US 12,007,308 B2
Systems, methods and apparatus for in-service tank inspections
Jerome Vaganay, Norwell, MA (US); Eric Levitt, Lincolnville, ME (US); and William O'Halloran, Boston, MA (US)
Assigned to Square Robot, Inc., Marlborough, MA (US)
Filed by SQUARE ROBOT, INC., Boston, MA (US)
Filed on Sep. 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/942,867.
Application 17/942,867 is a continuation of application No. 16/526,690, filed on Jul. 30, 2019, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/855,518, filed on May 31, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/796,533, filed on Jan. 24, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0016738 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. G01M 3/32 (2006.01); B65D 88/12 (2006.01); B65D 90/50 (2019.01); G01B 7/06 (2006.01); G01C 21/20 (2006.01); G01M 3/24 (2006.01); G01N 17/04 (2006.01); G01N 21/88 (2006.01); G01N 27/90 (2021.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G05D 3/10 (2006.01); G08B 3/10 (2006.01); G01M 3/40 (2006.01)
CPC G01M 3/3236 (2013.01) [B65D 88/128 (2013.01); B65D 90/50 (2013.01); G01B 7/06 (2013.01); G01M 3/24 (2013.01); G01N 17/04 (2013.01); G01N 21/88 (2013.01); G01N 27/9006 (2013.01); G01N 27/9046 (2013.01); G01N 27/9073 (2013.01); G05D 1/0011 (2013.01); G05D 1/10 (2013.01); G05D 3/10 (2013.01); G08B 3/10 (2013.01); G01C 21/20 (2013.01); G01M 3/40 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An autonomous vehicle for inspecting a tank containing a flammable fluid, comprising:
a battery;
a control unit in electrical communication with the battery, the control unit sending a command to initiate inspection of the tank;
a ranging device in electrical communication with the battery, the ranging device identifying a first position of the vehicle on a map of the tank;
a temperature device detecting an internal vehicle temperature;
an inspection device comprising an ultrasonic transducer, the inspection device detecting values at a portion of the tank corresponding to the first position on the map, responsive to receiving from the control unit the command to initiate inspection of the tank; and
the control unit configured to:
(i) use the detected values to determine a quality metric for the portion of the tank corresponding to the first position of the vehicle on the map and store, in a memory element of the vehicle, the quality metric,
(ii) receive the internal vehicle temperature from the temperature device,
(iii) determine that the internal vehicle temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature, the predetermined threshold temperature set based on a type of the flammable fluid external to the vehicle, and
(iv) initiate a temperature mitigation operation after determining that the internal vehicle temperature exceeds the predetermined threshold temperature.