Systems for reprogrammable inspection robots

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11926037-B2
Application number	US-202217727217-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2022
Priority date	Apr 20, 2021
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

Systems for reprogrammable inspection robots are described. An example system may include an inspection robot having a housing, a payload interface, a drive module interface, and a tether interface. The system may further include a first electronic board having a primary functionality circuit communicatively coupled to a base station and a second electronic board operationally coupled to the payload interface, the second electronic board having a payload functionality circuit coupled to a selected payload through the payload interface. The example system may further include a third electronic board operationally coupled to the drive module interface, the third electronic board having a drive module functionality circuit communicatively coupled to a selected drive module through the drive module interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
an inspection robot comprising a housing, a payload interface, a drive module interface, and a tether interface;
a first electronic board comprising a primary functionality circuit communicatively coupled to a base station;
a second electronic board operationally coupled to the payload interface, the second electronic board comprising a payload functionality circuit communicatively coupled to a selected payload through the payload interface; and
a third electronic board operationally coupled to the drive module interface, the third electronic board comprising a drive module functionality circuit communicatively coupled to a selected drive module through the drive module interface,
wherein the inspection robot is configured to use a first payload configuration value in response to the selected payload mounted in the housing, and to use a second payload configuration value in response to the selected payload being swapped by a user with a second payload.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic board is operationally coupled to the tether interface, and wherein the primary functionality circuit is communicatively coupled to the base station through the tether interface.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic board comprises a wireless communication circuit, and wherein the primary functionality circuit is communicatively coupled to the base station via a wireless connection.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the primary functionality circuit is further communicatively coupled to a remote system via the wireless connection.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electronic board is communicatively coupled to the first electronic board with a slot coupling.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electronic board is communicatively coupled to the first electronic board with an intermediate printed circuit board coupling.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third electronic board is communicatively coupled to the first electronic board with a slot coupling.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third electronic board is communicatively coupled to the first electronic board with an intermediate printed circuit board coupling.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electronic board comprises a first payload interface circuit, the system further comprising a second payload interface circuit, and wherein the inspection robot is configured to utilize a first payload in response to the first payload interface circuit mounted in the housing, and to utilize the second payload in response to the second payload interface circuit mounted in the housing wherein the selected payload is the first payload.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic board comprises a plurality of slot couplings, and wherein each of the second electronic board and the third electronic board are communicatively coupled to the first electronic board using at least one of the plurality of slot couplings.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic board comprises at least one engaged intermediate printed circuit board, and wherein each of the second electronic board and the third electronic board are communicatively coupled to the first electronic board using the at least one engaged intermediate printed circuit board.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electronic board is communicatively coupled to the first electronic board using a generalized payload coupling circuit.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third electronic board is communicatively coupled to the first electronic board using a generalized drive module coupling circuit.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electronic board comprises a first payload interface circuit, the system further comprising a second payload interface circuit, and wherein the inspection robot is configured to utilize a first payload calibration set in response to the first payload interface circuit mounted in the housing, and to utilize a second payload calibration set in response to the second payload interface circuit mounted in the housing.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electronic board comprises a first payload interface circuit, the system further comprising a second payload interface circuit, wherein the first payload interface circuit comprises a first indicator light configuration, and wherein the second payload interface circuit comprises a second indicator light configuration.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third electronic board comprises a first drive module interface circuit, the system further comprising a second drive module interface circuit, and wherein the inspection robot is configured to utilize a first drive module calibration set in response to the first drive module interface circuit mounted in the housing, and to utilize a second drive module calibration set in response to the second drive module interface circuit mounted in the housing.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third electronic board comprises a first drive module interface circuit, the system further comprising a second drive module interface circuit, and wherein the inspection robot is configured to utilize a first drive module instruction set in response to the first drive module interface circuit mounted in the housing, and to utilize a second drive module instruction set in response to the second drive module interface circuit mounted in the housing.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third electronic board comprises a first drive module interface circuit, the system further comprising a second drive module interface circuit, wherein the first drive module interface circuit comprises a first indicator light configuration, and wherein the second drive module interface circuit comprises a second indicator light configuration.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electronic board comprises a payload interface circuit configured to operate the payload interface in response to the first payload configuration value or the second payload configuration value.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein at least one of the first payload configuration value or the second payload configuration value comprises at least one of a payload calibration set, an electrical interface description, or a payload instruction set.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein:
the second electronic board is communicatively coupled to the first electronic board;
the first electronic board is operationally coupled to a tether via the tether interface; and
the first electronic board further comprises an inspection robot configuration circuit structured to update the payload interface circuit or at least one of the first payload configuration value or the second payload configuration value in response to communications received at the tether interface.

22. The system of claim 19 , wherein:
the second electronic board is communicatively coupled to the first electronic board;
the first electronic board comprises a wireless communication circuit communicatively coupled to the base station; and
the first electronic board further comprises an inspection robot configuration circuit structured to update the payload interface circuit or the payload configuration value in response to communications received via the wireless communication circuit.

23. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third electronic board comprises a drive mo

Assignees

• Gecko Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Bryner Edward A
• Cho Edwin H
• Cho Mark

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