Pipeline inspection vehicle for detecting defects in pipeline walls
AssigneeBritish Gas Corporation
InventorIan Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pipeline inspection vehicle for detecting defects in the pipeline wall provided with a detector support system comprising a freely supported ring encircling the body of the vehicle and on which are mounted a plurality of spring-loaded pivotally connected link plates, the outermost plates of which carry flux-sensing devices and are urged by spring means resiliently to engage the inner surface of the pipeline wall.
Claims9
A pipeline inspection vehicle for detecting defects in pipeline walls, having a system for supporting a plurality of detector modules for detecting said defects, which system comprises, a plurality of sledge units each carrying one of said detector modules, a floating ring member disposed around but spaced from the vehicle, means for connectig said ring member about the body of said vehicle, and means for pivotally connecting the sledge units to said ring member in circumferential side-by-side relationship with each other around said ring member, each sledge unit comprising two or more links connected together for pivotal movement with respect to each other, one of said links being arranged to carry a detector module whilst the link remote from said detector module-carrying link being connected to said ring member by pivotal connecting means, and spring means connected respectively to the remote link and to the detector carrying link and arranged independently to urge the leading trailing edges of the detector module-carrying link outwardly so as to resilienly engage the inner surface of the pipeline wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.