Vehicle adapted to freely travel three-dimensionally and up vertical walls by magnetic force and wheel for the vehicle
US5220869A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 7, 1991 |
| Grant date | Jun 22, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 7, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S180/901
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
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.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.