Speed Control Characteristics and Energy Consumption Modeling for Composite Driving inPipe Robot * In order to realize the longdistance inspection of the inpipe robot, a new type of composite inpipe robot mechanism driven by integrated the fluid medium and the motor is proposed in this paper. By analyzing the speed regulation mode of the speedregulating mechanism of discharge flow, the dynamic equation for the fluid drive of the inpipe robot is established, and according to the requirements of the inspection conditions of the inpipe robot on the moving speed, the dynamic model of the speed regulation for the fast motion and deceleration drive is proposed. Furthermore, the energy consumption evaluation model of the composite driving inpipe robot is established, the speed regulation characteristics and energy consumption variation characteristics of the inpipe robot adapted to three kinds of the inspection conditions are studied by simulation. The energy consumption variation rule of the inpipe robot with different moving speed and fluid pressure is analyzed and studied by using the experimental prototype of the composite driving inpipe robot, and the valuable conclusions are obtained.

An Inpipe Inspection Module with an Omnidirectional Bentpipe Selfadaptation Mechanism using a Joint Torque Control This study presents an inpipe inspection robot module, called AIRo2.3s. This robot module can control its joint angle and torque and adapt to any directed bent pipe regardless of its orientation. Stretching the drive wheels against the inner wall of pipes is essential for adapting robots to be used in vertical pipes and slippery inner surfaces. To achieve this, a series elastic actuator (SEA) with a high reduction system and a polyurethane rubber is installed to sense the joint torque. More than 100 N constant traction force and a wide range of adaptive inner diameters (4 to 6 in.) are achieved despite the short body length, a minimum number of the drive wheels, and a simple joint of 1 degree of freedom. Experiments to verify the performance in bent pipes are conducted after the robot module configuration is described.