Patents by Inventor Douglas Forman
Douglas Forman 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: 20240091953Abstract: A method for controlling a robotic system includes determining a location and/or a pose of a power system component based on data received from one or more sensors, and determining a mapping of a location of a robotic system within a model of an external environment of the robotic system based on the data. The model of the external environment provides locations of objects external to the robotic system. A sequence of movements of components of the robotic system is determined to perform maintenance on the power system component based on the locations of the objects external to the robotic system and/or the location or pose of the power system component. One or more control signals are communicated to remotely control movement of the components of the robotic system based on the sequence or movements of the components to perform maintenance on the power system component.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2023Publication date: March 21, 2024Inventors: Romano Patrick, Shiraj Sen, Arpit Jain, Huan Tan, Yonatan Gefen, Shuai Li, Shubao Liu, Pramod Sharma, Balajee Kannan, Viktor Holovashchenko, Douglas Forman, John Michael Lizzi, Charles Burton Theurer, Omar Al Assad, Ghulam Ali Baloch, Frederick Wilson Wheeler, Tai-Peng Tian
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Publication number: 20240018932Abstract: The invention relates to a device for inspecting a damage or a crack of part of a hydro turbine, comprising at least one underwater remote operated vehicle (20) or autonomous underwater vehicle, at least one floatable or buoyant probe (26) or at least one probe (26) and means to make said at least one probe floatable, said probe comprising at least one imaging device (32) and/or laser scaler, and means for transmitting data from said probe to said vehicle or to a ground station when it is distant from said vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2021Publication date: January 18, 2024Inventors: Charles THEURER, Douglas FORMAN, Yew Teck TAN, Viktor HOLOVASHCHENKO, Olivier TELLER, Walter DIXON, III, David AUGER-HABEL
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Patent number: 11865732Abstract: A robotic system includes a controller configured to obtain image data from one or more optical sensors and to determine one or more of a location and/or pose of a vehicle component based on the image data. The controller also is configured to determine a model of an external environment of the robotic system based on the image data and to determine tasks to be performed by components of the robotic system to perform maintenance on the vehicle component. The controller also is configured to assign the tasks to the components of the robotic system and to communicate control signals to the components of the robotic system to autonomously control the robotic system to perform the maintenance on the vehicle component.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2021Date of Patent: January 9, 2024Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLCInventors: Romano Patrick, Shiraj Sen, Arpit Jain, Huan Tan, Yonatan Gefen, Shuai Li, Shubao Liu, Pramod Sharma, Balajee Kannan, Viktor Holovashchenko, Douglas Forman, John Michael Lizzi, Charles Burton Theurer, Omar Al Assad, Ghulam Ali Baloch, Frederick Wilson Wheeler, Tai-Peng Tian
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Patent number: 11794303Abstract: A system for polishing a surface of a component includes a motorized apparatus including a body, a drive system coupled to the body, and an arm including a proximal end coupled to the body and a distal end opposite the proximal end. The motorized apparatus further includes a tool coupled to the distal end of the arm. The tool is configured to polish the surface of the component. The motorized apparatus also includes an actuator coupled to the arm. The system also includes a controller configured to position the tool relative to the component by positioning at least one of the body and the arm relative to the component to reach the target area on the component while maintaining a distance between the tool and the body that is less than a threshold distance. The threshold distance is less than a full reach of the arm and is determined to prevent vibrations of the tool and the arm from exceeding a predefined level.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2019Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Huan Tan, Yakov Polishchuk, Shaopeng Liu, Li Zhang, Douglas Forman
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Patent number: 11761938Abstract: A sensor system includes an unmanned vehicle system is provided that includes a housing, and an environmental sensor system coupled to the housing, the environmental sensor system configured to detect one or more environmental conditions of an environment in operational contact with the unmanned vehicle system. The environmental sensor includes a sensing element that includes a sensing material to detect and quantify at least one analyte gas by measuring impedance of the sensing element at one or more frequencies of the different frequencies during exposure of the sensing material to the at least one analyte gas.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2019Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Radislav Alexandrovich Potyrailo, Douglas Forman, Steven Go
