Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090270756 | DETERMINING PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMAL - A system, method and program product enable determining physiological characteristics of an animal. In one embodiment, the system includes a sensor having an array of electrodes for use in obtaining complex impedance data from a body part of an animal; and a determinater that compares the complex impedance data with an empirical data model to determine a physiological parameter of the animal, the empirical data model including physiological parameter data versus complex impedance data value correspondence of the animal. | 10-29-2009 |
20110018996 | Area Monitoring for Detection of Leaks and/or Flames - A solution for monitoring an area for the presence of a flame and/or a leak, such as from a pressurized fluid, is provided. An imaging device can be used that acquires image data based on electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths only corresponding to at least one region of the electromagnetic spectrum in which electromagnetic radiation from an ambient light source is less than the electromagnetic radiation emitted by at least one type of flame for which the presence within the area is being monitored. An acoustic device can be used that is configured to acquire acoustic data for the area and enhance acoustic signals in a range of frequencies corresponding to a leak of a pressurized fluid present in the area. | 01-27-2011 |
20130083188 | Brake component monitoring - A solution for evaluating a component of a vehicle, such as a brake pad of a rail vehicle, is provided. An imaging component can acquire image data for a target area of the vehicle within which at least a portion of the component is visible. The target area can be illuminated by an illumination device that is, for example, horizontally offset from the imaging device to highlight the three-dimensional structure in the target area by creating shadows in the image data. A set of points corresponding to the component can be identified in the image data using the shadows. A measurement for at least one attribute of the component can be calculated from the set of points. | 04-04-2013 |
20130221680 | Energy Harvesting - A solution for harvesting energy from motion resulting from operation of an object, such as a vehicle, is provided. The motion can comprise low-frequency motion. The solution can include at least one magnet, at least one coil, a magnet supporting structure, a coil supporting structure, and a design component which provides a restoring force to at least one of: the magnet supporting structure or the coil supporting structure so as to ensure relative motion between the magnet(s) and coil(s). The relative motion of the magnet(s) and coil(s) generate energy which can be harvested for wireless monitoring or other purposes. | 08-29-2013 |
20130313372 | Wayside Measurement of Railcar Wheel to Rail Geometry - Considerable damage to rails, wheels, and trucks can result from geometric anomalies in the wheelsets, rails, and truck hardware. A solution for identifying and quantifying geometric anomalies known to influence the service life of the rolling stock or the ride comfort for the case of passenger service is described. The solution comprises an optical system, which can be configured to accurately perform measurements at mainline speeds (e.g., greater than 100 mph). The optical system includes laser line projectors and imaging cameras and can utilize structured light triangulation. | 11-28-2013 |
20130313433 | Infrared-Based Vehicle Component Imaging and Analysis - An improved system for evaluating one or more components of a vehicle is provided. The system includes a set of imaging devices configured to acquire image data based on infrared emissions of at least one vehicle component of the vehicle as it moves through a field of view of at least one of the set of imaging devices. An imaging device in the set of imaging devices can include a linear array of photoconductor infrared detectors and a thermoelectric cooler for maintaining an operating temperature of the linear array of detectors at a target operating temperature. The infrared emissions can be within at least one of: the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) radiation spectrum or the long wavelength infrared (LWIR) radiation spectrum. | 11-28-2013 |
20140190753 | Object Evaluation Accounting for Motion-Related Dynamic Forces - A solution for evaluating an object, which accounts for various motion-related dynamic forces is provided. In an embodiment, the object is a vehicle and the evaluation includes determining a set of static weights corresponding to the vehicle as it moves through a sensing element. The sensing element can include a load plate with vertical force sensing devices and horizontal force sensing devices located below the load plate. Analysis of measurement data acquired by the force sensing devices can enable calculation of the set of static weights corresponding to the vehicle. | 07-10-2014 |
20140285658 | Noncontact Measuring Device - A solution including a noncontact electronic measurement device is provided. The measurement device includes one or more imaging devices configured to acquire image data of a surface of an object located in a measurement region relative to the measurement device and one or more projected pattern generators configured to generate divergent pattern(s) of structured light, which impact the surface of the object within a field of view of the imaging device when the object is located in the measurement region. Using image data acquired by the imaging device(s), a computer system can measure a set of attributes of the surface of the object and/or automatically determine whether the measurement device is within the measurement region. An embodiment is configured to be held by a human user during operation. | 09-25-2014 |
20140333771 | Operations Monitoring in an Area - A solution for monitoring an area including one or more restricted zones is provided. The solution can include one or more monitoring assemblies deployed to acquire image data of the area and independently monitor operations within the area at each monitoring assembly. A monitoring assembly can include one or more local alert components to generate an audible or visual alarm to local personnel. Data regarding static features present in the area can be used to create a registration map of the field of view, which can subsequently enable accurate determination of the three-dimensional location of a target using two-dimensional image data and/or identify an extent of a restricted zone even when one or more of the static features are obscured. Monitoring a target over a series of images can be used to determine whether an alert condition is present. | 11-13-2014 |
20140339374 | Operations Monitoring in an Area - An assembly for monitoring an area is provided. The assembly can include two or more cameras sensitive to radiation of distinct wavelength ranges. The fields of view of the cameras can be substantially co-registered at the area to be monitored. The assembly can include a computer system which can process the image data to monitor the area. The computer system can be configured to identify relevant objects present in the area, update tracking information for the relevant objects, and evaluate whether an alert condition is present using the tracking information. | 11-20-2014 |
20140371911 | Pre-Screening for Robotic Work - A solution for pre-screening an object for further processing is provided. A pre-screening component can acquire image data of the object and process the image data to identify reference target(s) corresponding to the object, which are visible in the image data. Additionally, the pre-screening component can identify, using the reference target(s), the location of one or more components of the object. The pre-screening component can provide pre-screening data for use in further processing the object, which includes data corresponding to the set of reference targets and the location of the at least one component. A reference target can be, for example, an easily identifiable feature of the object and the component can be relevant for performing an operation on the object. | 12-18-2014 |