Patents by Inventor Nate Alford

Nate Alford 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: 12039712
    Abstract: One aspect provides operating a mobile pipe inspection platform to obtain two or more types of sensor data for the interior of a pipe; analyzing, using a processor, the two or more types of sensor data using a trained model, where the trained model is trained using a dataset including training sensor data of pipe interiors; the analyzing including performing: identifying, using a processor, a pipe feature location using a first type of the two or more types of sensor data; and classifying, using a processor, an identified pipe feature using a second type of the two or more types of sensor data; and thereafter producing, using a processor, an output including an indication of the classified pipe feature. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Patent number: 11949989
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a system, including: an inspection platform configured to move through underground infrastructure; an imaging device coupled to the inspection platform; the imaging device comprising a camera housing that arranges an array of four or more cameras in a predetermined configuration; the camera housing comprising a plurality of apertures, wherein each aperture houses a respective camera therein with a viewing axis offset about 30 degrees to about 120 degrees from a viewing axis of an adjacent camera within the array; and circuitry that operates the imaging device to capture a plurality of images using the four or more cameras; where the circuitry captures the plurality of images for a composite image of an interior region of the underground infrastructure, and where the region is larger than a single viewing field of any of the four or more cameras. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J Salotti, Todd Kueny, Thorin Tobiassen, Nate Alford, Mark Jordan
  • Patent number: 11719853
    Abstract: One aspect provides a method, including: obtaining sensor data from a ground penetrating radar (GPR) unit; analyzing, using a processor, the sensor data to detect a first object and a second object, the second object being associated with the first object based on location; identifying, with the processor, an underground pipe feature based on the analyzing; associating a position of the underground pipe feature with a location in a pipe network; selecting a subset of the pipe network including a pipe segment associated with the position of the underground pipe feature; and providing the subset of the pipe network as displayable data to a display device. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Publication number: 20210405244
    Abstract: One aspect provides a method, including: obtaining sensor data from a ground penetrating radar (GPR) unit; analyzing, using a processor, the sensor data to detect a first object and a second object, the second object being associated with the first object based on location; identifying, with the processor, an underground pipe feature based on the analyzing; associating a position of the underground pipe feature with a location in a pipe network; selecting a subset of the pipe network including a pipe segment associated with the position of the underground pipe feature; and providing the subset of the pipe network as displayable data to a display device. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J. Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Patent number: 11192262
    Abstract: An embodiment provides a method of controlling a pipe inspection robot, including: detecting, from a headset, brain activity of a user wearing the headset; binning the brain activity of the user into one of a plurality of different bins; the binning comprising accumulating brain activity values for a period of time to establish a brain activity value for the period of time; determining, using the brain activity value, if a threshold level of brain activity has accumulated over the period of time; after the threshold level has been accumulated, identifying a control action to be sent to the pipe inspection robot based on the brain activity value; and controlling the movement of the pipe inspection robot using a control signal associated with the control action. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J Salotti, Todd Kueny, Thorin Tobiassen, Nate Alford, Mark Jordan, Christopher White
  • Patent number: 11125910
    Abstract: One aspect provides a method, including: obtaining sensor data from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); the sensor data comprising data obtained by one or more sensors of the UAV; analyzing, using a processor, the sensor data to detect underground water associated with a pipe; and identifying, with the processor, an underground feature based on the analyzing. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Publication number: 20210183050
    Abstract: One aspect provides operating a mobile pipe inspection platform to obtain two or more types of sensor data for the interior of a pipe; analyzing, using a processor, the two or more types of sensor data using a trained model, where the trained model is trained using a dataset including training sensor data of pipe interiors; the analyzing including performing: identifying, using a processor, a pipe feature location using a first type of the two or more types of sensor data; and classifying, using a processor, an identified pipe feature using a second type of the two or more types of sensor data; and thereafter producing, using a processor, an output including an indication of the classified pipe feature. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J. Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Patent number: 10970833
