Patents by Inventor JACQUES BRIGNAC

JACQUES BRIGNAC 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).

  • Patent number: 11549916
    Abstract: An apparatus for performing ultrasonic evaluation of a portion of a pipe includes a frame assembly and a plurality of ultrasonic sensors disposed in the frame assembly. The frame assembly includes a frame which is structured to cooperatively engage an outer surface of the pipe. The frame has a curved surface which is curved about an axis which, when the frame is engaged with the pipe, generally coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the pipe. The curved surface is generally defined by a radius which is generally equal to an outer radius of the pipe. The plurality of ultrasonic sensors are disposed in the frame assembly a fixed distance from the curved surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
    Inventors: Jacques Brignac, George Rowland, Jay M. Baldwin, Glenn Hart, Bruce Farver
  • Patent number: 10302594
    Abstract: An apparatus for determining the integrity of a tube is provided. The apparatus includes: a body having an extension mechanism and configured to be inserted into the tube; and a flexible eddy current sensor including a flexible housing coupled to the body via the extension mechanism, and one or more coils disposed in the flexible housing. The flexible housing is selectively extendable via the extension mechanism between a first position and a second position. The one or more coils are farther away from the body when the flexible housing is in the second position than when the flexible housing is in the first position. The one or more coils electrically couple with an interior surface of the tube when the flexible housing is in the second position, and the flexible eddy current sensor is operative to selectively induce electrical currents within the tube via the one or more coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Jacques Brignac, Robert Lucas, Gerald Hendrix, Reginald Harrison
  • Publication number: 20190128850
    Abstract: An apparatus for performing ultrasonic evaluation of a portion of a pipe includes a frame assembly and a plurality of ultrasonic sensors disposed in the frame assembly. The frame assembly includes a frame which is structured to cooperatively engage an outer surface of the pipe. The frame has a curved surface which is curved about an axis which, when the frame is engaged with the pipe, generally coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the pipe. The curved surface is generally defined by a radius which is generally equal to an outer radius of the pipe. The plurality of ultrasonic sensors are disposed in the frame assembly a fixed distance from the curved surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Applicant: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
    Inventors: JACQUES BRIGNAC, GEORGE ROWLAND, JAY M. BALDWIN, GLENN HART, BRUCE FARVER
  • Publication number: 20170219527
    Abstract: An apparatus for determining the integrity of a tube is provided. The apparatus includes: a body having an extension mechanism and configured to be inserted into the tube; and a flexible eddy current sensor including a flexible housing coupled to the body via the extension mechanism, and one or more coils disposed in the flexible housing. The flexible housing is selectively extendable via the extension mechanism between a first position and a second position. The one or more coils are farther away from the body when the flexible housing is in the second position than when the flexible housing is in the first position. The one or more coils electrically couple with an interior surface of the tube when the flexible housing is in the second position, and the flexible eddy current sensor is operative to selectively induce electrical currents within the tube via the one or more coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: JACQUES BRIGNAC, ROBERT LUCAS, GERALD HENDRIX, REGINALD HARRISON