Patents by Inventor Jean-René Larocque
Jean-René Larocque 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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Patent number: 10120072Abstract: A method for determining a distance between a ranging device and target, wherein a valid interference profile, if already available, is subtracted from a frequency-domain echo profile that is analyzed to determine the distance of the target, where to obtain or update the valid interference profile, a low-frequency portion of the frequency-domain echo profile is stored as a temporary interference profile after each measurement, and if the target is not proximal to the ranging device and the valid interference profile is not available, the temporary interference profile is saved as the valid interference profile, otherwise if the valid interference profile is available, the valid interference profile is updated via the temporary interference profile, otherwise if the target is distal and the valid interference profile is not yet available, the temporary interference profile is first subjected to a quality check before being saved as the valid interference profile.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2015Date of Patent: November 6, 2018Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Jean-René Larocque, Jing Liu
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Publication number: 20160139264Abstract: A method for determining a distance between a ranging device and target, wherein a valid interference profile, if already available, is subtracted from a frequency-domain echo profile that is analyzed to determine the distance of the target, where to obtain or update the valid interference profile, a low-frequency portion of the frequency-domain echo profile is stored as a temporary interference profile after each measurement, and if the target is not proximal to the ranging device and the valid interference profile is not available, the temporary interference profile is saved as the valid interference profile, otherwise if the valid interference profile is available, the valid interference profile is updated via the temporary interference profile, otherwise if the target is distal and the valid interference profile is not yet available, the temporary interference profile is first subjected to a quality check before being saved as the valid interference profile.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2015Publication date: May 19, 2016Inventors: Jean-René LAROCQUE, Jing LIU
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Patent number: 8593908Abstract: A method, which allows, in an acoustic pulse-echo ranging system, the direct use of a digitized raw echo signal for correlation-based echo distance estimation, where an acoustic pulse having a carrier frequency is transmitted, a digital expected echo shape is provided with a time resolution higher than the carrier frequency, an echo is received from the acoustic pulse, the received echo is sampled and digitized at a sampling frequency higher than the carrier frequency, correlation values are created from the digitized received echo and the digital expected echo shape, the correlation values are weighted by emphasizing stronger correlation values, and the echo distance is determined from the center of mass of the weighted values.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2011Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Edson Ferreira, Jean-René Larocque
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Patent number: 8339305Abstract: In a method for detecting an object with an FMCW (frequency modulated continuous wave) ranging system a superior accuracy and resolution is obtained by determining the strongest sinusoidal component in the frequency spectrum and removing the determined component from the spectrum, repeating the preceding step at least once, adding one of the components determined in the two preceding steps to the spectrum, re-determining the then strongest sinusoidal component in the spectrum and removing the re-determined component from the spectrum, repeating the preceding step for each remaining of the determined sinusoidal components, and repeating the last two steps until a desired degree of convergence is reached.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2010Date of Patent: December 25, 2012Assignee: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Jean-René Larocque, Michael Shenouda
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Publication number: 20120051185Abstract: A method, which allows, in an acoustic pulse-echo ranging system, the direct use of a digitized raw echo signal for correlation-based echo distance estimation, where an acoustic pulse having a carrier frequency is transmitted, a digital expected echo shape is provided with a time resolution higher than the carrier frequency, an echo is received from the acoustic pulse, the received echo is sampled and digitized at a sampling frequency higher than the carrier frequency, correlation values are created from the digitized received echo and the digital expected echo shape, the correlation values are weighted by emphasizing stronger correlation values, and the echo distance is determined from the center of mass of the weighted values.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2011Publication date: March 1, 2012Applicant: Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Edson FERREIRA, Jean-René Larocque
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Patent number: 8022862Abstract: Pulse echo signals containing false echoes are processed by forming tracks of multiple received echoes and monitoring these tracks by a recursive filter such as a Kalman filter. A track velocity is estimated for each track, and the position of each the next echo on the track is predicted.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2009Date of Patent: September 20, 2011Assignee: Siemens Milltronics Process Instruments, Inc.Inventors: Jean-René Larocque, Derek Yee
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Publication number: 20110211644Abstract: In a method for detecting an object with an FMCW (frequency modulated continuous wave) ranging system a superior accuracy and resolution is obtained by determining the strongest sinusoidal component in the frequency spectrum and removing the determined component from the spectrum, repeating the preceding step at least once, adding one of the components determined in the two preceding steps to the spectrum, re-determining the then strongest sinusoidal component in the spectrum and removing the re-determined component from the spectrum, repeating the preceding step for each remaining of the determined sinusoidal components, and repeating the last two steps until a desired degree of convergence is reached.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2010Publication date: September 1, 2011Applicant: Siemens Milltronics Process Instruments, Inc.Inventors: Jean-René LAROCQUE, Michael Shenouda
