Patents by Inventor Bryon Edward Knight
Bryon Edward Knight has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20240118140Abstract: A method of imaging a turbine engine test component with a first surface and a second surface that is spaced from the first surface. The turbine engine test component includes a plurality of film holes with inlets formed in the second surface or interior that are fluidly coupled to outlets formed in the first surface or exterior. The method includes flowing airflow through the plurality of film holes of the turbine engine test component, obtaining thermographic data, determining a test dataset, and calculating a performance score.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2023Publication date: April 11, 2024Inventors: Guanghua Wang, Bryon Edward Knight, Andrew Lee Trimmer, Jason Edward Dees, Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Sean Robert Farrell
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Patent number: 11885688Abstract: A method of imaging a turbine engine component with a first surface and a second surface that is spaced from the first surface. The turbine engine component includes a plurality of holes with inlets formed in the second surface or interior that are fluidly coupled to outlets formed in the first surface or exterior. The method includes determining at least one fluid frequency, determining at least one sampling frequency, and pulsing fluid through at least a portion of the interior of turbine engine component while imaging the turbine engine component.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2020Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Guanghua Wang, Bryon Edward Knight, Andrew Lee Trimmer, Jason Edward Dees, Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Sean Robert Farrell
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Patent number: 11492913Abstract: An inspection system includes a thermographic sensor configured to capture thermographic data of a component having holes as a fluid is pulsed toward the holes, and one or more processors configured to temporally process the thermographic data to calculate temporal scores and spatial scores for the corresponding holes. The scores can be used to obtain a reference dataset and a test dataset. A performance score can be assigned to the component based on the difference between the datasets.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2020Date of Patent: November 8, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Guanghua Wang, Bryon Edward Knight, Andrew Lee Trimmer, Jason Edward Dees, Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Sean Robert Farrell
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Publication number: 20220026278Abstract: A method of imaging a turbine engine component with a first surface and a second surface that is spaced from the first surface. The turbine engine component includes a plurality of holes with inlets formed in the second surface or interior that are fluidly coupled to outlets formed in the first surface or exterior. The method includes determining at least one fluid frequency, determining at least one sampling frequency, and pulsing fluid through at least a portion of the interior of turbine engine component while imaging the turbine engine component.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2020Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Guanghua Wang, Bryon Edward Knight, Andrew Lee Trimmer, Jason Edward Dees, Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Sean Robert Farrell
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Publication number: 20220025770Abstract: An inspection system includes a thermographic sensor configured to capture thermographic data of a component having holes as a fluid is pulsed toward the holes, and one or more processors configured to temporally process the thermographic data to calculate temporal scores and spatial scores for the corresponding holes. The scores can be used to obtain a reference dataset and a test dataset. A performance score can be assigned to the component based on the difference between the datasets.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2020Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Guanghua Wang, Bryon Edward Knight, Andrew Lee Trimmer, Jason Edward Dees, Bernard Patrick Bewlay, Sean Robert Farrell
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Patent number: 10773336Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes at least one imaging device configured to direct electromagnetic radiation towards a build layer of a component positioned within a powder bed of the additive manufacturing system. The additive manufacturing system also includes at least one detector configured to detect the electromagnetic radiation that reflects from the build layer.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2018Date of Patent: September 15, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Kevin George Harding, William Robert Ross, Bryon Edward Knight, Venkata Vijayaraghava Nalladega, Clifford Bueno
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Patent number: 10152784Abstract: A method for inspecting a component is presented. The method includes inducing, by an inductive coil, an electrical current flow into the component. Further, the method includes capturing, by an infrared (IR) camera, at least a first set of frames and a second set of frames corresponding to the component, wherein the first set of frames is captured at a first time interval and a second set of frames is captured at a second time interval. Also, the method includes constructing, by a processing unit, a thermal image based on at least the first set of frames and the second set of frames corresponding to the component. Furthermore, the method includes determining presence of a thermal signature in the thermal image, wherein the thermal signature is representative of a defect in the component.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2016Date of Patent: December 11, 2018Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Venkata Vijayaraghava Nalladega, Thomas James Batzinger, Yuri Alexeyevich Plotnikov, Shyamsunder Tondanur Mandayam, Bryon Edward Knight, Satheesh Jeyaraman, Esha SenGupta
