Patents Examined by Jacques M. Saint-Surin
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Patent number: 11927570Abstract: According to one embodiment, an estimation device includes a processor. The processor accepts information. The information is acquired by each of a plurality of ultrasonic sensors transmitting an ultrasonic wave in a second direction toward a weld portion and receiving a reflected wave. The ultrasonic sensors are arranged in a first direction. The second direction crosses the first direction. The processor estimates a range of the weld portion in the second direction based on an intensity distribution of the reflected wave in the second direction. The processor calculates a centroid position of an intensity distribution of the reflected wave in the first direction for each of a plurality of points in the second direction, and estimates a range of the weld portion in the first direction based on a plurality of the centroid positions.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2022Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Masahiro Saito, Yasunori Chiba, Akira Ushijima, Toshiyuki Ono, Atsushi Matsumura
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Patent number: 11921085Abstract: Embodiments described herein utilize Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) scan data obtained during a process performed on a surface of a structure to update a location of an NDI scanner on the surface. A subsurface feature within the structure is detected based on the NDI scan data, which are correlated with pre-defined position data for the subsurface feature. A measured location of the NDI scanner on the surface is corrected based on the pre-defined position data for the subsurface feature.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2023Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Joseph Lawrence Hafenrichter, Gary E. Georgeson, James J. Troy
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Patent number: 11913909Abstract: Method is provided for determining the extent of defects, in particular of crack depths, in a test specimen. At least one transmitting transducer excites sound waves in the ultrasonic range, and the sound waves propagate in the form of a sound beam. The acoustic axis of the sound beam preferably forms an angle the normal to a surface of the test specimen facing the transmitting transducer. The sound waves couple into the test specimen obliquely and are reflected in particular in a V-shaped manner at a preferably outer interface of the test specimen. At least one receiving transducer spaced apart from the transmitting transducer receives the sound waves reflected at the interface of the test specimen. By means of an evaluation unit, an extent of a defect arranged within a sound path is determined from a reduction of the amplitude of the sound waves received by the receiving transducer.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2019Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: ROSEN Swiss AGInventors: Michael Esseling, Werner Thale
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Patent number: 11911327Abstract: A support platform supports a mattress. The support platform includes legs. Force sensors are coupled to the legs or to the support platform. The force sensors are configured to sense a force applied to each leg or support platform. A controller is configured to receive at least one force stream from at least one of the force sensors. The at least one force stream represents a force sensed by the force sensor. The controller is configured to, in responses to receiving the at least one force stream, determine a sleep parameter from the following group of sleep parameters: bed presence, weight, heart rate, respiration rate, and motions. The controller is configured to output at least one or more of those parameters to an end user.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2022Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: Sleep Number CorporationInventors: Ramazan Demirli, Yuki Hino, Tyler Holmvik
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Patent number: 11913824Abstract: A combination weighing device is provided that discharges, from a hopper, an article oversupplied into and received by the hopper and that collects the article using the collection container. The combination weighing device includes an oversupplied article retainer disposed at a position on a discharge path for the article to be discharged from the hopper and collected by the collection container. The oversupplied article retainer has a collection chute and a blocking shutters and temporarily retains the article guided to flow downward using the collection chute and the blocking shutter.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2019Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: Yamato Scale Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ryo Suemichi, Naho Uno
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Patent number: 11898992Abstract: Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for touch, force and/or thermal sensing by an ultrasonic transceiver chip. In some aspects, an ultrasonic transceiver sensor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a CMOS layer attached to the substrate; an array of piezoelectric transducers coupled to the CMOS layer to generate ultrasonic pulses; and a contact layer attached to the substrate on a side opposite the substrate for providing a surface for contact with an object, where an ultrasonic pulse generated by a piezoelectric transducer propagates through the substrate and the contact layer, such that when the object is in contact with the surface of the contact layer, a reflected ultrasonic pulse is produced and propagates through the contact layer and the substrate to be received at the array of piezoelectric transducers, and the CMOS layer receive and process outputs from the piezoelectric transducers produced in response to the received reflected ultrasonic pulses.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2022Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Cornell UniversityInventors: Amit Lal, Mamdouh Abdelmejeed, Justin Kuo
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Patent number: 11899030Abstract: A plate changer includes a casing that stores a sample plate and one or a plurality of first rack plates that each support the sample plate. One or a plurality of plate supporters that respectively support the one or plurality of first rack plates at different heights are provided in the casing. Each first rack plate is configured to be supportable on and removable from any of the one or plurality of plate supporters. The plate changer further includes a detector that detects whether the first rack plate is supported on each plate supporter.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2018Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATIONInventors: Kodai Imaeda, Takuya Sawada
