Remote Mobile Stand-Off Inspection System for Large Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inspection processes for large structures like storage tanks and airplanes are labor-intensive and require on-site personnel, making them inefficient and time-consuming, especially when accessing hard-to-reach areas or complex surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained, remotely operable mobile system that uses a local positioning system with a laser range meter and video camera, capable of being teleoperated from a distant operations center, allowing for stand-off measurement and inspection without physical contact, and adaptable for various terrains and environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If inspection experts travel to the inspection site to perform manual inspection, then measurement accuracy can be ensured, but inspection time and labor costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with an automated mobile measurement system that uses laser range meters and video cameras to perform stand-off measurements. The system automatically navigates to inspection points and captures measurement data without requiring expert inspectors to physically travel to each location, thereby maintaining measurement accuracy while dramatically reducing inspection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile measurement system is designed to be self-contained with onboard navigation, measurement instruments, and data processing capabilities. The system can autonomously perform inspection tasks at remote locations without requiring continuous expert intervention, enabling self-service operation that reduces both time and labor costs while maintaining measurement quality.
2Reliability
If on-site personnel are deployed for inspection setup and operation, then system reliability improves, but operational complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual setup and operation with automated control systems. The mobile platform includes onboard computers that automatically manage instrument calibration, data acquisition, and measurement processing. This automation maintains system reliability through consistent procedural execution while reducing operational complexity by eliminating the need for multiple trained personnel to coordinate manual operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile measurement system is designed as a multi-functional platform that can perform various inspection tasks across different locations and conditions. The system integrates navigation, measurement, data processing, and communication functions into a single unified platform, reducing operational complexity while maintaining reliability through standardized procedures that work across diverse inspection scenarios.
3Measurement precision
If contact-based measurement methods are used, then measurement precision can be achieved, but accessibility to hard-to-reach areas is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces contact-based mechanical measurement instruments with non-contact optical measurement methods using laser range meters and video cameras. This substitution enables measurements to be taken from a distance without physical contact, providing access to hard-to-reach areas such as high structures, confined spaces, or sensitive surfaces while maintaining measurement precision through optical sensing technologies.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile platform serves as an intermediary carrier that brings measurement instruments to difficult-to-access locations. The platform can navigate to remote or hazardous areas and position the measurement instruments optimally for data collection, enabling precise measurements in locations that would be inaccessible or dangerous for human inspectors to reach directly.
4Stability of the object's composition
If stationary measurement hardware is used, then measurement stability is improved, but mobility and adaptability to different locations are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from stationary to mobile measurement hardware while maintaining measurement stability through active stabilization systems. The mobile platform includes vibration isolation, inertial measurement units, and real-time calibration capabilities that compensate for motion and positioning variations, enabling stable measurements even while the system is in motion or at varying locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile measurement system is designed to provide stable measurements across multiple locations and conditions. The system integrates position tracking, environmental sensing, and adaptive calibration functions that maintain measurement stability regardless of the platform's location or orientation, enabling the same level of measurement quality whether stationary or mobile.
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 efficient, automated data collection with minimal on-site assistance, reducing inspection time and improving accuracy by allowing remote experts to operate the system from a distance, even in challenging environments.
Implementation Method 1
a laser range meter configured to transmit a laser beam to a point on a surface of the target object
Data Source
AI summary
Self-contained, remotely operated, mobile measurement and inspection systems for stand-off inspection of large target objects located at sites distant from an operations center. The systems comprise a mobile platform with on-board instrumentation capable of making dimensional measurements in the local coordinate system of the target object. The systems comprise multiple hardware and software components networked to a control interface that enables the operator at the operations center to teleoperate the equipment. Various embodiments include rough-terrain and floatable mobile measurement and inspection systems.