    Abstract: One aspect provides a method, including: displaying, at a display screen, an image of an interior of a pipe, the image being obtained using a pipe inspection robot; accessing, using a processor, calibration data associated with the image; receiving, via an input device, user input marking at least a portion of the image; determining, using a processor, quantitative pipe feature data for at least one feature of the pipe using the marking and the calibration data; and providing, based on the determining, data associated with the at least one feature. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Patent number: 10937144
    Abstract: One aspect provides a method, including: operating a mobile pipe inspection platform to obtain sensor data for the interior of a pipe; analyzing, using a processor, the sensor data using a trained model, where the trained model is trained using a dataset including sensor data of pipe interiors and one or more of: metadata identifying pipe feature locations contained within the sensor data of the dataset and metadata classifying pipe features contained within the sensor data of the dataset; performing one or more of: identifying, using a processor, a pipe feature location within the sensor data; and classifying, using a processor, a pipe feature of the sensor data; and thereafter producing, using a processor, an output including one or more of an indication of the identifying and an indication of the classifying. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Publication number: 20190172194
    Abstract: One aspect provides a method, including: displaying, at a display screen, an image of an interior of a pipe, the image being obtained using a pipe inspection robot; accessing, using a processor, calibration data associated with the image; receiving, via an input device, user input marking at least a portion of the image; determining, using a processor, quantitative pipe feature data for at least one feature of the pipe using the marking and the calibration data; and providing, based on the determining, data associated with the at least one feature. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Applicant: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J. Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Publication number: 20190139215
    Abstract: One aspect provides a method, including: operating a mobile pipe inspection platform to obtain sensor data for the interior of a pipe; analyzing, using a processor, the sensor data using a trained model, where the trained model is trained using a dataset including sensor data of pipe interiors and one or more of: metadata identifying pipe feature locations contained within the sensor data of the dataset and metadata classifying pipe features contained within the sensor data of the dataset; performing one or more of: identifying, using a processor, a pipe feature location within the sensor data; and classifying, using a processor, a pipe feature of the sensor data; and thereafter producing, using a processor, an output including one or more of an indication of the identifying and an indication of the classifying. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Applicant: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Publication number: 20190137653
    Abstract: One aspect provides a method, including: obtaining sensor data from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); the sensor data comprising data obtained by one or more sensors of the UAV; analyzing, using a processor, the sensor data to detect underground water associated with a pipe; and identifying, with the processor, an underground feature based on the analyzing. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Applicant: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J. Salotti, Mark Jordan, Nate Alford, Thorin Tobiassen, Todd Kueny, Jason Mizgorski
  • Publication number: 20190104252
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a system, including: an inspection platform configured to move through underground infrastructure; an imaging device coupled to the inspection platform; the imaging device comprising a camera housing that arranges an array of four or more cameras in a predetermined configuration; the camera housing comprising a plurality of apertures, wherein each aperture houses a respective camera therein with a viewing axis offset about 30 degrees to about 120 degrees from a viewing axis of an adjacent camera within the array; and circuitry that operates the imaging device to capture a plurality of images using the four or more cameras; where the circuitry captures the plurality of images for a composite image of an interior region of the underground infrastructure, and where the region is larger than a single viewing field of any of the four or more cameras. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J. Salotti, Todd Kueny, Thorin Tobiassen, Nate Alford, Mark Jordan
  • Publication number: 20190099896
    Abstract: An embodiment provides a method of controlling a pipe inspection robot, including: detecting, from a headset, brain activity of a user wearing the headset; binning the brain activity of the user into one of a plurality of different bins; the binning comprising accumulating brain activity values for a period of time to establish a brain activity value for the period of time; determining, using the brain activity value, if a threshold level of brain activity has accumulated over the period of time; after the threshold level has been accumulated, identifying a control action to be sent to the pipe inspection robot based on the brain activity value; and controlling the movement of the pipe inspection robot using a control signal associated with the control action. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: RedZone Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Starr, Galin Konakchiev, Foster J. Salotti, Todd Kueny, Thorin Tobiassen, Nate Alford, Mark Jordan, Christopher White