Patents by Inventor David Raulerson
David Raulerson 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).
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Publication number: 20200016702Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for repairing components. A material layer may be deposited on a surface of a component. The material layer may cover a cooling hole. A pulsed heat source may heat the component and the material layer. An infrared camera may take a series of images of the component. A location of the cooling hole may be identified based on thermal properties of the component. A removal tool may remove a portion of the material layer in order to expose the cooling hole.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2019Publication date: January 16, 2020Applicant: United Technologies CorporationInventors: David A Raulerson, Kevin D. Smith, Zhong Ouyang, Lisa J. Brasche, William J. Brindley, David N. Potter
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Patent number: 10471552Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for repairing components. A material layer may be deposited on a surface of a component. The material layer may cover a cooling hole. A pulsed heat source may heat the component and the material layer. An infrared camera may take a series of images of the component. A location of the cooling hole may be identified based on thermal properties of the component. A removal tool may remove a portion of the material layer in order to expose the cooling hole.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2015Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: David A. Raulerson, Kevin D. Smith, Zhong Ouyang, Lisa J. Brasche, William J. Brindley, David N. Potter
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Patent number: 10247703Abstract: An exemplary method of inspecting a component includes, among other things, securing an inspection probe body relative to a component, using a sensor assembly housed within the inspection probe body to induce an eddy current in a target area of the component, the target area having a target surface that is spaced from the sensor assembly, sensing a parameter of the eddy current in the component using the sensor assembly, and determining a position of the target surface of the component relative to the inspection probe body using the parameter of eddy current from the sensing.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2016Date of Patent: April 2, 2019Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Kevin D. Smith, Jonathan P. Sullivan, David A. Raulerson
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Patent number: 10048133Abstract: A thermal inspection system is provided for a gas turbine engine hot section component with a cooling passage. This thermal inspection system includes a fluid subsystem operable to supply a fluid into the cooling passage. The thermal inspection system also includes a thermal camera subsystem operable to monitor a fluid temperature difference of the fluid exiting the cooling passage relative to the input temperature of the fluid supplied to the cooling passage.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2015Date of Patent: August 14, 2018Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Kevin D. Smith, David A. Raulerson, Zhong Ouyang, Lisa J. Brasche
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Patent number: 9964404Abstract: A method of determining the thickness of an internal wall in a gas turbine engine component includes the steps of utilizing flash thermography to measure a complete thickness of a component between an outer wall and at least one enlarged cooling channel at a location where an outer cooling channel is positioned between the outer wall and the at least one enlarged cooling channel and where at least one member spans the cooling channel, such that the thickness is through the member which spans the outer cooling channel. An outer thickness of the component is measured from the outer wall to an outer wall of the outer cooling channel. A thickness is determined from an inner wall of the outer cooling channel to the at least one enlarged cooling channel by subtracting the measured outer thickness from the complete thickness, and also subtracting a known thickness of the outer cooling channel.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2014Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Zhong Ouyang, David A. Raulerson, Kevin D. Smith, Hector M. Pinero, Jaimie Taraskevich, Jesse R. Boyer
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Publication number: 20170122910Abstract: An exemplary method of inspecting a component includes, among other things, securing an inspection probe body relative to a component, using a sensor assembly housed within the inspection probe body to induce an eddy current in a target area of the component, the target area having a target surface that is spaced from the sensor assembly, sensing a parameter of the eddy current in the component using the sensor assembly, and determining a position of the target surface of the component relative to the inspection probe body using the parameter of eddy current from the sensing.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2016Publication date: May 4, 2017Inventors: Kevin D. Smith, Jonathan P. Sullivan, David A. Raulerson
