US 5,284,096 AGranted

Vehicle for use in pipes

AssigneeOsaka Gas Co., Ltd.

InventorsRonald E. Pelrine, Eric A. Edwards, Lawrence S. Gullman

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A vehicle is provided for moving within pipes to determine the condition of the interior of the pipes. The vehicle has at least one wheel which is capable of travelling on walls of magnetic material. Each wheel comprises an outer wheel member having an annular peripheral wall with an inner wheel member including a portion of magnetically permeable material. The inner wheel member has an outside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the outer wheel member and is rollable on the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel member. A magnet is provided in the inner wheel member having magnetic poles in contact with the permeable portion of the inner wheel. The vehicle is capable of moving through pipes without being blocked by obstacles such as a vertical wall extending from a horizontal surface. A sensor is mounted on the vehicle and a sensor processing module receives distance and time data and processes the data to determine whether the pipe is clear or obstructed.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A vehicle adapted to freely travel three-dimensionally on a running surface and comprising a vehicle body, and at least one wheel on the vehicle body, the wheel comprising an outer wheel member having an annular peripheral wall and having a rigidity capable of bearing the load of the vehicle and magnetic forces applied to the wheel, an inner wheel member including a portion of magnetically permeable material having an outside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the other wheel member and rollable on the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel member, a magnet provided in the inner wheel member and having magnetic poles in contact with the permeable portion, a drive assembly for driving said at least one wheel, the drive assembly being connected to the inner wheel member of said wheel, so that when the vehicle travels from a first surface portion to a second surface portion at an angle inclined relative to the first surface portion such that the outer wheel member simultaneously comes into contact with the first surface portion at a first point and with the second surface portion at a second point and initially remains stationary, the inner wheel member rolls along the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel member from a first position wherein the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner wheel in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel lies adjacent to said first point and the inner wheel member is magnetically attracted to the first surface portion to a second position wherein the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner wheel in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel lies adjacent to said second point and the inner wheel member is magnetically attracted to the second surface portion so as to maintain the outer wheel in contact with said second surface portion so that the vehicle can then travel from said initial stationary position along said second surface portion.

A vehicle for use in pipes comprising a vehicle body, at least one wheel provided respectively on the vehicle body, and a drive assembly for driving at least one wheel, the wheel comprising an outer wheel member having an annular peripheral wall, an inner wheel member including a portion of magnetically permeable material having an outside diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the other wheel member and rollable on the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel member, and a magnet provided in the inner wheel member and having magnetic poles in contact with the permeable portion, the drive assembly being connected to the outer wheel member of said wheel, the magnet having a magnetic force sufficient to hold the vehicle on the surface of a pipe to prevent the vehicle from falling off the pipe so that when the vehicle travels from a first surface portion to a second surface portion at an angle inclined relative to the first surface portion such that the outer wheel member simultaneously comes in contact with the first surface portion at a first point and with the second surface portion at a second point and initially remains stationary, the inner wheel member rolls along the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel member from a first position wherein the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner wheel in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel lies adjacent to said first point and the inner wheel member is magnetically attracted to the first surface portion to a second position wherein the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner wheel in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer wheel lies adjacent to said second point and the inner wheel member is magnetically attracted to the second surface portion so as to maintain the outer wheel in contact with said second surface portion so that the vehicle can then travel from said initial stationary position along said second surface portion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.