Patents by Inventor Lester D. Childs

Lester D. Childs 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: 10572130
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for controlling power generation plant operations via a human-machine interface. In one embodiment, a method can provide: receiving a user selection of a power generation plant component in a first navigation menu of a human-machine interface (HMI); based at least in part on the user selection, generating a second navigation menu of the HMI; receiving a subsequent user selection of a subcomponent in the second navigation menu of the HMI, wherein the subcomponent is associated with the power generation plant component; generating a control region for the HMI, the control region operable to manipulate the subcomponent; receiving a user input for the control region; and based at least in part on the user input, facilitating manipulation of one or more operations of the subcomponent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: So Young Kim, Nagesh Laxminarayana Kurella, Lester D. Childs, James Vanwormer, Jonathan Mann
  • Patent number: 9684347
    Abstract: Certain embodiments herein relate to automated display of permissive logic in control systems associated with a power generation unit. A control device may be configured to provide automated updates of system data, such as signals received from power generation equipment, to a human machine interface (HMI) or a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) display, as non-limiting examples. A logic builder block may receive permissive logic configurations, including one or more combinational logic blocks. A logic builder block may be associated with power generation equipment to facilitate the identification of related system data and the subsequent association of the system data to corresponding input pins for the combinational logic blocks. The permissive logic configurations may be compiled into object code and downloaded to the control device, where it may be executed to perform the above described functions, among other functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert William Grubbs, Lester D. Childs, Adam Foard, Muhammad Adnan, Timothy Joseph Rhode
  • Publication number: 20160328133
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for controlling power generation plant operations via a human-machine interface. In one embodiment, a method can provide: receiving a user selection of a power generation plant component in a first navigation menu of a human-machine interface (HMI); based at least in part on the user selection, generating a second navigation menu of the HMI; receiving a subsequent user selection of a subcomponent in the second navigation menu of the HMI, wherein the subcomponent is associated with the power generation plant component; generating a control region for the HMI, the control region operable to manipulate the subcomponent; receiving a user input for the control region; and based at least in part on the user input, facilitating manipulation of one or more operations of the subcomponent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Inventors: So Young Kim, Nagesh Laxminarayana Kurella, Lester D. Childs, James Vanwormer, Jonathan Mann
  • Patent number: 8836497
    Abstract: Systems and methods for configuring an analog process alarm in digital control devices are provided. In one example embodiment, a system may include a logic editor configured to create templates, including one or more alias names for corresponding one or more analog alarm sub-variables associated with an analog process variable, within the digital control system; a human-machine interface configured to provide to a user an analog alarm virtual block diagram visualizing processing logic associated with the analog process variable within the digital control system and to receive from the user a request to select a template from the created templates; and a template generator configured to automatically generate, based on the selection of the template, the alias names for the corresponding analog alarm sub-variables of the analog process alarm. The alias names may be defined directly on the analog process variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert William Grubbs, Lester D. Childs, Timothy Joseph Rhode
  • Publication number: 20140207261
    Abstract: Certain embodiments herein relate to automated display of permissive logic in control systems associated with a power generation unit. A control device may be configured to provide automated updates of system data, such as signals received from power generation equipment, to an HMI or SCADA display, as non-limiting examples. A logic builder block may receive permissive logic configurations, including one or more combinational logic blocks. A logic builder block may be associated with power generation equipment to facilitate the identification of related system data and the subsequent association of the system data to corresponding input pins for the combinational logic blocks. The permissive logic configurations may be compiled into object code and downloaded to the control device, where it may be executed to perform the above described functions, among other functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert William Grubbs, Lester D. Childs, Adam Foard, Muhammad Adnan, Timothy Joseph Rhode
  • Publication number: 20140022072
    Abstract: Systems and methods for configuring an analog process alarm in digital control devices are provided. In one example embodiment, a system may include a logic editor configured to create templates, including one or more alias names for corresponding one or more analog alarm sub-variables associated with an analog process variable, within the digital control system; a human-machine interface configured to provide to a user an analog alarm virtual block diagram visualizing processing logic associated with the analog process variable within the digital control system and to receive from the user a request to select a template from the created templates; and a template generator configured to automatically generate, based on the selection of the template, the alias names for the corresponding analog alarm sub-variables of the analog process alarm. The alias names may be defined directly on the analog process variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Robert William Grubbs, Lester D. Childs, Timothy Joseph Rhode