Patents by Inventor Miles C. Walton

Miles C. Walton 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: 8355818
    Abstract: A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximate the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC
    Inventors: Curtis W. Nielsen, David J. Bruemmer, Miles C. Walton, Robert S. Hartley, David I. Gertman, Robert A. Kinoshita, Jonathan Whetten
  • Patent number: 8073564
    Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling a plurality of robots through a single user interface include at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of a respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes a multi-robot common window comprised of information received from each of the plurality of robots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC
    Inventors: David J. Bruemmer, Miles C. Walton
  • Patent number: 7974738
    Abstract: A virtual track or rail system and method is described for execution by a robot. A user, through a user interface, generates a desired path comprised of at least one segment representative of the virtual track for the robot. Start and end points are assigned to the desired path and velocities are also associated with each of the at least one segment of the desired path. A waypoint file is generated including positions along the virtual track representing the desired path with the positions beginning from the start point to the end point including the velocities of each of the at least one segment. The waypoint file is sent to the robot for traversing along the virtual track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC
    Inventors: David J. Bruemmer, Douglas A. Few, Miles C. Walton
  • Publication number: 20110054689
    Abstract: A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximate the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: BATTELLE ENERGY ALLIANCE, LLC
    Inventors: Curtis W. Nielsen, David J. Bruemmer, Miles C. Walton, Robert S. Hartley, David I. Gertman, Robert A. Kinoshita, Jonathan Whetten
  • Publication number: 20080009964
    Abstract: A virtual track or rail system and method is described for execution by a robot. A user through a user interface generates a desired path comprised of at least one segment representative of the virtual track for the robot. Start and end points are assigned to the desired path and velocities are also associated with each of the at least one segment of the desired path. A waypoint file is generated including positions along the virtual track representing the desired path with the positions beginning from the start point to the end point including the velocities of each of the at least one segment. The waypoint file is sent to the robot for traversing along the virtual track.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: BATTELLE ENERGY ALLIANCE, LLC
    Inventors: David J. Bruemmer, Douglas A. Few, Miles C. Walton
  • Publication number: 20080009969
    Abstract: Methods and system for controlling a plurality of robots through a single user interface includes at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of the respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes a multi-robot common window comprised of information received from each of the plurality of robots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: BATTELLE ENERGY ALLIANCE, LLC
    Inventors: David J. Bruemmer, Miles C. Walton