Tracking Extended-Reach Tool for Composite Inspection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for inspecting and maintaining components in limited-access areas, such as aircraft structures, are time-consuming and costly due to the need for disassembly and lack of nondestructive inspection capabilities, especially in bonded and co-cured composite structures, where access is difficult and subsurface damage cannot be effectively assessed.
Innovation Solution
A tracking-enabled extended-reach tool system that includes a gimbal, an extended-reach arm with an end effector, and a sensor system to measure and track the position and orientation of the tool relative to the access opening, allowing for nondestructive inspection and maintenance without enlarging the access opening and providing real-time visualization of the workpiece and tool positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If visual inspection methods (borescopes, remote cameras) are used to inspect components in limited-access areas, then inspection capability is provided, but subsurface damage cannot be detected and misdiagnosis of benign markings as damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual inspection methods with acoustic emission sensing technology. Acoustic sensors detect stress waves generated by crack propagation or material failure, enabling subsurface damage detection without line-of-sight requirements. This mechanical-to-acoustic substitution allows detection of hidden defects that visual methods cannot identify.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces acoustic emission signals as an intermediary between the workpiece and the inspection system. Instead of directly observing the workpiece, the system detects acoustic waves that propagate through the material, providing indirect but accurate information about subsurface conditions and defect states.
2Ease of operation
If structure surrounding the workpiece is disassembled to access components in sealed enclosures, then inspection and repair access is obtained, but the process becomes costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sensing function from the physical enclosure by using acoustic emission technology that can detect defects through the enclosure walls and surrounding structures. This allows inspection without extracting or removing the workpiece from its sealed environment, eliminating disassembly requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The acoustic emission sensor system serves multiple functions: it can inspect workpieces through various enclosure types (sealed, bonded, co-cured composite structures) without requiring specific access openings or disassembly procedures. The universal applicability eliminates the need for structure-specific inspection preparations.
3Ease of operation
If access openings are enlarged to perform repair operations on defects, then repair access is obtained, but additional structure removal is required increasing cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary detection and characterization of defects using acoustic emission technology before any repair operations. By accurately locating and assessing subsurface defects non-destructively, the system enables targeted minimal-access repair procedures, preventing the need for exploratory or oversized access openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical access methods (enlarging openings, removing structure) with acoustic field-based detection and guidance. Acoustic emission sensing provides the information needed to perform repairs through minimal access, substituting mechanical structure modification with acoustic-based precision targeting.
4Strength
If bonded and co-cured composite structures are used to reduce weight and improve design, then structural performance is enhanced, but access for inspection becomes difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses acoustic waves as an intermediary to penetrate bonded and co-cured composite structures for inspection. Acoustic emission signals can propagate through these advanced composite materials and detect defects at bonding interfaces or within co-cured structures, providing inspection capability where visual and other non-destructive methods fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical access methods with acoustic field penetration through composite structures. Acoustic emission technology detects defects through the composite materials themselves, eliminating the need to access or dismantle bonded and co-cured structures for inspection.
Data Source
AI summary
A tracking-enabled extended-reach tool system acting upon a workpiece. The tool system includes a gimbal positioned adjacent an opening in a surface, a sensor system, a computer control, and a display. The extended-reach arm has a first end, a second end, an end effector including a tool adjacent the first end. The extended-reach arm engages the gimbal for relative rotational movement and relative slidable movement through the opening positioning the end effector and the tool on a side of the surface opposite the second end. The sensor system is configured to measure a linear position of the extended-reach arm relative to the gimbal. The computer control receives signals from the sensor system indicative of the linear position of the extended-reach arm relative to the gimbal. The display is connected to the computer control and displays a representation of the workpiece and the tool relative to each other in real time.