Caterpillar Inc.

University of Missouri

The Boeing Company

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Jagannathan Sarangapani

David R Schricker

Carl A Kemner

Sri K Rangarajan

Can Saygin

Kainan Cha

Anil Ramachandran

Craig L Koehrsen

Ali Salour

Trent A Simpson

Douglas Duane Trimble

Mohammad Tayeb Ghasr

Satish M Shetty

Maciej Zawodniok

David G Young

Vivek Thotla

Shahab Mehraeen

Eyad S Taqieddin

Jake Hertenstein

A method comprises using at least one of a reader and a passive tag to exchange values according to an ultra-lightweight mutual authentication protocol with a substitution operation to change a Hamming weight of the values.

Ultra-lightweight mutual authentication protocol with substitution operation

A super regenerative receiver detection system and method that includes a computing system that stores and executes a cross modulation correlation component to modulate a radio-frequency (RF) stimulation signal that is transmitted in an area using a modulating signal having a first modulating mode, and receive a response UEE signal from the area in which the response UEE signal includes a cross modulated signal emitted from a super regenerative receiver (SRR). The cross modulated signal having a second modulation mode that is different from the first modulation mode. Using this information, the cross modulation correlation component processes the received UEE signal to determine a cross modulation correlation level of a cross modulation signal relative to the modulating signal, and generates an alert signal when the determined cross modulation correlation level exceeds a specified threshold.

Electronic receiver device detection system and method

A decentralized RFID system and method provides a decentralized power control scheme for adaptively adjusting the power of a RFID reader in a network of readers communicating with an RFID tag. The transmission power of each reader in a dense network environment is controlled as a function of interference sensed from other readers in the network and a current SNR (SNR) of a backscatter signal received from the tag. If the current SNR is above a required SNR, transmission power of the reader is reduced, which results in lower interference for other RFID readers. Similarly, if the expected SNR is below the required threshold, power is increased sufficiently to ensure that the target or required SNR is achieved.

Decentralized radio frequency identification system

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and a method for increasing the harvested energy from a piezoelectric element exposed to environmental vibrations via a two-prong system. In a first prong, a cantilever beam is tapered and shaped so as to increase and provide an approximately uniform strain on and along the beam, thus resulting in increased voltage. In a second prong of the system and method, a voltage compensating circuit, when used with a voltage inversion circuit of the prior art, increases the harvested power by injecting current to the piezoelectric element after each voltage inversion so as to increase the voltage level.

System and method for harvesting energy from environmental vibrations

An adaptive inventory management system and method eliminates or minimizes frequency interference issues within a facility that employs a plurality of RFID readers for purposes of tracking and managing inventory. A middleware server activates and deactivates adjacent RFID readers within the facility based on the location of an item having an RFID tag. The middleware server also queries an inventory database based on the information collected from the RFID tag of the item and generates a command signal based on information retrieved from the database to control the travel route of the vehicle transporting items of inventory within the facility.

Adaptive inventory management system

A method and apparatus for determining severity of a trend toward an impending machine failure under actual operating conditions. The method and apparatus includes providing a typical failure trend based on a set of normal operating conditions for the machine, determining a slope value for the typical failure trend, determining a slope value for the trend toward the impending machine failure under the actual or proposed operating conditions, determining a weight value for at least the actual or proposed operating conditions, and determining the severity as a function of the slope values and the weight value.

Method and apparatus for determining the severity of a trend toward an impending machine failure and responding to the same

Method and apparatus for predicting a fault condition using non-linear curve fitting techniques

An apparatus and method for diagnosing an engine using computer based models in combination with a neural network which reduces the neural network training and updating required is disclosed. The method and apparatus determine modeled values for a plurality of engine parameters as a function of sensed values in a plurality of initial values; sense a plurality of actual values for the engine parameters; and determine a difference between the actual values and the modeled values for the respective engine parameters. The differences are inputted into a neural network which generates an output pattern as a function of the differences and a plurality of weight values. The weight values and the initial values are then updated as a function of a comparison between the output patterns and a desired pattern, and the engine is responsively diagnosed as a function of the output pattern.

