DESC:Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous mechanical, electronics, software and artificial intelligence-based inspection system to inspect, identify, diagnose, analyse, optimize and provide preventive and prescriptive maintenance for anode baking furnaces.

Background of the invention

[0002] The metal Aluminium is largely produced through a process called Electrical Smelting, which involves extracting the aluminium metal from Alumina (ore bauxite). Smelting involves reducing a refined form of bauxite known as alumina into aluminium through electrolysis in an electrolytic cell made of a steel shell with a series of insulating linings of refractory materials.
[0003] The electrolyte is usually a molten cryolite (Na3AlF6) bath and dissolved alumina.
[0004] Each electrolytic cell comprises of a brick-lined outer steel shell as a container and support. Inside the shell, cathode blocks essentially made of anthracite, graphite and petroleum coke are cemented together by ramming paste. The top lining is in contact with the molten metal and acts as the cathode. The molten electrolyte is maintained at a high temperature inside the cell.
[0005] Carbon is chosen as the material for anodes for the electrical smelting process because it is stable and inert under the harsh conditions of the electrical smelting cell. The cost-effectiveness of carbon anodes contributes to the economic viability of aluminium production.
[0006] The Anode for the Electrolytic cell is prebaked and made of carbon in the form of large, sintered blocks suspended in the electrolyte. Multiple prebaked carbon blocks are used as anode.
[0007] Anodes are also made of petroleum coke, mixed with coal-tar-pitch, followed by forming and baking at elevated temperatures.
[0008] The anode needs to conduct electrical current efficiently to the alumina bath to facilitate the breakdown of alumina into aluminium and oxygen.
[0009] The anode operates in a highly corrosive environment, with molten cryolite and alumina at high temperatures (around 950°C or 1,742°F).
[0010] Carbon is resistant to chemical attack under these conditions. Carbon is a good conductor of electricity, making it suitable for carrying the electric current required for electrolysis.
[0011] Carbon anodes react with the oxygen generated at the anode during the electrolysis process. This reaction involves the formation of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO).
[0012] The anode quality affects technological, economic, and environmental aspects of aluminium production.
[0013] Over time, carbon anodes are gradually consumed through reactions with oxygen and need to be periodically replaced, requiring the overall process to produce and replenish these anodes continuously.
[0014] In Aluminium metal production, Anode Baking is an important step where Anode(s) used in Aluminium Electrical Smelting are produced in a large number.
[0015] A typical prebaked anode is made from a mixture of petroleum coke, coal tar pitch, and recycled butts. An anode butt is the rest of the used anode removed from the cell during anode changing. The butt’s content in the new anodes can vary, but it is typically between 15% and 25%.
[0016] The main constituent of prebaked carbon anodes is calcined petroleum coke, carbon anodes also contain 13 to 16 % coal tar pitch to be used as a binder material, thus binding coke and butts particles together in paste and the paste put in the mould, after vibro compaction green anodes are made.
[0017] In the anode production process, the petroleum coke and the recycled anode material (butts) are crushed and sieved into fractions, which are then blended to obtain an optimum particle size composition. This blend is mixed with sufficient coal tar pitch (usually between 13 and 16 wt%) to allow moulding into green anode blocks by pressing or by vibrating.
[0018] Before these green anodes can be used in the electrolysis cells, they have to be prebaked in a special anode baking furnace at about 1150 to 1200°C, causing the pitch to carbonize and forming strong and dense anode blocks to increase mechanical strength, lower electrical Resistivity, make more inert which can withstand in pot furnace.
[0019] To provide electrical contact and physical support, an aluminium or copper rod with an iron yoke and from one to six iron stubs are attached to the anode. The stubs are placed into cavities on the top of the carbon anode and are attached by applying molten cast iron around the stubs. The purpose of the cast iron is to make a good mechanical and electrical connection between the carbon anode and the stubs. This process is called anode rodding.
[0020] Each Anode is produced by baking coke mixed with pitch in nearly 5.5-meter-deep pits, while heated on the sides by Flu walls that heat(s) up to 12,00 degrees centigrade. The process is indirect heating, fluewall are heated and heat transfer from fluewall to anodes.
[0021] The flue wall usually comprises of four Top Blocks each with a peep hole.
[0022] While in operation two leading and trailing holes are used to push and pull air into the flu wall in a baffle directed sinusoidal up down manner, while heavy furnace oil is injected and burnt thru the two middle holes of the top blocks of the flue walls.
[0023] Typically, a heating cycle can last up to 27 days of heating and slow baking process according to baking cycle and production requirement.
[0024] The Flu walls are made of Alumino Silicate refractory brick and usually are about 50 cm in width with a 20 cm diameter peep hole, 5.5 meter in length and 5.5 meter deep.
[0025] As the flue wall heats up to bake the adjoining coke anode, thermal heating cycle leads to expansion and contraction within the flu wall with non-uniform anisotropic thermomechanical stress within the walls (and refractory brick linings) of the furnace.
[0026] This leads to various types of defects and faults in the furnace including:
• Bulging of the Flu wall
• Pinching of the flue wall
• Cracking of the Flu wall
• Deformation of the top block and flue wall of the furnace
• S shape and C shape out of shape defect(s) in the flue wall that runs to the entire length of the flue wall.
• Corrosion of fluewall
[0027] These defect occurrence if not identified early, and controlled and remedied lead(s) to maintenance outage of the furnace with costly down time, production loss and calling for costly repairs.
[0028] Thus, properly visually inspecting the condition of these furnace(s) its flue walls and brick lining which is currently manual needs to be automated with guided inference and decision making and corrective measures applied.
Prior Art:
[0029] Anode Baking for Aluminium Production is a Foundation, Critical and Important Step to Ensure Continuous, Good Quality, and High-Volume Production of Aluminium.
[0030] As we work and strive to improve the quality of the product, throttle the production throughput, and avoid costly downtime, automating the process and workflow is a valuable key to achieving this.
[0031] The Automation and Digitization of the Engineering Process coupled with Artificial Intelligence is the key to help make Critical Decisions, pre-empt unforeseen faults, and improve the overall quality and throughput of the process.
[0032] There is a high-value push worldwide to improve metal production using digitized, artificial intelligence-enabled software and systems, including many efforts for the Anode Baking Furnace Process.
[0033] Much of the inspection of the condition of the anode baking furnace is currently carried out with manual inspection that is difficult to measure, prone to human errors and also hazardous to perform. Steep depths of the pit coupled with the thin width of the flu wall and high temperatures, limit the access and the ability of a person to manually examine the interiors of the flue wall. Furthermore, it is also difficult to illuminate the flue wall while looking out for defects.
[0034] There have been many efforts to automate the detection of anomalies in the Anode Baking Furnace, including attempts to measure these defects using an in-flight drone. However, several challenges complicate this process. These include the steep and remote nature of the furnace walls, extreme operating conditions such as high-temperature gradients, poor, non-uniform lighting, and loss of radio communication channel inside the pit.
[0035] Additionally, it is required not only to detect anomalies but also to measure their dimensions with sub-millimetre accuracy. The large number of furnaces that need profiling further increases the complexity. Consequently, a specialized intelligent robotic system equipped with advanced sensors and cameras is necessary to address these challenges.
[0036] Further while drones can discover and map high level choking on the surface of flue walls, they have difficulty in accessing, the inner side defects on the steep inner flue walls, while also measuring to millimetre level accuracy and also through the peep hole.

Objects of the invention
[0037] An object of the present invention is to automate the process of inspection, analysis, guidance on decision-making and optimization of the various components of an Anode Baking Furnace used to produce anodes typically for aluminium production.

Summary of the invention
[0038] The key objective of the Invention is to automate the process of Inspection, analysis and guidance on decision-making of the various components of an Anode Baking Furnace used to produce anodes typically for aluminium production.
[0039] This is accomplished by an electronic and mechanical system that positions itself optimally and performs colour Imaging and 3d Imaging using a lidar/time of flight camera with various other sensors and positional information.
[0040] The four key components of the Invention are:
[0041] A novel robotic rover that can fly, land, and traverse to the middle of the furnace pit to optimally position its camera and sensor system, scanning the inner flue walls. The rover uses a unique traction system with multiple controlled rollers to gain traction and weight support from adjacent flue walls, compensating for deviations and faults. This system allows the rover to position itself at various points within the pit, deploying its camera and sensors to capture a 360-degree view and measurement of the flue walls along with its defects. The rover can operate autonomously with self-controlled traction or be manually pushed and pulled using a retractable stick from a platform.