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Patent number: 9551689Abstract: An example inspection probe device includes a sensor assembly configured to induce an eddy current in a component. A probe body houses at least a portion of the sensor assembly such that the portion of the sensor assembly is spaced from a target surface of the component when the probe body is in contact with the component. A controller is used to calculate the location of the target surface relative to the probe body using an eddy current parameter sensed by the sensor assembly.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2010Date of Patent: January 24, 2017Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: Kevin D. Smith, Jonathan P. Sullivan, David A. Raulerson
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Publication number: 20160318135Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein for repairing components. A material layer may be deposited on a surface of a component. The material layer may cover a cooling hole. A pulsed heat source may heat the component and the material layer. An infrared camera may take a series of images of the component. A location of the cooling hole may be identified based on thermal properties of the component. A removal tool may remove a portion of the material layer in order to expose the cooling hole.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 13, 2015Publication date: November 3, 2016Applicant: United Technologies CorporationInventors: David A. Raulerson, Kevin D. Smith, Zhong Ouyang, Lisa J. Brasche, William J. Brindley, David N. Potter
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Publication number: 20160177772Abstract: A thermal inspection system is provided for a gas turbine engine hot section component with a cooling passage. This thermal inspection system includes a fluid subsystem operable to supply a fluid into the cooling passage. The thermal inspection system also includes a thermal camera subsystem operable to monitor a fluid temperate difference of the fluid exiting the cooling passage relative to the input temperature of the fluid supplied to the cooling passage.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2015Publication date: June 23, 2016Inventors: Kevin D. Smith, David A. Raulerson, Zhong Ouyang, Lisa J. Brasche
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Publication number: 20150369596Abstract: A method of determining the thickness of an internal wall in a gas turbine engine component includes the steps of utilizing flash thermography to measure a complete thickness of a component between an outer wall and at least one enlarged cooling channel at a location where an outer cooling channel is positioned between the outer wall and the at least one enlarged cooling channel and where at least one member spans the cooling channel, such that the thickness is through the member which spans the outer cooling channel. An outer thickness of the component is measured from the outer wall to an outer wall of the outer cooling channel. A thickness is determined from an inner wall of the outer cooling channel to the at least one enlarged cooling channel by subtracting the measured outer thickness from the complete thickness, and also subtracting a known thickness of the outer cooling channel.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2014Publication date: December 24, 2015Inventors: Zhong Ouyang, David A. Raulerson, Kevin D. Smith, Hector M. Pinero, Jaimie Taraskevich, Jesse R. Boyer
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Publication number: 20140091784Abstract: A flex circuit for creating artificial defects uses a thin conductive layer with rectangular slots therein representing defects. A thin insulating over-layer is used to protect the conductive layer as well as an eddy current probe. The flexible circuit is then temporarily attached to the surface of the part or material to be inspected. A feature of the described system is that it is directly scalable to an electric discharge machined (EDM) notch. In an embodiment, a thin conductive layer is used which is scalable to a thicker lower conductive layer like a conventional EDM notch. In this way, a thin conductive artificial defect can electromagnetically represent a thicker albeit less conductive EDM notch. The flexible circuit makes it easier to place multiple notches in complex part geometries, and allows for more accurate relative positioning between slots, e.g., for array and wide coverage probes.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2012Publication date: April 3, 2014Applicant: United Technologies CorporationInventors: David A. Raulerson, Kevin D. Smith
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Publication number: 20120025079Abstract: A thermal imager has a sensor, a controller, and a flash source. The flash source is an array of IR LEDs. The thermal imager generates a thermal image of a work piece by generating an IR pulse, and sensing the IR radiation from the part.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2010Publication date: February 2, 2012Inventors: David A. Raulerson, Kevin D. Smith, Zhong Ouyang
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Publication number: 20110210725Abstract: An example inspection probe device includes a sensor assembly configured to induce an eddy current in a component. A probe body houses at least a portion of the sensor assembly such that the portion of the sensor assembly is spaced from a target surface of the component when the probe body is in contact with the component. A controller is used to calculate the location of the target surface relative to the probe body using an eddy current parameter sensed by the sensor assembly.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2010Publication date: September 1, 2011Inventors: Kevin D. Smith, Jonathan P. Sullivan, David A. Raulerson
