Systems and methods enabling automated return to and/or repair of defects with a material placement machine

A method comprising:

• using a material placement machine to lay one or more courses and one or more plies of composite material to form a composite structure;
• inspecting the one or more courses for defects;
• determining whether a defect detected by the inspecting is unacceptable;
• and
• automatically causing the material placement machine to return to a defect determined to be unacceptable.

A method comprising:

• using a material placement machine to lay one or more courses and one or more plies of composite material to form a composite structure;
• electronically accessing positional data defining a defect location on the composite structure;
• and
• automatically causing the material placement machine to return to the defect location as defined by the positional data.

A method comprising:

• electronically accessing positional data defining a defect location on a composite structure;
• automatically causing a material placement machine to return to the defect location as defined by the positional data;
• and
• performing exterior monitoring of the material application position of the material placement machine to determine a first distance from a first reference point of the composite structure to a defect, the monitoring including detecting and counting transitions between contrasting portions of a code ring coupled for common rotation with a compaction roller.

A method comprising:

• electronically accessing positional data defining a defect location on a composite structure;
• automatically causing a material placement machine to return to the defect location as defined by the positional data;
• performing exterior monitoring of the material application position of the material placement machine to determine a first distance from a first reference point of the composite structure to a defect;
• summing courses completed to produce a total completed course count;
• and
• multiplying a predetermined course width by the total completed course count to determine a second distance from a second reference point of the composite structure to the defect.