General Electric Company

Ge Inspection Technologies, Gmbh

Guiju Song

Kevin George Harding

Li Tao

Clark Alexander Bendall

Jianming Zheng

Ming Jia

Charles Burton Theurer

Arpit Jain

Balajee Kannan

Thomas Karpen

Joseph Benjamin Ross

Gil Abramovich

Ralph Gerald Isaacs

Zirong Zhai

Tai-Peng Tian

Xinjun Wan

Huan Tan

Glenn Scott Claydon

Tao Li

Anis Zribi

Stacey Joy Kennerly

Dongmin Yang

Ajit Achuthan

Jie Han

Thomas James Batzinger

Hua Xia

Steven Robert Hayashi

Shu Ching Quek

Marko Klaus Baller

Min-Yi Shih

Kuna Venkat Satya Rama Kishore

Shivappa Ningappa Goravar

Peter James Fritz

Peter Joseph Codella

Joseph Vincent Pawlowski

Kuna Kishore

Vinod Padmanabhan Kumar

Yu Ning

Paolo Trallori

Yongqing Li

Shukuan Xu

Guangping Xie

Raul Munoz Medina

James Joseph Hoffman

Yana Zhang Williams

Marcin Alexy

Charles Walter Muekmore

Kelles Jay Fleming

A manipulation platform includes a navigation system, manipulation arm, and one or more area sensors. The navigation unit locates a position of the manipulation platform, and a manipulation arm has a device or a collection sensor. The area sensors acquire data representative of at least a portion of an area in which the manipulation platform is located. Processors determine or predict a presence of an external object within a manipulation range of the manipulation arm using the data acquired by the one or more area sensors. The processors respond to a determination of the external body being, or being predicted to be, within the manipulation range by controlling one or more of the manipulation arm or the manipulation platform.

System and method for manipulation platform

A surface roughness measurement device that in one embodiment includes main and auxiliary emitting fibers, multiple collecting fibers, an optical housing, main and auxiliary reflective mirrors, and an external circuit. The optical housing includes the fibers and defines an aperture for optically contacting a surface of an object. The main reflective mirror is arranged in the optical housing, for reflecting light emitted from the main emitting fiber to a detecting point of the aperture and reflected light by the object to the collecting fibers. The auxiliary reflective mirror is arranged in the optical housing, for reflecting light emitted from the auxiliary emitting fiber to the detecting point. The external circuit is for generating a laser beam to the main and auxiliary emitting fibers, collecting the reflected light from the collecting fibers, and calculating the surface roughness of the object based on the collected reflected light.

Surface roughness measurement device

A computer-implemented system for enhanced tip-tracking and navigation of visual inspection devices includes a visual inspection device. The system further includes a plurality of spatially sensitive fibers. The system includes a computing device. The computing device includes a memory device and a processor. The system includes a storage device. The storage device includes an engineering model representing the physical asset. The computing device is configured receive an insertion location from the visual inspection device. The computing device is configured to receive fiber information associated with the visual inspection device. The computing device is configured to determine the real-time location of the visual inspection device using the fiber information. The computing device is configured to identify the real-time location of the visual inspection device with respect to the engineering model. The computing device is configured to navigate the visual inspection device from a first location to a second location.

Methods and systems for enhanced tip-tracking and navigation of visual inspection devices

A method and system that include an imaging device configured to capture image data of the vehicle. The vehicle includes one or more components of interest. The method and system include a memory device configured to store an image detection algorithm based on one or more image templates corresponding to the one or more components of interest. The method and system also includes an image processing unit operably coupled to the imaging device in the memory device. The image processing unit is configured to determine one or more shapes of interest of the image data using the image detection algorithm that correspond to the one or more components of interest, and determine one or more locations of the one or more shapes of interest respective to the vehicle.

System and method for component detection

A robot in one embodiment includes a navigation system, a manipulation unit, a visual recognition unit, and a processing unit. The visual recognition unit includes at least one detector configured to acquire presence information of humans within at least a portion of the area. The processing unit is operably coupled to the navigation system, manipulation unit, and visual recognition unit, and is configured to determine a presence of a human within at least one predetermined range of the robot using the presence information from the visual recognition unit, determine at least one control action responsive to determining the presence of the human within the at least one predetermined range, and control at least one of the navigation system or manipulation unit to implement the at least one control action.

Systems and methods for railyard robotics

An optical system configured to visually inspect a target having a variable position with respect to the optical system is provided. The optical system includes a polarizer configured to convert an incident light reflected or diffused from the target into linearly polarized light; a light modulating element configured to modulate a polarization state of the linearly polarized light in response to control signals; and a lens group comprising at least one birefringent element, the birefringent element configured to refract or reflect the modulated linearly polarized light with a first polarization state under a first refraction index to enable inspection of the target at a first object position, and the birefringent element further configured to refract or reflect the modulated linearly polarized light with a second polarization state under a second refraction index to enable inspection of the target at a second object position.