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Patent number: 11892338Abstract: The package dimensioning device is configured for ascertaining measurements of cuboidal and boxed items to provide data to computer-implemented package management processes. The device has a base and a vertical support member. The base is configured to receive a package thereon and includes a weight sensor. There are multiple space-apart contactless sensors including a top sensor carried by the vertical support member, and side sensors positioned adjacent sides of the base which output dimensional data signals related to a height, length and width of the package. A control unit is communicatively coupled to the weight sensor and multiple spaced apart sensors and configured to calculate weight, height, length and width measurements of the package based upon the weight data signal and dimensional data signals.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2021Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: SELLERCLOUD, LLCInventor: Jeremy Greenberg
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Patent number: 11892339Abstract: A food inventory tracking system within a refrigerated food storage compartment includes cameras configured for capturing images of food, load cell sensors for taking weight measurements of food and a computing system for reading images from the cameras and weight measurements from the load cell sensors, generating a three-dimensional location map of an interior of the refrigerated food storage compartment, mapping the images and weight measurements to segments of the three-dimensional location map, such that each segment of the three-dimensional location map is associated with images and weight measurements, identifying a type of food item within said segments based on the images and weight measurements associated with said segment, calculating a current amount of said food item based reporting to a user the type of said food item and the amount of said food item.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2021Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Inventor: Alejandro Alemany
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Patent number: 11892337Abstract: An opening portion that is formed so as to pass-through an opening/closing plate portion of a gate, can be disposed at a region overlapping a lower end opening of a hopper. The opening portion is structured by a first pass-through portion, and a second pass-through portion that is formed so as to be continuous with the first pass-through portion. A width, in a direction orthogonal to a lined-up direction in which the first pass-through portion and the second pass-through portion are lined up, is narrower than the first pass-through portion. Further, a driving mechanism moves the gate such that the opening/closing plate portion moves in the lined-up direction as seen in a plan view. Based on a preset target value of weight of sand, a control section controls the driving mechanism so as to decrease an amount of overlap of the opening portion of the gate and the lower end opening of the hopper in a stepwise manner in accordance with an increase in the weight of the sand measured by a scale.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2019Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignees: Sintokogio, Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Youhei Noguchi, Koji Sakou, Hirotaka Kurita, Takashi Nagaya, Hirotsune Watanabe, Takumi Maegawa
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Patent number: 11885770Abstract: A measurement probe edge guide tool includes an edge follower comprising two edge contact pins that spin around the outside of the measurement probe using a ball bearing. The edge contact pins hug the corner of a contoured edge of the workpiece or in-service part to provide a consistent distance of the center of the probe from the edge. The edge follower enables the tool to inspect the marginal portion bounded by a contoured (machined) edge of a workpiece or part. The edge follower is removable so that the tool may also be adapted for use in general acreage inspection. The tool features a spring-loaded mechanism with a positive probe protrusion relative to a roller-supported cage. The tool has either a handle which is coupled to the cage by means of a universal joint or a hand grip that is affixed to the cage.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2021Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Nicholas J. Schnoebelen, Wallace Kwan, Brandon J. Steffensmeier, Luis A. Perla, Erika L. Berhardt, John R. Aubin
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Patent number: 11885768Abstract: The present invention relates to a semi-automatic scanner for ultrasonic inspection of a branch pipe weld that has a small size and is able to perform an inspection while moving in a state of being attached to a test object by a magnetic force, thereby being applied to fittings having various shapes, such as a branch pipe and an elbow.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2019Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignees: Korea Inspection Eng. Co., Ltd, Foundation for Research and Business, Seoul National University of Science and TechnologyInventors: Seong Jin Lim, In Gon Jung, Min Jung Park, Ik Keun Park, Tae Sung Park
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Patent number: 11879869Abstract: Disclosed is a method for predicting surface quality of a burnishing workpiece. The method includes the steps: using vibration sensors and signal acquisition instrument to acquire vibration signals generated on a surface of the burnishing workpiece during machining, evaluating the surface quality of the burnishing workpiece based on a coupling coordination degree model, processing signals by using an ensemble empirical mode decomposition method, identifying power spectral density, kurtosis and form factor as signal characteristics, identifying a support vector machine as a decision-making model, optimizing penalty parameters and kernel function parameters by using the Bayesian optimization method, and establishing the relationship between the signal characteristics and the surface quality.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2023Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGYInventors: Cong Ding, Shiqing Feng, Zhongyu Piao, Zhipeng Yuan, Jing Liu
