Multi-dimensional damage detection

• US 10,138,005 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA
• Original Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA
• Inventors: Gibson, Tracy L., Williams, Martha K., Lewis, Mark E., Roberson, Luke B., Medelius, Pedro J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Curtis, Sean
• Application Number:
  US14/982,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20160152354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/2227 Inflating
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/52 Protection, safety or emergency devices; Survival aids
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/56 Protection against meteoroids or space debris
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/20 Investigating the presence of flaws
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time

Abstract

Methods and systems may provide for a structure having a plurality of interconnected panels, wherein each panel has a plurality of detection layers separated from one another by one or more non-detection layers. The plurality of detection layers may form a grid of conductive traces. Additionally, a monitor may be coupled to each grid of conductive traces, wherein the monitor is configured to detect damage to the plurality of interconnected panels in response to an electrical property change with respect to one or more of the conductive traces. In one example, the structure is part of an inflatable space platform such as a spacecraft or habitat.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a test signal to a plurality of interconnected panels, wherein each panel has a plurality of detection layers that form a grid of conductive traces and wherein each detection layer includes one or more known defect traces, and wherein the panel has a trace continuity signature that is defined by the known defect traces of the detection layers in the panel; and

identifying one or more damage zones in the plurality of interconnected panels based on a response of the grid of conductive traces to the test signal and trace continuity signature information associated with the plurality of interconnected panels.

2. The method of claim 1, further including using the response of the grid of conductive traces and the trace continuity signature information to identify a panel corresponding to each damage zone.

3. The method of claim 2, further including:

generating a damaged trace identifier for each damaged trace in the grid of conductive traces, wherein the damaged trace identifier includes a corresponding panel identifier; and

storing each damaged trace identifier to non-volatile memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more damage zones includes:

sorting a plurality of damaged trace identifiers to obtain a set of sorted identifiers;

grouping the set of sorted identifiers to obtain a set of grouped identifiers;

identifying one or more damaged detection layers based on the set of grouped identifiers;

normalizing the set of grouped identifiers;

determining a damaged trace identifier-to-trace identifier spacing for the set of grouped identifiers; and

determining one or more damage zone sizes based on the damaged trace identifier-to-trace identifier spacing.

5. The method of claim 4, further including modifying at least one of the one or more damage zone sizes based on the trace continuity signature information.

6. The method of claim 1, further including resolving a defect analysis state based on the one or more zones.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the defect analysis state includes one of a top layer only damage state, a top two layer damage state, a top three layer damage state, and a four layer damage state.

8. The method of claim 6, further including forming one or more coordinate pairs based on the defect analysis state and the response of the grid of conductive traces.

9. The method of claim 8, further including populating a damage attributes cluster array with the one or more coordinate pairs.

10. The method of claim 1, further including using the trace continuity signature information to distinguish between a plurality of damage zones.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the trace continuity signature information identifies a plurality of known defect traces in the grid of conductive traces.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the test signal includes a binary pattern.