Inventors:
Subramanian Vallapuzha - Pittsburgh PA, US
Scott M. Thayer - Pittsburgh PA, US
Eric C. Close - Sewickley PA, US
Joseph Salotti - Pittsburgh PA, US
Ronald Genise - Wexford PA, US
Alan Gerber - Pittsburgh PA, US
Adam Slifko - Pittsburgh PA, US
Edison Hudson - Chapel Hill NC, US
Gregory Baltus - Pittsburgh PA, US
Carlos F. Reverte - Miami FL, US
Prasanna Kumar Velagapudi - Suffern NY, US
Assignee:
RedZone Robotics, Inc. - Pittsburgh PA
International Classification:
G06F 19/00
G05B 19/18
G05B 15/00
E02F 5/10
F16L 55/18
US Classification:
700245, 700253, 700259, 700260, 4051841, 138 97
Abstract:
Methods and tools for automatically performing work within a pipe or pipe network based on sensed impedance information. A robot, which may be tethered or un-tethered, includes a computer controller and a work tool for performing work within the pipe. With or without impedance-based calibration, the robot senses environmental and tool-based impedance characteristics and determines, using said software, ways in which the current work performance can be altered or improved based on the impedance information. The operation of the work tool is then altered in line with the control software. Many different types of work related to the inspection, cleaning and rehabilitation of pipes can be accomplished with the present robots including reinstating laterals after lining, cutting or clearing debris, sealing pipe joints and/or other heretofore manual pipe-based processes.