Hitachi Energy Switzerland Ag

Abb Power Grids Switzerland Ag

Abb Schweiz Ag

Hitachi Energy Ltd

Abb Research Ltd.

Poorvi Patel

Luiz V Cheim

Thomas A Fuhlbrigge

William John Eakins

Biao Zhang

Gregory A Cole

Harshang Shah

Daniel T Lasko

Gregory F Rossano

Saumya Sharma

Andrew Salm

Carlos Winsor Morato

Sanguen Choi

Aldo Dagnino

Lan Lin

Sangeun Choi

Asim Fazlagic

George Q Zhang

Stefan Rakuff

Harald Josef Staab

Carl-Olof Olsson

Birgitta Källstrand

Tommy Johansson

Marek Budyn

Harald Staab

Michal Ciach

Elisabeth Strandemo

Ulf Öberg

Nolan W Nicholas

Carlos W Morato

An inspection device for use in a fluid container having at least an opening includes a housing sized to fit through the opening. The housing has at least two fluid flow channels extending therethrough, each having an inlet and an outlet, and a pump maintained in the housing within each fluid flow channel. The pumps are selectively controlled to maneuver the housing within the fluid container. The inspection device continues with a method of in-situ inspection of a container having at least one opening to receive a fluid, that includes up-loading a virtual model of the container into a computer, inserting the device into the container, generating a position signal by the device and receiving the position signal on a computer. A virtual image of the device in the virtual model of the container is generated to determine an actual position of the device within the container.

Device and method for transformer in-situ inspection

An inspection system for inspecting a machine includes an inspection vehicle constructed for wireless operation while submersed in a dielectric liquid medium. The inspection vehicle is self-propelled. A controller is operative to direct the activities of the inspection vehicle. A plurality of status interrogation systems is disposed on the inspection vehicle. The status interrogation systems are operative to capture inspection data regarding a plurality of inspection procedures performed on the machine.

Systems and methods for inspecting a machine

A submersible inspection drone used for inspection of liquid cooled electrical transformers can include a number of separate cameras for imaging the internal structure of the transformer. The submersible can be configured to communicate to a base station using a wireless transmitter and receiver. The cameras on the submersible can be fixed in place and can be either static or motion picture cameras. The submersible can include an input/output selector capable of switching between the camera images, either through commanded action of a user or through computer based switching. In one form the input/output selector is a multiplexer. The base station can be configured to display images from the cameras one at a time, or can include a number of separate viewing portals in which real time images are displayed. The base station can include a demultiplexer synchronized to the multiplexer of the submersible.

Submersible inspection device and wireless communication with a base station

A tether control system for an inspection vehicle operable in a housing having a liquid medium is disclosed in the present application. The tether system includes a tether connected between the inspection vehicle and an electronic controller. A controllable buoyancy system associated with the tether is operable for moving the tether in a desired location. The controllable buoyancy system includes one or more floating bodies having a propulsion system and one or more buoyant elements having variable buoyancy capabilities.

Tether for an inspection vehicle

A submersible remotely operable vehicle used for inspection of liquid cooled electrical transformers can include a number of separate cameras and sensors for mapping and navigating the internal structure of the transformer with liquid coolant remaining in the transformer. The remotely operable vehicle can be wirelessly controlled to perform various inspection functions while the number of cameras provide video streams for processing to produce a three dimensional field of view based on an observation position of the remotely operable vehicle.

Submersible inspection vehicle with navigation and mapping capabilities

A submersible vehicle which includes a plurality of cameras can be used to collect visual images of an object of interest submerged in a liquid environment, such as in a tank (e.g. transformer tank). In one form the submersible vehicle is remotely operated such as an ROV or an autonomous vehicle. Image information from the submersible along with inertial measurements in some embodiments is used with a vision based modelling system to form a model of an internal object of interest in the tank. The vision based modelling system can include a number of processes to form the model such as but not limited to tracking, sparse and dense reconstruction, model generation, and rectification.

Submersible inspection device and vision based modelling

An inspection vehicle operable for performing one or more maintenance and repair operations in a housing filled at least partially with a liquid medium is disclosed in the present application. The inspection vehicle includes a propulsion device operable in the liquid medium and includes at least one sensor operable for sensing and transmitting data associated therewith. A control system including an electronic controller is in electronic communication with the inspection vehicle to transmit and receive communication signals to/from the inspection vehicle. One or more maintenance tools operable with the inspection vehicle are configured to perform maintenance and/or repair operations within the liquid filled housing.