Inspection device and method thereof

An optical imaging system includes a birefringent element, a light modulating element, and a polarizer element. The birefringent element is configured for decomposing un-polarized light into first linear polarized light and second linear polarized light under different refractive indexes to respectively form a first focal length and a second focal length in the optical imaging system. The light modulating element is configured for modulating a state of polarization of the first and second linear polarized light in response to control signals. The polarizer element is configured for filtering out one of the modulated first and second linear polarized light for creating a single image.

Optical imaging system and method, and aperture stop assembly and aperture element

A probe system includes an imager and an inspection light source. The probe system is configured to operate in an inspection mode and a measurement mode. During inspection mode, the inspection light source is enabled. During measurement mode, the inspection light source is disabled, and a structured-light pattern is projected. The probe system is further configured to capture at least one measurement mode image. In the at least one measurement mode image, the structured-light pattern is projected onto an object. The probe system is configured to utilize pixel values from the at least one measurement mode image to determine at least one geometric dimension of the object. A probe system configured to detect relative movement between a probe and the object between captures of two or more of a plurality of images is also provided.

System aspects for a probe system that utilizes structured-light

A measurement system comprising a light source unit, a projection unit and an optics unit is disclosed. The light source unit is configured to generate a plurality of modulated phase shifted light beams. The projection unit is configured to reflect the modulated phase shifted light beams onto an object surface. The optics unit is configured to capture the modulated phase shifted light beams from the object surface. The measurement system further comprises a photodetector and a processor. The photodetector is configured to receive the modulated phase shifted light beams from the optics unit to generate electrical signals. The processor is configured to retrieve position information of the object surface based on the electrical signals from the photodetector. A measurement method is also presented.

Measurement systems and methods

A system and method for inspecting a wind turbine for indications is disclosed. The method includes providing an inspection system spaced from the wind turbine, appraise a rotor blade of the wind turbine, and inspecting the rotor blade for indications. The inspection system includes an observation system and an inspection device, the observation system including an appraisal device and an automated scanning device, the appraisal device configured to provide an image of at least a portion of the rotor blade, the automated scanning device configured to rotate about at least one axis, shifting the image.

System and method for wind turbine inspection

An inspection system is provided. The inspection system comprises a light source, a grating, a phase shifting unit, an imager, and a processor. The light source is configured to generate light. The grating is in a path of the generated light and is configured to produce a grating image after the light passes through the grating. The phase shifting unit is configured to form and reflect a plurality of phase shifted patterns of the grating image onto an object surface to form a plurality of projected phase shifting patterns. The imager is configured to obtain image data of the projected phase shifted patterns. The processor is configured to reconstruct the object surface from the image data. An inspection method and a phase shifting projector are also presented.

Inspection system and method with multi-image phase shift analysis

A system for determining an object distance z includes a plurality of light emitters. A group of at least one of the plurality of light emitters includes an emitter group, and the pattern projected when one emitter group is emitting includes a fringe set. The light pattern of one fringe set exhibits a phase-shift relative to the light patterns of the other fringe sets, and the phase-shift varies as the distance from the origin of the plurality of fringe sets varies. The system further includes a processing unit that is configured to compute a ripple metric value associated with each of a plurality of possible z values. The processing unit is further configured to determine an approximated z value using the computed ripple metric values. A probe system is also provided. The probe system is configured to project a plurality of fringe sets from the probe onto an object. The light pattern of one fringe set exhibits a phase-shift relative to the light patterns of the other fringe sets, and the phase-shift varies as the distance from the origin of the plurality of fringe sets varies. The probe system is further configured to compute a ripple metric value associated with each of a plurality of possible z values, where z is an object distance. The probe system is also configured to determine an approximated z value using the computed ripple metric values. A method for determining an object distance z is also provided.

System and method to determine an object distance from a reference point to a point on the object surface

A method for inspecting a feature of a part is provided. The method includes obtaining a profile corresponding to the feature using a sensor and projecting the profile onto a compensation plane normal to the feature for generating an updated profile. The method also includes using the updated profile for reducing a measurement error caused by an orientation of the sensor. An inspection system is also provided. The inspection system includes a sensor configured to capture a fringe image of a feature on a part. The inspection system further includes a processor configured to process the fringe image to obtain an initial profile of the feature and to project the initial profile onto a compensation plane normal to the feature.

Inspection system and methods with autocompensation for edge break gauging orientation

A probe includes an insertion tube and a plurality of light emitters disposed on the distal end of the insertion tube. The probe further includes at least one intensity modulating element through which light from the plurality of light emitters is passed to project a plurality of fringe sets onto a surface. Each of the plurality of fringe sets intern have a structured-light pattern that is projected when one emitter group of at least one of the plurality of light emitters is emitting. The probe further includes an imager for obtaining at least one image of the surface and a processing unit that is configured to perform phase-shift analysis on the at least one image. A method for projecting a plurality of fringe sets suitable for phase-shift analysis on a surface using a probe is also presented.

Fringe projection system and method for a probe suitable for phase-shift analysis

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Shanghai, China

Guiju Song