Development of “Tumbler-1” an Oil Tank Floor Plate Wall Thickness Measurement Robot

-Basic Design and Posture Estimation During the Movement in Liquid-

Abstract

This paper describes a robot called “Tumbler-1” to measure the thickness of floor plates in oil tanks using an ultrasonic sensor. The robot has a structure in which the main body always stands upright by separating the center of buoyancy from the center of gravity. However, during the motion, the robot tilts due to fluid resistance, and thus, a simulator to estimate the posture in liquid was built as a part of the research and development. Finally, comparison between the simulated posture and the actual posture and thickness measurement experiments were conducted in an indoor pool.