Inspection robot having serial sensor operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11157013-B2
Application number	US-201815997566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2018
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A system includes an inspection robot comprising a lead inspection sensor providing lead inspection data, and a trailing inspection sensor; a controller, comprising: an inspection data circuit structured to interpret the lead inspection data; a sensor configuration circuit structured to determine a trailing sensor configuration change for the trailing inspection sensor in response to the lead inspection data; and a sensor operation circuit structured to adjust a trailing sensor configuration for the trailing inspection sensor in response to the trailing sensor configuration change.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
operating an inspection robot having a plurality of input sensors;
interpreting lead inspection data from a forward one of the plurality of input sensors;
determining a trailing sensor configuration change for a rearward one of the plurality of input sensors in response to the lead inspection data, the rearward one of the plurality of input sensors disposed at a rearward position relative to the forward one of the plurality of input sensors;
adjusting a trailing sensor configuration for the rearward one of the plurality of input sensors in response to the trailing sensor configuration change; and
interpreting trailing inspection data in response to the adjusted trailing sensor configuration,
wherein the interpreting the lead inspection data is performed on data collected from an inspection surface while the inspection robot is traveling in a forward direction of travel, and wherein the interpreting the trailing inspection data is performed on data collected from the inspection surface while the inspection robot is traveling in a reversed direction of travel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting the trailing sensor configuration is performed during a same inspection run as the interpreting the lead inspection data.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a plant position definition;
determining position information during the operating the inspection robot, thereby determining an inspection robot position; and
correlating the lead inspection data with the inspection robot position to determine position informed inspection data,
wherein the determining the trailing sensor configuration change is further in response to the position informed inspection data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting the trailing sensor configuration further comprises activating the rearward one of the plurality of input sensors.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising altering a trailing operation in response to the lead inspection data.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the trailing operation further comprises at least one operation selected from the operations consisting of: utilizing a consumable repair tool; utilizing a consumable marking tool; performing a repair operation; and performing a marking operation.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forward one of the plurality of sensors comprises a laser profiler, and wherein the rearward one of the plurality of sensors comprises at least one of an ultra-sonic sensor and a magnetic induction sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forward one of the plurality of sensors comprises a magnetic induction sensor, and wherein the rearward one of the plurality of sensors comprises an ultra-sonic sensor.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rearward one of the plurality of sensors comprises at least one of an X-ray sensor or a gamma ray sensor.

10. A system, comprising:
an inspection robot comprising a lead inspection sensor structured to provide lead inspection data of an inspection surface collected while the inspection robot travels in a forward direction of travel, and a trailing inspection sensor structured to provide trailing inspection data of the inspection surface collected while the inspection robot travels in a reversed direction of travel, the trailing inspection sensor disposed at a rearward position relative to the lead inspection sensor; and
a controller, comprising:
an inspection data circuit structured to:
interpret the lead inspection data, and
interpret the trailing inspection data;

a sensor configuration circuit structured to determine a trailing sensor configuration change for the trailing inspection sensor in response to the lead inspection data; and
a sensor operation circuit structured to adjust a trailing sensor configuration for the trailing inspection sensor in response to the trailing sensor configuration change.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a sled mounted to the inspection robot, wherein both the lead inspection sensor and the trailing inspection sensor are mounted to the sled, and wherein the lead inspection sensor is mounted to the sled at a forward position relative to the trailing inspection sensor.

12. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of payloads, wherein the lead inspection sensor is coupled to a first payload, wherein the trailing inspection sensor is coupled to a second payload, and wherein the first payload is at a forward position relative to the second payload.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first payload and the second payload comprise an arrangement selected from the arrangements consisting of: wherein the first payload comprises a forward payload and wherein the second payload comprises a trailing payload; wherein the first payload and the second payload comprise forward payloads, and wherein the first payload is at a forward position relative to the second payload; and wherein the first payload and the second payload comprise trailing payloads, and wherein the first payload is at a forward position relative to the second payload.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the lead inspection sensor and the trailing inspection sensor comprise a same physical sensor, wherein the lead inspection sensor comprises the same physical sensor interrogating the inspection surface at a first time, and wherein the trailing inspection sensor comprises the same physical sensor interrogating the inspection surface at a second time, wherein the second time is later than the first time.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the lead inspection sensor comprises a laser profiler, and wherein the trailing inspection sensor comprises at least one of an ultra-sonic sensor and a magnetic induction sensor.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the lead inspection sensor comprises a magnetic induction sensor, and wherein the trailing inspection sensor comprises an ultra-sonic sensor.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the trailing inspection sensor comprises at least one of an X-ray sensor or a gamma ray sensor.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller further comprises:
a position definition circuit structured to determine an inspection robot position on the inspection surface; and
a data positioning circuit structured to correlate the lead inspection data to the inspection robot position on the inspection surface,
wherein the data positioning circuit is further structured to determine position informed inspection data in response to the correlating of the lead inspection data with the inspection robot position, and
wherein the sensor configuration circuit is further structured to determine the trailing sensor configuration change for the trailing inspection sensor in response to the position informed inspection data.

19. An apparatus, comprising:
an inspection data circuit structured to:
interpret lead inspection data from a lead inspection sensor traversing an inspection surface in a forward direction of travel, and
interpret trailing inspection data from a trailing inspection sensor traversing the inspection surface in a reversed direction of travel, the trailing inspection sensor disposed at a rearward position relative to the lead inspection sensor;

a sensor configuration circuit structured to determine a trailing sensor configuration change for the trailing inspection sensor in response to the lead inspection data; and
a sensor operation circuit structured to provide a trailing sensor configuration adjus

Assignees

• Gecko Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Loosararian Mark
• Moore Joshua
• Gu Yizhu
• Low Kevin
• Bryner Edward
• Mackenzie Logan
• Miller Ian
• Chou Alvin
• Joslin Todd

Classifications

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• G01N29/04

  Analysing solids (using acoustic emission techniques G01N29/14) · CPC title

• G01N27/82

  for investigating the presence of flaws · CPC title

• G01N21/88

  Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination · CPC title

• G01M3/04

  by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point · CPC title