Mobilized sensor network for structural health monitoring
First Claim
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1. An apparatus comprising:
- inspection vehicles, including at least a first inspection vehicle and a second inspection vehicle, the inspection vehicles configured to be placed on a surface of an object to move relative to the surface of the object and transmit data generated about the object;
wherein the inspection vehicles move with respect to one or more sensor systems, including a first sensor system attached to the object at a first location and a second sensor system attached to the object at a second location, the first inspection vehicle configured to provide power to the first sensor system and the second inspection vehicle configured to provide power to the second sensor system, the sensor systems configured to generate the data about the object when the sensor systems are in a configuration with respect to a location on the object for inspection and when receiving power from the inspection vehicles, the first sensor system configured to generate a signal that passes through the object and the second sensor system configured to receive the signal;
a controller configured to control movement of the inspection vehicles, control operation of the sensor systems to generate the data, and receive the data transmitted by the inspection vehicles, the inspection vehicle configured to receive data generated about the object, and the inspection vehicle further configured to transmit received data generated about the object to the controller, and the controller configured to determine whether an undesirable inconsistency is present for the object using data generated about the object and historical data, the controller also configured to control when the first inspection vehicle provides power to the first sensor system and the second inspection vehicle provides power to the second sensor system; and
a robotic system configured to pick up, hold, and release the inspection vehicles via one or more robotic arms.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for inspecting an object is provided. Movement of inspection vehicles relative to a surface of the object is controlled using a controller. Generation of data about the object by sensor systems configured to generate the data when the sensor systems are in a configuration with respect to a location on the object for inspection and receiving power from the inspection vehicles is controlled using the controller. The data generated by the sensor systems is stored.
36 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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inspection vehicles, including at least a first inspection vehicle and a second inspection vehicle, the inspection vehicles configured to be placed on a surface of an object to move relative to the surface of the object and transmit data generated about the object; wherein the inspection vehicles move with respect to one or more sensor systems, including a first sensor system attached to the object at a first location and a second sensor system attached to the object at a second location, the first inspection vehicle configured to provide power to the first sensor system and the second inspection vehicle configured to provide power to the second sensor system, the sensor systems configured to generate the data about the object when the sensor systems are in a configuration with respect to a location on the object for inspection and when receiving power from the inspection vehicles, the first sensor system configured to generate a signal that passes through the object and the second sensor system configured to receive the signal; a controller configured to control movement of the inspection vehicles, control operation of the sensor systems to generate the data, and receive the data transmitted by the inspection vehicles, the inspection vehicle configured to receive data generated about the object, and the inspection vehicle further configured to transmit received data generated about the object to the controller, and the controller configured to determine whether an undesirable inconsistency is present for the object using data generated about the object and historical data, the controller also configured to control when the first inspection vehicle provides power to the first sensor system and the second inspection vehicle provides power to the second sensor system; and a robotic system configured to pick up, hold, and release the inspection vehicles via one or more robotic arms. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A health monitoring system comprising:
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a movement system associated with a hangar; inspection vehicles, including at least a first inspection vehicle and a second inspection vehicle, the inspection vehicles configured to be placed on a surface of an object to move relative to the surface of the object and transmit data generated about the object, wherein the first inspection vehicle and the second inspection vehicle are connected to the movement system such that the movement system places the first inspection vehicle and the second inspection vehicle onto a surface of an aircraft; wherein the inspection vehicles move with respect to one or more sensor systems, including a first sensor system associated with the first inspection vehicle and a second sensor system associated with the second inspection vehicle, the sensor systems associated with the inspection vehicles, wherein the sensor systems are configured to generate the data about the object, the first sensor system configured to generate a signal that passes through the object and the second sensor system configured to receive the signal; and a controller configured to control movement of the inspection vehicles into a configuration with respect to a location for inspection, control operation of the sensor systems to generate the data about the object for the location, and receive the data transmitted by the inspection vehicles, the sensor system configured to transmit data generated about the object to the inspection vehicles, and the inspection vehicles configured to transmit received data generated about the object to the controller, the controller storing data generated about the object in association with coordinates for the object, the controller configured to determine whether an undesirable inconsistency is present for the object using data generated about the object and historical data about the object pursuant to a policy; wherein the inspection vehicles transmit the data over a number of wireless communications links to the controller; and a robotic system configured to pick up, hold, and release the inspection vehicles via one or more robotic arms.
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14. A method for inspecting an object, the method comprising:
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controlling, using a controller, movement of inspection vehicles placed on a surface of the object relative to the surface of the object, the object having a first sensor system and a second sensor system, the inspection vehicles including at least a first inspection vehicle and a second inspection vehicle, the controller configured to move the first inspection vehicle so as to associate with the first sensor system and to move the second inspection vehicle so as to associate with the second sensor system, wherein the inspection vehicles are moved with respect to the sensor systems; controlling when the first inspection vehicle provides power to the first sensor system and when the second inspection vehicle provides power to the second sensor system; controlling, using the controller, generation of data about the object by sensor systems, including a first sensor system associated with the first inspection vehicle and a second sensor system associated with the second inspection vehicle, the sensor systems configured to generate the data when the sensor systems are in a configuration with respect to a location on the object for inspection and receiving power from the inspection vehicles, the first sensor system configured to generate a signal that passes through the object and the second sensor system configured to receive the signal; transmitting, by the sensor system, data generated about the object to the inspection vehicles; transmitting, by the inspection vehicles, data generated about the object to the controller; storing the data generated by the sensor systems; determining whether an undesired inconsistency is present at the location on the object using the data generated about the object; and picking up, holding, and releasing the inspection vehicles via one or more robotic arms of a robotic system; wherein the inspection vehicles transmit the data over a number of wireless communications links to the controller. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An inspection system to inspect an aircraft in a hangar, the inspection system comprising:
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a movement system associated with the hangar, the movement system comprising a robotic system; the robotic system configured to pick up, hold, and release one or more inspection vehicles via one or more robotic arms; the robotic arms configured to place the inspection vehicles onto a surface of the aircraft; the inspection vehicles, once placed onto the aircraft, configured to move on the surface to different locations on the aircraft to perform non-destructive inspection; one or more sensor systems embedded within the aircraft, the sensor systems configured to receive power from the inspection vehicles when power sources of the inspection vehicles come into contact with the sensor systems; a controller configured to receive, from the inspection vehicles, data generated during the non-destructive inspection using wireless communication and configured to send locations for inspection to the robotic system; and a track and crane system wherein a crane of the track and crane system is configured to hold and move the robotic system and the crane is configured to move along a track of the track and crane system with respect to the aircraft.
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Specification