PIPELINE INSPECTION ROBOT

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot which is suitable for travel through a pipeline. The inventive robot comprises at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means that can swivel about an axis substantially normal to a rolling axis thereof, wherein said at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means are provided with magnetic means for generating a magnetic adhesion force between the robot and an internal wall of the pipeline.

Claims

1. A robot suitable for travel through a pipeline comprising: at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means that can swivel about an axis substantially normal to a rolling axis thereof, wherein said at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means are provided with magnetic means for generating a magnetic adhesion force between the robot and an internal wall of the pipeline.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein said robot comprises a body having a streamlined aerofoil shape form that promotes pressing of the robot to the internal wall of the pipeline.

3. (canceled)

4. The robot according to claim 2, wherein said roller means is selected from the group consisting of castor wheels and roller-balls wheels.

5. The robot according to claim, 2, wherein said magnetic means comprises permanent magnets.

6. The robot according to claim 2, wherein said tracked drive means comprises a suspension system allowing the drive tracks to bend and keep constant traction and required tension.

7. The robot according to claim 2, wherein said body is made of an adaptive material which responds to external cues.

8. The robot of claim 2, further comprising at least one machine vision system.

9. The robot according to claim 8, wherein said at least one machine vision system is mounted to the front or rear or to the front and rear of the robot.

10. The robot according to claim 8, wherein said machine vision system comprises at least one video camera selected from the group consisting of a fixed forwards facing camera, a self-levelling camera and a pan and tilt camera.

11. The robot according to claim 10, wherein said at least one video camera operates in the visible or non-visible light spectrum.

12. The robot according to claim 11, wherein said non-visible light spectrum is selected from the group consisting of the infra-red spectrum, the near-infrared spectrum and the ultra-violet spectrum.

13. The robot according to claim 10, wherein said at least one video camera comprises at least one lighting array.

14. The robot according to claim 2, further comprising at least one non-destructive testing (NDT) device.

15. The robot according to claim 14, wherein said NDT device is based on a technique selected from the group consisting of magnetic flux leakage, acoustic resonance, ultrasonic and eddy current.

16. The robot according to claim 14, wherein said NDT device is mounted to said robot via a manipulator arm allowing to move said NDT device within the pipeline.

17. The robot according to claim 2, further comprising at least one sensor device selected from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow sensor and sensors for chemical substances.

18. The robot according to claim 17, wherein said sensor for chemical substances is selected from the group consisting of a methane sensor and a Fourier transform IR spectroscope.

19. The robot according to claim 3, further comprising at least one locating device for detecting the position of the robot within the pipeline, the at least one locating device selected from the group consisting of an odometer, a gyro/orientation sensor and a global positioning system (GPS).

20. (canceled)

21. A robotic system comprising two robots, each robot comprising at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means that can swivel about an axis substantially normal to a rolling axis thereof, wherein said at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means are provided with magnetic means for generating a magnetic adhesion force between the respective robot and an internal wall of the pipeline, wherein said two robots are either (1) connected to each other in such a way that their at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means are arranged opposite to each other and when said robotic system travels through a pipeline are efficiently pressed to the pipeline wall; or (2) are configured to cooperate with one another in such a way that when traveling through a pipeline they are distributed at different respective circumferential locations around the inner bore of the pipeline and move generally parallel to the axis of the pipeline.

22. (canceled)

23. A method for pipeline inspection comprising: moving at least one robot or robotic system along a pipeline within a pipeline network, wherein the at least one robot or robotic system comprises: at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means that can swivel about an axis substantially normal to a rolling axis thereof, wherein said at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means are provided with magnetic means for generating a magnetic adhesion force between the robot and an internal wall of the pipeline; a body having a streamlined aerofoil shape form that promotes pressing of the robot to the internal wall of the pipeline; and at least one machine vision system; inspecting said pipeline for leaks or failures using the at least one machine vison system and/or the at least one NDT device and/or the at least one sensor device of said robot or robotic system; and tracking the position of said robot or robotic system within said pipeline using the at least one locating device.

24. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] One or more embodiments of the invention in its various aspects will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0055] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematic illustration of a pipeline inspection robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same pipeline inspection robot schematically illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0057] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a magnetic tracked drive means according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a magnetic roller means according to an embodiment of the present invention comprising

[0059] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a robotic system according to an embodiment of the invention comprising two robots as defined above, wherein said two robots are connected to each other (here e.g. centre-aligned) in such a way that their at least one tracked drive means and at least one roller means are arranged opposite to each other and when said robotic system travels through a pipeline are efficiently pressed to the pipeline wall.

[0060] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an inventive robotic system according to another embodiment of the invention comprising a plurality of robots as defined above. The robots are configured to cooperate with one another in such a way that when traveling through a pipeline they are distributed at different respective circumferential locations around the inner bore of the pipeline and move generally parallel to the axis of the pipeline.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0061] An inventive robot according to one embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1. It includes a streamlined aerofoil shaped (low profile) body 1 with NDT articulation arm 3 mounted on a top. By means of the articulation system 3 the modular NDT scanning module 2 can be risen to the centre of pipe (in range of DN600 to DN900). The device drive while monitoring the inside of the pipe by forward-looking field camera 4. During normal operation and reversing the umbilical cable used for data and control signal transmission is observed by rear facing camera 5. Further, the shape of the tracks is adapted to complex pipe geometry and to increase the contact surface area. The suspension system 6 allows the tracks to bend and keep constant traction and required tension. A series of magnetic free rolling wheels 7 increase traction and allows the robot to navigate vertical and incline segment of the pipe. The data and control signals are transmitted through an umbilical cable connected to the robot by a rear connector 8.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present invention an umbilical management system (UMS) is used. The UMS may be located inside the launch vessel. Suitable UMSs are commercially available and/or may be easily adapted. For example, a suitable UMS has the following features: [0063] Drum rotation powered by electric motors [0064] Drum rotation manual override for failure mode recovery [0065] Wheeled platform to allow smooth insertion of the UMS into the launch vessel [0066] Motorised umbilical feed to allow the umbilical to be spooled evenly across the drum. [0067] Integrated high-pressure camera (as defined above) to monitor UMS mechanisms and umbilical spooling