# US 11,906,342 B2 · Wall-climbing robot for measuring capacity of vertical metal tanks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,906,342 B2 - Document ID: US11906342B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/876,831 - Filed: 2020-05-18 - Published: 2021-02-18 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-13 - Assignees: Zhoushan Institute of Calibration and Testing for Quality and Technology Supervision - Applicants: Zhoushan Institute Of Calibration And Testing For Quality And Technology Supervision - Inventors: Xianlei Chen; Cunjun Li; Huadong Hao; Haolei Shi; Haocai Huang; Yiping Wu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906342B2 ## CPC - G01F 17/00: Methods or apparatus for determining the capacity of containers or cavities, or the volume of solid bodies (measuring linear dimensions to determine volume G01B) - B08B 9/087: by methods involving the use of tools, e.g. brushes, scrapers ({B08B9/0808} , B08B9/20 take precedence) - B25J 11/005: {Manipulators for mechanical processing tasks} - B25J 11/0085: {Cleaning} - B62D 57/024: specially adapted for moving on inclined or vertical surfaces (endless-track vehicles for ascending or descending stairs B62D55/075; hand-carts with provision for travelling up or down stairs B62B5/02) - G01B 3/02: Rulers with scales or marks for direct reading (measuring tapes G01B3/10) - G01B 5/0021: {for measuring the volumetric dimension of an object} - G01R 33/02: Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux (G01R33/20 takes precedence) - G01S 15/08: Systems for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S15/46) - G01S 17/08: for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48) - G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract A wall-climbing robot for measuring capacity of vertical metal tanks includes a robot body including a chassis, a casing, and wheels. The robot body further includes: an attraction unit including a plurality of magnets; a measurement unit including a bendable ruler provided on the chassis and protruding from a top of the casing; the rust removal unit including a rust removing bucket provided at a front side of the robot body, and a driver for the lifting and lowering of the rust removing bucket; and a control unit including a microcontroller, a posture detector, an obstacle detector, an attraction detector, and a distance sensor. The wall-climbing robot of the present invention leaves no indentation on a surface of the metal tank, and is not affected by the rusts formed on the surface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wall-climbing robot for measuring a capacity of a vertical metal tank, comprising: a robot body comprising a chassis and a casing, wherein a plurality of wheels are provided on both sides of the chassis, respectively; the robot body further comprises: an attraction unit, comprising a plurality of magnets for attracting a wall of the metal tank, wherein the magnets are connected to form a mesh structure through a plurality of connectors and move under the chassis; a measurement unit, comprising a bendable ruler provided on the chassis and protruding from a top of the casing; a rust removal unit, comprising a rust removal bucket provided at a front side of the robot body and a driver for the lifting and lowering of the rust removal bucket; and a control unit, comprising a microcontroller, a posture detector, an obstacle detector, an attraction detector for detecting an attraction force of the magnets, a distance sensor for measuring a distance from the chassis to the wall of the metal tank, and a communication device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wall-climbing robot of claim 1, wherein each of the connectors comprises a vertical connecting rod connected to the chassis and a pull rod or rope for connecting the magnets, wherein the pull rod is rotatable around a bottom end of the vertical connecting rod. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The wall-climbing robot of claim 2, wherein the chassis is provided with a through hole for transmission of the vertical connecting rod; an adjustment block for adjusting the vertical connecting rod to slide up and down along the through hole is provided on the through hole; and the attraction detector is provided between the adjustment block and the chassis. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The wall-climbing robot of claim 3, wherein the adjustment block is in threaded connection with the vertical connecting rod. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The wall-climbing robot of claim 1, wherein the chassis is provided with a motor for driving the wheels, and each of the wheels is connected to an output end of the motor via an elastic coupling. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The wall-climbing robot of claim 1, wherein an end of the distance sensor is provided with a spring to allow the other end of the distance sensor to abut on the wall of the metal tank. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The wall-climbing robot of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit further comprises a base provided on the chassis, which is slidably connected to the chassis, and a lower end of the bendable ruler is fixed on the base. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The wall-climbing robot of claim 7, wherein the bendable ruler comprises a mounting part fixed on the base and a movable part connected to the mounting part through a rotation shaft; one side of a top of the mounting part is provided with a rounded corner and the other side is provided with a reset device connected to the movable part; and a level control bar is provided above a sliding path of the base to allow the movable part to bend around the rotation shaft. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The wall-climbing robot of claim 1, further comprising a remote control unit communicated with the control unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The wall-climbing robot of claim 1, wherein a battery compartment that is detachable is provided at the bottom of the chassis.