System to automate a non-destructive test for stress or stress change using unmanned aerial vehicle and ultrasound

A system to automate a non-destructive test for stress or stress change developed within an object, comprises:

• ground control station;
• wherein the station comprises the following properties:
• 1. the station transmits a test plan, including a single or a plurality of autopilot flight control commands, to a single or a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles;
• 2. the station receives the flight state of a single or a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles;
• 3. the station receives and stores ultrasound echo signals or a stress map from a single or a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles;
• 4. the station retrieves ultrasound echo signals acquired at different time points from a storage and computes stress or stress change from the temporal ultrasound velocity changes with the signals for creating a stress map;
• a single or a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles;
• wherein the vehicle comprises the following properties:
• 1. the vehicle comprises a single or a plurality of ultrasound transducers for a non-destructive test;
• 2. the vehicle flies autonomously to a hold point located near above a surface of a test object;
• 3. the vehicle comprises a single or a plurality of distance sensors to measure distances of ultrasound transducers of the vehicle to an object, and the sensors are used for a vehicle to autonomously move and contact or nearly contact the object;
• 4. the vehicle carries out a single or a plurality of ultrasound measurements while contacting or nearly contacting a test object to acquire a single or a plurality of ultrasound echo signals;
• 5. the vehicle stores the acquired ultrasound echo signals locally or transmits them to the ground control station;
• a single or a plurality of reference positioning modules;
• wherein the modules transmit signals to the vehicles, so that the vehicles, as the receivers, correct or calculate their positions with the signals.