An in-line inspection tool for a pipeline comprises a body defining an axis, a sensor module coupled to the body, and a drive cup coupled to the body. The drive cup includes an outer surface with a plurality of axial channels, each of the axial channels including at least one bridge positioned therein that extends circumferentially across the channel.

A system is provided that includes a dart, a pressure sensor, and a controller communicatively coupled with the sensor. The dart is disposed in a fluidic channel. The dart has a main body and a flange extending from the main body and has a diameter greater than or equal to a diameter of the fluidic channel. When the dart translates within the fluidic channel and passes a location of a variation in the fluidic channel, the flange creates a pressure pulse. The pressure sensor measures the pressure pulse within the fluidic channel created by the dart. The controller determines the location of the variation based on the measured pressure pulse.

A new approach to pipeline pigging using electro acoustic technology (EAT) is described in which the data from a pigging operation can be transmitted in real time to optical fiber on the outside of the pipeline and detected using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) techniques, including the precise location, velocity and acceleration of the pig using the DAS technique. Thus the sensor data can easily be mapped to its precise location in real time. The EAT sensors use the DAS fiber as a data transmission line by converting electrical or optical signals to acoustic signals which excite the fiber and can be detected by an interrogator at the pig launch site.

An embodiment provides a method, including: obtaining, from a multi-sensor pipe inspection robot that traverses through the interior of a pipe, sensor data, such as structured laser light sensor data and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor data, for the interior of the pipe; identifying a pipe feature using one or more of the sensor data types; selecting an image processing technique based on the pipe feature identified using a stored association between the pipe feature and an image processing technique; and forming an image of the interior of the pipe by implementing the selected image processing technique. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

A sewer inspection or maintenance system is provided, at least comprising a carrier system, a satellite system which is movable relative to the carrier system, and a guide device coupled to the carrier system, along which the satellite system can be guided during a movement relative to the carrier system. The guide device can be extended or unfolded or rolled out from a stowed position into at least one position of use, so that the effective length of the guide device can be increased.

A telemetry system can be implemented in a pipeline where a smart pig is positioned. The smart pig can have a telemetry module that is configured to change from a first communication connection with a host to a second communication connection with the host in response to a detected pipeline condition. The first communication connection may be different than the second communication connections.

A device is produced as a small sphere with neutral buoyancy, within which there is, at least, one hydrophone that is connected to a signal processor, which stores the information on a memory card and that is powered by at least one battery. This signal processor has a clock module, through which the sailing time elapsed for each audio signal received by the hydrophone is recorded in the memory. Therefore, based on the sailing time, the exact position of the detected anomalies or leaks can be ascertained. The device is complemented by a series of external synchronisation systems, laid out every certain distance, by which the position error that could be accumulated by the device is neutralised. Thus, a simple device is attained, which is cheap, solid, durable and highly effective.

An inline robotic detector for inspection of pipelines includes two groups of real time sensors at both front and rear to measure pressures, temperatures, and flows. The robotic detector further includes radial displacement sensors, acoustic sensors and a digital radiographic camera or Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) at the head and front, and a rechargeable power system at the rear. A GPS positioning module and communicator communicate with an intelligent gateway. Real time data is obtained and associated with the geo-position of the robotic detector received from the intelligent gateway.

One aspect provides a method, including: operating a mobile pipe inspection platform to obtain sensor data for the interior of a pipe; analyzing, using a processor, the sensor data using a trained model, where the trained model is trained using a dataset including sensor data of pipe interiors and one or more of: metadata identifying pipe feature locations contained within the sensor data of the dataset and metadata classifying pipe features contained within the sensor data of the dataset; performing one or more of: identifying, using a processor, a pipe feature location within the sensor data; and classifying, using a processor, a pipe feature of the sensor data; and thereafter producing, using a processor, an output including one or more of an indication of the identifying and an indication of the classifying. Other aspects are described and claimed.

An apparatus for automated inspection or maintenance is provided. The apparatus includes a dual slider mechanism for deploying a probe. The dual slider mechanism comprises: a frame; a probe slider configured to attach the probe; a probe linear guide coupled to the frame and configured to guide the probe slider and attached probe in a linear direction; a spring having one end attached to the probe slider; a spring slider attached to another end of the spring; and a spring linear guide coupled to the frame and configured to guide the spring slider and attached spring in the linear direction, in order to guide the probe slider and attached probe in the linear direction along the probe linear guide using the guided spring.