[0042] A novel self-retractable and expandable auto-guided camera with an actuator system capable of inspecting the flue walls inside the pit or the inner side of the flue wall through the peephole located on the top block. The camera automatically lowers itself through the peephole or into the pit and is designed to operate at high temperatures ranging from 100 to 200 degrees Celsius, as encountered within the inner flue wall during maintenance mode.
[0043] A Smartphone / Smart Device-based application that communicates and provides supervisory control of the rover. The smartphone application can also independently image the flue wall to provide instantaneous and real-time analysis of the defects and faults that occur on the flue wall, including finding the deviation of the flue wall in millimetres from its original position. The smartphone application easily identifies the furnace/section/flue wall/pit/peep holes being scanned. It acquires colour, depth and other sensor data that is further uploaded to the cloud for historical and high-level analysis.
[0044] A cloud-based software that acquires data and information from multiple smartphones and robotic rover systems concurrently to provide a consolidated current, historical and statistical view of the complete furnaces over time as faults and defects develop. It also provides alarms and events and prescriptive maintenance guidance for the furnace.
[0045] The key objective of this invention is also to build an automated robotic rover and camera system that is easy to use, simple to deploy, and further automates, digitises, monitors, and diagnoses the Anode Baking Furnace Process. The Invention further leverages the high-value capability of real-time Artificial Intelligence to help find anomalies and defects that occur in the furnace, measure the defect magnitude and help make decisions in real-time while processing historical data and other vital parameters of the furnace.
[0046] To achieve this, we need a system that can automatically and remotely reach out to the difficult areas of the furnace, measure, discover, map, diagnose, and predict various defects, faults and production-related issues, directly or indirectly, so that early maintenance may be prescribed, or corrective action can be taken.
[0047] As a part of mitigating and pre-emptive correction of issues related to the Anode Baking Furnace, the primary objective of the Invention is to detect, classify, and grade the various faults, defects, and anomalies that occur on the various components of the furnace. This includes flue walls, pits, top blocks, baffle walls, tie bricks, and head blocks.
[0048] It is also vital to check for their dimension integrity and shape and measure the size of the faults in terms of their width, length and depth.
[0049] The invention not only automatically finds faults, anomalies, and defects in the furnace in a typical engineering background setting, but also checks for dimensional integrity, shape, and size for various faults (top block and head block) with a measurement of the anomaly size. It also senses thermal gradients for real-time analysis.
[0050] The Major Furnace Components to be Auto Inspected are:
[0051] 1. Flue wall(s) check for any defects post a run, finding linearity and deviation faults in the flue wall, including for:
• C-Shape
• S-Shape
• Misalignment
• Deformation and other offset faults
[0052] 2. As the flue wall is heated and fired with the heavy furnace oil and air blown into the top blocks via the peep hole, due to acute Thermal unbalanced Stress, the wall may experience various types of fault(s) presented above and cause a deviation, limiting the retrieval or insertion of the next anode into the pit. If not remedied correctly, this can lead to downtime and call for major repairs. Also, it is essential to co-relate what action and process parameters are leading to this defect or failure.
[0053] 3. The pits where the Anodes are placed for baking are about 5.3 meters deep and long, with narrow typical widths of about 70.3 and 75.3 centimetres. The walls of the pits are lined with Bricks that transmit the heat incoming from the heavy oil fired in the Top Block. Due to thermal expansion and wear and tear, this pit wall undergoes various defects, including:
• Cracking
• Bulging
• Pinching
• Choking (from earlier anode left our material)
• Brick dislodging and others.
[0054] 4. Due to the narrow and deep nature of the pit and the Possibility of high temperature and residual gasses that may remain in the pit, inspecting the walls of the inner pit flue wall is a challenge. To overcome this, we need a system that automatically positions itself at the centre and appropriate area of the pit and lights up the pit walls uniformly with enough luminosity.
[0055] 5. Further, it is required to build a 360-degree view of all the areas and corners of the inner pit, including measuring the dimensions of the defects in the pit in terms of its defect length, width and depth.
This is necessary so that any defects with their severity may be discovered and automatically inferred, and a critical decision relating to changing the refactored bricks of the pit inner wall may be taken. It is also essential to gain historical and intelligent data analytics to find the root cause of the process action leading to the above-mentioned failure.
[0056] 6. The Top Blocks Inner side consists of Baffles, Tie Bricks, and flue wall Inner side. Usually, each flue wall has four top blocks where hot air is pumped in, and heavy furnace oil is fired in the centre top blocks via its peep hole to reach up to 1100 degrees centigrade of temperature. The Inner side of the top block walls also undergoes various types of defects, including:
• Bulging
• Pinching
• Cracking
• Tie Brick Failure
• Baffle wall Failure
• Coke Infiltration
• Residual Material build up on the floor.
[0057] 7. The Top Block consists of a narrow peep hole that serves a dual purpose, including injecting heavy furnace oil / blown air and inspecting the inners of the Top Block flue walls.
[0058] 8. Due to the narrow nature of the peep hole and its limited accessibility and hight temperature conditions, it is difficult to manually inspect the inner flue wall linings for any faults and defects. The Invention also provides an inspection system that can be lowered inside the Top Block via its peep hole to perform a thorough inspection.

Brief Description of drawings
[0059] The advantages and features of the present invention will be understood better with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
[0060] FIG 1. Illustrates the general layout of an Anode Baking Furnace used to produce carbon anodes, showing its various components, including flue wall, top block and the pit area along with the difficulty and complexity to access the various components for manual inspection and repair;
[0061] FIG 2. Illustrates an example of a deviation fault that occurs in the flue wall due to thermal expansion-contraction cycles and associated mechanical stresses due to non-form heating;
[0062] Fig 3. Illustrates the cross-section view of the pit showing the typical defects and faults that occur on the pit flue wall – Refractory bricks that the imaging system of the rover has to detect, sense, and measure;
[0063] Fig 4. Illustrates the top view of the flue wall and pit Area, showing the top view of the robotic mechatronic system travelling by positioning and attaching itself to the two sides on the adjacent flue wall. It also illustrates the Robotic Rover Inspection System traversing over two Adjacent varying inter-distance flue walls, using its extended roller arms, discovering and inspecting the faults that occur inside the pit at various positions;
[0064] Fig 5. Illustrates the robotic rover positioned at the centre of the flue wall, in a ready position to deploy its imaging and sensing system;
[0065] Fig 6. Illustrates the use of a detachable and retractable stick as an additional means to push or pull the robotic rover to a desired position on the flue wall;
[0066] Fig 7 illustrates the various components of the robotic rover when it has travelled and positioned itself on the sides of the flue wall and deployed its Imaging Camera and Sensing System to create a 360-degree 3d view of the pit. It illustrates a block diagram for the electronic and mechanical subsystem of the robotic rover in its deployed position, with its motor-driven roller arms extended and providing traction with a side cross-sectional view of the flue walls;
[0067] Fig. 8 illustrates the various components of the rover arm used to provide traction to the robotic rover. The longitudinal rollers of the rover arm help the robotic rover to automatically compensate and adjust to the varying distance between the flue walls, such that the rover body remains balanced in a horizontal position in the middle of the pit;
[0068] Fig. 9 illustrates the various components of the rover’s automated camera positioning and lowering system, designed to deploy the camera deep into the pit. This system enables imaging of difficult-to-reach and poorly illuminated areas of the pit, allowing for the capture of clear, up-close 360-degree images and the measurement of dimensions of various pit faults;
[0069] Fig. 10a-10c illustrates the various components of the robotic rover’s automated balancing system, designed to actively reposition the robotic rover’s effective centre of mass. This ensures the robotic rover remains horizontally aligned and stable while gaining traction and positioning itself at various locations in the pit, compensating for the hanging characteristics of its traction arm;
[0070] Figure 11 illustrates the specialized gimbal system and its thermal management system, designed to attach to the camera actuator used for lowering the gimbal to the middle depth of the pit. The system absorbs vibrations or side impacts that may occur due to pit flue wall choking. The gimbal is designed to operate in a suspended, inverted mode and perform 360-degree scans of the pit flue wall at multiple checkpoints. It is also equipped with a lighting system to flood and illuminate the flue wall with wide-field lighting. A Peltier thermal cooling system keeps the camera within an acceptable temperature range usually 60 to 100 degrees centigrade, while a thermally insulated base decouples the camera from the floodlight to prevent heat transfer from the lighting system to the camera subsystem. The shafts of the two-axis gimbal are hollow on one side to allow connecting swivelled wires and cooling air tubing to pass through the gimbal base to the camera subsystem;
[0071] Fig 12 illustrates a block diagram that explains the modular structure and functional block diagram of the electronic hardware deployed on the robotic rover; and
[0072] Fig 13 illustrates a high-level flow chart diagram depicting the flow of data between the key modules with its major functionality.

