The Boeing Company

Craig Farris Battles

Arun Ayyagari

Kevin Yong Ung

Marc Rollo Matsen

Brian J Smith

William Phillip Coop

Richard Neil Blair

Michael A Dorsett

Winfeng Li

David B Blackwell

Gary E Georgeson

Anil Kumar

Brian Jay Tillotson

Brice Aaron Johnson

Everett A Westerman

William David Kelsey

Jason Philip Bommer

Samuel Francis Pedigo

William Preston Geren

Gregg W Podnar

James M Cobb

Donald K Dabelstein

James T Farricker

Thanh Duc Hoang

Matthew W Smith

Lindsey M Caton

Kurt Forsyth Webster

Kenneth Porad

Donald L Kaiser

Kimberly Jyl Kaiser

Richard N Blair

Kimberly J Kaiser

William P Coop

Brian James Smith

A robotic tool is positioned relative to a feature of a component during a manufacturing process. The tool may be used to perform a manufacturing operation on the component. The tool is also be used to dispose a fiducial mark with a known registration to the feature, even if the feature is subsequently obscured. The position of tools for subsequent manufacturing operations are then set relative to the fiducial mark.

Use of manufacturing compounds to create fiducial marks

A radiofrequency identification (RFID) device includes an active RFID tag that includes a power source and a passive RFID tag reader, the passive RFID tag reader electrically coupled to the power source of the active RFID tag.

Passive RFID assisted active RFID tag

Computer-implemented methods are disclosed for the application of potential field methods in directing agents. A task is assigned for each of a plurality of mobile communication nodes. A dynamic model is assigned for characterizing a behavior of the nodes. Potential fields are applied to the dynamic model to direct movement of each of the nodes such that the nodes each perform the assigned task with the plurality of mobile communications nodes providing a communications network to serve a communications area.

Application of potential field methods in directing agents

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed to facilitate operation of a network. First network state data descriptive of a first network state is received. The first network data includes network demand associated with nodes of a dynamic network, where the nodes of the dynamic network include at least one movable node. The first network data also includes a node state of each node of the dynamic network. At least one first link is automatically established between two or more nodes of the dynamic network to satisfy at least a portion of the network demand. Link data is generated where the link data is descriptive of node utilization, the at least one first link, and assignment of the portion of the network demand to the at least one first link. One or more changes to the dynamic network are modeled based on the link data to identify a second network state, wherein the second network state satisfies a greater quantity of the network demand than the first network state.

System and method for demand driven network topology management

An anomaly detection and cataloging system is described that includes a handheld probe having a probe tip, a user interface, and a communications interface. The system further includes a system controller and a probe locating device. The probe is operable, via the user interface, for transmitting, via the communications interface, a user selected anomaly type to the system controller, the anomaly type being associated with a manufactured part or airplane on the ground (AOG). The probe locating device is operable to provide to the system controller a location associated with the probe tip, and the system is programmed to associate the user selected anomaly type with the location associated with the probe tip.

Cataloging system for recording manufacture anomaly data related to type, severity, and position with a wireless probe

A computer implemented method is provided for analyzing the health of a structure by measuring the value of preload on each of a plurality of fasteners installed on the structure and correlating the measured values of preload with a set of specifications. A report is generated for each of the fasteners representing the results of the correlations. Groups of the fastener reports are used to infer the health of the structure.

Structural analysis using measurement of fastener parameters

A system for tracking objects that include radio frequency identification (RFID) tags associated therewith. The system including a structure substantially defining an enclosure, a reflective interior of the enclosure configured for the reflection of radio signals, at least one conveyor belt that transports the objects through the structure, at least one RFID reader panel inside the structure, wherein the at least one RFID reader panel transmits a radio signal into the interior of the structure such that the radio signal will reflect off of the interior of the structure to increase a probability that the RFID tags associated with the objects that enter the structure are read, and an operator terminal that receives and stores information regarding read RFID tags from the at least one reader panel.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for RFID tag detection

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for managing data on an intermittently connected sensor. A data management system manages the data on radio frequency identification tags. The data management system comprises a radio frequency identification tag capable of storing the data, program code stored on the radio frequency identification tag, and a reader data processing system. The reader data processing system is capable of receiving the data and the program code from the radio frequency identification tag in a radio frequency signal and capable of executing the program code to read the data.

Data management for intermittently connected sensors

Methods and systems for structural and component health monitoring are provided. A system includes a plurality of sensor systems positioned about an object to be monitored and a processing system communicatively coupled to at least one of said plurality of sensor systems wherein the processing system includes an ontology and reasoning module configured to model the object to be monitored, reason about the received sensor data associated with the object to be monitored and reason about the relationships between the received sensor data to fuse the data into contextual information for the overall object to be monitored and a contextual analyzer configured to transmit the received sensor data to said ontology and reasoning module and to store the information into a contextual information database.

Methods and systems for monitoring structures and systems

Methods and systems for an automated safety device inspection system for a vehicle are provided. The system includes an RFID reader including a transmit portion and a receive portion wherein the reader is physically translatable along a predetermined path, a directional antenna communicatively coupled to the reader wherein the antenna is configured to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals in a direction substantially normal to the path, a relative position indicator configured to determine a relative position of the reader from a starting point, and a controller communicatively coupled to the reader. The controller includes a user interface, a processor communicatively coupled to the user interface, and a database communicatively coupled to the processor wherein the database includes location data of a plurality of safety devices in a plurality of different types of vehicles, the processor is configured to control the transmitted RF signals based on the location data.

Methods and systems for automated safety device inspection using radio frequency identification

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Craig Farris Battles