Vehicle adapted to freely travel three-dimensionally by magnetic force and wheel for the vehicle
US5355807A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 28, 1993 |
| Grant date | Oct 18, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 28, 2013 |
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 in pipes to determine the condition of the interior of the pipes. The vehicle has at least on wheel which is capable of travelling on walls of magnetic material. Each wheel comprises an outer wheel member having an annular peripheral wall and an inner wheel member including a portion of a magnetically permeable material. The inner wheel member has an outside diameter smaller that 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.