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Patent number: 11408401Abstract: A robotic access system including a robotic fan crawler configured to traverse a surface of a wind turbine and perform one or more tasks. The robotic fan crawler includes one or more fans to adhere the robotic fan crawler to the surface of the wind turbine and one or more driving components to drive the robotic fan crawler along the surface of the wind turbine. The robotic fan crawler further includes one or more omnidirectional cameras operable to capture images of the surface from multiple perspectives during an inspection activity and data collection period. One or more steering components provide directional changes of the robotic fan crawler during operation. A tether cable is coupled to the robotic fan crawler and a tether management system to provide one or more of power, communications, grounding, supplies and distance calculations.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2019Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Todd William Danko, Judith Ann Guzzo, John Robert Hoare, Yakov Polishchuk, Douglas Forman, Shiraj Sen
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Patent number: 11333132Abstract: A system and method for performing a task on a LPS of a wind turbine includes a robotic testing device having a plurality of clamping arms and a LPS test probe coupled to a robotic end effector. The robotic testing device can be positioned around an outer perimeter of a rotor blade of the wind turbine. A cable, coupled to an up-tower anchor point, is attached to the robotic testing device and extends between the anchor point and a support surface. A lightning receptor of the LPS is between the up-tower anchor point and the tower support surface. As the cable is displaced, the robotic testing device moves to a position at which it is clamped to the rotor blade, adjacent the lightning receptor. The end effector moves to position the test probe in contact with the lightning receptor to conduct the test on the LPS.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2020Date of Patent: May 17, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Judith Ann Guzzo, Douglas Forman, Todd William Danko, John Robert Hoare
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Patent number: 11174847Abstract: A method including positioning a modular robotic component proximate an area of interest on a surface of a wind turbine. The modular robotic component including a plurality of modules that perform a plurality of tasks. The method further including inspecting the area of interest with the modular robotic component for an indication requiring at least one of repair or upgrade and operating the modular robotic component to perform the plurality of tasks sequentially as the modular robotic component moves along the surface of the wind turbine. A modular robotic component and system including the modular robotic component are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2018Date of Patent: November 16, 2021Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Todd William Danko, Shiraj Sen, John Robert Hoare, Charles Burton Theurer, Douglas Forman, Judith Ann Guzzo
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Publication number: 20210324834Abstract: A system and method for performing one or more tasks on a LPS of a wind turbine are disclosed. The system generally includes a robotic testing device including a plurality of clamping arms and a LPS test probe coupled to a robotic end effector. The robotic testing device is configured to be positioned around at least a portion of an outer perimeter of a rotor blade of the wind turbine. A cable, coupled to an up-tower anchor point, is attached to the robotic testing device and extends between the up-tower anchor point and a support surface. A lightning receptor of the LPS is disposed between the up-tower anchor point and the tower support surface. As the cable is displaced, the robotic testing device is moved to a position at which it is clamped to the rotor blade, adjacent the lightning receptor. The end effector is moveable to position the LPS test probe in contact with the lightning receptor to conduct the one or more tests on the LPS.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2020Publication date: October 21, 2021Inventors: Judith Ann Guzzo, Douglas Forman, Todd William Danko, John Robert Hoare
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Publication number: 20210252712Abstract: A robotic system includes a controller configured to obtain image data from one or more optical sensors and to determine one or more of a location and/or pose of a vehicle component based on the image data. The controller also is configured to determine a model of an external environment of the robotic system based on the image data and to determine tasks to be performed by components of the robotic system to perform maintenance on the vehicle component. The controller also is configured to assign the tasks to the components of the robotic system and to communicate control signals to the components of the robotic system to autonomously control the robotic system to perform the maintenance on the vehicle component.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2021Publication date: August 19, 2021Inventors: Romano Patrick, Shiraj Sen, Arpit Jain, Huan Tan, Yonatan Gefen, Shuai Li, Shubao Liu, Pramod Sharma, Balajee Kannan, Viktor Holovashchenko, Douglas Forman, John Michael Lizzi, Charles Burton Theurer, Omar Al Assad, Ghulam Ali Baloch, Frederick Wilson Wheeler, Tai-Peng Tian
