US-12623738-B2 - Robot with magnetic shoes applied to the metallic surfaces coating process

US12623738B2US 12623738 B2US12623738 B2US 12623738B2US-12623738-B2

Abstract

The present invention aims at developing a robot for applying coating in regions called “difficult access areas” of offshore platforms and ships, such as curved, vertical surfaces, or surfaces with negative inclination angles. The design concept was developed based on a low-weight painting system, integrated into a vehicle with magnetic shoes, which produces a constant magnetic force on the metallic surface, capable of guaranteeing the support of the vehicle in the different areas of application. The floating magnetic system aims at ensuring that the wheels have the necessary friction for the vehicle to move. The use of the equipment allows greater productivity, with agility and speed in the application of coatings, reduction of coating losses during the process, repeatability and guarantee of the thickness of the applied layer, in addition to allowing the application of the coating on vertical surfaces, with negative inclinations or curves.

Inventors

Clayton Eduardo Rodrigues
Luiz Felipe Baldo Marques
Andre Koebsch
Paulo Henrique Giusti
Doglas Negri
Ismael Secco
DIEGO DE SOUZA
Walter Kapp
Marco Shawn Meireles Machado
Felipe Faria

Assignees

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.—Petrobras
Serviço Nacional De Aprendizagem Industrial Departmento Regional De Santa Catarina—SENAI/SC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230110
Priority Date: 20220111

Claims (20)

