Patents Examined by Thomas Stevens
  • Patent number: 9092025
    Abstract: A thermal displacement compensating device calculates a thermal displacement amount which is produced by heat generation or dissipation as a machine tool is actuated or stopped and changes with time. A thermal displacement compensation amount is calculated by multiplying the calculated thermal displacement amount by a coefficient. A position command is compensated by adding the thermal displacement compensation amount to the position command. On the other hand, a variation between a thermal displacement amount calculated last time and a current thermal displacement amount is determined for each predetermined time. A plurality of thermal displacement amount change states are identified based on comparison between the determined variation and a predetermined threshold. The coefficient is calculated based on the identified thermal displacement amount change state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Susumu Maekawa
  • Patent number: 9093863
    Abstract: A smart circuit breaker for an AC power supply circuit that has a limited capacity for supplying power to one or more electrical loads. Smart circuit breaker includes a sensing circuit to dynamically determine the available load capacity of the AC power supply circuit. A reporting circuit reports the dynamically available load capacity to a controller, an existing electrical load, and/or a potential electrical load on the AC power supply circuit. The AC power supply circuit, the existing electrical load, and/or the potential electrical load can adjust operations based on the reported availability of load capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Roderick A. Hyde, Jordin T. Kare, Lowell L. Wood, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9093840
    Abstract: A system tool merges different load forecasts for power grid centers. A plurality of load forecast engines are coupled to a load forecast interface and a relational data base that saves load forecast engine data as an input through the load forecast interface. A comprehensive operating plan is coupled to the load forecast engines and the relational database. The comprehensive operating plan is configured to integrate individual load forecasts into a composite load forecast to present a comprehensive, synchronized and harmonized load forecast. A program interface provides access to the composite load forecasting schedule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY LTD.
    Inventors: David Sun, Kwok Cheung, Kenneth Chung, Tory McKeag
  • Patent number: 9078802
    Abstract: A controller for a bathing unit system comprising a memory unit for storing program instructions, an interface for establishing a communication link with an external memory medium and a processing unit. The controller is operative for controlling a set of bathing unit components at least in part on the basis of the program instructions stored in the memory unit. The external memory medium stores update information associated with the program instructions and relevancy information indicative of a characteristic of the update information. The processing unit is operative for detecting the presence of an external memory medium at the interface, accessing the relevancy information stored in the memory medium, processing the relevancy information and causing the program instructions to be updated on the basis of the update information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: GECKO ALLIANCE GROUP INC.
    Inventors: Christian Brochu, Mathieu Robitaille
  • Patent number: 9069338
    Abstract: A building management strategy includes using exponentially weighted moving averages with statistical models to detect changes in the behavior of the building management system. Detected changes in the behavior of the system may indicate a detected fault, a change in a predicted behavior, or a need for the statistical models to be updated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Kirk H. Drees, James P. Kummer
  • Patent number: 9071911
    Abstract: A system of controlling media devices configured for outputting signals to a surrounding area. The system including a control strategy for controlling operation of the media devices to execute operations according to a common schedule and a communications strategy for use in communicating the control strategy between the media devices in such a manner as to facilitate distribution of the control strategy to the media devices desired to operate according to the common timeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Inventor: Ronald Paul Harwood
  • Patent number: 9063715
    Abstract: A virtual power infrastructure for managing distribution of power to a plurality of power demanding units from a plurality of power generators includes a demand manager having logical descriptions of the power demanding units, in which the demand manager is configured to determine power load demands of the power demanding units using the logical descriptions of the power demanding units, and a capacity manager having logical descriptions of the power generators. The capacity manager is configured to determine allocation of power capacity supplied to the power generators from one or more of the power generators to meet the power load demands of the power demanding units, while satisfying one or more predetermined constraints associated with at least one of the power demanding units and the power generators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L. P.
