Patents Examined by Jonathan D Armstrong
  • Patent number: 11953639
    Abstract: Some aspects relate to techniques for calibrating a logging tool. In some implementations, the logging tool may estimate certain unknown properties of a signal based on distances between transmitters and receivers of the logging tool and based on frequencies used by the transmitters and receivers. The logging tool may estimate the unknown properties by interpolating values into a mathematical function related to the above-noted distances and frequencies. After estimating the unknown properties, the logging tool may be deployed into the wellbore, where it may use the estimated properties to process signals received through a subsurface formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Yijing Fan, Hsu-Hsiang Wu, Jin Ma, Li Pan
  • Patent number: 11940532
    Abstract: A fish finder system is provided with a capture device information input terminal configured to input a capture device information, a capture device dropping point input terminal configured to input a dropping point at which a capture device is dropped, a tidal current input terminal configured to input tidal current information including a tidal current direction and a tidal current speed, and processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the capture device information input terminal, the capture device dropping point input terminal, and the tidal current input terminal. The processing circuitry is configured to calculate a drift amount of the capture device relative to the dropping point and calculate a capture device arrival point at which the capture device arrives in the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomoo Wada
  • Patent number: 11933891
    Abstract: Target value detection for an unmanned aerial vehicle is described. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes a first transducer that transmits a first ultrasonic signal and receives a first ultrasonic response and a second transducer that transmits a second ultrasonic signal and receives a second ultrasonic response. The second transducer has a wider beam pattern than the first transducer. Determinations are made as to whether either or both of the first or second ultrasonic responses includes a target value within range areas associated with the respective beam patterns of the first and second transducers. A confidence value is generated based on the determinations. The target value is reflected from an object and the confidence value indicates a likelihood of a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventors: Stepan Moskovchenko, Joseph Anthony Enke
  • Patent number: 11933892
    Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system has an array of ultrasound transducers comprising a set of sub-arrays of transducers. Each transducer (100) has an analogue buffer (106). Each sub-array of transducers has a signal path (102, 104) from within the array of ultrasound transducers to outside the array of ultrasound transducers which comprises one or more hops between the buffers (106). To reduce the signal line length from inside the array of ultrasound transducers to the periphery, at least some multiple hops between buffers (106) are provided. Each buffer hop introduces a delay, but prevents signal degradation so that a large number of analog signals can be transmitted across the large area ASIC of the transducer array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: David Andrew Fish, Gerardus Johannus Jacobus Maria Arnoldussen, Sotir Filipov Ouzounov, Emil Dimitrov Totev
  • Patent number: 11930714
    Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric film capable of realizing an electroacoustic conversion film or the like in which the durability is high and a sufficient sound pressure with respect to an input operating voltage is obtained. The piezoelectric film is a piezoelectric film including a polymer-based piezoelectric composite material which contains piezoelectric particles in a matrix containing a polymer material, and electrode layers which are provided on both surfaces of the polymer-based piezoelectric composite material, in which in a case where a cross section of the piezoelectric film in a thickness direction is observed with a scanning electron microscope, the polymer-based piezoelectric composite material is divided into two equal regions in the thickness direction, and void volumes of the two regions are measured, a ratio of the void volume obtained by dividing the void volume of the region with a larger void volume by the void volume of the region with a smaller void volume is 1.2 or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshinori Tamada
  • Patent number: 11905816
    Abstract: The thickness of borehole casing can be determined by ultrasound logging in conjunction with simulations of ultrasonic plane-wave echo waveforms across a range of frequencies for a plurality of casing thicknesses and correlation of synthetic frequency spectra derived from the simulated plane-wave echo waveforms for the various casing thicknesses against the frequency spectrum of a measured pulse-echo waveform. In accordance with various embodiments, a portion of the measured pulse-echo waveform that corresponds to the first reflection off the interface between the borehole casing and the borehole fluid is used as a driving pulse to weight the simulated plane-wave echo waveforms in the synthetic frequency spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhijuan Zhang, Nazareth Bedrossian
  • Patent number: 11885877
