Inspection robot with removeable interface plates and method for configuring payload interfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11865698-B2
Application number	US-202217716249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2022
Priority date	Apr 20, 2021
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

Inspection robots with removeable interface plates and method for configuring payload interfaces are described. An example robot may include a payload, with at least one sensor, mounted to a housing of the inspection robot. The housing may include a removeable interface plate coupled to the at least one sensor and to an electronic board, the electronic board positioned within the housing. The removeable interface plate may define an electrical coupling interface compatible with the payload, and the electronic board may include an electrical processing configuration compatible with the payload.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inspection robot, comprising:
a payload mounted to a housing of the inspection robot, the payload comprising at least one sensor mounted thereon;
the housing comprising a removeable interface plate, the removeable interface plate coupled to the at least one sensor on a first side, and coupled to an electronic board on a second side, wherein the electronic board is positioned within the housing; and
the removeable interface plate defining an electrical coupling interface compatible with the payload,
wherein the electronic board comprises an electrical processing configuration compatible with the payload, and
wherein the electronic board comprises a dedicated board having a payload specific configuration, and wherein the electronic board is releasably mounted to a main board positioned within the housing.

2. The inspection robot of claim 1 , wherein the electronic board further comprises an electrical communication configuration compatible with the payload.

3. The inspection robot of claim 1 , wherein the electrical coupling interface comprises at least one characteristic selected from a list of characteristics consisting of: a number of connections; a voltage rating; a current rating; a connector type value; and an I/O pin configuration.

4. The inspection robot of claim 1 , wherein the removeable interface plate further defines a couplant connection fluidly coupled to the payload on the first side and to a couplant source on the second side.

5. The inspection robot of claim 1 , wherein the payload specific configuration comprises at least one configuration value selected from a list of values consisting of: a selected A/D processing configuration; a selected communication definition; a selected pre-processing definition; a selected payload identification definition; and a selected payload diagnostic definition.

6. The inspection robot of claim 5 , wherein the electronic board further comprises:
a payload interface circuit structured to interpret signals from the payload in response to the payload specific configuration; and
a data distribution circuit structured to communicate data values representative of data collected from the at least one sensor to an external device in response to the interpreted signals from the payload.

7. The inspection robot of claim 6 , wherein the data distribution circuit is structured to communicate the data values representative of data collected from the at least one sensor to the external device further in response to the payload specific configuration.

8. The inspection robot of claim 6 , wherein the external device comprises at least one device selected from the devices consisting of: a tether coupled to the housing; a computing device communicatively coupled to the inspection robot; a data acquisition circuit positioned within the housing; a data acquisition circuit communicatively coupled to the inspection robot; and the main board.

9. The inspection robot of claim 6 , wherein the electronic board further comprises:
a payload status circuit structured to provide a payload identification value in response to the payload specific configuration and further in response to the signals from the payload.

10. The inspection robot of claim 9 , wherein the payload identification value comprises at least one value selected from a list of values consisting of: a unique payload identifier; a payload calibration value; and a payload type value.

11. The inspection robot of claim 10 , wherein the payload identification value further comprises a component identification value corresponding to at least one component of the payload.

12. The inspection robot of claim 11 , wherein the at least one component of the payload comprises a sled.

13. The inspection robot of claim 12 , wherein the at least one component comprises the at least one sensor.

14. The inspection robot of claim 13 , wherein the component identification value comprises at least one of: a unique sensor identifier; a sensor calibration value; or a sensor type value.

15. The inspection robot of claim 1 , wherein the removeable interface plate comprises a high temperature plastic.

16. The inspection robot of claim 1 , further comprising a quick connect coupling the removeable interface plate to the housing.

17. An inspection robot, comprising:
a housing defining an interface opening, the housing comprising a mount;
a first payload comprising at least one first sensor mounted thereon, the first payload configured to selectively couple to the mount;
a second payload comprising at least one second sensor mounted thereon, the second payload configured to selectively couple to the mount;
a first removeable interface plate configured to mount to the housing over the interface opening, the first removeable interface plate having a first I/O interface compatible with the first payload on a first side, and a first electrical interface on a second side;
a first electronic board compatible with the first electrical interface and configured to mount within the housing;
a second removeable interface plate configured to mount to the housing over the interface opening, the second removeable interface plate having a second I/O interface compatible with the second payload on the first side, and a second electrical interface compatible on the second side; and
a second electronic board compatible with the second electrical interface and configured to mount within the housing.

18. The inspection robot of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the first electronic board or the second electronic board is positioned within the housing.

19. The inspection robot of claim 17 , wherein the at least one of the first electronic board or the second electronic board comprises a custom data acquisition circuit structured to process data acquired by a selected payload.

20. The inspection robot of claim 19 , wherein the custom data acquisition circuit comprises a custom configuration based, in part on: a geographic location, an environmental condition, a customer request, or a feature of an inspection surface.

21. The inspection robot of claim 18 , wherein the at least one of the first electronic board or the second electronic board comprises a payload interface circuit structured to interpret signals from the first payload in response to a first payload specific configuration, or to interpret signals from the second payload in response to a second payload specific configuration.

22. The inspection robot of claim 21 , wherein the payload interface circuit is further structured to determine which one of the first payload or the second payload is mounted to the housing, and to select one of the first payload specific configuration or the second payload specific configuration in response to which one of the payloads is mounted to the housing.

23. The inspection robot of claim 22 , wherein one of the first payload specific configuration or the second payload specific configuration is based, at least in part on, a geographic location, an environmental condition, a customer request, or a feature of an inspection surface.

24. The inspection robot of claim 17 , wherein each of the first electronic board and the second electronic board are configured to mount on a payload support location of a main board within the housing.

25. A method, comprising:
swapping a first payload of an inspection robot to a second payload of the inspection robot, the first

Assignees

• Gecko Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Bryner Edward A
• Cho Edwin H
• Cho Mark
• Binger Michael A
• Low Kevin Y

Classifications

• H05K2201/10151

  Sensor · CPC title

• H05K1/18

  structurally associated with non-printed electric components (H05K1/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F2200/201

  Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid · CPC title

• G06F1/206

  comprising thermal management · CPC title

• G01N2291/2698

  Other discrete objects, e.g. bricks · CPC title