# US 11,397,426 B2 · Remote non-destructive testing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,397,426 B2 - Document ID: US11397426B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/694,750 - Filed: 2019-11-25 - Published: 2020-04-23 - Granted: 2022-07-26 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-17 - Assignees: DolphiTech AS - Applicants: DolphiTech AS - Inventors: Jan Olav Endrerud; Eskil Skoglund - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11397426B2 ## CPC - G05B 23/00: Testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof (monitoring of program-control systems G05B19/048, G05B19/406) - G01N 29/043: {in the interior, e.g. by shear waves} - G01N 29/0645: {Display representation or displayed parameters, e.g. A-, B- or C-Scan} - G01N 29/449: {Statistical methods not provided for in G01N29/4409, e.g. averaging, smoothing and interpolation} - G06F 11/00: Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring (error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00) - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - G01N 2291/0258: Structural degradation, e.g. fatigue of composites, ageing of oils - G01N 2291/044: Internal reflections (echoes), e.g. on walls or defects - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract An inspection apparatus for enabling a remotely-located expert to monitor an inspection by a non-expert, the apparatus comprising an inspection device capable of being operated by the non-expert, which is configured to generate inspection data indicative of a condition of a test object, and a communication unit configured to: divide the inspection data into first and second data; transfer the first data for being presented to the remotely-located expert at a first time, to facilitate substantially real-time monitoring of the inspection by the expert; and transfer the second data for being presented to the remotely-located expert at a second time, which is later than the first time, to facilitate non-real time monitoring of the inspection by the expert. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inspection apparatus for selecting configuration data to configure an inspection device, the inspection device being arranged to generate inspection data indicative of a condition of a test object, the inspection apparatus comprising: a position determination unit configured to obtain position data associated with the inspection device and to determine a position of the inspection device relative to the test object in dependence on the obtained position data; and a configuration unit configured to: select configuration data from a database in dependence on the determined position, the database being configured to store configuration data in association with one or more parts of the test object, said configuration data being capable of configuring the inspection device to generate inspection data indicative of a condition of the test object, and provide the selected configuration data to the inspection device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the position determination unit being configured to identify a part of the test object that is associated with the position of the inspection device relative to the test object. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 2, the configuration unit being configured to select the configuration data in dependence on the identified part. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the inspection apparatus comprising a user interface configured to, if the position determination unit identifies more than one part of the test object that is associated with the position of the inspection device relative to the test object: indicate to a user that more than one part has been identified; receive an input from the user indicative of the user having selected one of the identified parts; and inform the configuration unit of the selected one of the identified parts. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 4, the configuration unit being configured to provide the inspection device with configuration data associated with the selected one of the identified parts. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the configuration unit being arranged to use information from the database to generate further configuration data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the position determination unit comprising one or more of: a time-of-flight positioning system; a spatial scan system configured to determine an angle between a beacon and a sensor to determine the position of the inspection device; an inertial sensing system; a positioning system configured to use one or more of optical signals, ultrasonic signals and radio waves; and a positioning system comprising one or more of position, orientation and depth sensors and a motion tracking camera. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the configuration data comprises one or more of: software routines, control settings, set-up information, operational parameters, pulse shapes, time gate settings, pulse timings, and pulse amplitudes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the inspection apparatus is configured to select configuration data for the inspection device in dependence on user input and/or configuration data generated by the inspection device earlier in the inspection. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the database being remote from the inspection apparatus and the inspection apparatus being configured to access the database via a wired or wireless connection. ### Claim 11 A method for configuring an inspection device, the inspection device being arranged to generate inspection data indicative of a condition of a test object, the method comprising: obtaining position data associated with the inspection device, determining a position of the inspection device relative to the test object in dependence on the obtained position data, selecting, from a database configured to store configuration data in association with one or more parts of the test object, configuration data in dependence on the determined position, said configuration data being capable of configuring the inspection device to generate the inspection data indicative of a condition of the test object, and providing the selected configuration data to the inspection device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising configuring the inspection device using the selected configuration data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising identifying a part of the test object that is associated with the position of the inspection device relative to the test object. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising selecting the configuration data in dependence on the identified part. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising using information from the database to generate further configuration data. ### Claim 16 A method for configuring an inspection device, the inspection device being arranged to generate inspection data indicative of a condition of a test object, the method comprising: gathering position data associated with the inspection device; determining, in dependence on the gathered position data, a position of the inspection device relative to the test object; identifying, in dependence on the determined position, one or more possible inspection targets to be inspected using the inspection device; in response to identifying more than one possible inspection targets, each of which identified possible inspection target is associated with a different configuration, selecting one of the identified possible inspection targets to be inspected; selecting configuration data corresponding to the selected inspection target; and providing the selected configuration data to the inspection device for configuring the inspection device in accordance with the selected configuration data. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising configuring the inspection device using the selected configuration data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising receiving user input relating to the more than one possible inspection targets, and selecting the inspection target to be inspected in dependence on the received user input.