Development of Pushing Control Mechanisms for Generator Inspection Robot

For reducing inspection time and prolonging inspection intervals, robotic inspection technology for generators has been advanced. The inspection robot moves inside a gap between the rotor and the stator, and executes inspections. To prevent falling of the robot in the generator, most of the inspection robots were designed to attach itself to the stator with magnetic force. However, it is difficult to control the magnetic force when the robot moves. Moreover, these robots cannot move in the generator with segregating baffles which are installed on the stator. In this paper, the inspection robot with pushing control mechanisms is developed. The developed robot moves on the rotor, while using the arms to push the stator. The pushing force by each arm is controlled to support the body. The proposed mechanisms enable the robot to move in the generator while avoiding the segregating baffles. In this paper, the pushing control mechanisms are proposed, and the force control performance of the proposed mechanisms is confirmed.