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Publication number: 20180193947Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes at least one imaging device configured to direct electromagnetic radiation towards a build layer of a component positioned within a powder bed of the additive manufacturing system. The additive manufacturing system also includes at least one detector configured to detect the electromagnetic radiation that reflects from the build layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2018Publication date: July 12, 2018Inventors: Kevin George Harding, William Robert Ross, Bryon Edward Knight, Venkata Vijayaraghava Nalladega, Clifford Bueno
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Publication number: 20180005368Abstract: A method for inspecting a component is presented. The method includes inducing, by an inductive coil, an electrical current flow into the component. Further, the method includes capturing, by an infrared (IR) camera, at least a first set of frames and a second set of frames corresponding to the component, wherein the first set of frames is captured at a first time interval and a second set of frames is captured at a second time interval. Also, the method includes constructing, by a processing unit, a thermal image based on at least the first set of frames and the second set of frames corresponding to the component. Furthermore, the method includes determining presence of a thermal signature in the thermal image, wherein the thermal signature is representative of a defect in the component.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2016Publication date: January 4, 2018Inventors: Venkata Vijayaraghava Nalladega, Thomas James Batzinger, Yuri Alexeyevich Plotnikov, Shyamsunder Tondanur Mandayam, Bryon Edward Knight, Satheesh Jeyaraman, Esha SenGupta
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Patent number: 9500611Abstract: A thermographic nondestructive evaluation system includes a lamp assembly having a lamp. The lamp is configured to be positioned within an internal cavity of a target object and to emit an energy pulse toward an interior surface of the internal cavity. The lamp includes at least one curved portion, the at least one curved portion is curved relative to a longitudinal axis of the lamp, and a first curvature of the curved portion is selected to substantially correspond to a second curvature of the internal cavity.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2013Date of Patent: November 22, 2016Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Donald Robert Howard, Harry Israel Ringermacher, Waseem Ibrahim Faidi, Bryon Edward Knight
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Patent number: 9007466Abstract: A method for thermographic imaging is described. The method captures a plurality of thermal images of a surface of an object, at non-linear intervals over a period of time, each of the thermal images being associated with temporal data. The method then processes the plurality of thermal images and the temporal data, and identifies features within the object based on the processing.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2011Date of Patent: April 14, 2015Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Bryon Edward Knight, Donald Robert Howard, Harry Israel Ringermacher
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Publication number: 20150085895Abstract: A thermographic nondestructive evaluation system includes a lamp assembly having a lamp. The lamp is configured to be positioned within an internal cavity of a target object and to emit an energy pulse toward an interior surface of the internal cavity. The lamp includes at least one curved portion, the at least one curved portion is curved relative to a longitudinal axis of the lamp, and a first curvature of the curved portion is selected to substantially correspond to a second curvature of the internal cavity.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2013Publication date: March 26, 2015Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventors: Donald Robert Howard, Harry Israel Ringermacher, Waseem Ibrahim Faidi, Bryon Edward Knight
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Patent number: 8692887Abstract: An apparatus is provided for determining variable thickness of a coating on a surface of a substrate using in part a flash-lamp source, capable of generating a thermal pulse at the coating surface, and a image capture and processing device capable of capture sequential image frames of the coating surface, whereas each sequential image frame corresponds to an elapsed time and comprises a pixel array, and wherein each pixel of the array corresponds to a location on the coating surface. A method of calculating coating thickness is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2010Date of Patent: April 8, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Harry Israel Ringermacher, Donald Robert Howard, Bryon Edward Knight
