Patents by Inventor Connor D. Crawford

Connor D. Crawford 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: 20240139975
    Abstract: Robotic systems and methods for tank seal inspection. A tank inspection robot includes a housing containing a drive assembly, and wheels disposed outside of the housing and operably coupled to the drive assembly. The tank inspection robot also includes at least one sensor coupled to, or disposed in or on a portion of the robot, for collecting data sufficient to evaluate a health, mechanical integrity or effectiveness of one or more circumferential seals between a floating roof, and an interior wall, of a storage tank. The disclosed robot and associated method enable safer and more efficient seal inspection routines as compared to conventional techniques.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Mitchell Pryor, Connor D. Crawford, Robert Blake Anderson, Keith Fritz
  • Publication number: 20230294313
    Abstract: Robotic systems and methods for tank seal inspection. A tank inspection robot includes a housing containing a drive assembly, and wheels disposed outside of the housing and operably coupled to the drive assembly. The tank inspection robot also includes at least one sensor coupled to, or disposed in or on a portion of the robot, for collecting data sufficient to evaluate a health, mechanical integrity or effectiveness of one or more circumferential seals between a floating roof, and an interior wall, of a storage tank. The disclosed robot and associated method enable safer and more efficient seal inspection routines as compared to conventional techniques.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Inventors: Mitchell Pryor, Connor D. Crawford, Robert Blake Anderson, Keith Fritz
  • Publication number: 20210380187
    Abstract: Various embodiments generally relate to robotics and more specifically to tank seal inspections. In some embodiments, the robotic inspection device comprising a power supply, a body, a drive system, a camera, a navigational system, and/or one or more sensors. The drive system may include one or more surface engaging drivers to propel the robotic inspection device along a surface of a tank. The camera can be housed within the body to capture images and/or video of a seal. The navigational system can compute a route (or receive commands that route) and send commands to the drive system to navigate the robotic inspection device along the surface of the tank allowing the camera to capture the images or video of the seal. Some embodiments may use an artificial intelligence or machine learning engine to review the images or video of the seal and identify potential problems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Mitchell Pryor, Andrew Zelenak, Robert Blake Anderson, Connor D. Crawford