Battelle Memorial Institute

Lamb Weston, Inc.

Joe C Harris

James R Skorpik

John C Julian

Richard A Pappas

Chester L Shepard

Aaron A Diaz

Larry Dean Reid

Brion J Burghard

Juan D Valencia

Todd J Samuel

O Dennis Mullen

Jonathan T Smalley

Stephen R Gosselin

Theodore T Taylor

A system comprises a valve; a plurality of RFID sensor assemblies coupled to the valve to monitor a plurality of parameters associated with the valve; a control tag configured to wirelessly communicate with the respective tags that are coupled to the valve, the control tag being further configured to communicate with an RF reader; and an RF reader configured to selectively communicate with the control tag, the reader including an RF receiver. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Process control monitoring systems, industrial plants, and process control monitoring methods

An ultrasound inspection apparatus particularly adapted to examine containers (sealed or unsealed) containing a liquid or solid bulk material. The apparatus has an overall configuration of a hand held pistol with a front transducer contact surface that is positioned against a front wall of the container. An ultrasound pulse is transmitted from the apparatus to be reflected from a back wall of a container being investigated. The received echo pulse is converted to a digital waveform. The waveform is analyzed relative to temperature, travel distance of the pulse(s), and time of travel to ascertain characteristics of the liquid or other materials and to provide identification of the same.

Acoustic inspection device

The invention has utility generally for monitoring any part for severance of the part. The invention is specifically useful for monitoring severance of a tension blade in a tension blade grid. For general monitoring of a part, the apparatus has wireless connection between the sensing unit and the control unit. The wireless connection is achieved with a transmit/receive unit using radiofrequency power transfer for electrical power and using infrared transmitters and receivers for signal transfer. For food processing, specifically for a vegetable cutting method employing at least one tension blade in a first tension blade grid through which vegetables are passed for cutting the vegetables wherein the at least one tension blade is severed during the cutting, the invention provides for diverting the vegetables to a second tension blade grid. Diversion is accomplished with an acoustic emission sensor acoustically coupled to the at least one tension blade so that during the vegetable cutting, the acoustic emission sensor detects acoustic energy from tension blade severance. The acoustic energy is converted to an electronic signal that is compared in a microprocessor to a threshold. In a severance condition, an actuator receives an alarm signal from the microprocessor and diverts the vegetables to the second tension blade grid.

Acoustic emission severance detector and method

Growing community of inventors

Kennewick, WA, United States of America

Joe C Harris