Patent Application
20240360600
A common application of unmanned systems involve their deployment and operations in environments, tasks, or circumstances that are hazardous for their human counterparts. At present, information regarding the status and condition of an unmanned system is for the most part unknown to the user unless the unmanned system incorporate sensors commonly used for situational awareness, such as cameras. Otherwise, the user only begins to identify complications as portions of the unmanned system begin failing. Additionally, damage to an unmanned system is usually assessed by physical inspection after the unmanned system has returned to the user or a field technician. Ultimately, it is not plausible and is arguably inadequate to use current methods to provide real-time damage assessment of many unmanned systems because the available information is insufficient for most scenarios and use cases.
A fabric or lattice for locating a damage, including a puncture, includes one or more layers and a continuity tester. Each of the layers includes conductive filaments and insulating filaments. The conductive filaments are spaced apart within each layer of the fabric. The insulating filaments are distributed across the conductive filaments within each layer of the fabric. The insulating filaments adhere the conductive filaments together to form each layer of the fabric, yet separate the conductive filaments and electrically insulate the conductive filaments from each other. The continuity tester checks for an electrical continuity through each of the conductive filaments of each of the layers. The continuity tester identifies any one or ones of the conductive filaments exhibiting a loss of the electrical continuity due to the damage.
Throughout the several views, like elements are referenced using like references. The elements in the figures are not drawn to scale and some dimensions are exaggerated for clarity.
The disclosed systems and methods below may be described generally, as well as in terms of specific examples and/or specific embodiments. For instances where references are made to detailed examples and/or embodiments, it should be appreciated that any of the underlying principles described are not to be limited to a single embodiment, but may be expanded for use with any of the other systems and methods described herein as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise stated specifically.
The inventor has discovered a real-time feedback system that keeps a user apprised of the status and condition of an unmanned system. Analysis of the feedback provides a threat assessment for the unmanned system. The feedback system is integrated into a fabric, which envelops the unmanned system or is deployed on a portion of the unmanned system that is expected to receive significant strain or expected to become exposed to damage, such as directly embedding the fabric in a glacis plate. The real-time feedback potentially covers a more extensive area, enabling non-traditional coverage that provides previously unobtainable information, situational awareness, and insight regarding the unmanned system and its environment. The approach collects information primarily concerning actual structural damage, unlike existing systems, such as cameras, whose primary function is typically visual navigation. The collected information regarding structural damage entails significantly less data than that of existing systems, such as live video, making dissemination and communication of the collected information more manageable.
The fabric includes a single layer or multiple layers, each layer including conductive filaments that identify the position of any damage severing certain of the conductive filaments and hence creating an open circuit through the severed conductive filaments. As the number of layers is scaled in height, the fabric identifies damage with increased accuracy, including determining the trajectory of a projectile causing the damage and even the type of projectile. Additive manufacturing readily creates the fabric with a pattern of alternating conductive filaments and insulating filaments.
The fabric 100 includes conductive filaments 110 and insulating filaments, such as insulating filament 120. The conductive filaments 110 are spaced apart within a layer 101 of the fabric. The insulating filaments including insulating filament 120 are distributed across the conductive filaments 110 within the layer 101 of the fabric 100. The insulating filaments including insulating filament 120 adhere the conductive filaments 110 together to form the layer 101 of the fabric 100. Yet the insulating filaments including insulating filament 120 separate the conductive filaments 110 and electrically insulate the conductive filaments 110 from each other.
A continuity tester checks for an electrical continuity through each of the conductive filaments 110. In the embodiment of
It will be appreciated that the power supply voltages can be reversed at the pull-up resistors 130 and the resistive loads 131, and that the resistance values of the pull-up resistors 130 and the resistive loads 131 can vary. In one example, the pull-up resistors 130 are omitted with the respective second end 111 of each of the conductive filaments 110 connected directly to the power supply voltage. However, the pull-up resistors 130 are preferably included to limit the current draw from the power supply during a short-circuit condition potentially caused by the damage to the fabric 100. In another example, separate resistive loads 131 are omitted because the parallel-in serial-out shift register 132 possesses sufficient input resistance.