Detailed description of the invention
[0073] An embodiment of this invention, illustrating its features, will now be described in detail. The words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
[0074] The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items.
[0075] The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms.
[0076] Method, System and Apparatus for monitoring, evaluation, and analysis of various components of an Anode Baking Furnace on the Field using a robotic rover that travels and positions itself at an optimal position along the Furnace and further lowers a robotic arm with multiple imaging and depth cameras along with high illumination light into the pit or peep hole of the Furnace are described. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth.
[0077] However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.
[0078] The Production of Metal Aluminium by electrical smelting requires Anodes that are made of coke and pitch and are usually baked in pits for multiple days, heated by adjacent flue walls that consist of a Top Block where Heavy Furnace Oil is burnt/fired along with blowing a draft of air to reach temperatures up to 1200 to 1400 degree centigrade. High thermal gradients and heating and cooling cycles lead to various defects in the furnace, including deformation or misalignment of the flue wall, deviation or bending of the flue walls. The pit where the Anode is produced and is characterized by the lining of refractory bricks also undergoes various faults, including cracking, pinching, bulging choking and others.
[0079] The present embodiment discloses an automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system that can both fly to a programmed flue wall destination and further land and traverse with an auto-balanced and compensated motion dynamics resting along the sides of adjacent flue walls that may deviate in terms of the distance between the adjacent walls and the width of the pit.
[0080] The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system can inspect the current, historical and predictive status of the various components of an Anode Baking Furnace that is used for producing Anodes used in the Production of the metal Aluminium, typically in an electrical smelting process.
[0081] The embodiment enables the multi-medium robotic rover to fly to the desired flue wall of a section of the anode baking furnace, position itself, and land in the middle of a pit. The robotic rover rests and suspends on four or more longitudinal rollers placed along the sides of the adjacent flue walls, achieving a stable, horizontally balanced position. This stability allows the robotic rover to gain traction and move along the length of the flue wall. Additionally, the robotic rover can lower an integrated sensor and multi-camera system to the middle of the pit at various key checkpoints, enabling it to scan the inner flue walls of the pit. This process generates a 360-degree 3D view of the flue walls, capturing minute details with its cameras and sensors to detect defects and faults, as well as measure their dimensions.
[0082] Embodiment allows for the longitudinal rollers of the robotic rover to automatically compensate and adjust to the varying distance between the flue walls, such that the robotic rover body remains balanced in a horizontal position in the middle of the pit.
[0083] Embodiment allows for a robotic rover to be automatically electronically controlled and driven by multiple motor drive system to traverse and position itself at various optimal position on the flue wall and other location(s) of the anode baking furnace, allowing to deploy its various cameras and sensors to image, 3d map, infer, discover and geometrically measure various faults that occur on the 360-degree view of all the refractory walls and others areas of the Anode Baking pit , used while in operation or available for maintenance.
[0084] Embodiment Further allows for imaging, evaluating and analysing the geometric and shape robustness of the flue wall in terms of its deviation and defects using either a single or multiple image(s) taken by a handheld smartphone or a smart device with multiple or single cameras, such that the system can find the deviation of the flue wall within millimetre accuracy identifying the exact location of the maximum deviation along the length of both sides of the flue wall.
[0085] Embodiment also allows for profiling the deviation of the flue wall for both the right and left sides with a single image take and using specialised artificial intelligence-based analysis coupled with an advanced mathematical geometric projection algorithm.
[0086] Embodiment allows precisely locating the endpoints of the flue wall where they meet and is attached to the Headwall of the Furnace.
[0087] Embodiment also allows the camera system to capture images of the flue wall before it is fired for operation, enabling the detection of any preparatory shortcomings and profiling the state of the flue wall prior to the commencement of furnace operations.
[0088] Embodiment allows an electronic and software system to scan and analyse multiple furnaces sections with its flue wall, pit and peep hole top block view analysis for defects and measurement to save the information, making it available in a user-friendly manner to a smartphone and later transmit the data to a cloud software system for an integrated, real-time and historical persistence detailed analysis and viewing of the various state of the flue walls, the pit and the Interior flue wall as seen thru the peep hole.
[0089] Embodiment allows the robotic rover to automatically lower an imaging and sensor system into the interior of the flue wall through the peep hole on the top block, enabling it to scan, analyze, and measure various defects and geometrical faults occurring on the inner side of the flue wall. The camera system can also be decoupled and lowered into the inner flue wall through the peep hole, either automatically or manually.
[0090] In one embodiment, the robotic rover is configured to generate multiple cross-sectional depth planes of the pit and its adjoining flue walls, oriented perpendicular to the direction of the rover’s movement. This is achieved using a 2D 360-degree LiDAR system mounted at the front and back employing a rotational scanning mechanism to capture 360-degree depth slices. the LiDAR generates multiple 2D depth planes of the left and right sides of the flue wall (104) and the pit (114) as the robotic rover (412) moves, creating a complete bending profile of the flue wall (104), including for the top block (108). As the rover traverses the pit, the collected depth planes are aggregated to construct a three-dimensional (3D) model of the flue wall and the pit. This 3D model facilitates the determination of flue wall bending, which may differ from the top block bending profile. Additionally, the generated model enables surface topography analysis of the flue wall for defect detection and assessment.
[0091] Fig 1. Illustrates the general layout of an Anode Baking Furnace used to produce carbon anodes, showing its various components, including the flue wall, Top Block and pit Area.
[0092] According to Fig 1, The construction of a typical Anode Baking Furnace consists of:
[0093] 102 is the headwall of the furnace. It is connected to the two adjacent flue walls 104 and forms a pit 114 between the two adjacent flue walls where the anodes are places and baked at nearly a temperature of 1200 degree centigrade for a typical multi week cycle.
[0094] 104 is the flue wall that is used to heat the anodes in the pit 114. Heavy furnace is fired through the peep hole 108 in the flue wall 104 and air is blown and retrieved through the peep hole 106.
[0095] 106 & 108 are the peep holes made available on the top of the flue wall 104 and used to either inject heavy furnace oil, or blow air for combustion, or suck exhaust burnt residual air and is also used to view and inspect the furnace flue wall interior when not in operation.
[0096] 112 are the endpoints of the flue wall (104) where it integrates and joins the flue wall 104 with the headwall 102
[0097] Fig 2. Illustrates an example of a deviation fault that occurs in the flue wall due to thermal expansion contraction cycles and associated mechanical stresses due to non unform heating.
[0098] (102) is the head wall to which the flue wall 104 is attached.
[0099] 104 is the non-deviated flue wall (104) attached to the head wall (102) and hosts the peep holes (106) and (108)
[00100] 206 shows the flue wall in its C shape fault or deviated condition post a baking run due to thermal heating and cooling cycle and associated stresses. The flue wall (206) is connected to the head wall (102).
[00101] the peepholes 106 on the flue wall 104 and 206 used to blow air, fire heavy furnace oil and also enables to inspect the inner part of the flue walls (104 and 206) for defects.
[00102] 210 is the amount of deviation caused on the flue wall 206 that needs to be measured automatically by the automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) up to millimetre accuracy to provide guidance and help make a decision about the current and future state of the flue wall.
[00103] Fig 3. Illustrates the cross-section view of the pit (114) showing the typical defect and faults that occur on the pit (114) of the flue wall (104)– Refractory bricks that the Imaging system of the robotic rover (412) has to detect, sense, and measure.
[00104] The front view of the flue wall 206 that needs to be inspected for various defects is illustrated in Figure 3.
[00105] the cross-section view of the headwall 102 connected to the flue wall (104).
[00106] (106) and (108) show the peep holes hosted on the flue wall (104) and used to blow air, inject heavy furnace oil and suck the exhaust burn residual. The peep holes (106 and 108) are also used to inspect the inner side of the flue wall (104) when the flue wall (104) is in maintenance mode.
