Patents by Inventor Alan Matthew Finn

Alan Matthew Finn 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).

  • Publication number: 20190340742
    Abstract: A nondestructive coating inspection system to inspect a component without removal of a coating thereon, the system including an airflow source to directed heated or cooled air into the component; a sensor directed toward the component to generate an infrared radiation image data of component heated by the heated or cooled air; and a controller in communication with the sensor to register the current infrared radiation image data to at least one infrared reference image data to classify the component based on the comparing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Applicant: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Alan Matthew Finn
  • Publication number: 20190339207
    Abstract: A vacuum clamp inspection system comprises a rigid structure; a sensor system mounted relative to the rigid structure; a calibration fixture mounted on the table; and a vacuum clamp configured to provide at least one of a location and a pose of a component relative to the calibration fixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Applicant: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Catalin G. Fotache
  • Publication number: 20190339234
    Abstract: A method for nondestructive inspection of a component, the method includes determining a first pulse-echo scan from a first side of a component; determining a second pulse-echo scan from a second side of the component; determining a through-transmission scan based on the, first pulse-echo scan, the second pulse-echo scan, and a model of the component, the model comprises a rigid internal structure of the component; and classifying the component based on comparing the through-transmission scan to a “gold” model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Applicant: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Amit Surana, Matthew O. Williams, Edgar A. Bernal, Ozgur Erdinc
  • Patent number: 10421544
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a hoist and hook assembly may determine a position of a target using a position sensor. A hook assembly may be positioned in response to the position of the target as detected by the position sensor. Positioning the hook assembly may include articulating a boom coupled to a hoist, using one or more local thrust sources on the hook assembly, and/or moving an airframe relative to the position of the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: ROSEMOUNT AEROSPACE INC.
    Inventors: William A. Veronesi, Alan Matthew Finn, Zohaib T. Mian, Stephen E. Tongue
  • Publication number: 20190287368
    Abstract: A detection system for measuring one or more condition within a predetermined area includes a fiber harness having at least one fiber optic cable for transmitting light. The at least one fiber optic cable defines a node arranged to measure the one or more conditions. A light source is coupled to the at least one fiber optic cable for emitting a modulated light to the node. The modulated light is transmitted into the predetermined area. A light sensitive device is coupled to the at least one fiber optic cable for receiving scattered light associated with the node. A control unit is operably coupled to the light source and to the light sensitive device to determine at least one of a presence and magnitude of the one or more conditions within the predetermined area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Michael J. Birnkrant, Jennifer M. Alexander, Alan Matthew Finn, Yanzhi Chen, Jie Xi, Peter R. Harris
  • Publication number: 20190287367
    Abstract: A detection system for measuring one or more conditions within a predetermined area including a fiber harness having at least one fiber optic cable for transmitting light. The at least one fiber optic cable defines a plurality of nodes arranged to measure the one or more conditions. A control system is operably coupled to the fiber harness such that scattered light associated with the plurality of nodes is transmitted to the control system. The control system analyzes the scattered light from each of the plurality of nodes individually and the control system analyzes the scattered light from each of the plurality of nodes collectively to determine at least one of a presence and magnitude of the one or more conditions within the predetermined area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Michael J. Birnkrant, Jennifer M. Alexander, Alan Matthew Finn, Yanzhi Chen, Hui Fang, Jie Xi, Peter R. Harris
  • Publication number: 20190287369
    Abstract: A detection system for measuring one or more conditions within a predetermined area includes a fiber harness having at least one fiber optic cable for transmitting light. The at least one fiber optic cable defines a node arranged to measure the one or more conditions. A control system is operably coupled to the fiber harness such that a signal indicative of scattered light associated with the node is transmitted to the control system. The control system analyzes the signal associated with the node in one or more of a frequency domain, time-frequency domain, time domain, and spatial domain, to determine at least one of a presence and magnitude of the condition within the predetermined area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Michael J. Birnkrant, Jennifer M. Alexander, Yanzhi Chen, Peter R. Harris, Jie Xi, Alan Matthew Finn, Hui Fang
  • Patent number: 10407275
    Abstract: A sensor system for a passenger conveyance system includes a multiple of 3D sensors mounted to a movable structure within a vertical shaft and/or a horizontal shaft and a processing module in communication with the multiple of 3D sensors, the processing module operable to identify an obstruction within the horizontal or vertical shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Yehia F Khalil, Richard N Fargo, Randall Roberts, Randall S Dube, Gary L Nuschler, Peter DePaola, Jr., Arthur Hsu, Tadeusz Pawel Witczak, Bruce P Swaybill, Alan Matthew Finn, Richard J Ericson
  • Publication number: 20190273871
    Abstract: An object tracking system is provided and includes a depth sensor deployed to have at least a nearly continuous field of view (FOV) and a controller coupled to the depth sensor. The controller is configured to spatially and temporally synchronize output from the depth sensor and to track respective movements of each individual object within the nearly continuous FOV as each individual object moves through the nearly continuous FOV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Publication date: September 5, 2019
    Inventors: Yanzhi Chen, Hui Fang, Zhen Jia, Alan Matthew Finn, Arthur Hsu
  • Publication number: 20190265178
    Abstract: A nondestructive multispectral vibrothermography inspection system includes a fixture to retain a component, an ultrasonic excitation source directed toward the component retained within the fixture, a laser Doppler vibrometer directed toward the component retained within the fixture, and a multispectral thermography system directed toward the component retained within the fixture. A method for nondestructive multispectral vibrothermography inspection of a component, includes generating ultrasonic excitations in a component over a broad range of frequencies; determining a spectral signature in the component from the excitations; comparing the spectral energy signature against database 270 of correlations between vibrational frequencies of a multiple of components and the spectral energy distribution thereof, and classifying the component based on the database data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Applicant: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas J. Martin, Alexander Staroselsky, Alan Matthew Finn