Apparatus and method for diagnosing an engine using computer based models in combination with a neural network

A method is disclosed for responding to the detection of an obstacle in the path of a mobile machine as the mobile machine traverses the path at a work site. The method includes the steps of scanning a field of interest, detecting the presence of an obstacle, and determining a set of parameters as a function of the mobile machine, the obstacle, and the work site. The method also includes the steps of determining a level of predictability of motion of the obstacle, defining ranges of a plurality of zones as a function of the level of predictability and the parameters, and initiating an action in response to the obstacle being in one of the zones.

Method for determining a desired response to detection of an obstacle

A method for determining an alternate path by a mobile machine to avoid at least one obstacle. The method includes the steps of assigning an initial value of charge to the mobile machine, assigning a value of charge to a desired destination, determining the presence and the locations of at least one obstacle, and assigning a value of charge to each determined obstacle. The method further includes the steps of determining a force vector equation for each of the desired destination and each obstacle with respect to the mobile machine, determining a resultant force vector as a function of the force vector equations, and controlling the steering and movement of the mobile machine in response to the resultant force vector.

Energy-based approach for obstacle avoidance

An apparatus for predicting a fault condition for a machine is disclosed. The machine has a plurality of parameters being dependent upon machine performance. A sensor connected to the machine produces an electrical signal in response to one of the plurality of machine parameters. A computer produces a data trend of the parameter in response to the electrical signal, calculates the duration and slope of the trend, and predicts the time period in which the trend will exceed the warning level.

Method and apparatus of predicting a fault condition

An apparatus and method for diagnosing an engine including at least two cylinder banks using an exhaust temperature model is disclosed. The apparatus and method are operable for: (a) determining an actual exhaust temperature value for the first cylinder bank, an actual exhaust temperature value for the second cylinder bank, and an average exhaust temperature value for the first and second cylinder banks; (b) determining a plurality of parameters; (c) determining a modeled exhaust temperature value for the first cylinder bank, a modeled exhaust temperature value for the second cylinder bank, and a modeled average exhaust temperature value for the first and second cylinder banks, as a function of the plurality of parameters; (d) comparing the modeled and actual exhaust temperature values for the first cylinder bank, comparing the modeled and actual exhaust temperature values for the second cylinder bank, and comparing the modeled and actual average temperature values, and responsively determining a difference value for the first cylinder bank, a difference value for the second cylinder bank, and an average difference value, respectively; and (e) diagnosing the engine as a function of at least one of the difference value for the first cylinder bank, the difference value for the second cylinder bank, and the average difference value.

Apparatus and method for diagnosing an engine using an exhaust

The present invention is a method and apparatus for planning an alternate path in response to detection of an obstacle by a mobile machine at a work site. The work site includes a fleet of mobile machines and a fleet manager. The method includes the steps of determining the presence and location of an obstacle in a primary path of the mobile machine, determining an alternate path around the obstacle, and delivering a signal to the fleet manager with the location of the obstacle and the alternate path.

Method and apparatus for determining an alternate path in response to

A method and apparatus is disclosed to detect an obstacle in the path of a mobile machine. The present invention scans a field of interest by each of a plurality of obstacle sensor systems, weights the scanned data received from the obstacle sensor systems, and determines at least one characteristic of the obstacle as a function of the weighted scanned data.

Method and apparatus for detecting obstacles using multiple sensors for

A method for monitoring the condition of oil in an engine is disclosed which includes the steps of determining a plurality of parameters, determining a fuel injection model, determining the area of the cylinder walls that is coated with fuel, and responsively determining a total base number (TBN) model. The TBN determined from the model may be trended over time to predict the useful life of the oil.

Growing community of inventors

Peoria, IL, United States of America

Jagannathan Sarangapani