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Internal Pipeline Exploration of an In-pipe Robot Using the Shadow of Pipe Fittings  

Lee, Jung-Sub (성균관대학교 기계공학부)
Lee, Dong-Hyuk (성균관대학교 기계공학부)
Roh, Se-Gon (동경공업대학교 기계우주공학과)
Moon, Hyung-Pil (성균관대학교 기계공학부)
Choi, Hyouk-Ryeol (성균관대학교 기계공학부)
Publication Information
The Journal of Korea Robotics Society / v.5, no.3, 2010 , pp. 251-261 More about this Journal
Abstract
In this paper, we introduce an internal pipeline exploration of an in-pipe robot, based on the landmark recognition system. The fittings of pipelines such as elbows and branches are used as the landmarks. The robot recognizes the landmarks with a vision system by using the shadows of the elements, which are generated by the specially designed illuminator on the robot. By using a simple image-processing, the robot can easily detect and distinguish these landmarks while recognizing the direction of the pipeline path. Simultaneously, all information for exploration is continuously recorded and used to reconstruct the map of the pipelines. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by real experiments using the in-pipe robot MRINSPECT V for moving inside of the miniature urban 8-inch gas pipeline structure.
Keywords
In-pipe robot; Landmark; Pipeline;
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Times Cited By KSCI : 1  (Citation Analysis)
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