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US 11,698,160 B2Granted
Devices and methods for repairing pipes
AssigneeMueller International, LLC
InventorsCody Badger, Clifton Braun, Adam Tank
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pipe repair device includes a body defining a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a stent configurable in a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration, the stent mounted to the body in the compressed configuration; and a locomotion subsystem configured to drive the pipe repair device through a pipe, the locomotion subsystem comprising a steering rod extending from the first end of the body and configured to engage an inner surface of the pipe.
Claims19
A pipe repair device comprising:
- a body defining a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
- a stent configurable in a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration, the stent mounted to the body in the compressed configuration;
- and
- a locomotion subsystem configured to drive the pipe repair device through a pipe, the locomotion subsystem comprising a steering rod extending from the first end of the body and configured to engage an inner surface of the pipe.
1 more element
A pipe repair device comprising:
- a body;
- a stent configurable in a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration, the stent mounted to the body in the compressed configuration;
- and
- a leak detection subsystem comprising at least one sensor, the at least one sensor configured to identify a position of a leak in a pipeline;
- wherein:
- the pipe repair device is transportable through the pipeline to the leak, and wherein the stent is expandable to the expanded configuration to seal the leak;
- the at least one sensor comprises at least one acoustic microphone for aurally identifying the leak;
- and
- the at least one acoustic microphone comprises at least one hydrophone configured to identify an axial position and an azimuthal position of the leak based on triangulation of hydrophone-derived audio signatures corresponding to the leak.
6 more elements
A pipe repair device comprising:
- a body;
- a stent configurable in a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration, the stent mounted to the body in the compressed configuration;
- a leak detection subsystem comprising at least one sensor, the at least one sensor configured to identify a position of a leak in a pipeline, wherein the pipe repair device is transportable through the pipeline to the leak, and wherein the stent is expandable to the expanded configuration to seal the leak;
- and
- a locomotion subsystem configured to drive the pipe repair device within the pipeline to the leak, the locomotion subsystem comprising at least one of a wheel and a continuous track, wherein the at least one of a wheel and a continuous track is configured to engage an inner surface of the pipeline;
- wherein the stent comprises a spring and a sealing layer wrapped around a circumference of the spring, the sealing layer comprising a flexible and compressible repair material configured to engage the inner surface of the pipeline in the expanded configuration, wherein the spring biases the stent to the expanded configuration.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.