Crawler for inspecting pipes

A system for maintaining a position of a crawler on an apex of a pipe, the system comprising:

• means for measuring an incline of the crawler;
• means for sending the measured incline to a computer;
• means for calculating a speed of at least one wheel driving motor to keep the crawler on the apex of the pipe based on the measured incline, wherein the means for calculating a speed comprises a calibration factor;
• and
• means for driving the at least one wheel driving motor at the calculated speed.

A computer program product, comprising:

• computer readable medium comprising:
• code for causing a crawler to maintain a position on an apex of a pipe, the computer code comprising:
• code for causing an incline of the crawler to be measured;
• code for causing the measured incline to be sent to a computer;
• code for causing a speed of at least one wheel driving motor be calculated to keep the crawler on the apex of the pipe based on the measured incline, wherein the code for causing a speed be calculated comprises code for causing a calibration factor to be added;
• and
• code for causing the at least one wheel driving motor be driven at the calculated speed.

A system for scanning pipes using a crawler, the system comprising:

• a chassis;
• four tires comprising adjusting apparatuses for configuring the four tires for a specified sized pipe, wherein the four tires comprise solid tires with predetermined material removed for damping and traction;
• at least one drive motor for independently driving at least two of the four tires;
• at least one position sensor disposed in the chassis;
• a controller for driving the at least one drive motor and for keeping the crawler on an apex of the pipe based on data from the position sensor;
• and
• a pipe scanner affixed to the chassis.