DEVELOPMENT OF AN WHEELED CLIMBING ROBOT FOR METALLIC SURFACES WITH PERMANENT MAGNETIC SYSTEM DYNAMIC ADJUSTMENT

This paper presents the design and analysis of the permanent magnetic system for a wall-climbing robot with permanent magnetic tracks. Based on the behaviour of gecko lizards, the architecture of the robot was designed and built, including the structure of the adhesion mechanism, the mechanical architecture and the anti-toppling mechanism. The permanent magnetic adhesion mechanism and the tracked locomotion mechanism were employed in this kind of wall-climbing robot. Through static and dynamic force analysis of the robot under different situations, design requirements for the adhesion mechanism were derived. Two different types of structures were put forward for the permanent magnetic units and are further discussed in this paper. These two types of structures are also analysed in detail. In addition, a finite-element method was used to verify the results of magnetic units. Finally, two wall-climbing robots, equipped with different magnetic systems described previously, are explained and their applications are discussed in this paper.

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Permanent magnetic system design for the wall-climbing robot

IEEE International Conference Mechatronics and Automation, 2005 ◽

10.1109/icma.2005.1626883 ◽

2006 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Weimin Shen ◽

J. Gu ◽

Yanjun Shen

Keyword(s):

System Design ◽

Magnetic System ◽

Climbing Robot

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Architecture of an wheeled climbing robot with dynamic adjustment of the adhesion system

IEEE 8th International Symposium on Intelligent Systems and Informatics ◽

10.1109/sisy.2010.5647251 ◽

2010 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

A. L. C. Oliveira ◽

M. F. Silva ◽

R. S. Barbosa

Keyword(s):

Climbing Robot ◽

Dynamic Adjustment ◽

Adhesion System

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Climbing Robot for Ferromagnetic Surfaces with Dynamic Adjustment of the Adhesion System

Journal of Robotics ◽

10.1155/2012/906545 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Manuel F. Silva ◽

Ramiro S. Barbosa ◽

António L. C. Oliveira

Keyword(s):

Permanent Magnets ◽

Large Radius ◽

Climbing Robot ◽

Dynamic Adjustment ◽

Ship Hulls ◽

Tall Structures ◽

Inspection Process ◽

Fuel Storage ◽

Adjustment System ◽

Remote Inspection

This paper presents a climbing robot with wheeled locomotion and adhesion through permanent magnets, developed with the intention of being used in the inspection of different types of man-made ferromagnetic structures, such as towers for wind turbines, fuel storage tanks, and ship hulls. In this paper are presented the main considerations thought for its project, as well as several constructive aspects, among which are detailed its mechanical and electrical construction, the implemented control architecture, and the human-machine interface developed for the manual and automatic control of the vehicle while in operation. Although it can be manually controlled, the vehicle is designed to have a semiautonomous behavior, allowing a remote inspection process controlled by a technician, this way reducing the risks associated with the human inspection of tall structures and ATEX places. The distinguishing characteristic of this robot is its dynamic adjustment system of the permanent magnets in order to assure the machine adhesion to the surfaces, even when crossing slightly irregular and curved surfaces with a large radius.

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