Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T07:55:06.888Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Development of modularized in-pipe inspection robotic system: MRINSPECT VII+

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2021

Heesik Jang ,
Ho Moon Kim ,
Min Sub Lee ,
Yong Heon Song ,
Yoongeon Lee ,
Whee Ryeong Ryew  and
Hyouk Ryeol Choi Open the ORCID record for Hyouk Ryeol Choi [Opens in a new window]
Heesik Jang
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 300, ChunchunDong, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Kyougki-do 440-746, Republic of Korea
Ho Moon Kim
Affiliation:
H. Robotics, 129 Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea
Min Sub Lee
Affiliation:
LG Electronics, 10, MagokJungang 10-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Yong Heon Song
Affiliation:
LG Electronics, 10, MagokJungang 10-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Yoongeon Lee
Affiliation:
KEPCO Research Institute, Korea Electric Power Corporation, 105, Munji-ro, Yooseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Whee Ryeong Ryew
Affiliation:
Technology Support Center, KOGAS Research Institute, 376 Songdo-Dong, Yeonsu-Gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea
Hyouk Ryeol Choi*
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 300, ChunchunDong, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Kyougki-do 440-746, Republic of Korea
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: choihyoukryeol@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper presents a modularized autonomous pipeline inspection robot called MRINSPECT VII+, which we recently developed. MRINSPECT VII+ is aimed at inspect in-service urban gas pipelines with a diameter of 200 mm. The robot consists of five basic modules: driving, sensing, joint, and battery modules. For nondestructive testing (NDT), an NDT module can be added to the system. The driving module uses a multiaxial differential gear mechanism to provide traction forces to the robot. The sensor module recognizes the pipeline element using position-sensitive detector (PSD) sensors and a CCD camera. The control module contains a computing unit and manages the robot’s autonomous navigation. The battery module supplies power to the system. Each module is connected via backdrivable active joint modules, which provide flexibility while moving inside narrow pipelines. Additionally, the wireless communication module helps the system communicate with the ground station. We tested MRINSPECT VII+ in real pipeline environments and validated its feasibility successfully.

