Patents by Inventor Joel L. Hoffner

Joel L. Hoffner 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: 4139890
    Abstract: Computerized electro-optical system gages two orthogonal dimensions of a moving hot bar and plots cold bar profile. Dual back-lighted electronic camera heads mounted 90.degree. apart on a scanner generate separate bar shadow pulses representing othogonal bar dimensions. Each camera source of bar pulses is processed in individual camera electronics where it is presumed the bar pulse has been corrected for optical and electronic system sources of error. If each bar pulse is not corrected, it is assumed that both a bar size pulse and bar position-in-field-of-view pulse are generated by each camera electronics and fed to a digital computer. The computer is programmed to correct for optical and electronic errors, bar temperature and composition and other errors. Two corrected bar size signals, together with a scanner position signal and a bar aim size signal, are used to plot cold bar profile deviation from aim size. CRT and printing terminals readout and printout bar profile data and interact with the computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1977
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1979
    Assignee: Bethlehem Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald W. Yerkes, Joel L. Hoffner, Tom L. Galanis, Richard S. Hostetter, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4121291
    Abstract: Computerized electro-optical system gages dimension of a moving hot bar. Back-lighted electronic camera head generates high-speed bar shadow pulses which represent the bar dimensions. Bar pulses are processed by way of camera electronics and a digital computer. CRT and printing terminals, interacting with the computer, indicate and/or record a field-of-view correction map and a cold-size bar diameter measurement.Camera head electronics includes camera AGC, a digital type one-axis bidirectional linear sweep, bar pulse edge-detection with an autocorrelator to remove noise and enhance the bar pulse, and a digital accumulator of digital bar size signals and digital bar position-in-field-of-view signals. The digital computer assimilates bar size and bar position signals along with bar temperature, aim size, and other data signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1978
    Assignee: Bethlehem Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Joel L. Hoffner, Tom L. Galanis
  • Patent number: 4121292
    Abstract: Computerized electro-optical system gages two orthogonal dimensions of a moving hot bar at various peripheral positions. Dual back-light electronic camera heads mounted 90.degree. apart on a scanner generate high-speed bar shadow pulses which represent the bar dimensions. Bar pulses are processed by way of individual camera electronics and a digital computer. CRT and printing terminals, interacting with the computer, indicate and/or record each cold-size bar diameter measurement, a plot of bar profile deviation from aim gage overlaid on full- and half-commercial tolerance references with a data header, and a gaging system histogram.Each camera head electronics includes camera AGC circuit, a digital type one-axis bidirectional linear sweep, bar pulse edge-detection with an autocorrelator to remove noise and enhance the bar pulse, and a digital accumulator of digital bar size signals and digital bar position-in-field-of-view signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1978
    Assignee: Bethlehem Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Tom L. Galanis, Joel L. Hoffner, John C. Clymer, Richard S. Hostetter, Jr., Duane T. Jones, Ronald W. Yerkes
  • Patent number: 4121294
    Abstract: Computerized electro-optical system gages dimension of a moving hot bar. Back-lighted electronic camera head generates high-speed bar shadow pulses which represent the bar dimensions. Bar pulses are processed by way of camera electronics and a digital computer. CRT and printing terminals, interacting with the computer, indicate and/or record cold-size bar diameter measurement, with respect to commercial tolerance references and a gaging system histogram.Camera head electronics includes camera AGC circuit, a digital type one-axis bidirectional linear sweep, bar pulse edge-detection with an autocorrelator to remove noise and enhance the bar pulse, and a digital accumulator of digital bar size signals and digital bar position-in-field-of-view signals. The digital computer assimilates bar size and bar position signals bar temperature, aim size, and other data signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1978
    Assignee: Bethlehem Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Tom L. Galanis, Joel L. Hoffner, John C. Clymer, Duane T. Jones
  • Patent number: 4099244
    Abstract: Computerized electro-optical system gages dimension of a moving hot bar. Back-lighted electronic camera head generates high-speed bar shadow pulses which represent the bar dimensions. Bar pulses are processed by way of camera electronics and a digital computer. CRT and printing terminals, interacting with the computer, indicate and/or record a recalibration mask table and a cold-size bar diameter measurement.Camera head electronics includes camera AGC, a digital type one-axis bidirectional linear sweep, bar pulse edge-detection with an autocorrelator to remove noise and enhance the bar pulse, and a digital accumulator of digital bar size signals. The digital computer assimilates bar size along with bar temperature, aim size, and other data signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1977
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1978
    Assignee: Bethlehem Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Tom L. Galanis, Joel L. Hoffner, John C. Clymer