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Patent number: 7921695Abstract: For measuring the filling level of a measuring medium, including detecting multiple medium layers and interfaces between them, a multi-sensor probe can be dipped into the measuring medium and longitudinally segmented into a plurality of segments, each segment comprising a sensor for measuring a predetermined physical parameter of the surrounding medium. To provide an accurate, reliable and robust measurement of multiple medium layers a measurement model is defined for modeling signals of the sensors as a function of positions of a number of interfaces between the medium layers and the physical parameters of the medium layers. Prior distributions of the number of the interfaces, the positions of the interfaces and the physical parameters of the medium layers are defined. Based on the measurement model and the prior distributions a joint posterior distribution of the number of the interfaces and the positions of the interfaces is determined.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2008Date of Patent: April 12, 2011Assignee: Siemens Milltronics Process Instruments, Inc.Inventor: Jean-René Larocque
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Publication number: 20100019949Abstract: Pulse echo signals containing false echoes are processed by forming tracks of multiple received echoes and monitoring these tracks by a recursive filter such as a Kalman filter. A track velocity is estimated for each track, and the position of each the next echo on the track is predicted.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 22, 2009Publication date: January 28, 2010Inventors: Jean-Renè Larocque, Derek Yee
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Publication number: 20090019930Abstract: For measuring the filling level of a measuring medium, including detecting multiple medium layers and interfaces between them, a multi-sensor probe can be dipped into the measuring medium and longitudinally segmented into a plurality of segments, each segment comprising a sensor for measuring a predetermined physical parameter of the surrounding medium. To provide an accurate, reliable and robust measurement of multiple medium layers a measurement model is defined for modeling signals of the sensors as a function of positions of a number of interfaces between the medium layers and the physical parameters of the medium layers. Prior distributions of the number of the interfaces, the positions of the interfaces and the physical parameters of the medium layers are defined. Based on the measurement model and the prior distributions a joint posterior distribution of the number of the interfaces and the positions of the interfaces is determined.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2008Publication date: January 22, 2009Inventor: Jean-Rene Larocque
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Patent number: 7420877Abstract: In a method for processing an echo profile generated by a pulse-echo ranging system, the echo profile is compared with a time-varying threshold function to identify valid echoes in those portions of the echo profile which exceed the TVT function. Based on the amplitude and/or area above the TVT function, each echo is rated and attributed a level of confidence. The echo with the highest level of confidence is selected as the echo of interest, and the level of confidence is reported. To provide an improved echo processing with increased accuracy in determining the confidence level of the selected echo of interest, it is furthermore determined whether the portion of the threshold function which timely corresponds to the selected echo of interest is part of a hump-shaped section of the threshold function. If so, said section is reshaped to reduced hump amplitude, and the confidence level of the echo of interest is redetermined based on the amplitude and/or area above the reshaped TVT function.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2007Date of Patent: September 2, 2008Assignee: Siemens Milltronics Process Instruments, Inc.Inventors: Mazi Hosseini, Jean-René Larocque, Adam Lomas
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Patent number: 7376047Abstract: Pulse-echo ranging system are used in level measurement applications for determining the distance to a target object by measuring how long after transmission of a pulse an echo pulse is received. An echo profile (17) is generated and then processed to determine the temporal position of the echo pulse on a temporal axis. Based on the fact that the peak portion and the trailing edge of the echo profile are susceptible to be affected by the measurement environment and the target object itself, the accuracy in determining the echo arrival time is increased, by the steps of fitting a branch of a parabola (19) to a selected portion of the leading edge (18) of the echo profile (17) and determining the temporal position of the fitted parabola (19) on the temporal axis.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2007Date of Patent: May 20, 2008Assignee: Siemens Milltronics Process Instruments, Inc.Inventors: Robert Brown, Jean-René Larocque
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Publication number: 20080101158Abstract: In a method for processing an echo profile generated by a pulse-echo ranging system, the echo profile is compared with a time-varying threshold function to identify valid echoes in those portions of the echo profile which exceed the TVT function. Based on the amplitude and/or area above the TVT function, each echo is rated and attributed a level of confidence. The echo with the highest level of confidence is selected as the echo of interest, and the level of confidence is reported. To provide an improved echo processing with increased accuracy in determining the confidence level of the selected echo of interest, it is furthermore determined whether the portion of the threshold function which timely corresponds to the selected echo of interest is part of a hump-shaped section of the threshold function. If so, said section is reshaped to reduced hump amplitude, and the confidence level of the echo of interest is redetermined based on the amplitude and/or area above the reshaped TVT function.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2007Publication date: May 1, 2008Inventors: Mazi Hosseini, Jean-Rene Larocque, Adam Lomas
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Publication number: 20070201309Abstract: Pulse-echo ranging system are used in level measurement applications for determining the distance to a target object by measuring how long after transmission of a pulse an echo pulse is received. An echo profile is generated and then processed to determine the temporal position of the echo pulse on a temporal axis. Based on the fact that the peak portion and the trailing edge of the echo profile are susceptible to be affected by the measurement environment and the target object itself, the accuracy in determining the echo arrival time is increased, by the steps of fitting a branch of a parabola to a selected portion of the leading edge of the echo profile and determining the temporal position of the fitted parabola on the temporal axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2007Publication date: August 30, 2007Inventors: Robert Brown, Jean-Rene Larocque