Patents Examined by Christopher E Everett
  • Patent number: 11340596
    Abstract: To optimize an operation of a manufacturing facility by presenting a countermeasure for improving quality, even in a manufacturing process where the product quality changes even under constant manufacturing conditions. A countermeasure recommendation device includes a data acquisition unit for collecting a plurality of pieces of facility data, and assigning a label for each process to each piece of the facility data; a countermeasure detection unit for creating countermeasure record data; a countermeasure recommendation unit for calculating the characteristic amount, extracting the characteristic amount, and selecting the countermeasure related to the extracted characteristic amount; and a countermeasure presentation unit for presenting the countermeasure in a visualized state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Masakazu Takahashi, Keiro Muro
  • Patent number: 11340590
    Abstract: A data collection system, comprising circuitry configured to: set a sharable public variable from among a plurality of variables of an industrial machine controlled by a control device; collect data on the industrial machine based on the public variable; and record the data in a first storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventors: Takahiko Suzuki, Shinichiro Obata, Takaaki Shogaki, Megumi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11334052
    Abstract: A worker guidance system for guiding a worker when carrying out a process using a process system. The process system includes at least one process device having process device capabilities, the process including at least one work step, including a control unit and a communication device. The control unit is designed to activate the communication device based on process data to communicate to the worker the work step to be carried out. The control unit is provided with the process device capabilities as process device capability data, the process data including the process device capability data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Schoeffler, Sven Dose
  • Patent number: 11327470
    Abstract: A unit space generating device (141) which generates a unit space for use when diagnosing an operating state of a plant on the basis of a Mahalanobis distance is provided with: a sampling data acquiring unit (141A) which acquires a sampling data group comprising a plurality of state quantities of the plant, measured with a fixed period; an adoption determining unit (141C) which, on the basis of an adoption probability calculated each time the sampling data group is acquired, determines whether the sampling data group is to be adopted as a unit space generation data group serving as the basis for a unit space; a unit space generating unit (141D) which generates unit spaces on the basis of a plurality of the adopted unit space generation data groups; and an output value acquiring unit (141B) which acquires an output value of the plant corresponding to the sampling data group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI POWER, LTD.
    Inventors: Ichiro Nagano, Mayumi Saito, Keiji Eguchi
  • Patent number: 11327462
    Abstract: A maintenance support system includes a numerical controller that controls the drive of an operating mechanism of an industrial machine and a server that is a support device capable of communicating with the numerical controller, and the maintenance support system supports maintenance of the industrial machine. The numerical controller includes a first information generating unit that acquires, from among data related to a state of operation of the operating mechanism, data related to the state of operation of the operating mechanism when an anomaly is found in an operation of the operating mechanism, and generates first information including the data acquired. The server includes a second information generating unit that generates second information to be proposed to the numerical controller for the maintenance on the basis of the content of the first information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kotaro Nagaoka, Takao Katsuta, Mitsumasa Sakurai
  • Patent number: 11327474
    Abstract: Producing a product, differently detailed structural information about a structure of the product and digital machining information about a machining process are read in. The structural information is examined as to whether a respective item of structural information is given further detail by a respective other structure. A plurality of machining sequences are generated from the structural information and machining information so that an item of structural information from a first machining sequence is given detail by an item of structural information from a second machining sequence. The first machining sequence is transmitted to a first planning module and the second machining sequence is transmitted to a second planning module. The planning modules generate an action sequence as a planning result, which is considered by the second planning module during generation of the action sequence. Control signals are output by the action sequence generated by the second planning module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Bernd Kast, Sebastian Albrecht, Wendelin Feiten
  • Patent number: 11320800