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Patent number: 11020859Abstract: A robotic system includes a controller configured to obtain image data from one or more optical sensors and to determine one or more of a location and/or pose of a vehicle component based on the image data. The controller also is configured to determine a model of an external environment of the robotic system based on the image data and to determine tasks to be performed by components of the robotic system to perform maintenance on the vehicle component. The controller also is configured to assign the tasks to the components of the robotic system and to communicate control signals to the components of the robotic system to autonomously control the robotic system to perform the maintenance on the vehicle component.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2019Date of Patent: June 1, 2021Assignee: TRANSPORTATION IP HOLDINGS, LLCInventors: Romano Patrick, Shiraj Sen, Arpit Jain, Huan Tan, Yonatan Gefen, Shuai Li, Shubao Liu, Pramod Sharma, Balajee Kannan, Viktor Holovashchenko, Douglas Forman, John Michael Lizzi, Charles Burton Theurer, Omar Al Assad, Ghulam Ali Baloch, Frederick Wilson Wheeler, Tai-Peng Tian
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Patent number: 10927818Abstract: A system and method for inspecting, repairing and upgrading wind turbine rotor blades of a wind turbine. The system including deploying one or more cables via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a balloon, a ballistic mechanism or a catapult to position the one or more cables in draping engagement with a portion of the wind turbine. A climbing robot is positioned to ascend the one or more cables and perform a task related to inspecting for indications, repair of indications or upgrading the rotor blade. A slave robot system, disposed at the base location and anchored to the one or more cables, provides modulation of the cables for positioning of the climbing robot relative to the wind turbine as it ascends and descends the one or more cables. After completion of the task, the climbing robot descends the one or more cables and the cables are removed from the wind turbine.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2018Date of Patent: February 23, 2021Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Shiraj Sen, Todd William Danko, John Robert Hoare, Charles Burton Theurer, Douglas Forman, Judith Ann Guzzo
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Publication number: 20200400635Abstract: A sensor system includes an unmanned vehicle system is provided that includes a housing, and an environmental sensor system coupled to the housing, the environmental sensor system configured to detect one or more environmental conditions of an environment in operational contact with the unmanned vehicle system. The environmental sensor includes a sensing element that includes a sensing material to detect and quantify at least one analyte gas by measuring impedance of the sensing element at one or more frequencies of the different frequencies during exposure of the sensing material to the at least one analyte gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2019Publication date: December 24, 2020Inventors: Radislav Alexandrovich Potyrailo, Douglas Forman, Steven Go
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Publication number: 20200325878Abstract: A robotic access system including a robotic fan crawler configured to traverse a surface of a wind turbine and perform one or more tasks. The robotic fan crawler includes one or more fans to adhere the robotic fan crawler to the surface of the wind turbine and one or more driving components to drive the robotic fan crawler along the surface of the wind turbine. The robotic fan crawler further includes one or more omnidirectional cameras operable to capture images of the surface from multiple perspectives during an inspection activity and data collection period. One or more steering components provide directional changes of the robotic fan crawler during operation. A tether cable is coupled to the robotic fan crawler and a tether management system to provide one or more of power, communications, grounding, supplies and distance calculations.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2019Publication date: October 15, 2020Inventors: Todd William Danko, Judith Ann Guzzo, John Robert Hoare, Yakov Polishchuk, Douglas Forman, Shiraj Sen
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Publication number: 20200215660Abstract: A system for polishing a surface of a component includes a motorized apparatus including a body, a drive system coupled to the body, and an arm including a proximal end coupled to the body and a distal end opposite the proximal end. The motorized apparatus further includes a tool coupled to the distal end of the arm. The tool is configured to polish the surface of the component. The motorized apparatus also includes an actuator coupled to the arm. The system also includes a controller configured to position the tool relative to the component by positioning at least one of the body and the arm relative to the component to reach the target area on the component while maintaining a distance between the tool and the body that is less than a threshold distance. The threshold distance is less than a full reach of the arm and is determined to prevent vibrations of the tool and the arm from exceeding a predefined level.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 8, 2019Publication date: July 9, 2020Inventors: Huan Tan, Yakov Polishchuk, Shaopeng Liu, Li Zhang, Douglas Forman
