Apparatus for traversing a structure and determining positional data

Abstract

A surface position sensor is disclosed. The sensor comprises a sensor housing moveable across a surface of an elongate tubular walled body, the elongate tubular walled body defining an axial direction extending along a length of the walled body and a transverse circumferential direction extending along a circumference of the walled body and a three-degree-of-freedom force sensor for sensing circumferential movement of the sensor housing across the surface of the elongate tubular walled body. The sensor also comprises a processing module for receiving an output of a three-degree-of-freedom force sensor and determining a current circumferential position on the surface as the surface position sensor moves across the surface of the elongate tubular walled body and an indicator for indicating a current positioning of the surface position sensor relative to a reference circumferential position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.