    Abstract: To optimize NC program cores included in a generated machining program and expedite operation of a machine tool. An optimization device includes a block analysis unit, a code processing unit, and a program generation unit. The block analysis unit analyzes a preparatory function code and/or an auxiliary function code for each of a plurality of blocks included in a first program. The code processing unit performs a process on the preparatory function code and/or the auxiliary function code in a plurality of successive blocks based on a result of the analysis by the block analysis unit and optimizes the first program. The program generation unit generates the first program optimized by the code processing unit as a second program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshifumi Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 11314236
    Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to achieve optimal operating guidance on day-to-day operations in a plant while also achieving, for example, soundness and reduced operating costs for a plant equipment piece without increasing the load on the central operation room, by determining the optimal configuration value for the operating value of the plant equipment piece. To this end, there is provided an equipment state monitoring device 331 for analyzing an operating state of a first plant equipment piece 303 during a prescribed period. The equipment state monitoring device 331 analyzes the operating state of the first plant equipment piece 303, and depending on a result of the analysis, carries out determination of an optimal operating value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES POWER ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS, LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Otani
  • Patent number: 11314234
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes a load port on which a plurality of storage containers, each storage container storing a plurality of substrates, are mounted, a plurality of process chambers configured to be capable of accommodating the substrates, a transfer part configured to transfer the substrates stored in each storage container to each of the process chambers; an operation part configured to, when performing the process in a state in which a substrate is not present in each process chamber, count first count data of data tables for corresponding process chambers; a memory configured to store the data tables; and a controller configured to assign first transfer flag data to a data table of a process chamber having largest first count data and configured to control the transfer part based on the first transfer flag data so as to transfer the substrates in the predetermined order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naofumi Ohashi, Toshiyuki Kikuchi, Shun Matsui, Tadashi Takasaki
  • Patent number: 11300950
    Abstract: A method includes receiving one or more data files that have one or more user-selected input parameters associated with one or more electrical devices in an industrial system, one or more output parameters associated with the electrical devices, one or more input/output parameter tags, a frequency or a condition associated with data transmission for each electrical device, or a combination thereof. The electrical devices may communicate via a first communication network based on the International Electrotechnical Commission 61850 standard, and the controller may communicate via a different communication network. The method also includes automatically programming the controller to control one or more operations of each electrical device based on the data files and transmitting the data files to a gateway device communicatively coupled to the controller along a backplane of a chassis system. The gateway device is automatically configured based on the one or more data files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Elmorris P. Dixon, David C. Mazur, Philip Muren, Douglas Francis McEldowney
  • Patent number: 11297786
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide an interface unit interfacing with an irrigation controller, comprising: a housing; a controller configured to instruct an interruption of a watering schedule executed by the irrigation controller, the interruption based on one or both of sensed temperature and sensed rainfall amount, and based on one or both of user entered temperature and rainfall threshold parameters; a switching device coupled with the controller, and configured to cause the interruption in response to signaling from the controller; and a user interface comprising: a plurality of user input devices configured to provide signaling to the controller based upon user's engagement, and configured to allow the user to define the temperature and rainfall threshold parameters; and a user display comprising a display screen; wherein the controller is configured to cause the display screen to display a plurality of pictorial representations that in combination convey whether irrigation is being interrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Rain Bird Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Redmond, Michael J. Tennyson, Randall A. Hern, Gerald E. Peterson, David G. Fern
  • Patent number: 11294403
    Abstract: Provided is a process, including: receiving, via the network interface, from a remote user device, a command to change a state of the fluid-handling device to a target state; translating the received command into a translated command operative to cause a local controller of the fluid-handling device to drive the fluid-handling equipment to the target state, the local controller being responsive to the command and feedback from the fluid-handling device indicative of whether the fluid-handling device is in the target state; and sending the translated command to the local controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: SitePro, Inc.
