• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.223-231
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• 2021

In this paper describes the research and development of a pipe robot for pipe rehabilitation construction of old water pipes. After the water supply pipe construction, the pipe is leaking, damaged, and aging due to corrosion. Eventually, resistance to the flow of water in lower supply efficiency and contaminated water such as rusty water, finally in various consumer complaints. In order to solve this problem, rehabilitation construction robot technology is required to secure the construction quality of pipe rehabilitation construction and restore the function of the initial construction period. The developed pipe rehabilitation construction robot required a hydraulic actuator for high traction and was equipped with a small hydraulic supply device. In addition, we have developed a hydraulic cylinder and a link system that supports the pipe inner diameter to develop a single pipe robot corresponding to 500 to 800mm pipe diameter. The analysis and experimental verification of the driving performance and unit function of the developed pipe reconstruction robot are explained, and the result of the integrated performance test of the pipe reconstruction robot at the water supply pipe network site is explained.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.65-77
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• 2017

In this paper, we introduce the pipe cleaning robot developed to clean the gas impurities of the iron manufacturing equipments. The pipe cleaning robot is composed of two driving modules and one cleaning module. 2-DOF joint units were developed for connections among the modules. To maximize the traction power of the driving parts, it became caterpillar type. The extension links have been developed to maintain the traction force in case the pipe inner diameters change. Three cleaning modules were developed for the effective cleaning in the pipe. The driving and cleaning performance tests of the pipe cleaning robot were proceeded in the field of the iron manufacturing equipments.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.123-129
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• 2012

Recently, interests on cleaning robots workable in pipes (termed as in-pipe cleaning robot) are increasing because Garbage Automatic Collection Facilities (i.e, GACF) are widely being installed in Seoul metropolitan area of Korea. So far research on in-pipe robot has been focused on inspection rather than cleaning. In GACF, when garbage is moving, the impurities which are stuck to the inner face of the pipe are removed (diameter: 300 mm or 400 mm). Thus, in this paper, by using TRIZ (Inventive Theory of Problem Solving in Russian abbreviation), an in-pipe cleaning robot of GACF with the 6-link sliding mechanism will be proposed, which can be adjusted to fit into the inner face of pipe using pneumatic pressure(not spring). The proposed in-pipe cleaning robot for GACF can have forward/backward movement itself as well as rotation of brush in cleaning. The robot body should have the limited size suitable for the smaller pipe with diameter of 300 mm. In addition, for the pipe with diameter of 400 mm, the links of robot should stretch to fit into the diameter of the pipe by using the sliding mechanism. Based on the conceptual design using TRIZ, we will set up the initial design of the robot in collaboration with a field engineer of Robot Valley, Inc. in Korea. For the optimal design of in-pipe cleaning robot, the maximum impulsive force of collision between the robot and the inner face of pipe is simulated by using RecurDyn(R) when the link of sliding mechanism is stretched to fit into the 400 mm diameter of the pipe. The stresses exerted on the 6 links of sliding mechanism by the maximum impulsive force will be simulated by using ANSYS$^{(R)}$ Workbench based on the Design Of Experiment(in short DOE). Finally the optimal dimensions including thicknesses of 4 links will be decided in order to have the best safety factor as 2 in this paper as well as having the minimum mass of 4 links. It will be verified that the optimal design of 4 links has the best safety factor close to 2 as well as having the minimum mass of 4 links, compared with the initial design performed by the expert of Robot Valley, Inc. In addition, the prototype of in-pipe cleaning robot will be stated with further research.

• IEMEK Journal of Embedded Systems and Applications
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.66-73
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• 2008

The pipes have been laid underground while the industry is developing. We have to take maintenance procedure when the pipes are cracked or ruptured. It is very difficult jop to check pipe's crack because the pipes are narrow and laid underground. Using in-pipe robot, we can check the conditions of inner section of pipes, therefore, we designed a crawler type robot to search cracked pipe. In this paper, we have made a special focus on the control of the robot using differential drive algorithm to move in curved section of pipes. The detailed design of the robot with experimental result show the effectiveness of the robot in pipe maintenance.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 2008