[00107] 308 shows the four top blocks associated with each peep hole (106) hosted on the top of the flue wall (104).
[00108] 314 shows a typical crack defect that gets generated on the refractory brick wall of the fluewall (104) due to the thermal cycle and needs to be detected automatically and geometrically measured;
[00109] 316 shows a typical generated bulge fault that gets generated on the refractory brick wall of the flue wall (104) due to the thermal cycle and needs to be detected automatically and geometrically measured;
[00110] 318 shows a typical generated pinch fault that gets generated on the refractory brick wall of the flue wall (104) due to the thermal cycle and needs to be detected automatically and geometrically measured.
[00111] Fig 4. Illustrates the top view of the automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) having the flue wall (104) and pit (114) area, showing the top view of the robotic rover (412) travelling by positioning and attaching itself to the two sides on the adjacent flue wall.
[00112] 402 is a platform that, when available, can be used to place the robotic rover (412) on the flue wall (104).
[00113] The flue wall (104) of a single pit (114)). The flue walls (104) are connected to the head wall (102).
[00114] (106) is a peep hole on the top of the flue wall (104) that the robotic rover (412) has to avoid interfering with or colliding with while moving.
[00115] (114) is the pit, that is the anode baking space between the two left and right flue walls (104), whose refractory inner side flue walls need to be inspected by the robotic rover (412).
[00116] (102) is the head wall that is connected to both the flue wall 1(104) and the pit (114).
[00117] 412 is the robotic rover that utilizes longitudinal roller arms 416 to suspend itself within the pit (114) by taking support from the left and right flue walls (104). The robotic rover (412) gains controlled traction through its longitudinal roller arms (416), enabling it to move while suspended within the pit (114) and prepare itself for inspecting the inner flue walls (104) of the pit (114). Further, the robotic rover (412) is equipped with drone propellers 418, mounted on the longitudinal roller arms 416, which allow it to also fly directly to the pit (114) and suspend itself for operation.
[00118] The robotic rover (412) has multiple side arms with attached wheels at its end, configured to maintain the positional balance and orientation of the robotic rover (412), ensuring it remains centred. The side arms further configured to balance and level the rover horizontally in a controlled manner when required. Further, a mechanism is provided within the side arms. Each side arm is equipped with actuators and sensors to dynamically adjust the position and orientation of the rover, providing stability during movement or while stationary.
[00119] 414 is a ramp for the robotic rover (412) which is hosted onto the platform 402 and on the flue wall (104), such that it facilitates the robotic rover (412) to smoothly be placed, ramped down and deployed into the pit (114). The ramp (414) is configured to connect on one side to either a platform (402) or the headwall (102) of the flue wall (104). The ramp (414) is supported on its opposite side by the flue walls (104) and extends into the pit (114). The ramp (414) facilitates both the placement and preparation of the robotic rover (412) prior to deployment into the pit (114) and the retrieval of the robotic rover (412) from the pit (114). the ramp (414) guides the robotic rover (412) into and out of the pit in a controlled manner, such that the robotic rover (412) is deployed and retrieved with its arms resting on and supported by the flue wall (104), in a ready-to-use position. It is useful to transfer the robotic rover (412) from the platform 402 into the pit (114) automatically without manual effort.
[00120] 416 shows the four or more longitudinal roller arms of the robotic rover (412) that are inclined to the flue wall (104) that provide the resting support and traction for the robotic rover (412) to move.
[00121] 418 are the drone propellors that are connected at the far end of the four longitudinal rollers so it may enable the robotic rover (412) to fly and land directly on the pit (114) preparing itself for further inspecting the inner side flue walls 104 of the pit (114).
[00122] 420 is a handle connected to the robotic rover (412) and is used to manually place the robotic rover (412) in the pit (114), taking support from the side flue walls 104, using the platform 402.
[00123] Fig 5. Illustrates the robotic rover (412) positioned at the centre of the flue wall, in a ready position to deploy its imaging and sensing system.
[00124] the robotic rover (412) is resting in its mid-way position of the pit (114), resting on the flue walls (104).
[00125] Fig 6. Illustrates the use of detachable and retractable stick (602) used as an additional means to push or pull the rover to a desired position on the flue wall.
[00126] 602 is the retractable stick (602) that can easily be attached or detached from the body of the rover, serving as a mechanism to manually push or pull the rover to the desired position over the pit (114), while taking support from the flue walls (104) when motorised traction is not desired.
[00127] Fig 7 illustrates the various components of the robotic rover (412) while it has travelled and positioned itself on the sides of the flue wall (104) and deployed its Imaging Camera and Sensing System to create a 360-degree 3D view of the pit.
[00128] The cross-sectional view of the flue wall (104) hosting its top block with the longitudinal rollers arm (416) of the robotic rover (412) resting on it is shown.
[00129] The cross-sectional view of the top block (308), which is a part of the flue wall 104. The longitudinal rollers arm (416) of the robotic rover (412) rest on it.
[00130] 106 are the peep holes with its cap, which is a part of the top block (308), seen to be avoided in the path of the robotic rover (412) due to its obliquely angled rollers.
[00131] The body of the robotic rover (412) as seen from the front, connected to the longitudinal roller arms (416) that takes support from the top block (308) to position the robotic rover (412).
[00132] 416 is the longitudinal roller arms. It takes support from the top block (308) to position the robotic rover in a balanced manner in the middle of the pit (114) and further provides traction to the robotic rover (412).
[00133] 712 are the lights that help to illuminate the pit (114) and are hosted on the body of the robotic rover (412).
[00134] 714 is a 2D 360-degree LiDAR system used to create a single depth plane that later translates to a 3D pit point cloud as the robotic rover (412) traverses ahead or back and is hosted on the body of the robotic rover (412). It employs a rotational scanning mechanism to capture 360-degree depth slices. These LiDAR systems generate multiple 2D depth planes of the left and right sides of the flue wall (104) and the pit (114) as the robotic rover (412) moves. The accumulated depth planes are processed to construct a comprehensive 3D model of the flue wall (104) and the pit (114), enabling an accurate assessment of the bending profile, including for the top block (108). This 3D model further facilitates surface topography analysis of the flue wall to detect and evaluate structural defects.
[00135] 716 is an attachment handle for the retractable stick (602), which is used to manually place the robotic rover (412) in the pit (114) and also to push/pull the robotic rover (412) manually when the motorised system is not desired. It is hosted on the body of the robotic rover (412).
[00136] 718 are the wheels used to move the robotic rover (412) from one location to another when on the ground. It is connected to the body of the robotic rover (412).
[00137] (114) is the pit that the robotic rover (412). needs to traverse along and inspect.
[00138] Fig. 8 illustrates the various components of the longitudinal roller arm (416) used to provide traction to the robotic rover (412) enabling it to move forward or backward in the pit (114) while taking support from the side flue walls (104). The longitudinal roller arm (416) is designed to mitigate the effects of converging or diverging flue walls, which result in varying distances between the flue walls (104) and the four-wheel contact points from which the rover wheels derive traction. Additionally, the longitudinal roller arm (416) is positioned at an angle to the rover body to ensure it is not impeded by the peep hole (106) caps on the flue walls (104) while providing traction and staying positioned in the middle of the flue walls (104). The longitudinal roller arm (416) incorporates a longitudinal roller wheel (802) with a specialized longitudinal tire (804) mounted on a roller base (824). The roller base (824) consists of a shaft (806) and a longitudinal wheelbase with multiple spokes (808) connecting to the shaft (806). The longitudinal roller arm (416) is mounted on a versatile frame that houses a dual bearing system and a servo motor (820) to drive the longitudinal roller arm (416). The longitudinal roller arm (416) also features a shock absorber system (826) to absorb any shocks encountered during traction. When not in use, the longitudinal roller arm (416) can be folded within the robotic rover (412).
[00139] 802 is the longitudinal roller wheel that houses the longitudinal tyre 804, the roller base (824), the spoke assembly 808 and the shaft (806) of the longitudinal roller arm (416). The longitudinal roller arm (416) provides traction by contacting the flue wall (104) at an angle, while accommodating variations in the distance between the flue walls (104).
[00140] The longitudinal tyre 804 is designed to provide sufficient traction force and friction for the longitudinal roller wheel (802) while rotating. The longitudinal tyre 804 is mounted onto the spoke assembly 808, which ensures the necessary structural support and torque transfer. Its longitudinal design ensures consistent contact with the flue wall (104), even if the distance between the flue wall (104) changes. The longitudinal tyre 804 with a long cylindrical shape with grooves, sipes, and channels is made up of a specialized rubber to gain traction while in contact with flue walls (104) even when the flue wall (104) is covered with coke powder.
