Drone-Mounted 3D Scanning for In-Situ Damage Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inspecting difficult-to-access technical objects, such as aircraft fuselages or wind power plant rotor blades, is complicated due to the need for accurate damage analysis, which often requires removal and results in costly temporary outages and insufficient visual inspection accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A moving flying object equipped with a helicopter drone and a 3-D scanner mounted via an actively rotatable joint, capable of capturing high-resolution images and projecting structured light, along with an image processing module and assessment device for generating and analyzing surface profiles, allowing for accurate damage analysis without removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If visual inspection using camera-based drone systems is used to inspect rotor blades, then inspection can be performed without removal, but the inspection accuracy is insufficient to detect or exclude damage with the required certainty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual inspection methods with a 3-D scanning system that captures precise geometric data of the rotor blade surface. The 3-D scanner mounted on the drone substitutes camera-based visual inspection with structured light or laser-based measurement technology, enabling accurate damage detection while maintaining the advantage of in-situ inspection without removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital 3-D copy or geometric model of the rotor blade surface by scanning it in situ. This digital replica allows for precise analysis of surface deviations and damage geometry without physically removing the blade, combining the benefits of non-invasive inspection with high measurement accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If rotor blades are removed for accurate damage measurement, then damage geometry can be accurately measured, but removal is very costly and results in temporary outage of the wind power plant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the rotor blade to be inspected while remaining in its installed position on the wind power plant. The 3-D scanning system allows the blade to 'self-report' its geometric condition in situ, eliminating the need for removal and associated downtime. The blade serves itself as the measurement target without requiring拆卸 or relocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs damage assessment in advance by scanning the rotor blade while still mounted on the plant. This preliminary inspection provides accurate damage geometry data before any maintenance decisions are made, allowing for planned interventions rather than emergency removals and outages.
3Productivity
If a 3-D scanner is mounted on a helicopter drone for scanning large objects, then accurate scanning can be performed without removal, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates a 3-D scanner onto a helicopter drone platform, creating a multi-functional system that combines aerial navigation capabilities with precise 3-D measurement functions. This universal platform can inspect various large structures (wind turbine blades, aircraft fuselages, ship hulls) without requiring separate specialized equipment for each application, improving productivity while managing complexity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the 3-D scanning system with the helicopter drone platform, combining two separate functional systems into one integrated inspection platform. The coordination device integrates the control of drone navigation with the operation of the 3-D scanner, reducing overall system complexity through unified control rather than separate independent systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise scanning and damage assessment of large objects, reducing the need for removal and temporary outages, while improving inspection accuracy and efficiency, facilitating in-situ inspection of complex structures.
Implementation Method 1
The 3-D scanner can have a projector for projecting structured light onto the object. The at least one camera can accordingly be designed to resolve light structures projected onto the object.
Implementation Method 2
The 3-D scanner has at least one high-resolution camera for recording a multiplicity of overlapping images of the object from different recording positions and recording directions
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft that includes a helicopter drone on which a 3D scanner is mounted via an actively rotatable joint is provided. The 3D scanner has at least one high-resolution camera for recording a multiplicity of overlapping images of the object from different recording positions and recording directions, so that comparison of the images allows a position and orientation of the 3D scanner relative to the object to be ascertained. In addition, the aircraft has a coordination device for coordinated control of the 3D scanner, the joint and the helicopter drone. The system for damage analysis has an aircraft and an image processing module generating a data representation of a surface profile of the object on the basis of the recorded images. In addition, the system includes a rating device for checking the surface profile and for outputting a damage statement on the basis of the check.