In one embodiment as shown in
The embodiment of
In general, the fabric 100 for locating damage includes one or more layers with each layer 101 including conductive filaments 110 and insulating filaments, such as insulating filament 120. The fabric 100 also includes a continuity tester. The conductive filaments 110 are spaced apart within the layer 101 of the fabric 100. The insulating filaments including insulating filament 120 are distributed across the conductive filaments 110 within the layer 101 of the fabric 100. The insulating filaments including insulating filament 120 adhere the conductive filaments 110 together to form the layer 101 of the fabric 100, yet separate the conductive filaments 110 and electrically insulate the conductive filaments 110 from each other. The continuity tester for checks for an electrical continuity through each of the conductive filaments 110 of each layer 101. The continuity tester identifies any one or ones of the conductive filaments 110 of the layers exhibiting a loss of the electrical continuity due to the damage.
The fabric 200 includes one or more layers with each layer 205 including conductive filaments 210 and insulating filaments, such as insulating filament 220. The fabric 200 also includes a continuity tester 230. The conductive filaments 210 are spaced apart within the layer 205 of the fabric 200. The insulating filaments including insulating filament 220 are distributed across the conductive filaments 210 within the layer 205 of the fabric 200. The insulating filaments including insulating filament 220 adhere the conductive filaments 210 together to form the layer 205 of the fabric 200, yet separate the conductive filaments 210 and electrically insulate the conductive filaments 210 from each other. The continuity tester 230 checks for an electrical continuity through each of the conductive filaments 210 of each layer 205. The continuity tester 230 identifies any one or ones of the conductive filaments 210 of the layers exhibiting a loss of the electrical continuity due to the damage.
In the embodiment of
The continuity tester 230 is shown with bidirectional drivers for the first and second ends of the conductive filaments 210. Such bidirectional drivers enable collection of more information about the damage when the damage causes shorting between the conductive filaments 210. For example, the continuity tester 230 successively scans through the conductive filaments 210 with the first end of each of the conductive filaments 210 strongly driven high while driving the first end of the other conductive filaments 210 and the second end of all of the conductive filaments 210 weakly low. The continuity tester 230 confirms the expected electrical continuity upon observing the second end of only the appropriate one of the conductive filaments 210 is driven high, while both ends of the other conductive filaments 210 are observed driven low. This is repeated with the continuity tester 230 driving the second end of each successive one of the conductive filaments 210 strongly high, while driving all the other ends of the conductive filaments 210 weakly low. The continuity tester 230 detects shorting between the conductive filaments 210 when one or both ends of multiple ones of the conductive filaments 210 are observed driven high.
In one embodiment, the conductive filaments 210 and the insulating filaments including insulating filament 220 are woven together to form the layer 205 that is flexible. In another preferred embodiment, the conductive filaments 210 and the insulating filaments including insulating filament 220 are adhered together without weaving to form the layer 205 of the fabric 200. For example, the fabric 200 is a rigid fabric generated by 3D printing the conductive filaments 210 with a conductive polymer and 3D printing the insulating filaments including insulating filament 220 with an insulating polymer. Such 3D printing readily forms the U turn in the conductive filaments 210 at the third edge 203. Such additive manufacturing can also print scaffolding later discarded or dissolved to support 3D printing a fabric 200 having a curved surface or multiple conjoined curved surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, the rigid fabric 200 is somewhat brittle so that the damage causes fracturing of the rigid brittle fabric 200 to reduce the possibility that the damage causes electrical shorting between the conductive filaments 210. In one embodiment, the fabric 200 is rigid plates attached to an unmanned system, allowing replacement of the rigid plates following damage to the fabric 200.
The lattice 300 includes conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 that are spaced apart within the first layer 301 of the lattice 300. Insulating filaments including insulating filament 318 are distributed across the conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 within the first layer 301 of the lattice 300. The insulating filaments including insulating filament 318 adhere the conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 together to form the first layer 301 of the lattice 300, yet separate the conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 and electrically insulate the conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 from each other. The lattice 300 includes conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 that are spaced apart within a second layer 302 of the lattice 300. Insulating filaments including insulating filament 328 are distributed across the conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 within the second layer 302 of the lattice 300. Insulating filaments including insulating filament 328 adhere the conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 together to form the second layer 302 of the lattice 300, yet separate the conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 and electrically insulate the conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 from each other.