[00141] The shaft 806 serves as the central axis to transmit rotational torque, onto which the spoke assembly 808 is mounted. The shaft (806) is further connected to the roller arm frame 810 via the ball bearings 814.
[00142] The spoke assembly 808 consists of multiple groups of four or more spokes, connecting the hollow roller cylinder body to the shaft 806. This arrangement reduces the overall weight of the longitudinal roller arm (416) while efficiently transmitting torque from the shaft 806 to the longitudinal tyre 804, ensuring effective traction and stability.
[00143] The roller arm frame 810 provides structural support for the longitudinal roller wheel 802 and hosts several integral components, including the connecting bolts 812, the outer frame 818, and the ball bearings 814. The roller arm frame 810 supports the longitudinal roller wheel 802, which is mounted with a ball bearing 814 at one end and connected to a servo motor 820 at the other, enabling the shaft's rotation and driving the longitudinal roller wheel (802). The roller arm frame 810 is mounted on the roller base 824 of the longitudinal roller arm (416) for support.
[00144] The connecting bolts 812, integrated into the roller arm frame 810, secure the outer frame 818 and facilitate the easy assembly and disassembly of the longitudinal roller wheel (802), enabling quick replacement of the longitudinal roller wheel 802 as needed.
[00145] The ball bearings 814, also hosted by the roller arm frame 810 and the outer frame 818, provide rotational support for the shaft (806). One ball bearing 814 is positioned on the servo motor 820 side, while another is located on the outer frame 818, ensuring the longitudinal roller wheel 802 rotates smoothly and with stable operation.
[00146] 816 is the outer end of the shaft 806 end for the longitudinal roller wheel 802, located on the side of the outer frame 818.
[00147] 818 is the outer frame of the longitudinal roller arm (416), offering additional support and absorbing reactive forces generated by the longitudinal roller wheel 802.
[00148] 820 is the servo motor that drives the longitudinal roller wheel 802 via the shaft 806, delivering the necessary torque and angular velocity in a controlled manner. The servo motor (820) is hosted on the roller arm frame 810.
[00149] 822 is an additional extension frame connected to the roller arm frame 810 and supports and transmits additional forces from the longitudinal roller wheel 802 while also acting as a protective cover to the servo motor 820. It is hosted on the roller base (824) of the longitudinal roller arm (416).
[00150] 824 forms the roller base of the arm, positioned at an angle to the rover’s base frame with the assistance of multiple shock absorbers. It provides support and absorbs all the forces arising from roller arm frame 810 and the extension frame and the outer frame 818.
[00151] 826 consists of multiple shock absorbers that connects to the roller base (824) of the longitudinal roller arm (416) at one end and of a mounting base frame (828) at the other end, it not only positioning the longitudinal roller arm (416) at an angle to the robotic rover (412) frame but also absorbing vibrations and shocks during rover traction.
[00152] The mounting base frame (828) is hosting the multiple shock absorbers 826 and the roller base (824) of the longitudinal roller arm (416) at one end, and the robotic rover upper body support at the other end enabling integration with the robotic rover (412).
[00153] Fig. 9 illustrates an automated camera system of the robotic rover (412). The automated camera system is designed to deploy a camera deep into the pit (114) to capture a 360-degree image of the area. It also allows the camera to move laterally, either left or right, away from the flue wall (104) to optimize focusing distance and produce clearer, sharper images. The automated camera system enables imaging of hard-to-reach, poorly illuminated areas of the pit (114), facilitating the capture of high-quality, close-up 360-degree images and the measurement of pit fault dimensions.
[00154] 900 represents an outer body of the robotic rover (412), viewed from the top, which houses the automated camera system.
[00155] 902 identifies a linear actuator mounted on the outer body 900 of the robotic rover (412). The linear actuator (902) is configured to move the camera actuator assembly 936, along with a gimbal assembly 928, laterally away from either the left or right flue wall (104). This movement improves image quality by optimizing the camera’s focusing distance and enhancing the field of view and lighting conditions. The linear actuator (902) moves the camera actuator assembly (936) in a controlled manner along a dual shaft 904.
[00156] 904 refers to the dual shaft that connects to the top base of the camera actuator assembly (936) via a linear ball bearing 906. It enables smooth lateral movement of the camera actuator assembly 936 away from the flue wall (104).
[00157] 906 is the linear ball bearing that links the dual shaft 904 to the top base of the camera actuator assembly (936), facilitating smooth and guided movement of the camera actuator assembly 936 along the shaft.
[00158] 908 represents the top base of the camera actuator assembly. It connects to the linear ball bearing 906 and a hinge base 910, providing support and suspension for the camera actuator assembly 936.
[00159] 910 is the hinge base of the camera actuator assembly. It ensures that the camera remains vertical even if the robotic rover (412) is inclined. One side of the hinge base (910) connects to the top base of the camera actuator assembly (936), while the other connects to a hinge pin 912.
[00160] 912 refers to the hinge pin of the camera actuator assembly 936, forming part of a scissor lift assembly 914. The motion of the scissor arms (934) around the hinge pin (912) allows the scissor lift assembly (914) to extend or retract, thereby lowering or raising the gimbal assembly 928.
[00161] 914 identifies the scissor lift assembly. The scissor lift assembly (914) expand or collapse by adjusting the angles between them, enabling the scissor lift assembly (914) to lift or lower the camera actuator assembly 936. The scissor lift assembly (914) is designed to carry tensile loads while supporting the gimbal camera assembly’s weight. The scissor arms (934) are connected at one end to the hinge pin 912 and at the other end to the bottom hinged coupling 924. The scissor arms (934) or links are also designed to facilitate passing on wires that are required to drive the scissor lift motor base with a servo motor 920 and the gimbal assembly 928. Further, the scissor arms (934) of the links forming the scissor lift assembly (914) are configured in a pair, joined by a bolt system to provide additional strength and vibration damping for the camera actuator assembly (936).
[00162] 916 represents a hinged node in the scissor lift assembly (914) where two independent scissor arms (934) or links are coupled, allowing hinged motion between them.
[00163] 918 is a pivoting node in the scissor lift assembly 914 where the scissor arms (934) or links intersect and pivot. This node facilitates angular motion, enabling the scissor lift assembly (914) to expand or collapse and adjust the height of the camera actuator assembly 936.
[00164] 920 refers to the servo motor mounted on the scissor lift assembly (914). the servo motor (920) generates torque and speed to adjust the angle of the scissor arms (934), enabling the scissor lift assembly (914) to expand or collapse.
[00165] 922 identifies the lower scissor lift base hub, which hosts the hinged coupling 924 and connects to the lower base platform 926 of the camera actuator assembly (936). It transmits the payload forces of the gimbal assembly 928 to the scissor lift assembly 914.
[00166] 924 represents a hinged coupling at the end of the scissor arm link, connecting the lower base platform 926 of the camera actuator assembly (936) to the scissor lift assembly 914. This coupling ensures rotational motion and stability for the camera actuator assembly 936.
[00167] 926 is the lower base platform of the camera actuator assembly 936. It connects to the gimbal assembly 928 and facilitates controlled vertical motion.
[00168] 928 identifies the gimbal assembly connected to the scissor lift assembly 914. The scissor lift assembly (914) is responsible for raising or lowering the gimbal assembly (928) within the pit (114).
[00169] 930 refers to a gimbal camera system, which acquires color and depth images as commanded. It finely adjusts its position for imaging specific sections of the flue wall (104), aided by the camera actuator assembly 936 and the gimbal assembly 928.
[00170] 932 identifies bolts that connect the scissor arms (934) or links, enabling them to pivot or hinge.
[00171] 934 are the scissor arms of the scissor lift assembly (914), that are driven by the servo motor (920) to collapse and expand such that the scissor lift assembly (914) moves up or down, carrying the gimbal camera system (930).
[00172] The camera actuator assembly 936 is connected to the gimbal camera system 930 to fully deploy from the robotic rover (412).
[00173] The camera actuator assembly (936) connects the robotic rover (412) to the gimbal camera system 930. It lowers and positions the gimbal camera system (930) within the pit (114), ensuring the capture of high-quality images.
