Systems and methods for robotic sensing, repair and inspection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12390934-B2
Application number	US-202218055712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2022
Priority date	Apr 9, 2019
Publication date	Aug 19, 2025
Grant date	Aug 19, 2025

Abstract

Various embodiments of a bio-inspired robot operable for detecting crack and corrosion defects in tubular structures are disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
positioning a robot having a plurality of transducers along a tubular surface, the plurality of transducers being positioned along a plurality of gripper blocks of the robot, and the plurality of gripper blocks collectively covering a first volumetric region along the tubular surface;
receiving a first plurality of feedback signals associated with the first volumetric region from the tubular surface using the plurality of transducers;
traversing the tubular surface by: lifting, while grasping the tubular surface by applying a clamping force around the tubular surface using a first gripper block of the plurality of gripper blocks, a second gripper block of the plurality of gripper blocks of the robot away from a first location along the tubular surface; and grasping, by the second gripper block, a second location along the tubular surface to cover a second volumetric region between the first gripper block and the second gripper block along the tubular surface;
receiving a second plurality of feedback signals associated with the second volumetric region from the tubular surface using the plurality of transducers of the first gripper block and the second gripper block; and
combining the first plurality of feedback signals and the second plurality of feedback signals into an image that encompasses the first volumetric region and the second volumetric region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of feedback signals associated with the first volumetric region are resultant of application of a first plurality of ultrasonic signals traveling through the tubular surface.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is sequentially repeated by positioning the plurality of gripper blocks of the robot on a plurality of locations on the tubular surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is produced from the first plurality of feedback signals and the second plurality of feedback signals using a guided wave total focusing method.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is produced from the first plurality of feedback signals and the second plurality of feedback signals using a multi-helical ultrasound imaging method.

Assignees

• Marvi Hamidreza
• Dehghan Niri Ehsan
• Ilami Mahdi
• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Marvi Hamidreza
• Dehghan-Niri Ehsan
• Ilami Mahdi

Classifications

• B25J9/1664

  characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning · CPC title

• G01N2291/0234

  Metals, e.g. steel · CPC title

• G01N29/069

  Defect imaging, localisation and sizing using, e.g. time of flight diffraction [TOFD], synthetic aperture focusing technique [SAFT], Amplituden-Laufzeit-Ortskurven [ALOK] technique · CPC title

• G01N2291/0427

  Flexural waves, plate waves, e.g. Lamb waves, tuning fork, cantilever · CPC title

• G01N29/2412

  using the magnetostrictive properties of the material to be examined, e.g. electromagnetic acoustic transducers [EMAT]; (investigating the presence of flaws using eddy currents G01N27/90, magnetostrictive transducers B06B1/08, measuring magnetostrictive properties G01R33/18) · CPC title