A continuity tester (not shown) checks for an electrical continuity through each of the conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 and the conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325. The continuity tester identifies any one or ones of the conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 and the conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 exhibiting a loss of the electrical continuity due to the damage. In the embodiment of
In one embodiment, the conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 are approximately parallel along a first direction within the first layer 301 of the lattice 300, and the conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 are approximately parallel along a second direction within the second layer 302 of the lattice 300. The first and second directions are approximately perpendicular within the lattice 300. The continuity tester identifies coordinates of the example puncture 340 through the lattice 300 when the conductive filaments include a conductive filament 312 or conductive filaments of the first layer 301 exhibiting the loss of the electrical continuity and a conductive filament or conductive filaments 322 and 323 of the second layer 302 exhibiting the loss of the electrical continuity. The continuity tester identifies the coordinates of the example puncture 340 in the first and second directions as the intersection of a coordinate of the conductive filament 312 and a respective coordinate of the conductive filaments 322 and 323.
In one embodiment, the conductive filaments 311, 312, 313, 314, and 315 and the conductive filaments 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 cross approximately perpendicular within the lattice 300. The continuity tester identifies at least one coordinate of the example puncture 340 through the lattice 300 from one or more of the conductive filaments exhibiting the loss of the electrical continuity due to the example puncture 340 through the lattice 300.
The fabric 400 for locating a damage including the example puncture 480 through the fabric 400 includes one or more layers 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406. Each of the layers 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, or 406 includes conductive filaments and insulating filaments. The conductive filaments (shown in lighter shading) of each of the layers 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406 are spaced apart within that layer of the fabric 400. The insulating filaments (shown in darker shading) of each layer are distributed across the conductive filaments within the layer of the fabric 400. The insulating filaments of each layer adhere the conductive filaments of the layer together to form the layer of the fabric 400, yet separate the conductive filaments of the layer and electrically insulate these conductive filaments from each other. A continuity tester (not shown) checks for an electrical continuity through each of the conductive filaments of each of the layers 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406. The continuity tester identifies any one or ones of the conductive filaments of each of the layers 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, and 406 exhibiting a loss of the electrical continuity due to the damage.
As shown for the example puncture 480 of
Because the conductive filaments of the third layer 403 and the conductive filaments of the fourth layer 404 cross approximately perpendicular within the fabric 400, the continuity tester identifies a first pair of coordinates of the example puncture 480 as the intersection of a coordinate of the conductive filament 431 and a coordinate of the conductive filament 443. Similarly, because the conductive filaments of the fifth layer 405 and the conductive filaments of the sixth layer 406 cross approximately perpendicular within the fabric 400, the continuity tester identifies a second pair of coordinates of the example puncture 480 as the intersection of a coordinate of the conductive filament 451 and a coordinate of the conductive filament 462. The line through the first pair of coordinates and second pair of coordinates gives the trajectory 481 of the projectile.
Alternatively, a linear regression of the (y, z) coordinates of the severed conductive filaments 411, 431, and 451 gives a partial trajectory for trajectory 481, and a linear regression of the (x, z) coordinates of the severed conductive filaments 443 and 462 gives a partial trajectory for trajectory 481. The combination of these two partial trajectories fully specifies the trajectory 481, although ambiguity might remain for whether the path of the trajectory 481 enters the fabric 400 from above as shown in
In one embodiment, the conductive filaments of the first layer 401, the third layer 403, and the fifth layer 405 are approximately parallel along a first direction within these layers of the fabric 400. The conductive filaments of the second layer 402, the fourth layer 404, and the sixth layer 406 are approximately parallel along a second direction within these layers of the fabric 400. The first and second directions are approximately perpendicular within the fabric 400. The continuity tester identifies various coordinates in the first and second directions of the example puncture 480 through the fabric 400 and a trajectory 481 of a projectile causing the example puncture 480 when the conductive filaments include at least one of the conductive filaments in each of the layers exhibiting the loss of the electrical continuity.
From the above description of Fabric and Lattice for Locating Damage, it is manifest that various techniques may be used for implementing the concepts of the fabric 100, 200, and 400 and the lattice 300 without departing from the scope of the claims. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The fabric 100, 200, or 400 or the lattice 300 disclosed herein may be practiced in the absence of any element that is not specifically claimed and/or disclosed herein. It should also be understood that the fabric 100, 200, or 400 or the lattice 300 is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of many embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.
The United States Government has ownership rights in this invention. Licensing and technical inquiries may be directed to the Office of Research and Technical Applications, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, Code 72120, San Diego, CA, 92152; voice (619) 553-5118; NIWC_Pacific_T2@us.navy.mil. Reference Navy Case Number 210885.
