The Boeing Company

Michael P Gleason

Matthew Mark Thomas

Michael S Dixon

Robert Pless

William D Smart

Mathew Albert Coffman

Daniel Eugene Pulcher

Anthony C Roberts

Ronald L Bookout

Michael Allan Arrowsmith

Philip Lawrence Freeman

Scott R Johnston

Alan Frank Tegeler

Matthew M Thomas

Michael Ray Miller

William John Keyes

Robert Ray Johnson

Gregory M Sisti

Douglas E Reed

Anthony Michael Hoff

John Koval

Elizabeth Kay Kauffman

Elizabeth K Kauffman

David G Betterly

Amoret Margaret Lambrecht

Robert A Gipperich

John M Robertson

Michael A Arrowsmith

Amoret M Lambrecht

An aircraft skin panel includes a laminated composite layer and a ground plane coupled to the composite layer, wherein the ground plane is an electrically conductive elastic thermoplastic.

Conductive thermoplastic ground plane for use in an aircraft

A method and apparatus comprising a sealing member, an integral structure associated with the sealing member, and an engagement section extending from the sealing member. The sealing member is configured to be attached to a surface of an object. The sealing member is consolidated with the integral structure. The engagement section is deformable and configured to engage a receiving structure in the object.

Surface sealing system

An optical defect detection system is provided for recording an image of a transparency for detecting optical defects therein. The transparency may be formed with a contour. The defect detection system may comprise a light source, a diffuser and an image recording device for recording images of the transparency. The light source is configured to emit light and may be positioned adjacent one of the sides of the transparency. The image recording device may be positioned on a side of the transparency opposite the diffuser. The diffuser may be contoured complementary to the contour of the transparency and may be positioned between the light source and the transparency.

System and method for detecting optical defects in transparencies

The present disclosure is related to articles, such as aircraft windows and canopies, including a non-conductive substrate and a conductor pattern including one or more trace lines deposited onto the outside of the substrate such that the entire outside surface of the substrate is not coated with the conductor pattern. The present disclosure also provides methods of dissipating electrostatic charge from non-conductive substrates.

Dissipation of electrostatic charge from substrates

A method of detecting optical defects in a transparency may comprise the steps of providing a digital image of the transparency having a plurality of image pixels and detecting at least one candidate defect. The candidate defect may be detected by determining a grayscale intensity of each one of the image pixels and calculating an intensity gradient across adjacent pairs of the image pixels. Each image pixel may be assigned a gradient value comprising a maximum of the absolute value of the intensity gradients associated with the image pixel. A gradient image may be constructed comprising the gradient values assigned to corresponding ones of the image pixels. Image pixels may be identified as candidate pixels if such image pixels have a gradient value exceeding a gradient threshold. The candidate pixels may comprise the optical defect.

Method for detecting optical defects in transparencies

A system for evaluating optical distortion in an aircraft transparency, such as a windshield, is disclosed. The system utilizes high resolution digital images (a reference image and a test image) of a test grid structure having a pattern of visible index locations. In one embodiment, the test image is taken through the transparency under test, and the reference image is taken without the transparency. The two images are processed and analyzed by a computing device to determine displacement of each index location, relative to the reference image. The displacement data is further processed to obtain vector divergence field data that represents a quantitative measurement of the optical distortion. The optical distortion measurement data is then rendered in a suitable format that allows the transparency to be rated against certain quality criteria.

Evaluation of optical distortion in a transparency

Growing community of inventors

Edwardsville, IL, United States of America

Michael P Gleason