Autonomous hull inspection

• US 9,051,028 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2013
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Fraser M., Maclean, Brian J., Colvin, Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Lars A
• Application Number:
  US13/769,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20140076225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 842 Days
• Field of Search: 114/222, 114/313, 114/337, 367/96, 367/117, 367/127, 367/129, 367/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/265 having magnetic or pneumatic adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/32 Assembly, disassembly, repair or servicing of endless-track systems
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 17/00 Vessels parts, details, or accessories, not otherwise provided for vehicle fittings for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles in general B60R25/00; propeller guards, line cutters or other means for protecting propellers or rudders B63H5/165; protection of power legs of outboard propulsion units B63H20/36; locking devices for boats, surfboards or parts or accessories thereof E05B73/007
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 59/06 Cleaning devices for hulls
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 59/08 of underwater surfaces while afloat B63B59/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 59/10 using trolleys or the like driven along the surface
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 71/00 Designing vessels; Predicting their performance
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/001 Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/41 Tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/44 inspection

Abstract

A hull inspection robot for autonomously inspecting a hull includes a robot body and a drive subsystem onboard the robot for driving and maneuvering the robot about the hull. An autonomous inspection system non-destructively inspects the hull by detecting a state of or near a portion of the hull and comparing the detected state with a stored state of the portion of the hull.

Claims

1. A hull inspection robot for autonomously inspecting a hull, comprising:

a robot body;

a drive subsystem onboard the robot for driving and maneuvering the robot about the hull; and

an autonomous inspection system having

a non-destructive detector onboard the robot body configured to non-destructively inspect the hull by detecting a state of or near a portion of the hull,

a database onboard the robot body and in communication with the detector and configured to store the state of the portion of the hull obtained by the detector, and

a processor onboard the robot body and in communication with the database, the processor being configured to compare the detected state with a stored state of the portion of the hull.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the non-destructive detector comprises an ultrasonic inspection system.

3. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the non-destructive detector comprises an eddy current detection system.

4. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the non-destructive detector comprises a magnetic field detection system.

5. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the non-destructive detector comprises a displacement gauge.

6. The robot according to claim 5, further comprising a mapping system for creating a hull map based on output of the displacement gauge.

7. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the non-destructive detector comprises an optical interferometry system.

8. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the non-destructive detector comprises a paint integrity inspection system.

9. The robot according to claim 8, wherein the paint integrity inspection system comprises an optical inspection system.

10. The robot according to claim 8, wherein the paint integrity inspection system comprises an electrical conduction system.

11. The robot according to claim 8, wherein the paint integrity inspection system comprises a paint capacitance system.

12. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous inspection system is a modular removable component of a hull cleaning robot.

13. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the non-destructive detector comprises an acoustic emission-based inspection system.

14. The robot according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning subsystem, wherein inspection of the hull by the autonomous inspection system is combined with a cleaning function by the cleaning subsystem.

15. The robot according to claim 14, wherein the cleaning function is carried out coincident with the inspection.

16. A method for autonomously inspecting a hull with a robot, comprising:

autonomously maneuvering the robot about the hull;

detecting a state of or near a portion of the hull with a non-destructive detector onboard the robot;

storing the state of the portion of the hull obtained by the detector in a database in communication with the detector and onboard the robot body; and

comparing the detected state with a stored state of the portion of the hull using a processor in communication with the database and onboard the robot body.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein detecting the state comprises detecting an eddy current near the hull.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein detecting the state comprises detecting a magnetic field near the hull.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein detecting the state comprises detecting a paint integrity of paint on the hull.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein detecting the paint integrity comprises optically detecting the paint integrity.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein detecting the paint integrity comprises detecting an electrical conduction or capacitance of the paint.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein detecting the state comprises detecting an ultrasonic signature of the hull.

23. The method according to claim 16, further comprising performing a cleaning function with the detecting of a state of or near a portion of the hull.

24. An autonomous hull inspection system, comprising:

a non-destructive detector onboard a device navigable over a hull of a vessel;

a database onboard the device and in communication with the detector and configured to store hull inspection data obtained by the detector;

an inspection standard module in communication with the detector and the database, the inspection standard module being configured to establish a hull standard state by storing the hull inspection data obtained by the detector in the database;

an inspection module in communication with the detector and the database, the inspection module being configured to store the hull inspection data obtained by the detector in the database after the hull standard state has been established by the inspection standard module to identify a current hull state; and

a processor onboard the device and in communication with the database, the processor being configured to compare the hull standard state with the current hull state.

25. A hull inspection robot for autonomously inspecting a hull of a vessel in motion, comprising:

a robot body;

a drive subsystem onboard the robot for driving and maneuvering the robot about the hull;

an autonomous inspection system having

an ultrasonic inspection system onboard the robot body configured to non-destructively inspect the hull by detecting a state of or near a portion of the hull while the vessel is in motion and while the drive subsystem drives and maneuvers the robot about the hull,

a database onboard the robot body and in communication with the ultrasonic inspection system and configured to store the state of the portion of the hull obtained by the ultrasonic inspection system, and

a processor onboard the robot body and in communication with the ultrasonic inspection system, the processor being configured to compare the detected state with the stored state of the portion of the hull; and

a mapping subsystem configured to create a map of the hull based on ultrasonic signatures of portions of the hull detected while inspecting the hull with the autonomous inspection system.

26. A hull inspection robot for autonomously inspecting a hull, comprising:

a robot body;

a drive subsystem onboard the robot for driving and maneuvering the robot about the hull; and

an autonomous inspection system having

a non-destructive detector onboard the robot body configured to non-destructively inspect the hull by detecting a state of or near a portion of the hull,

a database onboard the robot body and in communication with the detector and configured to store the state of the portion of the hull obtained by the detector, and

a processor onboard the robot body and in communication with the database, the processor being configured to determine whether the state of the portion of the hull obtained by the detector is discrepant with undamaged hull material.