  • Patent number: 10386460
    Abstract: A self-calibrating sensor system is provided and includes one or more sensors supportively disposed on or proximate to a wall defining one or more apertures and a processor. Each of the one or more sensors is configured to track individuals proximate to at least one of the one or more apertures. The processor is configured to determine one or more of a location and an orientation of each of the one or more sensors relative to the at least one of the one or more apertures from analyses of the tracking of the individuals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Arthur Hsu
  • Patent number: 10371512
    Abstract: A method for multiple 3D sensor calibration for a passenger conveyance system, the process including a computing a centroid location from spatial measurements for each of a pair of 3D sensors that form a common field of view via a moving object mathematical model; computing translation parameters from the locations of each centroid location; and correcting one of the pair of 3D sensors to a common world coordinate system from the translation parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Zhen Jia, Yanzhi Chen, Hui Fang, Arthur Hsu, Alan Matthew Finn
  • Patent number: 10373301
    Abstract: A method for detecting a crack in a structural component includes receiving, with a processor, signals indicative of at least one image for a critical location in the structural component; determining, with the processor, at least one shape in the at least one image, the at least one shape being representative of a structure of the critical location; representing, with the processor, at least one region around the structure into a matrix; and applying, with the processor, image processing on the matrix to detect cracks in the at least one region of the structural component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Zaffir A. Chaudhry, Alan Matthew Finn, Ziyou Xiong, Hongcheng Wang, Patrick Louis Clavette
  • Patent number: 10364130
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of passenger conveyor technologies, and provides a speed detection system of a passenger conveyor and a speed detection method thereof. In the speed detection system and the speed detection method of the present invention, an imaging sensor and/or a depth sensing sensor are/is used to sense at least one part of the passenger conveyor to acquire sequence frames, and the sequence frames are analyzed by a processing apparatus to obtain at least speed information about steps of the passenger conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Yanying Chen, ZhaoXia Hu, Hui Fang, Zhen Jia, Jianwei Zhao, Qiang Li, Anna Su, Alan Matthew Finn
  • Publication number: 20190228514
    Abstract: A method of assessing damage to a component includes displaying a sensor image of the component in a first viewing pane, displaying a reference image of the component, which is a graphical depiction of the component with accurate dimensions, in a second viewing pane, placing a plurality of first identification markers on the sensor image of the component in the first viewing pane to correspond to a matching location with a second identification marker on the component in the reference image, identifying a region of damage on the component in the sensor image, mapping the region of damage to the component in the reference image using the plurality of first and second identification markers, and calculating a size of the region of damage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Paul D. Hestand, Alan Matthew Finn, Dennis M. Moura, Ziyou Xiong, Keith R. Russell
  • Publication number: 20190172191
    Abstract: A process for automated component inspection includes the steps of calibrating an imaging device mounted on a table; calibrating a coordinate measuring machine mounted on the table, the coordinate measuring machine comprising a fixture coupled to an arm of the coordinate measuring machine; coupling a component to the fixture; acquiring an image of said component with said imaging device; registering a baseline dimensioned image to the component image; applying the baseline dimensioned image to a damage detection algorithm; and determining component damage by the damage detection algorithm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Jose Miguel Pasini, Edgar A. Bernal, Ozgur Erdinc, Ziyou Xiong, Gene B. Donskoy, Sergio S. Frutuoso, Joseph A. Sylvestro, Richard W. Osborne, III, Olusegun T. Oshin, William L. Rall
  • Patent number: 10291904
    Abstract: An installation process for a sensor associated with a passenger conveyance system, the process including at least partially automatically calibrating a sensor coordinate system to a world coordinate system via a calibration matrix, wherein the sensor coordinate system is at least partially obtained using a depth map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Hui Fang, Arthur Hsu
  • Patent number: 10282847
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of passenger conveyor technologies, and provides a monitoring system of a passenger conveyor and a monitoring method thereof. In the monitoring system and detection method of the present invention, a monitored object of the passenger conveyor is sensed by using an imaging sensor and/or a depth sensing sensor to acquire a data frame, and the data frame is analyzed by a processing apparatus to monitor whether the monitored object is in a normal state. The monitored object may include a landing plate, a step, a barrier used in a maintenance and repair working condition and/or a step speed, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: JianGuo Li, ZhaoXia Hu, LongWen Wang, Hui Fang, Zhen Jia, Jianwei Zhao, Qiang Li, Anna Su, Alan Matthew Finn, Wei Ge, Wilfrid Fuchs, Arthur Hsu, Yanzhi Chen
  • Patent number: 10239728
    Abstract: A system and/or method for detecting an occupancy of an elevator cab of an elevator to generate occupancy information is provided. The system and/or method further generates anonymized occupancy information based on the occupancy information and provides the anonymized occupancy information to enable the occupancy of the elevator cab to be presented with anonymity for occupants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, William A. Veronesi, Arthur Hsu, Hui Fang
  • Patent number: 10241486
    Abstract: A passenger conveyance system includes a processing module in communication with one or more sensors to receive the depth map data, and one or more security sensors to receive the security data, the processing module uses the depth map data and the security data to calculate passenger data that is operable to recognize a particular passenger. An elevator controller to receive the passenger data from the processing module, wherein the elevator controller controls an elevator dispatch control function in response to the particular passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Arthur Hsu, Hui Fang