Hot bond repair of structures using unmanned aerial vehicles

An apparatus comprising:

• an unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a body frame, a plurality of rotor motors mounted to the body frame, and a plurality of rotors operatively coupled to respective rotor motors of the plurality of rotor motors;
• a payload support frame pivotably coupled to the body frame of the unmanned aerial vehicle;
• and
• a patch applicator comprising:
• a heating blanket support frame coupled to the payload support frame;
• a heating blanket having a perimeter attached to the heating blanket support frame;
• a bleeder material having a perimeter attached to the heating blanket support frame and disposed in adjacent and parallel relationship to the heating blanket;
• a release film having a perimeter attached to the heating blanket support frame and disposed between the heating blanket and the bleeder material;
• and
• a perforated release film having a perimeter attached to the heating blanket support frame and disposed in adjacent and parallel relationship to the bleeder material.

A method for repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:

• (a) coupling a patch applicator to a payload support frame;
• (b) pivotably coupling the payload support frame to a body frame of a first unmanned aerial vehicle;
• (c) vacuum adhering a repair patch to the patch applicator with adhesive film on the repair patch facing away from the patch applicator;
• (d) flying the first unmanned aerial vehicle to a location where the adhesive film on the repair patch contacts a repair area on a surface of the structure;
• and
• (e) applying heat sufficient to convert the adhesive film into an adhesive bond sufficiently strong to bond the repair patch to the repair area on the surface of the structure;
• and
• (f) vacuum adhering a flexible flange of the patch applicator to the surface of the structure in a region surrounding the repair area,
• wherein step (f) is performed subsequent to step (d) and prior to step (e).

A method for repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:

• (a) vacuum adhering a surrogate patch to the patch applicator;
• (b) flying the first unmanned aerial vehicle to the location on the surface of the structure;
• (c) applying heat to the surrogate patch;
• (d) measuring a thermal profile of the surrogate patch;
• (e) coupling a patch applicator to a payload support frame;
• (f) pivotably coupling the payload support frame to a body frame of a first unmanned aerial vehicle;
• (g) vacuum adhering a repair patch to the patch applicator with adhesive film on the repair patch facing away from the patch applicator;
• (h) flying the first unmanned aerial vehicle to a location where the adhesive film on the repair patch contacts a repair area on a surface of the structure;
• and
• (i) applying heat sufficient to convert the adhesive film into an adhesive bond sufficiently strong to bond the repair patch to the repair area on the surface of the structure,
• wherein steps (a) through (d) are performed prior to steps (e) through (i).

An apparatus comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle and an indexing post placement module coupled to the unmanned aerial vehicle,

• wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises:
• a body frame;
• a plurality of rotor motors mounted to the body frame;
• and
• a plurality of rotors operatively coupled to respective rotor motors of the plurality of rotor motors, and
• wherein the indexing post placement module comprises:
• a spacer bar attached to the body frame of the unmanned aerial vehicle;
• a first indexing post holder attached to or integrally formed with one end of the spacer bar and comprising a latch and a channel;
• a first vacuum pump mounted to the spacer bar and in flow communication with the channel of the first indexing post holder;
• a second indexing post holder attached to or integrally formed with another end of the spacer bar and comprising a latch and a channel;
• and
• a second vacuum pump mounted to the spacer bar and in flow communication with the channel of the second indexing post holder.

A method for repairing a surface area of a structure using unmanned aerial vehicles, the method comprising:

• (a) releasably coupling first and second indexing posts to an indexing post placement module;
• (b) coupling the indexing post placement module to a first unmanned aerial vehicle;
• (c) flying the first unmanned aerial vehicle to a location where the first and second indexing posts contact the surface of the structure at respective positions outside of an area to be repaired;
• (d) adhering the first and second indexing posts to the surface of the structure at the respective positions;
• (e) decoupling the first and second indexing posts from the indexing post placement module;
• (f) flying the first unmanned aerial vehicle with the indexing post placement module away from the surface of the structure;
• and
• (g) placing a cover sheet on the surface of the structure by fitting one end of a cover sheet rod on the first indexing post and fitting another end of the cover sheet rod on the second indexing post using a second unmanned aerial vehicle.