    Inventors: Ratnesh Kumar Sharma, Amip J. Shah, Cullen E. Bash, Chih C. Shih, Chandrakant Patel
  • Patent number: 9065294
    Abstract: A control device includes a storage device storing reference power, basic device point information showing a control priority representing a degree for determining a control order of a plurality of devices, and room information showing a priority of each room in which the plurality of devices are disposed; an acquisition unit acquiring power usage of the plurality of devices; a changing unit changing the basic device point information based on the room information; a determination unit determining whether or not the acquired power usage has exceeded the reference power; and a transmitting unit transmitting, to a device of the plurality of devices that is relatively high in control priority after change, an instruction to reduce the power usage of this device, based on determination that the acquired power usage has exceeded the reference power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hironori Kambara, Yukiya Higuchi
  • Patent number: 9061392
    Abstract: A controlled electro-pneumatic power tool includes an electro-mechanical adjustable valve, a pneumatic motor and a rotational speed sensor connected to a microcontroller for the selection, monitoring and adjustment adjustment of the rotational speed in real time. Using the communication port data for the consumable can be transmitted to the controlled electro-pneumatic power tool. The controlled electro-pneumatic power tool can read and utilize the transmitted data to select, adjust and maintain the optimum process parameters for the consumable without any input from the operator person. Furthermore, the communicated data can be used to warn the operator person that the tool used is inadequate for the selected consumable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Inventors: Sylvain Forgues, Brigitte Labelle
  • Patent number: 9056588
    Abstract: A control apparatus configured to control communication between an on-vehicle device and a device coupled to the on-vehicle device via a cable, the control apparatus including a cable length detecting part configured to detect a length of the cable and a power supply voltage controlling part configured to control, based on the length of the cable detected by the cable length detecting part, a power supply voltage in a connector connected to the device by changing a power supply voltage applied to a power supply line of the cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryuichi Yokota, Yusuke Oku, Koji Gamo, Makoto Fujino
  • Patent number: 9058029
    Abstract: A system and method for generating modeling software for processing control, used in power plant control, cement plants or other industrial control applications, using models such as expert systems, fuzzy logic, genetic optimization algorithms, and neural networks to convert sensor data into actionable data, information and/or diagnostics. The present invention includes a graphical programming environment, graphical programming tools, graphical user interface (GUI), visual feedback, real-time refresh, run-time object swap, logic standby (safety recovery), modeling and optimization to allows a user to create a control system for an industrial process, and that allows the user to change the process without any manual compile, assemble or load steps other than a save and refresh pushbutton.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Inventor: Brad Radl
  • Patent number: 9058707
    Abstract: A system and method for managing abrasive blasting may include timing duration of blast media being blown in performing abrasive blasting using an abrasive blasting machine. Time duration that an operator worked in association with the duration of the blast media being blown may be received. A blasting efficiency ratio may be computed based on the duration of the blasting media being blown and duration of that the operator worked. The blasting efficiency ratio may be displayed to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Inventor: Ronald C. Benson
  • Patent number: 9048697
    Abstract: This specification discloses an intelligent and digitalized process level interface which is referred to herein as an Intelligent Process Interface (IPI). The input of the IPI includes both analog and digital channels and therefore the IPI can be used for substations in transition or retrofit stages with both conventional and non-conventional primary devices. The IPI acts not only as a digitalized interface, but also as an intelligent supervisory and control unit for switching functions. The architecture of the IPI is flexible and allows for the functionality to be distributed to several devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: ABB RESEARCH LTD
    Inventors: Zhao Wang, Bernhard Deck, Jianping Wang
  • Patent number: 9031684
    Abstract: A method and system for integrated circuit fabrication is disclosed. In an example, the method includes determining a first process parameter of a wafer and a second process parameter of the wafer, the first process parameter and the second process parameter corresponding to different wafer characteristics; determining a variation of a device parameter of the wafer based on the first process parameter and the second process parameter; constructing a model for the device parameter as a function of the first process parameter and the second process parameter based on the determined variation of the device parameter of the wafer; and performing a fabrication process based on the model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nai-Han Cheng, Chin-Hsiang Lin, Chi-Ming Yang, Chun-Lin Chang, Chih-Hong Hwang
