Patent ID: 11867009
Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 9:
10. A mobility platform having a mobility platform longitudinal axis and capable of traveling in a downhole environment, comprising:
a plurality of interconnected modules including at a forward end of the modules a navigation module, wherein the navigation module has a first processor executing first code therein configured to detect a feature of the downhole environment, to generate a data signal corresponding to the detected feature, and to direct the plurality of interconnected modules comprising the mobility platform toward the feature within the downhole environment, the navigation module including:
a front end having a socket;
an articulating arm having a spherical end rotatably mounted in the socket;
a sensor disposed at a forward end of the articulating arm configured to detect the feature, and
an actuator connected to bend the articulating arm in a selected lateral direction;

a first drive module among the plurality of interconnected modules, the first drive module having a first drive module longitudinal axis coincident with the mobility platform longitudinal axis, and three first retractable tractor treads spaced 120 degrees apart from each other about the first drive module longitudinal axis, with the three first tractor treads extendable radially out from the first drive module longitudinal axis, and retractable radially in towards the first drive module longitudinal axis;
a second drive module among the plurality of interconnected modules, the second drive module having a second drive module longitudinal axis coincident with the mobility platform longitudinal axis, and three second retractable tractor treads spaced 120 degrees apart from each other about the second drive module longitudinal axis, with the three second tractor treads extendable radially out from the second drive module longitudinal axis, and retractable radially in towards the second drive module longitudinal axis, and wherein the three second tractor treads are rotated by a non-zero angle about the mobility platform longitudinal axis to be spaced by the non-zero angle relative to the three first tractor treads; and
a computing module among the plurality of interconnected modules, the computing module having a computing housing disposed along the mobility platform longitudinal axis between the first and second drive modules, the computing module having a second processor executing second code therein configured, responsive to the data signal, to determine a first width of an upcoming portion in the selected direction; and
wherein the computing module is further configured to:
control the actuator to bend the articulating arm in the selected lateral direction to direct the articulating arm toward the upcoming portion of the downhole environment,
control the first and second drive modules using a first wireless signal sent to the first and second drive modules to extend or retract the three first tractor treads spaced 120 degrees apart from each other about the first drive module longitudinal axis, and to extend or retract the three second tractor treads spaced 120 degrees apart from each other about the second drive module longitudinal axis, respectively, with the three first tractor treads extendable or retractable radially out from or in towards the first drive module longitudinal axis, respectively, and with the three second tractor treads extendable or retractable radially out from or in towards the second drive module longitudinal axis, respectively, to have each of the first and second drive modules configured with a second width less than a first width to fit the mobility platform in the upcoming portion in the selected direction, and
control the first and second drive modules using a second wireless signal sent to the first and second drive modules to drive the first and second tractor treads, respectively, to move the mobility platform in the upcoming portion in the selected direction.