage in pipelines, or need to clean the inside of the pipeline regularly, or collect adhesive on the inner wall of the pipe, but the pipe is too narrow and difficult for humans to enter, it is necessary to use a pipe machine to complete the work. In this paper, a newly designed screw-driven in-pipe inspection robot (IPIR) is proposed. Compared with common robots, this robot innovatively designs adapting mechanism. The robot can not only adapt to the change of the inner diameter size of the pipeline by using the bionic principle and the deformation characteristics of flexible components but also can pass smoothly in the horizontal/oblique/vertical pipelines and has a certain ability to cross obstacles. In addition, it can transmit images of the inner wall of the pipeline wirelessly for data analysis. Finally, through theoretical analysis and prototype construction, the performance of the robot is verified. The results show that the prototype robot can not only smoothly pass through the acrylic pipe with inner diameter of 120–138 mm but also pass through boss with a height of 3 mm.
This paper describes the design of a novel robotic device for chimney cleaning with user-friendly and low-cost features. This proposed solution provides a viable alternative to the traditional manual techniques still used for cleaning chimneys at private homes. This device increases the operator’s safety by reducing the risk of falling and reduces contact with soot dust that could cause asphyxia and cancer. The design process includes a definition of the main design requirements, the manufacturing of a preliminary prototype and a preliminary testing to demonstrate the engineering feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed design solution.
