Mechanical design of a self-adaptive transformable tracked robot for cable tunnel inspection

Abstract

According to the environment and requirements of cable tunnel inspection, an inspecting mobile robot with self-adaptive transformable tracked mechanism and modular design method is proposed. The mechanical system of the robot consists of one chassis module, two self-adaptive transformable track modules, and one wheeled tail module. The chassis module is used for carrying the control system and connecting other modules. The self-adaptive transformable track module is used for moving and clearing obstacles. The tail wheel module is used for preventing the tip-over during clearing obstacles. Based on analyzing the functions of each module, the mechanical design work is completed, and the robot prototype is built. Finally, the experiment is carried out to verify the adaptability of the robot for the cable tunnel environment.