Keywords

In-pipe robotindustrial robotrobot mechanismmobile robotcontrol algorithm
Type
Research Article
Information
Robotica , Volume 40 , Issue 5 , May 2022 , pp. 1361 - 1384
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Kim, Y. J., Yoon, K. H. and Park, Y. W., “Development of the Inpipe Robot for Various Sizes,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (2009) pp. 1745–1749.Google Scholar
Yoon, K. H. and Park, Y. W., “Pipe Inspection Robot Actuated by Using Compressed Air,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (2010) pp. 1345–1349.Google Scholar
Gao, H., Du, J., Tang, M. and Shi, W., “Research on a New Type Peristaltic Micro In-Pipe Robot,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/ICME International Conference on Complex Medical Engineering (2011) pp. 26–30.Google Scholar
Pfeiffer, F., Rossmann, T. and Loffler, K., “Control of a Tube Crawling Machine,” In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference. Control of Oscillations and Chaos (Cat. No. 00TH8521) vol. 3 (2000) pp. 586–591.Google Scholar
Zagler, A. and Pfeiffer, F., ““MORITZ” a Pipe Crawler for Tube Junctions,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No. 03CH37422) vol. 3 (2003) pp. 2954–2959.Google Scholar
Heidari, A. H., Mehrandezh, M., Paranjape, R. and Najjaran, H., “Dynamic Analysis and Human Analogous Control of a Pipe Crawling Robot,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (2009) pp. 733–740.Google Scholar
Kakogawa, A. and Ma, S., “Mobility of An In-Pipe Robot with Screw Drive Mechanism Inside Curved Pipes,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (2010) pp. 1530–1535.Google Scholar
Li, P., Ma, S., Li, B., Wang, Y. and Liu, Y., “Self-Rescue Mechanism for Screw Drive In-Pipe Robots,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (2010) pp. 2843–2849.Google Scholar
Kim, J. H., Sharma, G., and Iyengar, S. S., “Design Concept and Motion Planning of a Single-Moduled Autonomous Pipeline Exploration Robot,” In: Proceedings of the IECON 36th Annual Conference on IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (2010) pp. 1500–1505.Google Scholar
Kim, D. W., Park, C. H., Kim, H. K., and Kim, S. B., “Force Adjustment of An Active Pipe Inspection Robot,” In: Proceedings of the ICCAS-SICE (2009) pp. 3792–3797.Google Scholar
Park, J. W., Park, S. Y., Lee, D. W. and Yang, H. S., “Prediction Method of An In-Pipe Robot’s Orientation to Pass in a Curved Pipe,” In: Proceedings of the ICCAS-SICE (2009) pp. 5707–5711.Google Scholar
Park, J. W., Kim, T. H. and Yang, H. S., “Development of An Actively Adaptable In-Pipe Robot,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics (2009) pp. 1–5.Google Scholar
Park, J. W., Jeon, W. S., Kang, Y. K., Yang, H. S. and Park, H. S., “Instantaneous Kinematic Analysis for a Crawler Type In-Pipe Robot,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics (2011) pp. 381–385.Google Scholar
Kakogawa, A. and Ma, S., “Design of An Underactuated Parallelogram Crawler Module for An In-Pipe Robot,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO) (2013) pp. 1324–1329.Google Scholar
Kakogawa, A., Ma, S. and Hirose, S., “An In-Pipe Robot with Underactuated Parallelogram Crawler Modules,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (2014) pp. 1687–1692.Google Scholar
Roh, S. G., Ryew, S. M., Yang, J. H. and Choi, H. R., “Actively Steerable In-Pipe Inspection Robots for Underground Urban Gas Pipelines,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No. 01CH37164) vol. 1 (2001) pp. 761–766.Google Scholar
Schempf, H., Mutschler, E., Gavaert, A., Skoptsov, G. and Crowley, W., “Visual and nondestructive evaluation inspection of live gas mains using the Explorer family of pipe robots,” J. Field Robot. 27(3), 217–249 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roh, S. G., Lee, J. S., Moon, H. and Choi, H. R., “Modularized In-Pipe Robot Capable of Selective Navigation Inside of Pipelines,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (2008) pp. 1724–1729.Google Scholar
Roh, S. G., Ryu, S. M. and Choi, H. R., “Development of differentially driven inpipe inspection robot for underground gas pipeline,” Trans. Korean Soc. Mech. Eng. A 25(12), 2019–2029 (2001).Google Scholar
Kim, D. W., Roh, S. G., Lee, J. S., Lee, S. H. and Choi, H. R., “Development of in-pipe robot using clutch-based selective driving algorithm,” Trans. Korean Soc. Mech. Eng. A 32(3), 223–231 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, H. M., Suh, J. S., Choi, Y. S., Trong, T. D., Moon, H., Koo, J., Ryew, S. and Choi, H. R., “An In-Pipe Robot with Multi-Axial Differential Gear Mechanism,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (2013) pp. 252–257.Google Scholar
Yang, S. U., Kim, H. M., Suh, J. S., Choi, Y. S., Mun, H. M., Park, C. M., Moon, H. and Choi, H. R., “Novel Robot Mechanism Capable of 3D Differential Driving Inside Pipelines,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (2014) pp. 1944–1949.Google Scholar
Kim, H. M., Choi, Y. S., Mun, H. M., Yang, S. U., Park, C. M. and Choi, H. R., “2-2D Differential Gear Mechanism for Robot Moving Inside Pipelines,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (2015) pp. 1152–1157 Google Scholar
Kim, H. M., Choi, Y. S., Lee, Y. G. and Choi, H. R., “Novel mechanism for in-pipe robot based on a multiaxial differential gear mechanism,” IEEE/ASME Trans. Mechatr. 22(1), 227–235 (2016).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, J., and Grossard, M., “Design of a fully modular and backdrivable dexterous hand,” The Int. J. Robot. Res. 33(5), 783–798 (2014).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, H. M., Yang, S. U., Choi, Y. S., Mun, H. M., Park, C. M. and Choi, H. R., “Design of Back-Drivable Joint Mechanism for In-Pipe Robot,” In: Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (2015) pp. 3779–3784.Google Scholar
Lee, Y. G., Kim, H. M., Choi, Y. S., Jang, H. and Choi, H. R., “Control Strategy of In-Pipe Robot Passing Through Elbow,” In: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots and Ambient Intelligence (URAI) (2016) pp. 442–443.Google Scholar
Choi, Y. S., Kim, H. M., Mun, H. M., Lee, Y. G. and Choi, H. R., “Recognition of pipeline geometry by using monocular camera and PSD sensors,” Intell. Ser. Robot. 103, 213–227 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar