Tethered mobile climbing robot for inspecting tanks in confined environments
OwnerJames Walter Beard, III, David Andrew Bryant +1inventors
InventorsJames Walter Beard, III, David Andrew Bryant, Stephen Lee Canfield
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A Mobile Climbing Robot (MCR) with wheel or endless-track type propulsion using magnetic attraction for generating adhering forces is adapted to climbing non-planar surfaces such as intersecting walls, pipes or other structural members. A tether is connected to the MCR through a tether linkage that causes the tether to bend with a radius that keeps it from protruding outside of the MCR wheels. The purpose of this is to increase the mobility when passing over variations of the climbing surface such as edges or corners. The purpose is to further protect the tether from wear caused by rubbing with the climbing surface.
Claims4
A suction-based climbing robot for traversing a climbing surface and traversing variations in geometry of the climbing surface comprising,
- a chassis,
- at least one propulsion wheel attached to the chassis,
- a suction chamber,
- a tether linkage wherein the tether linkage creates a port that can rotate by 90 degrees or more about one axis with sliding baffles that restrict air flow to maintain pressure or vacuum in air transferred to the suction-based climbing robot, and
- a tether that includes a tube that transmits air flow under pressure or vacuum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.