Intelligent airfoil component grain defect inspection
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorsMatthew Kush, Kong Ma, Robert Moriarty
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system including a positioning system with a component manipulator structured to position a component in response to a positioning algorithm; a scanning system capable of producing a set of light waves directed at a surface of the component, detecting a set of reflected light waves from the surface of the component, and producing a reflectivity data set in response to the set of reflected light waves; and a microprocessor structured to apply a fuzzy logic algorithm to the reflectivity signal to determine a solution set and produce a grain structure characterization in response to the solution set.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a component manipulator structured to position a component in response to a positioning algorithm;
- a surface scanner capable of
- producing an electromagnetic radiation directed at a surface of the component,
- detecting the electromagnetic radiation from the surface of the component, and
- producing a reflectivity signal in response to the detecting;
- and
- a processor structured to:
- apply a fuzzy logic algorithm to the reflectivity signal and determine a solution set in response to the reflectivity signal;
- and
- produce a grain structure characterization in response to the solution set.
A method comprising:
- applying a positioning algorithm to manipulate at least one piece of positioning equipment in response to a component;
- analyzing a surface of the component with a light source and a reflectivity detection unit;
- producing a reflectivity data set in response to analyzing the surface of the component;
- applying a fuzzy logic analysis to the reflectivity data set wherein the fuzzy logic analysis is capable of producing a solution data set;
- and
- providing a grain structure characterization in response to the solution data set.
An apparatus comprising:
- a position module structured to position a component;
- a reflection module structured to provide
- a light source directed to a surface of the component,
- a detection unit to detect a quantity of reflected light from the surface of the component, and
- a reflectivity data set in response to the quantity of reflected light;
- a grain structure characterization module utilizing a fuzzy logic algorithm capable of:
- applying the reflectivity data set as a set of input variables;
- assigning a degree of intensity to the set of input variables;
- determining an output data set;
- and
- converting the output data set to a set of solutions;
- and
- an indication module structured to provide at least one indication of a grain structure in response to the set of solutions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.