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Patent number: 10690525Abstract: System and methods may evaluate and/or improve target aiming accuracy for a sensor of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (“UAV”). According to some embodiments, a position and orientation measuring unit may measure a position and orientation associated with the sensor. A pose estimation platform may execute a first order calculation using the measured position and orientation as the actual position and orientation to create a first order model. A geometry evaluation platform may receive planned sensor position and orientation from a targeting goal data store and calculate a standard deviation for a target aiming error utilizing: (i) location and geometry information associated with the industrial asset, (ii) a known relationship between the sensor and a center-of-gravity of the UAV, (iii) the first order model as a transfer function, and (iv) an assumption that the position and orientation of the sensor have Gaussian-distributed noises with zero mean and a pre-determined standard deviation.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2018Date of Patent: June 23, 2020Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Yang Zhao, Huan Tan, Steven Gray, Ghulam Baloch, Mauricio Castillo-Effen, Judith Guzzo, Shiraj Sen, Douglas Forman
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Patent number: 10682677Abstract: A three-dimensional model data store may contain a three-dimensional model of an industrial asset, including points of interest associated with the industrial asset. An inspection plan data store may contain an inspection plan for the industrial asset, including a path of movement for an autonomous inspection robot. An industrial asset inspection platform may receive sensor data from an autonomous inspection robot indicating characteristics of the industrial asset and determine a current location of the autonomous inspection robot along the path of movement in the inspection plan along with current context information. A forward simulation of movement for the autonomous inspection robot may be executed from the current location, through a pre-determined time window, to determine a difference between the path of movement in the inspection plan and the forward simulation of movement along with future context information.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2017Date of Patent: June 16, 2020Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Shiraj Sen, Steven Gray, Nicholas Abate, Roberto Silva Filho, Ching-Ling Huang, Mauricio Castillo-Effen, Ghulam Ali Baloch, Raju Venkataramana, Douglas Forman
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Patent number: 10675765Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for an automation system. The systems and methods calculate a motion trajectory of a manipulator and an end-effector. The end-effector is configured to grasp a target object. The motion trajectory defines successive positions of the manipulator and the end-effector along a plurality of via-points toward the target object. The systems and methods further acquire force/torque (F/T) data from an F/T sensor associated with the end-effector, and adjusts the motion trajectory based on the F/T data.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2019Date of Patent: June 9, 2020Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Huan Tan, John Michael Lizzi, Douglas Forman, Charles Burton Theurer, Omar Al Assad, Romano Patrick, Balajee Kannan, Yonatan Gefen
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Publication number: 20200158091Abstract: A system and method for inspecting, repairing and upgrading wind turbine rotor blades of a wind turbine. The system including deploying one or more cables via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a balloon, a ballistic mechanism or a catapult to position the one or more cables in draping engagement with a portion of the wind turbine. A climbing robot is positioned to ascend the one or more cables and perform a task related to inspecting for indications, repair of indications or upgrading the rotor blade. A slave robot system, disposed at the base location and anchored to the one or more cables, provides modulation of the cables for positioning of the climbing robot relative to the wind turbine as it ascends and descends the one or more cables. After completion of the task, the climbing robot descends the one or more cables and the cables are removed from the wind turbine.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2018Publication date: May 21, 2020Inventors: Shiraj Sen, Todd William Danko, John Robert Hoare, Charles Burton Theurer, Douglas Forman, Judith Ann Guzzo
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Publication number: 20200158094Abstract: A method including positioning a modular robotic component proximate an area of interest on a surface of a wind turbine. The modular robotic component including a plurality of modules that perform a plurality of tasks. The method further including inspecting the area of interest with the modular robotic component for an indication requiring at least one of repair or upgrade and operating the modular robotic component to perform the plurality of tasks sequentially as the modular robotic component moves along the surface of the wind turbine. A modular robotic component and system including the modular robotic component are disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2018Publication date: May 21, 2020Inventors: Todd William Danko, Shiraj Sen, John Robert Hoare, Charles Burton Theurer, Douglas Forman, Judith Ann Guzzo