UAV Multi-Tool Repair for Hard-to-Reach Composite Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for in-service repair of large composite structures, such as aircraft and wind turbine blades, are time-consuming, costly, and inefficient, often requiring manual labor and resulting in operational delays and significant economic impacts due to the need for extensive maintenance and potential flight cancellations.
Innovation Solution
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multi-tool modules and advanced control systems to perform rapid inspections and repairs, allowing for robotic selection and placement of tools at repair sites based on pre-defined plans, enabling remote access to damaged areas and minimizing human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual labor with lifts or stands is used for repair, then repair can be performed with simple equipment, but repair time increases and operational delays occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical repair systems (lifts, stands, harnesses) with an automated robotic system that uses computer-controlled positioning and automated tool application. The robotic system can autonomously navigate to damage locations and perform repair operations without human physical presence, dramatically reducing repair time while managing equipment complexity through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The repair system is designed to perform inspections and repairs autonomously without continuous human intervention. The robotic platform can self-navigate to damage sites, self-position for repair operations, and self-apply repair materials or treatments, enabling rapid in-service repairs that minimize aircraft downtime.
2Reliability
If extensive manual inspection and repair procedures are used, then thorough damage assessment can be achieved, but downtime and economic impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual visual inspection with automated optical sensors, cameras, and imaging systems mounted on the robotic platform. These sensors can detect damage, measure its extent, and assess structural integrity with high precision, providing thorough damage assessment while significantly reducing the time required compared to manual inspection methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system performs preliminary inspection and damage characterization before repair operations begin. By pre-mapping the damage area, depth, and type, the system can quickly execute the repair without time-consuming assessment during the repair process itself, reducing overall downtime while maintaining assessment accuracy.
3Ease of operation
If traditional repair methods with lifts and stands are employed, then stable repair positioning can be achieved, but access to damaged areas becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system employs dynamic positioning capabilities, using actuators and control systems to maintain stable positioning on curved or irregular aircraft surfaces. The platform can adapt its position and orientation in real-time to access damaged areas that would be difficult or impossible to reach with fixed lifts or stands, providing easy access without requiring extensive ground equipment.
4Productivity
If rapid repair is performed with automated systems, then downtime is reduced, but system complexity and initial costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic repair platform is designed as a multi-functional system that can perform multiple operations (inspection, cleaning, repair material application, curing) with a single integrated platform. This universality reduces the need for multiple separate complex systems while achieving rapid repair throughput through automated multi-step processes.
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for performing repair operations using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV 2). The methods are enabled by equipping the UAV with tools (68, 70, 72, 74) for rapidly repairing a large structure or object (e.g., an aircraft or a wind turbine blade) that is not easily accessible to maintenance personnel. A plurality of tools are available for robotic selection and placement at the repair site (9). The tools are designed to perform respective repair operations in sequence in accordance with a specified repair plan, which plan may take into account the results of a previously performed UAV-enabled inspection.