Robotic spall damage repair system and method

Abstract

A system and method for repairing one or more spalls using an autonomous robotic platform is provided. The system for repairing one or more spalls can include a power module, a construction module, a mechanical module, and a processing module. The method for repairing one or more spalls can include: processing coordinates and navigating to a spall, preparing the spall for repair, measuring a volume of the spall and determining an amount of repair material to be used, dispersing the appropriate amount of repair material into the spall, finalizing the repair of the spall, and generating a notification.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An autonomous robotic platform for repairing a spall comprising:
 a power module;   a construction module including a tank for holding a repair material;   a mechanical module including a track component for moving the autonomous robotic platform and a plow attachment for moving debris proximate to the spall to be repaired;   a processing module comprising:
 a vision system module designed to identify and analyze the spall; 
 a control module to execute one or more programmable instructions of the autonomous robotic platform; and 
 a navigation module. 
   
     
     
         2 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 1 , wherein the processing module further comprises:
 a notification module;   a sensor module;   a communication module; and   an electrical safety system.   
     
     
         3 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 2 , wherein the vision system module further comprises:
 a camera system;   a sensor system; and   one or more computer vision algorithms.   
     
     
         4 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 1 , wherein the navigation module is configured to process location coordinates associated with a spall repair assignment and navigate the autonomous robotic platform to the location coordinates. 
     
     
         5 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 2 , wherein the control module further comprises a disconnect switch. 
     
     
         6 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 1 , wherein the power module includes a generator, a battery, a battery management system, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 4 , wherein a notification module sends a release signal to indicate that the autonomous robotic platform has reached the location coordinates. 
     
     
         8 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 2 , wherein the electrical safety system is configured to limit operations of the autonomous robotic platform in a defined three-dimensional work zone for a spall repair assignment. 
     
     
         9 . An autonomous robotic platform designed for repairing one or more spalls comprising:
 a power module;   a construction module including a tank for holding a repair material and a nozzle for dispensing the repair material;   a mechanical module including a track component for moving the autonomous robotic platform;   a processing module comprising:
 a vision system module designed to identify and analyze the spall; and 
 a navigation module designed to route the autonomous robotic platform to a location coordinate associated with the spall. 
   
     
     
         10 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 9 , wherein the power module includes a generator, a rechargeable battery, a battery management system, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 9 , wherein the mechanical module further comprises:
 a plow attachment for moving debris proximate to the spall to be repaired; and   a plate compactor attachment to tamper the spall after the repair material is applied to the spall.   
     
     
         12 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 9 , wherein the tank for holding a repair material is provided in the form of a liquid tank, a binding agent tank, a hopper, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The autonomous robotic platform of  claim 9 , wherein the autonomous robotic platform further comprises a user interface to send and retrieve information from a data store and a network communicatively coupled to the autonomous robotic platform. 
     
     
         14 . A method of repairing a spall using an autonomous robotic platform, the method comprising:
 providing location coordinates associated with a spall repair assignment to a navigation module of the autonomous robotic platform;   navigating to the location coordinates using a vision system module;   preparing the spall for a repair using a plow attachment to move debris proximate to the spall;   analyzing a volume of the spall using the vision system module;   determining an amount of repair material to be used for the spall;   dispersing the amount of repair material determined into the spall;   finalizing the repair assignment; and   generating a notification to a user device that the spall repair assignment is complete.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the location coordinates are provided in the form of GPS coordinates. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 applying a liquid to the spall from a liquid tank of the autonomous robotic platform.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein preparing the spall for the repair further comprises moving the debris into the spall and analyzing the volume of the spall after the debris has been moved into the spall. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein preparing the spall for the repair includes flooding the spall with liquid. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the liquid is water. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the notification includes metadata and an image of the spall after the repair.