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Patent number: 7368907Abstract: An electric current perturbation probe includes at least one driver coil and at least one receiver. The at least one driver coil produces an omni-directional magnetic field. The at least one receiver is decoupled from the omni-directional magnetic field. In one example, the at least one driver coil includes a first driver coil that defines a first effective coil axis which is positioned orthogonally to a second effective coil axis of a second driver coil. The first driver coil is provided with a first electrical excitation signal which is phase shifted by 90 degrees from a second electrical excitation signal used to drive the second driver coil.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2006Date of Patent: May 6, 2008Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: David A. Raulerson, Kevin D. Smith
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Publication number: 20080018331Abstract: An electric current perturbation probe includes at least one driver coil and at least one receiver. The at least one driver coil produces an omni-directional magnetic field. The at least one receiver is decoupled from the omni-directional magnetic field. In one example, the at least one driver coil includes a first driver coil that defines a first effective coil axis which is positioned orthogonally to a second effective coil axis of a second driver coil. The first driver coil is provided with a first electrical excitation signal which is phase shifted by 90 degrees from a second electrical excitation signal used to drive the second driver coil.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 18, 2006Publication date: January 24, 2008Inventors: David Raulerson, Kevin Smith
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Patent number: 7297952Abstract: A method of detecting defects in structures, comprising the steps of inducing mechanical energy in a structure via the emission of a broad-band acoustic signal, and capturing over a time interval a plurality of images of the structure each of the plurality of images comprised of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns each indicative of an intensity of infrared energy emitted by a portion of the structure.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2006Date of Patent: November 20, 2007Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: David Raulerson, Zhong Ouyang, Kevin D. Smith
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Publication number: 20060151703Abstract: A method of detecting defects in structures, comprising the steps of inducing mechanical energy in a structure via the emission of a broad-band acoustic signal, and capturing over a time interval a plurality of images of the structure each of the plurality of images comprised of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns each indicative of an intensity of infrared energy emitted by a portion of the structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2006Publication date: July 13, 2006Inventors: David Raulerson, Zhong Ouyang, Kevin Smith
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Patent number: 7064330Abstract: A method of detecting defects in structures, comprising the steps of inducing mechanical energy in a structure via the emission of a broad-band acoustic signal, and capturing over a time interval a plurality of images of the structure each of the plurality of images comprised of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns each indicative of an intensity of infrared energy emitted by a portion of the structure.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2003Date of Patent: June 20, 2006Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: David Raulerson, Zhong Ouyang, Kevin D. Smith
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Publication number: 20040217289Abstract: A method of detecting defects in structures, comprising the steps of inducing mechanical energy in a structure via the emission of a broad-band acoustic signal, and capturing over a time interval a plurality of images of the structure each of the plurality of images comprised of a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns each indicative of an intensity of infrared energy emitted by a portion of the structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2003Publication date: November 4, 2004Inventors: David Raulerson, Zhong Ouyang, Kevin D. Smith
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Patent number: 6040695Abstract: An eddy current probe for use in inspecting an object, includes a driver having a coil with an effective coil axis, and further includes a receiver having a coil with a coil axis oriented substantially perpendicular to the driver coil effective coil axis, the receiver having a length, and a width, the length being the dimension in the direction parallel to the scanning path, and the width having a dimension magnitude substantially greater than that of the length. A method for inspecting an object uses such an eddy current probe. An eddy current probe for use in inspecting an object, includes a driver having a coil with an effective coil axis, the driver having a length and a width, the length being the dimension in a direction substantially parallel to a scanning path, and further includes a receiver having a coil with a coil axis oriented substantially perpendicular to the driver coil effective coil axis, where the magnitude of a distance between the receiver and at least one of the edges is less than 0.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 1997Date of Patent: March 21, 2000Assignee: United Technologies CorporationInventors: David A. Raulerson, Jay Amos, Kevin D. Smith