[00174] The robotic rover (412) alternatively comprises a retractable, linearly cable-actuated gimbal camera system (930) configured to be deployed into the pit (114) or along the flue wall (104) using a guided and controlled mechanical system. the gimbal camera system (930) further includes a series of telescopic, linear ball-bearing-guided sliding pipes, the pipes being rectangular or cylindrical hollow structures, an automated, cable-driven, electronically guided mechanism configured to enable the telescopic pipes to expand and retract, a high-strength, windable cable attached at one end to the camera gimbal mount endpoint and at the other end to a windable, motorized spool, the motorized spool being configured to control the winding and unwinding of the cable to adjust the camera's position by lowering or raising it as needed, and an inverted and suspended gimbal design with three-axis motor control, configured to provide pan, tilt, and roll motion to a multi-camera system, the multi-camera system incorporating depth, color, and thermal imaging capabilities;
[00175] Figs. 10a-10c illustrates the components of an automated balancing system (1000) of the robotic rover (412), designed to actively reposition the effective center of mass of the robotic rover (412). The automated balancing system (1000) is arranged within the outer body (900) to ensure that the robotic rover (412) remains horizontally aligned and stable while gaining traction and positioning itself at various locations in the pit (114), compensating for the hanging characteristics of its traction arm.
[00176] Fig. 10a represents the automated balancing system (1000) of the robotic rover (412), as seen from the top view of the robotic rover (412).
[00177] Fig. 10b shows the automated balancing system, as seen from the front view of the robotic rover (412).
[00178] Fig. 10c illustrates the automated balancing system, as seen from the side view of the robotic rover (412).
[00179] 1008 identifies the counterweight, which carries a significant mass and is used to reposition the rover’s overall center of mass. The counterweight (1008) moves at an angle controlled by a balancing servo motor 1010 and is mounted on a balancing shaft 1012.
[00180] 1010 is the balancing servo motor system responsible for rotating the balancing shaft 1012 and the counterweight 1008 to a controlled angle. This repositioning adjusts the center of mass of the robotic rover (412) for balance. The balancing servo motor (1010) also includes a ball bearing (1016) that transmits rotational motion to the balancing shaft (1012) while absorbing and transmitting additional forces to the robotic rover (412).
[00181] 1012 represents the balancing shaft that couples the counterweight 1008 to the balancing servo motor 1010, allowing the counterweight (1008) to be rotated and repositioned.
[00182] 1014 refers to a frame that supports the balancing servo motor 1010, the ball bearing 1016, and the counterweight 1008.
[00183] 1016 identifies the ball bearing, which absorbs and transmits forces from the counterweight 1008 and balancing shaft 1012. It connects the balancing shaft to the balancing servo motor 1010, facilitating smooth rotational motion while maintaining stability.
[00184] Figure 11 illustrates the specialized gimbal assembly (928) and its thermal management system, designed to attach to the camera actuator assembly (936), which lowers the gimbal assembly (928) to the middle depth of the pit (114). The gimbal assembly (928) is designed to absorb any vibrations or side impacts that may occur due to the narrow width of the pit (114) or due to choking of the flue walls (104) with coke. The gimbal assembly (928) is designed to operate in a suspended, inverted mode and perform 360-degree scans of the pit flue wall (104) at multiple checkpoints. The gimbal assembly (928) is equipped with a lighting system to flood and illuminate the flue wall (104) with an wide-field. A Peltier thermal cooling system maintains the camera within an acceptable temperature range, typically between 60 to 100 degrees Celsius, while a thermally insulated base decouples the camera from the floodlight, preventing heat transfer from the lighting system to the camera subsystem. The dual shafts (904) of the two-axis gimbal are hollow on one side, allowing connecting swivelled wires and cooling air tubing to pass through the gimbal base to the camera subsystem.
[00185] 1102 is a gimbal base that connects at one end to the camera actuator assembly 936 and hosts the gimbal outer frame 1104, a pan axis servo motor 1106 and a pan axis motor ball bearing (1110). It functions to integrate and house the gimbal assembly (928) to the camera actuator assembly 936.
[00186] 1104 is the gimbal outer frame that connects to the gimbal base (1102) and hosts a pan axis shaft 1108. The gimbal outer frame (1104) protects the camera from accidental collisions with the inner flue wall (104) and acts as a conduit for power, communication wires, and cooling air draft channels.
[00187] 1106 is the pan axis servo motor that rotates a gimbal inner frame 1114 to allow movement in the pan direction to the base plate assembly housing a camera system 1130, cooling and the lighting system. It is mounted on the gimbal base (1102) and connects to the pan axis shaft (1108) providing the necessary torque for the pan rotation.
[00188] 1108 is the pan axis shaft connecting the pan axis servo motor 1106 to the gimbal inner frame (1114). The pan axis shaft (1108) transmits the required torque to the gimbal inner frame (1114) from the pan axis servo motor 1106.
[00189] 1110 is the pan axis servo motor ball bearing, mounted between the gimbal base (1102) and the pan axis shaft (1108). The pan axis servo motor ball bearing (1110) protects the pan axis servo motor 1106 to be subjected from any other forces apart from providing rotational torque.
[00190] The other side of the pan axis shaft (1108) connects the gimbal inner frame 1114 to the gimbal outer frame 1104. Apart from providing the additional necessary rotational support to the gimbal inner frame 1114 it also acts as a conduit for wires to flow through the gimbal outer frame 1104 to the gimbal inner frame 1114.
[00191] 1114 is the gimbal inner frame that rotates in the pan direction and houses a tilt axis servo motor 1116, and an inner tilt axis bearing 1120 facilitating for tilt motion of a camera and lighting module 1124.
[00192] 1116 is the tilt axis servo motor, which provides controlled tilt motion to the camera and lighting module 1124. The tilt axis servo motor (1116) is mounted on the gimbal inner frame (1114) and uses an inner tilt axis bearing 1120 and a tilt shaft 1118 to provide the necessary controlled torque for the tilt motion of the camera and lighting module 1124.
[00193] 1118 is the tilt shaft, that is hollow and connects to the gimbal inner frame 1114, and provides support and facilitates tilt motion to the camera and lighting module 1124. As the tilt shaft (1118) is hollow, it acts as a conduit for power, communication wires, and cooling air draft channels.
[00194] 1120 is the inner tilt axis bearing, mounted between the tilt axis servo motor 1116 and the gimbal inner frame 1114. the inner tilt axis bearing (1120) protects the tilt axis servo motor 1116 to be subjected from any other forces apart from providing rotational torque.
[00195] 1122 is a hollow shaft on the opposite side of the gimbal inner frame 1114, connecting to the camera and lighting module 1124 and serving as a conduit to route wires from the gimbal inner frame 1114 to the camera and lighting module 1124.
[00196] 1124 is the camera and lighting module that houses a lighting system 1126 and the camera system 1130 along with a thermal control system 1128. The thermal control system 1128 includes a thermally insulated plate that decouples the lighting system (1126) from the camera system (1130), preventing heat generated by the light system (1126) from transferring to the camera actuated assembly (936). The heat is dissipated by an independent heat sink.
[00197] 1126 is the lighting system consisting of a high-power floodlight LED array module coupled to a multi-fin heat sink to thermally cool the lighting LEDs. It is housed in the camera and lighting module 1124.
[00198] The thermal control system (1128) includes a Peltier module attached to the camera system (1130) to cool the camera and electronics to acceptable levels, countering the high temperatures inside the pit (114). The thermal control system (1128) is housed in the camera and lighting module 1124.
[00199] 1130 is the camera system that accommodates multiple cameras as well as the gimbal electronics controller. The camera system (1130) is housed in the camera and lighting module 1124.
[00200] Fig. 12 illustrates a block diagram explaining the modular structure and functional components of the electronic hardware deployed on the robotic rover (412).
[00201] 1202is the scissor lift assembly controller, which controls the lowering and deployment of the camera system (1130) into the middle of the pit (114) using the scissor lift assembly (914) and the camera actuated assembly (936).
[00202] 1204 is a LiDAR camera mounted on the gimbal camera system (930), used to obtain 3D points from the captured image to measure the size of detected defects. It is connected to the scissor lift assembly controller (1202) for its control and acquiring data.
[00203] 1130 is the camera system that images parts of the flue wall (104) with the ability to focus closely and provide exposure control, ensuring defects on the flue wall (104) are captured clearly. It is connected to the scissor lift assembly controller (1202) for its control and acquiring data.
