Numerous studies have developed in-pipe locomotive devices to inspect pipes. However, it is difficult to achieve selective locomotion in a branched piping system. In this study, a novel steerable in-pipe locomotive device is proposed based on “a six-braided-tubes locomotive device,” which is an in-pipe locomotive device that is actuated by only six pneumatic inflatable tubes. It is one of the simplest in-pipe locomotive devices that is capable of forward and backward motion and can rotate in clockwise and counterclockwise directions along a pipe, can select the desired pathway in the branched pipe. In this paper, we discuss the background of pipe inspection, classify previously developed in-pipe locomotive devices, and clarify the aim of this study. Additionally, we also describe and extend the locomotive principles of six-braided-tubes locomotive devices. Moreover, we propose a novel attachment, termed steering hook, to enable steering in various types of branched systems. Finally, we experimentally confirm that the novel proposed principle allows the device to correct path selection in an in-pipe branched piping system.

中文翻译：

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带有六个编织管的可操纵的管内机车装置的开发

许多研究已经开发了用于检查管道的管道内机车装置。但是，在分支管道系统中很难实现选择性的运动。在这项研究中，基于“六股管机车装置”提出了一种新颖的可转向的管内机车装置，该装置是仅由六个充气管驱动的管内机车装置。它是最简单的管道内机车设备之一，能够向前和向后运动，并且可以沿管道沿顺时针和逆时针方向旋转，可以在分支的管道中选择所需的路径。在本文中，我们讨论了管道检查的背景，对先前开发的管道内机车设备进行分类，并阐明了本研究的目的。另外，我们还描述并扩展了六股编织管机车装置的机车原理。此外，我们提出了一种新颖的附件，称为转向钩，可以在各种类型的分支系统中进行转向。最后，我们通过实验确认，新提出的原理允许该设备纠正管道内分支管道系统中的路径选择。