Motion analysis of a cleaner robot for vertical type air conditioning duct

This paper presents a development of a cleaner robot for vertical type air conditioning duct. The air conditioning duct is used for ventilation and air conditioning. After years use of the duct without cleaning, much dust is gathered inside the duct. That leads scattering the dust into rooms. This is not desirable in the view point of sanitation or health. Thus, periodic cleaning of the duct is requested. For the cleaning work, an air hose type cleaner robot is developed. An air nozzle is attached with the tip of the hose type robot. Compressed air blows off the dust from the air nozzle, then the dust inside the duct is collected by a dust collector with a filter. The part of nozzle is manipulated by wires´ constraint using two DC motors. By watching TV monitor which shows inside of the duct, the cleaning work is done remotely using a control stick operation. To control the nozzle of the hose robot, the paper discusses a relation between position of nozzle (tip of hose robot) and wire length. Discussions on wire force for the position are also given. An experiment of the motion for the hose robot is presented, then theoretical solutions and experimental results are compared.