    Abstract: Encoded transmit signals are provided to an ultrasound array such diverging ultrasound waves are sequentially transmitted. Each diverging ultrasound wave is generated by a respective set of encoded transmit signals, where each set of encoded transmit signals is encoded by a respective row of an N×N invertible orthogonal matrix. Only a selected subset of M rows, with N<M, is employed to encode the transmit signals. Sets of receive signals detected in response to the transmitted diverging ultrasound waves are decoded via a transposed matrix generated based on the invertible orthogonal matrix, with each set of decoded receive signals being associated with insonification via a subset of the ultrasound array elements in the fixed aperture. Synthetic aperture beamforming is performed on the decoded receive signals to generate an ultrasound image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Christopher Samson, Jeremy Brown, Katherine Latham, Robert Adamson
  • Patent number: 11885874
    Abstract: In one form, an acoustic distance measuring circuit includes a frequency generator, a transmitter amplifier, an acoustic transducer, and a sensing circuit. The sensing circuit includes an input adapted to be coupled to the acoustic transducer, for receiving an input signal. The sensing circuit provides an in-phase portion and a quadrature portion of the input signal to a filter. The sensing circuit filters the in-phase portion and the quadrature portion and calculates a phase of the input signal in response to the filtered in-phase and quadrature portions. The sensing circuit determines a frequency slope of the input signal in response to calculating the phase and provides the frequency slope of the input signal to an output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: Marek Hustava, Tomas Suchy
  • Patent number: 11879971
    Abstract: A small aperture acoustic velocity sensor and a method for velocity measurement are disclosed. In one aspect, the disclosed technology uses spatially-shifted sub-arrays for projection and/or hydrophone receipt and cross-correlation of successive pulses to improve correlation and reduce bias. The spatial shift can be created physically by selection of groups of elements or virtually by weighting the contributions of fixed sub-arrays. Spatial modulation can be used to form a projected signal and measured spatial phase of slope across the set of sub-arrays allows correction of both long- and short-term errors. The disclosed technology uses spatial and/or temporal interpolation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Teledyne Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Blair H. Brumley, Jerker Taudien
  • Patent number: 11874371
    Abstract: The present invention a sparse optimization method based on cross-shaped three-dimensional imaging sonar array, comprising the following steps: first, constructing a beam pattern simultaneously applicable to a near field and a far field based on a cross-shaped array; then, constructing an energy function required by sparse optimization according to the beam pattern; then, introducing an array element position disturbance into a simulated annealing algorithm to increase the degree of freedom of the sparse process and increase the sparse rate of the sparse array, and using the simulated annealing algorithm to sparse optimization of the energy function; finally, after optimization, a sparse optimization cross-shaped array is obtained. The present invention ensures that the three-dimensional imaging sonar system has the desired performance at any distance, and greatly reduces the hardware complexity of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Yaowu Chen, Xuesong Liu, Fan Zhou, Rongxin Jiang, Dongdong Zhao
  • Patent number: 11867860
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods to perform or facilitate operation of a seismic survey. The system can include a seismic data acquisition unit. The seismic data acquisition unit can include a cap free subsea connector. The connector can be formed of a snap ring, pin interconnect and socket insert. The snap ring can contact the pin interconnect. The pin interconnect can contact the socket insert. The socket insert can be in contact with isolation electronics within the seismic data acquisition unit. The snap ring can lock or keep the pin interconnect in contact with the socket insert. The pin interconnect can be removable and replaceable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Magseis FF LLC
    Inventors: Michael Morris, Sam Hand
  • Patent number: 11841424
    Abstract: An electronic device and methods for providing high resolution ranging measurements are disclosed. The electronic device includes a pulse generator, a memory, an ADC, a timer, a comparator, a processing unit, connectors for coupling to a transceiver and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions, when performed by the processing unit, performs a method that determines an estimated time of arrival of a series of measurement pulses in the signal and turns on, prior to the estimated time of arrival, the ADC to capture the series of measurement pulses using a first resolution provided by sampling the signal at a rate equal to or greater than the Nyquist rate. The ADC remains on for a fixed time period sized to capture the series of measurement pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Peter Wongeun Chung, Leonardo William Estevez, Johann Zipperer
  • Patent number: 11828885
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods and computer programs for ultrasonic proximity-detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic Inc.
