Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100310305 | Spherical joint with internal brake - The spherical joint with internal brake has a controlled actuator that selectively brakes relative motion between interior members and an outer shell of the spherical ball joint. A shaft extending from the internal members can be stopped at any rotational position relative to the shell. The internal members may include a central spherical sectioned member sandwiched by a pair of symmetrically opposed peripheral spherical sectioned members, which selectively act as brakes when an actuator in the central member is energized. The energized actuator has a dual piston that pushes outwardly lo on the pair of opposed peripheral segments, which increases friction between the peripheral segments and an interior wall of the spherical shell to brake the system. The shaft extends from the central spherical sectioned member through an aperture in the shell. The size of the shell aperture determines the range of rotational motion of the shaft. | 12-09-2010 |
20120076570 | SPHERICAL JOINT WITH INTERNAL BRAKE - The spherical joint with internal brake has a controlled actuator that selectively brakes relative motion between interior members and an outer shell of the spherical ball joint. A shaft extending from the internal members can be stopped at any rotational position relative to the shell. The internal members may include a central spherical sectioned member sandwiched by a pair of symmetrically opposed peripheral spherical sectioned members, which selectively act as brakes when an actuator in the central member is energized. The energized actuator has a dual piston that pushes outwardly on the pair of opposed peripheral segments, which increases friction between the peripheral segments and an interior wall of the spherical shell to brake the system. The shaft extends from the central spherical sectioned member through an aperture in the shell. The size of the shell aperture determines the range of rotational motion of the shaft. | 03-29-2012 |
20130064622 | SMART LID FOR SMART BOLTS AND PROBES - The smart lid for smart bolts and probes is an electronic sensor for use with a smart bolt or probe having a color indicator for indicating tension. The smart lid includes a color sensor that provides electrical data corresponding to light received from the color indicator of the smart bolt or probe, a microcontroller that receives electrical data from the color sensor and converts that data to a digital form and compares the data against at least one limit, and provides a digital indication wirelessly to a remote monitor if the at least one limit has been exceeded. In this fashion a warning or emergency condition can be indicated when the tension experienced by the smart bolt is too low or too high. The smart lid may include an electrical power source that scavenges electrical power from ambient electromagnetic fields (EMF) and stores the electrical power in a battery. | 03-14-2013 |
20130068031 | BOLT TENSION MONITORING SYSTEM - The bolt tension monitoring system provides remote monitoring of the tension of a bolt, thus allowing for remote monitoring of general structural health and integrity of the fastener. The bolt tension monitoring system includes a housing adapted for being retained on a head of a bolt to be monitored. The system further includes a force transducer positioned between the head of the bolt and a surface in which the bolt is fastened and measures tension between the head of the bolt and the workpiece surface. A controller circuit within the housing calculates the difference between currently measured tension between the head of the bolt and the workpiece surface and an initially measured tension. A wireless transponder mounted in the housing transmits an alert signal if the calculated difference exceeds a pre-defined threshold value. | 03-21-2013 |
20130139604 | BOLT TENSION MONITORING SYSTEM - The bolt tension monitoring system provides remote monitoring of the tension of a bolt, thus allowing for remote monitoring of general structural health and integrity of the fastener. The bolt tension monitoring system includes a housing adapted for being retained on a head of a bolt to be monitored. The system further includes a force transducer positioned between the head of the bolt and a workpiece surface in which the bolt is fastened and measures tension between the head of the bolt and the surface. A controller circuit disposed within the housing calculates a difference between a currently measured tension between the head of the bolt and the workpiece surface and an initially measured tension. A wireless transponder mounted in the housing transmits an alert signal if the calculated difference exceeds a pre-defined threshold value. Actuation and power are provided through radio frequency power harvesting. | 06-06-2013 |
20130199272 | IN-PIPE MOBILE CROSS-CORRELATION-BASED SYSTEM FOR LEAK DETECTION - Leak detection system. The system locates leaks in a pipeline that includes RFID tags deployed at known locations along the pipeline. A pair of bodies tethered to one another a fixed distance apart travels along the pipeline. Each of the bodies is supported for movement substantially along the centerline of the pipeline and each body includes a sensor responsive to sound or pressure variations generated by a leak. Signals are correlated to identify the existence of a leak. Each body also includes an RFID reader for reading the RFID tags in the pipeline. At least one of the bodies includes a power supply and/or electronics that are adapted to correlate signals from sensor on each body to determine the location of a leak within the pipeline. | 08-08-2013 |
20140022529 | STRUCTURAL MATERIAL WITH EMBEDDED SENSORS - The structural material with embedded sensors provides of diagnostics and measurement of static and/or dynamic strains in structures and structural elements formed from the structural material. The structural material includes an array of fiber Bragg grating sensors or the like embedded therein for strain measurement and monitoring. An array of linear channels is formed in the structural element, and the plurality of fiber Bragg grating sensors are respectively disposed therein. The plurality of fiber Bragg grating sensors communicate with a signal analyzer, which receives the signals generated by the fiber Bragg grating sensors, the signals being representative of a magnitude of a strain placed on the to structural element. The signal analyzer may, in turn, transmit a conditioned signal to a computer or the like for presentation of strain data to the user. | 01-23-2014 |