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Publication number: 20140067185Abstract: Methods and systems for inspecting a component within an assembled turbomachine are disclosed. At least one miniature robotic device having a non-destructive testing structure attached thereto is configured to travel around a surface of the component. The non-destructive testing structure gathers data related to the surface, and sends the data to a computing device connected to the at least one miniature robotic device. In one embodiment, the non-destructive testing structure comprises an image capture device and an infrared (IR) heat source.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 5, 2012Publication date: March 6, 2014Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Nilesh Tralshawala, Bryon Edward Knight, Harry Israel Ringermacher
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Patent number: 8393784Abstract: A method for identifying types of flaws in a composite object includes: a) rapidly heating the surface of the object; b) recording pixel intensities in a sequence of IR images; c) determining temperature-versus-time data for each of the pixels from the IR images; and d) determining what type of flaw if any corresponds to each of the pixels using the temperature-versus-time data determined in step (c). A contrast curve derived from the temperature-versus-time data may be used in determining what type of flaws if any corresponds to each of the pixels. The contrast curve may be determined by subtracting a synthetic reference curve from a temperature time curve from the temperature-versus-time data. The types of flaws may be determined from size and/or shapes of peaks in the contrast curves. Some flaws are delaminations, layers of porosity, and uniformly distributed porosity.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2008Date of Patent: March 12, 2013Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Harry Israel Ringermacher, Donald Robert Howard, Bryon Edward Knight, William George Patterson, Thomas Edward Bantel
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Publication number: 20120274778Abstract: A method for thermographic imaging is described. The method captures a plurality of thermal images of a surface of an object, at non-linear intervals over a period of time, each of the thermal images being associated with temporal data. The method then processes the plurality of thermal images and the temporal data, and identifies features within the object based on the processing.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2011Publication date: November 1, 2012Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Bryon Edward Knight, Donald Robert Howard, Harry Israel Ringermacher
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Publication number: 20120050537Abstract: An apparatus is provided for determining variable thickness of a coating on a surface of a substrate using in part a flash-lamp source, capable of generating a thermal pulse at the coating surface, and a image capture and processing device capable of capture sequential image frames of the coating surface, whereas each sequential image frame corresponds to an elapsed time and comprises a pixel array, and wherein each pixel of the array corresponds to a location on the coating surface. A method of calculating coating thickness is also provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 27, 2010Publication date: March 1, 2012Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Harry Israel Ringermacher, Donald Robert Howard, Bryon Edward Knight
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Patent number: 8055054Abstract: A non-destructive evaluation system and method is provided for detecting flaws in an object. The system includes a lamp for impinging the object with optical pulses and a focal plane array camera configured to capture the images corresponding to evolution of heat due to an impact of the optical pulses in the object. The system also includes an image acquisition system for capturing data corresponding to the images from the focal plane array camera. Both transmission mode imaging and reflection mode imaging techniques are used in an exemplary embodiment. A time of flight analysis system is also provided for analyzing the data from both transmission mode imaging technique and reflection mode imaging technique. The data from transmission mode imaging is used to determine thickness values at different points in the data and for determining location of flaws using the thickness values. The data from reflection mode imaging is used for determining depth of these flaws.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2006Date of Patent: November 8, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Harry Israel Ringermacher, Donald Robert Howard, Bryon Edward Knight
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Patent number: 7805251Abstract: A method including receiving a first line and a second line to be joined at a junction location to provide a reference curve. A corresponding system and computer program product.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2008Date of Patent: September 28, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Harry Israel Ringermacher, Donald Robert Howard, Bryon Edward Knight, William George Patterson
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Publication number: 20100088041Abstract: A method including receiving a first line and a second line to be joined at a junction location to provide a reference curve. A corresponding system and computer program product.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2008Publication date: April 8, 2010Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Harry Israel Ringermacher, Donald Robert Howard, Bryon Edward Knight, William George Patterson