Patents Examined by Stephanie Bloss
  • Patent number: 8762062
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for marine geoelectrical exploration use a dipole source, to send electric pulses into the medium. Geometrical probing is performed during current pulses, and probing on transient processes is performed in the intervals. Measurements are taken using measuring apparatus mounted on the seafloor. The apparatus includes, five electrodes: a central electrode with four others around it. During the current flow period and intervals between current pulses, the second electric potential difference between external electrodes and the central electrode, as well as the first electric potential difference between three pairs of external electrodes is measured. Measured values are used to calculate three sets of standard electrical parameters. A model of the medium is produced from the parameters. Techniques disclosed provide for elimination of lateral effect on probing results, and delineation of hydrocarbon accumulation with high contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Inventors: Ekaterina Rykhlinkskaya, Sofia Davydycheva
  • Patent number: 8756032
    Abstract: A method for detecting the fall of an object includes: acquiring a plurality of time-varying accelerations associated with a movement of said object; computing a plurality of respective velocities and displacements in the direction of gravity, based on the plurality of time-varying accelerations; determining lead time and return time of the movement, based on the plurality of accelerations, velocities and displacements, wherein the lead time equals a time interval from an original point of the movement to an extreme point of the movement, and the return time equals a time interval from the extreme point of the movement to a final point of the movement; and determining whether the fall of said object occurs, based on whether a peak value of the velocities is larger than a predefined threshold value and whether the lead time is longer than the return time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventor: Ningjiang Chen
  • Patent number: 8751187
    Abstract: In an apparatus, a temperature obtainer obtains, in a learning mode of the apparatus during a conductive carrier being deenergized a, value of a carrier temperature based on a physical parameter correlative with the carrier temperature and different from a carrier resistance. A resistance obtainer instantaneously energizes, in the learning mode, the conductive carrier to obtain a value of the carrier resistance during the instant energization. A calculator obtains, in a normal operation mode of the apparatus after the learning mode, a value of the carrier resistance, and calculates, in the normal operation mode, a value of the carrier temperature based on: the obtained value of the carrier resistance in the normal operation mode, and a pair of the value of the carrier temperature and the value of the carrier resistance obtained in the learning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Taro Hirai, Noriaki Ikemoto, Takeshi Harada, Naoyuki Kamiya
  • Patent number: 8725434
    Abstract: A method for diagnostics of a high integrity protection system (HIPS) for protection of a pipeline downstream of a wellhead includes: monitoring for initiation of an automatic trip or manual safety shutdown or full shut-off test; determining the process safety time (PST) that elapses between the time at which the upstream pressure reached the trip setpoint and the time at which the upstream pressure reaches the maximum allowable piping pressure (MAPP) of the downstream pipeline; and verifying that the safety critical isolation valves stroked to the fully closed position within ½ PST and that the downstream pressure did not exceed the MAPP. If the verification shows that either of those parameters are not met, then the HIPS signals an alarm to operators, and in the case of a manual safety shutdown or full shut-off test, resets the pressure trip setpoint to a lower level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventor: Patrick S. Flanders
  • Patent number: 8718939
    Abstract: Techniques for measuring one or more physical properties of a water system. A measurement platform is positioned at a first location of a given water system, wherein the measurement platform comprises a plurality of sensor devices distributed over a three dimensional space and configured to acquire data relating to one or more physical properties of the water system. A first set of measurement data is acquired from the water system at the first location via at least a portion of the plurality of sensor devices of the measurement platform. The measurement platform is moved along a predetermined path to at least a second location in the water system. At least a second set of measurement data is acquired from the water system at the second location via at least a portion of the plurality of sensor devices of the measurement platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hendrik F. Hamann, Levente I. Klein, Andriy Stepanchuk
  • Patent number: 8718953
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the health of one or more blades is presented. The method includes the steps of generating a signal representative of delta times of arrival corresponding to the rotating blade, generating a reconstructed signal by decomposing the signal representative of the delta times of arrival utilizing a multi-resolution analysis technique, wherein the reconstructed signal is representative of at least one of static deflection and dynamic deflection in the rotating blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Venkatesh Rajagopalan, Vivek Venugopal Badami, Rahul Srinivas Prabhu, Ajay Kumar Behera, Aninda Bhattacharya
  • Patent number: 8688403
    Abstract: According to one aspect, a method of determining an attitude matrix on a portable electronic device. The method includes determining a first attitude matrix gradient using data from at least one of an accelerometer and a magnetometer, determining a second attitude matrix gradient using data from a gyroscope, fusing the first attitude matrix gradient and the second attitude matrix gradient based on a mixing coefficient to generate a fused gradient, and based on the fused gradient, updating a fine attitude matrix for the portable electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Anand Ravindra Oka, Nazih Almalki, Christopher Harris Snow
