Design of an adjustable pipeline inspection robot with three belt driven mechanical modules

Abstract

This article presents an adjustable pipeline inspection robot with three belt driven mechanical modules. The adjustable pipeline robot can be used for 30-45cm diameter pipeline. This robot has three powered belt driven chains each of which has a mechanical clutch. The mechanical clutch is used a 3-bars linkage type mechanism. The robot is designed foldable when each chain contacts the ground or wall of pipeline or tunnel. Thus, the robot can be operated in various sizes of pipeline, and can utilize the belt driven walking model to conquer the irregular barriers of pipeline. The prototype of the robot system has been developed, and experiments are carried out to verify the validity of the proposed design.