Inspection vehicle with maintenance tools

A method and system for acquiring, manipulating and displaying inspection data obtained by sensors associated with submersible inspection vehicle within a housing having a liquid medium is disclosed in the present application. A control system including an electronic controller is operably coupled with the inspection vehicle and is configured to display data transmitted from the sensor and overlay input data from an operator on the display to facilitate real time analysis during the inspection event.

System and method for handling and charting data obtained by an inspection vehicle

A launching tube for use with a liquid filled tank can be sized to accommodate a submersible vehicle for dispensing into the liquid tank. The tank can be an electrical transformer or any other liquid containing tank such as but not limited to a chemical tank. The launching tube can include a valve for insertion into a launching chamber, and a tank side valve for launching of the submersible into the tank. In one form the launching tube includes an antenna for communication with the submersible and/or a base station. The launching tube can also include a sensor such as a camera, as well as an agitator. The agitator can be used to facilitate bubble removal from the inside of the launching tube.

Liquid tank inspection including device for launching submersible

Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are provided for providing recommendations to address design flaws of power system equipment and/or model design flaws for equipment model types of power system equipment. For example, historical sensor data and/or historical field test data, collected from power system equipment, may be analyzed to identify a design flaw of the power system equipment (e.g., a design flaw of a seal ring). A redesign cost to redesign the power system equipment, a failure impact of a failure from the design flaw, a maintenance repair and/or replacement cost, a manufacture alternative component cost to use an alternative component for manufacturing the power system equipment, and/or other factors may be taken into account to crate and provide a recommendation to address the design flaw.

Power system equipment design flaw identification

A deployment system for an inspection vehicle operable in a housing having a liquid medium is disclosed in the present application. The deployment system includes a mount connectable to the housing through an aperture formed in a wall thereof. An extendable arm is connected to the mount and positioned within the housing. A tether is slidably coupled to the extendable arm and adapted to connect with the inspection vehicle. A control mechanism is operable to control deployment of the tether and the position of the extendable arm.

Deployment apparatus having a tether arm for an inspection vehicle

A submersible inspection device used for inspection of, for example, liquid cooled electrical transformers can include a number of separate cameras for imaging the internal structure of the transformer. The submersible can be configured to communicate to a base station using a number of wireless transmitters and receivers. Signals transmitted to the submersible include command signals useful to effect an action on the submersible but also a heartbeat signal to indicate health of the transmitted signal. A redundant channel selection logic is provided to switch from a channel which no longer receives a heartbeat to another channel that includes a current heartbeat. Multiple signals can be received and evaluated in software, and another signal received via a firmware radio.

Submersible inspection device and redundant wireless communication with a base station

A submersible inspection drone used for inspection can include a ballast system used to control depth of the submersible inspection drone. The submersible can be configured to communicate to a base station using a wireless transmitter and receiver. The ballast system can include a pressure vessel for storing fluid and a bag for inflating and deflating as it receives a fluid. Buoyancy of the submersible inspection drone can be provided by change in density of the pressure vessel as a compressible gas is expanded when the ballast bag is caused to inflate or deflate. A pump can be used to draw fluid from the ballast bag and store the fluid in the pressure vessel. In one form the pressure vessel can include a compressible fluid and an incompressible fluid, where the incompressible fluid is used to inflate and deflate the bag.

Submersible drone having active ballast system

Method and system for predicting an oil temperature of a transformer for a desired load and/or predicting a load that a transformer can support for a desired time. A machine learning algorithm is developed using historical data of a transformer. After the algorithm is developed, historical data corresponding to the transformer are input into the algorithm to develop a profile of the transformer describing how the temperature of oil within the transformer is expected to change as a function of a desired load. Using the profile, the of temperature of the transformer is predicted for a desired load. In this way, a prediction is made as to whether and/or for how long a transformer may support a desired load before the oil temperature reaches a specified threshold and/or before the transformer fails due to the load.

Profiling transformer of power system

Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are provided for assessing power system equipment of a power system. Historical sensor data and/or historical field test data collected from the power system equipment may be utilized to develop a health profile of the power system equipment. The health profile is indicative of a predicted health (e.g., or probability of failure) of the power system equipment. In one embodiment, the health profile further comprises a health index score which evaluates that health of the power system equipment in terms of the importance of the power system equipment to the power system. Using the health profiles developed for a plurality of power system equipment, a maintenance strategy for at least a portion of the power system may be developed.

Growing community of inventors

Ballwin, MO, United States of America

Poorvi Patel