{"title":"Spatial positioning robotic system for autonomous inspection of LPG tanks","authors":"Jie Li, Jiyuan Wu, Chunlei Tu, Xingsong Wang","doi":"10.1108/ir-03-2022-0076","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"\nPurpose\nAutomatic robots can improve the efficiency of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank inspection and maintenance, but it is difficult to achieve high-precision spatial positioning and navigation on tank surfaces. The purpose of this paper is to develop a spatial positioning robotic system for tank inspection. The robot can accurately identify and track weld paths. The positioning system can complete robot’s spatial positioning on tank surfaces.\n\n\nDesign/methodology/approach\nA tank inspection robot with curvature-adaptive transmission mechanisms is designed in this study. A weld path recognition method based on deep learning is proposed to accurately identify and extract weld paths. Integrated multiple sensors, the positioning system is developed to improve the robot’s spatial positioning accuracy. Experiments are conducted on a cylindrical tank to test weld seam tracking accuracy and spatial positioning performance of the robotic system. The practicality of the robotic system is then verified in field tests.\n\n\nFindings\nThe robot can accurately identify and track weld seams with a maximum drift angle of 4° and a maximum offset distance of ±30 mm. The positioning system has excellent positioning accuracy and stability. The maximum angle and height errors are 3° and 0.08 m, respectively.\n\n\nOriginality/value\nThe positioning system can improve the autonomous performance of inspection robots and solve the problems of weld path recognition and spatial positioning. Application of the robotic system can promote the automatic inspection and maintenance of LPG tanks.\n","PeriodicalId":54987,"journal":{"name":"Industrial Robot-The International Journal of Robotics Research and Application","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2022-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Industrial Robot-The International Journal of Robotics Research and Application","FirstCategoryId":"94","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ir-03-2022-0076","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, INDUSTRIAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Purpose
Automatic robots can improve the efficiency of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank inspection and maintenance, but it is difficult to achieve high-precision spatial positioning and navigation on tank surfaces. The purpose of this paper is to develop a spatial positioning robotic system for tank inspection. The robot can accurately identify and track weld paths. The positioning system can complete robot’s spatial positioning on tank surfaces.
Design/methodology/approach
A tank inspection robot with curvature-adaptive transmission mechanisms is designed in this study. A weld path recognition method based on deep learning is proposed to accurately identify and extract weld paths. Integrated multiple sensors, the positioning system is developed to improve the robot’s spatial positioning accuracy. Experiments are conducted on a cylindrical tank to test weld seam tracking accuracy and spatial positioning performance of the robotic system. The practicality of the robotic system is then verified in field tests.
Findings
The robot can accurately identify and track weld seams with a maximum drift angle of 4° and a maximum offset distance of ±30 mm. The positioning system has excellent positioning accuracy and stability. The maximum angle and height errors are 3° and 0.08 m, respectively.
Originality/value
The positioning system can improve the autonomous performance of inspection robots and solve the problems of weld path recognition and spatial positioning. Application of the robotic system can promote the automatic inspection and maintenance of LPG tanks.
期刊介绍:
Industrial Robot publishes peer reviewed research articles, technology reviews and specially commissioned case studies. Each issue includes high quality content covering all aspects of robotic technology, and reflecting the most interesting and strategically important research and development activities from around the world.
The journal’s policy of not publishing work that has only been tested in simulation means that only the very best and most practical research articles are included. This ensures that the material that is published has real relevance and value for commercial manufacturing and research organizations. Industrial Robot''s coverage includes, but is not restricted to:
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Programming optimisation
Simulation and offline programming
Service robots
Autonomous robots
Swarm intelligence
Humanoid robots
Prosthetics and exoskeletons
Machine intelligence
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Cooperative robots
Flexible grippers and tactile sensing
Robot vision
Teleoperation
Mobile robots
Search and rescue robots
Robot welding
Collision avoidance
Robotic machining
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Call for Papers 2020
AI for Autonomous Unmanned Systems
Agricultural Robot
Brain-Computer Interfaces for Human-Robot Interaction
Cooperative Robots
Robots for Environmental Monitoring
Rehabilitation Robots
Wearable Robotics/Exoskeletons.