METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING USING AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A nondestructive inspection (“
- NDI”
) system, the system comprising;
an unmanned aerial vehicle (“
UAV”
) comprising a body structure, the body structure comprising one or more support structures where each of the one or more support structures comprise a releasable end structure; and
one or more NDI sensors integrated to a respective releasable end structure.
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Abstract
Provided is a nondestructive inspection (“NDI”) system that includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) comprising a body structure, the body structure comprising one or more support structures where each of the one or more support structures comprise a releasable end structure; and one or more NDI sensors integrated to a respective releasable end structure. The NDI system can also include a location tracking system that can determine a position, an orientation, or both of the UAV and/or one or more NDI sensors relative to a structure being inspected.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A nondestructive inspection (“
- NDI”
) system, the system comprising;an unmanned aerial vehicle (“
UAV”
) comprising a body structure, the body structure comprising one or more support structures where each of the one or more support structures comprise a releasable end structure; andone or more NDI sensors integrated to a respective releasable end structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- NDI”
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15. A nondestructive inspection (“
- NDI”
) system, the system comprising;a housing configured to house components comprising; one or more NDI sensors operable to measure one or more properties of a structure; a mounting mechanism operable to secure or release the housing to the structure; and a transceiver operable to send measurement data from the one or more NDI sensors, wherein the housing is sized to be delivered to a target location of the structure by an unmanned aerial vehicle (“
UAV”
). - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
- NDI”
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23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to perform a method for nondestructive inspection (“
- NDI”
) of a structure, the method comprising;directing an unmanned aerial vehicle (“
UAV”
) to a target location of the structure;physically securing the UAV or an end-effector to the target location; performing NDI of the target location using one or more NDI sensors; and physically releasing the UAV or end-effector from the target location. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
- NDI”
Specification