1 . A robot with a magnetic shoe applied to metallic surfaces, wherein the robot comprises: a powertrain, a magnetic shoe, an omnidirectional wheel, a chassis, a robotic manipulator, an electrical panel, a suspension, and a process effector, wherein the chassis has a central shaft connected to two triangles by their bases and at the opposite vertex of these triangles are pivots orthogonal to the central shaft, which are connected to end axles, which are parallel to the central shaft.
2 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the robot is equipped with three powertrains comprising a motor, brake, reducer and drive shaft.
3 . The robot of claim 2 , wherein each powertrain has an omnidirectional wheel.
4 . The robot of claim 3 , wherein each omnidirectional wheel has nine equally spaced mecanum rollers and two magnetic shoes.
5 . The robot of claim 4 , wherein each shoe is positioned next to a side face of the wheel.
6 . The robot of claim 4 , wherein each shoe comprises a permanent magnet in the shape of a horseshoe.
7 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the chassis is subdivided into a sprung chassis and an unsprung subchassis articulated that adapts to the surface.
8 . The robot of claim 7 , wherein the suspension comprises a set of tubular elements connected by rotating joints, connecting axles to the sprung chassis.
9 . The robot of claim 8 , wherein the suspension is articulated for distribution of traction forces for a system of six mecanum wheels adaptable to any surface in a rigid way.
10 . The robot of claim 7 , wherein the sprung chassis supports the robot load and the manipulator arm.
11 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein a gauge of the central shaft is greater than a gauge of the end axles.
12 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein a subchassis has a central articulation that allows a different height of the end axles in relation to the center shaft.
13 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the chassis has pivots at tips of the triangles, where the end axles pivot on a longitudinal axis, allowing the axles to work in a non-parallel manner.
14 . The robot of claim 7 , wherein a force component normal to the sprung chassis is transferred to a central pivot of the end axles by links that connect corners of the chassis to a pivot of triangles of the unsprung subchassis.
15 . The robot of claim 7 , wherein force in the longitudinal direction is transferred from the sprung chassis to the central shaft through a double opposite triangle type mechanism, where a triangular base is fixed to the sprung chassis and an other base is fixed to the central shaft, the two triangles being joined by a ball joint at the apex opposite the bases.
16 . The robot of claim 15 , wherein, on the central shaft, force is divided between the end axles through the unsprung subchassis.
17 . The robot of claim 15 , wherein parallel force applied to the sprung chassis is transferred to the central shaft through a double rigid quadrilateral, articulated by its parallel bases.
18 . The robot of claim 15 , wherein rolling force applied to the sprung chassis is transferred to the central shaft through a double rigid quadrilateral, articulated by its parallel bases.
19 . The robot of claim 7 , wherein a pitch moment component applied to the sprung chassis is transferred to a central pivot of the end axles by links that connect the corners of the chassis to a pivot of triangles of the unsprung subchassis.
20 . The robot of claim 19 , wherein a moment applied to the end axles by wheels is transferred to the unsprung subchassis by a set of corner links.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to Brazilian Application No. 10 2022 000551 6, filed on Jan. 11, 2022, and entitled “ROBOT WITH MAGNETIC SHOES APPLIED TO THE METALLIC SURFACES COATING PROCESS,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is related to the field of painting and coating curved, vertical metallic surfaces, and surfaces with negative inclination angles of offshore oil platforms, ships, or refining operating units, such as tanks and storage spheres. DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART The scanning of large surfaces for painting requires a large automated positioning infrastructure, which is usually fixed at the factory. However, in the case of ship hulls and offshore oil platforms, this type of infrastructure is so large that it becomes economically unfeasible. So, for these cases, something mobile is used on the surface to be painted. Several technologies can be used, such as the use of vehicles with wheels or magnetic tracks, systems of magnetic shoes or shoes with suction cups, installation of rails, among other technical solutions. For a painting or coating process to be applicable to large surfaces outside the horizontal plane, it is necessary to use machines and positioning systems capable of placing the process tools at any and all points on the surface. In conventional industrial environments, scaffolding, overhead cranes, linear guides, anthropomorphic robots, etc. are used for this type of activity. However, there are some surfaces that are found in environments that do not favor the use of this more common equipment, as is the case of offshore platforms and oil extraction vessels, in which the coating of metallic surfaces is vital to prevent the deterioration of the infrastructure of the plant by oxidation and other erosive agents. First, these manufacturing environments have very large surfaces, which often makes it impossible to use fixed-base equipment that can automate or mechanize a coating process. Another point of great influence on the complexity of applying a coating process in an offshore environment is the difficulty of peripheral access to the surface to be coated. That is, maintenance operations on the sides of ships and platforms are usually carried out from the deck or the structure itself; unlike, for example, applying a coating to a part inside a factory on dry land. As the platforms and ships remain in operation for a long time offshore, it is not feasible to wait for docking or a total maintenance stoppage to perform the coating of the structure. As a result, currently, the application of coating in these environments is done in full operation of the plant and manually by workers, who are supported by ropes and cables to the side or area to be coated/painted. This work routine, in a way, meets the demands of maintaining the facilities, but it becomes very costly for the company, as the manual coating process is very slow and dangerous, which limits the worker productivity. And as the process is slow, the time a worker stays on the platform for this purpose is usually extended, which is a problem for offshore plants, since there is a very strict control and restriction for access and permanence of workers in that location, causing a coating process operator to occupy, for too long, a “space” in the plant that could be filled by another type of specialty. Considering these arguments, it becomes extremely important to search for technologies that can accelerate the process of coating metallic structures in offshore environments, in which many of the areas are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to be accessed by humans, without jeopardizing the integrity of the worker. In this context, a solution was sought to automate, make flexible and improve the coating process, considering the way it is done today. Currently, the coating processes on oil extraction platforms and similar structures is done through the use of workers specialized in industrial climbing. These professionals are suspended by ropes so that they can access the areas and surfaces on which the coating must be applied, using hand tools to perform the task. Industrial climbers use manual spray guns, fed by paint pumps mounted on the deck of the vessel/platform, performing the paint application “by eye” and with little control over the scan speed of the paint fan and the distance from gun to surface to be coated. Further, this work model does not allow the application of coating in all necessary areas, since many of the points of the structure are inaccessible to climbers, given the curvature or inclination of the surface, which prevents the worker from descending, without considering the implications of security of a worker attempt to access such locations. Given these particularities, the current process is inefficient and very costly, as it requires the climber to remain on the platform fo