Design of Spring Parameters for a Screw Drive In-Pipe Robot Based on Energy Consumption Model

摘要

The wall pressing arms of a screw drive in-pipe　robot are usually designed by using springs to be elastic. This is　because pipe-diameter adaptability and climbing obstacle　capability can be enhanced by the elastic arms. However, the　axis of the robot deviates from that of the pipe exactly because of　elasticity and gravity. Some extra energy is consumed wastefully　due to wheel slipping and spring deformation. In order to　improve energy utilization, this paper focuses on the design of　spring parameters including stiffness and preload force. Firstly,　kinematics model and static model are proposed in consideration　of wheel slipping and spring deformation. Secondly, the energy　consumption relation with spring parameters is presented and　analyzed numerically based on the robot models. Finally, a　parameter design strategy is proposed by which the robot can be　energy saving and climb up in the vertical pipe.