TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY
Automated Gauge Reading at Oblique Angles
An automated gauge reading technology that can automate the process of aligning an image from any angle, and extracting analog gauges values, allowing the plant to replace manual logging.
Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this automated gauge reading technology.
Overview: As information technology evolves, industry is moving from analog to digital meters. However, this process is progressing slowly, and the popular pointer analog gauge is expected to remain widely in use. Non-digital output from the analog instruments hinder the processing and remote transmission of the collected data, effectively undermining the efficiency gains that automation, enabled by the collected data, can deliver. INL’s technology can assist in the reading and auditing of analog gauges which can augment or replace the tedious and error-prone process of manually logging gauge readings in a plant. This technology provides the ability to read these gauges at oblique angles with a high success rate. This tackles several challenges that restricted gauge-reading technologies to fixed cameras or in fixed proximity of gauges.
Description: This technology can automate the process of aligning an image from an angle other than straight-on. This enables a wider application of gauge reading image processing methods, and ultimately augment, or replace, the tedious and error prone process of manually logging gauge readings in a plant. These methods can measure and log a single gauge or simultaneously measure and log the values of multiple gauges, using either a fixed or mobile camera. Since most panels have tens of gauges, this can save a lot of time.
Instead of recording every gauge reading in a log sheet, one picture can be taken using a mobile, tablet, fixed, or dedicated camera. Drones could also be used to capture gauge readings in remote locations, and 360° cameras could be used to capture all the readings in a control room.
Benefits:
- Can utilize one camera to read multiple gauges at a range of positions and angles
- Can augment, or replace, the process of manually logging gauge readings
Applications:
- Any type of plant using analog gauges
- Nuclear
- Fossil fuels
- Paper
- Others
Development Status: TRL [AYAR1] 2-3. This technology is in need of further development. INL is seeking a licensee or development partner to assist in this development.
IP Status: Patent Application No. 62/934,970, “Automated Gauge Reading to Reduce Operation and Maintenance Activities in Nuclear Power Plants,” BEA Docket No. BA-1097.
INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available.
Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.
Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.