    Inventor: Aaron Phillips
  • Patent number: 11294362
    Abstract: A yield-rate assessment apparatus for a manufacture system including a plurality of machines, each machine participating in one or more manufacture steps of a batch of products in the manufacture system, performs for each machine: calculating a bad-piece expectation value and a quantity of potential bad pieces at each corresponding manufacture step based on a quantity of bad pieces detected after the last one of the manufacture steps is finished and an initial yield rate of the current machine; calculating a good-piece expectation value based on a quantity of good pieces detected after the last one of the manufacture steps is finished and a summation of all quantities of potential bad pieces calculated for the current machine; and assessing a yield rate according to the good-piece expectation value calculated for the current machine and a summation of the bad-piece expectation value calculated for the current machine at each corresponding step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Deron Liang, Chin-Chun Chang
  • Patent number: 11287808
    Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed that is used in an industrial process control and automation system that operates using an open platform data communication protocol. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory, and a communications interface connected to at least one process instrument and arranged to transmit instructions to and receive data from the at least one process instrument and to a data network of the industrial process control and automation system that communicates using the open platform data communication protocol. The apparatus memory contains a system repository file containing process data information sent to the apparatus from the at least one process instrument, a stored function block definition file containing function blocks that define a control strategy for controlling the at least one process instrument and an engineering repository containing the characteristics and parameters for the function blocks associated with the at least one process instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: James M. Schreder, Paul F. McLaughlin, John J. Rosa-Bian, Joseph P. Felix
  • Patent number: 11287800
    Abstract: A method for a device to monitor performance of a manufacturing machine which is equipped with a fixture for holding a workpiece, the fixture having at least one fixing hole, includes obtaining actual coordinate values of the fixing hole in a plurality of machining processes and calculating a standard deviation of the coordinates in at least one axial direction according to the actual coordinate values and a preset standard coordinate value. A risk index in at least one axial direction is calculated according to the standard deviation and a preset tolerance and a determination made as to whether risk index exceeds a preset threshold. A warning is sent to the machine and supervising engineer if the risk exceeds the preset threshold. A machine monitoring device and a computer readable storage medium are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: FU DING ELECTRONICAL TECHNOLOGY (JIASHAN) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Lei Chen, Jing Luo, Hang Shen, Yu-Xue Shi
  • Patent number: 11281180
    Abstract: A programmable controller allocates times obtained by dividing executable time in one operation cycle to a plurality of paths, executes sequence programs of the paths in the respective allocated times, and accumulates remaining time as extra time when execution of each of the sequence programs ends before the end of the allocation time. When it is determined that surplus time occurs on the basis of the accumulated extra time, the programmable controller determines whether each of the sequence programs is executed after being divided, and executes a remainder of a divided sequence program in the surplus time in accordance with a result of the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nao Onose, Mitsuru Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 11281193
    Abstract: This invention implements a work system high in flexibility and speedy system development. The work system includes a plurality of modules each having software for work which performs predetermined in-module processing, and a service base unit which inputs and outputs event information to and from the modules. The event information includes an identifier and a payload. The service base unit has a function of receiving the event information from any of the modules, and a function of transferring the event information to the other module. The other module to which the event information is transferred determines based on the identifier included in the transferred event information whether the in-module processing is performed within its own module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI INDUSTRY & CONTROL SOLUTIONS, LTD.
    Inventor: Tomoko Ishino
  • Patent number: 11275194
    Abstract: The present application is directed toward cargo scanning systems having scanners, each arranged to scan a respective object and generate a set of scan data, processors arranged to process each set of scan data to determine whether it meets a predetermined threat condition, workstations, and data management system arranged to direct data that meets the threat condition to one of the workstations for analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Rapiscan Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward James Morton
  • Patent number: 11275363
    Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing an economic strategy such as a model predictive control (EMPC) strategy. An EMPC tool is configured to present to receive sinks and connections between central plant equipment. The EMPC tool also includes a data model extender configured to extend a data model to define new entities and/or relationships. The EMPC tool also includes a high level EMPC algorithm configured to generate an optimization problem and an asset allocator configured to solve the resource optimization problem in order to determine optimal control decisions used to operate the central plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventors: Andrew J. Przybylski, Michael J. Wenzel, Matthew J. Ellis, Jon T. Mueller
  • Patent number: 11271769
    Abstract: A controller for building equipment that operate to provide heating or cooling for a building or campus. The controller includes a processing circuit configured to perform an optimization of an objective function subject to an override constraint to determine amounts of one or more resources to be produced by the building equipment and control the building equipment to produce the amounts of the one or more resources determined by performing the optimization subject to the override constraint. The override constraint overrides an output of the optimization by specifying an override amount of a first resource of the one or more resources to be produced by a first subset of the building equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventor: Mohammad N. Elbsat