Patents by Inventor James R. Blaha

James R. Blaha 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).

  • Spray patching pavement repair system
    Patent number: 5439313
    Abstract: An automated pavement repair vehicle includes a vehicle and its various computer-controlled subsystems. The various subsystems, including a vacuum system, heating system and spray patch system, for completing pavement repair, are located on the frame and rear of the truck. A robotic cell at the rear of the truck includes an assembly of retractable doors. The doors are lowered around the pothole to allow control of ambient conditions during the pavement repair procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: James R. Blaha, Herbert N. Underwood, Ralph Salle, Ronald R. Ralston
  • Automated pavement repair vehicle
    Patent number: 5333969
    Abstract: An automated pavement repair vehicle includes a vehicle and its various computer-controlled subsystems. The various subsystems, including a vacuum system, heating system and spray patch system, for completing pavement repair, are located on the frame and rear of the truck. A robotic cell at the rear of the truck includes an assembly of retractable doors. The doors are lowered around the pothole to allow control of ambient conditions during the pavement repair procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Inventors: James R. Blaha, Herbert N. Underwood, Ralph Salle, Ronald R. Ralston
  • Using infrared imaging to monitor and control welding
    Patent number: 4877940
    Abstract: The technique and arrangement of distributed, real time, intelligent control of welding including IR detection and measurement of process conditions, and controlling process parameters in view of a knowledge base including a predetermined rule set for interpreting the results of IR detection. The arrangement includes a multilevel communication scheme internally and between hardware nodes of the arrangement, and the data-driven scheduling of inference processes under direction of a semantic network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1989
    Assignee: IIT Research Institute
    Inventors: Edmund R. Bangs, Nicholas E. Longinow, James R. Blaha