[00204] 1208 is a 9-degree-of-freedom motion sensor that computes and controls the position and movement of the gimbal camera system (930), which hosts the camera system (1130). It is connected to the scissor lift assembly controller (1202) for its control and acquiring data.
[00205] 1128 is the thermal control system which is used for a temperature measurement and includes a Peltier thermal cooling system for the camera system (1130), allowing operation in pit environments where temperatures may reach seventy-five degrees or higher. The cooling system activates when the temperature exceeds acceptable levels for the camera system (1130). It is connected to the scissor lift assembly controller (1202) for its control and acquiring data.
[00206] 1212 is a scissor lift position sensor, which computes the depth to which the scissor lift assembly (914) has been lowered and detects when it has reached its limit. It is connected to the scissor lift assembly controller (1202) for its control and acquiring data.
[00207] 1214 is a central processor that manages the rover's primary functions, acting as the master control and performing major computational tasks.
[00208] 1216 is an AI processing module, implemented within the main processor, to detect faults on the imaged flue wall (104). It provides defect classification as well as detailed semantic segmentation of the defects. It is connected to the central processor 1214 for its control and acquiring data.
[00209] 1218 is the 2D LiDAR module, mounted at the front or back of the robotic rover (412), which builds a section-by-section 3D point cloud of the pit (114) as the robotic rover (412) moves forward or backward. This helps create a 3D model of the pit (114) and flue wall (104), enabling the detection of bending defects below the top block. It is connected to the central processor 1214 for its control and acquiring data.
[00210] 1220 is the mid-range LiDAR sensor, mounted at the front and back of the robotic rover (412), used to compute the rover’s absolute position relative to the pit headwall (102). It is connected to the central processor 1214 for its control and acquiring data.
[00211] 1222 is a counterweight control module, responsible for adjusting the angular position of the counterweight (1008) to correct any tilt occurring in the robotic rover (412). It is connected to the central processor 1214 for its control and acquiring data.
[00212] 1224 is the power control and temperature measurement module for the rover’s electronics. It is connected to the central processor 1214 for its control and acquiring data.
[00213] 1226 is the Wi-Fi wireless access module, enabling the robotic rover (412) to communicate directly with a cloud application or an Android application, facilitating data exchange via REST API, sockets, or other interfaces. It is connected to the central processor (1214) for its control and acquiring data.
[00214] 1228 is a display system, which shows messages on the rover and includes a beacon light to convey the rover’s status to the end user. It is connected to the central processor (1214) for its control and acquiring data.
[00215] 1230 is a traction controller, which manages the motors of the four longitudinal roller wheel (802) of the longitudinal rover arms (416), allowing the robotic rover (412) to move forward or backward while staying centred between the two flue walls (104).
[00216] 1232 is a motor controller that governs the four servo motors (820) of the longitudinal roller arms (416). It is connected to the traction controller (1230) for its control and acquiring data.
[00217] 820 are the four motors driving the longitudinal roller arms (416) of the robotic rover (412). It is connected to 1230 the traction controller for its control and acquiring data.
[00218] 1236 is the 9-degree-of-freedom motion sensor for traction control, measuring the rover’s position, velocity, acceleration, and angular position, providing this data to the traction controller (1230). It is connected to the traction controller 1230 for its control and acquiring data.
[00219] 1238 is a LiDAR system mounted on the sides of the rover, providing the lateral absolute position of the rover relative to the two flue walls (104), ensuring the robotic rover (412) remains cantered between them using its four-wheel drive configuration. It is connected to the traction controller 1230 for its control and acquiring data.
[00220] 1240 is the scissor lift motor control module implementing the control system to control the retracting and expanding (lowering) the scissor lift assembly (914) to position the camera system (1130) so it may image the flue walls (104) of the pit (114) clearly and concisely. It is connected to the scissor lift assembly controller (1202) for its control and acquiring data.
[00221] 1242 is a gimbal control module that implements the control system to control the gimbal camera system (930), so that it may position the camera system (1130) appropriately in the pan and tilt axis direction. It is connected to the scissor lift assembly controller (1202) for its control and acquiring data.
[00222] 1244 is a lighting module that implements the control system for the lighting system (1126) on the gimbal camera system (930), so that well illuminated images of the flue wall (104) can be taken. It is connected to the scissor lift assembly controller (1202) for its control and acquiring data.
[00223] Fig 13 illustrates a high-level flow chart diagram depicting the flow of data between the key modules with its major functionality.
[00224] 1302 is a Cloud Software that connects to a software application 1304 installed on multiple Android /IOS / Smartphone device or the like to acquire, persist and process the received data and provides various cloud and web based functionality including to provide overall, furnace status visualization & analysis, root cause analysis, optimization, and preventive and prescriptive analysis.
[00225] 1304 is the software application that can run on a handheld smartphone or a smart device with multiple or single cameras to independently acquire images of the furnace and provide functionality for computing the Flue Wall Bending Analysis. It is connected to the Cloud Software 1302, to transmit its acquired data and also connects to multiple, 1306 the Robotic Rover system.
[00226] (1306) is a robotic rover system implemented with the robotic rover (412) for managing all the operational functionality of the robotic rover (412). also provides for various furnace mapping related functionality including inside pit (114), flue wall (104) defect detection, AI analysis and defect size measurement, 360-degree view of flue walls (104) and computing flue wall bending in detail. The robotic rover system (1306) is connected to the software application 1304 to upload its acquired data.
[00227] The camera system (1130) that is used to inspect the defects on the inner side of the flue wall (104). It functions to provide inner flue wall defect detection, AI analysis and defect size measurement, and 360-degree view of inner flue walls (104) using an independent camera actuator assembly 936. It can connect to upload its acquired data to either the robotic rover system (1306) or directly to the software application (1304).
[00228] The software application (1304) includes a flue wall bending deviation analysis software module which is configured to:
• utilize artificial intelligence to segment the surface of the flue wall (104) from a single high-resolution image captured by a smartphone or other camera;
• identify the four endpoints where the flue wall (104) meets the headwall (102);
• apply geometric transformations based on the known fixed dimensions of the pit and flue wall (104); and
• calculate the bending deviation geometric profile, fault type, and severity of the flue wall (104) along its length with millimeter-level accuracy on both sides.

Benefits of the Invention:
[00229] The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) streamlines the entire process, which is currently performed manually, to inspect the Anode Baking Furnace used in the production of anodes for aluminum manufacturing and other applications. It eliminates the need for manual, error-prone, and hazardous work, such as inspecting high-temperature environments, deep and dark anode baking pits that are difficult to access, and areas with potential exposure to toxic gases.
[00230] The robotic rover (412) rover navigates to the center of the pit (114) by using both sides of the flue wall for support, employing a specialized traction system. It further deploys a camera system (1130) to the mid-depths of the pit (114), capturing 360-degree color and 3D model views of the pit (114). This enables the identification of various defects on the flue wall.
[00231] The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) not only detects faults and classifies them by type but also measures their size and deviation from standard specifications. Additionally, the application can identify flue wall bending deviations with a single image click. It helps prioritize further inspection and correction by analyzing the bending profile of the flue walls (104).
[00232] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention.

,CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. An automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) for anode baking furnaces used in the production of anodes for electrical smelting and other applications, the system (100) comprising of:
a robotic-rover (412) capable of flying, landing, and traversing to and on a flue wall (104) and a pit (114) of the furnace;
a camera actuated assembly (936) and a gimbal assembly (928) capable of positioning itself at an optimal depth in the flue wall (104);
a software application (1304) designed to image, process, use artificial intelligence, analyse, and visualise the furnace independently and in conjunction with the robotic rover (412); and
a cloud software (1302) capable of acquiring data from multiple robotic-rovers or smartphone devices concurrently;
wherein the robotic rover (412) is utilised to travel to the middle of the pit (114), illuminate, sense, and generate a 360-degree view, and detect and measure defects on the flue wall (104) of the pit (114),
a scissor- lift assembly (914) and a camera actuator assembly (936) arranged on the robotic rover (412) to position a camera in mid-depth of the pit (114) to take high quality color and depth images of various defects on the flue walls (104);
wherein, the software application (1304) is used to control and manage the robotic rover (412) and also to image and analyse defects and deviations on the flue wall (104) instantaneously; and the software application (1304) is used to provide a consolidated current, historical and statistical view of the complete furnace(s) over a period of time.
2. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100), as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the robotic rover (412) is an electronically controlled and guided mechanical multi-medium vehicle with on-board electronics hardware and embedded software control and communication system; the robotic rover (412) is used to fly, land, position, move and align itself to various locations of anode baking furnace, enabling the system to auto inspect and analyse various hidden and poorly illuminated areas and components of the furnace.
3. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100), as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic and software system on the robotic rover (412) scans and analyses multiple furnaces and sections, including the flue wall (104), pit (114), and peephole, to detect and measure defects, thereby saving this information and makes it available in a user-friendly manner on a smartphone, while also independently transmitting the data to a cloud software (1302) for integrated real-time and historical detailed analysis.

4. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100), as claimed in claim 1, wherein the robotic rover (412) operates in multiple environments, capable of flying to a desired flue wall within a section of the anode baking furnace, the robotic rover (412) can position and land in the middle of a pit (114), suspending and resting on four or more longitudinal rollers along the adjacent flue walls to achieve a stable, horizontally balanced position, allowing the robotic rover (412) to generate traction, enabling it to roll and move along the length of the flue wall (104), scanning the inner flue walls (104) of the pit (114) with high precision and capturing minute details using its sensors.
5. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the robotic rover (412) comprises longitudinal rollers that provide traction and automatically adjust to variations in the distance between the flue walls (104), ensuring the rover body remains balanced in a horizontal position in the middle of the pit (114) at all times.
6. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system, as claimed in claim 4, wherein the robotic rover (412) is automatically electronically controlled and driven by a multiple motor drive system to traverse and position itself at various optimal positions on the flue wall (104) and other location(s) of the anode baking furnace, allowing to deploy its various cameras and sensors to image, generate 3D maps, infer, discover and geometrically measure various faults that occur on the 360-degree view of all the refractory walls and others areas of the anode baking furnace pit, used while in operation or available for maintenance.
7. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100), as claimed in claim 4, wherein the robotic rover (412) comprises:
longitudinal roller arms (416) with attached wheels at its end, configured to maintain the positional balance and orientation of the robotic rover (412), ensuring it remains centred;
the longitudinal roller arms (416) further configured to balance and level the robotic rover (412) horizontally in a controlled manner when required; and
a mechanism within the longitudinal roller arms (416), wherein each longitudinal roller arm (416) is equipped with actuators and sensors to dynamically adjust the position and orientation of the robotic rover (412), providing stability during movement or while stationary.
8. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the robotic rover (412) includes a 2D 360-degree LiDAR system (714) mounted at the front and back, wherein the LiDAR generates multiple 2D depth planes of the left and right sides of the flue wall (104) and the pit (114) as the robotic rover (412) moves, creating a complete bending profile of the flue wall (104), including for the top block (108).
9. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the robotic rover (412) comprises of a motor-driven, automatic, and controlled pivoted counterweight balance correction system, wherein the system (100) is configured to: adjust the location of the robotic rover's centre of mass by dynamically correcting its angle; ensure that the robotic rover (412), along with its suspended longitudinal roller arms (416), remains horizontally balanced; and guide the robotic rover (412) to maintain stable suspension on the adjacent flue walls (104) and over the pit (114).
10. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) as claimed in claim 1,
wherein scissor arms (934) are configured to pivot on a foundation base that hosts the scissor lift assembly (914), wherein the scissor lift assembly (914) is designed to remain vertically downward due to gravitational force helping to keep the camera system (1130) vertical even if the robotic rover (412) is tilted;
the scissor lift foundation base is operatively connected to a linear actuator (902), enabling lateral movement to the left or right, thereby providing the integrated camera with an improved field of view and adjustable focal distance for imaging the flue wall (104); and the scissor arms (934) of the scissor lift assembly (914) are structurally configured to sustain tensile loads when suspended downward while supporting the gimbal camera system (930).
11. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the robotic rover (412) alternatively comprises a retractable, linearly cable-actuated gimbal camera system (930) configured to be deployed into a pit (114) or along a fluewall (104) using a guided and controlled mechanical system, the system further comprising:
a series of telescopic, linear ball-bearing-guided sliding pipes, the pipes being rectangular or cylindrical hollow structures;
an automated, cable-driven, electronically guided mechanism configured to enable the telescopic pipes to expand and retract;
a high-strength, windable cable attached at one end to the camera gimbal mount endpoint and at the other end to a windable, motorized spool, the motorized spool being configured to control the winding and unwinding of the cable to adjust the camera's position by lowering or raising it as needed;
an inverted and suspended gimbal design with three-axis motor control, configured to provide pan, tilt, and roll motion to a multi-camera system, the multi-camera system incorporating depth, color, and thermal imaging capabilities;
a high-illumination lighting system integrated into the gimbal system, designed to illuminate the section of the fluewall (104) being imaged with evenly distributed lighting; and
a thermal control system comprising a peltier module (1128) and a fan-driven cooling mechanism, mounted at the top of the system, configured to direct a high-speed cold air draft through the hollow pathway of the linear actuated retractable system to regulate the camera assembly's temperature.
12. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100), as claimed in claim 4, wherein the robotic rover (412) comprises a retractable stick (602) that can be easily attached or detached from the body of the robotic rover (412), serving as a mechanism to manually push or pull the rover to the desired position when motorized traction is not desired.
13. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the software application (1304) allows for imaging, evaluating, and analysing the geometric robustness of the flue wall (104) in terms of its deviation and defects using either a single or multiple image(s) taken by a handheld smartphone or a smart device with multiple or single cameras, using its software application (1304), such that the system, using artificial intelligence, can find pre and post furnace operation of defects in terms of their classification type, location, geometric measurement and flue wall bending deviation profile.
14. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100), as claimed in claim 13, wherein the flue wall bending deviation analysis software module is configured to:
utilize artificial intelligence to segment the surface of the flue wall (104) from a single high-resolution image captured by a smartphone or other camera;
identify the four endpoints where the flue wall (104) meets the headwall (102);
apply geometric transformations based on the known fixed dimensions of the pit and flue wall (104); and
calculate the bending deviation geometric profile, fault type, and severity of the flue wall (104) along its length with millimeter-level accuracy on both sides.
15. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100), as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cloud software system running on an internet-enabled machine provides integrated, real-time, and historical analysis and visualization of the various states of the flue walls, the pit, and the interior of the flue wall as viewed through the peephole, the cloud-based software collects data from multiple smartphones and robotic rover systems concurrently, offering a consolidated current, historical, and statistical view of the furnaces over time as faults and defects develop, also generates alarms, events, and predictive and prescriptive maintenance guidance for the furnace.
16. The gimbal camera system (930), as claimed in claim 10 and claim 11, wherein the gimbal camera system (930) is integrated and comprises:
a camera system (1130);
a time-of-flight camera;
a thermal camera;
an insulation mechanism designed to protect the system from the external high-temperature environment using specialized temperature-protective insulators; and
an internal temperature regulation system configured to direct a cold air draft from the actuated thermal control system, maintaining the camera assembly's operating temperature at or below 40 degrees Celsius.
17. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein:
a. the robotic rover (412) comprises a scissor lift assembly (914) and gimbal camera system (930), the system (100) further including
b. the scissor arms (934) are configured to pivot on a foundation base that hosts the scissor lift assembly (914) with the help of a hinge base (910), wherein the scissor arms (934) are designed to remain vertically downward due to gravitational force helping to keep the camera assembly vertical even if the robotic rover (412) is tilted;
c. the scissor lift foundation base is operatively connected to a linear actuator (902), enabling lateral movement to the left or right, thereby providing the integrated camera with an improved field of view and adjustable focal distance for imaging the flue wall (104); and
d. the scissor arms (934) of the scissor lift assembly (914) are structurally configured to sustain tensile loads when suspended downward while supporting the gimbal assembly (928).
18. The automated and artificial intelligence-driven inspection system (100), as claimed in claim 1, comprising a ramp (414), wherein the ramp (414) is configured to connect on one side to either a platform (402) or the headwall (102) of the flue wall (104), the ramp (414) is supported on its opposite side by the flue walls (104) and extends into the pit (114); the ramp (414) facilitates both the placement and preparation of the robotic rover (412) prior to deployment into the pit (114) and the retrieval of the robotic rover (412) from the pit (114); and the ramp (414) guides the robotic rover (412) into and out of the pit in a controlled manner, such that the robotic rover (412) is deployed and retrieved with its arms resting on and supported by the flue wall (104), in a ready-to-use position.