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Patent number: 11879868Abstract: Techniques are provided for detecting wafer defects. Example techniques include exciting a wafer using an acoustic signal to cause the wafer to exhibit vibrations, measuring one or more of linear frequency response metrics or nonlinear frequency responses metrics associated with the vibrations, and identifying any defects in the wafer based at least in part on one or more of the linear frequency response metrics or nonlinear frequency responses metrics. In embodiments, the wafer includes bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3).Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2021Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: TRIAD NATIONAL SECURITY, LLCInventors: Cristian Pantea, John James Greenhall, Alan Lyman Graham, Dipen N. Sinha
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Patent number: 11879867Abstract: There are described a system and method for performing ultrasound testing of a component comprising a first material layer and a second material layer bonded by an adhesive layer. The method comprises applying input ultrasound to the component to cause longitudinal propagation of ultrasonic guided waves through the first material layer and the adhesive layer; acquiring acoustic waves from the component, wherein the acoustic waves produced by the longitudinal propagation of the ultrasonic guided waves; generating a signal representation of the acoustic waves; comparing the signal representation of the acoustic waves to a plurality of reference signals to identify a characteristic of the adhesive layer; and outputting an output signal indicative of the characteristic of the adhesive layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2022Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: ECOLE DE TECHNOLOGIE SUPERIEUREInventors: Pierre Belanger, Daniel Pereira
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Patent number: 11879814Abstract: A railway track defect detection system may include a mobile defect detection platform and a modal parameter analyzer. The platform may include an excitation mechanism (e.g., an excitation hammer or wheels that are in contact with a railway track) to apply multiple impact forces to the railway track while the platform travels along the railway track, and a laser Doppler vibrometer to capture, while the platform travels along the railway track, vibration data representing vibrations of the railway track caused by application of the multiple impact forces by the excitation mechanism. The modal parameter analyzer may be configured to detect, based on the vibration data captured by the laser Doppler vibrometer, a defect in the railway track. For example, changes in vibration amplitudes, mode shapes, damping ratios, or a natural frequency derived from the received vibration data may indicate the presence of a defect in the railway track.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2018Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas SystemInventors: Korkut Kaynardag, Salvatore Salamone
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Patent number: 11874156Abstract: A precision measurement device includes a housing and a rotor. A feed inlet is provided at an upper side of the housing. A discharge outlet is provided at a lower side of the housing. The rotor is connected to a motor. Three rings of measurement recesses are formed on the outer wall of the rotor in correspondence with the feed inlet and the discharge outlet. An upper end of the feed inlet has a trapezoid shape which is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The discharge outlet is disposed off-center at an ascending position of the rotation cylinder, achieving an accurate measurement effect.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2019Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Inventor: Jicai Xie
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Patent number: 11874157Abstract: A method for determining an axle load and a suspension system are configured for a vehicle having at least one leaf spring connected at its ends in spring holders of a vehicle body and connected in its central region to a chassis of the vehicle. The following steps are performed: measuring a measurement distance of the vehicle body relative to the chassis; determining whether there is currently a loading or unloading process of the vehicle, determining a relevant hysteresis curve of a pre-stored hysteresis field depending on the determination of a loading or unloading process, and determining a current axle load projection value from the measurement distance and the relevant hysteresis curve. A loading process criterion and an unloading process criterion may be considered. The determined axle load projection value thus serves as a projected or estimated axle load. Furthermore, the hysteresis field can be updated.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2019Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: ZF CV Systems Europe BVInventors: Tristan Krueger, Thomas Wolf
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Patent number: 11867553Abstract: A mobile weighing apparatus includes a base tubing, a column extending from the base tubing, a handle extending from the column, a plurality of wheels, a weighing platform, and a plurality of load cells coupled to or between the base tubing and the weighing platform. The weighting platform may be suspended from the load cells, such as with wire rope bolts, such that a force applied to the column does not affect weighment of an object on the weighing platform. The apparatus may include a kingpin-less swivel rear wheel, a rear wheel brake to preclude rotation of the rear wheel about an axle of the rear wheel, and an actuator to actuate the rear brake when the rear wheel is in any position over a 360-degree range. The wheels may be positioned adjacent respective corners of a triangularly shaped base tubing, and the apparatus may further include a clinometer.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2021Date of Patent: January 9, 2024Assignee: BUCKEYE SCALE, LLCInventor: Steven Edward Smith
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Patent number: 11867754Abstract: A system, comprising: (i) an interposer layer; (ii) a circuit layer positioned on the interposer layer and comprising a plurality of sonically-enabled pads; and (iii) an interrogator layer positioned on the circuit layer and comprising a plurality of ultrasonic transducers configured to sonically interrogate the circuit layer; wherein the sonically-enabled pads are configured to generate an electrical signal in response to sonic interrogation from the interrogator layer, if the sonically-enabled pad is functional.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2018Date of Patent: January 9, 2024Assignee: Cornell UniversityInventors: Amit Lal, Christopher Batten