    Inventors: Pablo Peso Parada, Rahim Saeidi
  • Patent number: 11822032
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices, and products for hydrocarbon tubular evaluation. Methods comprise conveying the logging tool in the tubular with a carrier; inducing with a transmitter a horizontal shear (SH) wave; identifying higher order SH mode signals received at a plurality of offset receivers responsive to a higher order SH mode engendered by the horizontal shear (SH) wave; estimating a dominant frequency for higher order SH mode from the higher order SH mode signals; estimating a group velocity for the higher order SH mode from the higher order SH mode signals; and estimating a tubular parameter using the dominant frequency and the group velocity. The tubular parameter may be at least tubular thickness. The method includes estimating the tubular parameter independent of the fundamental horizontal shear wave mode (SH0).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Wei Han, Douglas J. Patterson
  • Patent number: 11740351
    Abstract: An acoustic imaging metamaterial is provided for obtaining edge detection information of a tangible object. The acoustic imaging metamaterial includes a longitudinally extending phononic crystal substrate that defines a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface. A first structurally rigid grating layer is disposed adjacent the first major surface, and a second structurally rigid grating layer is disposed adjacent the second major surface. In various aspects, the first and second structurally rigid grating layers are identical in shape and dimensions, and are aligned with one another. The acoustic imaging metamaterial is configured to redirect, confine, and/or manipulate an incident acoustic wave resulting in a high contrast image used for extracting edge detection information of the tangible object. The background medium fluid of the system can be air or a fluid such as water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Taehwa Lee, Hideo Iizuka
  • Patent number: 11726203
    Abstract: An object detection device includes: a wave receiver that receives a reflected wave generated by reflection, by an object, of a transmission wave incident on the object; a determination section that determines whether, in a change over time in an amplitude of the reflected wave received by the wave receiver, an amplitude of a falling portion is greater than a predetermined criterion, the amplitude of the falling portion being decreased after the amplitude has reached a maximum value; and a processing section that, on the basis of a determination by the determination section that the amplitude of the falling portion is greater than the predetermined criterion, performs a process in which the object is treated as an object to be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuyasu Matsuura, Taketo Harada, Dai Kondo, Takuya Nomura, Kenzo Kano
  • Patent number: 11719837
    Abstract: Systems and methods provide for the reduction of motion at a ground layer of a site due to a seismic event. A predicted seismic motion is obtained for a geological layer at depth and properties of the layers between the ground layer and layer at depth are determined. A model is created using the layers and the predicted seismic motion. Iteratively for each layer, one or more properties of the layer is changed in the model and a site amplification is performed to determine a change or changes that result in an acceptable response at the ground layer. Subsequently, the in situ layer may be modified according to the modified property or properties to reduce motion at the site due to a seismic event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Isatis LLC
    Inventor: Farhang Ostadan
  • Patent number: 11719784
    Abstract: A method for positioning an underwater glider based on a virtual TDOA of a single beacon is provided. In the method, a positioning beacon periodically sends positioning messages, where the positioning message includes longitude, latitude and depth information of the positioning beacon; the underwater glider receives the positioning messages and records TOAs at which the positioning messages arrive at an acoustic positioning signal receiving module; and the underwater glider parses the positioning messages and stores positioning message data, creates virtual beacons based on beacon information and attitude information of the underwater glider, corrects the TOAs, and calculates a position of the underwater glider according to a TDOA algorithm. According to the method, the underwater glider passively listens to and receives the positioning messages without sending a positioning request to the positioning beacon, making the entire positioning process energy-saving with a certain degree of concealment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Zhejiang University
    Inventors: Huifang Chen, Lei Xie, Feng Liu, Chenglei Lv, Wen Xu
  • Patent number: 11715454
    Abstract: A beamforming device includes a sampler configured to sample a signal reflected from a focal point and received to a transducer array; a mixer configured to separate the sampled signal into an in-phase component signal and a quadrature component signal; a low pass filter configured to perform filtering on the in-phase component signal and the quadrature component signal; a decimator configured to perform decimation on the filtered in-phase component signal and quadrature component signal; a sampling delay compensator configured to compensate a sampling time delay based on a preset time delay resolution for the decimated in-phase component signal and quadrature component signal; a phase rotator configured to compensate a phase delay based on a preset phase resolution for the in-phase component signal and the quadrature component signal for which the sampling time delay is compensated; and a delay calculator configured to calculate a time delay resolution and the phase resolution, and to apply each to the sampl
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignees: SAMSUNG MEDISON CO. LTD., INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION SOGANG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Kang Sik Kim, Tai-Kyong Song, Sung Ho Kim, Sua Bae, Hyun Woo Song, Jin Tae Jang
  • Patent number: 11643923
    Abstract: A method of detecting an event by: obtaining a first sample data set; determining a frequency domain feature(s) of the first sample data set over a first time period; determining a first threshold for the a frequency domain feature(s) using the first sample data set; determining that the frequency domain feature(s) matches the first threshold; determining the presence of an event during the first time period based on determining that the frequency domain feature(s) matches the first threshold; obtaining a second sample data set; determining a frequency domain feature(s) of the second sample data set over a second time period; determining a second threshold for the frequency domain feature(s) using the second sample data set; determining that the frequency domain feature(s) matches the second threshold; and determining the presence of the event during the second time period based on determining that the frequency domain feature(s) matches the second threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: BP EXPLORATION OPERATING COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Pradyumna Thiruvenkatanathan