NOVEL SYSTEMS AND METHODS THAT FACILITATE UNDERSIDE INSPECTION OF CRAFTS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A craft inspection process comprising:
- locating, using an overhead robot, a candidate craft in space within one or more robotic envelopes and identifying craft offset;
locating, using said overhead robot and said craft offset, a component and/or sub-component of said candidate craft within one of said one or more robotic envelopes and identifying a component offset and/or sub-component offset;
conveying from said overhead robot to one or more computer systems at least one information chosen from a group including a point of origin of said component and/or said sub-component, one or more boundary coordinates of said component and/or said sub-component, an overhead scan path, signal to commence underside inspection, component offset and sub-component offset; and
processing, using said one or more computer systems, said at least one information received from said overhead robot to develop underside information used during underside inspection.
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Abstract
A craft inspection process is described. The craft inspection process includes: (i) locating, using an overhead robot, a candidate craft in space within one or more robotic envelopes and identifying craft offset; (ii) locating, using the overhead robot and the craft offset, a component and/or sub-component of the candidate craft within one of one or more of the robotic envelopes and identifying a component offset and/or the sub-component offset; and (iii) inspecting the component and/or the sub-component using an underside robot and the component offset and/or the sub-component offset.
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Citations
68 Claims
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1. A craft inspection process comprising:
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locating, using an overhead robot, a candidate craft in space within one or more robotic envelopes and identifying craft offset; locating, using said overhead robot and said craft offset, a component and/or sub-component of said candidate craft within one of said one or more robotic envelopes and identifying a component offset and/or sub-component offset; conveying from said overhead robot to one or more computer systems at least one information chosen from a group including a point of origin of said component and/or said sub-component, one or more boundary coordinates of said component and/or said sub-component, an overhead scan path, signal to commence underside inspection, component offset and sub-component offset; and processing, using said one or more computer systems, said at least one information received from said overhead robot to develop underside information used during underside inspection. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A process for developing a reference database, said process comprising:
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teaching, using an overhead robot, location of a reference craft in space within one or more robotic envelopes; teaching, using said overhead robot, location of a component and/or a sub-component of said craft within one of said one or more robotic envelopes; identifying an overhead point of origin for said component and/or said sub-component; and using said overhead point of origin for said component and/or said sub-component and arriving at an underside point of origin for an underside robot. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A process for developing a reference database, said process comprising:
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teaching, using an overhead robot, location of a reference craft in space within one or more robotic envelopes within a facility unit; teaching, using said overhead robot, location of a component and/or a sub-component of said craft within one of said one or more robotic envelopes; identifying an overhead point of origin for said component and/or said sub-component and one or more boundary coordinates for said component and/or said sub-component; using said overhead point of origin and one or more of said boundary coordinates of said component and/or said sub-components, generating an overhead scan path for said component and/or said sub-component; arriving at an underside point of origin for an underside robot using said overhead point of origin; and developing an underside scan path for said underside robot from said underside point of origin and said overhead scan path of said component and/or said sub-component or from said underside point of origin and said boundary coordinates of said component and/or said sub-component.
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11. A craft inspection process comprising:
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locating, using an overhead robot, a candidate craft in space within one or more robotic envelopes and identifying a craft offset; locating, using said overhead robot and said craft offset, a component and/or sub-component of said candidate craft within one or more robotic envelopes and identifying a component offset and/or a sub-component offset; obtaining, using said overhead robot, one or more boundary coordinates of said component and/or said sub-component, and said boundary coordinates providing overhead location information for said component and/or said sub-component; arriving at one or more facility unit coordinates using said boundary coordinates and said component offset and/or said sub-component offset, and said facility unit coordinates being used by an underside robot during an underside inspection of said component and/or said sub-component, and said facility unit coordinates account for a distance between said robotic envelope and a home position of the underside robot; and implementing said facility unit coordinates for underside inspection of said component and/or said sub-component using said underside robot. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A process for developing a reference database, said process comprising:
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teaching, using an overhead robot, location of a reference craft in space within one or more robotic envelopes; teaching, using said overhead robot, location of a component and/or sub-component of said reference craft within said one of said one or more robotic envelopes; and developing a scan path to be implemented by an underside robot during inspection of said component and/or said sub-component. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A craft inspection process comprising:
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locating, using an overhead robot, a candidate craft in space within one or more robotic envelopes and identifying craft offset; locating, using said overhead robot and said craft offset, a component and/or sub-component of said candidate craft within one of said one or more robotic envelopes and identifying a component offset and/or sub-component offset; and inspecting said component and/or said sub-component using an underside robot and said component offset and/or said sub-component offset. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A craft inspection facility unit comprising:
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a robot associated with a non-destructive inspection (“
NDI”
) system and capable of inspecting an underside of a craft;one or more rails extending along a dimension and disposed on a floor surface of the inspection facility unit; a rail drive subsystem proximate said one or more rails and capable of mobilizing said robot on said one or more rails; and wherein during an operational state of said robot, said rail drive subsystem mobilizes said robot to a predetermined location on the rail. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A craft inspection facility unit comprising:
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a robot associated with a non-destructive inspection (“
NDI”
) system and capable of inspecting an underside of a craft;one or more rails extending along a dimension of the inspection facility unit; and wherein each of said one or more rails capable of supporting thereon said robot, and during an operational state of said robot, said robot functions as an image receiver for an overhead robot functioning as an energy source that is disposed above said craft or said robot functions as said energy source for said overhead robot functioning as said image receiver that is disposed above said craft. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An underside craft inspection system comprising:
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one or more rails capable of supporting a robot associated with a non-destructive inspection (“
NDI”
) system;one or more beds proximate said one or more rails and capable of supporting said robot; one or more bed drive subsystems proximate said one or more beds and capable of mobilizing said robot on said one or more beds to a predetermined location on said one or more beds; and wherein during an operational state of said robot, said one or more bed drive subsystems mobilizes said robot to a predetermined location on said one or more beds and allowing selection of one or more rails for inspection of a component and/or sub-component of said craft. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A craft inspection facility unit comprising:
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one or more beds; an index positioner capable of supporting thereon one or more underside robots, each of which is associated with said NDI system and is capable of inspecting an underside of a craft; and wherein said one or more beds facilitate mobilization of said index positioner to facilitate underside inspection of said craft using said one or more underside robots. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. An inspection control system comprising:
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one or more overhead robots designed to inspect an upper portion of a craft; one or more overhead control subsystems, at least some of which are designed to control one of said one or more overhead robots; one or more underside robots designed to inspect an underside portion of said craft; one or more underside control subsystems, at least some of which are designed to control one of said one or more underside robots; one or more computers capable of being communicatively coupled to said one or more overhead control subsystems and said one or more underside control subsystems; and wherein during operation of said inspection control system, information from one control subsystem is conveyed to another control subsystem using said one or more computer systems. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A craft inspection system comprising:
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one or more overhead robots designed to inspect an upper portion of a craft; one or more underside robots designed to inspect an underside portion of said craft; one or more computer systems capable of being communicatively coupled to said one or more overhead robots and to said one or more underside robots; and wherein during operation of said inspection control system, said one or computer systems facilitate overhead robot and underside robot to inspect said craft in a corresponding manner. - View Dependent Claims (68)
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Specification