Automation for nondestructive inspection of aircraft

Abstract

We discuss the motivation and an architectural framework for using small mobile robots as automated aids to operators of nondestructive inspection (NDI) equipment. We review the need for aircraft skin inspection, and identify the constraints in commercial airlines operations that make small mobile robots the most attractive alternative for automated aids for NDI procedures. We describe the design and performance of the robot (ANDI) that we designed, built, and are testing for deployment of eddy current probes in prescribed commercial aircraft inspections. We discuss recent work aimed at also providing robotic aids for visual inspection. I. Background Our goal is to replicate and enhance the capability of aircraft skin inspectors who use hand-held instruments (and their own senses and intelligence) to detect and classify flaws in aging aircraft. Our underlying concept is to use mobile robots, automated control, and automated interpretation of sensors and instruments to make difficult measurements in difficult environments. Potential application area include not only airplane skins, the subject of this paper, but also problems such as bombs in luggage, contraband in cargo containers, verification of disarmament treaty compliance, characterizing environmentally contaminated sites, and a variety of manufacturing problems, e.g., measuring composition gradients in large process tanks, transportation problems, e.g., bridge inspection, and scientific research problems, e.g., checking the integrity, alignment, etc, of large instruments such as radio telescopes and particle accelerators. These few examples just begin to suggest the universe of potential application areas and specific applications. A general hierarchical paradigm for organizing the common issues of measurement, manipulation, mobility, and monitoring characteristic of all these problems is illustrated explicitly for the aging aircraft problem in Figure 1.