Inspection robot for horizontal tube inspection having sensor carriage

A method of inspecting horizontal tubes in an industrial environment, comprising:

• selecting a sensor carriage assembly comprising a desired sensor for inspecting a plurality of vertically arranged layers of tubes, wherein the sensor carriage assembly comprises at least one guide arm structured to engage a tube of at least one of the vertically arranged layers of tubes or an adjacent vertically arranged layer of tubes;
• coupling the selected sensor carriage assembly to an inspection robot;
• positioning a drive module of the inspection robot on a top tube of the plurality of vertically arranged layers of tubes;
• moving the sensor carriage assembly of the inspection robot vertically when the sensor carriage assembly is in a raising/lowering position to align with a selected tube of the plurality of vertically arranged layers of tubes;
• rotating the sensor carriage assembly from the raising/lowering position to an inspection position, wherein the sensor carriage assembly has a narrower vertical profile in the raising/lowering position than in the inspection position;
• and
• interrogating the selected tube with the desired sensor of the selected sensor carriage assembly as the inspection robot travels along a length of the top tube of the plurality of vertically arranged layers of tubes.

An inspection apparatus, comprising:

• a drive module comprising a motor and a pair of wheels structured to engage a top tube of a vertically arranged layer of tubes, wherein the motor is operatively coupled to at least one wheel of the pair of wheels;
• at least one telescoping pole;
• a sensor carriage assembly coupled to the at least one telescoping pole, the sensor carriage assembly structured to accept at least one of a plurality of sensors,
• wherein the sensor carriage assembly comprises a guide arm structured to engage a tube of at least one of the vertically arranged layer of tubes or an adjacent vertically arranged layer of tubes;
• a sensor carriage actuator operatively engaged with the sensor carriage assembly, and structured to selectively rotate the sensor carriage assembly between an inspection position and a raising/lowering position, wherein the sensor carriage assembly has a narrower vertical profile in the raising/lowering position than in the inspection position;
• and
• a lowering mechanism operationally coupled to the at least one telescoping pole and structured to selectively extend or retract the at least one telescoping pole.

An inspection apparatus for inspecting a vertically arranged layer of tubes, comprising:

• a drive module comprising a pair of wheels structured to engage a top tube of the vertically arranged layer of tubes;
• at least one telescoping pole;
• a sensor carriage assembly coupled to the at least one telescoping pole, the sensor carriage assembly structured to accept at least one of a plurality of sensors;
• a sensor carriage actuator operatively engaged with the sensor carriage assembly, and structured to selectively rotate the sensor carriage assembly between an inspection position and a raising/lowering position, wherein the sensor carriage assembly has a narrower vertical profile in the raising/lowering position than in the inspection position;
• and
• a lowering mechanism operationally coupled to the at least one telescoping pole and structured to selectively extend or retract the at least one telescoping pole when the sensor carriage assembly is in the raising/lowering position, thereby providing a selected vertical position of the sensor carriage assembly.