Rail-Mounted Inspection Device for Aircraft Fuselage Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current method of visual inspections on aircraft is time-consuming due to a limited number of trained inspectors, leading to increased maintenance downtime as inspectors need to travel to various locations, which can be inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A remote inspection system is implemented, where a rail is positioned within the aircraft fuselage, allowing an inspection device to move linearly and rotatably, sending video data wirelessly to a computer system for remote operation, enabling inspectors to perform inspections without physical presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If human inspectors perform visual inspections by traveling to aircraft locations, then inspection quality can be maintained through trained personnel, but inspection time and aircraft downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses cameras and sensors to create visual copies of the aircraft interior surfaces, allowing remote inspectors to examine the aircraft without being physically present. The inspection device captures images and video feeds that are transmitted to remote locations, enabling high-quality inspection without the time loss associated with inspector travel and on-site presence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human inspectors physically moving to and examining aircraft surfaces with an automated inspection device that moves along rails and transmits data electronically. This substitution eliminates the need for human travel and on-site inspection time while maintaining inspection quality through electronic imaging and remote analysis.
2Productivity
If multiple inspectors are deployed to different locations, then inspection coverage increases, but scheduling difficulty and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal inspection system where a single automated inspection device can serve multiple aircraft locations by moving along rails installed in the aircraft interior. The same device can inspect different aircraft or different sections of aircraft, eliminating the need to schedule multiple inspectors and simplifying operations while maintaining comprehensive coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated inspection device as an intermediary between the inspector and the aircraft. This intermediary performs the physical inspection task at various locations and transmits data to a central location, allowing one inspector to monitor multiple aircraft simultaneously and eliminating scheduling conflicts associated with deploying multiple inspectors.
3Ease of operation
If inspectors travel to aircraft locations for inspections, then on-site inspection can be performed, but inspection cost and aircraft downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection device creates visual copies of the aircraft interior surfaces through cameras and sensors, transmitting this data to remote inspectors. This allows the aircraft to be inspected without requiring physical presence of inspectors at the aircraft location, thereby reducing aircraft downtime while maintaining the capability to perform thorough on-site equivalent inspections.
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection device is pre-installed within the aircraft fuselage along rails, allowing it to move to any required inspection location internally. This preliminary positioning of the inspection mechanism within the aircraft enables comprehensive inspection without requiring external inspector travel, thus reducing aircraft downtime while maintaining full inspection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus, and system for inspecting a fuselage of an aircraft. A rail is positioned within an interior portion of the fuselage of the aircraft such that the rail extends through the interior portion of the fuselage. An inspection device is attached to the rail. The inspection device moves along the rail and the position of the rail enables the inspection device to inspect the interior portion. Video data is sent to a computer system over a wireless communications link between the inspection device and the computer system. The video data is displayed on a display system for the computer system. Inspection operations are performed in the interior portion of the fuselage with the inspection device attached to the rail when a group of commands to perform the inspection operations are received from the computer system over a wireless communications link between the inspection device and the computer system.