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Underground inspection

An automated winch system that measures the rope's slip and cancels it out - for probes up to 300 m into the duct.

CustomerTALPA, Switzerland

ScopeDrive sizing · Slip compensation · X1 firmware · Data streaming

Topics

Mechanical engineering
Electronics

Looking down a duct shaft with pipes, hoses and standing water

Starting point

Requirements

A probe was to be pulled underground through ducts up to 300 m long. The motion profile: pull a set distance, stand still, pull again.

Space at the far end of the duct was limited, so the winch could only act as a pulling station, not as a rope reel. That is exactly why the rope could slip on the shaft.

The maximum force had to be adjustable, and position, speed and required force readable in real time.

On top of that came the requirements arising from the conditions underground.

Solution

Our approach

We used a special motor with an integrated winch. It fitted the available space, simplified the design and saved parts such as the toothed belt - which brought the cost of the overall system down. It did have to be wound specifically for 48 V; we were able to source prototypes quickly.
We solved the slip with an additional encoder that measures the rope passing through. Motor commutation (FOC) still runs off the integrated encoder, but in position control mode the external encoder supplies the actual position - which compensates for the slip.
Our X1 controller with adapted firmware serves as the motor control. We supported the team on site with the mechanical integration of the drive technology.
The measurement data is streamed to a control PC at 50 Hz.

Result

What came out of it

A previously manual process is now automated, which raises efficiency on site.
The data stream gives the customer the data points they care about on rope forces, and improves the quality of their measurements.
The special motor with its integrated winch simplified the design and lowered the cost of the overall system.

Customer

TALPA, Switzerland

TALPA is a Swiss startup that inspects underground ducts. A probe is pulled through the duct to take the measurements.

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