20140190267 | FASTENER TENSION MONITORING SYSTEM - The fastener tension monitoring system provides for automatic notification when a structural tensile fastener, such as a bolt, is loosened. The system incorporates piezoelectric material in the core of the fastener shank or deposited around the shank. The piezoelectric material communicates electrically with an electrical storage device, a microprocessor, and a transmitter installed on the fastener head. Vibration or other changes in the tensile force developed by the fastener result in electrical impulses being generated by the piezoelectric material, generating electrical energy that is stored in the storage device and used to operate the microprocessor. In the event that an out of tolerance condition is sensed by the microprocessor, the transmitter is activated to send a signal to that effect. A receiver and computer are provided to monitor any such signals. The piezoelectric material may include pyroelectric material as well for the generation of electrical energy due to temperature changes. | 07-10-2014 |
20140216587 | PIPELINE LEAK DETECTION AND REPAIR DEVICE - The pipeline leak detection and repair device is an autonomous machine that travels through a pipeline to detect very small leaks therein. The device also repairs those leaks with an on-board repair component. The repair occurs nearly simultaneously with the leak detection as the device passes the leak. The device includes a plurality of thin, flexible sensor leaves in a radial array. The leaves are positioned to place them nearly in contact with the inner surface of the pipe wall. Each leaf includes two sensors installed on its opposite surfaces. Flexure of the leaf due to changes in pressure gradient as the leaf passes a leak results in signals from the sensors being sent to an onboard processor. The processor determines the position of the affected leaf, and rotates a repair component to apply a pressure-sensitive tape patch over the leak as the repair component passes the leak. | 08-07-2014 |
20140338770 | DUAL RESONATOR CHAMBER WITH VARIABLE VOLUME - The dual resonator chamber with variable volume includes first and second housings. The second housing is slidably mounted within the first housing such that a second inner neck portion of the second housing is slidably mounted about the first inner neck portion of the first housing and forms a fluid-tight seal therewith. A sliding wall is slidably mounted within the second housing, dividing the interior thereof into upper and lower resonator chambers. At least one first actutator selectively adjusts the height of the sliding wall with respect to the second lower end of the second housing to selectively adjust volumes of the upper and lower resonator chambers. At least one second actuator selectively adjusts the height of the second housing with respect to the first housing to selectively adjust the neck length of the lower resonator chamber. | 11-20-2014 |
20140341385 | DUAL RESONATOR CHAMBER WITH VARIABLE VOLUME - The dual resonator chamber with variable volume includes first and second housings. The second housing is slidably mounted within the first housing such that a second inner neck portion of the second housing is slidably mounted about the first inner neck portion of the first housing and forms a fluid-tight seal therewith. A sliding wall is slidably mounted within the second housing, dividing the interior thereof into upper and lower resonator chambers. At least one first actutator selectively adjusts the height of the sliding wall with respect to the second lower end of the second housing to selectively adjust volumes of the upper and lower resonator chambers. At least one second actuator selectively adjusts the height of the second housing with respect to the first housing to selectively adjust the neck length of the lower resonator chamber. | 11-20-2014 |
20140345366 | PIPELINE LEAK DETECTOR - The pipeline leak detector is a mobile device having one or more pressure sensor arrays for travel within a fluid pipeline for leak detection in the pipe wall. The sensor array(s) is positioned close to the internal surface of the pipe wall, and rotates circumferentially about the surface of the pipe wall as the device travels through the pipe. The sensor array(s) thus describes a helical path along the pipe wall, covering the entire internal surface of the pipe wall with a minimal number of sensors. The device is supported by three wheels bearing against the internal surface of the pipe wall. A drive wheel provides motive power for the device. A driven wheel rotates as it travels along the pipe wall and communicates rotationally with the sensor array(s) to drive its rotation. The third wheel is an idler to stabilize the axial orientation of the device within the pipe. | 11-27-2014 |
20140345367 | PIPELINE LEAK DETECTOR - The pipeline leak detector is a mobile device having a pressure sensor array for travel within a fluid pipeline for leak detection in the pipe wall. The sensor array is positioned close to the internal surface of the pipe wall and rotates circumferentially about the surface of the pipe wall as the device travels through the pipe, thus describing a helical path along the pipe wall to cover the entire internal surface of the pipe wall with a minimal number of sensors. The sensors comprise tubes with conical mouths, and flexible members and strain gauges within the tubes. Pressure changes due to leaks cause the flexible members to move, with the strain gauges sending signals to a central processor to indicate a leak. The device is supported by a drive wheel, a driven wheel, and an idler wheel bearing against the internal surface of the pipe and evenly circumferentially spaced. | 11-27-2014 |