This paper describes a mobile inspection robot with an automatic pipe tracking system for a feeder pipe inspection in a PHWR. The robot is composed of two inch worm mechanisms. One is for a longitudinal motion along a pipe, and the other is for a rotational motion in a circumferential direction to access all of the outer surfaces of a pipe. The proposed mechanism has a stable gripping capability and is easy to install. An automatic pipe tracking system is proposed based on machine vision techniques to make the mobile robot follow an exact outer circumference of a curved feeder pipe as closely as possible, which is one of the requirements of a thickness measurement system for a feeder pipe. The proposed sensing technique is analyzed to attain its feasibility and to develop a calibration method for an accurate measurement. A mobile robot and control system are developed, and the automatic pipe tracking system is tested in a mockup of a feeder pipe.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.894-901
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• 2012

For more efficient use of the high pressure water-jet in rehabilitation of the water pipes, we have studied the water-jet cleaning motion of the in-pipe robot with screw drive. The mathematical models of the water-jet in the straight and the curved pipe (90 degrees elbow), representative features of the water mains, were designed to understand the water-jet motion and simulations have been performed. Furthermore the experiments has been conducted to validate the simulations by using the prototype in-pipe robot in the 3-D pipeline. The simulation results show that the water-jet motion in the straight pipe has a constant water-jet interval, whereas the motion in the curved pipe is changed by its position. By the comparison of the simulation and the experimental results, we have demonstrated that the simulations successfully estimate the water-jet motion inside the water pipes. Therefore in-pipe robot operators can predict a water-jet motion for a target water pipe through the simulation and flexibly make a proper water-jet motion by changing the robot configurations before a cleaning work.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.346-351
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• 2005

The outlet feeder pipe thinning in a PHWR (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor) is caused by high pressure steam flow inside the pipe, which is a well known degradation mechanism called FAC (Flow Assisted Corrosion). In order to monitor the degradation, the thickness of the outlet bends closed to the exit of the pressure tube should be measured and analyzed at every official overhaul. This paper develops a mobile feeder pipe inspection robot that can minimize the irradiation dose of human workers by automating the measurement process. The robot can move by itself on the feeder pipe by using an inch worm mechanism, which is constructed by two gripper bodies that can fix the robot body on the pipe, one extendable and contractable actuator, and a rotation actuator connected the two gripper bodies to move forward and backward, and to rotate in the circumferential direction

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.480-485
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• 2002

The purpose of this paper is the development of guidance algorithm for a mobile robot which is used to acquire the position and state information of the pipe defects such as crack, damage and through hole. The data used for the algorithm is the range data obtained by the range sensor which is based on an optical triangulation method. The sensor, which consists of a laser slit beam and a CCD camera, measures the 3D profile of the pipe's inner surface. After setting the range sensor on the robot, the robot is put into a pipe. While the camera and the LSB sensor part is rotated about the robot axis, a laser slit beam (LSB) is projected onto the inner surface of the pipe and a CCD camera captures the image. From the images the range data is obtained with respect to the sensor coordinate through a series of image processing and applying the sensor matrix. After the data is transformed into the robot coordinate, the position and orientation of the robot should be obtained in order to guide the robot. In addition, analyzing the data, 3D shape of the pipe is constructed and the numerical data for the defects of the pipe can be found. These data will be used for pipe maintenance and service.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.633-641
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• 2008

Recently, the necessity for diagnosis and management of pipes has emerged as the issue due to contamination of water supply generated by corrosion of pipes. Although inspection has been performed with industrial endoscopes, the method has limits for full diagnosis of pipes due to the lack of working range. As a solution for this problem, many locomotive mechanisms for a micro robot with endoscope functions were proposed. In this paper, we analyze the locomotive mechanism of crawling robot proposed as locomotive device for pipe inspection. Based on a mechanical modeling of motor and micro robot inside small pipe, the theoretical formula for velocity is obtained. This derived theoretical formula is demonstrated the feasibility through the comparison with experimental result. Also, we could find the most important element influencing the moving velocity of micro robot when the robot operates in small pipe. Consequently, it is expected that this study can supply useful information to design of crawling robot to move in small pipe.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.251-261
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• 2010

In this paper, we introduce an internal pipeline exploration of an in-pipe robot, based on the landmark recognition system. The fittings of pipelines such as elbows and branches are used as the landmarks. The robot recognizes the landmarks with a vision system by using the shadows of the elements, which are generated by the specially designed illuminator on the robot. By using a simple image-processing, the robot can easily detect and distinguish these landmarks while recognizing the direction of the pipeline path. Simultaneously, all information for exploration is continuously recorded and used to reconstruct the map of the pipelines. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by real experiments using the in-pipe robot MRINSPECT V for moving inside of the miniature urban 8-inch gas pipeline structure.