Patent · US Active

Apparatus for the optical inspection of the thermal protection tiles of a space shuttle

US7929128B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by

7References

12Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

Ursus Krüger · Berlin, DE
Oliver Stier · Berlin, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Sep 26, 2008
Grant date	Apr 19, 2011
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jun 5, 2029

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG03B15/02
WIPO fieldOptics
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An apparatus for the inspection of the heat shield of a space shuttle has a drive so that it can automatically undertake an examination of the tiles of the heat shield. The apparatus moves over the surface with the aid of the drive, and images of the region to be inspected are produced with the aid of a camera. For these images, the tiles are illuminated subsequently by light sources from different directions, as a result of which the tiles can be reliably evaluated with regard to possible defects.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.