Robotic surface inspection adjacent or in a coil around a mandrel

A method comprising:

• redirecting a strip of metal about a roller so as to define an angled segment of the strip of metal, the angled segment extending away from the roller and arranged at an angle relative to the roller;
• rotating a mandrel to change a size of a coil connected with the angled segment of the strip of metal such that a magnitude of the angle of the angled segment changes as the coil is enlarged or reduced by the rotating of the mandrel;
• detecting a characteristic of a surface of the strip of metal via at least one sensor of a surface inspection system, the surface defined in the angled segment or in the coil;
• and
• robotically moving the at least one sensor to modify an orientation of the at least one sensor of the surface inspection system relative to the surface;
• wherein the strip of metal comprises a top face facing upward and a bottom face facing downward,
• wherein the robotically moving is performed by a robotic assembly that facilitates detection by the at least one sensor of the top face and the bottom face,
• wherein the at least one sensor comprises multiple sensors,
• wherein the robotic assembly facilitates simultaneous detection of the top face and the bottom face by the multiple sensors,
• wherein the multiple sensors comprise a first sensor for detecting the angled segment and a second sensor for detecting the coil, and
• wherein the robotic assembly comprises a robotic manipulator supporting the first sensor and the second sensor.

A robotic assembly comprising:

• a surface inspection unit;
• a robotic manipulator coupleable with the surface inspection unit to manipulate an angular orientation of the surface inspection unit;
• and
• a controller operatively coupleable with the robotic manipulator to cause the robotic manipulator to alter the angular orientation of the surface inspection unit relative to at least one of an angled segment of a metal strip subject to a change in angle during processing or a coil subject to a change in size during rotation of the coil about a mandrel;
• wherein the metal strip comprises a top face facing upward and a bottom face facing downward,
• wherein the surface inspection unit comprises at least one sensor operable to detect a characteristic of a surface of the strip of metal, the surface defined in the angled segment or in the coil;
• wherein the robotic assembly facilitates detection by the at least one sensor of the top face and the bottom face,
• wherein the at least one sensor comprises multiple sensors,
• wherein the robotic assembly facilitates simultaneous detection of the top face and the bottom face by the multiple sensors,
• wherein the multiple sensors comprise a first sensor for detecting the angled segment and a second sensor for detecting the coil, and
• wherein the robotic assembly comprises a robotic manipulator supporting the first sensor and the second sensor.