  • Patent number: 8676527
    Abstract: A coordinate measuring machine (industrial machine) includes: a column and a support that extend along the Z-axis; a beam being provided between the column and the support; a slider being movable on the beam; a ram being held on the slider movably along the Z-axis direction; a temperature detecting sensor and a temperature detector that detect the respective temperatures of the column, the support and the ram; and a shift amount calculator that calculates a Z-axis shift amount based on the respective temperatures of the column, the support and the ram, reference position data indicating a positional relationship between the column, the support and the ram at a reference temperature, and respective thermal expansion coefficients for the column, the support and the ram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Noritsugu Ono, Kazuaki Kawarai, Seiichi Otsubo, Hirotada Anzai, Kazumi Mizukami
  • Patent number: 8666700
    Abstract: The invention concerns the compact representation of a reflectance spectrum of a material. For example, for in compression, identification and comparison of reflectance spectrum data of multiple materials. The compressed representation interpolating a spline curve to the reflectance spectrum data, the spline curve having a set of control points, a knot vector, and representing wavelength and reflectance as functions of an independent parameter (42). Then removing one or more knots from the knot vector that minimise a cost function in a parameter domain of the spline curve based on the wavelength function (44). Aspects of the invention include a method, software, a computer system and the compact representation itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: National ICT Australia Limited
    Inventors: Antonio Robles-Kelly, Cong Phuoc Huynh
  • Patent number: 8655619
    Abstract: A method includes accessing a plurality of acceleration values generated by an inertial measurement unit of an optical system. The method includes identifying a maximum acceleration value (the accessed acceleration value having the greatest absolute value), identifying one or more adjacent acceleration values (the accessed acceleration value adjacent in time to the maximum acceleration value), and identifying a nearest adjacent acceleration value (the adjacent acceleration value having the value nearest the maximum acceleration value). The method includes determining a corrected peak acceleration. The corrected peak acceleration is the sum of a first value corresponding to an average of the maximum acceleration value and the nearest adjacent acceleration value and a second value corresponding to the product of a correction value and the difference between the maximum acceleration value and the nearest adjacent acceleration value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: John R. Mannas
  • Patent number: 8649986
    Abstract: A process for predicting longitudinal cracks during continuous casting of steel slabs. The local strand temperature is measured by thermocouples distributed in the mold wall. In this process, the risk of the strand rupturing as a result of longitudinal cracking is assessed statistically taking into account the current temperature values measured by the thermocouples arranged in the mold and the temperature values determined when no cracks are present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: SMS Siemag AG
    Inventors: Dirk Lieftucht, Markus Reiferscheid, Matthias Arzberger
  • Patent number: 8645080
    Abstract: A testing method for the bolt to be used under the conditions of excessive wind force by which bolts made of Cr—Mo steel can be separated into a group of bolts usable in cold areas and a group of bolts unusable in cold areas without conducting Charpy impact test involving complicated operation, specifically, a testing method for determining whether bolts made of heat-treated Cr—Mo steel are usable or unusable in cold areas, wherein the determination is conducted on the basis of both J parameter calculated by formula: J=(Si %+Mn %) (P %+Sn %) 104 (wherein P %, Si %, Mn % and Sn % are contents (mass %) of phosphorus (P), silicon (Si), manganese (Mn) and tin (Sn) respectively as disclosed in the inspection certificate of the Cr—Mo steel) and bolt diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shin Nakayama, Masuo Tada, Tomohiro Numajiri
  • Patent number: 8620603
    Abstract: A tank to contain a fluid includes a tank wall having an inner surface. A vane is disposed within the tank. The vane is configured to facilitate extraction of fluid from the tank. The vane may include an electrically conductive material. The tank also includes a first connector to electrically couple at least one portion of the tank wall to a capacitance sensing device and a second connector to electrically couple at least one portion of the vane to the capacitance sensing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Kimberly P. Hicks, David M. Van Leuven
  • Patent number: 8483992
    Abstract: A method, including: determining a line of response for an imaging apparatus, the line of response being defined by respective locations of a pair of detector crystals of the imaging apparatus; defining an array of emission points corresponding to the determined line of response; determining, for each point in the array of emission points corresponding to the line of response, a solid angle subtended by surfaces of the pair of detector crystals that define the line of response; averaging the determined solid angles to generate an average solid angle; determining a depth of interaction factor dependent upon penetration of a gamma ray in the pair of detector crystals of the imaging apparatus; and calculating a geometric corrective factor for the determined line of response by multiplying a reciprocal of the average solid angle by the determined depth of interaction factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Yun Dong, Wenli Wang