  • Patent number: 9026240
    Abstract: A coating and developing treatment apparatus includes a substrate transfer mechanism; and a defect inspection section. A transfer control part controls transfer of a substrate. A defect classification part classifies a defect based on the state of the defect. A storage part stores a transfer route of the substrate by the substrate transfer mechanism when the substrate has been treated by treatment sections. A defective treatment specification part specifies, based on a kind of the defect classified by the defect classification part and the transfer route of the substrate stored in the storage part, a treatment section which is a cause of occurrence of the classified defect, and judges presence or absence of an abnormality of the specified treatment section. The transfer control part controls the substrate transfer mechanism to transfer a substrate bypassing the treatment section which has been judged to be abnormal by the defective treatment specification part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Makoto Hayakawa, Hiroshi Tomita, Tatsuhei Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9026256
    Abstract: A system and method for real-time feeder reconfiguration are disclosed for load balancing in distribution system automation. The load balancing of transformers and feeders can be achieved by load transfer from an overloaded transformer or feeder to an adjacent transformer or feeder which is lightly loaded. An exemplary method can include defining an objective function as a sum of squares of the load deviation of transformers/feeders. The minimization of this objective function determines the optimal operating states (open or closed) of sectionalizing switches. The load balancing operation of transformer and feeder can be carried out by a single operation in which a plurality of switches is reconfigured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Technology AG
    Inventors: Abhinna Chandra Biswal, Ashish Mangla, Rajeev Jha, Akilur Rahman
  • Patent number: 9020653
    Abstract: Systems and methods for associating a load demand with a variable power generation are described. A method of providing power from a renewable resource includes receiving a signal including an output capability value for a renewable variable power generation module. An input power demand value is calculated for a load demand module based on the output capability value of the received signal. A customer load is controlled on a power transmission and distribution grid based on the calculated input power demand value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: SunPower Corporation
    Inventor: Carl J. S. Lenox
  • Patent number: 9020617
    Abstract: A control system includes a clustered architecture having a master controller, a central control section including one or more first remote controllers under direct control of the master controller, and a distributed control section including a cluster controller controlled by the master controller. The cluster controller controls the activities of one or more second remote controllers. Each of the first and second remote controllers are utilized to drive one or more axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Hosek, Stuart Beale, Roumen Botev, Matthew Coady, Christopher Hofmeister, Mark Ives, Jairo Moura, Robert Caveney
  • Patent number: 9020624
    Abstract: A system manages results of an analysis process on objects handled along a technical process line. The system contains measures for defining workflow steps of the technical process line and workflow execution software, and measures for generating for each object an object record containing the results of the workflow steps and a status. The system further has measures for defining an event manager for managing a transition from an actual status to a new status according to results of the workflow steps. The event manager contains a customized number of statuses linked to the workflow steps and contains for each transition a customizable set of rules for delivering check results. Finally, measures are provided for executing in parallel the analysis process, the workflow execution software and the event manager, thereby assigning a status to the object record depending on the check results derived from the execution of the set of rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Frédéric Depreter
  • Patent number: 9014859
    Abstract: A control system for controlling at least one environmental parameter in an operating area in response to sensor signals. The system includes a central control unit, actuators and mobile sensor units, and also at least one, preferably a plurality, of communication nodes which are placed in the operating area. Each one of the communication nodes is configured to mediate signals between the sensor units and the central control unit in a monitoring area by wirelessly receiving sensor signals from sensor units located within its monitoring area and forwarding the sensor signals to the central control unit. A monitoring area of a communication node is defined by the signal coverage of the communication node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Alf Isaksson, Lars Brannstrom