Robotics Inspection Vehicle (RIV) and Camera Control Module

旋转电机的定子铁芯由薄层磁性钢制成，用固体绝缘隔开，以防止轴向电流。如果薄片由于绝缘失效而暴露在短路条件下，则由于轴向电流流动而产生的高温可能会损坏定子。绝缘失效最初可以作为局部放电开始，随着时间的推移，局部放电会传播并导致绝缘失效。因此，有必要定期监测和检查每两个相邻层之间的绝缘完整性。首选的方法是在转子就位时进行检查。为了实现转子原位检查，IRIS Power设计、开发并销售了一种名为机器人检查车（RIV）的特定技术，该技术可以在转子和定子之间的狭窄间隙中移动，还携带一个小型摄像机和轻型传感器进行检查。现有版本的RIV单位是接近其使用寿命的结束，由于陈旧的原始组件。此外，摄像机和RIV控制目前是作为两个独立的单元实现的，不协调。该项目的目标是重新设计RIV和相机的控制系统，以(i)解决组件过时的问题，（ii）将RIV和相机的控制集成在一个控制平台上，以及（iii）在RIV和相机功能之间提供充分的协调。设想的、统一的控制单元将允许测量结果的预期协调，并提高检测/检验精度。预计新控制单元和摄像头的新增功能将解决现有客户报告的所有问题，从而提高改进技术的适销性。

The stator core of the rotating electric machine is made of thin laminations of magnetic steel, separated by solidinsulation to prevent axial currents. If laminations are exposed to short-circuit conditions due to the insulationfailure, the high temperatures that result due to the axial current flow can damage the stator. The insulationfailure can initially start as a partial electrical discharge which can propagate with time and result in theinsulation failure. Therefore, there is a need for regular monitoring and inspection of the insulation integritybetween each two adjacent laminations. The preferred approach is to conduct the inspection while the rotor isin place. To enable rotor-in-place inspection, IRIS Power has designed, developed and marketed a specifictechnology referred to the Robotic Inspection Vehicle (RIV) which can move in the narrow gap between therotor and the stator and also carry a small camera and light-weight transducers for inspection.The existing version of the RIV unit is near to the end of its useful life-span due to obsolescence of the originalcomponents. Furthermore, the camera and the RIV control are currently implemented as two independent unitsthat are not coordinated. The objective of this project is to redesign a control system for the RIV and thecamera to (i) address the component obsolescence, (ii) integrate the controls of the RIV and the camera in onecontrol platform, and (iii) provide full coordination between the RIV and the camera functions. The envisioned,unified, control unit will allow the desired coordination of measurement results and improvesdetection/inspection accuracy. It is expected that the added features of the new control unit and camera willaddress all issues reported by existing customers, leading to increased marketability of the improvedtechnology.